83 AC

The death of Prince Vaekar proved fortuitous for the Queen's position beyond the simple fact that one of the claimants to her throne was dead. The island of Dragonstone, ancestral seat of the Targaryens passed to the throne, and the Royal Fleet of Dragonstone along with it as Prince Vaekar had died childless.

To no one's surprise, the Queen granted Dragonstone to Princess Lianna, heir apparent to the Iron Throne. She did not stop there however, granting her eldest daughter not only Dragonstone but overlordship over the houses Massey, Celtigar, Velaryon and Bar Emmon, and Sunglass, making her a Lady Paramount in her own right, and ensuring the Lords and Ladies of the Narrow Sea would be closely aligned with the crown under her daughters leadership.

83 AC also saw the first true war of Queen Laenas reign which directly involved the crown, and one of the first direct military campaigns directed against one of the Free Cities across the narrow sea by Westerosi since the Storm King Argilac Durrandon had led a host to the disputed lands against a Volantene army nearly a hundred years prior.

Emissaries from the slaver city of Astapor and the mo Grazdan family made the long journey from Slaver's Bay to the court of Kings Landing to offer a proposal to the Queen.

For quite a long time relations had been souring between Astapor and the Pentoshi, who,while lacking the trade power a true port city, nevertheless held much power in the trade of grains and foodstuffs, owing to the prosperity of their hinterlands in Andalos and other farmland, with their inland caravans being a common sight as far east as Slaver's Bay, and the cheapness and quantity of their goods slowly created a dominance in the area. The Astapori, who while still possessing some farmlands, could not compete with the prosperity of the Pentoshi Hinterlands and wanted to regain the grain trade in Slaver's Bay.

The Astapori were willing to spare no expense in reclaiming this economic role, and Queen Laena was offered an extremely large tribute of gold and silver to begin a trade war with Pentos, destroying their trade posts within the Seven Kingdoms and sending force to their hinterlands to capture their fortresses, burn their farms and weaken their power, forcing the Pentoshi to rebuild and focus on endeavors closer to home, leaving Astapor free to reclaim control of the grain trade.

With the Queens connections to Pentos insignificant due to Nakados Tendryis's death, and her position quite secure with the deaths of Alyssane and Vaekar, Queen Laena agreed to the proposal, and ordered her generals to plan an incursion into Pentos, with little difficulty being expected since the Pentoshi were already engaged in a war with Myr.

The force assembled by the crown was to be led by Lucerys Qoherys, Lord of Harrenhall, accompanied by his squire, the young prince Aemorys. Eager for adventure, the Princess Vaella would also take part in the campaign on the back of her dragon Narrah, while Laenas husband Jaekar would lead a small fleet of galleys, with the goal of luring the larger Pentoshi fleet into open battle where his dragon Oathwing would win them the day.

The prospect of a campaign across the narrow sea proved to be very popular throughout the realm, while there had been many small conflicts which are endemic to the seven kingdoms, there was a large generation of young knights who had never seen action and were eager for action and glory. Some have theorized that the Queen began the campaign not just for monetary reasons but to keep the lords of the realm distracted and sate the warmongers among the nobility.

The first action of the war began when Lord Qoherys entered Duskendale and set fire to the Pentoshi trading post there, more of a ceremonial event than anything else as the Pentoshi had already fled….the true fighting was to come later.

The crown raised two forces, one force from Dragonstone sailed to the peninsula of the Great Arm, led by the Princess Vaella, and accompanied by a large force from the Vale, while Lord Qoherys led a force from the Stepstones and accompanied by near 10,000 Reachmen to Mylonos, the capital of the Pentoshi.

The Pentoshi forces were busy fighting to the south in the Myrish flatlands and were powerless to stop the Westerosi landings and could do little as Lord Qoherys ordered Mylenos stormed and the settlements on the Great Arm were sieged into submission.

The Pentoshi raised a force of some 15 war galleys in an attempt to oppose Jaekar Targaryens small fleet raised in the Stepstones, but while taking on sellsails and provisions in Tyrosh, the crews of these galleys mutinied when they heard they would have to face the dragon Oathwing and would never disembark,, the Pentoshi , saddled with the debt of fighting two wars would raise no other galleys, giving the Westerosi free access to the narrow sea.

