Chapter 18 - Lions Revenge Arc
Dareon"I find it surprising we have arrived before the start of the Gods Month. After Tygons last breakdown. The boy is too soft, he will never make it as a lord in his own right unless he stiffens up", Cersei said, sighing as the wagon rolled through the High Gate of New Kings Landing.
"Cersei, the boy is ten", Dareon said. He felt a sense of relief the children had decided to ride on horseback for the last portion of the way. Cersei could be so cruel to them.
"At his age, I was leaping from the high stones at the Rock with Jamie. The boy is scared of his shadow and cries at the slightest upset. No bannerman will take him seriously, he will be ridiculed like Grandfather", Cersei picked at her nails and flicked imaginary dirt from them. Dareon took a deep breath and steadied himself while his knuckled clenched the tops of his knees.
"How did you expect him to respond? Gaemon scared his horse, it reared, Tygon was thrown, the horse broke its leg and we had to put it down", Dareon looked out the window. From beyond the latticed cover, the white marble stone of the city towered above. The familiar smell of piss, shit and ale filled his nose. Tick Top, the new Flea Bottom, they were not far from White Keep now.
"He cried over a horse".
"A horse that he has had for five years, Cersei. Have you never had a companion that you cared for? Never had something to cry for when it died?". Cersei slapped her hand on the leg of her red gown and stared at Dareon,
"I cried when my mother died to my Imp of a brother. I cried when your father killed mine and Jamie…when I was forced to marry their killer's son. I cried when my House was destroyed root and stem… I cried when we lost Myrcella in the cradle.", Cersei shot with venom. The carriage fell silent as it rolled over the cobblestone roads of New Kings Landing. Dareon did not know how to reply. He didn't think much of the babe they lost, there was no point. She would have been eight years old if she had lived.
"I have lost more than I think you realise. While you sit in your study and paint, collect your fine vintages and rule my childhood home you forget I am alone in this world, save for an aunt I am forbidden to see…and my children. I would do anything for our children, Dareon, anything. I am hard on Tygon because the world is not kind. If you show weakness the lords and peasants of the Realm will destroy you", the corners of Cersei's emerald eyes wetted. Dareon took her hands and looked at her deeply from across the carriage.
"Cersei… I apologise. That was cruel of me to suggest you are unfeeling. I love our children, too. I would die for them, but it breaks me when you ridicule them. As parents we are meant to gently guide our children to their fate, not push it upon them with cold hands and iron tongues", Dareon searched her face for looks of understanding. His wife smiled and nodded. Whether the smile was fake or real, Dareon could not tell. He wiped a small tear from the corner of her eyes and held her face in his palm.
"Speaking of our children, Dareon. Have you thought of my offer, Lord Freys' offer? Genna has compiled a list of suit-", Cersei began before Dareon cut her off.
"Let's not speak of weddings and plans just yet. Cant, we enjoy the festivities for a few days before we go to look for our children's partners, hmm?" The wagon came to a sharp stop and the soft wooden top echoed with the sound of smacks.
"Lord and Lady Goldfyre, we have arrived at White Keep. King Rhaegar and Crown Prince Aegon are here to welcome you, personally", a guard said, opening the door.
Aegon, Rhaegar and Dareon sat in the Royal Solar of the Fathers Tower. The room was lavishly decorated in artwork, statues and a giant mural of Westeros made of hundreds of ceramic tiles. The three sat on the lush blue velvet couches while a serving girl poured them goblets of fine Arbour wine that Dareon had brought, a vintage made before their father was born. Aegon looked at the girl with hungry brown eyes, staring over her figure. Dareon caught his glares immediately, but Rhaegar seemed oblivious.
The king sipped at his drink and sighed. His bright purple eyes seemed alive with a new fire, one Dareon had not seen since their days of battle during the Lion's Folly. The look on his face was eerie, Dareon observed. The slight wrinkles around his eyes and mouth had vanished, leaving his face smooth and youthful…a near copy of Aegons face, a boy who favoured his father in looks. Even Rhaegars hair seemed younger, long and thick. Since they were boys he never cut it, instead braiding it year after year until now, at one and forty years with a braid hung far down his back.
"How were your travels, brother?" Rhaegar asked. Dareon replied courtly, the travel had been smooth, no bandits approached and except for the poor weather they encountered, it was a pleasant few day's ride.
"Nothing suspicious during your travels, Iāpa?" Aegon said after telling the serving girl to leave the three of them. Dareon looked at his nephew, a young man who looked at the image of his father, who looked like Aerys, save for the large brown eyes. Rhaegar scolded his child but Aegon smiled a tooth grin.
