Yow! I'm on a roll! However, the new semester has started for my online school, so I am afraid that the chapters will not be published as frequently as they have been (had a two week break from school). But anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

Author's Note: Slight lemon ahead. The love scene is not too graphic, but you will know what is going on and let your imagination do the work. Also do remember, the couple may be teenagers, this story takes place in a medieval setting where such couplings were not uncommon.

135 AC - 136 AC

Claw Isle and the Red Keep

Amidst the court intrigue and drama that had been occurring since the ascension of his mother back in 129 AC, Prince Aegon the Younger had a good childhood. Why should it not have been good? Being one of the six children of Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen allowed for the prince to live a life of privilege at the Red Keep. Aegon wore the finest clothes, never missed a meal, had access to the best tutors, was waited on hand and foot, and of course, being a Targaryen, he was a dragonrider. Although he was Rhaenyra's fourth born son, and was low on the ladder of succession thanks to having three older half-brothers and their sons ahead of him, the prince was a magnet for ladies of good breeding who were attracted to both his title and handsome Valyrian looks even though he was already promised to the daughter of the Master of Ships.

But despite the best efforts of these women, whether at the behest of their menfolk or on their own initiative to try and seduce their way into becoming the prince's paramour, Aegon only had eyes for his betrothed, Lady Thea Celtigar, and she only had eyes for him in turn. Ever since the prince and Lady Celtigar had been engaged and first became acquainted in 131 AC, along with their unofficial very first encounter during Rhaenyra's Coronation Tourney in 129 AC, and Aegon and Thea had grown closer with each passing year. They would sit next to each other during events and mealtimes, and they played with the other royal children during the first few years of their relationship. The two were almost always accompanied by Prince Viserys Targaryen and Lady Myrine Darklyn, and Princess Jaehaera Targaryen and her two brothers Jaehaerys and Maelor, and occasionally Princess Visenya Targaryen. During the fleeting days of fall, the children would play tag, hide and seek, and hold mock jousts. Winter kept them mostly confined indoors, but the children did not shy away from snowball fights or making snowmen outside in the castle gardens.

It was during one of those snowball fights in 134 AC, when Rhaenyra and her army were trying to restore peace to the Vale during the Arryn Succession Crisis, that Aegon and Thea had their first kiss. During that snowball fight, Thea was struck full in the face by a snowball that had been thrown by Prince Jaehaerys after she had peered around a column to look for a target. Aegon rushed over to Thea in an instant as the children stood still in shock. Thea had brushed off most of the snow from her face by the time Aegon came over to her and he removed the rest. Aegon's gentle touches on Thea's skin, as well being so close to her, stirred something within the two youths.

Compelled by this force, Aegon and Thea kissed. Surprise, exhilaration, awkwardness, and enjoyment were all felt during that fleeting first kiss. Just as suddenly as it had happened, their lips parted. The two stared at each other wide-eyed as they both tried to process what they had just done. Viserys and Jaehaerys both came to check on Aegon and Thea when they both saw them kissing.

The couple soon took notice of the two boys as they stared at them. Embarrassed at being discovered during an intimate moment, a red-faced Aegon stiffened up and immediately imposed his authority as the oldest boy in the group.

"Ah! Get lost! Both of you!"

The two half-cousins chortled as if they were younger, and they took off back into the snowy garden just as Aegon went after them, crouching down to make a snowball while doing so. A sanguine Thea meanwhile remained planted behind that column trying to finish processing her feelings over the whole thing. At the time, Thea was thirteen while Aegon was going to turn fourteen later that year. Aegon would apologize to Thea later that evening for kissing her, but she told him that he did not need to worry about it. Close friends at first, that kiss brought Aegon and Thea closer together.

Their newfound closeness was put on full display the following year in 135 AC. That year, Thea's older half-brother, Ser Clement Celtigar, married his betrothed, Lady Floris Baratheon. Bartimos wasted no expense on his son's wedding. Banners depicting the sigils and colors of Houses Baratheon and Celtigar were hung about Claw Isle, great numbers of deer were hunted in the nearby forests and scores of fish were netted from the sea to feed the guests, and the cooked flesh of these creatures was to be enjoyed on plates of gold and silver while wine was to be drunk from bejeweled goblets. The bride and groom had the honor of drinking from cups made from costly Volantene glass. The excited Lord of Claw Isle also made sure to invite every prominent lord he knew, even if that acquaintance was tenuous at best.

