Aegon

Aegon buried his head in his hands. Her last words echoing in his mind, "you're getting rid of me, you're leaving me too? You're not better than the rest of them". How could he tell her that he's sending her away because he can't even think straight when she's around? That because of his will to please her he's making poor decisions that affect the realm. Like this last one, making this detour to the Vale so that she will forgive him for not taking her with him to the Twins, in the meanwhile the rebels at Storms End had taken the castle and Dany needed to send another force to strike. He could have ended that revolt in peace, giving them Gendry, if he had just made it in time.

He couldn't stop thinking about her, and about their kiss. He kissed so many girls before, but none of them was so right. She completed him. It was the briefest kiss and it meant so much to him. It has filled his dreams and his every waking moment. He wanted to do it from the minute he saw her true face. He never understood why his father had been willing to lose everything for a woman, but now he did, especially when Arya is said to be a replica of her aunt.

When he told Jon about his feelings earlier, the man had nearly smacked him. "Are you mad, boy? A Targeryan leaving a Dornish princess for a wayward Stark girl? Again? Haven't the seven kingdoms suffered enough of this foolishness?" he knew Jon was right, but what was he to do. Jon told him he should reunite her with her family and the north, so she can be happy and whole again. It sounded like a fair deal, he would release her from her duties and she could run wild and free as her dire wolf, in her home, with her family, where she belongs. He just wished he could go with her and they could be free together. He pulled out the gift he had brought her from the Twins and looked at it carefully. He can give it to her as a farewell present; maybe it will also remind her of him. He sighed and put the item away. I should run after her and beg her to forgive me for my stupidity, how can I let you go…

He got up slowly, and then he heard the horn.

Duck ran into his tent, his eyes wide, stains of blood on his shirt, "the clans, they're upon us' hundreds of them; we must take you to safety…"

Aegon grabbed his sword and went to fight with his men; it was raining heavily and he saw only a few still standing. A huge man came storming at him with a big club, but Aegon was quicker and dashed at the man's feet, trampling him, he stuck his sword through the man's throat. More men were coming at him, Duck was at his side, he slashed at some man's leg, and then another throat, and he was everywhere, saving Jon from a very ugly woman that tried to cut his ear, helping Darwin wrestle with another hairy man. In his battle fury, he saw only red and he kept lashing at men that attacked him. When a man with a burned face came storming at him he tried to slash at the man's face, but he slipped on a puddle of blood. I am the blood of a dragon, I'm not afraid. The man burst into flames. Viserion had just joined the battle. Bodies were piling up around him. One savage almost managed to cut Aegon's arm before duck put an axe to his head.

Then there was silence. How can it be over, there were so many of them. He looked around him. Some corpses were burned, and some missed a hand or a head, but they were all definitely dead. He searched for his men, Duck was breathing heavily at his side. Darwin lay dead a few paces from him. He recognized four others limping his way. Jon was approaching as well.

"Haldon's dead" Jon said, his face twisted with sorrow and pain. "How did we finish them so fast, there must have been hundreds of them?" Aegon wondered. Jon sniffed, "it was your dragon, and that she wolf too…" Nymeria… Where was Arya? "Arya, where is Arya? Did you see her fighting?" when they shook their heads, "Jon, where did Nymeria go?" how could he not notice that she wasn't at his side as always. "Guess she ran back into the woods, she saved my life that…"

Aegon ran into the forest with all his speed, please let her be alive, the forest floor was littered with bodies of the men Nymeria had killed on her way. It was a horrible track to follow, but he continued anyway. He could hear his men joining him far behind. Viserion, I need you. He called for his dragon. The bodies started to pile up and he knew that he was close, he heard the clash of swords, she's alive! His heart was pounding. Nymeria was nowhere to be found, He sprang on one man and from the corner of his eye he saw another slashing his sword at a tiny figure. Aegon stabbed the man in the back, twisting his sword so it would hurt him more. The man fell dead, on Arya, and she fell down with him. Aegon hurriedly lifted the big body from her.

She was covered in blood, her right arm twisted in an unnatural way, a big gash on her sculp was streaming blood. Her eyes were closed, and she was hardly breathing. Her direwolf came to sit by her side, exhausted. He pushed the hair from her face, the rain was washing the blood from it, "Arya, Arya can you hear me?" he hoped he hadn't come too late, they didn't have a healer, Haldon was dead… "Arya, please…" she opened her eyes, her beautiful, perfect stormy eyes, and looked at him, not recognizing. "Arya it's me, Aegon", he stroked her cheek carefully. You can't die, you can't. She raised her left hand to his face and gave him a little smile, "Dragon Prince, you're safe", then a spasm of pain attacked her and she groaned. He picked her up in his arms and started to carry her away, "no" she said weakly, "Gendry…" he turned to look behind him. Gendry was lying next to the place where she fell. He seemed unconscious and there was a lot of blood pouring from his head. She was protecting his body. "Jon! See if he's alive", Arya was limp and unconscious in his arms; he looked at her fragile figure. She must see a healer soon or he will lose her. The Eyrie is a two days ride from where they were, and up the mountain. He remembered that the savages slew their horses too. The rain was pouring hard on him. He looked back to his men, Gendry was stirring awake. What a great warrior you turned out to be. "Jon, Duck, burn all the bodies, bury our own. When you're done head out as fast as you can for the Eyrie". He put Arya down and started ripping cloaks off the dead people. They were soaked in rain, mud and blood. Good. He started wrapping Arya in the wet clothes. "What are you doing"? Jon demanded, Gendry was sitting up beside him; rubbing is head and staring wide-eyed at Aegon. Viserion landed beside him, Aegon picked up Arya and climbed on his dragon's back, hoping that the wet cloaks and the rain would keep her from burning long enough. "I'm going to the Eyrie to get some help".

And he took off, Arya in his lap, starting to raise steam. He held her close, and whispered in her ear "you'll be alright, my love".