Chương 28: Chapter 28
Chapter 28
DAEMON TARGARYEN
The Stepstones were nothing but a bunch of rocky islands spaced between the shore of Dorne and Tyrosh, yet they held significant importance in controlling the trade around the world. They were the corridor that connected four different parts of the world, yet for the importance they bore, the islands were a hovel of simple rocks consisting of deep slithering caves.
The war against the pirates had been going well enough in the beginning, yet as the months passed on, their preparation proved lacking as the armies failed to eradicate the pirates, especially when the pirates began to use the caves as their hideouts making them impervious to Ceraxes' flames. The number of men and rations also proved inadequate, and with Dorne harassing their supplies, the war efforts began to take a turn for the worse.
They were left with two options, the first was to wait for more support in terms of men and equipment from Kingslanding, or there was the second option. The option to make common cause with the Company of Rose hired by Bravos. Yet that would mean splitting the ruling of these islands with those copper counters.
And hence Daemon found himself in front of nearly a thousand men as he sought to carve out a third option, for he was Daemon Targaryen, a descendant of dragonlords of Valyria. And dragons aren't fond of sharing their prizes.
"KNEEL OR BURN!" he shouted, and he saw the men recoil at his words, especially as Ceraxes bared its fangs and narrowed its eyes at the men standing in front of him.
Yet the surprise was short-lived and was soon replaced by anger and indignation, and he watched as , the Captain of the most famous mercenary Company from across the narrow Sea refused to cower in the face of his dragon and stepped forward.
"What is the meaning of this hubris? We are supposed to be on the same side in this war!" the man screamed, and Daemon was impressed by the man's bravery, for he had seen men with greater renown than him wet prostrate themselves in front of the might of a dragon.
Daemon scoffed at those words.
"Then I believe you are mistaken for there are only ever two sides in a war," Daemon began and then raised his sward in the air.
"VICTORS!" he shouted as he smirked and brought down his sword, its tip aimed straight at the black-haired man.
"And LOSERS!"
And he saw the man snarl at his words, and he was about to step forward when Ceraxes made a threatening snarl as it bared its fangs once again. Its mouth lit up as the dragon got ready to burn the man to a crisp.
"Umbagon" (Stay)
Ceraxes halted at his words as Daemon decided to entertain the man who had shown such bravery in the face of such a might beast.
"Speak, yet know that my patience runs thin," ordered Daemon and watched the man's face flush in rage.
"Do you think you can threaten us like this? My men and I are descendants of men who refused to bow to you dragonlords once before and will do so again! And if you truly consider yourself a warrior, then meet me in the field with mail and steel so we can test our mettle against one another like real men instead of hiding behind the powers of these vile beasts. YOU COWARD!"
"AYEEE!" his men roared at his speech, showing their approval as they banged their swords and axes on their shields and began to loudly chant.
"COWAR!" "COWARD!" "COWARD!" "COWARD!" "COWARD!"
And Daemon's eyes narrowed at the insinuation and watched the men in front of him and watched their eyes filled with mockery, and his anger flared. His grip over his sword tightened as he glared at the man hailed as 'the Bloody Wolf' and gritted his teeth.
"ENOUGH!" he shouted, and Ceraxes responded to his unspoken call and screeched as it took a step forward, making the very ground tremble in its wake.
Yet the men remained steadfast, their shouts growing only louder and louder as they continued to call him a coward.
"You call me a coward. ME!" Daemon roared as he began to step forward.
"I am Daemon Targaryen. Come face me, and I shall you which one of us is the real coward!" shouted Daemon as his strides lengthened and he broke out into a small run. The leader of the company of Rose reacted as well, and the man took out his own sword from the sheath as he took his stance.
And as Daemon was mere meters away from the man, he pushed his feet into the ground before he lept off the ground, and he brought down his sword with crushing force.
"AHHHHH!" he roared, yet the black-haired man was unperturbed and simply ground his feet on the ground and brought his sword up to parry the strike.
CLANKKKKK!
Sparks burst as metal clashed against metal, the rogue Prince of Westeros against the Blood Wolf of the disputed lands.
0000
AENYS TARGARYEN
Aenys Targaryen stood outside the room of his soon-to-be wife as he waited for her brother to come out. Though they had known each other for months, he was aware that Alicent cared deeply for her younger brother and missed him greatly. He had also been the only one to stand up for her on that beach back then, so he had thought of bringing the man to Bravos.
His associates had contacted the man and had passed on letters from Alicent and himself inviting the man to their wedding. It had been quite troublesome to smuggle the son of the Hand without anyone noticing, yet he had managed to pull it off, and given the sharp look of delight he had witnessed on Alicent's face as she saw Gwayne, made all the hassle worth it in his eyes.
The door to the room opened, and Aenys stood watched as Gwayne Hightower stepped out of the room, dressed in a fabulous green doublet specifically made for him. His eyes had hints of red in them, speaking of his emotional encounter inside.
The young man looked up, and their eyes met.
"I tried to buy you as much time as I could, but those ladies are vicious," Aenys said as he raised his hands in surrender, making the young Hightower laugh as he stepped forward.
"Ahh, it's nice to know that even the infamous Dragonslayer fears something," and Aenys winced at that title, a bit thankful that the title hadn't really caught up here in Bravos, where he was more famous as the Healer Prince instead of a Dragon slaying one.
Then suddenly, the young Hightower stepped forward and enveloped him in a tight hug, his arms wrapped around him as he lightly mouthed.
