Prologue
In the year of 284 after Aegon's Conquest and at the end of the Usurper's War (or Robert's Rebellion, depending on which side you were on), during a terrible summer storm where the remaining Targaryen fleet sunk in front of Dragonstone, Queen Rhaella Targaryen gave birth to not one, but two babes. Both girls had silver-gold hair and amethyst eyes. The first she named Daenerys, the second Alysanne. They looked almost identical, only that the second babe was smaller and more frail. The maester feared she would not survive. But unlike her mother, small Alysanne did live, though only a few were aware of that.
While the babe Daenerys and her older brother Viserys were taken by loyalists to the freecity of Braavos before the brother of the usurper Robert Baratheon captured the island Dragonstone, Alysanne was whisked away to Pentos, leaving young Viserys and the loyalists around him in the belief that she didn't survive. In Pentos small Princess Alysanne Targaryen was hidden away and sheltered in the manse of magister Illyrio Mopatis. There she grew up away from the public in safety, never went hungry to bed and always had the most beautiful dresses of the finest fabrics the world had to offer. The fat magister draped her in expensive silks, jewels and provided her with an excellent education. She learned everything there is to learn about the history of her family, the Seven Kingdoms and its many houses, she learned to speak different languages, High Valyrian among them, how to play the harp and all the different dances. She had a wonderful singing voice and her delicate hands were perfect for sewing and embroidery in which she excelled. She never lacked for nothing.
Alysanne grew into a beautiful young maiden. She was intelligent and graceful, very perceptive and kind. Her sweet and loving nature might fool someone into thinking she were an empty-headed damsel, but that was not so; she knew exactly what people thought about her and how the intrigues of the powerful worked and used it to her advantage. But she was also lonely. For her safety Alysanne wasn't allowed to leave the manse of magister Illyrio and was confined to a single wing of the building and only allowed to venture into the garden at certain points when nobody else was there. The servants were always the same and only few, most of them not talking with her. Her teachers were carefully picked for their secrecy and trustworthiness and grew old and grey while teaching her. She didn't partake in any feasts or gatherings Illyrio held in his manse and never visited the markets of Pentos, festivals or any mummers shows. Due to that she grew quiet and pensive. She hid herself behind books and played for hours after hours on her harp, floating the manse with sad and gloomy melodies. At one point Illyrio said that Alysanne was a dreamer, as he watched her pulling the strings of her harp and looking longingly out of the window with a faraway smile on her lips. Though she never lost her sweetness.
The older she grew the more she yearned to be reunited with her last remaining family. But it was not to be. Alysanne became cross with Illyrio and he called her a petulant child; she should be thankful for what she had and the safety in which she lived unlike her brother and twin-sister who were constantly on the run from the assassins send by the usurper Robert. He should invite Daenerys and Viserys to come and live with her, offer them the same safety as he does her, Alysanne said, but Illyrio said no. Why, she demanded to know. Because this way it is guaranteed that at least one Targaryen will survive to reclaim the Iron Throne, was the cold answer.
Learning that the magister hadn't taken her in out of kindness, but for his own power-hungry reasons, Alysanne became cold and bitter towards him. She refused to dine with him, talk to him or interact in any way with other people. She closed herself of, became depressed, refused to eat and sometimes didn't even leave her bed for days on end. Several times she tried to escape her sheltered home turned prison, but never managed to slip by the guards. When she turned ten, Illyrio tried to mend things with her. He gifted her with three petrified dragon-eggs; one black, one green and one gold. She was a dragon herself, the Magister mused, she ought to like them. That was when Alysanne began to have dreams.
She dreamed of a great wall of ice, blue winter-roses and the world covered in snow and ice with, a never-ending darkness. Of a young man with long silver hair and dark indigo eyes, playing sad and beautiful tunes on a silver-stringed harp and a beautiful, dark-haired and grey-eyed young woman listening while a tear slipped down her cheek. Of the same young man in black armour dying by a great, blood-washed river, with a woman's name on his lips, the red rubies that adorned his breastplates flying like drops of blood to the ground of the river from the forceful blow of a warhammer he suffered against his chest. Of a tower in a red desert and a woman screaming while men fought to the death below. Of a bed covered in petals of a winter-rose and blood and a promise given. She dreamed of a crown of molten gold. Of a funeral pyre in which three dragon-eggs lay, one black, one green and one gold and a young woman, who looked like her, walking into the fire. Of the same young woman with black, green and gold small dragons on her shoulders while slaves took their collars off, standing around her and shouting Mhysa, which means mother in Old Ghiscari. And of many more things that Alysanne knew told her of things not yet happened and that may be still happening or not. And she knew what she had to do.