"Iāpa Dareon, Lord Goldfyre of Casterly Rock, husband of the Last Lion, defender of the Golden Tooth, so many titles for you, Iāpa. You are the only member of our family to arrive in the Capital without a problem"
"Aegon-" Rhaegar said, Aegon waved off his father.
"Maegella and Viserys were almost murdered by assassins, my namesake was attacked by bandits of the roads, ones who style themselves Young Lions. Shaena and Lord Robert had to outsail pirates from Stormsend. Lady Daenerys and the Nothern Host were trailed by raiders all throughout the Riverlands. Yet…you are fine?", Aegon laughed emptily. Rhaegar looked out the window of his solar, avoiding Dareons gaze. Dareon scoffed, which turned into a laugh.
"Do…do you truly think, nephew, that I am at fault here. I am here for you and your sisters, wedding, for the coronation of my brother, for his new bride. I am here for my family, nephew and I happened to arrive here safely, thanks to the Gods Above", Dareon said in High Valyrian. Aegon knotted his brows, his Valyrain had never been at a conversational level.
"So unless your claims have more weight than suspicions, my Prince of Dragonstone, a title that was once mine, I would remind you that we are all Blood of the Dragon, and I would not betray our family unless I thought it better for the whole realm", Dareon stared down his young nephew.
"My Spider tells me you and your wife have received many ravens from the Twins, minor lords who supported the Lion, and the Iron Islands. We are to believe the bandits and pirates pillaging our land are working together, sponsored by a man named the Night Fish. The Riverlands, Westerlands and Reach suffer greatly, fires burn on fields, villages are raped and revved-" Rhaegar played with a necklace on his chest, made of black steel.
"And the ravens I sent were to parley with the lords who may be in charge. The Twins to help me control the bandits, with arms from Lord Frey, who now boasts the largest land army of the Riverlands. My bannermen in the West support their liege. The Greyjoys ask for their involvement in the raids. Need I remind you, King Rhaegar, by Father's decree, any Houses that support Tywin are demilitarised. How am I supposed to define my lands when all of my minor lords are not allowed to bear arms? To train men? To have a standing army? I have to communicate with you, with Aegon, with Maegella, to defend the lands you and Father charged me with protecting. By all rights, Dragon Garden should be mine, not the Westerlands. I was the second heir, Summerhall, Dragon Garden belongs to not Aegon.
I know you have always favoured him, he was more like you, a man of duty and honour, rather than me. But do not doubt my loyalty to you, King Rhaegar. That I will not stand for", Dareon gripped the arms of his chair and stood up. Be bowed once to his brother, and once to the heir and walked to the door.
"Brother… I did not mean…I gave you Casterly Rock because I needed someone I could trust to rule the wealthiest part of my Realm. You have always known your place, a good, loyal, younger brother, born to serve the Dragon. I trust you because I see myself in you, Dareon. We are both artists, crafters of something more than us. You paint and I…play the strings of the harp we have been given, to make a song of Ice and Fire for the future", Rhaegar said in High Valyrain, a pain in his voice breaking the fluid words of Old Valyria. Dareon looked over his shoulder and saw his elder brother, and for the first time in decades, he did not see the kind heart of Rhaegar the Silver, but a raging fire behind his pale purple eyes.
The Great Hall had been declared in the heraldry of nearly every house in the Realm, from the lords paramount to the minorst of lords. Fourteen great marble pillars held up the huge Keep, styled in the same manner as Harrenhall. At the end of the immense room, below the foot of the great Iron Throne of Westeros, sat a long trestle table.
For all of its finery, the tapestries, the gleaming white marble, the stained glass windows, and the servants milling around preparing the feast for tonight, the room felt…empty.
Dareon walked between the workers who bowed and parted way for him. The silver-haired dragon lord amongst the plain featured sheep of New Kings Landing. Only, Dareon wasn't a dragon lord yet. Redwing remained at Casterly Rock, crying for him. He could feel her sadness to be parted with him inside, like being pulled from a project just as inspiration strikes. He was due in the Kings Solar once more. Rhaegar had requested the entire House of the Dragon take a portrait, to mark the beginning of his new reign, and Dareon was to paint it. A gift, Rhaegar had said, a way to immortalise his work.
