Audacity

[Dragonstone, The Next Day]

(Aerion's POV)

After flying Vermithor from Runestone to Dragonstone, I dismounted the Bronze Fury as the keepers approached me. 

To think that Daemon would have the fucking audacity to come to Rhaenyra's castle and take it, making demands like he owns the fucking place. Who does he think he is? I've had it with him, I'll make him pay for this. An insult to my wife, an insult to the throne, doing as he pleases!

"My Lord, these men have kept us down here with no food or water, shut the gates to the dragonmont's entrance...." One of them said, "It is unacceptable!" 

I scowled, "Yes, It is." I responded, "I will handle this. This will require violence, I shall take it from here." 

I drew both of my blades as I walked forwards, hearing Vermithor's deep rumbling as I made my way inside. 

As I reached the stairs, I saw that the doors opened and three men, clad in black-scaled armor, approached, placing their hands on their swords. Their helms were covering their faces, but I could make out their eyes through the eyeslits.

"Hold it." One of them said in High Valyrian, "State your business, Dragonrider." 

"My business?" I said as I walked up to them, "It's simple, I'm cutting you down." 

They went to draw their weapons but I immediately lunged upwards, swinging my swords, cutting through their flesh with ease. Hearing their grunts, I merely pushed the first two down the stairs as the final one had drawn a sword, strangely thin and somewhat curved. 

"Tch...." I scowled

"You will pay for that!" He said as he swung the sword down

I caught his blade with both of mine, raised in a cross as immediately pushed his blade to the side, swinging Lady Rhea and cutting his chest, hearing his pained yelp as he collapsed to his knees and began to roll down. 

"I think not." I said as I looked over to see the keepers who were watching, "Strip them, keep their armor and weapons, toss their bodies to the pit, see if the Dragons are hungry." 

"Y-Yes..." One of them said

"How many more?" I asked

"We counted 15." He said

"Pathetic. Does Daemon think he can take this castle with 15 mediocre warriors?" I spat on the ground, "This will not take long."

********************************************

"Your shit at fighting as you are at dying." I said in high valyrian as the final guard of the fifteen foreign warriors fell down, clutching his belly and holding onto his guts, "Pathetic." 

I stood in front of the throne room's door, I had easily cut my way through most of the black-armored men, they had heard the commotion and I was able to keep them off the maids that had stayed here. Even Maester Gerardys had been locked into a chambers, guarded by two of the men, which I killed. 

I had freed everyone so far and ordered the Maester to send a raven to Runestone and King's Landing, to inform them of the situation. This was not something that I would let fly. 

I kicked open the doors as I held my two valyrian steel sword, scowling as I walked through it. Across the room, on the stone throne, I saw Daemon sitting on it, smiling. 

"Ah, you're here." He said as was looking at his nails, "I wondered who was the one causing those low-life fodder to yell so hard." 

I walked over to him, "Have you gone mad?" I asked, "Do you not think of your daughters?" 

"Every day." He said as he looked at me

"Then why?" I said as I stopped right in front of the steps towards the throne, "Why in the fuck are you doing this? This....stupidity!!" 

He gave me a slight smirk, "Everyone has their reasons, Aerion." He said

"You come into Rhaenyra's home, while we're gone, claim it as your own and demand for my children?!" I exclaimed, "What gives you that fucking right?!" 

"Being Prince Daemon Targaryen, that's what." He said simply

I pointed Lady Rhea at him, "Get off that fucking seat." I said seriously, "Or I will remove you by force." 

He chuckled, "Hehe, wonderful." He said as he slowly stood up and placed his hand on the handle of Dark Sister, "So.....where are they?" 

"Who?" I asked

"Don't be silly, my grandchildren." He said with a smirk, "Visenya and Aegon." 

"How do you even know of Aegon?" I asked, "Did Baela write to you?" 

"You could say that." He said, "Where are they?" 

"Not here." I said seriously

"Well, why the fuck are you wasting my time?" He said with a bored face, "Point that thing down, I'm not going to fight you. Not now." 

