'Good morning, Adrian, Ashy' Diane asked, walking into their room.

'Good morning, Diane,' Ashy smiled from the armchair she was sitting on while knitting a piece of clothing.

It had been a month since Adrian and she arrived at Dragonstone and they were still adjusting to the changes. Ashy had been seen by the healer from Dragontemple and even though they couldn't offer her a cure, there were a few remedies offered to her to help her manage her condition. Ashy was a good patient, doing everything that she was told and trying not to overburden herself which mostly meant staying inside the castle. She busied herself with knitting warm clothes that were in rather high demand, considering that the people were warming up for the winter. Winters at Dragonstone were nothing like winters in the north but it could still get rather cold if the north winds reached their territory.

'What can we do for you?' Adrian asked, getting up from his desk where he was sketching something. He had a bit of a harder time finding work than his wife. Dragonstone wasn't in dire need of unskilled labor at the moment and the only "skilled" thing Adrian truly knew how to do was paint and it wasn't in that high of a demand either. He did a few projects for Jamaya, painting her girls and boys for advertisement, but she had her needs met for now and probably wouldn't require Adrian's services for at least a few more months (Diane had a sneaking suspicion Jamaya hadn't budgeted for it beforehand because it was surprisingly hard find a skilled artist who could paint sex and nudity without getting uncomfortable, weird or downright creepy towards the models so she needed some time to have some more profit and be able to afford to hire Adrian again).

'I might have a project for you,' Diane said, and Adrian's eyes visibly lightened up at that. 'With good payment, of course.'

'I am all ears.'

'Do you still do portraits?'

'Yes. I actually do them best. Other things... they are decent but people's faces are my favorite,' he said and then added, 'No matter how weird it might sound.'

Diane chuckled and then asked, 'Can you, perhaps, paint someone's portrait from the description only? It will be a very good description but no other reference for you to go by.'

Adrian frowned, thinking. 'Perhaps it might be worth a try. What is it? One of these "wanted dead or alive" portraits?'

'No. I wish to have a picture of a woman who was once very dear to me. She is... no longer walks the Known World,' Diane explained, tugging on her dragon bracelet, 'and I am afraid I am starting to forget her face. I wish to have something to remember her by.'

'Oh,' Adrian made a sound, only now realizing that they had a serious kind of conversation, and then said, 'I will do what I can.'

***

'Come on, Visenya, you can do it,' Rhaenyra encouraged, pointing at Bianca who was holding a toy horse nearby. Visenya was lying on her back on the blanket, her face rather determined. 'Come on, my sweet girl, the horse is right there, come on!' the princess continued and after some rocking, Visenya rolled over on her belly all on her own, triumphantly grabbing the horse toy a second later with her right hand. 'Yes, you did! Good job, my darling girl,' Rhaenyra said excitedly, leaning down to kiss her daughter's head and earning an appreciative "ah!" from her.

Alicent almost scowled as she looked through the window at how Rhaenyra was playing with her daughter in the inner yard, trying to make the best of the last warm days before autumn and then winter fully took over. Princess Visenya was a happy baby. At least, that was what Alicent was told. So unlike Helaena who constantly cried and was hard to console.

Alicent loved her daughter, she truly did, but being near her was hard sometimes. When Helaena kept crying and crying, it made her feel totally helpless, utterly useless, completely inept. And Rhaenyra made it look so easy. As if she hadn't struggled with motherhood a day in her life. She even breastfed! Still! Visenya had reached six months and Rhaenyra still fed her herself which was unusual for the royal woman to begin with.

Alicent breastfed Aegon for two months with the occasional help from the wet nurse and Helaena for almost five months before she could not handle it anymore. So the task went to someone who was supposed to handle it - a wet nurse. Because breastfeeding was hard work that often demanded to be woken up numerous times in the middle of the night every night. And Rhaenyra was always impulsive, finding it hard to sit still and stick to the plan. It was hard for Alicent to wrap her head around the fact that Rhaenyra breastfed her daughter for so long and was still committed to it!

Rhaenyra dangled another toy on the other side of Visenya, prompting her to roll back on her back and then on her tummy again to reach it which earned her some more kisses and "Mommy is so proud of you!" exclamation. Then Rhaenyra picked her daughter up in her arms and Visenya snuggled to her as if her mommy was her favorite thing in the world. Right now it was probably true.

