The last time Raevyn had visited had been a decade ago. She remembered the way the city made her feel… always alive, like the port, lighthouse, and dragons that made it shine. Here, ever since the very first queen to ever rule ascended her throne in the north, dragons had lived. The western queens, Raevyn knew, had always been envious of this. A few claimed that it was the reason that Alysanne was so bitter. Raevyn didn’t know for sure, but she definitely hated Alysanne. She’d plotted killing the queen on several occasions. Whether it be crucifixion, hanging, public execution, poison, or simple assassination, Raevyn didn’t care. She just wanted the queen dead. They were very near to the harbor now. Raevyn could hear the noises of the men on the port, mostly loud grunts and the occasional logical word. Kathryn’s brother and husband, Maerok, was supposed to be there to greet them. Raevyn had met Maerok once before, when he mustered the armies of the south to fight War Dragons. He was no mean warrior, and was certainly a match for the queen’s intellect, something that all the queens looked up to for council. He had also acquired quite the expensive tastes, Raevyn had heard. Raevyn’s children, Shaeryn and Aelar, had always thought the incestual traditions of the kingdoms to be strange. All children did, but incest was the only way to keep the royal bloodline pure. If the most intelligent were to lead them, the only way to keep the bloodline just as intelligent was through incest. Raevyn understood this, the common folk understood this, and the royals most definitely understood this. The men in the royal families were the Crownmakers, and the women the Crownbearers. Queen Alysanne never had a brother, and therefore no heir.