As winter neared its end Rhaegar had all but had it with Kings Landing. Without Cersei to sit with him through council meetings he had nothing to do. All the Lords he handled so well normally had him constantly on edge and he knew that he was close to an explosion.

After some deliberation Rhaegar decided to take his children and flee to Dragonstone for a week.

Having persuaded Tywin to watch the capital and run things for the week, Rhaegar loaded the children into a boat and set out for Dragonstone.

Rhaegar spent the journey inside of his cabin, attempting to avoid being sick. His children, however, were a different story. Aegon and Aerion spent the entire voyage running around pushing and playing and making all the crewmembers lives hell. Daena was more subdued but spent almost every waking moment on the prow of the ship watching the water and leaning over the edge in search of dolphins. Needless to say, Rhaegar was glad when they reached the ancient Targaryen seat because he would at least be able to control his children.

All four Targaryens benefited from the time away from the capital. Aerion and Aegon spent their time climbing over the islands rocks and up the sides of the great dragons. For the first day Daena pretended she didn't want to join them, but by the second she was leading them in their climbing.

That night Rhaegar showed them the dragon's eggs. They had been a gift from some wealthy merchant in Pentos or Qarth at the feast celebrating the birth of Aegon and Aerion. He had given them to the twins and Rhaegar had chosen to take them to Dragonstone, since it was the seat of the Targaryens. The dragon eggs were beautiful. They were black, green, and white all with intricate designs along the outside. The children spent a good hour marveling at them and holding them. That night all they could do was talk about how they wished they could ride on dragons like the three conquerors had done generations ago.

That night Aerion couldn't sleep; he kept rolling back and forth thinking about the eggs. A little before midnight he had an idea. "Aegon!" He hissed. "Aegon, get up!"

His brother's response was to roll away in protest. Aerion climbed on top of him forcing his eyes open.

"Aegon, I have a really good idea so wake up now!" He hissed.

"Fine!" Said his brother as he pushed him off and sat up. "What are we doing?" He asked.

"It's a surprise, come on!" Snapped his brother, dragging him down the hall.

When they reached Daena's room Aerion left his brother in the hall and slipped in to wake his sister. A few minutes later the two emerged, Daena still looking half asleep and glaring at her brother.

Still neither sibling protested as Aerion led them through the castle to the Sept. Inside they found the eggs where they had been before arranged before the Father, Warrior, and Maiden.

"Aerion what are we doing?" Snapped Daena.

"Just take one!" Said Aerion stepping forward to the Warrior and taking the green egg sitting there. Daena walked to the Maiden taking the white egg there and Aegon claimed the black egg from the feet of the Father.

After that they followed Aerion down to the beach where that day the battered and broken hull of a great fishing vessel had washed ashore. The name printed on the side was King Valyria.

"We have to light it on fire!" Said Aerion.

"Are you crazy?" Was his sister's immediate response.

"He's right," said Aegon who had finally caught on, "We are the blood of old Valyria and the three heads of the dragon. It is our job to birth the dragons as the Targaryens of old did."

Daena nodded after a moment, finally understanding. Then she proceeded to help the boys light the wreck afire.

Aerion had brought along flints, so it only took them ten or so minutes to have the old ship roaring in flames.

Aegon took a deep breath and walked forward, his siblings falling in instinctively on either side. None of them feared the flames as they entered them holding their dragon eggs, instead the embraced the fire and walked straight to the hottest part of the flames.

Rhaegar was woke by shouting, the minute he opened his eyes he knew something was wrong. Sitting up in bed, he dashed to the window and looked outside. The old ship that had washed ashore was on fire, it's flames the pale blue that accompanied driftwood.

Rhaegar hurried from the room down to the beach and watched in awe as the flames spiraled higher and higher. It was a truly majestic sight, until the Septon came running.

"Your Grace, Your Grace!" He called.

Rhaegar turned to look at him and saw his eyes wide with fear, "What?"

"Your Grace... The children... They aren't in their rooms... And the dragon eggs... They're gone!"