The campaign would not be completely without trouble however. Princess Vaella had grown impatient with the slow sieging of the settlements on the Great Arm, and abandoning the force from the Vale, she set out east with some 1400 men to take the small town of Amenos.

Mounting her dragon Narrah, she took to the skies and began to set fire to the walls, town, and garrison of the small town with dragonflame. Whilst in the process of this however, a bolt fired from a scorpion on the walls pierced Narrahs left wing, severely inhibiting its ability to fly. The Princess, struggling to regain control of her wounded dragon, would come under heavy fire of javelins and crossbows as the dragon hovered above the walls. Luckily for her, she somehow managed to fly out of the danger and back to the siege camp and land Narrah. The wounds to Narrahs wings however would knock the dragon out of the rest of the war, and it would be quite some time till the beast recovered.

Amenos would surrender the following day, and shortly after Lord Qoherys would storm Nontelos. The Pentoshi however would finally manage to disentangle themselves from the fighting in the Myrish flatlands and would march north to oppose the invader with some 8000 men.

The Pentoshi would quickly retake their capital of Mylenos, and just days later would surprise an unsuspecting host of some 1100 Dornish levies who had landed in the city, killing many of them and enslaving many others.

Lord Qoherys would hear of this and would march with some 12,000 men, primarily made up of Reachmen and Valemen to meet the Pentoshi in a decisive battle, the Prince Aemorys, who was Lord Qoherys's squire was deemed too young to join the Lord of Harrenhall at the front and would observe the battle from the rear.

The Battle of Mylonos was a bloody affair, with Lord Qoherys primarily utilizing his heavily armored knights and light cavalry to assault the Pentoshi positions, eventually routing their own mercenary cavalry and breaking their infantry lines. By the day's end, some 5000 men were dead and wounded, including 2000 Westerosi. Many men gained significant renown as a result of the victory, including Lord Qoherys, Marshal of the Realm, Lords Ambrose and Peake, and perhaps most significantly of all a young knight named Ser Yohn Redfort.

By the battle's end, the Pentoshi had enough and surrendered, paying a large tribute of gold and silver for the Westerosi to leave and leave they did…with much Astapori and Pentoshi gold.

84 AC

Princess Vaella also returned to the capitol, but with something much different than the spoils of war….a babe in her belly, and given the fact her husband Renly Arryn, commander of the Gold Cloaks had not accompanied her on the campaign, the child was clearly not the fruit of the Princesses lawful marriage.

The Princess had chosen to remain in Amenos following the wounding of her dragon to help oversee the campaign, and during this time it is said she met an old septon named Alton in the siege camps,a man who had been born on Dragonstone , in Amenos it is said the man helped her search through the cities modest libraries and that of other captured settlements for any books pertaining to dragons in an attempt to find something that could help the wounded Narrah.

Eventually this relationship developed beyond just one of literary exploration to something more. Given the fact that the old septon was nearly 20 years the Princesses age, rumors of this relationship were of course quite scandalous. There are several theories that have been posed about the relationship, some claim that those carrying the blood of the dragon are drawn to each other, which would explain the Targaryens incestious practicies…Alton has been described as having bright purple eyes, which, along with the fact he was born on Dragonstone, makes it possible the man was a dragonseed, or a descendent of one of the Targaryen lords that had ruled over Dragonstone before the conqueror set out to conquer the kingdoms. It is of course possible the Princess was simply lonely, it is said she and Renly Baratheon had not shared a bed in years, and that the commander of the Gold Cloaks was not one that necessarily enjoyed the company of women.

One thing is clear however, several months after her return from the Pentoshi campaign, the Princess would give birth to a son, Viserys.

It is said the Queen of Skulls was most wroth with her daughter, and was prepared to force the babe to be given up or sent away when Commander Renly Arryn agreed to raise the babe as his own, sparing the royal family much embarrassment, though it would be quite somewhat common knowledge the boy would not be the trueborn son of the Gold Cloak Commander.

Three later another son of dubious parentage would be born, named Matagar, though once again the child would be raised by Renly Arryn within the city of Kings Landing.

84 AC would also see a dragon egg go missing from the Dragonpit, an egg rumored to have been stolen from the murdered Trianira in Mantarys. Its absence would not be discovered until it was far too late however…

3rd Moon, 84 AC

Castle of Storms End

Daeoril looked into the crib where little Ronnel, her son was peacefully sleeping, his hands still gripping a wooden stag toy.

