66
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113 AC
Storms End
Daeron Nymeros Martell
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A coincidence... surely.
Looking out the window I can't help but purse my lips as sheets of rain beat against Storms End as the designer intended. A castle to withstand the wrath of the Storm God or some shit like that... but the storm is not my concern. My concern is what was 'born' during the storm as if a sign... a black-scaled sign.
Stormborn the excitable baby dragon is and so was its 'intended' rider should things have played out to canon. Instead what I will name Balerion from now on will be the Stormborn in the family.
"Aegon seems happy." My wife speaks up and I look a foot over from the dragon who is screeching and clawing at a pillow.
"How can you tell, he always looks happy to me." If he is not screaming for some tit that is... the boy has some serious lungs.
"He cried without stopping for nearly an hour, the dragon hatches almost as if to get him to shut up." I chuckle regretting missing the scene while I was talking to Lord Baratheon in his solar.
"I wish I saw it." I clench my hands into fists feeling like I missed a big milestone but I will have plenty to see over time and this is only the first of our babes to come who will hatch an egg.
I pull Rhaenyra flush against my side as I lean my head against hers, her arms wrap around me and lightly squeeze. I smile watching 'Balerion' sniff at Aegon and avoid his fat baby hands that try to grasp him. The dragon seems very gentle even though it is the younger of the two and carefully observes his bond with red eyes.
"Where are we going to put it while we sleep?" My beautiful wife speaks up breaking me from my observation.
"Can't he sleep in the cradle with him?" I ask only to receive a tighter grip around my body that somehow conveyed her displeasure, but I won't give in so easily. "I would have loved to sleep with a dragon as a babe." Would have given me something to look at for hours on end while I could not sleep.
Black as ravens feathers with small red frills already seeming to be grown in with equally red wings. The horns have a hint of white to them along with the teeth and claws being white but other than that it sure looks like the 'Dread' reborn. I wonder how my Good Father will react to seeing the 'reincarnation' of his mount now that it has hatched from a 'stone' egg.
They all doubted me and my dream of seeing the Daenerys trio hatched out early but I held strong. I won't lie and diss the eggs Syrax laid but the Danny trio of eggs are too tempting to see with my own eyes take to the sky. If Vhagar was dead I would name all three after the conqueror's dragons when they hatch out.
But so far Balerion is out and next should be 'Meraxes' if all goes to plan... maybe Vhagar will not mind a small green babe named after her when the time comes.
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113 AC
Kingslanding
Viserys Targaryen
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"This is wonderful news, send a response at once congratulating them and asking when they plan to bring it to the Dragon pit. I want to see with my own eyes 'Balerion come again' as my Good Son told me the dragon would be." I can't help but get excited to see the dragon that hatched from an egg I thought was long dead.
An egg that was stolen from House Targaryen and returned through my Good Son to my Grandchild who bears Aegons name. Aegon and Balerion come again, surely they will make a fearsome pair in days to come if the dragon is anything like the young babe. I have seen Aegon more active as a babe than I have seen any babe before, if his dragon is like him I fear it will start burning down Storms End.
"It will be done, my King." The new Grand Maester nods dipping his head low.
A good start to the day, a dragon hatching, and news the Progress is going well easily light up my day. I will bring the news by to Aemma later when I try to once more close the distance that has seemed like a valley compared to the past.
"My King." I shake off the thoughts and look over at my Hand and he takes a deep breath no doubt chewing his words carefully.
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113 AC
Storms End
Rhaenyra Targaryen
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"Did he really eat the whole thing?!" I ask heatedly and the servant girl nods before I wave her off and she scampers away.
I look down in disgust and disappointment at the small dragon with a swollen belly, a rat-sized swollen belly. How it managed to catch it when he only flew out the window a moment ago and swallow the thing down before I found him I will never know. I can smell burnt fur in the air and there is a small scorch mark on the floor showing he likely torched it.
""Balerion there is Fish, Goat, Cow, Pig, Stag, and even Rabbit and you went after a Rat?"" I ask the dragon as I bend down to scoop the fat-bellied dragon off the ground.
His only response is a purr like a cat and a flicking tail as I nestle him against my chest just like I would Aegon. The small dragon is more of a handful than even my fire-blooded son, I dread when they can take to the skies together. My heart aches knowing my boy and this little troublemaker will likely spend more time in the sky than on the ground when they come of age.
