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186 AC
Harrenhal
Daenerys Targaryen
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Aerion looks ready to throw up or cry as he looks around Harrenhal from the window, he aches to leave home he just started working on. But the Prince of Pentos has gotten desperate and offered an impossible-to-refuse bounty for a Khal and his Khalasar. I would go for him and handle it, he has never actually burned a large army and I am worried for him. But I am pregnant and we both want to take this pregnancy as carefully as possible. There is also the matter of protecting the dragon eggs and one dragon needs to be here for that purpose.
"It won't even be that long of a flight, you are crossing at Stonedance and flying straight to Pentos so it is roughly the same distance from Harrenhal to Kingslanding. We can make the trip to Kingslanding in less than half a day if we are not in a rush and quicker if rushing." He grumbles and scowls at the wall, he really doesn't want to part with his castle or me.
Which he doesn't want to part with more I have no the faintest idea, but the flicker in his eyes as he glances at my hips might be a clue.
"I will stop at Stone Dance, House Massey is already expecting me and I will leave there tomorrow morning and make Pentos with enough time to get a plan together. I feel more like I am hunting a bandit or rabid animal than a massive gathering of horse riders. But with the approval of Daeron, I really have no reason to deny it when the pay is so good." I nod and kiss his cheek as I work my way onto his lap.
Daeron is more than happy to have an example to keep the Lords in order and in fear, who better than a foreign army that is viewed as savages? Most Lords will get the silent message of staying in line or get the same treatment, it only needs to be a refresher for their recent histories. That and relations with Pentos are expected to drastically improve and maybe some other Free Cities.
The gold is also nice, but not being targeted by plots saying we are going wild with power is nice. People will still talk after what happens but no one will go out of the way to kick up a fuss about some 'Horse Lords'.
"I am concerned about the negotiations though, the Prince only has so much of his assets in Golden Dragons. He is going to be paying in a lot of other items and valuables and the Velaryons are supposed to carry it for me, side note I need a fleet. But ignoring that I feel like I am going in without my hands and without having anyone at my side, I get that sounds 'weak' but I like to have you beside me during discussions." I fight back a smile as I rest my head on his shoulder, his hand drawing a circle over my womb.
I do feel bad about him going entirely on his own but we don't have any other dragon riders yet that can fly their own dragon. If someone went they would have to ride with him and he doesn't like to do that for just anyone, even Ser Richard has only been up a few times. So if someone went with him it would have to be someone who can both help him with negotiations in person and he likes the company of.
My mind immediately narrows in on one option but I am not sure how I feel about Aerion on his own with her shortly after our brother asked him to spread his blood. Even if he just wants some 'nameless' dragon riders to build the numbers of our House I can't help but feel off-put by that. I do not like the idea of Aerion having encounters with women I have no control over, it makes me feel helpless.
I was planning on bringing one or two into our bed when I was concerned about how relentless he was but things have calmed enough I can manage. There are still nights I feel like I am going to give out and die impaled on his manhood but they are less frequent. But the thought of him purposefully trying to make a child with another woman has me feeling sick. But I also agree that the dragons need to come back in full force and if it turns out only our blood can make that happen I will have to rethink things.
First, our baby needs to hatch an egg to prove something is going on with us and I already know there is with the nature of our eggs hatching. They should not have hatched but they did and no one else has been able to since, even with fresh eggs. So the likelihood we are special is most likely true, meaning Daerons plan is not the worst. The kids of just Aerion and me could manage on their own to bolster numbers but I can look at the history of our house to see the foolishness of that. Targaryens die without rhyme or reason at any random old time and it could likely happen to us or our kids leaving no dragons once more.
That opens up the next thing that 'could' happen once my own baby has proven it can hatch an egg, that would be Aerion having another kid without me. If Aerion's baby of another woman can hatch an egg then it proves the plan could work to build our numbers quickly. But even if this is a possibility I do not even want to humor the idea of someone unknown taking his seed and growing it in their womb.
Leading my stray thoughts back to my aunt who very well could accompany Aerion to help him with the Pentos deal. Elaena Targaryen is on the top of the list of women I would approve of to birth the new dragon riders of House Targaryen. She has her head on straight and is unquestionably loyal to House Targaryen, she is also a massive help in our daily life. She is available and interested as well as a capable individual making me feel annoyed to recommend her to fly off with him.
"Take someone with you then." I speak up after a long silence where he just rests with me and admires my flat stomach.
"Who?" He doesn't look up and keeps his eyes focused on what his hand is doing and how it makes my legs clench from the ticklish feeling.
