#for some reason he was in the dragonpit at dragonstone

[bluebellhairpin]

omg i have to tell you all i just remembered that i had a dream last night where I claimed the cannibal.

[drakaripykiros130ac]

More and more I see people questioning how the Blacks didn’t outright win and destroy the Greens in one go with all the advantages they had.

The answer is simple: The Greens were protected by plot armor.

GRRM gave the Blacks almost everything they could ask for (thereby favoring them):

1. The best allies (the Winter Wolves, the Lads, Cregan Stark, Jeyne Arryn, etc.)

2. The most Houses supporting Rhaenyra’s cause (53)

3. The largest territories (the North, the Vale and the Riverlands)

4. The largest and best fleet (commanded by the Velaryons)

5. The Velaryon fortune

6. The most dragons

Normally, with all these advantages, they should have won the war with their hands tied behind their backs. The Greens only had home-field advantage (King’s Landing) and Vhagar. That’s pretty much it.

But of course, GRRM wanted it to be a more balanced war, and despite giving the Blacks plenty of advantages, he protected the Greens so the story can actually take place.

1. There is just no way that Aegon the Usurper could have survived everything he endured (Rook’s Rest, and then battling with Baela etc.) In my opinion, he was one greenie who was definitely protected by plot armor.

2. Daemon using B&C to only kill one of Aegon’s heirs instead of eliminating everyone in that tower is also kind of plot armor for the Greens. There is no way that he wouldn’t have taken advantage to have everyone in that tower killed. It would have weakened the Greens considerably (not to mention that Alicent was the “brains” behind the operation).

3. Then you have Rhaenyra sparing Alicent after she took King’s Landing (the woman who bullied her as a child and stole her throne) for some dumb reason like “My father loved you so I am doing this for him”. Yeah right…With how much Rhaenyra hated the woman, she wouldn’t have hesitated to chop her head off.

4. For some reason, Rhaenyra decides to go to Dragonstone after the storming of the Dragonpit, instead of the Vale. Another plot convenience for the Greens. The Vale was obviously the best place to go. The Greens wouldn’t have been able to touch Rhaenyra there. The Arryns would have protected her and her child, until Cregan Stark arrived and dethroned the usurper. Happy ending, the end. But yeah, it’s Asoiaf. There are no happy endings, and GRRM had to give Rhaenyra a tragic end.

All in all, the Greens survived as long as they did because of plot armor. No, they were not politically savvy (believe it or not, that’s Daemon. He managed to convince the Red Kraken to side with the Blacks and didn’t really offer him anything in return).

Otto was a terrible Hand who got fired twice, Criston Cole was another terrible Hand who was all muscle and had no political intelligence (or any kind of intelligence), Alicent was a manipulating and greedy shrew hiding behind her sons, Helaena was completely useless, Aegon didn’t know what the hell he was doing or why he was doing it, and Aemond was a brainless psycho on the biggest dragon in existance.

Oh, and there’s also Daeron the Forgotten, who after torching Bitterbridge, managed to get himself killed by a fallen tent.

[starogeorgina]

Children of the dragon

Warnings: Incest

Pairing: Aegon ii Targaryen × Targ oc

1.08

“I’ve simply come as a messenger. Aegon will bend the knee to his rightful queen.”

“A trick!” Daemons hisses while pointing the tip of his sword, dark sister, to your throat. “My brother was slain, and now your usurper cunt of a king has sent you here in some ploy. Why else would you come?”

The moment Dallax landed on the beach at Dragonstone, you were surrounded by knights. In truth, you thought it was a miracle your dragon didn’t live up to this reputation as a man eater and bathe all of those who threatened you in fire before devouring them. It was most likely the presence of Meleys that kept your own dragon in check. The knights escorted you and your two daughters, who clung to you tightly inside the castle, to be brought to your furious uncle.

“To show where our loyalties lie.” Still holding Alina’s hand, you push her behind you protectively while Alyssa buries her face into your side, scared. Daemon watches these actions carefully. He slowly lowers his weapon, his eyes fixated on your young girls. You clear your throat, relieved that he had no intentions of hurting them. “We put our support behind the rightful heir to the throne, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.”

“I assume you have your own reasons for abandoning the greens.” He eyes you suspiciously, obviously not believing you came for genuine reasons. He looks you up and down once more and asks, “Where is Prince Aeron?”

A pain aches in your chest at the mention of your son, remembering how you sobbed uncontrollably in the dragon pit as Aegon straps your daughters in. It was only with his persuasion that you agreed to leave without him, knowing that you had no other choice. Before you could answer, Princess Rhaenys appeared with a hint of smugness on her face. “Yes, the young prince did look rather ill when I saw him during your brother's coronation.”

With your heart hammering on your chest, your eyes well with tears. “Aeron was there?”

The older woman nods and says, “I must admit I was surprised. When Meleys burst through the dragonpit, interrupting the wrongful coronation of your brother, your husband only sought to protect himself, while Aegon snatched your son from his grandmother's arms and screamed at Ser Criston to take him somewhere safe. The young prince is very lucky to have an uncle who is so protective of him.”

Daemon raises his brows at the comment. You both knew what she was alluding to. The fear you felt before was quickly turning to anger, and Dallax sensed it as well. Letting out a loud screech before breathing fire into the air, causing Daemon to raise his sword once more.

“You had the opportunity to kill half our knights when you landed, weakening our army. Why didn’t you take it?” Daemon snaps.

“I’ve already told you, I’m here to put mine and Aegon’s support behind the rightful queen.” You hold his glare. “I’d like to speak to my sister; I will explain everything to her directly.”

“My wife is unviable at the moment.”

“I’ll wait.”

Rhaenys gives the prince a knowing look, then continues for him. “The stress of your father's death and the crown being stolen from her has sent Rhaenyra into labor.”

Oh. You didn’t know what to say. Rhaenyra's baby wouldn’t possibly be able to survive being born so early. Your silence seems to offend the prince more. He storms towards a number of his knights and hisses at them before disappearing into the castle's archway. The knights, in turn, snatch your daughters from you, causing you to kick and scream, trying your best to fight them off. “Daemon! Daemon! Please, no, not my babies! Please don’t!”

Alyssa and Alina’s cries fill your ears until you’re pulled far enough in the opposite direction that you no longer hear them.

—

Pacing back and forth inside a small room with no window, you hold the sleeves of your dress to your face, breathing heavily while trying to compose yourself. Princess Rhaenys told you through the door that no harm would come to your daughters, but her words did little to calm any fears you had for their safety.

You had been branded a traitor, which terrified you. Your sister could have you beheaded or burned alive, meaning she’d take the life of your unborn baby. Although you didn’t believe Rhaenyra to be a kinslayer, the grief of losing a child could drive her to madness.

There would be no turning back for you if you were in her position.

Suddenly feeling breathless, you sit down on the small bed. Your baby was kicking up a storm, causing sharp pains in your bladder. Taking a deep breath, you try to focus on happy memories.

You were enjoying a variety of different fruits for breakfast in the garden when Aeron tugged on the bottom of your gown, gaining your attention. “Uncle promised to teach me how to hold a sword properly,” your son informed you. “Then he’s going to take me riding on Sunfyre!”

“Did he now?” You ask, beaming at Aegon, who just shrugs, clearly amused by Aeron’s excitement.

It warmed your heart to see how much effort Aegon made with your children, and it eased the guilt you felt about having an affair. Aemond believed Aeron was his son and never once offered to take him riding on Vhagar. At this point, you’d probably refuse if he did want to take him. You smile brightly as the wet nurse appears, holding both of your daughters in her arms. You stand immediately to help take the weight off by taking Alina into your arms.

“Hi, sleepy girl,” you coo gently, kissing the top of her head. “Did they feed well?”

The wet nurse nods and says, “They both took plenty of milk, princess.”

She seems slightly taken aback when Aegon approaches her with his arms outstretched, indicating he wants to take the baby from her arms. She hands him Alyssa, whose small face has scrunched up in anger from being woken by the movements.

“Thank you. See to it that the cook gives you a good, clear wine to drink along with a hot meal.”

The wet nurse agrees, then excuses herself, addressing yourself, your brother, and your mother, whose facial expression had been sour the entire time. Since the rumors of the relationship between you and your brother began to resurface, she has been watching you like a hawk. Of course she knew the truth; your mother was no fool and probably knew it would happen before it did. That was why she tried to keep you and Aegon apart.

Your mother lets out a huff, saying, “I’ll hold her so you can finish eating.”

“We won’t be going anywhere unless you finish all your breakfast; dragon riders can’t fly on an empty stomach; otherwise, it makes them sick,” Aegon says in a more authoritative tone.

Aeron starts to finish his breakfast, and your mother smiles at Alina softly before shaking her head. Despite your mother's judgements, you enjoyed moments like this, watching your mother stares lovingly at her granddaughter while Aegon fusses over his daughter and son.

Fresh tears roll down your cheeks as you think of your family, silently praying you'll get to see them again.

—

It was nightfall before Prince Daemon arrived to talk to you, bringing food and water with him. He sits them down on a small table next to the bed before scoffing, “You’ll be happy to know your children are fine.”

Thank the gods. Your eyes well up with relief. You desperately wanted to ask to see them, but you knew he would refuse. You hold the cup of water in your hand but hesitate to drink it when you notice your uncle watching you so intensely.

He rolls his eyes and says, “If I wanted to kill you, I'd just do it. I wouldn’t go through the effort of poisoning you; I’d just slit your throat or feed you to Caraxes.”

“Good to know,” you say before gulping a mouthful down. “How is Rhaenyra?”

His face falls, silently answering the question you were too afraid to ask. The baby hadn’t survived.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s your usurper cunt of a king and venomous mother's fault that we lost our daughter. I intend to make them burn for what they have done.”

Before you can choke down your words, you snap in your lover’s defense, “You know nothing of what transpired since my father's death. Aegon has no desire to sit on the throne, but he couldn’t refuse-” Daemon lets out a chuckle before pretending to inspect his nails, obviously uninterested in what you have to say, which only fuels the fire building inside you. Enraged, you stormed towards him, only stopping when he was close enough to feel your breath on his face. “My children would have been slaughtered like pigs if he had not followed our mother's orders.”

Daemon’s glare causes you to take a step back; his fingers grip tightly to the hilt of his sword, dark sister. His jaw clenches. “What?”

“My mother got to Aeron before I did; she was planning on locking me up as well; she knew Aegon would leave with me. We had always said that when the time came, we would fly to Dragonstone and bend the knee to Rhaenyra. We’ve always known what our mothers and grandsire’s intentions were but tried to deny them, refusing to accept the fates we have chosen for ourselves.”

The demon’s hand falls to his side. “If we accept you into our home, how do we know you won’t switch sides? Scurry back off to the keep and tell the greens everything you’ve learned.”

The simple question makes you feel as if the air has been knocked from your lungs. You sit back down as your hand rubs at your bump, feeling the baby's feet kick as you do. “My own mother took my firstborn, Aeron, my only son, as a hostage to keep my brother from leaving.” Your eyes sting as tears spill down your face. “Aeron, Alina, and Alyssa have all been fathered by Aegon. She knows this, and she knows what will happen when Aemond finds out. Aegon sitting on the throne was the only way she wouldn’t say anything.”

“So the plan was to come here with the hopes we’d help you? A dangerous gamble to take.”

“Yes, so I’m begging for your help, uncle, yours and Rhaenyras.” It irritates you to see a slight smugness on your uncle's face. He was hurting greatly on the inside, but it wasn’t an excuse to take pleasure in how desperate you were. “When it comes to it, both Dallax and Sunfyre will fight for the blacks.”

His eyes twitched with curiosity. “Why would we need to fight if Aegon bends the knee?”

“Do you seriously think my mother, grandsire, and all those lords who don’t want a woman on the throne will just accept Aegon bending the knee to Rhaenyra? They want a male heir on the throne.”

He looks down at the ground, confused for a moment, before his eyes suddenly shoot back up with a look of realization on his face. “They will want Aemond to wear a crown.”

When your tears stop, you let out a dark chuckle. “On my wedding night, my mother said to me, ‘You poor clueless girl. Aemond would continue to fight for his family with you by his side, but Aegon? He would give it all up if he thought that’s what you wanted.’ She always knew this was a possibility, but still she pushed for my brother to be a usurper.”

“How long does the pretender intend to wear my wife’s crown?”

You ignore his insult and answer his question, “Soon as my son’s fever is down and Aegon is able to get him alone. He will send me a raven beforehand to let me know if he’s coming directly here or elsewhere first.”

“Why wouldn’t he come right here and bend the knee?”

“The moment they leave the keep, Aemond will likely figure it out. He is unpredictable. Aemond might chase after him, and Sunfyre is no match against a war-hardened dragon.”

Without saying anything else, Daemon turns to leave, keeping the door open. “I suppose you’ll want to see your girls, unless you’d rather stay here.”

Rolling your eyes, you get to your feet.

Before you leave the room, Daemon stops you with his arm and says, “You best hope Aegon writes to you soon.”

—

The next day, Aegon sent you a raven from an unknown location; he had fled during the night on the back of Sunfyre.

Ser Criston was tasked with spying on him, and he was pretty sure he saw him entering the dragon pit carrying Aeron, but the knight knew better than to go among the dragons if he wanted to live. No doubt he immediately reported this to your mother, who would have informed Aemond, but what version she gave him was anyone’s guess.

All of this meant that the blacks would need to act fast; if a vengeful Aemond sat on the throne, it would be an all-out war.

[queenvhagar]

So is Valyrian/Targaryen blood needed to claim a dragon? I saw that everyone online was very persistent that it was, but I recently discovered Nettles and it no one knows if she has that blood

Dragons had only really been ridden by Valyrians before this point, but they'd also been gatekeeped (gatekept?) by the Valyrians through strategic marriages and careful guarding of their eggs and dragons.

(By the way, this is another reason GRRM says that his dragons don't wander and roam. They live on Dragonstone or are brought to KL, and they don't go further on their own. Otherwise, who's to say someone non-Valyrian couldn't try to claim one for their house or take their eggs? This would be immense power and people would have taken any chance they could to get that kind of power.)

Nettles' purpose in the story is to challenge Valyrian supremacy. Nettles is a character who is in contrast to the Valyrians and specifically is a foil to Rhaenyra. Where Rhaenyra has light hair, light skin, and has Valyrian features, Nettles has dark skin, dark hair, and common features. Rhaenyra is highborn royalty, daughter of the last king, and Nettles is of common birth and belongs to no known family. Rhaenyra speaks Valyrian and has Valyrian blood, but Nettles does not. And despite all these differences between the two, Nettles gained a dragon just as Rhaenyra did, except the circumstances are also contrasted. Rhaenyra had the dragonkeepers to guide her and teach her Valyrian to speak as she bonded with Syrax in the Dragonpit as a young girl. Nettles had no such guidance, instead claiming the wild Sheepstealer by bringing sheep she to his lair near Dragonstone for him to eat and slowly gaining his trust. One last point of contrast is the two characters' views on dragons. Rhaenyra sees the power of dragons as a means to win what she sees as her rightful throne and willingly unleashes them in battle against her foes to gain power, and she feels no remorse for those whose lives she's destroyed in the process. Nettles, on the other hand, was purposefully noted to have been tearful after having been made to use her dragon in battle, in contrast to the other dragonseeds who were celebrating the triumph of the battle and the destructive power of their dragons.

