Chapter Text
Chapter IV.
Author's Note- Just wanted to say that to me, this is like if you had placed HP into the world of A Song of Ice and Fire and simply what I would like to have seen done to some of my least favorite characters. Of course a decent wizard with a passing knowledge of history would win the majority of the time against a bunch of uneducated medieval folk. This is just something for fun for myself. For any Harry Potter fans, this may not be your cup of tea because it will not revolve much around that story arc. If you've not read the Song of Ice and Fire Series of Books you may not have much of a clue about any of it as again- this is also just for my own fun. That said, I love this site so much more than ff.net because most of those on AO3 have actually read the books and know what I'm writing about. I had one person on ff.net actually ask me when Ron and Ginny would arrive! WTF! lol. And don't even get me started on the whole incest thing. I have no siblings personally (though I still can't imagine wanting to do that with close kin), but anyone who read the books will know that whole thing is riddled with it! Even Ned's parents were cousins! Ok, rant over now- thanks!
Ps- after this chapter is when most of the real action will begin to take place. Most of this early part is world building.
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing- my credit's so bad they won't even take my cash!
Rhaegar I. POV.
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The first time he saw his son transform into a dragon had to have been the most shocking day of Rhaegar's life. Not even his resurrection upon his own funeral pyre had been quite so fantastical. He remembered being a small boy and the times his mother would read to him of all the tales of Old Valyria and their ancient legends. The story of the Dragonborn had always been one of his favorites. He'd always merely assumed however, that they were just that; stories.
Never, in his wildest imagining's, could he have ever predicted that his very own heir would be the one those ancient legends referred to.
If there was one thing about his brilliant young son that he had quickly discovered, it was that to assume virtually anything where he was concerned was the height of folly. His son would always continue to defy expectations, of that he had no doubt.
Of course he'd known his son was magically gifted. The events directly after the birth of Daenerys had more than clued he and Lyanna in on that little detail. In truth, neither of them had been overly surprised. He had always known that such powerful traits as sorcery had long manifested within his own bloodline. Rhaegar himself was even capable of some of the Valyrian magicks his mother had taught him in secret. Lyanna too, had known that members of her own family had often been blessed with certain blood gifts that manifested throughout the long history of House Stark. Lyanna herself could enter the minds of small birds.
Still, nothing like that can really prepare one to see one of your children turn themselves into a dragon, and have unequivocal proof that they are indeed the being that was whispered about in prophecies by the ancients.
He sat with his son and listened intently to all he'd offered to share with him; even if he was almost certain that he was holding some things back for whatever reason. As his son had described what he'd already learned, Rhaegar had found himself even further surprised by his admittance of the many and extremely varied gifts Jaehaerys was capable of. He'd even gone on to explain how he'd begun to instruct his sister and aunt in the use of their own magick's.
They had then given him a demonstration of what Jaehaerys had taught them.
It may have only been what amounted to a simple light spell, but the sheer amount of raw power he could feel coursing throughout the room when the three of them had cast a 'night-to-day' spell had left his sense's tingling and his mind even further awed.
Jaehaerys had explained his own belief that the three of them could cast magicks far stronger together than should have otherwise been possible, and he'd admit to being more than a bit impressed. He'd always felt the three little menaces had some sort of special bond or connection shared between them. The god's alone knew how often they caused chaos around the manse. Of course he'd never admit to being thoroughly amused by the trio's antics.
That would just not be proper.
Lyanna, he felt was more surprised than he, but considering how unflappable she tended to be under even the most difficult of circumstances; it was hard to determine.
'Ah, the stoicism of a Stark.' He thought ruefully imagining his wife's sometimes icy exterior that hid the fire that burned within.
The only reason he'd not been much more awestruck or even possibly terrified as some parents would have been was because of the beliefs his own mother had instilled within him almost from infancy. He'd always known magic was very much real, and the fact that his family had long been especially adept at its practice.
As a child, his mother taught him a great deal about the mysteries of the arcane.
When he was young, his mother would always insure there would be some quiet time that she could spend with him that allowed the two of them the opportunity to speak with complete freedom away from the prying eyes that so normally followed their every move in the Red Keep. During those times that Rhaella had passed on much of what she knew the Citadel and the Faith especially would label heresy. Without doubt, those had been some of the happiest times he ever remembered experiencing as a child; exploring the wonders of magic and Targaryen secrets of old.
It was later during the night, or rather early morning, and Lyanna was cuddled into his arms as the both of them attempted to return to the land of dreams for a few more hours of rest after their...enlightening...evening. He was certain his wife's mind was as restless with the recent revelations as his own.
"What do you think about our son's little...trick, Rhaegar?"
"Do you remember what had been on my mind so much around the time we first met one another?" He answered with a question of his own.
Lyanna furrowed her brow's in thought as her mind appeared to wander back to those early days when neither of the two of them had much hope left in terms of their own future. She, soon to be married off to a drunken whoremonger of a man she loathed utterly. Him, bound in a loveless marriage all the while living on the edge of a precipice; terrified of just what sorts of horrors his father would unleash upon the Kingdoms next whilst he just stood by- watching it all virtually helpless to the whims of a mad man.
Yes, those early days had been bleak indeed.
"You mean your prophecy; do you not?"
"Yes." He replied simply.
"What of it?"
She had never liked hearing about the possibility of their children being the bearer of such a troubled legacy.
He could see her sharp mind putting the pieces together of what he was referring to quite quickly.
While no one would ever describe Lyanna Stark as an intellectual, she was vastly more intelligent than most would assume. Her smart's were that of a different kind altogether: common sense combined with a thirst to know all she could of the greater world surrounding her. Oftentimes, he would overthink a problem or attempt to solve it with a long process of detailed research; resulting in various tandems which ended up merely complicating and even compounding whatever the original issue may have been. Yet, put the same problem before his lady wife, and she could identify and resolve a question or dispute with her own brand of common sense and plainly spoken direction. Her solution frequently seemed more sensible and even blatantly obvious in hindsight.
