34

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186 AC

The Flatlands

Aerion Targaryen

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Leaning on Moonfyre's neck as she takes a nap is the only way to sit in the shade in the middle of the Flatlands. The Khalasar is apparently somewhere nearby and the Khal Merio is apparently a hard man to please. He demanded more tribute last time he passed through and angered quite a lot of people in Pentos with his outrageous demands. I expect all the gold and valuables I am going to get from the Prince of Pentos is actually funded by the men of Pentos who have enough wealth to scoff at the price once they pool their resources.

I have the Velaryons making a journey to Pentos with the full might of their available fleet to escort my payment, for a price, and I expected to save some horses for them to carry back. It was originally a plan to try and save as many horses as possible when I do this but I don't think that idea will go all too well once the fires start spooking them. But I know they usually drag a group of slaves they caught to sell or use themselves and I will be avoiding them so long as they don't scatter like rats.

My new idea is to 'free' these men and women and offer to give them jobs and lands to farm with no fear of Dothraki. I don't doubt some will just run off and not even care about my offer but some will be tempted and might sail back to Westeros. I do not plan on bringing them to Harrenhal though, it would be in the eyes of Lords and Ladies and they might kick up a fuss.

I will pay the Velaryons to carry them North to the gift into the port city that is being built around an old ruined castle I am having rebuilt. I have some people up there settled in and working on repairs and also starting to clear land and farming it. But they need more muscle and population to start making something of the place, it is also out of sight for the most part so no one will say I bought slaves or something along those lines. Harrenhal is the face of me and my future line, the plans in the North are tucked away and some captured and 'released' slaves will go unnoticed for the most part.

They might freeze their balls off but after a few generations of breeding with the people of the north, they will be true Northmen. I don't expect there to be that many of them anyway but a few hundred or a little over a thousand would make a huge difference up there. I have multiple deals with House Manderly and they will have my growing city up there fed until they are able to provide for themselves off the new fertile lands they are clearing.

A 'personal guard' is also in training up there and out of the sight of the masses of Westeros, a group of men almost five hundred strong. The number will grow and batches will slowly be sent to garrison Harrenhal with men loyal solely to me. But for now, five hundred men who are trained by some of the best loyal knights I could hire and I have no worries about wildlings messing with my little operation up in the North.

"Why did you stop playing? My headache is returning can you please continue and soothe it?" My needy aunt speaks up as she leans against Moonfyre with her eyes closed and her head covered with an extra shirt.

She has been bothered with an on and off again headache since we left Pentos and started seeking out the Dothraki. She needed the rest almost as much as Moonfyre but we should find the horde within a few hours and that will give us plenty of time before nightfall. I need this done before it gets dark and they manage to flee, it's dirty work but I already have too much in motion to stop or regret. The Velaryons are sailing and the contract is signed, I also would look like a pussy if I backed out and Danny would be disappointed.

I have no aversion to killing horrible people and these guys are worse even than the Iron born and I hate the Iron born.

I pick back up the harp and start playing one of Elaena's favorites as thoughts of the future plague my mind.

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186 AC

The Flatlands

Elaena Targaryen

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When I first got invited to ride with Aerion I was excited to see some of Essos, from dragon back even more so. The idea we are going to basically claim a bounty on the head of an entire horse-riding army made my stomach flip. I was both frightened and oddly aroused at the idea of doing something only people like the conquerors have in our histories. I thought something was wrong with Aerion and how he could plan this out without flinching, but I was wrong.

The closer we get the more absent-minded he gets and seems locked away in his thoughts, I worry for him. He might be taking on more than he should, just because Aegon and his sister wives could burn armies does not mean he can. To be personally responsible for so much death has to weigh on someone's shoulders heavily.

Everyone will fear him when we return, the perfect dragon-riding and singing silver prince will be feared more than any living person. It is a good thing he is loyal to his very core and has no ideas for the throne or there would be a civil war. It would not last long with two dragons on one side but our House would pay a heavy price because of it. But he only cares about what he can build or at least rebuild with his own hands and wants nothing to do with the Red Keep and ruling from it.

But I still feel bad for my nephew-turned-man, he has been so excited in the last month with all that has been going on. I thought he would die of happiness with dragon eggs and a baby in his wife, but then this plan came like a headsman's axe. To much gold to refuse for such a hungry dragon who wants to grow like a weed and needs gold to do it.

