The plan failed.

Many plans were failing, in actuality. They'd learned that Daemon had taken Harrenhal about the same time that Prince Qoren Martell spurned their offer to war against Daemon, quoting 'Dorne has danced with dragons before– I would sooner sleep with scorpions.' Then, it seemed, the consequences of her actions were catching up. Young Ser Alan Beesbury was demanding the release of his grandsire, believing him to be imprisoned. With all the turmoil, suddenly the regent over the babe Lord Tyrell had declared they would support neither side.

On top of this, the Vale, White Harbor, and Winterfell had all declared for Rhaenyra and were moving their men to join hers. The Sea Snake's fleets kept a tight hold on Blackwater Bay, and without Tyrell support, they could not hope for the Hightower army to arrive soon enough with food to alleviate their people. The last of the plans Otto (and Tyland) had put into place before his dismissal was to negotiate with the Triarchy, but they were slow to move, and it would take time to hear whether they would have their support.

Daella had to bite her tongue, Aegon's glare burning into her soul as Aeneas revealed the latest decisions enacted by the King. For one, he had named several useless knights– friends of his– to the Kingsguard. Daella disapproved of every single one of those lazy fools, all needlessly replacing the Commander that was now nowhere to be found.

Second, he had chosen to execute many of the captive lords. One by one they'd been asked to swear fealty to Aegon. Lords Butterwell, Stokeworth, and Rosby chose to do so, but Lords Hayford, Merryweather, Harte, Buckler, Caswell, and Lady Fell had been beheaded for their refusals.

Lastly, according to news from Dragonstone– and Rhaenyra had made certain they knew– Ser Arryk had been slain after an unsuccessful attempt on her life. She heard Alicent mutter that the plan was 'rash,' earning several glares from Aeneas and Aegon– neither of which seemed to much enjoy her presence there. Daella knew she and Alicent were on thin ice as it was.

"At any rate, war is here," said Aeneas, staring up at the map that tracked movements of their allies– and enemies. "House Bracken took it upon themselves to attack the Blackwoods, who declared for the pretender. Lord Samwell Blackwood himself is slain."

"Good," said Aegon nonchalantly. "First blood in our name."

To her surprise, Aeneas disagreed, "I would not be so quick to name it anything near a victory, Your Grace." He stared down at Aegon when he noticed his mouth twitching, as if about to retort. In the end, the King said nothing. "Although the Blackwoods suffered grievous losses, so, too, did the Brackens. It might have started with Blackwoods burning crops and driving off sheep and cattle, sacking villages and despoiling septs in Rhaenyra's name, but it quickly turned into a bloodbath. The mill was torched. We may yet find an adversary in Lord Samwell's sister, the young Alysanne Blackwood– she was said to have been the one that slayed Ser Amos Bracken."

"Then set Aelora upon her," said Aegon boredly, fiddling with the catspaw dagger that had been given to him upon his coronation. Daella had seen her father wear it at his hip for decades. "Your dear sister would make quick work of Blackwood's, to be sure. One flick of her wrist will end this girl before she can knock another arrow."

"Your Grace." Aeneas was losing his patience– perhaps he was upset the plot with Ser Arryk hadn't worked as he planned. He needed to redeem himself, Daella knew. "A host made of Darrys, Rootes, Pipers, and Freys captured Stone Hedge and holds Lord Humfrey Bracken and his remaining children captives. Your supporters in the Riverlands have lost heart and have laid down their swords."

Lord Jasper sighed, "The Blackwoods and the Brackens have feuded for centuries. This is nothing more than an excuse for them to indulge their ancient grudge. It's no true war."

Annoyed, Aegon stabbed the catspaw dagger into the table. Alicent flinched. "Call it what you will... I call it war. And so will Dragonstone. The question is, what are we going to do about it?"

Cautiously, Grand Maester Orwyle said, "We send a raven to Lord Tully. These houses are his vassals, are they not? He must control them."

