The Bloody Prince: HOTD SI

Chapter 12

AEGON TARGARYEN

Becoming a dragon rider had always been a point of contention for himself, for the title of a dragon rider would carry with itself a burden he did not wish to carry, for it was the burden of the plea of an old woman on her death bed, a woman who would leave him with all her fears, hopes and dreams while carrying him in her arms, using the last of her political power to give him the title of the 'Prince' he now proudly wore.

Alyssane Targaryen, the Good Queen, had lived a life filled with regrets, especially when it came to children; truthfully, Aegon thought of her as a woman beyond this age with her views and political insight. She was able to see the fallacies of the man she had loved and married, could see the storm brewing in the distance, blessed with what he believed was a fraction of the power that had helped Denys the Dreamer save them from the Doom of Valyria.

'Dragon Dreams,' and it had taken him years to understand this power, to understand what it truly was. And it was a surprise, for the secret of this power was hidden in its name, for all to see.

The truth behind this power was it was just that, dreams of the very beasts that were the symbol of power of House Targaryen. Visions and dreams of these mythical beasts that transcended time and space, a glimpse into the unknown.

And he had been plagued by them as well, plagued by the anguish and memories of the Good Queen's dragon who had bound herself to him while he was but a babe. Had it been a normal child, he believed it would have destroyed them and perhaps resulted in the very madness that threatened to one day end the reign of the House of the Dragon.

It was all speculation, though, about things that mattered little. For now, he was the rider of Silverwing, one of the larger dragons second in size to only Vhagar and Vermithor, faster and nimbler than either, and with that came he had probably embroiled himself in the tragedy that was set to come, making it very difficult for him to avoid it all.

The King and the Court had complicated emotions about this as well. He received subdued congratulations on this achievement, not that he minded it, of course. Even he could see the King's gaze shift as he looked at him, changing from one of mild curiosity to one filled with doubt, anger, and frustration.

And so, to clear his mind, he had come to the Sept, a place of refuge to think on what the future may hold for him, when Daemon had come souring his mood, trying to rekindle a sense of kinship now that he had become a useful pawn for him to exploit, to take credit for what he had done.

They had clashed, as they would, leaving Aegon more tired than even the flying.

"I apologize for Prince Daemon's wor..." he began as Alicent Hightower sat down beside him, and the red-haired girl shook her head demurely as she looked down hesitantly.

"There is no need for that, my Prince," she cut in and seemed to hesitate, contemplating her words carefully before continuing.

"I apologize, but I did manage to hear your quarrel from outside..." and he nodded.

So, she was aware that both he and Daemon cared little for one another, and so was able to separate their actions from one another's. Something which the King was beginning to have trouble with, for he could not get that game out of his mind. That gaze filled with mistrust and doubt, it was the same way he had looked at Daemon.

"You have a habit of hearing things you should not," he teased and saw her face flush in an instant as her head lowered and she began to chew her lips.

"I apologi...."

"There is no need," not for either of the things she had heard, especially since she had not shared the former, the whispers she had heard in the Dragon pit with anyone else.

"I was just teasing you. I believe I should be thanking you for not sharing what you heard in the pit with anyone," he said, and she shook her head.

"It hardly made any sense to me. And it was the least I could do to you after you saved my life," she said, and he shrugged.

"Still, I am thankful nonetheless," he said, leaning back, and they both became quiet. They sat together, enjoying the quietness of the sept and each other, his mind racing with what the future had in store for him and what he could do.

"You do not seem happy," the words broke him out of his trance. He turned to the side and found Alicent Hightower looking at him with a complicated expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a frown, and the words must have slipped out his mouth with how her head plopped down, her hands coming together as she began to nibble away at that thumb of hers.

He slowly reached for her hands, and she shrunk back momentarily yet allowed him to touch them as he separated them, surprised at their softness.

"You really should not do that," he chided her as he saw how the skin had been peeled off from the thumb.

"I am not my father; there is no need to be that nervous around me," he added with a chuckle, and she nodded with upturned lips as he brought together their fingers.

