DAEMON TARGARYEN
He was far more nervous than he had ever been. Cousin Stannis, the man who had raised him since his birth, assured him that the King would not do anything in front of the court.
As they lined up to enter the Throne Room and to be received in front of the entire court, the Stern Stag turned to him-likely saw the worry in Daemon's purple eyes as he had always been able to long after Daemon had learned to cast his face in a stern visage like Stannis, and assured him rather dryly, "My brother may be prone to rage, but he is ever conscious of being well-liked. There are enough old loyalists still alive he'd rather not make enemies of-especially at court."
Daemon pulled at the uncomfortably high collar of his black silk doublet with a three-headed red dragon sewn onto it by Lady Mery, Stannis' wife, and let his worry slip from his stone face just once as he asked, "And in private?"
His foster father grimaced slightly before turning front and admitting, "Do not seek out my brother in private unless you truly wish to know his thoughts of your family."
Stannis was direct and to the point, that's what Daemon had always admired about his foster father. There never was anything unpredictable or questionable from him. He spoke directly of what he expected and minced very few words. Daemon knew well what the entire realm thought of his family. Mad, every one of them but his mother. His father, his brothers, his grandfather and great-uncle who'd broken their betrothals for the madness of love, and his great-great grandfather who had thought to impose harsh reforms against the realm. He'd been taught by old Maester Cressen these lessons duely, and grown to fear becoming like his family. His one hope was that he was secretly his mother's son-for Rhaella had been painted as the long suffering Queen Dowager, tied to a mad brother due to an old witch's prophesy, who had tortured, bit off parts of her flesh and scared her to impregnate her, when all she had ever done was love a handsome knight, the saintly Ser Bonifer. Ser Bonifer when he had trained Daemon had spoke very little of Daemon's mother, except that in her youth she'd been the Maiden made flesh, and was surely amongst her entourage up in the Seven Heavens. Daemon, never one to be extremely religious, simply wished that his mother was simply at rest and far from his accursed sire.
"Don't worry Dae, if Robert gives you any hassle, I'll challenge him to a duel," assured Renly with a good-natured smile and a laugh on Daemon's left side.
Despite himself, Daemon smiled at the Young Stag's attempt to ease his worries.
"Renly," warned Stannis.
"It would only be to first blood, and with how Robert's let himself-" started Renly with a scoff in his defense.
"This is neither the time nor place-" interrupted Stannis, taking the role of parent to them both as he had always done at Storm's End, but he himself was stopped from completing his thought when the trumpets sounded.
Daemon felt his heart stop, the old nightmares from his childhood returning. A dark demonic Stag with sharp antlers slaying a ruby red dragon in a river with its antlers and then charging for him. The only thing to calm him in that moment was a nod from Stannis, which allowed Daemon to collect himself and recall that though he may be a dragon, he had two stags to protect him should the demon Stag wish to take his head after all this time. The doors slowly began to open and Daemon felt his heart beating in his throat, making it somewhat difficult to breathe, but he assured himself that all he had to do was bow, kneel, and answer any of the King's questions. He wouldn't even look at the King, for fear of offending the Great Stag. He locked on his best stone face as he attempted to assuage his inner fears.
I am four and ten namedays, why let me grow to nearly a man grown at all, if he truly wants me dead?
Why summon me to court only to have me dragged away in chains when he could have had me killed out of sight?
Stannis and Renly wouldn't let him have me too.
Rhaegar and Viserys are dead-they tried to take the crown, not me. I was only born a dragon, I never claimed to be one, and Stannis told me I don't look like Rhaegar too much...
Daemon kept his head down and squarely at his feet. Walking behind Renly and Stannis, with Stannis' Stormlander entourage behind him.
They were once the King's bannermen, mightn't they try and win favor with the king by stabbing me in the back? They wouldn't betray Stannis... would they?
Daemon saw that Stannis and Renly came to a stop, Daemon did much the same, and knelt as quickly as he saw their own legs move into that position against the gold-colored carpet leading up to the Iron Throne.
Daemon heard the King's booming voice from up on high announce, "Brothers, so at long last you bring the last of the dragons to court..."
"As you have commanded your grace," answered Stannis solemnly.