Dareon stared at the Iron Throne. It loomed large over the Great Hall. His forebears had sat in for centuries, the Throne had nearly been his once…when Rhaegar nearly lost his inheritance…
"And now, Prince Rhaegar of Dragonstone will proclaim this tourneys Queen of Love and Beauty! Prince Rhaegar", the herald called. From the Box, a younger Dareon sat beside his siblings. It was five years before the Lion's Folly, Dareon was only ten and one years old. Whispers floated around him that he could not pick up on, ones that said he had more right to the Throne after Rhaegar than his newly born daughter to his Dornish wife, Princess Rhaenys.
Rhaegar pulled his horse past the stands of Harrenhalls Tourney Ground. Upon his white horse with a trialling cloak of red and yellow, dressed in black scale armour, Rhaegar was a God at one and twenty years old. He rode passed his lady wife, Princess Elia Martell and their small babe, to the other end of the grounds.
Rhaegar pulled a crown of blue flowers from his saddle and jumped from his horse. He walked to the edge of the barrier and knelt before a maid, who sat under the banner of the Starks.
"Lady Lyanna Stark, I proclaim you the Queen today. You are as beautiful as a Winter Rose", the girl blushed prettily. The girl was beautiful but not as beautiful as his sister. Shaena looked longing at the wolf girl, with large sad purple eyes. He wanted to make his sister smile.
"I would have named you Queen of Beauty", Dareon whispered in his sister's ear, a girl of three and ten, dressed in red and black. Shaena smiled and sighed, patting her brother on the leg and thanking him. Behind him, Princess Elia made a funny noise, like choking on air. Dareon turned and the Dornish woman smiled with no emotion behind her dainty face.
From across the Tourny Grounds, the Stark men gathered around their sister, three older boys, all still in their youths, passing quick remarks as their sister stared wide-eyed at the crown on her lap.
"That bastard-born rouge of a man", a silky voice appeared behind Dareon. Over his shoulder, the thick Dornish accent broke the silence of the Box. Lord Whent made a joke to derail the poke at Rhaegar.
"His wife, the mother of his child sits here and he disgraces her with some Nothern…girl", the Red Viper of Dorne spat his words like venom, "he shall feel the tip of my sp-"
"Brother", Elia said, her voice choked with emotion, "he means no slight. Look at her, I am frail and weak after our dear Rhaenys. She sapped all my energy from me, it would seem. I am not the beauty today, nor shall I be for a while. To name me Queen would be a lie", Elia forced a fake laugh. Dareon compared her voice to that of a wailing cat. Lord Whent assured Elia of her beauty as the future queen of the Realm, she politely accepted the boon and the Box laughed. For a moment the tension made by Oberyn lifted.
*One year later*
Thick snow fell from the sky. It was cold and wet and stuck to the bottom of Dareons boots. Winterfell loomed large over Dareon as the boys duelled with sticks just beyond the grey walls, tens of feet high. Twelve years old, Dareon fancied himself a king, with a sword of a stick and his subjects, the boys of Winterfell, and his younger brothers, Aegon and Jaehaerys.
Maegella and Shaena sat by them on a log reading books on Old Valyria and embroidering. Valyria was Maegella's new obsession that she had picked up from Rhaegar and made her own.
"Shae, Shae watch me. I am King of Westeros, I am Aegon the Conquerer, Shaena!", Dareon called out. Aegon and Jae dropped their sticks to their sides and looked at each other, knee-deep in the snow and red-faced.
"I am Aegon, stupid", Aegon said, "and you are Dareon. And he is Jaehaerys. And they are Mae-Mae and Shaena", the boy of ten said.
"Rhaegar will be king, not you. You are the second-born", Jae said, looking back at their sisters, "and you will probably marry Maegella". Maegella looked up from her tome, deep purple eyes were almost black, boring into Dareons soul.
"That is not my fate. That is not any of our fates. None of us shall wed one another for a long…long time", Maegella said in High Valyrain. Dareon spied on Shaena who returned to her needlework.
"How would you know that, Mae? You are not Mother and Father, you do not decide who we marry", Dareon said, imagining himself on the Throne, Shaena by his side. Maegella returned to her book and sighed loudly.
"Come on, King Aegon the Conquerer. Let's leave the girls to be bored and explore Winterfell. They say Jacerys Velyrion left a clutch of eggs here. First to find them is the real dragon lord!", Jae said, tugging on Dareons sleeve.
The three silver head boys walked about the outer walls of Winterfell. Their breaths were frosted in the midday sun.
"When we get back to Kings Landing, I will ask Father about my marriage. I am nearly a man grown, two and ten. I have been a squire for nearly a year, and will surely earn my knighthood soon", Dareon said, trailing behind his two younger brothers. His brothers turned around and laughed loudly. The ravens that followed in their footsteps cawed in reply.
