1 Prologue

97 AC

The room, lit only by candles, was shaken by women's cries. Why ask? It's simple, she just gave birth. The woman who was about to bring a new life into the world had black hair and eyes. Although she was not a beauty, she was not ugly either. The name of this girl, and already a woman, Rhea Royce. A year after her marriage to the "beloved husband" who was the prince of Westeros. There was no love between her and Damon, to be honest they couldn't stand each other. And to be honest, she was surprised that they managed to conceive a child on the first try, considering that the "scaly scum" didn't even properly finish in her. So Rhea hoped that she would have a boy, she doubted that the second time she would be so lucky knowing Daemon's attitude towards her.

— Just a little more milady, I can already see the head! — the midwife said about the imminent end of her suffering.

Gritting her teeth, the Lady of the Runestone mustered her remaining strength and then shouted at the top of her lungs. A few seconds later, a child's crying sounded in the room.

— It's a boy, milady! — the midwife announced the good news.

Rhea sighed, finally these torments ended and thank the gods it was a boy, her heir. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she straightened up on the bed, leaning her back against the bed. After cleaning the baby from blood and getting rid of the navel, the servant wrapped it in a bundle and handed it to Royce. Looking down at her son, she noticed a fluff of snow-white hair that indicated her son's Valyrian ancestry. Opening his eyes, the baby looked at her with his indigo eyes that fascinated. But it wasn't her son's appearance that interested her now. Looking at her son Rhea realized that all the suffering she went through was justified, her boy, her cute little boy was born recently and she already loved him, despite who his father was. A small bundle of happiness that looked at her curiously stretched his hands to her sweat-dampened hair. Seeing this, she just smiled. He was so small and fragile and innocent, but she would protect him until her son was strong enough to protect himself. At that moment, when she was about to choose a name for her son, the entire castle shook with a monstrous roar, frightening all the servants in the room.

— «Seven Hell,»— Lady Royce cursed mentally and already wanted to calm her son, but noticed that her son continued to look at the world around him with curiosity. Rhea just chuckled. — «A dragon has no reason to be afraid of another dragon, right?»

After Rhea managed to calm the servants in the room, Daemon burst in. Sliding across the room, the scaly bastard approached her bed. The gaze of the husband and wife crossed each other, there was no love or any other tender feelings in them. After a moment that seemed to last for an eternity, Daemon decided to speak after looking at the bundle in his wife's arms.

— Dear wife.

— Dear husband. — answered the young Royce, after which she extended the child to the man she hated, extorting her unwillingness to transfer her son, no, their son. — This is your son.

In turn, Daemon picked up the bundle with uncharacteristic tenderness. After examining his son's features, Damon's face was adorned with a smile and he kissed the child on the forehead, causing him to laugh.

— Well done wife. — handed the son back to his mother's arms, the Prince of House Targaryen. — What shall we call him?

— Aiden, Aiden Royce, in the language of the first people it means flame..

— No, he is the Prince of House Targaryen, he must have a proper name.

— He is my heir and future Lord of Runestone. — Rhea objected. — Or do you want to have another baby, honey? — Daemon's wife asked caustically at the end.

Daemon did not react to his wife's mockery, in order to piss him off Bronze Bitch needs to try harder. Deciding to leave the topic for another day, the Blood Serpent rider left the room.

— Your father is a real piece of shit, isn't he Aiden? — Rhea asked her son with a smile, but he was looking at the corner of the room where stood a tall ghostly figure with a disfigured face, examining those in the room. Smiling at the baby, the figure began to disappear, whispering at the end, "Grow faster" until it finally dissipated.

****

[Red Keep]

Fire, blood, death and destruction. This is what surrounded him. Viserys had many prophetic dreams, but none of them were so clear. Around him there was a battle, a battle not for life but for death. People with abilities like heroes from fairy tales fought against monsters that inspire horror with their appearance alone. The battle was horrendous, both humans and monsters killing each other with such frenzy as if it was the raison d'être of their existence. The eyes of the people burned with an unshakable determination, a determination and fury whose flame could be compared with the flame from the hell itself. And among these people Viserys saw him. The one who caused the firestorms, hundreds of different animals obeyed his commands, including several dozen dragons that sent their flames to the horde of monsters. The blade of this person shone with the color of various runes inscribed on it. The warrior moved quickly, gracefully and uncontrollably. Any monster that came across in his path turned into a chopped piece of meat, so his blade was sharp and dangerous. This person was like a god to an ordinary person like Viserys, his presence was overwhelming, and his strength was terrifying. But Viserys understood that those around him did not see, he already understood this at the moment when the giant beetle passed through without any harm to him. So physically Viserys had nothing to fear, but his mind could not stand it.

Finally the battle was over and the man started shouting orders to other people in a language unknown to him. Having finished issuing orders, the man raised his hands up, starting to say something when green particles began to collect on them, it became clear to Viserys that the man was reading some kind of spell. Finally, after finishing the incantation, the man clapped his hands and the battlefield was enveloped in a bright green color. The wounds of the men around began to heal before our eyes, be it simple cuts or horrific burns. The earth began to turn green, healed from the horrific wounds inflicted from the recent battle.

The calm atmosphere finally gave Viserys a clear view of the features of the leader of the warriors. He had hair as black as a crow's wing, and several scars adorned his face, and one of them, the most noticeable burn around his right eye, did not make him a freak, no, they rather painted this man, giving him a severe beauty. In some ways, this man looked like a northerner, the same gloomy and stern face, the same ferocity and concentration. But it was the eyes of this man that interested the Prince Targaryen most of all. Viserys himself, being a descendant of Valyria, was the owner of bright purple eyes, but even his eyes seemed ordinary compared to the eyes of this person. The bright yellow eyes that shone as if they belonged to a beast and not a man, it was these eyes that aroused Viserys' deep interest. He had never heard of people who had eyes like those of a beast.

The man turned in his direction and their gazes locked, after which the world around Viserys swam.

Waking up in his bed in a cold sweat, Viserys looked around with wild eyes. When he made sure that he was in his bedroom, the man calmed down a little. But the anxiety still hasn't gone away.

— The seventh hell, what was it? — he whispered to himself.