The Uncrowned Heir: An Aerea Targaryen Quest

Funny how one vote change can make the count go from 12-12 to 15-9. Vote closed.

Finding more proper garments, as Ser Daerys had promised, had turned out to be more difficult than imagined. The matter of fact was that there was no other woman of six feet in Dragonstone, or probably anywhere nearby. There simply was no fitting dress, period. They had looked, they had discussed options to modify dresses, but ultimately, for now, there was little alternative to wearing a tunic and trousers, like a knight or noble son would.

After a year in a Dothraki vest you didn't greatly mind. And you quite liked the symbolism of you wearing a black heraldic tabard with the three-headed dragon on it. Every member of House Targaryen was entitled to that coat of arms, of course, but it was maybe a good idea to remember people that you were a Targaryen – after all, you intended to become the Targaryen.

But that was probably some ways off. For now, it was odd enough just to be back in your old room. It had never truly felt like home, more like a prison, surrounded by drab black stone. Returned to your old room, you felt... lesser. Like you were that small girl from two years ago again, with nowhere to turn to. And yet, at the same time, after the ash and desolation of Valyria, it also provided a feeling of safety.

You didn't like that 'safety' and 'feeling lesser' were so connected emotionally.

At least you basically had a tower for yourself. Dragonstone was a large castle, large enough for Balerion to land in, and yet it had relatively few people. It seemed that was just the Valyrian style: They had built everything too big, as architecture was also always a sign of status. More so than practicality, their buildings were raised to impress. And thus it happened that only you and one or two servants lived in the Windwyrm, a tower at Dragonstone's landside, facing Dragonmont. Like everything here it had the shape of a dragon: In this case, a rising dragon with raised snout, as if screaming defiance into the air.

Yeah, yeah. You supposed it was very fitting and all that.

Both of your swords now hung at the wall, next to the numerous small tapestries meant to hide the black rock. From afar, they were indistinguishable from normal swords. They had none of the colour effect some Valyrian swords showed, and their pommels and guards were not ornamented. Only up close could one see the intricate rippled patterns in the steel itself. The crown was in a locked chest, the Dothraki garb somewhere in a wardrobe, and of the knives, you were carrying two in your belt.

The fruits of a two years journey. Well, at least in material terms.

There was a reason you were feeling so moody. Ser Daerys had explained to you what had happened since your departure. It seemed that had been the last straw for your mother. After what her husband had done here... she hadn't returned once since. Instead, she had taken Dreamfyre and travelled all over the realm, purportedly to, well, try and find you. Though rumours said what she actually had sought most was solitude.

From what Ser Daerys told you, though he only knew of most of it third or fourth hand, too, it almost appeared to you your mother was a broken woman. And while you never got along with her... you couldn't deny feeling at least a pang of guilt at your own role at it, tiny as it might have been compared to Androw Farman's.

In her absence, Ser Daerys had tried to run the place as best as he could. On the one hand, this wasn't so difficult. By itself, the island would be a pretty calm, even boring fief with a stable food source in the form of fishing. Unfortunately, on the other hand, it also was the ancestral seat of House Targaryen, which meant Ser Daerys' main problem had been unwanted attention from King's Landing. As several messages by raven showed, Jaehaerys and Alysanne had been worried about their sister, and had always hoped she would return to her fief.

Most other officials at the castle were relatively new, installed either after Elissa Farman's betrayal or after her brother's murders. Two old faces had remained: There was Roland Brune, the Senechall, and as such in charge of all the servants and all the reserves of food and wine and the like. While the main line of the Brunes were petty lords on Cracklaw Point, the House was a clan or even almost a whole tribe unto itself, and Roland came from a very distant cadet line indeed. As the jovial man freely admitted, so distant that he was barely noble at all anymore. Which of course, left the question how Roland could afford all the expensive rings on his fingers, but there never had been a report of any food or wine or anything else having gone missing.

The other oldtimer was Septon Merten, a native of Dragonstone. This was actually fairly common: The people of the islands nominally were adherents of the Faith, but they also always had been more... familiar with certain Targaryen traditions. It just caused less trouble if your castle septon came from the island where your house was revered as basically demigods. Even so, Rhaena had always ignored him, and so had you. You hadn't really wanted anything to do with the Faith anymore after Oldtown.

