A bit of a shorter chapter today I'm afraid, but an important one as we return within the mind of King Lucerys I Targaryen. I intentionally wanted the early part of this story to be from Aegon's perspective as we re-entered this similar but new world and I wanted you all to see how things had changed with Luke from Aegon's perspective first, and I really like how that came out, but now we return to the wider scope of a few different POV's, starting with the main man Lucerys himself.

I hope you all enjoy it! I own nothing but the many OC's that are now in this world. All actual characters and locations are the property of George R R Martin and/or HBO.

There had been a great many moments in Lucerys Targaryen's life where he had felt nothing but hopelessness. The death of Myles Toyne, the death of Jon Connington, the peace talks with Lord Alyn Estermont, the death of Daenerys were all among the worst moments in the King of the Seven Kingdoms' life. None would even come close to the now familiar sight of his son and heir lying rigidly in his bed with a bandage wrapped tightly across his now shaven head. The weeks after the tourney had flown by in nothing but a blur. Aegon had won his match by default after the Knight of Shells had fallen to the dirt first, but all Luke could remember from that day now was the sight of Aegon's head connecting with the wooden beams and the haunting screams of Margaery from beside him…

He looked over at the other side of the bed where his wife was sat holding their eldest boy's hand tightly. Her hair had more grey streaks than it had done a fortnight earlier, but despite her emotional agony she still carried herself as every bit the Queen that the people found beloved. It had been a tough road for the couple after the Thorn's Tumult, but eventually after Daenys had been born the pair had found a connection once again, and since then had been the foundations of a nation. Now though the Queen's eyes were red and puffy from constant crying, while Luke simply felt broken.

"I remember when he was born." Margaery muttered softly. "He was so precious. He cried for but a moment before he opened his eyes towards me and held my finger with such a grip that I thought my finger would come off."

Luke remembered that day too. The sorely missed Ser Barristan Selmy had distracted him from Margaery's labours by sparring with the fidgeting King, and as the time passed the entire courtyard had been filled with a winner stays on tournament whilst Margaery fought her own battle in the birthing bed. "I remember how red his cheeks were." Luke responded. "And how dark his eyes were."

"You had the easy part." Margaery commented, pulling her eyes away from their son for just a moment to look over at Luke. "You walked in, held him for but a moment and then spent the night celebrating by diving into a wine barrel."

"With your permission, as I recall." Luke raised an eyebrow challengingly at his wife, who let out the faintest hint of a smile before returning her gaze to Aegon's face.

"What will happen now, Luke?" She whispered, her voice cracking under emotion.

Luke took a loud, deep breath. "Grand Maester Theobald says it's nothing but a waiting game. They are cleaning the wound as often as they can until the skin heals... until then…"

Margaery frowned. "Waiting." She scoffed. "I've spent more time than I care for simply waiting. Waiting for you to return from your campaigns, waiting for Aegon and Daeron to return from Cape Wrath…" She fell silent. "I'm tired of waiting." Luke nodded, though he knew that there was nothing else they could do. The Maester's had performed a rare and unusual procedure to try and relieve the pressure that was building underneath Aegon's fractured skull and had needed to remove a portion of the bone by drilling. It sounded deadly to the King, but for the sake of his own health he refused to entertain any notion of the worst case. "Have they found him yet?"

The Knight of Shells. Luke had been wary of him from the start. All investigations had failed to throw up any indication of who the stranger was however and the crowd had loved him, so Luke had put on a smile for the crowd and allowed the farce to go on until the semi-final. Afterwards, the Knight had been taken away to a medical tent never to be seen again. Not even a man with the skill of Lysono Maar could find the craven. "No." Was all he said.

"He must be found, Luke." Margaery stated bitterly, her hands moving to caress Aegon's comatose face. "I want his head."

"You shall get it, My Queen." Luke insisted. Realistically though he knew that he would feed the knight and all who had aided him to Valaxes. He leant forwards and gripped Aegon's other hand in his own, desperate to feel some form of movement that would indicate Aegon was going to wake up.

With the King secluded with his family, the duties of leading the Small Council had fallen to the Hand of the King, Lord Edric Dayne. The Lord of Starfall had been urgent in trying to find the Knight of Shells, but as the Master of Whispers was in the process of announcing to the depleted Small Council, there was still no luck there.

"Ships are being checked and nothing leaves the city without being checked by Gold Cloaks." The spymaster Maar explained. "Ser Damon himself sends this latest report, Lord Hand, the Knight of Shells has gone, and his help within the city has vanished into the winds."

Ned growled in frustration. "The Prince of Dragonstone lies in his bed and we do not know if he will live or die. If we allow his murderer to simply slip us by…"

"Is it murder?" Lord Celtigar raised the point that had been a popular topic of conversation throughout the Red Keep and King's Landing, and all eyes sharply turned to the Master of Coin accusingly, and so the Lord of Claw Isle raised his hands defeatedly. "All I am saying is that it was a tourney. Accidents happen in the tilts, that has always been the case."