And though Alysanne came out of her depression and turned again more into the person she once was, she never forgave Illyrio. Things weren't the same between them and would never be again. But the dragon Princess could handle that, she would use him to her advantage. When she was thirteen Illyrio Mopatis told her that her brother and twin-sister would finally come to Pentos; she, at last, would be reunited with her siblings. But Alysanne the Dreamer surprised him and told him that, no, her siblings are not allowed to be aware of her existence, that he will shelter them for a time and would help Viserys with what he demanded of him and that, when the time came, he would gift her twin-sister with her three dragon-eggs and tell her that she, when the world seemed darkest to her, had to light a fire.
And so it came to be that Daenerys Targaryen wed a Dothraki-horselord, Viserys got crowned with a crown of molten gold and that when Daenerys' sun and stars died, she lit a fire and placed the three dragon-eggs in it, walked into it and emerged with three baby dragons out of the debris of the burned-out pyre. The Mother of Dragons became the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains, Mhysa and Queen of Meereen.
Then, when a powdered and of sickly sweet flowers smelling spider and a little lion with a big shadow arrived at Illyrio's manse in Pentos, the dragon Princess knew it was time. She would be finally reunited with her missing sister. Together the unlikely trio travelled to Meereen and there they presented themselves to the Mother of Dragons. To say Daenerys and her advisers were shocked when they saw an almost identical looking young woman to the Queen standing in the Great Pyramid of Meereen was an understatement. But Varys, the Spider, confirmed that Alysanne is not some wannabe who wanted to look like the Queen, but indeed her long thought dead twin-sister, who he himself organized to be raised and sheltered away from her siblings to further secure the survival of the Targaryen line. And where Daenerys clearly was not happy to have been lied to and deceived all her life, believing her twin-sister had died, she was delighted and overwhelmed with joy that she wasn't alone, wasn't the last Targaryen, anymore. After the shock had ebbed away Daenerys told Alysanne that she always knew that something was missing from her, that she was not whole and that now, being reunited with her she felt finally like a complete person and stronger than before.
"Nothing can harm us now, sister. We are together now and stronger than ever ... we were never meant to be apart."
The first thing Alysanne did when they were alone was to express her regret and apologies for not being there in her sisters time of need, for not preventing certain events from happening.
"I am so sorry, sister mine. I wish I could have saved you from all the pain and grief you went through ... but certain things had to come to pass and if you hate me now that you know I knew, please forgive me. I didn't allow it to happen because I wanted to hurt you, but because I couldn't let the dreams of darkness become true."
The sisters reconciled and got to know each other. They became friends and learned from the other, they laughed and cried together and most importantly they planned on how to retake what was once theirs, though with different reasons that urged them on. Where Daenerys wanted to reclaim the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms because she thought that it was their birthright and that she could do good for the people of Westeros and lead them to a new prosperous and peaceful Age, Alysanne claimed that the people of Westeros had to stop fighting amongst themselves and unify against a greater, more dangerous enemy that would plunge the world into never-ending darkness and wipe out all life and to achieve that it would need a strong and kind and fair leader to whom the people look up and whom they trust to have their best interest at heart and who is just, which as of yet, with the constant war and multiply kings and queens that seemed to spread everywhere, was not the case. Alysanne was of the opinion that with their dragons and Daenerys army as a show of strength and with their combined desire for peace and compassion, their willingness to learn from each other and to support one another where one might be weak or where one lacked in skill or knowledge, they would be the right leaders Westeros needs.
Daenerys' advisers, mainly Tyrion Lannister, Varys and Sers Barristan Selmy and Jorah Mormont, offered their input also and urged them to look for allies not only in the Unsullied and sellsword companies that Daenerys had hired, but also in Westeros itself. They needed allies who were currently present in the Seven Kingdoms. It was decided that Varys would handle to look for alliances in Westeros, while the rest would prepare their forces in Essos to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms and also to establish a stable and peaceful governance for Meereen and the other cities Daenerys had freed from the slavers.