"What!" Rhaegar screamed. He glanced frantically toward the flames. He shouldn't have made this trip so public; someone had captured his children, killed them, and thrown their bodies into the flames. They must have stolen the dragon's eggs as payment for their deeds.

Rhaegar collapsed on the rocky beach, his tears began to flow down his cheeks, and he was unable to control himself. Around him he could hear the people murmuring, both at him and at the flames but he didn't care. His children were gone. His children were dead. Cersei was going to kill him.

One strange thing was that nobody could get close enough to the blaze to put it out. It seemed to have a will of its own, shooting long tendrils of flame up into the sky and sending great bursts to everyone who tried to get close to it before dawn, at which point the fire had burned low and as the sun rose over the gathered group and audible gasp could be heard.

Rhaegar looked up and felt his heart drop. His children were standing in the middle of the charred ship. All three were completely naked in the morning light. Not only that but all their hair had been burned completely away, leaving their scalps bare and shiny, however, other than that they were unharmed.

None of this was what was drawing the reaction from the assembled crowd. Instead it was the other thing appearing in the smoke with the children.

Daena held a pale white dragon in her arms as if it were her child. She cradled it with more affection than most mothers gave their children. Aerion's had wrapped itself around his upper arm, its green scales contrasting against his pale skin. Aegon, however, was the most terrifying. His dragon was perched on his shoulders with its wings spread wide, the light coming through its dark wings.

Rhaegar rose to his feet as around him everyone at once began to yell.

"The Dragons! The Dragons have returned!" They yelled, their voices swelling over the rocks.

Rhaegar couldn't help but smile. His children truly were the blood of the dragon, and they had brought their magic back into the world.

The sun was shining off the snow in the gardens of the Red Keep as Aerion ran down the cliff path. The long, winding, tree lined trail went all the way from the gardens of the capital to a little rocky outcropping at the edge of the bay. It was here that the children had chosen to train their dragons since the rocks would not be as flammable to the dragon fire as the plants.

When Aerion reached the base of the steps he was almost scorched in the face by flame.

"Daena!" exclaimed Rhaegar. One of the most important rules was making sure the fire had no chance of hurting anyone.

"Sorry!" Daena squeaked, "But it's not my fault he didn't announce himself."

Rhaegar agreed and began to lecture them once again about safety. For the past month it had been all he was able to talk about. He had allowed the children to bring their dragons to the keep, but he wouldn't let them in the gardens and insisted they were trained for at least two hours a day.

So far nobody really minded. Dany had told them the Valyrian word for fire, Dracarys. Since then they had been teaching the dragons to only breath fire when commanded.

Daena had named hers Dreamfyre, after Rhaena Targaryen's dragon. With it smooth white scales and gold swirls across its wings it was both strong and fierce at the same time as being delicate and feminine. Aerion's green and bronze dragon was named Rhaegal after his father and many other Targaryen's. So far he proved to be the most likely to fly, constantly testing out his wings. Aegon had named his Balerion after the first Aegon's dragon. His was as black as the original and there were several who said it was Balerion come again.

As Aerion made his way back to his dragon Daena succeeded once again in being able to shoot flames at the water, Dany applauded her.

When Aerion reached Rhaegal, the green dragon flapped a few feet of the ground, until he reached just above his father's knee. Dany had also taken to calling the three siblings the parents of their dragons and it was a trend that all three had adopted.

Aerion sat at the edge of the rocks and watched as Daena and Aegon had a contest to see which dragon could shoot fire further. He on the other hand was focusing on flight. Rhaegal was able to fly at least a foot above the others, which was useful when it came to their little play flights. As they grew the three became even more combative, though they all agreed that it was playful fighting and nothing too serious.

For the next hour they continued to watch the dragons until a very frightened page appeared.

"Your Grace," he said his timid eyes never leaving the dragons.

"Yes?" asked Rhaegar. He was always rather amused by the way the castle servants feared his children's pets.

"My lord, the sails of Her Grace's ships were just spotted, Queen Cersei will be docking in a hour."

All four children leapt to their feet clapping in excitement. The dragons opened their mouths and let out a few scratchy notes of dragon song. The page flinched at the noise but the children cheered it, they loved the dragon song.

