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Rhaella Targaryen watched with great sadness and a great sense of loss the pyre where her friend and guardian of many years was being cremated, Ser Barristan Selmy had been her Kings guard and royal escort since she was a child. He had watched her become a woman, and he had watched her become Queen, he had always been a great friend and a better protector, always an attentive and protective shadow who walked right behind her.

Unfortunately, the one thing he could not protect her from, was the man who was supposed to love and preserve her, the one man he could not raise his sword against and come to her aid. That was always one of his biggest regrets that accompanied him until the last of his days. So much so that when she decided not to return to the capital and stay in Dragonstone, wanting to escape the ghosts of her past and unable to resist the idea of returning to the place where she had suffered and lost so much.

Ser Barristan asked his son and new King, Rhaegar. To allow him to accompany her and serve under her command as her personal Kings guard at Dragonstone. Of course, Rhaegar allowed this, and his noble guardian accompanied her until his last breath, despite his advanced age, Ser Barristan remained one of the most respected and feared knights in the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately, it was not possible to fight the disease with a sword, and his advanced age did not help his situation, Rhaella accompanied her old friend in his last moments, where despite being at the gates of death, he could only think of one thing, her forgiveness.

"Forgive me, Your Grace. I should- I should have done more, I could not protect her, it was my duty, and I could not do it" Ser Barristan said, his voice coming out too weak, due to his condition.

"I have forgiven you long ago Ser Barristan. You have been a great knight and a better friend, to me and to all my family, you have served us well. And now you may rest" Rhaella said consolingly to the old knight.

A last faint smile formed on Ser Barristan's face, before she could say one last, "It was an honour, your Grace." Those were the legendary knight's last words before he took his last breath and died in peace.

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Rhaella could not stop the errant tear that slid down her cheek as she remembered the last moments of her noble friend and protector.

Now she was all alone.

She was the last one to stay by the pyre, she stayed by her friend's side until the end, she stayed for long hours until it slowly began to extinguish. Rhaella wiped away the few tears she had shed and said a final goodbye to her old friend and left. Wishing her that he could find peace, wherever he was now.

She entered the castle and walked to her solar, as the current Lady of Dragonstone she had to work, she could not afford to mourn her loss all day and neglect the duties she had. Sitting down in her chair in front of her desk, she noticed numerous messages the maester had left for her, seeing that the most important one seemed to be the one with the crown seal on it. Surely it was her son's reply to the raven she had previously sent, informing him of Ser Barristan's death. And she confirmed her suspicions when she opened it, Rhaegar had written to her regretting not having been able to attend the funeral of the veteran knight, because he was so busy with his duties as King of the Seven Kingdoms.

He also wrote informing him that he would be sending someone to take the place that Ser Barristan had left open, and to act as her new Kings guard. Her son made sure to speak highly of this new knight, assuring her that he would serve her well, Rhaella was not really interested in having a new knight in her service, she thought it unnecessary, as there was really no threat to her, but she also knew the protocol and would not go against the wishes or orders of her son and King. As she reviewed the other letters, she couldn't help but be curious about the new knight that would be arriving on Dragonstone's shores.

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Rhaella waited at Dragonstone's gate along with a small retinue of soldiers and her maidens, ready to receive her new royal guard. At first, she had planned to receive him inside the castle in the great hall, with her sitting on the stone and obsidian throne, but she decided against it. This was not some Lord asking for a favour or a simple guest, this man would be the one who would accompany her every day of her life, for the rest of her life, who would be in charge of her protection and well-being. So, she opted for a warmer and more personal welcome. It didn't take long for the boat to disembark, she saw the men begin to descend, mostly standard bearers from her house that was very common for them to accompany the knight, but her eyes widened, and she heard gasps of surprise from those present that had come to accompany her, when they all saw a gigantic creature descend from the boat.

The animal was almost as large as a horse, with a whitish coat, as white as winter snow, but the most fascinating thing about the animal was its bright, vibrant blood eyes, which seemed to look at her with more intelligence than the average animal.

It was a Direwolf. Rhaella deduced, an ancient and mythical animal from the north, but they were thought to be extinct, as no specimens had been seen south of the wall for hundreds of years.

And now there was one, in Dragonstone, right in front of her, as Rhaella tried to think of a logical explanation as to why such a mythical creature was here, of all places, one last man stepped off the boat. This one was very different from the rest of the common soldiers. Rhaella knew for sure it was the knight, he wore a shining and elegant armour, with a white cloak that flapped in the wind behind him, in the middle of his breastplate was imprinted the sigil of House Targaryen, along with a sword at his waist, Rhaella noticed that the pommel was in the shape of a white wolf.

