Aemon The Conqueror: The Rise of the Dragonknight

by Alperez16

Aegon and his sister-wives looked East instead of West and the Valyrian Empire was born. Jon Snow, a prince of the empire and the first Dragonknight in over a hundred years was born to wage war and strike down the empire's enemies. Exiled to Dragonstone because of his desire for his sister, how will the Seven Kingdoms react when the Dragonknight seeks to unite them under 1 King.

22. A Dragon's Vengeance

Harrenhal 301 AC.

Daenerys Targaryen.

The North had been eye-opening, the cold of the place something she'd never experienced before, and yet she'd enjoyed her time there. Aemon's mother's family was much like the tales she'd been told of the woman herself. Young Arya especially and it had not been just Aemon's eyes that had been drawn to the girl more than once while they were there. Rhaenys and Arthur too, as well as Torgho Nudho, had all looked fondly in her direction.

While Sansa was much different from her younger sister, Dany had found she'd enjoyed her time in the older Stark girl's company too. She was different from the ladies at court, though she very much wished to be the same, and Dany had welcomed those differences. The boys all took much from their father and uncle and she'd heard both Arthur and Aemon say that Northmen were a different sort from the other men of Westeros. She'd noticed it too in her short time in their company. Both Robb Stark and his brothers were very much different from Ser Garlan Tyrell and his.

They'd been welcomed fondly and that welcome had only grown the more time they spent in Winterfell. Lady Stark had enjoyed having them around and speaking with the older woman had put Elia in Dany's mind, making her miss the only mother she'd known in the process. All had been going so well and she'd looked forward to spending even more time with the Starks before they would need to head back south, only for Aemon's return to completely change all their plans. Or to be more precise, what he returned with. Even now that the initial shock at what Darkfyre's presence meant had subsided somewhat, she still felt the tears threaten to fall. As they had when Aemon had spoken the words that named it true.

"He's fallen, Rhae," Aemon said, and rarely had she seen him look how he did, the anger and sadness in his features both seeming to be fighting a battle for prominence.

"You can't know that, Aems. You can't be certain." Rhaenys said as Aemon took her in his arms, his eyes looking to Dany and bidding her join them and she was grateful for the gesture and for then being accepted into the same embrace.

"I know. Darkfyre's presence alone is enough to name it true, but I've looked into his eyes, I've seen it."

"Oh, Aems." her niece's voice was choked as she cried on her nephew's shoulder and Dany's own tears fell just as truly as Rhaenys' did.

It had been enough to make them hurry to make ready to leave Winterfell behind and Aemon, Rhaenys and she said their goodbyes to the Starks. They promised to both come back someday and invited them to Harrenhal and then they and their new wolf passenger took to the sky. She'd thought they'd have flown straight back to Harrenhal, but Aemon insisted that they stop and rest for the night. So they set up camp in the same place they had on the way to Winterfell, or so she believed. As the fires were being lit, Aemon came to her as she stared at Darkfyre who was being offered his own comfort by his kin.

"He seems so sad, Aemon. He mourns him as we do," she said as her nephew placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"Dragons are just as we are, Dany. They feel emotions as we do. Do you not feel it when Nightwing is joyous or nervous, or when she misses you as you miss her?"

"I….would she feel it too...were I to…."

"She would, but thankfully that's not something either of you needs to worry about for many a year," Aemon said and she felt his lips as he kissed her softly on the forehead.

"When will we be flying home, Aemon?"

"We won't be," he said and she moved from him angrily.

"He was our granduncle, we must honor him." she almost shouted.

"And we will." Aemon's voice was soft and calm and yet she could see the fire in his eyes, and if she was being honest, it scared her a little, "Darkfyre came to me at the Wall, Dany. He sought me out, think on that for a moment."

She looked from her nephew to the indigo dragon who she now noticed was much closer to Gaelithox than he was to Meraxes or Nightwing. Turning back to Aemon, she saw his expression even more clearly and though she'd never truly seen him when he was about the Empire's business, she'd wager this was how he looked, almost. For this was their House and their family and to Aemon they were both even more important than the Empire was. It was his namesake too. While they'd all had a good relationship with tie granduncle, none were as close to him as her nephew was.

"You're going alone, aren't you?" she asked and Aemon nodded his head "Does Rhaenys know?"

"Not yet."

"Why?" she asked even though she wished to argue with him and tell him he could not, that he should not.

"I know not what happened, Dany. Had he just passed peacefully then Darkfyre wouldn't come to me. Instead, he'd mourn him in his own way and then travel to Lys to be with his kin and to await a new bond if that was to be his fate. Yet he came to me. I feel it when I look into his eyes, the anger, the desire for vengeance, and the wish to unleash fire and blood. His rider's death needs to be avenged, that's what he tells me, that's what I feel when I look at him." Aemon said and though the words were spoken softly, Dany could see the sheer effort that her nephew was exerting to do so.

"You intend to avenge him?" she asked, a silly and stupid question she knew but one that needed to be asked.

"I must avenge him, Dany. I must." Aemon said resolvedly.

He moved to her and embraced her again, whispering in her ear that he needed her to be there for Rhaenys while he was away and that he'd, with luck, not be gone for long. When she felt the shudder go down her spine, she looked at him worriedly.

"Rhaegar, Vis, Elia, Aegon…do you think….has something…."

She was pulled even more tightly to her nephew's chest and he brushed his hand over her back as he spoke softly to her.

"Only one dragon flew to us, Dany, only one."

When he let her go, she moved to spend some time with her dragon and Aemon nodded to Ser Barristan to keep watch over her. It was almost an hour or so later that she returned to the camp and sat down by the fire. Rhaenys looked over at her concernedly, but her smile seemed to put her niece at ease and despite how she felt, Dany ate heartily before heading to her bed. The next morning she awoke to find Aemon cooking their morning meal and again she was surprised to find that her appetite was a full one.

It was around midday when the great keep of Harrenhal came into view. Dany found she welcomed the sight as she'd grown to enjoy her time there. True, she was starting to miss Volantis and the Grand Palace, but not enough yet to wish to return. They landed in the Godswood, where the ground had been cleared to allow them to do so easily. Thoros, Daario along with some of the other men that served her niece and nephew that she recognized, were all soon making their way to greet them and to see that the dragons were fed once they'd done so.

It was as they were walking back to the keep that she saw him, and she stopped still in her tracks when she did so. So suddenly did she stop moving that Ser Barristan bumped into her and the knight was still apologizing to her when Rhaenys moved to check that she was unhurt. Dany was unable to speak or answer the questions that her niece asked her. So it was not until they were in her rooms that she did more than simply nod that she was well. By that time, Aemon too had come to check up on her and she felt a fool for making them worry so. The sight of him though had taken her completely by surprise and though she knew she'd nothing to fear from him, a part of her feared him still.

"Dany?"

"Dany?"

"That man. The one in the courtyard, that was the man from Volantis, the one who….."

"Aemon, Aemon…." Rhaenys called out to her nephew as he moved away from them both.

She was left sitting on the bed with Rhaenys, the sound of the door slamming behind her nephew as he stormed from the room was loud and foreboding. That little bit of fear that she'd had upon seeing Ser Gerold Dayne had disappeared the moment she'd heard the door slam though. Looking to her niece, she nodded that she was feeling better and then she and Rhaenys rose to their feet and walked off to see what form the Darkstar's punishment would take. Given Aemon's current state of mind, she believed it would be a harsh one indeed and she was more than happy about that.

Harrenhal 301 AC.

Arthur Dayne.

Finding out that his cousin had arrived at Harrenhal was a surprise to him and he liked it not. Gerold was not well thought of by the Daynes of Starfall and over the years Arthur had heard that he'd spoken his name in a derogatory manner. Apparently, his cousin not only believed himself to be the better swordsman but that it made him more worthy of wielding Dawn than Arthur was too. It showed just how ill-suited he was to ever wield his family's sword or to be named the Sword of the Morning.

The title and the granting of the honor of wielding Dawn were not things that were given to you easily. It wasn't simply about how skilled you were, though that played a part, there was far more to it than that. None but those who underwent the tests and the head of his house who oversaw them, truly understood what was required to be named a Sword of the Morning. Time, dedication, and character all were needed and it wasn't simply a set of physical tasks you needed to overcome to succeed. For there were mental and emotional ones involved too.

A man may wish to wield Dawn or be the Sword of the Morning, but were he to desire it too much, then that alone would almost disqualify him from even being allowed to undertake the tests. That was something that Gerold Dayne did not understand and instead, he seemed to think that should Arthur fall, the sword would then pass to him as the next best swordsman with Dayne blood in his veins. It would not, not then, not ever. So seeing him here and knowing as much about him as he did, Arthur wondered what his game was.

While Aemon, Rhaenys, and Daenerys spoke in the princess's room, Arthur went looking for and found Thoros to ask him more questions about his cousin's arrival and how he'd acted while he was here. He was in the middle of doing so when Aemon arrived and both he and Thoros had seen that look on the prince's face more than once. Something had occurred which had greatly angered Aemon Targaryen and he hoped for the sake of the person who did so, that they were far from his prince's sight. He was soon to find out that they very much were not.

"This so-called Darkstar, Thoros, has he been given guest right?" Aemon asked.

"No, my prince."

"Good," Aemon said chillingly.

