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Rhaegar Targaryen, Son of the Dragon (SI as twin of Aenys I Targaryen) by Dragonspectre01

Books » A song of Ice and Fire Rated: M, English, Adventure & Fantasy, OC, Aegon T., Visenya T., Maegor T., Words: 24k+, Favs: 452, Follows: 574, Published: Jan 1 Updated: May 1174Chapter 5: CH5: The Dark Sister

Visenya once thought power belonged to those who can wield power without suffering the burden of that power. The Dragonlords of Freehold proved their strength when they burned the ancient cities of Ghiscari to the ground. From the ashes of one civilization, another took birth. One that was believed to last thousands of years secure under the might of dragons. The sons of Valyria spread out into the wider continent and established the largest empire the world has ever seen in living memory. With dragonfire, Valyrians proved they were not just conquerors but builders as well. Builders of great marvels like the city of Volantis, Lys, Tyrosh, Myr, the everlasting roads that spanned Essos and great castles and towers of Valyria itself that touched the skies.

For aeons, Valyria remained a shining beacon on the world supreme in every way compared to other civilizations. Valyria's wealth was not just in gold but in the knowledge it possessed. The great thinkers, sorcerers and philosophers led the Valyrian people to great heights while the rest of the world languished in their mediocrity. She was a legacy of the great civilization lost to the Doom. It was her duty to maintain that same vibrance and greatness in the new kingdom that she and her siblings built. Else her family would once again witness a disaster the likes of which her grandfather brought to House Targaryen.

Her grandfather in his infinite wisdom sold out valuable artefacts and relics of House Targaryen in return for gold. Many great artefacts like dragon horns, sacred tomes, Valyrian steel daggers and circlets were sold away. Her father Aerion who reversed the policies of her grandfather managed to preserve some of the knowledge of House Targaryen. When she was born it was her father that taught her the many spells and higher mysteries of the world. It was her father that lit the fire of ambition in the hearts of her siblings that led to the conquest of Westeros.

Bards may write songs about her brother's bravery and power but it was she who devised the strategy to subjugate the continent. Her planning and efforts saw to it that the present-day Crownlands and Riverlands march with the Targaryen host in the Conquest. If it was left to Aegon he would have taken the Crownlands and launched an invasion of the Reach which would have been a strategic mistake.

Her sister Rhaenys, on the other hand, was instrumental in diffusing the tensions among the many lords that fought under the Targaryen banner. While Rhaenys was no slouch in warfare or making strategies she preferred dialogue over war.

Visenya had so many fond memories of her little sister but now lost because of a needless war over a wasteland. Aegon's ego was the reason she lost her sister and she would never forgive him for that. Her brother knew she blamed him for the death of Rhaenys. Perhaps that was why he was no longer intimate with her after Rhaenys passed away. Once she had loved her husband as she had loved her sister but now that has long passed. She stayed by his side for the sake of her sister and the legacy that she left behind. Twin dragons were born from her sister's body and it was for those children that she stayed by Aegon's side even if this forced her to spend less time with her own son. If it was she who had died she was sure Rhaenys would have done the same for her little Maegor.

Her concern for Aenys and Rhaegar was not just because they were her sister's legacy but because it would be their duty to build upon what she and her siblings painstakingly built after a lifetime of war. So much blood has been shed on both sides and if house Targaryen won't be able to hold the kingdoms together anarchy would follow.

There were enemies hidden in shadows waiting to pounce on the kingdom that she and her siblings built. She knew the High Septon had declared Aegon as King because the Hightowers and the Grey Rats of the Citadel advised caution after the Field of Fire. She had miscalculated on the response from Oldtown else she would have urged her siblings to attack further into the Reach.

The Westerlands were properly put down and the Lannister hold on their former kingdom was shaky. She had it on good authority that the Lannisters are holding it together because of their wealth and Aegon declaring them as the Wardens of the West. There was discontent in the Vale but for now, it was just isolated to some heated conversations in Gulltown. This discontent was largely directed at Ronnel Arryn who turned out to be a sword swallower. For the time being the scandal had yet to gain traction due to the timely intervention of a few loyal lords. Combined this with the defeat the Arryns suffered during the Conquest has spooked many to have dangerous opinions. So long as those opinions remain opinions she was going to leave them to it but she was keeping her eyes open.

