Disclaimer: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire.

The Second Dance II

"Talking"

"Thinking"

Aegon

He found Summerhall to be quite beautiful, akin to the Red Keep without the secret passageways and the stink of the city. Jon was waiting for them when they rode in, with his daughter by his side. The second Aegon and Rhaenys dismounted, he was there to greet them. "Brother, sister, welcome to Summerhall," he said.

"It's good to see you, Jon," Rhaenys said with an easy smile. "You've been missed at court." When she looked down at his daughter, the smile turned much warmer, which made her look all the more radiant. "And this cannot be my niece! Little Daena, is that you?"

The youngest Targaryen pouted. "Not so little now, Aunt Rhae," she proclaimed. "I'm seven now!"

"You most certainly are. And I hear your nameday was only a few days ago." She looked speculatively as the rest of their guards rode through the gate. "I believe we brought a gift but for the life of me, I just can't remember where I put it…"

Aegon rolled his eyes at her antics, just as Jon did. When they noticed the other's action, they smiled in the shared moment. Daena couldn't care about what her father and uncle were doing. She was too focused on what could be. "A gift? What? What? What is it?" she asked, all but bouncing in place. Ser Barristan and Ser Oswell were very amused by the sight, just like Ser Jaime.

"Your gift can wait, pup," Jon told her. She swung towards him and pouted. He held firm. "At dinner. For now, you've got lessons to get to." She lost the pout and quickly raced out of the courtyard.

Aegon waited until he heard a door close before looking at his brother. "That's probably the first time I've seen a child eager for her lessons with the maester," he remarked.

"Those are after lunch. Right now, she's got weapons training. She's learning how to fight with a spear from your cousin, Obara." He turned and gestured for the servants to come forward. Each carried trays of bread and salt, offering some to the guests.

It was an action that required no thought, which was good for Aegon and Rhaenys. They were still surprised by the fact Obara Sand was here, in Summerhall. They both knew the relationship she had with their brother was odd. While Aegon might've heard how Jon called Obara a craven when Euron Greyjoy attacked Oldtown, Rhaenys had been there. The first of the Sand Snakes had advocated the royal family be evacuated while there was still time, leaving Oldtown to burn. Then Jon asked the fatal question, and she slammed him into the wall in response. Rhaenys could still remember the fury in her cousin's eyes.

But, as strange as it might be, the question galvanized Obara into changing her mind and aiding the defenses. Which also added to the confusion: during the battle, Jon had fought side-by-side with Obara, even saving her life. Obara never talked about it. Aegon always thought she didn't want to remember how she was taunted and then saved by Lyanna Stark's son.

Aegon and Rhaenys insisted on a tour of the castle. This was their first time in Summerhall, and they wanted to see it. Their brother obliged and the first place they went to was the training yard. Daena was already there, a training spear in hand. And so was Obara, watching with a stern expression. When she spoke, Daena listened.

It was a sight that amazed them. "How did you managed to get Obara to come?" Rhaenys asked Jon. "I thought Obara hated you."

"I sent a raven, asking her to come, and explained my reasoning when she arrived," he answered, keeping his eyes on his daughter. "Daena's been asking to learn how to fight, to be a spearwife like her mother. So, if she wanted to learn the spear, she was going to be taught by the best spear fighter I knew. Obara liked the challenge and agreed to teach her. She doesn't quite hate me, but we stay civil for Daena's sake."

The reasoning was sound, but Aegon saw a flaw in it. "Why didn't you ask Uncle Oberyn to train her? He would've loved the chance to teach someone new," he reasoned. Rhaenys nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

Jon didn't answer, keeping his eyes on the yard before. Aegon could guess why. Even though they had never met, there had been plenty of rumors that the Red Viper despised him for his mother's actions. It was utter nonsense, of course. Oberyn loved his family. But Jon believed them and stayed away from him.

There were others down below. Many of them were wildings, much to Aegon's surprise. He had heard how some of them accepted Jon's invitation to come and establish themselves at Summerhall. He had thought it was only a few families. The men and women training in the yard were certainly more than a few families. This looked like the beginnings of an army.

"Who's that?" Rhaenys asked, pointing at the far end where a tall woman was hacking away at a training dummy. "That's not a wilding." Her armor was of a better quality than the wildings, well-kept too. That alone set her apart.