As he watched Aemon and Torgho Nudho turn to walk away, he heard Thoros almost chuckle and Arthur knew that he was thinking the same thing as he was. It had been his cousin who had angered Aemon so, and now Gerold was about to find out what happens when you wake the dragon. While Arthur cared not for Gerold's safety or wellbeing, he didn't wish to see the man killed while he was a guest of theirs. He may not have been offered or taken guest right, but he had eaten and drank under their roof, and to some that could be seen as the same thing.

"Aemon." he called out but his prince and his sworn shield were too focussed on their path to where Gerold stood blissfully unaware of just how close he was to losing his life "AEMON!" he called out more loudly and it did at least get his prince and Torgho Nudho to stop and wait for him to catch up with them both.

He could see the fire in Aemon's eyes, the intensity that would rear its head from time to time and it was one that he would wager was the final thing that most of his foes ever saw before they breathed their last. It was not yet a full-blown inferno, but it was well on the way to getting there. Arthur wasn't certain that any words he'd say would be enough to turn it back into the small flames that Aemon's eyes always held.

"You can't just kill a man with no reason, Aemon," he said as Aemon looked at him confused, more so because he'd called out so loudly than because of the words he said, or so Arthur believed.

"I have a reason," Aemon said simply.

"Because you're angry and wrathful over your granduncle's death is no reason, Aemon."

"No it's not and yes I am angry of full of wrath over Aemon's death. Whatever little time my granduncle had left was stolen from him and the people who did so will pay greatly for that, on that have no doubt, Arthur."

Arthur had no doubt of that from the moment that Darkfyre had been seen flying with Aemon when he returned to Winterfell and he'd noticed that the indigo dragon was riderless. While no expert in the ways of dragons, he knew more than most and the dragon had not simply come to Aemon because its rider had passed. It had come for what all dragons eventually sought, fire and blood.

"Then speak to me? Let me know your mind. I may hold no love for my cousin, but he is still my kin and so it falls to me to stand for him if he's been unjustly judged." he said calmly and yet the flicker of fire that he saw in Aemon's eyes showed that his words had not been received how he'd expected.

"Unjustly? You think I judge him unjustly? First, you accuse me of acting out of grief and rage and now think that the action I'm about to take is an unjust one?" Aemon said angrily "I thought you knew me better than that, Arthur." Aemon added after a moment's pause where he seemed to take a breath. "Your cousin is the reason Dany flew from the comfort of the Grand Palace to a land she knew nothing about. He scared her so much that she left my father, uncle, brother, granduncle, and stepmother behind just so she could feel safe. Even risking the unknown to seek out that safety."

If he was a different sort of man he'd have gasped aloud, he may even have turned his head in shame for both doubting his prince and for being related to Gerold Dayne. Were it not for how composed Aemon's voice was in speaking the words that he just had, then Arthur would have truly worried that grief and anger were clouding his prince's judgment. Both were present and anger was the most prevalent of the two emotions, that much was clear. Yet it was restrained anger and one that was all the more terrifying because of it.

"Had I been in Volantis, had Rhaenys, then Dany would have spoken those fears to my wife and your cousin would have died that day. All those days he's taken a breath since then have been insults to my aunt, he'll insult her no longer." Aemon said before walking away and while he wished to follow him, he wasn't certain that right then he could.

Arthur stood there for some time, trying to decide what it was he should do. It was Thoros touching him on his shoulder that took him out of his thoughts and when he turned to the red priest, he could see that he had some wisdom he wished to impart.

"You know how he is, Arthur. The words he spoke are true. Had he been there when your cousin and the princess had their encounter, then he'd be dead now. Were you aware of it and present, then you'd have killed him yourself." Thoros said.

"I'm not justifying what he did, Thoros, far from it."

"I know."

"I'm not even thinking of it as Gerold being kin, not truly. I'm thinking of how Westeros may react to what Aemon is about to do." he sighed.

"The same as they will in time react to all he does, Arthur. There will be those who speak ill of him and those who do not and he..., he will care not about either."

"Then must not we?" he asked.

"Speak to the princess, if she's as resolved as Aemon is then your cousin will not see the morrow."

Thoros placed a hand on his shoulder and Arthur nodded at him before he then set off to find Rhaenys. It didn't take him too long to do so and she and Daenerys were not in either of their rooms when he did. Both of them were walking with Ser Barristan behind them. Their destination was clear to him and as he took up his place behind him, he found he had no need to ask the question as Rhaenys' words spoke clearly her own feelings about what was about to take place.

"He should never have dared to lay a hand on you, Dany. Aemon will show him what happens to fools who think they have the right to touch a dragon without their consent." Rhaenys said almost eagerly.

Soon enough, their footsteps took them to the large open balcony that overlooked the sparring yard. Moving to the wall, he looked down to see they'd arrived in time to catch Aemon as he first addressed Gerold. Arthur saw the smirk on his cousin's face even from the distance they were from him, then the frown, and then the recoil of his head as Aemon slapped him across the face. In the blink of an eye, Gerold had unsheathed his sword and for once someone had outdrawn Aemon, which brought gasps from both princesses beside him.

"He's playing with him," Barristan said and Arthur couldn't help but agree as Gerold aimed a strike at Aemon's head which he dodged effortlessly.

Two more strikes were aimed and one came far too close for any of their comforts. Yet Arthur was absolutely certain that Aemon was well in control of the fight. When Dark Sister was finally unsheathed, he could hear the excited exhale of breath that Daenerys let out and the more relieved one that Rhaenys did. Gerold was an accomplished swordsman, not close to Arthur's skill level, yet a decent enough blade. He was much a lesser one than Aemon that it was like watching a man against a boy. A master against someone not even good enough to be his student.

The first cut was a slash to Gerold's cheek and the pained cry that came from his cousin was a loud one. By this time, Daario and the Second Sons, Thoros, and what seemed to be almost the full garrison at Harrenhal had turned out to watch their prince, their king, put a fool in his place. Aemon sliced a cut to Gerold's other cheek and then one to his off sword arm. Another then to his hand and his leg and soon his cousin was moving very uncomfortably.

None of the cuts had been fatal or even too deep, and it seemed that Aemon wished to inflict pain and humiliate Gerold before he took his life from him. Another cut which almost cost his cousin an eye, then another and then another, and then with a look to the balcony and what seemed to be a nod from Daenerys, the fight was brought to an end. Whether it was as a favor to him or simply because the princess had accepted all that had occurred as payment for Gerold's infringement, the end was a quick one. Aemon simply dodged Gerold's weak strike and then stabbed Dark Sister into the space under his arms. As his cousin fell to the ground, Aemon moved behind him and then drove the sword down between his shoulder blades.

Arthur felt nothing for his fallen kin, though he was still worried about how this would be perceived by the Lords and Ladies of Westeros. Looking at Aemon, it was clear that he very much did not. His prince barely even looked at the fallen man at his feet and simply walked away leaving Gerold behind. Rhaenys bid their men look after the body and see it was sent back to High Hermitage with all the honors that the dead deserved. As for him, he turned as the two princesses did and mourned the loss of the man not. Gerold had the dragon and so had paid the price, as had so many before him and as would so many in the years to come.

Harrenhal 301 AC.

Rhaenys.

She had hoped to talk to Aemon about their granduncle and to get him to let her know how he was truly feeling about it. Her husband, however, had other ideas, and instead, it had ended up being Dany, Arthur, and finally Torgho Nudho that she shared her concerns. Of those, in truth, it was only the last of them that she sought any insight from and though he was, as always, a man of few words, he did alleviate some of her concerns.

"Prince focuses on removing the threat first, my princess, then on how he feels."

"He is hurting, Torgho Nudho."

"And he will make others hurt because of it, my princess."

The truth of those words was made abundantly clear to her not long after they arrived back in Harrenhal. She'd known immediately by Dany's reaction to Arthur's cousin that this was the man who'd frightened her so. Rhaenys hadn't even needed to look to Aemon to see what his reaction would be to the man's presence in their new home. So when Arthur raised his concerns, she'd simply waved them off.

Gerold Dayne had scared their aunt enough to make her leave her home behind her and travel to lands she knew little about. Unlike Aemon who had covered vast distances on Gaelithox or even Rhaenys herself, who had traveled extensively through Essos, Dany had rarely left the comfort and safety of Volantis. She'd traveled with Viserys to Qarth once and with the whole family when they'd traveled to Lys. Though even that time it was more so she could bond with Nightwing than for any other reason.

It may have been love that had forced Rhaenys' own flight to Westeros, it was fear and not knowing how to handle that fear that had forced Dany's. So Gerold Dayne would pay and pay dearly for being the cause of that fear and he had picked probably the worst possible time to decide to be in Aemon's presence. So as they stood on the balcony and she watched Aemon provoke the Dornish knight into a fight, she reached out and took Dany's hand in hers. Squeezing her fingers tightly with her own, they watched as Aemon forgot his grief and gave into his anger somewhat. Not completely, but just enough so the man suffered greatly before he died.

"He will upset you no more," she said as Gerold Dayne breathed his last.

After making arrangements that would see his body returned to his family with far more honor than the man deserved, she and Dany walked back into the keep. Rhaenys was keen to speak to her husband and to judge his mood and mindset and as luck would have it, Aemon it seemed was keen to speak to them both too.