Naturally you knew little about the newcomers. You had seen them for some weeks, and you remember the broad red-and-blue beard of Dremo Tigaris, the then new master-at-arms, a former braavo from Tyrosh, but you could say little else about the man. And Alester Staunton, the new commander of the garrison, was a younger son of the Lord of Rook's Rest and a brother of one of the women killed in the poisonings. He had appeared rather stiff and distant to you back before you had left.

The other two you hadn't even seen yet: After Master Cuppert's death, his assistant Lambert had taken over, but it seemed his inability to recognize the poisonings around him had been a black mark against him, and now a Maester Adryan, a young man with unassuming face and brown hair held the position. And finally, the newest arrival was the captain of the Dreamer Maid now anchored here instead of Driftmark – Ser Laenon Velaryon, an older brother of the murdered Lianna Velaryon. You knew nothing about him safe for his fully Valyrian looks.

There was some importance to getting to know these man. You simply had no other base of operations than Dragonstone. Those men weren't important or high-ranking by any means, but you needed their backing at least initially. However, also you couldn't reveal your intentions just yet. Even though those were your mother's men, Jaehaerys was too well liked for you to risk anything before first having assessed those people. You were still pondering on how to best approach them, lazily looking out of your room's window, when you saw something in the distance. Something improbably large in the sky, a bright medium blue against the backdrop of dark clouds.

Then you heard shouting. Others had seen it as well. Dreamfyre was returning to Dragonstone. For the first time in almost two years, Rhaena Targaryen would come to see her fief. Would come to see you.

---

You couldn't quite remember, but you must have had gone (or run?) to the courtyard outside the castle's inner walls. The same one where Balerion landed. Now his smaller, younger nephew had landed here. Dreamfyre's scales were a shining blue, providing colourful backdrop to Rhaena's descent from her – which was much mnore graceful than yours had been, as Dreamfyre was wearing riding gear while Balerion hadn't. Your mother was down on the ground in no time.

...and then froze. She had spotted you. It seemed you were easy to spot in a crowd now.

The reunion between mother and daughter was distant. You were sure people would spread that fact far and wide. Rhaena had seemed certain in her movements the one moment, and now completely dumbfounded the next one. And you never had any idea how to approach after everything that had happened to begin with. The problem was, once again, that this woman in front of you never had really emotionally registred as "mother" to you.

And yet, it seemed everyone else was waiting for one of you two to say anything. Nobody spoke, and everyone watched. And to be fair, you were the highest ranking person of the crowd that had gathered. Even just per etiquette it would fall to you to greet your mother. You breathed out.

"Welcome back home... Mother." Only the slightest bit of hesitation.

"It almost seems like I should be the one saying that," Rhaena answered. Her tone was ambiguous. It wasn't a reproach, but it wasn't exactly warm, either. Just a statement of fact.

You just shook your head. "I'm not sure it ever was my home before." Maybe unwise to say, but that had always been a sore point with you. "But now after returning..." You left the words trailing in the air.

Rhaena nodded. "Let us talk in private then. Dreamfyre will be eager to go up and explore his island again, anyway."

True enough, after you two had gotten going, and the crowd had dispersed, the dragon was taking flight again. You noticed how Rhaena was constantly glancing sideways at you, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. But she remained quiet as she guided you towards the Stone Drum, Dragonstone's central tower.

Trying to fill the air, you offered, "Won't you require some rest after your ride?"

This broke Rhaena's sternly calm face for a second. She did not quite scoffed, but it was more amused than insulted. "That, too, seems like something I should be the one asking. But no. I did not spent too much time on Dreamfyre, as I accepted House Penrose's hospitality at the Parchments the night. And I haven't seen you in two years. Rest can wait."

You nodded, uncertainly. Inside the Stone Drumm, you realized you were going towards the Chamber of the Painted Table. A round room, it was named for its central element that filled it out nearly completely – the Painted Table, a table carved in the shape of Westeros, with all its rivers, towns and roads painted on it. With quick and almost abrasive hand gestures, Rhaena shooed all servants away.



Only once she was sure they had gone did she exclaim: "What happened to you?" The change in tone was as massive as it was instantaneous.

