In times of uncertainty, survival depends on measured, deliberate choices-the kind that decide between ruin and triumph. House Targaryen was no longer at the height of its power; with the loss of their dragons, they seemed less like gods among men and more like rulers stripped of divine favor. King Daeron II understood that the loyalty of the great houses could no longer be secured through fear alone, but through carefully woven alliances that bound them to King's Landing. Alara Tyrell, renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms for her beauty and gentle heart, became an obvious choice. A union blessed by both the Targaryen king and his Dornish queen promised to tether the Reach to the Iron Throne. Yet one question lingered beneath the pageantry: was it truly possible for the delicate peony of Westeros not to wither-or worse, burn-beneath the iron will of the king's fourth son, a man forged in fire and expectation?

The union of House Targaryen's golden prince and House Lannister's only daughter promises glory to the realm. For their gold and loyalty, the lions are welcomed to the foot of the Iron Throne - where warmth and wildfire are one and the same. What becomes of a naïve lion who wanders into a realm of dragons - one haunted by a quiet, twisting madness born of a self he cannot name, the other ablaze with outward fury for believing he has named it? The lion walks between flames, where innocence falters and even the gentlest heart tastes the dragons' unseen scorch. [unedited] ---------------------------- valarr targaryen x oc!lannister aerion targaryen x oc!lannister