The Marriage Pact

A Song of Ice and Fire

It only took one night for Daemon to break Larys Strong. Now the prisoner knew he could not escape conviction, and his plan to use the young princes as hostages to save himself had backfired, he no longer had any motivation to withstand the torture.

He confessed that the children were to be taken to Rain House, the seat of House Wylde, in the Stormlands. Demands would have been anonymously issued, requiring pardons for all the lords on the small council in exchange for the safe return of the princes -not that Larys cared for the welfare of the other lords, but it would have been too suspicious if only he and Lord Wylde's releases had been demanded.

Rhaenyra, learning of these plans, at once signed Larys Strong's death warrant. His head joined the others, mounted on a spike above the wall of the Red Keep, whilst his body was fed to Sunfyre. Rhaenyra felt it was important that Aegon played a part this time to demonstrate that he too condemned the traitors' actions.

Before any further repercussions could follow for the members of Houses Strong and Wylde for their parts in this treachery, Daemon fulfilled his promise to his daughter Rhaena, flying her to Dragonstone on Caraxes. Luke joined them on Arrax. He wanted Rhaena to know he fully supported her, in anything and everything she might decide to do.

Daemon himself had not had a dragon born to him; he'd claimed Caraxes as a young man. Thus, he possessed a great deal of practical experience and was able to give Rhaena plenty of advice before she attempted to claim Silverwing. He found this lesson far less awkward to deliver than his lecture to Luke on kissing.

Luke bravely offered to enter the Dragonmont with Rhaena, but she shook her head.

"I must do this on my own," she told him, squeezing his hand gratefully.

She chastely kissed his cheek, took one last long look at her father, then turned and entered the caves, holding aloft a flaming torch. As she moved deeper into the dragons lair, she began to sing Hāros Bartossi, the only song in High Valyrian she knew. Her father had taught her the words when she and Baela were children. He said hearing their ancestral tongue would soothe the majestic beasts. She hoped he was right.

She couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her. She knew the walls of the cave must be high and wide to accommodate the enormous dragons lurking within, but they still felt claustrophobic, as though they were closing in on her. She imagined she could feel the dragons watching her from the darkness, hunters stalking their pray. She told herself firmly that she was imagining things and walked on, singing in a clear loud soprano.

Outside the Dragonmont, Luke was fighting an impulse to go in after Rhaena. He was not by nature the most daring of boys, but he was fiercely loyal and protective.

"She may be hours," Daemon warned him, placing a detaining hand upon his shoulder. "Come, there's no point in us standing around here. When Rhaena returns, she will be on dragonback."

He said this confidently, to reassure Luke. But truth be told, he too felt uneasy on his daughter's behalf. Rhaena could very well die in her attempt to claim Silverwing.

But Daemon firmly believed it was the right of every Targaryen to claim a dragon. His daughter would be no exception. Silverwing was known for her gentler temperament, which gave him some comfort, though the old she-dragon had been riderless for many years...

The two men made their way back to the castle in silence, both listening hard for any sound coming from the Dragonmont. Nothing. It was impossible to determine whether this were a good thing or not.

When they arrived, Daemon distracted himself by overseeing some necessary business on behalf of his wife. Luke's anxiety for his wife grew with every passing minute, until at last they heard a thunderous roar.