The Stormlands and Riverlands were tranquil and the two Lord Paramounts were people she could trust. Both of them has been doing an admirable job in keeping the lords in line. The North was for the time being silent and in splendid isolation completely keeping a blind eye to the south.

She had her concerns when a group of Northmen formed a Sellsword company in Braavos. She hated the Braavosi and mixing them with sturdy First Men was a disaster waiting to happen but so far nothing out of the ordinary seems to be at play. Last she heard the Company of Rose was fighting for Norvos against a local warlord based on the hills of Andalos. Even if she saw them as a threat she gathered anyone that named a sellsword company after a flower was not worth her time.

Rather she was interested in the Starks and thankfully they were for the time being silently fuming in their castle. Rhaenys had brilliantly made Lyra Stark the wife of Ronnel Arryn. It was a subtle threat and incentive for Torrhen Stark to rein in his people else an Arryn would one day rule from Winterfell. Although, that was now out of the picture with how Ronnel Arryn turned out.

"I think you should tone down your stare dear cousin. The portrait of your late grandfather seems a tad bit uncomfortable." said a voice from her side.

Visenya turned to face the owner of the voice who turned out to be Aethan Velaryon. She already knew the identity of the speaker as none would dare speak so informally with her and none could claim kinship to a Targaryen save the Velaryons. She glared one last time at her grandfather's portrait which Aegon had for reasons beyond her understanding decided to place in the small council chambers.

"I see you have returned from your trip to Lys cousin. Did you have a good journey?" she asked as she watched Aethan take a seat by her side on the table. In the absence of her brother, she was sitting at the head of the table leading the small council sessions. This would be the last session before she would be flying back to Dragonstone and be with Maegor.

"A very productive journey I have to say. Met some old friends of yours and the King's for that matter." said Aethan happily and Visenya was reminded of her uncle Daemon for a moment. If nothing else Aethan had inherited the adventurous streak of his father who was her favourite uncle. She still remembered the many tales of his exploits and cherished those stories in her heart. It was a dark day for her personally when her uncle died while fighting the Arryn fleet near Gulltown.

"How is Lys? What say our friends in the Perfumed daughter?" she asked keeping away painful memories of the past.

"The city remains the same although the ports are now filled with Braavosi vessels. You were right to be wary of our Braavosi friends. They are spreading their influence most rapidly in the absence of a significant retaliation from Volantis." said Aethan more subduedly.

"I warned Aegon not to make common cause with those bankers from Braavos." Hissed Visenya before calming herself down. "There is no point in arguing over what has already happened. Have you secured what you were looking for?"

"Yes indeed cousin." said Aethan happily before taking out a rolled piece of parchment and handed it over to her.

She looked at the insignia of a chisel affixed on the seal.

"That is an official contract by the Guild of builders in Lys to rebuild the Aegonfort. They just need your official seal on it and then they will send their finest architects to King's Landing to survey the land and showcase their designs." said Aethan which made Visenya smile.

She had repeatedly insisted on building a proper castle instead of the mud addled wooden construct that was over their head. It had taken a lifetime of nagging for her brother to sanction the construction of the city walls. That project was in danger of being delayed and dragged on but thankfully Rhaegar had shown an interest in its progress. The result was that her nephew managed to recruit enough people to oversee the daily works and smooth out any problems that affected the building speed. This was something that she was thankful for and his interest in the construction of the city wall was something she never anticipated. Of course, her nephew used this project to build several bathhouses, vegetable gardens and small scale farms in the city.

At first, she feared that Rhaegar was easily manipulated by the Septas and Septons to give away wealth to the poor. This was why she had steadily resisted many of her nephew's projects. True, some of these projects were sanctioned by her late sister Rhaenys but Rhaegar was just a child. She could not trust a child in place of her sister. At least that was her initial thought but soon that perception changed when her nephew managed to construct the orphanage and made it in such a way that it became self-sufficient. Nowadays, the orphanage was running on its own earnings from the small scale farms it was running.