She lightly moved a wisp of his silver hair out of his eyes and took the toy from his hands, kissing his forehead gently.

She then made her way to the mirror, fixing a golden necklace of dark red rubies over her black dress, if there was to be a confrontation today then she needed to look every bit a princess.

The previous night at supper her husband Boros had mentioned that he would need her support in something the next day, which was hardly unusual, Boros relied heavily on her to run the court and household of Storms End, as he much preferred to hunt and carouse with his retainers than the tediums of ruling.

What was unusual however was how tight lipped he had been as to what it was he needed help with, almost as it had been in the first days of their marriage when he would scarcely speak to her.

Those early days had been difficult….Cymella, Boros's mother and her aunt had clearly filled his mind with poison and predisposed him to dislike her and her mother Laena. Through hard work however, Daeoril had eventually won over her husband, taking over much of the daily responsibilities of running Storms End much to his relief as well as always making sure the larders of Storms End were stocked with fine food for his feasts and revels…..eventually their relationship grew to one of genuine friendship, if not quite love. As for her aunt Cymella, she had never attained a strong grip on the court of Storms End and they too had eventually became hers…her aunt could do little but watch helplessly with daggers in her eyes as she lost hold of both her son and the court to the younger woman.

The unwillingness of the normally open and forthcoming Boros to share anything about this mysterious task immediately made Daeoril suspicious, whatever it was, she was sure it was her aunt Cymella's doing.

She immediately had her informants within the court snoop for information, but all they could bring her was that it may have something to do with a strange Essosi mystic that had come to court.

The man's arrival to Storm's End had not escaped Daeorils notice of course, but he had not come from across the narrow sea at her behest and she had not been able to speak with the man. Instead he had come to enter her aunt Cymellas service with a large bag of faded books and scrolls.

She heard a knock at the door, no doubt the servants summoning whatever awaited her.

Taking a last moment to brush her curls, she left the room and allowed the servants to escort her to her husband.

It was not just Boros that awaited her in the throne room of Storms End, but also her aunt Cymella and the Essosi mystic, a tall thin man with long silver hair, almost golden.

I knew it Daeoril thought to herself as she cooly studied her aunt,always a big woman, Cymella had put on weight in recent years and had dark lines under her eyes, following the death of her siblings and of her only daughter, her aunt had turned to drink , and that had not improved her temperament.

Her eyes soon shifted to something of greater interest than her aunt however, as in the center of the throne room there was a dragon's egg, red as crimson placed upon a brazier, underneath it were several strange glyphs written in charcoal upon the floor of the throne room, Valyrian to her estimation.

The room was completely empty by then, with just the four of them present, a silence fell over the hall, Daeoril was content to let them speak first, she found often times Boros gave up more information unprompted than when asked.

''Apologies for the secrecy Dae….my mother thought it best.'' Her husband said, his golden jerkin straining against his ample gut, a sincere look in his pale grey eyes.

Daeoril nodded, looking around and taking in the scene once more ''What is this Boros.''

''A dragon egg has been procured….your help is needed.'' Her aunt said, in her usual nasaly yet steely voice, her aunt's nose had been broken by her previous husband Raymont and had never fully recovered.

''From where?'' Daeoril asked simply.

''Vaedar layed a clutch of eggs.'' Her aunt said, referring to her white dragon and giving Daeoril a look that all but said she would say no more.

Liar Daeoril thought to herself, given the fact her mother had asked her to keep an eye on her aunt and ensure the loyalty of Storms End, she had of course spies that kept her updated on the size and other important matters relating to her aunts dragon to keep her mother informed, she would have known if a clutch of eggs had been lain.

Nevertheless, Daeoril thought it best to keep her thoughts to herself and not outright accuse her aunt. Boros could be genial, and even pleasant when the two of them were alone, but he became much more unpredictable when in the presence of his mother, and she did not know what he would do when forced to take a side between the two of them.

Daeoril nodded slowly ''I am glad of course…but I must say I am confused as to why I am needed, eggs will hatch when they hatch.''

''This egg has not hatched for quite some time….I thought it best to procure some help, this man insists that you be present…he is an expert on the dragonlore of the Freehold.'' Her aunt said.