He caught up with them before they reached Dany's rooms and when she saw him, Dany almost raced to him. Rhaenys didn't hear the words he whispered softly into their aunt's ear, but she did see him embrace her tightly and place a soft kiss on her forehead. Then with a look at her, he motioned with his head towards their rooms and she nodded. After saying her goodbyes for now to Dany, she, Arthur, Torgho Nudho, and Aemon walked to their chambers, and soon enough she and Aemon were inside the rooms and alone at last.

"You are unharmed?" she asked even though she truly worried for him not.

"He was as poor a swordsman as he was a knight or a man," Aemon said emotionlessly.

"Arthur may take issue," she said as they moved to the small couch.

"I'll speak to him before I leave."

She closed her eyes and composed herself, not willing to have the argument that she knew she was about to have and yet almost unable not to.

"You're going alone aren't you?" she said after a few moments of silence.

"I must."

"Why must you? Do you think we mourn him not? That Dany and I don't wish to pay our respects to him too?" she asked angrily as she turned away from him.

"Rhae…Rhae." she felt his hand on her shoulder and though she wished not to, she turned to look at him "I know not what happened and I'd not allow any of you to fly into such a situation even with me and the Blood Wyrm by your sides. I don't truly fear for father or Egg, for Vis or your mother, nor for our cousins. But I feared not for Aemon either and yet someone took him from this world before his time was due."

"Then we all should be there to pay them back for doing so, Aems."

"It's not just that I know not the situation in the east, Rhae. It's here too. What we've built here, what we're building. It can withstand my absence for a week or so, but were we all to leave then we risk losing it all before we've even truly had a chance to make it our own."

"I care not for the Seven Bloody Kingdoms, Aemon." she snapped.

"Would that was so, Rhae," he said softly as his hand reached out to touch her cheek.

As much as she wished to move away from him, she instead moved into his touch and then even more so when he leaned forward to kiss her. Before she knew it they were tearing each other's clothes off and they never even made it to the bed. Their coupling was rushed and frenzied and it left them both short of breath and yet the moment it was done, her tears began to fall.

"Rhae?"

"I don't want you to go, Aems. A week, a day, I don't want you not to be here with me."

"You think I wish it so? That I'd not give anything just to ignore the words in my head and the pain in my heart? He came to me, Rhae. Darkfyre came to me. He demands it of me and it would have fallen to me had I been there and not…"

"No. You are not to blame for this, this is not your fault." Rhaenys shook her head knowing that her husband could at times allow himself to be caught up in dark thoughts of things beyond his control. She'd seen it more than once after he'd returned from a campaign fighting the Empire's enemies. Each death of one of his men would bear heavily on him and her mother had once told her that was why he could be as ruthless and unyielding as he sometimes was.

"I…I…never got to say goodbye to him, Rhae….I never told him just how much he…" Aemon sobbed, large body wracking sobs and she had to use all her strength to hold him tightly to her until he stopped.

This was what she feared, that the wall he put up inside of himself would crack or break and she was only happy that it did so when they were together and not apart. He and their granduncle were as close as she and her mother were, as close as any of them were to any member of their family. Closer mayhap as they shared things that only the two of them knew the full extent of and she knew it had hurt their granduncle when Aemon had been exiled. Yet he'd believed they would see each other again before his time had come and she had no doubt that Aemon had felt the same. Rhaenys only now truly beginning to feel some of the hate that she knew her husband had for those who'd denied them that chance.

He slept with his head resting on her legs and woke a few hours later. She was happy to see that his mood seemed improved and he even chuckled when she was unable to rise to her feet without help.

"It was your heavy head that stole my legs from me, Aemon Targaryen." she tried to sound reproachful but was soon laughing at Aemon's playful response.

"I tried sweeping you off your feet so many times, Rhae, this was just an easier way of doing so," he said as he moved his leg behind her and they both fell to the ground, Aemon making sure he took all the impact of the fall and she felt it not.

They ate dinner that night with Thoros, Daario, Torgho Nudho, Arthur, and Barristan joining her, Aemon, and Dany. It all went well enough until it did not and how she didn't shout loudly at him, she knew not.

"I go where you go, my prince." Torgho Nudho almost demanded.

"Not this time, old friend. I need you all here, I should return before Dorne or the West march but I cannot be certain of that and so I need everyone here protecting our lands and my wife and aunt. I'll not land unless my safety is guaranteed and I'll take no true risks while I seek the answers I do. Fire and Blood I may bring to those who took him from the world, but I'll bring it from the Bloodwyrm's back and with Darkfyre by my side."

"You cannot go unprotected, my prince." Torgho Nudho said and she was not the only one who nodded their agreement.

"I won't be, but my mind is resolved on this and it will not be changed."

Rarely if ever did Torgho Nudho show much emotion and never did he truly countermand or argue against Aemon's orders or will. Watching him as he moved his chair back and stormed from the room, she was not the only one who looked at his departing figure in shock.

"If you'll excuse me," Aemon said and she watched as he too left the large dining room to follow after his sworn shield.

The rest of the dinner was arguments amongst themselves. Arthur, Thoros, and even Daario were all making it clear that they liked this not and while she took Aemon's side, she did so only because she intended to talk him out of his stupid plan before he left on the morrow.

In the end, it turned out that he was not going to be talked out of anything and she was wroth with him as they said their goodbyes. Angered still when the Blood Wyrm and Darkfyre took to the sky and headed south. Even two days later, she still hadn't gotten over how angry and perturbed she was by her husband's actions and each time she turned her head and saw Torgho Nudho by her side, it only reinforced that he was not by Aemon's.

Had the visitors not arrived when they did, then she'd probably have stewed in her annoyance until Aemon returned from Essos. Instead, she found herself walking to the courtyard and looking surprised as her uncle, his paramour, his children, and a large accompaniment of guards all entered through the large main gate. Raising an eyebrow at him as he dismounted, she was somewhat relieved to see that he wore a smile on his face and for a brief moment, she hoped this meant that Dorne had come to their senses. It was quickly made clear to her that they hadn't. Though she was happy enough to see that Oberyn had.

The Conquest of Westeros XLV.

The Second Son and the First Daughter.

Few roles in life require as much and reward as little as being a brother to a man who rules an Empire. Yet Prince Viserys never sought more or looked to outshine his brother and High Emperor Rhaegar never had a more Leal and true man than his brother. Quiet, shy, and introverted, for the first few years of his life no one sought or expected much from the young prince. Rumors had swirled that he was much like his father and yet these were very quickly put to rest by the High Emperor himself.

Tales were told of the prince having little ambition and while this was true, its reasons were more complex than simply that of a man being happy with his lot in life. For more than any other, it had been Prince Viserys who had truly witnessed his father's descent into madness and had seen what true power can do to a man not suitable to wield it. So despite being groomed for a governorship from a young age, it was not a path that he had wished to travel. For many years, it seemed indeed as if there was no path.

A chance meeting, a fortunate encounter, the gods at play, or simply that each and every single one of us is merely a player in a play that someone else wrote, things changed when it was not just a dragon that he found in Lys, but love too. Promised to her brother and desperate for an escape, there are some who say that was what drove the lady in question's hearth. Yet none would dare deny that the love shared between them was real and none had ever seen the prince so determined as he was upon his return.

Arguments, threats that weren't truly spoken, and even the potential of not only a fight but a secession all were soon swept away as a match was made and agreed to. A brother was then named to a role he had long wished for and a prince once again gave into what lay within his heart above anything else. The Empire celebrated the wedding of the Second Son and the First Daughter, the House of the Dragon above all. For as the Dragonknight was oft heard to say, nothing mattered more than what truly lay deep within your heart.

A History of the Conquest of the Dragonknight,

Marwyn the Mage.

Qarth 301 AC.

Viserys Targaryen.

He enjoyed the flighty to Qarth much more now that he had company. Haegon not only offered him extra security when he was not on Tessarion's back, but someone to speak to when they made camp at night. The talks they had before settling down for the night allowed for him to not miss his family as much as his nights spent alone would have. As for Tessarion, the Blue Queen reveled in having company of her own and she and Syrax almost played games with each other as they flew.

When he eventually saw the great walls of Qarth come into view, he wondered what sort of reception he'd get from Baelon. His Goodbrother and he had always had a somewhat contentious relationship, more because he'd taken Serra fare from Baelon's watchful eye than anything else. Yet he was a Leal man and one that Viserys had no fear of betrayal or harm from. Not in actions at least, he may try and harm him with harsh words or looks, though the days when such bothered him were long since passed.

With a look to Haegon, he bid Tessarion do a complete circle of the city. He wished those below to know he was here and while a part of him said that it would give those he came to deal with a chance to flee, he believed them too arrogant to do so. Eventually, he tired of the show of power and bid Tessarion fly to his Goodbrother's Palace. The building which put even the Pureborn's own to shame soon came into view. Vermithor took to the sky to greet them and the great bronze dragon was welcomed by his own and Haegon's dragons most happily. He was riderless and by the time they'd landed and dismounted their own dragons, Viserys could feel the eagerness that Tessarion had to fly with yet another playmate.

"Jikagon, sōvegon, iksan lēda lentor se iksin ȳgha." (Go, fly, I am with family and am safe) he said to Tessarion after he'd praised her for making their journey a swift and uneventful one.

"Come cousin, let's see if Baelon is as miserable as ever," Haegon japed as the guards moved to greet and shield them and Viserys barely acknowledged the lickspittle that his Goodbrother had sent to see who it was who had arrived in his city.

