Legacy of the Last Dragonlords

After the newcomer, Jaenyx, left the hall and flew off, her father ordered the maester to send ravens to their sworn lords to inform of the new arrivals. To say that the next few days at Dragonstone would be busy was an understatement, especially since their arrivals were a remnant of Valyria like their family. Their father ordered the servants to clean the guest rooms and hallways, the cooks to prepare their finest meals in a while, and sent a runner to the town and docks at the base of the Dragonmont to prepare for their guests. He gathered them all in his solar, including Orys, their bastard half-brother. Their mother, Valaena, was currently at Driftmark with her Velaryon family, but their father sent a raven there to tell her to return. After all, their guests deserved a proper introduction from both the Lord and Lady of Dragonstone.

"I am surprised at how quickly you offered them sanctuary here, father," Aegon began as they stood around their father's long table. "Dragonlord he may be, we still have not seen his people and I am not sure if Dragonstone can provide accommodations for nearly two thousand five hundred."

"We will make do," their father Aerion dismissed his concern. "Besides, if the Rahitheons are with him, then we will not have to worry about building new homes for them. We can just provide building materials for them."

"Did you really mean what you said, father, about reigniting the flame of Valyria?" Aegon knew that his father was sentimental, but he never let his emotions influence his decisions. So, for him to provide sanctuary to these newcomers just because they were Valyrian like their family was, baffled Aegon.

"Oh, don't worry, son. That might be part of the reason why I decided to give them a haven, but not the most important one."

Aegon and his siblings glanced at each other in confusion. "I suggest all of you sit down, since I am about to discuss matters of importance," their father pointed to the chairs in front of them at the table. They all complied.

Their father clasped his hands on the table. "I informed our vassals of these new arrivals. What they bring to our shores would provide many advantages for all of us. With the martial prowess of the Tarareons, we would never need to worry as much about our safety from that of the lords of Westeros. I've read stories about Tarareon horsemen going against the Rhoynish hordes and it was said that even without the dragons, they could have kept them at bay. As for the Leniars, they were not the ones who came up with the healing arts, but they spent generations perfecting them and there was no sickness or injury that they could not heal. Add that to how the Leniars provided the foundation from which bloodmagic could be mastered from and we would never have to worry about bodily afflictions ever again."

Aegon absorbed his father's knowledge. He never heard about these families before today and merely accepted that Valyria was where wonders occurred, never bothering to find out who exactly was responsible for them. He left that to Rhaenys and Visenya, who were more curious about the world than he was.

"But that's not all," their father continued. "The Rahitheons took Valyria to new heights. There was running water, irrigation, roads, heating, and other aspects because of them. Rahitheon craftsmen set the standard for the decorations, tools, clothing, and weapons that Valyria was known for producing. Most importantly and as I said in the hall, they were the ones that perfected the process of Valyrian steel, which has been lost with the Doom until now. We settle the Rahitheons here at Dragonstone, many would come from afar to request new Valyrian steel weapons. We would essentially control the supply."

Aegon pondered about that. He was gifted his Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre as a name-day present from their father, which was passed down from his father. In fact, both Blackfyre and Visenya's sword Dark Sister had been passed down within their family for nearly a century. Everyone knew how lightweight and strong Valyrian steel was in comparison to even the best castle-forged steel, which made all Valyrian steel items more valuable when the Doom occurred. To have the ones who perfected the forging process right at Dragonstone would increase their standing in not just the Blackwater Bay, but throughout the known world.

"As good as that sounds, father," Visenya spoke up. "Do you really think that he would simply allow us to benefit from what his people will bring here? He's a dragonlord and if our impressions are correct, he will not allow them to be taken advantage of. He might even fight us with his dragon should he sense ill intentions from us."

Aegon sighed, as did Rhaenys, Orys, and their father. Leave it to Visenya to bring up the uncertain parts in every good thing. Out of himself, Orys, and Rhaenys, Visenya was the more cautious and thoughtful one. There were moments when her doubting the good things of this life became irritating, but she always had good reason to and there were many times when she was right. Such as the time when Visenya warned him about making Balerion do rolls while diving through the air, as Balerion was too large and not agile enough for that. Aegon did not listen and he nearly fell off into the sea because of that.