One of the many reasons Rhaegar strongly believed they made such a complimentary pairing.
From his own observation's, Jaehaerys had inherited the better traits of the both of them; frequently accomplishing by himself what would usually take the combined logic of both his parents to achieve.
"After seeing what we just saw and heard, does it still seem quite so far-fetched?"
Lyanna let out an inelegant snort followed by a more subdued chuckling.
Her sleep deprived husky (and rather sexy in Rhaegar's humble opinion) voice vibrated against his bare chest as she burrowed further into his warmth.
"It certainly places things into a different perspective, no matter how much I might wish it were otherwise. You know I was never one to hold to such a thing as fickle and misleading as prophecy, but if anyone had any chance of actually becoming some kind of prophesied savior prince, I have absolutely no doubt that it would be our little boy. I mean really, he apparently already fits the requirements for one ancient legend...what's one more? How many princes could there possibly be that could hope to hold a candle to our son in terms of individual gifts and as many blessings as have been bestowed upon him?"
"Very few indeed, I should think." He agreed unnecessarily.
"Regardless, if there were ever to be such a thing as a, 'Prince That Was Promised', it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to us in the least that it would be our son. I suppose I have to finally admit that there might actually be some validity to your initial beliefs. No matter how much I wished to never admit such a thing..."
Lyanna's voice had trailed off softly as a look that was rare graced her lovely visage.
He gently cupped his wife's cheek.
The expression of fear currently etched upon her face had him staring intently into her wintry gaze; his own concern for her readily apparent.
"What is it, My Love?"
She remained mute before she finally spoke.
"Tell me truly. Do you still have those awful dreams plaguing you?"
There was no need for her to clarify for him which dreams she was referring to.
He well knew those of which she spoke intimately.
This time it was Rhaegar whose eyes were overcome with a slightly haunted look.
"They've never ceased. I did not wish to trouble you with such malignant thoughts, My Love. I would never wish those fell sights upon any other...you least of all. Tis disturbing enough to see them for myself."
They had haunted his nights for as long as he could remember. Horrifying and unending, they were led by beings of such deadly beauty and grace they could never pass as human. They nightly conjured terror-inducing army's where they joined half man, half beast-like creatures in riding their ice spiders and ice dragons down past the Wall (that always fell in the end) with an army of their un-dead thrall's with glowing blue eyes; converting the realm of men as they swept across the land like a tidal wave of doom. The abominations brought death, destruction, and desolation to all that was good in the world; choking the life out of the very earth itself until they covered the land in ice and death. Every spine-chilling vision brought about the consequences of what was to come to mankind if the Long Night prevailed and the victory of the Others assured.
Yes, he still saw them on many occasions whether he wished it or not.
However, coincidentally around the time of the birth of his son, the dreams had undergone a slight change.
While he was still being inundated by visions of all he had ever held dear being destroyed by those un-dead monstrosities, they would now at least sometimes face more than the insignificant and futile resistance that was put up by those whom manned the Wall.
Almost since the day his son was born, he dreamed of flying high on a being with wide leathery wings that would breathe fire down upon the un-dead horde. In the distance he could always see others of his kin mounted atop similar beasts as they desperately attempted to help when they united to hold back the minions of the Great Other. All his life those visions...those nightmares...had plagued him; even to the point of haunting his waking hours on occasion. It was only upon the birth of his precious son that they had ever altered to show that man-kind held even a sliver of the meagre hope to fight against the dread tide that was ever approaching humanity.
Lyanna kissed the top of his toned chest and looked into his violet eyes.
"Would that I could remove such a burden from you." Lyanna whispered.
As he gazed into her hooded silvery eyes, he automatically felt some of the fear those visions never failed to induce recede as Lyanna's singular presence fought off the bone-deep cold that always set in; the ice and winter within her own veins freezing even the Others in the confines of his heart.
"You do more for me than you will ever comprehend."
"You know, for so long the thoughts and worries of that godsforsaken prophecy had consumed my thought's. I felt it held paramount importance over everything; even the issues concerning my father. Yet, you changed me. You have changed nearly everything about me. Nothing else in this world could have held sway over mine heart and mind as you, My Love. It was you that taught me how to live...that gave me my reason to fight and try to persevere for all our sake's. I never even truly comprehended what love really was before I laid eyes on you. Without you and the family you've given us...you are my reason for everything, Lya." He told her softly.
"Just as you are mine." Was her instant response.
It was the stark truth too.
Before he met his wild winter rose, he was more like an automaton; or a puppet with strings dancing to the tune of some invisible piper. His life was consumed by resolving the prophecy that had ensnared him so, along with unending thoughts of politics and his attempts at maneuvering through the Game of Thrones. He'd never even realized how very little he was truly living; merely existing through the drudgery his life had been.
Then, she swept into his life like a raging maelstrom; bringing with her everything that made life worth living and that he'd never known he had been missing.
She was a being from the land of ice and snow, and it was ironic that it had taken a Stark of Winterfell to instill such heat and passion into his staid and mundane existence.
She had enabled a dragon to finally discover his own inner fire.
While he never wished for any type conflict, he would admit to being quite selfish.
He would have rather waged a hundred more wars than to ever experience an existence that did not include her. Her love was indeed a love worth fighting for...worth dying for. He would do it all over again if he'd had to. She would always be worth it in his eye's.
When she came into his life, she struck his heart like a lightning bolt; forever altering him on such a fundamental level as to leave him near unrecognizable. She had transformed him in heart, mind, body, and down into the depths of his very soul. She had bewitched him utterly and he loved her more than life itself.