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"A Rat?" Daeron asks with no small amount of amusement as he scratches Balerion's head who thrills even in his sleep at the contact. "A mighty hunter, the rats will flee seeing his shadow overhead once word gets out." I smack his shoulder playfully as I head for the cradle to check on Aegon.
"Balerion ate a nasty rat, I don't think it's good for him to be making a habit of just hunting whatever he wants though. We should get him to focus his meals on fish at this size as my sister's dragon does." Fish are easy to get to fill their little bellies and hopefully, it will come to like them enough when it does hunt it will search the sea and not a farmer's fields for food.
"Well, it's not like Visenyas dragon has much of a choice in that... now that I think about it what did the forty-something dragon lord families do to feed their dragons?" I find Aegon with his eyes open and his little arms raised, the tiny babe already has learned how to silently ask to be held. "You would think it is something that would be well known, they had hundreds of dragons and that would be quite a lot of food to go through. Given the biggest of dragons mainly sleep all the time and don't eat much other than a big meal once in a while. There had to be at least two hundred or more dragons around Syrax size... and she eats a lot." Lifting Aegon his little feet start kicking in excitement and I can't help but shake my head in amusement.
"It's guessed it was sheep as we do on Dragonstone for the most part, Valyrians are known to have been sheep farmers before taming dragons." Daeron hums in thought before noticing I picked up Aegon and smiling wide while holding an arm out.
"Whatever they did they did it well, Lord Baratheon has been vocal about the 'expense' the dragons are eating through in our short stay. To be honest I just feel like he wants something to be grumpy about, the man could do with smiling more." I nod while remembering to give another purse of gold dragons to our host since Laenor and Lewyn will be arriving soon with their own dragons.
"I still can't help but wonder why your 'brothers' are headed to see us here at Storms End when we will soon be heading to Dorne after finishing up in the Stormlands." My Good Mother has sent more than three ravens since we started our stay here, she misses her little 'Egg'.
"They likely want to brag about burning that pirate fleet, I heard it had twenty ships and they even looted some before they submerged with the help of some of the new fleet. I can already see them both trying to rub their new 'glory' in my face as I talk with various Lords who hold no love for me." Daeron continues to sit as I stand beside him with Aegon in my arms, he wraps one arm behind me and places the side of his head against my stomach.
"Well we will see when they get here, I look forward to hearing about any of the adventures they have gotten up to in the Disputed lands." Daeron nods ruffling my dress as he does but I ignore it as my thoughts drift to what he said about the Lords.
Most of the Stormlands Lords have been kind but a few have not hidden their displeasure at having a Martell stay in their castles. Lord Baratheon seems to be in the middle, but I was not there during the private meeting they had and Daeron said he felt 'rubbed wrong'. But it was nothing so dramatic as leaving immediately or taking anything as a slight, but I can tell he does not care to be here much longer.
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113 AC
Storms End
Laenor Velaryon
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"Well, I am still in the lead regardless with the Valyrian steel sword I managed to loot, once you get some magic metal come back to me to brag." I can't help but smile seeing Daeron act uncaring about the bounty Lewyn was telling him about that was recently harvested from some pirates.
"Whatever you say Daeron, I got jewels and gold to fill my coffers and vault while you got a sword that needs reforging. Come brag when you can actually show off your earnings instead of letting it waste away." They both stare each other down before slowly smiling.
"Forget about loot, look at how I was right about the eggs and now Balerion lives again." Daeron gestures to the black dragon with red wings curled in the middle of the table.
"He is beautiful, I did not doubt to begin with that the eggs would hatch but it's still amazing to see it happen. This is the first time I am seeing a dragon so small, I have not seen Princes Visenya's dragon so it's... different to see one so small." Lewyn responds while still rocking his little nephew who tried to pull at his long hair when it hung over his chest.
"From this to bigger than even Gaelithox." Daeron mumbles as he slumps into his chair with a far-off look.
I look around the room again and see we are alone and clear my throat, we need to bring up what we really came here for before Rhaenyra gets back. Surely it is best to broach the subject when the she-dragon is not in the nest...
"Lewyn maybe now it is time to bring up the 'problem' we have encountered." I see Lewyn shift in his seat as he adjusts Aegon and eventually decides to hand him back to his Father who eagerly takes him.
"What is wrong?" Daeron asks as he brings Aegon to his chest with the small baby boy looking around with his amethyst eyes.
Hopefully, this goes well...