Rhaegar wore black armor on his body. On his chest, the three-headed dragon glowed with rubies. A red cape hung from his body. He rode a brown steed with a white chest.
His procession was about thirty men. He dismounted with ease. One by one, his men got off their horses.
"Your Grace. ArgentStone is yours," greeted the prince, standing. Because of his status as a prince, he was not required to kneel before the king. He offered them bread and salt, granting them guest rights. However, it was only for the king and the royal family.
It was customary that those men under the command of the one who ate the bread and salt were protected, although for the gods, those who did not eat bread and salt had no guest rights.
"You honor me, brother," the king said with a warm smile. But it did not reach his eyes.
Next to his brother were his children, Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya. The youngest rode with her mother, Lyanna. Rhaella had also ridden, which surprised him. Queen Elia was nowhere to be seen. She was known for her fragile health and would not have been able to keep up on a fast journey. Ser Arthur, Ser Barristan, Ser Gwayne Corbray, and Ser Loras Tyrell accompanied them.
Another unknown knight wore the white cloak. According to Jaehaerys, he was a new member, Ser Balon Swann. Loras had also recently received the white cloak, a favor to House Tyrell after Viserys' fiasco.
Tyrell's gaze at Jaehaerys made Daenerys a little jealous.
"I must say I did not expect your visit. Even if Argentstone is down for now, ravens still arrive," said the prince.
"The king needs no invitation," said a woman with copper-colored hair. She was gorgeous and wore a necklace with a red gemstone. "The Lord of Light guides his way."
"The Lord of Light will not prepare your rooms or cook a welcome feast," said Daenerys, looking at the red woman suspiciously.
They had met before. Melisandre had shown her in the flames. In them, she saw herself devouring the heart of a horse, and she said it was her destiny. Dany had only seven name days, and she had feared her ever since.
The redhead looked directly at her, her red eyes seeming to see right through her. It made Dany extremely uncomfortable, but her purple eyes remained steady.
"Enough. My men are tired, we'll hurry on the last league of the journey," said the king, stopping the staring contest.
"We have prepared rooms for you and the royal family," said Daenerys. They had designed the tower they had previously lived in, one of the two that had not been demolished. It was the only one available, as Lady Whent occupied the other. The products had been moved to a vault near the mansion. "There will be a banquet later, in the Hall of a Hundred Hearths," she added at the end.
No one mentioned the cloth over her hair. They probably knew how she had lost her hair. And Rhaegar did not seem eager to see the dragons, but he appeared kinder than when he had met Jaehaerys in King's Landing.
"It would be great to rest before the banquet. But I've spent so much time without seeing them that I'll leave the rest for later," said Queen Rhaella. "Instead, I'd like to tour Harrenhal. Oh, it's Argentstone now, isn't it?" she corrected herself halfway through. "It's been almost twenty years since I was last here. At the tournament," she said no more.
The tournament was a subject of great displeasure for Rhaegar.
"That would be lovely, Grandmother," said Rhaenys, her eyes never leaving Jaehaerys.
"If that is your wish," said the lord of ArgentStone, looking at his brother. "I will show you your rooms so you can change into more comfortable clothes," he said, looking at their riding clothes.
"I'll ask for a tour later. Show me my quarters," said the king. The hosts led them to the tower where the royal family would be staying.
Aegon accompanied his father, saying goodbye after a friendly exchange. Lyanna seemed to want to rest, but Visenya, in her arms, wanted to see the castle.
The queen looked sad when she saw the castle, remembering the place where she had been crowned Queen of Love and Beauty, where the tragedy had begun.
After the women had changed, they began a tour.
The small group was flanked by Ser Barristan and Ser Loras, as well as Brandon, Torrhen, and three other knights of the king. The others followed the king and the heir.
"I never imagined you riding a horse, Mother. I thought you would travel in a carriage," Jaehaerys began the conversation as they walked.
"I learned when I was young. Although I'm not used to it. I've only been riding for the last two days. Rhaegar ordered us to hurry, and I didn't want to be left behind," replied his mother. "Every time I see those towers, I get light-headed," she commented as they passed between the Tower of Dread and the Wailing Tower.
"They've already torn down three towers?" Rhaenys seemed surprised. "Will you use the stone to rebuild them?" she asked as she watched the men carry the stone.
"They'll be used for foundations and to expand the outer walls," he said.