"If it was simply an accident, Edwell, then where is he?" Monford spat out bitterly. "Innocent people do not run and hide from accidents."

"They do to save their own skin if the Crown Prince is feared to be dead." Edwell muttered, but he kept his tongue stilled after that as Ned turned back to Lysono Maar, trying to get the meeting back on track.

"Is there anything, anything at all that would give us a clue as to why this happened?" He asked, silently praying for something that could give them a direction to look.

And Maar nodded grimly. "I am afraid there may be, Lord Hand. I have looked into the Princess' reports of peace talks between Tyrosh and Myr… it is true, they are seeking an alliance."

Ned closed his eyes tightly, willing it to not be true. It was Monford that spoke all of their minds as the Lord of Driftmark whispered out. "Seven Hells."

"What do they want?" Ser Rolly asked the spymaster.

Maar shrugged. "That I am not sure. The Disputed Lands most likely, but they also met with a delegation from the Stormlands."

Ned felt his face go white with horror. "Surely the Lady Shireen would not…" He began, though the Essosi spymaster was quick to correct the Dornish Hand.

"Storm's End have no part in this." Maar began. "Of that I am certain."

"Then who? Who would so brazenly commit open treason?" Monford asked, horrified.

Ned had a hunch as his memory brought to the forefront the sound of a castle being set aflame, but he knew that he needed to confirm his fears before saying anything to the Council. "Find out as much as you can." He told Maar, before turning to Monford. "We need the Narrow Sea under our control."

"I'll have Monterys raise the fleet." Monford stated boldly.

Ned then turned to Lord Edwell. "It may be time to re-enact the policies of seven years ago, Edwell. Be prepared for if His Grace gives the order."

Edwell Celtigar gulped as the reality of the situation seemingly set in, but nodded his agreement all the same. "As you say, Lord Hand."

"Then we are dismissed." Ned said, leaning back in his chair as the room emptied. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair exasperatedly, wondering how things had gotten to this stage so quickly. His mind ran back to seven years earlier, when he had sailed from Ghost Hill to the Weeping Town before the Battle of Mistwood… Sighing and shaking the slaughter from his memory, the Dayne raised himself out of his seat and walked away from the Small Council chamber with a clear direction in mind. Making his way into Maegor's Holdfast he rose up the keep towards the royal chambers, coming to a halt and knocking on the door of Princess Visenya.

"Come in!" The eldest child of the King called out, and Ned entered the room. It hadn't changed since the Princess was 16, and he noticed her closing an unfamiliar book and placing it beside her as she sat on the sofa. "Lord Hand, what can I do for you?" Visenya asked.

"Princess." Ned bowed. "Forgive me for intruding, but… I have a request for you."

Visenya was intrigued. "Go on."

"I wondered if you could deliver a message to Starfall for me." Ned said slowly, hoping that Visenya would catch the inferred meaning. "Dragons can cover the country much faster than ravens, and Saella must know…"

She didn't catch it, and Ned realised that when the woman huffed. "My brother is gravely injured and Saella has made her choice known to all who have not buried their heads in the sand, Goodbrother." She frowned up at him. "I do not see why I should need to be the one to smack some sense into her."

Moving to sit in an armchair, Ned clasped his hands together and stared at her pleadingly. "I would not ask if it were not important, but we do not know who we can trust within the castle." He took a rogue bit of parchment and began to scribble out a sigil. "The business with the Knight of Shells has us all spooked, Princess, and I would much rather Saella have a friendly face to talk to when she hears the truth of the matter."

He pushed over the drawing, and as soon as Visenya saw it her mouth widened in realisation. "You think…" She began, but Ned interrupted her.

"Naturally you would likely need to rest somewhere overnight on your way, Starfall is not a one-day flight after all." He stated.

Visenya nodded, understanding. "Bloodwing is capable of such travel, Lord Hand, you underestimate us both." She looked around her room. "I shall leave at dawn and hope my sister has not rid herself of me as she has our Father."

"She loves her family despite all, I'm sure she shall welcome you with open arms." Ned said softly. "Thank you, Princess."

Rising to her feet, Visenya began to escort Ned out of her room. "If anything should happen to Egg in the meantime…" She started.

"We shall ensure you know as quickly as possible." Ned agreed. "Once again, thank you Princess. If you need me I will be in the King's solar."

