The Sept of Remembrance, Kings Landing...
The bells in the Sept chimed out but it was not for the death of a king as was the usual custom. Word of the real reason came out very quickly as the people wondered if something had happened to King Haeron, but they were soon all told the truth.
The Queen Mother, Rhaella Targaryen...the beloved matriarch of House Targaryen...loving mother and grandmother and supporter of good causes was dead.
Killed by her own youngest son who had stolen her dragon and fled.
Prince Viserys had never been liked or well known like his older siblings but he had been her son, no-one could or wanted to believe it at first but regardless it was a fact.
The Royal Family under heavy escort of the Royal Guard with their dragons overhead led the procession from the Red Keep, Haeron leading it himself despite the personal risk as what else could he do in this situation? Behind them Jaime Lannister and Alicys walked with their own children all dressed in mourning black along with everyone else.
They were all silent as they marched through the city streets on their way to the Sept, the streets lined with people watching the procession from streets, from the windows and even from the roofs. It was so rare to see the entire Royal Family like this that many did not want to miss it or to pay their respects to the much respected and even loved former queen. Even Prince Rhaegar had been released from his house arrest at the Red Keep to be a part of this event. He walked with his wives and children who were all silent in respect.
The people in the city were not the only ones in shock, letters of condolences had already started coming in from other lords all over Westeros every hour but still they kept on coming. The realm was in shock at the sudden death, they had been at peace for so long now and many could not understand why a prince would kill his mother...especially when it meant that his family would now be coming after them.
Haeron was like a statue, his face frozen in stern discipline but inside his heart was shattered...broken into pieces as he considered the mother that he had always dreamed of. The loving and protective woman that had been there his whole life as Haeron, who he wished had been there for him as Harry was gone. Murdered by a miserable little shit that he honestly wished with a fury that he barely controlled had been nothing more than a smear on bed sheets.
He was not alone, Shaena and Daeron like him were shattered by what had happened to their mother. They had both like Haeron imagined her having many years left where she would always be there to give them her advice and to watch her youngest daughters Elaena and Daenerys grow up and also to watch her grandchildren grow. To fly with them in the skies and dance with joy...all of that would never happen now.
Harmony and Evelyn both had their hands of their children's shoulders who were unable to control their feelings like the adults. Tears ran down their faces as they followed the cart, Elaena and Daenerys held each others hands as they tried their best to hold their composure but failed as the tears ran down their faces. Jon walked with Rhaenys and Amilys who were all grim like him for a change as they stood with their mothers who had hands on their shoulders.
Aemon and Jasen were doing their best to be strong for their siblings even if the last thing they wanted to do was be strong, honestly they were as shattered as their father and yet they held themselves together...trying to be grown up when all they wanted was to cry.
The entire family was suffering and for this day at least they would be dealing with laying Rhaella to rest. They would first allow her to be placed in state at the Sept for those who wanted to pay their respect. That would be for just one day before they would take her to a clear area where her body would be burned in the traditional Targaryen way. It was the way it had been done before the dragons had died off the first time and it was time to return to that way of doing things.
Haeron watched as his mother was placed at the sept's main chamber, standing to the side with his family as a steady line of people walked through the room. The Lannisters were allowed to stand with them along with many of the Small Council and Royal Guard members, the solemn faces passed through all day before at last the time to came to finally say goodbye.
Haeron was struggling now to keep his composure, it had been testing him all day and now it was on the edge of breaking completely but he felt the soft hand of his youngest daughter touching his own. He looked down at Caelys and saw her with tear streaked cheeks and without hesitating he picked her up with ease. The sight was strange as never had a king done anything such as this but was he held his daughter her sobs continued, he held her gently as her arms wrapped around his neck. He did not speak, he didn't need too as he gently rubbed her back and let her take comfort from him. It actually helped him in a way, being strong for his daughter and looking each of the other children in the eye to let them know he was there and they were not alone in their grief.
The procession eventually moved to the hill outside the city, the place when the Targaryens of the past had also been cremated by dragon fire, a pyre had been constructed and the body of Rhaella was placed upon it. Haeron and the others all stood around it as Kara, feeling the misery in the air landed nearby. Haeron turned to his dragon and with a heavy weight in his chest he spoke the words that he felt nothing but grief saying.
"Dracarys."
Kara understood immediately and turned towards the pyre before letting out a powerful blast of fire that consumed the body in moments, they watched as the flames burned the body of the late Queen to ashes and they all lowered their heads in reverence.
The moment was silent except for the crackling of the flames as they consumed the pyre, no one dared speak and they stayed until the fires at last burned out. The sight stabbed at them all but they had to keep composed until they were at last able to return to the Red Keep.
Most of them would not be able to remember the long walk back to the Red Keep but once they were inside they retreated to their rooms. None of them wanted to be seen as they finally let their guard down and let out the grief they had been holding in all day.
Shaena was standing in the Queen's Ballroom, looking at the throne where her mother had once held court, still had in fact for years. The sight of the throne without her on it, the room lacking all of the warmth that she had filled it with was like a gaping wound in her heart and her brothers who were standing just behind her felt it too. They all had such warm and comforting memories of her in this room but in the moment it seemed to only make her absence more hurtful.
Shaena's hands went to her belly, conscious of what she was carrying there as she wished dearly that this child would have had the chance to know its grandmother. They would never know the warm love that she gave to everyone, her wisdom or her courage and quiet strength that she had. She felt the hands of her brothers on her shoulders and sighed with sadness before speaking to them.
"I just wish she was here now. I never had the chance to tell her." Shaena admitted to them with tears gathering in her eyes. Both of her brothers nodded sadly as they spoke.
"She would have loved that child, she will still from the other side and she is always at our shoulder when we need her." Haeron told his sister even if he wasn't sure of that himself but he knew ghosts did exist. But he managed to look confident for her and for Daeron.
"We will always remember her." Daeron said as he desperately tried to follow his elder brother's example. He wished he had his strength right now when all he wanted to do was cry.
Haeron had known them both their entire lives and knew how they were really feeling despite them trying to hide it. He turned them towards him and pulled them into his arms, they didn't resist and hugged him back before telling them.
"We are all in pain, we will be for a long time but we are not alone. We have each other and our families, we have our memories of her and everything she taught and gave us. So she has not really left us. Remember that." Haeron told them as he held his brother and sister close, being there for them as he always had been.
The two of them lent into him and gladly took the comfort and reassurance that he was offering and giving that back to him in return. The three of them stood together as they always had and he would need their help in the days ahead...especially they all thought with a great fury starting to grow inside them when they finally found their little brother they thought coldly and made him pay for this.
- x -
Elsewhere in the castle while Rhaegar without seeming to care retreated back to his rooms and his readings, Elia and Lyanna spent time with their children to try and reassure them. Jon had gone to the Godswood for some privacy and they would see him when he was ready but for now the girls needed them.