And how did one even answer such a question? "A... lot," you tried. You breathed out again. "Balerion... he seemed to have a will of his own. I just wanted a dragon. I didn't mean to..." You shook your head. "I never quite learned what it was he wanted, but I could feel he really needed it. He... returned. I have been to Valyria."

Rhaena's upper body backed off, as if hit. "That place is cursed."

You nodded. You couldn't disagree. "But I came back."

Rhaena paused, as if needing to order her thoughts. "Nobody has returned from Valyria since the Doom. You are the first, do you realize that? Entire armies have vanished going there, multiple times. More than one dragonrider tried to go there, too, and never returned."

You hadn't realized that. You had just been glad you had survived all your travails. Seeing it like that... part of you immediately wondered what that could do to your reputation.

"It was... a long journey," you finally just said.

You waited for an answer, but none came. An awkward silence fall on the room. Then Rhaena nodded. "I would assume so." Her voice was suddenly colder, more distant again. "But apparently, that is not why you wrote me. You said there were matters to be discussed."

You were taken aback by that. Rhaena never had been warm in the conversation, but now her tone had been nothing but business. "Well, ah..." Not quite sure how to work with the sudden change of topic, you finally said. "I had just been wondering. Your brother sits the Iron Throne for, well, I was gone two years they say, so for eight years now? And in all that time, you have never raised the issue of your rights. Or of mine."

"You are away for two years, and that is the 'issue' you want to discuss?" Rhaena asked increduously. Then her face darkened. "I see." Another awkward pause followed, as she no doubt realized what your question meant. "What should I have done?" she finally began to answer it. "I was Maegor's captive. And as far as everyone knew, so were you. I was in no position to argue. I had to just win my and your freedom. By the time..." She stopped. "I did think about it. But by then, it was a done deal, and Jaehaerys, the little brother who had hidden behind my legs as a boy, had sat the Iron Throne for years already."

You couldn't quite help it. You scoffed. "So instead, you took me to Dragonstone."

Rhaena looked away. That surprised you. "Is that what you think?" Her tone was low and dark now. "That I should have raised the issue of your rights?"

"I only realized it after the fact, but you were in a position to," you answered. "That's why I was in those stables, wasn't it? People did want to crown me."

"And now you think I should have supported them," Rhaena stated. Again her tone was difficult to decypher. It was very matter-of-factly. But it hadn't been a question, in any case.

"People flocked to Jaehaerys because they thought Maegor an usurper," you answered. "They saw Jaehaerys as a restoration of the proper line of succession. But that isn't quite true, is it? By the law of the lands we rule, the best claim is mine. A daughter comes before a brother."

Now it was Rhaena scoffing, or maybe it was a dark chuckle. Something in between. "So that is where your journey has led to. All the years here, you just wanted to go back to King's Landing. You wanted the freedom you once enjoyed. Now it seems that isn't enough for you anymore."

You hesitated. This was crucial, and you were realizing you hadn't behaved the best during the conversation. Maybe you should have been warmer, but you were never really good at pretending. Still, you could at least put some thought into this.

"That depends," you finally said. "I have Balerion. He already conquered Westeros before. You can't deny I now have the means to claim my rights by force, if I so desire. But I have nothing else. No troops, no castle, no leal vassals, not even just people I could use as emissaries. If I am to do this... then I need your support, Mother."

Rhaena smiled now, but it was utterly sardonic smile. "And of course, you need Dreamfyre."

There seemed to be something behind that statement, but it was very hard to tell what. And you were in no position to try and deny the blindingly obvious. You did need your mother's support, so you had little choice than to be fully honest. Thus, you just nodded.

"You do realize what you are speaking about is war," Rhaena continued. "Another internal war to split the realm asunder, just as Maegor's wars did. I think you'll find there is little appetite for that among the lords. And you're asking me to go against my own brother and sister. If need be, to fight them dragon against dragon, just as your father and Maegor had battled above God's Eye."

Your face hardened. "There is a way to avoid that. My claim is better. Jaehaerys could simply step down!"

At that, Rhaena laughed incredulously. "He won't, and you fully well know that."

"I do, but the point remains. If it comes to war, it is on him. For having stolen my rights!" you insisted.

