Hello Everyone!
To read early
Chapter 10 : 'The Sea Snake and The Queen Who Never Was.'
Chapter 11 : 'A Disgusting Duty'
Chapter 12 : 'The Monster of Dragonstone'
Chapter 13: 'Bastard'
Chapter 14: 'The Scheming Mind of a Targaryen Prince'
Chapter 15: 'The Patriarch of House Targaryen'
Chapter 16: 'Silver Hair'
Chapter 17: 'The Boy who loved his family'
Chapter 18: 'Dragons, Dreams and Children'
Chapter 19: 'Lovely loving sisters."
Chapter 20: 'The Duty of a Prince'
Chapter 21: 'Tormented Dragons'
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w w w . p a t r(e)on (slash) MonsieurLAH
Enjoy reading !
Aegon felt good, Gods! He could not remember the last time he had felt such satisfaction! It was as if all of the trouble that had clouded his mind for the past four years had been whipped away, and he was now a new man with a clear head and the acknowledgment he deserved, as the hardworking Prince of House Targaryen he was! Right after he had defeated his sorry excuse for a brother, the four boys who had accompanied Aemond had forgotten about him and asked Aegon to teach them, something the Prince had been all too glad to accept. Now he was describing his routine to the Bracken, Blackwood, Darklyn and the Buckler boys who were watching him with stars in their eyes and a glint of envy. Aegon's chest swelled in pride as he boasted that he was mostly self-taught, contrary to his brothers, that his dragon was the most beautiful dragon who had ever been in Westeros, that he would one day honor his ancestor the Conqueror by descending from the skies upon his enemies and incinerate them like the dragon he was. Aegon felt good, he had never ever felt that good. His victory against the self proclaimed 'Smalljon' had washed away the stain he had been carrying on his heart. For once in his life, he was free of Jonothor's shadow, and a new kind of assertiveness had filled his veins, allowing him to breath fresh air for the very first time in years.
Aegon felt good, then a fist connected with his jaw, knocking him off his pedestal and sending him to the ground.
The second born son of King Viserys had to blink several times for his vision to stop being blurred, as he tried to figure out what had happened to him. He rolled on his back for his purple eyes to cross their exact replicates, however, the so called replicates were filled with a fury that Aegon lacked.
Jonothor Targaryen was towering his twin with all of the rage that only dragons could conjure, his teeth were clenched together, as were his fists. His frown was so deep it expressed an anger that no one had ever seen in the King's second child. Aegon remained paralyzed for a few seconds in order to recover from the shock that his brother's punch had caused him. The four boys that had been in awe with him seconds ago had taken several steps back in fear.
"You struck me…" Sunfyre's rider commented, still stunned.
"You absolute piece of shite." Jonothor whispered in fury, speaking with a northern accent for the first time in his second life without realizing it. "You attacked Aemond."
The mention of their little brother finally snapped Aegon out of his shocked state as he pulled himself back up with his tourney blade in hand.
"You struck me!" He screamed in anger, sounding accusatory.
But Jonothor was not listening to him, nor had he come here to talk, he pulled a tourney blade from a scabbard that had been leaning against a wooden pole, unclasped his cape, and charged his brother who had clearly not been expecting that kind of behavior from his twin as he clumsily parried his powerful attack.
Aegon took several steps back in order to put distance between his brother and himself. He was surprised when he realized that Jonothor had not unleashed a storm of strokes already, his twin had given him plenty of times to prepare, showing off his overconfidence. Aegon swore to himself that it would be his doom.
(-)(-)(-)
When Ser Erryk Cargyll heard some commotion coming from the training yard, he immediately realized that his Queen and him had been too late to stop the royal twins from clashing. He quickened his pace until he emerged outside, and saw the two princes facing each other with tourney swords in their hands.
Ser Erryk's duty as a knight demanded that he stopped this fight before it even started, but another part of him made him hesitate. The memory of Prince Aemond's state was fresh in his mind, and he knew that a bully could not be disciplined without violence. Something neither the Queen nor the King would consent to.
