A brief interlude in King's Landing:
"It was said the Mother Rhoyne herself whispered to her children of every threat, that the Rhoynar princes wielded strange, uncanny powers..."
He dreamt that night. So much and so little.
Aegon dreamt of soaring through the sky, though he was not atop his dragon. And as quickly as felt the softness of clouds around him, they evaporated, and he found himself now swimming deep in the depths of the ocean.
If he screamed, he could not know because the rush of the water melded with his own voice.
But within a few moments, the feeling of flying - though flying through water - was now what brought calm to him.
And power.
He swam quickly, flying like a spear thrown in the air, never wavering from its path. The water pulsed around him, as though his heart and the tides were of the same source.
And so he opened his mouth and let the water flow in, consuming him.
Aegon's eyes shot open and he leapt up from his pillow with a sharp gasp. He clutched at this throat desperately, wondering if the water was still there.
When he realized he was simply in his room, waking with the sun, he dropped back to the bed. Beads of sweat dropped from his forehead down his face and into his mouth. And as he tasted the salt, he looked to his window, listening to the waves outside.
And all he wanted was to dive into the water.
He did not even bother to break his fast that morning, heading directly to his dragon. Something was pushing Aegon to go to him, more so than usual, but he did not know why.
His mother had asked him to not fly as much as he had been. But it was simply not possible. He'd felt their bond since the moment Rhaenys handed him the small creature on Dragonstone just a few years ago. But it was only since he mounted him to fly that the bond felt unbreakable and impossibly deep.
Aegon found the increasingly-large black beast purring blissfully under the shade of trees in a part of the garden they had specially cleared for the dragons. Abrax lifted his head quickly, his wings beginning to flutter slowly, when he sensed and then saw Aegon approaching.
"Come, Abrax," the Crown Prince greeted his winged-companion. Knowing what Aegon wanted immediately, the dragon lowered himself so the young man could climb on top. "Let us not waste this day."
And so they took the skies, soaring above the capital, first heading to fly over the Kingswood. But it was not land or forest that Aegon wanted, not even the cool but harsh bite of the wind along his face could temper that. And so he directed Abrax to what was calling to him.
They turned and flew east and soon enough, they were over the sea. The Red Keep wasn't so far off, but they were further out than they had ever flown before, Aegon realized. The large building appeared like the tiniest of children's toys from where they were presently.
As they flew above the waters, Abrax dipped lower, attempting to catch fish, but they kept swimming lower and evading the beast. Normally the dragon dove deep into the water to catch water prey, but with Aegon atop him, he would not do that.
We have been flying for so long , Aegon realized. What had he been thinking? He could feel Abrax's hunger, his desperation for food. And with each failed attempt to catch fish, the dragon grew more frustrated and angrier.
Aegon turned to look over his shoulder and could see the Red Keep faintly in the distance, but it was still quite far off and it would take time to go back there. He winced, feeling his dragon's hunger beat with more furor. Abrax let out a desperate cry after another attempt to catch fish that left his claws empty.
As they rode lower this time with the dragon's chest submerged in the water, Abrax's claws dragged deeper, and Aegon felt the cool spray along his face. When he thought about it later, the Prince still wasn't quite sure what changed in that moment. But it was then that he closed his eyes, and let his thoughts drift down to the watery depths below them.
He reached one hand out, feeling the water as it continued to splash against them. And as he closed his eyes, he could not resist the impulse to memorize the rhythm of the water's pulse, one that his own heart and breath seemed to mimic.
There was another pang of hunger from Abrax then, and Aegon gasped, feeling like his heart leapt out from his body and as though all breath had left him at once.
It was immediate - a fish was pushed out of the water into the air, and Abrax roasted and caught it in his mouth, devouring it quickly with immense satisfaction. Aegon could feel that the winged beast's hunger was sated, even if just slightly so. Adrenaline pulsed through him along with the continued push of the dragon for more, and the energy shot through him once more. It was as though the water was sweeping through his veins. Aegon closed his eyes again, letting his pulse and its rhythm drive his energy to the sea. This time a larger fish was pushed to the air, and Abrax caught and held it in his mouth. It was clear he wanted to take his time with this piece and so Aegon directed him back to the shore.
When they landed back in Abrax's garden perch, Aegon dismounted quickly. The dragon tossed the large fish into the air, sending a stream of harsh flame after it, before it landed on the ground, charred and roasted to the beast's liking.