He sent invitations to not just the nobles of Crackclaw Point, but also the Stormlands, the Vale, and even the North and the Reach! Despite having been estranged from her youngest daughter for little over a year after Maris' plot at the Eyrie, Elenda nevertheless traveled to Crackclaw Point to help Floris with her wedding. Mother and daughter shared a warm embrace after the Lady of Storm's End arrived at House Celtigar's seat with four year old Royce in tow, who was scooped up by his older sister in a big hug too. Borros and Maris were noticeably absent. Migraines and extremely volatile aside, the Lord of Storm's End was slow to forgive his youngest daughter for "abandoning" the family late the previous year.

Maris had written to her youngest sister telling her that she regretfully could not attend the wedding since she did not want to be near any of her parents following her disownment for spearheading Floris' flight. Floris was quite glum after receiving her sister's letter, feeling that the true reason why Maris would not travel to Crackclaw Point was that she regretted having helped Floris. Lady Baratheon was comforted by her mother, who reassured her that Maris did not want to face her own mother, and that she would not have helped Floris if she thought that she would regret it. This cheered Floris up, and she happily prepared for her wedding. Ladies Vaeya Groon, Alyssa Royce, and Beatrice Celtigar helped get Floris ready for her big day alongside the Lady of Storm's End.

The Baratheon-Celtigar wedding was a great source of excitement for Floris's future half-sister-in-law, Lady Thea Celtigar. Clement's wedding allowed for Thea to visit her childhood home for the first time in four years since both she and her mother left for King's Landing. Her heart beat faster when Claw Isle came into view from the sky above as Stormcloud flew over the clouds. Thea excitedly hugged Aegon and inhaled sharply when she saw the familiar island and castle. The prince smiled when he felt his betrothed squeeze him.

Flying ahead of Stormcloud was Vermax, and below the two dragons was a ship that held the groom's stepmother, Thea's mother, Lady Adela Bolling. Baela could not attend this wedding since she was resting after giving birth to her and Jacaerys' third child together, the fruit of their reconciliation following the stillbirth of their nephew, Prince Corwyn Velaryon, late in the previous year. A welcoming party was waiting for the Targaryen's to arrive at both the dock and the beach. Crowds of smallfolk lined the shoreline of the mainland when they saw or heard that dragons had been spotted.

Vermax and Stormcloud's clawed feet sank slightly in the sand after they had landed. The welcoming party that had come to greet the dragons on the beach consisted of House Celtigar and their household, the Baratheon bride and her mother, brother, and handmaids. Walking across the beach as they dismounted, the princes and Thea were greeted by the sight of a young girl bursting through the guards of the welcoming party and running towards Aegon the Younger and Thea. Thea knew exactly who it was even though the girl had changed much since she had last seen her four years earlier. It was her cousin, Beatrice.

Thea let go of Aegon's arm to meet her cousin.

"Thea!"

"Beatrice!"

The two girls embraced. Eight years old when her cousin left, Beatrice was now twelve years old and two inches shorter than the fourteen year old Thea. The two released each other and Beatrice remembered that two Targaryen princes were present. She curtsied to Jacaerys and Aegon.

"Hello, your graces." she said nervously.

The two men responded with greetings, and they were all soon welcomed by the Celtigar's, with Aegon being introduced to his future-in-laws, and the group was escorted to Claw Isle. Thea showed Aegon around her home after they had gotten settled into their rooms with Beatrice and her older brother Dorian following after them. She gave her fiancé a tour of the battlements, courtyard, halls, and even the vaults which held House Celtigar's fabled treasures. Treasures like intricately woven carpets from Myr, chests that were overflowing with gemstones, a magnificent horn which, according to legend, could summon krakens from the deep, and the family's most prized heirloom, a Valyrian Steel axe. Aegon was enthralled by everything he saw in the Celtigar's vaults, and it made him wonder if the family's wealth was close to that or even greater than House Lannister's.