"See Dareon, even the birds laugh at you. They know you are stupid", Aegon said. Jaehaerys looked at them and threw some corn from the folds of his sleeves like a little maester.
"Some cultures in the North believe ravens house the souls of people who have passed on. They remember things about when they lived and keep their personalities when they die…and I think they can tell how stupid you are, Daerey", Jaehaerys added. Dareon paused, he hated how smart Jaehaerys always sounded, how rude Aegon and strong was…how perfect Rhaegar was.
Dareon curled his fists and threw down his wooden sword, his mighty stick.
"Why must you all ruin everything? Why can I never be right? You always treat me like I am foolish but I can see it more than you can! I would be a bett-" A feminine laugh broke Dareons train of thought. The three boys fell silent and hid behind a bend in the grey stone walls.
"There is that and so much more in Kings Landing. Father has charged me with designing parts of the new castle, White Keep, we shall call it. With stones from the Vale, glass from Lys, and dragon glass from here, in the North", a voice said.
"Dragon glass?", the girl's voice replied.
"Obsidian, frozen fire. A perfect mixture of fire and ice…" the voices trialled off into wet sounds of kissing. Jaehaeyrs, the youngest of the three at seven, made a gagging noise in jest, Aegon laughed and turned around, pretending to engage in passionate kissing with himself. Dareon hushed them but it was too late.
"Who goes there? Come out now, the Prince of Dragonstone commands it", the three looked at each other and Jae commented quietly. They walked out from behind the bend. Their elder brother, Rhaegar, a man grown at two and twenty, stood in front of a girl, wearing a blue flower in her hair.
"Brothers. What are you doing here? You were not to leave the grounds of Winterfell without a chaperone. It is not safe", Rhaegar said in Valyrian. He tried to hide the girl behind his back. Dareon listened to his elder brother's tone.
"Rhaegar, if we are caught…no lord would take me afterwards", the girl grabbed his arm. Lyanna, Dareon thought, the girl from the Tournament last year. A fire burned in Rhaegars eyes, his kind face turned to stone. Dareon pushed to the front of the trio and held his stick out to his elder brother.
"RUN", he yelled, hurling it at Rhaegars head.
"YOU ARE WED, RHAEGAR. YOU HAVE A WIFE AND CHILD. HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE YOUR TITLE, YOUR STATION. YOU SHAME YOURSELF, THE THRONE YOU SIT TO INHERIT", Father paced around the Great Hall of Winterfell. Rhaegar stared at the floor, the hour of the bat loomed large over them
Father continued to berate Rhaegar, hurling an armada of insults at him. The silver prince remained silent, in the corner Lord Rickard Stark stood solemnly and Lyanna sobbed.
"You would ruin this girl, and bring shame to our family. For what? Does your station mean nothing to you?" Aerys continued, spitting on Rhaegar. Dareon shifted on his feet, he held the hands of his two younger brothers tightly, grounding them. The girls had been sent to bed, alongside all of the household servants. Only a few remained; the Stark boys, the Targayern boys, and Lyanna.
"I did it for you, Father. In the song of Ice and Fire, I found its true meaning. We are fire-made flesh, the Starks, the First men, they are the Ice. A son from our families would be the Promised Prince. You told me that from my seed would come the Prince, the Dornish Bitch has no Stark Blood, she'll never give me another heir besides Rhaenys. To stop the Long-", Rhaegar yelled in Valyrian before Father struck him across the face. Lyanna sobbed into her hands, one of her brothers with deep grey eyes pulled her in closely. Aerys spat upon Rhaegar as he cradled his face, red with a welt already brewing.
"My King, Lord Rhaegar. The matter still stands for Lyanna. What has happened between the Prince and my daughter cannot leave Winterfell. My bannerman rarely trusts the Crown. To hear the Prince…defiled-" Lord Rickard said.
"Father, Lord-father please, he did not defile me. Have the maids check my virtue remains, I swear it by the Gods, old and new. We-we only kissed and exchanged favours to one another, that is all", Rickard shushed his daughter.
"Even still, the Nothern Lords will not appreciate this. Lyanna was promised to Robert Baratheon but I cannot do that to him now. He deserves honesty", Rickard said. Aerys held his head in his hands for a moment and paused.
"Lord Stark, to show our respect for you and the North, and to show the regret of our House on these actions; Prince Rhaegar, you shall hereby be banished to exile for five years, to serve in Essos, you are hereby stripped of the title Prince of Dragonstone. Lyanna is defiled, she cannot marry Baratheon, you are correct, instead, we offer another of my sons, closer to her age, Dareon. To pacify the Stormlands…Shaena will wed the Baratheon boy and Dareon, you now stand as Prince of Dragonstone", Father looked at Dareon, and Aegon dropped his hand.
