The Prince of Scrolls [ASOIAF / Game of Thrones AU]

[Walder Black]

Ros was sitting, drinking tea. The prince's new mansion was quite comfortable. By order of the princess, they even gave Ros a room.

"You're back quickly," said the prince.

"Your mother helped sell it," she said, taking a sip as she spoke.

"Our mother helped?" Dany imagined their mother in a market.

It would be absurd to see the Queen Mother selling trinkets. The princess wanted to picture her mother selling her jewelry.

Queen Rhaella would not sell her crown for anything in the world. (\*)

"Somehow she managed to find out I was coming to King's Landing. Oh! I must say that your new ships caused quite a sensation among the inhabitants." She paused to enjoy her drink. "Small enough to navigate the river and large enough to transport goods. I was offered a thousand golden dragons for one of them." She waited for his reaction.

"I was expecting around six or seven hundred," said the prince. "But you missed the point," he urged her to continue.

"Ah, yes. The queen received me. She tried the perfumes and bought several oils and soaps for herself." She smiled. "I sold everything the day I arrived. The next day, I had merchants asking me where I got everything. I just said 'ArgentStone,'" she said, looking as if she had done something mischievous.

Jaehaerys thought the buyers would arrive soon. The perfumes were in the Tower of Dread, where they used to live. It was the closest to the gates. It would make it easier to sell them.

"How much did you get for each product?" asked Daenerys. The girl had taken out a small notebook, probably following Qyburn's advice.

"Eighty dragons for each perfume," she said with a huge smile. "The queen bought it for forty, but the nobles want to be like her, right?" Rhaella's purchase had brought not only customers but also prestige.

It might be junk, but if the highest royalty purchased it, everyone else wanted it too. The rest of the products were also inflated in price. Each bar of scented soap sold for four gold dragons.

The oils were ten gold dragons, and the shampoo, an unknown commodity, was twenty gold dragons per bottle. Absurdly high prices that would decrease over time.

"Six thousand, one hundred and ten galleons, right?" asked Dany. "One hundred perfumes, one thousand soap bars, fifty oils, and two hundred bottles of shampoo." She tapped her pen on the paper.

"It was six and ten thousand. The queen bought everything cheaper. Suppose you take away the sailors' wages. I gave each sailor sixty silver deer. That would be ten dragons less," said the redhead, taking the last sip of tea and placing the cup and saucer on a small table.

"Good work." Dany smiled at her.

Jaehaerys quickly did the math. He had 820 perfumes in stock. About 5000 soap bars. 237 oils and 310 shampoos. He had focused on producing perfumes, so he had most of those.

Now he considered it a mistake. Perfumes are expensive, and only nobles buy them.

And not all noble houses can afford forty gold dragons. That was the price he estimated for when the initial boom was over. He could sell in Essos, but until his fleet of ships was ready, he would have to rely on Lord Manderly for that or sell to merchants. With any luck, some merchant would buy all the perfumes for eighty dragons and disappear with them.

Soaps, oils, and shampoos are consumed more quickly. Therefore, they would sell better. The first factories he would set up would be for those products, and he already had some apprentices: former slaves.

He ordered a building to be constructed near his mansion. It was nothing big or extravagant; it would have the basics. Divided into sections for each of the products to be created, it would be made of standard brick, not the magical kind used for the castle. He would have to tear down the building later; if it were made of indestructible brick, he would have some problems.

He felt Daenerys' warm hand take his cheek.

"Ros has left. She got tired of you ignoring her," she said, getting up. A maid entered the room to collect the empty cups and then left. "I wanted to talk to you about something," she said, gesturing for him to follow her.

"Very well," he said, accompanying her to their new quarters. In this mansion, the room was not large enough to also accommodate a desk, so his work area was limited to his solar room. It was connected to the bedroom by a door.

"Here." She pointed to a brazier. The flames licked the prince's three eggs. No one entered her chambers; a loyal guard stood watch at the door, preventing any maids from passing. The door had a rudimentary key that only Dany and Jaehaerys carried. "Touch them," she said.

He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her hand approach the flames. She didn't touch them directly; instead, she took the eggs, one by one, and passed them to Jaehaerys.

"They're beating, like a heart," he said in surprise. He wondered if the magic of the weirwoods had accelerated the process.

The fire in the embers seemed abnormal, as if it wanted to reach his body, burn him.

"They're alive," she said, holding the black egg.

"They seem close to hatching," he replied. He gazed spellbound at the dark line on the silver egg as he ran his hand over it. "What do the books say?" He had left all that work to Daenerys, thinking he could review it later. He hadn't expected them to revive so quickly.

He felt an unprecedented emotion. 'Dragons.' He was not a man given to war or armed conflict. But a dragon would keep all the people away from his business. But dragons weren't enough. He had to be firm with those he let into his home. He didn't want a new Otto Hightower whispering to his children.

He forced himself to calm down. He left the two eggs on the fire and turned to his wife.

"There is a ritual. But I don't like it. There has to be a sacrifice," she said.

"Human?" asked Jaehaerys.

"I... it didn't specify, it just said 'Nykeā glaeson syt nykeā glaeson.'" Her voice became hoarse when she spoke Valyrian, a sound that Jaehaerys enjoyed immensely.

"A life for a life," he repeated, translating the High Valyrian. "It can be an animal," he said. The Valyrians were not good sorcerers; they were rather crude. They could not use magic effectively and resorted to mass sacrifices to complete their spells.

"They need to be burned. A huge pyre. Another said with magic fire, but I don't want to put the eggs in Valyrian fire. I don't want another Summerhall." The princess's hands caressed the egg so lovingly that Jaehaerys became jealous.

"Magic fire." He opened the door to his solar. He took the book of runes and began to leaf through it. He found the rune he was looking for.

Kenaz (ᚲ) was the rune of fire; well, fire was one of its meanings. He planned to use it in the forges, but he needed to hide the magic, and so far, he hadn't thought of anything. He would have to wait until he built better furnaces.

"Runes. They're from the First Men, not Valyrian," she said doubtfully.

"It's magic," he said. "Tell me, Dany. When did they start to feel more alive?" he asked her. The flames moved abruptly. The fire made him uneasy. No, it wasn't the fire, it was something else, but what exactly?

"When the curse was lifted," she replied. "I remember that during the curse, they felt bad, like they were sick," she said sadly. "That was when you planted the weirwood tree. Yes," she said, convinced. "When shall we do it?" she asked, looking anxious.

Jaehaerys hesitated. He had about six hundred men-at-arms at Harrenhal. He could be sure of the loyalty of five hundred of those men, the ones who had followed him from the north. He needed more protection. In the long run, the dragons would scare away all his rivals, but small ones would be targets.

He looked at the fire. The flames danced, lulling the eggs in a delicate embrace. He couldn't look away.

'What if I wait until the castle is comple-'

His thoughts suddenly died. He fell into a trance. He searched among the drawers in his study. A small jar with a brush. He took the eggs from the brazier and used them as a canvas.

"Jae?" It was a distant echo.

Before, he drew the runes with mastery, but they had never been so perfect as in that moment. The red ink covered the eggs. The rune Kenaz was inscribed next to Jera (ᛃ), a rune that meant natural growth, among other things.

He destroyed his shirt in one swift movement. He felt his hand forced to write Othala (ᛟ) on his chest. It was the rune that indicated sacrifice, offering.

Whose hand was guiding his?

'I've lived this before,' he said in his mind.

He closed his eyes and was no longer in the room. He was outside the mansion, looking down on everything from the sky. He recognized this feeling.

Warging.

If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.

 

[Walder Black]

He dove toward the window of his room. He looked at his own naked body from the waist up. Dany looked like she was about to cry as the flames burned more and more intensely. The feeling was strange but strangely familiar. The body wasn't his, but he understood it perfectly.

