บท 8: Chapter 8
- Pentos - Nearby Tavern -
Jon Connington was drunk. And rightfully so given is self loathing at his failure to save Rheagar's family. Aegon was dead. Rhaenys was dead. Viserys and Daenerys were lost in the wind and presumed dead. Not that he cared about those two. Rheagar's blood was the strongest of the Targaryen line in ages and his family would have inherited that strength too. But the fucking lion and the stag had ruined any chance of them to grow up and truly show just how special they really were to the Seven Kingdoms.
Jon had been so close to getting them out of the Red Keep. He had just needed one day and it would have been successful. One single fucking day and the Spider's help. Was it so much to ask?
"Give me another one!" demanded Jon while the Rooster raised his glass to the bar tender currently cleaning a glass.
"You have had enough pal. Plus you haven't paid me for the other five drinks you drank down earlier," said the bar tender with Jon grumbling and looking for his pouch.
"I'll cover the drinks he's had. Don't give him anymore," said a voice behind him that threw a small pouch filled with the necessary coin to cover the cost.
"Fine by me, but you're carrying him out of here when we close," said the bar tender.
"Fair enough," said the figure before he moved and sat down across from Connington.
"Who the Seven Hells are you?" asked Jon while glaring at the two identical figures in front of him.
"A friend," said the figure with Jon laughed.
"Friend? I have no friends here. All my friends are dead or bent the knee to a damn Stag backed by a fucking Lion," commented Jon bitterly.
"Because what they did to the dragon. To Rheagar," said the figure with Jon narrow his eyes and slowly reach for his sword underneath the table.
"And who are you to say his name? Who are you to speak of him as if you had a right to it?" asked Jon while focusing his eyes to see one of the man instead of two.
"Why his son of course," said the figure with Jon's eyes widening before they went into a rage.
"Rheagar is dead. His line is dead. You are not his blood!" exclaimed Jon while the figure tilted his head.
"And yet here I am. Claiming to be his blood," countered the figure.
"Your name?" asked Jon curiously while the figure leaned forward.
"My name is Aegon. Aegon Stark Targaryen," whispered Aegon with Jon's eyes went wide at the implication.
"The she-wolf. The Tourney at Harrenhal," whispered Jon since it made perfect sense now.
"They married. They loved each other. I am their son," whispered Aegon with Jon now ready to cry at the implication of what this meant.
"Who else knows?" whispered Jon worriedly.
"Of those from that time who are alive? Ned Stark. Howland Reed. Myself. You. No one else, not even the Spider knows of my existence. As far as he knows, only Viserys and Daenerys are the only two Targaryens left," said Aegon with Jon frowning in regards to Ned Stark and Howland Reed.
"Ned Stark. The she-wolf's brother. It was said he killed the Sword of the Morning," said Jon with Aegon nodding.
"Lord Stark technically did, but the man had help. I won't go into details, but let's just say Ser Arthur Dayne unfortunately miscalculated at one point regarding a supposed kill and it cost him dearly," replied Aegon with Jon nodding.
"I won't ask further. Let the man keep his legend and legacy," replied Jon before leaning back in his chair and sighing.
"I need your help. I need the Rooster of old that fought for my Father. Are you still up for it?" asked Aegon with Jon looking at him.
"I want to see your face. If you are his son, I will see his features. If you are the son of my Prince, I will gladly bend the knee," said Jon with Aegon nodding.
"Not here Jon. Too many faces. Too many eyes and ears. And let's not forget the Spider's little birds," replied Aegon with Jon nodding in agreement since the Spider would tell the fucking Usurper if a Targaryen aside from the other two were alive.
"My room at the Inn. is nearby. Take me there and show me your face. Show me that a piece of Rheagar still lives," said Jon with Aegon nodding.
"Let's go. We have much to talk about my friend," replied Aegon before he helped Jon to his feet and to his room at the nearby Inn.
- Short Time Later -
Aegon slowly removed his mask before turning to face a cautious, yet optimistic Jon Connington staring at him with intense eyes. Walking slowly to the younger man, the man known to some as Griff or Rooster for being the Lord of Griffin's Roost stared at Aegon to see the blood relation to his beloved Rheagar. Looking for the features that were on Rheagar when last they saw each other and could say were on this younger man.
And he saw it. The cheek bones. The nose. The shimmering purple that gleamed just right when light from a candle shined at just the correct moment. It was all Rheagar's features. All
There were a lot of Lyanna Stark's features on the boy's face. Without question, the Stark features were strong. It made sense why Rheagar had chosen her, given the woman's own incredible spirit. Only a strong woman like the she-wolf's could have attracted the eyes of the dragon and win his heart.
