Jonothor Targaryen - The Green Dragon Chapter 8 Brothers

Hello Everyone!

To read early

Chapter 9 : 'Two sides of the Same Coin

Chapter 10 : 'The Sea Snake and The Queen Who Never Was.'

Chapter 11 : 'A Disgusting Duty'

Chapter 12 : 'The Monster of Dragonstone'

Chapter 13: 'Bastard'

Chapter 14: 'The Scheming Mind of a Targaryen Prince'

Chapter 15: 'The Patriarch of House Targaryen'

Chapter 16: 'Silver Hair'

Chapter 17: 'The Boy who loved his family'

Chapter 18: 'Dragons, Dreams and Children'

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Chapter VIII: Brothers

Aemond Targaryen was a little Prince full of goodwill. A great admirer of his brother Jonothor, he was as determined as he was meticulous despite his very young age. He had acquired the knowledge to read and write at the age of five, and practiced with the sword since he was strong enough to lift a wooden weapon. During his early childhood, he had followed his eldest brother wherever he went and as much as possible despite his short legs. Like many other noble little boys of his age, Aemond had heard the gossip and whispers of his father's Court, those concerning his brothers, had always been the ones that had caught his attention.

Since the age of three, Aemond had always preferred his brother Jonothor to his brother Aegon. Jon was caring and loving, he cared about Aemond and their sister, and he was always there when his second brother needed to be explained something he did not understand. Unlike Aegon, his second brother, who had always spoken coldly, as if simply talking to his younger brother was a chore he could do without. There was a contempt about him that Aemond couldn't bring himself to accept, yet he had tried to get along with his other brother, mostly because their mother had asked him to. But Aegon was selfish, and he considered Aemond's presence to be a nuisance. In the end, the only thing Aemond learned from Aegon was to appreciate Jonothor even more, and he made no secret of the admiration he had for his oldest brother. He admired him so much that he did everything in his power to look like him as much as possible; he ate the same food as him, wore the same clothes as him, spent as much time with their nephew, Jacaerys, as Jonothor had spent with him. -Even though, Rhaenyra did not trust Aemond the same way she trusted Jon to allow Aemond to remain alone with Jace.-

He tried so hard to be like Jon that the handmaidens and even his sister Rhaenyra had started calling him 'Smalljon', he was quite proud of that nickname. He also asked Ser Criston Cole to train him, but the Kingsguard was forced to decline his request. Aemond was still too young to follow the stormlander's training regimen. Therefore, the little prince had to resolve to have his uncle Gwayne as his first tutor, but his morale rose quickly when Jonothor himself came to give him swordsmanship lessons.

Jon loved Aemond like he had once loved Bran. The mischievous and willful character of his new little brother had considerably reassured him about the man he could become.

Aemond's desire to always do well was so pleasing to see, as if every effort made by the third son of Alicent was a reward to the first for each of his own. However… it was very difficult for Jonothor to ignore the images of his old life that resurfaced every time he taught his younger brother a lesson.

Shortly after he turned six, Aemond asked Jon to teach him archery, for Jon it was like reliving a painful memory.

It had been difficult for him to concentrate once in the yard, Aemond had been making the same mistakes that Bran had made. More than once, Jon had almost called his new brother by the name of the previous one. Oblivious to Jonothor's troubled mind, Aemond knocked another arrow and aimed at the target, only to miss and hit a barrel on the side. Aegon's mocking laugh resonated across the courtyard.

"Do tell, dear brother, were you a marksman at six?" Jon asked aloud, shutting his twin up and earning a glare from him. Ignoring Aegon, Jon went back to Aemond, who was snickering at their brother's expense. "Go on," the eldest encouraged. "Father is watching."

Both brothers looked above them to see Viserys looking at the courtyard from a balcony, the King had aged poorly those past few years, he had lost more hair, more weight and more fingers. Alicent was standing by his side, she gave her third born a smile as radient as encouraging.

"And Mother," Jon commented as he returned her smile. "Do not think too much Aemond, you don't need to take too much time know exactly where you want to put the arrow."

Aemond took a deep breath, relaxed his bow arm, aimed and loosed. His arrow did not manage to hit the bullseye, but at least he had hit the target this time, Jon ruffled his hair.