Another bout of silence fell on the Chamber of the Painted Table. "You are not far wrong," Rhaena finally said, again all matter-of-factly. "Your right is better. But you can't lay the whole blame on Jaehaerys. If he steps down, there won't be war. He won't. And if you just walked away, there would be no war, either. You, apparently, won't. Both of you would steer a course towards war."

Rhaena walked along the Painted Table, until her eyes fell on one place in particular. Following her gaze, you realized she was looking at the Riverlands.

"I have no appetite for war myself," she finally said. "Our... your rights are better, but... do you really want to do this?"

This was bad. You realized that your mother was on the edge. It seemed she was at least open to the idea, but she was far from convinced. She might not support you after all, in which case you indeed would only have Balerion.

---

What do you say to convince your mother?

[] [Rhaena] "If you wanted nothing more for me then a simple life you could also just have left me in King's Landing."
Guilt-trip her, basically.
[] [Rhaena] "Don't tell me you were always comfortable with this arrangement. You have felt slighted, too."
Appeal to the commonality of your situations and her resentments that have formed over the years.
[] [Rhaena] "Jaehaerys is no Maegor by a long shot, but tell me... what would my father have done?"
Appeal to the rights of Aegon's family line, now sidelined by another family line, and his heritage.
[] [Rhaena] "And you? Do you want to be stuck here on Dragonstone forever?"
Appeal to Rhaena's own personal ambition and self-interest.

Don't worry – I will say right now all of those will work, after a fashion. But they will have a large effect on your relation with Rhaena. They might also decide how far Rhaena is willing to go, and her actions in the future.

---

---

Relationship wih Rhaena Targaryen re-established
Relationship: Cold but supportive
+10 Stress

---

Over the following weeks, lord from the Blackwater Bay would arrive at Dragonstone – Sunglass, Celtigar, Darklyn, Staunton, Bar Emmon, Brune, Bywater, Chyttering, Wendwater, Harte, Hardy... nearly all of them very small Houses, and Rhaena was telling you (mostly rather curtly), many of them among Maegor's last followers before he had finally been found dead upon the Iron Throne.

The only house of any importance in the area were the Velaryons – but their importance surpassed even that of Lords Paramount. Ser Daerys was notably dismissive about the main line of his house, but he could explain to you that Lord Daemon, Jaehaerys' maternal uncle and your grand-uncle, had been Hand of the King to Jaeharys. He even had given up the position of Master of Ships for that, resulting in the the first time that a non-Velaryon had taken over that position. And yet he had given it all up weeks after your depature from Dragonstone, after his sister Alyssa had died, King Aenys' Queen Dowager.

His stated reason was that after that death he wished to spend time with his family, but Ser Daerys didn't believe it. Rumours said Lord Daemon had been feuding with the new Master of Ships, a Redwyne, and Jaehaerys had not much heeded his advice as Hand. The tragic death of his sister might just have been a good opportunity to retreat from the capital with honour intact.

True to fashion, Lord Daemon and his family arrived with a convoy of seven ships, manned with fourteen knights and quite a lot of men-at-arms. Clearly, he felt the need to show his importance to King Jaehaerys' sister – who, as far as everyone was concerned, had been the one inviting them. His rich garments and dignified stature made him appear elegant even as he had just entered his sixties.

Unsurprisingly, you were the centre of attention. There had been talks with your mother of you hiding away and watching the talks from the shadows, revealing yourself as needed. But that had been deemed impractical. The servants and garrison of Dragonstone had already seen you, and they would talk with the servants and entourages of the arriving lords. You could hide your intentions, but your presence was less hideable. An arrival on dragonback made that impossible, if nothing else.

And even if was not the fact that the firstborn daughter of Aegon the Uncrowned had returned, your sheer stature alone would draw attention. You heard whispers, or they were told you afterwards, speaking about the combination of brutish height and graceful lilac eyes, of your feminine hair, falling down to nearly your hips by now and well groomed since your arrival back and the sword you had on your belt most of the time. You wore dresses, hastily produced to your size, to important occasions, but otherwise walked the castle dressed like a knight.

