Ashes In The Castle ||| Aemond Targaryen

one

"A girl, Princess. Healthy."

Naerys Velaryon. The firstborn, plain-featured daughter of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon. Born the same year as her uncle, Aemond.

The one to ignite the many questions and accusations. She had the silver hair, that wasn't the issue. Her lack of purple eyes, lack of any inherited skin from her father. The soft curl of her hair, not quite as tight as one would expect as a descendent of Laenor Velaryon.

Still, there was room to speculate. Sometimes miraculous things happened. Like a child receiving every feature from their mother and nothing from their father.

And for a little while, the first few years of her life, Naerys was an heir. As the firstborn, she had a claim to the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra promised herself that she would do what her own father had done. Name her daughter as an heir.

And then Jacaerys was born. Naerys couldn't remember much about the time, only that she was allowed to pick his egg for him.

Her own hadn't hatched at that time. As little as she was, she didn't understand why. Her older uncle had one, her older aunt too. Why hadn't her egg hatched?

Everyone told her it would likely still happen. Aemonds hadn't hatched either. They just had to give it time. So Naerys listened. Like a good little heir should. She picked an egg from Syrax's clutch for the baby.

More questions, though.

Jace didn't have the silver hair. He didn't have any of the sepia-brown skin of his father, nor did he have the eyes or face shape.

That was when Naerys was introduced to a new word.

Bastard.

At first, she didn't know what it meant. Nor did she know why people referred to her and her brother by it. In whispers when they passed, when no one was listening.

All she knew, all she had been told, was that she had Targaryen blood, true Targaryen blood. And for a while, it was still implied that she was an heir.

That was all Naerys had her mind set on. The rules were instilled into her as soon as she could think for herself. What attributes a good leader had. She wanted to make her parents proud, that was always her goal.

So she was studious. She did everything she was supposed to, studied history and High Valyrian even when it was deathly boring, and immersed herself in her "duties".

Naerys often felt like she missed out on things because she wanted to impress Rhaenyra and Laenor. Bonding, time playing as a girl spent studying in pursuit of her inheritance. To earn it.

And then Lucerys. Born with the same features as his brother. The same features that marked him as odd, out of place. Whispers became statements, open objections.

The Princess, heir to the Throne, dared to have such an obvious affair? And name her daughter heir, breaking the same law and tradition as her father? How could she have the nerve?

Not even just one child. Three.

Disappointment number one came for Naerys when she was told that her egg would not hatch. It had been too long for it to be viable anymore.