Rhaenys sat with Balerion, her cat in her lap and Nymeria, her dragon. She was gently stroking both of them as they tried to comfort her. Amilys meanwhile was just curled up on a chair making herself as small as possible as her eyes watered. Her tears wanted to fall but she just couldn't let her pain out, it was coiled up inside her, seeming to strangle her every moment.
Elia went to her daughter and sat next to her, an arm gently around her shoulders as she held her daughter. Rhaenys looked to her mother and told her.
"I miss her so much." Rhaenys said with a tremor in her voice, her lip quivering as Elia sighed sadly.
"I know, I miss her too. When your father turned away from me she was the one that became my family. She made sure we were safe and I have loved her like a mother myself for that." Elia admitted to her daughter who nodded in understanding.
"We'll miss her but all of the good memories she gave us, they are here with us." Elia said kindly as she hugged her daughter while Balerion and Nymeria cuddled against them.
Amilys meanwhile was not like Rhaenys and did not want to be coddled, she would hate that Lyanna thought with a worrying biting of her lip. She did not know exactly how to address it but she settled for telling her.
"Viserys will be punished for this. Your uncle is furious and he will not let him get away with what he has done." Lyanna told her daughter who looked at her with barely contained fury.
"Good, he deserves to die." She said before the tears began to escape which Lyanna carefully wiped away.
"He will, but you have to be strong. Pain is natural and we need to feel it to ease its toll on us. Trust me on that." She said knowing from her own experience that you didn't defeat pain by hiding from it or trying to suppress it. "You need to confront it and find some way to live with it." She told her daughter, not wanting to push such a truth on her this early in life but what else could she do with a girl that would never accept normal comfort she reasoned sadly.
Amilys looked at her with confusion but nodded, understanding that she had to confront it for the pain to get better. She suddenly hugged her mother who was surprised but gently hugged her back, smiling as for once her daughter allowed herself to be vulnerable. She was glad as no one should have to be tough all of the time...sometimes you needed to let yourself be vulnerable to grieve.
- x -
At the Godswood Jon was standing at the foot of the new Weirwood as he considered just why any god would allow something like this to happen. Did they care at all? he wondered to himself. His grandmother had been such a warm and loving woman who lived for her family he thought to himself with pain stabbing at his heart. Why had she had to die? He questioned and no answer came to him that made him feel even remotely better. The fact Viserys had been the one to kill her only made it more confusion and horrible for him to think about.
Jon knew even at his age that Viserys was a dead man, he thought grimly. His uncles Haeron and Daeron not to mention his aunts Shaena, Harmony and Evelyn would make sure of that. He would never be able to hide as they would find him.
A shuffling to his side made him aware that someone else was there so he turned around to see who it was and his heart was wretched from his chest as he saw Princess Daenerys huddled in the hollow of a nearby tree crying silently in harsh sobs. He was older than his aunt but not by much and she was still family, he walked forward slowly and made sure she knew he was there so he didn't scare her.
"Jon." She said as she wiped away her tears, desperate to not look like she felt but he told her.
"You don't have to hide. I feel the same way." He said with sadness as the grief hit him too. She looked up at him and again her facade just broke down as the pain hit her again. Her mother...her loving sweet mother was dead and she just didn't know how to make sense of it all. Why her? She thought with misery as tears ran down her face again and Jon sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. Daenerys didn't resist instead she leaned into it and cried into his shoulder, so glad of the comfort that she did not even feel remotely embarrassed at this...just needing to let the pain out.
They just stayed there like that for hours, holding each other and eventually when they knew that it was time for dinner they reluctantly got to their feet deciding together without even speaking to never tell anyone. But Daenerys managed a smile for Jon and pressed a kiss to his cheek which shocked him before she ran off and he was left there, his hand going to his cheek where she had pressed her lips to it and it tingled. He honestly did not know why she had done that but at the same time he was glad she had done it.
Maybe healing together would be good for both of them he thought to himself.
- x -
Harmony and Evelyn meanwhile were taking care of their own children, Aemon and Jasen were the most stoic but it was only a facade they knew. Aeron was trying to copy his older brothers and Alysanne was doing what she always did when upset, reading to distract herself. She was nose deep in a history of Braavos but her hands were gripping the book so tightly her hands had turned white and her body shook slightly as she tried to hide her tears.
Baelon and Daemon were suspiciously quiet, even their endless attempts at mischief seemed to have deserted them for the moment as they had no clue how to accept and move with such pain as they carried now. Visenya was like her elder sister using her hobby to ease her pain, sketching on a canvas to let her misery and grief flow into the art that she loved so much.
The late Queen Mother's namesake Rhaella the second was doing the same as her twin sister Visenya and pouring her pain into a hobby that provided her release. In her case though it was music as she pushed her breath into the flute that they had made specially for her, the mournful tunes filling the room which might not make the others feel better but it allowed her to let things out.
Caelys meanwhile was holding on to her mothers, her eyes red from crying as her beloved grandmother was gone. Never again would she hear her warm and loving words of encouragement or just enjoy a hug from her every day.
She had been so excited, dreaming of the day when she got a dragon of her own so that she could learn all that there was to know about riding dragons. Her grandmother been her idol, her hero and her mentor...now she was gone and Caelys did not know how to cope with this.
Harmony and Evelyn held her tightly, knowing that she was closer to Rhaella than any one of the other grandchildren. She idolised her and this would tear her world apart. So they told her.
"Perhaps you need to do something that honours and remembers her." Harmony said with a smile to try and comfort the girl who sniffled before asking them with a trembling lip.
"Like what?" She asked with uncertainty but Evelyn stroked her hair gently she told her.
"You'll find something. Just trust yourself, as we trust you now." Evelyn told her with a kiss on the forehead and a warm hug.
Caelys leaned into the hug and hoped that it was true but the words meant a great deal to her in the moment.
- x -
In the most secure cell of the Red Keep a prisoner was waiting, with the funeral and everything else that had been going on they had not had time to question her properly but they had made sure she stayed alive until they could.
Haeron stood with Harmony and Evelyn as they stared at the woman who was the sort of in your face sexy that they personally found vulgar with a dress that honestly showed more than it covered. She sneered at them as they stood there though, not in the least scared or regretful.
"You can do whatever you want to me. I will never talk." She said with complete confidence and they just shook their heads at her arrogance.
"You think we are giving a choice? We have other ways of forcing compliance." Harmony said with a cold voice before raising her hand and she cast a spell that they all hated but would get the results they needed.
"Imperio."
The prisoner's eyes glazed over as the spell robbed her of her free will and she became nothing but a puppet on their strings. It revolted them to have to use it but they needed answers.
"Who do you work for?" Harmony demanded and the woman answered in a fact and emotionless voice.
"I am a member of House Blackfyre." She told them and the name made all three of them stop in surprise and then worry as it meant that clearly the family had survived somehow. The poisonous legacy of Aegon the 4th enduring even after they had thought it finally ended which Haeron cursed his ancestor for screwing everything up and creating a problem that they were still trying to deal with even now.
"Why are you here?" Harmony continued quick as a whip while Evelyn stood next to Haeron and held his hand.