He then realized that Ser Criston Cole was standing on the side, looking at the Princes with his arms crossed. Ser Erryk frowned and went to him.
"Brother," he greeted, "why are you not stopping this?"
Ser Criston, who had dutifully followed his Prince since the latter had exited Prince Jacaerys' chambers, rose an eyebrow.
"Why are you not stopping this?" He retorted.
Being of the same mind, the two knights turned their attention back to the princes.
(-)(-)(-)
Aegon was breathing heavily, not because he was tired but because he was apprehending what was happening. His brother and him were finally about to fight, he was finally given the opportunity to prove his worth by defeating his insufferable twin. He felt his hand was shaking and his blood was boiling. He had been waiting for this moment for so long. He would not fail!
Jonothor had not decreased the intensity of his glare, but contrary to his twin, he was master of his body, for apart for his eyes, he did not show any sign of emotion, he was perfectly still.
A crowd of knights, handmaidens, squires and pages had formed around the twins, adding a bit of pressure on Aegon's shoulders and excitement in his veins. He charged first, as confident as if he was riding Balerion the Black Dread itself. But confidence would do him no good.
Jonothor did not even parry his blow, nor did raise his sword, he simply danced around Aegon to dodge his attacks. Which not only frustrated his brother, but also raised his panic as he kept turning himself to parry after a missed blow, only to find his twin looking down on him.
Aegon gritted his teeth and resumed his attack. He tried to push his brother against a wall to block his evasiveness, when it failed, he tried to unleash a barrage of attacks to force Jon out of his dodging tactic. But the former Lord Commander of the Night's watch kept dancing around his twin like he was playing some kind of childish game.
The two kingsguards rose their eyebrows at the perfect footwork their Prince was displaying. Surprise was evident on both their faces. Given Prince Jonothor's state of mind, they would have expected him to be guided by his emotions and to give into anger. But he remained perfectly calm and in full control of himself while moving like a legendary knight, this was more than just pure talent; he had experience.
Aegon started to get out of breath quickly enough as he kept missing his target, he was not stupid, he knew his brother was playing with him, humiliating him right after he had managed to acquire a bit of praise and glory for himself. Aegon would not let it happen, he would win.
He feinted an attack on his brother's left side, and jumped the last second to strike Jonothor's head as the latter had started to dodge.
The elder twin moved his sword for the first time, but instead of parrying, he took a step forward, and smashed Aegon's wrist while the latter was still in the air. A hideous creak echoed through the practice yard as Aegon's screamed and sprawled on the ground, dropping his tourney blade.
He blinked several times to realize what had happened to him, until the most horrible pain he had ever felt radiated down his forearm. He looked at his hand, saw that it was twisted and screamed in terror.
Jon did not care about his pain though, he grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back up. Aegon was horrified when he crossed his brother's furious glare.
"You attacked Aemond!" Jonothor repeated in a raging tone. "You struck our unarmed six year old brother, and for what?! Pride?! Satisfaction?! Answer me?!"
All Aegon did was spit in his brother's eye as he started fleeing in the corridors of the Red Keep, his brother wiped his face before he started running after him. Ser Criston and Ser Erryk rushed to put an end to this, but their armors prevented them from running, and the boys were both very motivated.
Aegon crossed the corridors at full speed, he bumped into a servant who was carrying a soup tureen, the content of which was spilled on the floor, forming a puddle that Jon jumped over. Aegon ignored those who called him or tried to greet him, he had only one thing in mind: to flee as far as possible from his brother. Arriving at a crossroads, he hesitated for a few seconds, unsure of his destination.
"Get back here!" Jonothor commanded, his arrival prompted Aegon to head for his room, where he could lock himself in and await the arrival of the Kingsguard. But as he had started to climb the stairs of Maegor's Holdfast, he received a blow from a tourney sword in the back which knocked him off balance. He would have fallen down the stairs had Jon not caught him, but the latter threw him directly down the stairs, where he crashed on his back. Jonothor then threw himself on his little brother, and began to beat him up.
