Kind of had to slow it down a little, so more magic next chapter, and then an interlude the one after to bring some more into the fold. Thanks so much for the reviews! Glad you're enjoying it!
She had not needed a raven or a messenger to bring word of what happened at Bloodstone to know something had gone wrong; Daenerys' frantic words had been more than enough to raise the alarm, face pale as she rambled about a promise.
Elia had left as swiftly as possible, startling Doran as he hurried to send men and a ship to take her to the island, caving beneath the steel of her gaze once he realized she would not be swayed to stay in Sunspear.
The babe kicked as they passed the Broken Arm, a sharp pain as she felt the stirring of magic in the air, and Elia rested a hand on her belly as the feel of magic increased.
It feels far different from England, she thought, her own responding far more powerfully than it ever had.
At the sight of black and grey – their large and hulking figures lurking beneath the sun – her lips tightened, ignoring the sudden murmurs that broke out amongst the crew. They were nervously preparing to dock, glancing at Elia as she stood at the prow, eyes blank as she thought on the trouble her children had invited.
"Princess, perhaps we should wait until—"
"Those dragons won't harm me, Ser," she told him, pressing forward once it was safe to do so.
"Your Grace," a knight from the Reach murmured, nervously glancing at Elia as her brother's former squire came forth to escort her.
"Princess," Ser Daemon greeted, green-blue eyes troubled in spite of the easy grin on his face. "The others wait within the castle."
Elia kept quiet, withholding the numerous questions that were churning within her as she gazed at the men on the island. Their eyes kept drifting to the two dragons – not a rider in sight – even as they worked to clear the ships of any loot. Often, their gazes would land on Elia, an odd look in them as they nevertheless bowed and murmured their greetings.
The castle was little better, with guards bustling about the entryway. Ser Daemon led her past a set of grand doors, passing what would undoubtedly pass as this castle's great hall, down a corridor before they climbed a set of stairs.
There were Martell guards everywhere, lined up along the wall as Ser Daemon led her closer to the rooms at the back.
"Where is my daughter?" she asked, forcing him to halt.
"Princess Rhaenys and Lord Edward are in that room," he answered, pointing to a door to her left.
She thanked him before she left, opening the door to see Rhaenys and Teddy speaking quietly, their eyes widening as they saw her.
"Mum! What are you doing here?"
"Did you come alone?"
"Are you supposed to be travelling?"
At that Elia raised a brow, seeing the sheepish look on Teddy's face. They were sitting across from each other, Teddy on the bed and Rhaenys on an armchair, shifting to sit next to Teddy as Elia took the open chair.
She looked them over, relieved that they did not seem to be physically harmed. "Do you mind explaining why the dragons are here?"
They shared a look, unspoken words exchanged between them before Teddy sighed.
"According to them, Iacomus was feeling antsy and thought Egg was in danger. Auriga tagged along."
"And why would Aegon be in enough danger for Iacomus to ignore his instructions?" she asked, dark eyes pinned on Rhaenys' purple.
Raised voices floated in from the door, the furious note of Harry's voice in the absence of a silencing ward letting her know how upset he was.
"…swearing to protect him when you are not of age and unable to do so in the midst of a bloody war."
"I am the Head of his House, and his king besides. What use is my title if I cannot protect my family?" Aegon retorted.
"What use is your protection if it sees you killed, Aegon? Magical oaths are not something to take lightly, especially when you've no idea on what scale they are done."
"You swore an oath yourself," Aegon replied, voice fading as the two before her shifted in their seats, a dark look on Teddy's face.
"Dad's forbidden us from using any magic," Rhaenys explained. "At least until he gets a better sense of what's going on here."
"Your father's had to use more magic than he planned on account of Aegon's oath," she stated, not needing their wordless confirmation to know what happened.
That explains the looks, Elia thought, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. That Harry was unwilling to silence the room he was in, allowing others to hear him scold Aegon was more telling and worrisome.
She stood as swiftly as her stomach would allow, startling her eldest as they jumped to their feet.
"Where are—"
"I suspect your father will want to speak to you soon," she told them, making her way to the door. "If he hasn't already."
"We've been confined to this room," Teddy said sourly.
"Good," Elia said curtly. Perhaps they had given them too much freedom in such a difficult situation, knowing that while they could be troublesome at the best of times, they had never quite done something so dangerous.
"You will stay put until either I or your father send for you," she added, waiting until they gave their agreement before she turned to intervene in Aegon and Harry's argument.