A side note is that this character's relationship with Daemon allowed him to challenge his own beliefs about his legacy and his loyalty to Rhaenyra, and it's because of Nettles' role in the story and decisions made by Rhaenyra and Daemon regarding Nettles that Daemon ultimately decides to disobey Rhaenyra and go to intentionally end his life in battle with Aemond.

Essentially, Nettles as a character is meant to show that you don't need Valyrian blood to ride a dragon. Some people argue she did have Valyrian blood and that she was a bastard of some Targaryen or Velaryon, maybe even of Daemon himself, but it seems clear to me in the way that she was written as a foil to Rhaenyra that she does not actually have Valyrian blood. The writers of HOTD seem to agree, as it is rumored that they will reveal Ulf as having lied about his Valyrian descent and having claimed his dragon without it (he was a little bit too forthcoming about his "Valyrian" background in that bar scene). Essentially, they are giving this aspect of a Black character's story to a white character.

Some people also think Nettles and Daemon had a father-daughter relationship as well, and it seems with the merging of Rhaena and Nettles in the show that they will generally go this route, once again taking the story of a Black character and giving it to a Valyrian character. However, in the books the two were noted to have bathed together, taken meals together, and shared a bed, so it seems unlikely that this was a fatherly relationship between the two, and especially considering Daemon's interest in young girls in the past it's not crazy to think they were together. It's not even out of the ordinary for him and Rhaenyra's relationship, as he also took Mysaria as a paramour once again in KL when Rhaenyra sat the throne. He wasn't just 100% faithful to Rhaenyra - this is the Rogue Prince we're taking about anyway. And it's the romantic and sexual nature of Daemon and Nettles' relationship that motivates Rhaenyra's hate and distrust toward her, among other basic things about her.

Cutting Nettles removes complexity from Daemon's arc and doesn't make him confront his Valyrian supremacy. It removes a key foil to Rhaenyra's character and avoids the sexism, classism, and racism she displays against Nettles when she orders her death (under guest right) based on rumors and paranoia. And above all it erases the story of the only narratively Black character, one who was non-Valyrian and lowborn, who claimed a dragon despite having no name, no family, no titles, no specific language, and no guidance. Making Rhaena claim Sheepstealer erases key parts of the Nettles story and its purpose in the narrative, and this will be to the detriment of the overall story.

[noodles-doodles01]

HOTD EP 1 Rewrite

Ep 5 is giving heavy season 8 of GoT vibes so I'm saving myself the pain and just rewriting all the mistakes they made so far so I dont go insane in the coming weeks. I will reblog this post with each episode rewrite as they come, but heres ep 1:

*Disclaimer* I am making sure most of the plot points are still included in the rewrite whether I like them or not.

As much as I love the north opening, we save that for a bit later. Instead, we get a rainy shot of King's Landing. Its dark out and there i thunder and rain etc. We see a pair of boots walking through the halls, rushed and hasty and the music matches as well. The person's breath is also huffy and puffed, and we get shots of the water on their coat, and then a shot of Aemond's eyes as he rushes to a room.

The door barges open and Aemond comes into a room where Aegon is being lectured by Alicent and Otto. They become quiet and Alicent gets up to see what's wrong. Aemond admits what he did and Alicent slaps him, crying out "Mother help us all". We get a quick shot of Aegon witnessing the slap (yk, for character parallel reasons), and Otto begins yelling at him "my grandson is a fool" style. The camera focuses on Aegon a while and we see him almost sympathizing with his brother, so he puts on this fake act and laughs, saying that they should hold a feast, celebrating their first victory.

Back at Dragonstone, we watch as Rhaenyra rides Syrax out to find Luke in the sea, and follow Daemon and Rhaenys as they leave the dragonpit to discuss with the team. Daemon has his dialogue with Rhaenys about Laena and they make their way to the council. Team Black is all there minus Jace, and they discuss how to set up the best defence in the time they need to raise an army and attack again, since Aemond's move is OFFENSIVE. They mention how Dragonstone is unsafe, they mention how another threat is Daeron in Oldtown with his dragon, and they mention what good the North can realistically provide and how they can strategize with their travels south. Daemon then suggests using Harrenhall as a fort, since it is the crux of the Riverlands and would give them the best land defence. When contested that Harrenhall is in ruin, Daemon will explain that they have the advantage with dragon numbers and the sea with the blockade, they have some leverage that can be spent on the necessities that Harrenhall requires.

We are taken back to Rhaenyra where the sun is beginning to set, and the fishermen find a wing. Rhaenyra flies in on Syrax, finds Arrax's wing and we get the fantastic performance by Emma D'arcy that brought us all to tears. The sounds of Rhaenyra's sobs are manipulated by the audio to transition into the laughter and fun that the Greens are having at KL during the feast. Alicent is PISSED and leaves early, meanwhile Helaena and Aemond sit next to one another in discomfort. Maybe some dialogue here but idk what, but these two need more interactions.

Aegon ofc is the only one having fun, he's drunk off his mind and laughing with his idiot kingsguard friends. During this, Aegon drunkenly makes a toast and jokes about Aemond being a kinslayer, Aemond does not like the title and it comes off as Aegon's weird form of bullying (since we have to transition this kinda buildup and not bring it out of nowhere between the 2 years of s1 and s2) At Dragonstone again, Rhaenyra is coming back and Daemon is facing the fireplace holding a scroll. When he looks at her, he slams the scroll into the table and tells her that he will bring Aemond to his knees. Rhae is confused but its comforting bc she's in shambles. Daemon storms out and Rhaenyra reads the note, which gives word about the feast.

(Insert something here about Daemon and Mysaria setting up B&C)

(Insert Aemond brothel scene #1 here, and he reveals he regrets killing Luke etc etc)

When Daemon meets B&C, he tells them a son for a son, find Aemond Targaryen. if not, slay Aegon's heir. The men share a weird glance but they agree. We get the montage ofthe pair going into the castle as ratcatchers, with Aegon drunk and Helaena and Alicent putting the kids to bed. BnC burst into the room, blood binds Alicent whilst Cheese grabs the twins (who are still awake). Since the kids are so young, they cannot tell which is the son, so they force Helaena to pick. Helaena, dazed, begins to cry and says to kill her instead. Cheese tells her they only want the boy, so she lies and points at Jahaera. Cheese laughs and says the line, "Do you hear that little girl? Your mommy wants you dead", revealing that they know she's lying. At that, they shove Jahaera at Helaena and go to kill Jahaerys. Helaena starts screaming and freaking out. Bc of how gruesome the scene is I wouldn’t have the the acc death shown, but rather how her screams echo in the halls. Aegons reaction to the sound, the guards rushing towards her room.

Aegon bursts through the doors and sees Helaena on the ground crying and screaming saying “they killed my boy”

A final shot of Aegon having it dawn on him that the war is in full swing and absorbing the first “consequence”.

*end*

lmk if you have any questions about any decisions I made!

Edit; I removed Alicole entirely, bc as much as I’ve tried to rationalize it I hate it. FnB has Alicent calling Cole out for being a creep when Rhaenyra is young, so if the show has Alicent experiencing years of this kind of experience, why would she choose to be with someone like him once she gets fo leave the relation with Viserys? Plus, Alicent experiencing this moves her character forward in fully dealing with the fact that her push for the throne doesn’t go without major pushback.

[teenagecriminalmastermind]

blue blood, chapter 2 (an aemond targaryen x team black daughter fanfiction)

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chapter 1: prologue

chapter 2: the bells.

Daella Targaryen is in King’s Landing when the bells begin to ring. 

She was to depart for Dragonstone the morning after her siblings, the dinner party having caused an acrimonious end to their visit. Yet the following morning, as she makes her way to the Dragonpit, she hears the ringing of the bells, something she never has before but something whose significance she was made aware of. A royal death. More specifically, the passing of a regent. 

Viserys I is dead. 

The Keep seems to be abuzz with orders, nearly falling into chaos, and she hears rushed orders for a coronation. Coronation? Her mother is on Dragonstone. And then the pieces click, and a cold like the waters of the North washes over her, her face blanching. They intend to usurp her. Aegon Targaryen will be crowned King at the Red Keep, and they will usurp her mother. She has to do something. She must do something. She looks around for the Princess Rhaenys, asking staff and servants where the woman could possibly be. 

“In her chambers,” someone tells her, scurrying away before she can get any more information out of them. “They have put her under guard,” a woman tells her warily, looking around before she drops her voice to hushed tones, urgency in her words. “Princess, you must leave. They are keeping the Princess Rhaenys captive in her quarters. They do not want any interference with the coronation. Flee at once, before they find you and do the same.”

She nods, holding the woman’s hands fervently in her own as she thanks her for the warning. Daella pulls up the hood of her cloak, head down as she skulks down the corridors. She has to do something, anything to stop the Greens from stealing her mother’s birthright. Going to the Council chambers will be futile and put her in more danger. She cannot go find her aunt for the same reason. And then she has an idea, so reckless it would make her father proud and make her mother have a conniption.

She quietly makes her way past doors, looking for the one she suspects the King’s body may be in. With the body she surmises will be the crown. And they cannot have a coronation without the crown. At least, not the Crown worn by the last reigning monarch. Several doors are ajar, and no one seems to be in them. She lies in wait for what seems like hours, waiting for the guard to leave what she guesses has to be the antechamber with the body. Sneaking in with the palace distracted helps, and she hastily pulls the crown into the pouch that lies beside the wrapped body, a pang of regret in her heart as she looks at what was the former King. 

It was never supposed to be this way. He was supposed to see her mother be crowned, his daughter the rightful Heir and Queen to the Seven Kingdoms. Instead, chaos and war has fomented in his wake, and she must make haste. 

She has to leave. Leave, before anyone realizes what has happened. 

She makes her way out of the room with slow, quiet measured steps, keeping the pace as she makes her way into a corridor used only by the staff of the castle, taking off running as Daella clutches her hood in one hand and the pouch in another, racing to the Dragonpit. She shoves the crown between her riding leathers and her riding armor as she quickly gets to Baelon, soothingly patting his snout as she gets the dragon to slowly walk out before they take flight. The enormity of her actions are dawning as she hits the sky. 

Daella has just stolen the Crown of Jaehaerys, in the middle of a coup. 

She cannot directly go to Dragonstone, because they will immediately come looking there. No, she has to go and deliver warnings to some of the loyal vassals first. She sends a raven home the moment she arrives at Duskendale, letting them know of her safety and the ongoing usurpation in King’s Landing. She is aware that Duskendale are loyal to the crown, and to the sworn heirs, and well she will be gone before the Greens get word of her presence in the first place.

Once her parents are informed, she quickly goes to the castle’ Great Hall, greeted by Lord and Lady Darklyn. “Princess Daella,” Lady Darklyn greets her. “What brings you here?” She looks around for a royal guard, the absence of whom seems to perturb the older woman. 

“My Lord, My Lady,” she bows in respect to them before quickly turning and looking around. “May I have a word? In private? It is rather urgent.” Lord Darklyn’s brows furrow as he nods, ushering her to a room by the side, guards posted outside the door. 

“What is it, Princess?” Meredith Darklyn says in a tone that seems to be trying to convey calm but she is understandably unsettled, eyes trained on Daella. 

“My Lady, my mother, the Princess Rhaenyra, has been usurped.” She continues, taking a deep breath. “The Greens have ordered that the Late King’s second child Aegon Targaryen be crowned in place of my mother, who is the rightful heir to the Throne. I come here to warn you to be on guard and to have you reaffirm your loyalty to the sworn and rightful Heir.” For a long moment her heart sits in her throat, wondering if she should be worried for her safety, her hand itching towards the hilt of her sword. And then Gunthor Darklyn looks directly at her, hard eyes set, mouth a thin line. 

“Worry not, Princess. We are no oathbreakers,” he tells her. “We shall come to the aid of your mother Princess Rhaenyra. Long live the rightful Queen.”

She nods fervently, thanking them for their loyalty and their continued allegiance to the crown as she quickly departs. She does not have much time. She must get to the Stormlands, to House Baratheon and House Fell if she is to secure the support of the most powerful members of the area. They shall need the Stormlands as an outpost, for it is too close to Dragonstone to be lost as an ally. Baelon flies at a near breakneck pace, his black wings taking her to Storm’s End as fast as he can. She lands the dragon near a craggy outcropping, letting the beast hunt while she makes her way to Castle Felwood.

Lady Fell is understanding, grateful for Daella’s warning and ready to be on guard if the Greens make their way to that part of the Stormlands. 

She waits overnight at Castle Felwood, ensuring Baelon and her are both well-rested before they head to Storm’s End. Borros Baratheon should not be a difficult ally to win. His father Boremund was an ally to the Crown and cousin to Princess Rhaenys, but the rumors of Borros’ fickleness are not ones she can ignore or dispel from her mind. And when she gets to Storm’s End, all the confidence gained from the prior day dissipates with the storm that is brewing overhead as Vhagar’s silhouette looms in the distance. 

Aemond Targaryen is here.

Aemond is incensed at Lucerys’ audacity.

First, the boy had the gall to walk away from his crimes unpunished, and now has the pluck to show up here, message in hand, asking Borros Baratheon to ‘remember his oath’ as if the man is a mere hound to be whistled up for Rhaenyra’s whims. 

Aemond had been trotted out as the prize pony, “to show the lovely Baratheon girls what they shall win for their loyalty”, his drunk brother had proclaimed to his small council. He would do it, if it meant holding the realm together. “If I do as your mother bids... which one of my daughters will you wed... boy?”

Lucerys, to his credit, does not lie or swindle his way through this exchange, openly stating that he is already betrothed to another. Perhaps the boy has some integrity. More than his siblings and his mother, that is certain.

“So you come with empty hands. Go home, pup. And tell your mother that the Lord of Storm's End is not some dog that she can whistle up at need to set against her foes.” Aemond is pleased with these words, but there is still one matter that needs attendance. “Wait,” Aemond calls out, “my lord Strong.” The boy turns back, confused. “Did you really think that you could just fly about the realm trying to steal my brother's throne at no cost?”

Lucerys seems to be on guard, but still seemingly unaware of where this is exactly headed. Well, he shall find out soon enough. “I want you to put out your eye. As payment for mine,” he announces. “One will serve. I will not blind you.” He just wants justice. He is not some sadist, no. Just a man looking for his pound of flesh. 

Lucerys, to none of Aemond’s surprise and all of his anger, denies his rather reasonable request. 

“Then you are craven as well as a traitor,” he says coolly. He grabs the dagger, lunging at him with a snarl upon his lips. “Give me your eye or I will take it, bastard!” he roars, being barely restrained by the Baratheon guards. Borros gets to his feet, yelling for this skirmish to be stopped in its tracks, too keen a follower of guest rules. 

“Take Prince Lucerys to his dragon,” he orders, the boy escorted to safety. 

A man rushes over to the Stag, whispering something in his ear as he hands him a piece of parchment, and Aemond is on his way out, his mind set on getting his justice tonight when Baratheon calls out for him, stopping him in his tracks. “This message is for you, Prince Aemond.” His brows furrow, turning around as he slowly walks back. 

“Speak,” he orders the man, staring directly into his eyes. He hands him the paper, which Aemond unfurls as he reads the singular line penned in his mother’s handwriting, his anger slowly breaking through the glacier it has been contained under. The fire of his rage threatens to consume him as he reads it over and over again, hands shaking as he crushes the sheet in his fist. 