"To steal Blackfyre and if possible Dark Sister as well, also we were to poison your dragons and steal dragon eggs to make sure we received our rightful place as dragon riders. We have cultivated puppets in different houses of Westeros and we would have placed assassins in all the great houses to weaken them before taking the throne that is our right." She said with complete calm despite their growing anger.
"Where are you based? And how many are you?" Haeron asked with cold fury.
"We have members in everyone of the Free Cities. Branches of our family everywhere. It is the work of generations of our family even before the War of the Nine Penny Kings." The woman said. "We had planned to trick Viserys the fool into stealing the eggs for us and how to hatch them but now my family will use him now that he has a dragon of his own."
"Who are your contacts in the city?" Evelyn demanded wanting to know how bad they might have been infiltrated. The woman answered quickly.
"Petyr Baelish is our contact in the city. He has been helping by getting houses into our debt or finding secrets we can use to bring them in line with our vision of Westeros." The woman told them. "I was never told just which houses have recognised our rightful claim but they will show themselves soon."
They questioned her for hours to drag out as much information as they could before Haeron summoned Ser Fergus and told him sternly.
"Find Petyr Baelish and arrest him! We need him alive!" Haeron told his leader of the Watchmen who at the hard tone of his king jumped to do as he was told. He frowned before turning to Harmony and Evelyn who were as disturbed as he was that a conspiracy like this had evolved right under their very noses without a single clue.
"What do we do?" Evelyn asked quickly knowing they had to respond. Harmony frowned as they couldn't start a witch hunt for whoever might be allied with the Blackfyres without some evidence.
"We need Baelish, he knows more. Until then we need to be on our guard." Harmony suggested and Haeron nodded in agreement.
"Then we had best get started, we will double check our small council and other positions." Haeron said before adding. "And no member of the family leaves the castle until we have Baelish and the extent of this conspiracy. But first." Haeron said as he pulled out a knife and a glass bottle as he turned to the woman, his face grim but determined he advanced on her and sliced at her wrist.
He collected the blood that spilled from her in the bottle before closing the wound and healing it as for the moment they needed her alive. They secured the prisoner before going to a hidden room that they had prepared for this purpose.
A map of the Known World was set up on the floor and on a cabinet nearby a series of strange instruments that were old, having been recovered from Valyria.
Harmony held up a lantern like object with a crystal inside, they poured some of the blood onto the crystal which soaked it up like a sponge. The lantern glowed with a red light before beams of red light started shining down on the map below, one in each of the Free Cities from Volantis to Braavos. They grimaced before taking some consolation in that apart from the small dot in the Red Keep which represented the prisoner there was no other Blackfyres in Westeros. A large concentration was in Pentos they noticed so that was likely their base of operations.
Blood scrying was not something they were exactly sure of as making sure you only found what you wanted to was complicated. If they went back too far the blood would show where everyone with even the smallest amount of Targaryen blood was, so it had taken them this long to be ready to even try.
The woman had not been delusional then they all realised as they looked at the map, the Blackfyres in all of the Free Cities and if they did indeed have houses in Westeros in their pocket they would soon know.
So...Baelish was the key to this they thought to themselves. Jaime and his family were already on their way back to Casterly Rock to prepare as war was sure to come now.
- x -
A House in Kings Landing...
Baelish was doing his best not to panic but he knew in his mind that he was in deep...too deep to ever be free again, truly free if he could not find some way out of his situation.
He had only just managed to escape his main brothel before the Watchmen had stormed the place, running through the sewers, wading through muck and shit and piss to reach this safe house. His most secure and hidden one which had proven to be his salvation, his brothels and businesses had all been seized and his people arrested but thankfully they didn't know about this house and he still had some servants who he had hidden.
He had no idea that the Blackfyres had been the ones pulling the strings, he would not have cared as all he wanted was their gold and the opportunity to expand his influence. But they had dragged him into their conspiracy by his contact getting caught and he was certain she would tell them everything to save herself.
He would do in her place and given how they had come for him he was glad of that reasoning as it prevented him from being caught.
But still Baelish thought with fear running through him, what did he do now?
He had few options, one perhaps could be to trade what he knew to the Targaryens in exchange for his life. He knew they would want it but given they could just torture him to get the information he was not likely to risk that he thought with rejection of the stupid idea especially as they were already hunting him.
He could flee he thought with care but while that had promise and he would make sure that he prepared for that option he would need to survive in case the Targaryens came after him. He had no intention of being eaten or burned by a dragon he thought with revulsion at that fate.
No he would make the most of his situation he thought with greed and ambition, chaos was of course he knew a ladder. He would not be one that was too afraid to climb or one that would fall and be broken so he could never try again. Instead he would climb and reach the top he thought with a sneer.
But if he was going to use the Blackfyres as a rung on his ladder he thought with deliberation, he would need something to ingratiate himself with them more pondering to himself and he would need to keep watch for a potential opportunity and ensure his own escape from the city...both he turned too with all of his cunning.
Intent on finding a way to keep climbing.
Blackfyre Manse, Pentos...
The Blackfyres in Pentos had waited with baited breath for their dragon egg to arrive along with the swords that rightfully belonged to them.
They had dreamed of this and been working towards it for years now, for them to get the throne that was theirs by right. The throne that had been denied them by the inbred cunts that called themselves dragons! They thought with rage at how many times over the years that they had been defeated.
But they been patient, spending decades building up their fortune and prepare for their ascension to the Iron Throne but they had been hit with disaster after disaster. Foremost was the Targaryens had somehow regained dragons and that was something they could not allow.
They had planned to poison the Targaryen dragons once they had their own, but their idiot puppet Viserys Targaryen and their spy had been uncovered. Their agents in the city had reported that before they disappeared, but they had every reason to suspect that their woman in the city had been captured and if she had talked then...the Targaryens would know about them.
They did not want to have to use Viserys Targaryen but they had no choice now, they all considered with fear. The Targaryens would come seeking revenge and although that agent had knew their location here there other branches should be secure.
So they would need to cause a distraction while they reconsidered their options, they would trigger the revolution in Westeros now. They had not planned to do this until they had poisoned the dragons and raised their own but they would do it now to throw the Targaryens off their trail until they could come up with a new plan.
- x -
Cave, The Vale...
Viserys was now for the first time experiencing real poverty as he huddled under a blanket for warmth, the ground beneath him was rough and cold unlike the soft beds and chairs that he had always been given. He missed the comforts of the Red Keep, the food and wine that was always available at his command and a change of clothes as his own smelt revolting after days of wearing them and he felt dirty from his lack of bathing.
But he did not move from the cave were he was hiding because he knew that Haeron was looking for him. He was half convinced that he was waiting for him outside the cave.
His terror at facing his brother was making him shake which had nothing to do with the cold, the intense and burning gaze of his eldest brother seemed to be coming at him from everywhere he looked and when he closed his eyes he was staring out of the shadows.