Jon followed her finger and smiled. "That would be Brienne Tarth. Ser Jaime, best attend to your student, before she gets propositioned again," he jested.

Ser Jaime frowned. "Like I'll let that fucking happen. Those idiots never learn." He quickly descended to the yard and approached Brienne. Within seconds they were sparring.

Rhaenys watched with her usual intense look. It was the perfect mix of their parents and something Aegon always found attractive. "What's the only daughter of Lord Tarth doing here?" she asked.

"She was at Storm's End when we came to pay our respects to Lord Stannis," Jon said. "Daena saw her being mocked in the yard and defended her, with a wooden blade and her words. Drew enough my attention and Lord Baratheon's. Afterwards, Lady Brienne felt indebted to Daena and offered to be her sworn sword. I agreed, once Ser Jaime was satisfied."

"And is he?"

"According to him, he won't be satisfied until he knows she can stand against the best of the Kingsguard and hold her own without embarrassing her or him. I'm starting to think his final test will be to have her challenge Ser Arthur."

"Now that, I'll love to see," Ser Oswell remarked. "Maybe Arthur will finally have a challenge." It was treated as a jape, but Aegon noticed how the Kingsguard were watching the two below.

The tour continued after that. Summerhall had meant to be a royal residence, a place where members of House Targaryen could go and relax. There was still an air of that, but Jon had spent the last three years turning it into a proper castle. He showed the hall, the library, the maester's chambers, the armory, the kitchens, and many more with a creator's pride.

It wasn't just the castle he had built upon. A town laid outside the castle, a proper town instead of something that just sprouted up. It housed many of his smallfolk as well as the wildings who joined him. People had started calling it Summertown and the name stuck. When asked why he didn't change it, Jon admitted it reminded him a little of Winterfell.

Seeing Jon happy and proud of what he was doing with his lands, it sat well on him. And it made him all the more attractive to Aegon. For the longest time, he didn't think much of his brother. When they had been children, they didn't interact with each other much. Father was determined to have Aegon by his side, so he could learn what it was to be a king. When the Blackfyres rose up again, with the Golden Company and Robert Baratheon backing them, Aegon went with his father to war.

Yet in spite of the favoritism, Aegon always knew his father loved his second son. They returned from the brief war, flushed with victory, riches from the Golden Company's coffers, and the recovered Blackfyre sword. Yet the second he heard Oldtown had been attacked by the Ironborn, that the queens and their children, who were sent there for protection, had been attacked, that Jon had been injured in the battle, Rhaegar Targaryen took to his horse and all but raced across Westeros.

Aegon could've felt jealous about his decision. In fact, he was jealous. He had followed his father to war, served as his page, but he raced towards Oldtown to his second son, who covered himself in glory by fighting off the Ironborn and then supposedly dueling Euron Crow's Eye atop the Hightower. Yet, when they reached Oldtown and Aegon saw Jon in that bed, all he could see was how small his little brother looked. How could he be jealous of him when that so-called duel nearly cost him his life?

Rhaenys told him about how Jon appeared at their door, bloodied but still standing. It was only when he saw they were all alive and well, he smiled and then collapsed. It had been one of the scariest moments in Rhaenys's life. While Aegon and their father rode for Oldtown, she stayed by Jon's side. She hoped that he would wake up but there was also the fear he would die. It was a fear Aegon that didn't know he shared until they talked. Even though they hadn't been close, he was glad his little brother was still alive.

Then Jon was sent to foster and Aegon stayed in the south. He grew up, became a man, learned how to love, found what he liked, and understood that his sister was his partner in everything that could be. When Jon returned to court, it was shocking to see him as a man, even more as a father. But he had turned into a handsome man and Aegon started wondering what it would be like to have him in bed. A thought he shared with Rhaenys.

Three years later and Jon had become even handsomer. Fatherhood agreed with him, yet he still trained in the yard, keeping up his skills. That afternoon when he held court, he listened to all his partitioners. He spoke with care and passed out judgements that didn't allow any questions. More than that, they could see how the smallfolk loved him. Whenever they were asked about their work, their eyes would brighten, proud to explain their livelihood so he could understand it better.

It was good and all, but they didn't know how he behaved to his fellow nobles. As far as Aegon could tell, none had visited Summerhall, and the closest Jon had to a fostering was the Lady Brienne. If this was deliberate on Jon's part, he needed to fix it. Alienating nobles was a sure way of losing allies. And allies were needed at this time.