As the door shut behind him, Ned's mind returned back to the sight of Greenstone burning, the severed head of Lord Alyn rolling on the floor before the dripping blade of Blackfyre, the young Alaric Estermont arranging a counter attack out of the burning fortress only to fall at the blade of Aegon, the Prince who had ended up so impressed at the bravery of the brief Lord Estermont that he had knighted him as the brief Lord Alaric lay dying in front of his burning home…

It had been a dark time, and Ned only hoped that it was his paranoia getting the better of him as he closed the door to the King's solar, pulling out a copy of 'The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, With Descriptions of Many High Lords and Noble Ladies and Their Children.' Turning to the pages about House Estermont, Ned began to refresh himself on the former Stormlander House.

"Strike!" Came the instruction, and so Jaehaerys Targaryen did as he was commanded, swinging the tourney blade as hard as he was able to towards his sparring partner Ser Daeron, who deftly parried the blow away. "Again."

"What is the point?" Jaehaerys asked, frustratedly. He was as tall as the White Knight despite being seven years Daeron's junior and arguably as strong. The squire threw his sword down at the ground, causing the Kingsguard knight to grab him by the collar and yank him over towards the side of the training yard. "Get off of me!" Jaehaerys exclaimed angrily, but the Kingsguard had a good grip and threw him into the wall.

"Listen to me." Daeron stated commandingly as his violet eyes glared into Jae's lavender-coloured pupils. "This is important. These lessons could be the difference between your life or your death and if you do not take them seriously, well then Father could be losing two sons in quick succession."

That stung, and Jaehaerys noticed that Daeron's violet eyes were watering. "Do you think Egg will…" the younger boy whispered, not wanting to voice the unavoidable meaning behind the words.

Daeron nodded. "I love Aegon with all of my heart. He treated me better than anybody else within the Red Keep as we were growing up and defended me wholeheartedly to those who would whisper their slander against myself or my Mother. If I could swap places with him and have it be me lying there, I would do it without a second thought."

Jaehaerys frowned. "But… he could pull through."

Sighing, Daeron looked up at the Red Keep. "I've been on campaign, Jae. I know injuries that are far less than the one Aegon suffered that fester and end up with death. Aegon…" He took a breath to steady himself. "Aegon cracked his skull. The Maester's have done their best but at this point it's only a matter of time, no matter what your Mother and Father will admit." Jaehaerys then noticed that Daeron gently placed both hands on his shoulders. "And so you will need to step up."

Jaehaerys gulped. He wasn't stupid, he knew that the precedents set over 200 years earlier would mean that he would likely end up in Aegon's place as the Prince of Dragonstone. "What about the girls?" He asked, a hint of guilt creeping in as he thought of stepping over his nieces and how wroth Jocelyn Baratheon would likely grow at him.

Daeron sighed. "Women do not inherit the Iron Throne. It's how things have always been." Daeron laid a gentle hand on Jaehaerys' shoulder. "So you are the next in line as the only other trueborn son of the King, and that comes with responsibilities that I believe you can handle if you tried, but you will need to grow up quicker than ever before."

Jaehaerys nodded. "Thank you, Daeron." He offered, moving over to pick up his sword again. "I've just heard the whispers already. Squires saying I loosened Aegon's helm on purpose so that I become the heir, but I never…"

"I know you wouldn't." Daeron insisted. "You and I, we both looked up to Aegon, inspire to be like him…" Daeron sighed again. "I told you that Aegon defended me when we were younger… the whispers about my Mother, about who my Father really was. Once I found out the truth, the words never bothered me any longer because I knew deep down that I knew the truth of the matter." He poked Jaehaerys in the chest. "You know the truth too, you know you didn't harm our brother. Remember that and let the fools wag their tongues. Remember that you are a dragon, Jaehaerys, and that the words of our vassals will never harm us."

The words had added some strength to the 13-year-old's spine and he stood up proudly, sword in hand. "I am a dragon." He whispered to himself. "I am Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen."

"That you are." Daeron grinned. "Now, get back into position." The pair of them did exactly that, with Jaehaerys ensuring that his sword was angled correctly towards the Kingsguard knight. "Get your feet right." Jaehaerys shuffled them closer together as he awaited the orders from Daeron to pounce. "Now, strike!"

Jocelyn Baratheon missed Dragonstone. Despite not seeing Aegon for months on end she knew that she could trust the staff on the island castle to give her the space that she so desperately needed right now. The stresses of three young daughters all desperately missing their Father and not understanding was starting to pile on top of her, and she was extremely grateful that her Mother offered to look after the children for a night so that Jocelyn could spend it with her husband.

The room was dark when she entered, and the Baratheon tutted to herself and moved over to open the curtains, letting the orange glow of dusk fill the room. "It is as if they don't truly know you." She whispered to herself, before turning back to look at the still father of her children. She knew it had happened, and yet seeing his long hair shorn back to the scalp still upset her. "You'll have to grow it back." She told him. "No matter what your Mother says…" She chuckled to herself at that, the memory of Queen Margaery threatening a much younger Aegon that she would cut his hair herself if he carried on growing it out. "It was longer than hers, that's why she was angry." She explained.

