Dragonstone: 283 AC: 3 Days Later:
Arthur couldn't believe it. They had made it. Before him stood the last stronghold of House Targaryen, along with the fleet that was protecting it from any that would dare attempt to attack it. Arthur could see the banner of the three headed dragon flying high on the ships before him. A banner he wasn't sure he'd see displayed so proudly again. Arthur did raise concerns about making past the royalist fleet but Willem assured him that they will pass without hindrance. Something that proved true as he saw Willem waving an enormous red flag at the incoming ships who suddenly broke away from there presumed attack. Arthur felt the hairs on his neck stand up as they approached the docks of the village that lay below the curtain walls of the keep itself.
Once they had docked, Arthur took to carrying the baby Aemon personally as he felt he would have been safer that way. Willem Darry followed with him along with all the other men that were aboard the ship. Many of them making sounds of joy at the sight of friendly territory and faces. Walking through the village, Willem took the lead and lead them to the castle proper. The sight of Dragonstone never failed to both intimidate and impress Arthur. It's dark black stone walls seemed to dare anyone to attack them whereas the dragon gargoyles on every wall seemed to sneer at anyone below them. Walking through the walls and into the castle itself, the architecture was even more impressive. The small dragon wings that lined the doorways and the smell of smoke and brimstone that came from the Dragonmont gave him a sense of familiarity. The party arrived at the great hall of the castle and stood in front of the Queen Rhaella and a young Prince Viserys who were both breaking their fast.
"Ser Arthur Dayne?" Rhaella said shocked to see the famed knight stood before her, her pregnant belly beginning to take shape.
"My Queen." Arthur said, taking a knee.
"Rise, Ser Arthur. I had not expected to see you live. When Willem told us of his plan to rescue you, I thought him a fool."
"My duty is not yet done, my Queen." Arthur responded, rising to his feet.
"And what is this you carry in your arms?" Rhaella quivered.
"Rhaegar's son, my Queen. The one true King." Arthur announced.
There was a murmur of shock around the great hall, those in attendance clearly having no idea that Rhaegar had another son. "At last." Rhaella gasped. "Bring him to me."
Arthur did as he was commanded and gave the young Aemon to Rhaella, who quickly held him close. "He has his mothers eyes." She giggled.
"You knew of his mother? Of them both?" Arthur asked astonished.
"Of course I did. I was Rhaegar's mother, Arthur. He could keep nothing from me." Rhaella looked at the baby in her arms again, "The Prince that was Promised." She whispered.
Arthur stood in silence and watched as Rhaella held Aemon as if he was her own child. Beside him, Willem stood with his arms folded before saying. "My Queen, I think we must see them to their quarters."
"Yes, Ser Willem. You're right. Please see Ser Arthur and his companions to suitable accommodations." Rhaella motioned as she looked to the two servants closest to her. "I need to see you in the chamber of the painted table later, Arthur." She said before walking away, the child still in her arms.
"If you'd please follow me." One of the servants mumbled, his head bowed.
Arthur was led from the great hall and through the castle to his soon to be quarters. Arriving he sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed a breath of relief. He'd finally done it. After weeks of enduring hardship after hardship, he'd finally arrived at Dragonstone with the King intact. Arthur stood up and looked in the looking glass. His once short black hair having grown unkempt whereas his beard had begun to show. He thought it made him look like a common bandit more than a knight but considering what he had been through he felt he was allowed to look like this. He then turned his thoughts to the meeting he was to have with the Queen and what she could possibly want with him. He wondered if it would have anything to do with the dreams he was having and what they meant. He was sure to bring them up to her to see if she could make any sense of them. Before that, he decided he would bathe as his rugged appearance and foul smell would not do to see the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Once he had finished bathing he put on some fresh clothes that had been left for him by one of the servants. The dark grey breeches and black boots he put on first before he put on the white shirt. He placed Dawn on his back and looked back into the looking glass. Finding his image to be more to his standard he left his chambers. Walking through Dragonstone, he was brought memories of being here with Rhaegar when they were younger and it saddened him so to think of his fallen Prince once again. Arriving at the chamber of the painted table he found Rhaella sitting down, her gaze watching over the sea and the ships that sailed by. In her arms she held the sleeping Aemon, his face seeming calm in the arms of his family.
"My Queen." Arthur began.
"Please sit, Ser Arthur." She replied, motioning to the chair beside her. As he sat beside her she turned to him. "Tell me, Ser. What did Rhaegar tell you of the Prince that was Promised."
Arthur became slightly chilled at her words. Whenever Rhaegar spoke of the prophecy, he believed that from his line, the Prince that will bring the dawn will be born. Although, Arthur never fully understood what that meant. "He only ever brought it up once or twice with me. Something about a prince being born from his line and delivering the world from the oncoming darkness. He said the Prince would able to sing a song from ice and fire though I never fully understood what he meant at the time, my Queen." He explained.
