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Harwin Strong & Rhaenyra Targaryen HOUSE OF THE DRAGON | The Princess and the Queen
Harwin Strong reacting to blood-soaked Rhaenyra vs Jason Lannister reacting to blood-soaked Rhaenyra
What is honor compared to a woman’s love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms…
only bought this dress so you could take it off
ੈ and he sees a big, scary dragon! ᬄ
(By rhaegarlya)
modern harwin/rhaenyra au where he’s her bodyguard that she only ever sees on the clock where he’s in suits and hair neatly pulled back so when she’s in trouble one night and calls him she’s shocked and intrigued to see him ride up on a motorcycle with arms covered in tats and looking ready to kill anyone who even thinks of hurting her
modern harwin/rhaenyra au where she’s in like her early thirties, freshly divorced and feeling lonely and wanting more to life than work, starts looking into ivf and when going through a book of donors spots a familiar face - harwin strong, the head of her father’s security for the past seven years. curious, she meets up with him for drinks and asks if he would be okay with her using his sample since she knows him and his history. he’s cool with it but then offers to help her out as she goes through the whole process so she’s not alone and also because he kind of feels obligated. but then they start getting closer and feelings they’ve never acknowledged start stir up and it’s starting to become more than just friends but also complicated and idk what I’m doing but this idea popped up and it won’t go away.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON S1E06, The Princess and the Queen
the sword, the dragon, and the storm
after the death of her mother and her new position as the heir to the iron throne, rhaenyra found a companion and confidante in the only daughter of lord boremund baratheon. cassandra baratheon came to king’s landing as a companion to the princess and a hopes of building bridges between house baratheon and the crown. and for all intents and purposes, the friendship was everything the king could have hoped for. it was nearly impossible to ever see the realm’s delight without the lady of storm’s end at her side. and as the two girls grew into young women, it became clear that one day they’d be a force to be reckoned with. the only thing that could make the pair even more formidable was the addition of one ser harwin strong, the strongest man in westeros and heir to harrenhal. after his arrival in king’s landing, he found himself serving as a sworn shield to the lady cassandra, though the lines between protector and protected blurred quickly enough. and as two of the loveliest maidens in westeros came into their own, a relationship of sorts formed between the three constant companions under the guise of harmless friendship.
#me watching rhaenyra do literally anything ✨
we could've had all THIS and more, so i'll be forever bitter abt it
you came. you called. [modern harwin/rhaenyra]
02:13 [SMS TO BREAKBONES]: SOS
02:13 [SMS TO BREAKBONES]: i know its your night off but
02:14 [SMS TO BREAKBONES]: i cant find laena or ali and the partys getting bad
02:17 [SMS TO BREAKBONES]: shit nvm ignore this sorry
02:17 [SMS TO BREAKBONES]: ill be fine
02:18 [SMS FROM BREAKBONES]: 5 minutes.
“Shit shit shit.” Maybe it was the room temperature jungle juice that had settled poorly on an empty stomach or maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t been able to find the girls for the last half hour no matter how many rooms she’d checked. But her head had been a little fuzzy and she’d felt that anxious itch the longer she made her way through crowded spaces full of unfamiliar faces and she’d done the only thing she could think of. Her cry for help to the man who’d been her shadow for the last two years thanks to her father. The only reason she’d managed to get to a party on Greek row at KLU was because it was his night off and now she’d gone crying to him like a scared little girl. And the second she’d done it she’d been left with a sickening feeling of embarrassment.
Phone clutched tight in her hand, Rhaenyra elbowed her way through the crowd of coeds, drinking and dancing and actually enjoying their night. Her eyes scanned the room like she’d been doing since Laena disappeared to dance with some guy from the rugby team. Alicent had been gone even longer and she was hoping to stumble upon her. Instead, she spotted a familiar figure shouldering his way into the house, glancing around with a determined look in his eyes.
