Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Chapter 17
The death of Oberyn Martell would shock Queen Elia Martell, and she would be wroth with everyone in Kingslanding, for they had kept the news from her for weeks. She was greatly saddened by the death of her brother, whom she loved a lot, but the Royal family's decision would prove right and the newborn Prince would provide her much solace after such tragedy.
With King Rhaegar back in the capital, he would once more take control over the running of the Kingdoms. Yet he had not returned alone from his campaign and was accompanied by Ser Jamie Lannister, the heir to Casterly Rock. Ser Jamie would have to go through quite serious vetting rounds before being allowed to meet King Aerys's darling daughter, Princess Daenys.
On the other side of the Narrow Sea, Brynden Tully's Dark Knights would lay siege to Lys to root out the Blackfyre pretenders, and the siege would be broken later with many of the instigators escaping to Tyrosh to seek refuge, a mistake which would prove quite fatal to the Blackfyre cause for as soon as they would land there a massive force from Highgarden would attack the city.
Until this point, the Targaryen regime had fought on the metaphoric 'backfoot' in this war. This would be their first effective offensive and would prove devastating. The new ships designed and commissioned under King Aerys's regime would prove their worth and give the Targaryen dynasty naval superiority, which would last for hundreds of years.
Yet despite everything he had already done, King Aerys wasn't quite done yet. The departed King still had a final gift for his three children. Something which had cost the man his life, yet this gift would change the landscape of the whole world.
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RHAEGAR TARGARYEN
Rhaegar Targaryen sat in his father's solar. Though it was now his solar yet, even now, he hesitated in calling it his own. Yet already, he could point out the differences in the room from the time of his father. He sighed as he looked at the pile of documents sitting there at his desk and groaned in frustration.
He would never miss this, and he was thankful to Aemon, who had thinned the pile so much, for he knew otherwise the stack was to be at least thrice of what it was. Even now, Aemon sat opposite to him, going over a set of documents trying to help him. In the end, Rhaegar decided to ignore the pile sitting in front of him to focus on an entirely different topic.
"So, Aemon, have you given it any thought?" his younger brother didn't look up and simply replied.
"Given what thought?" Rhaegar rolled his eyes as he lightly tapped his table.
"You know, marriage. You are older than Daenys. Don't you think it is time you settled down," he spoke up, and Aemon stilled a bit before he sighed and put down the paper in his hand.
"There is a war going on, Rhaegar. Do you really think this is the best time to get married," Aemon tried to wiggle out as he always had, and Rhaegar just looked at him.
"Of course, there is no proper time to get married, and you must do it. So, tell me, have you given it any thought? I distinctly remember Father giving you a choice to make before you went to Pentosh," and he saw Aemon groan at his words.
"Aghh, do we really have to do this? Plus, shouldn't you be more focused on Daenys and her prospective husband," Aemon remarked, and he was right.
"I would be, but Elia has taken over that matter. The Queen and her ladies-in-waiting are vetting Jamie Lannister. I trust them with this," and he saw Aemon wince at those words. Daenys was the baby of their family. The whole family doted on her a lot, and Elia had taken command over this, and she and her friends were vetting the poor lad.
"May the Gods bless him, though is he talking to you again? Mother told me that she was angry with you because of the whole Oberyn Thing," said Aemon, and Rahegar shook his head slowly.
"Not yet, but she told me that this was between her and Daenys, and my mistake had no bearing on her relationship with Daenys," it was just one of the things he liked about Elia. There was hardly anyone more dutiful than her in the Kingdoms apart from his own mother, of course.
"Don't think I cannot see what you are doing. This is about you, not me. So tell me which one you have chosen, Laena Velaryon or Janne Tyrell," Rhaegar questioned Aemon, who sighed before speaking up.
"Though they are both fine ladies, I don't think we would make a good match. I had a different name in mind, actually," remarked his brother surprising him. And Rhaegar wasn't going to deny his brother a chance to choose his own match.
"You have met Eddard Stark, right," remarked Aemon, and Rhaegar nodded, not knowing where he was going with this.
"He came to the capital with a small retinue, a retinue which also included his sister," and Rhaegar finally understood where this was going. He didn't miss the small smile on his brother's face as he continued.