Rhaegar smiled and dismissed the page, turning back to his sister and children.

"You had all best go get cleaned up," He told them. "I doubt Cersei will take well to seeing you all covered in dirt." The children nodded earnestly, Rhaegar decided it was best if Cersei didn't encounter her children for the first time since her return in public so he sent told them to wait for them in Meagors.

The children nodded, then went shooting up off the path. Rhaegar shook his head and followed them. He headed straight for the stables where his horse was saddled and waiting. Someone had known he would want to meet his wife at the waterfront.

He mounted and placed his crown on his head before he rose out through the gates of the Red Keep and started heading toward the docks.

Cersei had always hated the sea, but the voyage from Dorne had been particularly bad. They had been battered by constant heavy winds and Cersei had spent most of the time sick in her cabin. Not only that, but without Rhaegar or her children she had had virtually no comfort. Ser Arthur did his best, but he wasn't family, even if he'd scarcely left her side on the journey.

When the boat docked in Kings Landing it took all her self-control not to sprint from the ship onto dry land.

A crowd had gathered on the dock and many were holding flowers and cheering. When Cersei appeared on the deck they went wild, screaming and throwing flowers at her. The Queen smiled and waved as she made her way down the gangplank, but by the time she had reached the bottom her eyes had found Rhaegar and all she could see was him.

As quickly as she could while remaining dignified she went to him. He embraced her, pulling her flush to his chest as she leaned into him, breathing in his scent and feeling his muscles beneath his jerkin. It was a warmth she had missed even in the heat of the desert, a balm for the ache that had settled in once she realized her wrongs, how much she missed her husband. But all too soon he was pulling away and helping her on to her horse.

The ride through the city was filled with cheering people throwing flowers. Cersei waved and threw flowers that were tossed her way back into the crowed. It appeared the people had missed their Queen.

Once they reached the keep Rhaegar lead her to her own chambers, explaining that the children were already there.

Cersei stepped through the door and smiled at the sight of her children. Then she screamed.

She clutched at Rhaegar, staring at her children, more importantly at the top of their heads.

"Where is their hair?" She screamed. Rhaegar glanced and the ground, "Where is their hair?" She demanded.

It was Aerion who answered, "We burned it off mother."

"WHAT?" Cersei shrieked.

"Well it burned off when we walked into the fire." He explained.

Cersei rounded on her husband, "You let them walk into a fire?"

"Not exactly..." Said Rhaegar trying to think of the best way to explain. Sadly Aerion did it for him.

"Daddy didn't let us mother, we went into the fire on our own the birth out dragons!" And with that he held up Rhaegal.

The moment Cersei saw the dragon she lost it. "Seven Hells! Get that thing away from me!" She yelled as she jumped up onto the nearest chair and climbed onto a table.

"Cersei!" Rhaegar yelled, "Calm down! Calm down!"

Cersei was on the table trembling, "No lizards, I cannot stand lizards! A dragon is worse- it's a lizard with a pair of wings... So GET THOSE THINGS AWAY FROM ME!"

Rhaegar gently pulled his wife down off the table, "Don't worry they're harmless, the kids only shoot fire at the water."

At this Cersei nearly slapped him instead she merely hissed, "If those things are going to stay here then I am heading back to Dorne and staying there permanently."

She turned and stormed from the room leaving Rhaegar alone with three very confused children.

Aegon was hiding in the garden. It had been a month since the dragons were sent to Dragonstone to be kept safe and Cersei had forbidden her children to go out to the island no more than once every two months.

Aegon had taken to hiding in the garden, the snow of winter was melting and he liked watching the garden come back to life every day. Today he had climbed a tree in order to be alone with his thoughts, but there was one person he couldn't hide from, his brother.

Aerion was in the process of climbing up the tree. He wasn't nearly as experienced as his brother so it was taking him awhile, eventually when he was about ten feet below his brother he gave up and turned his head up to stare at his brother.

"You thinking about Balerion?"

"Ya."

"You miss him?"

"Duh."

"Wanna get revenge?"

Aegon looked down, "What sort?"