"Thank you for caring for her and making her happy," whispered the man as they separated, and Aenys nodded, a bit loss for words as he awkwardly replied.
"You don't have to thank me for doing my duty. She is to be my wife. I am just doing my duty," Aenys remarked, and the two of them gave each other a small nod.
"AENYS! AENYS!" suddenly, he found his name getting called and looked to the side and found the Sealord walking towards them with a joyous smile on his face.
"Man, I must say your manse looks magnificent," said the man as he joined them. Aenys straightened up as he saw the man's gaze linger on the Hightower by his side.
"He is Gwayne Hightower, younger brother of Alicent," Aenys introduced Gwayne and watched the man's eyes light up.
"Ahh, I can see the resemblance," commented the man before his eyes shifted towards Aenys again.
"Well, I believe it is time for the ceremony. All the guests have been seated. I believe it is time we begin the ceremony," and Aenys nodded and gave Gwayne a final nod. The man was to remain here since he was to walk alongside Alicent to the wedding altar.
"Ok, let's go," said Aenys as he left the room for the expanded makeshift hall that had been solely constructed for this massive affair.
As he walked towards the makeshift wedding hall, he noticed a very troublesome person walking out of the Hall. It was the closest friend of the Sealord, and the man who was conspiring against him in secret, Alissano Neysaris.
Their eyes met, and Aenys felt the hair on the back of his neck perk up as the man walked past them slowly, giving all the necessary greetings and smiles, yet for some reason, he felt his senses tingle as he felt that something was off.
0000
ALICENT HIGHTOWER
Alicent Hightower stood outside the gate of the wedding Hall Aenys had constructed in the centre of their manse. The truth was that she had not gotten a glimpse of the space yet, for she had been kept away from the place to not spoil the surprise.
"Are you ready?" came the question from the side, and she looked up and found the reassuring presence of her brother there. In front of them stood Antonie, and Alicent passed her arm through her brother's offered elbow and gave Antonie a slight nod.
And as the doors swung open, she felt her heart still as she watched the scenery before her eyes. For what stood in front of her was home. The whole area had been made from expertly carved black marble with an overarching dome. Stained Glass adorned the domed roof, glistening lightly in the moonlight as the Hall below glinted in the lights of the hundreds and hundreds of lamps.
It was as if she had stepped into the Starry Sept of Old Town, and she was reminded of days after her mother's death as she sat there complaining to the Gods in Halls much like this. Halls that she would continue to visit even years later to pray and converse with the Gods whenever she felt the troubles of life envelop her.
Gwayne coughed and broke her out of her trance and began to walk slowly, and she joined him. The floors were covered with the finest Myrish Carpets and covered with lavender flowers whose light smell calmed her down.
And as she began to walk towards the altar, her eyes found him. Aenys Targaryen stood there on the altar dressed in a black, tailored, tight-fitting suit embroidered with gold thread. Their eyes met, and it was as if the rest of the world vanished instantly, and she found herself getting lost in those amethyst eyes.
Yet she didn't miss the empty space behind him at the altar, and her heart was shredded in pain as she saw him standing there all alone, with no one there to share his joys. She glanced to the side at the form of her brother, who seemed rather nervous because of the sheer amount of attention he was getting and was reminded once more that had it not been for Aenys, he wouldn't be here.
She knew that Aenys was not too religious, and yet he had cared enough to have all this constructed for her, and she felt her eyes tear up once more as her brother led her up the stairs of the altar.
Her breath stilled as she felt him walk up to her. Her brother gave her a final look and stepped back. She felt his hand reach for the cloak around her shoulders as he gently unfurled the knot, symbolizing the end of the duty of her House and father. He then reached for the cloak at his place at his side, a cloak made out of fine black silk and embroidered with the sigil of the three-headed dragon in a golden thread.
He wrapped it around her, and she finally found the courage to look up at him, into his eyes, and felt her heart stop as she saw the gentle smile on his face. She felt her body heat up as her face flushed, and only when the Septon lightly coughed did she break out of her trance to turn towards the man.
He put forward his hand for the ceremony, and she gulped as she raised her hand as they gripped each other's hands. The Septon took out a piece of cloth and began to speak up the names of the Seven deities, under whose very shadow the two of them stood.
"Father, Smith, Warrior…." They repeated after the septon, their voice the only sound in the whole Hall.
"Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger," they continued, her breath hitching with each word, and only his smooth and calm voice from the side made it even possible for her to speak.
"I am hers, and she is mine."
"I am his, and he is mine."
They said separately, and she could feel the whole world stop as they both glanced at each other as they mouthed the final sentence.
Together.
"From this day until the end of my days!"
And right then, there in their moment of pure bliss, their enemies struck!
BOOOOOOOOM! THUNK!
FWOOSH! CRASH!
0000
In the dead of night in Kingslanding, a figure could be made out rushing through the streets. Body covered under a cloak as they rushed through the empty streets with nervous steps.
Their height made it evident that they were young, and their smooth and unblemished skin along with the rich and beautiful materials of the cloak,, made it evident that they weren't truly the commoner they made themselves out to be. And had it been the time before the rising of the Gold Cloaks, there would have been hundreds of men in the city salivating at a chance of defiling the young and rich noble.
Yet they expertly made their way through the streets and entered the Dragonpit, and just as they were about to walk past the complacent dragon keepers, a tiny whisper stopped them in their tracks.
"Rhaenyra!"
The cloaked person stilled and slowly turned back to find two people standing there, one of whom had hair much like her own, which one could easily see the white cloak under the hood of the other person.
"Mother!"
0000
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