"Hmm...He used to think it was him, you know, when he was a boy." She smiled sadly. "Then he thought it was his first son, Aegon."
"Was it him?"
"No. It was never meant to be either of them. Only the son born from ice and fire can sing the song of ice and fire. A son born from the two lines with the most magic in their blood. Stark and Targaryen."
Arthurs eyes widened at the words she was saying. "You think its Aemon? That he is the Promised Prince?"
"It can only be him, Arthur." She maintained, her violet eyes never leaving the baby she held.
Arthurs eyes were drawn to the child she held. "I saw him. An older version of him at least. In my dreams." Rhaella seemed to pay more attention to what Arthur just said.
"You did? Did he say anything to you? What did he look like?" Her questions coming one after the other as if she were a child again.
"He couldn't have been more than eight and ten years old but he looked every bit a King. He wore a deep black armor, almost the same that Rhaegar wore and his hair was black and long. He also held a sword, my Queen. One that looked as if it were Dark Sister."
Rhaella leaned forward in her chair, listening intently to the former Kingsguard. "Did he say anything to you?"
"He insisted that I get his family off of Dragonstone and that he cannot do what must be done alone. He also said the dragon must have three heads, thought I am unsure what it means, my Queen. I was hoping you may know."
Rhaella smiled at Arthurs words. "There is someone who may know. My Uncle Aemon, who is at The Wall. He and my Grandfather, Aegon, used to talk on the prophecy. Aemon used to always talk about the dragon having three heads though he could never outright connect it to the prophecy."
Arthur sighed. "I doubt I can get to The Wall to talk with him, my Queen."
"Yes I doubt you could, even a man with your skills would struggle." She laughed.
"But he is right, my Queen. We must get you off of Dragonstone and to safety." Arthur argued, his features becoming sterner.
"I cannot travel, Arthur. I do not want to risk my child."
"I don't want to argue with you, my Queen, but I must insist. The usurper could be coming for us any day now."
"I cannot. That is final, Ser." Rhaella maintained.
Arthur relented and said his goodbyes to his Queen and left Aemon in her care as he felt she would be able to take care of him best. Her refusal to travel put him in a difficult position. He knew he had to get them all off of Dragonstone, but he couldn't leave any of them behind for the Usurper to murder as he did Rhaegar. Arthur made his way to Aegon's garden to think. The dark tall trees in contained cast a gloomy shadow over the entire place. Its wild roses and tall thorn brushes made it look inviting but intimidating, similar to the women of House Targaryen, Arthur thought. On a bench in the garden sat the young Prince Viserys. His eyes drawn to the dark trees above him. Arthur walked over to him, slowly as he always remembered the young Prince being of a fiery temperament thanks to his fathers paranoia.
"My Prince, it is good to see you." Arthur began.
Viserys' lilac eyes looked upon the knight who slowly walked towards him, the shock clear in them. Viserys always idolized the Sword of the Morning as did all young boys of his age. Despite always being guarded by him, he still became star struck whenever he saw him. "It is good to see you too, Ser Arthur." He beamed.
"May I sit next to you, my Prince?"
"Of...of course, Ser!" Viserys said, his excitement showing.
"Thank you, my Prince." Arthur grinned, as he sat next to the Prince.
After a brief moment of silence, Arthur looked at the young man. "I have brought home your Nephew, Viserys. His name is Aemon. Your brothers son."
"I saw him earlier when you entered the hall with him. Is he to be King?"
"He is, my Prince."
"Hm...I thought that when my father died, I would be crowned King. But my mother told me it wasn't to be. That there was someone else. I had thought it to be Aegon but it turns out it is Aemon." He mumbled, his eyes dropping to the floor.
Arthur noticing the Princes melancholy and worried if he had ulterior intentions towards his King. "The Crown can be a heavy burden, my Prince. Only those strong enough can wear it and succeed. Otherwise, they end up as your father did."
"My father was an evil man, Arthur. Though I wish he hadn't been killed. I don't want any of my family to die." Viserys lamented.
Arthur placed an arm around the Princes shoulder. "I won't allow that to happen, my Prince. None of us will."
After some more words of comfort, Arthur asked the Prince. "You'll support him?"
"Aemon? Yes, I will. Whatever it takes, Ser Arthur."