They had a private dinner that night. Aegon and Rhaenys had wanted to talk about the realm, but Jon insisted on no business at the dinner table. It was a rule they could follow. It just meant they would talk afterwards.

Daena was given her gift when all the food had been eaten: her very own dragon egg. And she had been…disappointed. It was probably the first time Aegon had ever seen a one of their house disappointed by a dragon egg. The little princess was polite, but it was clear that she wasn't happy with the gift.

After Daena was sent to bed and the siblings gathered in Jon's private room, Rhaenys spoke first. "Your daughter looked at her gift like I gave her a stone." She wasn't accusing Jon, not exactly. It was more of a question.

Jon smiled. "Daena was hoping for a new doll, saddle, or her own weapon. She gave the egg the attention she thought it deserved." Which clearly wasn't much. He was slightly more interested. "Was that egg recovered from the Golden Company?"

"No, it's from the new batch from Dragonstone," Aegon told him. Even though he leaned against the fireplace, he couldn't take his eyes off his siblings. Rhaenys had dressed for seduction, wearing her dressing robe that could be pulled open with a simple motion. Jon had stripped down to his shirt and leggings, completely relaxed in his seat. It showed his muscles quite well, and the firelight helped.

"Winterfell did hear about that before I came south," he mused. "Viserys must be proud of his accomplishment." Aegon snorted at that, a sound echoed by Rhaenys. "What?"

"Viserys might be claiming he brought the dragons back, and the realm might believe him, but he only could've done it with Daenerys's help," Rhaenys declared. "She's the one who brought back the dragons. She's the one who's in charge of Dragonstone."

"Makes them a little unbearable, really," Aegon said, half to himself. He might be the Prince of Dragonstone, but every time he went there, his aunt and uncle seemed to think he was always intruding. "I'm honestly surprised they hadn't married one another yet. They're the only ones who can put up with the other."

"That's a harsh thing to say, Aegon," Jon said. "They're family."

"Say that after you've lived with them."

"I have." The words were quiet, barely a sentence. Yet it struck Aegon at just how separated Jon had been as a child. His closest companions had been Daenerys and Viserys, before Oldtown. In fact, Aegon had heard rumors Rhaegar was planning on having Jon marry Daenerys.

Well, nothing came of that since Jon swore never to remarry. It did make him wonder how his little brother was holding up to that. "I imagine once they heard you had settled in, nobles came flocking to your door with their daughters and sisters."

Jon groaned and chuckled at the same time, making for an amusing sound. "It had certainly started off so. I really would've thought they'd understand I'm not going to marry again. Thankfully, it petered out after the first twenty lords."

Only twenty? That sounded deliberate. "What did you do?" Rhaenys asked. She was interested to hear the answer, thinking it must've been some mischief. "Have your daughter go after any would-be bride?"

"No, my little Twinflame didn't need that kind of encouragement. It was my staff, actually. There was always something that needed my attention, a choice to be made, an order given, things like that. By the time I could actually had time to talk to the visiting lord, he had taken the hint and left."

Aegon sniggered at those words since they painted a funny picture. "Your steward didn't do anything to stop these movements by your staff?"

"He was leading it, him and the maester."

They all shared a laugh at that. But despite the laughter, it was another way Aegon knew Jon's people loved him. If they knew his decision to not remarry, they were certainly doing what they could to ensure it didn't happen.

"The king has heard reports of your rule here, Jon," Rhaenys remarked. She leaned across the couch, stretching out her hand until it rested on his arm. "He has found you've done well. Although, there have been some incidents that have raised questions."

"Like when the Lords Buckler and Meadows came to you in regard to their sons," Aegon added, knowing what his sister was thinking. He had been at the council meeting when the king got word. It should've been a chance for Jon to show how he handled a dispute between nobles. What he had done surprised everyone.

"I don't know why they came to me in the first place," Jon told Rhaenys. "Each of their sons claimed the other committed a crime against him, with weapons involved and blood almost being spilt. They should've gone to Lord Stannis."

Aegon shared a look with Rhaenys. Did their brother truly not see it? "Perhaps they believed that as a prince of the blood, you held a higher authority," Aegon suggested.

