It has been days since the news of prince Aegon's death as court members were getting themselves ready for the funeral rites, along with the arrival of Lady Claryssa's family members from House Hunter. Grief hung over the court as all were wearing black in mourning for the prince, especially the royal family. Since receiving the news, everyone had been waiting for a ship carrying prince Aegon's remains for the funeral pyre, but there hadn't been a ship or any word of the body. Finally, after sending a message to Driftmark to see what the delay was, a reply was delivered, which bore a message that compelled Otto Hightower to call an emergency meeting with the small council. King Viserys and Princess Rhaenyra, who took a seat in the council after becoming too old to be a cupbearer, sat at the table with the other members as Otto began the meeting.
"Has there been a reply from Driftmark?" Viserys asked in an exhausted tone, still in mourning for his brother.
"Yes, Your Grace," Otto answered hesitantly, "However, there has been a complication."
"What complication?" Viserys questioned, wondering if something had happened to Aegon's body.
"It seems, Your Grace," Mellos begins to say, "That prince Daemon is not allowing prince Aegon's remains to be delivered to the Red Keep unless…." He trailed off.
"Unless what?" Viserys asked intently, wondering what Daemon was planning now.
"Unless prince Aegon's second son Aeron, by the Lady Melina Sorren, attend the funeral," Mellos finished, shocking everyone in the room, "Believing that both of Aegon's sons should put their father to rest."
Viserys' eyes widen at the message. Daemon withholds their little brother's body until he allows Aegon's bastard to attend the funeral. He's still grieving for Aegon, and now he has to deal with Daemon's actions again. "Daemon refuses to deliver the remains unless I do so?" he asked slowly.
"This is nothing more than another childish act of the prince, Your Grace," Otto told the king. "We will send word to Lord Corlys and demand him to release the prince's remains."
"Lord Corlys had been a close ally to Daemon," Lord Lyonel told the Hand, "How are we sure he will comply?"
"Then we will send men to High Tide if we have resorted to sheer force," Otto answered.
"Is that necessary?" Rhaenyra asked, worried how the situation would escalate, given Daemon's nature.
"Daemon is without limit, princess," Otto reminded her, "He will not cooperate, which means it is necessary to go to Driftmark by force if needed."
"But isn't Daemon, right?" The princess asked as the small council stared at her, "Shouldn't both of Aegon's sons be there."
"Princess, it would not be appropriate for the Braavosi Whore and her child to attend your uncle's funeral." Otto then replied to her.
"It would be disrespectful to prince Baelar and Lady Claryssa," Mellos added, "Especially since members of House Hunter came a long way from the Vale."
"But Aegon was still the boy's father," Rhaenyra reminded the older men in the room before looking toward her silent father, "Your Grace, when we lost mother, the most painful part of it was I never said goodbye to her. Neither of Aegon's sons had that moment. They will never see their father again. I understand the different situations of their births, but they are still Aegon's sons, no matter who their mothers are. Do you not believe every child should be able to say goodbye to their parents?"
Viserys looked at his daughter. He understood what she was saying but wondered if it was the right decision. However, he remembered his brother's request all those years ago. To have both of his sons be with him, but now that he was dead, that dream can never happen, or can it?
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Baelar was in his room on the floor with his back leaning against his bed with his shirt stained with wine. He was barefooted, and his hair was messy as he didn't bother to fix himself in the morning despite the servants' insistence. He hardly left the room, not saying a word, and barely ate any food brought to him, drinking nothing but wine. The door opened, and he saw his mother at the doorway; she was wearing black. Claryssa did not have a good marriage with Aegon but still mourned for him since he was her son's father.
"You can't stay here forever," Claryssa said, seeing the state he was in.
"I'm afraid I disagree with you on that," Baelar mumbled as he guzzled down his cup of wine as some leaked from his mouth.
"It's been days since you've locked yourself in here." So his mother told him as she came upon the windows and opened the curtains to let sunlight enter the dark room.
"Because I don't want to leave the room, mother," Baelar said as he cringed from the sunlight.
Having enough of this behavior, Claryssa grabbed him by the arm to pick him up and sat him on the bed.
"I understand you are grieving right now," She started, "But now is the time to start facing the court."
"Is that so?" Baelar asked sarcastically as he started to drink from his cup.
