Inside a lavishly decorated room, a young girl, who was around seven years old, happily sat with a smile as her older brother braided her hair, which was mostly raven but had a lot of silvery blonde hair as well.
"Here you go." Azaerys gently said, and Rhaenys already knew that it looked pretty given how excited little Daenerys was.
She ran towards the full-sized mirror and turned to the side to look at her hair, her smile immediately brightening at what she saw.
"Thank you, Az!" The Princess ran back to him and climbed the bed to kiss him on his cheek.
"You're welcome. Be careful!" He told her when she ran outside the room to show her braid to her mother and Allyria. "Come," Azaerys sighed at his little sister's excitement and then picked up the little girl, who was patiently standing by his side. "What do you want?" He asked her as he sat her in his lap.
"A crown." She happily said and laughed when she heard him laugh.
Azaerys gently styled and braided her hair in the form of a beautiful crown, a different style than the last time, and once he was done, he let her know about it by planting a kiss on her head.
"Thank you," She turned around to hug him and then requested him to pick her up in his arms as it was time for supper.
The Young King walked out of the room and passed by the gallery that opened up to the grounds, where the two dragons were getting ready for their nightly hunting endeavours.
"Aerylyx! Rhaelyx!" The Princess excitedly called out to them, and they returned her greeting with roars and by shooting up some flames from their mouths, which made her laugh merrily.
They waited until the dragons flew up into the sky and left their sight, and then Azaerys continued walking towards the Dining Hall.
The servants inside the Manse bowed to them as soon they saw him, and he took his time returning their greetings, which brightened the smiles on their faces.
When he entered the Hall, everyone was already at the table, and they all respectfully stood up.
Arianne was stunned when she laid her eyes on him. He was already ethereal when she met him the last time, but now, he was grown up, and his charm was deadly.
She had met Gerold Dayne a year ago, and the young man was handsome, very handsome. Her cousin was fawning over him, had filled her ears with how she had been fucked by him, and Arianne had wondered if Azaerys would grow up to be just as handsome.
It wasn't until she saw Viserys today, who was only twelve years old, that she realised how much Gerold Dayne paled in comparison to a real Dragonlord.
However, even Viserys paled in comparison to the Young King.
Not even fourteen namedays old, Azaerys was just as tall as her Uncle Oberyn, who stood at six feet, and she wondered how much more height he would gain in the years to come.
The Dornish Princess could not really tell what he looked like under his robes, but his shoulders were broad enough, and his posture was expansive, so he definitely had some muscles.
Her mind was busy disrobing him when he arrived at the table, and it was only when she heard the call of the young girl in his arms that she broke out of her thoughts.
"Muna!" Daenerys brightly called out to Lyanna, calling her mother, and Azaerys handed her over to the Stark. "Are my hair pretty?"
"Yes." The raven-haired lady smiled at her. "Your brother did it for you?"
"Yes!" The little girl happily nodded her head. "What did you hunt today?"
"A reindeer, a few hares, and a boar." The Stark, who was still in her leather armour and boots, calmly answered Daenerys' questions, and Azaerys walked over to the table to greet Oberyn and Arianne.
"My King." The Princess of Dorne curtsied to him, and he smiled at her address.
"Princess." He drew his hand to her, and when she placed her hand in his, he pulled it up and gently planted a kiss on her knuckles. "Welcome to Siren."
"It's a beautiful place. Definitely worth the horrors you have to go through to get here."
He laughed at her words and nodded his head.
"I will show you around the town tomorrow."
"Thank you!" She excitedly said, and he smiled at her before looking at the Dornish Prince.
"Your Grace." The man bowed to him.
"Prince Oberyn." He offered his hand, which the Dornishman shook, and even tried to exert some force to test his strength.
Azaerys chuckled at his behaviour and shook his head when the man let go of his hand.
"I was not expecting you to come and meet me so soon. Has the Usurper stopped keeping eyes on you?" He asked as he took his seat at the head of the table, and everyone sat down as well.
"He's busy with his whores and wine. Some people have even started calling him the Whoremonger King." He said and poured himself some wine. "A behaviour suited to the Princes, but not to the Kings. Moons ago, he grabbed Dalena Florent at his brother's wedding, took her to Stannis and Selyse's wedding bed before their bedding ceremony, and deflowered her. She was a maiden and is now carrying his child. People were not happy, even if they dared not say it, and to avoid conflicts, Jon Arryn convinced him to acknowledge his bastard. The child, when born, will carry the name Storm."
"He was not born to be a King. He was raised to be a Lord of his house." The Young King lightly said and smiled at the disgust on Lyanna's face as they talked about Robert and his actions. "What about the Targaryens?"
"They stopped looking a year ago. You left no traces, and most now believe that you all perished when the Vessel you escaped Dragonstone on sank to the bottom of the sea." He informed them. "Stannis Baratheon is the Lord of Dragonstone now. Renly Baratheon is being raised to take over Storm's End in the future."
"Tyrells?"
"They are enjoying their seat of power, and have nothing to worry about. Jon Arryn was quick to visit Highgarden, and the Tyrells were quick to wholeheartedly accept Robert's rule. The same goes for Velaryons. Your other allies still don't accept the Baratheon on the Throne, but they are not in the position to be vocal about it. Neither to the crown nor to their lieges..."
Oberyn told them the news from Westeros, and then looked at Lyanna and smiled.
"However, the news that has shocked everyone, including me, is about your brother, Lady Lyanna."