Seeing this kind of discretion and attention to detail from her nephew her caution was toned down. This was why she asked Aegon to allow the funds for building the bathhouses and gardens which turned out to be a huge success. It didn't escape her attention that her nephew was very good in investing the gold in developing businesses and earn back twice what was spent. She would have never thought Rhaegar to be this practical and farsighted. She knew he was a brilliant child but she was surprised the way he exercised his knowledge in life. With regular involvement, Rhaegar had managed to extract a considerable amount of goodwill from the people. Although, she was wary of the Faith she could see that Rhaegar was appealing to many in the Sept.

This was why she had an easy time convincing Aegon to rebuild the Aegonfort. This was something Rhaegar was also interested in and it was his suggestion to recruit architects from Lys or Tyrosh. The new castle will get the needed secrecy in its designs and then there was the added benefit of using Valyrian architecture in the construction. This was made possible because of Rhaegar who had introduced liquid rock which he referred to as cement when construction of the city walls began. She had heard of liquid rock but she thought the secret was lost in the ashes of Valyria. But here it was one of the oldest knowledge of her ancestors reborn and that too from a child. This discovery had taken away any of her insecurities and fears for the future of her house. With Rhaegar and Maegor she was sure House Targaryen would only grow in power and influence.

The only one that needs her care and concern right now would be the eldest son of her sister, Aenys. A young boy who was unfortunately addled with sickness and weakness from his birth. The boy was unlucky to be cursed with such a fate and she had tried her best to enhance Aenys with statesmanship. She had tried her best to teach him to control other people not through force but wile. Rhaegar and Maegor would serve as the force behind the throne but Aenys needed to be mindful to direct the enormous power in his grasp. Contrary to her expectations Aenys was a reclusive boy who preferred reading books and scrolls in dark corners of his room. The only times the boy would get some sunlight on his pale skin would be when Rhaegar drag his brother outside.

This had left her stumped on how to handle Aenys. She dearly loved her nephew but she feared what would happen when he ascended the throne. Rhaegar was too emotionally attached to his brother for all his growth in other matters. Aenys's reclusive attitude was a product of his physical weakness and something he inherited from his father. Aegon was also a recluse in his younger years and the only ones he could connect with were Rhaenys, Orys and herself. Later in life, Aegon learned to adapt with the help of Rhaenys but Aegon was strong in heart. Aenys was not like that and she was seeing the worst version of Aegon as the heir of the kingdom. She dearly hoped this would change especially with the impending nuptials of Aenys and Alyssa. This was something that she had an extensive hand in as she could not bear to imagine some Andal woman whispering poison into the ears of the future king of Westeros.

"My Queen. A messenger is here to see you." said Ser Humfrey of the Kingsguard who had apparently entered the council chambers. She shook herself of the thoughts that had dragged her into a world of its own and turned her attention on the steel cladded knight.

"Who is this messenger Ser Humfrey?" she asked

"A messenger from Hunter my Queen."

Now that gave her pause and she scrutinized the knight before she gave her permission to let the messenger in. While her position of Queen was more than enough to let her have a seat in the Small Council she also served as Master of Whispers for her brother.

There were three sets of spies in the capital at the moment. There were her men, there were those spies employed by her nephew although he thinks he was discreet in creating this network and then there were those maesters that served the Hightowers. All other spies were her own double agents and provided her with more information about their original masters. Hunter was someone that she had in the Reach and to send word this early into her brother's procession gave her an ill-feeling.

The messenger came in and she took in the appearance of the messenger critically. The man was a trader of some sort or most likely a farmer. She cared not what the man did for a living so long as he was useful.

"Speak." she commanded

"The young prince has split from the king's riding party my queen."

"What!"

"Aye, my Queen. The Prince is hunting for an outlaw that goes by the name of Black Septon."

She just continued to look at the man flabbergasted at this new turn of events. She had hoped with Aegon and Ser Corlys close to her nephew he would curb his misadventures but apparently she was wrong. No matter how clever her nephew was she was reminded again and again that he was just a boy with his childish antics. She rubbed her forehead as she could feel an impending headache taking hold of her. This feeling only got more strengthened as Aethan began to question the messenger and a more detailed account was depicted.

