Familiarity ||| Jacaerys Velaryon

twenty-seven

Daemon's version of retaliation was cruel. And it was symbolic. Especially for him and what Aemond had done to Luke.

Word came to Dragonstone about what revenge he'd enacted. Daemon hired two mercenaries with two different purposes.

One of them broke into the Red Keep and the Holdfast. No one was killed. But mayhaps the punishment was just as cruel.

The mercenary blinded Jaehaerys, Aemond's oldest son. For what he'd done to Luke, trying to kill him and cutting out his eye. His son would be blinded for it. For his father's crimes.

Of course, the mercenary was sure to remind them just how merciful he'd been. That boy's sight was payment for Aemond's crimes.

And the second mercenary?

He snuck into the Dragonpit and became a dragonslayer. Both of the twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, had dragons born to them from Dreamfyre. That mercenary snuck into their lairs and killed them. Only newborn dragons, they couldn't fight back.

The mercenary was killed trying to leave. And it was discovered that Daemon had ordered the attacks. But the message was clear.

Greens wouldn't get away with what they'd done. And there were still those loyal to Rhaenyra and Daemon in King's Landing.

No matter how everyone felt about what Daemon had done, he'd done it. And they could not openly discourage it without showing infighting. They had to stand united.

Alyssa couldn't say she was totally sorry for what Daemon ordered. Of course, she felt terribly about the child who'd been harmed. But Aemond had maimed a child and almost killed Luke.

It wasn't like they were kids anymore. That fight on Driftmark could've ended when Alyssa tried to end it. Instead, Aemond took Alyssa's memory of the event and threatened to kill her and the boys.

They were all children. Luke was a young child when he'd done what he did to Aemond. Terrified Aemond was going to kill his brother or his cousins.

Aemond was a grown man who couldn't control his dragon. More childish than Luke had been at Storm's End.

But with the attack came the civil wars in the Riverlands. Many houses who declared for either side began to fight after what had been done to the princes of the realm.

Rhaenys returned to Dragonstone from the Gullet after that. Rhaenyra was fearful there was going to be an attack on the island in retaliation, so she wished to have all of her dragons ready.

She had many dragonriders. They outnumbered the Greens, even with Arrax's death. The only true issue would be Vhagar because of her size.

"If we all descend on King's Landing, that hoary old bitch won't stand a chance," Jace reasoned.

And the Blacks had, perhaps, an even greater advantage. Cannibal. A dragon who was accustomed to fighting and feasting on other dragons. And with his size, he was a match for Vhagar.

Alyssa would have to be the one to outsmart and outmatch Vhagar when the time came.

She was looking forward to it. And with Jace by her side, they were training in the sky with their dragons every day. Vermax and Cannibal. Green and black.