"The fact that those dreams still persist unchanged lend credence to suppose that what you see are indeed portents of things to come. The fact that our son had been gifted as he has also correlates to the probability of him being the subject of that damned prophecy no matter how much I might wish such burdens to never get near our children. I cannot deny the facts." She said with a worried sigh of anguish at the though of her sweet child facing the monsters come to life straight from Old Nan's tales.
"They have changed; the dreams I mean."
"What? They've not become worse have they? I'd not thought such a thing possible."
"Actually, the way they altered was the only way I ever saw even a glimmer of hope for the survival of humanity." He finally mentioned; thinking back to the initial alteration of those strange dreams.
"What changed about them?"
There was now a more curious lilt in her voice.
"I know this is going to sound mad, but after what we saw this evening...it might not be quite as far fetched as I'd previously thought it to be. It's why I never mentioned it to you before. I thought I was just imagining it." He told her.
She raised a shapely dark brow in curiosity.
"As I said, it had sounded mad, but...ever since just around about the time Jaehaerys was born, I began seeing dragons attacking the Others and their minion's." He admitted.
"Dragons?"
It was more of a blank statement than a question.
"Dragons." He supplied with a single nod of his head.
Lyanna's gaze drifted off in thought. After seeing her eldest turn himself into a fairly large fire-breathing red lizard, was it really so hard to imagine the re-birth of the near-mythical creatures that had been extinct for well over one hundred years?
"The eggs." She mumbled; more to herself than to him.
"What?"
"The eggs, Rhaegar. Did you not tell me that those scrolls Gerion gifted to Haery had finally answered the question your family had been attempting to solve for generations now?" Lyanna wondered.
His eye's flew wide open at that starling inquiry.
Rhaegar felt like slapping the back of his own head in his stupidity.
"I cannot believe I forgot about that!" He exclaimed.
"I think after what we saw this night you may be excused for the momentary lapse in your usual brilliance." Lyanna said humorously with a smirk adorning her lush, cupid's bow lips.
He thought that...admittedly, she had a point there- as usual.
"This could change the face of the whole world, Lya. We could guarantee the continued safety and security of our family against nearly anything with dragons...well, as much as it would be possible to ward against the unknown. If it worked, and if the prophecy truly does come to pass, we just might be able to insure our son's survival!" He postulated hopefully; feeling mightily relieved that perhaps his nightmares not need end with the destruction of all he held dear to him.
"How long did the writings say it would take for a clutch to hatch naturally with a true dragon's fire warming them?" Lyanna asked him for clarity.
Rhaegar hummed in acknowledgment as he thought over what those hidden passages had revealed.
"Three full turns was the cycle stated if they'd been separated from the dragon they originated from. Two turns if not."
Both were silent as they thought over the implications of everything that such a monumental endeavor would undoubtedly require.
"Braavos would be far too unsafe. We've been here too long as it is. The Bank and the Sea Lord can only be expected to keep Robert's men off our trail for so long, and I believe we've stretched our luck as far as we should dare." Lyanna said definitively.
"You're likely correct in that regard. Besides, Braavos is too densely populated and frequented by Westerosi to even contemplate hatching them here. Mother had mentioned she believed it was past time for us to relocate to another estate only a couple of days ago. I'd not thought to bring it up yet."
"Where would the best location we already own be to attempt such an thing?"
"There is a property that has a small estate already on it that could be much enlarged and fortified for security; especially for when the dragons are young and unable to defend themselves. It is located at the end of Lake Myrrdin off the River Myr between Pentos and Myr. Pentos would likely be better to set up as our headquarters. Travel between the two is not difficult and would not be much of a hindrance to keep it secret. If it works well enough, it's also just about the perfect location to begin to quietly train and quarter new forces. If we actually manage to hatch them, I suspect we'd be able to gain recruits easily. They'd know that once the beasts were grown, we'd be a force unlike any other in existence." He explained the ideas currently running swiftly through his mind.
The logistics of such a feat were readily making themselves known as he thought out the proper ways to achieve their goal's.
"You believe he'll really succeed against all the odds, and manage what no one else has in centuries?"
By that point, there was virtually no doubts in his mind whatsoever.
After seeing the unequivocal proof that his young son was indeed the Dragonborn of all the mad things, he was convinced.
"I know he will."
"He's so young...they're all still so very young. I..." She trailed off, her motherly instinct to shelter her children from all the chaos of the world almost seemed as if it were at war with destiny itself.
"I know, My Love. Would that we could wrap them up and hide them away from the world till they were all in their gray hairs, but we both know that isn't an option. Sooner or later, the world will come calling. I know of nothing else that could keep them any safer than dragons. Anyone foolish enough to attempt to harm our children then would face a fate far worse than anything we could deal them. This will see to our family's safety before anything else; I just know it." He said as he tried to explain the feeling of the rightness of what they were contemplating that made itself known to him.
"How many eggs are there again? I don't recall the exact numbers?" Lyanna questioned.
"We brought all we had left when we sailed from Dragonstone. We have ten eggs." He reminded.
"Ten eggs. That's a great deal of possibility. We have nine Targaryen's by birth and ten possible eggs for them to choose from, and an actual method to hatch them."
"Remarkable." She thought out loud.
"Indeed. However, I should think only the elder children should attempt the bonding as of yet. Rhaenys, Jaehaerys, Daenerys, Viserys, Mother, and myself would be more than enough to attempt for quite some time. Really, even the three of them are probably too young, but considering it could only come about by using Jaehaerys' powers, we could hardly deny him the opportunity. We both know wherever he goes, so too do Rhaenys and Dany. Aelyx, Valarr, and Valaerie are far too young for such a thing." He said thoughtfully.
