Chapter Text
War. Five years of war. The land was drenched in it. Drenched in the blood of soldiers. And burned by the fire of young dragons. Though they weren’t large like the Black Dread but they were big enough to cause damage and they did.
It shouldn’t have happened, but Aegon, as he went by now, had listened to his uncles and grandfather machinations and found himself mistrusting Jaehaerys. Jaehaerys listened to his mother Alyssa and her new husband Lord Rogar Baratheon; and they warned him against his cousin. The boys, and they were boys, never even met. Jaehaerys had taken dragonstone with the armies from the storms end, the velaryon’s, and the riverlands. Aegon had the Reach, the crownlands divided as they were, and the westerlands. The north wouldn’t be called to divide the cousins, but the warden of the north offered to take the eldest girl to his home to be safe as she was friends with his son.
Aegon ii had aged into a man at fifteen. He had some of his siblings at his side. Laenyx had died in his first battle. Rhaegar had killed himself when ordered to claim Vaghar against his wishes. Baela had run away when ordered to marry. And Rhaenys had stopped talking to him since last month when she told she would be made to marry a Lannister man four years her senior. He rationalized that this was for his family. But he knew that he hadn’t bothered to listen to his family since he had taken the helm.
“My lily… I wish you would come to dinner with the rest of us.” YN had been trying to bring her children together. She was seen in her black dress, a colour she wore since the loss of her youngest son.
“I’d only put Maegor’s and Rhaenys’ teeth on edge.” He sighed and barely looked up from his desk.
“Camren-“
“It’s Aegon. I’m no Tyrell.” He snapped, but immediately felt bad when he saw his mother flinch. He didn’t want to remind his mother of his father, but he didn’t go by his tyrell name for some time now.
“I’m sorry. I just want to help. If you’d take my council?” YN offered.
“Always, Mama.” He loved her advice. He only listened to one thing his father said: that was the prophecy he was told. He felt he had to make what Aegon his grandfather saw mean something.
“Well… I think you should call a truce. Meet with your cousin. I think you both have things in common and can find common ground.” YN offered.
“He listens to Rogar Baratheon. And that man is pushing his own agenda. He won’t meet with me.” Aegon ii said.
“And you listen to your uncles. My brothers and uncles. You think they aren’t pushing Tyrell agendas?” YN said.
“You don’t want your family to succeed?” Aegon avoided her words.
“I want you to know your family. Jaehaerys and his sisters are your family just as much as my family are your family.” She tried to calm him down.
He looked up at his mother and wanted to cry into her shoulder once again. He wanted to be her little boy once again. But he was a king now. He couldn’t cry to get what he wanted, he was considered a man by the standards of the kingdom. So he straightened himself out and looked back down at the papers on his desk.
“Aegon?”
“Thank you, Mama. But I must retire soon.” He dismissed her.
YN sighed and kissed his forehead. Then sparing one last glance at him, she left. She didn’t want to go back to her room, and she didn’t want to eat, so she went wandering through the castle. She thought about the letters between her and her beloved, Addam.
Her oldest children didn’t approve. Their mindsets on the Dornish, even half Dornish were warped by their grandmother. And Visenya, wonderful as she was, had such a prejudice against the Dornish. Some would say justifiably, since they were the people that killed her sister, but YN couldn’t help but mourn the fact her love couldn’t be with her since her son hated him. Her other son, Colin, would’ve let them be together just to keep the peace, and her daughter Louella would make his life uncomfortable but she wouldn’t outright deny them. Aegon was the one adamantly against the match. He didn’t order his mother to stay away from the man but he threatened the man with his dragon if he came within five feet of his mother.
He was trying to so hard to seem kingly. He wanted to be seen as a man. But everything was so hard, and YN saw it all falling on her son’s shoulders. She was wandering the castle with no end in sight, until she saw her daughter Anna and her son Colin. They were standing under the weirwood tree and holding hands. The sight wouldn’t have brought alarm till she noticed the Valyrian practicing priest near them. And them cutting their hands the same ritual Maegor made her do when he married her.