They walked through the large palace, the marble floors glistening, and Viserys found himself caught up in memories of the times he'd spent her when he and Serra were courting. It had been love at first sight for him when he met his wife and he was the best and only true match that could be made for her. Yet Baelon had liked it not and had he not been who he was, then he may have turned the match down. Viserys wasn't truly sure his Goodbrother had ever forgiven him for taking his sister from him, he certainly hadn't when news of his niece and nephew's births reached him. So as they strolled into the Great Hall and he looked to see Baelon sitting on his over-elaborate throne, he readied for any insult aimed his way.

"Prince Viserys Targaryen, Governor of Qarth and member of the Small Council." the herald said loudly and Viserys saw how his Goodbrother bristled at being reminded that he served at Viserys' pleasure and not the other way round.

"Haegon Targaryen, heir to the Governor of Meereen and presumptive commander of the Second Army."

"My prince, Qarth, and its acting governor welcome you, and you too cousin," Baelon said, his expression showing that he truly did not.

"We are most pleased to be welcomed so, Baelon, though travel has been tiring. Perhaps we could be given leave to refresh ourselves."

"Of course, my prince, cousin. We'll see to it at once." Baelon said clapping his hands and women, men, and guards all moved to escort them from the Great Hall and down a large corridor that Viserys knew led to the family wing of the palace.

Haegon moved closer to him as they walked, his cousin leaning in to speak softly into his ear and Viserys chuckled at the words he spoke.

"Told you, he's still a prickly fucker. You think someone stole his love from him or something."

"I didn't have to steal her, Haegon, she was never his."

"No, she was not," Haegon said firmly.

He welcomed the bath and enjoyed the food that was brought to him as he changed his clothing after having washed. Deciding not to wait any longer to speak to his Goodbrother about why he was here, he asked the guard and was told that Baelon had retired to his chambers and so he sent him to arrange a meeting. Haegon arrived at his rooms before the guard had returned and both of them set off to walk the short distance to his Goodbrother's chambers.

The sound of laughter reached him as they passed by the children's rooms and though he wished to see his Goodniece and Goodnephew for true, he settled for a quick look in at them and was soon smiling as he saw them play with their dragons. He'd not known they'd bonded yet and given their age, he wondered if this meant his own children's time would soon come. With a nod to their mother and mouthing that he'd speak to her and them later, he left the open room behind and continued on his way to speak to Baelon.

"Prince Viserys, Governor Baelon will speak to you now." the guard he'd sent to arrange the meeting said as he hurried his way and looked at them surprised to find they'd not waited for his return.

"Good, lead the way."

His Goodbrother had always been a man of appearances and the number of guards outside his chambers only proved that had not changed. Haegon snorted and then almost challenged the guard who tried to firstly stop him from entering the room with Viserys and then bid him disarm. Viserys had to intervene and remind the guard that not only was he a prince of the blood, but Baelon and by default, he, both served in his name and could be easily dismissed or replaced should he wish it.

With no more arguments, they entered the room to find Baelon standing by the hearth and looking down into the fire. Something seemed off about his Goodbrother and Viserys was not sure what that was. Only for the resigned voice that Baelon then addressed them with to make things clear.

"I had always expected this day to come." Baelon said not turning around "Though I had not thought you'd have brought a swordsman with you, Viserys."

"Baelon?" he asked confused as his Goodbrother turned to look at him.

"Did you think I'd fight you on it? That I'd deny you what was yours by right? Do you really think so little of me?" Baelon asked sounding somewhat hurt.

"Deny me? What are you speaking of, Baelon? Your words vex and confuse me." he said honestly.

"Play not games with me, Viserys, I deserve not your mocking words."

"For fuck's sake, Baelon, why do you think we're here?" Haegon asked.

"To force me to stand down of course," Baelon said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why would you think that? And be advised that is not my reason for being here, my reason has nothing to do with you at all, not truly." Viserys said.

"It does not?" Baelon asked confused.

"I have no plans to give up my seat on the council, nor to leave Volantis, Baelon. I told you so the day I asked you to sit in my stead. I'd not go back on my words without discussing things with you long before then, and things remain as unchanged now as they were then." he said and heard the large sigh of relief his Goodbrother let out.

"I received a letter, who sent it is unknown to me but it claimed that you sought to shame me and not just remove me for my position but to force me and my family from Qarth too."

Viserys looked to Haegon who seemed just as perplexed by this as he was and then he moved to his Goodbrother. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he looked Baelon in the eye.

"You think Serra would accept me doing so? That it's something I would seek?"

"We've not been close for many years, Viserys. Not just me and you, but Serra and I too."

"You are still her brother, Baelon. My Goodbrother. Your children are my niece and nephew and we're cousins by blood too. I am not here for you, I seek not to replace you and I would never seek to shame you." he said as earnestly as he could.

"I am relieved to hear it, Goodbrother." Baelon said and under his hand, he felt Baelon's shoulder relax "I take it though, given Haegon's presence, it's not a social visit either."

"Why do people always assume I'm here to do some harm to someone?" Haegon japed.

"Because just as it is when the Dragonknight arrives unannounced, cousin, your arrival usually is the prelude to someone being harmed." Baelon said before chuckling "So who is it you seek to harm this time?"

"The Sorrowful men, Baelon. Tell me all you can on them and who it is in this city they and the Iron Bank are closest to." Viserys asked.

The dinner they ate that night was a much friendlier affair than he may have been invited to had Baelon not received the letter and he had arrived alone. Had he simply arrived alone and Baelon had received the letter, then it may even have been more awkward. For the first of those, it would be the awkwardness and somewhat ill feelings that existed between him and his Goodbrother, for the latter it would have been the worries that the words the letter contained had been true. In a way, its existence had the reverse effect and the gap that had always been between him and Baelon was now a much narrower one. His words spoken to him in his solar had seen to that.

Not that Viserys was happy about the letter's existence, as it showed that someone was trying to undermine key relationships between the members of their extended family. Someone wished them to be at odds and perhaps even disunited and added to the assassination of his granduncle and the attempt to place the blame on Aemon's shoulders, Viserys liked it not. Still, for now, he simply enjoyed the meal and spending time with his Goodsister, Goodniece, and Goodnephew. Even with his Goodbrother too which was still a little strange for him to think about.

Daena was a beautiful woman, unrelated to them but there was still Valyrian blood in her through her connections to the Pureborn. Aenar and Daenys were the most delightful children, just a couple of years older than his own, and looking at them made him think of his little dragons and wish he was there with them and his wife and not so far from their sides. Both children had, he'd found out, met with Rhaenys when she had traveled to Lys on her way to Westeros and had bonded with their dragons while they were there. As it had upon seeing them with their dragons earlier, it made him think of the day to come when his children would too travel to the dragon nursery and return from Lys as future dragon riders.

"Come children, time for you both to seek your beds," Daena said and then Viserys chuckled when to the sounds of their protests, the mention of saying their goodnights to their dragons by their mother though soon silenced them both.

The plates were taken away and though he sipped his wine, his heart wasn't truly in it and he'd not be getting drunk this night. Not with the work they had to do. Baelon had listened and shown his own anger at what the Sorrowful Men had dared to do. He'd spoken of the members of the Thirteen who were in debt to the Iron Bank and had mentioned that the banker that most had dealings with had been Petyr Baelish. Something that Viserys had taken note of and would relay to Rhaegar and Aegon upon his return to Volantis.

Baelon had then wished to be a part of whatever action they intended to take against the Sorrowful Men and had sent off for Beleos and Vyrello, his spymaster general and the captain of his guard respectively. Both men had then set about making the arrangements for the night's activities. Beleos had sought and found the information they needed while Vyrello had gathered the men they'd use, though Haegon would lead them. Viserys and Baelon would be high on their dragon's backs when the attack went down. Both to overlook and make sure no one escaped the wrath they intended to inflict upon them and for their own protection.

Neither he nor his Goodbrother would accept not being a part of the attack and while he'd defer to Haegon's experience in battle, he'd not concur with the suggestion that he stay in the palace and let him go about the night's work. Now with the dinner over with, that work was ready to take place and he felt the sweat pool in his palms and his body began to tighten. This was the first true fight he'd ever taken part in and given what he'd found out regarding the Iron Bank, he feared it may not be the last.

"It's time. You both stay on your dragons. No matter what happens below, you stay." Haegon said as they rose to his feet.

"Fire and Blood," he said and both his cousin and Goodbrother repeated the words.

One hour later.

Even from high above on Tessarion's back he could hear the screams and the clash of swords below him. The Sorrowful Men had taken a large manse as their base and the hundred men that Haegon had led to assault it had gone about doing so with ruthless efficiency. Only two men had managed to even try and make their escape and both Tessarion and Vermithor had soon seen to them.

That had been thus far the only action he'd been called upon to take part in and while he'd occasionally caught glimpses of his Goodbrother's men below, he knew very little of what had truly taken place. Time seemed to have no true meaning to him as the two dragons circled above the large manse. Was it an hour? Two? Less? He knew not and as for his cousin's health or whether or not the fight below was one they had won, lost, or were still fighting, he was as clueless from here as would have been had he remained in Volantis.