Viserys was terrified of his oldest brother, he always had been. He was so strong and intimidating in a way that he knew he could never be. A respected king and world traveller, a man that had stabilised and brought prosperity to Westeros after their insane father's destructive reign, a diplomat, a merchant, the man who had brought dragons back to the world, an intellect greater than most maesters, one of the greatest swordsman that the realm had ever known and he had managed to wed the two most beautiful women that the world had ever known and produced many children who all had lived so far.
Like Jaehaerys with his intelligence and reasoning but with the power and presence of Maegor or the Conqueror himself some people had said.
The dragon he rode was the largest and most fearsome beast in the world, Viserys then added to the list of what he had made an enemy of. Kara was known as the Great Dragon just like their rider, the shadow that the dragon made could cover small holdfasts when it flew low enough. He had seen the dragon first hand and knew its power.
He was nothing compared to that...feeling the angry eyes of Aurora as the dragon glared at him.
He looked over and saw the dragon huddled deeper in the cave, the warmth it radiated might have been enticing but every time he had tried to bed down closer to it the dragon moved away from him. He could feel its hatred of him and disgust in its gaze and how hard it resisted his commands.
He did not fully control her, Viserys realised to his shock. He had always imagined that a rider could fully command their dragon as he had seen his brother and wives not to mention his own late mother and others who rode dragons able to summon them without being near and fly them with ease.
Aurora would not do that for him, Viserys thought with anger at the dragon's disobedience. He could make her fly but where the dragon went was an ongoing battle of his will over the dragon's in where they went.
Hence why they were hiding in this cave he thought with revulsion at a prince being forced to endure such conditions.
He was about to try and mount the dragon again to fly somewhere more comfortable when a figure appeared at the mouth of the cave, he was convinced for a moment that it was his brother had come for him before he saw it was a squat and fat man in robes. He was looking at him with revulsion before marshalling his features into a more composed expression.
"Prince Viserys? Its good we found you, your benefactors in Essos have reached out and it is time for us to take your throne." The man said calmly which made Viserys stop in surprise before the sound of getting out of this cave and finally receiving what he was due struck him.
"Yes...I want my crown!" He said with an eager snarl as he walked forward with determination and self-delusion masking his fear and anxiety.
The Red Keep, Kings Landing...
Even with their mounting troubles and worrying reports that some houses were gathering armies around them independent of any commands from their liege lords the Targaryens were not going to be react with panic or rash actions.
Instead Haeron, Harmony and Evelyn had gathered all their children in a concealed area of the Red Keep. One they had been preparing for some time but now it was time they finally put it to use.
The children who were still suffering from the loss of their dear grandmother and did not really want to be here but their parents had forced them and Haeron spoke to them as Harmony and Evelyn stood at his side.
"We should have done this years ago but circumstances have made us do this now. I want each of you to put your hand on the plinth which has a fire opal in its centre and hold it there till the count of ten. Once you have, we will explain." Haeron said calmly and pointed to the plinth. The children all looked confused before Aemon being the eldest took the responsibility of going first. He walked up to the plinth as the others and saw the black stone, feeling nervous despite knowing his parents would not hurt him but that he might fail them in some way.
He put his hand on the stone and then to his surprise the grooved lines both on the plinth and around it on the platform lit up with a bright red glow. He was so surprised that he nearly pulled his hand off the plinth but he rallied his courage and counted to ten before pulling his hand away.
Haeron nodded with a small smile before turning Jasen and telling him.
"Now your turn."
Jasen looked to his brother who looked at his hand for a moment and seemed fine before doing the same thing. Then the moment his hands touched the plinth the same thing happened again and while it did feel warm it didn't hurt. He counted to ten in his head and then let go.
"You boys can step down now. Aeron your turn." Harmony said as she smiled gently, the two boys walking over to the other side of the room while Aeron looking confused now rather than worried came over for his turn. He did as they did and the glow returned, the same shade of red and then after than nothing happened.
Alysanne followed him and then Baelon and Daemon. Visenya and then Rhaella came after them and all of them produced the same result, the same red glowing lines which seemed to do nothing but look vaguely pretty. But then when it came time for the youngest of them all Caelys to do it she walked up to plinth and with nervousness put her hand on it like all her siblings had done.
For a moment nothing happened and she was genuinely scared that something was wrong or she was lacking something that her siblings had but then the grooves began glowing again only this time there was a difference.
The grooves went red but then they started changing colour right before the eyes of the amazed crowd, turning from red to blue to purple to green, to yellow to gold to silver and more in a dazzling array of colour.
Caelys finally took her hand off and stared at it with confusion and worry, that she had done something wrong but Haeron, Harmony and Evelyn looked on in confusion before smiling and saying what happened to the confused children.
"Caelys, that was impressive. There is something special about you." Evelyn said with pride in her daughter.
"What the hatchling?" Baelon said with a cruel laugh which earned him a smack across the head from Aemon and Jasen while the others all glared at him while Caelys wilted in shame.
"That isn't right." Alysanne said sharply to her younger brother while Daemon frowned, he liked to jape like his twin brother but that had been too much.
"Baelon, if I ever hear something like that from your mouth again...we will have you mucking out the stables until you come of age." Haeron told his son who was crossing lines that he did not want any of his children to cross. His glare terrified his son while Harmony and Evelyn took Caelys in their arms and hugged her close while Visenya and Rhaella did the same. Aemon, Jasen, Aeron and Alysanne meanwhile all glared at their younger brother.
The looks made Baelon wilt before their eyes and he said slowly to Caelys.
"Sorry."
"You'd better be." Harmony told the boy before looking at the little girl in her arms. Caelys had produced a result they had never seen before and that both confused and excited them. There was something special about her that they didn't truly understand yet and would need to be investigated.
"You're special, even without this and we will figure it out together." Harmony told the girl who looked overwhelmed at this and confused before Haeron finally told them just what this meant.
"There is magic in the blood of House Targaryen, ancient and powerful and now we know all of you have the ability to channel it. This was something the Valyrians of ancient times used to test for magic. We learned of it on our trip to the ruins of Valyria before any of you were even born." Haeron admitted to them and they all looked at him with shock and to their mothers as well.
"You went to Valyria?" Alysanne asked with awe and Harmony smiled and nodded.
"Us and your Aunt Vaena. We retrieved a lot of things there."
"What about the others?" Visenya asked in confusion and Evelyn answered this time.
"Their magic is not fully awakened like yours. This is partly what allows us to bond with dragons but in all of you it is stronger. We will be teaching you how to channel your power from this day on. Magic requires a foci, certain woods and materials that help channel your powers. Fire Opals have proven most effective." Evelyn explained to them and showed them their rings which they used.
"Brilliant!" Daemon said with a big smile as he thought on how amazing this was, he had this amazing power inside him and now he and his siblings would be learning how to control it. Looking at all of them they looked intrigued by this.
"It is but if you want to be able to do anything with it then you will need to practice and work for it. Starting with both physical and meditation exercises, begin small before you get to the big stuff." Haeron told them which made them groan which made the adults smile before they all sat down and he began to guide the children in the exercises that would help them access and grow their powers.
