There seemed to be no end of the sound of euphoria, clapping and approval. It was loud in the dragon pit and the sound of the people echoed off the walls.

Neither Edith nor Aemond knew how long they had been standing in front of their people and being celebrated as king and queen. It was such an incredible feeling that both had lost their sense of time.

Alicent, who now bore only the title of Queen Mother, looked down at the people with the same amazement. She was surprised that the people had accepted the new leadership so quickly and seemed to celebrate it.

At the same time, she felt a great sense of relief and even smiled slightly for a moment.

She was convinced that no one was better suited to the throne than her son Aemond. And with his wonderful wife Edith, nothing could go wrong. She was more than intelligent and could keep Aemond in line, plus a new heir was already growing in her womb.

Edith squeezed Aemond's hand tightly, which she still held - they had both made it.

The crown weighed heavily on her head, but that was one thing she could live with.

For today, it was time to enjoy the day and prepare for the evening, because soon the news of the coronation would be known throughout Westeros and then Princess Rhaenyra would be on her way here. They absolutely had to be prepared for this.

Alicent stepped forward to the new royal couple and placed a hand on Edith's lower back. "How do you feel?" she asked her daughter-in-law in a whisper.

Edith turned her head in her direction and looked at Alicent with her blue violet eyes. "Overwhelmed with joy." Replied the young woman at the same volume.

The Queen Mother stroked the new queen's back, for she was at a loss for words. She remembered her own wedding to King Viserys many years ago, which automatically made her queen in the ceremony.

But she had never had her own event, her own coronation, and the people had not cheered her like that after the wedding. Back then, the people were still in mourning for the late Queen Aemma and Alicent was still often compared to her.

But that is over now. Viserys is dead and Alicent is no longer queen. She would be there for Aemond and Edith, supporting them and continuing to sit on the council and attend council meetings, but now she finally had the chance to lead a full life of her own.

Perhaps in a few years she would finally be able to be open about her relationship with Ser Adrik Tyrell.

Perhaps Edith and Aemond would also agree to a marriage between them. Perhaps one day?

Alicent let go of her daughter-in-law and turned to go back to her other children and her father so that Edith and Aemond could enjoy the special moment alone again.

But just as she turned her back to them, there was an incredibly loud bang that made the dragon pit vibrate. The woman stumbled but was caught in time by her son Daeron, who immediately stood protectively in front of his mother and sister.

Ser Adrik and Ser Colin positioned themselves in front of the prince, while Maester Arwin stood by the old septon. Arwin did not have a weapon, but he would still try to protect his fellow men. Otto Hightower stood in front of them with a sword at his belt, but Arwin did not know how far Otto would go to protect others.

Edith was taken out of the spell of success by the loud bang. Before she could think clearly again, her eyes saw the large cloud of dust in the centre of the dragon pit.

The cheers quickly turned into fear-filled screams, not just screams of fear, but also screams of death. The bang was caused by a large hole in the ground into which several people had fallen.

The young queen had seen many things in her life, Edith had even taken the life of a person herself in a brutal manner, but nothing could compare to what was happening now.

She stared helplessly at the hole from which a large red dragon was now flying out, while more people fell into the gap and others fled from the dragon pit.

She recognised the dragon even before she saw the rider on its back. It was unmistakably Meleys and Princess Rhaenys.

She had seen this great dragon so many times in her life and each time she had been filled with joy. Because when Princess Rhaenys had come to Dragonstone on Meley's, she had always had Baela with her - Edith's half-sister.

But now Baela was not at her side and this was not a joyful reunion. It was a deadly one.

It had been almost two weeks since Edith had met the princess at the Red Keep and, stupidly, she hadn't expected that Rhaenys might still be there. She must have been locked up, just like other followers of Rhaenyra.

"I thought she was back in Driftmark." Edith said with wide eyes. "What do we do now?"

Aemond stood protectively in front of his wife and held the Black Sword in the direction of the large dragon. He knew he had no chance against Rhaenys on her dragon with a single sword, but he had to at least try.

"We have to prove ourselves." Aemond replied without looking at his wife. His posture was tense and his one eye was fixed on the dragon, which was getting closer and closer. "Stay by my side."

Meleys spread out in the dragon pit and kicked at the humans with her legs without consideration or caught them with her long tail. The dust and stones continued to swirl around the pit and the screams continued.

Edith hated not having a sword or any other weapon herself. She was at Rhaeny's defenceless mercy, just like the rest of her family.

Would Princess Rhaenys kill them all now? Aemond and Edith were usurpers and traitors, even if they had acted according to Visery's wishes and were accepted by the people.

But they would never be accepted by Princess Rhaenyra and probably not by Rhaenys now.

Behind the new king and queen, Alicent gripped Ser Adrik's arm tightly and tried to hold him, as the knight wanted to rush forward to protect his niece. "Please stay with me." She begged him softly. She couldn't imagine losing him, that would be the end of her.