Daella stole Jaehaerys’ crown.  

That impertinent girl. That impertinent, audacious bastard thief of a girl. How any of the castle guards even let her out of her room, let alone let that little witch skulk around the castle and get her hands on the crown is beyond his understanding. As if her little innocent facade was something no one else but he was able to see past.

How long would it take for people to learn that Daemon Targaryen’s daughter was just as conniving and underhanded as her blasted father? 

His feet take him to Vhagar at a hurried pace, his body moving of its own accord as the anger threatens to consume him whole. Lucerys and his dragon are gone, but he sees the girl and her black dragon aloft in the sky, making their way away from the island, and his restraint snaps. 

“Vhagar, sōvēs!” He roars as he mounts the dragon, the beast slowly and decidedly taking flight as the dragon swoops ahead, the latter’s shadow looming over Storm’s End like an omen. It does not take long for the beast to catch up to the smaller dragon, wings flapping ominously as it lurches further, her jaws snapping. 

No matter how hard she may try, he will catch up to Daella Targaryen, and he will retrieve what she has stolen. “Come down, my lady,” he tries to keep his voice level as he calls out, “and hand over what you took, else I shall force you down myself.” And he will do it. That girl, in her endless audacity, replies over the storm, her voice carrying through the thunder and the rain. 

“I suppose I shall simply keep going.” 

He shakes his head, knuckles tightening around his saddle as he looks ahead, the weather echoing his increasingly volatile bad mood. “Then you shall suffer the consequences of your choices,” he gives her one final reminder. She only decides to speed up further, and he keeps following, the game of cat and mouse now giving him a different form of exhilaration. “Baelon is a fine beast, my lady, but he is no match for Vhagar.” 

“Vhagar is old,” she responds. 

“And she will still devour Baelon for breakfast,” he responds. “Come down, or be forced down.” The thunder rolls and flashes ominously, neither party getting the upper hand in this weather at the present moment. “You will come down, ” Aemond orders, “or you will face mine and Vhagar’s wrath. Give back what was never yours, and I shall take it back to its rightful home.” 

“The crown was never yours to begin with,” she yells back. Oh, this girl. 

“It was stolen,” he says, his voice losing any patience and kindness it had before. “You are a thief, and you stole from me and the Realm, and now you will suffer your actions!” he roars. 

And then, that impertinent girl turns around and laughs. 

[written-in-flowers]

Fly Away: Pt. 6

Pairing: Young!Aemond x Young!Velaryon!Reader | Side pairing: Rhaenyra x Alicent, Aegon x Helaena

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Au: friends to lovers, childhood love, incest (duh), slight homophobia expressed, repressed feelings, mutual pining, teenage runaways, mentions of bullying, arrange marriages

Word Count: 6k

Summary: Young love overcomes all in a family full of broken bonds and broken hearts. When Princess Y/N Velaryon and Prince Aemond Targaryen are discovered missing from their beds, their mothers must come together to find them. The search might do more for their families than a mere marriage pact can. 

A/N: want to clarify now that we stick with young!Aemond throughout the story. Ewan’s Aemond comes in at the very end. This is mainly done starting a bit before The Princess and the Queen and a little bit after the events at Driftmark. I do pull some scenes from the show, but it remains relatively loose throughout. Want to also point out that The Dance doesn’t happen in this universe, so...happy ending expected, because we need more of those.  

Taglist: @yitish​ @imjustboredso​ @discowizard88 @mddieeunson  @caramelcandescence @bookwhoresthings @astrumark @minteaspoon​

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****

Morning came with no sign of you. Rhaenyra took deep breaths as she dressed for riding. A myriad of gruesome, disturbing scenes crossed her mind. What if you’d been taken captive? What if some ship’s captain found you, and is now selling you across the sea? No. She could not think that way. She’d take Syrax to the skies and see if Syrax finds Starshine. 

Starshine came from a clutch of Syrax’s eggs many years ago; the Dragon Keepers thought the egg as blue as midnight would never hatch. That is, until you were born. Rhaenyra fondly remembered the day five-year-old Y/N came up to her with a blue and gold hatchling in her arms. You hadn’t cared if the dragon’s claws nipped your skin and gown. You’d cried tears of joy, completely fond of the dragon who’d bonded with you immediately, and vowed to love her forever. You’d spend every day going to the Dragonpit to feed, play and train your dragon. The Dragon Keepers told her that Starshine, as you’d named her, flew faster than her brothers and sisters. Rhaenyra worried about letting you ride her, but you insisted Starshine only went half her speed when carrying her rider. 

Other than that, the beast flew like the wind. 

Rhaenyra walked out of her bedroom, riding coat over her tunic and trousers, boots echoing on the floor. She nervously wrung her hands, thinking of where to look for you first. She’d come out into the main hall, and saw Laenor with the head of their guard by the Painted Table. An entire map of Westeros carved into the table, lit up by the line of candles underneath, acted as a strategy table. She saw him hunched over where Dragonstone is located, the two men talking quietly to each other. When he heard her footsteps, Laenor turned his head to see her. 

“Rhaenyra,” he called to her. 

“They haven’t found her,” she guessed, sliding on her leather gloves. 

A small pang hit her heart at the stitching on the cuffs. Slim dragons weaved in and out of one another in golden thread. You’d spent weeks getting the stitches just right. Oh, you sweet child. Where are you? 

“I’m afraid not,” he frowned. “I’m going to ride Seasmoke and look for her. The Dragon Keepers are searching the mountains.”

“Good. I’ll take Syrax.” 

“We want to come too!” 

Her sons appeared at the bottom of the stairs, both staring at her hopefully. “You boys need to stay here,” Laenor told them, “In case your sister returns.” 

“We want to look with you,” Jace told him. “She’s our sister.”

“Please let us come,” Luke pleaded with his mother. “What if something terrible has happened to her?” 

“Which is all the reason why you must remain here,” Rhaenyra told him comfortingly. “If anything has befallen your sister, the same might happen to you as well.” 

“The more people who are looking, the higher the chances of finding her are,” Jace insisted. “Mother, we can help. Vermax and Arrax are big enough to ride, and if we find her, one of us will come get you or Father.” 

“Let us help, Mother,” said Luke right after. “Y/N might be hurt,” he hugged her, “She needs us.”

Your caring brothers. Despite what happened at Driftmark and whatever cruel words they might’ve said from anger, your brothers loved you. She ran a hand through Luke’s soft curls, so different from her own silver strands, and bent to look at him. His large brown eyes filled with tears, which he tried sniffing back. She knew Luke was closer to you than Jace. For a moment, she remembered the day he’d been born and how happy you’d been to have a second baby brother. 

She cupped his cheek gently, and said, “Your sister is fine. She is only missing, but you father and I will find her. I need you both to stay here in case she comes back on her own, alright?”

“But-” Jace began to say, but was cut off by Laenor. 

“-You both will stay here,” Laenor said. “If your sister returns, she may need you both to care for her.”

“Mother…” 

“We’ll find her,” she assured him. She stood and looked at her husband, “I’ll go on ahead. I’ll start on the northside.”

“I will take the south and work to the west. You can take the east.” 

They’d both made to leave before Jace caught her hand. Rhaenyra turned to see tears in his eyes as well. “Mother,” he croaked, “If you find Y/N, can you…can you tell her I didn’t mean what I said?”

“What do you mean?”

He looked down shamefully, “At Driftmark…I said that she hated us, and that she should leave us alone. I…I didn’t mean it. I said it because I…I was hurt that she’d defended Aemond after what he did. But…But, I know now that she only cares about everyone. Will you tell her I don’t hate her? That Luke and I want her to come back home? I promise to never tease her ever again, as long as she comes back.” 

Rhaenyra’s heart sank. She kissed the top of his head, and hugged him, “I will. Stay here, the both of you.” 

They nodded, and she began walking alongside Laenor. Their children out of earshot, Laenor spoke, “She ran away.”

“I know.”

“There is only one place I imagine she’d go,” he said. “Your father will never turn away one of his grandchildren.”

It pained her to think of it, while also leaving her in awe. Sometime before, Rhaenyra also envisioned running away with the person she loved the most. The thought of you doing the same would’ve touched her if it did not riddle her with anxiety. Walking down the castle ramparts, she recalled that night once again. She’d snuck out of her bed chambers through a secret passage, a rucksack full of provisions slung over her shoulder, and went around the keep the long way. Hope and adventure pumped adrenaline into her veins, visions of having Alicent freely brought a smile to her face. Had you been the same way? She imagined you in her place. Sneaking away in the dead of night onto your dragon, with nothing but a few supplies and a dream, on your way to be with your beloved. The bards will never stop singing about it. 

“My lord!” 

She’d reached the dragon keep when Maester Gerardys rushed up to her and Laenor outside the gates. She saw a small scroll of paper in his hand. The elderly man puffed and panted when he reached them. Her nerves wracked together seeing the paper and worried for the worst. 

“My Lord,” he addressed Laenor, handing him the scroll, “This just arrived from Driftmark from Lord Corlys.”

Laenor broke the wax seal and unrolled the paper. He read it carefully, his reading eyes making Rhaenyra nervous. She clutched his forearm, “What is it?”

“My father says one of his men saw a dragon in the skies last night during his patrol of High Tide,” he answered. “They said they’d seen it bolting through the sky before disappearing from sight.”

“That sounds like Starshine!”

“And they told him,” he read it again, “That the dragon appeared to be flying in the direction of King’s Landing.” He glanced back at her, “King’s Landing is not that far away on dragonback. She might be there now.”

“Then why has she not written?” Rhaenyra replied, discontentedly. “Then why has The Queen not written and told me?” 

Even with their tarnished relationship, Rhaenyra knew Alicent would’ve written to her if you’d shown up at her door. She shook her head, finding it hard to believe. “Where else could she have gone then?” Laenor asked pleadingly. “The only reason she’d run away is in King’s Landing. You know our girl, Rhaenyra, she’s a romantic. It’d be like her to want to fly away with Aemond. I will send word to King’s Landing and to my father to keep a look out for Starshine. If we’re lucky, she’s there.”

“Alicent would have told me Y/N was there. I don’t think she’s there. Y/N is too smart to go flying so close to Driftmark.” 

“We don’t have any other leads.”

“Um, Princess,” Maester Gerardys called her attention, “Perhaps Prince Aegon might have some insight?”

“Aegon?” Rhaenyra asked, bemused, “Why would we ask him? He’s never shown an ounce of interest in his brother or his niece.” 

“I say this because Sunfyre appears to have arrived.”

The three of them looked up into the open sky to see a golden dragon circling overhead. Rhaenyra recognized the beaten gold scales and thin pink membrane of Sunfyre, her younger brother’s dragon. What was he doing here? A plethora of reasons came to mind as Sunfyre gradually made his descent into the main yard of the dragon keep. The Dragon Keepers all kept their spears trained upwards as the beast landed, roaring and snarling at them. On the saddle, she saw her brother. He wore his silver hair in a loose braid down his back, dressed in his green and gold finery. Rhaenyra saw a determination she’d never seen in Aegon before. Usually, when she did see him, he was drunk and unaware of his surroundings. The Aegon she saw here was a different person. But, as quickly as she noticed this, she spotted the person clinging onto him for her dear life. 

Alicent, in a dress of dark emerald, clung to her son as Sunfyre sat down in the yard. She’d never flown before, Rhaenyra knew. It always terrified her. Her long curls blown back from her face, she fixed them properly once the Dragon Keepers helped her down from the dragon saddle. The moment she finished fixing her skirts and steadying herself, her eyes met Rhaenyra from beyond the gate. Only a year passed since she’d seen Alicent, yet it felt like so much longer. At that moment, her heart ached. The young besotted girl inside her wished to reach out for Alicent, apologize for all her wrongdoings both real or imagined, and embrace her. A million words were exchanged between them, yet nothing came out into the open. 

“My Queen,” Laenor bowed as Alicent stormed over to them. Rhaenyra immediately knew something was wrong, and her suspicions were correct. 

“Where is-” Alicent began, but Rhaenyra spoke first.

“Y/N is missing as well,” she said. 

Alicent paused. “Missing?” she asked cautiously. 

“Yes, she went flying and never came home,” Rhaenyra told her, keeping herself together, “Laenor and I were about to search for her.”

“My father,” Laenor said, “Sent a raven. He said one of his men spotted Starshine in the skies early yesterday morning.”

“He said the same about Vhagar.” Aegon appeared beside his mother, handing Laenor the letter they’d received. “It came to us a few hours ago. We’d sent word to lords in Westeros to keep an eye out for Vhagar, and Lord Corlys responded. He said a sea captain coming back from King’s Landing told him they spotted Vhagar leaving King’s Landing and heading this way.”

Laenor read the letter and nodded in confirmation. “How long has Aemond been missing?” she asked Alicent. 

“Since yesterday morning,” she replied. “Nobody had seen him all day, and we searched the city to no avail.” 

Rhaenyra wanted to hug her. She wanted to bring Alicent into her arms, give her the reassurance and comfort they both desperately needed. “If he isn’t here,” Aegon said, “And Y/N isn’t here, then where could they be?” 

“They must be somewhere on the island,” Laenor said. “Did your sister come with you?”

“Yes, she’s on her way with Dreamfyre,” Aegon nodded. 

“Good. Rhaenyra, you’ll search the northside of the island. I will search the south; Aegon will search the east, and when Princess Helaena arrives, she can fly around the west. I think with all of us on our dragons, we may find them both.”

“They won’t be here,” Aegon disagreed. 

“Why not?”

“Aemond is not an idiot, and neither is Y/N. Staying on Dragonstone is too risky for two people who do not wish to be found.” 

“He’s right,” Rhaenyra said, wishing it weren’t so. “If they’re together, they wouldn’t be where we expect.”

“Then, they went to another city…” the realization came to Alicent, and Rhaenyra felt the same dread. “No, no, they could not have. They’d never…”

“Pentos,” Laenor said first. “Y/N always talked about going there ever since she met a Pentoshi sea captain in the village. She’s fascinated with the place.” 

“And Aemond would go wherever Y/N went.” 

She was not the only one. Pentos had once been Rhaenyra’s place of choice for them. Two star-crossed lovers flying away to the Free Cities to escape their quarreling families sounded like a fairytale. It might’ve touched her if her daughter were not one of the lovers. Laenor guided them all back inside. Alicent can rest from her journey while they await Princess Helaena. In the meantime, Laenor and Aegon can discuss and gather search parties. Walking back into the large hall, she stood off to the side while deep in thought. Idly, she listened in as Laenor, Aegon and Alicent suggested places in Essos the children might have gone. 

But, thinking upon it more, Rhaenyra sensed they were wrong. You might’ve dreamed of going across The Narrow Sea, but the chances of being recognized are too high. Neither you nor Aemond could survive in the streets. You’re both nobles who’ve been sheltered your entire lives. A foreign city like Pentos might intimidate you. Besides, that did not sound romantic enough. She thought back to the stories she’d heard growing up. A lot of the romances spoke of the lovers absconding to a secluded place for the two of them. 

“Jaehaerys and Alysanne…” she said quietly to herself. 

“Rhaenyra?” 

“Jaehaerys and Alysanne,” she repeated, coming back over to them. “Y/N loves the story of the marriage between King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne. She always talked about how romantic she thought it was that they’d run away together to Dragonstone.”