Thea even showed Aegon around Crackclaw Point as they flew around on dragonback or whenever they went out hawking on horseback with the wedding guests. She showed him the local villages and the moss-covered ruins of keeps that were built and destroyed during the Age of the Hundred Kingdoms so many eons ago. Thea also regaled her betrothed about "squishers", a legendary race of creatures from Crackclaw Point that were part-man and part-fish who would kidnap naughty children and take them to their lairs. She added the gruesome detail on how squishers would devour the boys and keep the girls alive to serve as their mates. While most fairy tales have a frightening and often times bloody aspect to them, Aegon found squishers to be a little more terrifying than the average fairy tale, and he hoped that Thea would never scare any future child of theirs with stories about those creatures.

But while squishers were a mythical threat, Aegon encountered a possible real-life threat in his fiancée's cousin, Ser Dorian Celtigar. He was a year older than the prince and two years older than Thea. Plans were being made to marry Dorian to Thea until Queen Rhaenyra created the betrothal between her and Aegon. Dorian cared very deeply for his cousin, and he acted passive-aggressively with his uncle's future son-in-law. He all but crushed the prince's hand when they shook hands shortly after the Targaryen's arrived for the wedding, and Dorian acted coldly towards the prince and glared at him on occasion.

Ser Celtigar put his latent hostility towards Aegon on full display one afternoon in Claw Isle's training yard. Dorian was sparring with one of Lady Floris's maternal cousins in the training yard that day as his older brother, Arthor, and Aegon watched. Dorian had been knighted earlier that year on his sixteenth nameday by his foster father from House Sunglass of Sweetport Sound, and from what Aegon was seeing so far, his future cousin-in-law was a skilled swordsman. Lean and strong, Dorian's most notable skills were his speed and reflexes. He parried, outmaneuvered, and deftly struck his opponent with amazing grace and swiftness.

Despite the Caron man's best efforts, Dorian knocked him down and defeated him, and he pointed his wooden practice sword at him. Savoring his victory for a brief moment, Dorian, being a good sport, helped his fallen opponent back up onto his feet. Aegon was impressed by this and he clapped.

"Very good, Ser Dorian! Very good!"

Dorian turned to face Aegon. He was a handsome man with sharp features. Thanks to his Lyseni mother and Valyrian ancestry, Dorian had silver-gold hair and pale blue eyes. The corners of his mouth rose slightly up and he muttered "Thank you".

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Aegon asked.

"The man-at-arms at Sweetport Sound was a former water dancer back in Braavos. He incorporated his skills with the traditional swordplay of Westeros."

"I have heard of water dancers." Aegon said. "My father said that he had dueled with some of them during his youth. He was amazed by their mesmerizing movements and speed."

"How nice." Dorian said. A smirk then appeared on his face. "Would you like to spar with me, your grace?"

Aegon's eyes widened and he blinked rapidly. Despite his faithful dedication to swordplay practice, Aegon and his brother could never bulk up their lean physiques, and they envied the strong and muscular builds of Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey. Daemon had pitted his sons against squires in hopes of gradually building their strength so that they could later match the prowess of their older half-brothers. Thankfully, the two brothers began to grow stronger, but not as powerful as their half-brothers. However, Dorian was the first opponent whom Aegon had faced who was older than him.

His previous sparring partners were either younger than him like Viserys, Percival Wylde and Aubert Beesbury or around the same age like the boys who squired for some of the Queensguard knights. The prince was nervous, and he balled his hands into fists as if that would keep his courage contained. However, a flicker of confidence manifested within Aegon, and he wanted to prove himself to Dorian. What did he have to lose?

"Certainly." replied Aegon. Dorian's fallen Caron foe handed the prince his training sword. The two boys took up their positions in the yard as many eyes began to follow them. Dorian leered at Aegon and he began to walk around in a circle.

He walked with a confident swagger and held his sword in one hand. Dorian's head was lowered and his blue eyes glared icily at Aegon.

"Look at him. Son of the Rogue Prince and he holds his sword with both hands; he's so lean too. Pathetic. Thea would not be safe with him whenever his dragon is not around."

A devilish smile formed on Ser Celtigar's face.

"I should rough him up a little. Make a man out of him before their wedding."

Dorian then charged at Aegon without warning. The prince blocked the first blow and he stood his ground. Ser Celtigar lifted up his blade to make a quick swing towards Aegon's left side. He moved away from the strike just in the nick of time, but Dorian was not done with his assault, and he advanced towards Aegon. Dorian swung and thrusted his wooden sword at Aegon, who did his best to repel and keep up with Lord Adrianus's youngest son.

