The Pearl of Driftmark

by kurenohikari

She was named Visenya Targaryen, she lived as Joanna Snow, and she was reborn as Lucerys Velaryon. This is the life and rebirth of the Princess that was Promised and how she stopped thee tragedy that befall the dragons, giving the future the tools they needed to survive the Long Night. This is the life of Lucerys Velaryon, The Pearl of Driftmark.

1. I Alicent's POV

King's Landing, The Red Keep – 118 AC

I rushed through the corridors of the Red Keep, my cuticles bleeding from all my worrying. The moment one of my trusted maids had come to inform me that Rhaenyra had demanded a meeting with his Grace the King with my son, my dear Aemond, the freezing hand of the Stranger got ahold of my heart. I did not wait for a second before jumping on my feet and all but running to my husband's chambers.

The scene that met me almost made my heart stop. Aemond was shaking as a leaf, as Rhaenyra and the King were glaring at him, fury blazing in their eyes. "What is the meaning of this?" I demanded to know, I was surprised to note that my voice did not waver.

It took graceful steps towards my son, who looked at me with so much relief that it broke my heart. My poor unfortunate boy, the destiny of a second son is always a cruel one. Especially, for such a good son as Aemond, who was born to be King. He was good, dutiful, devout, smart, and honorable. If only he had been my firstborn, then maybe my husband would have already disinherited that whore of a daughter he has. Yet, the choice for heir to the Iron Throne is a dumb and cruel boy, who continuously breaks my heart. Or a whore who parades her bastard and lover around the Red Keep, before the blind King.

At least, it was only one bastard, and Rhaenyra finally managed to conceive a trueborn child. My eyes lingered at the little girl of three namedays beside my ex-childhood friend. She was truly a pearl of a princess, even as a small child I could see why the court was already calling her the future Realm's Delight. Though, if I am being honest, I preferred her other moniker, The Pearl of Driftmark.

When Lucerys Velaryon was born, with her black curls and pale skin, I had dismissed her as another bastard. Yet, at the time it Boremund Baratheon had been at the Red Keep, a rarity on its own as the old Lord barely left Storm's End in his old age. My father had sent me a letter, encouraging me to get close to him, the Baratheon House was a supporter of Rhaenyra through her marriage to Ser Leanor. Though if I was able to turn the tides on her by getting Lord Boremund's support at the slight of having a wanton whore parading bastards as heirs, it would weaken Rhaenyra's stand as heir and keep my children safe.

However, all those plans were useless, because the moment Lucerys Velaryon was placed in his arms, in the middle of court, Lord Boremund Baratheon cried. The whole court, even his son and heir Borros Baratheon, turned to look at the Lord of Storm's End in shock. The Lord wept as he cradled Princess Lucerys as if she was the most precious treasure he had ever seen in his life. He then whispered, in a broken tone, that even had me tearing. "Jocelyn…"

Lord Boremund Baratheon then claimed Princess Lucerys to be her sister reborn, to be the spitting image of the dark beauty that had captivated Prince Aemon's heart. He even claimed that she had the same eyes as his mother, Queen Alyssa Velaryon. And she did, have her eyes that is. The unmistakable proof that my step-granddaughter was a trueborn, she had her grandmother's hair and complexion, and her grandsire's Velaryon eyes.

Looking at her now, there was no doubt of the Baratheon blood in her, a blood that even proved true when Princess Jocelyn had given birth to Princess Rhaenys and a black-haired child had been born. Even with the angry pout she wore, Princess Lucerys looked like a porcelain doll. Pale skin like snow, long onyx curls, and the most captivating shade of blue eyes I had ever seen. It was a mix of indigo and sea blue. Her beauty was only highlighted by the delicate and Valyrian features she had inherited from her mother, who, no matter how much I hated to admit it, had earned her moniker of the Realm's Delight. A small face, heart-bow lips, high cheekbones, and the most melodic voice that have walked the halls of the Red Keep.

Just with her birth, the Blacks had earned House Baratheon's support and loyalty. Borros might loath the fact of a woman inheriting the Iron Throne, as it went against their holy laws, but he would withstand it if he believed that his blood would sit on the throne and if it was a male heir the one that would come after Rhaenyra. My father had been enraged at Princess Lucerys being proven a trueborn before the whole court. Especially when afterwards rumors of Rhaenyra's bastard, Jacaerys, started to spread, saying that the boy must have inherited the Arryn blood of his grandmother, the Realm's precious Queen Aemma.