"You absolute piece of filth!" He roared, blinded by the fury he had buried inside of him when news of Theon's betrayal had reached Castleblack. "You attacked our brother! Our blood! In the name of your pride! What the fuck is wrong with you, Aegon?! Why can't you see that I've done everything I could to help you?! I have only ever defended you! I've protected you! Taught you as much as I could! And how do you repay me?! You spat on my face and attacked our brother! You've insulted our sisters! Our nephew!"
He grabbed him by the collar, and lifted his face up to his.
"Why, Aegon?!What could you have possibly wished to accomplish?! What were you trying to prove?! Answer me?!"
Aegon hadn't understood half of his twin's questions and accusations, he could only feel the pain, the fear, and the blows he had received. His mouth was full of blood and his face was deeply bruised.
"P-please." He stuttered with his swollen and split lips. "Spare me…I'm sorry…"
Jon did not want to show him mercy, Jon wanted to beat him until his skull turned liquid. This rage, this pain, everything he had buried for so long had resurface, but that was not all. There was also frustration, due to his incapacity of bringing his brother to heel in order to prevent the dance, and of course, anger that Aemond had been injured because he admired his oldest brother.
" Jonothor…" Someone said from the top of the stairs, Jon turned his head from his wounded twin, and his eyes crossed Viserys'.
The King had not been alone when he had heard the commotion caused by the squabble between his two sons, he had had his two Kingsguards and his Hand at his side. All of them had witnessed the terrible beating Jonothor had given to Aegon, horrified and shocked expressions were drawn on all of their faces. But Viserys, though he had been shocked by his son's behavior, had listened to his words. And as Jonothor released Aegon from his grasp and bowed his head in shame to prepare for his punishment, Viserys was thoughtful.
(-)(-)(-)
Sitting in his solar, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms had joined his hands under his chin after he had had his fair share of wine, and recalled the events of the day.
Being the King was hard enough, it easily came with enough duties to fill his schedule most of his days, leaving him with nothing but wine and the comforting touch of his wife to enjoy his life. But what had happened today had forced him to take measures to stem the bleeding within Court. An infighting within the House of the Dragon was more than enough cause to alarm the entire Realm. Every lord feared that one day, a dragon would fight another dragon and burn their lands in their struggle, like Maegor the Cruel had fought his nephew Aegon the Uncrowned. Viserys doubted it had already escalated this far, and after he had gotten the full story from his Kingsguards, he now understood that it had simply been a matter of jealousy and overprotectiveness between brothers. Something very common in many families, nothing that would have worried anyone had the boys not been dragon riders.
But the boys were Princes, the blood of the Dragon, they could not act like everyone else. Aegon got away without a punishment, both his parents had agreed that he had been punished enough for striking Aemond. Jonothor, on the other hand, would not get away that easily.
The violence he had shown toward his brother had deeply concerned the Small Council, Jonothor had always been perfect, perfectly calm, perfectly polite, perfectly aware of his surroundings and of the consequences of his actions. Perhaps the boy had tried too hard, perhaps Aegon's actions had been the last straw for Jonothor to finally snap. Yet, no matter his reasons everyone had insisted for Jonothor to be punished, everyone except Rhaenyra, who had strongly defended her brother, Alicent, who had wanted to settle this matter in private, and surprisingly enough, Viserys himself. The truth was that the King was hesitant, he did not wish to punish Jonothor for one mistake in nine years of proper behavior. But there was another reason, a personal reason that was holding Viserys' hand. What Jon had done, what he had said to Aegon, those words had resonated inside the patriarch's skull.
"You attacked our brother! Our blood! In the name of your pride! What the fuck is wrong with you, Aegon?! Why can't you see that I've done everything I could to help you?! I have only ever defended you! I've protected you! Taught you as much as I could! And how do you repay me?!"