Rhaena tried her best to keep the lords from mingling, so she and you could appeal to them separately, without having to reveal too much of your intentions. Unfortunately, your mother herself had never been the most diplomatic person. She talked with the lords, she hinted and made allusions, but she could only tell so much. Fortunately, some strategies were relatively obvious.

For example, she assured Lords Bar Emmon and Chyttering that she would always have his back, as he was a true ally to the Targaryen family. Both had been among the host of lesser lords Maegor had assembled for his last stand, both had quickly fled, and both had then been among the first people to seek audience with Jaehaerys while he was on Dragonstone. They were either fearful or opportunistic, and as such people one could work with.

Rhaena was a good deal colder to the Lords Darklyn and Staunton, the staunchest of Maegor's loyalists. She couldn't bring herself to speak positively about the usurper, but House Darklyn controlled Duskendale, the second port city at Blackwater Bay behind King's Landing, and thus was a good deal more important than most of the other Houses represented here. Thus, she did remind them several times how Jaehaerys (or rather Rogar Baratheon as Hand of the King and de facto regent, but in Jaehaerys' name and with his consent) had thrown them into the black cells and diminished their domains.

With pious Lords Sunglass and Wendwater she joked (well, "joked") about how all this Doctrine of Exceptionalism issue would have been moot with her daughters, as they never had a brother to begin with. And speaking with Edwell Celtigar, whose domains were small but his House rich and politically well connected, she asked how his daughters, often maligned in the capital, were doing and made dismissive comments about Rego Draz, his (in truth far more competent) replacement as Master of Coin.

All of them were receptive to her probing advances, up to a degree. But that was not the same as actually going against Jaehaerys when the time came. Besides, what the lords were mostly interested in was you. Rhaena had rebuffed them coldly before, but you were at best someone with an obvious claim to the throne, even if you weren't yet overt about it, or at minimum a curiousity. As your mother had said, nobody had come back from Valyria before.

Clearly, you needed to get involved in the talks more. But as Rhaena advised you, some of the lords here did not much like others. It might be best to focus efforts on one or two of them.

---

On which lords do you focus?

You can pick any number of options, including all four. However, the more you spread out, the more diluted the effects get, and you also need to be aware of what combinations would be more appropriate than others.

[] [Lords] Focus on the opportunistic Lords Bar Emmon and Chyttering
[] [Lords] Focus on Lords Darklyn and Staunton, the last Maegor loyalists
[] [Lords] Focus on pious Lords Sunglass and Wendwater
[] [Lords] Focus on rich Lord Celtigar, who feels slighted

---

The Velaryons were a special case. Despite the small size of their domain, due to wealth and political importance they were the second house of the Realm. That they needed special attention had been obvious from the start.

Yet, Lord Daemon, your grand-uncle, remained aloof and didn't say much. Some people said that was just his nature, or at least his style of politics: He had said few and even less of it decisive during his tenure of Hand of the King, too. But it did mean neither Rhaena nor you had any good idea on how to approach him. Rhaena could appeal to the centuries of bonds between their houses, or how the Velaryons are the natural maritime house of Westeros, or speak about her mother, his sister... it made no difference. Lord Daemon showed little reaction either way.

Rhaena did manage to have him stay on Dragonstone for an extended period of time, at least. After all, she and you were family of his, and whether his withdrawal from King's Landing had truly been about those matters or not, it seemed he was a family man at heart. While his eldest son Corwyn was serving as Castellan of Driftmark in his absence, he had even brought his wife along, hailing from Lysene nobility but long since so Westerosified that she had even converted to the Faith, and his two younger sons Jorgen and Victor, plus his youngest daughter Alara. Though of course, "younger" was relative: Even Alara, the youngest, was a year older than you. Jorgen in turn had brought wife and single child along, while Victor and Alara seemed unmarried.

All of them sported the typical Valyrian features. And most of them were talkative and as warm as one could expect from nobility. Only Lord Daemon wasn't. Which continued to be a problem...

---

Of course, it shouldn't be thought that the Lords were present on Dragonstone all the time (with the exception of the especially honoured guest Lord Daemon Velaryon), nor should it be thought they were all there at the same time. As the first quarter of the year 56 passed by, they came and went and some of those with the shortest travelling times even came more than once. At times, nobody save Lord Daemon was there, and even when half a dozen of them were present, their presence didn't fill out the whole day.