Arthur was overjoyed to hear the words come from Viserys' mouth. His concern retreating from his face as he offered his words of support. The last thing the Targaryens needed was to be at each others throats, vying for what little power they had left. After saying his goodbyes, he made his way back to his quarters to eat and rest. Arthur then spent the rest of the day in the sparring yard with Willem Darry. Ever since Dorne, he hadn't swung Dawn in anger and felt he needed to get some practice in, just in case. Watching both knights from the balcony above, was the young Prince Viserys. He was awestruck at watching Arthur go through his moves. Awestruck that he saw the legendary Dawn in the flesh. He hoped that one day he could be as good as Arthur was.
Maidenpool: 283 AC: 1 Day Earlier:
The trip to Maidenpool had been fraught with danger as the roads teemed with bandits, hoping to make an easy score from travelers fleeing in the wake of Roberts Rebellion. Barristan had lost count on how many dishonorable men he had cut down. At least, Jon Arryn had came through on his promise as his sword and armor served him well even though his brown cloak had become stained with blood. It made Barristan wonder if it would have been easier travelling by horse to the Vale and making it to Gulltown from there, but he felt it would be quicker to pass through Maidenpool and onto a ship headed for Gulltown. Throughout the journey, Barristan could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. As if some unknown entity was observing his actions from a far. He figured it was simply his paranoia and the fear of being caught helping the royalist cause that was making him watch his back more cautiously.
Passing through the gates of Maidenpool, Barristan saw the red salmon of House Mooton flying high above them. He hoped he would run into no trouble here as the city itself was well guarded from any who may pose a threat to its inhabitants, its pink stone walls keeping dangers out. Upon entering the city proper, Barristan noticed the business of everything. There were men selling all sorts of goods from eggs and cloth all the way to swords and weapons of war. There were numerous inns that lined the main roads of Maidenpool, one of which Barristan entered to refresh himself. He bought some bread and water for himself and sat down, not noticing the two men who followed him in and sat a way from him.
Once refreshed and once he felt enough time had passed, he headed to the harbor in the hopes of finding a ship that made a stop at Gulltown. Behind him, the two hooded men stood. Their shadowed eyes watching the knight with malicious intent. Barristan, despite all his experience, still hadn't become aware of them. The men shadowed him further until he reached a ships captain, who they watched Barristan book passage with. They saw him board the ship and followed after him, tossing a coinpurse at the Captain as they did so. Entering below deck they found Barristan sat alone in a corner, reading a book. One man turned to the other, their features eclipsed by their hoods.
"We should just cut his throat now, Meryn. The old man will lead us no where." One man whispered to the other.
"Do you have any idea how fucking stupid you sound? Hm?" Meryn glared at the man beside him, his green eyes piercing him. "We kill the knight after he has led us to the Sword of the Morning. Not before. After. You plank."
The shadows did little to hide the anger on the mans face at the insult that has just been wrought upon him. "We get paid for one of their heads. I don't look fancy our chances against Arthur Dayne, if the stories are to be believed. We can kill the old man here and get paid for half of a job. Better than being dead and getting nothing."
"Unlike you, I don't intend to leave a job half finished. I also want to be paid. Fully."
As the two man continued their quiet disagreement, they hadn't noticed that Barristan was glaring at them the whole time. All though he could not make out their faces thanks to their hoods, he could see that their discussion had become heated and frantic. Barristan perhaps thought these men were the ones that were making him paranoid on the road to Maidenpool or if they were just bandits who had followed him into the city itself. He looked on as the two men became even more heated in their disagreements, he could make out some of the words that were being spoken such as 'gold' and 'kill'. Perhaps Barristan's suspicions had been right all along. He decided he had enough of listening to both men bicker and called over to them.
"Excuse me, Sers, but I couldn't help but notice you both becoming quite irritable with each other. I do hope nothing is the matter." Barristan smiled.
Both men looked at him at the same time, their eyes widened. "No...no...there is no problem, Ser. Me and my friend were just disagreeing, is all." The green eyed man smiled, his hands raised.
"Yeah...we were talking between ourselves, old man. So fuck off back to your own business." The other hooded man spat, the scars on his face becoming visible in the light. The green eyed man shot him a look of unbelief.
Barristan smirked at the mans reply, clearly not knowing who he was talking to. "Mind yourself, friend. Lest you wish for violence."
"We don't want any trouble, Ser. We're simply looking for passage to Gulltown the same as you." The green eyed man defended.
"Good. Make sure your friend understands that."
Barristan watched as the green eyed man dragged his friend out of the room and up towards the deck. He wondered if they may have got off of the ship or if they have simply fled like cowards. Barristan thought that he wouldn't mind a fight at this moment. Something that would help him get his frustration out that had been building up from the trails from the last days. Barristan sighed and went back to reading his book until before long he felt the ship slip its anchor. The relief washed over Barristan as if it were the tide. He was now one step closer to being with his King. An honor which he most craved. After a few hours of sailing, Barristan had become overcome with exhaustion, the day of fighting the bandits becoming too much for him. He made his way to the rented bed and slumped down on the bedroll that was layout for him. Although, he would wish to sleep without his armor on, he had no choice and no squire to help him put it back on. Despite the uncomfortable nature of his armor, he found that sleep claimed him quickly.