''I did princess…you are needed for the ritual in which we will call the dragon forth from its egg.'' The mystic said.

''More specifically your blood.'' Cymella said, a faint smile on her face.

''Just a small amount…there is power in the blood of the dragon Taevon says.'' Boros added quickly.

''The blood of the dragon runs through my aunt's veins as well.'' Daeoril said, she didn't much care to be caught up in this, another dragon in her aunt's influence, hatchling or no was not something her mother would want.

''Old blood is weak, Taevon says.'' Boros said bluntly, causing a rather angry look to quickly pass through his mothers face.

''Boros…if we could talk for just a moment.'' She said softly, taking his hand, he nodded and was about to withdraw when Taevon cleared his throat.

''Princess….dusk is coming…and it is the night of Meraxes..a god of old Valyria…we will have no better chance than now…time is of the essence.'' The mystic said.

''Such a thing….should be thought through….we shouldn't rush, we don't even know if this man's ''knowledge'' can be trusted…we should wait Boros.'' Daeoril said, she wanted to get a raven off to Kings Landing immediately and await instructions from her mother on how to proceed, and for that she needed to delay.

''She speaks and her mothers words come pouring out….it is as I said from the beginning Boros…she does not serve House Baratheons best interests.'' Cymella scoffed.

''I merely am concerned abou…..'' Daoeril began when her aunt cut her off.

''Tell me girl…do you truly think your mother cares for your boy…..he will never be seen as royal blood…he is a Baratheon, not a Targaryen, silver hair won't change that…..the boy needs a dragon to secure his position and future.'' Her aunt said sharply.

Daeoril did not respond to that.

''I see you are unwilling…fine….we cannot force you….but we can arrange to have your son brought in….granted his blood is not as strong as yours…but it will serve.'' Her aunt said.

Daeoril looked to Boros in shock, barely keeping her emotions in check ''You support this!''

Boros looked uncomfortable, lowering his head slightly ''Its for his own good Dae…a boy needs a dragon, else he will never be viewed with respect…..it is his birthright…just as much as the princelings and princesses in Kings Landing.''

You speak and your mothers words come pouring out Daeoril thought, the words on the tip of her tongue, but she remained calm, Boros had never struck her but the temper of the Baratheons was well known and she would not shame him in front of his mother.

''You would let her mutilate our son.'' Daoeril said finally, breaking the silence.

''It's only a little blood…just do it yourself Dae.'' He said, in a tone it was clear he was tired of being questioned.

Daoeril hesitated…trying desperately to think of a way out of this…..nothing came to her mind.

She nodded.

''We have wasted enough time as it is.'' Taevon said, gesturing her over towards the brazier, where a knife lay on the side, lines shimmering in the light of the flame.

Valyrian Steel She thought to herself.

The mystic opened up one of his scrolls, one of faded parchment.

''SERVANT HEN FREEHOLD, ĪLON SUMMON AO. SE ĀNOGAR HEN ZALDRĪZES CALLS NAEJOT AO. AWAKE!'' He shouted in a voice that boomed out through the empty hall, and just for a moment Daeoril thought she saw the charcoal glyphs underneath the brazier flicker dull orange as if an ember of a dying fire.

I am in the presence of sorcery The princess thought to herself.

She noticed they were all looking at her, and the mystic nodded towards the knife.

Daoeril took it and hesitantly brought it down the opened palm of her hand, its bite was cold and dark crimson blood dripped down her hand.

Slowly she brought her hand down towards the dragon's egg, placing her bloodied hand on its scaled shell.

Darkness enveloped her….a cold empty chasm of nothingness…until there was something…visions in the dark flame.

She saw a young woman in a black dress with a head of silver curls leaning over to kiss a young boy in a crib.

She saw a tall man with long brown hair, armored in shining white armor place a hand upon the shoulder of a young man, a look of sadness etched upon his face, the signs of battle around them.

In a forest a great tusked beast with eyes black as coal lapped up blood from the dirt.

A pool of dark red blood congealing on the marble floor beneath the Iron Throne.

A man in gray robes with a crystal around his neck preaching death around a fire, the clash of steel echoing around him.

A young girl looking up into the maw of the dragon, heat on her face and a scream on her lips as the flame melted her face.