Apparently, she should have made that boy stay in the capital rather than trust his safety with her foolish brother. Her only consolation was that Ser Addison was with that foolish boy and the knight would keep her nephew out of harm's way. She hoped that was the case else she would set Vhagar upon Addison, Baelium and her idiotic brother who styles himself as King.

AN: Thank you for all of your positive reviews and support.

Levianeus: I agree. He is going to stir up the hornet's nest somewhere along the line. Just wait for it to happen before you apply plot armour to Rhaegar.FanFiction

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Rhaegar Targaryen, Son of the Dragon (SI as twin of Aenys I Targaryen) by Dragonspectre01

Books » A song of Ice and Fire Rated: M, English, Adventure & Fantasy, OC, Aegon T., Visenya T., Maegor T., Words: 24k+, Favs: 453, Follows: 574, Published: Jan 1 Updated: May 1174Chapter 7: CH7: The House of Dragons

Rhaegar let out a grunt as his waist was tightened with white bandages dipped in peppermint oil. It was supposed to bring down pain and he hoped that it would work because he was having a lot of pain from his ribs. Apparently, taking a full-blown kick from a grown man while wearing chainmail was a bad idea. That was a lesson he took to his heart and he would not repeat the same mistake ever again if he could help it.

At the same time on his left hand, a wound was packed in with bandages and some honey. These measures would do so for now before they could reach the safety of Tumbleton.

"How're you feeling, my prince?" asked Baelium sporting a concerned frown on his face.

"I think you were going easy on the training yard. That bandit kicked me with enough force that I nearly saw heaven." said Rhaegar and groaned painfully when he tried to adjust his position on the bed.

Well, it was bound to be painful considering he was lying on top of a type of bed that looked hardly anything like a bed. It was just a pile of clothes on the ground and on top of that he was lying down recovering from last night's ordeal.

"We are so sorry my prince. We don't have anything better for you to lie down." said Polts the fisherman with shame. It was the same fisherman that Rhaegar had befriended in the village yesterday. He was glad the man survived.

"Oh no. You and your family have been gracious hosts to me Polts." He reassured the fisherman who had little in his life and had yet shared what he had with all of them.

Despite his efforts, the man looked like he was horribly embarrassed in his supposed failure in treating royalty. To distract the man Rhaegar latched on to the other members of Polts.

"Introduce me to your family Polts."

That excited the fisherman who pulled his children forward.

"My eldest son, Colts." The fisherman introduced an older boy that looked like he was old enough to twenty. A well-rounded face greeted him with an awkward smile and Rhaegar, in turn, gave a small smile.

"Well met."

"Then my youngest son Dols." said Polts pushing a young boy of seven. The young boy was so shy that his cheeks and ears were red. Although, that was preferable to the black soot covering the boy's hands and face.

"Are you really a prince?" asked the young boy only to receive admonishments from his father and brother.

Looking at the innocent face of Dols made him think about his own younger brother Maegor. Last night he had nearly died and when the bandit had kicked him down the first face that sprang to his mind was of Maegor. Perhaps it was his subconscious mind trying to communicate something to him. He shook those thoughts away for the time being and smiled at the young boy. He beckoned him closer and he waved off the apologies from the rest of the family.

"If anybody should doubt when you say that you met a prince show them this." said Rhaegar as he handed Dols his own silver ring that had the insignia of House Targaryen.

"My prince you shouldn't have to do that." said Pols

"And yet I have done so. I do have a brother of a similar age and children no matter their birth ought to be treated as children." said Rhaegar as he patted Dols on his head. The small boy was staring at the ring in utter fascination and happiness. At that moment he wished he had something truly useful he could gift to the family.

"We ought to move to Tumbleton today my prince." Interjected Baelium

"Oh! I had hoped we could stay for a day."

"Not with your condition and that of the men. In the castle, the wounds could be treated properly. Besides we would be imposing on the people of this village."

"You are right. The people of this village have enough problems to worry about." He said thoughtfully. "So when are we going?"