It was frustrating and annoying, and yet he knew that later when he spoke to his wife about it, she'd take great comfort that he and Baelon had left this side of work to someone more suited to it than they. Still, as he waited for a signal from below, he was forced to ponder just what he'd have done had he not stopped off in Meereen. Would he have led the men? Would Baelon have done so? Had he truly flown all this way with no true plan at all? The answer to that last question bothered him greatly as he was certain now that he had. It had never fallen to him to do things such as this. Not to him, nor Aegon, and rarely even to Rhaegar. They'd relied on Aemon to see to such and a part of him now cursed his brother for forcing him from their sides.

"Tegun, Tessarion," he called out when he saw Haegon walk out into the open space below and wave him down.

The Blue Queen quickly did as she was bid and was joined by the bronze dragon of his Goodbrother. Both Vermithor and Tessarion let out loud roars after they landed and the meaning of those roars was clear enough to even the most foolish of men. Should their riders be harmed, then there was no place in this world for them to hide from the dragon's wrath. It made him stroke her snout softly after he'd climbed down off her back, glad to have something in his life that protected him so fiercely.

"I kept four alive, they have a tale to tell before they meet their end here tonight, cousin."

"A tale?" he asked curiously, hoping that he was right and there were more answers for him to uncover.

"Of Lions and of a banker who dares believe himself a dragon's match?" Haegon said and Viserys followed after his cousin more than eager to hear the truth of those tales.

Qarth 301 AC.

Haegon Targaryen.

He looked at the four men they had left alive, knowing full well that no matter what words they spoke or secrets they revealed, they'd not see the morrow. These fools had dared to attack his family, had taken a dragon from the world and though Haegon had few memories of the older Aemon Targaryen, they were fond ones. With a nod of his head, he directed Viserys to the least important of the four men, the one he knew was far more in the dark than the other three. Haegon had offered to do this himself, but Viserys wished to be the one to swing the sword so to speak, and besides, it wasn't as if he hadn't already spilled much blood this night.

Three hours earlier.

A hundred men he had at his command, far less than he had commanded in his father's name and almost insignificant compared to the army he'd soon be in command of. Though not as large as the High Emperor's First Army, the Second was the single largest other army in the entire Empire. They were more bloodied and experienced than the First too. Serving the Dragonknight had seen to that and while some had left when Aemon was exiled, those who had not were still formidable.

As he and his men now surrounded the manse, he wondered if he'd find any of these men as capable as the ones he'd find when he took up his new command. Looking to the sky above, he saw the two dragons circling and he knew that none would escape them this night. Syrax he knew was not too far away and the yellow dragon would be watching with a keen eye. Should he face any true danger here tonight then he'd wager it would be he and not Tessarion or Vermithor that was first to let loose his flames.

Turning to look to his men, Haegon saw they were all in position and the manse was now surrounded. Unsheathing his sword, he raised it in the air and they swept forward and entered the manse, ten men directly under his command moving as he did. As they moved, four arrows flew through the air and landed directly in the hearts of their targets. The only sounds the dead men made as they breathed their last was the sound of their bodies as they fell to the ground. With the guards now dealt with, there was no one to raise the alarm until it was far too late.

"You five with me to the left, you five to the right," he whispered.

Immediately and showing they were experienced men, something that relieved him greatly, the ten men he'd moved with now split into two groups and entered through the now unguarded door. As soon as the light hit them from the numerous candles that illuminated the hall they now found themselves in, he heard the sound of the crossbow bolts hitting home. Four more men fell and not one of them would speak a word with their last breath, the bolts protruding from their throats would see to that.

He led his men to a door to the left and once he reached it, he opened it carefully. The surprised look on the face of the man on the other side of the door was quickly replaced by a pained and desperate one as Haegon stuck his dagger into the side of the man's head. Catching him before he fell to the ground, he then laid the man carefully down so that no sound he made would be heard. Then raising his hand, he pointed to the doors on the left and right of the corridor they now found themselves in.

Unfortunately, this was to be the last time that stealth was their friend this night. The sound of swords clashing, footsteps running and a bell being rung, announced that their presence had finally been noticed. Ahead of him, the doors opened and another two bolts flew from the Myrish crossbows that two of his men had been armed with. Haegon saw the two men who had been struck by the bolts fall to the ground and heard the sound of the Myrish crossbows themselves dropping to the floor behind him. The time for their use was now passed and it would be sword and dagger that was brought to bear from here on.

"Stay together, form up," he shouted, there being no more need for silence.

They moved as one, six men with him at their head. His sword almost cried out for blood and Haegon wondered if it was true that Dark Sister had a hunger for it. If it had, then the Dragonknight had more than fed that hunger, it was not time for him to feed his sword's own. The first man he struck seemed almost confused by the sword that he pulled from his chest. Haegon wondered if he'd been drinking or sleeping when the alarm was sounded.

The next was more prepared and it was a spear from behind him that was thrust over his shoulder that took the man's life from him. His men showed this was not the first time they'd fought as part of a unit and in close quarters. Two of his men entered the room to the left and two to the room to the right and he was surprised when they returned having found no assassins in either. Moving forward, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he looked to the door and almost heard the voice in his head.

"Be wary."

Were he to give a name to that voice, then he'd say it was Syrax and it was one he'd listened to many times over the years. It was not one he was going to ignore now. So moving to the door, he lined his men up on either side of it, ducked down, and opened it before peering inside. Three arrows were loosed almost simultaneously. All three of them though flew harmlessly over his head. He didn't need to think too long or hard about it to know that had he been standing, or his guards standing, then the arrows would have hit home.

With a loud roar, he and his men rushed into the room and as arrows were readied to fire, swords, spears and daggers were brought to bear. There could and would be only one winner in such a fight. The archers who'd thought themselves so clever and had arranged this little ambush now bled out and cried out for mercy. In this, he was not as heartless as he could be, though the mercy he gave them all was simply a quick death.

Once he was sure they were safe, he looked around the room and sighed. He'd thought this path would lead him to their leaders or that he'd join up with the rest of his men. Yet it seemed they were in an empty room. As he turned to tell his men they were done here, he felt a slight breeze against the uncovered part of his face. Removing his helm, he leaned his head in the direction he believed the breeze came from and then moved to the wall.

"Break this down," he said and less than a few moments later, they were through a door and standing in a secret passageway.

Haegon bid his men be wary and together they moved down the passageway and to the door at the end of it. Again taking every precaution he could, he opened the door carefully, and again it was a spear over his shoulder that ended the man in front of him. A younger man dropped his sword and fell to his knees and three older men looked at him with fear in their eyes and yet raised no weapons against him or his men.

"My friends, if you'd all follow me, there is much we need to discuss." Haegon said almost as if he was inviting them to share a drink with him "I won't ask again." he said a little more firmly when none of the men moved "Good choice."

Now.

If he had any doubts about whether or not his cousin had the temperament and mettle to do what was needed, then watching the second of the Sorrowful Men's leaders die a painful death would remove them completely. Viserys had questioned, Baelon had offered and cajoled, and some answers had been given. Though these answers were the very same ones that he himself had already forced from these men earlier.

"Who organized the attack? Who paid for it? And who contacted you?"

"We did. We organized it. It was supposed to be Prince Aegon, we failed." the man said, his voice showing just how scared he truly was and he should be, given what Viserys had done to the other two men, he really should be.

"You'll need to tell me more than that if you wish to see the morrow," Viserys said angrily as he held his bloody dagger in front of the man's eyes and threatened to take one of them for his own as he'd done with the second of the men he'd killed.

"The Dwarf, it was his gold, his coin. Baelish, it was Baelish."

"And which of you is in command, you or him?" Viserys asked as he motioned to the fourth man.

"Him, him, I was…."

He didn't finish his words, it was hard to talk when your throat had just been sliced open and so instead, he gurgled and fell to the floor. Viserys didn't wait for him to die before moving to the last of the men.

"He had nothing to tell me that I don't already know. So he like the two others before him was of no use to me. Let's see if you're any different from them." Viserys said chillingly.

"Death holds no fear for me, Prince Viserys. Nor pain. Would that I had something to offer you or that I believed in doing so it would buy me a few more days in this world. I am clever enough to know that's since the answer to both of those things is no, that death is to be my fate."

"Yet not clever enough to know how foolish it was to take a contract against my family." Viserys snapped back.

"No, on that I was but a fool. Do your worst, Prince Viserys, I am resolved to my fate."

"Take him to the courtyard, it won't be a knife that takes him from this world, but a dragon."

In his last few moments, the man who had been in charge of the Sorrowful Men knew true fear. Haegon saw it in his eyes as he was dragged from the room and Viserys didn't wait for too much time to pass before he and Tessarion brought about his end. They stayed with Baelon that night and drank a toast to Aemon and to the four men they'd lost in avenging him. Viserys told Baelon to keep a closer eye on those in the Thirteen who had borrowed from the Iron Bank and to ensure that he and his family were well protected.

The next morning they flew from the city and though he had not planned to take up his role in the Second Army until after his sister was wed, he knew that was no longer an option. He, Viserys, and his family would travel to Meereen a few days before Rhaenyra was to wed. For now, it was Volantis that was to be his destination, and a war that was brewing and being fuelled by ambition was to be his to help win.

Casterly Rock 301 AC.

Jaime Lannister.

Despite how happy she clearly was, he and especially his wife felt some trepidation in leaving Joanna behind in Dorne. Their daughter was not as worldly as her cousin and while she'd have her ladies, a large personal guard, and what seemed to be a husband who adored if not outright loved her, they still worried for her. Alysanne had needed to be talked around to the match, both because of Joanna's age and the distance between them. Sunspear or the Water Gardens that they'd both been told about being much further away than where his wife would have liked their daughter to name her home.