“But, we’re on Dragonstone,” said Aegon. 

“They’d go to a remote place,” Alicent continued for her, nodding slightly. “They’d want to go somewhere that nobody else knows. They’d go to a place where it’d be only them and them alone.” More words hung in the air between them. “Should they have gone to Essos, there’s the possibility of being discovered but if they went elsewhere…Tell your maester to bring all of his maps.”

“All of them?” Laenor asked. “He has quite a few.”

“Bring them,” she affirmed. 

“Yes, Your Grace.”

When Laenor called for Maester Gerardys, Rhaenyra ordered the household maids to prepare rooms for The Queen and Prince Aegon. She still wished to go on Syrax. If not to search for her daughter, then to clear her mind. The room suddenly became suffocating, and she gasped for air. Her little dove, forever the hopeless romantic, vanished in the night and is somewhere in the world. 

Wherever you’d gone, she hoped you were safe. 

***

Breakfast consisted of two leftover sausages, meager portions of berries and nuts, water Aemond brought in his waterskins, and hard bread with honey. Not an ideal breakfast, but you hoped things would be better after today. Having finished working on the shack, you and Aemond decided you’d go into the forest together. You needed a water source, and Aemond said the lake wouldn’t be too far. 

“We can fill up the skins,” he said, handing you a waterskin while he kept two empty ones around his neck, “And this pail. You know, to have water for cooking.”

You might’ve mentioned bathing in the lake as well if it did not make you giggle. The island heat became more apparent in the daytime, causing your clothes to feel uncomfortable and hot on your body. A nice cool dip sounded refreshing, but then you remembered Aemond being there and possibly seeing you undressed. You started off behind him, carrying your waterskin and the pail while Aemond stayed a few steps ahead. You thought back to the previous night where Aemond cried. It amazed you that he thought a missing eye kept you from wanting to be with him. It sounded ridiculous to you, but you supposed to Aemond it’d make sense. At home, you imagined many people gave him distasteful stares or murmured behind his back when he walked past them. Aemond might pretend to be above it all, but you knew better. 

“Can you shoot with that?” you asked, nodding at the bow and sheath of arrows on his back. 

“I can,” he answered. “I thought I could do some hunting while we’re out.” He looked over his shoulder at you, “I wouldn’t go far. Don’t worry for me.” 

“I still wish that we stay together,” you told him. “We don’t know this island, Aemond. Your map is only an outline of the old one. What if you come across a dangerous place?”

“I won’t go far,” he reassured you. “I can handle myself, Y/N.”

“I know you can, but…” 

It stayed in the air. His eye. A predator or animal might take advantage of his blind side to attack him. He could run into another tree like last night and hurt himself gravely. You didn’t want him to think you doubted his skills, because he’s a good swordsman, but you worried. Trekking through the forest, you heard a low roar coming from somewhere above you right before the small stretch of forest became covered in darkness. You and Aemond looked up to see the battle-worn underside of Vhagar through the canopy. Right as she started circling a spot ahead, another shadow closely followed. You smiled softly to yourself. Reaching the opposite side to a clearing, a large lake stretched around in a circle before feeding into a stream heading southward. Knowing the lake is so close left you and Aemond at ease. You felt more reassured when Vhagar and Starshine settled down across, smashing and cracking trees with their tails and making the earth rumble and quake underneath your feet. The two dragons stayed side by side while taking large gulps of water. 

“Do you think they’ve become friends?” you asked Aemond, continuing to watch as you walked to the shore. 

“It seems like it,” he answered. “Vhagar’s usually alone in the dragonpit. She’s too large to stay there long, so she flies around a lot. I’ve never seen her interact with another dragon before.”

“Starshine’s the opposite,” you said, taking off your boots and stockings before going towards the water’s edge with your waterskin. “She likes socializing with the other dragons in the tunnels. She’s very friendly.”

He chuckled softly, and you looked over at him in the water. “What?”

“I read this book that once said dragons are similar to their riders,” he said, dipping the waterskin beneath the surface to fill it. “It’s funny to see that it’s true.”

“How so?”

“You’re friendly and like talking to people too.”

“Well, if that’s true, then you’re perfect for Vhagar,” you nudged him with a grin. “Grumpy and quiet.”

“I’m not ‘grumpy’,” he laughed, nudging you back. 

“Oh, you certainly can be,” you nudged him in return, “When the mood strikes you.”

The two of you shared a glance, and you heard him give a soft hum and look away. You giggled, and nudged him once more to hear him make the sound again. He reminded you of a cat with how he purred in disagreement. When you finished filling your first waterskin, Aemond casually bumped himself into you. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Y/N,” he chuckled, bumping you once more and making you laugh, “I didn’t mean to knock into you like that,” he did it once more, and you nearly lost your balance in the water. “I suppose it’s my grumpy mood.”

“Aemond!” you laughed, managing to keep your balance and lightly prodded him back. 

“Oop, forgive me, Princess,” he replied, smiling widely, knocking into you fully now. “Oh, forgive me again. Oop, forgive me once again, lovely Princess.”

Soon, you felt yourself falling into the water and instinctively reached for Aemond’s sleeve. In a loud splash, the two of you broke the still surface. A tangle of limbs thrashing in the shallow water, you both quickly stood from the sandy waters and took lungfuls of air. The water cooled your hot skin, and cleansed you of any dirt and sweat left under your clothes. However, now your clothes weighed you down and stuck to your body. Regardless, you locked eyes with Aemond and laughed in delight. You quickly splashed water in his direction, and he returned a splash in kind. Waterskins floating in the low waters, you escaped Aemond’s splatter by going into the deeper part. He followed right away, lunging forward and dunking you into the water. You wrestled against one another. You had experience with Jace, who liked tackling you whenever your parents left you alone, and Aemond lived with Aegon, who enjoyed teasing him. Coming up for air, panting heavily from being under so long, you gave each other a moment before you leapt onto him. Aemond managed to keep his head above water, merely holding you to him in the deep water. Your arms around his neck, his locks around your waist. 

You realized that, once again, you and Aemond were dangerously close. He’d lost his eyepatch in the water fight, so you saw his scarring up close. It didn’t bother you at all. You saw how they’d emptied out the rest of the socket, so only a hole remained. You weren’t bothered at all. If your mother or septa could see you now, they’d be appalled. Princesses don’t throw themselves into the arms of their betrothed. But, then you remembered you and Aemond were no longer betrothed. Should your families find you, they will separate you again and make sure you stay apart. This made you cling to Aemond. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing you clutching him. “Is it my…my eye?” 

“I don’t want them to find us,” you whispered, as if speaking it too loudly will make it come true. 

“Neither do I,” he said. A long minute passed before he said, “Tilt your head.”

You tilted your head to one side, your heart pounding, and he leaned into you. His lips tasted faintly of the berries from breakfast. Warm and soft, they laid flat on yours. When he pulled away, your cheeks and ears burned. You worried he might’ve not liked it or you’d done something wrong. You’d never seen your mother and father kiss on the lips, only on their cheeks. In paintings, you often saw young maidens and their true loves sharing deep kisses with their mouths open. 

“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” you admitted softly. 

“I have.”

“When?”

“Aegon took me to a brothel on my nameday,” he said, not looking at you. “He said it was time to ‘get it wet’.”

“Did you want to go?”

“I…I don’t really know now. I knew where we were going once we reached the street, but when we went inside, I…” you saw a tinge of pink cross his pale cheeks, “I only remember thinking about going back home.”

“What was it like there?”

“Strange. All the women were naked, and people were…coupling…in full view of everyone. Men with women. Women with women and men with men. Everyone was drunk, and the place smelled awful. He brought me to this woman. She was older than me. She was very kind, and told me to relax.”

You’d never seen this woman, but a pang of jealousy hit you. An image of a faceless, scantily clad woman preying on your Aemond made your face harden. “What did she do?”

“Y/N…I don’t think it’s appropriate for a lady to hear about that-”

“-I want to know what she did so I can do it too.”

“Y/N-”

“-Why does she get to kiss you and not me?”

“We did more than kiss, Y/N.” 

You gasped, eyes widening. You weren’t surprised Aegon took his brother to a brothel, but Aemond’s participation surprised you. “She told me how to do it,” he continued, “So on my wedding night, I’d know how to…I’d rather not go into detail with you.” Something stiff touched you, and Aemond blushed a deep red. “I’m sorry,” he said, moving away from you, “I…I, um…”

“It’s okay,” you insisted, looking away shyly. “My mother said it does that.”

“It does.” 

You moved closer to him, and asked, “How did she kiss you?”

“Our tongues touched.” 

So, you did what you pictured the woman had done. Tilting your head again, you kissed Aemond with your lips closed. Slowly, you managed to open and deepen the kiss, your tongue tentatively touching his. You heard him gasp softly, breath dampening the top of your lips, and he pulled you to him again. The urge to kiss Aemond came on the heels of envisioning an older woman getting to kiss him first; she did what you’d never have the gall to do. Aemond’s hands stayed on your waist as you kissed. You wondered if you were doing it right until Aemond took control and kissed you heatedly. 

Breaking away to breathe, you each giggled out your nervousness. A deep rumble made you turn your heads. Starshine, her neck inches from the water’s surface, stared at the both of you. She gave another growl before Vhagar snapped her jaws and flapped her wings. Ripples went across the water as both dragons batted their wings and took flight. When they disappeared into the sky, you took that as a sign. 

“Maybe we should start heading back,” you said, moving away from Aemond. “We need to find food.”

“Good idea.” 

He did not follow you right away, and you knew why. You couldn’t help laughing to yourself as you collected the waterskins and the pail, and left the lake. You walked back to the shack remembering what your mother said about intercourse. She’d given you the speech when you began flowering. She said society considered you a woman now, and could bear children. She explained how it was done; it sounded painful, but she reassured you that it can be quite the opposite if “done correctly”. 

You arrived at the shack, and started shedding off your soaked clothes to place on a line hanging outside, and left your shoes at the door. You knew your small clothes would dry on their own, and barefoot, you walked inside and kindled the logs for a fire. You wring water out of your hair by the time Aemond appeared, wearing his small clothes and silver hair damp. Your jaw dropped when you realized he’d returned without his eyepatch. The hole appeared darker inside than it had in the light. It unnerved you, but you’d never show that to Aemond. 

“I lost it in the water,” he said, embarrassed. “I couldn’t find it when you left.”

“Do you have others?” 

You frowned when he shook his head. “I forgot to pack another one,” he said. “I spent so much time thinking about everything else, I forgot the most important thing.” 

Thinking quickly, you walked over to the bed and with a knife Aemond kept on the table, you cut a slim piece of cloth. You went back to him, holding the makeshift patch for him. “If you want to,” you told him with uncertainty, “I know wearing the patch makes you more comfortable. I don’t mind either way.”

Aemond took the slip of cloth and tied it the way he would a normal eye patch. Satisfied with how it sat on his face, you noticed tension fall from his shoulders. You saw the thing he held in his hand. 

"What is that?" You asked. It was furry with long ears. "Is that a rabbit?"

"I came across it during my walk back. I can skin it, and we'll cook it for dinner."

"That sounds nice."

He sat with you by the fire, grabbing his knife and making a cut through the rabbit. You turned away in disgust at the sight of him ripping the skin off the rabbit’s body. It was similar to removing a sock or a sleeve. The motion caused a light spray of blood to land on your thigh and knee. 

“Oh, ew, ew, ew,” you squealed, wiping the small droplets with your hand. “Ew, ew, ew.”

“Stop being a baby,” Aemond laughed. “It is only blood.” 

“It’s still disgusting. Ugh, where did you learn to do that?”

“Ser Criston taught me.”

“Ser Criston seems to have taught you many things.”

Aemond paused to think, then nodded, “Yes, yes, he has. My father’s too old to do most things, so Ser Criston teaches me skills like hunting and fighting. He says every man should know how to live out in the woods in case he’s ever traveling alone,” he glanced at you, “Or with people he cares about.” 

You smiled, enjoying the warmth from the fire and Aemond’s company. 

***

They spent ages combing through all of Maester Gerardys’s maps. Alicent meticulously ran her finger over every corner. Aemond must be at one of these places. Duksendale, Sharp Point, Stokeworth…He could’ve gone to any of them. Her heart raced every time she thought about her Aemond and where he was. What if he became injured or ill? She couldn’t stand to think about it. The fact he’d run away the same time as Rhaenyra’s daughter brought on a lingering guilt that filled her stomach. She didn’t bother touching the spread of food the castle maids brought to her bed chamber. She had no interest in food when her son was missing. 

And it’d been her fault. Aemond loved you. The love appeared as bright as the sun and stars. Yet, in a moment of rage, she’d changed everything. She’d done the exact same thing her father had. 

‘You must stop these disgusting habits. It insults everything our family has stood by for centuries: The Seven, The Faith, the name Hightower. You will marry The King and be done with this unholy infatuation you’ve developed.’

‘But, Father, I love her!’

That’d been the first and last time her father raised a hand to her. Alicent felt the slap like it happened yesterday. Nervously, she kept her hand at her throat, rubbing the lump that threatened to grow there. He’d caught her with Rhaenyra in the godswood that day. She’d tried explaining it away with meager excuses; she feared what her father might do if he knew the truth. But, Otto Hightower knew what he’d seen and knew what his daughter was, and it disgusted him. 

Alicent convinced herself this situation differed. Your brothers maimed her son permanently. They’d attacked him, and when he defended himself, they came at him with a knife. Jaceryes went to that meeting with a knife. What other reason did he have if not to hurt her son? Then, when she begged her husband to invoke justice, something only he can do, he favored his daughter. He’d questioned Aemond exactly as she’d told him. It made her realize that her husband did not care for their children. He’d been overjoyed when she’d given him Aegon, yet never named him heir. He’d doted over Helaena, Aemond and young Daeron as babes, but he still chose Rhaenyra over them. Alicent blankly stared at the map on her table, yet did not truly look at it anymore. She’d remembered Viserys’s words when she told him of Aemond’s disappearance, and that she planned to fly to Dragonstone. 

‘I hope you find him safely.’

It angered her beyond belief. How could he have such little concern for Aemond? But, she did not fake surprise. She should’ve expected as much. Aemond could be injured further. He could be dead in a hole or his body floating in the ocean, and Viserys will only ask about Rhaenyra’s daughter's safety. 

She withheld the tears in her eyes. Her poor, sweet Aemond. Ever since he’d ridden Vhagar, he’d changed. No longer the timid, self-conscious boy, he showed much more ferocity and less emotion. She knew he blamed Lucerys Velaryon for his lost eye. She’d demanded the boy’s eye in return at that moment. But, thinking about it now, she realized her moment of madness. Her son wounded, her husband indifferent, and Rhaenyra declaring he be questioned rather than sympathized with, blinded her to reason. The realization that nobody would help her or her children brought her blood to a boil. Deep in her soul, she knew Viserys never loved her children as much as Rhaenyra; she knew his willful blindness to her treason stems from this love. The young girl inside her wished for the same blindness, but the noble woman in her could not look past it. 

Once again, her heart broke into more pieces. 

It concerned her when Aemond revealed he still wished to marry you. She couldn’t allow her son to wed the sister of his attackers. She’d told him the decision was in his best interest, but he’d only howled his rage. He refused to speak to her for days. Whenever she found him, he sat in solitude with a book or writing a poem or simply in thought as he gazed out at the ocean. The ships that went across the blue waves reminded him of you; exactly how lemon cakes reminded her of Rhaenyra, who liked to peel the candied lemons off each one to eat. He eventually came around, but she knew the resentment still lingered. It normally turned its face whenever she mentioned betrothals in front of him. 