He began to devour the fish, picking at it methodically as Aegon looked on in shock.
What just happened?
He began to pace, still looking at the fish with wide eyes.
Surely I didn't...it must have leapt from the water. Both fish did...
Except he was quite positive that he had, in fact, somehow forced the water to push the fish out for Abrax.
"Aegon!" a voice called to him. He turned quickly to see Margaery walking to him, guards behind her.
He took a deep breath as relief filled him. He'd been angry and reluctant when he was first told that he was already betrothed. And when he met Margaery the first time, they were only just leaving their years of childhood behind. He'd been suspicious of her at first - her grandmother was responsible for that, of course.
But they'd opened up to each other over the past few years and managed to form a bond, one borne out of respect and, luckily, attraction. She was cunning but with kindness in her heart - and he knew that there were far worse partners than that.
"I saw you flying back and wanted to come see you," Margaery greeted him, wearing a light gown of green that complimented her soft brown hair and eyes. Aegon closed the gap between them with just a few long strides and capturing her face in his hands so he could swiftly press his lips to hers in a deep kiss. He normally would not have indulged in such a large display of affection in public, but he was still feeling the high of whatever had transpired above the water and could not stop himself. And luckily this area of the garden was largely shut off to most people.
Margaery gasped into his mouth before reciprocating eagerly. After a few moments, she pulled back with surprised eyes and a small smirk.
"Well, good day to you too," she breathed. "Perhaps I should greet you after all of your flying trips." She ran her fingers through his silver-blonde hair, gazing up at him, and Aegon sighed, closing his eyes with content and leaning into her touch.
"My apologies," he said, letting out a slow breath. "I just…"
"I am not complaining," Margaery replied with a knowing smile. Then she looked at him more closely. "Are you well?"
He gazed at her deeply, studying her large, doe eyes and their warm brown depths. Then his hand traced along her cheek slowly, softly as he contemplated how to answer. She will think me mad if I tell her what happened - or what I think happened. As much as they cared for each other, even the appearance - the hint - of madness was not something he could risk.
"I am well. We were simply out longer than I meant to be, and I find myself sun-drenched and thirsty," he told her steadily. "Help me find sustenance?"
She pressed her lips to his quickly, softly, nipping his lower lip with her teeth. "Always."
As they began walking back, Aegon looked back at Abrax before his eyes drifted further out to the great expanse of water that lay beyond. He thought of his dream and then a memory came to him, of when Uncle Oberyn had taken him and Rhaenys to Essos and they visited the Rhoyne.
"Remember, you are as much the sun and the blood of Nymeria, of the Rhoynar, as you are dragons," Oberyn had told them both, as he crouched down along the river's edge and brushed his hand along the top. "The ancient Rhoynar had wizards and witches who protected their people with the magic of the water during the Turtle Wars, flooding any threat that came." Then he smiled wickedly at them, as he always did when he told a dramatic tale. "And water can be just as powerful as fire, little ones."
Aegon's pace began to slow as the memory sunk in deeper. Surely I am mad to think that this is...Perhaps there are books in our library here or perhaps in Sunspear…
Or the Citadel.
A quick shiver passed through him. The maesters had no love of magic, this he knew. When the dragons had been born, they feared more for an attack by them than any house in Westeros.
And if he were to now ask for texts on... 'water magic.'
Then a solution struck him. He stopped their walk quickly and turned to face his betrothed.
"Margaery, I need to send a letter to Oldtown. And it cannot be intercepted."
She looked at him seriously, studying his face carefully before she gave him a slow, small nod. "I can arrange that, my love. Who is this letter for?"
A small smile began to tug at Aegon's lips.
As he folded the raven scroll, Aegon hoped the few and vague words he'd employed would be enough to convey exactly what he sought. The recipient was a clever one, he assured himself, and could be trusted to deduce its true intent.
Alleras,
Your presence is humbly requested in the capital. If you could bring any information or texts that relate to the Turtle Wars, redirected rivers and the source of their tides, I would be most obliged.
Sorry for the short chapter! We'll be back up north for the next 2-3 chapters for sure with Benjen and Rhaenys though. And as you can see, magic (all sorts!) will be playing a bigger part as the story progresses...
Up next: the meeting with Mance (hopefully coming by this weekend)
And as always - thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate hearing what you think about the story