"Well, if we are going to do this, than you are right that those are certainly all that should attempt it. I still do not like attempting the idea at such an early age, but you were right about their safety. That is the most important thing. Besides, I have no doubts whatsoever that Haery had already come to the same conclusion and would hatch one on his own whether we gave our blessing for it or not." Lyanna remarked; her certainty in her words easily heard.
She knew their eldest son's mind well
"So, we are agreed and should begin to plan accordingly?" He questioned just to be certain once more.
That was not something that could ever have been decided upon by him alone, king or not.
"Yes, yes. You have my blessings, Husband."
"Now..." Lyanna all but purred leadingly as she rolled back over on top of him and locked her wintry silver gaze onto his amethyst orbs.
"Let us see how quickly I can wake the dragon." She whispered into his ear huskily; causing more than a bit of a twitch to his member before he felt his gorgeous bride begin to snake her hand down towards his groin.
"Lya." Was the only whispered word he could get out before his mind was suddenly overcome with the haze of lust his beautiful winter rose had never failed to instill at her mere touch.
Nine Months Later
The Dragon's Rest
100 Miles Southeast of Pentos
Rhaegar marveled at the construction occurring all around the soon-to-be aptly named, 'Dragon's Rest'. He was not even certain of what style one could call the main building. The columns were not new to the more palatial styles sometimes found in Essos, but he'd certainly never seen them used in the current manner. It partly reminded him of an religious temple or even the Great Sept of Baelor to a certain degree (especially the pillared dome in the center), but that could not come close to symbolizing the uniqueness of the...well, he struggled to call it a 'keep.'
It was closer to a palace in truth.
With the exception of the tall wooden palisades, the villa was not much in the way of defensible. Of course, if they were lucky, they would no longer have the need of high stone walls and stout keeps for maintaining security.
The fast-rising villa was at the far eastern end of Lake Myrrdin; which was the source of the River Myr. Despite the names of the local geography, the property was almost the middle point in the distance between Pentos and Myr ( but firmly in Pentoshi territory). Pentos itself, where they had recently relocated from Braavos, was a little less than one hundred miles to the northwest.
Their out of the way estate was massive in terms of land. It had been purchased by Prince (and later King) Viserys II Targaryen shortly after the Dance of the Dragons as a possible safe-haven. For miles all around, Rhaegar looked out upon Targaryen-owned lands in one of the least settled, but surprisingly fertile lands in Western Essos. The estate held a magnificent view of Lake Myrrdin and the lush land that surrounded the deep-water lake.
Also under construction was a harbor. One could sail from the large lake down the length of the River Myr to directly access the Narrow Sea. Hopefully, if their agreements with Pentos concluded as they thought they would, the new estate would become one of the main ports for their naval strength. They had also recently purchased some of the coastline not too far from where the river met the Narrow Sea that had a perfect large natural harbor that could one day be much further developed as well given it's excellent location.
The manse itself was replacing an older villa that had been constructed more or less in the traditional multi-tiered and Pentoshi style with its numerous square brick towers. The new residence was the brain child of two of the most intelligent individuals Rhaegar had ever known: Tyrion Lannister and his own son, Prince Jaehaerys. Oddly enough, even though there was a gap of just under ten name days separating the two in age, his eldest son had found an remarkable friendship with Tywin Lannister's dwarf son.
When 'Lord Tywin's Bane' had reached his seventeenth name day, he had left on a tour of Essos to 'sew his wild oats', as well as remove himself from his father's antipathy and hate for a time. (As well as to better hide his young common-born wife from his father's notice Ser Jaime had told him.) Lord Tywin had been more than agreeable to the idea. In truth, the voyage the of his younger son was really just the opening the half-man had needed to finally reunite with his beloved elder brother Jaime whom he had secretly been in contact with for a number of years.
As Ser Jaime and the Lady Ashara's family always lived quite close the Royal Family, the younger Lannister had soon been introduced to Rhaegar's eldest son and heir. The two highly intelligent boy's had hit it off instantly.
Tyrion had apparently been especially impressed by the younger prince. After getting to know his son, they had discovered they had many things in common (despite the age gap) as they both treasured a broad scope of knowledge and held great interest in many things others had difficulty keeping track of. Jaehaerys had shown Lord Tyrion some of the many sketches he had created of a new and seemingly unique brand of architecture that Rhaegar had not even known his son held an interest in.
As they were in the process of changing locations due to necessity, Tyrion had learned that they were going to be needing to reconstruct their new home to accommodate their court-in-exile. He had brought forth an incredibly detailed sketch of a large villa complete with the needed dependencies that was not only beautifully crafted, but properly detailed to ascribe the exact methods needed to utilize and render the vision that had been drawn into reality; even the mathematical calculations for the construction had been rendered perfectly detailed.
Rhaegar's surprise could not have been greater when informed that the entire plan was the work of his own son!
Though his son had steadfastly maintained that it would not have been possible without Lord Tyrion's aid in helping him to finalize the plan's and calculations in the finished product. In hindsight, he really thought that he should not have been all that terribly shocked; not with everything else his boy had already proven himself capable of despite his age.
The plans had been a large success amongst the elder members of their household when Rhaegar had shown them the design. None of them had ever before encountered such an elegant, regal style. Not only were the plans for the proposed construction beautiful architecturally, they were also ingenius.
When the teams Rhaegar hired for the project had seen the designs and requirements needed, they had all been flabbergasted.
The mathematics involved in the design allowed for them to actually have a considerably easier experience in the construction process. (Especially after his son explained exactly what his so-called 'metric system' comprised.) The placements of the cornerstones in the positions indicated, the foundations being constructed according to the plans, as well exactly how to utilize the massive columns of the so-called 'Ionic Order' (however his son thought up such names he'd never know); all of that had allowed for the builders to work in an entirely new method that they were all soon raving about. Accordingly, they had all declared this to be by far a superior method of construction and design to anything approaching the grandeur present since the days of the Freehold itself!