The man's aggression concerned his older brother, and Arthor carefully observed the duel between Dorian and Aegon. At some point, Ser Celtigar struck the prince's sword so hard that it was knocked out of his hand. When Aegon looked up from his fallen sword, he saw that Dorian was pointing the oaken tip of his right at his face. Purple eyes met with blue ones as the two young men looked at each other. Aegon shivered when he saw the intensity in Dorian's eyes.

Displeasure, disappointment, and contempt burned behind those blue irises and Dorian had an evident frown on his face.

"Milksop." Dorian said under his breath.

Aegon could not hear what he said for Arthor had rushed to him to see if he was alright. Dorian turned to leave as the prince reassured Arthor that he was fine.

"He is as skinny as my sister, but she would make a better fighter than him." said Dorian to a guard as he walked back to his chambers. Dorian's aggressiveness unnerved Aegon, but Thea brushed off his uneasiness about her cousin when he brought up with her.

"Dorian has always been hot-headed and sometimes gets carried away when he has a sword in his hand. He has been rough with his brother and Clement before whenever they sparred in the training yard. My cousin did not mean to hurt you, Aegon."

The prince begged to defer, but he did not want to argue with Thea. Aegon would face more drama the day after Clement and Floris' wedding. As the guests were preparing to follow the newlyweds out for a day of hawking, Lord Bartimos called out to Aegon.

"My lord, come with me. There is something that I need to speak with you about."

Aegon and Thea shared bemused looks with each other before they both looked back at Bartimos.

"Is something the matter, Bartimos?" Aegon asked.

Lord Celtigar seemed to have an air of tension about him and his demeanor looked rigid. He remained as cordial as ever though.

"Please your grace. It concerns something that Dorian says he overheard earlier this morning. Come with me."

"What is going on, papa?" asked Thea from her horse. "How long will you have to speak with Aegon for? The hawking party is leaving now..."

"He will catch up with you, sweetling. I promise that I will not take up too much of his time."

"It will be fine, Thea." Aegon said as he reached out to touch his betrothed's hand as it gripped the reins of her horse. "It is like what your father has said. I will catch up with you later. I promise."

Thea nodded her head and sighed. "Very well then." she said. As the hawking party departed for an expedition on the mainland, Bartimos led Aegon to a secluded hallway. Lord Adrianus and his two sons awaited Bartimos and Aegon when they arrived. Clement was not present since he was accompanying his wife on the hawking excursion too.

"What, what is this?" Aegon said when he saw Thea's uncle and two cousins. He felt uneasy when he saw how stern the three men looked.

"Is it true?" spoke Dorian, who had his arms crossed as he shot dagger eyes at Aegon.

"Is what true?"

Dorian was about to speak when his father stopped him.

"Dorian, please. Let me do it." Adrianus said to restrain his youngest son, who looked disappointed and all but slumped himself against the wall trying not to pout.

"To make a long story short, my lord," began Adrianus, "one of the guests having been claiming that they saw a serving girl leave your chambers earlier this morning at sunrise. Is this true?"

Aegon's eyes became as large walnuts and his jaw dropped when he heard of the accusation against him.

"What?! What!" he babbled, but his anger caused the following words to flow clearly. "Who told you that? I would never do such a thing! I love Thea!"

It was the first time Aegon had ever said that he loved his betrothed out loud. He clammed up and clenched his fists as the feelings of hurt and fury coursed through him.

"Is it true?" snarled Dorian.

"No." growled Aegon. The Celtigar men exchanged glances. Aegon's reaction to the accusation made it appear that he was being truthful. But how could they be so sure?

"Again, who told you that a serving girl was in my room with me?" demanded the prince.

"I am sorry about this, your grace." Bartimos said carefully in an apologetic voice. "However, neither of us can say who made the accusation. Dorian said that he overheard the servants talking about it earlier."

Suspicion immediately flared up in Aegon, and he turned to look at Dorian, as did Bartimos and his brother and other nephew. Dorian remained calm and composed.

"What? It is true. I heard some servants talking about it when I was walking over to the great hall after getting dressed. They overheard that guest, not me."

"Son." Adrianus said as he laid a fatherly hand on his son's shoulder. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course, I am!" Dorian said in a raised voice. "Do you think that I conjured that rumor up myself?!"

