The White Dragonwolf
Author note: English is not my first language. I apologize for any grammatical error. This story will contain characters and elements from my favourite shows and movies. If you don't like it, tough. Go read another story.
He was now alone, he thought. As he was standing on a ship gazing towards the horizon, absentmindedly petting his direwolf Ghost, who was sitting beside him. How had it come to this? Him sailing away from his home, Dragonstone. Away from the very few people he cared for and loved, and they cared and loved him; Ser Arthur, Hundred Eyes (Sifu), Yahya Ibn Umar (John), grandmaester Aemon his teachers and father figures. His friends in the Dragon Legion, Daenerys, Viserys, his family in the north. He smiled at the memory of how he had been welcomed into the pack by his Uncle Eddard and his family and the time he had spent there. His smile went away as he thought of the most important person he was leaving, his grandmother, Queen Rhaella. The woman who loved and raised him as her son.
"Geralt", he was brought out of his thoughts and turned around.
"Yes, Mr. Ducard?". Said man came up to Geralt and put his arm around him
"We will arrive to Yi-Ti, tomorrow and from there it will be a two-week track before we reach our final destination. Do not worry young one, you will return when your training is complete, and when you have mastered your emotions."
"Thank you Mr. Ducard. I look forward to your training and teaching". Geralt smiled at the man and the man smiled back and they both looked towards the horizon.
Flashback, seven years ago
The five-year-old Geralt was in the training yard, and he was smiling. He was finally allowed into the training yard and was currently training with Ser Arthur Dayne. Because of his age he was not given a training sword and only had a small wooden dagger and would for the next year only work on his footwork, nothing else. The black-haired prince didn't care, he would follow the teaching of the greatest swordsman in Westeros.
"Do not ever cross your legs, Geralt", Ser Arthur instructed.
"Ok, Arthur, but why?"
"Whenever you attack or defend, you must always do so grounded and in balance" Arthur responded, as he showed Geralt the correct way to do things. "Cross your legs again". Geralt did as he was told, Arthur came over and with one finger lightly pushed Geralt, and Geralt fell on his ass.
"Hey" Geralt shouted and scowled at Arthur, "what you do that for?"
"Get up and get in the stances I showed you". Geralt did, Arthur came over and pushed Geralt again, this time a little bit harder and with an open hand.
"OH" Geralt replied as he looked at Arthur with wide eyes as realization came to him. He did not fall on his ass, now that he did the correct footwork and stances.
"Exactly", Arthur smiled back.
They had now been training for two weeks. The boy took to sword training like a sponge, he was a practical learner and smart as a whip. He was also far along in his reading and writing, according to maester Aemon, who had been pardoned by King Rhaegar and brought back to King's Landing, as grandmaester.
Rhaegar, that name brought a scowl to Ser Arthur's face. His best friend or was it beginning to become former. He was a good king, there was no doubt about that, the realm was beginning to prosper again after the death and reign of his father, the "Mad King", Aerys. But however, a good king he was, he was a shit father, at least to Geralt. Geralt could never do anything right, in his father's eyes. Geralt was now ignored by Rhaegar, but would before receive nothing but scorn, anger, and resentment. There had been an incident, one year prior, that had caused a split in the house Targaryen. Arthur was not privy to what had happened, but it was Rhaegar, Rhaenys, Aegon and the small council, barring prince Oberyn, on one side, and Rhaella and consequently Daenerys, Viserys and Geralt on the other, with poor Elia and Oberyn stuck in the middle playing peacemakers. More Oberyn, with Elia's declining health.
"Thank you for the lesson, see you tomorrow" Geralt said, and Arthur was brought out of his thoughts.
"You're welcome, my prince, see you again tomorrow" Arthur responded with a smile, as Geralt ran along into the Red Keep.
Queen Rhaella sat in her room, waiting for Geralt. She had watched him training with Ser Arthur, smiling as she thought of the joy it brought to her grandson's face. How she hated being in King's Landing, wanting to desperately leave this wretched place. She wanted to protect her children from the scheming, backstabbing, manipulation, that ruled this city, but most importantly she wanted to get her grandson the hell out of this environment.