After learning the relatively simple mathematics, all of them had all but begged to be shown how to adapt the new principles to other projects. They had found that many of the problems faced by builders and engineers the world over had been made obsolete by using Jaehaerys' detailed construction methods. His son had been pleased to explain everything to them at length as he'd always enjoyed sharing knowledge (how he gained said knowledge, Rhaegar knew not) to those who wished to learn and better themselves; another reason Rhaegar believed his son got on so well with Lord Tyrion.
The main bulk of the manse being raised before him was a large square-shaped block with long galleries connecting to wings on either side of the central block. The estate's dependencies, stable's, and greenhouses were all being built as miniature versions of the main central block and were positioned in precise symmetric proximity to the central structure. Both the façade and rear of the central portion of the manse was lined with massive, two-storied, fluted, white and grey-veined marble columns. There were eight of the large columns on either side of the main entrance doors that supported the large tiled roof. Balustrades were upon both the roof as well as the massive wide veranda that graced the front and rear sides of the villa. Marble gargoyles of various Valyrian motifs were being designed and placed upon the upper balustrade; though they were nowhere near as large and fierce as the monstrosities decorating the castle at Dragonstone.
Colonnaded walkways lined the gallery sections of the villa, though they were not marble; merely made from the same cut stone the bulk of the villa was being built with. Graveled pathways were being laid out that would line the massive gardens of the estate.
Far enough from the rising port under construction that their view of the water would be uninhibited by commerce- was the villa's lake access. It was being designed by the combined effort of his wife, his mother, and the Lady Ashara. When complete, Rhaegar had no doubts that the entire estate would be one of the most beautiful noble residences ever seen.
There was a glorious feel to the entire project that made one feel they were conquerors of the world. The overwhelming effect of the many massive marble columns and covered pathways was a completely new vision of grace and harmonic precision never before witnessed in the architecture of Essos or Westeros.
The name his son had declared the overall style to be termed (and that was already being used by the builders and engineers) : the Imperial Style.
Presently, Rhaegar's thoughts and pleasure at their new home was diverted as he continued his walk down the cobbled pathway that had led him to another portion of the estate that was both remote as well as entirely different to anything else being built. Before him lay a structure that was still only partially finished that looked more like the hand of nature itself had placed it there instead of anything constructed at the hands of man.
In front of him was what appeared to be a steep rise of the earth that was massively rounded and strewn with rocks and boulders that gave one the appearance of an oddly large hilltop in an otherwise flat panorama. At various points within the circumference of the hill, what looked like entrances to caverns or mines were placed at intervening lengths with large arched tunnels around the mound. Rhaegar continued along his way as he entered one of the paths that led into the heart of the space.
After passing thru the arched stone entrance, he found torches lighting the remainder of the way deeper into the rock-strewn grassy mound. He walked past the last torch in the roughly hewn stone passageway and exited into a massive crater-like opening that was at first glance unlike anything he'd ever seen. Only one other location came to mind that he thought might be somewhat similar if he remembered correctly: the tunnels within the Dragonmont on Dragonstone had a very similar feel to them. Of course his current location lacked the volcano that added to the feel of the draconic paradise on Dragonstone.
The large area before him was floored with bare dirt and gravelly in appearance. Massive boulders dotted the landscape here and there; placed in no certain way quite haphazardly. The steep upward sloping of the earth surrounding the entire project gave off the feeling of being within a large arena or a deep pit of some kind. He highly doubted that anything even remotely similar had ever been built; even by the Valyrian's themselves.
As he approached closer, he saw steam arising from the direction of the center of the area.
He knew that phenomenon was coming from the surprising find they had initially discovered on the property that had prompted the idea and design of his current location: a fairly large, and (for the region) highly unusual natural hot springs.
Lyanna had been immediately enchanted with the discovery. It was an ironically warm reminder of her cold Northern homeland. She had told them all about the hot springs in both the godswood of Winterfell where she and her brother's swam as children, and the interior source of the warmth of the stronghold of Winterfell itself despite its frosty location.
Jaehaerys and Rhaenys had considered the find with an eye towards a entirely different use.
The whole structure around them was the product of their mind's and was built for a singular purpose which was the main reason Rhaegar was not only nearing his current location, but was a large part of the reason they had chosen this particular estate at all. They were hoping to hatch dragons for the first time in well over one hundred years. What lay before him had been built with that in mind and was the habitat constructed to house them.
Rhaegar approached the center and saw an interesting collage of people and objects.
To the side of the hot springs, lay what looked to be a large circular fire pit outlined with rocks. In the center of which lay six of the unique multi-colored dragon eggs they had brought with them that had been previously housed within a room deep in the bowels of Dragonstone. There was one egg a piece for Rhaegar himself, his mother the Queen, his brother Viserys, his daughter Rhaenys, his son Jaehaerys, and his sister Daenerys. The others had been deemed too young to attempt the bonding if they were successful.
Before the move, Rhaegar had poured over the newly-revealed texts Jaehaerys had discovered hidden within the scrolls gifted to him by Gerion Lannister; spoils from his successful expedition to the ruins of Old Valyria.
At first, both he and Queen Rhaella had been privately disappointed when they initially discovered that the only way mentioned in the scrolls to hatch the egg of a dragon (without the aid of the beast that lay it), had been for another of its kind to incubate the egg by breathing it's dragonfire onto the shell on a precise schedule. The dragon would follow the lunar cycle and warm the egg with it's fire on a daily basis from the beginning of one full moon all the way to the completion of the (to a dragon anyway) instinctual process three full turns later. In hindsight, it made a great deal of sense how the Valyrians had kept their stock of dragons as it seemed there was something in the magical properties of the dragon's own natural fire that allowed an egg to hatch without the dragon that lay it. They had initially despaired because the information within the scrolls seemed to conclude that there was no other way it could be done as they certainly did not have a spare dragon laying around.