"Not bad, little brother." He complimented as Aemond felt his chest swell with pride. "But you still have nine more arrows to shoot."

Aemond had not become a six years old marksman that day, but he had made progress, and more importantly, he had made his brother and mother proud. It had been a very good day for him, less so for Aegon.

(-)(-)(-)

If Aegon hated Jon, he despised Aemond. Despite not being the 'prodigy' that their eldest brother was, Aemond still managed to get the praise that Aegon was not receiving! That little brother of his, who tried so hard to be the exact copy of Jonothor despite not being cursed with the same face as he, infuriated Aegon. The truth is that he would kill to exchange his place as Jonothor's twin with Aemond, he'd finally be free of this damn face and all the mockeries of the Court. He simply could not fathom why he had to endure the humiliation of being the lesser twin, while their brother was being spared and praised for being just as inferior, he had even been nicknamed 'Smalljon'. What a ridiculous name! How could Aemond pride himself with the fact that he was nothing more but a pale copy of Jonothor?! He disgusted Aegon, even more than Jonothor himself.

The same could be said about Heleana, the moment Aegon learned what a bitch was, he considered this to be the adequate name to call his sister. For she followed Jonothor everywhere he went like a damn puppy expecting to be pet. Aegon hated his life, he hated his family, he hated his father for being a fat, sick good for nothing. He hated Rhaenyra for being a pompous whore who shat bastards and got away with it. He hated Jonothor for being who he was, he hated his siblings for loving Jonothor and hating himself for looking like his twin and not being as good as said twin. Everything would have been easier had Aegon been just that good but no matter how hard he trained, how hard he studied, he never seemed to catch up to his older brother. And that was driving him insane.

Did it mean he gave up? No. Aegon was a dragon, his own mount, Sunfyre, seemed to push him into becoming the warrior that he was destined to become. And he would not surrender just yet, he would not be the lesser Targaryen, and one day, Jonothor would bite the dust under his feet, this he vowed.

And that was why, while his 'beloved' twin was busy wasting his time telling a story to their idiot sister Helaena and playing with their bastard nephew Jacaerys, Aegon was on his way to the training yard, where he knew no one was at this hour. Yet he grimaced in dismay and disgust when he realized that an exception had been made today by a certain someone he had no wish to see or talk to.

Aemond was beating a straw mannequin under the watchful eye of four boys his age and a Kingsguard, Aegon recognized the sigil sewed on the boys doublets; a Bracken, a Blackwood, a Darklyn and a Buckler. With a wooden sword in his hand, the thirdborn prince was mimicking the movements his eldest brother had taught him before he turned toward his spectators.

"It is not as complicated as it looks," he reassured with an encouraging smile, "all you have to do is aim right and keep your footwork light. You don't have to get it right on your first try, it took me days to do it , Stephen, show us what you can do."

Aemond passed the sword to the Buckler boy who presented himself in front of the straw mannequin, he tried mimicking his prince while letting out a pitiful battle cry in Aegon's ears. His movements were sloppy, and he almost tripped on himself trying to keep his footwork on the move. Aegon scoffed at this pitiful attempt, catching the attention of his younger brother who frowned.

"What do you want, Aegon?" Aemond almost spat, earning a glare from his older brother.

"Mind your tongue, Smalljon." Said older brother retorted. "The blood we share does not excuse a lack of manners."

Aemond swallowed his saliva, clearly upset.

"You still haven't told me what you wanted." He said, ignoring his brother's warning.

Aegon glared at him.

"I do not need to justify myself to you, you insolent wingless lizard. You should be on your way to Dragonstone to try to claim a dragon instead of wasting your time pretending to be Jonothor. At least you would put an end to the embarrassment you've brought to our family."

Aemond's face turned red as he felt shame and anger gnawing his very being. Three of the boys behind him were shocked to witness the feud between the two princes. Yet, one of them snickered, while Ser Erryk Cargyll frowned at the scene.

"Shut up!" Aemond barked furious. "I'll claim a dragon when I'll be strong enough to do so!"

"You can say 'never', brother, it is no curse word." Aegon quipped, clearly amused.