"Make sure you are comfortable, now take a deep breath...hold it." He said as they all did as he said and then after a pause added. "And let it out. Now repeat it until you have total calm."
Looking at the children as they did as he said, he smiled gently as he saw them doing just what he had at their age. Not just that though in how he and Harmony when they had been Harry and Hermione had been learning this themselves back on Earth. The moment lessened the pain of losing Rhaella as it gave him and them something else to focus on.
Some of them like Baelon and Daemon he noticed were struggling to find their calm, it didn't worry him too much as he knew it was a process and everyone was different but Caelys he noticed found it quickly, like her oldest brothers Aemon, Jasen and Aeron and eldest sister Alysanne. They all took to it quickly while the others lagged a little behind.
They would get it at their own pace he thought as he and their mothers guided them through the journey to access and channel their magic.
All over Westeros, as the Targaryens made their preparations...the uprisings began.
The houses that had fallen into debt and been rescued by the Blackfyres and Baelish, those that had been financed for projects that improved their wealth and power by them, some were being blackmailed with secrets or other leverage and finally those who were just ambitious enough to try and overthrow their liege lords.
In the North the Boltons had built a port of their own on the Weeping Water with the Blackfyres wealth that allowed sellswords to come in to aid them in their fight. The Boltons acted as a rallying point, pressing their claim on the North. The Whitehills their traditional allies were eager to join them in the desire to take over control of the Ironwood trade from their rivals the Forresters. They were joined by House Ryswell who were angered at the southern marriage of Brandon Stark to Catelyn Tully over their own daughter Barbary and her disgrace at baring his bastard who was kept away from her mother in Winterfell.
Smaller houses who had been poorer and in trouble or jealous of the larger and more powerful ones who had fallen in with Baelish and the Blackfyres joined them; Locke, Stout, Flint of Flint's Finger, Lightfoot and Marsh all rose against the Starks. But also the peoples of Skagos and Skane were armed to rise against the Starks so they were a formidable force to contend with.
In the Riverlands it was worse, House Frey the most powerful of the Tully's vassals rose for the Blackfyres in exchange for control of the Riverlands along with the Freys own vassals Charlton, Erenford and Haigh. House Bracken had used Blackfyre and Baelish gold to reinforce their position and arm their men for an advantage over their rivals House Blackwood. Smaller houses joined them Lychester, Roote, Terrick, Blanetree, Wayn, Cox, Grey and Hawick.
The Vale was no better although unlike there no major houses rose against House Arryn but instead not just houses Corbray, Elesham, Lynderly, Sunderland, Torrent, Waynwood, Moore and Hardyng who was propping up Harrold Hardyng as the rightful lord of the Vale as opposed to Elbert Arryn and his small family. To add to this the Vale Hill Tribes had been armed by the Blackfyres to increase the scale of the fighting.
In Dorne the situation was not so bad as only four of the houses had risen against House Martell; Blackmont, Mandwoody, Toland and Uller. The rest of the houses had stayed with Prince Doran.
The Westerlands was the only region that had no uprisings, the houses there were too afraid of rising against Tywin Lannister.
The Crownlands despite being so close to Kings Landing and having benefited from the boom in economics that House Targaryen had brought had many traitors too. In truth some of them had grown greedy like House Celtigar who doing this for more coin or disgusted in the double marriage the king had gotten into like House Sunglass. Other houses had gotten used to coin being more plentiful and spent themselves into debt which Baelish was only too happy to use against them.
The Stormlands was chaotic too as many houses joined not out of debt or threats or even ambition it was simple disgust at the waste and mismanagement of Robert Baratheon, having lost all respect for his house.
The Reach, that was no better. Mace Tyrell's ugliness and arrogance and pride had annoyed many of the lords there not to mention his constant failure to produce another son had made him a laughing stock and some felt that the Tyrells should no longer rule, House Florent being the loudest of these voices. Not to mention Reach houses were also easily lured into debt to maintain the illusion that they were as rich as their neighbours who were often in debt themselves.
There was only silence from the Iron Islands which in itself was suspicious but there was enough to worry about at present as it was. Each liege lord regardless of region was now facing an uprising, confusion spread quickly but to try and seize the island of Dragonstone and blockade Kings Landing a fleet from Pentos moved down only to be met by the combined Royal and Velaryon fleets around Dragonstone.
- x -
Dragonstone, the Narrow Sea...
The fleets numbered in almost three hundred ships each so six hundred ships were now meeting just short of the island. Lord Jothos Velaryon stood on the deck of his personal flagship the Sea Dragon as Lord Davos Seaworth stood on the deck of the Queen Visenya nearby, both frigates which were surrounded by other frigates and brigs of various sizes.
They saw a bunch of War Galleys coming in, all baring the colours of Pentos on their sails. They were proud look and while the odds looked even, most of the new Westerosi ships had never been in a major sea battle before and the new cannon weapons weren't ready yet.
That was something the Pentosi were counting on, their ships were large and well armed with traditional weapons. They were also carrying sellswords to land on the island and take it over. The garrison of the island was nervously waiting inside the walls and manning their catapults and scorpions in case the worst should happen.
The Pentosi were glad the weather was clear as there was no chance of ambush...at least from the water. The Westerosi were lined up for battle but then out of the clouds high above a speck appeared. It was so small that you would never have thought anything of it at first especially as it flew in the direction of the sun so anyone who did see it quickly averted their gaze or be blinded.
Something that Tyro Plo Fraiza, the Admiral of the fleet and a proud and arrogant man did not care about. Instead he was sure of his fleet's abilities and that he was about to show the Targaryens and the Velaryons just who ruled the waves.
Then out of the sun although none of them could clearly see it through the glare but it seemed to be getting larger and larger but what took a moment for the few that did see it to realise that it was not getting bigger...it was getting closer and very quickly.
The dark spot turned into something more alarming as at last they noticed it and more than that terror struck them as they saw just what it was.
Screams of fear as Prince Daeron Targaryen on the back of his dragon dove out of the sun, a tactic that the dragon riders had learned was useful in throwing off scorpions or other such weapons. The Pentosi flagship was easy to spot as it was at the rear of the fleet, the safest position and covered in pointless decoration and golden displays.
The dragon and its rider let loose a massive blast of flame the moment that they were in range, pulling up as they did so and the intense white flames blasted the ship cleanly in two! The men on deck barely had time to scream before being snuffed out in the frightening blast.
But the dragon and its rider did not stop there as it wheeled around and kept on blasting at the large ships at the rear of the formation with a seemingly endless torrent of fire, setting them ablaze as it passed.
The men onboard were screaming as the fire spread so quickly and many leapt into the water only to drown as they had no idea on how to swim and the soldiers were clad in heavy armour in expectation of invading the nearby island.
The warships at the front of the formation were all privy to this display of power and terror struck deep inside them, all of them had heard of the dragons but none of them had ever imagined the power of one and this was just one dragon they all thought with terror as the Targaryens had several as big or even bigger in size!