"I know that," she said as she looked him in the eye, and she felt her open up more.

"I said that you were not happy," she repeated.

"You have just become a dragon rider, and that is something that many can only dream about, yet for some reason, you are not happy about it all," she asked, and he sighed.

"I doubt I am not the only one unhappy about this," he pointed out as he looked her in the eye, knowing full well that Otto Hightower was not delighted by the news as well, for this would give Daemon much more power, weakening Otto and his faction.

"I believe that the King and his Hand share the sentiment," he added. He saw her gulp nervously as they sat there together, and she did not deny those words.

"I have just become a political headache, and that notion is not lost on me," he began as he leaned back and sighed.

"Before this, I was but a simple Prince, and despite the title, I was free, without any burden yet now while I have gained, I am not blind to what I have lost as well," he finished and saw her sit silently as she listened to his thoughts.

"You never were as inconsequential as you think, my Prince," she added after a few seconds of silence and he shrugged, as a Septa approached them and stopped beside him, not uttering a single word.

"Umm.....my Prince," she stammered out as Aegon turned to face her, not missing how Alicent slipped her hand away as he nodded at the Speta.

"What can I do for you, Septa," he asked.

"My Prince, it's time for the sept to be cleaned. And if you coul...it would be good..." he really contemplated at that moment just what kind of a reputation he had as he saw the septa stammer infront of him.

Yet he decided to spare her.

"I will leave in a minute," she had a relieved expression as she half ran away, and he shook her head.

"Seven above, just what kind of rumors have been spreading about me," he complained as Alicent chuckled beside her.

"Rhaenyra does not know more than half of them," she added, referring to the rumors Rhaenyra had mentioned in her letters.

"After how the Septa talked to me, I don't think I even want to learn what they say," he replied as he pushed himself up and turned towards Alicent.

"Have a good whatever time it is, Lady Alicent," he said with a flourish of his hands, and she nodded with a chuckle.

"You too, my Prince," and with that, he began to walk out, and he had taken a few steps when suddenly he heard a small voice call out from behind.

"And My Prince..." He stopped and turned back, and he found Alicent looking at him with a small smile on her face.

"...I do not know about the rest, but I am happy you became a dragon rider." She finished, and he felt his lips turn up as hotness crept up on his face. He nodded and simply walked away tired and weary, yet a small part of him was happy at the fact that he was now a dragon rider.

0000

RHAENYS TARGARYEN

After a rather tumultuous and eventful day, the Velaryon couple woke up early, each for different reasons than the other, and even now, after nearly a whole day, both their minds lingered on the same topic.

Aegon Targaryen, the son of Daemon Targaryen and the rider of Silverwing.

For the first time ever, three Houses had claims to a dragon-rider. House Targaryen and House Velaryon had intermarried for centuries, so they were very closely related by blood. Yet House Royce had only ever had one Royal Match, an unhappy one. Now, that very House had gained a dragon rider, one who rode one of the bigger dragons alive today.

"Today is going to be an eventful day," Corlys began, and she nodded as they sat at the table eating their breakfast.

And it would indeed be, especially for him. Corlys had been quite excited to meet the young Prince who had written to him for advice years ago, yet such an opportunity had not come yesterday.

But today, the King had supposedly invited the prince to a Council meeting, and that was bound to be interesting.

"Indeed, both the King and the Queen seemed quite troubled by Aegon's actions from yesterday," she added, recalling how Aemma had paled and seemed troubled by what had happened.

She had heard similar things about Viserys, who had questioned Rhaenyra, Lady Alicent, and Aegon for hours, trying to ascertain the truth and find subterfuge to see if all this had not been a plan.

And she had her doubts as well. A young Prince going to the dragon pit, Silverwing, one of the more docile dragons, breaking free of her chains and attacking Lady Alicent, and Aegon stopping it by making a bond with it—it all seemed too incidental.

Yet that was the truth, as Viserys himself had confirmed it from many different sources.