But I am glad I am here with him at the very least, he talks to me quite a bit and even stole me away from the duties of master of coin. He felt no remorse pulling me away from Daeron and his plans of wedding me to the master of coin to fully take up the duties in all but name. I did not want to birth babies for a man just so I could do his job for him because my King is too scared to name a woman to the council. But Aerion never seemed to care about what is between a person's legs and more what's between their ears when it comes to getting a job done.

Thoughts of babes and what's between my legs reminds me of my little pregnant niece pulling me to the side to give me a talking to. She gave a stern warning I am not to sleep with her husband even if the King ordered it or she would be wroth with me. I almost could not believe Daeron of all people recommended Aerion to have bastard children just so there are more riders.

But with no one else hatching an egg from the five delivered it almost confirms there is something special with Aerion and Daenerys. If their blood is needed to hatch and ride dragons then we need a lot of it to firmly grasp Westeros once more. The Dance of dragons will always stand as a reminder of our failures and hopefully keep us on the right path but we need to get back to the point we were before it happened.

Daeron knows this and hopes that Aerion and Daenerys didn't just light a torch of hope with their two dragons for it to fade out with their deaths. He wants them to pass their torch so that nothing can happen to our House in the future.

So if Daenerys births a babe that hatches an egg it is likely the Torch will pass on and light many more as it does. Daeron won't force the matter as he honestly can't if Aerion does not want to father children out of his marriage. But I know he will request it officially at some point if the first baby does hatch an egg.

Thinking about how I was not even a few months ago dreading having to marry and birth babes for someone I can't help but shake my head at my current thoughts. I am most tempted by the idea of growing a dragon rider myself and seeing them grow to be the future of House Targaryen. But I don't know if I am more tempted by that idea or I just want to ride my nephew after he plays me a nice song.

Lifting my chin enough I can see under the edge of the shirt blocking my vision I can see his bare arms and his defined muscles as he plays one of my favorites. He took the time to play me close to a hundred songs and remembered which ones I like the best for moments he can play for me. Sometimes I wonder if he is secretly trying to tempt me with the small gestures he does or if that is just who he is. He is a man but a young one and it is hard to tell whether it is natural or an act that he has gotten so good at it became natural.

I wish my niece just did not even say anything, I have more than enough self-control to not do anything to spoil the relationship I have with the both of them. But she brought it to my attention and made it hard to not think about it when even the King is wanting him to spread his seed wide. The very King who is having to deal with the after-effects of the last King spreading his seed wide wants his brother to go about fathering many children.

The only relief from the tempting thoughts is that we are to soon burn over twenty thousand people alive. A sobering thought that should make any heat pooling in my stomach fade but instead only changes to an odd tingle. I am so conflicted at this moment that my head is spinning and pounding as if a hammer is striking it.

My nephew is worried for me with the pain I am going through and the concerned looks he keeps giving me only making it worse. I will make sure to get Danny back for this suffering in some way, she has me suffering on my first trip to Essos. I am sure I will come up with something to get back at her so that she can suffer similarly to me.

I would say being pregnant and the pain it brings is punishment enough, but she seems almost eager for the pregnancy suffering to begin. If I did not know better I would think she was scared she was never going to get with child and is relived with a baby growing inside of her.

Moonfyre shifts and lifts her head looking off into the distance with a rumble shaking our bodies.

"Seems it is time." Aerion stops his music with a sigh and stands up, his hand held out to help me to my feet. "I won't waste time asking if you are sure you want to watch this, you had a choice and you made it just like I made my choice. We will see this through and you will have to live with what you are about to see just like I will have to live with I am the one doing it." My thighs clench as he gives me a steely look and I nod while fixing my hair which is a mess.

"I am ready." He nods and starts climbing Moonfyre and drops the rope so he can pull me up.

He helps me get seated on the saddle in front of him with all the straps going on, even the ones he doesn't like. This will be a wild ride and I can't help but lightly shake, anticipation and fear along with something I can't identify. Moonfyre takes a moment to shake off the sand she was laying in and starts charging forward before lifting her wings catching the wind with them. She pushes off the ground with her powerful hind legs and we are once more in the air.

This time we won't be landing until we have committed a massacre and given Fire and Blood to a horde of rapists and slavers. Men who thrive in slaughtering and taking what they want, just as we are taking what we want. The cruelest side of the world is about to play out before my eyes and I can't help but be worried. But my worries are being kept at bay by my nephew's arms going around my side and holding the handles to the saddle while keeping the reins tight. I can feel his heartbeat through his chest against my back and I know he is also feeling what I am feeling and it gives me a little more comfort.