She thought back to last year, when a four-year-old Geralt had come running into her solar crying his heart out. She had spent a long time calming him down, finally getting told that Rhaegar had told Geralt in under no uncertain terms that he wished Geralt had died instead of his mother, Lyanna and that he killed his own mother, by being born. She comforted Geralt, telling him that it was not true, and how he was loved by her, Aemon, Daenerys and Viserys, after a while she had finally been able to put Geralt to sleep, before walking to confront her son.
She had found him in the small council room, eating dinner with Elia, with lord commander Hightower and Ser Jamie inside guarding them. She had approached them regally, stopping next to Rhaegar as he sat, he looked at her and SLAP, the sound reverberated through the entire room, she followed up with a closed fist and WHAM, a perfect hit right on the nose with a right cross and his head had snapped back, so that the back of his head hit the chair. That was all she managed before Ser Gerold had stepped in between them.
"Move aside Ser Gerold, let me at him. I'm going to give my son a neutering, he so richly deserves" Rhaella said incensed.
"I'm afraid I can't, my queen. I am lord commander of the kingsguard and it is my duty to protect the king" he calmly stated.
"Yes, I know of your duty", she spat back.
She saw Ser Gerold visibly flinch and looked at her with sad and guilty eyes, she looked over at Ser Jamie and he had the same expression. She knew all the members of the kingsguard felt guilty, she knew that they all had wanted to intervene and stop what happened to her almost nightly at the hands of her husband. But they still did nothing.
"My queen" Ser Jamie tried
"SHUT UP, SER JAMIE", Queen Rhaella boomed back, interrupting him.
"WET BEHIND THE EARS, BREATH SMELLING LIKE SIMILAK", she continued
Ser Jamie had killed her husband, stabbed him in the back and although the reason was a sound one, and with the evidence procured later, made it irrefutable; his action had stopped her husband from burning King's Landing down and saving the people, she still didn't trust him, even though Rhaegar pardoned him and told him he was a true knight. Jamie winced at hearing her words.
"My queen" she heard Ser Barristan say, as he entered the room, having stood guard outside the small council room.
"No matter how deserving the king is" Ser Gerold looked at Ser Barristan incredulously, Ser Barristan just gave him a look back, looking at the lord commander like he was an idiot. Lord commander clearly not understanding that he was trying to defuse the situation.
"We still cannot allow the king to get hurt. If you must, dress him down verbally" he continued.
"HOW DARE YOU?", she bellowed, after a few calming breaths.
"HOW DARE YOU SAY TO MY GRANDSON THAT YOU WISHED HE WAS DEAD AND THAT IT WAS HIS FAULT HIS MOTHER DIED", she continued.
Everyone looked at the queen with shocked eyes, before their eyes turned towards Rhaegar, filled with anger and disappointment.
"IF ANYTHING, IT WAS YOUR FUCKING FAULT FOR NOT BEING THERE WITH HER AND NOT HAVING A FUCKING MAESTER PRESENT, WHILE SHE WAS GIVING BIRTH".
Rhaegar lowered his head and eyes for a minute.
"YOU JUST HAD TO RUN ALONG AND END ROBERT'S REBELLION, YOU COULD HAVE DONE THAT, AFTER MAKING SURE THE BIRTH HAD GONE WELL", she screamed at him.
She approached the table, putting her arms on the table, leaning forward. The right and left arm of Ser Barristan and Gerold on her stomach, respectfully, acting like a barrier.
"Look at me son", she calmly, but forcefully said. Rhaegar met her eyes.
"You are without question a better king than your father. He nearly ended the reign of the Targaryen, you are slowly, but surely building that trust back, both with the lords and ladies and the smallfolk. But as a person you are worse than your father". Everyone's eyebrows disappeared into their hairline. Rhaegar looked at his mother with extreme hurt in his eyes not having expected that from his mother.
"Your father was mad, but he never pretended to be anything else. You present yourself as the perfect brother to your siblings, the perfect husband to your wife, the perfect father to two of your children and the perfect son. All the while stabbing your Geralt in the back with a knife, twisting it around for good measure. And by doing so, you do the same to me, you're my son and I love you, but I never raised you to be like this, and I feel my grandson's pain". She stated firmly.
