16

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112 AC

Dragonstone

Daemon Targaryen

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I throw the message that came in from Kingslanding into a flame, my annoyance building after reading it. The little mystery I have been looking into is starting to get too confident, getting too comfortable around my family.

I was warned by my brother to not cause a problem with the Martells when they came to visit and he lets them walk around as if they own the place. I told him we needed to remove the threat but he dared to call it Kin slaying. Saera Targaryen our aunt or at least was our aunt at one point, she handed over the blood of the dragons to the Dornish who refused to bend to the conquerors.

For that I won't consider her my aunt anymore, even King Jaehaerys disowned her and publicly called her nothing but a whore. A whore that grew the seeds of our downfall and Viserys closes his eyes to it. I am not even sure what I could possibly say at this point to make him see the truth, they might hold back for now but eventually, they will be ready. Ready to tear down all of what our House has built and stands for.

I tire of pouring over old texts in the library of Dragonstone, old texts that tell of the ancient conflicts with the Rhoynar. I search for answers to what I heard the guards saw late at night in the dim moon glow. Cannibal pulled into the ocean and his fires put out, only to appear on the beach covered in ice. If it can happen to cannibal it can happen to any of the dragons, my main concern at this point.

Remembering the giant chunks of ice when I arrived to see for myself I can't help but wonder how much there must have been to start with. No doubt most of it melted in the morning sun and from the heat coming from the Dragonmont. Enough ice to freeze a dragon and stop it from melting the ice to regain its freedom.

I will make sure to stay well away from the waves anytime a Martell is around. I am convinced through the Dragon's blood meeting the Rhoynar blood they gained powerful magic. I do not know if all of them have it but assuming they all have it is for the best, but I am willing to bet Daeron has it.

He looks of the blood of Valyria and not Dornish, if any of them have enough magic in their veins it will be him. He is also the one to ride Cannibal, the dragon that got pulled into the waves and frozen.

It makes me wonder why they are trying to marry him to my niece, wouldn't it be better to keep the power to themselves? On this, I am confused as I would expect them to have Daeron marry his sister to keep the water magic in their House.

Looking at the flames I tossed the message in I wonder if I can find my answers in person instead of looking to the past on pages. Maybe I could force him to answer me how he claimed a dragon that big with a habit of killing anything that approaches. Most people are skeptical of the water pulling the dragon in, and ice freezing it stiff, but I saw the ice myself.

My brother likely only thinks I am trying to stir the situation to get him to act, even after I said the ice was real he still let them come to Kingslanding. There is no telling what else they are capable of doing with their unknown power. I need to head back and protect my brother to make sure they do not harm him.

Whatever game they are playing I will figure it out, one way or the other.

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112 AC

Kingslanding

Viserys Targaryen

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The Tourney is soon to start in less than a week, my son will finally be born soon and I can hardly wait. All the preparations are complete for the most part and only the guests need to arrive for it all to begin.

Well, my Commander of the city watch running off to Dragonstone to investigate the rumors he is obsessing over is worrying. I will send one more raven and if he still does not return I will have to have someone else serve the role. I can't be missing the Commander of the watch when all of the Lords and Ladies arrive, something may happen and he needs to be here.

But with everything prepared and some days to spare I can finally give my attention to the Martells. More than a week they have been here and everything is still standing, no fires or destroyed buildings. The only thing I have heard is a small argument happening that settled itself without my interference.

I think it is safe to say I can begin talking with Prince Qyle in earnest about an engagement, Rhaenyra has voiced no concerns. I would even say she is quickly making friends with the Martells, which is promising and gives me hope she can be happy with the arrangement. At the end of the day something needs to be done with them having dragons and bringing them into the fold seems the best option.

No blood need be spilled between family, they are no longer just enemies who refused to bend their knees to the conquerors. My aunt is Prince Qyle's wife and the mother of his children making them blood-related to us. I intend to stop any future conflict and have all of us united for a better future. A future my son will be the king in, with a powerful ally in his good brother Daeron residing in Sunspear.

So the time has come to have a face-to-face conversation where we get to the meat of the discussion. I will see what they want and they will hear my conditions and if everything is agreeable marriage will bind us. A marriage that will prepare a glorious reign for my heir and also satisfy my daughter with a good match.

"Take this to Prince Qyle." I hold up the letter I just sealed and it is taken from my fingers off to its destination.

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112 AC

Kingslanding

Daeron Nymeros Martell

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"I am not sure how to feel right now." I lay on a cushioned couch with a nice feather pillow beneath my neck.

"Don't stress so much, I have been sold off already and it does not feel so bad." I snort hearing Lewyn lazily respond.

"You didn't seem too bothered by it after meeting the Velaryons, I expected a little resistance. I was preparing to have to chase you down with Gaelithox and haul you back." He sighs loudly but does not respond further.

"It's because he took an interest in my intended, don't be confused and think his future wife charmed him. She is a little on the young side anyway so there is not much for him to look for there anyway." Myriah informs me with an amused voice as a pillow sails through the air and hits her.