Her son, fifteen, was marrying her daughter, twelve. She didn’t know what she should do. She wasn’t opposed to Targaryen coupling. That seemed to be Valyrian custom, but her daughter was still so young. Younger than her when she married. She had to do something. After they marked their foreheads, YN stepped out of the shadows and made herself known.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” She whisper-yelled.
“It’s not what you think, Mama.” Colin said, hiding his sister behind him.
“Then explain. For whatever you come up with, better explain you marrying your child sister.” YN grew worried.
“She doesn’t want to marry that Lannister man. He’s eighteen. She’s frightened.” Colin explained.
“And you think by marrying her you can prevent this?” YN asked.
“I can protect her. Aegon won’t hurt me. He’ll be mad, yes. But if she’s married to me, she’s safe. I think that Lannister man would lie with her even at this age.” Colin said.
“Please, Mama. I don’t want to marry him.” Anna pleaded quietly.
YN looked at her two children. So young. But holding so much worry between them. She didn’t want her daughter to marry the Lannister man. But she didn’t want her children to divide themselves. And this act would cause great division between Aegon and his siblings. So she made a choice: to save her daughter. She chose her daughter's happiness over her son’s ambitions.
She nodded to the two of them and stepped back into the shadows. The two children sighed in relief and turned back to each other.
This act would change everything.
~~~
Aegon was furious. He raged and shouted, demanding that the two should split up. But they remained firm. His brother was strong in the face of Aegon. Colin was just as tall as Aegon, just as strong as Aegon, but his dragon was bigger. Aegon couldn’t afford another enemy. So he did something that devastated his mother. He banished his brother and sister. To Braavos. With enough money to start over there. But he ordered that no one else may contact them. That they were outcast from the family. That even their own mother couldn’t go to them.
YN cried, pleaded, and shouted that they were family. That they had to stick together. But her son wouldn’t hear it. Anna hugged her mother until her husband came to her and pulled her away. That was the last time she held her daughter. That was two months ago.
To appease the Lannisters, Aegon agreed to betrothe his youngest sister, Daela who was eight, to a Lannister boy three years her senior. She was still living in the Reach. Unaware of the travesty her family was going through. His fellow triplet, Louella, hadn’t been arranged to marry anyone. He needed her on the battlefield. But that ruffled the feathers of some eligible men who wanted to bed the Valyrian princess. Aegon ii found them distasteful.
Louella it seemed wasn’t one to last in this world. She had been looking for her little sister, Jeyne or Baela as most knew her. She had caught a lead that somewhere in the North she was seen with a small pink dragon. Ignoring caution from her mother, the girl flew off to the north to find her sister. She didn’t have a plan. Not to force her sister to marry, or to make her come home.
Louella just missed her little sister. She felt she didn’t do enough to protect her. So she went to look for her little sister. And somewhere in a cottage deep in the woods of the north. Far from civilization but close enough that some people could visit. Jeyne had a little self sufficient garden and some animals. And a weirwood tree. Louella noticed some offerings under the weirwood tree. And the pink dragon, larger now, was sleeping on top of the cottage. Louella didn’t have a plan in mind. She held her breath as the door to the cottage opened and her sister came through.
She had braided plaits and flowers in her hair. Her feet were bare, and her hands held a basket. She was taller now. Still small, since she was twelve. But she had painted symbols onto her face. She didn’t notice her older sister at first, then she looked up and saw Louella. The older girl expected fear or anger, but joy came across her face.
“Louella!” The girl dropped her basket and ran to her sister, hugging her tight. Louella breathed in her sister’s scent. Tears pricked at her violet eyes.
And the two went into the cottage to talk. Louella noticed the dried flowers and herbs, as well as tinctures and honey. She felt the fur of a cat that rubbed against her leg. And the two talked. They caught up. It had been three years since the two had been in the same place as the other. They talked for hours, just getting lost in the stories of each other’s lives.