"Elaena is good at negotiating and can help you, she is also already involved in our finances so it won't be a stretch to take her to a meeting like this. She would enjoy a break from the stresses that have been building with all the workload in Harrenhal." He shakes his head with a low chuckle that tickles my ear.
"Taking her to go burn an army is a good way to escape from stress? Danny I really need to talk to you about this burning thing..." He trails off as he nips at my ear.
His hands find my hips and hold them tight as I try to squirm out of his grasp. His mouth lightly closes around the base of my neck on the left side where he starts to leave a mark. It seems he didn't really want to 'talk' about my 'burning thing'.
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186 AC
Pentos
Aerion Targaryen
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"First time I have actually seen a Free city in person and not in a story or a report, it reminds me of Dorne with the capped roofs. The canals are pretty cool though, I have no idea where we are supposed to meet the Prince at though." I shift awkwardly in the saddle as we circle the city of Pentos.
The locals are likely scared shitless at the sight of Moonfyre hanging in the air above them, her glittering and gleaming scales catching their eyes easily. Pentos votes for a Prince to defend them and be their figurehead whenever another prince fails to defend the city after killing the old one. So there is no massive palace as I think the Prince just rules from the comfort of his own villa.
"Land in the port and let's just ask where the Prince is, I need to walk around to get my legs to stop feeling numb." I almost thought we were lost in a void other than the sea beneath us as we flew across the narrow sea.
It may be called narrow but it was a long enough flight to make me worry I got turned around somehow and flew aimlessly. I was not expecting to find the city right away after seeing land but thankfully I managed. That or Moonfyre managed, she is my lucky charm after all.
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"I can't believe he agreed to two million outright, I assumed he would settle for a bit over a million but his business must be much better than I thought." I look over the contract one more time and shake my head in disbelief. "I half expect him to try and weasel his way out and not pay once the job is done..." Elaena scoffs and points at Moonfyre tearing into a cow or buffalo of some kind.
"I don't think it would turn out well for him if he refused to pay after the job is done, he will find himself in the same boat the Dothraki are soon to be in. If he does try to wiggle out you could always just lay claim to the city and demand the payment of the contract and compensation for being lied to. The real men with power will have him chopped up and offered on a plate along with all his riches before the day is out. You don't need to worry about what he does when everyone fears what you could do." I purse my lips and nod as I watch Moonfyre finish her meal, a glance in her direction causes her to raise a brow.
"So everyone fears me?" I find myself grinning as she rolls her eyes.
"Well maybe not everyone, you are quite the tamed little kitten under the rough exterior of being one of two living dragon riders. I would honestly rather face you than Daenerys if it came to it, that girl can be ruthless." She rubs her wrists with a far-off look in her eyes as she mentions Danny.
"Ok, first of all, I am not a kitten and I am known as one of the best swordsmen alive if not the greatest, there is no soft and fluffy here. But I agree I would rather face me than Danny, she would not even hesitate for a moment to use Dragon fire once the thought enters her mind." My positive and friendly persona I sell to the public does have a bit of a drawback.
I try to look kind and approachable to work my magic and make a ton of gold, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar after all. But it also has the double edge of making me a bit too approachable and easy to talk to. This is another reason I am fine with burning an entire Khalasar, it shows I am willing to do so. But my moral compass doesn't take a big hit because these horse riders do some pretty fucked up shit and I feel nothing knowing they will die. More will replace them before anyone even knows it and will be just as horrible upon the people of Essos.
Maybe Danny is rubbing off on me more than I thought.
"Well regardless Moonfyre is done eating and we can go track down that Khalasar and get this over with. We know the rough position and thankfully have a proper map but this might take days if we are unlucky." I nod in agreement and approach Moonfyre to climb up first to help her onto the saddle.
I toss down a rope with a loop on the end and she steps on the loop and grabs the rope before I haul her up to where she can grab a spine and get the rest of the way on her own. She slings her leg over and drops into the saddle with a soft grunt, her silver hair with a gold streak whips around freely in the blowing wind.
"Let's go find a horde." I grab the reins and pull the once letting Moonfyre know we are ready.
With a massive gathering around cheering us on as if we are not on the warpath to kill a bunch of people Moonfyre roars and launches from the ground. Her powerful wings flapping and gain elevation as I guide us out toward the east and into lands I have never seen. My curiosity burns almost as much as my desire to see this over so I can be done with all this and see my wife and castle.
Thanks for reading!!!
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186 AC
The Flatlands
Aerion Targaryen
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Leaning on Moonfyre's neck as she takes a nap is the only way to sit in the shade in the middle of the Flatlands. The Khalasar is apparently somewhere nearby and the Khal Merio is apparently a hard man to please. He demanded more tribute last time he passed through and angered quite a lot of people in Pentos with his outrageous demands. I expect all the gold and valuables I am going to get from the Prince of Pentos is actually funded by the men of Pentos who have enough wealth to scoff at the price once they pool their resources.