A scoff came from Lord Jasper, "Lord Grover Tully is a flaccid, old fool who couldn't control his cock in a cunny." He seemed to remember there were women present, and said awkwardly, "Begging your pardon, Your Grace, Princess."

"No pardon needed," said Daella coolly. "I can agree on that, we already knew that Lord Grover can no longer do anything about his vassals. It is his grandson Elmo that speaks now, and though no movements appear to have been made out of fear for both sides' dragons, I highly doubt he will do anything for us. Daemon has Harrenhal. As the Hand said, the supporters the King had in the Riverlands have lost heart. We need to gain it back."

She tucked her hands together, "Lord Ormund Hightower marches from Oldtown with a great host at his back. A raven came to me this morn from our brother Daeron, who believes Tessarion is nearly ready to see battle. He has been practicing. They are months away, but they will ensure none in the Reach oppose us. Once we have wed Aemond to this Baratheon girl, we will not have to worry about anyone further south... Dorne will not take a side in this war. Perhaps, for the Riverlands, we might consider our western allies."

Tyland took the hint to speak. "Indeed. My lord brother Jason is raising a great army at Casterly Rock. In a matter of weeks, he will be able to harass the Blackwoods from the west."

"Should we not aim to unite these armies and then strike as one?" asked Orwyle. This made Tyland laugh, "Ah, the great military mind of the Citadel. Do remind me, which link in your chain denotes the art of war?"

"Enough." Aeneas's voice sounded gruffer, like a man. "Harrenhal is the key." He looked to Aegon, "There is a plan that we discussed with–"

"Ah, yes," Aegon cut in, "another brilliant plan devised by my Lord Hand. Everyone ought to take notes on this." The look on Aeneas's face suggested it was not his plan alone– he meant to say with someone. Who did he mean to give the credit to? "We will send out men with Ser Gwayne Hightower and several commanders of our choosing. We've already selected a hundred knights, five hundred men-at-arms, and three times as many hardened sellswords to form part of this host. Rosby and Stokeworth declared for us– let us add their numbers to ours. Once they have taken their men, they move on Rhaenyra's allies... their first target will be Duskendale. House Darklyn has been staunch in their support for the pretender bitch."

Aeneas cleared his throat, "Then it is only a matter of turning west, enlisting the Brackens, and moving on Harrenhal. We've discussed involving the dragons as well–"

Aegon interrupted him once more, "Yes, yes, we did, in fact. Aemond will remain here to defend the city on Vhagar." The haste with which he said it might have implied that it was he who did not trust sending his brother out. Or perhaps he thought Vhagar was old and better suited to patrol. "I hoped to come on Sunfyre, yet–"

"Yet." Aeneas cut him off this time, glaring once more. "The King cannot be put at risk. And, the stealth with which our host must move means they cannot have a dragon with them the entire time. No, the dragon will come when it is needed. We will see Rhaenyra's response at Duskendale. She may send a dragon there, she may not. The next objective will be decided then, but I believe it is there that she will finally be forced to act. When nearing the next target, our army will send a raven and call upon the one dragon that is fast and large enough to confront any that she fields, which we believe is most like to be Meleys or Caraxes..."

"Me." Daella knew the answer without need for him to say it. It made the most sense. Aemond was young, less experienced. Better suited for defense. She was more eager to try a battle, more willing to kill any dragon and their rider. She and her dragon could take Daemon or Rhaenys and theirs. "Vermithor and I can fly to support the army when needed. If it does not happen until the march for Harrenhal, so be it... they would know already we move to them. And we will kill Daemon and Caraxes if it comes to it." If it does not happen until then, then I would prefer another dragon flew with me in case Meleys is there. We may need Aemond and Vhagar after all... but time will tell.

She realized, after the meeting was concluded, that Aeneas had been attempting to credit Aemond more than Aegon would allow. She knew that if Aemond learned of this, it may upset him more than it must have when Aegon chose Aeneas as Hand over him. To Daella, the reasoning was simple– Aeneas cared more for books and had no dragon that kept him busy. But Aemond would not see it that way.