With the body of his eagle, he descended and dug his claws into his human chest, right above the sacrifice rune. As if it were his hand, he closed his claws. The three front claws closed together, forming three lines that converged at the same point. He had to move away to dodge the blow his body unleashed.

He looked proudly at the three red lines. But one was missing. The heat in the room became unbearable. He hoped the eagle would get scared and fight back. But it lunged again. He had never felt so bad about having such a strong body. He barely managed to dodge it. He looked at Dany. The girl had brought her hand close to his chest, her index finger touching the nail where the three wounds left by the eagle's claws met. His body did not react to her touch; he just stared at the fire. But he could see his hands trembling.

Whatever was taking his body didn't want to hurt her.

Daenerys dug her fingernail in and, with a single scratch, made the last line. A primal rune ᛉ was engraved on his chest in blood. The whole rune glowed a dark red, so similar to the sap of the arcians that he could have mistaken it for it.

The eagle flew out the window, and seconds later, it watched the flames consume the entire room. But he no longer shared its eyes. The last thing he remembered seeing through the eagle's eyes was a red star splitting the sky.

He returned to his body with a jolt. He felt heavier, and his chest was on fire. With a quick movement, he kicked the book of runes, which had fallen to the floor during the possession. The book slid to the door leading to the makeshift courtyard.

The walls were brick; they wouldn't burn, but he didn't trust them not to melt. He looked at his wife, the flames dancing on her naked skin, avoiding burning her.

'Unburned,' he thought.

She would be fine. He took the jar of sap and, smearing it on his fingers, began to inscribe the wall and door with the runes Tyr and Elhaz. He wanted to protect his solar room and everything found within it.

He had seen magic before. But now he felt it. He felt the wall harden.

Finally, the fire melted the clay jar in his hand. The red liquid dripped onto the floor.

He felt Daenerys' embrace. Inside the fire, it was somehow cold. The princess's hair burned. She moved a few inches away from him.

It was a crazy sight if anyone could see them. Both of them were in the flames, the flames just touching their skin without causing them harm and dancing around them.

He had been burned before. Once, as a child, he touched a red-hot piece of coal. He cried in pain, but he healed without any scars.

This?

What was this?

Magic.

His wife looked beautiful. Her skin contrasted with the fire in a way that made her look like a fire goddess; her purple eyes glowed unnaturally, her pink lips were moist, unaltered by the flames.

Had she always been this beautiful? Was it the fire around her that made her so desirable? Their clothes had been consumed, and only their naked bodies were visible.

The furniture in the room was burning, and toxic smoke began to billow from it. But they were unaffected. It wasn't logical, but when had magic ever been logical?

It was impulse or desire, a mixture of both. He should have taken his wife and left the fire, but no, there was something he had to do there.

They approached each other, dazed by the reflection of the other.

It began with a kiss and ended with them joined together, just as they had been on their first night, and many others that followed. They were husband and wife: a man and a woman.

They were two dragons mating.

With no bed or furniture, he ended up taking her on the wooden floor. Even when the wood charred, they felt no pain, only the ash breaking under their weight.

Ros, Sansa, none of them had ever made him feel so good. Even when he had both of them at the same time, it was nothing compared to this. It wasn't just physical pleasure; it was something more spiritual. He could feel the magic around them vibrate with joy every time their climax were in sync. Their passion fueled the flames.

He split his seed inside her three times.

After the third time, the flames vibrated like never before; the wood on the floor was gone, and the walls looked as if they had been victims of dragon fire.

In a way, they had been.

Then, as she curled up on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, they heard them. Soft crackling sounds. Then moans, like an animal fighting.

They both felt claws climbing up their bodies, but neither moved. Their bodies remained entwined, their souls repeating the action. The peace among the flames was something they had never experienced before. They had never felt so at home as they did at that moment.

How much time had passed? Minutes, hours, days? There was no time when they made love, only him, her, and the magic.

He looked at a crowd of men near where the door should have been; the flames had melted the brick. They were brave men, but not stupid. The fire died down, and the men were finally able to approach. Jaeherys was forced to pull out of her and noticed that there was no trace of his seed between the princess's legs.

'Three dragons,' he thought. 'One life for a life... three.'

The fire took his seed three times.

With that last thought, he used his body to cover his wife's modesty. Even if the men were loyal, the princess's body was not for their eyes to feast on. He looked to his right. The wall and the door to his quarters were intact, only darkened by the smoke.

Torrhen handed him a cloak, which he used to cover her and the dragons.

'Dragons.' Just a few hours ago, they were talking about trade, and now they had brought dragons out of the stone. He looked at his wife, and when the flames subsided, her body was covered in ash.

He heard the murmurs of the men as the dragons climbed out from under the cloak. The three eggs had given birth to three majestic dragons.

The first was jet black. When the sun touched its scales, they shone a dark purple, like obsidian. It had two horns where the purple color was most evident. Its eyes were like molten silver.

The second was an auburn color. Two small protuberances adorned its head. He watched as the color changed on its horns, revealing a steel gray. Its eyes were green like emeralds.

The third was silver. Jaehaerys remembered Daenerys' hair just by looking at it. Its horns darkened slightly; they weren't two; he counted eight, even if they weren't that much larger than those the other two dragons had. Jaehaerys thought they assembled a crown. Its eyes were black with red veins like two burning coals.

They were just as they were described in the books.

Elongated and with two hind legs. Their wings were membranous, similar to those of bats. Their necks were elongated. Despite having the same characteristics, they were not identical.

The black one was the widest and had the thickest wings of the three, and was shorter than the red one. It also seemed temperamental, like an angry old man who was annoyed by the sun beating down on his body.

It blew smoke from its jaws as it looked at the crowd around him, as if they were unworthy of his presence.

The red one was the thinnest and longest, although its small size made it unremarkable. Its wings were also the smallest of the three. It seemed frightened, and as soon as it saw the people, it returned to Dany's cloak.

The silver one had the largest wings. Its body was not as vast as the red one's, nor as long as the black one's. It looked Jaehaerys straight in the eye, without a hint of fear. The prince even felt it smile at him. The dragon looked at the men and moved from Dany's body to Jaehaerys's so it could see them. It seemed curious about these beings.

"My prince," said the men around him. The northerners and southerners knelt before him.

"Hail Jaehaerys Targaryen," said Torrhen.

"Hail Daenerys Targaryen," said Brandon.

"The ones who bring the Dragons back," said a southerner with unbridled devotion.

He touched his chest. The Elhaz-shaped scar was now a few thick red lines. It hadn't healed like a normal scar; no, magic pulsed through it, close to his heart. Thinking about the god who had tried to kill him filled him with hatred.

'The dragons are back. But I'm still alive, and that must piss you off, R'hllor,' he thought with satisfaction. He could feel something new in his body. Maybe the fire resistance was permanent for him.

Then he thought sarcastically, 'I wanted to industrialize this world, and now I have to fight a god.'

Jaehaerys didn't think he could simply use his staff to kill a god in a fight.

He would kill him, as many gods had died before in his previous life.

By making the people lose faith in them.

If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.

 

[Walder Black]

For four moons, everything went well. The foundations of the three main towers were ready, deep and wide. The bricks were prepared for laying. Now the only limitation was the mortar. A gallon of sap mixed into the mortar allowed it to be diluted enough to lay twenty thousand bricks. In those four moons, he obtained another six barrels, for a total of eight. Seven would be used in construction, and the rest would be for research.

Now the problem was volcanic ash. He obtained several tons of Dragonstone. At first, he began a constant supply trip, but it stopped two weeks after the dragons were born.

