Chapter 42 : The past and Truths

Rhaenyra Targaryen (109 A.C Eleventh) 

Dragonstone – Dragonglass caves

"What do you mean you lived it? Aemon, did you, perhaps, think you lived during a dream? Like how you came to Arya's name," Laena questioned.

'Is that how they came up with the name for their daughter,' She wondered.

"No, I did not dream it. I lived through it, and a girl named Arya was my sister. For most of my life, I was not Aemon Targaryen." Aemon answered as he sat down.

"Aemon, what do you mean? You have always been Aemon Targaryen, the son of Lyanna Stark and Baelon Targaryen," said as she sat down beside him.

"No, I haven't been. For most of that life, I lived as Jon Snow, the bastard son of Eddard Stark and an unknown woman. A bastard destined to give his life to the Night's Watch. I never knew anything better than to try and gain honor there, and perhaps now there still is honor at the Wall, but by then the Night's Watch had fallen. I lived there, fought, and loved someone, and during my time there, I found out why the wall was built. It became my life's mission to protect the world from what was to come, but the world I lived in had turned to shit." Aemon said, his voice full of melancholy.

'I don't know or understand, but did my husband somehow return in time? Do I believe what he is saying? If so, what would this world hold if it were all true?' She wondered. "So those things are why the wall was built?" She questioned as she looked toward the carvings on the wall.

"Yes, the Others, White Walkers, and what they bring with them, the army of the dead. I have seen them, fought them, and I died at the hands of their leader, the Night King." She and Laena both gaped as they heard what Aemon said. "What of Arya? You said she was your sister." Laena said as she took hold of Aemon's hand.

Aemon smiled at that, a truly happy one. "Yes, she was my sister, during that life, someone I loved with all my heart, and she me. We were the misfits of that family. Although she was trueborn, she was lot like Visenya, although Visenya is more of a lady than Arya ever was. Our daughter has her eyes, and I wanted to name her Arya to honor the one person I left behind who still held true meaning in my heart." Aemon ended, and she saw tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry you lost her." She said, snuggling into Aemon's side. 'The way he talks, I'm starting to believe it.' She mused, with some dread.

"Thank you. She wasn't my actual sister, in truth, but a cousin." Aemon said, and she and Laena both frowned.

"Well, I wasn't the son of Eddard Stark, I was the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, and I was born the true King of the Seven Kingdoms," Aemon declared, and they both gaped at him.

"But how were you born a King? How is it you grew up a bastard?" She asked.

"Well, before my birth, a rebellion broke out against our House. This was partly justified, as my grandfather of that time was a madman, and in my opinion, he was worse than Maegor. Thank the gods that he didn't have a dragon, or all the lands would have turned to ashes much sooner." Aemon began.

'What did he mean 'much sooner'?' She wondered.

"Aemon, you said he didn't have a dragon. Didn't you claim one?" She interrupted him.

"All the dragons died out before I was born, and without them and the kingdoms unified, the realm of men would fall. I only heard what was coming after my death, as the bloodline that was supposed to send the evil back into its prison was no more. House Targaryen was wiped out with my death." Aemon whispered, and she felt despair.

'Her house gone, the dragons gone, and the world of men fallen into darkness.' She thought in horror.

"No, this must be a mistake, just a vivid dream you had. Aemon, please tell me this isn't real." She pleaded as she breathed out heavily.

 "I wish I could, but it is all true,I swear on Arya's life I'm not lying ," Aemon said, cradling them both into his chest. Both she and Laena had started to cry by then. 'Aemon wouldn't lie. He swore on his daughter. It's all true what he told me.' She thought in agony.

After some time, she and Laena stopped crying, and Aemon took a deep breath, his eyes reflecting the weight of the history he was about to recount.

"The War of the Usurper is where the end of our house began." he began, his voice steady but filled with the gravity of the tale, "It started when Rhaegar Targaryen, the crown prince, abducted Lyanna Stark. Or at least, that is what everyone believed at the time. This act set in motion a chain of events that would see the Targaryen dynasty fall and the realm change forever."

