Diane wondered sometimes whether or not Viserys felt even a tiny bit guilty about having her in his chambers while his wife was struggling with her pregnancy so much. Viserys seemed to pay it no mind which was expected, considering what she knew about him, but still part of her kind of hoped he cared about Alicent at least a little. He married her out of his own free will, after all. No one held a sword to his throat or dragged him into the sept. A better man would have probably stuck by his decision but Viserys did not.

It played out in their favor, of course. Because of his infatuation, Viserys actually listened to her (sometimes even over Otto Hightower which was a nice bonus), and Diane knew how to "fake it" in all the senses of this phrase. And yet she was rather alarmed by the state of Alicent's health.

If Stranger existed, she would have been his identical copy. She was rarely seen in public but when she was, it was obvious that she lost weight despite her pregnancy and was way paler than a healthy person is supposed to be. And she was only early into her seventh month.

Diane didn't care much about Alicent as a person but she knew if the Queen was to die, Viserys would be widowed and free to take a wife again after the mourning period was over. It would be unfortunate but not unusual. What Diane didn't like was the fact that she was the most likely candidate for his third wife. She was just too good at what she was doing and that could be her curse sometimes. So she prayed that Alicent survived because she was not going to marry Viserys. No. Fucking. Way.

Once, a lot of years ago, Diane vowed that no man would ever hold power over her again, and she intended to stick to that vow. Besides, Daemon, knowing her thoughts on that matter, would never allow her to marry Viserys and another fall-out between the brothers was not something they could afford. So it was better not to end up in such an unfortunate situation at all.

'I think our dragons formed a polycule,' Diane informed Daemon and Rhaenyra while the three of them were walking in the garden.

Daemon raised an eyebrow instead of an answer.

'A what now?' the princess asked.

'I believe the three of them just mated together. Like a three-way relationship. I'm not sure in what way exactly. Silverwing definitely has hots for Syrax and it's very much reciprocated, and Caraxes is just happy to be there.'

Daemon let out a laugh, 'That's my boy.'

'One of the dragonkeepers said they gave up all the attempts to separate them because it's not worth the burns and bitten-off limbs,' Diane added, making Rhaenyra smile. 'I sneaked in last night to take a look. They sleep in a pile, it is so adorable. Caraxes caught me and I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes at me.'

Daemon rolled his eyes with a smile. Then realized what he did and laughed.

'Your relationship with the dragons amazes me,' Rhaenyra said, making Diane smile. 'You get along with all of them with such an ease, it's remarkable.'

'She gets it from her mother,' Daemon said. 'I've never met a commoner so utterly unfazed by the presence of Caraxes as Iris was. And he is pretty darn terrifying.'

'I do not know how to explain it if I'm honest,' Diane said thoughtfully. 'I just... I communicate with them the same way I do with people, and they seem to understand me perfectly well. And, as long as it works, I don't really care how,' she smiled because why question something that was working? Clearly, her communication skills helped to keep Cannibal and Sheepstealer fed and away from the villages on Dragonstone, which were rapidly growing in population at this very moment.

'I remember when you were around five, you disappeared during the night. Gave me and your mother the fright of our lives,' Daemon looked from his daughter to Rhaenyra. 'And you know where we found this little menace?'

'Well, I believe you will tell me,' the princess smiled. It was always nice to see the fondness with which Daemon always recalled the stories from Diane's childhood.

'Sleeping on top of the Caraxes! Sleeping!' Daemon exclaimed, making Diane laugh. She vaguely recalled what her father was talking about. 'And he seemed to be as perplexed as I was.'

'Well, he let me climb on him, didn't he?' Diane smiled. 'If I recall correctly, he even helped me up with his tail. I believe he was just feigning innocence to avoid your wrath.'

'This little-'

'To be fair, he is not so little,' Rhaenyra pointed out with a laugh in her voice.

'The sentiment stays unchanged!'

Rhaenyra said something else but Diane didn't hear what exactly because suddenly she saw something between the bushes. At first, it was a flicker of darkness, just for a second, and Diane almost dismissed it. And then it appeared again, forming the shape of a woman. She was half-transparent but Diane still could make out her long, slightly wavy gray hair with a few streaks of black in it, her white robe that was embroidered with different kinds of flowers, and her strikingly green eyes that seemed clearer than the rest of her.