Especially Rheagar's heart.
"My Prince. Rheagar. I see him. I see him in you," whispered Jon with tears now running down his face.
Except they weren't tears of sadness. But tears of joy! Hi Prince lived on! Lived on in his son!
"I'm glad you think so Lord Connington. I don't want to look too much like my Mother and be considered too pretty to be a man," japed Aegon with a smirk on his face.
With the realization of who was standing before him, Jon quickly drew his sword, got to his knees, and bowed his head.
"I, Jon Connington, Lord of Griffin's Roost, hereby pledge my sword and loyalty to the one true King Aegon Stark Targaryen. To be his sword, his shield, and to provide counsel in times of need. I will serve no other not of your bloodline and follow you to the end of my days and to whatever end," said Jon with Aegon commanding him to rise.
"I'm glad I have your support Jon. I will need it in the wars to come," said Aegon with Jon looking eager to fight, yet concerned since the last time dragons fought in a war, it had cost them dearly.
"Wars your Grace?" asked Jon with Aegon picking up his helmet and sat down with the object now in his lap.
"I'm going to retake Iron Throne. I need an army. I need skilled men. Reliable and loyal men. I'm going to fight for what was taken from me by the Usurper. From the Lion. From the Falcon. From the fucking Fish. All of them who conspired to take what did not belong to them," replied Aegon with his voice becoming angry and Jon looking more interested by the second.
"Your Grace, you sound like the Usurper's Rebellion was more a conspiracy to remove the dragon from power," remarked Jon with Aegon looking him right in the eyes.
"Because they did Jon. Each everyone of them! The Falcon. The Stag. The Fish. And eventually Lion," replied Aegon while recalling the memories of the past the Force had shown him.
"What about your Uncle? Ned Stark?" asked Jon since he knew they had a hand in it too.
"My Uncle was used Jon. A puppet. Hell, he might as well have been an attack dog out in front leading the other attack dogs from the North. All the Falcon and Stag had to do was point, command, and watch as my Uncle would obey," said Aegon with Jon frowning since he felt Ned Stark was just as responsible considering the North called their banners for the Stag.
"I still find it hard to believe such a conspiracy existed. How did they pull it off so well?" asked Jon with Aegon running his hands over his helmet.
"Through years of careful planning Jon. Planning and preparation. Lord Arryn started the conspiracy. He was jealous of the dragon. He couldn't stand being in its shadow. To him, the Falcon is master and ruler of the skies. It has no equal. Supreme authority over all that it surveyed from high above. Or at least he could claim such things if not for the mighty dragons and the very House that best represented them. I'm sure you know or heard about the history regarding the Arryn bloodline and how Lord Arryn's ancestor fought to keep his right to rule the Vale. I think Lord Arryn finally wanted to settle things from the time of old and get revenge on House Targaryen," said Aegon and saw Jon Connington was confused.
"What revenge though? House Arryn only bent the knee to the Targaryens because they knew sooner or later, the dragon would win," commented Lord Connington.
"Which is why they did it. This is revenge for bending the knee that day. It didn't matter how long ago it was for Lord Arryn. The fact remained, the Falcon was dethroned from its right to rule the skies by the dragons. I imagine that resentment festered for a long time between the Lord of the Vale and the future Heir with each new generation. They had to wait until the dragon was too weak to win a war of rebellion. They needed to rally the other Houses to their cause so when they did, the dragon would lose," replied Aegon with Lord Connington scowling and looking angry at not seeing it sooner.
"Fucking Falcons. But how did they get the Fish involved. Surely Holster Tully wouldn't agreed so eagerly over the issue," said Jon with Aegon sighing.
"Holster was ambitious. He had made House Tully strong. Had kept it strong since the time of his Father and his Father before him. Lord Arryn offered him a chance to make his House even more powerful with the fall of the dragon. But in order to do that, the two would need to bind each other's Houses together in a solid alliance. And there is only one real way to ensure that," replied Aegon with Jon nodding.
"Through marriages. Arranged marriages," answered Jon with Aegon nodding back.