The guards needlessly directed her to the room at the end of the hall, the voices letting her know where she could find her husband and son.
Much like the room Rhaenys and Teddy were in, this room held a large bed and a set of chairs, bright fabrics hanging throughout and a Myrish rug on the floor.
Harry stood with his back to the wall, arms crossed and the feel of magic roiling beneath the surface as he faced Aegon. Ser Arthur stood off to the side of the bed, a wary look on his face as his hands tightened on the hilt of his sword.
"…not much of a difference between the oath you swore and the one I did," Aegon said, face twisted stubbornly as he glared at Harry.
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Except I knew what I was getting myself into. Wanting to do the right thing without knowing of the potential consequences is a dangerous thing," he said coldly.
Elia moved closer, placing a hand on his back as she stood next to him. He was tense, his muscles taut as he stared darkly at their son.
"Harry," she murmured.
He turned to face her, green eyes glowing slightly, cold fury written across his features before he swallowed his anger, wrapping an arm around her.
"I'll check on the others," he said lowly, pressing a short kiss to her cheek.
He left without turning to glance at Aegon, and Elia sent her son a sharp look, seeing him throw himself on the bed.
"I suppose you've come to yell at me as well?" he asked sourly.
"You've been tinkering with magical oaths, Aegon. Did you expect your father to accept it so easily?" she questioned, curious to his answer. She opted to sit next to him on the bed, and Elia waved him off before he could bring a pillow forward, biting back a smile at his fretting.
"How did you find out?"
"Daenerys," she answered, cutting him off before he could delve into the argument on why he thought his actions best. "She is eleven, Aegon, and an oath on that scale could have killed her had the magic been more inflexible."
There was a stricken look on his face, indigo eyes widening as her words seemed to strike a chord. She disliked having to be overly harsh, but if her words forced him to think through his actions, she would do it.
"I just wanted to help them," Aegon whispered, a sad look in his eyes starkly reminding her of the day they had left England behind.
"You should have come to your father or I. Or even your uncles."
Aegon scoffed, "How can I be king if I can't handle my uncle's issues with me?"
"So the oath was to prove your worth as king?" Elia asked dryly, seeing him flush and turn away. There had been a flash of something dark in his eyes, a burden he was unwilling to share. "What did you promise Viserys?"
"To protect and defend them, to provide hearth and home and not ask anything of them that might place them in danger," he admitted, giving more detail than what Daenerys had told her.
"Aegon—"
"I get it," he said, a sliver of frustration leaking into his tone. "It was reckless and dangerous and I could have died – we all could have died. But how else was I supposed to convince them I was not him? The people meant to protect them abandoned them for the sake of a missing king all because their prince decided to—"
He stopped abruptly, paling as he averted his gaze.
"Aegon."
Her son stubbornly refused to look at her, lips pursed as if that would keep the words hidden. Elia chanced a glance at the lone knight, seeing the tight grip he had on his sword and the odd look on his face.
It always comes back to Rhaegar and his secrets, she thought. She had not spoken much of her marriage to her children, but perhaps she had been mistaken in allowing them time to process the news Arthur Dayne brought on their own. Not now when they had slowly begun to learn how the realm had fared in the aftermath.
"Aegon. Whatever he has done is not something you need to hide," she told him, reaching forward to tilt his head toward her. His indigo eyes held a tint of fury, suppressed for however long he had held onto this knowledge, and Elia could well imagine whatever it was would have pushed him to such lengths.
"He married her," her son whispered darkly, his words causing her to still. "He took her to the Isle of Faces and married her and when war broke out and his father continued to go mad he stayed to play house. I'm sorry, I should have told you, but I didn't—"
"I am your mother, Aegon. Hurt feelings are not something you need to protect me from," she told him. "Nor should his actions dictate how you and Viserys behave with each other."
He shifted, closing his eyes as he nodded his assent. Aegon's shoulders were slumped, an air of exhausted melancholy clinging to him.
"Papa's upset with me."
"You could have died, sweetling. Of course he's upset; we both are. An oath is not to be taken lightly, Aegon."
"Do you know if it…can anything be done?" he asked, a hesitant look on his face.
There might be, she knew, but they would have to consult the books they had brought with them. Maybe even the portraits, in the event one of them had run into a similar situation.
"We'll find a way," she promised. "For now, I expect you to follow whatever we tell you. You aren't to leave this room tonight, nor are you allowed to practice at arms or take Iacomus flying. King you may be, but even that won't prevent you from being grounded."
"How long?"
"Until we find a way around this oath," she answered.