Viserys also stopped responding to his letters. He sent two letters to King's Landing, one to the king and the other to his mother. They said that obtaining the ash was, for the moment, not possible. It was as if his older brother wanted to hinder the construction process. He had managed to get them to start working with the available volcanic ash, but it ran out during the previous moon.

He sent letters to Jon Arryn, the guardian of the Vale. The man had somehow managed to keep his position, a controversial decision, although his heir, a young man named Hardyng, was being raised at Casterly Rock with Tywin Lannister.

In Arryn's letters, he inquired about inactive volcanoes in his lands and requested the trade of volcanic ash. The old man replied that he would consult his oldest maps, but did not expect to find any.

He would have gone to King's Landing, but the idea of leaving Dany alone pained him. Not only because the administration would fall more heavily on her, but because if anyone discovered the dragons, he would have to act quickly. So he sent Torrhen. He was not a politician, but he was much more talkative than Brandon. He went on a Drakkar and returned shortly after. The king refused to see him. His mother allowed him a conversation, but she did not say much about Dragonstone, only that it was not possible to extract the ashes at the moment.

They put him off again and again. Ever since they offered him Harrenhal, he knew it was a poisoned gift, but he accepted it gladly. He knew he could turn it into something extraordinary. And step by step, he was succeeding. If his brother hadn't meddled, everything would have been better.

The idea that it was Rhaegar who ordered his murder was growing stronger.

Even the village on the banks of the river began to grow. Previously, there had been several fishing villages, but they merged to form a city. He had allowed the fishermen to use the Drakkars for fishing, not their best use, but as long as they weren't traveling to King's Landing, it was better to use them for something.

The town was more bustling and lively. Several merchants had arrived to buy the prince's products. He couldn't accommodate them in Harrenhal, so they stayed in the village. It was the representative he left in the town, Edric, who gave him the idea of building more inns. He financed the construction with loans and allowed the villagers to manage them. They would repay the gold by paying higher taxes until the debt was fully covered.

He could have given the gold away, but he didn't want his people to become lazy. Nor did he want to manage each of the inns.

The merchants brought more people with them, and in four moons, more than three thousand people migrated. Some of them were skilled craftsmen, such as carpenters and potters. The former found work in the shipyards, and the latter requested to purchase clay for their work. The prince offered to buy them some vases and plates to give them some initial work and a little recognition.

Little by little, the city offered more. Some merchants even asked to buy a piece of land. He refused, but offered to build warehouses and rent them out. He planned to create a market in the future when the city grew larger.

This market would be built near the castle. The town was quite close to Harrenhal, and his idea was to let it grow around the castle, surrounding it, with a space of half a league between the town and the castle walls. Every two weeks, the city filled a ship with goods, and small merchants bought the products to resell them in King's Landing. Those taxes would not bring him much profit in the short term, but they would help the town grow gradually. At least Rhaegar had not interfered with his trade.

He could not say the same for the religion of R'hllor. His business in Essos was extinct thanks to them. He no longer generated income in Essos and had lost nearly a hundred thousand gold dragons. Of the 500 Unsullied he had in Essos, 200 died, and the rest returned, ashamed. They brought back a group of 600 slaves.

He knew he had to deal with R'hllor, but he wasn't ready to fight against an entire religion just yet.

He needed to know more about R'hllor. Was he a god or a demon? His presence was limited in this world. He had ordered Elhaz runes to be carved into the walls. These offered protection, not only physical but also against higher beings. He did not want R'hllor to reach his door.

He also carved runes on stones that he hid around the weirwoods.

He used the runes Kano (ᚲ), which represented fire and would attract it. Isa (ᛁ), which represented ice, would serve to contain and stabilize the fire. Perth (ᛈ) meant rebirth, and its function was to transform that energy into something else, into magic.

He wanted to add the runes Eiwaz (ᛇ), which would help integrate the energy into the tree, and Fehu (ᚠ), which would turn that energy into prosperity, helping the tree to grow. Kano (ᚲ) was also associated with light, and sunlight was absorbed as a source of energy. The dilemma was whether or not to carve the tree. The books said nothing about the consequences of such an action. He didn't want to offend the old gods.

The previous runes were created with a specific intention in mind. A single rune can have several meanings, but it was the intention behind inscribing it that made it work. That is why inscribing protective runes on bricks was easy, because even if only slightly, during their creation, the intention was to create something resistant.

Jaehaerys stood on the walls of Harrenhal, his wife at his side. A silk scarf covered Dany's hair. The fire had left both of them bald, and she was sad to have her hair short, as it was just beginning to grow.

The last few months had been turbulent. And that turbulence was about to increase.

His wife was now helping to manage all the construction. She began by repairing the mansion. In the mansion, she ordered the installation of pipes to distribute water to bathrooms and kitchens. The mansion lacked them, partly because Jaehaerys had already planned to leave that task to her as preparation.

She did a good job, ordering a water storage tank to be built on the roof and the pipes to be laid. Dany made sure that the structure could support the weight of the water and had to order the creation of pillars to reinforce it.

For the pipes, Jaehaerys had to intervene himself to talk to the blacksmiths and explain precisely what he wanted, the plans he had drawn up, and the processes involved. At that moment, he missed Mikken, the blacksmith from Winterfell. He would have stolen him if he could, but he was too loyal to Stark.

They both watched the black banner approach their city. The three-headed dragon was visible. It arrived without warning, probably wanting to take them by surprise. And it partially did. He had recently ordered Ros to create a network of spies; the girl was good at reading people. She had begun to approach merchants, even financing some of them. She managed to obtain information from some, but she was limited by distance. Between Harrenhal and King's Landing, there was only a seven-day distance; it could be 14 if it were a vast army.

Rhaegar traveled light; they were all horsemen. In the distance, he couldn't see how many Targaryens there were, but it should have been all of them, except Viserys and Daemon, of course.

"We must prepare to receive them," he heard Daenerys say beside him.

For moons, they had kept the dragons inside their mansion, and then, when they became too large, they sent them to the Godswood and forbade anyone from entering. He even chained them to prevent them from flying away. They melted the chains even though the iron was inscribed with runes to improve its strength.

'Dragon fire can break runes,' he theorized.

Now all of Harrenhal had seen the dragons soar through the air, so it was no surprise to see the king heading there, but he reacted too soon. Rhaegar was obsessed with the three-headed dragon.

"They're a small group, at least we won't have much trouble housing them," she said, more frightened than she wanted to show.

She considered the dragons their children, and Jaehaerys was sure that in some way they were.

"The dragons will be safe, won't they?" she asked, frowning.

"Yes. If Rhaegar brought Visenya, they would be." Jaehaerys wondered if his brother would dare to kill him. There were 600 men at Harrenhal who were his army. 100 kept order in the city, and the rest kept order in the castle.

"She's too young for this." Daenerys was a little apprehensive about his plan.

"She won't suffer, besides, she'll make a good lady companion." He smiled, knowing that the little girl would be chaos.

His first plan was to send the dragons to the Isle of Faces. But the island had not called him, and when he tried to approach it on the raft, the water pushed him away. The island did not want visitors. Perhaps because the old gods had ruled it, and dragons were believed to belong to the Valyrian gods. Dragons were beings that no one could dominate; he could not send them away without expecting them to become wild dragons, like the cannibal.

"I hope everything goes well," whispered Daenerys.

"Well, if it goes wrong and I die..." 'You could marry Daemon,' he wanted to add in a sour humor.

He often employed a black sense of humor when he was nervous.

"I'll burn Westeros," the princess interrupted him and walked away, Brandon following her like his faithful shadow.

"You're smiling, my prince," he heard Torrhen say.

If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.

 

[Walder Black]

Rhaegar wore black armor on his body. On his chest, the three-headed dragon glowed with rubies. A red cape hung from his body. He rode a brown steed with a white chest.