Harwin Strong had walked through the door, towering a head taller than most of the other guys there. And when his eyes finally landed on her, it only took a moment for him to cross the room to where she stood frozen. Heat crept up her neck and cheeks as he stopped in front of her, another wave of embarrassment at having called him for a rescue like the damsel in distress. And the heat stayed as he bent his head, lips close to her ear to be heard over the music as he asked, “Are you okay?”
Rhaenyra nodded, trying not to think about the color in her cheeks or the way her stomach had somersaulted at his voice. Harwin had been her personal bodyguard for the past two years, her shadow ninety percent of the time at her father’s insistence. She liked to think they’d become friends over that time but this was something else entirely. She was used to him in the neatly pressed suits that were his uniform, his hair pulled back into a tight bun, his expressions always just a bit guarded. All of that was gone tonight. His curls hung loose, a little damp and falling into eyes that were tinted with what she thought might be concern.
“You came,” she said after a beat, the words stumbling out with almost a touch of surprise before she could stop them. She wasn’t sure why. Nothing in their history gave her any reason why she should doubt he’d be there when she needed him.
“You called,” was his reply, given without hesitation as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. His gaze on her softened a touch as his hand found its place between her shoulder blades. The touching was guiding, maneuvering her through the crowd of people, not demanding but reassuring. “C’mon, Nyra. Let’s find your friends and then you can tell me what you’ve been up to at that greasy spoon in Blackwater that you love so much.”
She felt a grin pull at her lips as they went, the anxiousness of before melting away with him right behind her.
Headcanon that Harwin was standing guard outside Rhaenyra’s chambers when she went into labor with Jacaerys. And the second he heard the first screams of pain from childbirth he was busting through door with a look of slight panic and concern, demanding the maesters and midwives do something to help her even though they all repeatedly reassured him that everything happening was normal. So when she was close to her due date for Lucerys, Harwin was sent on patrols around Kings Landing in hopes of keeping him distracted and from causing another scene that made him seem too much like a nervous father instead of a sworn shield.
no grave can hold my body down
Harwin Strong lives and finds his way back to his princess.
Rhaenyra had been in the midst of a restless sleep when the guards had come to her chambers in the hours before dawn but the news of an unknown boat spotted on the shores of Dragonstone had a knot of panic filling her stomach. She'd been quick to throw a dressing gown on over her shift, the rest of her modesty be damned. Her footsteps echoed through empty halls as she made her way down to the main hall, the young guard who'd come to her having no more information than what he'd told her at first. A million possibilities went through her mind as she pushed sleep further and further away. And each one of those fled from her mind once she came to stand in the Great Hall of the Stone Drum.
Her heart caught in her throat at the sight of the man standing there, hood still raised and hand resting on the hilt of a sword as the tourney knights of Dragonstone eyed him. They did not know him but she would've recognized the figure anywhere in the world. He'd been her shadow for the better part of a decade, the companion who'd kept her off the ledge time and time again when pushed to the limits by the people at court. And after the raven that she'd received three days earlier, she'd thought she'd never see him again.
The hood was pulled back and that familiar smile greeted her, the same he'd given her when he'd first held Joffrey in her chambers two moons past, and every ounce of decorum left her. This was Dragonstone - her castle, her home, and if any one of the people here chose to whisper about her she'd deal with it herself. For now, there was no thought in her mind other than pure and utter relief as she ran across the cold stone floor and launched herself into his arms.
Harwin caught her without any issue, strong arms that had held her time and time before wrapping around her with a comfort she'd been desperately missing. He wore no armor, just a wool doublet that made it easy to feel the warmth of him against her. Her face buried itself in his neck, breathing in the smell of him, that earthy scent that had once lingered on her sheets in the Red Keep long after he'd left for his post and comforted her in the early hours of her mornings. She breathed it in in deep gasps, wanting to have it surround her and ground her and make her truly believe this was real.
"Come now, princess, I haven't been gone that long," were words mumbled against her hair, a gentle teasing in his low rumbling voice that brought a watery smile to her lips. A short laugh broke through the sobs that had been wracking her body and he held her a little tighter.