She frowned at his words.
"Ned Stark returned to King's Landing eleven moons after he put an end to the Tyrell's siege of the Storm's End. Only Howland Reed was with him, and a young babe in his arms as they entered the city. He did not even see the King and led the Stark Forces back to Winterfell, only speaking to Jon Arryn before he left. People believe that his relationship with Robert has become estranged, and some even speculate that he perhaps wanted to sit on the Throne over his friend."
"It isn't something he would ever desire." She shook her head.
"We know." He smiled. "Which is why, those who know him, believe that he is grieving the loss of his Bastard's mother."
As soon as his words fell, Lyanna stared at him in dismay.
"Ned sired a bastard?" She found it really hard to believe that her honourable brother, who did not even visit brothels when his friends did, would lose himself in the arms of a woman who was not his wife.
"Yes, a bastard son, whom he has named Jon Snow. He even took the baby with him to Winterfell." He sipped on his wine and then turned to look at Azaerys. "People say he looks more Stark than his older brother, Robb."
"Interesting." The Young King let out a chuckle and then stared at the door of the hall as if waiting for someone.
"Ashara, Viserys, Allyria, Rhaenys, Rhaemon and Aegon are busy playing their games. They are going to have their dinner later." Elia informed him but turned to look at the door too when she heard someone run down the hallway.
Soon, Viserys entered the Hall, looking very anxious, and he brisked over to Azaerys and whispered something in his ear.
"Relax," He smiled at the Prince and then stood up. "Excuse me. Ser Rykker, Ser Oswell, and Ser Mooton have returned. I need to go see them. Please enjoy your meal."
"Is everything okay?" Lyanna asked, and he nodded to her with a smile before walking out of the hall with Viserys.
Daenerys, however, could not sit still when she saw her brothers leave, and she jumped off Lyanna's lap and followed them.
The Stark did not stay at the table either and chased after her adopted daughter, whom she had nursed on her milk and raised as her child.
"Can't really enjoy the meal now, can we?" Oberyn chucked when he saw that only Elia and Arianne remained at the table with him.
"Hopefully, everything is fine," sighed his sister.
"Did the Dragons eat someone?" Asked Arianne, bringing a smile to Elia's lips.
"Didn't you hear what Azaerys said? His Knights are back."
"Oh, yes..." The Princess embarrassedly lowered her head and excitedly stood up when her aunt left her seat.
"Let's go and check what it is about."
Oberyn was curious but did not really want to pry into the matters. However, being alone at the table was not nice, and so he stood up to follow his niece and sister.
They arrived inside a hall, where the young Targaryens and Allyria were surrounding the table, curiously looking at something and talking with each other.
On the other side, outside a meeting room, Ser Gerold stood guard, and he allowed Elia to enter before closing the door.
Oberyn managed to catch Azaerys standing next to his Knights inside the room, speaking to some old man, and there were likely more people as well.
However, when he heard the laughter of his niece, he slowly walked over to the table.
"Dragon Eggs?"
The Dornish Prince surprisedly looked at what lay inside the chest.
"Yes!" Rhaenys, his other niece, happily answered and then picked up the green-coloured egg. "Mine."
"Hey! That's not fair..." Young Aegon, who was five years old now, complained, but before he could react, Allyria picked up the pale Egg with golden highlights.
Seeing that only one Egg, black with red highlights was left, he quickly grabbed it but felt a little hesitant when he glanced at Daenerys and Rhaemon.
"It's okay," The Little Princess sweetly smiled at him, and Rhaemon shook his head, letting him know that he did not want it.
"Congratulations, Brother." The black-haired Targaryen stepped forward and hugged him, and Aegon laughed happily.
"I have one now!"
"You do." Rhaenys rolled her eyes and then hugged her Egg close to her chest.
Oberyn and Arianne curiously looked at Allyria, who was happily chatting with Viserys, a little away from the rest. The Dayne was hugging the Egg in her arms, brimming in excitement, and this confused them.
"Why did Allyria claim one?" The Dornish Princess whispered in her little cousin's ear.
"Because she is a Dragon Blood." Rhaenys confusedly looked at her and answered as if she was stating the obvious.
"She's a Dayne, not a Targaryen."
"Azaerys said that she has Dragon Blood. Brother gifted an Egg to Ashara, and it hatched a moon ago," She informed them.
Oberyn was no longer confused like his older niece. He immediately understood that something was up.
He remembered that Lord Dayne's grandmother was a Targaryen and that Ashara's grandmother was a Velaryon and the daughter of a Targaryen Princess. But the magic should have been eliminated by Ashara's generation.
He also remembered reading about the Dance of the Dragon, and not all Drgaonseeds had been able to claim dragons, and this got him wondering about the secrets of the House Dayne.
Were they daughters of Aerys?
Mad King did some really mad things.
And Ashara was Shaena Targaryen's Ward, at only four years old, and later she was Elia's lady-in-waiting. Arthur Dayne was Aerys' Kingsguard, and Allyria became the Ward of the late Queen Rhaella.
Three of the four children or Lord Dayne were at the Red Keep, close to Aerys. Was he secretly keeping his bastards close?
Or... was the current Lord Dayne a Bastard? Perhaps, Ashara's mother was one.
Oberyn, being a Dornishman did not really care about such things. He was just amused, and in Dorne, bastards were not prejudiced against.
The sins and mistakes of the parents were not the fault of the children.