Dream Of Valyria

"Ahh... I lost again." Trystane laughed. "You've gotten better than me within only a few weeks, Jocelyn."

Aerion, who had been observing the game of cyvasse, shook his head. "That is because you use the same strategy every time. Once someone realises this, beating you is fairly simple."

"The same strategy... really?"

"You place far too much focus on only a few pieces and continuously move them to the same places. To win consistently, all your pieces must be used effectively in response to your opponent's moves while also being organised for their own attack. If you grow reckless on the offensive side of the game, you will find yourself losing valuable pieces. Though... it isn't your fault as Arianne was the one to teach you this game."

"Hmph, what do you mean by that?" Arianne replied, slightly red.

"You tend to only use the dragon which inevitably results in its death." Aerion chuckled. "Perhaps I may teach Trys how to play properly... when I have the time."

"Elder brother... can't you teach me now?"

"I'm not your elder brother-"

Trystane smiled and looked at Aerion in a pleading manner. "Please..."

"Next time, I will. How about that?"

"And you will let me win this next game with some advice!" Trystane chuckled.

"Fine..." Aerion stood behind him. "I will guide you to victory."

"Hahahaha... I now have elder brother on my side! I will suffer no more defeats from today onwards."

"That's cheating!" Jocelyn refuted. "I might as well be playing Aerion."

Aerion laughed. "You can have Arianne give you advice. It's only fair..."

"Hmph... she's no good." Jocelyn shook her head.

"What did you say... you wilful child? Now, instead of lending you my hand, I will watch you suffer an embarrassing defeat."

"Not that I asked for your hand in the first place." Jocelyn shrugged.

"Patience wins games... and war, Trys." Aerion stated in a low tone.

In the first few turns, Trystane sacrificed a few lesser pieces to get the rest of his pieces in an overall better position. This was under the guidance of Aerion... although he didn't see how it would lead to victory. As the turns passed, Jocelyn found herself suffering devastating losses while Aerion lost very few pieces moving forward.

The game ended with her king surrounded by a dragon, Aerion's king and a crossbowman.

"Your king is as good as dead... I win." Aerion announced.

"Well, we win... right?" Trystane added. "So it is true. Together, we're invincible!"

"Indeed. I found your strategies very... insightful." Aerion nodded.

"And I thought that I was winning." Jocelyn sighed.

"Sacrifice is sometimes an essential part of victory." Aerion pat Trystane's shoulder before leaving his side. "I'm afraid that I will be away for quite some time."

"Can I come with you then?"

Aerion shook his head. "Sunspear is where you belong. Perhaps when you grow older, you can make the decision to leave yourself. But... for now, you will stay here as your father wishes. Do you understand?"

"I... understand."

"Good."

~

Aerion prepared to sail away from Sunspear, knowing that he would be away for six months at the very least. So he wished to enjoy all it had to offer, from the various spices to its wine. His dinner was, indeed, quite spectacular that night. It was a fitting way to send off the Emperor.

Then he relaxed on the beach as the glowing sun began to fade. It had been quite some time since he had rested in this very position. The gentle wind brushed against his hair while his eyes slowly closed. Within minutes, he had entered a complete state of calm as if there was not a single worry in the world.

Ser Jaime sat down on the matt beside him and silently watched.

As time passed... several shadows began to emerge and surround them. It was the perfect opportunity to strike.

Or so they thought...

"My Emperor... we have a few assassins to slay." Jaime stated.

"Assassins?" Aerion opened his eyes, a little asleep. "There haven't been any for quite some time..."

"They wanted you to lower my guard."

Aerion chuckled. "My guard is never lowered."

"He... he's awake..."

"We can take him, there's far more of us than them!- AH!"

There were several shadows behind the assassins, all armed with bows of fire. After the first volley, a couple of Soul Knights charged forwards to slay the rest. The final assassin managed to fire her arrow, though it missed considerably under the pressure that came from the Soul Knights behind her and even Aerion who stood unnerved. In fact, the assassin felt more frightened of Aerion... which wasn't meant to happen.

"Leave that one alive," Aerion commanded. "For now."

The Soul Knight shrugged and punched the assassin in the gut, making her fall to the ground. Aerion walked closer with his hands behind his back.

"It's because of people like you that I can never truly experience peace without having many guards watching over me. Now, do tell who sent you and I may consider being merciful."

"The King... King Robert Baratheon sent us after you."

Aerion laughed. "How intriguing. At this very moment of time, only I have the navy required to free him of the Greyjoy Rebellion. My death would mean many things... but not many of them lead to his benefit. Sure, he would kill his nemesis... the oh so despised dragonspawn. But at what cost? These pitiful assassination attempts ended when I took Jocelyn under my wing because he knew what would happen if I were to die."

"Now he is focused on a war against the Ironborn... what would it matter if I died?" Aerion laughed. "His current circumstance would not change in the slightest and he would find himself with fewer children."

"I am of the mind that you are... lying to me. The truth, however, will present itself soon enough, my dear assassin."

I could still be wrong... but I must be sure nevertheless.

Aerion grabbed the assassin by the neck and drew his sword, piercing her chest right after. She fell to the ground as emerald flames surrounded her dying self and dragged her soul away. Aerion grasped it in his palm and summoned the soul, this time making her obedient to his commands. She was covered in an emerald light that could be seen through, appearing like a ghost as all summoned souls did.

"Now... who sent you?"

"Petyr of House Baelish, My Lord."

"One of the King's advisors... intriguing news, indeed. Was King Robert involved?"

"No, he was not. We were to use the King's name if we were caught before or after slaying Aerion of House Targaryen instead of his own. He did not specify why but I believe it was to deflect the blame."