Aemon paused, looking at both. "Brandon Stark, Lyanna's brother, rode to King's Landing demanding her return and for Rhaegar to face justice, yelling for the crown prince to come out and die," he paused, collecting himself to tell of how both sides of his family attacked the other.

"King Aerys II, already mad and paranoid, had Brandon arrested and later executed him and his father, Rickard Stark. He burned Lord Rickard, my other grandfather, alive, and my uncle Brandon strangled himself to death trying to grab a sword just out of reach. Trying to save his father. After this brutality, the Mad King Aerys ordered the death of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark. This and all that flowed before incited the North, the Vale, the Stormlands, and parts of Riverlands to rise in rebellion, led by Eddard Stark, Jon Arryn, Robert Baratheon, and Hoster Tully, respectively." Hearing all the mad King had done, she wasn't surprised why rebellion broke out against the crown

Aemon's gaze became distant as he relived the memories. "The battles were fierce and bloody. With his formidable strength and leadership, Robert won crucial victories at places like Summerhall and Ashford. The true turning point was at the Trident, where he slew my father in single combat, effectively sealing the fate of the Targaryen reign." She heard Aemon's voice crack a little when he spoke of his other father's death.

"The Mad King," Aemon continued, "in his desperation, sought to burn King's Landing to the ground rather than see it taken by the rebels. He ordered his pyromancers to place wildfire throughout the city. But Jaime Lannister, a member of his Kingsguard, killed him to prevent this atrocity, earning himself the moniker 'Kingslayer.' At the time, the Lord of Winterfell saw it as a power grab. He didn't know why Jaime Lannister had killed his King, though I don't think anyone bothered to ask."

'What, what was wildfire? Considering the name, it must be destructive, and one of her kin wished to burn down their city with it." She shuddered at the thought. 

"With King's Landing taken, Robert ascended to the Iron Throne, and the Targaryen reign was declared over. Elia Martell, Rhaegar's other wife, and her children were brutally murdered by Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch on orders from Tywin Lannister. Thus securing the Lannisters' favor with Robert. The last known Targaryens, Viserys and Daenerys, fled into exile across the Narrow Sea."

'Did House Martell bend the knee? Is that why the Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms was wed to one of them?' She wondered.

"As for how I came into this, I was born in the Tower of Joy in Dorne, and that is where my uncle, Eddard Stark and the man who raised me found me." Aemon squeezed them both and continued on, " That leads us to another thing, the Dornish will bend the knee, during the reign of your great-grandson Daeron The Good, one of the better Targaryen Kings after grandfather Jaehaerys." Aemon said as he looked toward her.

"So I'm to have children? More than one?" She asked as that hope was impossible to keep in.

"Yes, six children. However, not all would live to adulthood, and it has something to do with how the Dragons came to an end." Aemon said somberly as he squeezed her hand.

'Six children, but it wasn't with Aemon. As he hadn't been born yet.' She thought with some dread.

Aemon's voice grew softer, almost reverent, as he continued. "Well, as I was saying, I was born in Dorne, where my uncle found me being guarded by three Kingsguard, Ser Oswell Whent, Ser Arthur Dayne the Sword of the Morning, and Ser Gerold Hightower. I'm not sure what happened; only that by the end the three Kingsguard were dead, and only my uncle and his friend Howland Reed were still alive."

"After the battle, my uncle ascended the Tower of Joy, driven by the urgency of finding his sister, my mother. He discovered her in a bed of blood, dying from childbirth. She was feverish and weak but clung to life long enough to make my uncle swear a promise and tell him she loved Rheagar and that they married. With her dying breath, she begged him to protect her newborn son, revealing that Rhaegar was the father and that my name was Aemon Targaryen, but to keep me safe from Robert's wrath, my uncle passed me off as his own illegitimate son, Jon Snow." Aemon ended with a sigh as he recounted his mother's final moments.

'But how could he be passed off as a northern bastard if he looked like a Targaryen?" She wondered.

"Aemon, how could that be if you look like a Targaryen?" Laena questioned. It seems she had the same thoughts.