He'd been extra attentive to Alysanne on the journey back to Lannisport because of this and to try and allay her other fears over what was soon to come. She knew he relished the prospect of the war they'd soon be fighting and that he longed to test his blade against men like Barristan the Bold, The Sword of the Morning, and Aemon the Dragonknight above all. His attempts at dissuading her of her worries and doubts were not truly successful and it was only when they lay together that he even removed them briefly.

Alysanne had made him promise that Jason wouldn't truly see any action in the upcoming war and had even made his swear on his mother's tomb that he'd make it so. It had been an easy thing for him to do as he wished not for his son to fight or risk himself as he did and he knew that his father would not either. Jason had been left behind when they marched to the war they'd not fought in, he doubted it would be any different this time. He hoped it wouldn't be. Jaime, though, he'd be right there in the thick of the action and he was grateful that the only thing she begged of him was to be careful and to come back to her.

As they sailed, he'd find himself upon the deck and looking at his brother curiously. Tyrion would spend as much of his time up there reading as he would down below and it took him almost until they reached Lannisport to figure out the reason for it. It was not that he was angered with their father, though he was, nor that he'd had enough of Joffrey's japes at his expense, his brother was well able to give as good as he got, instead it was because he feared they may not actually make it back. Something that had stunned Jaime when he'd heard it.

"You truly sit here and look to the sky for a dragon?" he mocked.

"We're about to pull on the dragon's tail, brother mine. More so than we already have with the wedding father organized. You think Aemon Targaryen isn't aware of where we've been? That he doesn't know that our House and House Martell are no joined?"

"What matters it if he does?"

"Other than he and his wife are master and mistress of every kingdom barring three?"

"Other than that."

"We know he'll not stop his conquest, Jaime. That our lands, the lands of his wife's kin and even the pile of worthless rocks the Iron Born name as theirs are all goals he still seeks. Do you not wonder why he hasn't yet marched on the West or Dorne? O for what reason he has not sought our defeat or surrender?"

"He knows it'll be the hardest battle he's ever had and so he's been wary, Tyrion, that is all," he said and Tyrion snorted.

"I don't think that man has it in him to be wary," Tyrion replied arrogantly and it annoyed Jaime to hear it in his brother's voice, especially aimed at him.

"And your judgment on Aemon Targaryen has been proved oh so accurate thus far, has it not." he sneered.

"I took him for something he was not, it's not a mistake I'll make again and not one you should seek to match, brother." Tyrion said as he glanced at the sky once again "Here, now, on this ship and in this fleet, we're at our most vulnerable. Should he wish to remove those who would stand against him in one single swoop then now is the best time for it. Ships burn, Jaime, they burn easily." Tyrion's words sent a shiver down his spine and involuntarily, his own eyes looked to the sky.

So when they finally saw Lannisport and the ships docked, it wasn't only Tyrion who wore a relieved look on his face and it made Jaime ask more questions of Aemon Targaryen's tactics than he had up to then. Not that he'd not considered his tactics or how he may fight against them when their armies finally faced off against each other. His father too had spent many an hour trying to see if there was some pattern in how the Dragonknight waged war or some favored maneuver he used that they could exploit. Jaime though only truly thought of such things during the march to war, not when he was not doing so, but now they invaded and threatened to take over his thoughts.

He put it out of his mind on the ride to Casterly Rock and was more than happy to see their home once more. Once they were settled back in, it was to the sparring yards that he went as he felt out of practice in the few days it had taken to sail from Dorne. They ate as a family that night and he spent as much time holding his wife's hand as he did anything else. Their daughter's absence had truly hit Alysanne as they ate together in their own hall. It led to her retiring early and to Jaime calling it a night not long after his wife did.

When he woke the next morning he felt it. The blood rushed through his body and his heart began to race. It was a feeling he'd come to both enjoy and rely on over the years and one that only came when he was on the verge of a fight. Leaving Alysanne to her sleep, he dressed and hurried from the room and though it was a rare thing for him to head to his father's solar without being sent for, it was there and not to break his fast that his feet carried him.

"My father is inside?" he asked the guards who nodded and then knocked at the door to announce his presence, Jaime then waited for his father to invite him in.

One did not walk into his father's solar unannounced, no matter who you were. Even his aunt Genna, who at times would be wroth with father for something or other, would still knock and wait outside to be called. It was a strange thing as while he was a strict taskmaster and could be unyielding at times, for him, for Joanna and Myrcella, for Jason and Cersei, he was as loving and forgiving as any man could be. Less so for Joffrey and rarely if ever for Tyrion.

"Your father will see you now, my prince."

Jaime nodded to the guard who offered him a small bow of his head and then walked into the room to find his father was as usual, busy at work. Taking a seat, he waited until he was given leave to speak. To his surprise, it was much sooner than he'd expected and yet before he could say a word, a raven's scroll was handed to him. Reading over it, he smiled, as he knew now exactly why he'd had the feeling this morn.

"He's left. Does Prince Doran know?" he asked.

"He knows."

"We march?" he asked eagerly.

"We march. My grandson will hold Casterly Rock in my name and your uncle Gerion will stay behind too."

"Father?"

"Unlike the last march, we must be ready for a counterattack. The Rock and Lannisport must hold as must the Golden Tooth."

"You'll send word to Leo?"

"The raven left two hours ago."

"The Searoad?"

"The Searoad and we march hard, Jaime, tell your brother to be ready for such." his father said before looking back down to his missives and beginning his writing once more.

If he thought it would take time to gather the banners, then he was very much mistaken. Word had already been sent to those furthest away and none of them would be marching to Casterly Rock or to Lannisport, not this time. Instead, they'd be meeting them on the march to the Reach itself and so one more night was all he had with his wife and son before he'd not see them again for some time. One more night was all he'd have with his sister as well and so at the hour of the owl, he snuck from his rooms. He made his way to the stables and rode out the gates to the small farmhouse that he and Cersei often used for their trysts.

"I feared I'd not see you," Cersei said before he'd even dismounted his horse.

"I'd not march without…."

The kiss stopped his words and it was only that they were outside and not in, that stopped him from tearing her clothing from her. Stumbling in through the door with her in his arms, he almost tripped more than once and it was only thanks be to the gods that he found his way to the bed without doing so. They undressed each other hurriedly and once they had, they spent no time on foreplay. Their first time was hurried and almost frenzied and yet it was not enough, never had it been so. For the second they were more practiced, more composed and he took his time to savor every inch of her body and to bring her to the edge more than once.

"JAIME!" she cried out when he finally allowed her to fall and his own fall came not more than a moment later.

They lay in the bed for far less time than either would have wished. He spoke the words to her that he knew she wished to hear and heard her own oath of love sworn back at him. After dressing, they rode back to the Rock together but entered separately. Jaime then stabled his horse and made his way back to his chambers, and he was coming out of the lift when he saw his brother strolling towards him. Tyrion wearing a knowing smile on his face, though he said not a word.

That morning, he broke his fast with just his wife and son and told them both how much he loved them. He once again promised Alysanne that he'd return and told Jason to protect his mother and their home while he was away. By midday, he was armored, mounted, and riding out the gate along with his father's men and toward the waiting army that was somewhere ahead of them. He was riding to finally test his blade against a worthy opponent and never did he feel more alive than he did right then. Turning to look at Tyrion, he found his brother looking to the sky with a worried look on his face and despite not feeling the danger as Tyrion did, he'd be a liar if he didn't glance upwards more than once over the next few days.

The Conquest of Westeros XLVI

The Fall and Rise of House Velaryon.

Grief is a powerful thing and can lead to rash decisions and terrible consequences. For House Velaryon it was one man's grief and the Emperor that he blamed for that grief that saw his House cast down and almost brought about its end.

For centuries they had stood side by side. They'd wedded into each other's Houses, had grown together and as the Empire rose, few if any rose as high as the Seahorses did. Among their greatest and most noteworthy allies, their names rang out almost as loudly as the names of the dragons they were allied with did. From Valaena who was venerated as the mother of the Conqueror and his sister-wives, to Daemon whose ships carried the Targaryen army to Essos. To the first Corlys who was the commander of the Emperor's own personal guard and to his namesake the Sea Snake who ruled the seas like no other.

Yet the death of Alyssa Velaryon in mysterious circumstances and the blame being attributed to the Emperor himself was what seemed to be the beginning of the end of any and all influence House Velaryon had or ever would have. Death, an almost complete quelling of an uprising that was only truly being spoken about by a grieving son and a stripping of position and assets were soon all the Velaryons knew and it would take many years for their perceived disloyalty to be forgiven and forgotten.

Eventually, though, things change and the ties between both houses went too far and ran too deep for them ever to truly be ignored for long. It had been those ties that in the end had saved the House from being destroyed root and stem and that stayed an angry Emperor's hand. It was those ties that the Empress of the Ice had sought to see restored through the Dragonknight and Aurane Velaryon and as with all she did, in this, she was proved to be far wiser than those around her. Power, position, a name restored and dragon returned. No House ever flew as high as they did and none would ever fly higher other than the House of the Dragon itself.

A History of the Conquest of the Dragonknight,

Marwyn the Mage.

Blackwater Bay, Lys, Volantis 301 AC.