"You have been acting very hostile towards Prince Aegon since he got here." Arthor said, causing his younger brother to glare at him fiercely.

"I would never slander him, Arthor!" an angry Dorian hissed. "I dream of joining his mother's Queensguard when the time comes. Why would I want to jeopardize that?"

"Then who do you think concocted this rumor then, Dorian? You were the one who heard of it first." asked the Lord of Claw Isle.

"Could be anyone, Uncle Bartimos." responded Dorian. "Have you seen the way the male guests look at Thea when she enters a room? Most of them, especially Lords Brune and Peasebury, gawk at her and glare at Prince Aegon. One of them may have made up the tale to defame you, your grace.

Seven hells, the female guests follow Aegon's every move while they give Thea envious looks. One of them could have started the rumor to hurt Thea, and I would bet anything that it was Lady Lucinda Penrose who did it. You should all see how hateful her expression becomes when she sees Thea with Aegon. But it could go either way."

Dorian's father, brother, uncle, and future cousin-in-law all exchanged glances upon hearing of the attention that both their dear Thea and Aegon was getting. Unable to come to any conclusion about the scandalous rumor, the Celtigar's decided to drop the matter and let Aegon go. However, the men became a little more wary about the guests when Aegon and Thea were together during the last days of the wedding celebrations. Lady Celtigar was deeply shocked when she learned from the prince himself why he was being held back at Claw Isle. Aegon reassured her, being careful to not say that he believed that Dorian may have had something to do with the rumor, and he told her that he loved her and would never do such a thing, a declaration that earned the prince a kiss by his grateful betrothed.

The couple left Crackclaw Point on a happy note and were closer than ever. 135 AC marched on and eventually changed over into 136 AC. That year not only saw Aegon and Thea's wedding, but also the return of spring. Seven days after the long winter had finally ended, the fourth born son of Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen married the only daughter of the Lord of Claw Isle and Master of Ships. The prince and his bride were wed at the grand sept on Visenya's Hill in King's Landing.

The wedding ceremony was a splendid affair that celebrated both the Celtigar-Targaryen marriage and the beginning of spring. The wedding also showcased the post-Conquest unification of the three surviving families of Old Valyria. Bartimos wore his family's prized Valyrian Steel axe on his belt when he walked his darling only daughter down the aisle to her waiting prince. Both the bride and groom looked lovely. Aegon wore a raiment of sable and crimson cloth with gold trim and a simple circlet of solid gold on his head, while Thea wore a cream white gown with silver accents and a silver circlet that was studded with rubies to represent the red crabs of her family's heraldry.

She also wore the wedding cloak that bore House Celtigar's coat-of-arms: red crabs on a white field. That same cloak had been draped over the shoulders of Thea's mother and paternal grandmother and one of her great-grandmothers when they took up the title of "Lady Celtigar." But this time, the red crabs would be replaced by a red dragon. After arriving at the altar, Bartimos carefully removed his daughter's wedding cloak, and Aegon the Younger draped the one that bore his family's heraldry over Thea's shoulders. The two made a striking couple there at the altar.

By that year in 136 AC, Aegon and Thea had grown and matured both physically and mentally. Aegon was considered to be quite tall when he was ten years old, and he grew even taller as he reached adolescence, his height now at age fifteen (turning sixteen on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth moon) threatened to overtake his father's. Other than growth spurts, Aegon's dark purple eyes had become shaded to the point that they were nearly black, which contrasted sharply with his silvery white hair. Many considered the prince to be quite handsome. Thea had in turn grown into an attractive woman.

Beautiful as a child, Thea's journey through adolescence had resulted in her blossoming into a truly alluring young lady at fifteen years of age. She was three inches shorter than Aegon, and her hair and eye color developed oppositely in comparison to his. Thea's curly hair became more light gold than silver-gold, and her lilac eyes lightened until they had a watercolor tint to them. The fair Lady Celtigar also had a healthier build in comparison to her groom's lean frame. The couple's parents speculated that Aegon and Thea would make beautiful children together: princes that maidens would fawn over, and princesses who would be crowned as Queen of Love and Beauty, although Bartimos was more looking forward to having grandchildren whose bloodlines could be tied to Houses Celtigar, Targaryen, and Velaryon through one marriage.

