Escaping King's Landing
Elia nodded. "Very well..."
"Then follow." Jaime turned around and walked out of the nursery. "We will be leaving through the only exit in Maegor's Holdfast. As you know, it is not far from here."
Aerion shook his head awake and placed the previous events into the back of his memory. Jaime led the way, followed by Aerion and his mother. They walked at a rather swift pace but Aerion managed to keep up. Jaime first gathered essential supplies before moving onto the exit. After a short while, he wanted to get confirmation on something. "Has King's Landing fallen, Ser Jaime?"
"I will inform you on that topic once we have the time," Jaime replied.
Deep down, Aerion knew the real answer as he continued to walk towards the exit door. Upon reaching it, Jaime opened the heavily fortified door and held it until they walked past. Then he closed it shut. The exit door from Maegor's Holdfast could only be opened from the inside, leading to Blackwater Bay.
"You know I can't swim," Aerion stated.
Jaime patted his silver hair. "You won't have to as I have prepared a rowing boat for this occasion."
He walked down to the side where a rowing boat had been anchored by a rope. Drawing his sword, Jaime cut off the rope and pulled the boat closer. It was slightly larger than the ordinary rowing boat, with enough space for five people. The two oars for the boat were in the very middle, where Jaime would settle himself. He removed his glistening golden armour and placed it to the front of the boat alongside a load of supplies. Aerion and his mother settled in the back together before Jaime pushed the rowing boat further into the waters and hopped into the middle.
He took a deep breath before proceeding to row onwards. He had already made his decision... the consequences no longer mattered to him.
"Where will you be rowing?"
"Around King's Landing and back onto land. After that, we will decide how to proceed."
"The safest destination would be Sunspear..." Aerion muttered.
"Yes, it would be for you and Lady Elia." Jaime agreed.
Dragonstone would be ideal but it was too far away... the journey would, in fact, be impossible with their rowing boat. His uncle, Viserys, and grandmother were sent there in case King's Landing did fall. There was a decent number of men stationed there along with some proper ships. In truth, King's Landing would have lasted much longer if not for Aerys opening the gates and may have been even safer than Dragonstone. If Aerys hadn't opened the gates to Tywin, that is. This escape would have been much more seamless as well... but alas, Aerys was fooled.
Subconsciously, Aerion willed the rowing boat to go faster... and it did.
After a couple of minutes staring into the dark waters, Aerion drifted off into a long sleep from his fatigue.
...
Instead of a wonderful dream, he was met with a nightmare where the Mountain continued to walk towards him. Every time he burned him, the Mountain would turn to ash and regenerate seconds later. It was an endless cycle which ended after what seemed to be an eternity.
The nightmare turned to ash and he stood in an empty world that was purely white. Aerion sighed, believing that this was another weird dream.
Then a thunderous voice boomed across the world.
"At last, your chains have been broken! Embrace it and soar higher, little dragon, or fall to those who wish you dead. It is your decision in the end..."
"Who are you?" Aerion inquired, looking around and seeing nothing but the blinding surroundings. After hearing nothing for a solid couple of seconds, Aerion shook his head. "What a strange dream..."
That was when a long list of red words appeared before him. Out of intrigue, he started to read them. It's not like there was anything else he could do anyway.
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Prince Aerion Targaryen
Age: 3
Titles: Crown Prince (?)
Traits: Attractive, Genius, Wilful, Patient, Kind.
Manpower: None
Gold: None
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(Out of 100, 100 being the absolute peak and 60 being the average for an adult male. The first three are compared in duels while Charisma determines the individual's ability to lead.)
Strength: 25
Endurance: 30
Dexterity: 20
Charisma: 45
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Magic vitality: 2
Magic abilities: Pyromancy, Water Magic
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"Most of this information appears to be true... maybe this dream is more than I first thought it was," Aerion muttered.
After several minutes, he drifted off into another dream. One that was far less memorable.
~
He was awoken by a sudden yet gentle shake. As he opened his eyes, he noticed the sun rising in the sky. The boat was now on the shore with Jaime sitting against it, looking rather fatigued from his rowing as he drank some water. Elia looked over him and ran her hand against his hair. It looked like she had been crying for a long time, though she had removed the tears to look strong for him. "If you sleep for much longer, the waves will take you away."
Aerion felt a surge of pain as he observed his mother's wounded face but he managed to seem cheerful. He stood up from the boat and stepped down onto the rocks. "They won't anymore... Ser Jaime, rest well, we can wait."
"A few moments is all the rest I need," Jaime replied, rising to his feet right after. "We have to move further south as swiftly as we can. Two horses would do us well but we do not have that luxury. This journey will be quite difficult..."
"Embrace it and soar higher, little dragon, or fall to those who wish you dead. It is your decision in the end..."
"Do not worry about me." Aerion smiled. "Anyway, your rest cannot be ignored. A tired knight is far less formidable than a well-rested one... and so you must rest. I am more than capable of protecting myself so you needn't worry."
"Protect yourself... with what?"
As if it were instinct, he opened his palm and a small flame emerged. "Magic... it came to me when the massive man attacked."
"Magic..." Jaime observed his hand from a distance. "Not quite enough to burn a man."
Suddenly, the flames rose in temperature and grew larger. Jaime came to take a closer look and was certainly convinced.
"I do not know how you came to wield something so deadly, but it will be a useful weapon in times of need nonetheless."
Aerion cleared his throat. "So... Ser Jaime, I order you to rest."
"Very well... I will rest, but only when we find a place more suitable."
They found this suitable place within the Kingswood after four hours of walking. In between the four hours, Jaime would rest for small periods to regain his strength. During this long walk, Aerion came to realise the limitations of his magic. He could only release two deadly flames before being completely fatigued. After that, his fire would only emerge in sparks.
Their resting place turned out to be a cave which was not quite so bad considering the circumstances. They had avoided a village in their path as any kind of contact with people so close to King's Landing carried great risk.
Jaime laid down and drifted off after Aerion reassured him once more. After conversing with his mother for a while, he was given a long moment of silence to let everything sink in. It all felt like a dream... the sudden fall of King's Landing, the deaths of his siblings, his magic, and escaping the only home he ever knew.
Time passed very slowly but it passed nevertheless. Eventually, Jaime awakened and their journey continued. However, just as they were to leave, a group of men entered the cave. Five armed men, to be exact.
"Well, well, well... what do we have here?"
Jaime withdrew his sword from its sheath immediately.
"Hehe, look at that armour. He's a shiny one, ain't he?" One of them chuckled.