Despite his sleep being heavy, Barristan was awoken by the sound of crashing objects around him. As he opened his eyes he saw the two hooded men from earlier stood near him, their drawn daggers reflecting the candle light in the room. "Do you two need something?" Barristan asked as his hand reached for the sword that lay next to him.
"Yeah, your fucking head for Jon Arryn." The green eyed man sneered.
With those words the green eyed man made a rush for Barristan who was just getting to his feet. His thrust with his dagger only struck air as Barristan dodged to the side and used his knee to strike the man in his stomach, dropping him instantly. The scarred man also attempted to come for him but Barristan was ready for him as he unsheathed his sword. The man backed away at the sight of Barristan's blade as it shimmered in the light.
"A longsword? In a place like this?" The scarred man laughed.
Barristan couldn't help but silently agree. Any knight would struggle using such a weapon in close quarters. However, he was not just any knight. Using his gloved hand, he grabbed the sword by its blade and hilt at the same time, reducing the space needed for it to be able to kill or injure. He then used the point of his blade and thrust it into the neck of the man he knocked to the floor with his knee, the scream of agony escaping his mouth before silence. The boastfulness that was present on the scarred mans face had now left him as he gripped his dagger tighter. Barristan slowly moved closer to the would be assassin, his eyes never off the scarred mans own. The assassin attempted to quickly close the distance on Barristan as he lunged forward and grabbed Barristan's blade. His hands dripped with blood as he did so but despite his injury he showed no aversion to his pain. The man attempted to stab Barristan in the face with his off hand, however Barristan moved his head to the side as the dagger only struck the wood behind him. Barristan used the cross guard of his sword to hit the man in the face, his hand releasing off the blade. Once he hit the floor, Barristan pointed the tip of his blade at the mans throat.
"Who sent you?"
"Jon Arryn! He promised us 20000 gold dragons for your head and Arthur Dayne's!" The man panicked, his hands raised.
"What else did he tell you."
"Said to follow you, see where you go and kill you both. That's all, I swear it on the Gods."
"The Falcon really must be a fool. A fool to think that you two could both kill me and Arthur." Barristan sighed. "Stand up."
The scarred man got to his feet with haste, the blood from his palm leaving a print on the floor as he did. "Oh, thank you, Ser. I worried I was to die here." He said, his voice full of relief.
"You are to die here." Barristan mumbled before he drove his sword deep into mans belly. He watched as the life left the mans eyes. Although, he did not want to dishonor himself by killing the man unarmed, he could not let him live. At least he allowed him to die on his own two feet. Barristan was surprised to see no one enter the room at the sounds of the commotion and he hoped they wouldn't walk in on him as he attempted to hide the bodies wherever he could. He eventually settled on stuffing both men in a nearby tall dresser. The blood on the floor he could do nothing about. Finding another room, he only hoped that the next few hours would pass quickly and that he would be in Gulltown before anyone noticed the men. He eventually found another empty bedroll and as he closed his eyes, he hoped that his sleep would not be interrupted like it was a few moments ago.
His dreams however, did not grant him the rest he desired. His dreams were full of the images of his past successes and failures. He saw King Aerys cowering in a corner in Duskendale just before Barristan rescued him. He saw himself slay Maleys the Monstrous in single combat. He seemed happy at the images presented before him, before his dreams took a darker turn. He saw the fall of Ser Gerold Hightower and the sack of Kings Landing, the burning and raping that took place made him want to scream but, no words came from his mouth. Finally he was presented the image of a man, his dark grey eyes narrowing at the old knight before him before he smiled at him and walked away. Above him flew a deep black dragon, which let loose its flames on a city below it.
Barristan awoke in daze. He guessed he must have slept a few hours but his thoughts quickly turned to his vivid dreams. Why was he dreaming of his past? Who was the man he saw and why did he see a dragon? The questions found no answers from Barristan as he could not make sense of them. Getting up from the bedroll, he left the room and stepped out onto the deck of the ship. Before him stood the Gulltown docks and he stepped off the ship onto them. Leaving the ship he felt sorry for the Captain who would no doubt find the two deceased corpses of the assassins but he would be leagues away by then. He hoped he would be on Dragonstone with his Sworn Brother and the one true King.
A/N: Finally starting to warm up to the juicier bits of story I've got lined up. Shouldn't be long until Arthur tries to get off of Dragonstone and who knows what Jon Arryn is up to? Anyway, thanks to all those who've read and should have a new chapter out by Monday. Many thanks.