He dodged the piercing hex, batting away a bone-breaker as he watched Teddy narrowly avoid a knockback jinx.

They had been going at it for the past hour; sweat plastering his hair to his forehead as they fought, Aegon and Rhaenys no doubt grinning at seeing their brother duel with no restrictions.

It had taken him just under a week to realize what it was Teddy was up to – what he planned for the coming war – and Harry had spent three days warding a section of their rooms into a somewhat passable duelling chamber. There was no fear of their spells accidentally destroying parts of the palace, and he and Teddy had been free to throw everything but the most damaging of spells at each other for the past week.

He took a cutting curse to the shoulder, a glancing blow that split skin before he smirked, sending a barrage of spells that had his son twisting before he flicked his wand, hoisting Teddy in the air by the ankle.

He managed two spells before Harry took pity and stunned him, catching him as he fell and letting him rest gently on the floor.

"Think you can leave him like that for a few hours?" Rhaenys asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"You can torment him tonight," Harry told her, amused at the thought of the two of them resuming their challenge. Rhae had managed to surprise him enough times to leave Teddy wary, but the metamorph was better and currently in the lead.

He waved his wand, seeing Teddy's eyes shoot open as he groaned.

"I nearly had you," he muttered, hand running through his curly hair. Once Elia's brothers had learned of magic, Teddy had returned to his favoured appearance, skin darkening slightly as his hair curled more, small bits of Elia making themselves known in his features. They had gaped when they first saw him at breakfast, glancing between Elia and Teddy before muttering in astonishment. There had been a gleam of curiosity in Oberyn's eyes, the man asking Teddy a number of questions between their lessons.

"Of course you did," Harry agreed sagely, "far better than the last time. You've gotten quicker."

There was a pleased expression on his face, and Harry waited for him to get to his feet.

"Does this mean we can start wandless?" he asked.

"Three days," Harry replied. "Give yourself time to recover from all the duelling. Wandless magic is not nearly as easy as you think, even more when you try to use it for close combat."

Aegon sent Teddy a sharp look, uneasy with the thought but knowing he would not be able to talk him down. He'd spent far too many years watching over his younger siblings, he and Rhaenys partners in crime and in their protection of Aegon, and it had been unsurprising to learn Teddy planned to keep to Aegon's side.

He could see the benefits of it; Teddy's abilities would let him go where others could not, able to see things without giving himself away, and Aegon would be better with him at his side.

If only for those reasons – and because he knew, permission or no, Teddy would find a way – Harry had insisted on these lessons, determined to give them an edge.

"Tomorrow for the both of you," he told them.

"I feel fine," Rhaenys muttered, a spark of flaming flaring into existence.

"But it's not as easy as it was," he finished with a knowing look in his eyes.

Rhaenys pursed her lips before she nodded reluctantly in agreement, Aegon doing the same. It was slightly worrying, knowing that they were still limited magically – and Elia near completely limited – and he wanted to get to the root of it.

"Go on then. I'm sure you've all got other lessons to get to."

They trudged off together to the abandoned pool area Oberyn had commandeered, blunted weapons on hand as he ran them through their paces for the past week. They had come to an odd truce, each of them invested in seeing their shared family make it through the war, and if Oberyn happened to tense in his vicinity after witnessing Harry run Teddy through the ringer, than he could keep his amusement hidden.

He had returned to their room, just finished cleaning the dirt off him and vanishing the water from the bath, tunic in hand when he found himself pulled into Elia's arms.

"Maia?" he asked between kisses, walking backward. They fell into the armchair in their room; the two seats separate from the sitting area connected to their bedroom.

"Running around with Dorea and Loreza," she murmured. "Tweak is watching over them."

"Oh," he said.

Ellaria Sand had returned to the Water Gardens, all but her eldest daughter with her, and Maia had been delighted at the sight of cousins who were of an age with her.

"Not that I'm not happy with where this is headed," he gasped, pulling back slightly before he gave in to the haze of delight, "but what brought this on?"

The smirk on her face softened to a smile, her hand on his as she laid it flat against her stomach. "We might end up with that quidditch team."