"Expand?" Queen Lyanna asked. "More?" She seemed incredulous.
"Yes, more. Argentstone will be bigger than Harrenhal," the prince declared.
They walked between the foundations and reached the two central towers. They had barely built fifty feet of them before stopping due to a lack of mortar. Magic vibrated in them. Others couldn't feel it, but he could. Ever since R'hllor entered his body, he had been more sensitive to magic.
"Why make it so big? You won't need so much space," Rhaella asked.
"You'll find out later," he had begun to hate the way his mother doubted every one of his projects.
"Is it because of your short sword?" said a child's voice.
"Visenya!" Lyanna looked embarrassed, but Jaehaerys watched her fight back a smile. In the books, she was described as wild and untamable, but from what little he knew of her, she was a miserable existence. She only seemed happy around her children.
If he had caused a war and the deaths of his father and brother, he would feel bad too. Perhaps not for Aerys, his father. Nor for Rhaegar, if he was to blame for trying to kill him.
"I once heard a guard say he wanted a castle that touched the clouds. Another said it was to make up for his short sword," the girl said quickly, her cheeks flushing. "But he doesn't use a sword," she added, frowning. "Where's your staff? Can I see it?" Jaehaerys expected a little resentment because of her brother, but found none in her. Or maybe she was just good at throwing barbs.
"Visenya!" Lyanna scolded her again. "I'm sorry, Prince," she apologized to him.
"You can see it later," he replied, not offended. "You'd get along well with Arya," he commented lightly.
Lyanna opened her eyes wide but said nothing.
"Who is that?" The little princess did not react well.
"Your cousin, Lord Stark's daughter. She has wolf blood, like you," he replied tenderly.
"Wolf, look at me, I'm a dragon," she pointed to her purple eyes and hair, more specifically, the silver parts.
"And a wolf. Like your mother," Lyanna seemed hurt by that, but said nothing.
Everyone fell silent at those words. Visenya didn't like being called a wolf. The lords mentioned it in a derogatory way, although they thought she couldn't hear them. The girl sulked at her mother. She tried to remain silent.
"That tree is a weirwood," her previous anger replaced by curiosity.
"I didn't know you worshipped the old gods, Jae," Rhaenys commented, looking at the tree in the distance.
"I grew up in the north. And I brought a lot of it with me to the south," he glanced sideways at the Snow twins.
"The Targaryens have followed the Seven for years," said her mother, looking at the tree with disgust.
"And as long as the king continues to believe in them, there will be no problems," Daenerys interjected this time. "We don't want to burn septs or discredit the Seven," she added at the end.
The old tree grew enormous. Its highest point must have been fifty feet. It stopped growing upward quickly when it reached forty feet. But its branches spread out wide, casting shade thirty feet from the trunk. And they only grew longer and more leafy with time. Its trunk was wider than any he had ever seen, except for the one on the Isle of Faces and the one in Winterfell.
"You don't know how the Faith will see it," Rhaella seemed to want them as followers of the Seven because of their appearance.
"I don't care, nor have we publicly stated which gods we support," the prince said sharply. "The old gods have helped me more than the Seven. They gave me that weirwood." The Faith was not predominant in his castle. Even those who came from the Flea Bottom inns began to worship the old gods.
Harren's curse left a deep mark.
"Ha, that nonsense about the curse?" her mother retorted. Although when she received the news in the capital, she turned as white as fear could make her. "You can't expect me to believe—"
"Believe it or not, that tree will still be there," Daenerys said.
Rhaella appreciated seeing her once-shy daughter speaking like a strong, confident woman. But she didn't like being the recipient of those words.
She swallowed her complaints.
The rest of the tour was sour. The Queen Mother left when they were near the Tower of Dread. They ended the tour in the Godswood, where Lyanna wanted to see the other weirwood tree.
She had been disappointed when she didn't look at the face carved on the other side.
"I'd like a moment to talk to you, alone, my prince," said Lyanna.
He looked at the sun; there were about three hours of daylight left.
"We still have time," he replied.
He watched his wife drag Visenya and Rhaenys away, Brandon accompanying her. Loras hesitated for a second, but the king's daughters were more important than his wife. Even more so if that wife was Lyanna. Two knights stayed close by, Torrhen with them.
They walked away until they could no longer hear them. Then Lyanna started talking.
"Don't give your dragons to Rhaegar." Her face remained unchanged, but he watched her neck tense with anger.