Chapter 21: Not All is Well

My father's announcements had lacked one or two potentially massive revelations. Namely, the existence of little Viserys Targaryen, who might at some point become king, and the status of queen Alysanne. The former was to be expected. After all, why announce a birth if you are not presenting the babe to the court?

As for the latter… well, there was a good reason why the royal family was assembled outside the birthing chambers. All of us, from stoic Aemon to little Viserra, were in attendance. The septa who was nominally our governess had taken a break from her prayers to also be present, but that was mostly to distract the younger children from horrors beyond the door. Not that they were necessary; Little Viserys provided ample distraction.

The door opened ever so slightly, allowing a maid to slip out. Pleased as I was to note that the blood-curdling screams had stopped, the girl carried in her arms a pile of rags stained an unpleasantly intense shade of red. I would have called those swatches of fabric utterly soaked if not for the occasion splotches where the original grey could be seen.

I shot a glance at my siblings.

Wide-eyed, Baelon's face carried a haunted look as he beheld the evidence of a troubled birth. Aemon, too, looked troubled, but far less so than our brother. Perhaps the birth of little Rhaenys had been more difficult than I thought.

My stomach turned in response to our last conversation, to when I had quite heatedly decried my brother's policy on heirs. If that birth had been anything like this, I could understand his reluctance to try for further children.

Guilt was hardly a new feeling, but not when it came to my family. At least, not in this life.

Luckily, the younger children were too entranced by their nephew to notice. The babe was sleeping, as was the wont of newborns, but that did not keep the children from fawning over him. Babes were cute, that was the truth of all worlds.

Even Maegelle was enraptured by the napping bundle of joy, but that was hardly surprising. She had a maternal streak longer than the wall, as the effort she put into our siblings could attest.

I could not help but smile at the sight.

"Something catch your eye?" Baelon whispered behind me, eliciting a flinch.

"Just appreciating…" For half a moment, I almost considered saying 'the view', before catching myself. "… the love on display. The bonds of family."

"Of course," Baelon said, using a tone that made it abundantly clear that he knew, or at least thought he knew, the real reason. He was free to believe it was the sight of Maegelle in riding leathers. After the fiasco with Aemon, I was speaking truthfully when I said it was the familiar love that brought a smile to my face.

Just because I was fourteen did not mean I was a lust-addled beast.

And wasn't that a lovely reminder. For all my maturity, I was still a child as far as the realm was concerned. And while there were many in my orbit all too willing to overlook that fact, father, Aemon, and their like would not hesitate to remind me.

But I could not allow that to impede my plans.

"Children," Grand Maester Elysar poked his head through the door, displaying his customary level of tact. Yes, he most certainly meant Aemon and Baelon in that description, if his focus on the eldest sons of the king was any indication. If the citadel had a link for etiquette, Elysar had most certainly not earned his. Or he had chosen to use his notes to fuel the fires in which he forged that link. "Her Grace requests your presence."

Viserra, Saera, and Daella needed no further invitation before rushing in, all but knocking the door down as they went. Not that the rest of us were far behind them, mind you, but we were capable of a bit more restraint.

Granted, 'a bit more restraint' still saw us hot on our younger siblings' heels.

The sight within the birthing room was chaotic, to be charitable. Disheartening, to be honest. Off to the side, the fireplace was blazing, filling the room with a stifling heat contained only by the thick oak door that was kept tightly closed. A pot was sitting above it, filled with boiling wine and rags, attended by the Grand Maester who was once again doing his best to ignore us in favor of some book in his hands.

The center of the room was dominated by a bed, occupied by my mother, Alysanne Targaryen. Though she did not share the valyrian coloring, sporting honey-colored hair and blue eyes, there was no mistaking her for anyone but the queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Even after what was no doubt a difficult birth several weeks premature, with her cheeks sunken and drenched in sweat, there was a regal air to her.

"My sweet children!" She greeted us, shifting slightly in her bed, trying to rise to something resembling a seated position. Alas, she failed, and sagged back down into the pillows, eliciting no small amount of worry from me. Had the birth weakened her this much? "Come, come, let me get a good look at you."

Being the obedient children that we were, we all crowded as closely as we dared. In my case, that meant standing just barely within arm's reach, a distance shared by my older siblings. The obvious exception was Alyssa, of course. My most energetic sibling stood close to our mother with our younger siblings, nearly on the bed.