I was furious as well. Were they all as blind as the King? Did they not see how wonton their heir was? How she flaunted her affair before the full court without any punishment! How she used her own poor trueborn daughter to hide her sins! The only good thing that came out about it is that Helaena will get a companion and Aemond a Valyrian wife. My daughter was… delicate. She enjoyed activities that other ladies did not and she spoke in riddles that confused even me. However, Princess Lucerys had proven herself to be a good companion. Even at only three namedays, she would nod and giggle at my daughter's weird comments, not once finding her weird. Her daughter, who detested touch, would drag her around Aegon's garden to look for bugs, and Princess Lucerys would allow it without any complaint.

As for my son, as a second son he would not inherit anything. But if he married Princess Lucerys, he would get to become Lord Consort of Driftmark and my grandchildren would get a grand seat to inherit one day. Not to mention, it would give my sweet Aemond a Valyrian bride, strengthening the Greens, and maybe even bringing House Baratheon to our side. My father had informed me of Ser Leanor's deviant desires and his inability to be his wife as it is his duty. Princess Lucerys was a fluke, my father was sure there would be no other trueborn Velaryon born from the union of Rhaenyra and her husband. And with Lady Laena's difficulties in conceiving, she would most likely only have her twins, who were no challenge to Princess Lucerys inheritance.

Unlike my father, though, I did not believe Princess Lucerys to be a fluke. To me she was a gift from the Gods, to pay my son back for his devotion and goodness. She would give my son what he deserved, the perfect bride, children for him to dote upon, and an inheritance to pass on to his heirs. And unlike the rest of her deviant family, I knew that the poor girl was loyal, brave, and true.

I was startled by my thoughts by a screeching, I almost jumped back when I noticed the beast that my son had wrapped around his neck. It was a dragon! My son had a dragon! Though, if I recall correctly, the young beast was called a hatchling. Three of my children's dragon eggs did not hatch, much to my father's disappointment. To be honest I had always feared those beasts, they were unholy, and I never understood the Targaryens obsession with them. But like with Aegon's name and the Green's plan to betrothed him to his sister, they were a symbol of power. The greatest symbol of power.

A dragonless Targaryen was a weak one. You only need to look at our actual King to see that for yourself. So, I understood my father's dissatisfaction on the matter. Especially, after Rhaenyra's bastard's dragon egg hatched on the crib. With Syrax, Vermax, Seasmoke, Caraxes, Vhagar, and Meleys the Blacks were in possession of six dragons. It did not matter if the whole realm supported my son, if the conqueror was able to conquer Westeros with three dragons, I shuddered to think what they will achieve with six. Especially, with Maegor reborn on the Blacks' side. Oh, how I loathed Daemon Targaryen.

Luckily, my fourth child who I thanked the Seven who guided me true, had managed to make his dragon egg hatch into Tessarion, who the court had started calling The Blue Queen. My eldest, who was a disappointment in everything but this matter, had managed to bond with a hatchling when he was young, Sunfyre. And recently, my daughter almost made my heart stop when she sneaked into the Dragonpit to claim Dreamfyre. Oh, the pride I felt when my daughter claimed the dragon of a true queen.

It only left my son dragonless, my sweet Aemond's dragon egg did not hatch, and Rhaenyra had demanded the only dragon egg left, after Daemon had taken the others to give to his spawns, for her daughter. It left Aemond heartbroken, even my assurances that there were many dragons to claim did not help. I might not understand the obsession with dragons, I might hate and fear them, but if my son wanted one, I would do anything to help him get one. Aemond was the perfect son and deserved one, more than Rhaenyra's bastard that is for sure.

So, seeing the hatchling curled around Aemond's neck so contently, left me confused. As there were no hatchlings in the Dragonpen to claim. Now that I looked more closely at it, the hatchling was a gorgeous pearlescent white color, with golden eyes and a golden chest. It was truly a beautiful beast, in a less flamboyant manner than my firstborn's bore of a dragon.

"You want to know the meaning of this?" Rhaenyra seethed. I looked at her startled, though I collected myself rapidly afterwards. I had almost forgotten that she was there and why I was in my husband's chambers. "Your son stole my daughter's dragon egg the thief!"