In Aegon's mind, he seemed to be doing exactly what he thought was expected of him. He thought he was being firmer, and seemed confused why everyone was unhappy. Choosing Aeneas as Hand was perhaps the most strategic he'd been, knowing Daella could not oppose lest she bash the skills of her own son. And he knew, more than anything, that Aeneas might be more likely to cleave to his worst impulses. Whether it be from piety or jealousy, Aemond would've counseled him otherwise in some circumstances.

Gwayne came to say his goodbyes to her the night before they were set to leave. She let him kiss her, let him hug her, spoke back kind words pretending she really cared. A part of her did– he was still her companion at the end of the day. But she could not claim she would miss him the way she already missed Otto. Gwayne had told her how proud he was of their son, their Aeneas, now Hand. He said he hoped to make it back to see what their boy would accomplish. Daella tried to tell him what he wanted to hear, that he would surely come back and all would be well. She wished him the best and sent him on his way, glad that Aeneas was not accompanying him– there had been some talk of that, to allow her boy a taste of battle. But Gwayne had apparently talked him out of it. In that, she was grateful.

Of course, she had expected him to at least be careful. She'd missed the Small Council meeting a day later (though it seemed the greatest announcement was how Aeneas had procured a hundred cats to replace the ratcatchers Aegon had killed) to take her turn on patrol. She knew where the army was moving, having been told the plan by Gwayne. What annoyed her was being able to see it. And evidently, others could now see it as well– it put them in danger, and she would not tolerate anyone she cared for coming to harm.

She'd noticed a flicker below the layer of clouds she soared through. She and Vermithor liked to fly high for most of their turn, where the clouds might obscure most of them. This time, it seemed, their presence had been hidden from someone else keeping watch on the city. She heard the screech of a dragon, and felt Vermithor stir with interest– another beast in the midst.

Tugging at the reins, she and Vermithor broke through the clouds, dipping down and spotting a clearing between the line of trees on the coast. Several men rode on horses towards cover, and in pursuit was a dragon. Far smaller than what she would have expected, bearing a rider with long, silver hair.

Daella's lips curled into a wicked grin. You wanted to harm a child, Daemon? I will harm one of yours and we will see how you feel, then. Vermithor felt her hunger and gave a roar, which immediately halted the pursuit of the smaller dragon down towards the knights. Baela had realized now that she was being followed, and quite unfortunately she was too close to the ground to escape.

She did not intend to kill Baela, not truly. She wanted to scare the girl off, that mattered more. Then, her plan was more to kidnap Baela. Kill Moondancer to take a dragon from Rhaenyra, and keep Baela hostage for trespassing.

But surely, if she let her live, Aeneas and Aegon would tell her she should have just murdered her– leaving Baela alive meant she could marry Jace and give him an heir. To Daella, it mattered more that Baela had seen the army moving– she could tell Rhaenyra far in advance, which would do little in catching her by surprise.

Deciding it was probably better to make her mark, she urged Vermithor along as Baela and Moondancer tried to slip away to no avail. It took mere seconds to reach them– had it been so easy when Aemond killed Luke? She certainly felt a thrill from it, though not because she cared to hurt Baela– she was indifferent, really. No, it was knowing how it might affect Daemon, knowing that he would answer for what he'd done to Jaehaerys.

"Drakarys," she told Vermithor as they loomed over them, the dragon's massive shape darkening Baela and Moondancer's entire world. She could see the knights below looking up, pointing– perhaps one of them was Gwayne. They got to witness as Vermithor's legs shot out, talons ripping at everything they could grasp. She leaned back as Vermithor did, blasting fire at his prey. Moondancer roared in pain, Baela screamed for mercy.

The sound was like music to Daella, the smell of their burning more pleasurable than any charred meat she'd been allowed to have. "Kisātās," she said. (T: Eat them.) Vermithor had known it already– he dropped the bodies and dove down after them, catching them in midair and biting clean through them. Daella felt relaxation wash over her as their cries were silenced.