Diane stopped and it felt like the world around - the sounds, the wind, and even the time - stopped with her. She didn't feel afraid. Instead, she felt drawn towards this woman in a way Diane could not explain.

The woman smiled, a warm and friendly smile that seemed new and long-forgotten at the same time. Diane took a step towards her but didn't dare to come closer because the figure wavered dangerously as if it was about to disappear at any moment.

The woman opened her mouth and her words flew out like a breath of the wind, 'Jaehossa issi brōzare syt ao.'

Diane's eyes widened. She wasn't sure if she understood correctly because her High Valyrian still wasn't all that great but if she did...

'Diane?' Rhaenyra's voice sounded, and she whipped her head to see her and Daemon standing a few feet away. They were obviously confused as to why she stopped walking with them. 'Is everything alright?'

Diane glanced back but there was no one in the bushes. The vision was gone and yet she was left with a message she wasn't sure she understood. A part of her wanted to pretend like nothing had happened but they agreed not to lie to each other and Diane didn't want to break such a promise over something like that.

'What does "Jaehossa issi brōzare syt ao" mean?' Diane asked, immediately approaching them. Daemon and Rhaenyra glanced at one another.

'Is something happened-' the prince started but Diane cut him off, grabbing his forearm.

'What does it mean? Exactly?' she asked again, and there was urgency in her voice that made Daemon slightly nervous.

'The Gods are calling for you,' Rhaenyra said, making Diane look at her. 'That's what it means.'

'Oh crap...'

That wasn't good, was it? Getting a chance to speak with her mother and Rhaena once again was a good thing but now it was getting serious. There were obviously greater forces at play and she seemed to be the center of their attention.

'Diane, what's going on?' Daemon asked, witnessing a cascade of emotions pass through his daughter's face.

'I need to talk to you about something,' Diane said, grabbing Rhaenyra's hand as well. 'I need to talk to you both right now.'

***

'Say something,' Diane asked because the fact that Daemon and Rhaenyra were just silently staring at her was freaking her out. She had just told them all about seeing her mother, and Rhaena, and the black rose that was currently blooming in her rooms as if it was afraid Diane would make good on her threat and throw it out. And, of course, about the vision of a strange woman who said the Gods were calling for her.

Daemon cleared his throat. 'I feel like tea is not strong enough for this conversation,' he said, looking at his cup, and this remark was rather off, but he tried to break the silence and Diane was grateful for that.

Rhaenyra bit her lip, then opened her mouth, closed them, and then finally said, 'If they call for you, they call for you where?'

'I don't know. Can be anywhere, really,' Diane sighed, rubbing her forehead. 'It can also be a metaphor I'm not understanding.'

'Maybe you are not supposed to understand yet,' Rhaenyra offered, making Daemon look at her. 'Gods are known to talk in riddles but they never confuse you deliberately. When they need to tell you something, their message is clear. Like that time when I saw the White Hart.'

'So what do you propose?' Diane asked.

'Wait. Wait and hope that understanding will come to you. It's all connected, is it not? You getting sent back in time, and then seeing people who are dead or not supposed to exist... and these meetings were useful, weren't they? It all makes sense, we just can't see it because the bigger picture is not open to us yet,' Rhaenyra said. She felt pretty sure about it.

Her relationship with the Gods used to be rather superficial before because her mother and father technically followed the Faith of Seven. It was only after Rhaenyra found out that Diane was sent back in time that she started taking it all more seriously. That the stories about the Gods were not just stories, they were history. And what was more important, they were part of her history. Rhaenyra still didn't deem herself very religious but she made a point of learning more about it and now it was rather clear for her what to do next.

'They were useful,' Diane agreed, worrying her dragon bracelet. The meeting with Rhaena offered her some closure and gave her a token to remember her love by, and the meeting with her mother led her right to little Aegon. She wasn't sure where the meeting with a strange woman was supposed to lead her yet, but if Rhaenyra was right, she would find out rather soon. 'But ugh...' Diane groaned, hiding her face in her hands. 'I hate not knowing. Because when you don't know, you are helpless, and it reminds me... it reminds me of the war,' she added quietly.