"FROM NOW ON WHENEVER YOU'RE AROUND MY GRANDSON, KEEP YOUR DAMN MOUTH SHUT! ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY! IF YOU DON'T, I'LL MAKE YOU! Then I will take him and your siblings to Dragonstone and you will have a political situation on your hands, where you must explain to everyone why half your family is not residing with you. Is that clear, Rhaegar?" He just nodded in response. She turned around and left the small council room, as Elia began to tear into her husband.
That brought her out of her memory, she should just take her children and grandson away, but Rhaegar had kept his promise and therefore she would keep her word. God bless her daughter in law, queen Elia, she loved Geralt and treated him as he was her own son, but the damage had been done. And with her declining health, she wasn't able to be with Geralt often enough to repair the damage done. Even worse, her other grandchildren had taken after their father, they weren't mean to their younger brother, they just ignored and treated him indifferently.
That incident had changed everything. Geralt had slowly gone from a happy, joyful, energetic child, to a solemn child, who didn't smile as much and looked sad. Neither Aemon, Arthur, Elia, Daenerys, Viserys nor herself were able to stop that transformation from happening right in front of them. She had to do something, but she was clueless as to what.
Flashback, still seven years ago, several moons later
Queen Rhaella was walking towards her solar, when she met a soldier in the hallway, said soldier was breathing heavily.
"Your grace, grandmaester Aemon sent me, come quickly, your grandson, there's been an attack", the soldier was able to get out. All the color drained out of her face, as she ran after the soldier.
As she entered Aemon's workplace, she looked at her grandson laying there, on the table, motionless. She saw several people working on him, as she noted his wounds. There were several stab wounds on his body, some of them were closed, as the people were working desperately to close the rest, no doubt this was an assassination attempt. It made her blood boil, but she would take care of that later, now she needed information.
"Aemon, how is he?", she asked
"He is in a bad state, Rhaella", he answered, though he didn't look up and continued working.
"We will be able to close the wounds, but we don't know if there are any injuries inside that we can't fix, he has also lost a lot of blood", he continued.
She felt sick, she felt like she was going to throw up.
"Isn't there anything that can be done?" she asked desperately
Aemon looked at her thoughtfully.
"We need to talk", Aemon responded with a serious look on his face.
One moon after the attack
They were finally leaving King's Landing. Rhaella was a happy woman. Geralt had been cleared by Aemon; he was well enough to travel.
She remembered the conversation she had had with Aemon. Aemon had been experimenting, making different potions without the citadel's knowledge or consent, the intention with potions was for healing, but they were not cleared to be used, he had only tested them on animals, seeing minimal results. Some animals had responded well to the potions, getting their wounds fully healed, others had died. Rhaella had had to make a life altering decision, having to try the potions on Geralt or not. In the end it hadn't been a tough choice to make, when it looked like Geralt would die without them. She gave Aemon permission to use the potions. This would be their secret, regardless of the outcome, as this could have serious repercussions for Aemon and Geralt.
They had cleared the room, before he administered the potions. This would be something that they both never forgot. For two days more the symptoms did not subside. Geralt's skin, drenched in sweat, grew dry and hot, the pulse ceased to be full and firm — albeit remaining of average strength, slow rather than fast. He did not wake. Finally, came the seventh day. The male awoke and opened his eyes, and his eyes were those of a viper.
He had quickly fallen unconscious again, with him receiving a new dose of different potions. His wounds had healed, but she noted during the second week that his hair was turning white and was no longer curly. The transformation ended at the end of the second week and Geralt finally regained consciousness. Rhaella and Aemon had spent most of their time in his workshop, only going out to eat and see Viserys and Daenerys.
Geralt was glad to be alive and told her what he remembered, which wasn't much. He had been in the tunnels, under the Red Keep seeking solace there, when three people had attacked him. He also wasn't happy with his new appearance at first, white hair and yellow eyes, with viper-like irises. But after talking with Aemon and his grandmother, he accepted his new appearance, and that him being alive, was more important. He had asked them how he was alive, only to promise them to never ask again, that that knowledge was extremely dangerous. He was initially angry, but he trusted them enough to agree.