As expected, Aegon and Aeneas held it a victory. Alicent was appalled, but Daella did not care for her opinion. It seemed the other members of the Small Council were glad that Rhaenyra's use of dragons had been answered with their own– they had not sent any to Dragonstone, after all. Though, Daella wondered if they were truly as alright with it as they claimed... were Otto here, she was sure she would have been reprimanded. Tyland would not tell her the truth, but the way he fucked her that night suggested he might be proud.

Unperturbed, their army continued to move and grow in number. Surely Rhaenyra learned of it after Rosby, but she did not act then or even at Stokeworth. Their levies were added to Gwayne's host, moving so quickly that Daella knew that Daemon might not have a host ready to face them– not when they were so difficult to get under control. What Rhaenyra planned to do, Daella did not know.

Rather than turn to Harrenhal, however, it was decided by Aeneas that Gwayne should continue onward to Rook's Rest. (At least, upfront apparently decided by Aeneas, though Daella suspected it had once again been an idea made in Aemond's presence which Aegon still refused to acknowledge). In this manner, they would cut Rhaenyra off by land, weakening her support on the mainland given she had no army there. Once they learned that they were not going to Harrenhal, Rhaenyra would have to send a dragon– she had to defend the seat of Lord Staunton, who sat on her council.

Additionally, Rook's Rest's resources would be seized. The lords in the Crownlands complained that their herds of livestock were struggling to keep pace with the dragons' relentless appetites– namely that of Vhagar and Vermithor. Daella called it the price to be paid for having the largest dragons on their side– how could they complain? She did ensure to note that next time they chose to kill anyone (be it ratcatchers or lords who refused to bend the knee), they ought to use their fresh meat for the dragons. Lord Jasper seemed ready to retort at her comment that day, but ultimately said nothing.

Rewarded for slaying Baela with rest for herself and Vermithor until they were needed at Rook's Rest, Daella took the time to see what her other children had been up to. It was difficult to see them as consistently as she would have liked– at any rate, she knew Aelora and Aemma had been spending a great deal of time with Helaena since the murder of Jaehaerys, and Alistair was always occupied helping to write ravens or buried in his books.

She discovered that Aelora had not ceased practicing with her knives. She'd taken up archery as well, perhaps having heard some comment about besting Alysanne Blackwood from Aegon. Aemma was more interested in knowing when she and Āeksion would be ready for battle– she wanted to slay dragons and their riders, too, just as her mother.

"You are not ready for that just yet," said Daella, smoothing a hand through her hair. "But perhaps you might like to begin patrolling." She smiled when she saw her daughter's face light up. "After all, they will not send another dragon again– they've learnt their lesson. It may be high time that you and Āeksion practice longer flights, high over the city where you can look out for trouble."

"Yes, please!" Aemma's young voice had not faded yet, and Daella adored it. "Yes, I want to be just like you, I want to ride my dragon and protect us all!" She lowered her voice when she saw the way Helaena was absentmindedly brushing Jaehaera's wispy hairs. "I will make sure nothing awful ever happens here, ever again. You know, Alistair is researching traps to set, the sorts that can ensnare people who might sneak about the tunnels. All sorts of things with ropes and weights, it's rather fascinating."

Daella raised her eyebrows proudly. "That would be wonderful." She would need to be careful when moving through the tunnels... not that there was much reason to anymore. She didn't sneak off to see Tyland the way she did with Otto. She would arise less suspicion walking to the guest wing than to the Tower of the Hand.

She heard a thump as Aelora lodged an arrow right beside the tip of a knife she'd thrown. "I want to go to battle," she said boldly. "If that Blackwood girl is out there, I should be, too. I am ready for it. Perhaps I should have gone with Father."

"Those are not the types of battles where you can loose many good arrows, sweetheart," said Daella. "Attacking keeps means you are being shot at– it's a tad harder to hit them the way Alysanne Blackwood hit Ser Amos Bracken. We could start you on drills, perhaps... combat in the yard where you must now use the skills you've honed against real, moving people. I am sure we can find swift knights willing to practice with you. Then, we can teach you to do the same atop a horse. When there is a battle out in the open, there you will find your place. Though..."