It took a moment for him to register her meaning, stilling in surprise as he stared at her.

"Elia…what…are you certain?" he asked, sitting up straight. She shifted slightly, moving to sit comfortably tucked into his arms, and Harry felt her link their fingers together.

"I spoke with the maester this morning. He thinks I'm nearly two moons gone," she told him. Seeing him open his mouth she continued, "There was also a potion in our stock."

Aunt Narcissa, he guessed, certain the woman had brewed that one. Or even Astoria.

"We haven't…there was no ritual," he said.

"Beltane," she answered dryly. "Dorea has delightedly reminded me that it is the one day we've no need for any...and it might be the reason I've had more difficulty than usual with magic. Dimension travel in the early stages of pregnancy is not advised."

Of course, he thought. The day after had been a mess, and Harry had forgotten in the chaos of the fire and their departure.

"Harry?" He swallowed her words with a kiss, letting his joy overwhelm the slight fear. They weren't in England any longer; Harry had to believe she would be fine with only a maester and midwife on hand. She's delivered two healthy children in Westeros, he reminded himself, leaning his forehead against hers.

This changed things, and he had to tamp down on his urge to insist they wait to restore Aegon's throne. Things were already moving, lords gathering discreetly as Dorne prepared to hold a summit of sorts, and he wouldn't undermine her capabilities by insisting a pregnant woman remain on the side-lines.

"What's running through your mind?"

"I'm wondering if we could put that crown on Aegon's head in time for the birth," he joked, sighing as he recalled the time it took for the original conquest. Even with three dragons and a sorcerer queen, it had taken the first Targaryen rulers the better part of two years, and they were faced with a potentially more hostile realm.

"We'll need to move elsewhere," she murmured, eyes far off.

"You don't want to remain here?" He'd assumed learning she was with child would hold her to her family, but perhaps he had underestimated things.

"War will come, and I would rather avoid the trappings of it as long as I can. Besides," she added, dark eyes locked on his. "Can you truly say you are comfortable with Varys having someone here, and no wards beyond those we've placed in the rooms."

He pursed his lips, sighing as he acknowledged her point. Harry had spent too long surrounded by wards built to protect them that it chafed to know that same protection was unavailable to them.

"We would be surrounded by unfamiliar people with no wards in the Red Keep," he pointed out.

"The Red Keep was built by earlier Targaryens whose entire life is shrouded in magic," she countered.

He closed his eyes, mind whirling with plans as he thought on what he would need to form some sort of functioning ward system. Harry would never deny her; far beyond the strategic benefits of having a place to safely plot their restoration, he knew part of her missed the comfort of Potter Hall, and Harry would do what he could to carve out some semblance of safety here as well.

"Where were you thinking?" he asked curiously, knowing Elia would not have brought it up without a plan – even half-formed – in mind.

"How much magic do you think it takes to break a continent apart?"


A considerable amount, it turned out.

The Children of the Forest had not simply broken the continent as her words suggested, and as Harry stared at the map he was amazed.

"They shattered everything," Teddy murmured in awe, realizing how much work would have gone into doing so.

"Pirates? That could very well work as a distraction," Oberyn was musing, a thoughtful look on his face as Viserys sat quietly next to him. The older Targaryen prince had returned, checking on his sister before Oberyn pulled him into the meeting. He was still stiff around them, but Harry had witnessed a sharp intelligence in his eyes as he glanced over the map.

"We've no ships," Ashara agreed. "Only the dozen we've built since the rebellion, and the Reach has not dared to send wood to us for years. Purchasing ships would be too costly."

"Wars require gold, and unfortunately Tywin Lannister sits on a mountain of it," Oberyn frowned.

He listened with half an ear, already having heard what Elia's plan was, and Aegon and Rhaenys paid close attention to what was being discussed. Harry himself simply plotted, seeing the various isles the Children had created in their fury.

"Is it possible they destroyed a ley line?" Teddy asked lowly, eyes scrutinizing the map. Teddy had adored his ancient studies course, and finding out he could bring some of that knowledge to bear was almost too much excitement for him.