"Oh, how I missed you all," mother cooed. "Daella, with your kind soul. Saera, with your sweet smile. Viserra, growing so quickly. Oh, sweet Alyssa, what a beautiful child you made!" Mother wasted no time fawning over little Viserys. Though only barely older, my nephew was still noticeably larger than the bundle at my mother's breast. "He and his uncle shall be the best of friends, I am certain." It was only then that mother seemed to notice her other children. "What are the rest of you doing so far away? Come closer, come closer, don't let your sisters hog all the attention."

"Mother, I'm hardly dressed for…" Maegelle attempted to concoct an explanation for why she was not on the front line of showing all the love she had, only for our mother to interrupt her before she could say much else.

"Oh, hush Maegelle, don't give me that." Even when reprimanding, mother's voice was soft and gentle. Even the stress of childbirth could not wear away that part of her. "I know riding leathers as well as anyone, especially the kind used for riding dragons. Really, I'm more surprised you chose a wild dragon. It gave me quite a fright when your dragon roared its challenge."

Aemon, Baelon, Maegelle, and Alyssa grew very still at that, freezing in their tracks. They all knew our mother was wrong in her assessment, but none had the heart to tell her quite how wrong.

I, however, could not help but chuckle slightly at that.

"Mother, I just arrived in King's Landing no more than an hour ago," Maegelle said carefully, shooting me a warning look. As though I were not capable of diplomacy. "Atop Dreamfyre."

"Oh, then who…" mother trailed off before her eyes settled on me and my smug grin. "Vaegon, my bright child, what did you do?"

"I tamed a wild dragon," I said matter-of-factly. My younger siblings, primarily Saera, turned to look at me with wide eyes and ecstatic smiles, forcing me to put a definite halt to whatever grand adventures they were imagining. "An easily bored dragon that is well-known for its unparalleled temper." Also barely under my control, but that was not something they had to know.

A chorus of disappointment greeted my declaration, once again primarily from little Saera.

"Odd," mother commented. "Of the wild dragons on Dragonstone, the Sheepstealer has a fairly mild temperament. Are you certain your assessment is not due to your own inexperience?"

Oh.

She did not know I had claimed the Cannibal.

"Very certain," I said, not wanting to ruin the illusion. Revealing that I had opted for the most dangerous dragon known to be available would have been… detrimental to her health.

"Mother, he claimed the Cannibal." Aemon did not share my reluctance, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"The Cannibal- have you gone mad?" she hissed, rising to a seated position with none of the trouble she had displayed earlier. The bundled form of my new sibling made a noise of complaint that was quickly stifled. "He clears out hatcheries! What made you think you could- you could…"

Mother collapsed backward into the bed, what little strength she had left failing her.

"Mother!" Eight voices called out in various states of panic, mine among them.

"Elysar!" I called out next, but it proved unnecessary as the Grand Maester rushed closer. He checked her temperature, and his eyes went wide. Without hesitating, he withdrew to the side of the room and began checking the book that lay open on a side table.

I checked her temperature in turn, resting the back of my hand against her forehead, and withdrew my hand almost immediately, my hand feeling like it had been doused in boiling wine.

"Elysar, she's burning up!" I shouted to the man in question as my younger siblings began to look more than a bit worried. Daella's large violet eyes were already wet with tears that were about to flow. Saera's tiny hands latched onto mine, either to try and get my attention or for comfort. Viserra was young, thankfully, and just kept trying to look at everyone, a look of confusion on her face.

Hopefully, it would last long enough to get her out of the room.

"Oh, we have the archmaester of the silver among us, how delightful!" Elysar's voice was acidic as he flipped through the pages of his book with worrying speed. Soon, he flipped backward in the book, and then forwards again, no doubt searching for something very specific. "Out, all of you! And take your little brother with you! There should be a wet nurse somewhere in the keep."

"Listen to the Grand Maester," Aemon said softly, scooping up mother's newest child. "You too Vaegon."

I did not trust my voice to be able to form words without cracking horribly, so I did no more than nod in assent. Following my brother's lead, I withdrew from the room with Daella and Saera in tow. Maegelle paused only long enough to grab Viserra's hand before following me.

Once we had all left the birthing room, the door slammed shut.

Right then, I was glad to have my brothers and sisters around me.

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