"Edith!" Adrik shouted without responding to Alicent's words. "Edith!" His eyes, like everyone else's, were wide with fear and he wanted nothing more than to get his niece to safety.

She was his sister's daughter and the only thing he had of his dear little sister.
Ser Adrik Tyrell would never forgive himself if something happened to Edith, or if she even died. Just as he would never forgive himself for being at odds with his only sister.

"Edith!"

The shouted one finally turned to face her uncle, clutching her hand tightly to Aemond's upper arm. She didn't need to ask to know what Adrik wanted from her, yet it was obvious that Edith couldn't leave.

She was the queen now and her people were being threatened and killed by Rhaenys and her dragon at this very moment. She would be the last one to leave this battlefield when it was over.

"Take the queen mother and the princess to safety." She shouted to her uncle. It was so loud in the pit that she feared he might not hear her, even though they were only a few metres apart. "Take Maester Arwin and Septon Eustace with you and get them all to safety. Ser Colin and Prince Daeron will accompany you for protection."

"I cannot leave you, my queen. It is against my oath." Ser Colin replied immediately, and Ser Adrik agreed. "We shall stay."

Edith cursed the men for their stubbornness, but at the same time she was grateful for the loyalty the two of them had just shown.

"That wasn't a request, it was an order. Leave. Now." She spoke loud and clear above the noise.

The two knights exchanged a glance, but nodded immediately. Daeron put an arm around his sister Helaena while holding his sword raised with his free hand. Ser Adrik did the same with Alicent, while Colin went to Arwin and stood protectively in front of the young maester and they all walked slowly towards the exit.

Princess Rhaenys could not hear what was happening in front of her but she could see it clearly and her eyes had never deceived her before.

On Meleys, she moved forwards and closer to the new royal couple.

"Open the Doors!" Otto came forward with quick steps on the rise and shouted the orders as if he were the king.

Aemond and Edith tried to see past the dragon and immediately saw why Otto was giving this order. Several guards pushed the large heavy doors shut from the outside so that Rhaenys could not escape. But in doing so, they not only locked Rhaenys in here, but also the people who were trying to get to safety.

"Open the doors!" Otto shouted again and again, but his words were not heard. The screams and shouts of Meleys were too loud.

"Get Helaena." Alicent asked her lover Adrik, who she finally let go and walked forwards herself.

She tried to look confident as she stood in front of her son and daughter-in-law as Meley's large dragon head came closer and closer.

"No, Mother." Aemond said immediately when he saw what his mother was about to do.

Alicent not only wanted to protect the two of them, she was also walking straight into her death, because it was well known that Rhaenys and Alicent were not good friends, nor would they ever be.

Accordingly, Aemond let go of Edith's hand and grabbed his mother's upper arm more roughly than he intended and pulled her behind him. He looked at her with a look that brooked no argument, and he looked like a true king.

"Aemond."

"I won't let anything happen to you, mother." Aemond gave Alicent a warning look and then stood in front of his mother, shielding her from Rhaeny's gaze.

It was only a few seconds, but Edith recognised her chance. While Aemond was busy with Alicent, she took the last few steps forward on the rise until she was almost at the stairs. Now only a few metres separated the dragon from the queen.

Edith was aware of the danger and the situation, but she was not only a queen responsible for her people, no, she was also a wife, a niece, a future mother, a friend, a cousin and so much more.
But in reality, she was just a little girl who wanted and needed to protect her family.

She was now so close to Meley's that she could feel the dragon's stinking breath on her skin and if she had stretched out her hand, she could have touched her nose. Rhaenys was also much closer to her now, as she had slid forward on her dragon's back.

"Princess Rhaenys." Edith greeted the older princess loudly.

This not only got Rhaenys' attention, but also that of the people behind her.

"Edda!" she heard Helaena behind her and she could also hear her uncle's voice. "Queen Edith!"

Hearing her name with the title felt good, but unfortunately she couldn't savour the moment. A gigantic dragon still loomed in front of her.

"Queen Edith?" Rhaenys laughed.

"You've come a long way, young child."
As she still had no weapon herself, so she put her hand to her round belly, which was emphasised by her dress. Therefore, she had to fight with other weapons.

"If I had known you were still in the city, I would have invited you, of course." Edith began.

Rhaeny's eyes were fixed on her belly, her round belly. She had noticed it a few weeks ago, but had thought the young princess had only put on weight. So Edith really was pregnant and the secret would now come to Dragonstone if Edith couldn't stop the older princess.

She was not ashamed of her pregnancy, not anymore, she was very much looking forward to her child. But her condition made her vulnerable and weak and gave her little advantage in this upcoming war.

"Of course." Rhaenys now looked at the others on the rise with raised eyebrows.

"Does your mother know about this? Or your father?" she now asked Edith.

Edith was speechless. Of course her parents didn't know about the coronation, her pregnancy or her plans, because that would only put them in danger. So she had to react cleverly.

