'There's a dragon incoming my Queen,' someone said, alerting everyone who was starting to get sleepy in the great hall.

Mother wanted to finalize her plan of attack, to make sure we all knew the routes we were to take. Jace kept messing up, and so she would make him repeat and repeat the plan hoping that he would get it right. But tiredness had crept in, and it was making him forgetful, and making the rest of us lose interest and think of our own tiredness.

'Who?' Father asked.

'I can't tell, it's too dark,'

Just after the knight's reply, we heard the sound of a dragon taking flight.

'That's not…' Jace looked over to me, thinking the same thing I was.

That's Silverwing

'She's warning them, she won't attack,' I said sharply before anyone could say anything.

Mother shot me an angered look before she strode out of the hall.

Father nodded for me to follow, and the group that had gathered in the hall all began to empty out and make their way to the bridge, where the dragon would surely land.

All we could see were shadows where the dragons might be.

I called for Silverwing, and moments later heard her roar. The fire lit up the night sky, and exposed the oncoming dragon, landing on the bridge.

I pushed my way through the crowd, to the front of mothers Queens Council, and stood next to her.

Behind me, the crowd made room for father and Jace. I cursed under my breath in annoyance.

Aegon dismounted Sunfyre and came striding towards us. The torches that had been brought down to the bridge exposed him as looking disinterested, unphased by the crowd before him.

Another roar from Silverwing shot more flames across the sky.

I looked up and saw the giant shape of Vhaegar, illuminated by the flames. Silverwing only seemed to be exposing Vhaegar, not trying to initiate a fight.

Even though it seemed safe, I shouted for Silverwing, moving to go back through the crowd. I would fly and with her and together we would take down Vhaegar and Aemond.

Mother caught my wrist in an iron grip.

'You go nowhere,' she snapped.

'Worried about something?' Aegon said, stopping a few feet in front of us. He flashed us a forced smile.

He had come prepared, coated in armor and weapons.

'Vhaegar is only there for a precaution, to ensure no harm comes my way,' he said, pointing up at the sky.

I called for Silverwing to land in high valerian, I didn't like the thought of her up there alone.

'Don't worry dear Aerys, Silverwing is far more formidable than Arrax was.'

Daemon hissed at him, and I flinched.

'You dare-' Jace began, but mother cut him off.

'Why are you hear Aegon? To taunt us? To die?' she asked.

'I have come to cut a deal, forgive me for my jokes, I have just lost my own son,' he scowled at father as he said it.

'Daemon?' The sea snake said from behind me, bemusement coating his words.

'How unfortunate,' father taunted, not taking his eyes off Aegon for a moment.

'I have come to broker peace, I want the realm united and I have terms. I can only forgive the unfortunate death of my own son and offer my condolences for the similar death of my nephew.' We were all glaring at him now, angered by his callousness and arrogance. We wanted war, and now he was proposing a truce.

'Let me and Aerys wed like they did in old Valyria, and it means we can rule united, with the benefit of your wisdom, my sister,' Aegon said.

I spat at his feet.

He only smiled at me in response.

'Why would you propose such a thing when your mother refused it years ago?' My mother asked, sceptical.

'I do not want war, and my own wife has her issues,' my father scoffed at this, 'and considering she was your heir, I thought it might be the best way to go forward, to unite the family like father wanted.'

'Was this your idea?' Jace asked.

'It was, yes,' Aegon shifted uncomfortably, signaling that it wasn't his idea.

I felt sick to my stomach. It was cruel, being a woman, having others decide your fate. I thought I had escaped it, that I was going to be free to find someone I loved, mother had promised it.

Only now, she looked at me like the solution to a problem.

'No,' I hissed at her. Her eyes softened momentarily and then hardened again as she caught sight of Jace beside me.

'Had your sister-wife not been crowned Queen yet?' she asked, facing Aegon now.

'She will not leave her bedchambers to do so,' Aegon admitted.

'So you plan to crown Aerys?' the sea snake said.

'Yes, once we are married. I want there to be a big party, a celebration of our union to show the realm we are united, and that the realm too stands as one,' Aegon said.

'Since when were you aware of how to rule?' I spat at him.

'Since I became King,' he said, levelling his stare with mine.

'Fuck you,' I said, spinning on my heels to make my way back to the castle. I couldn't listen to it a moment longer.

They'd all gone mad.