119
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298 AC
The North - The Wall
Aemon Targaryen
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"Care for me to read it again?" Samwell Tarly my new helper asks me after I sit down and relax my old bones.
I can only smile and give the lad a nod, first a letter here and there from Sunspear of all places and then 'it' arrived. I would almost call it a book with how thick it was and first the first time in a long time I wish I could see with my eyes once more. Thankfully Samwell enjoys reading and also reads smoothly so I could enjoy the writings on my great-nephew.
Others wrote within the 'book' that had to be delivered by hand to the wall, but most of it is written by my nephew.
"I still can't believe I am reading about a living and breathing Targaryen, I thought they were all gone." None of the usual sadness ails me when I hear my family's name and instead a pride builds up inside like never before.
"You're sitting down with a Targaryen, old I may be but dragon blood still flows through these veins." I can't see the look on his face but I can tell he is shifting awkwardly from his weight making the chair groan beneath him.
"Of course Maester Aemon, I just never expected to hear about the return of the Targaryens and thought any who were left after the rebellion slowly got killed off. I would expect the king to purge the old royal family to avoid future claimants coming for the Iron Throne." I nod in understanding as I also assumed something much the same.
"Go ahead and skip to the part I know you are eager to read once more." I hear him turning the pages and setting the book down flat on the table.
"I guess all of us have similar dreams of flying in the skies, returning to the place we with the blood of the dragon belong. I don't know if you will be alive when they are big enough to carry me up there to see you but if you are I will take you to the skies. I still haven't gotten word back about if you still have your egg that was given by your father, I would offer to hatch it for you if you did..." I feel the fire in my limbs once more thinking about the egg me and my brother used to play with.
In our younger years, we would pretend they would hatch and what we would name them, and where we would fly to. Eragon is right, we of the blood of the dragon all yearn for the sky. It's why I spent so much of my life gazing at the stars with my far eye before I lost my sight. I had fallen in love with them with my habit of watching the sky from a young age.
I pray every day that nothing happens to the family I never thought I would hear from again and hope the gods watch over them. But with the words, my nephew has sent me, I don't doubt they will reclaim what is ours. Seven dragons hatched in Summerhall from the eggs my brother died trying to hatch.
I don't know how to feel about that but I am at least grateful another Targaryen didn't burn up at that cursed place after my brother failed an attempt. I can vaguely remember the eggs that were kept at the red keep that were given to multiple Targaryen children in attempts to hatch them in the cradle. From the sounds of the description of them, I know roughly how they look from the memory of the eggs.
I have forgotten many things and with the loss of my eyesight, it is even harder to remember how things look. My family's faces are a blur in my mind but I still vividly remember those eggs.
In this very room as I listen to Samwell read to me I know beneath our feet in a hidden chest lies my own egg. I wonder if I left it behind would it have also been one of the ones that hatched, Aegon picked seven, one for each of the new gods. Would he have picked my own and tried to hatch it for me leading to our great-nephew finishing the job?
"...so make sure to hold on as long as your old bones can, I want to show off my firstborn when I get the chance. I hope you don't mind but I plan to name one of my kids Aemon after both you and the man you got your namesake from. The dragon knight reborn is my goal with at least one of my kids, his stories inspire me to improve my sword skills. If there was someone worthy of the title 'hero' among the Targaryens I would think it would have been Aemon the dragon knight from the stories I have heard." I shake my head slowly, I don't know if I will be able to hold out dear nephew but I will try.
I would hate to not get to 'see' a new generation of Targaryens and even more so one named after me and the dragon knight.
A knock at the door stops Samwell from reading and soon it opens and a gruff voice fills the room.
"Dinner is served." I smell the food before I hear a bowl set Infront of me and nod to the lad who brought it for me.
I hear the door close and notice the lad didn't bring any for my friend here so I wave my hand to him.
"Go find some food Samwell, I will be fine on my own just make sure to put that up before you go." I point toward where I know the book is.
"I will." The chair groans once more as he stands and it scrapes against the ground hurting my ears a bit but I don't react to the short pain.
"Thank you for reading to me Samwell." I call out as I take the wooden spoon in my hand and I hear Sam stop at the door.
"Do you think he will really come all the way up here with his dragons?" I can hear the hope in his voice and slowly nod my head.
