Hugh Hammer (ASOIF/SI)

 She had been summoned the Lady Arryn's solar, the guards urging

 her to make haste, she could sense fear and uneasiness in their

 body language, even see it in some of their faces.

 Entering the Solar, she found it crowded, several Lords and Knights

 were present, all armored and armed she noticed with some alarm.

 "Ahh, good, you are here" announced Lady Arryn "come here my

 child, I, I have news from Kings Landing, and, and I am afraid it is

 not good."

 Something clutched at Rhaena's heart, almost pushing the air from

 her lungs "what, what bad news do you speak of Lady Arryn?" she

 asked, noting the grim faces of the armored men all around her.

 "I am sorry your Grace, your sister, Princess Baela, and Prince

 Jacaerys, her intended fell, in the defense of Dragnstone… I am so

 sorry your Grace…"

 Rhaena barely heard this over the rushing, roaring sounds in her

 ears. Baela dead! No! NO! How could this happen, how could her

 sister, her twin be dead?"

 "I am so sorry your Grace" came the words of Lady Jessamyn, who

 placed her arm around her shoulders, the Lady Redfort had always

 been more open with showing physical affection. But Rhaena was

 glad of it now, finding the arm around her shoulders the only comfort

 to be had in this room.

 "Vhagar and Tessarion attacked Dragonstone a week ago, Prince

 Jacaerys was visiting your sister at the time, the other

 dragon…..Sheepstealer I believe the beast was called, and its rider

 also perished. In addition, the raven from Kings landing warns us

that the Eyrie is a potential target for Vhagar and Tessarion, and that

 Vermithor and Seasmoke are on their way here to defend the Eyrie."

 "Here, the dragons are coming here?" was all Rhaena could say, her

 mind whirling and spinning, barely able to concentrate on what was

 being said.

 "Aye your Grace, there have been reports of dragons sighted off Old

 Anchor, we believe those to be Vhagar and Tessarion, they cannot

 traverse the Mountains of the Moon due to the winter weather, they

 will most likely fly up the Vale of Arryn. We expect Vermithor and

 Seasmoke within the next few days."

 Just then Prince Joffrey was escorted into the room and given the

 same news that she had been given. Afterwards Lady Arryn ordered

 most of the occupants out of the room, leaving herself, Lady

 Jessamyn and Rhaena.

 "There is more your Grace, we believe that the attack on the Eyrie

 may be on conjunction with moves by traitorous Lords to oust me as

 Lady of the Vale."

 Rhaena's mouth opened in shock, her heart again leaping in her

 chest, but before she could say anything Lady Arryn continued

 "these turncoats will no doubt reveal themselves the moment the

 dragons of King Aegon the pretender appear. I have made some

 accounting for who is loyal and who is suspect, but I cannot trust my

 number to be total accurate. I have sent for additional men from the

 Gate of the Moon, but they will take at least four days to arrive, and

 Vhagar and Tessarion could be upon us at any time."

 Rhaena did not know what to say to this, fear gripping her insides, as

 Lady Jessamyn spoke, her tone steel despite the words she said

 "you will probably to safe, you are a valuable hostage, your brother

 and his dragon, not so much I'm afraid. Lady Arryn and I are equally

 in danger in this coup, should it take place."

"Why, why you Lady Jessamyn?" Rhaena asked, confusion making

 her words tumble form her mouth in a rush.

 "Ah sweet child, my father long wished to betroth me, and I have

 equally long frustrated his wishes. After his death my brother

 disowned me, he and my family are no friends or supporters of Lady

 Arryn, of that you can be certain. If I am lucky, I might be packed off

 to the Silent Sisters, if not a quick flight from the Moon Door is in

 store for me."

 Rhaena gasped at the casual way Lady Jessamyn described her

 fate, she caught the wistful look that Lady Arryn was giving her dear

 friend, a look that spoke of complicated feelings, even to her young

 eyes.

 "And they will kill me, of that you can be certain Princess Rhaena, for

 I have long frustrated the ambitions of some of my male relatives,

 who think that a cock is all they need to have the right to the Eyrie!"

 Rhaena's felt her ears and face redden at Lady Arryn's coarse

 words, but she quailed at the thoughts of Lady Arryn and Lady

 Jessamyn being killed. And she was not so sure that she would not

 be harmed, Aemond was coming on Vhagar and she had suffered

 enough of his glances and stares on the occasions that they had met

 to make her uncomfortable, and as she had grown older, more than

 uncomfortable. Aemond's eyes held something sick and twisted in

 them when he gazed upon her, something that frightened her, even

 though she did not know why.

 Aemond would….he would….he would not treat her kindly if she fell

 into his hands, of that she was certain. And he was as likely to main

 her as to kill her, of that Rhaena knew with a terrible certainty.

 The next several days passed in an agony of steadily increasing

 tension, which hung palpable in the air. The Eyrie seemed to be full

 of armed men, all moving about with seeming purposes, though not

 to one purpose she suspected. She and her brother had been

 moved into new quarters in the tower that Lady Arryn occupied, and

this tower was now crawling with guards, Arryn blue cloaks and

 others of the Lords that Lady Arryn hoped were loyal to her. Men no

 longer wore courtly garb, all wore armour and were armed at all

 times, women stayed to their quarters or only moved about when

 absolutely necessary.

 Court was suspended temporarily, much to the loud annoyance of a

 coterie of Lords, the ones that Rhaena suspected were disloyal, and

 the tension increased markedly after this.