Aemon Targaryen.

Had he been too cruel? Too unforgiving? Did he take his anger out on the wrong man? Probably and yet as the Blood Wyrm and Darkfyre flew close to where Aurane was building his new city, Aemon cared not. Gerold Dayne had upset his aunt, that alone would have earned him a harsh punishment at his hands had he been in Volantis at the time. He had scared her, frightened her enough that she'd left their family behind and flown to Westeros to seek the comfort that only Rhaenys could give her. The fool of a man had dared to place his hands on a dragon and think there would be no consequences.

No, he had not been cruel enough and as for unforgiving, some things were unforgivable were they not? Putting thoughts of the man he'd killed out of his mind was then easy for him, as it had always been. He saw no faces when he slept, and bore no scars on his soul for the terrible things he at times was forced to do. Yet it was always in the immediate aftermath that any question his actions may bring him would raise their head. Closing his eyes, he let thoughts of his granduncle be what filled his mind and only those thoughts.

Memories of times gone by, of conversations as he sat and watched his granduncle about his work and as they would eat their luncheon together. The sparring yard, upon the Blood Wyrm's back, with Rhaenys or with his granduncle. When he was a boy, those were his favorite things in the world, and even after he'd grown to be a man, they still had been. Despite being exiled and not seeing him or being able to speak to him for more than two years, Aemon had never truly believed he'd not see his granduncle again. Even knowing he was growing old and weary and suffering from an illness, he'd not truly accepted that he could die one day. He'd certainly not expected him to be killed and as he opened his eyes, he looked to Darkfyre who was staring intently at him.

"Kesi mazverdagon zirȳ addemmagon." (We will make them pay) he said softly in the wind and yet his words were heard by the Indigo Dragon who let out a roar of confirmation.

As they neared the bay where the new city was to be located, Aemon was surprised by Darkfyre's sudden change of direction and behavior. Looking at the dragon, he could see that it had started to descend quickly and for a brief moment, he worried it had harmed itself in some way. Looking more closely at the dragon though, he could see that this had been Darkfyre's choice, and the way he was now flying, more than intrigued him. Bidding the Blood Wyrm to land, they did so as close as they could to the large wooden battlements that Aurane had already constructed.

Aemon hurriedly climbed down off the Blood Wyrm's back and immediately noticed that his dragon was unconcerned by Darkfyre's actions, he was almost somewhat bored by them. Now more relaxed, he moved to the Indigo Dragon and touched his snout softly, eliciting a trill in response, and then as he looked into Darkfyre's eyes he saw the look of longing he was aiming in the direction of the riders that now approached. Ever more intrigued, he waited by the dragon's side and saw Aurane was among the group and he smiled, not truly believing it, but hopeful of it at the same time.

"Aemon?" Aurane greeted him when he arrived "Has something happened, is something wrong, my prince?" Aurane stared at Darkfyre whose own eyes stared almost longingly back at him.

"Yes and no. My granduncle has fallen, brother, fallen before his time and his dragon has come for me to avenge him." he began "It seems however that is not the only reason Darkfyre has come. You'll need to put someone in charge here and send word to Rhaenys that you've traveled with me."

"Travelled?"

"Lys, Aurane, I believe it's time for you to bond with a dragon," he said looking to Darkfyre who once again let out a loud trill.

"You can't….I can't….My blood is…"

"As mixed with mine own as is most of my own family. Was not Rhaenys a Dragonrider, Laena, Laenor, Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey?"

"More than a hundred years ago, Aemon. None since then." Aurane said looking not at him but at Darkfyre.

"None so worthy, brother." he said moving to him and placing his hand on his shoulder "Come, I wish to be flying within the hour, pack light."

As Aurane went to do as he'd bid him, Aemon moved to Darkfyre and asked the question, receiving another trill from the dragon as his response. It brought a smile to his face to think that not only would his brother by choice soon be a Dragonrider, but the dragon that was to be his mount was to be this one. Though the smile soon faded when he quickly remembered that the only reason Darkfyre was riderless was because of his granduncle's death.

Less than an hour later they were flying high in the sky once more. Aurane sat behind him on the Blood Wyrm and Aemon knew without needing to look at him that he was staring at Darkfyre longingly. House Velaryon had fallen from grace over the last hundred years or more. They'd lost their connection to the dragons and their favor at court. Aurane was the single biggest reason for why they'd regained the latter, it was only fitting to Aemon that he was now the reason for the former too.

A few days later.

Each time they'd stopped, he'd insisted that Aurane spent some time with Darkfyre. He'd seen the beginnings of the bond form, though it would only be in the dragon nursery that it could actually fully be realized. Other than a Dragonknight, every single bond between a dragon and its rider was formed the same way. Rituals and words, fire and blood, and time all being the keys. Other than those who'd actually undergone the bonding process, he was probably the only person who knew what it truly entailed. Even the keeper of the nursery itself was someone who'd lived that bond as were any of those who came before them.

He felt it the closer they got to Lys and then was stunned when he saw the island in the distance. In the sky above, there must have been close to a hundred dragons flying, some that he'd not seen for many a year and it was both an awe-inspiring sight and a worrisome one too. Bidding the Blood Wyrm to fly faster, they reached the nursery within the hour and by the time they landed, there was not a dragon in sight.

"My prince." his cousin Daeron called out as he made his way to where the Blood Wyrm and Darkfyre had landed.

"It's good to see you, Daeron. Elaena, the children?"

"Are well, my prince. Aurane it's been many a year." Daeron said moving to greet Aurane just as warmly as he had him.

"Too long, Daeron. It's good to see you well."

"The dragons are hungry, Daeron, can you see food is brought to them? "he asked and his cousin clapped his hands, Aemon only then noticing the men bearing the large carcasses that both the Blood Wyrm and Darkfyre quickly moved to.

He waited until he'd seen them eat the offered food, then turned to walk with Daeron and Aurane into his cousin's palace. The sound of children playing soon reached his ears and brought a smile to his face, and he wished he could enjoy it for longer than he did. Instead, he bid Daeron take them to his solar and didn't even hear it when his cousin sent for food and drink for him and Aurane.

"The dragons, Daeron? How long?" he asked as he took his seat in his cousin's solar.

"A few weeks, Aemon. It's most strange and not something I can find a record of ever occurring before."

"My granduncle would oft tell tales that in our greatest ever time of need, the dragons would come and the unbounded would form their bonds," he said looking to Aurane.

"I've heard such. But what need have we?" Daeron asked worriedly.

"I know not as of yet." he sighed and then held his tongue while the servant placed the food and drink on the table.

Both he and Aurane ate hungrily and he told Daeron the reason for Darkfyre's presence. The death of his granduncle and the bond he sought to forge with Aurane.

"It's an even rarer event, Aemon. Other than on the one or two occasions where a riderless dragon and its new rider were in the same place at the same time, never before has a dragon sought out its rider in such a way. Certainly never has one traveled so far to do so."

"You're saying this has truly never happened before?" Aurane asked dumbfounded and to a nod of Daeron's head "Then why me?"

Neither his cousin nor his brother by choice seemed to have any answers to this and at first, neither did he, but then the inkling of one came to his mind and he allowed himself to follow the thought to its logical conclusion.

"Darkfyre sought vengeance first and foremost. Even beyond a new rider. He came to me at the Wall and only when we set out on our flight back to Volantis did he then seek you out, Aurane."

"I don't understand, Aemon." Aurane shrugged.

"Had he not sought the one then he'd not have sought the other. He'd have come here and waited for you to come to him." Daeron explained.

"I'd not have...I'd never have…"

"Then that was just another reason for him to come to you," he said to a nod of his cousin's head.

Though he wished to enjoy a night's sleep in a warm bed and spend time with his cousin and his family, he knew he would not. He may be right in what he'd said to Aurane and yet the presence of so many dragons at the nursery worried him too. He worried about Rhaenys and Dany as well and even were it not for that and his desire to get back to them as quickly as he could, his blood called out for vengeance and justice. Either of which he'd gladly accept.

So he bid his farewells and told Aurane that by the time he returned, his bond would have been formed and he'd be a Dragonrider too. Daeron would see that he was given all the knowledge and practice he needed and knowing his brother by choice as well as he did, he'd no doubt that Aurane would be as comfortable in the sky as he was on the sea. Mounting the Blood Wyrm, he took one more look at his cousin and Aurane and then nodded his head when he saw Darkfyre look his way.

"Sōvegon Gaelithox." (Fly Gaelithox.)

Flying at night was a different beast than during the day and only the most experienced Dragonriders enjoyed it. Rhaenys and Dany would often take part in nighttime flights above Volantis but rarely if ever would they travel beyond the city's walls. Aemon relished the peacefulness of it while cursing the impairments to his vision the darkness caused. He smiled when the Blood Wyrm dropped so he was flying no more than a few feet over the water and then chuckled when it suddenly pounced and gripped the shark in its talons.

A fresh kill was always more appetizing to his dragon than one that had been prepared for him and so Aemon decided to call an end to the night's flight and bid the Blood Wyrm to find somewhere to land. He slept that night leaning against his dragon's scales and allowing his warmth to keep away the night's chill. His dreams were of days long since passed and of running after an old man who would slow his pace so that he could catch him. When he woke, it was his tears that had dried on his cheek and he knew they would not be the last he'd shed over his granduncle's death. Emptying some water from his pouch into his hand, he washed his face and then broke his fast, before he and the Blood Wyrm took to the sky once more.

