Rhaenys
This will not go well, she thought. They were waiting on Ser Arthur; Aegon had insisted on meeting with the Kingsguard knight, and Rhaenys hadn't wanted her brother to deal with the man alone, knowing the questions Egg would want to ask.
"You're being stupid, Edward," she sighed.
"He'll answer questions easier when it's only Targaryens before him," Teddy grinned, Viserys' features stretched into a smile that she had not seen in some time. It had been there briefly when they had first reunited, a small thing that had told her he was glad to see her alive.
Beyond what they had done to her, what they had left her mother to deal with, Rhae wanted to see them burn for helping put that look in Viserys' eyes.
"He'll answer his king's questions," she shot back, ignoring Teddy's snort of disbelief. It was odd; despite knowing Viserys for two months now, Teddy had not gotten close to the older boy yet he had his expressions memorized.
"Heads up," Aegon muttered, expression closing off as he saw the knight escorted in. Teddy straightened, adopting Viserys' stiff posture as his eyes became ice chips.
She didn't know what her brother thought of to bring that look into his eyes, but Teddy's emotions had been swinging between cold rage and overprotective paranoia the more they learned of Westeros that she doubted he needed to look too deeply to do so.
That this allowed him to remain close enough to intervene – in the manner all Blacks did when angered, she knew – was the only way to keep Teddy appeased.
"Your Grace," Ser Arthur intoned, kneeling before them. His eyes flicked to Rhaenys and then Teddy, slight surprise showing at Viserys' seeming willingness to be near him before he returned his gaze to Aegon.
"Rise, Ser," Aegon ordered, straightening in his seat. "There are a number of matters to discuss that require your expertise."
There was no crown on Egg's head to denote his status, but she had noticed a change in her little brother in the last month. He stood confident, refusing to let the weight of the crown burden him. Egg had been more solemn lately; sitting seriously in the lessons he took on the current state of Westeros, watching carefully as they sat with the council they had scrounged together to help prepare for the taking of the Stepstones.
He was no longer just Egg, she thought, a mixture of pride and sadness filling her whenever she witnessed him perform what duties he had to, finding time to help her and Teddy as they went through the books they had brought with them. They had a full year before everything was settled in place for a restoration, and Aegon had insisted on taking part in the changes that would come to Dorne.
"What kind of King would I be if I don't understand the needs of the regions I rule?" he had retorted; stubbornly sitting with a dull book on agricultural techniques their mother had packed.
"You are the only Kingsguard remaining?" Aegon asked.
"No, Your Grace," Arthur responded. "Ser Oswell remains in Essos, waiting on word of your return."
"The rest of your brothers?" Aegon asked idly, already knowing the answer.
"Dead," he replied, face blank.
They weren't entirely dead – two had survived to join Robert Baratheon's Kingsguard – but they might as well have been to him.
"Where did Ser Gerold die? Not at King's Landing or Dragonstone, else we would have heard," Rhaenys asked.
"Summerhall," he answered. "Or elsewhere in the Stormlands, if he moved the girl in time."
How touchingly poetic, she thought darkly.
"And what is it you wish to accomplish here?" Teddy sneered.
"I've come to serve His Grace as a Kingsguard; to protect you from harm, offer counsel when asked and keep your secrets. The Kingsguard are sworn for life, Your Grace, and I've life yet in me."
Teddy's face twitched, lips pressed in a firm line to keep the words he wanted to say within.
"What is Ser Oswell doing in Essos?" Rhae asked curiously.
Ser Arthur's eyes flicked to Teddy quickly. "He waits with a small company of men."
"Which men?" Aegon asked lowly, eyes hard as he noticed the look at what would have been Viserys. He had made small overtures to their uncle, hoping to bridge the gap between them, and from Arthur's expression Rhae feared Egg would lose his temper should he learn of the men that had Viserys so wary.
"The Regent, Lord Connington, and a number of men from the Golden Company."
Aegon's face twisted in disdain, a look mirrored on her face as Teddy glowered at Arthur.