"I thought you were dead," was her reply, finally feeling her feet reach the ground as he set her down. She looked up at him, finally seeing his face properly. His eyes were tired and there were new lines on his face that seemed to age him a bit. And when she spotted the healing burns peeking under his collar, she felt her blood go cold as the stories she'd been told bled into the reality before her. "Word came that the fire at Harrenhal had taken both you and your father and I -"
A warm hand cradled her face and stopped her words, his forehead bending to press against hers. "It'll take more than cowards with torches to kill me, more than Harren's curse to keep me from you and the boys. The Stranger himself will have to come and drag me away if the gods decide it's my time to go."
Her lips found his, any witnesses be damned and a happiness she hadn't dreamed of filling her the longer she stood in his arms. "He'll face the fury of us both and have to face down Syrax if the gods wish to take you from me again. I won't have you gone from my side again. Your place is here, as it always has been and always will be."
"As my princess commands."
And of those three, Harwin was the one to both let her do as she pleased that night and not try to control her or tell her what she needed to do or manipulate her as well as being the one to give her comfort and happiness and companionship for the decade following her wedding.
It just struck me how all three of the men Rhaenyra would have relations with were seen during that single fateful night out on the streets of Kingslanding: Daemon, Ser Harwin and Criston Cole. Must have been an exhilarating experience for her.
hi! I don't know how you're feeling about writing aus, but maybe "i'll be there" for married rhaewin? 🥺🧡
(Oh I am a ✨slut✨ for AUs so request them as much as you like. For this I did as if Harwin and Rhaenyra had been married from the start, that Lyonel had suggested him as a suitor for the princess.)
"You aren't dressed. Why aren't you dressed?"
Rhaenyra glanced over her shoulder as the handmaiden made quick work of the laces down the back of her dress, pulling the gown she'd intended to wear to the feast off. Standing in the doorway of her bedchamber was her husband, dressed for dinner and looking at her with a frown. His usual armor and gold cloak were gone and replaced with a simple doublet, curls pulled back in a poor attempt to look more presentable. She knew he took little joy in the feasts held at the Red Keep, the ones filled with polite chatter with the lords and ladies visiting King's Landing, many looking for an opportunity to gain favor with the king or queen. And she already knew what his current frustration was.
"I was dressed but then your son decided my gown would be much improved by a smear of mashed peach down the front. And I didn't think it would go unnoticed if I went down to the feast with a stained gown." The cold air coming in through the windows left her arms covered in gooseflesh as she stood there in her shift, waiting for the clean gown to be brought out.
His frown softened a bit as he stepped further into the room, crossing to where she stood to press a kiss to the top of her head. "Funny how he's my son whenever he's misbehaving but ours when he's acting like a perfect prince."
"Funny indeed," she replied, smiling up at him and leaning up for a proper kiss before the maids began pulling at her to dress again. "Go on ahead, I won't be much longer. I'm sure your father is already waiting there."
He shook his head, taking a seat on the lounge near the windows. He made himself comfortable, stretching out his legs and watched her with the same affection she'd seen in his eyes since they'd first been betrothed years ago. "Not a chance," he told her, huffing as a curl fell loose and into his eyes. "The last time you sent me down before you I was left listening to Beesbury drone on and on about the coffers and our business dealings with the Iron Bank. I'd rather try and mount Syrax by myself than go down to that feast alone."
Her laughter echoed through the room and she could even catch an amused look on the young maid who was fixing the sleeves of her new dress. "Harwin, honestly, you will manage just fine on your own. I'll be there soon enough. Promise."
"Promise all you like, princess. I'm not walking into that hall without my wife at my side. So the lords and ladies will just have to wait. Now hurry up or I'll send away the maids and convince you to try changing the gown again, just the two of us."