Daemon and Rhaenyra glanced at each other. They always felt rather helpless when Diane talked about darker parts of her past, especially about the war. Because they never experienced it and, if they would do everything right, they would never have to. They could sympathize, of course, and they did to the best of their ability but they would never know what it was like. And Diane carried it all around with her like a bag of stones because even though technically it never happened, it did happen to her.

Diane removed her hands from her face, looked at Daemon and Rhaenyra, and then said, raising from her chair, 'I'll go take a walk.'

'Diane...' the princess started but she interrupted her.

'I'm fine. Truly. I just need to clear my head,' Diane smiled and if they didn't know her better, they would have believed her. But there was no point in stopping her so they let her walk out of the room without saying anything else.

***

The sun set a few hours ago but there were still no signs of Diane. Rhaenyra knew that she could take care of herself just fine and not like she had an obligation to constantly inform the princess about her whereabouts, but, everything considered, Rhaenyra was worried.

Daemon respected Diane's wish to be alone for a while but Rhaenyra couldn't help but think that even if it was what Diane asked for, it wasn't necessarily what she needed. So the princess decided she should at least check on her and if Diane still wanted solitude, she would just let her be. And if not, Rhaenyra was always ready to offer comfort and a listening ear to her friend.

The problem was that finding Diane on a good day could prove to be a challenge, let alone when she put her mind to staying hidden. So Rhaenyra tried to analyze the situation to the best of her ability. Diane wasn't in her rooms because they were a rather obvious choice and she preferred not to go there if she didn't want to be found. It wasn't Diane's night with the King and the children had already gone to bed so she couldn't be with them. Dragonstone and Flea Bottom were out of the question because Diane would never leave Red Keep without informing her or Daemon first (it was a safe measure and they did the same when they had to leave the castle). So it meant Diane was still around here somewhere but where exactly? After all, Red Keep was rather huge and Rhaenyra couldn't possibly search all of it. So she did the next best thing.

'Do you know where Lady Diane is?' Rhaenyra asked, walking into Diane's room and noticing Athelstan changing the bedsheets. To the princess' relief, Diane's personal servant appeared to be much easier to find.

'No, Your Grace. I haven't seen her since the morning,' Athelstan frowned and added, 'I hope she has eaten.'

Diane's relationship with Athelstan always amazed Rhaenyra but mostly because she was not used to this kind of easiness and friendliness between a servant and a noble. But Diane didn't need someone to wait on her hand and foot, and she despised the pretend politeness when it was addressed to her and wasn't a part of "political games". She mostly needed Athelstan to take care of things she didn't want to take care of like cleaning and laundry, and to bring her food when she didn't feel like acquiring it herself. And Athelstan was more than happy to do that because serving Lady Diane not only paid well but saved him from the fate of being overworked like most other servants.

'Do you know where she might be?' Rhaenyra asked.

'Well,' the boy let out a small laugh. 'This can be pretty much anywhere. But she usually comes back to spend the night here so if you want, I will tell her you are looking for her,' he offered.

Rhaenyra bit her lip, weighing her options. 'Do you know there is a belief that personal servants know the person best?' she then said.

'Yes, Your Grace. But I'm not sure if it applies to me.'

'Nevertheless, we shall give it a try,' Rhaenyra smiled a little. 'Where, in your opinion, Lady Diane could have gone if she wanted some peace and quiet? Preferably where no one else will look for her.'

Athelstan kept quiet for a few seconds and then the corners of his mouth tugged upward, 'I might know the place.'

He led her to the dungeons. It was not what Rhaenyra expected but then again, people didn't really go into the dungeons of the Red Keep. It was nothing like Dragonstone but it was still a maze. A perfect place where nobody would look for you.

Athelstan showed Rhaenyra to one of the rooms and a confidence with which he found his way there told the princess that he had been there quite a few times. When she walked in, she didn't quite believe it.

It was a temple.

Well, obviously not the whole temple but a room that was made as a place of worship for the Gods of Old Valyria. It had an altar at the center of the room and engravings on the walls with black candles lit around the room. The room wasn't big but it had benches and could easily fit fifty people. At the far end of the room stood a table with things stacked on it but because the room was so dimly lit Rhaenyra couldn't quite see them clearly.

'Maegor built this jaehossalentor for his mother,' Diane's voice sounded from one of the benches.