"She wasn't supposed to come, but she dressed up as a knight and followed him to the capital somehow," added Aemon with a small laugh, and Rhaegar was impressed as well by the audacity of the lady.
"What's her name?" he asked so that he could have one more discussion with Eddard Stark. Perhaps it was time that the House Stark had a royal match.
"Lyanna. Her name is Lyanna Stark," replied Aemon with a small smile. And Rhaegar nodded.
"I will talk to Mother. We shall see just who is this Lyanna Stark to have my brother besotted with her like this," said Rahegar as he wiggled his eyes at his brother, who just groaned.
"Aghh, don't make a deal of this, Rhaegar. Maybe the Starks have already promised her hand to someone else," said Aemon with a desponded shrug, and Rhaegar gave his brother a look.
"We shall see about that!"
0000
VARYS- Daemon Blackyre
Varys cursed those wretched Targaryens as he watched the armed men patrolling the streets below. The men belonged to one of the newer mercenary groups called Black Knights, and had joined forces with other smaller groups to attack Lys.
Tensions were high in Lys, and various benefactors from the City had pulled out, thinking that Myr or Tyrsoh had betrayed them. Though he knew the truth, neither Myr nor Tyrosh had hired them. No, it was the Targaryens.
The Black Knights were highly organized, and the whole company was fitted with very good equipment. This showed that they had a very rich backer. Their commander was the infamous Black Fish of Riverrun, and all this pointed out that the company's anonymous backer was the Targaryen Crown.
He closed the curtains and began to pace in his room once again. His sister sat there seething with rage and worry as they sat there trapped in Lys.
He finally broke the silence as he looked towards Saera.
"We have to get out of here if this continues. It will not be long before we are found out. We need to move tonight," he said, and Saera's lips thinned.
"How? They are continuously patrolling the streets. How will we even make it out, and where are we even supposed to go!" she growled.
"Tyrosh." He replied quickly, and she nodded, knowing that he was right. They couldn't stay here. His mind raced as he began to formulate a plan. And then it all clicked into place.
"I think I have just the idea," he spoke, and Saera frowned.
"What?" she questioned as he took the seat opposite to her.
"I believe it is time that those who betrayed us learn that treachery has its own cost. We still have some of the Wild Fire stacked in the basement. It is time they paid that cost," he said with a smile, and Saera nodded.
This was the last batch of wildfire they had, and he had been saving it up for the assault on Kingslanding, yet there was little time to think about the future now, especially with their very lives hanging in flux.
"But how will you set it all up? They are continuously patrolling the city," questioned Saera showing concern for him. And he just smirked.
"You don't have to worry about that. I know the streets of Lys like the back of my hand. You just get ready and wait for my signal." And she nodded. With that, he left the room and began to make his way to the basement.
0000
DAENYS TARGARYEN
Her whole family stood there as the servants prepared everything for their father's funeral. It was a simple ceremony with only the four of them present, as they conducted the final rites of their father according to his wishes.
Aemon stood by her side, holding her hand as Qyburn ordered his servants to place the dragon eggs below beside the wooden casket.
"Are those the eggs that you bought from that Pentoshi merchant," she asked, and Aemon nodded.
"Yes, they are," and Daenys frowned as she saw them place them near their father's casket. She had gotten to look at them herself; they were solid like stone, yet they were hot to touch. Their mother had ordered them to be placed in a pyre for some reason. And they hadn't questioned her, much like they didn't question her when she told them of their father's plan for his funeral.
"She is hiding something," she whispered to Aemon as her eyes landed on her mother, who was conversing with Qyburn in a hushed tone by the side.
"I know, and I think we all have a pretty good idea what that is," came the reply from behind, and she looked back to find Rhaegar joining them. And she frowned because she didn't know what they were talking about.
She looked up at Aemon, who had a look of understanding in his eyes, and she frowned.
"I don't know what she is planning. Tell me," she said rather impatiently. Aemon's lips turned upward, and he shook his head.
Rhaegar sighed as he gave Aemon a small nod before beginning.
"I think you must remember how Father always lamented the end of dragons after the tragedy of the Dance," Rhaegar began, and she nodded. It was one of the topics that got their father heated. Though unlike most of the realm, their father laid the blame on Jaeherys Targaryen and considered the am responsible for what he called 'the greatest tragedy for their House.'
And then suddenly, it all clicked as her head snapped towards the dragon eggs.