His procession was about thirty men. He dismounted with ease. One by one, his men got off their horses.

"Your Grace. ArgentStone is yours," greeted the prince, standing. Because of his status as a prince, he was not required to kneel before the king. He offered them bread and salt, granting them guest rights. However, it was only for the king and the royal family.

It was customary that those men under the command of the one who ate the bread and salt were protected, although for the gods, those who did not eat bread and salt had no guest rights.

"You honor me, brother," the king said with a warm smile. But it did not reach his eyes.

Next to his brother were his children, Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya. The youngest rode with her mother, Lyanna. Rhaella had also ridden, which surprised him. Queen Elia was nowhere to be seen. She was known for her fragile health and would not have been able to keep up on a fast journey. Ser Arthur, Ser Barristan, Ser Gwayne Corbray, and Ser Loras Tyrell accompanied them.

Another unknown knight wore the white cloak. According to Jaehaerys, he was a new member, Ser Balon Swann. Loras had also recently received the white cloak, a favor to House Tyrell after Viserys' fiasco.

Tyrell's gaze at Jaehaerys made Daenerys a little jealous.

"I must say I did not expect your visit. Even if ArgentStone is under construction for now, ravens still arrive," said the prince.

"The king needs no invitation," said a woman with copper-colored hair. She was gorgeous and wore a necklace with a red gemstone. "The Lord of Light guides his way."

"The Lord of Light will not prepare your rooms or cook a welcome feast," said Daenerys, looking at the red woman suspiciously.

They had met before. Melisandre had shown her in the flames. In them, she saw herself devouring the heart of a horse, and she said it was her destiny. Dany had only seven name days, and she had feared her ever since.

The redhead looked directly at her, her red eyes seeming to see right through her. It made Dany extremely uncomfortable, but her purple eyes remained steady.

"Enough. My men are tired; we'll hurry on the last league of the journey," said the king, stopping the staring contest.

"We have prepared rooms for you and the royal family," said Daenerys. They had assigned the tower they had previously lived in, one of the two that had not been demolished. It was the only one available, as Lady Whent occupied the other. The products had been moved to a vault near the mansion. "There will be a banquet later, in the Hall of a Hundred Hearths," she added at the end.

No one mentioned the cloth over her hair. They probably knew how she had lost her hair. And Rhaegar did not seem eager to see the dragons, but he appeared kinder than when he had met Jaehaerys in King's Landing.

"It would be great to rest before the banquet. But I've spent so much time without seeing them that I'll leave the rest for later," said Queen Rhaella. "Instead, I'd like to tour Harrenhal. Oh, it's ArgentStone now, isn't it?" she corrected herself halfway through. "It's been almost twenty years since I was last here. At the tournament," she said no more.

The tournament was a subject of great displeasure for Rhaegar.

"That would be lovely, Grandmother," said Rhaenys, her eyes never leaving Jaehaerys.

"If that is your wish," said the lord of ArgentStone, looking at his brother. "I will show you your rooms so you can change into more comfortable clothes," he said, looking at their riding clothes.

"I'll ask for a tour later. Show me my quarters," said the king. The hosts led them to the tower where the royal family would be staying.

Aegon accompanied his father, saying goodbye after a friendly exchange. Lyanna seemed to want to rest, but Visenya, in her arms, wanted to see the castle.

The queen looked sad when she saw the castle, remembering the place where she had been crowned Queen of Love and Beauty, where the tragedy had begun.

After the women had changed, they began a tour.

The small group was flanked by Ser Barristan and Ser Loras, as well as Brandon, Torrhen, and three other knights of the king. The others followed the king and the heir.

"I never imagined you riding a horse, Mother. I thought you would travel in a carriage," Jaehaerys began the conversation as they walked.

"I learned when I was young. Although I'm not used to it. I've only been riding for the last two days. Rhaegar ordered us to hurry, and I didn't want to be left behind," replied his mother. "Every time I see those towers, I get light-headed," she commented as they passed between the Tower of Dread and the Wailing Tower.

"They've already torn down three towers?" Rhaenys seemed surprised. "Will you use the stone to rebuild them?" she asked as she watched the men carry the stone.

"They'll be used for foundations and to expand the outer walls," he said.

"Expand?" Queen Lyanna asked. "More?" She seemed incredulous.

"Yes, more. ArgentStone will be bigger than Harrenhal," the prince declared.

They walked between the foundations and reached the two central towers. They had barely built fifty feet of them before stopping due to a lack of mortar. Magic vibrated in them. Others couldn't feel it, but he could. Ever since R'hllor entered his body, he had been more sensitive to magic.

"Why make it so big? You won't need so much space," Rhaella asked.

"You'll find out later." He had begun to hate the way his mother doubted every one of his projects.

"Is it because of your short sword?" said a child's voice.

"Visenya!" Lyanna looked embarrassed, but Jaehaerys watched her fight back a smile. In the books, she was described as wild and untamable, but from what little he knew of her, she was a miserable existence. She only seemed happy around her children.

If he had caused a war and the deaths of his father and brother, he would feel bad too. Perhaps not for Aerys, his father. Nor for Rhaegar, if he was to blame for trying to kill him.

"I once heard a guard say he wanted a castle that touched the clouds. Another said it was to make up for his short sword," the girl said quickly, her cheeks flushing. "But he doesn't use a sword," she added, frowning. "Where's your staff? Can I see it?" Jaehaerys expected a little resentment because of her brother, but found none in her. Or maybe she was just good at throwing barbs.

"Visenya!" Lyanna scolded her again. "I'm sorry, Prince," she apologized to him.

"You can see it later," he replied, not offended. "You'd get along well with Arya," he commented lightly.

Lyanna opened her eyes wide but said nothing.

"Who is that?" The little princess did not react well.

"Your cousin, Lord Stark's daughter. She has wolf blood, like you," he replied tenderly.

"Wolf, look at me, I'm a dragon." She pointed to her purple eyes and hair, more specifically, the silver parts.

"And a wolf. Like your mother." Lyanna seemed hurt by that, but said nothing.

Everyone fell silent at those words. Visenya didn't like being called a wolf. The lords mentioned it in a derogatory way, although they thought she couldn't hear them. The girl sulked at her mother. She tried to remain silent.

"That tree is a weirwood." Her previous anger was replaced by curiosity.

"I didn't know you worshipped the old gods, Jae," Rhaenys commented, looking at the tree in the distance.

"I grew up in the north. And I brought a lot of it with me to the south." He glanced sideways at the Snow twins.

"The Targaryens have followed the Seven for years," said her mother, looking at the tree with disgust.

"And as long as the king continues to believe in them, there will be no problems," Daenerys interjected this time. "We don't want to burn septs or discredit the Seven," she added at the end.

The old tree grew enormous. Its highest point must have been fifty feet. It stopped growing upward quickly when it reached forty feet. But its branches spread out wide, casting shade thirty feet from the trunk. And they only grew longer and more leafy with time. Its trunk was wider than any he had ever seen, except for the one on the Isle of Faces and the one in Winterfell.

"You don't know how the Faith will see it." Rhaella seemed to want them as followers of the Seven because of their appearance.

"I don't care, nor have we publicly stated which gods we support," the prince said sharply. "The old gods have helped me more than the Seven. They gave me that weirwood." The Faith was not predominant in his castle. Even those who came from the Flea Bottom inns began to worship the old gods.

Harren's curse left a deep mark.

"Ha, that nonsense about the curse?" her mother retorted, although when she received the news in the capital, she turned as white as fear could make her. "You can't expect me to believe---"

"Believe it or not, that tree will still be there," Daenerys said.

Rhaella appreciated seeing her once-shy daughter speaking like a strong, confident woman. But she didn't like being the recipient of those words.

