Aerys

Everything was dark and gloomy, an oppressive atmosphere was hanging in the damp air of the down. Long and sharp shadows were dancing an ancient ritual, welcoming their death and the healing light of the sun. Aerys' bed sheets were rumpled and sweaty, reveling to an observant eye the restless night of the king. The lying figure in the middle of the bed was shaking and trembling from cold and fear. The king waked up with a sharp intake of breath, his blood shot eyes scanning the room frantically. For a moment he thought that the shadows had finally caught him, that his agony came to an end and he could rot in his hell without being tortured by his memories and regrets. But no such luck was granted to him. A new morning had come, a new day bright with hundreds of possibilities of redemption beyond his reach.

Something though was amiss. When his heart had calmed down and his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness in the room, he had yet to feel the familiar dread and fear that were waking him every day. "What happened?" he asked himself with a feeling of uncertainty. A quick glance around the room revealed no assassins, no living shadows and no Dragon Lord. His eyes widened and his brow furrowed.

Getting out of bed he ran to the only mirror in his bedchambers and studied his face with a critical eye. He searched his eyes face for any trace of illness or upcoming death, but founding none, he looked closer at the gaunt and haunted face that was starring with fear at him. Slowly, almost afraid to hope again, the king smiled crookedly. His last night's dream came suddenly to his mind and he started to grin. Soon, a hysterical laughter filled the silence of chambers, echoing on the high ceiling and sharp corners.

"Mine, mine, mine!" repeated the king feverishly, running his thin fingers on his gaunt, pale face. His purple eyes still had a maniacally touch to them and his smirk was still too predatory to belong to a normal person, but he was free. His movements, his thoughts, his actions were directed by him and only him.

Aerys closed his eyes and started recalling the last night's dream. The shadows from the beginning, his fear and terror, the unforgivable claws that were trying to rip his flesh from his bones and then… then she came and saved him. She fought the darkness and won. She banished the cursed demons from his mind and freed his soul from their poisonous hold.

"Who is she?" the king asked the quietness of the room. She looked familiar…. No, not quite familiar but she had something that reminded the king of his sad and lonely childhood. Thinking hard, he remembered where he had read her physical description…

Saelyris Targaryen… maid of just six-and-ten died in the Doom…. Older sister of Daenys Targaryen was a lux, priestess of the older gods of fire and smoke… she was a very powerful and gifted servant of the…she had bright, violet eyes and silver hair… fair skin, slender figure and soft, melodious voice. Her dragon was named Aurum… leaf-green eyes and golden scales… his fire was emerald green with molten gold lines…

His eyes widened a little and he scowled at his short memory. He clearly should re-read the passage again, just to be sure that his thoughts are not deluded him. Normally, he would consider this impossible, but given the circumstances, he would give it a try. But still, a ghost that is fighting another ghost? She was family though, so maybe he wasn't without allies.

"Your Highness?" asked a trembling voice from the door.

The king groaned and looked at the poor man with a raised eyebrow and a feral scowl on his thin face. The servant cringed and after gulping several times, he said with a week voice:

"Prince Rhaegar is here to see you, your majesty! He is waiting in the solar… what should I say to him? I can tell him to come later…" mumbled the pale man with a pleading face and with a quivering voice.

Aerys looked once again at the servant and growled that he will meet his son in the solar. Snapping his fingers and trying in vain to calm his building rage, the king let his servants to dress him for the day and decided to let his chaotic appearance untouched just to spite his older son.

"What do you want?" hissed the king from the doorstep.