"I was hoping we could move by noon. It will give us time to treat those who are seriously wounded and gives our men some resting time." Belgium suggested.

"Hmm. That's alright then. I suppose we move at noon." Rhaegar assented before frowning at his sworn shield. "Where is Ser Addison?"

"Overseeing the men and burying the dead." said Baelium

"Oh. How many did we lose and what about the villagers?" asked Rhaegar with a grimace.

"We count three men, my prince. The death toll among the Smallfolk is not certain. We are looking for survivors and we have to search for the burnt houses to get an exact number."

Rhaegar closed his eyes and prayed for those poor souls. He didn't pray to any god but just made a wish that their souls would rest in peace. He was someone who derided prayer and religious apparatuses in his world but lately he had found some peace of mind in praying. He knew that he was outsourcing his issues to an imaginary omniscient being in the sky. When faced with the kind of shit that he went through even a staunchest atheist would find solace in religion. Already he could feel a headache settle in as his rational mind argued with his irrational faith using logic and cold hard facts.

"Let me get some rest Ser Baelium. Will you be joining Ser Addison?" he asked as he briefly disengaged from his thoughts with his eyes closed.

"I will stay by your side, my Prince. A moment I am away you managed to injure yourself. It is a failure on my part and I am not keen on making that same mistake again." said Ser Baelium with a huff.

Rhaegar could feel that the knight was trying to cheer him up with some banter but he had no wit to spent after last night's events. The blood and gore nauseated him and thinking about that incident forced him to relive those events. It was hard to take those sensations out and for some reason, each moment of last night's battle was imprinted in his conscious with stark clarity.

Till last night he had never thought a battlefield would feel like that. He felt dirty and no matter what he felt that feeling would not go away.

Till yesterday he had never killed anyone in his life. He had not even killed an animal to his knowledge. Even when he stayed in King's Landing he had not harmed any animals. He knew that he was expected to kill or maim another living being when the situation called for it. When he decided to seek out the bandits he thought he would be ready but he was not.

He had thought that he would be killing the worst criminals and would bring justice to those who were suffering. He didn't feel he committed justice last night.

No! What he did last night was murder. And through that murder, he contributed to justice.

He killed a bandit who was hell-bent on killing a lot of people for his pleasure. By killing those bandits he stopped any future victims of that bandit. That was the only significant achievement of last night's events. He also most likely saved this village from annihilation. But in the process, he felt he became a part of something and he wasn't sure whether that was something he could live with.

He wished he could just fall asleep because closing his eyes was not only proving to be ineffective but it was contributing to making him queasy. He felt as if blood was sticking on to his hands and itched to wash it away. A portion of his mind argued that his hands were clean but his senses were not agreeing with that thought.

It was confusing and it was scary. He was a bundle of emotions and he doesn't know what he was going to do about it. But one thing he could agree on was that if he had the chance he would murder the one responsible for sending him into this world. He didn't care if it was gods, an ASB or the bloody Easter Bunny. He was going to kill that bloody thing even if it was the last thing he would do.

"Your grace, a raven arrived from Tumbleton." said Maester Gorme

Aegon accepted the scroll of parchment from the Maester who was a travelling companion in his procession.

Your grace,

We have succeeded in routing out the bandits within the time you graciously allowed. The Prince personally slew the bandit leader, the self-proclaimed Black Septon. We lost three Crownlanders in the battle but managed to save a village from the vices of the bandits. We resume our journey on first light.

-Ser Addison Hill

"I see. It seems my son has dealt with these bandits." said Aegon as a proud smile blossomed on his face.

"Your grace. Shall I oversee the arrangements you asked for?"

"Yes… Yes, indeed Maester Gorme. Do see to those arrangements." said Aegon distractedly never taking his eyes off from the piece of parchment in his hand.

The Maester moved away in a hurry to carry out his orders and he finally took his eyes away from the parchment distracted by his son's dragon taking to the sky. He watched as the aptly named Starfyre glide through the sky perhaps in reflection of Rhaegar's success. Dragons have been known to be extremely intelligent and empathic with its riders.