"Well mother is spending the whole day at the Sept with most of her handmaids."

Aegon rolled his eyes, "So what?"

"We can sheep shift mother!"

"Aerion!"

"She took our dragons!" Aerion glared up at his older brother, "Come on, you know you want to..."

Aegon waited a few seconds before nodding and climbing down out of the tree with his brother.

Sadly there were no sheep in the Red Keep so the brothers made their way to the stable. There they put horse dung into bags and snuck off to Meagors.

Their father almost caught them, as did Dany and Daena. But the twins were able to dive down side halls at the last minute in order to avoid them.

By the time they reached their mothers room both were exhausted from all the sneaking, but they proceeded to strip the bed and cut it open. As the stitched it up Aegon's cruel stitches had Aerion rolling on the floor with laughter. They finished much later than planned.

Just as Aerion and Aegon were preparing to leave they heard voices in the hall. The brothers dove behind a pair of curtains and crouched in hiding as the door opened.

Rhaegar followed Cersei into her chambers shaking his head. His wife had come back from Dorne with a headful of ideas, most of which he agreed with, but one he was against.

"I don't understand why it would be such a bad thing." Said Cersei firmly taking a seat at her table. "The Dornish are important to us and the girl is rather sweet."

"The girl is two." Rhaegar pointed out.

Cersei waved her hand, "Details. We need wives for the boys. We agreed neither of them could marry Daena, that's too dangerous. Plus with Daena securing the North for us with her marriage to Robb Stark, I think it's important that we secure the south."

"Cersei just to be clear, you are talking about marrying one of our sons to a two year old baby."

Cersei rolled her eyes, "Obviously they wouldn't get married right away."

Rhaegar sat down opposite his wife. "I thought Arianne's husband was of low birth."

"That beside the point!" said Cersei.

Rhaegar shook his head, "Not really, we can't have Aegon marry someone whose fathers name is Sand."

Cersei shrugged, "Then she can marry Aerion."

Rhaegar could see that his wife was not about to back down from this issue. Her time in Dorne had made her, if possible, even more stubborn and he had to admit that it was a good idea to tie the Martells back to the Iron Throne. They were basically still an independent kingdom and even with dragons, the Targaryens could not guarantee their loyalty.

"What did you say the girls name was?" He asked.

"Tyene Martell." Cersei told him.

"Isn't that a Sand Snake?" asked Rhaegar in shock.

"No," said Cersei, " She's just named after one."

Rhaegar rolled his eyes, "I doubt that makes a difference."

Cersei glared at her husband, "It does. We need the Martells, admit it."

"Fine! I admit it!" Rhaegar glared at his wife. "So what happens if we marry Aerion to her? What does he get?"

Cersei rolled her eyes, "Dorne!"

"Oh right, equal inheritance laws."

Cersei nodded, "It's the perfect situation. Not only that but there will be enough new families mixed in that their children can marry each other."

Rhaegar sighed in defeat, "Alright, I'll send a letter to Doran Martell proposing the match between Aerion and Tyene Martell."

With that Rhaegar stood and left the room.

Cersei rose to her feet and walked to the door, dropping the bolt across it. She then turned and walked over to her bed. She sat down rubbing her upper arms nervously. Something wafted into her nose. She paused and sniffed again.

Aerion and Aegon watched as she stood up and quickly unmade her mattress, flipping it over to find the crude stitching on the inside.

"How original." said Cersei accompanied with an eye roll.

Aerion couldn't help it, he giggled.

Cersei's head snapped up turning to examine the room. Her eyes settled on the curtains and strode swiftly over pushing them aside. Aegon and Aerion looked up at her, looking both amused and scared.

Cersei grabbed them both by the back of their shirts and proceeded to drag them out of the room and down the hall. Along the way she stopped and handmaid and told her that the mattress in her room was in need of changing.

Then she dragged them towards their fathers solar.

Rhaegar was meeting with Tywin about ways to appease the other Lords now that they had betrothed another royal and all the remaining families would be competing for the remaining prince. In past Targaryens had wed Hightowers, Arryns, Baratheons, and Martells. His marriage to Cersei was a first for the Targaryens and he knew that it had given the other Lords hope that they could sink their teeth into a royal.