Everything changed when he saw his son transform as the Dragonborn for the first time.
It appeared as if the god's had smiled upon his family once more in their hour of need as they now had an actual dragon that could breathe the magical flames onto however many eggs he chose.
That had made finding a proper place to attempt the hatching and hopefully the subsequent raising and training of newly-hatched dragons a top priority for the family. Rhaenys and Jaehaerys had come to him the night after they had seen the hot springs on the old property, and had shown him the schematics of what they had quickly drawn up as a draft for the habitat they felt would be best suited to the beasts. He had taken a quick look at the design and had approved whole-heartedly. Construction had started soon afterwards.
Now, here they were more than six moons later; preparing to discover if the wisdom written down by their ancestor's held any truth.
He dearly hoped so for all their sake's.
Rhaegar reached the family as the last of them to arrive.
He sat down on a boulder between his wife and mother as he quietly listened to the children and Viserys eagerly speaking of their egg's.
"What are they speaking of?" He asked Lyanna; placing his arm around her shoulders.
Both she and his mother laughed lightly.
"They are currently arguing over which of them has come up with the best name for their soon-to-be hatched dragon. So far, only Viserys has come up with a proper name for his own." She explained.
"What did he choose?"
"Apparently he's always been quite fond of the name Vermithor. I have no idea what they'll end up choosing." Lyanna replied.
"Hmm definitely not a bad name; a name of strength. That was the name of the Old King's dragon. I think it a fine choice." Rhaegar decided.
"So this is the last day of it; how does Jaehaerys believe it will work?" He asked curiously.
Apparently his son had noticed his arrival by that point himself.
"Papa!"
"Good evening, Son. So, this is the final night of the incubation process?" Rhaegar inquired as he placed his free arm around his son's shoulders in a brief hug in greeting; having not actually seen the boy since they broke their fasts that morning.
"Yes, Papa. According to the texts, all I have to do is to transform, and warm the eggs the same as I've been doing for the past three moons and they should hatch all on their own. Rhae reminded me that I'll need to wait until the moon is actually visible in the heavens before attempting it. I would have tried around mid-day otherwise." He explained.
"You truly believe that this will be successful...that they'll all hatch?" Lyanna asked her firstborn curiously.
Rhaegar knew she had been of two different minds about the entire thing. A part of her was nearly as excited as the rest of them, while the mother in her worried about the dangers such beasts could present to her children.
Rhaenys, Viserys, and Daenerys had joined them and he quietly greeted the three of them. Rhaenys sat on the opposite boulder beside Jaehaerys on one side, while Daenerys quickly took her place on his son's remaining free side. As always, the two beautiful young girls were flanking his son and their leader and/or chief partner-in-crime. Viserys took his own seat next to their mother.
"I know they will, Mama. I can...I can just feel it...feel them. Every time I warm the eggs, the little dragon's magic within the shells grow each time. They've been getting stronger and stronger."
"We can feel it too, Lya! Our egg's have been getting warmer each time we hold them even after they've been cooled down from Jae's fire. I cannot explain it either...we can just...feel...them almost. It's kind of like feeling and knowing their is life growing within." Rhaenys said; helping him to explain what all the Targaryen-blooded amongst them somehow could just instinctually feel- or perhaps it was just a signal from their own magic's.
He saw Dany touch his son's shoulder and point upwards toward the sky.
"It's time." She said quietly.
Suddenly, the excitement amongst them all was palpable. They'd soon know for certain if all their instinct's had been correct after all.
Jaehaerys locked eyes with him, and he gave him a decisive nod in reply.
His son looked around at all of them, and he could tell his son felt the weight of all their hope's resting upon his slim young shoulders.
He seemed to take a deep breath to center himself and fortify his own conviction.
"Right." He heard him mumble to himself as he walked to the edge of the fire pit and stared down at the six dragon eggs.
In the next instant, he had transformed.
Rhaegar did not believe he'd ever really become used to the sight of his son's transformation. He doubted anyone could accustom themselves to such a sight. Where there was once a silver-haired young boy of seven name days, there was now a blood red and black adolescent dragon. He thought it odd that his son's dragon form did not actually correlate with his human age. He appeared to be more like what he would think someone in their mid to late-teen's would appear size wise. Of course, there was not exactly a template or a guide book to measure such things by; so who knew?
He watched on as his son's long spiked tail swished back and forth through the air as the red dragon inhaled a deep breath of oxygen.
When the dragon next opened his sharp-toothed jaw's, a massive jet black and deep red torrent of dragonfire bathed the fire pit containing the six eggs in a seemingly unending burst of flame.
Instantly, they all felt the increase in temperature as the dragonfire continued to bathe the eggs in it's heat. The steam coming from hot springs not far away had risen dramatically as all moisture in the air was warmed greatly.
They were all sitting upon tenterhooks; waiting for a sign of what they knew not.
After the first blast of dragonfire came to a halt, the red dragon emitted a ferocious roar that actually shook the very ground with the vibrations of sound.
Inhaling once more, he watched on as his son repeated the process of bathing the eggs in his flame's over and over again in near continuous succession for an undetermined amount of time.
They were all so fixated on the sight before them that none of them could have told you how long they had been there.
Rhaegar only vaguely noted the darkening of the sky as night descended upon them and the stars became visible in the clear night air.