'House of the Gods,' Rhaenyra translated.

'A fancy name for a chapel,' Diane chuckled and then patted the place beside her, inviting Rhaenyra to sit.

'I didn't even know this place existed.'

'It was abandoned. I believe ever since Visenya died. After all, Targaryens follow the Faith of Seven.'

Rhaenyra made a face. She didn't like the Faith of Seven and neither did Daemon but Diane was technically right. Aegon converted to it after the Conquest, probably to be more easily accepted by Westeros' people. She didn't know Rhaenys' thoughts on that matter but it was now obvious that Visenya stayed true to her beliefs till the day she died and, to be honest, from such a woman like her the princess expected nothing less.

'I stumbled upon it a few months ago,' Diane continued. 'Maybe it was pure luck or Gods' guidance, but anyway... I cleaned it up, put everything the way I was taught it is supposed to be put-'

'Taught?' Rhaenyra couldn't help but ask, making Diane chuckle.

'I spent ten years in a convent, Nyra. And even though it's nothing like the ones the Faith of Seven has, it is still a place of worship. I was raised religious. With prayers two times a day and everything.'

'Oh,' Rhaenyra made a sound. She knew about it before, of course, but she probably never understood what it truly meant. She just... Diane didn't seem like a typical religious person. Granted, Rhaenyra never really dealt with religious people who were following the Valyrian Faith. Her only experiences were with the ones who followed the Faith of Seven (like maesters and septas), and these ones were no fun.

'Valyrian Faith is way different from the Faith of Seven,' Diane said as if reading her friend's mind. 'It's not... restrictive. There are some rules, of course, but it allows me to believe and be the person I truly am. The Faith of Seven believes that Gods exist to enforce rules and police the behavior of humans. Valyrian Faith thinks about Gods as our protectors. When you have their favor, they help you through life. When you do not, they just leave you to your own devices. And only when you do something atrocious, they might intervene and punish you,' Diane explained.

'That sounds nice,' Rhaenyra said, looking around the room. 'You come here often?'

'Once a week maybe. And when I want to hide from the world,' Diane answered with a small smile. 'It's so peaceful here. It's like-'

'It's like someone is protecting you,' Rhaenyra finished. She felt the same thing.

Diane nodded and reached out to take Rhaenyra's hand in hers. 'Feels nice to know that we are not alone in our fight, doesn't it?'

The princess squeezed her hand back, 'I hope. I don't- I suppose I wish to be more connected with the Gods but I have no idea how to go about it. My parents didn't raise me in Valyrian traditions, and Daemon is... well-'

'He has his own way of connecting with the Gods,' Diane smiled. 'His protector is Vhagar, and, being the Goddess of war, she always does things her own way.'

'Can you explain it to me?' Rhaenyra asked.

'What?'

'This whole... protector thing. I've read about it but I don't really understand. How do you know who protects you? Or Daemon?'

'Well, sometimes it's a family thing. Like I suppose long ago all Velaryons were protected by Caraxes, the God of the sea. But most people get their protector during the initiation. They usually ask for guidance and protection of a specific God but sometimes a God chooses them. Father asked for Vhagar... for obvious reasons,' Diane chuckled.

'Who did you ask for?' Rhaenyra inquired.

'I had half a mind to ask for Syrax with her being a Goddess of chaos and parties amongst other things,' Diane answered, making the princess snort. 'But I didn't have a chance because Tyraxes claimed me before that.'

'She is the Goddess of intelligence, right?'

Despite her best efforts, Rhaenyra had yet to memorize all the main Valyrian Gods and what each of them represented.

'Also wisdom, cunningness, and battle strategy.'

The princess smiled, 'Sounds like you.'

'The stories about her are inspiring. Despite Vhagar being my favorite since I was a little kid, I guess Tyraxes gets me the most,' Diane said thoughtfully.

'What does it take to get initiated? I married in the Valyrian Faith but I never- I suppose the only ritual I've taken part in before was ēlī ānogar when I was a mere babe.'

'Huh, I thought Viserys would ignore this tradition like he ignores all the others,' Diane said, sounding surprised.