She swallowed her complaints.

The rest of the tour was sour. The Queen Mother left when they were near the Tower of Dread. They ended the tour in the Godswood, where Lyanna wanted to see the other weirwood tree.

She had been disappointed because the other weirwood had no face carved into it.

"I'd like a moment to talk to you, alone, my prince," said Lyanna.

He looked at the sun; there were about three hours of daylight left.

"We still have time," he replied.

He watched his wife drag Visenya and Rhaenys away, Brandon accompanying her. Loras hesitated for a second, but the king's daughters were more important than his wife. Even more so if that wife was Lyanna. Two knights stayed close by, Torrhen with them.

They walked away until they could no longer hear them. Then Lyanna started talking.

"Don't give your dragons to Rhaegar." Her face remained unchanged, but he watched her neck tense with anger.

If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.

 

[Walder Black]

Chapter 35: Broken

He didn't know her reasons for saying that. So he decided to play it safe. The king could have sent her to test his mettle.

"My brother is the king," he said.

"He's mad." Her eyes looked at the weirwood's. The one in King's Landing had been cut down, and only the stump remained. "Mad, but not stupid. He knows he doesn't have absolute power; he learned that from his father." That hatred was mixed with a horrible terror.

"You speak of the king," he reminded her.

"Another mad king," she spat, composing herself in an instant, looking at the knights from afar. "You know what will happen if he gets a dragon?" she asked.

"The Targaryen dynasty will rule for years," he replied, not believing that his brother was an evil ruler. He was a terrible relative, yes; he may have been a bastard, but he managed to keep the Seven Kingdoms united---even the Iron Islands. Unlike in the canon, they did not rebel here.

That didn't mean Jaehaerys planned to give him the dragons.

"Westeros will burn," she corrected. "The witch at his side. She gossips in his ear. She asks him for sacrifices," she whispered. "He disagrees, not wholly. He fears the reaction of the lords. But some prisoners have disappeared, and my son, he..." Her voice broke.

"Daemon?" he asked, not so worried. But he couldn't tell a woman that he didn't care much if her son died.

"No. His name was Daeron. He was small, with dark hair and a long face. He was beautiful," she said.

He closed his eyes for a moment while remembering.

"I remember him. The news reached the North. He was stillborn," he said. It had saddened him when he heard the news in the North. "A year before Visenya."

"He wasn't stillborn. He was murdered at birth." She struggled not to sob. She looked up at the sky, preventing the tears from falling from her eyes.

"Murdered?" He knew her brother was no saint. He was mean, with a superiority complex. When he accused Viserys, he had hoped they would send him to the Wall. If what Lyanna said was true, Viserys would have died without his intervention.

"Burned alive. Right in front of me." Her eyes became distant as if she could see him right now. "He cried, oh, his lungs were so strong. The flames took him away. I look at his clothes burning, his skin melting." She shook her head and let out a dry laugh. "Rhaegar said it was necessary. Necessary to kill his own son."

"Why?" Jaehaerys had a guess: 'The blood of kings is powerful.'

"Rhaegar didn't need more sons," she whispered. A gust of wind hit them. "He needed a daughter. A Visenya. The red whore told him I wouldn't give him a boy, but he needed ice. So she told him if he sacrificed my son---" Her voice broke. "If he did it, R'hllor would give him his Visenya. And he would have his three conquerors."

Jaehaerys was silent. All her words seemed real; there was a hatred in her voice that was real. Genuine. She must be an incredible actress or a broken mother. He looked at the weirwood.

"I'm sorry." He remembered Stannis sacrificing his daughter. It was only mentioned in the TV show, but they said he might do it in the books as well. "R'hllor is not welcome at Harrenhal. I only allowed the red whore," he repeated the nickname she had given her, "to enter because she was accompanying the king."

"And you think she'll stay that way if my husband gets dragons?" she said. "No, he will melt your walls with fire if she has to. Maybe they'll sacrifice you, your wife, or your children," she said, feeling angry. But what she said was true. If Rhaegar killed his own son, what would stop him from killing his brother?

"You think if I intended to hand over the dragons, I would have kept them hidden for four moons?" he said. She said nothing, believing that he was the one who had warned the king.

"You didn't warn him," she said, opening her eyes.

"No. The dragons were seen. The king found out and came," he said.

"How do you plan to keep them out of his hands? I tried to poison him, you know?" she said. "It didn't work. One of the men died. But not the king. I know the king's cup contained poison. I added it myself," she confessed.

"How long ago was that?" asked the prince. "If you tried to murder the king, how are you still alive?"

"Yesterday." She laughed. "I know I'll die soon on my way to that shithole of King's Landing. Or once I get there." She didn't seem concerned about her death.

"Why don't you go North?" he asked. "A ship is leaving tomorrow from the small town. You could escape on it." He wouldn't risk his life for her, but he could arrange something that didn't involve him.

"I'm hated in the North. It was my kidnapping that started the war. So many deaths," she whispered. "The Stag Rebellion. They call it. It should be the War for Lyanna's Cunt," she joked. She was broken, he could tell.

"Kidnapping?" He ignored her joke. "Didn't you run away together?" His throat felt dry.

"No. He took me, tried to seduce me, and almost succeeded. If he were a single man, I would have been with him a thousand times," she commented without shame.

"Was it because of Elia that you didn't want him?"

"He was charming, you know? Almost as handsome as you." She looked at his face. "His face always looked melancholy. Sad. But over time, I learned it was just boredom." Her gray eyes were empty.

"So he---"

"He stole me. He often joked that wildings did that to get wives," she didn't seem amused at all. "He said I would feel more northern that way," she added.

"That's cruel." The information about the savages' traditions likely came from Aemon.

"It is," she nodded. "He locked me in a tower and made me carry his child. I refused, I begged him, but he wouldn't listen. I still remember the first time, so much blood, such intense pain," she lowered her head.

"I felt dirty, horrible, ugly. He didn't care about me. He left his seed inside me until I stopped having my moon blood," she turned her back on the knights who followed her. She began to sob slowly.

"My brother---" He didn't know what to say. Comfort her? Hug her? He wasn't good at those things.

"I wanted to resist, to fight. But how could I, at 14, fight against an adult and 3 knights?" It seemed that the title meant nothing to her. "Then I tried to kill myself," she licked her lips, the salty taste stopping her for a second. "He tied me to the bed, left my legs open. I was a toy for his use," her voice was bitter. "He let me go when he confirmed I was pregnant. He knew I wouldn't try to kill myself. Not with my child inside me."

"Daemon," was all he could say. He was speechless. "I'm sorry," he said, not knowing why he apologized; he hadn't hurt her.

"Then he made me tell everyone that we were in love. I remember Ned looking at me with those betrayed eyes." She felt bad reliving that moment. "If you want them to live, do it," she said, changing her voice. "That's what he told me," she nodded.

"And you carried the hatred of the North." His opinion of her was terrible, a maiden in love for whom thousands died.

"I did it and I would do it again. I love my brothers. I love my children. I should thank you for sending Daemon to the north. I don't know how long it would have taken for him to be sacrificed." She held his hands.

"If you die, Daemon could start a war if he finds out who killed you," he told her. He was afraid of that, actually.

"That's why I'll kill myself." She smiled. She seemed happy to long for death.

"Visenya will be an orphan," he said, and her expression changed completely. Daemon was already a grown man, but his youngest daughter was still a child.

"That doesn't change anything... she's strong, she always has been." She consoled herself.

"As strong as you have been," he said, and she collapsed.

He felt her tremble in his arms as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. The queen wept. She shed tears for her eldest son, whom she would never see again. For her murdered son, whose eyes she had never even seen. For her youngest daughter, whom she would never see grow into a woman.


If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.