Despite not being certain exactly how long they had been waiting, all noted that the dragon was becoming more and more agitated. His tail was swinging back and forth in a harsh manner and they noted the growls he began to emit. As he continued to breathe out torrent after torrent of dragonfire upon the eggs, they still clearly remained whole and seemingly untouched.
Night had now fully descended and the sky was an inky black; they began to lose heart and hope for the success in their meticulously planned endeavor.
Rhaegar was wracking his mind trying to determine where they had gone wrong in the process. No matter what he thought, nothing stood out to him. They had followed the specified instructions to the letter.
'Was it possible the scrolls lied? Was it merely some ancient hoax?'
How could that be though? Why would anyone go to the trouble to bother to magically hide the instructions from non-magical eyes? To what possible end?
None of that made any sense, and something told him his (at the moment) draconic son was likely to be wondering the exact same thing if the behavior of the clearly enraged dragon before them was any indication.
While in human form his son was able to control his temper with admirable results, he also explained to him that thoughts and emotions when in dragon form were entirely different. Yes, he was still himself for the most part, but he also had to deal with being submerged within the mind and psyche of a primal creature like a dragon who was known to be short-tempered and dominant in nature to an extreme degree. That was especially so compared to a human. It seemed his son was near to the point of rage due to his lack of success.
They all began to look to one another worriedly; Lyanna most of all.
She could tell her son was angry like never before.
He watched as the dragon took in another massive gulp of air; his tail pointing rigidly straight out.
Fire hotter than any he had ever felt before bathed the eggs one final time. Some of the eggs were by now visibly red hot and smoking, but still showing no signs of cracking from their stone-like state.
When the by now exhausted red dragon finished his last burst of fire, he nearly immediately let out an utterly enraged noise that was something of a cross between a piercing shriek and a deafening roar.
All had been forced to cover their ear's at earth-shaking sound
It was at that moment that the most amazing thing happened.
The moment of his son's maddened cry of rage, the cloud that had been obscuring the bright full moon above them moved; revealing an ominous blood red moon that seemed to bathe the ground surrounding them in an unnatural reddish hue.
The moment the pale lunar glow touched the dragon eggs before them...cracks were finally heard!
The bloody color of the full moon did not last long as it somehow shifted back to it's usual silver glow, more and more cracks in the eggs were making themselves known.
At the first sign of the eggs cracking, they had all immediately stood to their feet, but halted almost instantly when they realized the still likely to be enraged dragon stood between them and now-hatching eggs.
Rhaegar tried to contain his fear when he saw Rhaenys and Daenerys walk towards his son in an almost trance-like state. Panic momentarily gripped his heart and he wondered at their sanity to approach an angry dragon in a manner so completely without even a shred of fear.
However, his fears were apparently unnecessary as both extended their hand's to stroke the dragon's red scales lightly.
His son seemed to be instantly calmed at their gentle touch and Rhaegar could almost swear his son was now purring in contentment.
In the next instant, the red dragon disappeared, and the beautiful young silver-haired boy was in it's place with both arms wrapped around Rhaenys and Daenerys respectively as they all stared intently at the currently hatching dragon eggs.
The sight of the hatching eggs and the comfort of the two dearest to his son's heart must have been enough to completely shift his countenance as his next words confirmed.
"Papa! Mama, Grandmother, Visy! Get over here...they're hatching! It's happening!" Jaehaerys exclaimed excitedly; all previous fear and anger gone.
Needing no further encouragement, they all followed his son's instructions.
Rhaegar approached the three already bending down to get a closer look at the hatching eggs and got his first good look at them over the top of his son's head. All six of the various egg shells were beginning to fall to pieces as the baby dragons fought to make their way into the world.
In the instant he laid eyes upon the newly hatching eggs for the first time, he felt the oddest sensation suddenly wash over him.
It was an inexplicable feeling he'd never before experienced.
It was like a pull...a tugging sensation...on his very soul.
He felt his own Valyrian magick's surging through his veins like a fire had taken hold of him. His eye's were entranced on one egg in particular.
The egg he was feeling drawn towards was a mostly black with small red swirls upon it's shell. Ironically enough, Rhaegar thought it to be the inverse colors of his son's own dragon form of a red dragon with black swirls. It was an amazing spectacle to watch; unlike anything else.
When he saw the remainder of the egg fall away as the new dragon came into the world he somehow just knew the dragon was female. He was unaware how he knew that; just that it was so. It was an instinctual knowledge.
By then the remainder of the shells had fallen away as the little dragons all flapped their wings ineffectually; trying their best to come closer to those whom would one day be their riders.
His little black she-dragon made her way closer to Rhaegar and he was reminded of Aegon the Conqueror's Balaerion the Black Dread. The she-dragon was just slightly larger than the rest, (with the exception of his son's little blue dragon he noted that he was now cradling in his arm's).
The black dragon sniffed at Rhaegar's out-stretched hand, before rubbing up against him.
"Balaeria." He whispered; the name coming easily to him and just seeming to be natural.
"Your name shall be Balaeria." He told her.
That seemed to please the dragon as she made a sound akin to a purr while he was gently stroking her scales.
When she looked to be attempting to climb up his arm, Rhaegar lifted the little dragon into his arms as he looked around at his awe-struck family. They all seemed very much pleased with their own little dragons, and from the look on their faces, Rhaegar could tell they also felt a similar type of bond as he did with his own dragon.
Soon enough, they had all gathered back around the rocky seating area; dragons in hand.
Rhaegar looked up and locked eyes with his eldest son.
"You did it, Jaehaerys. You actually did it. For the first time in over one hundred years, you have restored to our house the greatest power we ever possessed. I cannot tell you just I how proud you've made me, Son."
And he was truly proud.
He received a bright grin in response.
"Thank you, Father." He said formally.