The captains were all as scared as their men and then one by one on each of the ships the flag of Pentos was dropped. Fluttering to the water below in surrender.
Lord Seaworth and Lord Velaryon were surprised a little as they all seemed to be surrendering and the few moments there were of crew members resisting the surrender they were killed by their fellows rather face the might of the dragons. Their ships accepted the surrender and Davos met with Lord Jothos Velaryon to discuss the situation.
"We've added hundreds of new ships to the fleet. My house has not had this many since before the Dance of the Dragons." Lord Jothos said with glee at the power his house had been restored too. With a fleet this large they were a true force to be reckoned with again in both trading and warfare on the water. Davos nodded glad there had been no need for a battle today but at the same time was nervous of the high stakes which they were now facing.
Prince Daeron was there to greet them as they landed at Dragonstone, seeing the young prince in his dragon rider armour and with the fearsome beast behind him was enough to unsettle them but it had saved them a likely costly battle.
"I hope you both enjoyed the show my lords. The House of the Dragon needs to remind the world that we are not the weaklings we were a century ago, we are returned to our true power and this uprising will not be tolerated." He said with a cold smile, something that sent a shiver through both men however loyal they were to House Targaryen.
Because he was right, this was the House of the Dragon that had conquered all of Westeros restored to their full might and the world had forgotten what that meant.
Something this rebellion would make all of Westeros and Essos too remember.
Pyke, The Iron Islands...
The new lord of the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy had been forced to wait years for this.
Quellon Greyjoy, the man who thought he could improve the Iron Islands through reform and tying themselves closer to the mainland. He had wanted them to grow more than the raiders that they had been in the past. A legacy that made them outcasts everywhere but here at home. Quellon had been tall and powerful as a warrior and strong as a ruler. No one had dared to question him.
Everything that Balon his son could never be, he was thin and nowhere near as skilled a warrior as his father. He had none of his intelligence or reasoning, none of the charm that his father had used skilfully to keep his rule intact nor was he in any way as handsome.
Instead he was sour faced and lean, short tempered and more than that short sighted.
But most of all, he did not want to reform the Iron Islands...instead he wanted to return to the days of glorious raiding and reaving the coast. The days when they took what they wanted and then came home in glory...when they had been kings!
Balon could never out do his father so he decided with the uprisings on the mainland that now was the time to claim his throne and rise up! He thought with excitement as he watched the Iron Fleet assemble around the island outside his window.
They unlike everyone else that was rising up had nothing to do with the Blackfyres, no he thought with disgust for those inbred fuckers they were of the Drowned God Balon thought proudly, they were Ironborn and they would pay the Iron Price.
He had targetted the best points along the coast and they would grow rich and powerful again he thought with smug satisfaction, sure of their success before they had even begun.
The Red Keep, Kings Landing...A Few Days Later...
The Blackfyre spy captured in the Red Keep while not knowing as much about all the houses in Westeros siding with the Blackfyres she did know the identities of many of their spies and allies within the city like Baelish.
Enough for a purge to begin, a harbour master, a whore, a few members of the Watchmen and other servants in the castle along with others in the city. They were all identified and in one day, grabbed and dragged to the Red Keep and questioned, revealing more spies in the city or puppets that were then arrested themselves.
When they had been drained of every last morsel of information they possessed they would be executed quickly without mercy.
While this was happening though a meeting was held in the Red Keep between Haeron and his inner circle to decide just what to do.
Haeron stood at the head of the table which was a recreation of the map table in Dragonstone, around it Harmony, Evelyn, Shaena, Daeron, Vaena and Grace. The pieces marking different houses spread out across Westeros and the situation was bleak as while the balance did favour the loyalists it was conflict on a massive scale.
It was daunting and Haeron was feeling blind for not noticing this was going on in front of him and Varys was clinging to his position by a thread. He hadn't noticed this either and while he was sure he wasn't involved it was not good that his spymaster missed such a conspiracy.
But there was still one person left to join them he thought as they waited.
The door opened as the Royal Guard brought in the last person.
"Brother, most unexpected that you would call on me." Rhaegar said with a peaceful frown.
"Indeed but the situation demands it. Rhaegar we are facing the largest scale civil war Westeros has dealt with since the Dance of the Dragons, I need all the people to fight it that I have. Can I trust you to do fight for the realm now? Do it and your freedom will be restored." Haeron told him and Rhaegar nodded immediately.
"The realm needs stability, of course brother." Rhaegar said with agreement which was a relief but only so much as he would need to be watched too. Haeron then turned back to the briefing.
"Now while the uprisings are dangerous the real consideration is that fact that the traitor has a dragon." Haeron said with harsh coldness when he referred to Viserys as 'the traitor' that sent a shiver down some spines before Vaena made note of something.
"He won't be able to control to control Aurora, he killed their previous rider and dragons don't forget that." She said with a frown and then added. "Not to mention he isn't strong enough to fully influence a dragon."
"Agreed, that was one of the reasons he was never given one." Evelyn said with acknowledgement of the point.
"He can still do enough damage even if he can't fully control a dragon. We need to find him." Harmony said shortly and they nodded.
"But otherwise we need to suppress all these uprisings first, so we are going to split up." Haeron said but specified the plan. "While Evelyn and Grace stay in Kings Landing with their dragons to defend it and the children with Rhaegar taking over as Master of Laws for the moment as Ser Tygett is ill and unlikely to recover, myself and the others will take our own dragons to put down these revolts and track down Viserys."
They all nodded in agreement before Haeron gave them their specific regions.
"I will head to the Stormlands, the Crownlands which will be yours Vaena. Shaena I need you to handle the Riverlands while Harmony will go to the Vale. When you are done there head North to aid the North while Daeron will go to the Reach. If you find yourselves in need of help reach out to the others and we will adjust. Daeron given how prickly the Reach families are and how well you defended Dragonstone. I give you this as not only recognition of your service but also as a measure of your authority." Haeron said and pulled out a familiar sword out from below the table and handed it to him.
They all looked on in surprise but also acceptance as Daeron held Dark Sister in his grasp not able to believe it.
"Brother...I." Daeron said with astonishment but Haeron put his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"You've earned it. Now we had best get too it. Make sure the city is defended and the children stick to their exercises." Haeron said while Evelyn rolled her eyes before telling him.
"I know, just get this sorted as soon as possible." Evelyn warned him and he nodded along with the others.
- x -
In his set of rooms nearby, Ser Tygett Lannister was breathing his last. It was not poison but a fever that had taken his life and he did not suffer, the Grandmaester had seen to that. Kevan Lannister sitting at his younger brother's side until he passed.
His son was safely back at Casterly Rock and learning with his more distant cousins and while he hated his oldest brother Tygett knew that Tyrek would be well cared for at least.
While that was happening though Haeron was giving Lord Davos Seaworth a special mission of his own.
"Lord Seaworth. Word has reached me the Ironborn intend to declare their independence and start raiding the coast again. While we are dealing with the uprisings on the mainland I need you to arm the Royal Fleet with cannons and take them around the coast of Westeros to Lannisport." Haeron told Davos who nodded.