More laughter, more smiles, and forty-five minutes later they were finally making their way down to the feast with matching grins and promises to sneak away from dinner as soon as they could manage.
modern au where Harwin and Rhaenyra grew up together because of their dads but fell out of touch during college and when she runs into him again she’s surprised to find out he’s a single dad to two little boys, doing his best, and that she’s suddenly more willing to take a break from her work when it’s a group of curly haired Strongs asking for her attention
told you i was coming back for more! 🧡 "i need you here" for the married rhaewin verse, if you're feeling like it? 🥺🥺🥺
(tw: mentions of pregnancy and fears about childbirth, references to miscarriages and the struggles Aemma had, this takes place when Rhaenyra is pregnant with Jace)
The feel of cold sheets under his arm was enough to pull Harwin from sleep, his hand searching the other half of the bed for his wife. He pushed himself up when he realized the bed was empty. Not for the first time in recent nights, Rhaenyra was pacing the room, her movements slowing the further along in her pregnancy she got. The maester was certain it wouldn't be much longer before the babe was born and the closer she got to the birth the more restless she'd become. For the most part, he took it all in stride, doing what he could to reassure her and comfort her. But his knowledge failed him at times, particularly at these moments when his mind was still clouded with sleep and her emotions were particularly frazzled.
"I think if you keep that up much longer, you might leave a pattern on the stone from where you've walked," he mumbled, pushing his hair back as he moved to stand. The look she gave made it clear she wasn't amused by him or his jokes, just continuing with her pacing. "You need your rest, love. And since you won't rest during the days, night seems to be the best time to get that rest."
"I can't rest. Every time I lay down I'm reminded of the child growing in me. I feel like I'm bigger than Vhagar my stomach has grown so large. And any time I stay put for longer than five minutes some lady from court whether she's met me before or not will offer me horrid advice about giving birth and raising the child and it makes me want to scream. And when I am finally left alone and finally comfortable enough to sit or lay down for any amount of time all I can think of is...is my mother. Of what she went through."
Any quip he had vanished at the words, the quiet whisper of fear that he'd never heard her admit before. There was an ache in his chest when he finally spotted it, the look of fear in her eyes that he'd been blind to before. And without another moment's hesitation, he'd stood from the bed and crossed the room to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"
She stayed tense for a moment before giving in, letting herself lean fully into him. It was muffled but he could still hear as she mumbled against his chest, "You've been busy with your men and I didn't - I don't like you thinking me weak. The blood of Aegon the Conqueror shouldn't be frightened by the birthing bed."
"Rhaenyra," he started, hands cupping her face and tilting it up so he could see her better. "I'd never think you weak. Never. And I'm sure Aegon the Conqueror would've feared the birthing bed as well if he'd been the one in it instead of his wives."
The faintest hint of a smile broke through her somber expression and he clung to it as best he could, pressing his forehead to hers and reaching down to let his hand rest on the swell of her belly. Her next words were whispered, almost as if she said them any louder they'd be overheard. "For years I watched my mother suffer through miscarriages and stillbirths. At least six children lost that I know of and her mother before died in the birthing bed as well. All I can see when I close my eyes blood soaked sheets and a tiny bundle on a funeral pyre and it leaves me filled with this dread that I just - I can't make go away. I've tried but no matter what this fear has wormed its way in me and will not let go."
They stood there together, minutes passing as he held her and tried to think of what to say. Any reassurances seemed useless. He hadn't known her mother but he'd heard her speak of what had happened that led to her death. And he remembered his father's second wife dying after a day and a half of labor, leaving behind his father with a new daughter to raise alongside him and Larys, alone once more. He'd be lying if he claimed there hadn't been a hint of worry in the back of his mind that something might go wrong. But none of that mattered now.
"I won't make you promises that everything will be perfect," he told her, breaking the silence they'd been sharing. "We've never lied to one another and I won't start that now. We both know childbirth can be as bloody as a battle. But you have to know that there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe. I need you here with me the way I need air in my lungs. And I'd fight the Stranger himself if he tried to take you from me before we've had a lifetime together."
Her smile was watery but a bit of the fear he'd seen in those violet eyes had receded and he was quick to press a loving kiss to her lips. It was chaste, affectionate but simple before she pulled away to look up at him. "You truly are the best of men, Harwin."
He smiled in return, his hands finding her and slowly leading her back to their bed in hopes of getting her some much needed sleep while she could.