Sighing, she moved over to his bedside and slipped her shoes off, moving onto the bed to lay beside Aegon. "I needed you today." She whispered. "I need you every day, but today especially. I needed to see the Maester."

She thought back to the moment that threatened to ruin it all, the birth of Alyssa. "You wanted a boy, I remember. A boy to stop your Father's comments every time I walked into a room, you said. Though you never showed any disappointment for our girls." She sniffed. "They need you, Egg. I need you." Her hand went to rest on her belly. "All five of us need you."

She nestled in beside him, her head resting on his chest as she closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift back. Even her earliest memories had Aegon in them. She remembered being allowed into lessons with him at the time when everybody thought that she would simply become a Lady of some minor Stormlander castle and nobody thought to pay her any attention with the King's well-known dislike of House Baratheon spreading throughout the castle like wildfire. Aegon however had never treated her as such, despite the obvious pressure from the King to separate them. They quickly became friends from that, and Jocelyn first knew that she was in love with the strapping young Prince when she was but 13 years old despite the Baratheon having long been betrothed to the Estermont heir named after her conquering Uncle. Thankfully, Aegon reciprocated and the Targaryen had hatched a plan to free her from her betrothal. Jocelyn smiled to herself as she remembered their first night together, despite all the chaos that ensued afterwards. As she continued replaying her favourite memories in her head as Aegon's chest slowly rose and fell with his breathing, Jocelyn began to drift off to sleep.

Hours must have passed, because by the time Jocelyn was jolted awake the room was darkened by the night sky. Confused, she looked over at Aegon and was horrified to see that every muscle in his body seemed to be jerking around. "Egg?" She whispered worriedly, placing her hands on him to try and shake him out of it. "Aegon!"

Nothing was working, and so Jocelyn could only scream at the top of her voice. "SOMEBODY HELP! GET THE MAESTER!"

Ser Petyr Waxley was the White Cloak on duty outside of their door and the Valeman immediately burst in through the doors and saw the fitting Prince. Eyes wide, he was frozen in place for only a moment before he cried out hurriedly. "Stay there, My Lady, I'll be as quick as I can!"

Jocelyn was left there trying to calm Aegon down alone as the Kingsguard knight ran out of the room, only to return a few minutes later with the Grand Maester. Aegon had stopped fitting by then however, and it was a tearful Jocelyn that addressed Grand Maester Theobald. "He's… he's gone." She stuttered through tears. "He's dead. Aegon Targaryen is dead."

And once more a seemingly excellent fit to rule the Seven Kingdom's is snuffed out before he has a chance… the medical procedure used is Trepanning and has been used in our world, namely between the Neolithic Period up until as recently as Victorian times and it actually looks to have a relatively decent survival rate from my research, though not in this story as that's not the story I wanted to tell. The saddest part of the death for me though is that Jocelyn is pregnant.

Ned Dayne is a character that I've enjoyed growing. Once he left as a squire he was absent from the main story for a while but he was still there in my mind as a man that Luke trusted above almost anybody after the death of Jon and as someone that's grown up beside the King as his squire he was a natural choice for me to be Hand. He also has the benefit of giving us a slightly different insight into Saella.

Jaehaerys is also a fun one. He will be forced to grow up quicker now because of everything that will be thrown his way. Maekar had the benefit of being a grown man when he accidentally caused the death of his brother, but Jae is 13. Daeron seemed the natural choice to give him a bit of a life lesson too given all he has been through in his life.

I also wanted to give a little bit of background to Jocelyn's relationship with Egg from her perspective. They were truly in love with one another and this will be tough for Jocelyn to deal with. We all know how a Baratheon can be when their love is taken from them…

Thank you all for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it.

Next Time: The Red Keep says farewell to their beloved Prince, as whispers begin to fester on the topic of the King's new heir

Reviews:

Tom2011: I think you misunderstood the point. He's trying to protect them emotionally because all of Luke's betrothal ideas with the eldest three were disastrous in some way to the Targaryen's or others. Visenya's was unwanted and caused a crisis with House Celtigar that got resolved with a place on the Small Council and other positions at court (a Celtigar is the Commander of the Gold Cloaks) while Aegon's mishap caused a war. Saella then broke away from her family because she was forced into a marriage after being denied the chance to follow her heart. Aegon being against all that is a direct result of all of that, he wants his siblings to be happy.

TheRagFromTheCrag: It's definitely not Saella, I'm using bits and pieces from past Westerosi eras but I'm not repeating Lyanna Stark as presumably the Knight of the Laughing Tree. The other one is an interesting guess however…

Hail King Cerion: Sorry… the hints were there in the epilogue that something bad would befall House Targaryen and Aegon. Visenya likes riding her dragon and exploring the world, I'd probably call her more asexual than I would lesbian.