During that time Daenerys introduced Alysanne to Rhaegal, the green dragon, and Viserion, referred to as the white dragon but is more cream and gold in colour, whom she had chained in the catacombs of Meereen due to them growing wild and unpredictable. Drogon, the black and biggest of them, Daenerys said, avoided being chained and flew away, though occasionally his great shadow was seen flying near the city. Alysanne convinced Daenerys to unchain them, for they would wither away in their imprisonment, cementing her opinion with the story of how she herself became depressed when learning that she was nothing more than a prisoner of some kind in the manse of magister Illyrio Mopatis. Fearing that they would cause chaos and death for the city and people of Meereen and surrounding lands Daenerys was reluctant, but Alysanne assured her that all would turn out well. And it indeed did.
It didn't take long for Drogon to reunite with his newly freed brothers and by a continued offering of livestock as food for them in the fighting pits of Meereen they soon made their home on abandoned pyramids inside the city. Whenever they had eaten their fill Daenerys and Alysanne sought their company and soon they both bonded each with one of the dragons. From then on the Targaryen twins where seen flying atop Drogon and Viserion over Meereen. Due to the bond the dragons formed with their riders their grew more composed and less dangerous to loosing control. Even Rhaegal, who remained riderless and was always the most wild of the three, got more content and followed the example of his brothers in his behaviour. Though sometimes he tended to disappear for some days and nobody knew what he did then. Daenerys feared he might harm someone or someday might never return, but again Alysanne soothed her worries.
"If he had harmed the people around Meereen, then we would already have heard of it, so don't fret, sister. And he will come back – and one day we will find his rider. The dragon must have three heads."
On the return of Varys from Westeros they learned that Dorne, under the rule of Ellaria Sand, the paramour of late Prince Oberyn Martell and mother to four of his seven baseborn children, and the Reach under the rule of Willas Tyrell with his grandmother Olenna Tyrell, the so called Queen of Thorns, as his adviser, had agreed to an alliance with Daenerys. After inquiring what happened to Prince Doran Martell, the former ruler of Dorne, Varys revealed that Ellaria and the Sand Snakes (as Oberyn's daughters were known as) had him removed from power (a kinder way to say that they killed him) because they were displeased with his lack of action due to the death of Oberyn at King's Landing and his overall leadership of Dorne and his seemingly cowardice to right the wrongs that were inflicted upon his family by the people who now ravaged Westeros with their war for power. When asked what happened to the alliance of the Lannisters and the Tyrells (for last they knew was that Margaery Tyrell was married to the boy-King Tommen), Varys answered that it got blown up in a sea of wildfire with Lord Mace Tyrell, Margaery and Ser Loras Tyrell still inside the building (among other notable figures like Kevan Lannister). All were shocked to hear that the mentioned building was the Great Sept of Baelor and that Cersei Lannister was the person who orchestrated the whole thing. More shocked they were when Varys told them that boy-King Tommen has thrown himself in grief over his dead Queen Margaery from a window of the Red Keep and that Cersei now claimed the title of Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Reluctantly Varys stated that already some were styling her as Mad Queen Cersei and said that she was Aerys Targaryen come again. And though it still somewhat stung to hear it said that their father was mad and cruel and that nobody loved him, Daenerys and Alysanne had accepted that he indeed was a raving tyrant who had to be put down for the good of the realm (though they were not happy how his removal turned into the near extinction of their family).
Other news were that the Iron Islands fought a bloody civil war with Asha, Victarion and Euron Greyjoy all fighting for the Seastone Chair. That the Riverlands were now in the hands of the Freys (though only with the help of the Lannisters and many hostages taken of members of the other noble Riverlands-Houses to keep them in check) and that Edmure Tully himself was a hostage at Casterly Rock. The North was back in the hands of the Starks, the bastard Jon Snow having defeated and exterminated house Bolton with the help of Wildlings and knights of the Vale lead by Petyr Baelish. The northern lords had made Jon Snow their new King in the North, the Vale having declared also for the North instead of the Mad Queen on the Iron Throne (though Varys said that he wouldn't put too much stock into the word of a lickspittle like Littlefinger, the name under which Petyr Baelish is also known).