I have the Velaryons making a journey to Pentos with the full might of their available fleet to escort my payment, for a price, and I expected to save some horses for them to carry back. It was originally a plan to try and save as many horses as possible when I do this but I don't think that idea will go all too well once the fires start spooking them. But I know they usually drag a group of slaves they caught to sell or use themselves and I will be avoiding them so long as they don't scatter like rats.
My new idea is to 'free' these men and women and offer to give them jobs and lands to farm with no fear of Dothraki. I don't doubt some will just run off and not even care about my offer but some will be tempted and might sail back to Westeros. I do not plan on bringing them to Harrenhal though, it would be in the eyes of Lords and Ladies and they might kick up a fuss.
I will pay the Velaryons to carry them North to the gift into the port city that is being built around an old ruined castle I am having rebuilt. I have some people up there settled in and working on repairs and also starting to clear land and farming it. But they need more muscle and population to start making something of the place, it is also out of sight for the most part so no one will say I bought slaves or something along those lines. Harrenhal is the face of me and my future line, the plans in the North are tucked away and some captured and 'released' slaves will go unnoticed for the most part.
They might freeze their balls off but after a few generations of breeding with the people of the north, they will be true Northmen. I don't expect there to be that many of them anyway but a few hundred or a little over a thousand would make a huge difference up there. I have multiple deals with House Manderly and they will have my growing city up there fed until they are able to provide for themselves off the new fertile lands they are clearing.
A 'personal guard' is also in training up there and out of the sight of the masses of Westeros, a group of men almost five hundred strong. The number will grow and batches will slowly be sent to garrison Harrenhal with men loyal solely to me. But for now, five hundred men who are trained by some of the best loyal knights I could hire and I have no worries about wildlings messing with my little operation up in the North.
"Why did you stop playing? My headache is returning can you please continue and soothe it?" My needy aunt speaks up as she leans against Moonfyre with her eyes closed and her head covered with an extra shirt.
She has been bothered with an on and off again headache since we left Pentos and started seeking out the Dothraki. She needed the rest almost as much as Moonfyre but we should find the horde within a few hours and that will give us plenty of time before nightfall. I need this done before it gets dark and they manage to flee, it's dirty work but I already have too much in motion to stop or regret. The Velaryons are sailing and the contract is signed, I also would look like a pussy if I backed out and Danny would be disappointed.
I have no aversion to killing horrible people and these guys are worse even than the Iron born and I hate the Iron born.
I pick back up the harp and start playing one of Elaena's favorites as thoughts of the future plague my mind.
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186 AC
The Flatlands
Elaena Targaryen
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When I first got invited to ride with Aerion I was excited to see some of Essos, from dragon back even more so. The idea we are going to basically claim a bounty on the head of an entire horse-riding army made my stomach flip. I was both frightened and oddly aroused at the idea of doing something only people like the conquerors have in our histories. I thought something was wrong with Aerion and how he could plan this out without flinching, but I was wrong.
The closer we get the more absent-minded he gets and seems locked away in his thoughts, I worry for him. He might be taking on more than he should, just because Aegon and his sister wives could burn armies does not mean he can. To be personally responsible for so much death has to weigh on someone's shoulders heavily.
Everyone will fear him when we return, the perfect dragon-riding and singing silver prince will be feared more than any living person. It is a good thing he is loyal to his very core and has no ideas for the throne or there would be a civil war. It would not last long with two dragons on one side but our House would pay a heavy price because of it. But he only cares about what he can build or at least rebuild with his own hands and wants nothing to do with the Red Keep and ruling from it.
But I still feel bad for my nephew-turned-man, he has been so excited in the last month with all that has been going on. I thought he would die of happiness with dragon eggs and a baby in his wife, but then this plan came like a headsman's axe. To much gold to refuse for such a hungry dragon who wants to grow like a weed and needs gold to do it.
But I am glad I am here with him at the very least, he talks to me quite a bit and even stole me away from the duties of master of coin. He felt no remorse pulling me away from Daeron and his plans of wedding me to the master of coin to fully take up the duties in all but name. I did not want to birth babies for a man just so I could do his job for him because my King is too scared to name a woman to the council. But Aerion never seemed to care about what is between a person's legs and more what's between their ears when it comes to getting a job done.
Thoughts of babes and what's between my legs reminds me of my little pregnant niece pulling me to the side to give me a talking to. She gave a stern warning I am not to sleep with her husband even if the King ordered it or she would be wroth with me. I almost could not believe Daeron of all people recommended Aerion to have bastard children just so there are more riders.