I glared at my ex-childhood friend when Aemond flinched, I hesitated for a second when the beast continued screeching at Rhaenyra, but I forced myself to stand before my son and his hatchling protecting him as a mother should. "Watch your tone, stepdaughter. You are still talking about a prince of the realm. And correct me if I am wrong, but did you not once tell me that dragons are not slaves." I raised an eyebrow unimpressed, internally enjoying the dumbfounded expression on her face. "Doesn't that mean that it is impossible to steal a dragon? If Princess Lucerys' dragon egg hatched for my son, then that it must have always meant to be Aemond's."

"Listen you…" Rhaenyra growled like the heathen she was, finally showing her true colors. I honestly worry about the future state of the realm with her as Queen Regent, it goes beyond just the safety of my children now, I could not in good conscious allow my people to be ruled by a wanton whore like her.

"Stop!" We were all startled when a young voice yelled.

We all turned to look at Princess Lucerys in shock. She never raised her voice, she was the perfect lady, her voice always melodic and calm, even when playing with her aunt and uncles. Now, she yanked her hand free from Rhaenyra's bruising grip stomped towards Aemond, she grabbed his hand in hers and pulled him towards the grand window that opened to the balcony. Princess Lucerys then let him go, crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted at us with the most adorable glare a three namedays girl could manage.

"I told you, Arrax not mine! He Aem's!" Princess Lucerys announced with conviction, huffing at her mother.

There was a deep silence as we stared uncomfortably. She had never behaved like this before, and it shocked us all. I could sometimes forget that she was Targaryen with how well-behaved she was, even Helaena was a fuzzy child that drove me insane. But in moments like this it showed that Princess Lucerys still had the fire of her ancestors in her veins. Finally, I decided to break the silence. "Arrax?"

"My hatchling's name," Aemond's timid response made me turn to my son with a warm smile.

"You finally have your bea… dragon," I congratulated my son. "Could you tell us how it happened?"

"He stole it! That's what happened!" I was honestly starting to get tired of Rhaenyra's shrieking. How can a woman grown, a mother of two, continue to whine like a spoiled child?

"Aem not steal!" Princess Lucerys glared at her mother, making me hide my smile behind my hand. She will truly be the perfect wife for my son. "Egg ready, egg wanted Aem!"

"Let's all calm down," Viserys sighed, and I almost turned to glare at him. Now he wanted to be the voice of reason? Until recently he looked ready to send my son to the Wall as a petty criminal! But the moment his granddaughter from his precious Rhaenyra took Aemond's side, he finally relented. "Son, tell me what happened."

"Lucy came into the library, she looked excited," Aemond explained hesitatingly. "She was talking about her dragon egg, I thought that she had come to tell me it hatched. I was happy that I had been the first one she had gone to…" I almost giggled at the bestowed look on my son's face, but I could also see he had also felt jealous.

"I allowed her to drag me towards thee dragon egg, but instead of standing before the hearth waiting, Lucy pushed me towards it." Aemond had a strange look on his face. "Before I could ask her what she was doing, she simply said 'Arrax, yours!' and the dragon egg hatched." Aemond looked at Princess Lucerys with awe and gratefulness, I could see that he would worship the ground she walks after this. Like a good husband should, at least I had managed to raise a son correctly.

"My dear, why did you do that? The dragon egg was yours," Viserys asked Princess Lucerys, making Aemond flinch back with an expression that showed me how destroyed he felt. I wanted to strangle my husband for that, how was it fair that the wanton whore got all the love while my children suffered the King's indifference?

Princess Lucerys sighed in a way no three namedays girl should be capable of. She then looked at Viserys with a look that was all disappointment and Princess Rhaenys, if there was a moment, I ever doubted her linage it died there and then. It was honestly quite comical. She then answered. "Arrax, Aem's! Ghost, mine!"

Rhaenyra finally stopped screeching, only to turn to her daughter in confusion. How a well-behaved child, like Princess Lucerys, was born from her I will never know? "Ghost?"

"Yes! Ghost!" Princess Lucerys beamed for the first time since I barged into the chambers and threw her arms in the air cheering when the balcony's windows were slammed opened.

I cried in horror as a full-fledged dragon's snout peaked from the balcony window. I stared horrified at the ruby-red eyes that seemed to look through my soul. The dragon was pale grey-white, the color of morning mist. No, his scales were not grey-white. Now that I looked at them closely, they were the same color of freshly fallen snow. I had only ever seen it once, when I visited the North one time with the King after my marriage to him, but I will never forget my first morning of snow.

However, all I could pay attention to at the moment, was the fact that there was a wild dragon's maw right before my son and his future bride. "Aemond, slowly get away from t-that, and bring Princess Lucerys with you."