 

[Walder Black]

Jaehaerys looked at the two knights with a frown. He needed to kill them.

He granted the royal family guest rights. Only they ate bread and salt. Usually, this was extended to the entourage, but it was not a rule of the gods; it was merely a custom.

"The men who are here. Do you want them alive?" he asked.

"They will ask questions if they disappear," was all she answered.

"The dragons will eat them." He gestured to Torrhen.

Two heads fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she said, unmoved.

"It doesn't matter," he called to the dragons. He felt a bond with the silver one, and Dany felt the same with the black one. The copper one followed the other two; he was the most docile.

"Do you know why I wanted to talk in front of the weirwood tree?" she asked him after they had separated.

"To know that you're telling the truth," he replied instantly. He had already understood why. And he believed that the gods would give him a sign if she were to lie.

"If you don't give him the dragons. If the dragons have already bonded with you or your wife," she began. "Rhaegar will kill you---poison, faceless. He'll use everything he's got," she said. "I didn't hear it from him. But I know him," she said, looking at the corpses on the ground.

"He wants the conquerors," he deduced. Aegon, Rhaenys, Visenya. Only their dragons were missing.

"Yes. One represents the Valyrians, another the Rhoynar, and another the First Men. I'm not sure, but Myrcella could represent the Andals." She paused for a moment. "He always believed that his children would be better than the conquerors. That they would do what they couldn't. A prophecy, one he keeps close to his heart." She scoffed. "It wouldn't be surprising if he wanted the new Aegon to have three wives instead of two."

"And he needs dragons to stay in power if he intends to do that. I can't see any other way Tywin would agree. Either he sees his granddaughter sharing the title of queen with two others, or he sees her dead," he said. Tywin would be the biggest problem. The religion accepted that Rhaegar had two queens. It wouldn't be so far-fetched for his son to follow in his footsteps.

"Yes," she said vaguely. She looked among the trees and heard footsteps. Torrhen had moved away from the dead bodies. "Those---gods!" she exclaimed. The dragons were now the size of deer. However, the widest one seemed to have the build of a bull.

She looked at the fire, with three distinct flames: black, white, and red.

The smell of burning human flesh took her back to when she first smelled it. And... for a second she heard her baby's cry.

She felt, within all the bitterness and pain, a flash of happiness, just from hearing her baby again.

The sound of skin tearing between their jaws kept her absorbed. They attacked the skulls first. Within minutes, the flesh was gone, and only bones with small pieces of meat remained. One leg, one arm, and part of the torso of one of the men were almost complete, almost intact, but they were filled before they could reach them.

For a magnificent second, she imagined Rhaegar replacing those corpses.

"I'll need your help," said Jaehaerys. "I want to keep Visenya here." She frowned.

"You want a hostage," she said, not looking happy.

"Yes. And you'll stay with her," he said. "When I negotiate with Rhaegar, I'll ask that she stay here as Daenerys's companion."

"You'll give her dragons?" she asked.

"No, but your daughter will be close to them. It will make her believe she'll be their rider," he said.

"How can you be so sure she won't join him?" she asked.

"If she does, she'll stay here. Raised by you," he said.

"And you'll take her as your second wife," said Lyanna.

"What? No, I don't plan to," he denied.

"But I do. If she manages to tame a dragon, marry her." The queen seemed stubborn.

"She's almost half my age; I can't, no," he refused vehemently.

"I can convince Rhaella to pressure the king. But I want you to promise me that if she bonds with the dragon, you'll marry her." Her reddened eyes stared at him intently.

"Why?"

"With a dragon, you won't use her as a weapon. I know you'll have two. Besides, I know you'll protect her." She took a deep breath. "I trust you will survive the assassins, and I trust you will keep Daenerys safe. Rhaegar will not try to kill Visenya, but other lords may think differently." She was selfish.

Jaehaerys thought about how unpleasant it would be to marry a child. However, it was really for the best. The idea of keeping Visenya was to keep Rhaegar in check. He couldn't deal with a war, not without his grown dragons. Knives in the dark were more manageable. And he knew that no matter what he did, they would come for him first. Rhaegar would only do something drastic once he saw no way to kill him in the shadows. His daughter at ArgentStone would make him cautious. The biggest problem would be getting Visenya into the castle.

If Rhaegar planned to kill him with assassins, that was more feasible, as he would see her free as soon as he learned of his death. Rhaegar's trustworthiness would be an advantage for him.

"If that happens, I'll wait until she's 18," he said. He already felt bad for marrying Daenerys so young, although his morals had been distorted in Westeros, and he didn't see it as so far-fetched.

"If you wait that long, they might..."

"They won't. If necessary, I'll marry her younger, but it will only be a sham," he added when he saw she was not convinced.

"Good. Do you swear to keep my daughter safe and take her as your wife if she becomes a dragon rider?"

"I swear." And he felt a chain on his arm. "Lyanna, do you swear to do your best to live?" he asked her.

Convincing the king to keep Lyanna in the castle was easy, easier than convincing him about his daughter. She would stay for her daughter, whom she considered too young to be away from her. Rhaegar would agree.

If Jaehaerys were him, after the assassins failed against him and Dany, he would kill Lyanna. That would make the lords distrust him. It might seem like a small thing, but it would turn Visenya against them if the rumors reached her.

And Rhaegar, believing the girl to be a dragon rider, would expect her to escape flying.

"You're cruel." She smiled bitterly. "I swear." And from the way her eyes widened in surprise, he was sure she felt the magic too.

The queen let out a huge laugh. It wasn't funny, but she was happy. She felt safe. She already knew about magic; the red whore had shown it to her. But knowing that Jaehaerys had it too made her even happier.

"Make sure you convince my mother," he said. "That could be quite complicated. She's already unhappy that I'm here," he said.

"Oh, she'll see the fact that her granddaughter is here as a way to extend her influence in the castle," said Lyanna. "You could expect septons and septas. Will that be a problem?"

"No," he replied quickly. "My mother can send whoever she wants; I decide whether to let them in or not," he added.

Lyanna nodded before saying, "Thank you. It's not your responsibility to accept. But you've proven yourself to be more of a man than your brother will ever be."

"They're family," he said, though that wasn't the whole reason. "And you know this will affect me just as much."

"But you didn't have to offer to save my life," she said, her smile sweet.

Jaehaerys didn't respond to that. Instead, he focused on the alibi for the two men's deaths. "The men looked at the dragons and got too close, and they both died. One of the dragons looked at you, and, fearing death, you began to cry." He quickly made up a story. "When you see your daughter, hold her tight. It will reinforce the story."

"If you were a better actor and more interested in the throne, you would be a danger to Aegon," she said. She wasn't the first to tell him how bad he was at acting. "You're like an open book. I saw the sadness in your eyes, maybe that's why I opened up so much," she sighed. "I'll hug my daughter anyway. For the first time, I feel like I have a future." She touched her wrist, where she felt the magic form a bond.

"About the throne," he began. "What do you know about Aegon?"

"Are you asking if he's like Rhaegar?" she asked. He looked at her and nodded. "I don't know. I stayed away from him and Rhaenys. If his stoicism is a facade, he's better at maintaining it than his father. And Rhaegar is very good at maintaining it," she lamented not knowing more about him.

"I see," he said, looking at the weirwood. His face was redder than ever. "The sun will set in less than two hours. We must return." He didn't say why he had asked the question. There was no need.

If Aegon were like his father, another king would have to be chosen.

If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.

 

[Walder Black]

Rhaegar looked at the door, and his eldest daughter looked at him with those purple eyes similar to his own.

Rhaenys. She was named after the wife of Aegon the Conqueror.

As the eldest, she should have been named Visenya, but Rhaenys died in Dorne. When his daughter was born with Dornish coloring, he thought, wasn't it fair that Elia's Dornish womb should bring her back?