This marriage also, unintentionally, served to heal an old wound from the past. Eighty-nine years ago in 47 AC, Thea's great-great-grandmother was forced to walk down the aisle along with her two fellow Black Brides, Queens Jeyne Westerling and Rhaena Targaryen, to marry King Maegor I Targaryen. Queen Elinor Costayne would survive her year long second marriage alongside her co-wife Rhaena, but it would be a bloody and nightmarish one. Legend has it that Elinor scratched Maegor's back into a bloody mess when they consummated their union. She was the third and last of the king's six wives to become pregnant by him, but just like two of her unfortunate co-wives, Elinor gave birth to a monstrously deformed stillborn child, condemning Maegor's line to extinction.

Queen Elinor was also the first to discover her violent second husband's lifeless body on the Iron Throne the morning after he had taken his own life in 48 AC. Some contemporaries even suspected the Black Bride herself of murdering Maegor to avenge her first husband, Ser Theo Bolling, who was falsely charged with treason, found guilty, and executed all in one day by the very king whom he had served so faithfully until then just so Maegor could claim the man's widow as his new queen since she had given Theo three sons by the time she turned nine and ten! No trial ever came about since the realm was so relieved to finally be free of King Maegor's bloody tyranny. The twice widowed queen later found peace through religion, and she spent the rest of her days as the matriarch of a convent in Lannisport going by the name "Mother Elinor". Fast-forwarding back to 136 AC, the dragon prince whom the long dead Mother Elinor's great-great-granddaughter was now marrying was a kind and courteous gentleman, the total opposite of Maegor the Cruel.

As the ceremony began, Aegon leaned his head towards Thea and whispered, "You look beautiful," to which his bride blushed and mumbled a sweet "Thank you." They spoke their parts clearly and loudly when prompted by the septon, with Aegon saying that he would take Thea as his lady and wife, and Thea saying that she would take Aegon as her lord and husband. Afterwards, the bride and groom kissed each other in public for the first time. Twelve year old Lady Myrine Darklyn was happy for her friend, but inside she became deeply nervous. She was due to marry Prince Viserys Targaryen in two years time and yet she was already dreading the nuptials.

"Will our kiss be like Aegon and Thea's?"

"Will I be as pretty as Thea when I become a bride?"

"Will Viserys be gentle when it comes time to consummate our marriage?"

Myrine squeezed her hands together to try and ease her nervousness, and she was able to find some distraction as everyone participated in the closing prayer, but her worries lingered nevertheless in the back of her mind. Ser Dorian Celtigar, meanwhile, observed his cousin kissing her husband with a jealous fury burning inside of him. The rest of his family watched in quiet happiness, with both the Lord and Lady of Claw Isle and Dorian's mother and sister having tears in their eyes. When the bride and groom exited the sept, Stormcloud let out an apparent congratulatory roar and flew around Visenya's Hill with the other dragons. Food and dancing followed soon after the wedding of Prince Aegon Targaryen and Lady Thea Celtigar had ended. Aegon got to meet the members of his wife's extended family from both Houses Bolling and Rosby, the presence of the latter eliciting awkwardness between Bartimos and the queen since he had left out the fact that his daughter's biological maternal grandmother was born a Rosby herself when he had promoted Thea as a potential wife for Aegon six years earlier on New Year's Eve 130 AC.

But regardless, this revelation did not change the feelings between the newlyweds. They grinned as they cut their wedding pie together to let the birds encased within fly out. They looked happy as they drank the best wines and supped on rich foods, one of which being Thea's favorite, boiled turbot smothered with a spiced cream sauce, a dish that the bride was more than happy to share with her groom. She offered a delectable morsel to him with her spoon, and Aegon was quite pleased with it. The two danced together with the other guests, watched the entertainers who had been hired to perform at the feast, and point out the antics of their relatives at the other tables.

Antics like Thea's half-uncle, Ser Minos Bolling, taking part in an impromptu drinking contest with Bartimos and Alyn of Hull, now Lord Alyn Velaryon, and it appeared that Minos was winning. The Velaryon Princes and their wives, even the proper Rhaena and Nell, were laughing uproariously at a raunchy joke that had been made by Mushroom. Adrianus was eyeing the serving girl who was refilling his goblet with Arbor Red as his lady wife, Vaeya, did her furious best to ignore it. Dorian appeared to be stuffing his face with bacon wrapped roast pheasant as his brother and sister looked on with concern. Daemon watched as his niece-queen wiped the lips of their seven year old daughter, Princess Visenya Targaryen, with a cloth after she had eaten something greasy.