“Mother?” 

She hadn’t heard Aegon approach. The boy who stood before her, no longer in his long riding coat, looked different somehow. It’d been him who suggested they ride to Dragonstone, hoping to find Aemond. Even if he did tease his brother, Alicent knew Aegon loved him. He’d spent his whole morning forcing himself to stay searching for Aemond on the ground and in the skies. His suggestion of Aemond running away surprised both her and her father. Her father said he saw potential in Aegon when not lingering away in wine; she simply saw a boy who wanted to prove himself. 

“Aegon,” she walked to him, “Has Helaena arrived?”

“Yes, with Ser Cole,” he told her. He glanced at the maps on her table. “Have you…found anything?”

“Nothing yet,” she said. “Most of these maps are new."

"Then, we should search the older ones," Aegon approached the table, scanning the first map. "These cannot be his only maps." He turned to her, "Do you think they'd withhold them from us?"

"No," she answered truthfully. "Y/N is missing as well. I know Rhaenyra would do anything to have her daughter back."

Aegon nodded. Alicent noticed a change in her son. She’d not once seen him take up a cup of wine since last night. She watched him examine the first map like she’d done, looking for any sign of a difference from the others. Alicent imagined him with his father’s golden crown, his father’s dagger and sword on his belt instead of his own, looking and acting like the king he should be. For years, she’d begged Viserys to name Aegon as his heir. It would bring so much stability to the realm if Aegon were king. If Aegon were king, then her children would be spared from the sword. She knew if Rhaenyra wished to rid herself of any challenge to the throne, she’d have to murder Alicent’s children. She’d have to kill them. Alicent wished she could say the love they shared may cause Rhaenyra to spare her children, but that love vanished. It’d been replaced by years of resentment and bitterness. 

“We’ll find him, Mother,” he reassured her for the millionth time, aware she’s watching him. “I swear it.” 

‘I will find him, Mother,’ is what he truly wishes to say. 

She put her hand on his back, sliding it across before embracing him. Aegon stiffened at first, but soon returned the hug. She’d be the first to say she was not always gentle or patient with Aegon. Being fifteen with no mother to guide her, Alicent maneuvered motherhood alone. She tries her best, she says to herself. Would Aegon be different if she’d tried harder or was he meant to be this way? 

“Where is your sister?” she asked. 

“In the main hall. She agrees with Ser Laenor about searching Dragonstone from above.” 

“And you do not?”

“No, I do not.” He glanced back at her collection of maps. “Aemond wouldn’t come to Dragonstone. It is too obvious. He’ll be afraid you and Rhaenyra will split them apart; he’d take her where we cannot find him.” He flipped through the other maps by the corners, “No. I don’t believe we’ll find his hideout on any of these.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because these all look the same. There is no difference between them. Maester Gerardys must have others, or books with old maps on them.” 

“Do you believe Rhaenyra would hide them from us?”

“She felt entitled enough to take my brother’s eye,” he said, a slight edge to his tone. “Rhaenyra is the heir. As you have told me time and time again, Mother, Rhaenyra will not hesitate to put my brother, sister, and I to the sword to eliminate challenges to her claim. I would not be surprised if she has withheld information from us to keep us from finding Aemond.”

“Rhaenyra’s daughter is missing as well,” she reminded him. 

“And? She might know where Y/N is right now and will not tell us. She can have one of her guards put Aemond down and call it an accident.”

“Rhaenyra would never-”

“-She called his eye being removed an accident. I don’t see why she wouldn’t say the same if we found him…” she saw him gulp, and hold himself steady. “Whatever love you and her once shared died the day her bastards-”

“-Aegon!-

“-Took my younger brother’s eye.” 

Perhaps he was not as disinterested as she’d believed. Alicent caressed his cheek, and hugged him once more. His body relaxed in her embrace, his arms going around her in return. When she released him, she said, “We must believe Rhaenyra will do what she can to aid us. Remember, Ser Laenor is also searching, and he is a good, noble man. Finding both Aemond and Y/N is what is most important right now. Come,” she took his hand, “Let us go meet your sister and Ser Criston.”

****

A/N: Gosh, are they EVER going to find the babies? Let’s hope Aegon isn’t about to do anything stupid. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter <3

[sansacherie]

THE ONCE PRINCESS OF DRAGONSTONE: A RETELLING OF RHAENYRA I BY MAESTER LUTHOR

King Viserys I reigned for almost a decade before a burst belly took him in the year 111.

Between his two marriages, he had sired three trueborn children. Princess Rhaenyra, his eldest daughter by his cousin Aemma Arryn, and his younger children, Princess Alysanne and Princess Helaena by Alicent Hightower.

Viserys was twenty-six when he succeeded his grandfather. In contrast, Princess Rhaenyra was fourteen and therefore still two years from her majority. Her father was not only a man-grown but a wedded one. True, he and his queen were still bereft of a prince after enduring numerous losses. But a hale princess enabled hope of strong brothers, especially when Queen Aemma was still young and capable of getting with the King’s child. Viserys was also the victor of the Great Council of 101. Lords great and small voted overwhelmingly to support his claim if the rumors were true. No precedent existed for the princess, too young to recall Harrenhal.

Most importantly, while Viserys Targaryen had been the fifth Targaryen king, Rhaenyra would be the first Targaryen queen.

She was, of course, not the first girl to be named heir to the Iron Throne in its history. Aerea Targaryen was her uncle’s until King Jaehaerys began propagating the royal line. And while Rhaenys Targaryen had never officially been declared Princess of Dragonstone, she was of a birth that saw her considered by many in the realm as a future queen regnant, including her grandmother Queen Alysanne. However, this was different.

With the absence of trueborn brothers, Princess Rhaenyra was unquestionably His Grace’s heir according to Andal tradition, followed by her half-sisters, until she wed and sired children. However, it was well known that the Velaryons only begrudgingly accepted the outcome of the Great Council. Corlys Velaryon, an ambitious man, was most aggrieved by the claims of his beloved wife and son being overlooked. Therefore, one can see why they acted to advance the interests of House Velaryon.

Just one day after His Grace’s body was cremated in the Dragonpit, Princess Rhaenys flew to Kingslanding on Meleys. Nor was she alone. Her daughter Lady Laena accompanied her on her own mount, the mighty Vhagar. They came with a proposal, although some might be more ready to believe it a demand. The Great Council ruled that the Iron Throne must pass through the male line to his male descendants. However, King Viserys left no legitimate sons of his body. Princess Rhaenys remained of an older line than Princess Rhaenyra. She also possessed a male heir, who was still free to be used in marriage.

Therefore surely the Hand understood why there was a need to solve the matter of succession peaceably between the King’s daughters and the Velaryons.

Otto Hightower understood their perspective, but he was reluctant to accept such an agreement. While he gave Princess Rhaenyra’s position all its due honor, he was also a man who knew something of ambition. He did not want to relinquish the girl’s regency, nor was the Lord Hand blind to the fact that if Rhaenyra ascended, his own grandchildren would be first and second in line.

Furthermore, such an event would surely take months to arrange as it did before, although, of course, one could say that a war would take even longer, and be considerably bloodier.

However, they could not so easily dismiss the Velaryons. Thanks to Lord Corlys, they were the wealthiest house in Westeros. It was also reasonable to assume that the power of the stormlands would be with them, as Rhaenys was the daughter of Jocelyn Baratheon, whose brother was fierce in his support of his niece.

And perhaps most critically, they had three dragons to Rhaenyra’s one.

It is sometimes that the correct answer is the simplest one. It was the Dowager Queen who proposed that instead Rhaenyra be betrothed to her cousin, Laenor Velaryon.

Grand Maester Runcitor would record this meeting between the queen and the queen who never was.

“Let us not waste our time with great councils,” Queen Alicent is said to have told Princess Rhaenys. “Let us betroth Princess Rhaenyra to your son, and have their marriage put this matter to bed for the good of the realm.”

“A tempting offer,” the proud Rhaenys would reply. “If made in good faith.”

“I assure you it is,” answered Alicent Hightower. “Just as I accepted the King’s hand in good faith.” The implication, just as the one that Rhaenys had given by arriving on a dragon, was clear. Queen Alicent had not forgotten the rumors that arose about her virtue when she wed His Grace. The cause of such rumors could reasonably be traced to Driftmark, as they had been most wroth over the King’s choice in bride. However, such unpleasantness could be left in the past, for the sake of a marriage alliance that was dignified for both parties. The Dowager Queen held no interest in making an enemy of Driftmark, not when she had two little girls to consider. Queen Alicent feared Alysanne and Helaena being inevitable targets if knives came out over Rhaenyra’s succession.

It is not recorded how Rhaenys Targaryen responded. However, she agreed to present the match to her lord husband, after first bringing King Viserys’ ashes to Dragonstone.

Lord Corlys must have seen the sense in the offer, although he was displeased that the terms meant neither his wife nor son would rule in their own right, and that instead, Laenor was reduced to a consort. That is perhaps why he inquired if Rhaenyra and Laenor’s children would take the name of their father, as was the custom.

Rhaenyra was insulted. “Has the Sea Snake swallowed too much seawater?” She demanded of her ladies. “My sons will be Targaryens, whoever their father is.” In the end, it was accepted that they would have their mother’s name, but upon Lord Corlys’ passing, their second son or eldest daughter would take the Velaryon name and Driftmark.

Their betrothal ended with a lavish ceremony in 112 AC. Rhaenyra was fifteen, Laenor three years her senior. Being a cousin and of Valyrian descent on both sides, he was a suitable match for a Targaryen princess with no brothers.

Princess Rhaenyra did not however consider him suitable. Still fresh in grief for her doting father, she demanded to know why she must marry a cousin that she had not laid eyes upon for years when she could have any man in the Seven Kingdoms.

Why should she sacrifice the enjoyment of seeing men fight for her hand, just so Driftmark could be appeased?

“Then do it not for their sake,” Lord Beesbury, the Master of Coin. “But for the sake of your father the King.” King Viserys might have been a romantic who had wed for love, but he was not a romantic fool. He would agree with the need for Velaryons. This inevitably sobered the young maiden.

So Rhaenyra took Laenor to husband, and all agreed they made a striking couple. While the Velaryons enjoyed their hour of triumph, Queen Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent paid tribute to each other at the wedding feast. Princess Helaena was judged too little for the festivities and thus remained in the nursery. However, Princess Alysanne was old enough to attend, to her sheer delight. At one point she could be seen dancing with a laughing Lady Laena. When it came time for the bedding, Laena swapped jokes with her good sister.

The end of Rhaenyra’s regency came quickly. In 113, before a sea of thousands in the Dragonpit, she was proclaimed Queen Rhaenyra, the First of Her Name. Ser Criston Cole, her sworn protector, and Lord Commander of her Queensguard, solemnly placed the crown upon her head. Queen Alicent, beloved of the smallfolk, in turn, placed the crown commissioned for Laenor upon his own. The memory of the coronation over time would be a fond one. In Kingslanding, there was a week of celebrations that ended with a service conducted by the High Septon. On Driftmark, they perhaps would have celebrated even longer, as they toasted to Laenor and Rhaenyra. Of course, there were lords and common alike who muttered about a girl on the throne. Indeed years into the future, such discontent was strong enough to lead to a failed coup that if successful would have seen Rhaenyra take holy vows, therefore enabling her son to take the throne earlier.

It is now that we must raise a sensitive matter. Laenor Velaryon was apparently immune to the charms of women. However, desire was not necessary for duty. That being said, it was not until 115 AC that Queen Rhaenyra presented the realm with children.

As they grew, Prince Jacaerys and Prince Lucerys looked very much like their aunt, Princess Alysanne. The amity between Queen Alicent and Queen Rhaenyra had flowered into a deep affection. If the Dowager Queen resented being unable to have a son before His Grace’s unexcepted passing, she hid it well. It was Her Grace gave comfort to the young queen while she labored to bring forth her twins.

In 117 AC, when Princess Alysanne was ten and Princess Helaena was eight, their mother Queen Alicent wed the dashing Lord of Casterly Rock. It was a match worthy of a queen who was still fair and fertile. More importantly, he had no children by any previous union.

Queen Rhaenyra was not entirely pleased by the marriage. Some whispered that she resented her stepmother for attracting the eye of a man that she herself fancied as a girl. But girls have a hundred fancies, and Rhaenyra was not a girl anymore. More like that Rhaenyra was always wary of any potential threat to her reign, while Queen Rhaenyra loved her half-sisters, the connection they now shared with the Lannisters through their lady mother meant she must continue to hold them close.

Queen Alicent understood this, knowing it was a vain hope to bring one of her daughters with her. She left her weeping daughters behind with a thousand kisses and solemnly bade them to do her proud while she left for the Westerlands. Queen Rhaenyra’s face was guarded as she watched, but when it came to her goodbye, her pride broke. She had known Queen Alicent since she was a little princess, and while Alicent was still too close in age to Her Grace to be her mother, Queen Rhaenyra knew her better than she remembered Queen Aemma. “I pray that you will be happy,” she is said to have told Queen Alicent. “I know that is what our father would want.”

Sadly, the Lady of Casterly Rock suffered several miscarriages before she gave birth to her first son in 120 AC, whom she named Jaime. She was followed by a sister, Johanna, in 121 AC. The babe was named in honor of Johanna Marbrand nee Westerling, whom Alicent had become very close with. Johanna was very like Alicent, a precocious girl who had grown into a confident woman.

To Alicent’s joy, shortly after the birth, Princess Alysanne and Princess Helaena arrived at Casterly Rock atop dragons.

Alysanne had claimed Sunfyre, while her sister’s mount was Dreamfyre, the beast that once bore Rhaena Targaryen through the skies. They were, of course, accompanied by a retinue. Alysanne and Helaena were now thirteen and eleven respectively.

While Helaena was enchanted with her “sweet siblings”, Alysanne laughed at their golden hair. “Their hair matches my Sunfyre’s coloring,” she teased. That was Alysanne’s way. A teasing girl who could be as clever and sweet as she was lazy and cheeky. Queen Rhaenyra could not help but find her sister amusing, although she took Lord Royce’s advice (Rhaenyra had several years before, decided to replace Ser Otto with a vassal to her kin, the Arryns) Instead, to Lord Royce’s chagrin, Alysanne would sometimes interrupt the Small Council, heedless of propriety and the flagon in her hands. Her Grace indulged her sister, as Alysanne worshipped Rhaenyra, although she would not have tolerated herself being interrupted. After consulting with her stepmother via raven, Rhaenyra sent for suitable girls to be companions for Alysanne. However, the princess would declare these girls “boring”. She seemed content enough with having Helaena and Sunfyre as her “best friends”. Alysanne was admittedly quite boastful of her golden beast, particularly when her nephews’ cradle eggs had never hatched.

As for Helaena, she was of a gentle heart that was treasured by many. Like her sisters though, she was not without pride and could be given to sarcasm at times. When asked by one of the queen’s ladies if she hoped to marry Prince Jacaerys or Prince Lucerys one day, Helaena replied that yes, she meant to marry both.

