Hello everyone I hope you guys are doing well. I hope you are all enjoying the story and I am glad that I am getting readers. It was a bit hard for me when I first started, and you can tell with how small the chapters are, but I'm getting the hang of it and am improving. For anyone who is thinking about writing a story I think you should go for. If you don't have anything in your life taking up your spare time of course.
Chapter 25 The Fall of the Dragonseeds
There had once been a time where the illegitimate offspring of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon had a place of privilege. Or at the very least when they were not considered especially shameful and untrustworthy. There was even a title that specifically differentiated them from ordinary bastards; the Dragonseeds.
While most people would assume that the Blackfyres were the primary cause of Valyrian blooded bastard children being perceived as inherently grasping and opportunistic, there are earlier people who added more shame to being a bastard. Hugh Hammer and his drunken co-conspiritor betrayed Rhaenyra Targaryen during the Dance of Dragons. To make matters worse Hugh declared himself king later on during the war. Not even Adam Velaryon's loyalty to Rhaenyra had absolved bastards from the consequences of the Two Betrayer's actions. Nor had the Oakenfist's fame.
Alyn Velaryon had not been a dragonrider but he was a famous admiral. His exploits were still famous throughout Driftmark. Even Lord Lucerys had taken pride in his descent from the Oakenfist, easily ignoring the fact the Oakenfist had been a bastard.
When Aurane had been a young boy he admired the Oakenfist and dreamt of becoming a famous sailor. He had loved the songs of the bastard born admiral. The realities of being a baseborn boy with no powerful family name had struck him harshly. The tasks that he had on board had been difficult and he received little leniency for genuine blunders and the caprices of trueborn nobles.
Aurane still recalled the day when some insignificant highborn lord felt that he was not being given the proper deference he deserved. The flogging he received had been painful and he has not forgotten the humiliation he felt when he was forced to lower his breeches to his ankles and have his bare arse whipped while a smirking lord watched.
If that had not been bad enough Aurane foolishly went to his lord father in tears and expected the haughty Lord Lucerys to give him comfort. His lord father had no soft words or hugs to grant to a boy born on the wrong side of the sheets. Aurane later found out that his father wanted to have Sarra Staunton marry his heir for reasons that still eluded him. It wouldn't do if some bastard displeased the father of the "lovely" maiden. To rectify the "problem" Aurane caused, his lord father asked for Lord Staunton to come to his cabin to watch Aurane get a second lesson in showing proper respect to his betters. That had been even worse than the flogging, at least that ended quickly. Aurane will never forget the shame he felt when he was viewed Lord Staunton's smile as his lord father stripped him of his clothing, placed Aurane over his lap and mercilessly slapped his already sore arse. To Aurane's anger reminiscing of this event still made his eyes water.
"I see that you finally have learned your rightful place in the world, bastard. If you fail to respect me again I'll personally give you lesson in disrespecting your betters. I won't as gentle as your father had been." the pleased Lord Staunton told him.
Then Aurane had to apologize to the smug pissant for his "disrespect" and endure his lord father's disappointment for moons.
After that lesson Aurane's innocent dreams of sailing had been tainted and he had felt resentment at the harsh treatment he had been forced to endure. Trueborn children with family names can steal food for themselves and the protection from their House prevented any harsh rebukes for their actions. While Aurane had to eat food of low quality, work with little time to play or even rest the trueborn children onboard got to eat mouthwatering food, drink expensive wine and fritter away their time without contributing anything helpful to the sailors of the ship. Even when they did receive some physical punishment it was often on their hands. Aurane knew well enough that it was considered wiser to punish a disobedient boy's arse so that their hands can still keep working effectively.
Then the Targaryens fell from power. With how historically close his lord father's House had been with the deposed dynasty they were swiftly ejected from court. To make matters even worse his trueborn half-brother and his wife died in an unexpected accident.
Aurane had heard rumors that his lord father had been a court rival of Lord Tywin Lannister. If that was true Aurane wondered why would Lord Tywin tolerate a marriage between a Lannisport Lannister maiden and a Velaryon second son, much less why such a large dowry was given. Given his destruction of the Reynes and the Tarbecks Aurane doubted any Westerlander would dare do anything that might displease Lord Tywin.
"But what would a bastard know about marriage." Aurane thought wryly.
Lord Lucerys's health had been faltering and the added stress of the new usurping regime combined with a death of a son had ended his life prematurely. His lord father had considered Aurane a shame on his honor and a mouth that he begrudgingly had to feed, but he was still Aurane's father.