"What of the capital your grace?" Davos asked, wondering just how they were going to protect the city in case they were attacked again.
"House Velaryon and their fleet will be here to defend the city. Your fleet meanwhile will be in position to attack and counter the Ironborn along with Lord Lannister's army. It will be a long voyage but it will enable us to keep our lands safe." Haeron told him and Davos nodded, understanding the reasoning.
"Understood your grace. We'll make preparations straight away. Will the Dornish and the Reach allow us to pass?" Davos asked and Haeron nodded.
"The houses with ships along the route will not oppose you as they are allied to House Targaryen but use your own judgement. If there is trouble do not hesitate to call in dragon support if you need it." He told him and Davos nodded before going to see to his duties.
Haeron then had another piece of business to attend too.
The Westerlands...A Week Later...
The Ironborn led by Balon Grey's brothers Euron and Victorian descended on the Westerlands coast, eyeing the rich pickings that could be found there and started with the port in Lannisport.
The large fleet was met on land by the Lannister army as they tried to raid the city, there having been just enough warning of the coming attack to rally their forces.
Jaime stood with his family's soldiers and sword in hand, the men were trembling most of them had not seen combat...real combat in their lives so they were scared to death. But Jaime stood with them strong and determined to meet the enemy.
He had seen worse things in his life and he would not be intimidated by these animals he thought with anger that the hurt they wanted to inflict on his people.
The Ironborn longboats landed and they charged out led by a a man laughing loudly with insane intensity that showed complete lunacy, he was wearing the Kraken of House Greyjoy on his chest and holding a battleaxe in his hands as he ran forward.
Jaime led his men on a countercharge, his battle cry loud and determined as he met the lunatic in the middle.
The man was older than him but Jaime didn't care, he evaded the wild swings of the axe and eventually locked with him. But instead of trying to overpower him Jaime kicked at his unprotected knee, there was a sickening crack that made the man scream and despite his pain and falling to the ground he called up with a pained laugh.
"Fuck Lannister...didn't think." The man started to say like he was going to taunt him but Jaime slashed his throat open wide so blood could pour out freely from it.
"No you didn't." Jaime said not bothering with words more than he cared too. He had not been afraid of him though and just dealt with him quickly.
Why bother wasting time with people like that? Jaime thought with a shrug before rejoining the fight.
That was when his father appeared with his secret ambush, the Ironborn should have noted no warships of the Lannister Fleet was present when they arrived in the harbour nor had they intercepted them on the way to the city.
That was because his father had anchored them just further south down the coast and when they had landed he had sailed up the coast to cut off the Ironborn's escape.
Catapults and scorpions began raining fire down on the longboats as the Ironborn quickly lost momentum and began to retreat. Jaime looked as some of the longboats tried to escape under heavy fire and smirked, knowing it would be awhile before they dared attack the Westerlands again.
- x -
On the Road, Near Lannisport...Same Time...
Tyrion Lannister was riding back to Casterly Rock after a trip to Oldtown to make some trade agreements with House Hightower. He had been enjoying the time away from Casterly Rock and his father, while he loved his family dearly specifically Jaime, his goodsister Alicys and all their children including Amara not to mention his three younger siblings from Maylee who he adored; Tybolt, Jenna and Ethan and then there was Marei. Despite being a bastard she was shaping up to be a great beauty in the future and they all greeted him warmly when he came home.
His father was as cold and callous as ever at least in regards to him Tyrion thought with disgust at the man but with the other children to take his attention he was mercifully allowed to exist without Tywin's constant ire.
He was then dragged from his thoughts on his family by the sight of a woman on the road ahead, she was being harassed by a party of men who looked like Ironborn. What they would do to her was something he knew full well about and in that moment he made a decision that unknown to him would change the course of his life.
Tyrion turned to Ser Robert Brax, the leader of his guard for this expedition and told him.
"Ser Brax, deal with these Ironborn." Tyrion commanded and the knight looked uncertain but given it was a Lannister giving the order, he obeyed.
"Yes my lord." He said in his gruff voice and rode into battle with his men. The Ironborn who were already trying to rape the poor woman did not even notice at first as the knights charged, but they heard the thundering hooves of their horses and turned around to see a small group of knights coming straight at them!
They immediately panicked and tried to run but the knights were faster and ran them down as they fled but the girl was left shaking and terrified. Tyrion rode over to her and dismounted which he did flawlessly after years of practice. He looked at the girl and noticed she was beautiful to his eyes, his breath momentarily stolen by the sight of her; she was slender and dark haired with very pale blue eyes that almost seemed grey in the right light.
"My lord...you saved me!" The girl said with a gasp as she curtsied quickly as she realised just who he was. Tyrion was still in awe of her beauty and asked her.
"It was no problem, I might not be a knight but I can help here. What is your name?" He asked her with genuine curiosity and she blushed before telling him.
"Tysha...my lord." She said breathlessly.
The Red Keep, Kings Landing...
Shaena Targaryen was feeling butterflies in her stomach as she thought about what was lying ahead of them. A civil war, all of them would need to play their part she thought and realised that for the first time she would be representing their house at least in part.
That was daunting, she had always enjoyed the freedom of being a princess without responsibility beyond what she chose for herself, now she had to fight in the Riverlands for her family. More than that she had inherited the responsibility for her mother's web of spies and while she had never thought of herself as a spymistress she liked intrigue. Her mother had made a strong web of informants but she had an idea of her own, one that would enable her to influence outcomes from behind the screen.
She had wanted other people of her own, a group of assassins/thieves that could act on her behalf and would be highly trained to carry out what work needed to be done. She already had pages from lost books of Valyria that existed in their secret books, volumes that only were readable by members of House Targaryen.
She would think more on how to make this work as the war progressed but for now she was more concerned with fighting the war she thought pressingly.
She picked up her special crossbow, something she had designed herself from another of the Valyrian books that focused on engineering, it had better range and a special sight for aiming. She was good with it and it would surely come in handy, smirking to herself before walking out to dragon and climbing on to Vallir's back, her dragon almost purring as they went for a flight, heading north to the Riverlands.
- x -
Meanwhile back at the Red Keep as the various members of House Targaryen left for the different fronts of the civil war, Elia and Lyanna watched with worry.
"You worry about your family?" Elia asked, knowing that Lyanna was in a hard position with her family as only one brother was even talking to her at the moment. Lyanna nodded with a frown.
"Ned will be okay, I am sure. But my father, Brandon and Benjen? The North is so chaotic." Lyanna said with fear for them given how bad things sounded like right now. Elia nodded with sad compassion and understanding.
"I know, both my brothers and their families are in the same position. We just have to hope they will make it through." Elia told her sadly.
"I hope so." Lyanna said with dread, she had still not made any progress in restoring her relationship with most of her family except Ned but the fact this rebellion could cheat her of the chance...that sent a shiver down her spine.
- x -
Elsewhere in the Red Keep though, the children of Haeron were running through their drills.