"Maybe," he murmured, running his eyes over the various isles. To shatter something so fully required more than their own magic; Westeros did not hold nearly as much magic as Harry had known, and he feared Teddy might be right.

How devastating would it have been, to so brazenly unleash that much magic into the world; ley lines very rarely ran straight across a continent, and Harry wondered where this had once connected to, and what it meant to have cleaved it.

It would work, if they could find an island that worked for their plans. Magic that concentrated did not easily dissipate – no matter how many thousands of years had passed.

"You'll find ships from the Three Daughters fighting over the land," Doran warned. "We can't fight a protracted war on two fronts."

"Not two fronts," Elia told him. "Westeros will not involve themselves in the Stepstones unless there was benefit to them, and the Daughters can be persuaded to turn a blind eye."

"You underestimate Tywin Lannister," Doran said, a dark look on his face. "Any threat to his legacy is one he would see extinct. The Stepstones is too close to Dorne for his comfort. He might feel we are planning a restoration."

"We are," Aegon said dryly, "but we won't be flying Targaryen banners while we do so."

The others turned to look at their boy king, and Harry glanced at his children when he felt their eyes on him.

"The Potter-Black crests are yours to use," he said, reminding them that his blood also ran through their veins.

The crests on their own were immaculate, etched into his Wizengamot seats side by side and into the tapestries lining the halls of each ancestral home, but upon his adoption Harry had combined them to form his own personal crest.

He had kept the Black ravens at the base of his crest, the backdrop being the blue Potter occamy, wings outstretched and a crossed wand and sword across the body to match the silvery-grey base.

"A good thing we've the needed time to have it stitched," Rhaenys said. "The question is where?"

"Bloodstone," Visery interjected quietly.

He had remained silent the entire meeting, carefully noting what it was the others were saying that it was surprising he was willing to speak at all.

"Most pirates use the Grey Gallows, and Bloodstone will differentiate us from minor pirates," he said, moving a dragon figuring atop the isle he spoke of.

"It's too close to Estermont," Doran pointed out, though his eyes showed none of his caution as he studied the map. He might have liked the older man, but as it was he set Harry's teeth on edge – would until he better understood Doran and did not see another when he looked at him.

"A boon," Viserys countered. "Lord Estermont has little ships to his name, and Bloodstone allows the loyal Crownlords to find us on route to Lys."

"We would have to subdue the Stormlands were we to have a chance at taking the throne," Larra added. "If the Reach joins us, it would leave the Kingsroad as their only chance at assistance, and King's Landing can ill afford having their backs turned to loyalists in the Crownlands and Riverlands. Not when Tywin Lannister turns his army to the Ocean Road."

It was slightly scary how astute she was, and Harry was glad Larra's considerable army would support Aegon's claim.

"Are we in agreement?" Aegon asked, straightening as he glanced around the room. He had been slightly upset that his uncle had so obviously avoided being alone with him, but none of that showed. His son standing with the confidence he would expect from his cousin.

"We've just over three moons until we meet with the other Lords and Ladies," Elia stated. "Bloodstone can be put forward once they know what they are dealing with."

He locked eyes with her; Bloodstone would perhaps be the first test of the alliances she would bring together, the first test for them all, and Harry idly wondered how long it would take before the dragons decided they were tired of hiding in the mountains.


The gods were laughing somewhere in morbid amusement as Harry and Oberyn found themselves united in their mutual dislike at the presence of the man knelt before Aegon.

He had been training Teddy; the past week spent slowly helping his son become familiar with the different feel of wandless magic. Aegon and Rhaenys had been sparring, Oberyn pointing out any mistakes as Harry helped Teddy learn how to call his magic to him quickly without the help of a wand.

"It'll take years to learn properly," he warned him.

"It didn't take you nearly as long," Teddy retorted, frustration etched in his face.

"Different circumstances," Harry replied flatly, and he shook his head as Teddy flushed in apology. "Don't. Had it not happened, it likely would have taken just as long; chaotic magic is not something easily dealt with. Nor do you need to have complete mastery as of yet. Wandless magic can be the difference between an arrow landing it's mark or a sword buried in your guts, Teddy. You'll need to master redirection first."