"Oh, not now he says?" I said, "What do you want with them?" 

"Simple." He said as he looked around, "This place is not worthy of my blood, they don't deserve to be raised here and reach their potential....they are to be with me, to raise them as what they're meant to be." 

"And what is that?" I asked with a scowl

"Conquerors." He said with a smirk, "Rulers.....A King and a Queen...." 

"Of what?" I said, "Pentos? Volantis? Some city of Essos?" 

"Westeros." He said as he gestured around him

"W-What?" I said as I lowered my blade, "What are you saying? They're far down the succession line....Rhaenyra is next in line after your Brother, Jaecaerys is her Heir." 

He raised an eyebrow, "Jaecaerys Strong?" He asked, "You're jesting." 

I raised my blade back at him, "Mind your tongue." I said, "Or I'll remove it." 

"I'm merely saying the truth, Aerion." he said, "Do you seriously think that I was overjoyed and okay with the mere fact that my only son was being married off to Rhaenyra Targaryen? A once naive and overzealous girl who later on cucked her husband? Give me a fucking break, will ya? Three of them, Aerion? Three of them, so used already..." 

"Shut the fuck up." I growled

"And out of all the men in the Realm, it had to be Harwin Strong." He said as he stepped down the steps and walked past me while chuckling, "I mean, seriously? After that little incident with Criston Cole, she decided to cast him off like a used toy and tried running to me." 

I lowered my blade, for some reason, I was compelled to let him past me. 

I slowly turned around as I held my swords, pointing down, his back to me, not saying a word. 

"At that point, I had realized what I was doing and refused her." He said as he turned around, "We had a rough falling out and I decided to leave, and sought Laena's hand instead. But the point still stands, Aerion, her? Of all the women in the realm? Her? The two men that you did not like that much were already inside-"

"Shut your fucking mouth." I glared at him, "You speak too much." 

"And you? Not enough. Always quiet while next to her, waiting for her approval. The way you look at her, oh boy, like a lost puppy mesmerized with his owner." He said while rolling his eyes, "Quite embarrassing to me, honestly. As a father, it's hard to say that makes me proud." 

"You think I want your approval now?" I asked, "Yours? I already told you, I don't need you, you imbecile." 

"You're going to let those boys be above your children in the succession?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, "Are you really that pathetic of a man?" 

"They are her sons." I said, "It doesn't matter what I think or say, that is law." 

"Where is your ambition, Aerion?!" He yelled, "Your Drive?! Your Want?! What kind of man are you, content with just her popping out kids out her hole in this stupid fucking rock?! Are you really my son?!"

"Hey!" I said pointing my sword at him, "Fuck. You. If I hear one more word come out your fucking mouth about my wife again, I swear I'll cut your fucking tongue off." 

"Aerion." He said with a slight smirk, "Hand those kids to me. With me, they'll reach their true potential. I'm not weak like you and Viserys. Visenya and Aegon will be married, I'll raise them to be warriors and commanders. Continue my line through them, as many as we can manage. We'll gather an army and when my brother's throne is usurped by those Hightower snakes, we will descend upon them with Fire and Blood." 

What the fuck? What is this insanity this man was speaking? I was appalled by those words, frozen where I stood instead of tackling him to the ground and cutting him for disrespecting my wife.

"Weak? You think I'm weak?" I asked

"I know you are." He said, "You're nothing like me. I thought that you would be, but I couldn't be more wrong." 

"They're my children," I said with an angry tone

"Ah, you can make more." He rolled his eyes, "That's what Rhaenyra is good for-" 

I had dropped my swords and lunged at him, swinging my fist at his face, connecting hard on his jaw and sending him flying a couple of inches off the ground. 

I heard his body hit the ground with a thud and he grunted with pain. 