The king initially believed that the Song of Ice and Fire was about him. But he soon discovered that it wasn't. It was about his children.

Rhaegar always knew that Elia would not give him the three heads of the dragon. The second son was Aegon, in whom his features prevailed. Elia left little of herself in the child. After the birth of his heir, he received the news that Elia could have no more children. He could have forced her, but the resentment of Dorne would have haunted him throughout his reign.

He spent months searching for a place to sow his seed. His Visenya. First, he thought of a Valyrian woman; he even looked at Rhaella. However, the prophecies foretold that Visenya would have black and silver hair. He thought of Baratheon, but there were only sons in that house.

His father's madness began to spread and damage the already fragile foundations of the House of the Dragon. That is why he organized the tournament at Harrenhal, using the flimsy excuse of Lord Whent's daughter's name day.

And that is where he found her. Lyanna Stark. Wild and untamed. The flower of the North. She would give him the last dragon's head. Seduction did not work; she was smitten with him, but she constantly pointed to his wife. Robert, her betrothed, was not mentioned at all.

Was Lyanna's will greater than the will of the prophecy? Of course not, but Rhaegar would do whatever it took if it helped him fulfill his duty. What did the screams of a brat matter compared to destiny? His children were destined for great things. Lyanna would not interfere.

However, his father was there to ruin everything again. He killed the Lord of the North and his heir. Lyanna was important, but she wouldn't start a war, especially when Rhaegar announced his intentions to take her as his second wife. He had already bought off the septons; the Seven weren't the problem.

But Eddard and Robert's heads were requested by Aerys. And the rebellion began. Rhaegar first took care of Lyanna; he had to secure his seed. Then he spent his time searching for answers in mysticism for the war. House Targaryen would not fall. It would not end. The question was: how to win? He did not find the answer. Robert won battle after battle, and the loyalists began to wonder where their prince was. He had to show up. He left the three Kingsguard in the Tower of Joy.

He had to make sure Lyanna didn't escape.

Soon, he found himself at the Trident, looking at the rebel army. The hawk, the stag, and the wolf. They fought well. Better than he expected. The loyalists began to retreat.

Rhaegar faced Robert in single combat. He still remembered his arm burning with every blow from the stag.

He wondered if his younger brother's blows would be as hard. The dragon lost that fight. He fell backward into the river, his sword somewhere underwater. He watched Robert's hammer rise. He was going to die.

Suddenly, he heard horns. Then Tywin Lannister came. The lion flanked the rebels from the side.

Robert made a desperate attempt to kill him, but his hammer struck the river. One of the loyalists knocked him off balance.

Rhaegar didn't remember his name; he was just another one of the many who died in the service of his duty.

Robert fled.

"As long as I live, there will be no peace for your bloodline." Robert's voice echoed like thunder rumbling across the land.

The rebel army was defeated.

Rhaegar won the war as was destined to happen.

The rest was explaining his actions to Lord Stark and Lord Arryn. He told them how Lyanna and he had fled, sharing the blame with her. He apologized for his father and asked for their help. He brought them to their knees and then extended his hand, just as he had learned from Tywin. They had no choice but to accept.

Then he came to make Lyanna sing as he wanted. But when he saw her again, he discovered that she had not brought a Visenya, only a child. Rhaegar's anger was palpable. He thought of naming him Maegor to stigmatize him. His mother, Rhaella, would not allow it, and he ended up calling him Daemon, wanting the lords to think of Blackfyre.

But his name and behavior ended up associating him more closely with the Rogue Prince. Rhaenyra's husband, although known as a shameless rebel, was recognized as a great warrior and general.

It was only years later, with a small sacrifice, that he managed to reunite the three heads. He dreamed it. Three dragons are soaring through the skies.

All that remained was to get rid of Myrcella. His mother had exchanged letters, not with Tywin, but with Joanna. Behind his back, they arranged a marriage between their grandchildren. That marriage won the war.

Myrcella had to go. He wasn't ready for that yet. The kingdom was still healing, and the Targaryens held power, not by force, but through alliances.

He sent people in search of dragon eggs. To Essos, to Valyria, although they never returned. Sothoryos and Ulthos were also considered. He obtained two eggs from a Pentoshi merchant, Illyrio Mopatis. The two eggs showed no sign of being anything more than precious stones.

Why couldn't Rhaegar, the father of the three dragon heads, get dragons?

Where he failed, his younger siblings succeeded. Daenerys is a beautiful girl with thick Valyrian blood. And Jaehaerys, with the mind of a maester and the strength of a giant. None of his children was known or mentioned with such effusion. Only Daemon, but he was more wolf than dragon. Rhaegar tried not to think about the people calling Visenya, his youngest daughter, "wolf blood."

His children were perfect. You could see Valyria, the Rhoynar, and the First Men in them. The Andal blood, though not noticeable, still ran through their veins. All Seven Kingdoms were represented in them.

Why did his siblings, who were not mentioned in the prophecy, overshadow his children so much?

Now he had to come to Harrenhal, or ArgentStone, as they wanted to call it now. He wasn't going to beg for the dragons; he was going to negotiate for them. He would offer the hands of his grandchildren or more gold. It didn't matter. He would not leave that castle without the three dragons that his brothers had somehow managed to hatch.

"You say Lyanna stayed talking to Jaehaerys?" the king asked his eldest daughter. He had to kill his wife soon; she had tried to poison him. She was becoming bolder. With Daemon out of his reach, he could no longer threaten her; he would not harm Visenya.

That was worrying. He did not know how much she would dare to reveal.

His brother already held a grudge against him for condemning Viserys. A few howls from the she-wolf, and he could turn against him. Rhaegar could march on Harrenhal with an army. But the lords would see him as greedy.

With dragons, that didn't matter, but he didn't trust himself to raise an army large enough to defeat his brother's thousand men without alerting him. He had heard that some of those men were Unsullied.

An army takes time to assemble and march. Besides, there was no guarantee that other houses would not see this as an opportunity to rebel. The roses were still angry. The trout and the falcon were wounded, although the Tullys, united to the Lannisters by marriage, would not move.

The wolf remained in the cold North, licking his wounds.

"Yes. In front of the weirwood tree in Godswood." His daughter was so Dornish that he sometimes regretted having his children represent the races of Westeros. 'But it's necessary,' he told himself.

"What do the flames say, Melisandre?" The red woman had been a constant support. She understood the value of prophecies and saw Azor Ahai in Aegon.

"The dragons will go to the three heads of the dragon." Her gaze remained fixed on the flames. "It requires a sacrifice. You must give up something you have, only momentarily. The dragon-wolf will ride the copper. The false riders will never achieve their goals." Her voice was mesmerizing.

"What could my brother ask of me?" He shook his head. It was only momentary. 'Dragon wolf. That can only be Visenya.'

"What about Aegon and Rhaenys?" he asked the priestess.

"I can see the three dragon heads falling on the Others," was all she said.

Rhaegar hoped that neither Daenerys nor Jaehaerys had managed to join the dragons. He didn't want the stigma of being a Kinslayer.

But if his brothers wanted to usurp the right of his children...

Dragons can have a rider when the previous one dies.

If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.

 

[Walder Black]

The Hall of a Hundred Hearths was enormous. It was there that the vote for succession took place almost 200 years ago, which King Viserys I ultimately won. More than a thousand lords and their entourages arrived at Harrenhal. Although it was said that there were a hundred chimneys, Jaehaerys counted only thirty-eight. It didn't matter; he would soon tear the place down.

"I'm sorry that the castle cannot provide the comforts that royalty deserves," Jaehaerys apologized. They were seated at a large table. "I tried to do my best to build ArgentStone. Although I've had some mishaps lately." Rhaegar understood that he blamed him.