"You are correct in assuming that, Vis," their father called her by her nickname. "And I would be remiss to believe that he would not take his people somewhere else if he feels that we're taking advantage of him. So, I've thought of a way to prevent such worries from precluding his stay here while ensuring that he would not take what he has to another, say one of our rivals in Westeros."

Aegon saw Rhaenys narrow her eyes. "How do you intend to accomplish that?"

"We have to make him connected to us, our family, if we are to assuage his worries while making certain he won't leave at the first sign of trouble. It would also send a bad message to those sworn to us if we were to offer sanctuary essentially for free."

It was Orys that picked up on their father's thoughts. "You would have him marry into one of our vassals."

Their father smiled, amused that their brother, usually focused on being the strongest man there ever was, displayed perception for once. "Exactly. However, I was not thinking about marrying him to one of the houses under us. As he's a dragonlord, having relations with a family that does not have a dragonrider might insult him."

"But mother is not a dragonrider," Rhaenys noted. "And yet you married her."

Their father snorted. "You're right, Rhae. I married your mother because I loved her, but that is irrelevant to what I am getting at. Your mother, and the Velaryons, have Valyrian blood, which combined with the dragonblood of our family allowed you, Vis, and Egg to become dragon riders. Should our new guest marry another dragonrider, the effects of our blood might amplify and the children born out of that union could be even stronger dragonriders. That union could also say to our vassals that anything coming from our family comes at a price while emphasizing that we do have standards regarding who we choose to have relations with."

Aegon's eyes widened, now understanding what their father was saying. Judging from the faces of his sisters and Orys, they understood also. "You would have him marry one of us," he managed to say.

Their father bobbed his head. Anxiety filled the room, as Aegon took in their father's words. There were only two people that were available to marry and they were his sisters. He felt his hands tightening into a fist. He always knew that he would have to marry Visenya as per Valyrian marriage customs, which could only mean that their father intended to marry Rhaenys to this newcomer. He felt his anger boil to his skin, disgusted at the possibility that his favorite sister would have to marry and have children with a stranger, even if that stranger was a dragonrider.

No, he thought. Father may make me marry Vis out of duty, but I will not allow him to sell off Rhae to this Belaerys. I will fight him and make him bleed if I have to.

Apparently, their father saw Aegon's face twist and become redder. "Aegon, calm down! It's not what you think."

Aegon stood up. "Why is it not? You always said that it was my duty to marry one of my sisters to preserve our dragonblood. I understood that, father, and I accepted it when you said it would have to be Vis. But I will not let you give Rhae away to his outsider. I don't care if he is a dragonlord!"

Their father slammed his fist against the table while standing up. Visenya, Rhaenys, and Orys slightly recoiled from the hot blood displayed between both of them. If there was one thing that Aegon inherited from his father, it was the dragon temper in its purest form. However, a son could not overcome who he inherited it from and their father had a much more potent dragon temper. Also, unlike Aegon, their father knew how to control it and only brought it out if he had a reason to.

"Sit. Back. Down," their father said through clenched teeth. "I was not finished."

Aegon's nostrils flared, the steam still emerging from his body, but he sat down.

Their father sighed as he also lowered back into his chair, with Visenya, Rhaenys, and Orys relieved that their stand-off did not escalate. "You still have a long way to go, Egg. You have to be more in control of your feelings if you are going to take my place. But that is for another time. You are right, Egg. I do intend for Lord Belaerys to marry into our family through one of your sisters, but it's not to Rhaenys."

Everyone heard a pin drop in the solar. That was not something that Aegon expected and almost immediately, he felt relief and then regret for his outburst.

It was Visenya that now protested, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You mean to marry me to this trespasser?!"

Although showing the dragon temper, their father was much more calm about it than he was with Aegon. "Oh, come now, Vis. I know that you love Egg and that he loves you, but both of you were quite clear on how you felt when I said that you would have to marry each other. Both of you do not love each other that much, not as much as Egg loves Rhae. And I now can see quite clearly that a union between you and Egg would not end very well."