"Fuck..." He said as blood came out his mouth

I walked over to him as I reached for his collar and punched him in the face again, "How fucking dare you!" I growled as my fist connected, "You come into our Home!! Take our servants hostage!!! Demand for MY children!!! And insult MY wife!!! What the fuck did I ever do to deserve this?! TELL ME!!! You're the scum of the earth, Daemon Targaryen!! How in the fuck did my Grandmother bear you in her belly for as long as she did? How did someone with a heart as black as yours come from my Grandsire's blood? HOW?!"

He merely snickered as he grinned, his teeth red with his blood, "Ah....there it is...." He said with a mocking tone, "That look on your face....now that's my Son....." 

"I ought to kill you...." I growled, seething with rage, "And be done with it...." 

"I should tell you something before you do that...." He chuckled, "About your Wi-" 

I struck the back of my hand across his face, interrupting what he was going to say, "Shut up!!!" I said, "You think I don't know? You think I don't know that you manipulated her when she was young?! Do you think that I don't know that you went after Lady Laena in an attempt to make your brother mad or annoyed?! I fucking know it all!! I know what Rhaenyra's past is! I'm not fucking stupid! Yet, I married her because her Father knew he could trust me! I still fell in love with her because she gave me the best gift I can ask for, something you were never fucking good at with me; Fatherhood!!"

He spat some blood out as he chuckled, "Go on, get it over with..." He laughed

"I thought Lady Laena changed you...." I said as I clutched his collar, "But you are still as rotten as they say you were....." 

I shoved him back down to the ground and stood up, walking back to my swords and picking them up. 

"I knew you didn't have it in you...." I heard him say as I sheathed my swords, "I just knew it....." 

He was standing up as he wiped the blood off his face. 

"You...Just fucking shut up..." I said as I walked back over to him

"That stupid girl..." He said as he spat more blood out, "I wonder how good her pu-" 

I punched him again, throwing him back to the ground with a thud, "I said...." I said as my body trembled with rage, "Shut the fuck up!!" 

I am trying my hardest, to calm down and compose myself. I just can't allow it, I cannot allow him to just speak freely about her, about my wife, about the love of my life. I can't.....I fucking can't. Rhaenyra is my Wife! My Love! Who the fuck am I if I just let anyone slander her like they can get away with it?! 

I should cut him, I really should.....

"Hahaha!!" He laughed, "Ah!! That's more like it!!" 

He looked at me as he got to his knees, wiping more blood from his face. 

"You're pathetic...." I said as I walked over to him, "Keep your mouth shut." 

"Or what? You'll kill me?" He taunted, "You don't have the ba-" 

I kicked him in the gut, causing him to collapse to the ground as he gasped for air. I knew he wasn't fighting back for a reason; he wanted to taunt me, to goad me into crossing the line. 

I knew better than that, yet I kept hitting him. 

I kicked him again as he rolled over, laughing in pain, "Ohhh!!" He said as he got to his belly, "That's more like it!!!" 

"Shut up." I said as I took a step

"My Lord!" I heard Maester Gerardys exclaim, "Cease this! He's The Prince!!" 

"I don't give a shit." I said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me back

"Please, if you cross the line, you'll be branded a Kinslayer...." He said as I heard more people ran into the room

It was the guards, I wonder what the fuck had happened to them. It was strange that they were suddenly gone when Daemon arrived with his posse. 

"My Lord!" one of them said as they got in between him and me, "Please stop, we'll restrain him..." 

"Get off me." I said as I shook them off

I watched as Daemon stood up, clutching his side, "Fuck it..." Daemon said, "If you won't hand them over so easily, I challenge you." 

I raised an eyebrow, "What?" 

"A Duel." He said with a smirk, "You. Me. To the Death." 

"If I win, I take Visenya and Aegon with me." 

[a/n: Time for me to take a step back and contemplate if I should put this on hold and work on the Black Lord. Because from this point on, it's nothing but business. 

Daemon vs Aerion (rematch, this time using real blades and no armor)

Viserys is born

???? is born

Aemond and Aerion's relationship

Start of the Dance.

Once that happens, I intend to go all out.]