"I just woke up when the blasted servant bragged in to demand to me, do hear me, you ungrateful brat?, to demand that his king, his lord and master to be ready to meet you! Ha! Do you think that You gave the orders? That I must obey You?! Gods in heaven and demons from hell, look at him! You already fancy yourself a king, don't you boy? You and all the others trice cursed noblemen, even your mother, My wife!, are plotting against me! You… you little snake, you liar, you traitor son! You want to see me dead, rotten flesh and chalk white bones, ha? You dream about the day when the High Septon will announce my death, when you will bath in their adoration and love. You bewitched them all to think me mad, to want you as a king, right? Right?! I hate to destroy your dreams boy, but I will NOT die so early! Oh no, I will live, do you hear me? I WILL LIVE! You cannot kill me!, I am the dragon, I am fire, I will kill you first!, I'll burn you, I'll rip your unworthy flesh from your pretty bones before You can kill Me!, because you cannot! I am the dragon! I cannot be killed!" rambled the king with a hysterical edge to his voice. He stopped and took a deep breath.

"Hmm, I outdone it!" thought the king with a frown. He hadn't planned to yell at his son but his insolence had driven him mad. Everybody who priced his head knew that the king didn't like to be rushed to do anything. He was the king, seven frozen ice-demons! He could and would take his time. Or not… he should be an example for everybody and he had a lot of problems to solve and meetings to attend, but because Tywin, may the dragons eat his rotten, black heart, had taken all the responsibilities on his shoulders, the king didn't has a program.

Most days he stood brooding in his chambers, cursing his enemies and dreaming about a day when they all would lay in ashes at his feet. Well, that happened when he was in control of his mind and body, but when the dragon lord stole it from him, he would be cruel to his men and family. He would do some unfathomable things about which he would later dream. The downside was that after punishing his enemies, real and imaginary, he would be overcome by guilt and a feeling of incompetence and helplessness.

So he would stay brooding, cursing and feeling guilty about something he had no control over.

"…father?" a strangled whispered reached his ears. The king looked for the first time at his son and he took a step back.

"Are you ill?" Aerys asked with a frown. He didn't love his son, but he is his heir and well… once he was a very sweet child. Sometimes before his wife and Tywin corrupted him and he, Aerys, was still his son's hero. Clenching his teeth at the bitter memories, the king made an effort and brought himself back in the present.

"Well?" asked the king with heavy impatience in his voice. Rhaegar brought his eyes to his father and the king saw for the first time the faraway look from his son's eyes.

"Boy!" yelled Aerys with a shrill voice.

The prince looked at his father and blinked hard several times. Once he seemed like he had regained his vision, his eyes become like saucers and his breath hitched.

"A dragon", he breathed. His dark eyes rested on his father and for the first time in years, Aeyrs saw his son smiling.

For a little while the king thought that his son finally lost it, but on a closer look he discovered that the boy looked alert.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"You better come and see father" said the prince with a delighted expression on his face. "You won't believe it. I scarcely believed it myself. It is truly a sight to behold. The court is in chaos and all the soldiers tried to fight it. Of course I told them to stop that foolishness, they wouldn't stand a chance against it and we couldn't risk to anger it. I thought that Lord Lannister will faint" added Rhaeger after a moment, sniggering softly to himself.

Raising one thin eyebrow, the king looked at his son in disbelief. Firstly he can think for himself, than his son tells him something about a dragon and after that the very same son, which he considered a spoiled prick for the last ten years, cursed his most hated person.

Following his son, the king thought that hid day couldn't get any better. The only thing left was to see with his own eyes this so called dragon and yelled at everybody for the insolence of playing a joke on the king.

Oh, yes, he will definitely love that. He throw Tywin in a dungeon to rot, if only!, and his son… well his previous smile nearly melted the frozen heart of the king, but… but the boy had to pay for years of insolence. So he will be punished, only not so hard as he would've been another day. The king was rather pleased with himself after all.

"Father?" asked the prince with a half smile. The king offered him one of his famous glares and walked haughty in the garden. Looking one last time at his now… smirking? son, the king let his eyes wander and…

… saw the most unbelievable sight that has ever graced his mortal eyes.

A/N: I bet that you all believed that I gave up on this fic. Nope, you're wrong. I just had a lot of stuff to do, but I promise, and I will try to keep it, I promise that I will start updating more often. So enjoy and review nothing makes an author more happy than to know his work is appreciated.