Those words… Viserys remembered telling Daemon something similar when his own brother had called his son 'the heir of a day'. Viserys had always loved his brother and probably always would. But Gods! How many times had he wanted to bring him to heel and punish him for his actions the same way Jonothor had punished Aegon? Daemon had always been the warrior between the two, Viserys had never truly performed in the training yard, and he was dragonless since Balerion's death; he never have and never would see a battlefield. He had let Daemon handle warfare, and that was what his brother had used to justify all of his actions and defy him. Viserys was King by rights, but had Daemon rose in rebellion, he wouldn't have been unable to stop him by himself. He would have had to rely on the loyalty of the Sea Snake, his cousin Rhaenys and possibly their children. What a great King he would have looked like had this happened.
Viserys had no other way to restrain Daemon's fantasies but his royal command, and Daemon had ignored it more than once.
Had Viserys been able to discipline Daemon the same way Jonothor had disciplined Aegon, then Viserys' authority over his brother would have been natural and not out of duty. Daemon would have been reined, his instincts and fantasies limited by Viserys' strength. Viserys had always dreamed of being able to do what his son had done, and for that, he was hesitant to punish him.
Maybe that was not exactly true, Jonothor needed to be punished, Alicent had informed him that Aegon felt like Jonothor was being favored over him. Letting Jonothor go unpunished would be a mistake that would nurture Aegon's resentment. It was the harshness of the punishment that stayed Viserys' hand.
What could he do? What kind of punishment would be fitting yet not too harsh not to discourage Jonothor from protecting his blood?
Viserys had no idea, for this whole episode made him realize he had never punished one of his children before. And even if he had, none of his children had ever done something as serious as that.
Viserys considered fostering Jonothor, it would be a fair punishment, Jonothor would be banned from Kingslanding for a short period and serve as the squire of a great lord, but both Rhaenyra and Alicent would oppose him. Viserys grimaced at the thought of his daughter and wife challenging his decision, it would be a poor image to show the Realm after the division that had started to take place between his twins.
So no fostering, for now at least. What were his other options? Cleaning the stables? Far too humiliating in Viserys' taste, his son was the blood of the Dragon, no Targaryen should ever stood that low.
Making him a squire was not harsh enough, and Viserys knew most of his kingsguard held Jonothor in high esteem, it would not work.
So what could he do? He could not send him away, nor could he give him an ungrateful task. Should he let Alicent decide his fate? No, his Queen loved their firstborn far too much. She would be unable to find the right punishment.
Viserys considered sending him to Dragonstone, yes, perhaps it would do. Helping the Dragon keepers of Dragonstone handling the Dragon eggs and potential baby dragons before they turned wild would be a job unworthy of a Prince but fit for a Valyrian. Rhaenyra could fly there to see him, and Alicent would take care of Aegon, helping him realize that no one is favored. Perhaps Lord Corlys and his wife Rhaenys could teach him a thing or two? Rhaenyra and Laenor could introduce him, and he'd benefit from Lord Corlys' teaching, yes, it would do. That way, Jonothor would be punished but would still receive a proper education. While Aegon would be taken care of here in the Red Keep.
Viserys smiled, happy with himself. The matter was settled, he would be able to rest easy tonight. He just hoped his Queen and Rhaenyra would understand that this punishment is necessary, he did not have the energy to endure both their ire.
Hello Everyone!
To read early
Chapter 10 : 'The Sea Snake and The Queen Who Never Was.'
Chapter 11 : 'A Disgusting Duty'
Chapter 12 : 'The Monster of Dragonstone'
Chapter 13: 'Bastard'
Chapter 14: 'The Scheming Mind of a Targaryen Prince'
Chapter 15: 'The Patriarch of House Targaryen'
Chapter 16: 'Silver Hair'
Chapter 17: 'The Boy who loved his family'
Chapter 18: 'Dragons, Dreams and Children'
Chapter 19: 'Lovely loving sisters."
Chapter 20: 'The Duty of a Prince'
Chapter 21: 'Tormented Dragons'
support me on
w w w . p a t r(e)on (slash) MonsieurLAH