"Aye, I commanded to see this last dragon, but all I see before me is an overgrown lizard with its tail tuck between its legs like a dog!" stated the King, and Daemon heard a good portion of the court laugh.
Daemon saw Renly's closest fist clench slightly, and he felt relieved to see such a sight.
"Stand, Daemon Targaryen, stand and let me look at you," commanded the King.
Daemon shakily stood, still keeping his eyes glued to his black leather boots.
"For fuck's sake, look at me boy!" roared the King, and Daemon with a gulp forced his eyes to look up. Slowly he saw the dais upon which the Iron throne stood, then the slow collection of swords which formed steps which climbed ever higher and higher until at long last Daemon stretched his neck up to see at the very top, looking down upon high, was the King.
He gasped, not out of fear, but shock to see the demon stag that had plagued his nightmares and fears was not a powerfully muscled man, but instead a very fat one. This fat thing had been the slayer of his brother?
"Don't gawk boy!" rumbled the King, and Daemon, averted his eyes once more.
Even from afar, Daemon could see-if he squinted hard enough-that there appeared the remnants of a greater man, trapped beneath the fat and cloth of gold, just waiting for a dragon to tempt him to come out. The way the King's blue eyes flashed like the sea in a storm had spoken of it enough. Though this fat Stag might not be the Demon of the Trident anymore, the Demon of the Throne he most certainly was.
"Have you wondered boy, why I have summoned you to court?" demanded the King who not a moment later charged "Answer me honestly, I'll know if you lie!"
"A-aye your grace," answered Daemon attempting to steel his face to the stone mask which he was accustomed to wearing.
"Your brother Viserys is dead... slain at his own wedding to a Tiger bride in Volantis. Talisa, I believe her name is."
"That is a most commendable thing. My brother was a traitor and a pretender, your grace."
The King continued, "Aye, that he was. And a poor pretender to boot-seeing as he upset the Elephants enough to get them to poison him at his own wedding."
There were a few laughs in response to this, but the King did not let them finish as he then continued, "Tell me, are you a traitor, Daemon?"
"No, your grace," answered Daemon firmly and stolidly, much more in grasp.
"And you would fight to see a Stag King on this Iron Throne until your dying breath?" questioned the King.
He spoke easily enough, knowing that to preserve the Demon Stag was to preserve his foster father, and he'd die for Stannis. And so he said, "Aye, your grace."
"Then come forward then and swear to it."
He then heard a little huff from on high, and Daemon quickly glanced to see the King stand, the early morning sun streaming in behind him from the glass window marvelously, making him appear as if he were the sun made flesh. The King then held out his fist with his many ringed fingers, and Daemon knew what the King wanted him to do.
Slowly, Daemon approached the foot of the Iron Throne and then ascended the steep steps. As he rose he saw the Queen seated in a smaller throne to the King's left. She was a golden beauty decked out in scarlet and gold with emerald eyes staring at him.
When the King's hand was in reach, Daemon took it and knelt as firmly as he could on the steep steps, and kissed the King's fat hand briefly as his oath of loyalty.
"Good, you may return to my brothers, Lord Daemon Targaryen of Dragonstone and Cracklaw Point," dismissed the King with an oddly jovial laugh.
Daemon descended the steps backwards as best he could, fearful that he might make one wrong step and go tumbling to the ground.
"Have you ever wondered, Lord Targaryen about your name?" queried the King in an almost good humor.
"Nay, your grace, I thought my mother named me upon her deathbed."
"Hardly! The poor Queen Dowager, may her soul rest in peace, was in such labor with you, that Ser Willem Darry and your brother abandoned you both for dead. Tell me have you ever wondered about your mother's death?" prodded the King, though Daemon couldn't wonder at why he was doing this before all the court.
"Lord Stannis told me she died and that was all. That was all I ever needed to know," answered Daemon as he thought Stannis might have.
"Seven hells, he's as fucking hard as a stone, Stannis!" guffawed the King, followed by the rest of the court soon after, the King shouting over top to Daemon's foster father, "You have done our little lordling a disservice!"
"If I have, your grace, it is only because I wished to have the young Lord Targaryen to remember his mother fondly," stated Stannis evenly and sternly.
What? No! Not her too... please, no!