Two great forces of ships coming together in a splintering crash in a rocky sea, the cries of burning and drowned men and the clash of steel as ships burned in the blue waters.

A young man and woman flying through the night sky on the back of a single dragon, the fires of a large towering beacon lighting their way

A proud lord with a gauntlet of gold sitting upon a throne, reeking of death

A golden spear flickering through the black flames, and a red dragon flying over a blue sea.

An old woman, sword in hand facing down a knight clad in white plate, a sneer upon her face.

Faster and faster the visions came, visions of what came before all around her.

Four individuals hunched over a painted table in the shape of Westeros…three of silver hair and one of black.

The bells of a foreign city ringing as a silver haired woman held a babe close to her.

A man sinking beneath the waves, a beautiful sunset above him and a dragon sinking to the depths.

Things that would never happen.

In a small castle so high it touched the clouds, surrounded by mountains, a silver haired woman held a blonde haired babe to her breast, while another sat in her lap, a smile on her face.

A man with long silver hair and a face weathered from the sea and far travel ascended the steps to a Conqueror's Throne, his hand upon the ruby pommel of a fine sword.

It was too much, faster and faster they came until Daeoril could scarcely keep track, with the last of her strength she managed to pull her hand away from the egg, the sounds of faint shouting bringing her back.

As she pulled her hand back she felt a searing pain.

She looked down.

Her hand was aflame with an inferno so hot and bright it seemed to be dragonflame.

She screamed.

84 AC

It is often said that dark wings harbor dark words, and they certainly proved true on that day of the 3rd Moon of 84 AC when a raven from Storms End reached Kings Landing informing the Queen of the death of her youngest daughter.

We may never know what truly happened in Storms End, most claim it was simply a fire, noones fault that set the princesses bedchamber aflame, with her inside of it, others claim the girl was murdered by her aunt and burned afterwards to hide evidence of the stab wounds she was slain by, while others (though fewer in number) claim some failed ritual took place in the great hall of Storms End, pointing out that a peculiar Essosi mystic had been sighted in Storms End in the days before the princesses death, and there are those who swear they saw the man being dragged to the dungeons upon Boros's orders to be put to death. These same rumors give mention of a dragon egg that went missing from the dragonpit around the same time period, which would never be recovered.

Those familiar with the Queen's temperament have voiced surprise that the Queen of Skulls did not immediately mount Vhagar and bathe Storms End in flame, especially since there were whispers that the death of her youngest daughter had not been a mere accidental fire.

It appears, that perhaps for the only time in the Queen's life, she did not direct her wrath or blame onto others…but rather onto herself, holding herself responsible for sending her youngest daughter to Storm's End.

Rather surprisingly, it seems that the Queen did not drown her sorrows with murder and death so much as she turned to her husband Jaekar, returning to his bed for the first time in many years, taking comfort in the man's company.

As for Boros Baratheon, it is said the man was most distraught following the death of his wife, and swore that he would never marry again, making it unlikely that if the Princess was indeed murdered, that her husband was aware of any such plot, though it is the opinion of most sources that the Princess was the victim of a simple fire and not some strange Valyrian ritual which is likely the result of over imaginative minds.

This pledge would not last long however, among those who attended the funeral of the Princess Daeoril, a number which included all of her sisters (the Queen refused to attend), was the widowed Princess Larrissa, mother of Rhodry Martell, Prince of Dorne.

The two widowers made a rather surprising connection at the funeral, continuing visits and correspondence after the funeral, and within a year were married when decency permitted it. The marriage made sense for both sides, as the Princess Larrisa was rather desperate for an ally and it secured peace on the border between Dorne and the Marches, which had traditionally been the source of much conflict.

It is said that the Princess Lianna of Dragonstone, who had also been present at the funeral played no small role in arranging the match between the two of them, with some claiming this was the first step in a rather sinister plot by the Princess of Dragonstone, which, real or imagined, has often been associated with Lianna.

This match would not be met with approval by all, while the Queen of Skulls would take no action against Storms End due to the rumors that surrounded her daughters death, she still held them responsible in some form and saw Larrissas marriage as a betrayal, and the two would not speak for many years.

The marriage would be an amiable one, though made primarily for necessity and advantage rather than love, and it must be said that the Princess Larrisa did not gain control of the court or challenge her aunt Cymella's authority to the extent her sister had.