Claryssa grabbed the cup from his hand and placed it on a nearby table. "You can't stay here forever. For days, you have been staying here, drinking, and gods know what else." Baelar sighed as he tried to regain his cup, only for his mother to stop him, "You need to come out of this room. People are gossiping that you have gone mad with grief. Including members of our own family."
"Why should I care for those insufferable pricks," Baelar sneered.
"Because you are a prince, and you must uphold yourself as one," Claryssa answered sternly, "And you can't do that by locking yourself in a room, drinking yourself into an early grave like a drunk."
"I just want to be alone," Baelar exclaimed.
Claryssa was about to say something when a guard entered the room, "Forgive me, my lady, my prince. But the king requests an audience with you both."
Claryssa, looking at her son, who was not ready to speak with the king, looked to the guard and said, "Tell the king I will attend, but my son will need a moment to be ready himself."
She turned to her son and grabbed him by the face to make him look at her, "Get off this bed and get dressed." She then left the room and followed the guard to the king.
As the door closed, Baelar curled up in bed, not wanting to be with anyone. He was angry. Angry at Daemon and Corlys for getting his father involved with the Stepstones. Angry at Viserys and his mother, believing that they drove Aegon away. Most of all, he was angry at himself, thinking he was the main reason his father died. He still remembers the fight they had. The words, "being your son is embarrassing," still rang in his head. He spat those words to his father's face, and now he wishes to take those words back. He wishes he could take it all back, but he can't. The door opened again, "Mother, please leave me be." Baelar seethed as he looked up and saw that it was his wife. Leah, ignoring her husband's outburst, came to the bed and sat on the edge close to him as he sat up to look straight at her.
"Are you okay?" Leah asked softly. Baelar didn't say anything but looked down as tears started to form. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked again.
"Honestly." Baelar said, still looking down, "I want to be alone."
"Baelar," Leah pleaded, wishing to stay at his side.
"I just want to be alone, Leah." Baelar raised his voice.
She looked at him, startled by the tone of his voice, and asked, "Do you want me to go?"
"Yes, I do," Baelar replied, not looking at her.
Leah then got up from the bed and started walking out of the room but stopped. She looked at Baelar and saw he was hurting. She recognized that hurt when her mother died. She remembers how much she suffered when she died and how alone she felt with no one understanding her grief. She didn't want Baelar to feel that way.
"No." Leah answered sternly, "I'm not going."
"What?" Baelar asked her.
"You lost your father, Baelar." Leah began, "Right now you are angry and hurting. I know because that's how I was when my mother died." She then went back to the bed and sat down close to Baelar, "So you can yell as much as you want or tell me to leave however many times you can, but I am not leaving your side."
After hearing her words, the only thing Baelar could do was cry, and he did as Leah took him into her embrace as she comforted him. Leah knows what Baelar is going through and because of that she will stay at his side, even if he doesn't want her to.
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Claryssa was at the king's chamber as he wanted to discuss the news Daemon gave him. But, unfortunately, she could have received it better.
"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed angrily.
"Claryssa, I understand why you reject this-" Viserys tried to say.
"You are asking me to allow Aegon's bastard to attend the funeral," Claryssa questioned angrily. She always had to deal with the indignity and humiliation of her husband preferring another woman and her son over herself and their son, but now she has to accept them being under the same roof as her. That is something she will never accept.
Viserys sighed, knowing that this was precisely how Claryssa would react. He knows the true nature of Aegon and Claryssa's marriage and how they were unhappy. He still remembers her reaction when Aegon revealed that his mistress was pregnant. However, he didn't want to think about it. All he wants is to bring his brother home.
"My family is coming here, Your Grace," Claryssa said, trying to be respectful to the king, "What do you think people would say? For years, my son had to live with the indignity his father placed on him. Now you expect him to deal with it to run around the halls of our own home? I won't have it!"
"Claryssa, try to understand," Viserys implored, "Daemon will not bring Aegon's remains here unless I accept the terms. Besides, Aegon was the boy's father as much as he was Baelar's."
"And since when have you been so accepting of Aegon's affairs," Claryssa asked in disbelief.
"I'm not." But, Viserys defended, "I just want my brother here so I can put him to rest."
