his treasure || aegon targaryen - book 2.

Chapter 1

Duty is sacrifice.

It eclipses all things, even blood.

All men of honor must pay its price.

The North owes a great duty to the Seven Kingdoms.

One older than any oath.

Since the days of the First Men, we have stood as guardians against the cold and the dark.

Through its long tradition, the Night's Watch cultivated its strength from doomed men who had their life as their only possession.

But my ancestor, Torrhen Stark, began a tradition by making an offering at the onset of winter: one in ten men from our household was to be chosen to fortify the Watch.

This is not a sentence but an honor.

A duty embraced by all who serve the North.

Even by my own kin.

•••

Reina sat quietly, watching the twins sleep in their cribs, a dragon egg placed under each one.

The woman was sewing a dragon on one of her husband's tunics. A golden dragon, the most beautiful dragon in the world, Sunfyre.

She was singing a lullaby, learned from her mother. Her mother...it had been so long since her death, but Reina still couldn't get over it, the woman appearing in her dreams.

It's been a few weeks since she became a queen, the Queen, and she didn't like that title at all, she wanted to be Princess Reina again and not Queen Reina.

She didn't know how to behave with every person who asked for her help, how to please everyone, how to reach the expectations of the population, how to reach the level of her mother-in-law.

After the news of the death of Prince Lucerys, Reina was even more worried than ever, she was expecting anything, she was expecting someone to attack the keep, even if Vhagar and Aemond were defending it. She couldn't sit still, knowing that Rhaenyra would do anything to avenge her child, and Reina couldn't blame her. It was absurd to do it.

She burned a city to the ground with a dragon she stole because her child was threatened, for revenge. Therefore, he knew that Rhaenyra would not give up until her son's death was avenged.

The doors open and the king enters, snapping her out of her dark thoughts.

Reina smiles at Aegon, waiting to see what he has to say.

"Where is Aelon?" Aegon asks, kissing each little girl in the cribs.

"Playing, why?" the woman replies, looking up at him, confused, "What do you need of him?"

"Taking him to the small council." the man answers, bending down to kiss her cheek, "He will be King one day, he must begin his instruction."

"Aegon, he is only one...he will not understand a thing." Reina shakes her head, continuing to embroider the tunic, "And what if he doesn't want to be King?" she whispers, looking down.

He bends down at her eye level, "Where is he?" he smiles, whispering as well.

"The nursery. With my handmaiden." she breathes out, "Don't disturb them."

Aegon nods and pats her head, walking to the door.

"I'm afraid." she says, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Don't be." he shakes his head at her, "They'd be fools to come with Vhagar protecting the city." Aegon smiles reassuringly.

Reina nods and goes back to her tunic.