"Is the Gift of a God really a gift? I doubt it, but we must accept what fate bestows upon us." Aenar Targaryen, watching the Water of Life.
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Volantis, at night.
Aenar was in his room wearing only baggy silk pants, his purple eyes focused on the paper in his hand. The quill with its ink-soaked tip was gradually drawing the outline of something completely impossible for people on this planet to figure out what it really was.
With her head resting on his lap, Daenerys, wearing a transparent pink nightgown, was on her stomach, swinging her feet up and down as she looked at the drawing with a curious gaze.
In her eyes, the drawing showed what she could sum up as a dragon made of iron, but much fatter and with intimidating spikes.
Leaving Aenar's lap, Daenerys went to his back and hugged him from behind while wrapping her arms around his neck. She rested her chin on his shoulder and saw more clearly the scrawl being drawn on the paper in black ink.
"What is it? It looks like a very ugly, fat iron dragon." She asked, her lilac eyes filled with a curiosity that was almost impossible to contain.
Aenar let out a laugh hearing her question. Stopping painting, he took the girl in his arms and showed her the paper. "It's a space cruiser, imagine it as a ship that flies and spits fire." He explained as he pointed to the drawing on the paper.
"Can that exist?" She asked with a perplexed expression. In her mind, only dragons could have that kind of power, but here she was seeing something that could have that same power, how could she not be confused and incredulous?
"It will come into existence five hundred years from now." Aenar replied with a soft tone, his purple eyes seemed to glow with a phosphorescent radiance.
Seeing that glow, Daenerys knew that her nephew was having a vision of the future.
"What a shame, I wanted to see it for myself." She muttered to herself, she really wanted to see a ship capable of flying through the air.
"You'll see." Aenar kissed her forehead tenderly and spoke in a gentle tone.
Daenerys looked confusedly at Aenar. How could she live five hundred years?
Seeing her cute expression, Aenar smiled and spoke. "You, me, Visenya, and all our family will live longer than any other humans in the world."
He continued: "This planet is just the beginning, Daenerys. One day we will leave it and venture into the stars. We will be the gods for our people as we pave the way for the eternal prosperity of the human race."
"Do you want to see?" Aenar asked, looking at Daenerys with a calm gaze.
Daenerys nodded silently as she closed her eyes.
Aenar reached out and gently touched Daenerys' forehead with the tip of his finger, transferring some fragments of memories he had seen in the future.
Planets, other civilizations and thousands of different races.
An endless war full of death and horror.
And at the end of it all, a Ruby Throne could be seen, and sitting on it was someone Daenerys knew very well.
Her beloved nephew.
Opening her eyes, Daenerys couldn't help but open her mouth and desperately suck air into her lungs. She looked at Aenar with a frightened gaze, but that fear vanished the moment she saw the purple eyes looking back at her with a calm, determined gaze and with a sense of confidence that was simply unshakeable.
Holding Daenerys' face in his right hand, Aenar used his thumb to stroke her cheek, calming her with this gesture. "It's all right, we'll walk this path together." He spoke, his tone so gentle and warm that it made the fear for the future completely disappear from her mind.
"Together and forever together." Daenerys said, hugging Aenar tightly, who just smiled and hugged her back.
"Yes, forever together." Aenar answered in her ear with a determined tone.
Visenya's words the night before had made him stop wanting to do everything alone, he had people by his side who could carry some of the burden he was carrying.
Aenar assumed that if he remained as he was before, he would gradually become indifferent to everything and everyone, having only one purpose in life, to take humanity to a peak never seen or thought of by any other human.
But would he still be himself or just a puppet for the Omnipotent and Omniscient God?
"What's that? I don't remember having anything like that in the room before?" Hearing Daenerys' question, Aenar followed her voice and saw that on a wooden chest of drawers, a delicate glass vial could be seen. Inside the vial was a thick turquoise liquid.
Aenar's eyes narrowed at the sight of the glass vial with the suspicious liquid inside. A name appeared in his mind.
Water of Life.
Leaving Daenerys on the bed, Aenar got off the bed and picked up the vial, looking at it intently. The Prince knew exactly who, or rather what, had sent it to him.
The Omnipotent and Omniscient God.
"A reward for following the path you've paved for me?" Aenar muttered, wanting to throw that jar against the wall and destroy it.
"Your face looks strange, what happened Aenar?" Daenerys, who had gotten out of bed, walked across the cold floor in her bare feet and asked, coming to his side.
It was the first time she had seen that expression on her nephew's face. She had always seen that Aenar was always calm with a smile on his face no matter what the news, but now, she saw an expression of anger, almost a feeling of pure fury in his expression.
Hearing Daenerys' worried voice, Aenar's turbulent mood calmed down in an instant. He looked at her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Laying his head in the crook of her neck, Aenar gradually calmed down, smelling the faint scent of lavender coming from the petadas after their bath.
"It's nothing, just a present from a nasty guy." Aenar answered her earlier question with an amused laugh.
Daenerys frowned, but didn't continue asking. She knew that Aenar was hiding something from her, but she didn't go on to ask what it was. She didn't want the trust they had just established to be tested by a few mere questions.
If she had to know, Daenerys was sure that Aenar would tell her everything; like her, he hated lies. After all, as her mother had said, a relationship is based on mutual trust.
Guessing Daenerys' thoughts, Aenar couldn't help but smile, he kissed her cheek and mentally thanked her for having such an understanding wife. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about the Omnipotent and Omniscient God, but what he was planning was best left to him alone for the time being.
Returning to the bed with Daenerys in his arms, Aenar gently placed the young woman on the bed and lay down beside her. It was Daenerys' day to spend the night with him, something that Daenerys and Visenya had arranged between them and he was grateful.
Finding the most comfortable position on his chest, Daenerys rested her head on his chest and asked with a hopeful tone, "Aenar, will I be able to create a ship that flies?"
Aenar was surprised for a moment, but then smiled with satisfaction. Daenerys could very well choose to be an idle queen, but she chose to improve rather than settle for what she had at the moment, which pleased him.
"Although I don't know how to make a flying ship either, I can teach you what I do know." Aenar naturally didn't know how to make a Space Cruiser, the Earth he had lived on was still normal and far from special exploration, but he had an in-depth knowledge of physics, quantum physics and other knowledge.
His time in the hospital bed was spent with nothing but books, the only way for him to entertain himself. Unfortunately, that damned disease even took his only happiness.
Daenerys' eyes shone with a touch of emotion, but then she thought of something very worrying. "Aenar, if flying ships exist, haven't dragons become obsolete?"
Aenar smiled at the very important question for their future. "Of course not, while science evolves, magic won't be left behind. Dragons have become stronger with blood magic, we will make them true gods capable of destroying stars."
Daenerys didn't doubt a word Aenar said, she practically had blind and absolute trust in Aenar.
Just as Aenar and Daenerys were getting ready for bed, someone knocked on the door.
"Your Grace, Archbishop Benerro has sent word that the ship carrying the representatives of House Martell has docked in the harbor."
Aenar heard Titus' voice behind the door and couldn't help but be surprised.
"It looks like we'll be going to the Throne Room to welcome our guests from afar." Aenar spoke with an amused tone. Daenerys rolled her eyes, but she was also curious about the famous House Martell.
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