"Well, in my past life, I looked like a Stark. I had curling raven hair and dark purple eyes, almost black. So that was how it was possible. I have no idea what my uncle would have done if I lookedhow I look now." Aemon said with a chuckle.

Aemon paused, allowing the gravity of his words to settle. "My mother died in her brother's arms, leaving him with a promise made to her. My uncle returned to Winterfell with me, never revealing my true parentage to anyone, not even his wife, Catelyn Tully. Taking it with him to the grave, I found out much later." Aemon ended.

"There are more events in the War of the Usurper. But those are the broad strokes. I know it's a lot to take in, but know I'm grateful for what I now have. I have two wonderful wives, a wonder of a daughter, and a sister I never had, and I got to know my mother." Aemon ended.

'Got to know his mother? What did he mean with that?' She wondered. 

"I'm not the only one who was sent back in time. My mother also knows. Shecomes from the original time I was born into. Although back then I never knew her, as I said, she died giving birth to me. It's one reason I wanted to hold off on having children quickly. I was terrified of losing either of you." Aemon said with a cracked voice.

"Well, considering the way my own mother died and yours, I can understand your reasoning, but when I'm in your arms, I no longer feel that fear. I wish for a child of our own and to share something like you and Laena have with Arya. Still, I love you for choosing us over some rush to gain an heir." She said as she kissed his cheek.

 "I tried the same with your father, you know. I told him more than once and in letters that he had a possible successor and didn't need to try for another child, but he never gave it up." Aemon admitted. Her eyes widened. 'He knew her mother would die.' She sighed and said, "He didn't listen to you, and now my mother is gone, all for a son, when he had you."

"What about me, Aemon? How was my life?" Laena questioned.

"Well, you know I said all the dragons died out? The Last dragonrider was Rhaena Targaryen, daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velayron. She rode the dragon Morning, a pale pink dragon with black horns." Aemon said as he looked at Laena.

"I had a daughter with Daemon?" Laena asked, shocked.

Aemon nodded to Laena. "You had two, actually twins, Baela and Rhaena," Aemon added. "If we have another daughter, Baela or Rhaena could be a name for them, a nod to my father and your mother," Aemon ended with a slight smile.

As he looked at her, Aemon seemed to have fond memories of the twins. It was in stark contrast to how he spoke of her children, and she wondered more about what had happened to them.

"Twins, I can't believe it. Nor that I was married to Daemon. We have been promised to each other since we were babes. It seems so out of the realm of possibility now, and Daemon, I have seen how he treats you and Visenya. I can't really believe I would ever fall for him." Laena said.

"I agree. I would never marry Daemon. I loved him before, but now I know how he treated my husband, goodsister, and goodmother. Not forgetting he stole Baelon's dragon egg." She added with grubble.

"Well, Laena wasn't the only one who Daemon married," Aemon said as he looked at her. 'I married Daemon,' she thought agast.

"It was during his and your son's reign that the last dragon died in 152 A.C, a small thing, stunted and with withered wings, during the reign of Aegon III, The Dragonbane," Aemon added.

"No, the last dragon will die in 43 years? That soon? What happened to her Syrax, Vermithor, or even Balerion?" She asked, which concerned her more than the fact she married Daemon.

"Well, the War of the Usurper ended the reign of our House over the realm. But what truly broke it was a civil war called the Dance of the Dragons." Aemon said with a pained voice.

 "It tore our House apart, as you were named the heir after Daemon's dismissal in that timeline. Not much later, like now, your father married Alicent, although he passed over Laena instead of Visenya in that time and angered Lord Corlys, and together with Daemon, they fought in the Stepstones."

'Her father named her heir? And was supposed to marry Laena, yet chose Alicent as well.' She thought, shocked.

"Father named me heir?" She questioned, her voice croaked.