For a day and almost a full night, they flew over lands that he knew all too well. Lands that he had fought on, bled on, and lands upon which he had killed far too many men to count. It was early in the morning when the city came into sight, Aemon felt a shiver run down his spine at the thoughts of what he'd find there and of the welcome or lack of one he may receive. Bidding the Blood Wyrm to head to the Dragonpit, he resolved himself to what it was he must do and to the respects to a man he'd loved with all he was, that he would soon pay.

"Fire and Blood, Aemon, just as you taught me," he said as the Blood Wyrm circled above the Dragonpit before beginning his descent.

House Targaryen of Qarth.

Baelon Targaryen age 35 years.

Daena Targaryen age 33 years.

Aenar Targaryen age 6 years.

Daena Targaryen age 5 years.

House Targaryen of Lys

Daeron Targaryen age 32 years.

Elaena Targaryen age 31 years.

Daemon Targaryen age 4 years

Rhaegal Targaryen age 3 years

Nerys Targaryen age 2 years.

A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. Up Next An awkward reunion in Volantis brings up truths long since hidden and reveals enemies who no longer are. Aemon says his farewells to his granduncle and spends time with the family he's not seen for some time before plans are made to deal with enemies both foreign and domestic. Oberyn and Rhaenys speak on Dorne and the West and in the Reach worrying news make its way into Olenna's hands. As armies march and war creeps ever closer.

For those following my other fics, the second chapter of Revenge is a Dish best served cold will be up on Thursday and the Dragonverse will be updated at the weekend.

Tsroughs: Again you know where the door is. No one is forcing you to read it, so if you think it's getting boring then perhaps you should find something that you think is more exciting.

Revan: There is more to a story than action, action all the time. There are things like world building, plot building, and character development to take into account too. Aemon was always going to get distracted when it came to the North and finally seeing where his mother was born, was literally one of the first things he did upon arriving in Westeros, to reach out and try and be invited to spend time in the North. There is also more to war than simply fighting battles all the time. The original Conquest lasted years, do you think that Aegon didn't have large periods of consolidation and turn his attention to other matters, or was it constant battles that he fought in.

Given how quickly Aemon gathered the other kingdoms, Tywin and Doran both needed to do something to try and even the playing field, and Aemon also needed to scout the lands and come up with a plan for an invasion of the West as Tywin was not at that time going to give him the open battle he'd hoped for. Plans change, people adapt and you then also have an internal drive going on with Aemon that means he uses the time in between to do the one thing he always wanted, that's human nature. The battle lines are now drawn and the battles are about to be fought, but you have to draw those lines and set those things up rather than just skip straight to them. Hell, how many battles are there fought in each of the original books? Far fewer than you think and there are long periods where there is little if any action happening at all because GRRM is doing the same thing, world-building, character development, and setting up future events.

Sven: Were this another place and the North not something that he had wanted to see for all his life, then he'd not have looked there. Had there not been a need to consolidate and then plan out how to deal with the West and Dorne as well as a wish to allow the latter of those two to actually come to their senses and accept his and Rhaenys' rule, then he'd have looked there. Events though force actions and plans to change. Aemon had not as of yet planned an invasion of the West, which is why Daario scouted those lands and took note of certain things. Unlike the other plans he made which fell pretty much exactly as he expected them to, Tywin turning his army around forces him to come up with a different plan, it also gives him time to travel North and fulfill a desire that he's had for his entire life.

Human nature would mean that unless the threat was imminent, the desire would win out which it did. And while he was in the North, both Thoros in Harrenhal and Aurane were busy consolidating his new holdings. The loss of his mother is such a key part of Aemon's character and I made it clear early on with his letter to his grandfather in Winterfell that he wanted to see where she was born and grew up almost desperately, so that shows that despite everything else, he has a desire that needs to be fulfilled. He's also cocky, confident, arrogant, and doesn't truly see Tywin/Doran as a threat which plays into a lack of urgency to deal with them.

Celexys: So very glad you enjoyed it.

Sozin's flame: We'll see a good example of that with him in Volantis and with what he finds out.

Jack234: It is coming in droves.

Sptrader: You're more than welcome and I thank you for your kind words. Aemon will have somewhat different plans with the Wildlings than just forcing them onto the North, but they do involve bringing them south of the Wall.

LF is in the worst place he can be as of now, he's no longer in the shadows and the Empire will search him out. Tywin is pretty much the standard bearer for all the arrogance and hubris that the Lannister have. Each of his children has it too, though it varies from each of them, it's clear it came from him and we see this very clearly in his attitude to Robb during the WOTFK. I don't mind negative or critical reviews and if the story is not for them or they feel it's lagging, that's their prerogative and they can express it freely. It doesn't both me because I know what my intent is. You're spot on that wars are not just won with battles and large action-packed events to my mind don't make a story better unless they're shown in context. You need to show both sides IMO, the battles, the action, and the reason for them all have to be set up and the political maneuvering behind them is just as important. They are coming and they will be action-packed, but you also need the calm before the storm. We needed to see a lot of Jon at the Wall before we got to see him go on his adventures beyond it, as it set up the dynamics of his arc.

Guest: So very glad you liked it.

Pontiac Bandit: Showing that he usually deals with things much quicker serves two purposes. 1. It asks the question why hasn't he here and 2. It questions the differences between Westeros and Essos. Aemon acted quickly early on because everything played out exactly to his plan, Tywin turning and marching back to the West forced those plans to change. He had not scouted the Lands of the West, doesn't truly know them as he did the other lands he has traveled over, and knows little of the obstacles and impediments in his way were he to march there.

While that was somewhat true regarding the Riverlands or Harrenhal too, they were different in that the need was more immediate. He had to march to the RL to face Robert because Robert was marching to face him, he had to take Harrenhal because it was there and needed for his base of operations and was always part of his plan. Same with the Vale and the burning of the Bloody Gate. Tywin was meant to continue on his march, attempt to take Aemon up the arse and be dealt with there and then, he turned back which changes the battle plans. With Dorne, for Rhaenys' sake, he still hoped that they'd come to their senses.

There is also a pull that he's felt for all his life driving him to the North and so while they stop, take stock and make their plans for the West/Dorne, he takes the time to go and answer that pull. He was gone for a week, two at tops and nothing that Tywin/Doran could do in that time was truly of concern to him as it instead answered the last of his questions, Dorne is his enemy and they are allied with the West, now deal with it, that and Daario's trip to the West which brings up who killed his grandfather/uncle and just as importantly, scouts the land that the battles need to be fought on.

In essence though, had Tywin kept marching, as happened in the original Conquest then just as the Conqueror did, Aemon would be forced to deal with him. That's how the Conquest went, by the way, Aegon launched his initial attacks and the other kingdoms reacted to them and marched to face him leaving him with no other choice but to do likewise. It was the ones who didn't march and didn't face him head on which gave him pause and required a different plan, the very same thing here.

Dunk: Thanks for saying so, the more AU nature of it allows for that I think. The mounting threat is a key part of things, the rising tide so to speak. People seem to think that you can just go straight to the battles before the battle lines have been drawn or that in war people don't take time to consolidate the lands they've won, secure them and take stock before going on with the next part of it. The funny thing is that it's actually all there in the books, we see it with Robb, Tywin, Stannis, and later on with Jon and Dany. It's not constant forward motion, it can't be unless everything falls exactly how you hope it will.

Rhaenys and Dany are both Dragonlords yes, although neither of them and a lot of the others in Essos have ever had the need to actually fight as of yet. The events in Essos are a distraction yes and also the final piece in a jigsaw puzzle as well, which we'll see next. One key thing is that because he's been somewhat forced to go there, it will allow for the truth about Lyanna's overarching plan and Rhaegar's part in it to come out.

You were right about the Darkstar, Aemon would have at the very least hurt him terribly if he was in Volantis when he upset Dany, here he was never letting him live. I do wonder that about Tywin myself, I suppose you can only say he completely overestimated Cersei and underestimated Joffrey. The trip East for Aemon is exactly that kick up the arse and in a way that's the point of it, events in Essos will be somewhat out of his control, in that as much as he may wish to deal with them, what he finds out will send him quickly back to Westeros. This upcoming chapter is pretty much the last setup chapter before things take a big step up, so hopefully, it'll work as intended. In regards to the Faith and Dissension, we'll see the first bits of that next chapter too.

Keb: No, word has been sent to arrange a meeting, but he's not met with them yet.

Xan Merrick: Thanks, my friend. As you see Darkfyre will be staying around for quite some time.

14omega: How he dealt with the Vale, Robert, and Harrenhal's taking were glimpses. Not pursuing a battle in the West that was not on his terms and fought in a place that he had little true information on was another as was his kidnapping of Renly to force Robert's hand and inflame his anger. You could argue that he allowed Tywin/Doran the space to consider an alliance thereby showing him that he truly did have two enemies left to deal with, but that was more circumstance than planning. Strategy-wise, he took the Vale to give him mounted men, took Harrenhal to give him an almost impregnable stronghold, and by showing certain acts of force, the Bloody Gate and the IB at the neck, stealth, capturing Harrenhal easily and will, beating Robert in the trial of seven, it then brought him the North, RL, Stormlands and Reach.

Strategy is about getting your long terms goals, tactics are how you get them.