He had hoped his son's hunt for the bandits to bear some fruit. But he never imagined that Rhaegar would kill the bandit leader. This made his plans all the more effective and simpler.

Aegon had come to realize that dragons alone won't be enough to control the seven kingdoms. Visenya had warned him of this fact even before he launched his conquest and at that time he had dismissed her concerns. The battle of Gulltown and his disastrous attempt to conquer Dorne had proven the wisdom in his sister's warnings.

To his defence the consecutive victories he enjoyed against Harren the Black and the combined Lannister-Gardner armies had emboldened him. He had even tried to use diplomacy with Dorne for a unification. It was only when those efforts failed he went for war despite Visenya's concerns. On doing so he lost Rhaenys and her fall shattered the invincibility of dragons.

He proved that what happened to Meraxes was a lucky shot by burning Dorne to the ground in the following year. Despite that, the Dornish war revealed dragons can be killed in battle. Not only did he failed to conquer Dorne he also made his vassals question his authority. He had Dorne on the ropes and he was determined to wipe out the Dornishmen completely but his vassals forced him to pull back the armies and abandon his dream of a unified Westeros.

He had miscalculated the resolve of the Dornish and the troops of his vassals paid their price. It was then that he saw the inherent weakness in his power. He had no blood relation or economic dominance over his vassals and hence he couldn't hope to control them indefinitely with the threat of Dragonfire. This had let him know that House Targaryen had to ingrain themselves into the local culture to generate goodwill among his vassals and the people of his realm.

To that end, he began a rapprochement with the Faith hoping to generate goodwill by showing his deference to the Seven. Although, that was a half measure as he knew that the polygamy and incest practised by his House were seen in a bad light. But that would not matter with Aenys marrying a Velaryon.

He had tried to build better relationships with other lords like Edmyn Tully whom he even named as his Hand. But all of those measures were not as effective in generating respect and loyalty toward House Targaryen. One of the crowning achievements of his reign was that he managed to generate goodwill among the Lords of Crownlands and the Narrow Sea. His Small Council was filled with lords from these two regions.

But this was not enough in his opinion and he realised he would always be limited in his efforts to promote loyalty from the lords of Reach, Westerlands, Stormlands, North and Vale. Even the Riverlords who should have felt a spark of loyalty for his aid in saving them from the yoke of the Ironborn were unreliable. He didn't even make an effort to cultivate loyalty from the Ironborn. Those pirating lunatics were inconsequential for his plans in building a better kingdom.

Where he failed he thought that his children might succeed. He was painfully aware of his heir's limitations. But Rhaegar was whom his hopes and dreams of a better unified Westeros rested on. When the time came Maegor would also join Rhaegar and with three heads the House of Dragons will achieve wonders.

He was sure of it and that's why he gave certain leeway to his second-born son. Rhaegar was smart and was skilled in befriending people. His son had the natural charisma to make friends and his benign nature made people trust Rhaegar.

Aegon could already see a bright future of his legacy. Aenys would take over as King in his place. Rhaegar will be by his brother's side being the one to attract attention and loyalty from the lords and the people of the realm similar to Rhaenys. Maegor would grow to be a warrior that would make the enemies of House Targaryen tremble replacing Visenya.

And thus the history of Westeros will be changed by three dragons. His dream may not come true in his lifetime but he will ensure that his legacy will complete the dream. The dream of a unified Seven Kingdoms growing under the shadow of three heads of the Dragon.

All of that will come to pass but first, the tale of Rhaegar has to be spread. His son may be smart but he will need help to spread his influence. As of this moment, bards will sing songs of Rhaegar's bravery. He will ensure every corner of his kingdom will hear of Rhaegar's victory over the bandits. This will not be the first but it will be a start and he had learned the valuable lesson in starting small.

Aegon looked at the rising sun from atop the Stonebridge across the Mander. He would wait for his son to reach Bitterbridge and by then he was sure the tales of his son's bravery would spread. He smiled in satisfaction at the rising sun and let the wind carry the parchment into the clean waters of the Mander.

AN: Now that happened. Now you know what Aegon is thinking. Any thoughts?

Is anyone interested in writing a song about Rhaegar? Could be useful in the coming chapters.

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