However, when Jacaerys was twenty, he caused a scandal when he wed Alysanne. Alysanne was seven years older than him. She had married a “forgettable” Redwyne, who was good enough to get her with child before dying. Even at four, Lady Alicent was a pious thing of solemn mien.

Some whispered that Alysanne had deliberately seduced Jacaerys. The Lady of Casterly Rock was incensed by the whispers, as much as she was troubled by the breaking of a betrothal.

So was Rhaenyra for that matter. In the wake of Luke’s death, Jacaerys had become even more precious to her. However, she was angered by the dishonor Jacaerys caused. So, too was Lady Laena. The cousins had become very close over the years, but Jacaerys’ actions would make Laena considerably cool towards Queen Rhaenyra. It was perhaps just as well that Laena was now without her Vhagar, the beast dying in its sleep in 131.

The scandal also caused conflict with her brother, Ser Laenor. Ser Laenor was torn between his sister and his son, and this ended up causing more tensions in his marriage with the queen, a marriage already hurt by Lucerys’ death. Fortunately, he was able to find much comfort in Joffrey Lonmouth, long beloved to him. Joffrey had too wed and sired sons, and they had trained alongside Jacaerys and Lucerys.

Eventually, a peace of sorts was reached. In 136 AC, Queen Rhaenyra organized a match between her niece and her half-brother, the sixteen-year-old Lord of Casterly Rock. The match proved to be a success, and in time they had three children – Myrcella, Cerelle, and Jason.

Queen Alicent did not live to see the birth of Jason, however. She died in 143, after an illness that coiled itself around her body. “I want to be with Helaena again, my sweet girl,” the once-queen said to her septa and Lady Johanna as she awaited death. “I want to tell her how proud I am.” The princess had died at the age of 15. When visiting Casterly Rock, a Lannister enemy was so brazen to attempt an abduction of Lady Johanna in front of her royal sister. Helaena had done more than scream, she had fearlessly given her own body to the villain's knife so her sister could snatch an escape, however, it ended up costing her life. The realm wept over Helaena, most of all her sister Alysanne, but Alicent and Rhaenyra found anger better than tears. Grief-drunk, Alicent Hightower demanded the man’s wife and children found if he had them, so she could bathe in their blood. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra ordered that the murderer be brought to Kingslanding, where upon his arrival, it is said that she had tortured him for seven days before Ser Laenor finally put an end to him with his Seasmoke.

While dying, Alicent often spoke of Helaena. She did not however mention either of the two men that had both made her widows. Indeed, in the years after her death, some whispered that Alicent Hightower seemed to prefer her Lady Johanna during her years at the Rock, a preference that went beyond mere friendship. That being said, it is perhaps easier to speculate about the dead than the living. As for Lady Johanna, if she knew of the rumors she paid it little mind. She would continue visiting Oldtown, where Alicent’s bones were sent, once a year until her death.

It is now that we turn to Jaehaerys, the Queen’s first grandchild, born in 135 AC. The failure of his cradle egg to hatch foreshadowed what was to come – the fall of the Targaryen’s glory and bane, the dragons.

[presidenthades]

Once again, I am doing a series of my behind-the-scenes thoughts for The Golds while I do light edits for formatting, typos, and continuity. Here’s Chapter 9!

For this chapter’s title, I went with the final stanza of “The Song of the Seven” when the lyrics talk about all the gods, because the chapter ends with Jace and Aegon arriving for the anointment ceremony.

I kinda feel sorry for Jace and Aegon discovering the true hardships of parenthood (night feedings! Sleep deficit!), but they also have a castle full of servants to do all the chores. Raising a baby is hard, but at least they don’t have to worry about laundry or cooking. Can’t blame Jace for delegating diaper changes, though.

I have no idea how long a dragon’s gestation period is supposed to be. No reason it can’t be comparable to a human’s? They’re fictional anyway 😛. But I wanted Vermax’s gestation to align with Jace’s pregnancy to highlight that dragon/rider bond, since the show has cuts of Syrax reacting during Rhaenyra’s labor in Episode 10.

There’s a fandom theory that dragons seem to thrive more roaming freely on Dragonstone than chained in the Dragonpit. But one disadvantage of the Dragonmont is the Cannibal, who I imagine is quick to hint down new eggs and hatchlings. So when a claimed dragon is expected to lay eggs, I think the Dragonkeepers are very alert about when it happens. It might be harder to keep tabs on unclaimed dragons like Silverwing, who probably do their own thing without a rider to keep tabs on them. But otherwise the Dragonkeepers are trying their best to save the eggs from getting eaten.

There’s also probably a narrow window after Vermax lays eggs when she goes away to hunt or something, and that’s when humans are able to get the eggs. Otherwise Vermax might not be so happy about them taking her eggs, and Jace is in no shape to go up the mountain and tell her to calm down.

There’s some debate whether Sunfyre was a cradle egg or a dragon that Aegon claimed as a kid. The strong bond makes me want to say cradle egg, but Sunfyre seems a lot larger than most dragons his age if so, and there are lines in F&B which indicate that Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond might not have even received cradle eggs. There might not have been eggs available when the genre born, or maybe Viserys chose not to give them eggs because he was showing favor to Rhaenyra’s line. Daeron is the youngest so he’s a special case because of the timing; there might have been more eggs when he was born, or, in the book (where Daeron and Jacaerys are of similar ages), Viserys may have felt obligated to offer an egg to Daeron since he gave eggs to Rhaenyra’s kids.

I’m leaning toward Aegon claiming Sunfyre (who could have been a young dragon in the Dragonpit). In that case, it’s extra important to Aegon that he gets an egg for his son, especially if you go with the headcanon that Viserys deliberately didn’t give Aegon an egg. By personally choosing an egg and placing it in the cradle, this is another way Aegon can demonstrate his love and approval to his own son, which Viserys didn’t show to Aegon.

In the last chapter’s commentary, I mentioned that I made Aegon minimally affected by the glass candle since he’s not inclined toward magic. But Joff is very interested in magic and has actually used the candle, so it has a much greater effect on her. Kinda like how the One Ring in LOTR affects different people differently.

I think we can all agree that generally, it’s an asshole move to a) purposely create sudden loud noises around a newborn and b) shove a woman who just gave birth. Joff is not entirely herself and she shows remorse, so she gets some sympathy. At the same time, I think it’s clear why Aegon is so angry. From his perspective, Jace is bleeding on the floor and screaming for Joff to stop whatever she’s doing, and he catches Joff with her hands literally in the cradle. He believes he came just in time to stop something terrible from happening, and who knows what would’ve happened if Joff hadn’t snapped out of it? So Aegon is not going to immediately forgive Joff for hurting Jace/almost hurting the baby. And if it were anyone else (not Jace’s sister, not the person who just saved Jace and Cheeseball), he probably wouldn’t have forgiven them at all.

As for Jace, despite her own fear and pain, her first instinct is to try to protect Joff by lying for her, because that’s her sister and Aegon is pretty pissed. As usual, Jace sets her own needs and comfort aside in favor of her loved ones. But now Jace has a helpless baby to think about. She might still put her sisters above herself, but Cheeseball comes before her sisters now.

I allude to the glass candle in the Handbook, first when Daeron blabs about getting Joff something from Oldtown in Chapter 7, then in the final scene of the fic when Daemon catches the two of them examining the candle. The Citadel doesn’t officially acknowledge the existence of the candles (although it seems to be an open secret in Oldtown), so Daeron must’ve been very sneaky and creative to be able to “borrow” it.

“Joff won’t like it” is one of Daeron’s mantras when he decides what to do or not to do. He’s probably going to have to grow out of this eventually 😅.

“Joff is going to have to do a lot of things she doesn’t like. That’s life.” Aegon learned this life lesson a while ago, but he truly absorbs and embodies it in Chapter 10 when he steps into the game.

Vermax laid three eggs. The mysterious wet nurse said Aegon and his wife would have three children 🧐.

Jace dresses Cheeseball in Targaryen red knits for his first day of being paraded around the family!

Baela, Rhaena, and Helaena are basically the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty. They’re even color-coded the same!

It’s revealed in Chapter 10 that Helaena has no interest in pregnancy/childbirth, but that doesn’t mean she’s opposed to children entirely. She just doesn’t want to carry them. Hence her and Rhaena’s little chat about Garmund, who would hypothetically be the medieval equivalent of a sperm donor while Rhaena and Helaena raise any kids. It’s also why they picked Daemion Velaryon as Helaena’s potential husband in the Handbook; Daemion is implied to be gay and he has no holdings to bequeath, so his wife doesn’t need to have kids, compared to, say, Kermit Tully.

It’s OK Baela, your gift to Cheeseball was your midwifery skills.

Aegon hovers a lot over Cheeseball right now because the birth was a very fraught experience, and the Joff incident didn’t help his nerves. Also he’s just in the “newborn dad” phase. When Cheeseball gets older and is a bit less fragile, I think Aegon will let Cheeseball run around and get in age-appropriate trouble.

Cheeseball is literally one day old but I couldn’t resist infusing some personality into him. He enjoys feminine attention, likes boobs, and instinctively thinks Aemond is kinda weird. Definitely Aegon’s son 😂.

Luce was about to say her kids are gonna be named after historical figures, because Aemond’s a history nerd 😢.

Aemond is trying to be cool and pretend he isn’t super interested in the baby, but this man spent a small fortune on that Valyrian steel dagger 😭.

“Aemma” is the magic word when it comes to Viserys. Although he shipped Luce and Aemond at the end of the Handbook, he’s putting on his king hat and doing what he thinks is necessary (but also Elenda invoked Aemma). Viserys wants to be a peacemaker (although he fails miserably in canon), and he wants people to like him (can't remember which episode, but he asks Lyonel or Otto if they think he'll be remembered as a good king). Breaking up Luce and Aemond is a price he's willing to pay. He doesn't care about Aemond's feelings, and while he does care about Luce's feelings, he doesn't think a young girl's romantic affections are worth destabilizing the Crown. And since there isn't any official arrangement between her and Aemond, Viserys thinks there isn't much shame for her in being jilted, since there's no betrothal to be jilted.

Borros Baratheon is gunning hard for power and a royal marriage. In F&B, he seizes every opportunity to advantageously betroth his daughters, and he tells his wife to name their unborn son Aegon after Aegon II. The Baratheons also claim Targ blood through Orys, a more recent infusion of Valyrian blood through Queen Alyssa, and kinship to Rhaenys (and Jace and her sisters by extension). If any great lord thinks he "deserves" a royal marriage, it has to be this guy.

In F&B, Elenda seems like a cunning woman who balances the desires of her daughters with the welfare of House Baratheon as a whole (considering how she dealt with Cassandra's marriage in the book). She is grieving for Floris, but she has three other living daughters to think about, and she's too smart/ambitious to let this opportunity slip by despite her grief.

Aegon has a very cynical view of Viserys, but honestly he's pretty close to the truth IMO. I always side-eye the show writers/actors when they say Viserys is a good person just trying his best because…uh…I don't think so 😅. There are already tons of blogs and opinions out there explaining why Viserys is kinda terrible so I won't parrot them. But ultimately, it seems Viserys is driven primarily by the prophecy (his desperation for a son, then him believing the PTWP will come from Rhaenyra's line) and by guilt about Aemma. So that taints my opinion of his love and affection for Rhaenyra, and her children in turn. Rhaenyra's kids are more important than Alicent's kids, but they aren't the most important thing either.

Aegon is also kinda right about hiding the info from Jace during the pregnancy. She probably would have stressed herself even more if she knew the truth, and that wouldn't be good for her health or the baby's. So the temporary information diet was probably the best call Aegon could have made in that situation.

When Rhaenyra arrives, she's frowning at Aegon who's freaking out in the corridor. He stays there like that until Alicent makes him get lunch for Jace.

Joff feels very guilty about last night, so she decides to remove herself from the situation out of fear of a repeat.

Even though Rhaenyra generally has a good relationship with her daughters, no mother-daughter relationship is perfect. Jace and Rhaenyra have pretty different personalities, and arguably different values, but Jace is a people-pleaser and Rhaenyra is on the chill side for a Westerosi mom, so they get along most of the time. But when they clash, they really clash (like that argument in Chapter 6 of the Handbook that Daemon slept through, about Jace's elopement to Aegon).

Jace thinking that she would throw herself off a tower if she'd been presented with her baby torn up is a reference to Helaena and Maelor

I honestly don't think Rhaenyra has really forgiven Viserys for Aemma's death. She just moved on, because what other choice was there? He's her father and the king.

Rhaenyra really didn't like Aegon growing up (for reasons already included in past commentaries), but she was more neutral about Aemond. There isn't the same baggage about Aegon claiming everyone's attention/replacing her, and Aemond was much better behaved. And I think Luce was spoiled more while Jace was the responsible one making sacrifices and doing her duty, so there is different treatment in that regard.

I was going to elaborate more in earlier drafts before I rewrote some subplots, but Alicent had perinatal depression during her pregnancy with Daeron. It got bad enough that even Viserys noticed, and after the maesters advised a respite from court might help, he decided this meant sending Alicent to Oldtown for the rest of the pregnancy—without her three older children 🙃. That’s why Alicent was away in Oldtown, and that’s why she can empathize with Jace’s current mess of emotions. If I ever write that Alicent & Rhaenyra POV fic of the kids’ childhood, this subplot is definitely going in there.

Rhaenyra ultimately resigned herself to Jace/Aegon for the sake of her child’s happiness, and Alicent did the same re: Luce/Aemond. Parallels!

“All your children will be precious to you, but it is your firstborn who changes you the most.” Of course Alicent is thinking about Aegon when she says that. She might not always like him very much, but that doesn’t make it any less true, and she loves him anyway. She just isn’t great at showing it, and she has hurt him physically and emotionally, and that’s left its mark on Aegon.

Just like in Chapter 5, Jace and Aegon reconcile quickly because they don’t like being at odds with each other. Again, Jace is a people-pleaser, and Aegon is a Jace-pleaser, which helps a lot when they need to be honest with each other about their mistakes.

Aegon’s joke about commissioning a giant gold statue for Joff is a reference to Aegon in F&B wanting to commission giant gold statues for his brothers.

Aemond 100% cares what other people think about him. He supposedly wears the eyepatch so his sapphire eye doesn’t scare ladies at court (even though it’s gorgeous??), and he gets triggered by Maris’s purported taunt about his balls in F&B. He has a lot of internal motivation to excel, but I think he wants external validation that he’s good enough (see: his whole “‘tis I who studies” speech). So even though he’s impulsive enough to suggest eloping (the Storm’s End chase was one big impulse in the show, the roast pig triggers him into making the Strong boys toast), he would care a lot about the gossip and his reputation afterward. And TBH Aemond is not a very emotionally stable guy, so I can totally see him lashing out against an easy target who doesn’t deserve it—like Luce. But hey, that’s what a character growth arc is for!

The Faith is supposed to be based on Catholicism, so I figured they have an in-world equivalent of a baptism. The religious lore is different so instead of water, they use oils; we see Aegon being anointed by oils during his coronation in Episode 9. And seven is THE lucky number in the Faith/Westeros, so babies are usually anointed at seven weeks old.

Typical Viserys forgot that Jace might have some trauma related to the Grand Sept 🙃.

At this rate the Dragonpit is going to become a symbol of Jace and Aegon’s marriage. And it’s a nice blend of Targaryen power as well as a nod of respect to the Faith. Jace is very conscious of the importance of the Faith’s support and the need to assimilate into Westerosi culture while retaining icons of Targaryen superiority.