She stood and walked to her daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I believe you are our protector here. It is not to limit you that I say this, but... given the circumstances... you are well-suited as a protector of the King's family."

Her daughter was crestfallen. "I am meant for greater things and you know it. If I had a dragon as you did, as Aemond did, I would be out there now."

"Perhaps." Daella wouldn't have wanted her daughter out there risking herself even if she did have a dragon. "But it is not so, and your skills are for close range combat. I've shown you many times that our advantage is getting people close. That is difficult to do on a battlefield. Your time will come, my dear." She noticed how Aelora huffed. "I've not seen you speaking with Aemond of late."

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Aeneas insists we cannot be too close now that Aemond is to wed that Baratheon bitch." She turned up her nose, as if the girl was beneath her– a truth, but Daella did not want her to be heard saying this, lest Borros Baratheon heard of it. "I have lost a friend all because of these marriage proposals. This Dalton Greyjoy shows no signs of being interested in an alliance with us. Now Aemond will wed and that's that, is it not?"

"I wish you would have told me earlier that you both might have wished to be wed to each other. By the time we learned of it... alliances had been kept in the back of our minds since Aegon was born, Aelora. Marrying you all to each other, whether you wanted it or not, would serve us little."

Aelora hissed, "Then why was Aegon married to Helaena?" Daella noticed the darkness in her eyes. "Helaena doesn't even want to be Queen. Aegon lets her do as she pleases, which is nothing. And now Aeneas is going to marry that Lannister girl whenever she arrives. You should have married me to Aegon and Aeneas to Helaena. It made more sense than these ridiculous alliances. I don't want to talk about this anymore, it doesn't matter."

Sometimes, Daella struggled severely to understand her daughter. Aelora was a force of nature, so sweet one moment and devilish the next. It was hard to know what she wanted when she was not fond of saying so. No, she no longer approved of Aemond and Aelora, but perhaps if they had been together, perhaps with her approval Aeneas might've left them alone and Aelora might have stopped Aemond from killing Lucerys.

The doors opened. Helaena was snapped out of her thoughts as Aeneas skidded in, head whipping wildly around. "He's not here?" he asked them all. "Aegon?"

"No." Helaena spoke plainly. "He doesn't come to see her anymore." She caressed Jaehaera's shoulder. "Not since..." She turned away, and Daella knew it ached. Aegon had been a good father and a gentle husband to her, but it seemed Jaehaerys's death had created irreparable distance as each grieved their own way.

Aeneas swore so loudly, they all jumped. "Aeneas!" Daella was taken aback. "What is the meaning of this?"

"He was telling me yesterday the council does not care what he thinks," he muttered. "I told him he had to start being bolder, that he had to turn words into actions, that he had to listen and learn to be able to teach– I only meant for him to show more initiative. But... but..." He tilted his head, and that was when he looked enraged. "No, no... this was calculated. This was on purpose. Gods, we are doomed."

"What exactly is going on?" asked Aelora. "Aeneas, what?"

His jaw was twitching. "The raven for aid to Rook's Rest should have arrived this morning– I calculated it perfectly. But no raven came. Aemond left for patrol without coming to see me as he usually does, asking what the Small Council will discuss. And now Aegon is gone." He swore again. "They intercepted the bloody letter. They went to Rook's Rest."

Daella's blood ran cold. "The boys went to face one of Rhaenyra's dragons?" Those idiots. "But even if Aemond went alone, why would Aegon–?"

"Because the idiot wants to prove he isn't weak!" said Aeneas hotly. "And Aemond must not have wanted you to steal the glory he thinks he can achieve. Neither of them were ever to be trusted with this, that is why I did not select them– and I believe they resented this, both of those fools. Whether they planned it together or alone, our King is now in the wind."

Daella would have to follow its trail... and she dreaded what it would lead to.