"You know, I had been terrified at the end there that something had gone wrong, and feared they weren't going to hatch. It was horrible thinking about losing all our hope's like that...all that time spent wasted...building all this...I have never been so relieved when the moon came back out and the dragons began to hatch." Jaehaerys told him.
"We had faith in you, Little Brother; didn't we, Dany? We knew it would all work out as it was meant to." Rhaenys told her brother.
"Yes, it was Haery though. Of course it was going to work!" Daenerys exclaimed like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Rhaegar couldn't help the deep chuckle of amusement that broke out. Lyanna and Rhaella both smiling at the young princess.
He supposed to her it may well have been obvious.
"Thank you, Rhae. Thanks, Dany." He heard his son mumble blushingly.
It always amused Rhaegar to no end that while his son was normally so confident in most things, give him a compliment or thanks, and he'd become flustered and uncertain of himself; like he was shocked anyone would ever thank him for anything.
They just grinned back at him and stroked their new little friends.
Rhaegar knew they would not remain small for long however. Soon enough, they would one day blot out the sun itself.
"What are you going to name yours, Brother? I've named mine Vermithor!" Viserys told him proudly.
Viserys' dragon was a mossy green color with what Rhaegar thought were yellow looking eyes.
"I've decided to name her, Balaeria. Vermithor is a good, strong name, Little Brother." He replied with a proud look to his baby brother.
During their father's reign, Rhaegar had worried about the influence Aerys was having over his younger son and wondered if history was going to be doomed to repeat itself with the son as it had the father. He was immensely relieved that as Viserys was growing up in a large happy and loving family (as well as not experiencing some of the harsher aspects most exiles would have commonly face); he was turning into a fine young prince. None of the characteristics of their father had been made known (he doubted their mother would have tolerated anything of the sort in any case). He and his mother ensured Viserys was brought up with care and never overly stressed with problems. That had the effect of the younger prince gaining a rather laid back, devil-may-care attitude that was far preferable to any other alternative.
"What about you, Mother? What are you going to call your dragon?" Daenerys asked the Queen.
The Queen smiled brightly at her only daughter.
"Well, my dear; allow me to introduce you to, Meleys." Rhaella said; smiling proudly at her daughter as her young purple toned dragon seemed to look up and around when his mother announced her name for the first time.
"Like the Queen Who Never Was?" Rhaenys asked curiously; always intrigued by anything related to her namesake who she was especially proud to bear the name of.
He smiled at his precocious little girl who was so quickly beginning to grow up on him.
"Just so, Sweetling." Rhaella told her grand-daughter.
"What's your dragon to be called, Rhae?" Jaehaerys asked her with a curious look; eyeing Rhaenys' dragon that was ironically enough made of reds, oranges, and some slight yellows all bright like the flames themselves- or the color's of House Nymeros-Martell.
"Sunfyre." Rhaenys said simple enough as she stared at her dragon and no doubt thinking of her late mother.
He saw Jaehaerys reach over and give her free hand a gentle squeeze as he smiled softly at her.
"A beautiful name, Rhae." Jaehaerys told her sweetly; making Rhaenys look up and smile brightly at her little brother before they both turned curious eyes onto Daenerys.
"Dany?" They asked in unison.
Daenerys smiled widely at everyone as she proudly told them all the name of her dragon.
"Everyone, meet my new friend, Silverwing!" She exclaimed.
His little sister looked absolutely adorable at that moment. All of six name days and with her long silver-blonde curls, her missing front tooth from losing one of her first baby teeth only made her look even cuter. Dany's dragon was of a deep silver color with lighter silver; almost pearlescent wings- aptly named indeed.
"What about you dragon, Haery? Have you decided on a name yet?" Lyanna asked her son as she leaned back further against him and eyed his dragon before looking back to their son curiously.
"Well, Rhaenys and Dany both said I should name my other form first. So, I've decided to call my dragon form Aebraxes. As for this little blue guy here, I think Syrax would fit him just fine. I know Queen Rhaenyra's dragon was a she-dragon and mine's male, but the names are inter-changeable." He answered with a shrug.
Rhaegar could easily see from his son's glowing smile that he was just as proud as Rhaegar was of what his little boy had accomplished. Even though he was he was literally holding a dragon in his arms, it had not quite sunk in yet. What they had truly accomplished...just what the ramifications of what they'd done would undoubtedly be...everything would be different.
With his blue dragon Syrax in his lap as he held Rhaenys with one arm and Daenerys with another, he saw his son lock eyes with the Queen before turning his identical deep violet gaze to him.
Rhaegar could tell just what was on his son's mind at that moment: what they had done had begun to set in.
The others may have been momentarily too enthralled with their new companions, and as they were so very young, their youth excused them from realizing the ramifications; even Viserys at ten and four name days seemed only to be concerned with the green dragon currently in his arms. However, one look into the currently only too serious eye's of his son, and Rhaegar knew he was seeing it too. His mother was shrewd enough that he did not even have to look to know her mind was already running rampant with the calculations concerning new strategies and altered planning they would almost immediately have to begin work on revising. The Game had just been permanently altered.
Where all others had failed, his son...his young genius son of only seven name days...had triumphed in the most spectacular of fashions. Even if they did little else but bide their time, and allow their dragon's to grow to enough of a size; they would win. The Game was now forever altered, and unless someone managed to kill not only all of their dragon's, but their remaining eggs too; Rhaegar now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he and his son would one day sit the Iron Throne. Mainly due to the efforts of one remarkably special young boy he was so very proud to name as his, nothing would ever be the same again.
Almost as if on cue, all six of the young little cat-sized dragons began to shriek. The dragons were hungry.
One day...they would feast.
In the distant recesses of his mind, Rhaegar could have sworn he heard the roar of a fully grown dragon; waiting to be unleashed.