Chapter 19
Breakfast was a tense affairs. Between the Velaryons that is. The royal siblings had no such problem what so ever. While Rhaenys and Corlys had a silent war with each other it seemed, Laena was still morose. At least Laenor didn't have such problems, he was digging with gusto and seemed to vibrate into his chair since Daemon said good morning to him. Were Viserys and Daemon so obvious at that age? Doesn't matter. It was a good day. He and his siblings were in good spirits. Maenera was playful this morning, bantering with him and Daemon, stealing food out of his brother's plate. Her mood seemed infectious. Viserys was even proud of himself for landing a smack on his brother for eating the last orange slice. He usually didn't care if Daemon ate the fruits, but they discovered that oranges were Maenera's favorite, and the pout on her face was convincing enough for him to act in her defence. He observed that Maenera every morning inhaled everything with oranges, the slices, the little tarts, she even asked for orange juice at breakfast, leaving the watered wine untouched.
"My lady" started his sister." If you are to become my lady in waiting, i would like to know more about yourself. What activities do you enjoy?" The question was addressed to Laena, of course, who seemed to freeze at being put on the spot.
"I enjoy embroidering, princess, and walks through the gardens. " An obviously rehearsed answer. He was sure his sister was going to respond accordingly.
"Bah... Seldom, girls our age enjoy those things. For example I don't. I have a fair hand at embroidery, but it bores me to tears."
"Then what do you enjoy, princess?"
"I enjoy collecting secrets." She fake whispered."I like to know everybodys secrets. From favorite food to unsavory pleasures. For example I know of a lord who has many bastard children, but his wife doesn't know of them. Not an uncommon thing of course, but to keep them so close to home? Without his wife permission... That is a scandal. " His sister said and he saw Corlys tense. Rhaenys narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to narrow down a list of unfaithful husbands.
Corlys reaction was interesting and worth taking notice of. He was sure that his sister had a motive behind her statements. If his deductions were right, and they usually were, Rhaenys is going to drown Corlys in the sea he loves so much. Maenera didn't give any names or locations, but he could see the seed of doubt in Rhaenys eyes. What a vicious little menace, his sister was.
"So now that I told you my pleasure activity, you have to tell me yours. I am simply so curious."
"I like to read the history of Old Valyria and I like to try new things, food, dances, visit new places." Well that at least sounded genuine.
"Do not worry my lady, you will have an abundance of all this things while being in my company. Viserys is an expert in the old writings, especially those of Old Valyria and Daemon had traveled so much, he has all kinds of stories for us to enjoy. And between you and me, I am sure that we can convince him to teach us some of the more exotic dances he learned in his travels." His sister said and Laena let out a chuckle.
If that was not manipulation at it's finest, he didn't know what was. She was dangling the prize in font of Corlys eyes again as well as trying to ease the fears of the child. He didn't really know if his sister liked Laena or not. While she praised what could have been Laena's dragonriding skills and tried to ease her fears and make her more comfortable in the presence of the royal family, there was something mean, angry in her eyes sometimes when she looked at Laena. There might be that Maenera saw something she didn't like about the girl when she was older, but was nice with her now because that didn't happened yet. She did the same thing with Rhaenyra. He knew that his sister hated the older version of his daughter that she saw in her visions, but at the same time she was still a child now, that just lost her mother so his sister didn even hesitated to console her. That didn't happen with him of course, part of her resented him for his future choices, but he supposed that the difference between him and the girls was exactly that. He was a grown man, almost thirty years of age and those two were little girls. The changes he has to make to change the outcome that she had seen will have to be radical. He understood that now, and had already started to do so.
His sister never outright said that he remarried in her visions, but her focus on that particular problem seemed to speak for itself. Maybe she didn't like Laena because he married her? But if he indeed remarried in the future she had seen, why did he kept Rhaenyra as heir. He wasn't blessed in his second marriage with a child? He didn't want to think about that and all that thought implied. Him to be the one with the problem, poor Aemma trying to birth babes made with his sickly seed. He thought about the possibility before, for him to be like Maegor. While Maegor had been completely unable to get his wives with child he managed to impregnate Aemma, and both of them were blessed with a healthy child.
He had to be grateful with the heirs he had, but the dream he had was still rattling in his mind. The babe with the Conqueror's crown on his head. He needed to speak frankly with his sister about all of this topics. He couldn't afford to make mistakes, those almost 2 weeks proved it.