“You’re thinking like a statesman.” Jace is right though, Aegon could be good at it if he tried…

Cheeseball was born on the small side since he came early (and stress during pregnancy can lead to smaller babies too), but he is definitely a chonker now.

A commenter once suggested that Aegon might have a lactation kink and now I can’t get it out of my head

Deep down Jace knows that Baela had feelings for her, but Jace tries not to think about it/pretends she doesn’t know. Jace prefers her sisterly relationship with Baela, and acknowledging non-platonic feelings would affect that. Also, Baela has more or less moved on (most likely?), so Jace thinks there’s no point acknowledging it anyway.

Is Aegon being extra when he uses dracarys on a dirty diaper? Probably yeah, but what else is he going to do with it?

I like to think the Garden girls are part of the crowd waving gold flags when they fly back to KL.

Aegon says he hates playing politics, but he puts on a show without thinking about it. He even gives the crowd a Lion King moment when he holds up the baby.

Chapter 10 commentary here

[kristinakyidyl]

The last in my "dragons who never were" series is the egg of Elaena Targaryen. Elaena is one of my favorite targs, and she is the "drop of dragon blood" in Brown Ben Plumm. She is also - Along with Alyn "Oakenfist" Velaryon - the progenitor of house Longwaters. She had a long and interesting life, and it would have been even cooler if she'd had a dragon. Her egg is described as "platinum white and bright golden", the same colors as her hair. The image is copics and gold leaf, with a little bit of digital. The blurb for this one is also my favorite of the blurbs. I could write so much about her life if she'd had a dragon. Anyway, that's it, I've gone through all the eggs. =D

"In 150AC, House Targaryen's dour king welcomed a fifth - and last - child. A bright, happy baby girl with soft lavender eyes, and hair the color of platinum with a streak of gold. Her sister Daena chose the egg gifted to her, and placed it in her sister's cradle, delighting in how it matched the newborn's hair. It quickened and hatched, and a platinum-and-gold dragon spilled forth. This dragon was born thin, with an overly long neck, and an overly long tail. He was strange in other ways, too, having a split tail and small wings on his back legs. These, with the strange, whistling roar, made it obvious which dragon had sired this beast. Although Elaena named her dragon Sunspark, it was often referred to as "Noodle", owing to an off-handed joke Daena made about the animal resembling a "flopping noodle" when it was learning to walk.

Elaena, herself not considered a great beauty until much later in her life, was not at all bothered by her dragon's unusual shape nor her sister's japes. She slept with her dragon every night, hugging it like a toy, until it became too large to sleep in her bed and began sleeping on the floor of her chambers. They spent their days outside in the sun, Elaena teaching her dragon to fly and return when summoned, how to eat from her hand, how to bow and follow all manner of commands. It was said that there had never been a closer bond between a dragon and its rider, and Sunspark almost seemed to understand every word Elaena said to him.

When the princess was five, Sunspark became too large to be indoors at all, and was moved to the dragonpit. It is said that on the first night of this neither the dragonkeepers nor any anyone in the castle got a moment of rest, kept awake by the cries of dragon and child alike. Her mother, who had loved dragons since her first meeting with the lady Rhaena's dragon Morning, thought that Sunspark should be kept in the castle yard and the princess's rooms moved to a lower floor where they could be closer, but her father would not hear a word of it. Some say it was because he disliked dragons in general, and others say that it was because Sunspark's golden wings and horns too closely resembled the dragon that had eaten Aegon III's mother, but whatever the reason neither the queen nor the young princess were able to convince the king to allow the dragon to return to the keep. Eventually, both settled and were able to sleep apart from each other. However, Elaena spent all of her time in the dragonpit, Especially after the repairs to the structure were finished in late 156AC. But despite all of her training finesse and the strength of their bond, she had yet to take her first flight, wanting to allow her dragon to grow larger than strictly necessary before trying to carry her weight.

Her father would never live to see Elaena's first flight, as he passed in 157AC of consumption. They all visited Dragonstone for the funeral, and it was the longest Elaena had ever been away from Sunspark. After watching her sister claim Aurion, the young princess vowed that the first thing she'd do on returning to the city was finally ride her dragon. This turned out to be true, and on her return to the city the young girl accomplished the same feat her grandmother had, becoming a dragonrider at the young age of seven. As they were both still young, their flight was around the city, but she flew every day thereafter, often with her sister beside her. Soon they would be racing each other back and forth to Dragonstone, a skill that proved to be valuable in 161 AC when their brother - King Baelor the Zealot - attempted to keep them locked in Maegor's holdfast. They escaped after one week and made their way to the dragonpit, saddling and flying their dragons to Dragonstone in the dark of the night. There, Elaena was free to fly as often as she pleased, and her sister was free to continue her affair with their cousin Aegon. Baelor, having no dragon of his own, was forced to accept their escape, although their sister Rhaena chose to stay in the Red Keep rather than risk a flight on Aurion's back. She had inherited her father's distaste for dragons, and never had the desire to ride one. She was far less afraid of their brother and King's Landing, and so she stayed in her prison."

[addamvelaryon]

Just thinking about the similarities between Rhaenyra and Daeron, the eldest and youngest children of King Viserys I Targaryen...

Both are known for having beauty and charm:

At the center of the merriment, cherished and adored by all, was their only surviving child, Princess Rhaenyra, the little girl the court singers dubbed “the Realm’s Delight.” Though only six when her father came to the Iron Throne, Rhaenyra Targaryen was a precocious child, bright and bold and beautiful as only one of dragon’s blood can be beautiful.

— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon: A Question of Succession

His little brother, Prince Daeron, was the most popular of the queen’s sons, as clever as he was courteous, and most comely as well.

— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon: A Question of Succession

Amongst their siblings, they are the only ones to serve as cupbearers:

At eight, the princess was placed into service as a cupbearer…but for her own father, the king.

— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon: A Question of Succession

When he turned twelve in 126 AC, Daeron was sent to Oldtown to serve as cupbearer and squire to Lord Hightower.

— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon: A Question of Succession

It should be noted though, that despite their bright and charming personalities, they have a darker nature underneath that shows itself when they grow angry. In the midst of their anger, they can act in a way that might be viewed as beyond reason:

Then Queen Rhaenyra grew most wroth, Septon Eustace writes. In a voice as cold as ice, she commanded Ser Luthor Largent to take twenty gold cloaks to the Dragonpit and arrest Ser Addam Velaryon. “Question him sharply, and we will learn if he is true or false, beyond a doubt.” As to the girl Nettles, “She is a common thing, with the stink of sorcery upon her,” the queen declared.

[...]

Therefore, let a command be sent at once to Maidenpool, but only for the eyes of Lord Mooton. “Let him take her at table or abed and strike her head off. Only then shall my prince be freed.”

— Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Triumphant

When Lady Caswell appeared on the ramparts of her castle to ask for the same terms Lady Merryweather had received, Hightower let Prince Daeron give the answer: “You shall receive the same terms you gave my nephew Maelor.” Her ladyship could only watch as Bitterbridge was sacked.

— Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Triumphant

I think it’s also worth considering the impact their living situations might have had on them, re: them developing some type of abandonment issues. The early years of her childhood were a happy time but Rhaenyra ends up losing her mother at a very young age. After Rhaenyra’s father remarries to Alicent, the environment at court becomes a hostile one for Rhaenyra. The grown men around her have dubious intentions as well. When Rhaenyra finally manages to find a safety net for herself in the mini court she creates at Dragonstone, it doesn’t last long and Laena/Laenor/Harwin all die in quick succession. Once the war starts, Rhaenyra ends up losing her children one by one as well. Rhaenyra’s fear about losing her loved ones is a big part of her characterization and influences many of the actions she takes during the Dance. As for Daeron, he is the only one amongst his siblings to be sent away far from home. Even if being fostered with his maternal relatives was something done for his own good, it doesn’t change how a child his age might have felt being shipped off to live in an unfamiliar city while the rest of his siblings remain in the capital with their parents. Not to mention, Daeron is depicted as being a more capable individual than his older brothers but at the same time, he’s described as being always in their shadow. That discrepancy is bound to affect him. No matter how dutiful a person is, there will always remain that underlying feeling that all your efforts will never make you good enough in the eyes of your family.

These two siblings are also the emotional type. However, it’s a trait that does leave them feeling helpless when faced with the violence of war:

Rhaenyra was still so griefsick over the death of her son Lucerys that she absented herself from the war council, giving over her command to the Sea Snake and his wife, Princess Rhaenys.

— Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons: The Red Dragon and the Gold

Septon Eustace and Grand Maester Munkun both assert that Prince Daeron was sickened by all he saw and commanded Ser Hobert Hightower to put a stop to it, but Hightower’s efforts proved as ineffectual as the man himself.

— Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Triumphant

My most favourite passage from the book connecting these two, however, is the following quote:

Yet the greatest threat to Rhaenyra’s reign was not Aemond One-Eye, but his younger brother, Prince Daeron the Daring, and the great southron army led by Lord Ormund Hightower.

— Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Triumphant

It greatly exemplifies the tragedy of Rhaenyra’s reign. Daeron is the sibling that’s most like Rhaenyra, and he’s the one who’s positioned as being the biggest threat to her. It could almost be interpreted as Rhaenyra’s downfall being not just because of outside forces but also internal self choices. When she finally came into power, as the Queen on the Iron Throne, she’s in the least ideal situation a monarch could be in: empty treasury, frightened smallfolk, nobles of uncertain loyalty. At the same time, her actions over the course of her reign are presented as the reason people ultimately turn against her (eg. condemning the Dragonseeds and overtaxing the citizens of King’s Landing). 

[dreamedfyre-a]

❝ If I am king, then crown me. ❞

It had been days since father's passing, days during which his death remained a poorly guarded secret. Helaena had watched it all unfold as one may watch a dream, a distant thing that is happening but not, something a long time coming finally made tangible in reality. Well, not quite. Not until Aegon is crowned, as he, restless and impatient, demanded after days of preparations and no ascension in sight.

Helaena cannot blame him. They had to look for Aegon the moment the old king was dead, but they all knew what was to come. Is Aegon king yet, Aemond had not been afraid to ask upon receiving the news of father's death, even though Aegon himself had hesitated and wished to set aside the crown. There is no good outcome, however. There could never be, from the moment father named his first daughter heir and proceeded to have three more sons.

Mother says Rhaenyra would have them all killed; Aegon, and Aemond, and Daeron, her little boys too. Helaena knows not what to think; Rhaenyra had never been cruel to her, yet neither had she been kind, only distant enough she would sometimes forget she had a sister at all. And ugly things can be done for a crown, everyone knows. Dragons have fought amongst themselves for it before, and Aegon the Uncrowned met his end on dragonback beneath the God's Eye in such a dispute.

She has seen a silver-haired prince duel to the death with another Targaryen dragonrider in her dreams, but she isn't sure that was Aegon. The battle had been above the God's Eye, not beneath.

'Tis only seven days after her sire is dead that they share the news. And it is only as the hasty preparations for the coronation start to be made that she is dragged into it, surprised though she has no reason to be. Aegon will be king, and you're going to be his queen; an adage oft repeated to her ever since she was a girl. Helaena didn't want to be queen — but if Aegon could not refuse his kingly role, there was nothing she could do short of taking her children to Dreamfyre and flying away, as distant as possible from crowns and thrones.

She cannot protect them, however. And this is all, in part, to protect those she loves the most. Maelor and Jaehaerys, but Daeron, and Aemond, and Aegon as well. Mother, who Rhaenyra had always misliked, grandfather, for who she held no love, Ser Criston, who, though she knew not the story between them, clearly was resented much as he resented the Princess of Dragonstone. And Helaena doesn't want a crown for herself, but if a crown would help in any way to ensure they wouldn't be harmed, then she would gladly bear its weight.

They dress her in green. Not her house's colors, but just as significant. Helaena is pleased that they go to the Dragonpit for the coronation; it's spacious enough the crowd will be kept away, and she can take solace in the familiarity of one of her favorite places. She met Dreamfyre here. Even now, her dragon is but a short distance away, close enough that she could simply run to her.

She wants to. Violet eyes glance at the benches, filled with tens of thousands of people. Too many. People she had never seen, cheering for them, senseless though it seemed to cheer so vibrantly for kings and queens and princesses and princes you had never met. They do not seem upset that Rhaenyra is not being crowned. And why should they? They didn't know Rhaenyra either. As long as they had a good leader, one who would provide safety and what comfort could be provided, there is little reason they should care whether it is the son or the daughter of the late king being crowned.

Helaena doesn't want to be queen, but if she has to, she wishes to be a good queen for them.

Her grandfather speaks of the dead king, of his wish for the crown to pass on to Aegon, some more things Helaena does not listen to. It takes great effort to stand perfectly still. Her fingers almost reach for a ring, eager to turn it over and over, but she bites the side of her cheek instead. The impulse to play with her necklace almost wins, but she makes it pass as if only fixing her jewelry before trying to stay still again.

She had not spoken to Aegon ( they speak so little to each other, most of the time ), yet they exchange a glance when called to kneel before the Septon. You don't have to go through it alone, is bound to wither on the tip of her tongue before it can be said. Her desire to make it known somehow is not enough to make the feeling manifest. She wishes to hold his hand, silly though it may be; yet her fingers merely brush his as they lower their heads to receive their blessings, the ghost of a touch, of a presence, barely there at all.

It is Ser Criston who holds the valyrian steel crown of the Conqueror, black and red with its vivid rubies, and it is he who places it upon her husband's brow. The knight is a comforting presence; a protector and more than that. He had been near them ever since they were little, a more constant presence than even that of their father. More welcome, too; the Seven may look unkindly on her for thinking so, yet their father had not been to them what the knight was. As a girl, she had at times wished that he was their father in truth, fanciful thought that it was, and only been saddened by the idea it would mean losing Dreamfyre.

He looks so serious; commited to his duty, as Helaena has always known him to be. Proud, she wonders? To be crowned king was deemed a moment of great triumph. There was none more fitting, then, to proclaim her husband Aegon of House Targaryen, Second of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, than the man who had taken upon himself to be his teacher and protector and much more than his role demanded.

What does Ser Criston see, when he looks at them?

Her gaze only leaves the knight once Aegon is crowned. Helaena looks at her mother, then, and the crown held in her delicate fingers. Gold and emerald, artfully woven together in a beautiful piece. She had always thought it looked particularly pleasant in contrast to mother's dark hair. It suited her. Being queen suited her, regardless of her not being the blood of the dragon. Violet eyes flicker with uncertainty, anxiety, fear. It does not stop Alicent from approaching her, placing the crown that was hers atop Helaena's head, and she stills as if entrusted something so precious and fragile it might shatter were she to breathe.

Mother kisses her cheeks, kneels before her, bows her head. Everything feels so wrong in the world. It is her place to address the queen with due deference, to show her mother appropriate respect. ❝ My queen, ❞ Alicent says, and it's wrong, wrong, wrong. You are the queen, yet more words that vanish before having the chance of being said. I do not know how to do this. They love you, it's your crown, take it back, it's yours, I don't want it. You should be queen forever.