Aegon let out a breath, relieved at the prospect of not marrying his older sister but also felt guilty at not showing the joy that Visenya should have seen when their father made plans to marry them. He appreciated Visenya's seriousness and thoughtfulness, which were vindicated several times, and he acknowledged her as the smartest woman he knew. It was also one of the reasons why Aegon preferred to be around Rhaenys than Visenya. While both were very curious about the world around them, Visenya was interested in serious and intellectual pursuits such as history, Valyrian blood rituals, and different tongues in addition to learning how to fight with her sword and hands. Rhaenys was more interested in music, dancing, and poetry, inspired by the maidens in the songs while she found more joy in riding Meraxes. Essentially, Rhaenys knew how to relax, have fun, and her presence would bring smiles and laughter to those around her. Visenya did not know how to do that and she just scared people with how smart, fierce, and serious she was.

Aegon saw that Visenya could not deny their father's words either. They both loved each other, but not that much and they both lost count on the many times their conversations outside of the training yard ended in awkward silence. They just did not connect very well, and Visenya saw how close he was to Rhaenys.

Their father noticed their shared looks in admittance. "I understand your concern, Vis, but you should not be so worried. Lord Jaenyx may look lean, but he is a strapping young lad. He carries himself as a lord should and if what he says is true, then he knows what commanding others is like. That takes maturity and he has that while still blessed with youth. He is around your age from the looks of him, so there should not be much difficulty when it comes to personally connecting with one another. In addition, he has a fine looking dragon and I am confident that you'll be in good hands when you marry him."

Visenya hesitated. "That may be true, father, but he's a stranger to me. I also do not like being sold like some destrier at auction. That is why I went along with you marrying me to Aegon since at least I will be with someone I know, not some pampered lordling."

Their father leaned forward. "You're wrong, Vis, if that's what you think this. I am preventing an unhappy union from taking place since I've seen firsthand what that can do to children."

Aegon looked at the floor, sighing. He remembered the one time where their father talked about their grandfather, Lord Daemion. Their father never saw a moment of affection between Daemion and his wife and growing up as an only child meant that he had no one he could turn to when his father would ignore him and his mother. It also didn't help when Lord Daemion would beat him while his mother could not do anything. A hard man he was, no one could deny that their father Aerion loved his children and his wife.

"So what if I decided to follow through with my plans to marry you to Egg?" their father continued. "Can you guarantee that both of you will be present for your child, if you do have children with him? Somehow, I was blessed with your mother and all of you when my father arranged for me to marry her. I cannot guarantee that you will be happy with Lord Jaenyx, but I am certainly preventing one union from turning into a bad one."

Visenya calmed down, not arguing with their father's reasoning. But she was still unsure about the whole idea of marrying someone she did not know.

"Besides, if anything could be said about Lord Belaerys, it is that he is no pampered lordling. He apparently lost his parents to unnatural circumstances, which would turn any boy into a man and teach him about the difficulties of life."

Aegon remembered how Lord Jaenyx looked when their father asked him about his father and mother. He could only imagine what losing parents would do to anyone, especially a young man like him. He did not look much older than Aegon, which would compound the effects of such an experience.

"If anything more is to be said, Vis, you turned down the offer of every single lord under us for your hand in marriage. Maybe this will be different, maybe it will not. But I ask that you give some thought to this and I doubt you will find a better option."

All the protest had now left Visenya. She did not like the idea of marrying a stranger, which was why she agreed to marry Aegon in the first place. However, she also could not deny that she would not be happily married to Aegon.

"As we're still on the topic of marriage, I will allow Egg to marry Rhae, but only after Vis marries Lord Belaerys."

Aegon allowed a small smile to show on his face. Looking back at Rhaenys, he saw her smiling also. He knew that she also enjoyed being him and he looked forward to a life together with her.

"I will not reveal this to my vassals just yet, but I will say to Lord Belaerys that the price of permanent sanctuary on our lands is marrying into our family. If he's really concerned about his people, he will accept."

Aegon, Rhaenys, Visenya, and Orys nodded, accepting their father's decision. At least he took the time to explain it to them, not like other lords who made decisions as serious as marrying their children off on a whim. He finally dismissed all of them, quietly filing out of the solar.

Aegon followed Visenya through the hallway, but not before giving Rhaenys a smile and telling her that they will talk later. Right now, he had to talk to Visenya. He could only imagine what things were going through her mind, especially with the prospect of marriage coming sooner than she thought.

"Vis, wait," Aegon called out. She didn't respond, only continuing to the outside of the castle, with Aegon continuing after her.