"The Regent is my mother, Ser," Aegon said coldly.
"Lord Jon was the Hand and one of your father's closest advisors, Your Grace," Ser Arthur pointed out.
"Yet my grandfather saw fit to have him removed from the position. I'll not have someone who so easily discarded my aunt and uncle as my regent, Ser."
Ser Arthur nodded stiffly, ignoring Teddy entirely, and Rhae had the feeling that there was more to the story than she knew.
"You expect us to retake the throne with Blackfyre supporters at our back?" Rhaenys questioned, pushing past her thoughts on Viserys' past. "We would be laughed off as pretenders."
"There are no more Blackfyres remaining, Princess," he answered. "Only men who wish to fight beneath a dragon banner. Red or Black, a dragon is still a dragon to them."
"And what of this missing bastard?" Teddy drawled, Viserys' features pulled into a sneer of disdain. "You've seen fit to abandon your vows for them once before. Why should we believe you would remain loyal? That any of my brother's men would remain loyal?"
Ser Arthur's eyes flashed with emotion, and Rhae took a sharp breath at seeing what it was that had caused the anger to rise in his gaze.
They can't have been so stupid, she thought. No Targaryen had managed that since the beginning of their reign, and even then there had been dragons on hand.
"Why does that child being called a bastard upset you, Ser Arthur?" Rhae asked coolly, taut with anger. She'd not thought things could be more disastrous, but she had underestimated how very talented these men were at making things worse. She felt Auriga nudge at their bond, and Rhaenys worked furiously to keep her anger from spilling over.
"Ser Arthur," Aegon said, voice tight as he struggled to rein in his fury. "Which Septon would risk the Faith's wrath?"
"Not a Septon, Your Grace," he answered, eyes wary as he saw the looks they sent him.
Rhaenys swore internally, hands clenched in a fist as she felt the slightest spark of flame. The Old Gods were not the Seven – there were no guidelines to their faith, and she could not know if the Northerners would have seen it as a valid marriage, if Westeros would have fallen into more war if he survived.
"He was not your king yet you insist on keeping his secrets still," Aegon hissed. "Tell me, Ser; did you offer counsel before your prince made his decision? Or was your faith such that you saw nothing wrong with what he had done?"
Ser Arthur remained quiet for a moment before he spoke, "The Kingsguard offer counsel only when asked."
"Then you should have returned to your king," Teddy stated, face carved of marble.
"Get out of my sight," Aegon spat coldly. "You'll not say a word of this to anyone outside of this room, Ser, or it shall be your head."
She waited until Ser Arthur had left to speak, leaning forward to rest her hand on Aegon's shoulder.
"Egg?"
"We can't tell anyone," he said, hands clenched as his eyes darkened.
"No," she agreed. "We'd have another mess on our hands. We'll have to tell Mum," she reminded him quietly.
"Not yet," he said. "Just...not now. Soon."
Egg turned away from her, eyes closed as she finally saw the toll it was taking on him. Their mother was happily married with another child on the way, but they would have to pick at old wounds and let her know.
"I thought it would be easier," he admitted quietly. "Take the throne, rule wisely. There are steps involved to all of it. Nobody tells you how to be a king when your own family is in pieces. How do you lead when every past secret seems to push you ten steps back?"
"Did you think we would let you do this alone?" Rhae asked, cradling his hand between hers. "You might be king, Aegon, but you don't have to carry the burden. You've family to rely on."
"Not everyone," he scoffed. "Viserys doesn't trust me – and for good reason."
"So make him trust you," Teddy said, leaning against the wall as he stared at them with glinting green eyes. "You've the chance to be one of the greatest kings the realm has ever seen, Egg, but even great kings were brought low by infighting with their family. Find out what it is he needs for you to earn his trust."
Aegon's eyes lit with a fire, determination written across his features as he seemed to come to a decision.
"Come, little brother. I'm in the mood for a spar," Rhae said, rising to her feet. "I promise to go easy on you."
"No you won't," he grumbled, momentarily forgetting the dark mood he was in.