"Littlefinger plays is own games. He does nothing without a plan behind a plan and I would not wonder if we one day get news of the demise of Jon Snow and the following marriage of Sansa Stark to Littlefinger, with the latter styling himself King in the North. And from there he probably only will try to extend his 'little finger'. Same as he did with the Vale and his farce of a marriage to the late Lysa Arryn."
But there were still stranger tidings from the North. Talks of a threat from beyond the Wall, dead walking and living creatures of ice who bring the cold and darkness with them. Long the Night's Watch has pleaded for help and more men, but nobody heeded the call, believing the stories to be just that – stories. But Alysanne knew differently and knew that they must act now before it is too late.
"The Long Night. A never-ending darkness and death for all living. It is time."
Alas, they were delayed. The masters of Yunkai, Astapor and Volantis besieged Meereen. They wanted to bring down Daenerys and establish a flowing slave-trade again, but the Mother of Dragons would have none of it. Too many times the masters had tested her patience and abused her good-will and she made short work of them with the help of the dragons, her Unsullied and the sellsword companies in her employ. Surprisingly this was the time when they heard from Illyrio Mopatis again, who had procured the Golden Company for them and they came just in time to help fight against the Sons of the Harpy, who had started killing civils in the streets of Meereen at the beginning of the siege. Bringing down the slave-masters achieved, they set their plans for a stable and peaceful governance of Daenerys conquered cities in Essos into motion. Slaver's Bay became the Dragon's Bay and Daenerys and Alysanne, three dragons, the Golden Company and Daenerys Unsullied set sail to Westeros, leaving behind the other roughly three to four thousand men of different sellsword companies to help the new government of Dragon's Bay keep the peace.
Fate and luck seemed to be on their side, for when they reached Dragonstone they didn't found the lion of Lannister flying atop the towers but the three-headed dragon of their own house. Flying below the black and red banner of house Targaryen were the grapes of house Redwyne, vassal family of the Tyrells of Highgarden. On the pier they were greeted by an older thin man with stooped shoulders and a balding head with only a few tufts of orange hair remaining. Missandei, Daenerys interpreter and former slave, announces them.
"All kneel for Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons and her sister Princess Alysanne the Dreamer of house Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne and Dragonrider."
The stooped thin man, who Ser Barristan whispered to them is Lord Paxter Redwyne of the Arbor, and the twenty or so guards that were with him all got down on one knee and bowed their heads. Lord Paxter giving over the command of Dragonstone over the screeching of the three Dragons that circled the island.
"My Queen, Dragonstone is yours."
The good news took no end there, though, and while remnants of an occurring battle remained to be seen from the taking of Dragonstone by the Redwyne fleet against the garrison of Lannister-men stationed on the island, word came from King's Landing only hours before Daenerys and Alysanne reached the ancestral seat of their family. King's Landing fell without so much as a proper battle, only small skirmishes happened here and there where the most loyal Lannister-men tried to repel the Tyrells and forces of Dorne. Originally it was planned that Dorne and the Reach would besiege King's Landing, weaken the resolve and bringing down the moral of the Lannisters inside the city. Meanwhile the Golden Company and part of the Unsullied would sail up the Blackwater Rush, disembark and join forces with Dorne and the Reach and lead an assault on its walls and at the same time the remaining Unsullied on the Targaryen ships and the Redwyne-fleet would attack King's Landing from the sea and Daenerys on Drogon, Alysanne on Viserion and Rhaegal would support the attack from the air. Neither of that happened though, for when the Dornish and Reachermen reached the city they found the gates opened wide and peace banners flying on top the gate towers. The armed men had laid down their weapons and surrendered the city and in the Throne Room of the Red Keep they found before them a bloodbath. Men in red Lannister armour and white Kingsguard/Queensguard armour lay on the floor. Only a few soldiers remained standing, all looking quite stunned to a spot on the bottom before the Iron Throne. There lay the form of Mad Queen Cersei, limb and lifeless with empty green eyes staring at the ceiling and her twin-brother Ser Jaime Lannister kneeling next to her, silently sobbing and muttering the same words again and again.