But with no one else hatching an egg from the five delivered it almost confirms there is something special with Aerion and Daenerys. If their blood is needed to hatch and ride dragons then we need a lot of it to firmly grasp Westeros once more. The Dance of dragons will always stand as a reminder of our failures and hopefully keep us on the right path but we need to get back to the point we were before it happened.
Daeron knows this and hopes that Aerion and Daenerys didn't just light a torch of hope with their two dragons for it to fade out with their deaths. He wants them to pass their torch so that nothing can happen to our House in the future.
So if Daenerys births a babe that hatches an egg it is likely the Torch will pass on and light many more as it does. Daeron won't force the matter as he honestly can't if Aerion does not want to father children out of his marriage. But I know he will request it officially at some point if the first baby does hatch an egg.
Thinking about how I was not even a few months ago dreading having to marry and birth babes for someone I can't help but shake my head at my current thoughts. I am most tempted by the idea of growing a dragon rider myself and seeing them grow to be the future of House Targaryen. But I don't know if I am more tempted by that idea or I just want to ride my nephew after he plays me a nice song.
Lifting my chin enough I can see under the edge of the shirt blocking my vision I can see his bare arms and his defined muscles as he plays one of my favorites. He took the time to play me close to a hundred songs and remembered which ones I like the best for moments he can play for me. Sometimes I wonder if he is secretly trying to tempt me with the small gestures he does or if that is just who he is. He is a man but a young one and it is hard to tell whether it is natural or an act that he has gotten so good at it became natural.
I wish my niece just did not even say anything, I have more than enough self-control to not do anything to spoil the relationship I have with the both of them. But she brought it to my attention and made it hard to not think about it when even the King is wanting him to spread his seed wide. The very King who is having to deal with the after-effects of the last King spreading his seed wide wants his brother to go about fathering many children.
The only relief from the tempting thoughts is that we are to soon burn over twenty thousand people alive. A sobering thought that should make any heat pooling in my stomach fade but instead only changes to an odd tingle. I am so conflicted at this moment that my head is spinning and pounding as if a hammer is striking it.
My nephew is worried for me with the pain I am going through and the concerned looks he keeps giving me only making it worse. I will make sure to get Danny back for this suffering in some way, she has me suffering on my first trip to Essos. I am sure I will come up with something to get back at her so that she can suffer similarly to me.
I would say being pregnant and the pain it brings is punishment enough, but she seems almost eager for the pregnancy suffering to begin. If I did not know better I would think she was scared she was never going to get with child and is relived with a baby growing inside of her.
Moonfyre shifts and lifts her head looking off into the distance with a rumble shaking our bodies.
"Seems it is time." Aerion stops his music with a sigh and stands up, his hand held out to help me to my feet. "I won't waste time asking if you are sure you want to watch this, you had a choice and you made it just like I made my choice. We will see this through and you will have to live with what you are about to see just like I will have to live with I am the one doing it." My thighs clench as he gives me a steely look and I nod while fixing my hair which is a mess.
"I am ready." He nods and starts climbing Moonfyre and drops the rope so he can pull me up.
He helps me get seated on the saddle in front of him with all the straps going on, even the ones he doesn't like. This will be a wild ride and I can't help but lightly shake, anticipation and fear along with something I can't identify. Moonfyre takes a moment to shake off the sand she was laying in and starts charging forward before lifting her wings catching the wind with them. She pushes off the ground with her powerful hind legs and we are once more in the air.
This time we won't be landing until we have committed a massacre and given Fire and Blood to a horde of rapists and slavers. Men who thrive in slaughtering and taking what they want, just as we are taking what we want. The cruelest side of the world is about to play out before my eyes and I can't help but be worried. But my worries are being kept at bay by my nephew's arms going around my side and holding the handles to the saddle while keeping the reins tight. I can feel his heartbeat through his chest against my back and I know he is also feeling what I am feeling and it gives me a little more comfort.
Quick question, how many slaves do you think the Dothraki haul around? I was thinking a couple of thousand at least, for both using them to do the stuff they don't want to and for eventually selling them.
Wanted to get a little more development and show some of Elaena's mind before the burning. She needed a little expanding and this trip was the perfect way. I think most Targaryens have a side to them that like fire a little too much... and their kin. But I think I showed the confusion of her emotions and how what they are going to do soon is playing on them. I also showed her interest in Aerion and made it very clear for those who have somehow missed the hints this far. She will almost certainly be one of the women to birth some dragon riders.
Thanks for reading!!!