Rhaenys merely smiled, making her way to the sparring grounds. She would see Egg seated on his throne, even if she had to drag Viserys kicking and screaming into agreement. They were dragons, and they of all people could ill afford to be so fractured.
Aegon
He had watched Viserys for the past month, seeing him with Daenerys as well as Maia. His uncle had been wary at first, but if there was anyone who could wear at your defences it was his sister, and Viserys had soon found himself with the little girl mimicking his features.
Egg had choked on his laughter, seeing the look on Viserys' face when Maia had first done so, glad that Teddy had forgone their glamour's for the day. It was as he watched Viserys interact with Maia, saw how he treated Daenerys that Egg's idea began to take shape.
Aegon ducked, barely avoiding the swipe of Ser Arthur's blade. The man was the finest sword in the realm, and he would have been stupid to not take advantage of that. If Ser Arthur had multiple tracking charms on him as well as an elf hidden in the shadows keeping watch…well, Egg wasn't going to inform him of that.
"You're thinking of something else," he admonished, blade arcing as he aimed a cut at Aegon's shoulder.
Egg shifted, blade rising to meet his and have it slide away. "I'm supposed to be a king. I'm always thinking," Egg retorted, pressing forward as he swung his blade to parry the older knight's.
"Don't think of anything other than the blade in your hand and the one swinging at you," Ser Arthur told him. "Any stray thought, any momentary distraction can be the death of you." He quickly formed a chain of strokes – left, right, left, overhead, and a punishing jab – to emphasise his point.
He was toying with him, he knew. Arthur Dayne could probably piss in one hand while fighting Aegon with the other, yet they kept at it, sparring daily so Egg could hold his own.
Egg fell on his back foot, and he saw the change in the older knight as he picked up the pace, almost brutal as he punished him for going on the defensive.
They ended the spar with Ser Arthur's sword at his neck, Egg's aimed at the man's thigh.
"Good," he said curtly. "You're doing much better. Might have even gotten the upper hand if you paid attention."
"Are you supposed to be so critical of your king?" Egg asked teasingly.
A shadow crossed Arthur's face, and Egg felt what little humour he had leave him. He had forgotten himself; tired of the constant shadow looming between them that he had not realized Arthur was not like the others.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked quietly.
"He was happy," Arthur answered just as quietly, struggling with his words for so long that Egg thought he wouldn't answer. "Rhaegar was a melancholy man, but she brought some measure of happiness to him."
Aegon felt ash in his mouth, anger licking through him like a flame. "Look around you. Was his happiness worth thousands?"
He didn't wait for an answer, spinning on his heel as he threw the sword aside. Egg's feet carried him to Rhae's room, seeing the laughter on his sister's face die as she saw the look on his face.
"Egg? What's wrong?" Rhaenys had a worried look on her face, one mimicked by Teddy.
"Where's Viserys?"
Teddy's eyes flicked to the door and Egg turned, making his way to the small area his sister preferred to play in. There was music coming from a harp, Viserys sitting as Daenerys practiced her harp and Maia clapped in glee.
"Egg!" Rhae warned, drawing the other's attention.
"NO," he said, walking closer to Viserys. Neither boy was armed, but there was a wary look in Viserys' eyes, cautious of the wand Teddy carried and the magic they wielded.
"What are you doing?" he asked coolly, fist clenched.
"I get it," Aegon said, frustration bubbling. "You don't like me, and I get it. But I'm not him Viserys. I can't control who comes after our heads and who decides serving me is the best course."
Viserys scoffed, arms crossed as he sneered, "You're the king Aegon."
"I didn't ask to be king," Aegon snapped, feeling his fury rise. "Do you think I wanted that bloody crown on my head? I can't control who I was born to as much as you can't."
Vaguely, he saw Teddy herd Maia inside, Rhaenys placing her hand on his to hold him still as Daenerys moved closer to her brother.
"Do you expect me to feel sympathy for you?" Viserys sneered, mouth twisting in disdain. "Poor Aegon, unable to stomach the idea of being king and coddled by his mother until it was time for his reign."