And while you hoped to change that soon, you didn't have much in the way of obligations to fill your time right now. You held no office and were charged with no task; your only real (self-imposed) duty was making nice with your lordly guests. This meant, you had a lot of time for other activities.

---

First Quarter, 56 AC
Season: Summer

Each Turn will normally represent about one quarter year. As a note, I will not go with sub-seasons here. Weather can still vary by a fair bit, but for the full Westeros experience, seasons are in fact multi-year.

Select two actions and two conversations, or one action and three conversations. You can also select three actions and one conversation, but that will slightly rise your Stress level. If you take three actions and one of them is to rest, you will still reduce Stress overall, but at a lower gain. Conversations with the visiting Lords do not fall under this mechanic but are separate as part of choices above.

Conversations

[] Speak with Rhaena Targaryen
You didn't start off on a good footing with your mother. She is supporting you, but your talks so far have been rather cold and basically all of it has been focused on your future plans. There has been no real talk about what happened to you except the mere factual basics, and no talk at all about what has happened to her. You aren't really looking forward to breaching more emotionally fraught topics with your mother, but the coldness of your current conversations is somewhat unnerving, too.
(Stress gain will diminish over time [/E: I.e., the more often the option is taken)

[] Speak with Lord Daemon Velaryon
No two ways around it: If you want to succeed in your ambitions, you will probably need the Velaryons. If nothing else, you are currently on an island, and they control all the warships in area, even if Manfryd Redwyne is the current royal Master of Ships. So far, Daemon has commented little and committed to nothing. This needs to be changed. You know you are just as bad at friendly conversations as your mother, but maybe he will find you interesting.

[] Speak with Ser Daerys Velaryon
The castellan of Dragonstone is probably more familiar with the castle and fief by now than anyone else, including the nominal owner of the fief. He can tell you all your need about your current base of operations and also how many resources you would have available if conflict were to break out. He might also be able to tell you more about Lord Daemon, though technically he is more distantly related to him than you.

[] Speak with Maester Adryan
You don't know the new Maester, but he seems very competent in what he is doing, despite his, for a Maester, young age. He is the only one here who could maybe make some sense of your adventures, and even if it is only offering you facts he learned from his books.

[] Speak with Alara Velaryon
You are of an age with Lord Daemon's youngest daughter. Nobody would bat an eye about you talking to your grand-cousin, and it might be the most direct link to the evasive Master of Driftmark. On the other hand, you couldn't fail to notice that Alara is a bit of an airhead – humourous, curious, but easily distracted and a bit clumsy. Maybe not the person a father would entrust with knowledge of his plans.

[] Speak with Ser Victor Velaryon
Lord Daemon's youngest son is six years your senior. It might be more difficult to strike up a conversation here, and since he is unmarried it could also get tongues wagging. His personality also just doesn't seem as open as Alara's... but, to be blunt, as a son he might have been told more about his father's plan than his sister has.

[] Speak with Septon Merten
The 'Doctrine of Exceptionalism' which everyone was regarding as Jaehaerys' political masterwork had already been established shortly before your flight from Dragonstone, though you had never paid it much heed. Now, it might actually become a political consideration for you. You have no brothers, after all; you could win support on an anti-Doctrine stance. But first you should probably better understand what it even is.

[] Speak with Dremo Tigaris
You do not know the castle's Tyroshi master-at-arms, but he seems like the logical choice to talk to regarding the treasure of Valyrian steel you found. You know Valyrian steel swords are basically priceless, as none who have them are willing to part with them at any price, but you know only vaguely what makes them so good. You also need to figure out a way to train their use. Dremo could help with both.

[] Talk to Roland Brune
You are not sure what you would talk to Dragonstone's Senechall in specific, but he did always seem a lot more open and friendly than some of the other officials in the castle. He is also one of the few 'oldtimers' around, so at least you know him and are familiar with him. Talking with Dragonstone and the ongoing events with him might thus prove more productive, though on the other hand he may not be as involved in matters as others.

