The Wrath

An unexpected beginning

Daemon Targaryen might have been impulsive and reckless, but he was no fool.

The Rogue Prince knew that soon or later the tension between the Greens and the Blacks would have led to war. Aegon was Viserys' firstborn, and he was a man. His traitor grandsire and mother were going to do anything to have him sit on the Iron Throne once Viserys was out of the picture. He could easily obtain the support of half of the Court, even the acclamation of part the people of Kingslanding, but not even the Gods themselves could make his claim to the throne a legitimate one.

The only rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms was Rhaenyra. Daemon always knew his brother's choice of naming her his heir was the right one, even tho the Rogue Prince lost his own claim to the Throne this way. He always believed in her, since the day she went to Dragonstone to retrieve her defunct brother's dragon egg, challenging her uncle in front of his soldiers. He saw fire in her, the one only a Targaryen fit to rule owns. Her courage and fearlessness ignited something in him, both the desire to see her on the throne and his love.

Since the day he came back from Pentos to mourn his dead wife Laena and he had met Rhaenyra again, his loyalty to her had become absolute. After all those years apart, they still both yearned for eachother; in fact, they wed immediately after the "demise" of her husband Laenor. Years went by, and the children she had with her previous companion became his own, and he always treated them as such, protecting and loving them as he loved his daughters. He would have done anything for them all, for his family. For his Rhaenyra.

Which is the reason why he needed to gather all the help he could get if he wanted to protect his loved ones from the looming war.

So, on a random summer afternoon, Daemon summoned his eldest stepsons, Jacaerys and Lucerys, and asked them to follow him in a mission to find new allies across the Narrow Sea. And so, they sailed from Dragonstone, both confused by the unusual request of their stepfather and curious at once.
During the whole journey, their destination remained unknown.

A month after their departure, they finally reached Yunkay, one of the biggest cities of Slaver's Bay. Heads buried deep in their cloaks, the two princes got off of their ship, following Daemon along the main street. The sun was high in the sky, and the smell of spices, sweat and dirt immediately invaded their nostrils. The stands of the market were filled with exotic foods, animals and every kind of artefact known to mankind, but the finest merchandise of the city was something entirely different: everywhere the boys turned, they could see men and women in chains, ready to be sold off to the highest bidder. The main source of income of Yunkay was the trade of slaves; people from all over Essos came to the city to buy, sell and trade them.

Men, women and children were treated as mere pieces of meat, kept in good health only enough to get a good income out of them. Jace chose to avert his gaze, focusing only on the road under his feet to try to cast out the shame that was starting to twist his guts. Luke, instead, couldn't take his eyes off the people around him, his pity towards them consuming him. Their skin was tan and their faces austere, and some would even stare back at the princes, either directing some hateful glares towards them, or reserving them tear-filled gazes, almost begging for help trough their eyes. The street was crowded, and the Velaryon boys almost lost sight of their stepfather at some point, but quickly recovered and got back on their tracks.

They rounded a corner, following Daemon down a secondary alley, turning left trough another one and then right, descending some stairs before ending up in a dim lit lane, far less crowded than the main street from before. The Rogue Prince then came to a halt in front of the main door of a tall builing ornated with columns and arcades, before turning towards his sons. He hadn't spoken a word to them since their arrival.

"No questions until we get out of here. Understood?"

The two boys looked at eachother before nodding to the older man. Daemon smiled before knocking three times on the door standing in front of them.