"Then gather soldiers and tell them to put their swords to use." Claryssa replied sternly, "You are the king, after all."
Viserys could do that, but he didn't want to. The family is already dealing with so much, Baelar especially. He didn't want to put the family through any more drama.
"You're right; I am the king," Viserys said in an authoritative voice, "And if having both of Aegon's sons is the only way to have him here, then that is what will happen." Claryssa looked at him in disbelief at what his decision was. Before she could say anything else, Viserys said, "I understand your reasonings, Claryssa, but that is my decision, and my decision is final."
Seeing that there was no changing the king's mind, Claryssa let out a frustrated sigh and stormed out of the room as she slammed the door. Viserys rubbed his head as a headache formed from the ordeal. He doesn't know what the right decision is. On the one hand, it was inappropriate to have a mistress and her bastard child come to a funeral with the legitimate brother and legal wife. On the other hand, they are both Aegon's sons, and he would have wanted them to be together.
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Daemon was at the crypt of High Tide, staring at his brother's corpse. Aegon was wrapped with cloth which was custom for the funeral pyre. The silent sisters removed the proper organs and did well in embalming to stop the body from decaying. On the outside, Daemon was calm and not showing any emotions, but he was raging with anger on the inside. He blames himself by goading Aegon into joining the Stepstones, but he also blames Viserys. Their older brother made Aegon feel like he had to prove himself to him, so he joined the War for the Stepstones. However, there was one man he wanted to kill most of all: the Crabfeeder. He's most likely the one who ordered the assassination of Aegon. Nightwing was an essential advantage for them since she could cover herself in the night sky, and the enemy couldn't see her when she struck. The war effort was failing recently, but The Night's Terror was still their most powerful weapon, and the Crabfeeder knew it. Now that Aegon is gone, she no longer has a rider and can no longer fight in the War. As he was deep in his thoughts, a servant came into the crypt and slowly made his way to Daemon with a note.
"A message from King's Landing, my prince," The servant said as he held a scroll to The Rogue Prince. Daemon opened the scroll to see what Viserys' response was.
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Deciding to leave High Tide for a while, Melina took her son to the Sorren manse. The manse was large and grandiose. It was built with pale stone with wooden frames made of ironwood and clear windows. It was three stories high, and inside was filled with servants tending to the household. The rooms were decorated with tapestries, rugs, artifacts, and luxurious furniture from the Free Cities of Essos. Behind the manse was a beautiful garden, filled with all different types of plants of Essos, along with some trees from the Summer Isles. In the middle of the park was a fountain where six-year-old Aeron was playing with his toy dragon. Since coming here, he had been in a better mood as he had been distracted from his father's death for a while. Melina sat at a bench near the garden entrance as she enjoyed watching her son being happy again while her brother, Donoros, stood beside her.
"It's good to see his smile again." Donoros watched his nephew.
"Yes," Melina agreed, "But how long that will last."
Donoros then looked down at his sister with worry. She hasn't expressed any emotions since Aegon's death. He knows she was trying to be strong for Aeron but wishes she could grieve properly. Daemon then made his presence known as he approached the Sorren siblings. Knowing why Daemon came, Donoros decided to play with his nephew so he wouldn't see the adults speaking. Melina stood up and faced Daemon as he held out a scroll for her to take. She hesitantly took the scroll and read the contents of it, surprised by what it said. "They are accepting Aeron to come to the funeral. How did this happen?" She then looked at Daemon, knowing he had a way of dealing with things, "What did you do?"
"It doesn't matter," Daemon dismissed, "What matters now is that Aeron will be at the funeral." He then saw Melina's reluctant look and asked, "What is it?"
Melina then looked at Aeron and saw him playing with his toy and said, "I don't think it would be wise for Aeron to come to King's Landing."
"And why is that?" Daemon asked.
"You know why," Melina told him, "Aegon's true wife and son. You know how resentful wives and their true born children can be in those circumstances."
"But he was still Aegon's son," Daemon reminded her, "He should be there to say goodbye to his father, should he not."
Melina remained silent, believing that her son should be at the funeral.
"I will ensure that nothing happens to Aeron," Daemon promised after noticing her silence, "You have my word."
