Aegon Targaryen remembered dying.
The memory never came all at once. At first, it had been fragments flashes of dragonfire tearing through the sky, the sound of wings colliding in the clouds, the smell of burning stone and flesh. Then came the screams. Then the grief. Then the terrible understanding that the House of the Dragon had destroyed itself.
By the time he was five years old, the memories were clear.
He had lived this life before.
And in that life, everything had burned.
The Dance of the Dragons had not begun with war. It had begun with resentment. With injustice. With small wounds left to fester until they turned into hatred.
If nothing changed, the same future awaited them again.
So Aegon changed.
While others expected the prince to grow careless and indulgent, he did the opposite. He trained daily with the master-at-arms until his hands blistered. He attended lessons in history and governance with a seriousness that surprised even his tutors. During court sessions, he stood quietly behind the throne, listening rather than speaking.
He learned the duties of a prince long before anyone demanded them of him.
But more importantly, he watched.And what he saw troubled him deeply.
Princess Rhaenyra was never held accountable.
When she openly defied court expectations and spent her nights with Ser Harwin Strong, the whispers spread through the Red Keep yet the King dismissed them as gossip. When her children were born bearing none of Laenor Velaryon's features, the court pretended not to notice. Those who spoke too openly of it lost their tongues, their positions, or their safety.
Even when she abandoned her duties and remained on Dragonstone for years, Viserys continued to defend her.
When she married Prince Daemon shortly after the death of Lady Laena, the scandal shook the realm but again, nothing came of it.
No punishment.No correction.No balance.
Every mistake was forgiven. Every insult excused.
Aegon understood then that the danger was not Rhaenyra alone.
The danger was a system where truth itself had become treason.
And if that continued, the realm would fracture just as it had before.
The night of Lady Laena's funeral arrived beneath a heavy sky.
Driftmark was quiet, the sea winds carrying the smell of smoke from the funeral pyre. Members of House Targaryen and Velaryon gathered in mourning, but tension lingered beneath the surface. Old rivalries did not disappear simply because someone had died.
Aegon kept close watch on his younger brother.
He remembered this night.
"This is when it begins," he thought grimly.
When word spread that Prince Aemond had disappeared, Aegon's heart sank. He already knew where the boy had gone.
He ran toward the shoreline just in time to see the massive shape of Vhagar rise into the night sky, her enormous wings beating against the clouds. A small silver-haired figure clung to her back.
Relief washed through him.
"At least he succeeded," Aegon murmured.
Aemond had claimed the greatest dragon alive. That part of fate could not be changed.
But the next part could.And he intended to change it.
When Aemond returned to the courtyard later that night, the other children were already waiting.
Baela and Rhaena stood at the front, their expressions full of anger and grief. Behind them were Jacaerys, Lucerys, and little Joffrey. The moment Aemond approached, the accusations began.
"You stole her!" Rhaena shouted, her voice trembling. "Vhagar was my mother's!"
Aemond straightened, pride shining through his exhaustion. "Then you should have claimed her," he replied.
The words only made things worse.
Jace stepped forward and shoved him.
Aegon immediately moved between them. "Enough," he said sharply. "This ends now. Dragons choose their riders. Fighting over it will change nothing."
For a moment, the group hesitated.
Then Luke pushed past him."You had no right!"
The shoving began again. Aegon grabbed Jace and tried to pull him back, but Baela struck Aemond from the side. The confrontation spiraled into a full fight within seconds.
"Stop this!" Aegon shouted, moving from one child to another, trying to separate them. "You'll regret this tomorrow!"
But anger and grief had already taken control.
Then Aemond, bleeding and furious, shouted the words Aegon had been dreading.
"They're bastards! Strong boys!"The courtyard went still.
Aegon turned immediately. "Aemond, don't"
But Luke had already picked up the knife.
"Aemond, move!" Aegon lunged forward.
He was a step too slow.
The blade flashed.
Aemond screamed as blood poured down his face.
And in that moment, Aegon felt the cold certainty settle in his chest.
The future was back on its path.
The next morning, the great hall of Driftmark was filled.
Aemond stood beside Queen Alicent, his eye bandaged, his face pale but defiant. The Velaryons watched in silence while King Viserys struggled to maintain order.
Aegon stood near the front, his hands clenched behind his back.
Queen Alicent spoke first. "My son has been permanently maimed. He was attacked by four children at once. There must be justice."
Rhaenyra stepped forward before the King could answer.
Her expression was cold, controlled.
"Your son called mine bastards," she said. "That is treason."
Aegon stared at her.Not a word about the knife.Not a word about the attack.Not a word about the injury.
Only the insult mattered.
Then she added, "He should be sharply questioned."
The hall went silent.
Aegon felt his anger rise.Torture.For the child who had just lost his eye.
He looked at his father.Viserys hesitated.Just as he always did.
Just as he had in the life Aegon remembered.
In that hesitation, Aegon saw the future again dragons fighting, cities burning, brothers dying.
"This is how it starts," he realized.Not with war.With injustice allowed to stand.He looked at Aemond, who stood alone despite everything.
He looked at Rhaenyra, confident that nothing would happen to her.
He looked at the court, afraid to speak the truth.
And then Aegon understood.
If nothing changed now, nothing ever would.
He stepped forward.The movement drew every eye in the hall.
Viserys frowned. "Aegon? This matter does not concern you."
Aegon met his father's gaze calmly."It concerns the survival of our house," he said.
Then he looked at Rhaenyra, at her sons, at the lies that had been protected for years."If the King cannot deliver justice," he continued quietly,
"then the blood of Old Valyria will."
He drew a dagger.Before anyone could react, he cut his palm.The first drops of blood fell to the stone floor.
And outside the castle, the dragons began to scream.