Teddy had nodded, determined to be able to do that as soon as he could, and Harry had slowly thrown a volley of spells and objects at him, waiting to see whether he could hold his own.

It was as Teddy began to get the hang of it, redirecting a ball to fall harmlessly to his left and batting a spell away that they were interrupted, Daenerys skidding to a halt as she watched wide-eyed.

"Well done," he said, pride evident in his voice.

Teddy was preening, throwing a cheeky smile at Daenerys before he frowned. "What's wrong, Dany?"

"Prince Doran says you're needed in his receiving room," she told them, eyes darting to stare warily at Oberyn.

Harry frowned, seeing the dark look on his brother-in-law's face. "Were we expecting guests?" he muttered as they made their way, the children walking behind them.

"No," Oberyn answered lowly. "I like it not."

He'd liked it even less when they saw why they had been called. The man before them wore solid plate armour, a shining grey that showed no sign of his former status as Kingsguard, the white cloak missing from his shoulder.

Upon sighting Aegon, he drew his sword, kneeling with the point facing the floor and narrowly managing to avoid being thrown backward courtesy of the tense magical before him. It was only Rhaenys' hand on Teddy's wrist that kept him at bay, and Harry made his way to Elia's side, the closed off expression on her face letting him know how unexpected and unwelcome this visit was.

There was no one to keep Oberyn in check, Viserys standing stiffly as he stared at his father's sworn sword – at Rhaegar's man – hands clenched and his scar stark against his pale skin.

"I thought I told you to never return to Dorne," Oberyn hissed, sounding like his moniker.

Of Arthur Dayne he knew little beyond what Elia had told him and what he'd gleaned from the memories of the Rebellion he had witnessed, but the man had a brass pair, he'd give him that much.

Not everyone was willing to baldly ignore Oberyn when he was furious.

"I swore to return to Dorne only with my king," Ser Arthur answered, eyes focused on Aegon. "I believe that fulfilled your conditions."

"You've not found your king," Viserys said coldly. "Years in Essos and yet it was another who saw to Aegon's return."

Purple eyes flicked to his, the knight zooming in on the closeness between him and Elia, and Harry smiled, feeling his magic flare slightly before settling, seeing him subconsciously shift in place.

Arthur Dayne was Aerys' most dangerous knight – had loyally followed his prince into the wilderness for more than a year – and Harry would put the fear of his gods in him before he let the man think he could waltz in and mould Aegon into another Rhaegar.

That Oberyn and Viserys seemed to be in agreement with him firmed his resolve, knowing there was only one thing they could agree on.

"Where have you spent these last years, Ser?" Aegon asked, indigo eyes boring into the Kingsguard.

"Searching for you, Your Grace, so that I may resume my duties," Ser Arthur answered.

"Not with the queen?" Rhaenys asked idly, gaze flicking to Viserys, and Harry saw cold anger in his eyes that hinted at a rocky history.

"The Lord Commander ordered me to find our king," he replied.

"And where is Ser Gerold?" Elia asked, voice even in spite of the anger he was certain coursed through her.

"My mother asked a question, Ser," Aegon warned him, fury flashing across his features at the knight's impertinence.

"The Lord Commander had most likely been killed shortly after we parted ways," he responded, hiding any sadness he might have felt at the thought.

"Why would the Lord Commander remain with Lyanna Stark?" Aegon questioned, the entire room holding their breath as they watched the knight.

He still holds Rhaegar's secrets above everything, Harry thought, and for the first time saw a flash of emotion in Ser Arthur's eyes as he struggled between his loyalty to his dead prince and his king before him.

"Will you ignore your king, Ser?" Aegon pressed, staring darkly at him.

"Ser Gerold was the knight left to see to the safety of Prince Rhaegar's daughter."

Harry swore internally, feeling Elia stiffen as her suspicions were confirmed. The Targaryens present were in varying levels of shock, their purple eyes darkening as they were faced with an unwanted truth.