Rhaella had been spitting fire, and Aemon was equally upset. The assailants had been caught and found, but they had had their tongues removed and were illiterate. So, the people behind the assassination attempt were still hidden. Rhaegar had tried his best to find out, threatening and roasting his small council, especially his master of whispers, Varys. For one, not being aware of an attempt and two, failing to find the people behind the attempt. This did not look good for him. The message he was sending by not being able to find the perpetrators, was that you can attack the royal family, though that message had changed after the execution of the attackers. Rhaegar had boiled them alive in full view to the public. It was a gruesome sight to behold, the found from the men did mot make it better. Large mass of the small folk passed out, but the message was sent and the people had recieved it. He kept the information about the people behind the attempt hidden.
This was not enough for Queen Rhaella and it had all culminated in a showdown. Which ended in Rhaella leaving for Dragonstone with her children and grandson. Since the people behind the assassination attempt had not been found, she had argued that it was no longer safe to be in King's Landing, for her side of the family. She would only return when the assailants had been found. Aemon would also join her at Dragonstone as he needed to oversee Geralt's recuperation, this was against Rhaegar's wishes, but he had argued back that the health of his great-great nephew was more important, than his king's wishes, and Rhaegar would have to charge him, with a crime, to prevent him from leaving. Rhaegar relented, as he knew how it would look, if he followed through.
The most surprising thing had been that Ser Arthur Dayne would join them at Dragonstone, as Prince Geralt's sworn sword and shield. Rhaella smiled as she thought of the confrontation, still in shock over what she had heard and seen.
"We are leaving Rhaegar, and that's the end of it. You have not even visited Geralt, to see how he's doing. None of you have, except for Ser Arthur", she stated firmly. Rhaegar looked angry at his mother.
"My queen, I will join you at Dragonstone. To guard you and your family", Arthur said. Surprising all of the kingsguard and all of the Targaryen family, including Rhaella.
"No you will not, that is an order", Rhaegar exclaimed.
Athur walked up to Rhaegar, standing directly in front of him, looking him dead in the eyes.
"You can take that order and shove it", he calmly stated. All the people in the room had wide open mouths and shocked expressions one their faces, after hearing that.
"Five years ago, I came back to King's Landing, with baby Geralt, to have him raised here by you. That was vehemently against the wishes of lord Eddard Stark, as Ser Gerold and Ser Oswell can attest to. I thought it would be best for him to be raised here. Clearly that was the wrong decision and what he has experienced here, is my fault. I also promised his dying mother that I would look after him and protect him, I have failed at my duty. Honor to the oaths of the kingsguard prevented me from intervening, when I should have, to prevent what happened to Queen Rhaella, at the hands of the "mad king". I live with that guilt of not doing anything to help her everyday. Now honor compels me to honor my promise to a dying mother, more than my oaths as a kingsguard. You now have two choices, my king. Either you order me to protect your family at Dragonstone, as a member of the kingsguard, or (he ripped off his white cloak and held it in front of Rhaegar) you can have my cloak". Arthur finished.
Rhaegar looked at his best friend, feeling hurt and contemplated. Everyone in attendance looked on with shock and interest. In the end, Rhaegar ended up taking the cloak from Arthur, he could not allow Arthur to go as a kingsguard, against his initial order, that would set a dangerous precedent in the future. Arthur walked towards Rhaella, before taking a knee. Swearing his allegiance to Prince Geralt, to be his sworn sword and shield. Rhaella, of course, accepted and they left.
Rhaella, Daenerys, Viserys, Aemon and Geralt, with Ser Arthur standing behind him, were looking towards the ocean as they were sailing towards Dragonstone. A new chapter was about to begin.
Author note: Yes, you can look at the potions as the "Trial of the Grasses" and "Trial of the Dreams from The Witcher. He WILL NOT be sterile. He will have enhanced abilities like Geralt of Rivia. Yes the Eyes of a viper, is from the book, The Last Wish