He snorted to that. "Or they were just too afraid of how Lord Stannis would judge the dispute. Regardless, I might be a prince of the blood, but this is still the Stormlands, and their Lord Paramount is Lord Baratheon. They had no business coming to me." He took a sip of his ale while he watched the fire, or Aegon. "Of course, the other reason stood so large, I couldn't ignore it."

"Other reason?" he asked, trying to be innocent.

Jon didn't buy it. "Lord Buckler is close to the Crownlands, close enough to be friends with the lords there and hear the news at court. He's well enough known amongst the Blacks to be counted as one of them. And Lord Meadows is directly sworn to House Tyrell, which means he can be counted amongst the Reds, since Margaery married Lucerys." His grey eyes didn't quite judge as they looked at his siblings but there was a hint of it. "They were sent to see where my loyalties would fall."

So he did know. "And where do they fall, brother?" Rhaenys asked.

"To the crown and the realm." His eyes were still looking, still possibly judging. Aegon found he liked the look on him. "When I was told a faction had formed at court in my favor, I thought it ridiculous. All they got from me was to obey and support the king." It was a short declaration yet filled with conviction. Conviction looked good on their little brother.

Jon spoke again before either of them could. "And I hear congratulations are in order for you both. How are your lives as husband and wife?"

Rhaenys gave him a smile full of desire and promise. "Everything we could've wanted and more. It was only proper that I marry my brother." He looked her way and those eyes bore into her soul. "You think otherwise?" she asked, rising to his silent challenge.

"Of what happened to Margaery Tyrell, yes." His eyes moved onto Aegon, all but pinning him against the fireplace. "She was to be your betrothed, brother. I could guess you and Rhaenys shared her, but to dispose of her so was unkind."

Aegon had heard those words before. His brother's were no different. He treated them as he treated the others. "Margaery wanted the Iron Throne more than she wanted me or Rhaenys. The Tyrells proved that when they married her to Lucerys." He returned the look with his own. "Or when they invited you and Daena on a tour of the Reach. I'm sure they offered you Margaery's hand at some point."

It was a slight accusation, but Jon didn't raise to it. "They did. I refused them all the same."

"And how soon after do you wonder they sought out Lucerys?"

He didn't have an answer to that. The news of Margaery Tyrell marrying his younger half-brother traveled fast across Westeros. Just like the news of Aegon's marriage to Rhaenys. But while the singers charmed maidens with songs of love, he saw how this could affect the realm. "I'm sure the king had other prospects for you, brother, and you as well, Rhaenys."

"He did," Rhaenys agreed. "He wanted me to marry Edmure Tully and bind Riverrun to the crown. But I have no desire for that boorish fish, now or ever." And he had wanted Aegon to marry Lord Baratheon's daughter. The girl was much too like her father for his taste. Too stern, not enough time for life's joys.

"It would've secured the realm and kept the peace."

She laughed at that. Aegon always liked her laugh. "We have dragons again. That alone will secure the peace. Once our dragons were old enough to be ridden, we married. Our father might disprove but Aegon is his heir, and we were fulfilling our family's traditions. He had no reason to argue."

"And given more fuel for the Reds," he retorted. "Cersei's children have dragons too, if I heard the news right."

He had heard it right. Viserys and Daenerys allowed Lucreys and the twins to choose their dragons, but the dragons stayed on Dragonstone until their riders were old enough. Aegon had no doubts there was a divide between the Blacks and the Reds. But he held confidence that when he was king, the realm would answer his call to keep Cersei and her father in place if they tried anything.

So, he chose not to think about it, not tonight at least. "Why haven't you gone to Dragonstone to get your own dragon, Jon?" he asked. Once Daenerys brought back the dragons, practically all the Targaryens in Westeros came to Dragonstone to receive one. Daenerys must've loved being treated like a queen, even by the king.

He shrugged. "It's not a pressing issue. Besides, I already have Ghost." The direwolf was sleeping behind them, close to the bed.

The two of them had been together throughout the day, comfortable enough in the other's presence. Aegon knew that feeling, he felt it with Blaze, and he knew Rhaenys had the same with Seamist. "Still, there's nothing like riding a dragon with the wind. You're missing a rare joy, brother."

"You're missing a lot of things while you stay here," Rhaenys said as she rose from the couch. She walked around Jon, her fingers tracing across his skin. "You must feel so lonely here, without anyone to understand you."

Aegon approached him. "But we do," he said, letting heat coat his words. "We know you promised never to marry again, Jon, but that doesn't mean you don't have eyes. And we know you've been watching us."