Melina then looked back to Aeron, who stared at the adults after noticing that Daemon was with them. She knows her son wants to be there; she was just worried about facing Claryssa Hunter for the first time. No doubt that woman will make her suffer for seducing her husband to her bed, although that was not how the story went since she rejected him for the first time. Seeing that she had no more excuses, Melina said, "I suppose we are going to King's Landing."
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The sun was setting as night began to fall. It was a long journey on a Velaryon ship as Aeron was at the bow with Laena Velaryon with him as they saw the Red Keep in their sights. Laena was close to Aeron to make sure that the adventurous boy wouldn't try to climb on the bowsprit.
"Is that the Red Keep?" Aeron asked, "It's so big."
"Yes," Laena said with a smile, "It took two generations to complete it."
Melina was up on the upper deck, watching her son take in the view of King's Landing. They all saw the Red Keep towering over the city as it was built over Aegon's High Hill. Melina was still anxious about coming to the funeral, afraid of what would happen when she and Aegon's wife saw each other for the first time, which was, at this point, inevitable.
"I know you're afraid, Lina," Her father said, "But the Velaryons will make sure we are protected if anything should happen." Melina nodded, but she couldn't help but worry. Suddenly, everyone on the boat heard loud roaring as they looked up and saw dragons flying over them. They were Caraxes ridden by Daemon, Seasmoke ridden by Laenor Velaryon, and Nightwing. Due to Nightwing being more dangerous without a rider, Viserys also demanded Daemon and the other Dragonkeepers lure The Night's Terror to the Dragonpit before she does any permanent damage since she was never truly tamed after Aegon claimed her. The ship landed on the River Gate, which allowed the passengers to leave the boat. Lord Corlys Velaryon, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, their daughter Lady Laena and the Sorrens made their way to some men in armor in nearby carriages and a wagon who seemed to be messengers of the king, waiting for their arrival.
"Good morrow Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys," an older bald man with a gray, white beard said, "I wish it were under better circumstances. My deepest condolences, princess."
"Thank you, Ser Westerling," Rhaenys replied as she was mourning for her cousin. Then, some Velaryon men came carrying a coffin that held Aegon's body. When she saw the coffin, Melina quickly averted Aeron's eyes, not wanting him to see it. When the coffin was on the wagon waiting for them, the Velaryons made their way to the royal carriage as the Sorrens followed them until some of the armored men stopped them.
"Forgive me, my lord and princess, but there has been a separate carriage made for the members of House Sorren." Ser Westerling reluctantly said.
"A separate carriage?" Corlys asked in confusion.
"Yes, the King and the Lord Hand have provided them a fine establishment just by the Iron Gate." Ser Westerling explained.
Rhaenys furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "The Iron Gate is on the other side of the city. Close to Flea Bottom, is it not?"
"Yes, princess, but the king believed it would not be appropriate for," Ser Westerling then looked towards Melina and her son, trying to be careful of his next words. Especially for the sake of the little boy who had the misfortune of being born a bastard, "the members of House Sorren to be in the Red Keep."
The Sorrens looked at each other questionably. They are surprised that they are to be hidden away from the Red Keep, but at the same time, not surprised by their treatment here in the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. Not wanting to cause drama, Melina told the knight, "Tell the king we thank him for his generosity and are grateful to him for allowing us in his city."
The knight gave her a sympathetic nod as the Velaryons decided to play along, although they wondered what kind of "fine establishment" was provided for the Sorrens. The Sorrens made their way to the separate carriage as it carried them away to the River Gate and the Iron Gate. It was a long ride as Aeron stood on his seat, looking out the window to see King's Landing for the first time while his mother ensured he didn't fall. The carriage finally stopped as the door opened for the Sorrens to get out and saw the "fine establishment" made for them. It was a small, dreary manse. Tiny compared to the manse they have at Driftmark and could have been more impressive.
"This is the fine establishment the king provided for us." Melina's younger brother, Draqeo, asked in disbelief. The Sorrens were astounded by the looks of the home they would be staying in, not to mention that no one was waiting for them outside to receive them. Then, the doors opened as an older man came out and greeted the Braavosi family.
"Welcome to King's Landing, my lords, and lady." The old man said, "We know it has been a long journey. Please enter."
