The Descent of A Bloodline

The Beginnings

"The first and greatest of the Blackfyre Pretenders was the natural son of Daena Targaryen, sister, betrothed, and (briefly) wife to King Baelor the Blessed."

"The rightful king, Daemon Blackfyre. The King Who Bore the Sword."

"Traitors have always paid with their lives."

"Daemon Blackfyre loved the first Daenerys, and rose in rebellion when denied her."

"When Maelys the Monstrous died upon the Stepstones, it was the end of the male line of House Blackfyre."

"He was named "Maelys the Monstrous" for supposedly having eaten his twin in the womb, making him a kinslayer, albeit not by choice."

Maelys was born in the height of summer, a time that was supposed to be celebrated. His parents had prayed for an heir to their dynasty for years - with no hope, and when told they were expecting, they were beyond jubilant. They had expected a strong, squalling boy, with a large set of lungs - the very image of his grandfather, Daemon.

They had not been expecting Maelys. Never Maelys. Not a child shunned by the gods, a child who had murdered, and consumed his own twin in the womb. Upon looking at him, his mother rejected him from her breast, and her arms. "He is no son of mine", she had snarled, "no son of mine would kill his own brother, nor look like this. A child of mine would be blessed, as Daemon was blessed by the gods himself. Take him from my sight!"

His father was another case altogether. He was not blessed by the Warrior, but instead was of weak health, instead preferring to look to prophecies, and scrolls. He cared for his son, and often talked to him of things he could not comprehend.

His cousin, Daemon, loved him, nurtured him, where his mother would not. Daemon looked what a king should be, spoke as a king should, acted as a king should - people often said he was the very image of Daemon reborn. Including Aegor and Calla. The two people who arguably knew Daemon best, who were his confidants.

Yet Maelys was a kingslayer, too ugly, too tall, too broad, too strong (... yet hadn't he had been weak at birth? had he not been told he had been shunned by the gods? With his strength, this must have meant he had inherited something from the bloodline of the Conqueror, the Cruel and Daemon I Blackfyre. It must.) Maelys was many things and nothing at once, and that was why his family, dynasty, the people despised him - for things he could not control, could not help.

Daemon never said or thought any of this - and if he did, he never showed it. As a good king should. He instead smiled the smile he reserved only for Maelys. "Cousin, you are of this dynasty, no matter your looks, or who you are. You are my cousin, my friend, my confidant, and that is all that matters," he always said.

And for a while, that was all it was, living in Daemon's shadow. Daemon the Reborn, they called him. That was all they saw him for however, a dead man. "The King Who Bore The Sword". When they thought a man so perfect, so flawless - they never thought to look for the flaws.

Daemon was not Daemon I reborn. He was just named after the man, and happened to bore a resemblance to him. Yet, when people are brainwashed, and love a man beyond words - they will not question his authority. They will follow him to their deaths and thank him for it.

In the end, when Maelys smashed his fist into the destrier - he never wanted to hurt animals, they were loyal, innocent, obeyed orders, and seeing the animal's face contort into pain... it made him realise his strength. He was a brute. The animal felled with his one punch - if it could even be called that.

Nobody thanked him when he twisted his cousin's head from his neck, thus saving the company from ruin, ushering it into a rule of prosperity.

Years of comparisons, hatred, anger, and he had finally snapped.

Men did not learn to love him, adore him nor to kiss the floor he walked on. They learned to never question his authority, his bloodline, nor his strength. Afterall, Daemon had always told him he was a Blackfyre - no matter his looks, he had proved this.

His Twin spoke to him. It was finally time to reclaim what was his.