 "He did. However, many in the realm weren't inclined to let a woman rule. It began after your father's death and started as a dispute over the succession to the Iron Throne. If a son came before a daughter, as many in the realm believed, the Great Council of 101 didn't help matters, nor did Jaehaerys when he named my father heir over Rhaenys. So, at Viserys's death, your claim was disputed." Aemon said, his voice pained. 'Please don't let be Aegon.' She hoped, but Aemon's words had already pointed to that.

"Aegon was declared Viserys his successor by the Greens, that is what the factions were called based on your and Alicent's dresses. Your faction was called the Blacks. The enmity between you and Alicent is very well described, although many tales are second or third accounts and the fact that the Maesters had rewritten it, I can't be sure of everything that happened during the dance." Aemon answered, his voice saddened.

"Alicent betrayed me for her son. I have been nothing but kind and caring with my brother." She said, trying to hold back a sob. Aemon flinched then, at that moment she said, 'Brother.'

"Aemon, what is it?" She questioned.

"There is something I need to tell you both. The reason Aegon fought was that he was pressured to do so. He first declined, but Ser Criston Cole changed his mind, telling Aegon, 'Him, his brothers, his wife, and their children would never be safe as long as your sister's Strong bastards were alive. Your sister will kill you, as you have the better claim.' So, I suspect he fought out of fear and was crowned Aegon II. I do not know how your relationship with Alicent changed. I do not know when I first met her, but I expected something. She was kind and caring so that part is already untrue. As described in the histories, she is cold and power-hungry. Also, expect that Alicent suspected you would kill her children, and that's why your friendship split and the betrayal over marrying your father hadn't helped either, as I was witness to myself." Aemon said, yet it seemed Aemon was leading up toward something.

"When your mother died, I knew your father would remarry. It was only a matter of time. Visenya, in all aspects, was the best option, although I didn't wish it for my sister. Yet she knew her duty, and she was of our House. It would keep the family stable. Yet I knew by the histories that Alicent would marry your father. Perhaps I could have stopped it by killing Otto, but who is to say that someone else would not have seduced your father in the time until Visenya came of age? Alicent and Otto were known factors to me and my mother. We knew what happened and who the players who aligned with them were. I have already worked on weakening many of those alliances. Yet I can't know if it will be enough. So I had to make sure Alicent would trust me not to kill her children. How could she believe me? So, my mother and I came up with a plan." Aemon said, his voice hoarse.

"What did you do, Aemon?" Laena questioned as she pulled her hand away from him. "No, Alicent looks at you with longing, the blushing, the dragon ride , and…" She swallowed hard as she felt a lump in her throat. 'Aegon, he had Aemon's eye, the grey one. No one else in their family had those eyes. He is Aemon's son.' She thought in shock.

"He is your son." She croaked out. Laena's eyes widened as she processed the revelation. "Aemon, is it true? Is Aegon your son?" Laena whispered, her voice trembling.

Aemon nodded slowly, his expression a mixture of regret and resolve as tears welled in her eyes.

"Yes, it's true. Alicent and I were together once before she wed Viserys. She came to me the night before we left for Dragonstone. She felt trapped, and I suspect that's when her father pushed her toward Viserys. I know that's true, she told me after the announcement and before that they had been meeting occasionally, although I had seen her reluctance." Aemon said

 'Alicent had told her she loved Aemon and that Otto pushed her toward her father, so what he said was true.' She thought as she closed her eyes.

"Alicent didn't sleep with your father before their wedding. I know because I was her first, took her maidenhead. She wanted something for herself, not something she did out of duty. I understand your anger and that both of you feel betrayed by me and can hate me for what I have done. I will never regret having Aegon." Aemon said with force.

 'Although the truth hurt, she agreed. She loved Aegon, and he was a sweet boy.' She thought sadly.

"Have there been others?" Laena questioned. 'He better say no.' She thought wrathfully.

"No, not in this life, only Alicent, and I only did that to secure Alicent's trust in us and because I care for her. Tell me, Rhaenyra, if your friend came to you crying and wanted to flee for a moment of freedom, wouldn't you do it." Aemon asked her.

"She cried?" She croked back, she had known Alicent wasn't the most pleased with her marriage, but to start crying in front of a betrothed man.