The Staunton wench had never been a person who Aurane liked, but she managed to become even worse after his lord father died. She had refused to teach the niece her husband's deceased brother left behind the skills that noblewomen were expected to learn. His half-brother decided to just allow their niece to do what she wished than argue with his harridan of a wife. Then she started to get ideas on how the Velaryons could regain prestige. When she suggested that The Late Lord Walder Frey would be the best marriage Alyssane could make his half-brother had gotten angry. The Velaryons still had enough honor to not sell its daughters to the wealthiest men who would take them. After that ploy was rightfully thrown out the Staunton wench kept on making unwanted suggestions. She claimed that the Faith would happily take the unnecessary mouth to feed and there was honor in serving the gods. When that was also refused she then tried to see if Lord Ardrian Celtigar would offer a large dower from his rumored large wealth. While his niece was a pretty girl the crotchety old man still refused to give a large amount of his wealth for her hand. When his trueborn nephew was born and his mother died in childbirth Aurane didn't mourn her. He doubted even Lord Monterys mourned her. Their gentle niece still offered her condolences.
Aurane still didn't understand why his niece would do that when her aunt had been such a menace. While she also had tried to get rid of him the fates she would have had for him were much gentler than being married to an old lecher. The Wall or the Citadel was surely better than being the Lady of the Crossing.
And now he was in exile with his niece, the Blackfish and the "rightful" king. Aurane still had doubts that a second marriage would be considered valid by the Faith of Seven, assuming that the Starks are even telling the truth. Aurane supposed that the sight of a dragon would silence any people with doubts.
But, Aurane had to admit the sight of the dragon was still majestic and inspired his awe. Aurane would be lying if he said that he had not been hoping to have one of the remaining two dragon eggs to become a dragon rider, like Adam Velaryon had been. Their encounter with the Princess Rhaenys Targaryen had dashed those dreams. Why would a bastard like him be given a dragon egg when there were two trueborn Valyrian blooded maidens were ready to take them? While he would never try to take anything from a niece who also had to suffer an overly proud Staunton, Aurane could still not stop feeling disappointed.
Aurane had to admit he would have never thought that the princess had survived the Sack of King's Landing. While her mother Princess Elia Martell had been tortured to death by an unknown Lannister sellsword the Princess's face had not been mutilated enough to make identifying her impossible. The toddler that the Lannisters gave the usurper had been burned until her hair and eyes were destroyed. In hindsight Aurane was able to see that the Lannisters had been trying to destroy any of the distinguishing features of the young girl they had murdered.
It vexed him that the princess claimed that his lord father had been a supporter of The Mad King Aerys. While Velaryons would always remain Targaryen loyalists at heart even they could no longer deny the man had lost his wits. Who would tell a toddler that an ancestral ally was not reliable? And how did she remember it many years later? Aurane had not spoken to his king and the Blackfish when they were bathing together out of a desire to not gain their attention after the princess's allegations. After years of being seen as an untrustworthy bastard son it frustrated him that the princess would remember divisions at court, and that his lord father picked the wrong side at court. He did not want to deal with a suspicious king.
Even though the princess did smear dirt on his lord father's name Aurane could not stop himself from feeling sympathy for her sad story. It still was galling that a princess with the blood of the dragon's would be forced to stoop as low to eventually have to sell themselves to the highest Braavosi bidder. He felt glad that they stumbled across her before she had to resort to desperate measures. His comments may be tactless at times but he was not a heartless man with no sympathy.
Aurane saw that his niece was following the emotional princess and her two Rogare companions to her room. Aurane then watched as the Blackfish grabbed the king's ear and started leading him towards their rooms. It was fortunate that the princess claimed the most luxurious room that was on the opposite side of the king's room. Aurane walked with the Blackfish and the king until they entered one of their rooms. The Blackfish let go of the king's ear and looked around and found a wooden board to bolt the door shut.
"Boy. Sit down on the bed and look at me in the eyes." Brynden ordered.
The boy king did as he was told. Aurane saw that the king's eyes were not watering and that he was looking straight at the Blackfish. When Aurane had been a boy his age he did not take his scoldings as well as the king is taking his.
"Boy, I am growing tired of how you say things without thinking. What you said this morning before we broke our fast was permissible because you did not know better, but how is your lack of sensitivity to your own sister acceptable?" the Blackfish lectured.
"Are you saying that it was a good idea that she did not tell us about the Kingsguard knights being alive when they were believed to be dead until much later?" the king asked.
The Blackfish frowned and then took a deep breath.
"Boy, while what you are saying does have some merit I am asking that you show your own sister some sympathy and patience. She was almost murdered by an assassin." the Blackfish said.
"I also have to question how she managed to sail so far north when she was originally being held in Lys. Wouldn't sailing to Dorne have been the seemingly wiser location to flee towards? It is much closer to Lys." the king said.
Now that the king was questioning this aspect of the princess's story Aurane could not help but mentally question this too. The Blackfish took a deep breath and sighed.
"Boy, you are just asking for me to place you over my knee. I am telling you this right now. If you go and ask this helpless young maiden why she wasn't capable of saving herself better than she was able to do I will not be happy. If either of you two criticize her actions then you will be sleeping on your stomachs for days." the Blackfish threatened them.