Soon enough, they both descended a flight of stairs on the outside of the main keep and arrived at a balcony that sat near the edge of one of the cliffs of the island. Visenya leaned forward, her arms resting on the stone railing while her gaze focused on the sea spread before them.

Aegon stood next to her, also resting on the stone railing.

"Go on," Visenya started.

"What do you mean?" Aegon asked, confused.

"Be happy. You love Rhaenys and father said you can marry her. You don't have to marry me anymore," Visenya stated while still staring out at the sea.

Aegon turned to her, incredulous. "You think that's why I am here? To gloat that I will not marry you now that father is set on marrying you to a stranger?"

Visenya looked back at him. "Well, you didn't want to marry me in the first place."

"You also," Aegon shot back.

Visenya returned to looking at the sea, annoyed at how their father knew they didn't want to marry. "As I said, the only reason why I decided to marry you was so that I will not be sold off like some broodmare. But it doesn't matter now. What's done is done."

"Oh, gods," Aegon rubbed his face. "This is not you, Vis."

"What is?"

"The Vis I know does not go sulking or brooding. While you may irritate me sometimes, you think things through and you make the most out of everything. I don't see that now."

"Father decided to marry me off and to be honest with you, I don't know what to think now," Aegon heard her voice be slightly softer.

"What do you mean?" Aegon knew when Visenya would become vulnerable and he had only seen it a few times, so he had to give his full attention.

"You know that I turned down all the offers from the heirs of our father's sworn lords. The Celtigars, the Velaryons, the Sunglasses. I still remember that last attempt from Lord Sunglass to have me married his son."

Aegon chuckled. Their father held feasts at every moon and two moons ago, the head of House Sunglass decided to switch strategy by having his son spar with Visenya. He guessed that their plan was to beat Visenya in a sparring match and show their family that only his son could protect her. Their plan didn't go as expected, as she did not spar by the rules and struck the Sunglass heir in the legs and his balls before throwing a strong right hook in his cheek. That hurt his pride and he began to slash wildly at Visenya, who would have beat him to the ground had their father not come and stop the spar. The Sunglass heir and his father received a very public dressing down and were thrown out of the castle. They didn't hear another proposal from them since.

"I met many handsome men. Hells, the Sunglass boy would have been attractive had it not been for his stuck up attitude. And I turned down all of them and did not think much of it."

"But what about Lord Belaerys?" Aegon was curious, one of the few times he was.

Visenya took a moment. "I don't know him. He may have a dragon and I won't deny he's handsome. As I said, I've turned handsome men. But for some reason… Maybe it's because Father knew of how we really felt towards each other and decided to not follow through. Maybe it's because he thought there was no other dragonlord and that by marrying us, we would preserve the dragonblood only for him to discover that there's another dragonlord in the world. Maybe it's because I knew that I didn't really want to marry you but was willing to accept it, only now for Father to say I don't have to. I was prepared to do it and now it's not there. I should be relieved, but I'm not."

Aegon listened closely. He could understand what she was going through. He had prepared to marry Visenya out of duty and knew that their father would not object to him also marrying Rhaenys. He thought about the many ways he would accommodate the both of them in their marriage, how he would not neglect Visenya despite not really loving her that much. And now, he won't have to and he could devote all of his attention to Rhaenys. He took it better, but preparing your life for something that was coming that you did not like only for that to not occur would rattle anyone. Hells, he initially felt rattled.

Aegon put his hand on Visenya's shoulder. "So it's not about Lord Belaerys? It is everything that is happening now," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Visenya's silence confirmed it. "I'm not going to say that everything will suddenly be alright because I know what you're feeling. It may take some time to come to terms with all of this, and I may not love you as much as Rhaenys. But I am your brother and we are dragons. We stick together."

Visenya turned back to him, her hands coming off the stone railing and standing straight. She pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks, little brother."

"Of course, big sister," Aegon returned the hug. "And listen, if Belaerys hurts you, I'll have Balerion cook him very slowly."

Visenya laughed amusingly. "That will be a sight to see, considering nothing lasts very long with Balerion's breath."

They turned back to look at the sea, only to see faint shapes of ships on the horizon. They heard Balerion and Meraxes roar before they saw them flying towards the ships.