"Do you love her?" She asked, and she could see Laena looking at him as well.

"I do not. I care for her, and she is the mother of one of my children, but I do not love her like I do either of you." Aemon said, his voice hoarse but true.

She closed her eyes, not sure what to say. 'Why did Alicent usurp her for Aegon? Did she genuinely believe she would kill her own siblings? Would her knowing that Aemon was the father of Aegon stop it? Especially now, with Aemon as the heir, Aemon would never kill his own child.' She believed that what Aemon had done might have been necessary, but she was so hurt that it was difficult to think rationally about it..

"Aemon, I..." she began, but words failed her as she tried to process the situation, and her own emotions.

Laena, eyes still red from fallen tears, took his hand.

"Aemon," she said quietly, "I have seen you with Arya. You love her, me, and Rhaenyra. I haven't seen you look at anyone else like that. I believed you when we were on the beach on Driftmark and kissed for the first time, and what you told me then. I believe you don't love her or that you did it because you couldn't control your lust. Yet I cannot deny this hurts me. You have a child with someone you aren't married to, and you kept it from us for three years."

As she saw more tears falling from her sister-wife's eyes she reached over to grab her hand to comfort her and to comfort herself.

"Laena isn't wrong; we are hurt. Alicent, I wish she had come to us before she went to you." She added.

 'I might have even allowed it had I known. I damn accepted her marrying my father, and she told me the truth that she loved Aemon.' She thought sadly.

Aemon nodded solemnly, "I know. And I regret that you're both hurt by this. I knew it would cause you both suffering, and I did anyway. I will try to make it up to both if you still will have me. Or if this is it, if you can't, we will stay married in name only and raise our children, and I shall remain celibate until I die. Alicent, please don't blame her. Alicent has always been under her father's thumb, and that night, she sought a way out, a moment of freedom. I was that outlet, and I chose to act on it."

She looked at him, her expression softening slightly. "Aemon, I believe you. I understand why you did it. Alicent is my friend and still will be even now. I wish to speak her alone; perhaps Laena also wants that so we can clear the air." She said, looking at Laena, who nodded.

Laena spoke up. "And now? What does Alicent want? What do you want, Aemon?"

 'What did Alicent want?'

Aemon took a deep breath. "Alicent has expressed a desire to be with me again, but only if you both can accept it. She doesn't want to come between us. She understands the complexity of it all and that you both are first in my concerns. There was one thing I promised her, that I would be there for her and Aegon, that I would care for them. Unfortunately, your father hasn't been the most involved. I can act as a protective uncle and kind goodbrother. She needs all the help she can get."

"Laena," Rhaenyra said, turning to her, "what do you think?"

Laena sighed, the weight of the situation evident in her posture. "Aemon, this is difficult. It's not just about us. It's about our families, our children. But... if Alicent can accept us, we will be your wives, and she can only ever be a lover, and you will not hide it from us, you will be discreet. Yet there is one thing that can never happen, as it would create too much trouble for the future. You can never marry her, even if Viserys dies. Aegon is your oldest child, and he is a man, and if one of us gives you a boy, Aegon would be a threat and as a bastard he isn't. But if you were to marry or legitimize him or any other children you might have with her, it could cause a succession crisis. Something we all want to avoid and was part of the reason you slept with her in the first place. If you can promise that and care for her in a way that doesn't diminish your love for us, then perhaps we can find a way to make this work."

She nodded in agreement. "I don't want to lose you, Aemon. I love you. I want to ensure our family lives and that what happened in your past doesn't occur. So, if accepting the truth about Alicent and Aegon is what it takes to keep our family together, then I am willing to try. But know this, it won't be easy. Trust needs to be rebuilt, and we must work together to ensure our children are loved and protected."

Aemon's eyes filled with gratitude and relief. "Thank you, both of you. I know this isn't easy, and I am grateful for your understanding and willingness to try. We will face this together as a family." He said as he took both their hands and rubbed them with his thumbs.

"Now, will you tell us more about the Dance and our families' supposed history," Laena asked, and Aemon nodded.

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