The six years old Prince gritted his teeth in anger, the fact that his egg hadn't hatched had always been his greatest failure in his eyes. Jonothor had reassured him, told him that their father's and uncle's eggs hadn't hatched either. The same thing could be said about their grandfather Baelon and granduncle Aemon, or even Laena Velaryon and her mother Rhaenys, even Helaena's egg had not hatched. But Jonothor, Aegon and Rhaenyra's egg had hatched, and when his brothers flew in the sky, Aemond was pinned to the ground like a mouse watching eagles on the horizon. He wanted a dragon, badly.

Visibly satisfied by his brother's lack on an answer, Aegon went to pick up a tourney blade, swung it to get used to its weight and approached his upset little brother.

"If you truly are a dragon, brother, then you will not pass up the opportunity to prove it. H'about a friendly spare between you and I? Just to see if there is any fire in that little body of yours."

Aemond mind was burning as he went to reach for a tourney blade with a blunt edge, but his wrist was grabbed by his Kingsguard.

"My apologies, Prince Aegon, but Prince Aemond is not ready to spare with a tourney blade."

Aegon laughed out loud while his brother's face contorted in anger.

"Well Ser Arryk…"

"I am Erryk, my Prince."

Aegon grimaced slightly, but kept going.

"Well, Ser Erryk, thank you for pointing out that my brother cruelly lacks fire."

"If I may, my Prince, you started using tourney blades at the age of seven, Prince Aemond is six."

A triumphant smile appeared on Aemond's face while Aegon was exhaling in frustration, disappointed but not discouraged, he casted away his tourney blade and picked up a wooden blade.

"Very well, we will spare with toys if we have to. I truly hope you won't disappoint, Aemond, for your sake."

Aemond clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as his purple eyes incinerated his older brother. He would have roared like a dragon had he not have Alicent Hightower as a mother. Instead, he put his temperament under control, held himself with dignity like his mother had taught him, and picked a brand new wooden weapon to swing with.

"Do hurry up, brother." Aegon yawned. "We dine with all the family tonight, and you're going to need time to look presentable after I am done with you."

Aemond did not answer him despite the fact his blood was boiling, instead, he remembered what his brother taught him about self-control and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Aegon would not have the last laugh, he was a dragon and he would prove it. They stood facing each other, Aemond looking focused while Aegon smirked.

Ser Erryk gave the signal to start and Aemond struck first. Aemond had great talent in swordsmanship, Jonothor, Ser Criston and Ser Erryk all agreed on that. But Aegon was a foot taller than his little brother and never neglected his training. He swept away Aemond's side attack with a backslash and immediately went on the attack. The little prince quickly retreated under the repeated assaults of his brother, the latter hitting so hard that the vibrations of the sword propagated into the bones of Aemond who felt the grip on his weapon weaken. Aegon amused himself for several minutes, making his younger brother dance, hitting in the openings he left him without putting an end to the duel, and forcing him to circle around the training ground while taking care not to pin him against a wall. When he finally had enough, he kicked him violently in the stomach which took his breath away.

Aemond fell to his knees, a hand pressed against his stomach, Aegon disarmed him with a violent blow of his sword which sent his brother's wooden weapon flying.

"Disappointing," he commented, "but predictable; you're wasting your time trying to imitate Jonothor, you should have focused on yourself instead of trying to be someone you're not, you fool."

Without warning, Aemond regurgitated the contents of his stomach onto the ground, Aegon took a step back to save his boots from a fetid shower, and laughed out loud when he was out of harm's way.

"Those were flames you were supposed to spit, little brother." he sneered. "Well, I guess it reveals your true nature."

Humiliated, Aemond gasped as he lifted his head to meet his elder's cruel gaze. He tried to get up, but the blows he had taken to his knees prevented him from doing so, so he resolved to use only words.

"You're only a shadow of Jonothor," he spat with a proud look, "that's your nature."

Aegon stood petrified by his little brother's words, before he roared in anger and brought down his wooden weapon on Aemond's head who collapsed on the ground. The Prince would have continued to strike had Ser Erryk not grabbed his wrist to end what had never been a duel in the first place.

Aemond did not hear what the knight and his brother were saying to each other, the only thing he felt was the pain in his stomach and on his head. Yet, despite his humiliation, he refused to stay down. So he planted both of his hands in the ground and slowly pushed himself up.