***
Maenera's head was still a mess. After the episode, she had tried as best as she could, as fast as she could to sort through the visions, but she didn't have enough time. Some of the snippets that were flying around in her head didn't make any sense. Sure some of them were clear, but some of them were droving her mad. She didn't understand. She saw Laenor dying in Kingslanding then him older alive in Driftmark. She saw Daemon fucking an older Laenor and then Viserys fucking Daemon. She saw her and Laena kissing then her and Daemon kissing. Rhaenyra having a suitor tour but not marrying. Vaegon deciding to leave but staying in Kingslanding. THIS DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! Who was with who? Who was staying? Who was dying? And since when did she liked girls? At least Viserys and Daemon finally fuck.
He had a vision about Allicent but was muted, like she was looking through dirty glass. She needed time to sort this mess out and she needed to speak with uncle Vaegon. Some of the visions were clear enough. Viserys claiming Vhagar( and that beast better listen to him because if she caught one bad intention coming from her, Viserys will need another dragon) was clear enough. Same with the confrontation between them and the Velaryons. Vaegon will present soon his evidence in the council and she will be presented at court, through that was kind of pointless since everyone already knew who she was. Same with the Sea Snake and his war. A necessary war if she was being truthful but that meant that sooner or later Daemon will go there as well.
She was not looking forward at him leaving. She wanted to keep him close, preferably tied to a bed where he could not cause any trouble and put himself in danger. A good dream, but sadly only just a dream. She dreaded the fact that she will remain alone trying to wrangle Viserys. That man was stubborn as a mule. She needed an army to keep him on the right path. He was like a fucking child that got distracted by butterflies, and now he was running around not looking where he was going, smashing shit about, trying to catch 5 butterflies at once. Not that Daemon was any better, he was like an hyperactive, bloodthirsty overgrown child that had been given a deadly weapon. She loved her brothers, she really did, but she was tired, she needed a break.
***
The Velaryons left first, Viserys and his siblings lingering on Dragonstone. They needed to talk and Dragonstone had much less listening ears than the Red Keep.
"First of all" Viserys began"we need to talk about your visions."
"What is there to talk about?" His sister asked and as expected Daemon erupted.
"How about you not telling us that you will have an episode, even though you knew weeks beforehand?"
"I didn't consider it was necessary, I had informed Vaegon."
"Vaegon was hundreds of miles away, you stupid girl! Do you have any idea how scared I was when I woke up and found my sister in a pool of blood?" Daemon was right, but he needed to calm down, he was scaring Maenera.
"What Daemon is trying to say is, that maybe with a little warning we would have handled it better."
"I know what I am trying to say, Viserys! I am saying that she is a stupid little girl who didn't think of consequences. Not only had we been left floundering around with her bleeding on the bed, but more than that we had to find out from Vaegon that you already knew that it will happen. You even asked for your little special poison!" Maenera was mute but he was seeing tears gathering in her eyes. Even if what his brother was saying was true, his delivery left much to be desired. The feelings of hurt and the fact that he was scared for her were making him to behave like a bastard.
"Daemon! Enough... Go see to the dragons and calm down." Viserys ordered.
"Yes, your Grace." His brother responded and got out slamming the door in his wake. Viserys let out a sight. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go.
"I imagine you didn't see this conversation."
"Not really... Daemon is impulsive, he takes ad-hoc decisions. He didn't plan to go off like that."
"Yes well, even if he was a cunt, he was right. You need to tell us these things. To wake up in the middle of the night and to see you bleeding, unresponsive, not knowing who to call or how to help. It was scary."
"I am sorry."
"I know. It's fine now. You are fine and that is all that matters. But it hurt that you didn't trusted us with this. And to find out that you poison yourself? From Vaegon?..."
"It's not poison, it's just... A very strong sleep potion."
"We both know that is a lie."
"It's the only way we found, to manage the big episodes."
"We will find something better."
"How about you ask me about the true reason you wanted to have this discussion." His sister said and it was a clear avoidance there, but he let it slide.
"I was married again, in your visions."
"Yes"
"Did I have anymore children?"
"Yes."
"Then why did I kept Rhaenyra as heir?"
"Guilt, i suppose. She saw her mother butchered and then you married not even six months after Aemma's passing."
"I didn't respect the period of mourning?"
"Not really."
"Did I have boys?"
"Three, and another daughter."
"So my dream came true"
"It did, but Viserys you need to understand that your dream was a warning. All dreams are warnings. Daenys dreamed of the doom, Aegon dreamed of the death of mankind, I dream because I try to save our dynasty! You had a boy, that later on addoned the Conqueror's crown, but he was a drunkard and a rapist, a king so unsuitable that his own men poisoned him. That dream had no correlation with Aegon's. Your boy was not the prince that was promised."