Reluctantly, the Sorrens entered the small manse and saw it was not better inside. There were no paintings or tapestries on the walls. No rugs, no decorations. There was furniture, but not much, and they were not lavish but had a basic look. There were candles, but just enough to allow some light when it got dark. There were hardly any servants, as only four attendants were in the foyer waiting for them.
"Are these all of the servants?" Areqo asked the older man.
"It was believed that having many servants for temporary guests was unnecessary." The older man replied.
"Did the king say that?" Donoros asked.
"I do not know, my lord. I only know what the Hand ordered," the old man said as he walked outside with the two servants following him to take the luggage into the manse.
When the attendants brought the luggage in, they all went upstairs to see the rooms they would be sleeping in. The rooms were small and dark, with hardly any furniture at all. The room had a small fireplace, an old-looking armoire, and one couch or two chairs. The beds had plain covers as if the people sleeping on them were common people with barely anything else in the rooms. Aeron looked around and saw that his room differed from the one he had on High Tide. He turned to his mother and said, "I want to go home."
Melina hugged him and said, "We will be soon. This is only for a couple of days." She continued to look around the abysmal home they were in. She was just grateful that they were not staying. All they needed to do was stay for the funeral, leave for High Tide, and never return here again.
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The royal carriage entered the Red Keep as an entourage was waiting to receive the Velaryons with Aegon's body. When the carriage door opened and the attendant announced their arrival, Corlys and his wife stepped out to greet the king and his family waiting for them. King Viserys stepped forward to meet them, knowing that the relations between House Targaryen and House Velaryon had been strained over the years. However, the King and the Sea Snake knew this was not the time.
"Lord Corlys, Princess Rhaenys," Viserys greeted them.
"Your Grace," Corlys greeted, "We are sorry for your loss."
"We all are cousin," Rhaenys said as she took his hands in comfort as started to grimace from the touch. She noticed he was missing some fingers as she took her cousin's hands. She glanced at his hands, then looked up to Viserys and said, "How is prince Baelar?" Noticing that Aegon's widowed wife was there but not his eldest son or Leah Lannister.
Viserys was about to answer until Claryssa said, "Prince Baelar is not present at the moment."
Rhaenys nodded, understanding that the prince was in mourning for his father and, most likely, his wife was comforting him. "Of course. My condolences on your loss Lady Claryssa."
"Thank you, princess," Claryssa replied to the older princess as the Velaryon men went to the wagon to bring out the coffin holding prince Aegon's remains.
As the royal family looked at the coffin, Rhaenyra asked, "Is Aegon's other son here?"
Corlys and Rhaenys looked at each other, not knowing how to answer, with Claryssa standing next to them, staring at them intently for the answer. The Velaryon lord said, "Yes, he and his mother and some other members of House Sorren had come for the funeral."
"I assume they had been taken to the establishment that befits their station." Otto asked while Viserys looked at him, wondering what his Hand meant when he said, "befits their station."
"Yes, they have," Rhaenys replied, suspicious of the Hands' words, "We will see them later to see how they are faring."
"That will not be necessary, princess," Otto said, "There are servants and attendants who will give reports on their wellbeing."
Corlys and Rhaenys eyed suspiciously at Otto, wondering what he meant by that. However, now was not the time to find out as the coffin was carried to the Keep.
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Viserys was in his room, sitting on a chair in front of the fireplace with a cup of wine. Daemon was with him drinking his cup as he stood, staring at the flames. They remembered when they sat here with Aegon years ago, drinking and laughing together. They recall the little boy Aegon was in their childhood. He was a wild and untamable boy who always found a way to sneak past everyone and find his adventure. They still remember that day when Aegon somehow left the Red Keep in the dead of night and could take a ship to Dragonstone all on his own and claimed Nightwing. When people first heard tales of The Night's Terror, they ensured that everyone in Dragonstone avoided her lair. When their father told them this, nothing could stop Aegon from claiming her. He found his dragon and went after her despite the danger. That was the one thing Viserys and Daemon admired about Aegon, never being afraid to go after what he desired. They can still picture the five-and-ten-year-old boy coming to the Red Keep with a smile from flying on dragonback for the first time. A smile they will never see again.
"Was there any trouble getting Nightwing in the Dragonpit?" Viserys asked Daemon after a long moment of silence.
"No, she was very cooperative," Daemon answered, not taking his eyes off the fireplace.