Aurane looked at the Blackfish's musculature through his tunic and winced. The Blackfish was more muscular than his lord father had been. Aurane was not going to ask the princess anything about her story.
"Don't normally kings have whipping boys for this kind of punishment?" the king asked.
The Blackfish chuckled at this.
"Boy, you haven't yet been anointed by the High Septon. I am not a cruel man but I am still a Tully. I have a strong respect for the Family part of my House words. I will not tolerate you saying callous things about your grandmother or your sister. You are my charge. While I am happy and willing to provide protection you will still obey me. You are a child and you will obey me." the Blackfish told the king sternly.
"When did the king say anything about Queen Rhaella?" Aurane wondered
"Yes, I will follow your orders. Ser Tully." the king said in a bland tone of voice.
"That is what I want to hear. If your actions aren't what I want to see you know what you will get. I am a Tully of Riverrun and I strongly value family. Your ancestors have not been strongly attached to family." the Blackfish stated with a wince.
Aurane wondered what the Blackfish was thinking. There were many examples of Targaryens treating their family members poorly. Aurane just realized why the Blackfish was being so unyielding.
"Even their incest did not create strong family bonds. Which is why I am going to instill proper values into you." the Blackfish said.
"What about Viserys Targaryen? I doubt he would be eager to claim me as a trueborn nephew." the king said.
Aurane did not have a comforting answer to that question. He could not imagine a potential claimant being happy to give up the Iron Throne. Even the Blackfish looked uncomfortable at this question.
"But I won't rip off his head with no warning to open my way to the Iron Throne. No one would want a kinslayer on the throne." the king said.
Aurane managed to see the implication that the king was insinuating. Maelys the Monstrous murdered his cousin by ripping off his head. The kinslayer later fought in the War of the Ninepenny kings. The Blackfish gained famed during that same war. The extensive education on the Blackfyres that his lord father had him learn finally came in handy for once.
"Well, I am glad that some regard for family has gotten into your thick skull. While I won't strike you this time for talking without thinking you are still going to get punished for this. You are going to toss out the contents of the privy and then clean it. And you are going to sleep in my room with me for a moon. I won't have you talking to her at night an upsetting her with questions." the Blackfish said.
The king accepted the punishment stoically. The Blackfish sighed again.
"This might seem harsh but the princess has been through a lot and giving her story scrutiny will likely upset her. So neither one of you will badger her or else." the Blackfish said.
"Yes Ser." the king said.
The king turned to Aurane.
"Yes Ser Brynden," Aurane hastened to say.
"How about we go and see how the princess is doing?" the Blackfish said.
The king and Aurane nodded and they all walked out of the room.
Aurane saw that the princess has composed herself. One of her Rogare companions still looked irate. The other Rogare looked calm and his niece was also stoic.
"Are you going to ask me more questions?" Princess Rhaenys asked.
"No, you have answered enough of my questions." the Blackfish said smiling.
The princess looked unhappy and just nodded at that.
"How about we all make a list of everything we need?" the Blackfish said.
"I could use a new dress." the Princess said sheepishly
Aurane had noticed that her white dress was still stained by water and mud, he just didn't comment on it.
"From what I have seen we are going to need candles, torches, dry wood, new cisterns, towels, brooms, chamberpots, freshwater, casks of ale and newer blankets and pillows." Alyssane said.
His niece had already diligently made observations about what is missing in this manor.
Alyssane also looked at the king and gave her observation. "I woukd recommend that his grace also get some new clothing. While his current clothes are vibrant, colorful and look rich it also makes him look like a fool. It also doesn't fit him properly. If you were looking to make him look regal and impressive there is no need. He already hatched a dragon. That is all he needs to look like a king." Alyssane said.
The king chuckled awkwardly at that. The Blackfish smiled with discomfort.
"When are we going to hatch the other two eggs?" Princess Rhaenys asked.
"Assuming that the two other eggs can be hatched without anything burning down or anyone being bleed dry I would recommend attempting to do so after we get more meat to feed the dragons." the Blackfish said.
The princess nodded at that.
"Let us all go back to our rooms and see if there is anything else we will need to get while we are getting more supplies." the Blackfish said.
I finally managed to reach my Aurane chapter. Aside from stuff in real life that take up my time I also take time to try to create a more detailed backstories for my characters. While going through what I know about Aurane from canon I reflected that he was not that attached to the legitimate members of his House, that he was likely taught at least some about sailing and that bastards usually have it pretty rough. Given how miserable life was for cabin boys there wasn't much else to punish them with aside from flogging. Not only do you guys now know more about this version of Aurane and how the Velaryons treated him, you also have some more information about Saber's backstory with House Velaryon. Thanks for reading this story and I hope you guys are looking forward to more of my writing.