Within a year of their marriage Larrissa would give birth to another boy, Raymont Baratheon.

85-87 AC

The beginning of 85 AC saw rather surprising news come out of Dragonstone as the Princess Lianna, now 40 years old, was expecting another child.

Despite this pregnancy, the Princess would not take time to rest as in addition to her duties as the realms master of laws, her son Jaerion had come of age, and would soon need to be arranged with a royal wedding, and Lianna quickly began considering potential matches

The Prince Jaerion had grown into a well liked young man, if admittedly one with a rather high opinion of himself that bordered (some say well crossing) on arrogance. Though inclined to plumpness, the Prince cut an attractive figure, tall and strong with a smile that quickly endeared himself to most with a humor that went along with it, and eyes that were described as sparkling violet.

Though not particularly skilled at arms, the Prince was rather daring and never shied away from an opportunity to compete in the lists, and he frequently traveled the realm with a large band of young nobles and ladies, traveling from feast to feast, from tournament to tournament or from hunt to hunt, hunting and hawking in the Kingswood one month before riding to Highgarden the next, and was seldom found on Dragonstone after he reached his majority.

The Prince had been educated in stewardship by his father Ronnal Baratheon, learning the basics of the more numerical administration that came with overseeing the Dragon Cloaks, the castle guard of the Red Keep but it must be said the Prince showed little interest in his studies, processing a rather slothful temperament.

In the years following his coming of age, the Princess Lianna would frequently try and attempt to place her son in some position of authority, making him castellan of Dragonstone for a few months one year and naming him the captain of one of the ships in the Royal Fleet for another short period, but the result was always the same.

The Prince had little interest in ruling, or the responsibilities that came along with it, shunning all work and preferring the comforts of the various balls, masquerades, hunts, tourneys and feasts that were endemic to the Kingdoms to sitting at the castle ledger and seeing to the accounts.

These adventures were not completely a waste however, as the Prince, hearing a rumor that his great uncle Vaekars dragon Andalax, which had flown from Dragonstone following his death, had been sighted in the Rainwood, the young Prince made his way to the Stormlands with a large band of followers and friends and managed to tame the beast.

Returning to the matter of the Princes marriage, it goes without saying Jaerion was an extremely attractive candidate, the young Prince was far traveled in his pursuit of adventure and revelry and had made an extremely good impression on many of the young eligible maidens of the realm, and there was of course the small matter that whomever married the young prince would likely become Queen one day, as Jaerion was third in line to the throne, behind only his mother Lianna.

The Prince suggested to his mother that they summon all the most eligible young women to the court in Kings Landing so that he may choose his own bride, a prospect that many have labeled as being a ''cattle show'', but his mother refused, she had specific goals and advantages she wanted to attain with her sons marriage.

In the end, Lianna arranged a match between Belle Tully and her son. Belle was the daughter of Andrey Tully, Lord of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, as well as Daena Targaryen. Daena Targaryen was sister to Lianna's father Jaekar and the daughter of Matarys Targaryen, who had been brother to King Vaemond,as well as being the granddaughter of Aegon the Conquerer…the blood of the dragon ran thick through her veins and it was seen as a sensible match.

The marriage not only brought the Riverlands under the Princess Lianna's influence, but also the dragon Moondancer, Lady Daenas mount, whom she had so memorably hoodwinked from the dragonpit right from under the Queen of Skulls nose all those years ago. The Princess could now count on the support of the Riverlands in her future endeavors, as well as Dorne and the Stormlands, whos allegiance she had nominally gained by arranging the marriage between her sister Larrisa and Boros Baratheon. Shortly after the wedding, Princess Lianna would give birth to a child, her first daughter, a girl whom would be named Jaenyra.

The marriage between Jaerion and Belle fast proved to be a fruitful one as well, and within a year, Belle Tully would give birth to a son, whom would be named Aurion, a lad that inherited the thick chestnut auburn hair of the Tullys and the purple eyes of his father.

Prince Jaerion was not the only Targaryen to achieve majority during this time period and Prince Aemorys Targaryen would soon return to King's Landing following the completion of his education under Lucerys Qoherys, Marshal of the Realm and Lord of Harrenhall.

2nd Moon, 88 AC

Eel Alley, Streets of Kings Landing

Aemorys spurred his horse carefully through the packed streets of Kings Landing, the hot sun beating down on him as he navigated the crowd.