Aegon growled, pushing past Rhae as he lunged forward to tackle his uncle. He saw the flash of surprise cross Viserys' face before pain bloomed in his jaw.
Rhaenys was screaming at them to stop, the comforting heat of the flame at his back as she lost what little control she had.
"Winky!" he called, feeling the elf pop into place. "Iacomus."
The last thing he heard was his sister swearing before they disappeared in a swirl of magic, dropping onto the cracked floor of the clearing.
Viserys' knee found his stomach, and Egg groaned, the wind knocked out of him as he was shoved off.
He felt him as the shadow blocked the sun, hearing the low growl as Iacomus bared his teeth. Viserys' eyes widened, crawling backward as he saw the two dragons looming over him.
"Tha-that's a dragon," he breathed, voice shaking with awe and terror.
Calm down, Egg, he reminded himself, breathing deeply as he struggled to grab hold of the fury coursing through him. His anger was feeding Iacomus, and the grey Ironbelly was so very close to roasting Viserys.
"Egg!" Rhae called, swearing as she and Teddy appeared in a crack, Daenerys falling onto the ground behind them. "Down, Auriga," she said, hand raised to press against her snout.
Teddy was hissing at Iacomus, an angry look on his face as he gestured sharply to the two Targaryens staring wildly at them.
Calm, Iacomus, he thought, the terror of the moment sending him crashing back to reality. They're family.
Iacomus growled, head dropping to rest beside Egg. They were much bigger now, only the underside of his jaw easily reached from where he sat, and Egg patted him, feeling the bond spark as Teddy hissed.
"Stop, Teddy," he said tiredly. "It won't happen again."
"You're bloody right it won't," Teddy snapped. "What if they came flying to the Water Gardens?"
Fire and blood, he thought hysterically.
Egg stood, leaning lightly against Iacomus as he watched Viserys. Daenerys was behind him, a hand on his arm as she watched the dragons with awe-filled eyes.
"Come to burn me, then?" Viserys asked, purple eyes focused on the dragons. "What'll they say? Rhaeg—"
"Oh, will you both knock it off?" Rhaenys snapped, Auriga rearing on her hind legs to emphasize her words. "You're family, you bloody morons. There's going to be enough people wanting us all dead without you two at each other's throats."
Egg strode forward, seeing Viserys tense before he grabbed his hand. His magic always felt stronger the closer he was to Iacomus, and Egg used that closeness to call it to the surface. "I, Aegon of House Targaryen—"
"That's not what I meant when I said gain his trust," Teddy hissed. He watched with wide eyes as Egg ignored him; there was nothing they could do, he had already started and they wouldn't dare intervene in a magical oath.
"—sixth of the name to bear the title paterfamilias, do hereby swear to protect Daenerys and Viserys of House Targaryen to the best of my abilities, to provide hearth and home, to not knowingly place them in danger of death, and to defend them so long as they swear to uphold the protection of our House and forswear any notions of betrayal."
Lilac eyes locked on indigo, and Egg waited with bated breath to see what Viserys would do, feeling the magic growing on his end.
"What happens if a magical oath is broken?" Viserys asked, the magic he held rising in response to the dragons and the incomplete oath.
"Nothing good," Rhaenys answered.
"It's just us now," Egg said quietly. "No father's to place blame on. Just we four to carry the Targaryen name and legacy and retake our home. Will you help me? Or are we doomed to fight amongst ourselves?"
Lilac eyes looked searchingly at him, looking for any hint of dishonesty, and Egg kept his expression as serious and open as he could. If this were the only way to get Viserys to believe he meant every word, he would gladly do so.
"I accept," he said, and Egg saw him shift as the weight of their oath settled heavily in him, Daenerys echoing her brother after a moment.
"Would you like to meet the dragons?" he asked, a smile cracking his face as he saw the look on their face.
Iacomus shifted forward, head laying on the ground, and Egg helped Dany feel more comfortable around him, grinning at the awestruck look on her face.