Ēlī ānogar was a ritual that was usually performed on a newborn baby. One of the close relatives (or a priest if the child was abandoned or orphaned) asked the Gods to look after the child. It was a way to grant a child Gods' favor till they reached the age of maturity and were able to get initiated and get their own divine protector (because Valyrian Faith did not recognize initiations, performed on someone who could not fully understand what was happening, aka children and mentally unwell people).

Rhaenyra shook her head, 'He did. Actually, it was Daemon who performed it.'

'Really?'

'Yes. My mother told me about it when I was old enough to understand. It was our little secret. Apparently, when I was around two or three, Daemon came to her and begged her to allow him to perform ēlī ānogar. She never understood why it was so important to him but, considering you were born around that time, I guess it's somehow connected.'

'My mother and he probably performed it as soon as I was born, and... well, I suppose father couldn't fathom why Viserys would willingly deprive you of Gods' protection.'

'Yeah, you are probably right. My mother saw how important it was to him and she allowed it. She also said she was very grateful because I started sleeping way more peacefully after that,' Rhaenyra said with a small smile on her lips.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, and then Diane said, 'If you are up to it, we can get you initiated right now.'

The princess looked up at her, 'Now?'

'Yes. It takes like five minutes. I've seen it done at Dragonstone a bunch of times ever since we became a safe haven for queer people.'

Not only Dragonstone was growing in population but also the number of members of the Valyrian Faith was increasing rapidly. Almost everyone who came to Dragonstone went through initiation to gain the right to marry under the Valyrian Faith. They even had people who couldn't stay at Dragonstone permanently but came to get initiated and get married so, even if such marriages weren't legally recognized in Westeros or Essos, they would know they were married in their hearts and their union was blessed by the Gods.

Rhaenyra looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then smiled, 'Let's do it.'

It took Diane a few minutes to prepare everything they needed, which was not a lot. The center of the altar turned out to have a deepening in which Diane organized a small bonfire. Then she prepared a clean knife and a black engraved bowl, helped Rhaenyra to cut her right palm and instructed her to collect exactly 14 blood drops into a bowl.

'Each drop for every God you want to catch the attention of,' Diane explained. 'Sometimes people collect more to include minor gods and half-gods but after the Doom of Valyria we cannot be sure how many of them actually exist so it's better to stick to the main ones to not accidentally offend anyone.'

'Got it,' Rhaenyra nodded, focusing her attention on collecting precisely 14 drops.

In the meantime, Diane dug out an old book with Valyrian prayers and found the one they needed for the initiation process.

'Any rules that I might need to know about before I do this?' Rhaenyra asked after the blood was collected, her cut was bandaged and they took their places on the opposite sides of the altar with the fire burning in the middle.

'Hmm,' Diane frowned, mentally going through the rules she was aware of and that could potentially influence Rhaenyra's life. 'Well, you are not supposed to have sex with someone you are not committed to while you are having your blood because blood is binding... but you are married to my father so I guess you have that covered.'

The princess blushed slightly, 'More or less.'

'Do not eat dragon or lizard meat because it's considered an insult to Aegarax.'

Rhaenyra wrinkled her nose in disgust, 'Did not plan on it.'

'Oh, and do not wear four separate braids in your hair. It should always be less or more because four braids are Meleyes' signature look. I'm not saying she will take offense but she is the Goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, and you do not want to get on her bad side.'

Rhaenyra smiled, 'Got it. Anything else?'

'Not off the top of my head.'

'Then let's do it.'

Diane read the prayer that asked the Gods to turn their attention to a soul that was asking for their protection and volunteer their protection to Rhaenyra or let her choose a God she wanted to be protected by. Usually, the Gods were given the courtesy of the first choice (if a God chose to protect a person, the color of flames changed to the God's signature color) so when Rhaenyra poured her blood from the bowl into the fire, she had to wait ten seconds or so before asking a specific God for protection.

The princess decided to choose Tyraxes because wisdom and intelligence were the things she obviously needed to get the throne and be a good Queen, but she was never able to make that choice.

The flames suddenly turned a pure white color, and Diane declared with excitement in her voice, 'Rhaenyra Targaryen, Arrax - the Ruler of the Gods, the God of law, order, justice, and strength - has granted you his eternal protection.' Then she closed the book and smiled when their eyes met, 'I believe the last person who was granted Arrax's protection was Aegon the Conqueror.'