"I think he will." It's not just Targaryens who long for the sky.
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298 AC
The Westerlands - Casterly Rock
Joanna Lannister
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I shake my head and stop myself from laughing once more when I remember the look on my husband's face when he saw the golden lion head delivered to him. A note from my old friend thanking house Lannister for the fine addition of Brightroar. He fumed when he read 'who has the brighter roar anyway between a lion and a dragon? I am certain you will find out soon enough, fire and blood.' very concerning but one of the few times his face changed in a long time.
Rhaella wouldn't have her children burn down Casterly Rock that much I am sure of.
It wouldn't be like Aegon and Harrenhal showing Westeros the power of dragons as everyone already knows the power of dragons. Dragons forged the kingdoms together and kept the together for as long as they were in the skies.
Burning Casterly Rock would sing a song they don't want the lord of the realm to hear, fire and blood should be strong but it also should let others have room to move around. There is no point in being the ruler of ash, I believe my old friend is more than aware of that.
But you never know really... their coin could land on the wrong side and be just like Aerys.
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298 AC
Summer Isles - The Cove
Eragon Targaryen
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"My head is killing me." I hold my head in my hands and lay on the ground as my skull feels like it is cracking open.
"I never would have expected something like that to happen, it is truly fascinating..." Marwyn is going to find himself run through with Brightroar if something like this happens again.
"My Prince, are you feeling any better?" Melisandre who was standing next to me as I tried to 'use' the candle is on her knees on the ground looking at me concerned.
"I feel like I took a hammer to the head." A bright white flame appeared above the candle and rapidly showed many different things before I felt like I was struck.
I did something wrong that much is obvious but I still blame Marwyn, he ran to the candle as soon as I fell and didn't seem to care much for me collapsing on the ground.
"Explain what just happened." Daenerys with a cold voice rivaling the wall in the north grits her teeth as she looks at Marwyn.
"I have no idea... best I got is he activated it and it was jumping around as we saw and that somehow caused the Prince pain. Maybe he was not thinking about one specific place and instead was letting his thoughts roam too much and that caused the candle to overfill his mind somehow? I will need to see him try a few more times before I can even begin to give a real answer." I sit up and glare at the back of his fat head.
"Hey Marwyn, how about instead of doing that and splitting my skull we just shove it up yo-." I try to stand up and fall back down as my vision swims and Shiera takes my head into her hands and places it on her soft thighs.
"Lay down for a moment and we can shove things in different places when you don't look like you're going to buckle and fall over." I groan but close my eyes in agreement.
I know the candle according to him shows places using magic and so I thought about the pirates and from what I saw it just jumped between a bunch of different pirate vessels and men. I believe I know what I did wrong as I didn't specify inside of my mind I wanted to see the pirates on Xon.
Calling flame onto my blade is as simple as wanting it to be on fire, I guess I was expecting too much when I was thinking just simply 'pirate'.
I will keep that little bit of information to myself so I don't get ribbed over it, who would expect it to be such a smart ass and show hundreds of pirates anyway. I mean what if I was thinking 'big-breasted women' would I have cracked my skull seeing some shapely women?
I know who it would have shown if I thought about a big fat rear end, looking at Nata as she observes the candle I feel the fire inside of me light up.
Wait.
Could I use this to hunt down other things that I have never seen before, I have never seen any of those pirates from before. Could I use it to try and find out if there are wild dragons somewhere or even look for lost Valyrian steel weapons and armor?
Imagine if I could look through the flame to find more Valyrian steel or hunt down a full-grown hundred-plus-year-old dragon. All of us already have dragons ourselves so I don't know if it would do us any good but maybe for Shaena or mom or even Viserys.
Scratch that if I found Viserys a full-grown dragon the world would burn and only ash would be left.
There are so many possibilities, looking for unknown Targaryens out there in the world is also an interesting thought. Blackfyre and Dark sister as well, I want to reclaim those two swords no matter what the cost. Maybe find out if I can scout old Valyria and see if there is any loot to be had or even a safe pass through the smoking sea.
My heart matches my pounding head as they both beat rapidly and I slowly close my eyes and hold Shieras hands as I take a quick nap.
Let's play with the candle when I wake up.