He grudgingly nodded, sighing forlornly as he acknowledged her words.
Harry had intercepted her before she could see to Viserys, ushering her into another room where a plate of food waited.
"Harry, I still need to speak with Viserys."
"I'll go with you. When was the last time you ate?" he asked, leading her to the armchair.
"On the ship," she replied, sitting on his lap as he offered her the plate.
"Camp food?"
"I've eaten worse," she told him, idly picking at the food.
"Elia."
"Rhaenys and Teddy?"
"Grounded," Harry answered. "They'll spend their days combing through the books to find a way to break the oath."
"Can it be broken?" she asked, brow furrowed in contemplation.
"Probably," Harry said. "At least they weren't mad enough to swear an unbreakable vow, though we'll have to be delicate about the entire thing."
Even now, she could feel the pull of magic – whether his or whatever the island held on its own – and Elia threaded a hand through his hair.
"What happened out there?" she asked quietly, seeing the dark look in his eyes.
"I haven't felt magic like this ever…the closest I could think was after the war," he told her, green eyes troubled. "I let it take hold and drowned three ships with men in them."
"Harry," she said quietly, resting her forehead against his.
"It was either that or we found an army on our doorstep," he said, shrugging past it. "I don't regret my choice, not now. Bloodstone is more than we expected, but I think the wards can be anchored here."
"That's good," she said.
"Elia," Harry said gently. "You seem out of sorts."
"I'm fine," she replied, feeling him press a kiss to her jaw. She wanted to give in and drown herself in the love he offered so freely, but there was more work to be done.
"He was a fool," Harry murmured, no doubt learning of the truth from Rhaenys or Teddy.
"He's also dead," she answered.
Oddly enough, that thought settled her. For all that she would spend these years picking up after him, he was dead and she yet lived, her children alive and a husband who loved her as she loved him.
She kissed him, giving in to this stolen moment before they spoke with Viserys. There would be time enough to consider the consequences of this latest secret.
"How is he?" Viserys asked, lilac eyes betraying his worry.
There was a bandage on his face, the linen tinged red as it wrapped around his head. Oberyn was with the guards, seeing to the loot they had found on the ships, and Elia had slipped in to see Viserys while he was alone and worrying himself over Aegon.
"He'll live," Harry answered, stepping closer to examine him. Viserys stilled, not daring to breathe as Harry peered down at him. "I'm not going to harm you, Viserys. None of us are."
"I have no reason to believe you."
Harry smiled faintly, dark and out of place. "I told you we were far more alike than you would care to admit."
There was a dark look in Viserys' eyes, gaze locked on Harry's as something seemed to pass between them.
"Viserys," she began gently, waiting until he turned to look at her. "The oath you three swore will need to be removed."
He blinked, eyes widening slightly as he breathed, "Dany. Is she well?"
"She is," Elia assured him, seeing the anxious tension. "It hasn't touched her near as much as it has you and Aegon."
"I felt it, when the sword swung toward me. I felt a pull," Visery admitted lowly, chancing a glance at Harry. "Is it meant to do that?"
"It is," Harry confirmed. "Magic such as that is not taken lightly and can exact a price if ignored."
Viserys grimaced, turning away from them. "I did not ask it of him."
"We know," Elia told him. "Still, what's done is done. We can only try and remove the oath."
"Will it hurt?" he asked. "I do not fear pain, but Dany…"
Her face softened at seeing the lingering worry in his eyes, even as Harry promised to do all he could to limit the pain that came with breaking a bond.
"Viserys, where in Essos were you before you came to Dorne?" she asked.
He stiffened at her question, lilac eyes darkening as he glanced unseeing at her. They had left him to linger in his animosity for too long, but seeing Aegon had unsettled him and brought forth all the issues the young man had buried.
"Braavos," he said stiffly. "Ser Willam had arranged a house for us."
"Ser Willam was a loyal knight," she replied. A dead one, too, she thought, knowing only death would have pried that man away from his duty. "But not of the Kingsguard."
Viserys scoffed in disdain, face twisting as he spat, "I've not seen the Kingsguard since my father lived. Only once, when they told Ser Willam they meant to continue their search. Then he died, and Rhaegar's lickspittle came and thought to rear us on tales of his valour and the glory of the dragons. As if I had not spent my years hearing of dragons. I'd had my fill of that."
"You ran away," Harry stated, a note of fascinated curiosity in his tone, causing lilac eyes to glance sharply at him.