Never one for finery, the Prince did not look much of a noble, wearing a simple leather jerkin and a faded brown cloak, the only thing distinguishing him from any other passerby being his horse, his sword, and his newly won pair of onyx spurs, a little too flashy for his taste but they had been a gift from Lord Qoherys and he did not wish to part with them.

He was a newly made knight after all, and those spurs were a symbol of his knighthood.

He had served as the Lord of Harrenhalls squire for almost ten years, even accompanying the marshal of the realm across the narrow sea during the campaign in Pentos, though Aemorys had been deemed too young to join Lord Qoherys at the front lines, he had been allowed to observe the battle of Mylonos and the storming of numerous Pentoshi settlements.

It had not been until just a month ago that he had been involved in true combat however.

House Vance, Lords of Atranta and vassals of Lord Qoherys and Harrenhall had grown truculent in recent months, and Lord Vance had marshaled his hosts outside the castle in what he no doubt meant to mean a show of force and defiance.

Lord Qoherys was one of the finest generals in the realm however, and did not take rebellion lightly. Mustering his levies, Lord Qoherys encamped in Harrenhall, giving the impression of simply waiting for his levies.

Lord Qoherys had no intention of making this conflict a drawn out affair however, and with a large force of knights and freeriders, stole a march on the Vance host in the middle of the knight, whilst his infantry followed several hours behind. Prince Aemorys, who had turned 16 just a few months prior was finally deemed ready to participate in combat and rode at Lord Qoherys's side.

What followed next could hardly be called a battle, their calvary force had taken the unprepared Vance levies completely by surprise, routing them almost without a fight and setting them to flight, killing, capturing and wounding 1700 of the Vance levies, with only 300 escaping the battle, losing under 100 men, swiftly ending the ''war'' and leading to Lord Vance being stripped of both land and title.

Aemorys had been given the banner of House Qoherys to carry into battle, and had followed Lord Qoherys into the fray where he had acquitted himself well, coming face to face with a fleeing Vance freerider.

With one hand holding the banner and the other wielding a sword, Aemorys had managed to slay the man with a single stroke to the neck, though the young Prince had thought he was surely going to die when the older man rode at him, sword drawn.

He had very nearly come to blows with Ser Whalen Vance, Lord Vances nephew, with him and Lord Qoherys chancing upon him during the battle, though Aemorys was not given the opportunity to fight the man, who was swiftly impaled by a lance as Aemorys rode at him, which was probably for the best as Aemorys did not think he would have been able to best the young knight.

Aemorys had acquitted himself well however and was granted his set of spurs and a knighthood following the battle by Lord Qoherys, ending his squirehood and marking his coming of age.

He had arrived back in King's Landing with Lord Qoherys soon after, with a rather subdued welcome as both his mother and his brother Jaerion were not in the capitol, though his mother had written him, promising she would come to Kings Landing soon and they would celebrate, he had reunited with his father however, and the two of them had attended a service in the sept of Kings Landing earlier that morning, and his father had broached the topic of him joining the Dragon Cloaks in the Red Keep, Aemorys was not quite sure what the future held, he would soon have to choose between remaining in the capitol or returning to Dragonstone with his mother, and he had no idea what he would decide.

The most warm welcome had been from his cousin Aenys , he had wondered where their friendship would stand, as in recent years Aemorys had mostly remained in Harrenhall, and had few chances to interact with his cousin, but these fears were unfounded as their friendship immediately continued where it had left off.

In fact, Aemorys was riding to meet with his cousin at this very moment, the previous day Aenys had suggested they meet in a tavern in Eel Alley to celebrate his knighthood and Aemorys had accepted, they had had little opportunity to talk in the previous days as Aenys was busy with his work in the Red Keep, which had something to do with assisting their aunt Vaella with her information gathering and spying, though Aenys never elaborated much on what it was he actually did.

He was shaken from his thinking as a passerby in the crowd cursed him out for blocking the road, he had to smile at that as he continued on his way, it was times like this he was thankful for his brown hair, if he had the silver hair of his brother and mother he would never be able to ride down the streets like a normal person which in Aemorys's eyes was a good thing, he had always been uncomfortable when people bowed or called him prince.