The knight began to walk towards her, with his small retinue of soldiers behind him, and the white wolf moved to stand beside him, the man certainly had an aura of power about him, he walked with the confidence and bearing of a King. But when he finally stood in front of her, he removed his helmet, revealing an unexpectedly young and very attractive face. A long mane of curls fell to his shoulders, and he got a closer look at the deep, dark grey orbs staring back at her, after a few seconds of staring at each other. The young knight did not hesitate to kneel down in front of her and declare loudly so that everyone present could hear his words.

"I am Jon Snow, your Grace. And I have come to declare my services to you, my sword is yours, my life is yours, I am yours to command" His words came out firm and clear, no sign of doubt in them, she also noted the man's strong northern accent.

Rhaella was left deep in thought, she had forgotten the formalities and what was she supposed to answer, clearing her throat, she hastened to say. "I Rhaella of House Targaryen, Queen mother. I accept to take you into my service, good Ser. You may rise."

Rhaella watched Jon stand, still holding his gaze upon her, and even felt it wander over her body, it was something she had experienced quite a bit throughout her life. But the royal guards were not allowed to look at her that way, though she could not find it in herself to correct him or forbid him, in fact, she found herself discovering that she liked the way he looked at her. She was so lost in his gaze, she didn't notice the big wolf sneak up on her and start sniffing her, only noticing his presence when he pushed his wet nose against her cheek. Causing her to pull back in surprise and let out a shriek most unbecoming of a Queen.

"Ghost down boy" Rhaella heard him say to the animal as he grabbed him and pulled him away from her, "My apologies, your Grace. This is Ghost, my direwolf, he generally knows how to behave. And if I may, I would wish him to remain at my side, I assure you he is as loyal as he is protective, there is no better guard than him."

Rhaella straightened her dress and resumed a more decorous posture as she examined the huge animal, which was now sitting on its hind legs, looking at her almost amusedly as it turned its head to one side. Looking at it this way it didn't look at all like a dangerous, ancient beast capable of ripping her throat out with a single bite, if anything it looked more like an adorable little puppy, especially with how fluffy it was. She couldn't help a slight smile forming on her face as she felt the compelling urge to pet him, but quickly recomposing herself again she said to the young knight.

" It's fine, if you can assure me that Ghost won't hurt anyone and will behave like a good boy, I will happily accept him under my services."

As if the animal could understand her words, he approached her while happily wagging his tail, this time Rhaella didn't waste her opportunity to be able to run her hand through his soft fur, making the animal's happiness increase as he was pampered by her long fingers. For several seconds Rhaella was lost in her amusement and did not notice that everyone was watching her as she played with the animal very cheerfully, it was only until she looked up and blushed as she noticed the show she had been putting on. Turning away from the animal and standing upright again in a posture more befitting a Queen, she cleared her throat and quickly declared, "We should go inside."

Rhaella didn't even wait for Jon's nod before she quickly turned and began walking back to the castle, Ghost quickly stepped forward to walk protectively at her side, causing a slight smile to form on her face and she scratch his head one last time before walking through the large gates of Dragonstone.

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It had been a couple of days since Jon Snow had landed at Dragonstone as her new Kings guard, and though the man seemed to be of a reserved nature, as the vast majority of Kings guards seemed to be. She managed to strike up several conversations with him, in order to get to know him better, not being able to help but be curious about the man. Their conversations started out light and very short, until she couldn't help herself anymore and dared to ask him much more personal questions, first starting by asking about his parents.

"I am the bastard son of Brandon Stark and Ashara Dayne" was his reply.

 Rhaella could not help but shudder to hear that, for it was her husband Aerys who had been the one to murder his father, one of the great triggers of the rebellion against his family. 

"My apologies, Ser. I did not know... I apologize on behalf of my family for the crimes committed against yours" she hastened to say.

"Thank you for your kind words, your Grace. But you owe me no apology, many people suffered loss and pain, under the reign of the Mad King" Jon said, glaring at her before looking away.

Rhaella knew very well what he meant; it was no secret the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband. And while that made things a bit awkward between them for a while, Jon surprised her by being the one who made an effort to talk to her, this time with more cheerful topics. Jon told her about his childhood growing up in Winterfell, being raised by his uncle Ned Stark and his wife Catelyn, along with his cousins whom he considered brothers. He also mentioned that he received regular visits from his uncle Ser Arthur Dayne, who personally trained him in the art of swordsmanship, and when he came of age, it was Arthur who offered to take him to Kings Landing, which he accepted.

