"when a targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin. one side greatness, the other madness."
in which the rebellious nature of the son of daemon targaryen and laena velaryon leads to him meeting the rumored bastard of princess rhaenyra targaryen and ser...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Many weeks had gone by since the Targaryen triplets' mother, Laena Velaryon, had taken her life. Weeks since her funeral. Weeks since Aemond Targaryen had claimed Vhagar and lost an eye. Weeks since Daemon, the Targaryen triplets' Father, had wedded Rhaenyra. And weeks since their uncle, Laenor Velaryon, had been deemed dead after a conflict between him and one of his fellow squires broke out.
It had been weeks full of grieving for those in House Velaryon. Especially Rhaenys Targaryen, a Mother who had lost both children within a short span of time and was soon abandoned by her Lord husband, Corlys, who ventured off and out into the vast sea.
Rhaerys was furious for all of the last weeks and predictably for the many weeks ahead. He scarcely spoke to anyone other than his sisters, and even that had been cut shorter than usual. He avoided even being in the same room as his father and his new wife, though they made quite the effort to involve him in their newfound family. Yet, her children made the most effort to make him not feel alone. If it was a simple pass-by in the corridors or a training session, the boys had always included him.
Which is how he found himself in this situation. Watching the dragonkeepers instruct Jace and Luke on how to command their dragons. Jace's dragon, Vermax, was olive-green and possessed dull-orange eyes, and matching frills on the back of his head and he was much like Rhaerys in the ill-tempered department. He would snarl and road rather loudly whenever Jace commanded him to obey him. Rhaerys' eyes would glimpse over at Jace as he watched the boy nervously shout commands at his dragon. Each time Vermax would grow more irritable.
Luke and Arrax were quite the opposite of his brother and his dragon. When Luke would order his white-scaled dragon, he would listen without hesitation, causing the youngest of the three boys to chuckle. After Arrax had been turned away and steered to go deeper into the pit, the dragonkeepers turned to Rhaerys with eyes of inquiry. Having already known what they meant, Rhaerys shook his head in a declining manner.
"You're not going to train with Cloudjumper?" Luke asked, his brows knitted together out of confusion. Rhaerys turned to the older boy and met his eyes. Inquisitive brown eyes had found his line of sight before he shook his head once more. "Why not?"
"Don't have the taste for training right now," Rhaerys stated. Jace could tell that something was wrong. Almost everyone knew that Rhaerys was distasteful with the marriage of his father and Rhaenyra. It was not hard to tell. "I will return to my chambers. If anyone is to ask about my whereabouts?"
Before Jace could even finish uttering the word "Okay," the Targaryen boy swiftly navigated to the entrance of the pit with remarkable speed. The dark-haired boy watched as the short curls of silver vanished around the corner.
The pillows on his bed in Pentos were filled with an unseemly amount of softness, making it easier for Rhaerys to find comfort and rest. However, upon Dragonstone, he struggled to find the same level of comfort in the cushions, as they lacked the plushness he had grown accustomed to.
His thoughts were blank. He did not wish to think. Thinking would lead back to his mother, and he had shed as many tears as he could but wished to no longer do so. But his mind did not wish to forget her. Flashes of her smile showed in his mind. Her words were recited. Her laughter when she would jest with Rhaerys. Her cheer when she allowed Rhaerys to ride atop Vhagar before Cloudjumper was about the same size as him. Rhaerys felt the tears start to form for what felt like the twentieth night ever since her death.
A knock on his door broke the parade of remembrance. His tearful brown eyes came upon the wooden door. "Come in," he told the person after quickly wiping away the tears. The door screeched as it opened, revealing the oldest of the Velaryon children. "Jace? What are you doing?"
"I could not find rest... and I speculated you had the same problem," Jace replied as he continued to stand at the door. Rhaerys, after noticing such, had motioned for him to enter, which the Velaryon boy happily accomplished. With quiet feet, Jace made his way across the stone floor to Rhaerys' bed.
The Targaryen sat up, allowing Jace to have some space on the bed. Once Jace sat and placed the flame on the floor, a silence overcame them. Their eyes avoided each other on account of it. Rhaerys had soon grown irritable of it, causing him to groan and speak. "If I had known we were going to sit in silence, I would have left you outside my door."
"S-Sorry," Jace stammered out nervously. He quickly cleared his throat in an attempt to free it of the nervousness that had been detected by both parties. His uneasy eyes came across Rhaerys' when he noticed the redness to them under the moonlight. "Have you been... crying?"
"Fuck," Rhaerys let out, quickly rubbing his eyes as a try to rid them of their redness. But his hands were halted by Jace taking hold of them. The silver-haired boy's eyes widened at the act. He was frozen under Jace's touch.
"Doing that will only make it worse," the Velaryon disclosed before releasing Rhaerys' hands. The latter placed his hands on his lap as he once again avoided Jace's eyes. He felt a dip in his bed before it sprung free. Jace now stood in front of him and held out his free hand. "Come... I want to show you something."
Rhaerys was reluctant at first. The last time he had been about a foreign place past the time he was meant to be abed, a boy had lost an eye. As his gaze locked with Jace's, all traces of hesitancy evaporated. The two boys intertwined their hands and stealthily slipped out of the room, navigating their way covertly out of the castle through one of the caves that Jace had discovered during his stay here.
The end of the cave led to the beach beneath Dragonstone's castle. The familiar scent of salt and sea filled Rhaerys' nose, causing the boy to sigh contentedly. It failed to bring comfort to him, but it was a start. Jace was the first to step in the sand. He turned to the Targaryen boy and nodded his head toward the sea.
"I do not wish to be alone, cousin," Jace jested with a smile. A smile that the young Rhaerys could not resist. With a smile on his own lips, silver hair joined brown on the sand. Laughs eluded the two as they began to run around the sand.
Many races were held between the two, on account of Jace saying he was quicker, which later led to numerous amusing rounds of wrestling and playful combat when Rhaerys proved he was the quickest. The impish fight ceased and they merely walked the shoreline. The Targaryen boy would point out the crabs and other creatures along the shore. If not for being of highborn blood, Rhaerys had always dreamed of studying the animals belonging to the sea. But great things were expected of him. Dreams would have to wait.
The two cousins lay sprawled on the sand, their contrasting hair colors highlighted by the sunlight filtering through the slow-paced clouds in the sky. Rhaerys could feel the cold breeze from the sea not far from where they lay. His eyes fell closed as he felt serene peace come across his body.
"I suppose I should thank you, Jace," Rhaerys spoke out, his eyes remaining shut, though he could still feel Jace's gaze on him. His hands dug into the sand beneath him. His fingertips came across the rocks and broken shells that hid beneath the shore. "Though it is loathsome to admit it... this was a well-needed experience after... everything."
Jace acknowledged his cousin's words with a thoughtful hum, the sound mingling with the gentle rustle of the wind through his brown hair. As he sat up, strands of his dark hair danced in the breeze. His gaze drifted towards the distant and faded horizon above the sea in front of them. A sudden sense of relief came to him, though he was uncertain if it was his own.
"It seems that I have done something that was unthinkable by many," Jace remarked. Rhaerys' eyes opened and fell on him with a gleam of confusion in them. The brown-haired boy had a smirk on his lips as he met Rhaerys' gaze. "I tamed your anger."
Rhaerys groaned before playfully shoving the boy. The prince laughed at his deed, causing the younger to do the same. "I hate you," the Targaryen boy chuckled.