"So they conspired together. It was simple in the planning stages and, in theory, or their version of a perfect world, it would have worked flawlessly. Holster Tully would setup an arranged marriage between his daughter Catelyn Tully with future Warden of the North Brandon Stark. Meanwhile, Lysa Tully would eventually marry Jon Arryn to give him an Heir to the Arryn line. All the while, Jon Arryn himself at the end of the war when it was won, would become the new Hand of the King while Robert sat on the Iron Throne. And why the Usurper would be King, the Hand would acting in his name and secretly be the true power behind the Crown. Lord Arryn knew how the Usurper's mindset would work in the end due to the fostering and would know to control Robert and his actions. Or at least control Robert most of the time while he was out drinking, hunting, and whoring the Crown into ruin," said Aegon with Jon nodding since marriages between major House created alliances of tremendous power.
"You said in theory it would work. What went wrong?" asked Jon though he had an idea of what happened.
"My Mother. She wouldn't go along with the arranged marriage her Father setup with House Baratheon to marry Robert. She was against it from the start. My Mother wanted to be her own woman. Someone true to the ways of the North. But her Father saw a rare chance at the time to strengthen his own House with the Fish, the Falcon, and the Stag together," said Aegon with Jon nodding since he recalled Rheagar sounding infatuated with the woman after they first met.
"The King's madness didn't hurt their cause either," commented Jon with Aegon nodding in agreement.
"When the Tourney at Harrenhal happened, it set things in motion for Lord Arryn to do what he was waiting nearly a lifetime to occur. My Grandfather's madness being the very foundation from which Jon Arryn could rally the people to his side. Rheagar's suppose kidnapping of my Mother and raping her while she was betrothed to Robert Baratheon made people believe the Prince was no better then the King. My Mother has sent letters to the North to explain how she wasn't a prisoner or raped by Rheagar. But those letters were intercepted somewhere along the way and thus began the chaos that followed," said Aegon knowing Jon knew what he was referring to regarding the Lord of House Stark and his Heir died on orders of the Mad King.
"And the Lion? Was he in on this from the start?" asked Jon curiously.
"No. His contribution to this came later near the end, but Jon Arryn did correspond with him about siding with Robert when the time was right. Tywin Lannister agreed to assist Robert in the end by taking King's Landing for him on the condition Prince Rheagar was killed in battle," said Aegon with Jon clenching his hands tightly before he thought of something.
"During the sacking, Gregor Clegane and Armory Lorch butchered Elia Martell and her children. Did he order it?" asked Jon with Aegon looking him in the eyes.
"Lord Tywin basically implied to Jon in a message that such things would be handled in the city when he arrived with his army. After all, Robert couldn't be crowned King so long as Elia's recently born son was alive to contest him for the Iron Throne. The only way to remove any real challenge was to remove everyone who could possess a threat to the Usurper," answered Aegon with Jon growling at the idea of Tywin doing something so fiendish.
"And in exchange, the Lion gets his daughter on the Iron Throne as Queen by marrying the Stag after becoming King," remarked Jon bitterly since he knew why Tywin helped Robert in the end with Rheagar dead.
"Correct. He couldn't do that with Rheagar. Had my Father won the war, Tywin would have most likely been made Hand of the King again with his son, Jamie, being removed from the Kingsguard in order to be his Heir to Casterly Rock. Of course, Tywin was not going to side with Robert or Rheagar until he knew which side would win. Though I do suspect the old lion was hoping the dragon would fall, if only to secure his legacy on the Iron Throne when the opportunity arose," said Aegon with Jon clenching his fists once more before looking at his Prince and future King curiously.
"Forgive me for asking this your Grace, but...how do you know all of this? You were not even born when this conspiracy happened and were just a babe when the Rebellion came to an end," questioned Jon while trying to not be disrespectful to his King.
"Let's just say...I have obtained a power from a higher source in all things, which in turn gives me the ability to see moments in time from the past," said Aegon while deciding to keep the knowledge of seeing the possible future from Jon.
The fewer who knew this secret, the better.
"But what about your legitimacy as Rheagar's son and remaining heir? Surely the records are someplace safe so no one can dispute your claim to the Iron Throne when the time comes?" asked Jon with Aegon nodding since he knew his power wasn't enough nor his word on the issue.
"It is in the Citadel. Under piles of paperwork in the records kept by the Maesters there," said Aegon with Jon growling again.
"Those fucking rats in their grey robes and chains. They would sooner burn down the Citadel over giving you the necessary documentation. You would have better luck in getting what you need by attacking the place with a well disciplined army," said Jon with Aegon nodding.