They were trying to figure out if anyone needed positions on the council or if merely money or trade deals would suffice. Dany was already betrothed to Quentyn Martell so they could serve as envoys across the Narrow Sea, so there was no chance of betrothing her.

Tywin was suggesting something to pacify Mace Tyrell when the doors flew open and Cersei marched in. She was dragging Aegon and Aerion along behind her and had a murderous look in her eyes.

"Cersei what are you doing here?" asked Tywin in a voice that suggested he was not happy about the appearance of his daughter.

Cersei glared at her father, "Father, if you will excuse us, Rhaegar and I need to talk to our children."

Tywin glared at his daughter for a minute before bowing to the king and stiffly exiting the room.

Rhaegar turned to his wife, his eyebrow raised in amusement, "What have they done this time?"

They were all used to the boys constant pranking and most of the time it was harmless. But Rhaegar knew Cersei wouldn't have come to him if it weren't something serious.

"They crossed the line," snapped Cersei as she pushed her children into a pair of chairs at the desk.

"What did they do?" The King sighed, seeing that his wife was glaring at the boys. Their hair was still short, only an inch or so long, and they looked rather amusing.

Cersei was fuming, "They sheep shifted my bed." She hissed.

Rhaegar couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. Cersei glared at him and he saw his sons glance at each other in wonder.

"What?" Rhaegar asked innocently.

"Why are you laughing?" Cersei asked her voice rising swiftly.

"Because I told you this would happen!" Said Rhaegar, keeling over in laughter.

She glared at her husband as he finished up laughing. He finally stopped and turned to look at his sons.

"Why'd you do it?" He asked.

"We were mad at mother." Said Aerion firmly.

"Why?" asked Rhaegar.

"She took our dragons away," said Aegon quietly.

Rhaegar gave Cersei a pointed look, "But you get to see them every two months."

"That's not enough time to train them," murmured Aegon.

Rhaegar turned his glare to Cersei, who at least had the good sense to look awkward.

Rhaegar crouched down to look at his sons, "I think you should go out every two weeks, and you can say for a whole week."

Cersei gasped and Rhaegar winked at his sons before he stood up and shooed them out of the room as Cersei continued to glare.

He turned and looked at her, "Don't give me that look." He said walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Their Targaryen's, they need their dragons. I know you're scared of them, but they need the dragons."

Cersei rolled her eyes, as much as she hated to admit it, she knew the dragons were part of her children, even if they terrified her.

"They'll hurt them." She whispered, looking at Rhaegar, praying that he would understand her fear.

The King merely shook his head, "They know who birthed them. The dragons will be loyal to their parents, they would never dare to hurt them."

Cersei did not believe him for one minute. She pushed him away angrily and stormed out of the room. Rhaegar was refusing to see sense and Cersei was done talking to him until he would.

Rhaegar watched the sea from the window of his solar. For the past few weeks since he had changed Cersei's regulations on the children and their dragons she had refused to speak to him. He knew he shouldn't be surprised at this; she had done things like this before. This time however the reason behind her silence irked him.

As much as his wife hated to admit it, their children were Targaryen. They were in the direct line of inheritance, unlike the Baratheons who only came into play if all the known Targaryens died. To Rhaegar it was important that his children grow up to really and truly be Targaryen. Sometimes he felt Cersei didn't understand that.

He needed to talk to her, and the sooner the better. Sighing he rose to his feet and made his way to Cersei's chambers.

When he was admitted into the Queens chambers he found Cersei sitting in front of the fire wrapped in pale grey robe. She didn't turn her head to look at him, preferring to watch the fire.

Rhaegar sat down in the seat opposite Cersei.

"Cersei we need to talk," He murmured quietly.

Cersei raised her eyes to look at her husband, "What is it, Your Grace?"

Rhaegar sighed, "I know that you are scared of the dragons," Cersei snorted, "But the children need to be near them."

"They'll hurt them Rhaegar!" Cersei whispered, her eyes full of fear.