After much searching he finally found the tavern, a rather small and dirty looking hovel pinched between a brothel and a clothing shop, with no name that he could see, though there was a cracked and faded sign depicting what appeared to be a beer mug.

Aemorys found a place to tie his horse and walked inside the tavern, where the smell of cheap beer and sour wine filled his nostrils, not the most pleasant of welcomings.

He couldnt have picked a nicer place Aemorys thought to himself glumly, his stomach was growling and he didn't think he would get any satisfaction here.

He looked around for his cousin Aenys on the benches, not seeing him until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned and smiled as he saw his older cousin, wearing a simple black cloak with a hood affixed to the back, though his cousin pulled it down so he could be recognized.

Aenys gestured to a small table, crammed between some barrels and they sat, Aemorys having to duck to avoid running into a string of garlic hanging on the ceiling.

''Any particular reason were meeting here…..'' Aemorys asked his cousin.

Aenys shrugged, running a hand through his black beard ''I thought it was the best place for our conversation.''

''Best place to get stabbed perhaps.'' Aemorys said solemnly, looking behind him at some rather unsavory looking characters who were glaring at the two of them.

''I dont think we will have anything to fear….you're an anointed knight after all.'' Aenys said with a small smile.

''So what is it you wanted to talk about that we couldnt in the Red Keep, or….any other place than this?'' Aemorys asked, thinking longingly of the inn he had stopped at earlier that morning with his father in the Street of Silk, a significantly more lavish establishment than this, something told him they wouldn't have breaded snapper here.

''We will get to that….drink.'' Aenys said, gesturing to the flagon in front of him.

Aemorys obliged, drinking out of it, grimacing at the beer's rather unpleasant aftertaste.

''People don't come here for the food….they come here for a private place to talk…..you and I….we blend in, we can make full use of places like this.'' Aenys began.

''And I wanted a private place to speak with you.'' He finished.

''About what?'' Aemorys asked.

''Your claim.'' His cousin said simply.

A silence fell over their small table at that.

Aemorys reached for the beer, suddenly uncomfortable, he bought himself a few seconds by drinking but decided answering his cousin's question was preferable than drinking any more of this sludge.

''I would be a terrible king.'' Aemorys said finally.

''And your brother wouldn't?'' Aenys demanded.

''He's my older brother.'' Aemorys answered.

''Yes…and he's also lazy, self centered and utterly lacking in responsibility…he will bankrupt the realm within a few years you know he will….your brothers not meant to rule the seven kingdoms….the fact that he's older than you doesn't change those facts.'' His cousin answered sharply, his voice rising into a sharp whisper.

''The lords of the realm like him.'' Aemorys said, desperately looking for an answer that could convince his cousin this was foolishness.

''They will like him far less when Essosi spices and goods stop entering the kingdoms due to your brother bankrupting the realm….you'd be a better king than you think you would be.'' His cousin answered without any hesitation.

''Im not a leader.'' Aemorys protested.

''You could grow into one…you would listen to your advisors….you might be surprised at the respect you have…knighted at 16…battle tested…'' Aenys continued.

''It was hardly a battle.'' Aemorys interjected.

''It's more than your brother can claim…Jaerions never been within a mile of an actual battle, much less swung a sword at someone that was trying to kill him.'' Aenys said, taking Aemorys's silence as permission to continue.

''You have close relations with Lord Qoherys…..speak to your mother about arranging a marriage with one of his daughters, bind his men to your cause…I can speak to our aunt Vaella as well, she would help us, I know she would….we would have years to plan…all you need to do is say yes….that's it….and i'll do the rest.'' Aenys said passionately.

''I can't.'' Aemorys said, shaking his head.

''He will be a terrible king….you know he will be.'' Aenys protested.

Aemorys stood up suddenly ''He's my brother Aenys…..I can't do it…I won't.''

''Just think about it.'' Aenys said.

Aemorys did not respond, leaving the tavern and riding back to the Red Keep.

He did think about it…and two days later he made his decision.

When news of the death of Ser Allard Caffren of the Kingsguard, whom had been Princess Liannas sworn shield on Dragonstone reached Kings Landing, Aemorys requested a meeting with his grandmother.

By the time he left her chambers, he did so as a sworn brother of the Kingsguard, with some later sources claiming the young man had taken the white to prevent himself being used against his brother.