Chapter 12: Chapter 8

Chapter Text

As I walked through Dragonstone to the open air stable, I tried to avoid anyone else. My mind was swimming and felt far too hot down in my rooms; I needed the breeze, the relaxing feeling of the world beneath me. No one tried to stop me, and the Dragonkeepers were dutiful as always, saddling Vermithor and clearing a path for him to take off.

I held on as Vermithor took off, circling higher and higher. I rested a hand on his scales, feeling a wave of calm rush over me. Ever since I'd claimed him, my mind was always called to the air, while being close by calmed me. Father had told me that it was normal for fresh bonds to have strong effects, but he'd not taught me everything I needed to know yet. I knew Rhaenyra was much more stubborn than she'd been a week ago, but not what it'd done to me yet. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the warm scales of Vermithor's neck, letting him fly wherever he wanted.

How long had it been, now, since everyone here was just words on a page? People in books I… or, at least, a part of me, read in High School, and now they were around me— Viserys as my uncle who just wanted to make everyone happy, Rhaenyra as my stubborn but well-meaning cousin… and the Rogue Prince as my kind of evil yet somehow caring father.

Even though I'd tried to avoid major things, I knew the world wouldn't be the one I knew for much longer, if it even still was already. Rhaenyra had claimed Silverwing, and now the whispers around court were assuming that a betrothal announcement would be coming any day. Of course, that's exactly what Father and Aemma had wanted.

Yet, Viserys was still the obstacle there. At first glance, he was impossible to take seriously; yet, he clearly knew how to read people and could seemingly charm anyone into at least listening to his point of view. He wanted those around him to be happy, but only insofar as it was simply personal. Otto Hightower ran circles around him and others politically, yet even that couldn't push him any higher. My father wanted to become Prince of Dragonstone, but Viserys refused to grant it to him, hoping Aemma could give him a living son.

Aemma… I hadn't wanted to care for her. I knew she was a dead woman walking, there was no way she couldn't die. Yet… I couldn't help but do so. She'd been the closest thing I had to a mother after Father had brought me to King's Landing, always being there, soothing my fears, and being helpful wherever I needed it.

Even if it was just on nice embroidery to give Rhae for her name day.

I didn't know what to feel about the Realm's Delight. I couldn't help but care for her, and she was my best friend… I knew what she became in that future that would never be. A woman used by those who wanted power, losing her children, her allies, and her supporters turning on her, and in the end never truly being acknowledged, only regarded as a usurping Princess who didn't know her place.

I knew there were things I could do to help her, but I had to see if events went at all similar to the canon timeline… and even then, I'd still need to get some kind of influence. I'd been able to sit in on the Small Council back when Father served on it, but now I couldn't, and there still seemed to be no chance that I could become my uncle's cupbearer; not unless Aemma decided to throw her full lot in with Father. And what influence on information I had with Father had been reduced ever since he acquired his own spy network and started fucking Mysaria. I'd only met the woman twice, though she definitely had an aura of strangeness around her.

I knew there were a few avenues to power for me, but it ultimately was whether I would lean more into my heritage in the Vale, or whether I would join my father on his violent bender in the Stepstones. His partner in conquest had been the Sea Snake, after all, one of the most formidable minds of the Seven Kingdoms, who had come so close to being King-Consort himself, who Otto Hightower had been brought to court to counter.

I took a breath and made up my mind. I would have to make friends with the Sea Snake if I stood any chance at countering Otto Hightower. But I had to do so in a way that didn't make him think he could control me. I sighed. That would take a long time. Thankfully, I had years before things got to that point. At the very least, I would need a hobby, and not one that drew as much attention to me— Lord Strong said that much, at least.

The thought came to me soon after— food! Cooking was the non-Luke part of me's favorite hobby, I could recreate at least some of that. I couldn't recreate all of it— much of it came from the New World, and I didn't even know if this world had a western continent. Hell, making food could make me at least somewhat popular.

I opened my eyes and looked down at the ocean, then around… at more ocean. Shit. No land anywhere in sight. Okay, focus, this could be worse. I looked up and saw the still rising sun, to my right. So, I had to turn left. Bringing up my whip, I snapped it above Vermithor's head. A moment later, he turned to the side and began flying straight west.

The ocean raced below me, as I ordered Vermithor to dive, his wings causing a spray of water to wash over me. He didn't rise up into the air again until I saw land in the distance. Vermithor rose up and flew high above, as I looked down. Vaguely hilly island, bunch of ships… well, I know where I am now, now I just need to get out of here before someone chases me down. I snapped the whip again as Vermithor turned to fly southeast, thankfully no more dragons rose up from the island to follow.

It was a long time of open ocean after I flew from Driftmark, returning to just above the water, feeling the spray of water on my face. Soon, however, the smoke and mountain of Dragonstone came into view. Urging Vermithor higher, he flew in a circle around the large dragon-stable and descended carefully, before coming to a halt.

The Dragonkeepers on duty helped me down and took my whip, before feeding Vermithor. After a stretch, I walked back to the main part of the castle. I didn't make it far before my path was blocked by Father, who looked… a mixture of annoyed and proud?

"Haven't I told you that you aren't to fly alone until you don't need the whip strapped to your hand anymore?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "I needed to clear my head. I feel better now," I replied. He didn't seem to like the answer very much, but didn't press me. That was a relief, I wasn't sure how long I could try to avoid answering questions.

"Change into something respectable, Viserys apparently has a big announcement," he said. I looked up.

"Think Aunt Aemma has convinced him?" I asked. He gave a cold smile.

"I surely hope our cousin has," he said simply, before walking me back to our rooms. I changed into a nice tunic, and Father actually looked respectable for the first time in a fortnight.

We walked through the winding halls of Dragonstone, slowly up to the large great hall, where Viserys sat on the stone throne with Aemma next to him, whispering about something. I met Rhae's eyes and she made her way over to me, smiling.

"Mother has been talking to Father, I think she got him to do something!" she said. I smiled back as she stood next to me, looking at Viserys as he began to end the conversation.

This was probably a turning point if she was right. If Rhaenyra and I were betrothed, that would shift politics over to Father permanently, and he would view himself as the rightful heir, no matter any proclamations made to the contrary, and everyone else would agree.

And if that happened, any real chance of getting the Velaryons on side was dead in the water; it'd be a Velaryon vs. Targaryen civil war with nothing being anywhere close to what I remembered… and fucking Otto Hightower would be the best ally I had against the mind of Corlys Velaryon… fuck, why were Westerosi Politics so fucked?!

I grabbed Rhaenyra's hand and looked up at the throne, as Viserys finally stopped talking, and looked down at all of us, sparing a small smile for Rhaenyra. After letting everyone wait in anticipation for far longer than anyone should reasonably do so, he finally began to speak.

"We have a very important announcement to make on this day!" Viserys announced, standing up. I closed my eyes and squeezed my hand around Rhaenyra's. "We are pleased to announce that the Queen is with child!" My eyes flew open and I looked at Aemma, who was smiling brightly. The entire room erupted in cheers.

Oh. Oh shit.