"Relax! He is Ghost! He is mine!" Princess Lucerys assured me, before going to hug the beast.

I was halfway through a choked cry, when the chamber's doors burst open and the Kingsguard appeared, sword in hand. We all stared horrified as the young princess approached the wild dragon, we were all expecting her to get eaten when the dragon opened his maw. However, the beast only licked the young princess, making her giggle.

"She claimed the elusive Grey Ghost," Viserys whispered in awe.

"No, grampa!" Princess Lucerys whined, I winced as she sounded just like her mother for a second there, before snuggling against the Grey Ghost's maw. "He is Ghost! His scales not grey! White like snow!"

"She is right, look at those scales, they are not grey. Then again, he never got close to humans to get a good look at him, always hiding in the mist. We did not know his eyes were red either!" Rhaenyra exclaimed, before beaming at her daughter in pride. "Look at you go, my princess! You claimed a dragon no rider has ever claimed before!"

"We should celebrate! A banquet in honor of my granddaughter claiming her dragon!" Viserys announced beaming.

This time around I did glare at Viserys, when I saw my son hunch. None of my children got any banquets in honor of their births, egg hatchings, or even dragon claiming. Even Daeron who was only a few moons younger than the bastard and whose dragon egg hatched a little after Vermax, got no banquet. I had to hold my tongue and baby as the court whispered behind my back that a bastard was being celebrated when my trueborn Valyrian looking children were being ignored, yet again. Even Princess Lucerys, who was a Velaryon and heiress to Dirftmark got a royal banquet in her name. It was in it that Lord Boremund Baratheon met her great-great-grandniece. At least she did deserve it, unlike the bastard.

"For Aems and Arrax too!" Princess Lucerys chimed from where she was snuggling Grey… sorry, Ghost. I managed a small smile to the girl, she was such a good girl, the only good seed from that horrid side of the family.

"Right, for Aemond and Arrax too." Viserys repeated as if only then he had recalled that he had a son who finally got his dragon. "Congratulations on your hatchling, son."

"Thank you, father," I almost winced at how frigid and cold my son's tone was, though the smile he flashed Lucerys was all sunshine and warmth. Luckily, my husband did not notice, or he was oblivious to it as always.

I only managed to relax once Ghost flew away at the request of Princess Lucerys. I even allowed Ser Cole to help me sit down. I smiled and hugged my son warmly when he rushed towards me. Luckily, the beast decided to fly around the room and was far away from me.

"Well, done my son," I kissed Aemond's forehead.

Aemond smiled shily, all sweetness and goodness, unlike his older brother, and replied. "Thank you, mother. Though, it was all Lucy." The look on his face was of a boy bestowed upon his chosen lady, it was a good sign for father's plan.

"Where did he go?" Ser Harrold asked warily, finally putting his sword back.

"Oh, to the ocean!" Princess Lucerys answered, giggling as Rhaenyra held her in her arms, pepping her face with kisses. "He hates caves or people. Sleeping under the stars is the best!"

"There are records of dragons that prefer open spaces, it is rare but not unheard of," Rhaenyra hummed.

"Should we not be wary of Grey… I mean, Ghost," Ser Cole rapidly corrected himself at the glare Princess Lucerys sent his way. My son and I giggled at that. Ser Cole's dislike for Rhaenyra's sins was worse than my own, yet even he had been charmed by The Pearl of Driftmark. "I don't believe that the people of King's Landing would like to have a dragon free around the city, or even the Kingswood."

I nodded my head in agreement, almost rolling my eyes when Rhaenyra sneered at my sword shield. As if sleeping with her own sword shield was not enough, she had the gall to disrespect the Queen's sword shield. Luckily, Princess Lucerys defused the situation again. "Relax, Ghost in Dragonstone. Wild dragon, fly free there!"

"Then there should be no issue!" Viserys announced and I wanted to facepalm so hard then and there. I am sure Princess Lucerys meant well, but you could not trust the words of a three namedays girl about where her recently adquired wild dragon would be. "Let's start preparing everything for the banquet!"

I waited patiently like everyone, but my son and Ser Cole left the chambers. I then turned to my sword shield, as my son was entertained with his hatchling, and whispered. "Send scouts to check if Princess Lucerys was right to say Ghost returned to Dragonstone. And get me the maester, I need to contact my father. So much has happened, and he needs to be the first to know."