"I thought getting her there would be a problem," Viserys commented, knowing the she-dragon's nature.
"Well, it seems she is still mourning the loss of her rider," Daemon replied.
Viserys placed his head on the back of the chair and asked, "Did he suffer?"
"No," Daemon answered, "We gave him some milk of the poppy to relieve him from the pain."
"Were there any assassination attempts on you?" Viserys then asked, wanting to get more answers about what happened.
"Just him," Daemon replied, "I suppose they only went after him because Nightwing can attack at night, and taking her rider would bring her out of the war."
Viserys looked down at his cup and slowly said, "You should never have brought him there." He then looked at Daemon, who turned his head towards him, "He should never have been there." Daemon glared at his brother as he continued, "He was not a warrior, Daemon. He may have been trained with the sword, but not all men were made for battle. He never desired to enlist in any tourneys or battle at arms. So, I know that he never wanted to enlist in any of your wars. Not until you goaded him into it with promises of glory."
"He went because of you." Daemon seethed as he started to shake in anger. "No, he wasn't a warrior, but he was no politician. All you did was try to keep him in court and force him to act the way you wanted him to, making him feel that there was nothing he did that was right or enough for you. He entered the war to prove to you that he was enough." Viserys glared at his brother with red eyes when his tears fell, while Daemon bitterly said, "He didn't want to go. You drove him to it." Without saying another word, The Rogue Prince left the room and slammed the door as Viserys stayed in his chair.
After staying still for a minute, the king threw the cup at the fireplace angrily. He wasn't angry at Daemon's words but at the truth of them. He remembers the fight they had. The last encounter they had together. He remembers telling Aegon that he did nothing for his family but himself. Those words drove Aegon to join the War for the Stepstones, and Viserys knew it. And now his little brother is dead because of it.
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Aegon's body was in a crypt in the Red Keep. His body was still wrapped in cloth. The funeral was tomorrow, and the silent sisters of the court were making sure that the body was still ready for the funeral pyre. Baelar was staring at the corpse. Leah and Rhaenyra offered to be with him, but he said he wanted to do this alone. However, his mother came in moments after wanting to see the body as well. This dead body was his father. The last time he saw his father, he yelled at him and told him to get out of his life. So now here he was, lying on a table. "Was he wearing his medallion?" he asked his mother, who was behind him.
"They didn't see him wearing it," Claryssa replied to her son, "Daemon didn't say anything."
"He wanted me to have it," Baelar said softly, "And I just gave it away."
"He was your father," Claryssa reminded him, "He still loved you. Nothing could change that."
Baelar, who couldn't keep it in anymore, broke down crying as he went down on his knees and rested his forehead on the table as his mother put her hands on her shoulders to comfort her son.
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Aeron was walking inside the manse, trying to find anything interesting about this dreary place. His grandfather's home was filled with many tapestries, rugs, and artifacts from Essos. In High Tide, he spends most of his time at the Hall of Nine, looking at all the treasures Corlys Velaryon brought back from his famous voyages. However, something could have been more interesting in the manse of King's Landing. The walls were empty, and the rooms had almost no furniture. It was more like a hovel. Aeron then went to the foyer, looked out the windows, and saw some Kingslanders passing by. Some were standing on the other side of the street staring at the manse, and then Aeron saw someone point at him when they saw him through the window. The curtain then closed as Aeron turned and saw that it was his grandfather.
"Why were they pointing at us?" Aeron asked his grandfather.
Areqo urged Aeron away from the window and told him, "They probably never seen Braavosi people like us." However, the older man knew the truth about it. They wanted to see prince Aegon's mistress and bastard child. No doubt, the whole city has been gossiping about the arrival of Aegon's other family.
"When can we go outside and see the city?" Aeron asked, wanting to see King's Landing from all of the stories his father told him.
"Maybe some other time, my boy," Areqo told him as they went to the sitting room where Melina looked for him.
"Aeron, it's almost time for bed," she told her son.
"I want to see King's Landing," Aeron told his mother.
As his mother was about to answer, Daemon walked in the front door. He wanted to see how they were faring, but he was surprised by the looks of the household the king supposedly provided for them. "This is the fine establishment they had?"
Areqo looked at Daemon and said, "Supposedly."