Thea was in awe of her young sister-in-law's demeanor as she appeared so poised, mature, and dignified even though she was under the age of ten. Visenya's silvery hair shimmered with gold in the light of the torches and candles as faint flashes of lavender could be seen coming from her eyes. She also had pale, unblemished skin. Thea believed that there wasn't a girl in all of the Seven Kingdoms who was lovelier than Visenya, and she hoped to have a daughter who would resemble her aunt one day. Perhaps that daughter would be conceived on her parents wedding night?

Before long, it was time for the bedding ritual to commence. Clement, Arthor, and Dorian took their places to oversee Thea's disrobement by the male guests to make sure that none of the men got too "bold" with the bride. Rhaenyra I and twins Baela and Rhaena in turn kept an eye on the female guests to make sure that all they touched was Aegon's clothes. Dirty jokes were drunkenly said along with tips on what to do in the bedroom. As the bedding was underway, an inebriated Bartimos made the following statement:

"Careful where your hands wander, my lords. I have an axe and I am not afraid to use it."

Fortunately for the male wedding guests, Bartimos was so drunk at the time that he could barely hold a knife in his hands let alone a hefty battle-axe. The man even let out a rather loud burp after he had spoken, which embarrassed his wife and family while others laughed. After Aegon and Thea were stripped down to their shifts, they were both carried up to their bedchamber to initiate the consummation of their marriage. The journey to the bedchamber seemed to take longer than usual for the newlywed's but to their escort, they arrived right on time. Aegon and Thea were deposited upon their marital bed by the guests, who then retreated from the room and closed the door behind them as they offered more suggestions and words of encouragement.

Aegon and Thea were finally alone in their bedchamber, but they were sure that, despite the overall silence and the gradually fading noise of the raucous wedding guests, there were a few people still waiting outside of the door hoping to hear them consummate their marriage. The two looked over the foot of their bed to see if there were any shadows beneath the door; there were none, but that did not mean that there was not anyone outside hoping to get an "earful" of what was to come. Nervous about their privacy being invaded was one thing, actually initiating the consummation was another. The bride and groom had never seen each other in their smallclothes before let alone naked, but here they were. Aegon and Thea turned to face each other.

The consummation began slowly as the couple figured out what to do together and it gradually built up steam. It started off first with gentle touches, with Aegon's hand on his wife's left bicep and Thea's hand on her husband's right side; feeling soft linen beneath fingertips aroused curiosity about the soft skin that laid beneath the fabric. Fingers reached up to pinch hems and pull them down as the couple explored each other's bodies. Breathing grew heavier as intimate flesh became bare.

Sense of touch and taste became amplified as primal instincts within the young newlywed's began to overwhelm them. There was groping, fondling, kissing, and caressing as the foreplay ended and the lovemaking commenced. It was only a matter of time before both Aegon and Thea were as naked as the day they were born. Curiosity moved south, and when Aegon moved down his wife's body, he encountered her erect, closed legs. He rose up and grasped both her kneecaps, only parting them when he got a nod from Thea that it was alright for her husband to do so.

Clasping their hands together, the couple consummated their marriage, and officially became, not only man and wife, but also adults that night. Friends as children, now husband and wife, it was without a doubt that Prince Aegon the Younger and Lady Thea Celtigar were made for each other. After all was said and done, the two fell asleep happy and content in a warm embrace. Spring had signaled not just a new beginning for Westeros, but also one for the prince and his Princess of Claw Isle.

This is my second attempt at writing an erotic scene. My first was in the original pre-rewrite publication of RotDQ. The next chapter will go into more detail about what has been going on with the Black Targaryen's and other characters.

1. Lady Lucinda Penrose is canon historical character. She was one of the suspects who were accused of trying to poison King Aegon III Targaryen and Queen Daenaera Velaryon during the former's regency. Lucinda was originally a candidate for the Maiden's Day Ball until her nose was slit under the (rumored) orders of Lord Unwin Peake. Lucinda stated that she was jealous that Daenaera had married the king, believing that if she had not been mutilated, then Aegon would have chosen her to be his new queen, and Lady Velaryon would be her companion instead.