62

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188 AC

Harrenhal

Elaena Targaryen

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"So it's real?" I ask holding the ingot of 'Valyrian Steel' and find it very light compared to what I thought it would be when I reached for it.

"I honestly have no idea... In Qohor they sacrifice people to reforge the steel and we did not kill anyone. The old man claims it is a misdirection from the real 'magic' which they have long been lacking with no dragons to help them forge. With Dragon fire and blood it seems to have worked but there is no real way to know." Aerion shrugs and I sigh setting it back down.

"Can't you just hit it with your sword to tell?" I ask and he pulls Dark Sister out and slashes down making a loud echo of steel fill the room.

"No scratches or chips, no breaks or bends as far as I can see." He grabs it and holds it up into the light before dropping it onto the table. "I think it is good enough even if it is not the 'real thing' It looks and acts as if it is real and until I make it into a sword and have it tested over many years in real combat there is no way to know for sure." I nod feeling a bit excited knowing the secret of Valyrian steel is found or will likely be found... Aerion is not one to give up halfway.

I know if he sits on it for a while he will end up jumping back into research until it is perfect but I agree this looks as good as any Valyrian steel I have seen.

"What are you going to make with it?" I ask looking around the workshop and seeing a bunch of 'designs' drawn out on the various surfaces.

"Armor and weapons to start with, then I will make some jewelry and maybe after that, I will think about other things. I thought it would be kind of cool to have a Valyrian steel door forged for the castle... but dear god would it take forever." I snort imagining one of the giant doors to the castle being made into smoky Valyrian Steel.

"Sounds like it would be more of a pain to make than it would be worth, they would rather chip away at the stone than go through Valyrian Steel." It would be much faster as well...

"Anyway!" He turns and quickly approaches with fire igniting in his gaze. "Remember what you said when I boasted about making new Valyrian Steel?" He asks and I suddenly realize why he invited me to come check on his progress.

I step back pressing my rear against the wall in a bid to protect myself from what I know he is going to try and do.

"I do not, care to remind me?" I ask and his lips curl up as he closes the distance dreadfully slow yet also painfully fast.

"I think I remember a certain Targaryen Princess claiming I could not do it and when I said I could she bet something saying I couldn't..." His voice is low and deep as he reaches me and stands before me blocking any path of retreat. "I think it went something like 'If you can't unravel the secret within a year you owe me a million gold dragons' to which I replied 'If I can then you owe me a million-" I cover his mouth with both hands and glare at him.

"I know what I said." I hiss and his tongue lashes out making me pull my hands back with a cringe.

"Good because it's time to pay up, this is just the first of a million." I grit my teeth as his hands dart out to grab my hips.

"You will wear me out." I groan but only receive a low chuckle from him as he ducks his head down to seal my lips.

"You should have shortened the deadline, I can get quite a lot of things done in a year." He presses his lips against mine only for a moment before going for my neck and I sigh going limp in his grasp knowing it certainly can't be all that bad.

I mean Daena does it with him every now and then... and she seems to like it.

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188 AC

Harrenhal

Aerion Targaryen

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"Is something the matter Elaena?" Mya asks curiously with a mischievous light in her eyes as we all sit around a table eating as a family after my nephew's sudden arrival.

"Something is wrong?" Baelor lifts his head going for another bite of his fried chicken and looks toward Elaena with concern.

"Both of you settle down, I am certain if something is wrong my sister would speak her mind." Rhaena unknowingly adds wood to the fire as everyone now turns to look at Elaena with a mix of concern or amusement.

She grits her teeth while a faint dusting of pink shows itself on her cheeks and I even see her fingers go white clenching her fork and knife. She locks eyes with me and I wink earning a huff as she stabs her food with lightning-fast movements.

"Nothing is wrong." She says before stuffing her mouth in a very unladylike way.

"Oh." Baelor nods and then returns to his meal putting it out of his mind, but many others at the table noticed something more in my dear aunt.

"Did you get taller?" Daenerys asks curiously as Elaena is sitting on a cushion for her poor abuse rear.

"No." I can't help but smile seeing her struggle under the attention after what she went through in my workshop before I let her run away with a smidge of her pride intact.