[] Speak with servants
You probably can't hide who you are (how many six feet women are currently in the castle?), but you are fairly certain that you can still put servants at ease by apeparing as, well, basically one of them. You know their customs, their way of life and their language. And it happens not infrequently that Lords speak in the presence of their servants as if they weren't even there. On the other hand, of course, servants also tend towards rumour-mongering and engrossing themselves in sordid tales with no basis in reality.

Actions

[] Observe Lord Daemon Velaryon
The Lord of the Tides is a wexing enigma. You could talk to others about him, and maybe you do, but you could also just keep him under observation yourself. Dragonstone is a castle full of dark corners and dragon-shaped niches, after all. Ever since your growth spurt, hiding does not come as easily to you anymore, but on the other hand, this is Dragonstone, your mother's castle: You wouldn't really need to justify your presence in any part of it to anyone, if caught.

[] Train
You have grown considerably since your return, and you feel like you could be stronger than most men you're meeting – but that is just raw physical strength. Nobody has ever taught you how to actually wield swords. It would maybe be a waste to let it stay like that. You don't know Dremo Tigaris, but maybe people from the Free Cities would also be less squeamish about teaching a woman, too.

[] Learn
You just returned from a confusing flight half around the known world. You can go talk to Maester Adryan to make sense of it, but you can also learn more about the world from him. Your basic knowledge of things is woefully lacking – even just basic teaching suffered a fair bit due to your time in the stables. You are sure any Maester would be eager to correct that.

[] Visit Dragonstone's library
Books! You love books. And for such a damp and dreary castle, Dragonstone has a large and rich library, probably not surprising considering the Valyrian origins of its House. Instead of entrusting your education to Maester Adryan, you can also simply take a deep dive yourself. You could choose what you are learning yourself, and go directly to the source. It would be more unorganized, but it could also be more fun. Besides, there may be some works in there with a knowledge that a Maester would not necessarily teach to a noble woman.
-[] ...and read whatever book you come across.
-[] ...and specifically search for books about the Higher Mysteries
(You need to choose one sub-option)

[] Learn more about Dragonstone's administration
Dragonstone does not have an orderly line of succession. So far, it has been mostly handed out as an apanage to junior members of the Targaryen dynasty. (The heir to the throne becoming the 'Prince of Dragonstone' was only institutionalized during Jaehaerys' reign). Maybe Jaehaerys would give it out to one of his children after Rhaena's death, if he is still king then. Even so, it is fair to see you as the heir presumptive of Dragonstone, and as such nobody would object or even be surprised if you involved yourself more with how Dragonstone is run. Ser Daerys Velaryon, the Castellan, and Roland Brune, the Senechall, would introduce you to the finances of the island and what they are doing with them. Not only would this give you a better picture of your base of operations, you would also learn quite a bit about how running a fief even works.

[] Inspect Dragonstone's garrison
This would raise more eyebrows, coming from a young woman, but it would still be accepted. You can learn about Dragonstone's strength at land, at sea, and as a fortress, and in the process probably also learn something about battles are fought in general. As well, Ser Alester Staunton might have some information about his father, the Lord of Rook's Rest, one of the visiting lords.
Will also count as a conversation with Ser Alester without taking up a conversation spot.

[] Explore the Castle
You had done so already as a child. After all, it was not like you had much else to do, and for the first few months or so the castle itself at least had been fascinating. But even then you hadn't made many contacts among its people, and a lot could have changed since then.

[] Go out to the fishing village
Your mother had always forbidden that, but now she was not really in much of a position to do that anymore. With how empty and stern Castle Dragonstone had always been, with no people your age around, you had yearned back then to go to the fishing village that lay downslope from the castle. It was there that all the lords arrived on their ships, too. Surely the townsfolk had a lot to say about that, and even if not, it might do you some good to go among the smallfolk again.
-[]Go in disguise
You will stand out either way, but your reputation may not have made it to the castle just yet due to the general secrecy involved in your return. And people might talk freer then.

[] Fly on Balerion
You'll let him rest for now.

[] Relax
You have come back from a years long journey, and you need all your wits about you in dealing with the lords of Blackwater Bay. There is no reason to additionally stress yourself. Take it slow, see to it that you get new garments, read some lighter literature, bathe, sleep... You have enough other stuff going on as is.

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Obviously, please use plan votes