"It cannot be!" she gasped as she connected all the dots.
"He is trying to revive the dragons!" she finished as she looked at Rhaegar, and her brother nodded as well.
"Father had a theory that the Targaryen family hid the secret to the revival of dragons in open sight. Their own words," he added, and it all clicked into place.
"Fire and Blood!" she gasped as she saw the arrangement. And then she saw their mother walk towards them with Qyburn right behind them, his servants bringing the eggs with him.
"The ceremony requires some of your blood as well. Just a few drops will do," said their mother, and all three of them looked at each other with a small nod from Rhaegar. They each picked the small blade and made a small cut on their forearm, and let their blood drip onto each of the eggs.
The eggs were so hot that their blood sizzled upon contact, and then with a small nod, the thing ex-master walked back with the eggs and placed them near their father's casket once more.
Their mother joined them, and Daenys couldn't stop herself and blurted out.
"Are we trying to make those eggs hatch," she saw her mother still for a moment before she gave her a slight nod.
"But what about the tragedy of Summer Hall? Don't you think it's too dangerous," and she saw her mother go pale at those words. And Daenys didn't miss how her hands shook slightly before she slowly replied.
"This nothing like that time. I am quite aware of what happened at Summer Hall, which is nothing like this. Just please trust me on this," said their mother. And Daenys sighed as the three of them joined her and stood by her.
They had all already paid their respects, and with a final glance, their mother spoke up.
"Is everything ready?" Qyburn, the thin man their father had recruited out of the Citadel, nodded.
"Everything is ready, your grace," and then their mother nodded.
"Then let us begin!"
And with that, the man finally walked towards the wooden platform and took a lit torch from one of his servants, and for some reason, Daenys felt her heart thump in her chest. And then, as the ex-maester lit the platform on fire with his torch, she felt a soft loving touch on her shoulder.
"Goodbye, my little dragon princess," came the slight whisper in the loving tone of her father. Yet when she looked back, she found no one there.
Suddenly he felt fingers brush across her cheeks and looked up to find her mother wiping away her tears.
"It will be fine, my dear!" and she nodded as she wiped away her tears and looked ahead as the fire consumed the whole platform.
The fire raged, and the flames rose viciously as they devoured wood and flesh. The whole courtyard was filled with silence, and only the sound of crackling fire lingered around them.
CRACK!
Until she heard a crack. She stilled, and her heart nearly gave out. She thought that she might have been hallucinating, yet her doubts were cleared up when she heard the sound again. This time it was much louder and clearer.
"It cannot be…" she whispered as she saw shadows wriggle in the flames. She stepped forward instinctively, with her brothers right behind her, as they slowly approached the burning pyre.
And with each step, her heart thumped louder as the sound of cracks and the movement of shadows in the massive pyre intensified.
And just as they were mere steps away from the pyre, three small lizard-like creatures stepped out of the massive pyre. Their coloring was different, with two being of a darker hue while the one in front had pale yellowish skin, and they were even smaller than a cat.
Yet none would mistake what they were, especially with their small wings and the shiny scales that covered their body.
The yellowish one struggled to stand on its feet before it suddenly looked up. His eyes were amethyst, much like her own, and had slits in them like a snake.
She sat down and put forward her hand, and the little creature sniffed it and looked into her eyes before it slowly stepped into her hand. It was hot, and nearly burning, yet for some reason, he didn't want to let it go.
She held it in her arms and looked around to find her brother holding their own creatures in their hands. Their eyes met, and then Rhaegar suddenly gulped and broke the hanging silence.
"He was right! He was god damn right!" he nearly shouted before they all turned around to face their mother, who simply stood there, tears flowing down her cheeks as she looked at them with sheer pride.
"But how? How did he know about this?" she questioned as she looked into her mother's eyes. She saw her lips thin as she glanced at the three of them. Her brother's eyes held a similar question in their gaze, and their mother sighed and, with a broken smile, gave them the answer to their question.
"I believe you already have your suspicions, and they are right," said their mother slowly, and Daenys gulped as she readied herself for her next words.
"Your father was blessed with the same gift as your namesake from history, Daenys," and of course, she knew who that was.
Daenys, the Dreamer, had been named after her. The woman who had saved the Targaryen from the Doom.
"Your father was a dreamer!"
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