"Well at least one of us is looking at the Velaryons, they would be upset if I also looked as disinterested as you did. You said less than ten words the entire dinner we had with them and they obviously noticed. Rhaenys was not pleased with your dismissal of her child but bit her tongue." Myriah immediately snorts and the pillow flies back at Lewyn with more force.

"Lewyn you of all people should understand there is little to no chance I can pull anything out of a marriage with Laenor even if I wanted to. I won't even humor this anymore let's return to what Daeron was talking about." Lewyn chuckles softly but doesn't dig his feet in and instead lets Myriah get what she wants.

"I was not even talking though." I was only stating my current feelings about not being included in talks about my potential engagement.

I am sure Rhaenyra feels similarly right about now, if she even knows. She might not even know it is happening today, well started today at the very least. I doubt they will come to an agreement in one sitting, it will be involving Dorne joining the rest of the Kingdoms under Targaryen's rule. We will be staying as high up as possible though, we don't come as conquered but as people who managed to stay off their knees.

The dragons also help, we are a threat and cant be left out in the wind or unpredictable things can happen. The Kingdom of the three daughters has been sending requests to meetings and marriage offers almost every day. They want dragon riders of their own and are willing to pay a pretty penny to get them. Too bad for them House Velaryon snagged my brother and sister and I am shooting for House Targaryen.

Thinking of Rhaenyra I smile remembering we will be meeting in a few hours to go for a flight once more. The fourth one we have taken and each one has gotten progressively longer and we have flown away further. I am looking forward to seeing what happens today, I might bring up the ongoing 'talks' to see what she knows. Will be awkward if she does not know about them at all, she expects it but might not have been informed it's 'happening'.

"Let's go fishing or something, I am getting bored with all this waiting around." Lewyn sits up and stretches his arms high above his head.

"Cant, I got an appointment in a little while and I don't want to have to take another bath beforehand." He gives me a dry and unimpressed look.

"Daeron, dragons smell like fire and ash on their best days so I don't think you will be smelling good once you start flying around anyway. You can sit here and stare at the ceiling for however long or you can come to sit in the sun and fish with me. Maybe some nice chilled drinks or something if my ice-making brother decides to get off his ass." His true intentions are revealed as he brings up needing ice.

"Come on Daeron it will be fun." Myriah joins in and I sigh as I sit up.

"Whatever, see if mother wants to go and I will find something to slip on my feet." They cheer as they rush off to find our mother and I look around for footwear.

----

Looking over at Syrax who is trying to get a reaction out of Gaelithox I shake my head, before I claimed him she would have gotten munched for trying this. Now Syrax trills and nips at the black dragon to get him to interact with her but he only curls up and ignores her.

"He is pretty shy, if someone told me that a year ago I would have thought them crazy." Rhaenyra comments from beside me as we both watch the dragons.

We sit on the edge of the Blackwater on a spread-out blanket I brought along for the little 'picnic' I packed. She kicked her riding boots off and dug them into the sand at the edge of the blanket, her toes wiggling around sifting the sand.

"I think it's because he sleeps so much, he sleeps whenever I am not riding him or feeding him. He just does not like to be messed with all that much, the opposite of Syrax and Shrykos when they get around each other." She hums in response as I discreetly chill the water in my cup to enjoy. "So I guess I should just ask instead of waiting." She looks over with a confused look, both her brows raising slightly.

"Ask what?" Her feet stop messing around in the sand as she focuses on me.

"Well, first it would help if I knew if you are aware of our father's meeting today?" It takes only a moment before she catches on to where this is going and she shakes her head.

"I did not, but I take it you know why they are meeting?" We both know but I guess she still wants to hear it, arranged marriages are actually pretty weird when you are experiencing it happen.

It's one thing to hear about my siblings it's another for it to be me and to look at the person and wonder how they feel about it. Most people are forced to do their 'duty' for their House but it's a bit different for royalty who rides dragons.

"Yea I got a pretty good idea." I go silent for a moment as she looks toward the Black water and purses her lips. "Do you?" I ask knowing it's obvious and she nods.

"Yea, would be hard not to." She takes a deep breath and then sighs as she lays back on the blanket with her hands covering her eyes from the sun.

"Just so you know my thoughts I am not against it in the slightest, I would not want you to feel trapped though so if you're against it you can tell me. If we both spoke up while it's still early we can end it before ending it could be 'perceived' as an insult or something along those lines." I don't look back but I can hear her nod against the blanket on the sand.

In the limited time I have gotten to know her I feel the chance of it actually happening is pretty good. But there is also the emotional turmoil she is going through watching her father strive so hard for a son. It is weighing on her that much is obvious knowing what I know and seeing how she acts, but we are not yet close enough for me to bring it up.

A grey area where I am 'sorta' a friend and potentially her future husband, hard to bring up your problems to someone like that.