"Your Grace there is no need for Dareon, nor do I believe my bannermen appreciate the act. Lord Manderly as long sought a betrothal-". The words fell deaf on Dareons ears. Shaena was to be married to another man, and he was the Prince of Dragonstone.
"Deep in thought, my lord?", soft footsteps appeared behind Dareon. The thick smell of expensive perfumes filled Dareons nose. The bold man stood awkwardly on silken shoes.
"Thinking of a life I nearly had, my lord spider", Dareon said cooly. Varys offered a polite and empty laugh.
"A common courtesy, Prince. I am no lord, I hold no lands or titles. I merely live to serve the people…and the Throne", Varys ticked his head towards the great iron chair.
"Ser Varys, then?", Dareon asked. Varys once again laughed and opened his arms wide, the sleeves of his robe drooping.
"Do I look a knight, my lord? The closest thing I hold to a sword is a knife at supper, ha-ha-ha", Varys laughed coldly, "I hear all of your sons will be lords by their maturity. Little Baelon will be so upset when he is told he shant be a King's Guard". Dareon raised a brow at the Spider. The bald man shrugged his shoulders.
"Very little happens in Kings Landing that I did not know. My little birds fly as far as the Rock, the North, the South, and even across the Narrow Sea", he paused for a moment, "But yes…you came so close to the Throne, did you not? If not for Lord Tywins rebellion, it would be you upon that chair, not your brother. What a tricky plan the gods have in store for us all, hmm", Varys said.
"He sits the Throne well, my brother. He proved the judgement he made in his youth was a mistake. Very few know why he left Westeros for a few years. To study in Volantis was the lie Father spread upon his return during the Folly, to save the day, as he always does…and now he is free to rule as he sees fit", Dareon said.
"Yet under him, the roads are unsafe, as too are the seas. Taxes have tripled around the Realm to support this month of festivities and the endless supply of labour and cattle to New Kings Landing for your…dragons. We need not mention the circumstances of his ascension, the murder of your father, Wise Aerys, and the lack of concrete evidence of motive and means. The witchery of your sister, Princess Maegella, many wish to see her burned for blood magic and infanticide-", Dareon waved his hand and stared at the Throne.
"I will hear no more of this. My brother is King. It will be Aegon after him, then any children Rhaenys will provide to Aegon. My brother's line will continue to sit on the Throne, mine with rule the Rock as Goldfyres, not Targayerns". The Spider hmm-ed and nodded, stroking his beardless chin.
"But what if you were better suited to sit on the Iron Throne?", Varys said. Dareon turned to look at the man, but he disappeared, like magic. A sweat crept up Dareons neck. The room felt stuffy under his heavy shirt of red and gold. He looked out the great window of the Great Hall and spied the gardens. The figure of a tall silver-haired woman and small children strode about the hedges. Shaena, he thought. He walked towards the exit and out to the castle grounds.
Dareon took a turn around a hallway and found himself not where he wanted to be. He was near the gardens but in the servant's quarters. Passing maids and footmen gave him weird looks while he walked about, trying to look professional. This wing of the castle was almost empty at noon, everyone would be at work, especially now, preparing for the feast tonight, and the wedding of Aegon and Rhaenys on the morrow.
He cursed the gods and took a deep breath. Too long he had been away from White Keep, although not as large as Harrenhall, or even the Rock, the layout confused those not accustomed to it.
Over the sounds of castle life, Dareon heard the faint whispers of High Valyrain from behind a closed door. He felt his heart race. Shaena? He thought. The sound of a woman's voice echoed through the wooden door. He stepped forward and pushed it open.
Clothes lay strewn on the floor, and in the middle of the room, a thrown-together bed made of cushions and blankets bore two naked bodies. A man a-top a woman in the midst of lovemaking.
"Viserys, stop!", the woman's voice said in Valyrain. A silver head popped up and followed by another. The man cursed. Dareons mouth hung a jar.
"Viserys, Maegella, what are you doing?", Dareon asked. He felt twelve again, seeing something he should not have seen. Knowing the event he witnessed would bear consequences far larger than himself.
"Viserys, do something", Maegella repeated, pushing her brother off her and covering her nakedness with a sheet. For the first time in his life, Maegella looked scared before Dareon. Dareon took a shaky deep breath and looked behind him, to the doorway.
"Run", he whispered to himself, trying to get away.