They had been doing some of these things for years like the physical exercises, they and their cousins had been run through them but now they were doing meditation sessions as well under Evelyn's guidance to help channel their magic so it would grow enough to be usable.
The nine of them were sat together in a circle as Evelyn led them through the process. Aemon, Jasen and Alysanne were doing well, it came naturally to them with their great discipline. Aeron though was finding it harder as were Rhaella and Visenya, they were having trouble maintaining their clear mind they needed to 'feel and channel' their magic.
Daemon and Baelon though were having the worst of it.
They were easily distracted and not really able to focus, Evelyn frowning as she saw this and told them sternly.
"Boys, focus. If you don't do this your magic will be extremely limited. If you want to get strong then you need to try." She told them.
"I know! I know!" Baelon said in a huff as he found the task both annoying and boring as did Daemon but unlike his brother who did eventually start getting the hang of this Baelon did not.
This was made worse by his youngest sister, Caelys had taken to this like a fish to water. Her mind in a complete state of focus and her magic already starting to show as could create lights from her hands.
This made Baelon feel even more inferior which only made him more angry, his little sister who had always been the runt of the litter was now outpacing him and he just couldn't stand it.
When at last they later had a break and went for their mid day meal, Caelys sat in silence as she tried to understand what these strange things meant about her?
She had always felt that she was the weakest of their family, a disappointment as she was nowhere near as beautiful as her mother or her siblings nor as strong or as smart but now she was discovering this new part of her that she had never known about before. Something that made her special and she was just so confused.
She wished that she could talk to her grandmother, she had always been so wise Caelys thought desperately as the weight of everything seemed to settle on her. She would have known how to make her feel better and she didn't want to bother her mother who was so busy with Aunt Grace running Kings Landing while Aunt Harmony and Father were away.
She sat quietly, trying not to attract attention but Baelon who was still fuming inside at the humiliation of his younger sister doing better than him, he noticed her.
And a plan to put her in her place sprouted in his mind.
He sneered to himself privately, not letting anyone else see before he went over to his sister and told her with a surprisingly convincing look of sadness on his face.
"Sister." He said with a grave voice that hid his glee at what he was about to do to the younger girl. "I am going to go to the Sept, to think about grandmother. Would you like to come with me?" He asked with a sad look in his eyes. "I think she would want that." He said, using her memory and love of their grandmother to get her to go along with his plan.
He could see it was working as she had tears in his eyes, just like the little runt she was he thought with satisfaction.
"Okay." She said with grief in her words.
- x -
The Great Sept, Kings Landing...Later that Day...
Baelon and Caelys did manage to go to the Great Sept, under heavy Royal Guard escort of course but it was enough for him to get Caelys there to a private room in the catacombs under the sept which were the only surviving part of the Sept of Baelor that had once stood on this very site.
Then as they rounded a passage there was a punishment cell, a place where septas were locked in when they did something the septons didn't like. Places that everyone knew about but were never acknowledged, for just a moment, the two of them were out of sight of the Royal Guard and without hesitation Baelon shoved Caelys hard into the cell and quickly pulled the door shut before she could get back to her feet, locking it with the bolt.
He then smirked in triumph running off, the Royal Guard running after him thinking that someone was trying to kidnap or harm their charges and running past the sealed cell without even knowing their princess was in there.
The cell was designed to be contained and sound if it could be heard at all was small at best. Caelys was shocked and soon began to panic as she hammered her hands on the door in desperation to get out!
"BAELON! LET ME OUT!" She cried out and was so panicked that she did not even think that she could use her magic to get out! She hadn't progressed that far in any case but she might have tried if she had thought of it.
Caelys kept banging on the door with tears running down her face before after what seemed like forever, the door opened.
But it was not her brother, nor the Royal Guard or even Septons that greeted her, instead it was a grown man that she had never met with dark hair and a goatee, shorter than most men that age but he had sharp features. He looked at her surprised for a moment but then glad but the way his eyes looked over her with calculating coldness made her shiver in fear.
"Princess Caelys...it is a pleasure." He said before grabbing her and placing a gag around her mouth so she couldn't scream. He was stronger than her and struggle as she might she was soon tied up and helpless, feeling more scared than at any point in her life before now.
Petyr Baelish looked at the now bound princess with glee, how such a boon could fall right in his lap shocked him slightly but he was never one to question good fortune when it came his way.
He had been hiding here with a Septon in his pocket, it was a great place to hide as no-one would consider that he might be hiding in a sept of all places. He put the still struggling girl in a crate that they would be using to escape the city before he reluctantly got into the other one. He hated it when his crate was sealed and with the crate that contained the captured princess they were loaded onto a cart outside.
The movement as it moved through the streets made the trip uncomfortable but what was worse was the crate carrying Baelish wasn't secure and as it came to a corner with potholes in the road it was jostled enough that it fell from the cart.
The sudden movement stunned Baelish and broke the crate open, spilling him out on the street but while he was still reeling from this his luck finally ran out.
He looked up and saw a Watchmen patrol standing right over him, they had been moving through the area and saw the crate fall and then him tumble out of it. They thought someone had been on the cart and fallen with the crate but as they looked at him they saw who he was straight away and did not waste a moment before seizing him and he in a panic told them quickly.
"I can pay you! Anything you want!" He said but the Watchmen did not listen probably not trusting him to deliver and dragged him to the Red Keep.
Meanwhile the cart unaware of the mistake arrived at the docks and the Blackfyre representative looked inside to see the princess and smiled darkly.
"It is far better than I thought. Cast off, we sail for the Vale." The man said with a look of satisfaction, Baelish could rot, he was no use to them any more but the girl would be of value he thought darkly as the lines were let go and it sailed out of Kings Landing as fast as possible.
Storm's End, the Stormlands...
Robert Baratheon was barely sober today, his supply of alcohol having run out so he was forced to get to his unsteady feet and go and get some from the kitchens. He was swaying on his feet but moving which was an improvement on his usual state. But as he did walk he saw something that shocked him to his core.
Renly, his finely groomed and kind brother who he had seen grow up was gagging as his throat was torn open by an assassin's blade. Blood, the same blood that flowed in Robert's own veins was spilling out onto his finely made clothes and the floor right before Robert's eyes.
There was silence for a moment before Robert's fury erupted out of him like a dam had burst and he roared with all his anger. He might not have fought in years but his old training was still there and the thing about old castles like Storm's End especially those with a lot of war in their history was there were always weapons within reach.
Like the halberd that had been wielded by Arlan the Third, one of the Storm Kings of House Durrandon.
It was still strong thankfully and his strength surprisingly had not completely left him as he struck with all the fury he had.
The assassin had barely any time to react before Robert nearly cleaved him in two, falling to the ground and dead before he hit the floor.
Robert stood there with his breath heaving and his mouth in a snarl as he glared at the dead assassin, looking to his deceased brother before swearing to him.
"I will avenge you Renly. I swear on our ancestors I swear on my own blood! I will show the world that 'Ours is the Fury'." He declared with a shout as he held the bloody halberd in his hands.