That is not the way of things. So Helaena accepts it as gracefully as she can, a brief, small smile offered to her lady mother, a soft glance directed at Ser Criston. Afraid, but grateful she is so trusted. Daunted, but certain she will have support. For all the uncertainties in the world, one truth she believes to be unchanging: they had each other. What trials they had to face would not be fought alone. The crown is a burden, not a privilege, yet if her steps faltered while carrying it, there were those beside her to steer her in the right way.

As they watch Aegon take to the skies with Sunfyre, golden and glittering and gorgeous, Helaena laments not accompanying them on Dreamfyre. They should fly together more often ( before they try to tear his wings, before she loses the strength to lift hers ).

[lemonhemlock]

What your headcanons about the greens dragons and their personalities?

Anonymous asked: Can you give us your headcanons about the greens dragons's personalities?

I have a few Sunfyre headcanons here and here. As for the other green dragons, not a lot of these visions from the gods have visited me, except for the fact that I've decided all of them love Alicent, because it would be ironic for the girl who was/is scared of such beasts to have six different dragons simping over her.

I think it would be cool for the egg Rhaenyra picked for Baelon (and, subsequently, the one Daemon stole) to have hatched into Sunfyre. Although it means that somehow the egg traveled back to Dragonstone (because Sunfyre was a hatchling brought over from Dragonstone). Also, that would mean Dreamfyre is Sunfyre's mother.

I buy into the theory that Dreamfyre is the mother of Dany's dragons. I believe it's very likely she laid the eggs that hatched into Morghul and Shrykos + Maelor's egg. I'm saying this because during that time communication was pretty non-existent with Rhaenyra's court at Dragonstone, so it would make more sense to harvest eggs from the most readily-available source. Although Vhagar providing eggs for the children would be cute, too.

Vhagar sees Aemond as her child. He doesn't command her; more like she humours him. She doesn't fit in the Dragonpit, so they built some rudimentary stables for her outside of King's Landing. She has her own separate team of dragon-keepers who take care of her and feed her. It's a pain in the arse to groom her, because she is so big. Aemond had to learn to rope himself like Spiderman around her to clean her and help her shed dead skin. It's an entire choreography he performs with the dragon-keepers, but he quite enjoys it and it's one of the few instances where he works well within a team.

Getting to Vhagar is cumbersome for Aemond. He has to travel by horse for quite a while before he reaches her. As a result, he becomes really skilled at horse-riding and turns into a bit of a horse nerd. He reads a lot about them and discovers zorses are a thing in Essos. Yes, he wants one. IDK why, but I think Aemond would have a soft spot for animals. He'd be a bit of a speed fiend, too. Get into methods of transportation as a hobby. Maybe he would have invented the bicycle in another life.

I see Tessarion as a pretty chill and friendly dragon that the people of Oldtown enjoy admiring from afar, even if they are a little wary. I think one of the reasons Daeron was sent to foster in Oldtown was so that the maesters at the Citadel could get the opportunity to study a dragon. Daeron was always convinced Tessarion was a girl, even since she was a hatchling, but everyone dismissed it as a child's fancy until she laid her first clutch of eggs and then he gotcha-ed everybody.

Aegon is the only one out of his siblings to have a male dragon.

[starogeorgina]

Broken bonds

Paring: Ser Harwin Strong/reader

Warnings: Swearing, child birth

Notes: Like most of my stories, this was written during/after a nightshift, so I apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Thanks to everyone who's kept up with broken bonds so far; I'm so excited for the next part, which catches up with the show!

2.07

The sound of metal clanging together echoes throughout the yard as knights train. You watch proudly as your husband wins each training match without another knight's sword even scraping his armorer.

“The young ones are very taken with Ser Harwin,” your father chuckles watching as Vaegon watches the training mesmerized.

You smile at your father and squeeze his hand, which was covered by a leather glove. Whatever infection your father had spread to the bones in his hand, causing him to become seriously ill, to the point he almost died, but a maester chosen by Rhaenyra managed to save your father's life by cutting off two of his fingers to stop the rot from spreading. Aerion sat on the opposite side of you, his head resting against your side. He had become a lot more clingy recently; you just put it down to his age and the slight jealousy of the new baby coming. You smooth Aerion’s hair, feeling content not only watching Harwin continue to win but also the interactions between your sons and their grandsire.

You focus back on the training yard and notice Harwin looking behind you with a darkness in his eyes that you hadn’t seen before. You look over your shoulder to see Criston Cole standing smugly. Aegon had let slip that the knight had called yours and Rhaenyra’s sons bastard in front of himself, Aemond, and Helaena. Something that infuriated Harwin more than yourself

Each time you returned to the keep, it became more and more toxic.

—

You try your best to focus on your sons, who were staring up at you curiously, and not on the pain developing in your lower stomach. Vaegon had been excitedly telling you that his dragon, Nightmare, now had silver appearing underneath their black scales when you first felt the pains begin.

“Is that so?” You say this, forcing a smile.

You had sent your lady-in-waiting to look for Harwin some time ago; he had gone to greet his sister Cassandra, who had come to stay before traveling to Dragonstone on boat with her brother and your sons. However, it seemed that they may miss the birth, as you suspected your labor was due to start shortly. You were supposed to be leaving in the morrow to Dragonstone, but you couldn’t wait any longer; as soon as your husband arrived, you’d need to leave. Just as you consider sending the knight standing guard in the hallway outside your quarters to go find Rhaenyra, Harwin bursts through the door.

“Vaella!” He rushes to your side and asks, “Is the baby coming? Should I send for the maester?”

“Maester?” You chuckle, placing your hands on the lower back. “The maester and midwives who will be delivering this baby are already on Dragonstone. We need to go to them now.”

“My love, we cannot possibly travel whil-”

“Do as you wish, husband, but I am going to the dragonpit. This baby will not be born here.” You place the palm of your hand against the wall to help keep your balance as the pain intensifies, making sure to smile at your sons so they don’t become scared of seeing you in pain. You let out a deep puff of air. “You can either fly on dragon back with me or go by boat with the boys.”

Frustrated by your stubbornness, Harwin calls his sister, who you hadn’t even heard come in. “Cassandra, look after the boys. I need to let Princess Rhaenyra know we are leaving immediately. She will take care of getting you and the boys to Dragonstone.”

—

As you walk along Harwin’s side, he takes a peek at you from the corner of his eye. You lick at your lips and say, “I know what you’re thinking, and absolutely not.”

You were being more than stubborn now; you were being outright difficult because you’d lost your sense of reason, but you knew Harwin would reach a point where he’d no longer listen to you. After a few moments, Harwin puts a comforting hand on your arm, stopping you from walking any further, and you turn to look up at him. He gives you a small shake of his head and says, “I can’t watch you suffer.”

From the moment Varos arrived on the island, Harwin insisted he carry you since the shooting pains in your stomach were getting closer together, but you refused. “We aren’t much further, plus I’m far too heavy.”

Despite your protests, he picks you up in bridal style and carries you the short distance to the castle. Harwin was the strongest man you knew, but you were still afraid the weight of you would be on too much for him, but you are proven wrong when he didn't even break a sweat by the time you reached the castle entrance.

—

“I can't do it!” Your voice trembles as you’re overwhelmed with pain.

You clutch the blood-stained material of the nightgown you’d changed into so tight that your knuckles turn white. Your contractions had lasted nearly a full day before you dilated far enough for the midwives to announce you were fully in labor. The only positive from your labor being dragged out was that the rest of your family had arrived on time.

“It won’t be long now,” Rhaenyra says, “and this will be over soon.”

Rhaenyra sits by your side, holding your hand as Cassandra dabs at your forehead with a damp rag. Exhaustion had almost overtaken you on several occasions, but your sister and sister-in-law had been the strength that you needed. Your husband had been long sent out of the room. The moment Harwin noticed the blood running down your legs, he started to sway on his feet, and not needing the distraction of panic from him passing out, the midwife in charge ordered him to wait in the next room.

“One more big push.”

You feel as if all the air is sucked from your lungs as you scream louder than you ever have before, bringing your new baby into the world. All the pain you’d suffered was worth it the moment your screaming newborn was placed in your arms.

“It’s a girl princess,” the midwife says before waving to someone to fetch more towels.

Tears of happiness spring to your eyes. “Healthy?”

“Healthy as a horse princess.”

“You’ve no idea how happy I am to meet you, my precious girl.” Smiling, you kiss her on the nose. “Can someone tell Harwin the baby is okay? But please don’t tell him it’s a girl.”

Cassandra places a hand on your shoulder. “I’ll go get my brother.”

Rhaenyra kisses the side of your head, “I’m so proud of you. She’s so beautiful.”

“Thank you." More tears fall from your eyes. “I promised Vaegon and Aerion that they could pick a dragon egg once the baby was born. Could you take them?”

“Of course,” she says, kissing you one last time on the cheek before leaving to get your sons.

Just like her brothers, your daughter had thick, dark hair. You accept a wet cloth from the midwife and gently start to clean her face. It doesn’t take long for the afterbirth to pass, and shortly after Harwin comes into the room,

“My beautiful, strong-willed wife,” he says with the widest smile on his face. “May I?”

You nod and gently hand her over to him. “It’s a girl.”

His face lights up. “A girl, our baby girl.”

Your lady-in-waiting uses the opportunity to fuse over you, fluffing up the pillows at your back to help keep you up right. She reminds you to rest and drink plenty of fluids over the next few days. You thank her and insist she finishes for the night.

You reach for his free hand and link your fingers with his. “I’m sorry I was so stubborn.”

“It’s one of the many things I love about you.” He kisses you on the forehead. “Have you decided a name from the ones we picked out?”

“No, I think you should pick it. It’s only fair since I picked the boys names.”

Harwin lets go of your hand and sits down on the bed beside you, his free hand now wrapped around your waist, while the other holds your daughter carefully. “Ada,” he says, “Ada Strong.”

—

Laying in your bed, you cradle your newborn gently, breastfeeding her with a smile on your face. Across the room, Harwin is slouched in one of the chairs with Vaegon and Aerion on either side of him. Your sons had picked out the perfect pink egg to place in the cradle with their sister, but they had both fallen asleep long before they got the chance to actually meet her.

Just as your daughter stops feeding, the door to the room opens and Rhaenyra steps in, doing her best to remain quiet. “I heard my niece has a name now,” she whispers. “Ada, I believe?”

“Harwin chose it.”

She pulls up a chair and sits beside it, watching as your daughter closes her eyes. Once she’s asleep, you put her in the crib, which is a short distance from your side of the bed.

When you turn back around, you see that your sister's eyes have glossed over. “Rhaenyra, what is wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong; I’ve just been thinking that you should stay here.”

“What?”

She tucks sweaty strands of hair behind your ear and says, "You belong here with your family.”

“But Dragonstone belongs to you, Rhaenyra,” you point out. “Besides, you are my family. I don’t want to be apart from you, Jace, and Luke.”

“I can’t change my own fate, but I can change yours. I wish for you to stay here. I don’t want the greens digging their claws into your sons and dripping poison into their ears. You’ve always wanted to live here.”

“Rhaenyra,” you say sternly, but quickly lower your voice when you notice Harwin stirring. “I’m not going to leave you on your own in court, not again.”

You don’t even realize you’re crying until Rhaenyra wipes your tears away with her thumb. Softly, she says, “I’m the elder; it’s me who should be looking out for you.”

“I won’t leave you.”

“Very well, as heir to the throne, and your future queen, I commanded it. I command that you stay on this island with your husband and children. Dragonstone has always been your home, Vaella,” she presses her forehead against yours. “We will only be one short dragon ride away from each other.”

“I will miss you.”

“We could see each other every day if we wished. I just want to know that at night you’re safe and away from all the badness at court. I’m doing this because I love you.”

“Will you stay here with us for a while longer? I don’t want you going home just yet.”

She nods. When Rhaenyra hugs you, tears fall freely from your eyes, but not because you are sad. Raising your family on Dragonstone was a dream come true, minus being apart from your sister. Of course you’d miss seeing your father and Aegon everyday, you imagined you’d fly back to the keep every couple of days to see them. But for the first time in years, you felt your mothers presence, you felt her in the warmth of your sister.

[kaerinio]

random but . . . i just love how, out of all the dragons, it's drogon who tries to be some force of reason in dany's life? he's wild and willful and aggressive and fierce, but he is also constantly trying to get dany back on track! in the house of the undying, he keeps smacking the back of her head with his wings and poking at her back with his tail to steer her in the right direction. he leaves meereen to escape captivity in the dragonpit (aaaand to possibly keep dany on her feet/act as a harsh reminder of what and who she is. he knows who she is but she has forgotten, and if she has forgotten, then she must learn). when dany is obviously in peril, he returns, sensing all of her distress and anger and sorrow, but he doesn't return without expressing his feelings (by screaming in her face and setting her on fire . . . to once again remind her WHO SHE IS). he saves her, and then when they get onto the dothraki sea, where she must reckon with her past and transform herself into what she must be, he keeps her there. he won't take her back until she's had that rebirth. and even when she orders him to take her to meereen (home), he refuses and just returns her to the lair he's created, which she has named DRAGONSTONE (yet another reminder of who she is and where she must go!).

[swimmingferret]

man, House of the Dragon is still such a let down. Like the dragons look cool but I so do not understand so many of the changes they made, especially with making Alicent such a dumb-fuck loser in the show.

And before you go all 'Fire and Blood is written in HEAVY bias so its okay that the show is an au' its established as being heavily pro-Green and Alicent is stated to be a calculating, ruthless woman instead of the abused, spineless under-her-daddys-thumb waif she is in the show. I really wish we would've gotten the Alicent who was the driving force behind the coup, the one who intentionally hid Viserys's death for a week as she specifically ordered servants to only tell her when he passed and helped kill Rhaenyra's supporters and sent Criston to crown Aegon and where the fuck was 'Kingmaker' Criston anyway???? he did jackshit while in the book he was the one who convinced Aegon to steal the crown- its literally his nickname!!! Instead in the show Alicent mis-hears Viserys death ramblings about that dumbfuck prophecy and thinks he means her son Aegon and then later screams at the Green council when they suggest killing Rhaenyra. Like what the fuck did you think a coup meant you stupid moron. She's so idiotic in the show, I really wish HoTD wasn't so scared of putting in scumbag ambitious women- cause a woman can in fact, be an opportunistic piece of shit that Alicent should have been like her bookself was. The same way Rhaenyra was a negligent idiot and hid on Dragonstone for years rather than consolidate her power to take over the realm. Which is sorta funny 'cause they kept that part of Rhaenyra in the show but whitewashed the shit out of Alicent to make her some hapless victim instead of the ruthless schemer who basically blew up the realm because she wanted her blood on the Iron Throne.

Then there was Daeron, who was literally never mentioned in the show. Ya know, Daeron the Daring who was like the only Green dragonrider who wasn't a complete fuckwit and they just somehow never mentioned the fourth of Alicent's kids lol how many peop,e are gonna be like 'who the hell is this' when he shows up.

Also with Blood and Cheese maybe it would be more impactful if we actually saw Heleana's and Aegon's children at one point lol rather than just a few random shots with zero interaction. Like who are these children

And wtf was that stupid scene with Rhaenys in the dragonpit, cause that was so stupid. That moron could have ended the Dance right then and there but didn't for no reason. then again they admitted in behind the scenes that only added it cause it would look cool so...meh

Idk House of the Dragon is pretty lame in my opinion cause of the random time-skips, bad pacing and fucking up Alicent's character so badly. Sometimes a woman is an asshole.