Sighing, he shook his head, "They won't, Cersei. The dragons understand better than anyone the importance of family. Our children birthed them, they are the fathers and mother of dragons, and the dragons will never harm them."

Cersei broke down into tears, "Rhaegar, I'm so scared." He knew it took her far more than most women to admit that. His lioness was not one for fear, and yet here she was, trembling at the return of his family's legacy. Although he wasn't offended, fear was outside of her control.

Rhaegar knelt next to his wife and Cersei fell onto his shoulder sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, his hands sliding through her hair soothingly, the same way they often did with Daena when she wasn't allowed to do the same thing as he brothers. "I promise you, you don't need to be afraid," he whispered, "nothing will hurt them, dragons or not, and nothing will hurt you. Do you not trust me?"

She looked up at him, eyes rimmed red and watery. "Of course I do. But… They're merely children, Rhaegar!"

"Targaryen Children," The king reminded her quietly, watching her. The words could offend her, though she often seemed proud of his lineage, he knew she was just as proud to be a Lannister of Rock. To his eyes, Cersei seemed to take the news mildly, her expression tightening only minutely.

Though from that he could not have expected her words. "That didn't protect our last child, Rhaegar," she muttered. Her eyes closed and she wrapped herself tighter around him. They never talked about their loss, they carried on as King and Queen and parents to their three healthy children. She hadn't said a word of it since returning from Dorne, but that didn't mean he had stopped thinking of it. The memory made his insomnias worse, his dreams harsher.

Of course being Targaryen didn't protect their children from everything. But… "The dragons won't hurt them. They're blood of the Dragon." He stated firmly, though he knew she was no longer in the mood to argue. Rhaegar sat there holding her for hours, letting her cry out her fears until she eventually fell asleep in his arms.

Jamie hated when he guarded Cersei. He had to follow her around while she wandered from place to place chatting with all the annoying ladies of the keep. He only enjoyed it when she played with the children. Then he got to imagine that they were a family, that Daena was his daughter, Aerion and Aegon his sons. It didn't help that Aerion idolized his uncle, always trying to make him fight. Jamie was glad that Ser Arthur Dayne had taken over minding the younger prince. Dayne was by far a better warrior than Jamie and it lessened the hurt of having to watch the children that he so badly wished were his.

Today Cersei was not meeting with different Ladies; instead she was sitting on her balcony watching the sea for the sail of her children's ship. Jamie leaned against the railing watching her.

"As your brother I feel it is my duty to warn you, you worry too much." Jamie joked.

Cersei glared at her brother, "What if the got attacked or a storm took them? They could be dead, that is no laughing matter!"

Jamie turned to look at his sister smirking, "It's a short journey from Dragonstone to here, don't worry. They'll be fine."

Cersei looked unconvinced, continuing to watch the water.

"Do you ever wish things had been different?" Jamie asked.

"What?" Cersei's head snapped up, "What do you mean?"

Jamie shrugged, "Do you ever wish they weren't his?"

Cersei stared at her brother, "Whose else would they be?"

"Robert Baratheon!" He teased, "No, mine Cersei, mine."

Cersei looked away, trying to avoid this conversation, "Jamie don't." she whispered.

"We could have done it," said Jamie, ignoring her, "Run away to Norvos or the Southern isles. We could have married and been happy." He knelt in front of Cersei, taking her head in his hands and forcing her to look at him, "Why didn't we?"

Cersei trembled, looking anywhere but at her brother, "We couldn't Jamie, it was a fool's dream, nothing more."

Jamie shook his head firmly, "Cersei I loved you, I still love you, and I will always love you!" Cersei was blinking back tears, "We could still do it. We could flee this place and be together, be in love again." He was pleading. He needed her to still love him; he couldn't believe his twin, his other half, would love another.

Cersei shook her head, "Jamie we can't. We never could." She rose to her feet, Jamie let her go feeling his heart ripped in two, when Cersei reached the door she turned to look at her brother, "I love Rhaegar, I'm sorry Jamie, it was a fools dream, nothing more."

With that she turned and left him alone on the balcony, wishing the sea would rise up and drown him so he wouldn't have to watch her love another for one more minute.