"Why don't you come off your dragon and we'll talk in private." Edith suggested, making it sound like an order again, raising her head confidently. "My folk has nothing to do with your rage and there will be consequences for trampling them heedlessly and letting them die, Princess Rhaenys."

The corners of Rhaenys' mouth twitched mockingly and she let Meleys roar out loud.

Edith's hands clutched at her stomach and she closed her eyes as the dragon opened its mouth.

She waited and waited, but she felt no heat. So she opened her eyes again and saw that Meleys was not breathing fire as she had expected.

Rhaenys was just trying to scare her.
Edith would have liked to have said something else, and Aemond would have liked to go straight for the dragon with his sword, even though he had no chance. Anything said or done now would only make the situation worse, so they both stood motionless and stared at the princess on her dragon, as did the rest of the family.

The older princess pulled on the reins, made her dragon turn and rise, and finally flew out of the dragon pit through the open door.

Edith only dared to breathe out the air she had been holding when she could no longer see the red dragon. She immediately turned to look for Aemond, who was already on his way to her and put his arms around her.

"Don't you dare do something so stupid again." He warned her so quietly that only she could hear.

"Believe me, I won't." She replied immediately. The heart in her chest was beating painfully fast, which she only now realised, and her eyes were starting to sting, but she didn't allow herself to cry. "But it worked."

Aemond hated having to agree with her in this case. He didn't know what he would have done with Rhaenys and her dragon if Edith hadn't stood in front of the dragon and put herself in such danger.

"I should follow her immediately with Vhagar and sort this out." Aemond reasoned aloud to her.

She looked at him warningly and suppressed the last tears in her eyes. "You will do nothing like that, Aemond. We have to take care of our folk now." She reminded him of his duties. "You and I are king and queen now. We are responsible for this and must help."

She then broke away from him and stepped closer to the rest of the family. They were all still standing there, for none of them had dared to leave at the sight of the great dragon, but they all seemed to be unharmed.

"Maester Arwin I want you and other maesters and healers to take care of the injured and the corpse. Ser Colin will accompany you." Edith looked pleadingly at Arwin and then at Colin. She knew she could rely on both of them, which is why she gave them this task. "Help as many people as you can and take anyone who can help you and please take care of your own safety."

The two men nodded to their new queen and immediately stepped down from the raised platform to go about their task. Edith knew that Arwin had his suitcase here somewhere, as he always carried it with him. It certainly contained things that could be helpful now.

Everyone listened carefully to Edith and while she instructed her most loyal friends, Aemond told Ser Adrik to take his mother and siblings safely to the Red Keep.

"What about me?" Otto Hightower asked Edith. "What task are you giving me?"

She hated that he didn't even address her respectfully by her new title and still seemed to think of her as a child. Just a few minutes ago, she had thought she had his approval.

"I want you to tell me the exact number of people who have not survived today and their names. Also think about how we can help the families in this situation." She replied just as stubbornly as he did. "I know you were good with numbers and people when you were Hand. Prove it." The queen explained, purposely speaking in the past tense, as Otto was not yet officially the Hand of the King again.

She knew that, he knew that and everyone knew that. And it annoyed him most of all.

The Hightower had no choice but to nod and stomp off, as long as he wasn't back in his usual position he couldn't afford to say anything against that.

Aemond and Edith remained on the rise.

There were only a few people left in the dragon pit, searching for family members and friends and calling helplessly for them. It wasn't as loud as it had been a few moments ago, but Edith would never forget the screams.

Her heart wanted to go down to the people and help them, but her head wouldn't allow it.

It wasn't logical to hand herself over to the people who would surely blame her for this.

It calmed her somewhat when she saw Ser Colin in the crowd and behind him Maester Arwin with his suitcase. Edith had been right about his suitcase, at least. She only hoped that more maesters and healers would come to help the people - as quickly as possible.
But she had to hand over this task to her friends.

"Did you hear what I said?" Aemond asked as one of his hands rested on Edith's shoulder and shook her gently.

Edith shook her head and turned in his direction, finally looking at him properly.

The dark crown sat firmly on his head and contrasted beautifully with his long silver hair. His clothes were a little dusty, just like her dress, but he looked no less beautiful.

"I said: we should go now too, Edith. We're here without protection." He repeated. "Did you hear me now?"

"Yes, I did. Sorry, I was distracted." She replied honestly.

"Believe me when I tell you that I'm not enjoying this sight either. But we're already doing everything we can." Aemond fumbled for his eye patch, which fortunately was still in place, then he finally put his sword back in his belt, but kept one hand on the knob.

"I understand." She simply said as her thoughts wandered off again, not to the people, but to another important point in her plan. "But first we have to go somewhere else."

"Where to?" Aemond looked at her uncomprehendingly. "You should rest now in your condition."

"Aemond, I'm pregnant and not ill." She reminded him with a roll of her eyes. " This is important for me now. So... will you accompany me?"

"And where exactly?"

"Not far away. Trust me."

***

Where might Edith want to go now?

see you in the next chapter,
which will be a little different...

stay tuned xx