The Conqueror's Brother

Chapter 6

There was a time when Maelor would have loved nothing more than to be an only child. A time when he and his siblings had not gotten on well with each other. Maelor had left Dragonstone for that reason. His time in Essos had changed that for him, time away from the siblings he believed he had hated. He never hated them, not truly. He was angry at them for seeing him as less than them, for sheltering him as much as they did in a way that demeaning for him. All of that was in the past. They had reconciled and years had gone by when all four of Lord Aerion Targaryen and Lady Valaena Velaryon had worked together to unite the Seven Kingdoms and create a dynasty that would live on for years to come.

Yet right now all he could think about was the loss of another sibling in the span of a year. His twin had gone not long after his daughter had. But unlike his daughter, Rhaenys had not suffered, a blessing he told himself. But the wound of losing his daughter was fresh and the loss of Rhaenys had broken him. He had cried into the night in the privacy of his chambers, his wife trying her best to comfort him. But today he was not uncontrollably crying. He was shedding tears, but his face was stoic.

Aegon was laid on the pyre in the same armour he wore during his days of conquest, mail-clad hands crossed over his chest. Maegor was giving the eulogy of his death, his tone a rare sombre tone. The man was always stern and monotonous unless he was with his wife Lady Vaena Targaryen. She was the only one that could make him smile. But today there were no smiles. Lady Vaena was bawling, Aegon was her father after all. Once the eulogy was given, Maegor stepped away from the fire. Balerion lumbered forward and let loose a stream of black flame son his former rider. The flames did not take time to burn away what was Aegon Targaryen. All was melted away, leaving only his charred remains. It was Maelor's idea that Balerion should be the one to set Aegon's pyre to flame. The dragon was his longest partner and his biggest ally in battle. And Aegon was The Dragon, and there was no other way of a proper send-off for the first King of The Seven Kingdoms.

Maelor gave his wife's hand a gentle squeeze before he motioned to Vaena who was still crying. Alayne understood and left to comfort her niece. Maelor went his own way, to the dragon pits close to the volcano. Meraxes looked sombre, the she-dragon has looked as much since the death of her rider. Vhagar fussed over a younger dragon, a deep crimson one that had hatched from her clutches of eggs. It was said that Cannibal and her had done the deed but nobody could prove it. Nobody ever saw dragons mate, they just saw the eggs. But there was no doubt that Vhagar was the mother of this one named Arax, the dragon of Aerion Targaryen, Lord of Old Town who had come to the funeral with his cousin Aenys. Maelor passed by them all, taking the familiar bumpy path to the other side of the volcano.

Cannibal was resting in the sunlight, curled up and purring. When he saw Maelor approach, the dragon sat on his haunches. "You need to find someplace better to sit, boy. My bones won't be able to keep up with these roads" he jested, scratching the dragon under the chin. Cannibal liked that, he always had. "Do you feel like flying? I could use the time in the sky" he whispered. The great dragon nudged him gently and Maelor smiled. He climbed on once the dragon had lowered himself for his rider, and in the next moment, he was up in the sky.

Flying on Cannibal's back had always cleared his head. It was a habit he had picked up on back in Essos, where he used to make trips on the dragon's back from Valyria to Oros and then from Oros to other cities. It hadn't changed much from them and he was feeling refreshed, the sadness pushed away as the thrill of flight overtook his senses. But eventually, he had to come down and when he did, Visenya was waiting for him.

"You look happier" the dowager queen commented once Cannibal had landed and Maelor got off of him.

"Flying helps take my mind off of things" Maelor smiled, greeting his sister with a hug. "I'm sorry sister, for Aegon."