"Of course, of course. Your mother, named in honor for my dear grandmother, was left abandoned and in heavy labor when my brother took the castle with barely a fight. A storm had just ended the night before, and many considered both you and your mother lost. But then Stannis entered her bed chambers where she mistook him for our father, the late Lord Steffon. As I recall, Stannis, the poor Queen Dowager had been driven to madness from the experience-abandoned and robbed by the villainous Ser Willem Darry of even her own crown. She babbled on about having disappointed the Mad King by giving him yet another son instead of the daughter he had so desired, didn't she, Stannis?" spoke the King, and Daemon heard his foster father harrumph and look so ever slightly away.
No... she wasn't mad... she wasn't mad!
"She made my brother swear to take care of you, and raise you like a son of his and then she died, without naming you." The King then paused in the telling of his tale for dramatic effect before continuing to its conclusion by stating, "Stannis brought you back to King's Landing, and I, Lord Targaryen, named you. I named you Daemon as a reminder. There have been a few of your family who've born the name-all of them pretenders of one crown or another. I named you Daemon, Lord Targaryen to remind you of the utter failures of those pretenders. I would advise you Lord Targaryen not to follow your namesakes and break your solemn vow to me. If you do you shall know my Fury as clearly as your mad brother knew my war hammer for taking my betrothed!"
The King then dismissed them. Daemon wanted to collapse, though he didn't let his face show it-he couldn't let his face show it. He was alive... for now, and that would have to be enough, even if his image of his saintly mother was tattered for forever.
TARGARYEN FAMILY TREE
AERYS II TARGARYEN
m. Rhaella TARGARYEN
-Rhaegar TARGARYEN, Prince of Dragonstone
m. Elia MARTELL, Princess of Dorne
-Rhaenys TARGARYEN
-Aegon TARGARYEN
-Viserys TARGARYEN, the "Beggar King"
m. Talisa MAEGYR
-no known issue
-Daemon TARGARYEN, Lord of Dragonstone, the "Stone Dragon"
m. Cassana BARATHEON
-Rhaella TARGARYEN, a fiery woman with an interest in fighting
-Stannis TARGARYEN, unlike his namesake he is a wild tempestuous boy
-Mery TARGARYEN, a sweet and loving woman, well skilled in the arts
BARATHEON FAMILY TREE
Steffon BARATHEON, Lord of the Stormlands
m. Cassana ESTERMONT
-ROBERT I BARATHEON
-m. Cersei LANNISTER
-(her bastard children, begotten by her twin brother Jaime LANNISTER)
-Joffrey WATERS
-Myrcella WATERS
-m. Aegon BLACKFYRE
-Aegon BLACKFYRE, ward to Daemon Targaryen, a serious boy
-Tommen WATERS
-STANNIS I BARATHEON
-m. Mery MERTYNS
-Cassana BARATHEON
-m. Daemon TARGARYEN
-(for their children, see the Targaryen family tree)
-ORYS I BARATHEON
-m. Arya STARK, the Warrior Princess of the North
-Jon BARATHEON, the Black Prince
-Renly BARATHEON, Lord of Summerhall, and later Lord of the Stormlands
-m. Margaery TYRELL, she married him when he became Lord of the Stormlands
-Steffon BARATHEON, Lord of Summerhall, their only child, sickly & suffers from greyscale
(also living at Storm's End, Loras Tyrell, sworn sword of Lady Margaery and refuses to be parted from his sweet sister)
Lords Paramount at the End of the War of the Night:
North: Jon Stark, Eddard & Robb Stark died during the War of the Night, leaving Robb's son Jon as the young Lord of Winterfell to be raised by his Aunt Sansa (married Benfred Tallhart) and his Uncle Rickon (notorious bachelor)
Riverlands: Edmure Tully, happily married to a bannerman's daughter who isn't named Frey
Vale: Robert Arryn, his mother was overthrown during the rebellion for putting her support behind the Blackfyre; he was subsequently warded to Lord Royce and fought in the War with honors, after having "grown out of his sickness" by sheer willpower
Westerlands: Tyrion Lannister
Iron Islands: Theon Greyjoy, after the end of the Last Blackfyre Rebellion he was installed to control the Islands; his daughter is betrothed to Jon Stark
Reach: Willas Tyrell (married a Florent)
Stormlands: Renly Baratheon
Dorne: Arianne Martell (married Andrey Dalt)