Alicent hated the sight of it. She did not want to but she did because Helaena was never that affectionate with her. No matter how hard she tried, her daughter seemed to avoid her touch - everyone's touch - and preferred her toys and books instead. Her nursemaid said that some children were not affectionate like that and they might grow out of it when they got older. It did not sound very reassuring. Alicent wished to have the same connection with her daughter that Rhaenyra and Visenya seemed to have but Helaena was not willing to cooperate on that matter.

It made Alicent think of Aegon. He was an unruly boy, pure trouble, but she remembered him craving physical affection even when he was very little. But Alicent found it hard to give it to him, even early on. He was like... a constant reminder of so many things she was supposed to love but she resented instead. It made her feel bad. Bad enough that she sometimes wanted to visit him. Him... and Aemond. But she did not know where they spent their days, barely knew their nursemaid, and she would not ask any of the servants because she was supposed to know such things. She didn't want the help to gossip about what a bad mother she was.

She could always try and ask her father. She knew he wouldn't talk behind her back. But she never did because she was afraid it would turn out Otto actually knew the answer from the top of his head. He knew and she didn't. It was bad enough that she saw him babysitting her son- sons once. And he was so casual about it, which made her think it was not the first time. And it was somehow worse.

It was all Diane's fault somehow. Alicent did not know how exactly but it was always Diane's fault. She turned everyone against her. Her best friend, her son, her husband, her brother... She had no one else in her corner except her father. And even he was distant as of late.

It just infuriated Alicent, the unfairness of it all. Diane was just another spoiled girl who got everything she wanted with her father indulging her every step of the way! Alicent could possibly look past the fact that Diane was a bastard - it was hard but she could - but her behavior was plainly outrageous. Diane bewitched her husband, stole her best friend, dragged her brother away from God, and even pretended to care for Aegon (because, of course, she was pretending; Aegon was not her blood, she could not possibly be genuine enough to adopt a boy who wasn't hers). Diane was evil at heart, that kind of evil that the septons warn about, but no one seemed to care except her.

When Diane decided to move to Dragonstone permanently, Alicent was glad. But her relief was short-lived because even when Diane wasn't in the castle, she could still feel her presence there. Like she was haunting her specifically, just waiting for the right moment to strike again. No matter how much Alicent prayed, the feeling would not go away. Diane was evil and she ruined everything she touched, Alicent had all the proof in the world. So she had to stay vigilant. She had to be smart.

And as soon as she had a chance, as soon as Diane made just the tiniest misstep, she had to get rid of her for good. Alicent was sure her father would gladly help her with that.

***

'You have a moment?' Adrian asked, poking his head inside Diane's study.

'Yes, Adrian. We were just finishing up,' Diane smiled and got up, waving for Adrian to come inside. Gerardys, who sat on the chair next to her, got up as well. 'Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Have you found someone to keep your company on Ēbrilēkōs? I know you will be perfectly fine on your own but solitude is just not something this holiday stands for.'

'Oh, I did, actually. Haji- Do you remember him? One of our Dothraki guards, Ser Robert always praises him-'

'Yes, I do remember,' Diane smiled.

'Right. So Haji and I are going to go to Dragontemple for the celebration. His brother and his partner are going to visit Wicked Hollow- you know, the one with-'

'The one with the most brothels, tons of gambling rooms, taverns and I bet a massive orgy planned for the afternoon,' Diane helped out with a smirk.

Wicked Hollow was a new name, adopted by the village only last year because of all the businesses it started to specialize in. It used to be called Ashcross which even sounded sad. No one would want to brag that they spent an unforgettable weekend at Ashcross. Wicked Hollow, on the other hand...

Anyway, it was good for business so locals adapted pretty fast.

'Right, yes,' Gerardys cleared his throat and maybe blushed just a little bit. 'Haji does not wish to go with them- for a Dothraki, he seems to be rather shy about such things- so I invited him to join me at Dragontemple. He seemed to be rather excited about it.'

'About Dragontemple or about you?'

Gerardys blinked a few times, processing the question, and then rushed to say, 'Oh no, my lady, it's not like that. It was just- just a friendly invite. Nothing more.'