"Corlys and Rhaenys wanted to come, but the Hand told them it was unnecessary," Daemon explained.
"I'm sure it wasn't," Melina said.
"I still have friends in the City Watch who can come and stand guard outside," Daemon offered to uphold his word of protecting Melina and her son, "in case something happens."
"Thank you, Daemon," Areqo replied to the prince.
Aeron then went to Daemon and told him, "I want to go see the city."
Daemon smiled at the boy whose mother told him, "Aeron, you must go to bed."
The Rogue Prince looked at Melina, who picked her son up and said, "It would not be harmful if he sees the city for an hour or two."
Melina looked at him apprehensively and then her father, who had the same look. She doesn't want her son to see the city because she isn't sure how the people would act around them, especially since Aeron has the silver-gold hair of a Targaryen, meaning that the people will know whom he is just by looking at him.
She held him up and said, "Thank you for the offer Daemon, but maybe another time." Daemon gave her an understanding nod. However, as he looked at the mother leaving with her child, he saw a certain look on Aeron, a look his father had when he was his age.
After getting ready for the night, Melina put her son to bed and covered him with the blanket. But, before he went to sleep, she thought there were some things he needed to know before going to the funeral.
"Your father's funeral is tomorrow," She told her son, "And before we go, there is something you need to know."
"What?" Aeron asked her.
Melina took a deep breath and said, "You know your father and I were never married." Aeron nodded, "Well, that was because he was already married when we met."
"My brother's mother?" Aeron said, knowing his father explained the situation to him.
"Yes," Melina sighed, "I just want you to know that," She stopped for a minute. She was trying to make him understand the situation of his birth, but she believed he was too young for that. So, she said, "I want you to know that we need to be respectful to your brother and his mother. We are guests here, so we cannot do anything to disrespect them. Understood." Aeron nodded as his mother smiled at him and kissed his forehead before blowing out the candle and telling him, "Good night," and then left the room. Aeron closed his eyes as he went to sleep but wasn't planning on sleeping.
After an hour or two, Aeron got up from the bed, went to some of the luggage bags he had packed, and took out a hood he buried underneath his clothes. He put the hood on and slowly opened the door. He looked at both sides of the hallway to ensure no one was around. He then slowly went out of his room and silently closed the door. He then went to the kitchen, which was empty for the night, and went out the back door.
After leaving the manse, he made his way through the streets of King's Landing, watching the people passing by. Some people were drinking and having fun while passing through alleys. Aeron saw some men cheering on, probably gambling. He was wearing his hood, so no one could see his silver-gold hair as he continued on until he saw a man who came out of nowhere and stood before him. He looked up and saw it was Daemon, who was wearing a cloak to hide from the people.
"If you don't want people to know who you are," Daemon whispered to him, "Then you shouldn't wear the medallion for everyone to see."
Aeron immediately touched the medallion and realized how easy it was for people to see it. Daemon then grabbed a cloth from his pocket and wrapped it around Aeron's neck to cover the medallion. "You might not want to wear it for the funeral tomorrow."
"Why not?" Aeron asked.
"Your brother, Baelar, might want it," Daemon answered.
"But father gave it to me," Aeron reasoned, "He said Baelar didn't wanted it."
"He probably changed his mind," Daemon replied, "So, you might want to leave it in your bedroom before you come to the funeral tomorrow, so no one can take it from you."
Aeron nodded, not wanting to lose the medallion. It was all he had left of his father and did not want anyone to take it from him.
Daemon looked at his nephew for a moment, held out his hand and said, "Come on, I want to show you something."
Curious to see what he meant by that, Aeron took his uncle's hand and followed him to a familiar tavern that his father used to visit. The Silver Bass. It was lively inside as music was played, and people danced, danced, and laughed the night away.
"Is it always like this?" Aeron asked Daemon.
"Most of the time," Daemon said, enjoying his nephew's happiness, "Your father used to come here." He said as Aeron looked at him. "He enjoyed seeing everyone as they were. No duties, no responsibilities. Just people living life."
"How did you know I was sneaking out," Aeron asked.
"You had the same look your father had when he was planning to run off," Daemon told him with a smile.
Aeron smiled back at Daemon and said, "He said I was bolder than he was."
"Did he?" Daemon raised an eyebrow.