It was at his grandson Aegon's name day tournament that Jon was able to prove his worth and skill as a swordsman, participating in the jousting and winning the melee. It was at this time that King Rhaegar Targaryen honoured him by knighting him for his impressive display of skill, and when news of Ser Barristan's unfortunate passing reached the capital. Ser Arthur did not hesitate to recommend him to take the vacant position and become the newest member of the Kings guard, which the King accepted, and he became the second youngest man to join the Kings guard, only behind Ser Jaime Lannister.

Rhaella was surprised to hear that her son had sent a new knight to be his personal guard.

Surely, he must trust the man quite a bit, though also surely his relationship with Ser Arthur Dayne and Queen Lyanna, helped quite a bit.

As they got to know each other more and became closer, their constant glances at her, more specifically at her body, also increased. As her guard always walked behind her, and she could feel his intense gaze on her round ass, and the worst part was that most of the time she couldn't help but add a slight extra sway to her hips. She knew it was something she shouldn't allow, much less encourage, but the feeling of being looked at in that intense way, desired by a man as young and handsome as Jon, was certainly a thrilling feeling she hadn't experienced in many years. Of course, most of her life she had always been the object of lustful gazes from many men, from simply soldiers to important lords, all had desired her, for her status as Queen, for her beauty and for her body.

But now that she was no longer in the bloom of her youth and had lost her title as Queen, she greatly enjoyed the sensation of still feeling desired, she had been beginning to examine her body in front of the mirror these days and was pleased to discover that she still retained most of her beauty. Despite being in her late forties, she was sure she could fool anyone, and could easily appear to be in her early thirties. Valyrian blood had always been associated with magic and one of those benefits was to enjoy a much longer youth. Her features were still smooth, with almost no wrinkles in sight, her lilac eyes still sparkled boyishly. She had seductively large and turgid breasts, they almost seemed to be able to defy gravity, covered with wide pink areolas and beautiful nipples, lowering her gaze, she observed a flat belly, which widened at her hips, which always made her a very fit woman for pregnancy, her legs were long and toned, something that even her daughter and granddaughter envied, as she had always been a head taller than them.

But apart from enjoying Jon's constant glances at her, she herself had also begun to observe him and very closely, although she had always been surrounded by very good-looking men, her own husband included, he was a very good-looking man in his youth. There was something different about Jon, something that attracted her in a different way.

Perhaps it was the same thing that drew Rhaegar to Lyanna, how her son had described it? A wild beauty.

But it must have been something special in Jon because Rhaella remembers Brandon Stark so well when she saw him at the tournament at Harrenhal, back then he had been one of the most desired men by the ladies of the realm, second only by her son. Not only was he heir to a great kingdom, but the man certainly stood out from the rest, he was tall, strong, with a thick beard decorating his sharp jaw and always with a winning smile on his face capable of melting any maiden. Though she wasn't too fond of how outrageous and debauched he was, quite unlike Jon. Though she had certainly inherited her father's good looks, and to that was only added the grace and beauty of her mother, Ashara Dayne was a woman she knew very well, as she was one of the maidens closest to her good daughter Elia, she was a very sweet and noble soul, and without a doubt a very beautiful one. Becoming dubbed as the most beautiful non-Targaryen woman in the whole Kingdom, although she had always rejected any suitor who approached her, so it always surprised her that someone like Brandon Stark was the one who ended up getting her affection, but the result of their union was undoubtedly someone special. Jon had inherited his father's demeanour, being a very tall man with broad shoulders and arms, but he also got some of his mother's features, such as his high cheekbones and although his eyes were a stormy grey, if you looked closely, you could see a bit of purple in them.

Though interest in Jon reached its peak when she attended one of his many training practices, she stood on one of the top rails, Ghost loyally and protectively standing beside her as she watched his master unwind with the sword. Rhaella felt her body temperature rise and her heart rate increase as she watched a half-naked Jon Snow, covered in sweat and with a sword in each hand, take on three opponents at the same time. Jon moved with impressive agility and grace, it almost seemed more like a dance than a confrontation, he moved across the entire training ground, deftly dodging attacks and counterattacking with savage ferocity. His opponents didn't stand a chance against the skilled knight, certainly someone who lived up to having been trained by the best swordsman in the seven Kingdoms, Rhaella unconsciously bit her lips in desire and began to rub her thighs in an attempt to find some relief, seeing such a show of strength and skill. It didn't take much time or effort for Jon to dispatch all of his opponents, then offering them a hand to help them to their feet, they took Jon's hand as they returned to their feet amidst small gasps of pain.