"'Burn them all' she said. 'Burn them all'. I didn't let it happen then and I couldn't let it happen now. 'Burn them all'."
Jaime Lannister was thrown into a cell and the remaining Lannister-men who had surrendered were penned up and held prisoner on the tourney grounds just outside the city, men who put up a fight were either killed in the fight or when defeated thrown into the Black Cells to await the judgement of Queen Daenerys. The Dornish and Reachermen were already beginning to prepare the city for the arrival of the Queen, raising the banner of the Targaryens and giving aid and food to the people of the city who clearly suffered under the rather short rule of the Mad Queen; all in the name of Daenerys, to make the people receptive and well-disposed for their new Queen.
The next day Daenerys and Alysanne flew on dragonback to King's Landing and leaving a garrison of Unsullied and Redwyne-men behind on Dragonstone, the rest followed by ships. When the twin-sisters circled above the city, the people of King's Landing came out of their houses and celebrated on the streets. Landing in the courtyard of the Red Keep, Daenerys and Alysanne dismounted and made their way to the Throne Room. There the found the noblemen and courtiers of King's Landing and Lords and Ladies of the Crownlands and Dorne and the Reach assembled, all going down on one knee and making a path for them to the Iron Throne. There was not one lion or stag banner to see on the walls and behind the Throne loomed the three-headed dragon of the Targaryens. Alysanne walked behind her twin-sister, smiling left and right when she saw that some stole glances at them, and she nearly walked against Daenerys when she suddenly stopped at the foot of the stairs. Turning to the gathered people she addressed them.
"I am Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons. The Stags are no more and the Mad Lion Queen is dead."
The crowd answered her in unison.
"The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen! Hail Queen Daenerys!"
With a simple gesture of her hand Daenerys silenced the people again.
"Long have you suffered under the rule of incompetent and mad Kings and Queens. Injustice was done to you and you starved and bled and died for their thirst for power. Today I come to you to retake what rightfully belongs to me and I come not to cause more war and suffering for you. I come to bring peace and unity to the Seven Kingdoms again and to lead you to a new Age of prosperity in which we all can strive to make the realm a better place. I am your Queen, but I will not sit on the Iron Throne before justice is done to them who plunged Westeros into chaos and not before the Seven Kingdoms are once again united and at peace."
When questioned what happened at the capital prior to the arrival of the army of Dorne and the Reach, Addam Marbrand was brought before them. He told them that when word came that a fleet under the Targaryen banner with three dragons in tow and the armies of Dorne and the Reach was advancing on King's Landing, Cersei grew mad in her fear. She knew that she had not enough men to defend the city. She sent out various ravens, all of which remained unanswered, she kept the city on lock down and horded what remained of food in the city for herself and the Nobles at the Red Keep, leaving the smallfolk to starve. And while she let the City Watch and Lannister-soldiers prepare the defence of the city to withhold a siege, she secretly had her chainless Maester Qyburn confirm and place additional jars of wildfire under the whole city.
"'Burn them all' she screamed. 'Let the Dragon whore and her bitch sister rule over a city of bones and ashes'. Cersei knew she could not win, but she wouldn't let any other take what she thought belonged to her. Jaime discovered the plot and gathered men he trusted among him. He wouldn't let it happen, he said. We took care of Qyburn after Cersei gave him the command to set the wildfire off, but before he could follow through with his command. Then we cornered her in the Throne Room, where she had locked herself in with part of her Queensguard and other loyal men. It was a bloodbath. That knight of hers ... Ser Robert Strong ... he killed most of us and even some of her men. It took ten men to bring him down. He even kept on fighting after he had a spear through the chest and an arm chopped of. We finally managed to bring him on his knees and behead him. Then we set him on fire. He was no man ... he was a monster, a abomination. Only when the fight was over we saw what Jaime had done. I ... I never thought he would kill her. I then ordered some men to raise the peacebanners and to open the gates. And others I send down into the tunnels to look for the wildfire and ordered them to make it useless."
And thus, at the end of the reign of a Mad Queen, began the reign of the Targaryens anew, where it had ended twenty years ago with the end of a Mad King.