"He said he didn't go to the streets of King's Landing until he was two and ten." Aeron continued.
Daemon smirked at the boy, knowing that this was true and Aeron being out at night by himself was proof of it, "What else did your father say?"
"Sometimes he would tell me stories about what he did when going into King's Landing," Aeron continued, "He even told me the story about how he claimed Nightwing. How he sneaked off from the tunnels in the Red Keep to go to Dragonstone to get her."
Daemon smiled at that memory, especially how furious his father was when Aegon came back to the Red Keep on Nightwing, "I remember that."
"He used to take me flying on her all the time." But then, Aeron sadly asked, "Will I ever see her again?"
Daemon looked at his nephew and had a thought. He stood up from the table they were sitting at as Aeron did the same. He urged the boy to follow him as they left the tavern.
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Late at night, Areqo entered his daughter's room and saw her sitting by a window, just staring at the sky. Slowly walking up to her, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Melina didn't say anything as she continued to look out the window.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her again.
"If I talk, I'll cry," Melina mumbled, trying to fight back the tears.
"That's okay," Areqo said as he put his hands on her shoulders, "We are alone. You can cry."
Melina cried and said, "I told him not to go. If he just listened, he would still be here."
"I know," Areqo said as he listened to his daughter crying.
"I was trying so hard to be strong for Aeron." Melina then said, "But I don't know what to do. I want him back."
She then turned and buried her face into her father's embrace, crying as he hugged her tightly and said, "My girl. My dear, brave girl."
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After an hour or two of walking, the uncle and nephew came to the Dragonpit. It was a colossal building on the top of the Hill of Rhaenys, named after one of the sister-wives of Aegon the Conqueror. Large flights of stairs went all the way up to the main entrance, but they didn't go that way.
"Follow me," Daemon said as Aeron looked at him in confusion. They went behind several buildings close to the Pit and found a secret passageway. Daemon took a torch from one of the building walls that was lit.
"When Maegor the Cruel built the Dragonpit," Daemon lectured, "He created a passageway so that a Targaryen could sneak in. In case we needed to escape."
They made their way to a secret door. Daemon opened it, allowing them both to go in; he kept the torch up so they could see in the dark as they went through the tunnel. The tunnel then led them inside the Dragonpit. It was massive Aeron looked around with wonder. He ran into the great room and saw the great dome on top of them.
"This is where we train new riders when they bond with their dragon," Daemon explained.
"Where are the dragons?" Aeron asked.
"Underneath us," Daemon answered as he looked to the floor, "There are floorboard entrances at the front doors and to the end of the Pit."
Aeron ran to the front doors to see if there were any floorboards, as Daemon said, and there were. The boards were covered with sand, but Aeron jumped a little and felt the wooden boards on the ground. He remembers the story his father told him about the Dragonpit. The floorboards opens and closes for the dragons to leave their lairs for training with their riders and then return when it is time for them to return. After observing the boards momentarily, Daemon called Aeron to come to him as they entered a dark passageway that led deeper into the Pit.
The tunnel was cold and dark as Aeron stayed close to his uncle's side. Soon they came to a chamber with many openings as if they were caves. Daemon stopped at one of them as they heard a low growl. He then started to sing, "Fire breather, winged leader, but two heads, to a third sing, from my voice: The fires have spoken, and the price has been paid, with blood magic, with words of flame, with clear eyes, to bind the three, to you I sing, as one we gather, and with three heads, we shall fly as we were destined, beautifully, freely." As he sang as a dragon breathed fire in the air, Aeron hid behind Daemon to shield himself from the heat of the flames.
After the flames died, the dragon slowly emerged from the cave, revealing that it was Nightwing. Aeron came out of hiding, and he stared at the dragon as he suddenly got closer, while Daemon looked on, not stopping him as he began to see what was happening. Aeron is not afraid of Nightwing and knows she would not harm him. Nightwing sneered at the boy as she got closer and closer to him. Soon, the dragon and the boy were inches away from each other. Aeron stretched out his hand, and the dragon began to purr as she allowed him to touch her. Aeron's hand was at her scales as he looked straight into her blood-red eyes, seeing his reflection. As Nightwing stared back at him, Aeron felt some pull inside. As if they were in connection with one another. As if they created a bond that no one can sever.