 Then one morning the cry went up that dragons had been spotted,

 coming up the valley of the Eyrie from the south west, and within

 minutes they were identified as Vermithor and Seasmoke, the

 dragons sent by her father to guard the Eyrie.

 Within the hour the two dragons were circling the Eyrie, the smaller

 of the two dragons, the pale silver-grey dragon known as Seasmoke,

 landed and its rider alighted.

 Rhaena watched this from the windows of Lady Arryn's Solar, the

 rider had a brief talk with the assembled guards in the court before

 he was hurried away, appearing a quarter of an hour later in the

 Solar.

 The rider was a young man of small, slim build, who was bundled in

 a thick sheepskin coat and heavy boots. The rider introduced himself

 as Addam Velaryon and handed over a leather pouch to Lady Arryn,

 which appeared to contain numerous scrolls and documents, the

 young man asking several questions of Lady Arryn with regard to her

 situation in the Eyrie and if there had been any sightings of Vhagar

 and Tessarion.

 Once Addam appeared to be satisfied with the answer's he had

 received he asked for permission to signal to the other dragon, which

 with its rider was still circling the Eyrie, to come in to land.

 Rhaena observed from the window Addam Velaryon retrieve some

 sort of a box from the baggage behind the saddle on Seasmoke's

back and set himself up on the walls of the Eyrie. He seemed to

 manipulate the box for a few minutes and Rhaena observed the

 large dragon, Vermithor make its approach and land in the courtyard

 of the Eyrie.

 After the rider of Vermithor alighted he conferred with Addam for

 some moments, both of them then unloading their saddle bags and

 luggage from the backs of their respective dragons.

 "Come" Rhaena heard from behind her, turning to see Lady Arryn

 indicate the door to the Solar.

 "Ser Hugh and Ser Addam will be staying down in the Courtyard to

 be as close as possible to their dragons, let us go and make sure

 that they are settling in."

 Rhaena descended the endless stairs of the tower and made her

 way with Lady Arryn, Lady Jessamyn, their entourage and their

 guards out into the courtyard.

 She found Prince Joffrey there also, along with his dragon Tyraxes,

 who seemed to be not in the slightest bit concerned by the two larger

 dragons, who were remarkably well behaved, seeming to be blithely

 unconcerned with their surroundings.

 As they approached Prince Joffrey was in deep conversation with a

 giant of man, with the silver-blond hair of the Old Blood, but he

 lacked the fine features of the scions of the Freehold, instead his

 face was rather coarse and heavy, and he had a look of someone

 who would resort to violence at a moment's notice. The man was

 dressed like Ser Addam had been, in a thick sheepskin coat and

 thick, heavy looking boots, and as he saw them approaching, he

 went to one knee to greet them.

 "You must be Ser Hugh, the rider of Vermithor?" asked Lady Arryn,

 bidding the man to rise.

"I am my Lady; you have already met Ser Addam. We are here at the

 behest of Prince Daemon, Lord Protector of the Realm to defend the

 Eyrie from what we believe to be an attack by Princes Aemond and

 Daeron and their dragons."

 This Hugh's voice did nothing to dissuade Rhaena of her opinion of

 him, rough and deep, with the harsh accent of the smallfolk of

 Dragonstone strongly evident.

 Lady Arryn, some of her advisors, Ser Hugh, Ser Addam and Prince

 Joffrey then huddled for quite some time near Vermithor, who

 ignored then and looked like he was taking a nap. Rhaena observed

 some quite heated discussions, with even raised voices, but she

 could not exactly make out what was being said, despite straining

 her ears to listen.

 Eventually the meeting broke up, Lady Arryn and her advisors

 retreating to the body of the castle.

 Prince Joffrey remined, along with some Arryn guards and servants,

 who seemed to be setting up camp beds in one of the ground floor

 galleries off the courtyard. Other servants and guards appeared to

 be busy barricading and closing off access to the courtyard, Prince

 Joffrey providing the answers to her unsaid questions.

 "This courtyard is to be the roost for the dragons during their stay, to

 secure it and to prevent any 'accidents' access is being blocked off,

 just in case…."

 Rhaena wondered if it was also to protect the dragons and their

 riders from the supposed traitors who infested the Eyrie, and about

 whom noting seemed to have been done. Her father would never

 suffer for traitors to live, of that she was sure, and this lack of action

 on Lady Arryn's part confused and scared her.

 "I had to tell that up-jumped Ser Hugh that I would not be talked

 down to, nor, nor ordered by him!" Joffrey burst out, puffing up his

 chest and trying to look all fierce "the cheek of that man, to tell me

that I could not partake in the defense of the Eyrie! I am the Crown

 Price now! I must defend the Eyrie and I must avenge the death of

 my brother Jacaerys!"

 Before Rhaena could react to this news the little Prince continued

 "with, with the death of my brother and of your sister lady Baela, I

 think that you are, that you are now my betrothed?"

 "Has, has your mother her Grace or my father the Lord Protector

 confirmed this Prince Joffrey?" she asked, horrified at the thought of

 being betrothed to Joffrey. Heretofore she had been worried about

 being betrothed to and old man and now it looked like she would

 have to wed a child!

 "No, no they have not, but I think, I think it will happen, don't you?"

 "Ummmh, I don't know, we will have to wait until we get word from

 our parents, I think…."