Then suddenly Jeyne got serious. She grabbed her sister’s hand and looked deep in her eyes. “I’ve had a dream.”
“What kind of dream?” Louella asked.
“Flashes of a storm. Of your dragon flying near lightning. Of you falling from the air. I’m sure this is your death.” Jeyne explained, seeming to grow sad and nervous at the thought of it.
Louella nodded. She knew that this wasn’t something to brush off. But she knew she couldn’t run from it. So she hugged her sister one last time and said “I’m always with you, even when you can’t see me.”
And she flew back home. But she should’ve waited. She shouldn’t have flown in that weather. For that storm came to Louella. She couldn’t see the world in front of her. Lighting cracked right next to her ear. The storm grew worse and worse. She knew she couldn’t fly like this. And realized she was going to die. When her dragon flew upright she realized she wasn’t locked into her saddle. She slipped from her saddle, and as hard as she tried to hold on; she fell.
Louella, Visenya ii was found near winterfell. Her hair splayed about her head, red from her blood. Her dragon curled up around her, mourning its rider. Her friend, Edric Stark, found her and cried over her body.
None mourned more than her mother and brother, who gave her a Targaryen burial. Aegon ii felt everything slipping from him. So he took to his dragon and flew from the capitol. He didn’t know where he was going and he didn’t care about his own safety. His advisers tried to make him stay, but he felt he had to confront something.
And in the air he found Jaehaerys flying toward him. He felt angry at the sight of his cousin. The two kept a distance but were close enough that if they shouted to each other they would be heard.
“Skoros gaomagon jaelā!?” (What do you want!?) Aegon ii asked.
“Nyke gīmigon ao ilimagho zirȳla. Īlon ȳdra daor jorrāelagon naejot continue bisa.” (I know you mourn her. We don't need to continue this) Jaehaerys offered.
“Ao rhēdan bisa!” (You started this!) Aegon ii accused.
“Iksi lentor. Ivestragī's become mēre.” (We are family. Let's become one.) Jaehaerys said. The self righteous way he went about it made Aegon ii angrier. How dare he act like the benevolent cousin here to fix everything. His family would be one if he didn’t listen to Rogar Baratheon.
“Kesan dōrī sagon aōha lentor!” (I will never be your family!) Aegon ii stated.
“Pār ivestragī īlva tatagon bisa” (Then let us finish this.) Jaehaerys said, readying his dragon.
Aegon ii flew directly toward his cousin, and Jaehaerys flew at him as well. They clashed and fought their beasts against the others.
It was a clash of teeth, fire, and claws. The dragons dug into each other and made the other bleed. They spun in the air and screamed at the pain. They fell to the ground unceremoniously, broken and bleeding, both died from impact. The boys were badly burned and both tried to escape their predicament.
Their bodies were found the next day. Bringing them back to Kingslanding. Both mothers of the boys cried over their boys. They didn’t cry together though. YN blamed Alyssa for what happened to her son. Some wonder if they should call her son Malor to become king. But the boy denied that he would become king. He offered the crown to Rhaena.
Rhaena became queen of the seven kingdoms. Malor chose to remain with her as family. Rhaena sent away her mother. YN chose to go home. Kissing her son one last time. She tried to seem put together so her son wouldn’t regret his decision to stay with Rhaena and her daughter and sister.
So Yn went home. Crying when she saw her youngest daughter once more. She couldn’t stay in highgarden since she blamed her brothers and uncles for what happened to her children. So she took her daughter to the inherited estate that her aunt left her. The castle by the sea.
“Mama?” Melessa would call to her as she sat by the beach and stared at the waves.
But Yn felt no more joy. Not even her Addam could breathe life into her again. She hated and cried. It wasn’t worth it. Nothing was worth her children. And now most of them were gone.
She only had her memories of them.
No one won in war. They survived. And she didn’t seem to survive.