"What do you think, Corlys?" she asked as she leaned back, unlike her it was her husband whom the young Prince had written to.

"About what?" he asked with a frown.

"About Viserys's fears, about how what happened yesterday all seems so coincidental?" she elaborated. He put down his utensils, and she saw his mind race as he thought about her question.

"If I had not listened to Rhaenyra, Lady Alicent, and the Master Dragonkeeper repeat the same story, I would have called it a plot myself, especially with what I know of Aegon and just who his father and grandfather are," Corlys replied.

And she could get the point about his father and grandfather. The boy had learned at the heel of Lord Torbert Royce, a seasoned politician who had ruled Vale during one of the most trying times as he supported the young Lady Jeyne, and the less said about Daemon the better.

"And what do you know of the Aegon that the rest of us do not?" she asked.

"He is more Yorbert Royce than Daemon Targaryen, and he understood trade, politics, and power more at age eleven than men thrice his age," he praised the boy, something he had never done for anyone else, not even his own son.

"He has in half a decade transformed the Kingdom of Vale in its entirety, and the culling of the Mountain Clans is but a small part of it," Corlys added as he pointed towards his clothes.

"Warmer clothes, more food, safer lands, all this may seem trivial at first glance, but with the new roads he is building, the shorter routes through the mountains, all this shows that he is wise beyond his years and the Vale and House are lucky to have him," he completed.

"I have never seen you praise someone as such, especially when it came to trade and the commerce of ruling," she added with a chuckle, and he shrugged.

"One would think that you wish to make him your own kin," she teased. She waited for a few seconds and was surprised when no rebuttal came, as her head snapped towards Corlys.

"You cannot be serious," and he shrugged.

"He maybe Daemon's son, but he would make a fine match for Laena. She would be Lady of Runestone, a respectable set that is only set to grow richer and more powerful with the years," he added.

"You really believe that?" she asked and he nodded.

"I do," he replied.

"Though I doubt it will be that easy," he added as he scoffed.

"Why? We are the richest House in the realm, we share blood with the King himself, and have two Dragonriders to our name," she defended her House, and Corlys chuckled.

"Because the King will not wish to see our two Houses joining hands," Corlys added.

"I saw it in his eyes yesterday when he saw Aegon atop Silverwing flying in the skies above Kingslanding. I saw him see history repeat itself, as he saw in Aegon a specter of himself, of how the boy is doing to his line what he did to your father's," and her lips thinned at those words.

And the contrast was there for all to see. Viserys, much like her father, only had a daughter, and no male heirs, just like himself. And yet, through the machinations of the Old King and the ruling of the Lords, she had been robbed of her birthright by none other than the eldest son of her father's younger brother.

And now Aegon was the Viserys of this story, and though things were different in many ways, it was poetic in a way.

"And what can he do to stop him?" she asked.

"We will have to see about that," he said.

0000

At the same time, in the office of the Hand stood a little boy dressed in rags. A street urchin one who would hardly cast a second glance at, yet the boy's eyes held a certain level of intelligence that was not common amongst lords and commoners alike.

And the Hand, sat there in his chair looking the boy in the face.

"Are you certain about what you saw?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord. I watched Lady Alicent leave the castle late into the night and go to the Sept, and the Young Prince was already there," if the boy had been any more intelligent, he would have thought a thousand more times before uttering those words infront of the man.

The Hand sighed, his fists balling up as he rubbed his forehead.

"Sit down," he ordered. The boy did as was ordered as he looked around the room.

After that, the Hand poured him wine from one of the bottles as he threw a pouch towards the boy.

"Your payment. Have a cup as well. It's a fine breed of Arbor that was gifted to me by the Lord Arbor himself," he said. The boy had never seen such fine wine, and in that moment, greed won over his better sense as he hesitantly picked up the glass and drank the fine vintage.

"I believe I do not have to tell you to keep your mouth shut about what you have just told me. None apart from me are to hear about this," he said, and the boy nodded.

"As you say, my lord," the boy said and then was given leave, only to die a few hours later.

0000

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