"The Usurper sent his assassins; staying was not an option I would entertain with Daenerys, not when he was so eager to find and serve Aegon no matter the price."
She grimaced, guessing at their caretaker and hoping she was wrong.
"You ran to Dorne," Harry guessed.
"Lys," Viserys corrected. "Oberyn was abroad and came upon us when we were in Lys. He brought us to Dorne with him."
They were quiet for a moment, letting the young man gather his bearings. Braavos, she thought. Then whichever of the Free Cities they were taken to in an attempt to avoid the knives. Little wonder Viserys had settled in Dorne, able to live without the burden of his name hovering over him.
"Do you plan to remain in Sunspear?" Elia asked idly, seeing Viserys' gaze flick to hers.
"Daenerys will have to come to Bloodstone for some time, and you will have to stay as well," Harry continued. "At least until we find out to what extent the oath can be removed.
"And after?" Viserys asked quietly, lilac eyes hard as he glanced between them.
Elia leaned forward, dark eyes staring intently into his. For all that Viserys had Aerys' eyes, it was Rhaella she saw when she looked into them, seeing the quiet strength beneath the grief that took hold.
"You will always have a place with us, Viserys. You and Daenerys both."
She had waited a day to have this particular conversation, content to ignore the man as she pulled together the remnants of the Targaryen bloodline into some semblance of harmony and gathered her thoughts.
The children had remained on good terms in spite of everything, the oath and its ramifications seemingly pulling them closer together as they grumbled over their punishment. Auriga and Iacomus had settled on the island, the guards keeping a wary distance from them, only a giddy Oberyn daring to go near, over the moon at the thought of Teddy being able to translate for him once his punishment was over.
"Princess Elia," he greeted, standing stiffly behind her, the breeze from the sea ruffling the cloak she wore.
Bloodstone remained a mystery; Harry had spent the day attempting to wrestle control over his magic, the heavy magic of the island heightening their own. She could feel the current of the sea, and if Elia closed her eyes she imagined she could force it to move as she wanted, far more than she had ever been able to – in Dorne or England.
"Tell me, Ser Arthur, are there any other secrets we should expect to discover?" she asked idly, turning to face him. "There seem to be more than enough as it is."
Arthur's eyes flashed with something like remorse, and Elia waited to hear his answer.
"I did not think he would do something like that," he said, finally.
"I'm sure there are a number of things you thought would not have happened in pursuit of prophecy," Elia retorted, dark eyes staring intently at him. "I'll not ask again."
He was silent, purple eyes staring at her as if he had never seen her before. I am of Dorne, Ser, and I will not go quietly in the night. "No," he answered. "There are no other secrets, Princess."
Elia smiled ironically, knowing Arthur Dayne's loyalty was not to her.
"You have spent years as Rhaegar's closest friend, helping him pursue a prophecy to the detriment of the realm." She held up a hand, stalling whatever words he might have used to defend himself. "There are dragons once more, but that is not confirmation of your prophecy. That prophecy died with him, and I'll not have you foist Rhaegar's ambitions on my children or on Rhaella's."
Viserys had edged past it, but Elia knew enough to guess someone had suggested wedding Daenerys to Aegon and the boy had been fervently against it.
"Princess—"
"Two princes and a princess – one of them your king – very nearly died in their attempt to overcome the harm of those ambitions," she said pointedly.
"I did not mean for it to harm them," Arthur answered quietly, a hint of sorrow in his voice.
No, you only meant to defend your choices, she thought.
"Choose, Ser Arthur," Elia told him, seeing purple eyes flicker in hesitance. "You've spent long enough following his orders. Your prince is dead. Let his ghost rest before you do more harm to the ones you are meant to protect."
"Will it harm him further?" he asked. "This oath."
"He's sworn to protect the aunt and uncle that were left defenceless. Oaths of that nature are typically exacting."
Elia left him to wallow in whatever remorse he was feeling. Perhaps he was truthful in his feelings, only time would tell, but she was not content to let him ignore the dangers of his actions.
To answer any questions:
osterreicher97: a bit of what is there and what was done in Bloodstone. We get out first glimpse next chapter!
ficreader2011: the aerial aspect will come into play eventually. This was more of a ground op, as ships near Bloodstone shouldn't have raised any alarms.
Duner89: For the magic, Harry's a bit more leery for personal reasons, but we'll see how it impacts them as a whole eventually. Jon is still a male, and we'll see him once the war starts.
Up next: Bloodstone is prepared to house the Potter-Blacks and allies, an oath is dealt with and Harry finds the remnants of the Breaking.