Aerion chuckled. "Well, I know who to look for when I next visit King's Landing."

He has given me free souls and a few corpses...

Aerion's flames took the rest of the souls and summoned greater undead from the corpses. The guards backed away afterwards and the two were left alone on the beach again as Aerion returned the soul to himself.

"To think that such a lowly lord dares to make an attempt on my life... in the end, he is only bringing ruin upon himself."

"I wonder, what would he have to gain from your death?" Jaime looked towards the shimmering waters. "Robert's... praise and some grand reward?"

"I believe that Robert would want to kill me in battle, especially after suffering such a humiliating defeat. Only killing me in combat would wash it away... I doubt that he would praise him. Doran would not take kindly to my death and neither would Oberyn. With Jocelyn here, well... you know what would happen. This Petyr would only be punished if he informed Robert of the act."

"He has his own motivations behind this, I'm sure... but I do not know what they are."

"Then we will have to ask him kindly when you become King of the Seven Kingdoms."

Aerion nodded. "I'm quite interested, in truth."

~

At night, Aerion walked towards the port and saw that quite a number of people had already gathered there.

"Be careful in the sea as you never know what dangers can emerge," Doran stated.

"I'm sure the Stormcaller will be more than capable of settling these dangers," Jocelyn replied. "Isn't that right?"

Aerion shrugged. "I may find some Krakens to be troublesome... although, slaying one would only serve to add to my legend."

"And how would you accomplish that?" Arianne wondered.

"Drag it out of the sea with a fearsome tornado and follow it up with several more, effectively cutting the sea monster into pieces," Aerion replied. "I wouldn't call it foolproof as the Kraken may very well drag my ship into the sea before I am aware of its presence... which would make the battle more complicated. But, these creatures are of myth and highly unlikely to appear...."

"You seem to be quite fond of the thought of slaying one," Jocelyn remarked.

"I had a dream about one... I will leave it at that." Aerion turned to his family. "Farewell, mother, uncle Doran and Oberyn. I will try to make my return swift, if possible."

Aerion turned around and began to walk back to the Mad King. However, another set of slightly hesitant steps followed behind those who were leaving with him.

"Take me with you... my son." Elia spoke.

Aerion turned around. "Mother..."

"During your last voyage, it was in the name of conquest. There were battles to be fought which I understand. But now, as Emperor, you no longer have any enemies to face. If I wish to be by your side, there should not be anything to worry about so you have no reason to reject."

Aerion smiled.

Seven Hells... what am I to tell her when I leave for Old Valyria? Lys? Nevertheless, I truly have no plausible reason to reject my mother in this circumstance...

"You are right, mother... you have no reason not to come aboard my ship. Along with that, I would be most glad to have you beside me."

"Then it is settled. A few servants will bring my belongings and we will be able to sail to Volantis together afterwards."

Aerion nodded. "Of course."

~

He had the cabins rearranged, making room for Arianne and his mother. The dead had no need for cabins and his small fleet did not have any living soldiers, except for the Mad King. The Mad King had quite a variety of men, most of whom had served him for a considerable length of time. Now he had two of the living men from the Mad King on another ship and the issue was sorted.

There was still one issue...

"So, you have been hogging Aerion's bedchambers while refusing to sleep anywhere else?" Arianne frowned.

"Yes... and what of it?" Jocelyn glanced to the side.

"That will have to change now that I am here. You see... Aerion and I like to share our beds quite often."

"There are two beds. I don't believe anything is stopping you from doing so." Jocelyn replied.

"You... little pest." Arianne sighed. "Aerion, tell her to take my cabin."

Aerion laid back on his chair and poured the jar of wine on his desk into a goblet. He took a sip, enjoying its sweet taste in an efficient manner. "How sweet..."

"Did you hear me?"

"My, this little argument you two are having is quite amusing. Why don't we allow a game of fate to decide? It's fair and simple."

"A game of fate?" Both of them inquired.

"Indeed." Aerion took out a gold dragon from his pocket. "If this coin lands on Robert's head, Jocelyn will stay. If it lands on the other side, she will have to take your cabin instead."

"Fate has always been kind to me... will you accept, Arianne?" Jocelyn seemed quite confident.

"Hmph, we will see if that is the truth."

Aerion nodded and flipped the coin. "Very well."

And...

It did, as a matter of fact, land on Robert's crowned head.

"Well, then." Aerion took another sip of his wine. "It seems that fate has decided."

"I told you." Jocelyn chuckled, showing her tongue to Arianne.

"Unbelievable... however, I did agree on the terms so I will bear the consequences of losing."

~

And so, Arianne shared Aerion's bed while Jocelyn laid in her own. Aerion was patient enough to abstain from any... deeds. Arianne was not quite as patient but he promised that there would be enough time in the day. With his golden tongue, it wasn't too difficult to convince people so he succeeded in the end.

As he slept, his peaceful dreams turned to ash and were replaced by something... beautiful. It was a black city with most of the buildings being made out of the very same material. The source of light in every building was blazing flames, making the city look mostly black-orange. In Braavos, there were channels of water... here, however, these channels were made of lava.

Although it would seem like a depressing place for most, Aerion felt more at home than he ever did anywhere else.

This city... it felt perfect yet he didn't know why.

Then he looked up to see dozens of dragons soaring through the sky, mighty and free. There were many white to blond-haired people walking among him, all with violet, lilac or pale blue eyes. They were all beautiful... hell, one lady especially struck him in a daze that took a long second to recover from. Most of them wore brilliant clothes or armour and some had magnificently-crafted swords at their sides. Along with the massive dragons in the sky, there were little ones beside their masters on the streets.

Is this... Valyria?

As Aerion began to think about where he was, the dream burned away and left him in the void of light.