'Does Haji know that? Because I heard him asking Robert about the rules of courtship in our culture and specifically on how to behave when a relationship is new and you were invited out. On an off-note, Robert gives surprisingly good relationship advice which I admit I did not expect from a man who has been single for the last decade.'

Geradys eyes went wide. 'Oh...'

'I am pretty sure you can handle it on your own but do let Haji know if his... enthusiasm is not reciprocated before Ēbrilēkōs. That's a decent thing to do,' Diane said. She did not wish to have a heartbroken Dothraki on her hands but it was better than having a Dothraki who felt heartbroken and humiliated. From what she heard, Haji was a decent man and shouldn't cause trouble but culture played a big role in how people behave so when it came to Dothraki, it was better to stay on the safe side of things.

Gerardys immediately nodded, then frowned, stayed silent for a few seconds, and then asked, 'What if it is reciprocated?'

Diane's lips stretched into a smile, 'Then Haji is a lucky man.'

Gerardys shook his head with a small smile. Diane could see that he hadn't made a decision yet or figured out how he felt about it but he was open to possibilities and it was a good thing. She didn't know much about Gerardys' youth but he mentioned he was studying to be a maester from a rather young age so she wasn't sure how much life he actually lived before he took his vows. Now, free of them at last, Gerardys was rediscovering what things a free life had to offer, and who knew? Maybe, romance was in stock for him as well.

Gerardys bid her goodbye, and Diane turned her attention to Adrian who patiently waited by one of her bookshelves, pretending he was not listening in on their conversation.

'Do you know when the orgy starts?' Adrian asked as soon as the door behind Gerardys closed.

'Probably as soon as the sun goes down. Why? Wanna participate?' she raised an eyebrow.

'Nah. But Ashy likes to watch and then we usually do our own thing. Sometimes we also do sketches,' Adrian shrugged. 'If she feels fine that day, I will take her down there. We'll make it a date night.'

'Sounds like a plan,' Diane smiled. 'That's what you wanted to talk about?'

'No. Actually, it's about the portrait you ordered. Come with me.'

He led her to a room that Adrian repurposed into the art studio. It was fairly small but enough for everything he or Ashy might need and had a big balcony that let the natural light in. On the sofa lay the colorful knitted comforter (obviously done by Ashy's hand) that made the whole room look rather cozy.

Adrian directed Diane to the easel to the right on which stood his latest artwork. Diane held her breath as she approached it as if scared to disturb the vision.

From the painting, an image of Rhaena looked right back at her. Without ever knowing or seeing her, Adrian managed to paint her so perfectly, so authentically. In the painting, Rhaena was smiling. Most of her braids were tied up and on one of her hands, Diane spotted a dragon bracelet. The same dragon bracelet she was currently wearing.

'I improvised a little- with the bracelet,' Adrian said rather nervously. 'I noticed you were twirling it around a lot when you were talking to her- so I assumed it was hers- or from her- if you don't like it, I can-'

'No, it's perfect,' Diane interrupted him. 'She is perfect, Adrian, thank you.'

She did not have to be afraid of forgetting Rhaena's face anymore. She could not keep her for herself but she could keep her memory alive and that had to be enough.

'I am glad you like it,' Adrian smiled, relieved.

'Perhaps you can do a few others? For the same price.'

'Sure, yes. As you know, my schedule is wide open.'

***

'Ah, ah, ah, no biting,' Athelstan warned. 'I want to keep all of my fingers, thank you very much. Ever heard of the phrase "Do not bite a hand that feeds you"?' he looked pointedly at two little spider-ravens in front of him. They looked back at him with their twelve red eyes. 'Yeah, probably not,' Athelstan chuckled and gave them a few more little pieces of meat.

Three weeks after Diane and he moved to Dragonstone, two out of three Mike's eggs hatched. As newly born, little spider-ravens were so small both of them could easily fit in Athelstan's palm. But now as they grew up, they required a separate palm each. Diane named them June and John. Athelstan did not know why she insisted on calling these astonishing, terrifying creatures such ridiculous names but as time passed, he learned to see the charm of it.

June and John grew sporadically so it was hard to tell how long it would take them to reach Mike's size (even more so considering no one had any idea how old Mike actually was) so Diane offered not to overthink it. The biggest spider-raven Diane has ever seen was the size of an average dog but Aliyah said that size was more of an exception than a rule. So Athelstan expected June and John to grow up to be the size of a cat: enough to be scary and intimidating if needed but still comfortable enough to carry on your shoulder.

