1.04 - Aelyx

Aelyx – 04​

Unwilling to break contact with Vhagar, I awkwardly maneuvered around her head turning until I stood beside the dragon. I found myself facing my father, Princess Rhaenys, Lord Corlys, and Ser Laenor. For a brief moment, my mind blanked with confusion. What did he mean by 'she had chosen her rider'? Then Vhager shifted beneath my hand and the truth dawned. I trailed my fingers along the line of her jaw staring at the magnificent creature in awe. As long as I could remember I had wanted a dragon. One of my earliest memories was my father strapping me to a harness before him on Caraxes and soaring above the waters of the Narrow Sea. He had always told me that we would fly side by side one day. Now it appeared as though that promise would soon become a reality. But then I was overset by a moment of doubt.

"I haven't mounted her," I told them. I only ever rode her with Laena. She might just be calming down because she knows me." The Sea Snake's face twisted in confusion, while flashes of amusement broke through his wife and son's angry visages. My father let out a bark of laughter.

"My son" he stepped forward with a massive grin. "An unbounded dragon does not react like that unless they intend to let you mount them." Reaching out he grabbed my upper arm. "Come on I'll prove it to you." So saying, he pulled me down along Vhagar's neck, stopping just past her shoulder where her wings rested on the ground. "Climb on up." At this Aemond seemed to have regained his tongue.

"No, if he hasn't ridden her, I can still claim her."

"Boy" Rhaenys through the space like a whip. "Vhagar has bonded with Aelyx, if you keep trying to climb on that dragon there won't be enough left of you for your mother to bury."

"But" he tried again. My father spun to face him, towing over the boy. For a moment I thought he would strike my cousin, but whatever Aemond saw on his face was enough to send the young prince stumbling back in fear. Father turned back to me, falling back into an easy grin as though he had just intimidated a boy of ten. He jerked his head upwards at Vhagar.

"Climb." So, I did. I scrambled up onto the wing assisted slightly by a hand on my back. Then I moved up onto the main body where I was able to fully, if somewhat unsteadily, stand. Making, my way forward, I myself into a seated position where her neck met her body. I had mounted the oldest living dragon.

"What is going on here." The king shouted. It appeared as though the rest of the court had arrived. The three members of House Velaryon had moved forward while I climbed Vhagar, and the entrance to the hall was now crowded with members of the two royal retinues. Standing in the front was the king, and his daughter. Father swaggered forward to meet his brother.

"It appears as though, your son tried to steal my wife's dragon not even a full day after she was committed to the flames."

The king's eyes widened in shock as he took in the scene before him. "Aemond is this true?"

"It is" Lord Corlys confirmed, moving to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his former good-son. "Prince Aemond snuck into the Nest and attempted to mount Vhagar. She tore free from her chains and took flight."

"Then why do I see young Aelyx mounted upon her back, rather than my own son?" The sovereign questioned. The gaze of the royal court swung up to me and I gulped.

"When I saw Vhagar circling in the sky I was worried that she had escaped, I ran to the Nest to see if there was anything I could do. When I got here, I saw Prince Aemond on the ground and realized what had happened. Then Vhagar landed, she was angry, agitated. I didn't know what she was going to do next. But I had seen Lady Laena calm her down before. And I knew I had to do something before she killed anyone."

At this point, my father cut in. "When we got here, Vhagar was calm. Aelyx was standing before her bold as brass, stroking her nose. It was obvious that she had chosen him as her next rider." His pride was obvious for all to see.

The king looked up at me with a contemplative expression. "How did you know that, Vhagar wouldn't strike you down if she was truly so agitated." Because she didn't last night I began to say. But before I could open my mouth to answer Lord Corlys caught my eye and gave a minute shake of his head. That was when the obvious hit me. I had not bonded with Vhagar moments ago when I calmed her temper, but rather last night when I soothed her grief. Right now, Aemond was the reckless child who could have gotten countless killed by trying to claim a still-grieving dragon, while I was the hero who had stopped Vhagar's rampage before it had begun. If anyone learned of my previous visit the entire thrust of the story would change, after all, no one would ever believe that I had not intended to claim the dragon.

"I once saw Lady Laena calm Vhagar years ago when we were in Volantis, and I have frequently ridden upon her. She knows me, I knew that I needed to do something, and I hoped that she would recognize me enough not to hurt me."

"Aemond, what were you thinking? You know that I intended to take you to Dragonstone to claim a hatchling. Why would risk yourself like this?"

"I didn't want a hatchling" the young prince nearly shouted. "I wanted a great dragon, I wanted Vhagar. Then no one would ever…" he trailed off. I felt a stab of pity for the boy, it could not be easy to be the only son of the king without a dragon. That pity quickly vanished when he turned a hateful gaze on me. "Vhagar is a Targaryen dragon he should be ridden by a Targaryen, not a bastard." The amusement vanished from my father's face.

"Careful boy, my son is a Targaryen and a prince he has every right to mount a dragon." The crowd stirred at the words. Up until now, I had been tucked away on Driftmark and the question of my legitimization and right to the Targaryen name had been a largely academic one. But suddenly it became a very pressing issue indeed. Many glanced toward the king waiting for him to confirm or deny his brother's proclamation. An indecisive expression dominated his face, no surprise there. The silence was broken by an unexpected shout.

"Aemond! Aemond!" From my vantage point, I could see Alicent Hightower and Criston Cole shoving their way through the crowd. She burst through the press of bodies, her eyes locking onto the form of the prince.

"Come here," she called, reaching out to him. The boy scrambled forward into his mother's embrace.

"What happened?" she asked her son.

It was Princess Rhaenyra who chose to answer her stepmother. "Your son chose to endanger countless lives while flouting the customs of his ancestors." She smirked slightly. "Tell me why does he know so little about the proper way to claim a dragon?" The princess waved her hand towards Vhagar. "Why if it wasn't for Aelyx here, you may have arrived to find Vhagar had swallowed your son in a single gulp." She seemed almost amused by the idea. It was then that Queen Alicent noticed me on my perch. Even from dozens of feet away, I could see the blood drain from her face. She turned sharply to face her husband.

"Viserys what do you mean to do about this?" She questioned.

The king blinked in confusion "Do?"

"Well, surely you don't mean to let the boy keep a dragon."

"The only way to separate a dragon and rider once bonded is the death of one. Surely you aren't suggesting that my son be killed." My father's voice was dangerously low.

"Peace brother" the king spoke. "I am sure that is not what my wife was suggesting."

"Perhaps not" Rhaenrya mused. "It is not as though she knows anything about what it means to be a Targaryen." The king sent his daughter a rare quelling look. Then he moved to his wife, placing his hands on her shoulder.

"That boy most likely saved our son's life. He should be rewarded not punished." He brightened as though an idea had occurred to him. "In fact, nephew climb down." He called up to me. Blushing at the ungainliness of my movements, I scrambled down Vhagar and presented myself before King Viserys.

"Kneel" He commanded. I complied without hesitation.

He turned to the Lord Commander. "Your sword, Ser Criston" he requested. The knight complied, protest obvious in his stilted motions. My heartbeat quickened as I realized what was happening.

He touched the blade to my right shoulder. "Aelyx Targaryen" he began, implicitly confirming my legitimization's validity.

"Do you swear before the eyes of gods and men to defend those who cannot defend themselves, to protect all women and children, to obey your captains, your liege, and your king, to fight bravely when needed and do such other tasks as are laid upon you, however hard or humble or dangerous they may be?"

"I do"

"Then rise Ser Aelyx of House Targaryen a knight of the Seven Kingdoms." And so, I stood, the youngest knight in the realm