"Let her rest, she had a long day." I speak up from the head of the table before the rest of the merciless she dragons can jump at the sight of weakness.

The room goes back to just the clacking of utensils on plates and bowls as everyone moves along. I toss one last look at Elaena who is not amused but will get over it by the end of the meal. She can never stay mad for long, it's of her best traits other than her willingness to put up with all the random shit I get up to.

But I don't miss the curious look Shiera is tossing the both of us as she looks back and forth. I press a finger to my lips and she slowly nods before returning to her own meal which consists of mainly sweets. How the girl does not get fat or have her teeth rot out I will never know but I hope to find out. I could make a killing off selling her secret methods to some of the plump Ladies around Westeros, surely their husbands would see it as a good investment.

----

Looking down at the little baby boy I purse my lips as he lays between two dragon eggs, a green and orange one and Shieras favorite silver egg with some hints of blue and green spots.

Baelor's son and the technical 'Heir to the Heir' a Prince who will one day sit on the throne if all goes well. Valarr Targaryen is the latest attempt from my brother to get a dragon to hatch for his line but like the others nothing has happened yet. I doubt it ever will as I am sold on the idea of the dragons being bound to Daenerys and My own blood. Something to do with our reincarnation I would guess, I know it is not our blood just because we have the most 'dragon' in us.

Because Daenerys in her old life hatched eggs and she was further down the line having been descended from Daerons line of Targaryens. So Daenerys had Martell and I think I remember her also having Dayne blood at the very least in her. So it is not simply the rest being 'polluted' or some nonsense since Daenerys herself was 'polluted' by that point.

Its magic is the simple answer.

This a subject I wish to dive into, I want to see just how possible it is to do as Melisandre did and live for longer than I should. I don't plan on obsessing over it since I have died once and everything worked out once. I have no reason to expect to suddenly show up in some hell burning alive for eternity so no the fear of death is nonexistent, to be honest. But that does not mean I want to die sooner than I could if I learned some magic from foreign lands.

I also have my superhuman vitality that has noticeably kept me looking youthful to an extent, I expect to live a long time with just that alone. I will know more in thirty to fifty years but my skin stays healthy looking no matter how much I abuse it doing various labor-intensive tasks. Not so much as a scar is left even after I get wounded deep enough to need it sown shut.

I also am wanting to look into making sure Danny does not kick the bucket before me... it would be a cold world without her. When the fortress on Skagos is built I will use it to research magic fully, I will have a large area set aside for it. I will also pull in a few of the Children of the Forest if I can get a deal with them, surely they have some elf-like lifespans I can look into. But fuck those blue mummies in the 'House of the Undying' they are just desperately trying to cling to life even if it means living in a husk of a body doing magic drugs.

"Sleep well, little Prince." I smile down at the little boy between the eggs and turn to leave nodding to his Mom who is sitting on the other side of the room.

I think she also knows... it has not worked for anyone not of my blood thus far so it seems more of 'just something to do' than an actual attempt at hatching the eggs. It is not bad though, I get to see Baelor and show off some stuff to him and measure him for armor to be crafted. I can't wait to gear out my nephews in Valyrian Steel and have people freak the hell out seeing them.

Try to say something about them not looking 'Valyrian' when they are wearing more Valyria on their body than anyone has seen since the Doom. I just hope we can get the molds working as crafting each piece from just a heated ingot seems downright suicidal on the arms. Melting Valyrian steel can strip it of its 'power' if it is not done right according to the various sources I have learned from.

I shake off the thoughts as I head back to check on my own little ones and then get some rest. Tomorrow I will think about what to do about those tedious problems, the rest of the night I can kick back.

"Aerion!" At least I thought that was the case.

Turning to see Shiera skipping down the hall she tackles my side hurting her head more than moving me. She whines for a moment before grabbing my arm and trying to tug me in the direction she came from.

"Come on, I got something I want to show you!" I sigh following after her knowing it will be something I will end up paying for in some way.

Maybe I should go ahead and send out some feelers to find some magic books or something similar to have Shiera look over. She has poured over the stuff her Mother left behind and so she is my best option... it's just she usually makes weird stuff. Maybe if she had some new material she can go further in her studies of the magical arts in this world.