Dragon Dreams: A Fate Entwined

The Dragonbane

AEGON

Life had no pleasure to Aegon, not for a very long time at the very least. His hope for any happiness went up in flames when his mother did, and everything that followed was ash in his mouth. When the last dragon died, he could only feel a brief feeling of relief, followed by an evening of contemplation, drowning in the bittersweet memory of his parents and their devotion to the beasts. 

He did mourn his relationship with dragons, and deep down he knew that his neglect was due to the trauma he experienced. Viserys had no such terror or hatred towards the creatures, because he was saved from witnessing their mother's destruction at the hands of The Usurper. He was glad Viserys was spared that pain, though he selfishly also yearned for someone to understand his pain. Jaehaera was similar to him in that way, and when she passed, he found himself alone in his loss once again. 

Baela and Rhaena were his refuge, before Viserys returned. He did not care if his reliance on his sisters made him biased, for he refused to make his nest with vipers and endanger his family once again like his grandfather. That is also the main reason he chose to wed Daenaera Velaryon; he refused to expose his house to further Andal influence. His sisters had more memories of his parents, and their brothers as well. It was Baela who suggested the Valyrian ritual, claiming that they could find closure in attempting to connect with their deceased family among the 14 flames. Begrudgingly, he indulged his sisters and their whims as he cherished them dearly, though he personally doubted they would be able to reach their parents or long dead brothers. 

Huddled around the great skull of Balerion, Rhaena lit the candles while Baela read from a dusty tome that she had brought from Dragonstone. Viserys was practically vibrating with excitement, rambling on Valyrian rites and his encounters in Lys and Volantis. "How do you think they will appear? Young or old? Would they recognize us?" Aegon bit his tongue, to prevent voicing his thought; I hope they are young, for I could not bear to see Mother's charred figure again. His trauma was not for Viserys to bear, and while he oftentimes felt frustration with his reckless little brother, he could not bear to stifle him with such burdens. 

When the flames of the candles flickered, he only raised an eyebrow. Viserys practically jumped with joy, Baela and Rhaena indulging him with identical smirks. As the rite continued and the flames grew in size, Baela's voice began to fade, and his surroundings darkened around him. "I must be going mad. Aegon the Broken indeed." This was the only possibility, for he refused to believe that the rite was truly working. After all, Valyrian blood magic did not save their parents, so why would it work for the Dragonbane?

He woke up on the cold floor, and his first thought was that he must have finally gone mad and passed out from the trauma of the ritual. As he regained his senses, he recognized that he was in his chambers, or the King's chambers. Lilac eyes looked worriedly down upon him, but they were unfamiliar to him. Something about the older man was familiar to him, but he could not truly explain why the man felt familiar. "Who are you and what are you doing in my chambers?" Aegon inquired, readying himself to chide the man for seeing him so vulnerable. The man's pale brows rose to his hairline, and he let out a deep chuckle. "I was going to say the same, young man. This is the King's chambers you know. I will indulge you however, as I find myself longing for company. My name is Viserys Targaryen, and I am king of this realm." 

This must be a joke. That can be the only reason for this to happen. Yet it somehow made sense. The mysterious yet familiar man was the grandsire that set into motion the near annihilation of their house. Viserys Targaryen, first of his name indeed. It seemed the ritual worked, but not in the way they thought. The Viserys that his parents would recall fondly was in poor health, yet the man that stood before him had yet to resemble the enfeebled man that dragged himself to the Iron Throne for his mother and brothers. Viserys looked weary, yet still was whole of body. Would this Viserys believe him if he told him the truth? 

When his parents got deep into their cups, embittered by the Greens actions, he would often hear his mother sneer about how her father had fancied himself a Dreamer, which she blamed for the fate of her mother Aemma Arryn. If Viserys believed in Dragon Dreams, perhaps he would believe his tale of Valyrian blood sorcery resulting in being transported back in time. He also remembered a tale his mother had told him in the height of her paranoia and obsession; Aegon's Dream. "He told me it would be through my blood that would birth The Prince that was Promised, my little dragon. Perhaps, he will come from you. After all, you're the only one left..." She murmured to him in High Valyrian, insisting on speaking the language with even more frequency due to her obsession with being spied on. 

"From my blood, comes the Prince That Was Promised, and his is The Song of Ice and Fire." Viserys looked down at him, pure shock widening his purple eyes, stealing the color from his features. "Where did you hear that boy?" The king looked like he was conflicted on whether to be shocked or to blame him in some way. Aegon proceeded to answer the king in High Valyrian; "My name is Aegon. My mother, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, First of Her Name, bestowed upon me the burden of Aegon's dream when I became her only remaining heir. I was her fourth son, yet my older brothers perished at war with her half-brothers, and my younger brother Viserys lost at sea. Those of us remaining did a Valyrian blood ritual in an effort to contact our parents in the fourteen flames, yet the fourteen must have seen fit to send me back in time instead."

Viserys looked at him, astonished. He looked more closely at Aegon now, and his eyes suddenly narrowed. "My boy, I can see my Rhaenyra in you, but may I ask who your father is?" Aegon suspected that his grandsire had his own suspicions about his paternity, as the king looked like he was almost begging for a different answer to come out of his answering mouth. He remembered his parents recalling eloping on Dragonstone quickly after their spouses dying, and the king's evident distaste for their union. Apparently, this disapproval has always existed, looking at the king now. "My father was Daemon Targaryen, Prince of the City, my mother's king consort and protector of the realm. He died defending my mother's claim against her half-brother the usurper." Viserys let out a long-suffering sigh, and looked like he was about to complain, but Aegon interrupted him before he could likely complain about Prince Daemon. 

"My mother was not the same after he died. Truly, she was forever changed after deaths of her sons, but the death of my father only made her paranoia and obsession increase, and she abandoned common rationality. Unfortunately this led to her being betrayed and then burned to death by her half-brother's dragon." Viserys changed from appearing irritated by the thought of his brother marrying his precious daughter to heartbreak at learning of her usurpation and demise. "She was usurped, killed by her own kin? The council says I should remarry to secure the line of succession but-" The king looked forlornly at the fire. Aegon dared interrupt the king by nearly yelling, "No! Do not remarry! It will be our downfall! Remarrying may secure your succession but will endanger my mother's claim to the throne, no matter what you say. The lords will go against their oaths if you have a son for they will always prefer a son over a daughter. My mother was healthy and managed to birth 5 sons and a daughter, although your death and the Greens' usurpation will cause for her to give birth early and the babe did not survive. If you still intend for Rhaenyra to inherit, then you will not remarry."

"You keep on mentioning these 'Greens' that usurp my daughter's throne, and this son that I sire that murders Rhaenyra, but you do not mention who exactly they are." Viserys murmured softly, staring into the fire like it would provide him with the answers he so desperately sought. In this light Aegon could see something of his mother in the man, though he could not decide whether it was due to the burdens of the throne or just familial resemblance. Aegon opened his mouth to answer his grandsire but was interrupted by a kingsguard announcing the appearance of one Lady Alicent Hightower. He could not stop his face from twisting, his gut twisting at the mere mention of the woman who shared such animosity with his mother.

"I suspect, Grandsire, that you will find out soon."