"I missinterpreted. I never considered it to be a warning."
"I know, and even so Aegon's prophecy is missinterpreted as well. Give me the dagger." She said and he handed the dagger to her. She put it over the flames and waited for the writing to appear. When it did she handed it back to him.
"Read it."
"From my blood..."
"Not in Common, in Valyrian."
"Hen ñuha ānogar māzigon kivio Dārilaros se zȳhon kessa sagon vāedar suvio perzo." He didn't understand. The prophecy was clear enough.
"You still do not understand... Say Daemon's title in Valyrian."
"Dārilaros Daemon."
"Now mine"
"Dārilaros Maenera..." Oh... It was not specified that it has to be a male heir.
"The word dārilaros has no gender. There could be a princess as well."
"Is it Rhaenyra then?"
"No, the child of the prophecy will not come for many years now. When it says from my blood" it doesn't specify a bloodline, but it refers as the Targaryen as a whole. House Targaryen, that have the blood of the dragon will produce the prophecy child"
"Oh gods. I killed Aemma for nothing!"
"What is done is done. You need to rectify this misconception from now on. You need to tell Daemon the prophecy, and the meaning behind it. "
"Yes...I still do not understand how your visions are always so clear and accurate?"
"Who said that my visions are always clear?"
"They are not?"
"Sometimes I see them clear as day, but sometimes I flounder around in the mud like the rest of the dreamers. I was blessed, or maybe cursed, to have two magical bloodline running through my veins."
"Two? Are you talking about the Starks?"
"Yes, the two houses are very alike, if you are trying to compare them. Both bonded to big majestic beast, both having some kind of prophetic visions, the list goes on."
"They have dreamers?"
"They are called green seers. Those affected with the sight have visions not dreams. I think that is why I have both. I don't know if the Stark blood woke up the dreamer side or the Targaryen bloodline woke up the green sight, but I am "blessed" with a combination of both."
"You said that both houses have magic. Were you referring only to our bond with dragons and what I am assuming direwolves and the gift of prophecy present in both houses or is there something more?" Viserys was curios. It was always said that they have magic in their blood, but from Viserys point of view if you took the dragons and the dreams from the equation, they were quite normal. Well, that and the incest.
"The Targaryen family always had gifts. The bond with dragons, the dreams, and this is only what was known. People forget that we had sorcerers in our midst, Visenya was even known for her magic"
"I thought that it was a rumor."
"No, Visenya was a sorceress, and she had at hand one of the most potent ingredients to use in her spells and rituals, Targaryen blood. Our blood is powerful, the magic that it allows us to cast is impressive, but it comes at a cost. Visenya is a prime example, she wanted her son to be powerful, strong, healthy, not like Aenys. So she sacrificed his fertility, even though she didn't know at that time. "
"Do all of us have the ability to use this magic?"
"I think so, I do not know how powerful the magic is going to be, that probably depends on the individual."
"Why aren't we learning this? When did we stop teaching how to use magic."
"Visenya hid all her books when what happened to Maegor becomr apparent. I know how to utilize this power, not everything, and I tried to keep my rituals small, so the price could not be too high, but I do not know if I want to teach any of you."
"I understand that the price can be steep, but wouldn't be better if it was known, in the family I mean."
"You do not understand the impact it can have on the rest of the world. Let me gave you an example, my dragon, Shrykos, was hatched in my cradle. Father gifted me an egg that was almost petrified. Shrykos is from the same clutch that Caraxes is. I do not know why father chose an almost petrified egg, but he did. My dragon, like me was small and sickly. When I learned of the power that I had at my fingertips I tried to help her, and I did. Every day for three years I feed her my blood with her food. Just a few drops, nothing more, and now look at her. She is almost as big as Caraxes, she is extremely intelligent, the bond between us is so strong that we can feel each others emotions and thoughts. That's how powerful the blood in our veins is. Now imagine someone who is already mad, what would they do with such power."
"Everything they wanted."
"Exactly, and if that is not a scary enough thought, thing about the price. The Targaryen family would destroy itself, the consequences of this magic piling up."
"What consequences did you face, because of it?"
"I think that it killed my mother. I tried to save her, I saw it in my visions and tried to prevent it, and I did the first time. The second time I do not know what happened exactly. Maybe I was not paying enough attention or maybe that this was the price, but the vision came too late. Moments before my mother died, I didn't have time to do anything."
Viserys was lost for words, he clearly didn't expected that answer. What can you say when his sister confessing something like this? The burden on her shoulders must be immense.
"Now,do you see why I do not want to teach any of you how to utilize this power? Is better dormant, the dreams and the dragons are enough."