"If you wanted something," she said from behind him, her voice whispering behind his neck, "all you'd have to do was ask. I might've married my brother, but I don't mind sharing."

"And I don't mind sharing my sister," Aegon added. He knelt before his brother. "It's okay to want this. It's natural." He leaned in, ready to kiss those lips.

"I'm going to assume the both of you are drunk and not thinking clearly."

The words were colder than winter and made them both freeze. Their brother's expression matched his words. It reminded them both of their father whenever he was truly mad. Jon pushed Rhaenys's hands off and all but shoved Aegon away when he stood up. "I think it's time for you both to retire. In the morning, you will leave."

Aegon quickly stood up. "Jon—"

"I had hoped that you came to Summerhall to visit your brother, not see if you would find a new bedmate or plaything." The disgust was quiet, but they heard it all the same. "You are my siblings and I love you as such, but I will not take either of you to bed, ever." He walked away, towards his bed. "You may go now."

Rhaenys approached but found her path blocked by the now-awake Ghost. The direwolf didn't growl or bare its teeth but the look it gave was enough to make them pause and then leave.

They left their brother's rooms for their own with humiliation nipping at their heels. It turned to anger by the time they reached their own. How dare he reject them like that? How could he not see they wanted him, wanted to bring him into their comfort? Well, if he was so happy being out in the cold, then he could have it!

They fucked each other hard through the night, using the anger as motivation to keep going. When they left Summerhall in the morning, they did it with all the grace of family coming for a quick visit. But the looks they gave Jon told him he had missed on something that would never be offered again.

Jon said his goodbyes alongside his daughter, never once showing what he thought about what happened. Yet when they left Summerhall behind, neither Aegon nor Rhaenys could shake the feeling the castle and its people were watching them, judging them for what they tried to do.


In the years leading to King Rhaegar's death, it had seemed clear where the Seven Kingdoms stood. Thanks to the marriage between Lucerys Targaryen and Margaery Tyrell, the Reds held sway over the Westerlands and the Reach. Meanwhile, the Blacks held control over the Crownlands and Dorne. The remaining kingdoms, in truth the rebels from Robert's Rebellion, had proclaimed no favor to either side and seemed content to follow the future king.

House Targaryen, it seemed, had entered a new golden age. Both of its ancestral swords had been recovered and dragons had been reborn. The king seemed strong and decisive, yet also gentle and willing to listen to his people's problems. His line seemed secured with four sons and his joy was added by two daughters.

It was only after Prince Aegon married his sister Rhaenys, against his father's wishes for him to marry Cassana Baratheon, Lord Stannis's daughter, that cracks began to show themselves amongst the royal family. It is often said by the smallfolk years after the Second Dance that King Rhaegar could see what was coming and made the right perpetrations. Considering that it was his last will that started the war, it could very well be true.

— From the writings of Donald Tarly, Lord of Horn Hill.


End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I know people like putting Jaime and Brienne together. Hell, I'm a fan of the pairing myself. But one thing I think people keep forgetting about them is the age gap. There's fourteen years between them. To put it in perspective, Brienne was one when Jaime became a Kingsguard. Now that's not to say a relationship like that can't happen, but I think in this scenario, Jaime would've taken her as a squire first.

Obara's relationship with Jon is, as stated, an odd one. She wants to hate him due to her father, but she also can't deny he did fight beside and even saved her life. While Elia and Rhaenys stayed at Jon's bedside, she had been the one who was standing watch. With her at Summerhall training Daena, they'll have to interact with one another. They can be civil to each other and perhaps in time, they might actually become friends.

Yeah, Jon's not exactly the Targaryen his siblings were expecting. Just what they were thinking? Jon was sent north to foster under his uncle, got married, and became a parent. If we're going to add in Ygritte's hair color, we could say Jon took after Ned Stark in a lot more ways than one. And he's not going to see his brother and sister coming onto him and think "Ooh, interesting!" Him telling them off was him being polite about it too. The rude option would've been more humiliating.

Alright, this is the last chapter of the batch. I have no idea when the next round is going to be. Could be weeks. Could be months. If you'd like what I wrote, just keep an eye out for them.

And Jebest4781, thanks for taking the time to review each chapter. Reviews are how we writers see how we're doing, after all.

I'll see you all next chapter!