Rhaenys laughed with her uncle Oberyn who had come to see the supposed new heir himself.

"Of course I still always have time for my favorite niece", He had told her with a smile after he had first arrived several days before.

Despite him keeping his usual easy going attitude she could feel an anger in him. She new that bastards were treated very differently in dorn but it still must have been upsetting to learn that the king had cheated on his sister. She knew he had taken mother's death the hardest of everyone.

Than she caught out of the corner of her eye Jaehaerys speaking to none other than Stannis Baratheon.

"I'm sorry", Rhaenys said, "but believe I should probably speak to more than just family tonight."

"Of course! Of course!", Oberyn grinned, "You are too old to spend all night speaking to your uncle."

She walked through the crowd of people, being careful to not walk directly towards the two men who seem to be in a heated discussion.

"My brother or my King. Those were my options.", Stannis ground his teeth, "It was not an easy chose but a man's loyalty and duty belongs to his king first."

"You betrayed your broth-"

"My brother was a hot headed fool who knew nothing of ruling and only cared for battle and women."

"You are a coward", Jaehaerys said.

"Coward?", Stannis grit his teeth even harder, "Tell me when, boy? When I smashed the Ironborn's fleet? When I took the Island of Pike and the Greyjoy's castle from them and forced their surrender? When I took my army and sailed back to the mainland where I defeated the golden company? I've done my duty and kept my oaths. What have you done? You broke your vows to the night's watch to than break faith with the throne."

"You have your duty to the iron throne and the seven kindgoms, and I have my duty to the North."

"And now you have the chance to serve both the North and the Seven kingdoms but instead you have chosen to become a turn cloak."

Both men silently glared at each other and Rhaenys decided she had better intervene just in case they might come to blows.

"Lord Stannis, it is a pleasure to see you again", Rhaenys said as she stepped practically between the two.

"Do not lie princess. I know I am unpopular amongst all despite my accomplishments. I suppose people much prefer prancing fools like Renly with his pointless extravaganze.", Stannis said harshly.

"Well all the same it is good to see one of our greatest generals is still alive and well", Rhaenys said as she kept the smile plastered on her face.

Stannis seemed to try and think of a reply, "And it is good to see you are well also princess."

"Thank you", she curtsied, "but I must speak with with my long separated brother alone. If you could please give us space, my lord."

"I'm no fool", Stannis said, "I understand I am not wanted. You could have avoided all those false flatteries and just told me."

The Lord of Storm's end walked off with the same grimace on his face that he usually wore.

"So are you enjoying the feast?", She asked Jaehaerys as she looped her arm through his and lead him toward the balconies.

"Your people think I'm a joke", Jon said as he nodded toward several lords and ladies who made it no secret they were laughing at him. Rhaenys could make out bits of chatter about the child of a lady he brought and his stories about the living dead.

"You can hardly blame then."

"You were right", He admitted as they walked out onto the balcony which was empty of people.

"Indeed I was", Rhaenys said with a smirk, "So are you going to tell me why you really brought a ten year old girl as your only bannerman."

Jon looked out across the great city as he seemed to think it over.

Eventually he decided to speak, "The lords of the North don't trust me anymore. They thought they had chosen a wolf but instead they got a dragon. Sansa was the one to suggest I bring Lady Mormont. She won't be bought by southern gold or promises, and she is about as proud and loyal as us northerners come. The lords know that she won't let me betray the North."

"So you couldn't find a single lord or lady older and more suited to the task?", Rhaenys asked with a brow raised.

"There are few others but they are needed to prepare our people for war.", Jon said with a far away look in his eyes. He suddenly seemed fifty years older than what he was.

"Bend the knee and become the crown prince and you will have everything that you need for this war of yours."

"And if have an heir what will happen to him? Would you lot send him away to Dorn or the gods know where away from me?", Jon looked at her, "You, so far, seem like the only one of the three Targaryens with any since. You aunt looks at me like she wants my head on a Pike and your father mocks me openly in court."

"They've lost too many people. They each took it hard. You've trusted me with information and so I'll trust you with mine own.", Rhaenys looked him in the eyes, "I'm afraid father is slipping into madness like grandfather and Daenarys is shouting for the blood of anyone who so much as looks like a possible threat to us."

"War changes people and rarely for the better. When I finally saw Sansa again she was practically a stranger. She had the same hair and the same face just a bit older. But she was hard and cold. She's the one who demanded we defeat the Bolton's and take back the North. When we won and we reclaimed Winterfell I saw a glimpse of the old her behind her mask. All you can do sometimes is help your family as best you can, stand by them, and hope."