Finally, Jon lifted his gaze to her and gave her a charming smile, Rhaella tried, but she was sure she failed miserably to hide the redness that coloured her cheeks, but, still, she returned the greeting, waving her hand at him. When he left to put the swords back in place and from there head to the castle to surely take a shower and change, Rhaella couldn't help but follow him with her eyes all the way, observing his muscular back and especially his impressive ass, she only looked away when she noticed how Ghost looked at her curiously and even a bit accusingly.

"Don't look at me like that" she said defending herself from being judged by the animal, "I was just making sure he was completely fine" without more to say she turned around and walked back to the castle, Ghost always following her closely.

Despite her words, she couldn't escape the images that flooded her mind with a sweaty, half-naked Jon Snow for the rest of the day. She even had trouble seeing his face when they met again.

By the gods, you are the Queen mother, not an innocent maiden, you can't be swooning over a man who is even younger than your son and especially if he is your Kings guard. She mentally reprimanded herself.

She knew better than anyone that nothing good would come of falling in love with men she could not have, she had learned that lesson very well many years ago, when she was still a princess, and had fallen in love with a handsome and noble knight. But in the end that love ended in nothing, when she had to reject him, she chose duty over love, she could not just abandon her family and since then she learned that some things were just not meant to be. She was a Queen, she could not love freely, she had duties to her family and to the crown, and to corroborate her point, history was littered with members of royalty who had fallen in love with the wrong person and the kingdom had bled for it. Though that didn't stop her from secretly lusting after her handsome knight, at least in the privacy of her chambers.

Rhaella lay on her bed with her legs spread and knees bent, one hand had slipped between her legs to rub her center while the other massaged her full round chest. She touched herself as the man she desired and fantasized about stood just outside her chambers, standing guard at her door.

"Oh, Jon" Rhaella moaned, arching her back and squeezing her chest tightly.

Biting her lip quickly to try to stifle her moans, a shiver of nerves and excitement ran through her body at the possibility that Jon might have heard her. Although a part of her wished he could have heard her, in her fantasies Jon would open the door and see her lying on the bed, wet and needy for him. His slender fingers were not enough to satisfy her, she needed his much thicker and longer ones, but most of all she needed his thick, fat cock in her, fucking her, stretching her, until he made her completely his.

Rhaella took one of his thick pink nipples between her fingers, and twisted and pulled it with a surprising hardness that made her moan with lust. Rhaella imagined Jon on top of her, his eyes would turn completely black from the desire and lust he felt for her. Rhaella imagined every possible scenario with Jon roughly grabbing her, with him bending her over his dresser as he grabbed her from behind, pinning her down with one hand on the back of her neck, forcing her to take his thick cock while he used the other to spank her ass hard, leaving his handprint imprinted on her delicate porcelain skin.

Or with Jon holding her in his strong arms as he made her bounce on his cock, but the one she loved most was the image of a Jon Snow, lying on his bed with his hands behind his head as he looked down at her with a smug smile as she bounced eagerly on his cock, lost in her lust and the way he made her feel.

Rhaella squirmed on the bed as she felt her climax approaching dangerously fast, and when she brought her thumb towards her clit, it was all for her. With impressive reflexes, she managed to bring her hand to her mouth to try to stifle the high-pitched scream she let out as she reached her peak, but even doing that, she was sure that anyone in this side of the castle could have heard her. It was a miracle that Jon hadn't rushed into her room to check on her, though he might know the nature of her whimper.

It took her several minutes to catch her breath and finally coming down from her euphoria, is that she was able to think clearly and on her actions. Lying on her bed, Rhaella thought carefully about her situation and decided that she could not go on like this, she was only torturing herself. So, with a heavy heart she decided it would be best to send a letter to her son to send another king's guard, obviously she would make sure to write that it wasn't Jon's fault at all, the last thing she wanted was to have his reputation tarnished because she couldn't control herself. She would make up an excuse like someone of his age and ability would be wasting herself taking care of an old woman like her and his talents could be put to better use in the capital.

Rhaella went to bed as she regretted how unfair life had been to her, she never got to do what she really wanted or be with the one she really loved, her only joys in this life were her children and grandchildren, but now, they all had their own lives.

She just wished she didn't have to feel so lonely.