'Good job, you little fuels of nightmares,' Athelstan praised as June and John were done with their food and scratched the neck of each spider-raven for a few seconds. 'Now, off you go,' he made a wave with his hand, and June and John scattered around the room, probably about to try and climb some pieces of furniture. They hadn't taken wing yet so they moved around on their six legs, making scratching sounds every time their claws met the hard floor.

June and John stayed in Diane's bedchambers because Mike's nest had been placed there and they did not feel confident enough to move too far away from it just yet. They were still babies, after all. Mike, on the other hand, had free reign. Sometimes he chose to spend his day on Athelstan's or Diane's shoulders, other times he explored the island on his own. The people in the castle and outside of it were warned about Mike beforehand because Diane didn't want to risk some poor soul getting scared and trying to fight him off. Mike generally understood the difference between fear and aggression and wasn't quick to attack but he was still a predator and if he moved around without supervision, it was better to be safe than sorry.

June was in the process of trying to climb the table (after a few seconds of watching her struggle, Athelstan sighed and helped her up with his hand) when the doors to Diane's bedchambers opened. 'I did not make a mess, Jemma, I promise,' he said without turning his head. 'You don't have to clean the table again.'

'I'm sure Jemma will be glad to hear that,' the voice said, and Athelstan twirled around so fucking fast he almost got dizzy.

'Gwayne?!'

'I am pretty sure that's my name,' the man smiled, dropping his bag to the floor and spreading his arms so Athelstan could run into them just a second later. 'Gerardys told me where to find you. Gods, I missed you,' Gwayne said, wrapping his hands around Athelstan and taking a deep breath.

'I missed you too,' Athelstan echoed, hiding his face in Gwayne's shoulder.

They stayed like that for some time, not saying anything and just holding each other. Letters were one thing, they exchanged them almost every day and it definitely helped, but being able to hear, and feel, and smell, and touch... that was so very different.

'You are early. Very early. I haven't expected you until Ēbrilēkōs, ' Athelstan said after a while, taking a step back so he could look at Gwayne.

'I rearranged my schedule a little so I could have more free days in a row and spend some more time with you,' Gwayne smiled. Fortunately, there weren't a lot of recruits in the active training at the moment so it was relatively easy to persuade Prince Daemon to let him go. Especially after Gwayne mentioned he was traveling to spend Ēbrilēkōs with his partner. Prince Daemon took religious holidays surprisingly seriously so he did not have to persuade him much after that. 'Sorry I did not tell you but I wanted it to be a surprise.'

'Don't apologize. It's a nice surprise,' Athelstan smiled and tilted his head slightly up so he could kiss him. 'But I am still working the next few days so I won't be able to- well, be with you all the time, you know.'

'I figured as much. But don't you worry, I am a big boy, I'll take care of myself and- Gah!' Gwayne suddenly exclaimed when something jumped on his leg. When he looked down, he saw one of the spider-ravens hanging on the fabric of his trousers and curiously looking at him. Gwayne closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and declared, 'I am not freaking out.'

'It is John and you are new and interesting,' Athelstan smiled, bending down to gently remove the spider-raven from Gwayne's clothes. John did not protest. 'He likes new people.'

'I think I've just earned a few gray hairs.'

'He is very friendly,' Athelstan ignored Gwayne's comment and straightened up, holding John in his palm. 'Wanna pet him?'

Gwayne hesitated for a few seconds but then relaxed a little and said, 'Eh, what the hell,' and scratched the spider-raven's neck. John made a croaking sound that seemed to be rather pleased.

'I think he likes you.'

'Of course, he does. I am likable.'

'Wanna meet another one?' Athelstan offered. 'Mike had three eggs and two hatched so there is also June.'

On the third egg, Mike sat for a week longer than on others before abandoning it altogether. Diane took it as a sign that it was not going to hatch and put it on a shelf as a weird sort of souvenir next to a random old dragon egg she had found in one of the rooms.

'So you now have three scary creatures instead of one? Awesome,' Gwayne concluded.

Athelstan smiled at that and promised, 'Don't worry, I'll protect you.'

Gwayne looked at the spider-raven in Athelstan's hands and then back at his boyfriend, 'I might actually take you up on that.'