Aegon was appalled at the audacity of his little brother whose legs were wobbly and whose body was bruised. He rolled his eyes, turned on his heels and left the training ground while casually throwing his wooden sword away.

Aemond was breathless and dizzy, yet he was glad he hadn't backed down from his brother's cruelty. Ser Erryk took him in his arms, and took him to see the maester. However, the little prince grabbed the knight by the collar and whispered:

"Don't tell Jon what happened, please, Ser."

Ser Erryk sighed, just like his young prince, he himself had asked that his twin Arryk not be told about the beatings he took as a child. And Arryk himself had done the same after suffering from misadventures of his own. But being now a man, the knight knew that this kind of event should neither be silenced nor go unpunished. Erryk knew Prince Aemond would resent him if he betrayed his trust, so he resolved to promise not to tell Prince Jonothor himself. However, he considered telling someone much more capable than Prince Aegon's twin to solve this problem without further violence. But deep down, he knew the truth couldn't be hidden from Prince Jonothor forever. That child was too resourceful.

(-)(-)(-)

Alicent Hightower, Queen of Westeros, climbed four by four the steps of the staircase which led to the laboratory of the Grand Maester, when finally, she pushed the heavy wooden door which separated her from her child, she spotted the latter lying on a small bed and rushed to his bedside.

"All is well, Your Majesty." said Grand Maester Mellos. "I cleaned the wound, drained the edema and gave him a sleeping potion. He will feel much better tomorrow."

A sigh of relief escaped the lips of the Queen who wiped away a tear that was running down her cheek before kissing the forehead of her sleeping son.

Once she recovered from her emotions, she turned to Ser Erryk who was ready to face her ire.

"How could such a thing happen, Ser?"

Although she maintained a reasonable tone of voice and a dignified posture, Erryk saw that his Queen was holding herself back with all her strength from shouting to release the whirlwind of emotion that stormed within her. He tilted his head apologetically.

"Your Grace, Prince Aemond was injured in a duel that had opposed him to Prince Aegon. I only intervened when Prince Aegon proceeded to strike his brother while he was unarmed and defeated. However, although it was only one blow, it was one that should not have landed on the Prince's forehead. I am sorry Your Majesty."

Alicent exhaled as if to release the pressure from her lungs. Her second son had always been the one that had given her the most trouble. Despite the fact that she understood that Aegon was feeling humiliated for being considered the lesser twin between himself and Jonothor, he had crossed a line.

"Please, tell me that Jonothor knows nothing of what happened."

"He doesn't, as far as I know." Ser Erryk answered. "Although, four noble boys witnessed the spar between the Princes, I fear the gossip has already spread and Prince Jonothor will hear of it sooner or later."

Alicent closed her eyes and put her hands on her face to release her stress. She knew how her firstborn was overprotective of his siblings, if he were to learn that Aegon purposefully injured Aemond…

"Find Aegon and bring him to my chambers, Ser Erryk." She commanded once she had gotten a hold of herself. "Be quick, force him to follow you if you must. Two of my sons already fought today, I do not wish to see another one injured. I'll discipline Aegon myself while you will inform Ser Criston that he is to stay with Jonothor until he has calmed down. Do you understand?"

Ser Erryk nodded, he was as concerned as his Queen, though he was better at hiding it.

What neither the Queen nor the knight could have possibly known, was that Jonothor had taken a break after Jacaerys had gone to sleep after he had been done with the story of Gaemon the Glorious he had been reading. He had then proceeded to relax with his nephew on his knees, and warged inside a bird that had been passing by since Ghost was busy sleeping as well. After a few rounds around the Red Keep, he ended up noticing the sleeping form of Aemond through the Grand Maester's window, and landed near the edge to make sure. his brother was all right and to understand what in the name of the Old Gods had happened.

Once Ser Erryk was done with his tale, Jonothor Targaryen felt a fury that he hadn't felt since he had received word that Theon Greyjoy had sacked Winterfell and killed Bran and Rickon. His bird departed from the window and circled around the Red Keep until it had located Aegon who was laughing boasting while surrounded by four noble boys Aemond's age.

Jon went back to his body, gave his sleeping nephew to the nanny and exited the room like a predator hunting for its prey.