"The rooms are comfortable. I must thank you for getting it ready in such a short time, brother." The king smiled, ignoring his complaints.

"I'm glad." They began the small feast. Calling it a feast was an exaggeration. Only the Targaryen family was there; Rhaegar didn't waste time bringing unnecessary lords. He didn't want to give his brother a chance to escape.

The hall was empty. They ate on a platform. Only soldiers and knights from both houses accompanied them.

"I heard the workers say that the towers will be 600 feet tall." Aegon sought conversation as a maid served him lamb. "Those towers are taller than the previous ones," he said, cutting the meat with a short knife. His face remained stoic.

"ArgentStone will be better designed than Harrenhal. But it will maintain and increase its proportions," the prince said, eating a pork chop. Remembering the food of his past life, he began to find the medieval food insipid.

"An ambitious project, uncle." Rhaenys was in no hurry to eat, simply taking a glass of wine. Looking at her, Jaehaerys wondered when he had last tasted alcohol. "Are you sure you can complete it?"

"As long as I can get the materials," he replied, wiping the grease from his mouth. "It seems that Dragonstone can't give them to me. I've started looking elsewhere. There are rumors of volcanoes in Skåne. If I can't get them from Essos, I'll have to bring them from there," he said, looking at the king, who remained indifferent to the conversation.

It was clear to everyone at the table that he was not happy with his older brother's actions.

They were silent for a while as they all ate. Queen Rhaella continued to question her daughter about her life in the castle. It seemed that her previous anger had dissipated. Lyanna just stared at her plate. Visenya, beside her, looked like she wanted to jump on the table.

"Have you thought about returning to King's Landing, brother?" Rhaegar wiped his mouth. He took a sip of wine.

"My duties need me here, on my lands. Leaving would mean stopping all construction," replied the prince. Everyone had put down their cutlery.

"I've looked at the construction. You don't need to be here. You can assign a castellan." Both men were seated at opposite ends of the table. "Jon Connington has proven himself an excellent administrator." Jaehaerys couldn't stop the amused snort that escaped him.

"Jon Connington has no place here. He should pay more attention to his wife. I hear that in more than fifteen years of marriage, they have not managed to produce a child."

Jon wasn't exactly a man he respected. He had only known him as a child, but even then it was clear that his devotion to Rhaegar was greater than loyalty or friendship.

"At this point, I would have expected you to be pregnant," Rhaella interjected, wanting to ease the tension at the table.

"We have three children," said Dany.

And the table fell into a deep silence. Rhaegar made an effort not to frown.

"Mother of dragons!" Visenya almost shouted. "Can I see them?"

"Later, she-wolf," Jaehaerys replied with a smile. The girl pouted but said nothing.

"So, the rumors are true?" Rhaenys dared to ask.

"Would you all be here if they weren't?" the prince asked back. Rhaenys looked at him hungrily, just like she had during the tournament.

"They are," Lyanna interjected. Her face turned pale. "Sir Roland and Sir Adamm got too close." Rhaegar frowned. He had already heard that story.

"The dragons," Rhaegar began, "are the symbol of House Targaryen. That is why I want you to come with me to King's Landing," he explained in the softest voice he could muster.

"There's nothing for me at King's Landing." The wine stung his throat; he hadn't had a drop since his trip to the island.

"I'll make you my Hand. And I'll protect the dragons from the enemies of House Targaryen," said the king, offering him the position of Hand. It was the sacrifice he was willing to make.

'Of or from?' Jaehaerys wondered.

"I will not go to King's Landing," he refused flatly. And that uncomfortable silence returned. "I don't understand why I'm being punished," he asked in a low voice. The echo spread throughout the Hall of a Hundred Hearths.

"It's not a punishment," Rhaegar said sweetly, looking sad.

"Then what is it?" asked Jaehaerys. "I can't work in my castle. Why am I being denied volcanic ash? And now you want me to go to King's Landing and abandon my castle?" If he could see under the table, he would see Rhaegar's knuckles white as he clenched his fists.

"There was an alarm that the volcano could erupt again." Everyone could smell the lies in the king's words.

"I see," Jaehaerys said without adding anything else.

"Have you joined the dragons?" said Visenya. Rhaegar would have to thank his youngest daughter for asking the right questions.

"We don't know," Dany replied. "The dragons are close to us, but we'll only know if they're our companions when we ride them," she explained to the girl.

"Can I have one?" she asked eagerly. "I'll give it sheep to eat." She seemed to want to tell them that she would take good care of the dragon.

"You can't have one," said Jaehaerys. "They don't belong to you." Rhaegar's eyes began to burn a hole in his head. "They don't belong to anyone, not even us," he continued, looking his brother in the eyes. "A dragon is not a pet. It is not a slave. A dragon chooses its rider, not the other way around." The tension at the table relaxed after those words.

"Then can I try to be its friend?" she asked with childlike excitement, oblivious to the tension.

"Of course you can. The dragon will decide if it lets you ride it." His eyes looked at his older brother. "It's best if everyone tries," which left them perplexed. Jaehaerys was confident. Aegon would try to summon the black dragon, attempting to imitate his namesake. It wouldn't work, but hopefully he wouldn't die.

The copper dragon was the only one free, but it was also the least impressive of the lot. If anyone tried to tame it, it would escape. Jaehaerys would have to make an effort to get the dragon to approach Visenya.

"You have made a significant contribution to House Targaryen---more than anyone in centuries. I would feel bad if I didn't reward you." The king's voice was sincere. Jaehaerys gave him more than he thought.

He didn't need to negotiate with the hands of his grandchildren, and it seemed that if Lyanna had told him about the rebellion, Jaehaerys had ignored it.

"I want to build my castle. I need more gold. I want no interference when I obtain materials or with the migration of people. I also wish to be independent," he said at last.

"Independence?" The king looked confused. "You want to leave the Seven Kingdoms?"

"No," he denied quickly. "I don't want to bow to Lord Tully," he said. Jaehaerys had been refusing all of the lord's letters of invitation. He always refused, citing his workload, his family, his duty, and his honor. "I want ArgentStone to answer only to House Targaryen." His brother nodded.

"I will send a letter to Lord Tully," he agreed. "Anything else?"

"I don't want red priestesses on my land, and I want Visenya to be a lady-in-waiting for Daenerys. Even if she manages to join a dragon." The other demands were nothing to Rhaegar, but those two made him think.

'Visenya will ride the copper dragon. Keeping her here will be a temporary sacrifice.' It wasn't hard to see that Jaehaerys wanted a guarantee that he would keep his word. Although Rhaegar never thought his younger brother was capable of harming his daughter. He was too kind.

"I accept," he said with a touch of bitterness. "Visenya will remain here, and no red priests will come. Not those I can control." Perhaps he gave in too much, but the dragons were too precious to risk. He had seen the power of the great R'hllor in his sacrificed son. It might upset R'hllor, but he knew Melisandre would agree with his priorities.

"If the girl is to remain here, I think it is right that Lyanna stay with her," said the queen mother.

"I will allow it," the king conceded. Better that Lyanna die within the walls of Harrenhal than in King's Landing. If Visenya began to suspect her uncles, she would harbor resentment against them.

Rhaegar thought that if his brothers were not linked to the dragons, he could let them live. Then he would take ArgentStone from them.

"The false riders will never achieve their goals," he remembered Melisandre's words.

"Then you will see the dragons tomorrow." Jaehaerys raised his cup in their direction.

'I have seen a dragon in my reflection every day,' thought the king.

Everyone at the table missed Lyanna's hand grasping her daughter's hand enthusiastically, as the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

If you wish to read more you can go to https://linktr.ee/walderblack, already in chapter 150.