"True. But for now, let it stay there. Ironically enough, the Maesters at the Citadel do not know it exists. Nor do I want them to know it exists. We can't risk them destroying it or informing our enemies of the documents and my own existence. When the time is right, we take all the proof we need and ensure it is used to prevent anyone from contesting my claim for the Iron Throne," replied Aegon while knowing if he tipped his hand now, things would end rather badly.
"What do you have planned your Grace?" asked Jon while wanting to get to the heart of the matter with his King.
"From here on out, we plan for war. A war to claim it is mine. A war to take back what was robbed of my House and to bring justice down on the Houses who wronged it. One way or another Jon, I will have justice for my Father's House and family," replied Aegon coldly, but with a burning fire in his eyes.
"Fire and blood," commented Jon with Aegon nodding.
"Fire and blood. Now, I have a plan. One that involves playing the role needed to ensure we get what we need to get what is necessary to advance on Westeros. First, we need to get coin and lots of it. Fortunately, Essos is in no short supply of those with more wealth then they know what to do with. One such person I have been in contact with believes I am a Targaryen loyalist and I wish to protect Uncle Viserys and Aunt Daenerys from our family's enemies," said Aegon with Jon looking shocked.
"Viserys and Daenerys are here in Pentos?!" asked Jon in shock.
"They are here, but constantly on the move. And Pentos, as you already know, is a big place to look for two people. The Magister Illyrio Mopatis is an agent of the Spider and believes I am one too. However, to further sell the concept, I need you to join me there to further enforce it. Magister Illyrio Mopatis will no doubt alert Lord Varys of your arrival and see whether or not he should support you being there. Being loyal to my Father, as you were, I have no doubt the Master of Whispers will support you being here. The fact I found and introduced you will only cement our connection to the man. Or rather, his vast wealth which we can exploit much later when time permits," replied Aegon with Jon now understanding.
"Is the Spider our enemy your Grace?" asked Jon curiously.
"No. He can help us when the time is right. The man's loyalty is more to the realm over that of Kings and Queens. And rightfully so since his position has to be objective for the good of the realm, not just the rulers who control it. Kings and Queens have been known to become corrupt and unfit to rule. My Grandfather being an example with the madness that plagued his mind. So long as the King and Queen ruling the Seven Kingdoms are fair and just in their actions, the Spider will not betray them. Besides, I think deep down in his heart, Varys prefers dragon on the Iron Throne over the Stag and a manipulative Lion with cruel tendencies," said Aegon with Jon nodding.
"What do we do about Prince Viserys and Princess Daenerys? Your Uncle will no doubt try to make a claim to the Iron Throne," commented Jon with Aegon nodding.
"Viserys will try given his proclaimed right as the youngest son of my Grandfather still alive. He might even use Daenerys as currency if necessary. Though considering how he sold much of what he could carry of our family's wealth, it wouldn't surprise me. I have heard rumors already of him showing signs of the madness like Grandfather," said Aegon while wondering how he will deal with his Uncle Viserys without becoming a kin slayer.
"Which means the Princess will be endanger of his random violent action, if she's not already. In order to remove him without becoming a kin slayer, you will have to openly support Viserys as the next King until the time is right for you to reveal yourself to the world as a Targaryen yourself," commented Jon with Aegon nodding.
"Considering I will be a masked supporter of House Targaryen and you are an open one with your reputation alone, it won't be difficult to play things out as we want," replied Aegon knowing they would allow Viserys to think they were backing him as the future King of the Seven Kingdoms.
Instead, they were going to make sure the man had a big target on his back so it would not be placed on Aegon. At the same time, they would also ensure nothing happened to Daenerys and help the girl grow strong in her own right.
"Once we have the coin, I take it we are going to acquire an army?" asked Jon since he knew Astapor had the Unsullied and there were Sell Sword companies all throughout Essos eager to make money.
"Yes. Though we will also need more then just an army from Essos on our side. We will need something no one else has under their command. Something no one else can claim once it becomes mine," said Aegon with Jon looking curious.
"And what is that your Grace?" asked Jon with Aegon smirking at him.
"Dragons. I intend to bring back dragons," answered Aegon with Jon looking shocked since he didn't think bringing them back was possible.
"But the last dragon died was said to have died roughly 100 years ago your Grace. Barely the size of a house cat. It was said you could hold it literally in one hand," countered Jon with Aegon's smirk now growing.
"There is a way. I can feel it. I just need to obtain some dragon eggs and wait until the time is right. We have a several years before our plans can come to fruition Jon. Time is on our side for the moment. I intend to make use of her," said Aegon with Jon nodding since he had no reason to doubt his King.
Nor would he ever consider it.
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