"There can be no king who isn't in King's Landing!" The Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon, slammed his hand on the table in disbelief. The vast council chamber now held only six people: Draezell, Daemon, Corlys himself, Lord Bartimos Celtigar, Ser Steffon Darklyna(cting Lord Commander of the Kingsguard) and Grand Maester Orwyle. Joffrey had been escorted out by Baela, the young queen — or rather, the young dowager — who understood that neither she nor Joffrey had any say in the proceedings. Even with dragons, they held no sway here. They could only abide by the decisions of their elders.
"This was Jacaerys' final wish," Draezell said, spreading his hands as if to absolve himself of responsibility. "If you have an objection, you are welcome to take it up with him directly. Aegon will come to King's Landing under the protection of my brothers for his coronation. Then I will take him back to Dragon's Nest, just as King Jaehaerys once did. Once Aegon fulfills his marriage pact with my daughter Samantha at the age of fourteen, I will send him back to King's Landing to govern in his own right." Draezell tapped the table lightly, his tone brooking no argument. "This is not a discussion. It is a declaration."
"Draezell, even if this was Jacaerys' wish, the kingdom has never had a king who grew up in the castle of a vassal," Corlys said, standing in protest. "Even King Jaehaerys spent his youth on Dragonstone."
"And is there any place in this realm better suited for a child's healthy upbringing than my Dragon's Nest?" Draezell smiled. "Or are you suggesting we defy Jacaerys' will? Aegon is now my ward. I am also his Hand of the King. What say you, Regent?" He turned to Daemon.
"Daemon, this is a matter of principle. A king who does not grow up in King's Landing will struggle to command respect in the future," Corlys argued. Jacaerys' death had dashed his hopes of further entwining Velaryon bloodlines with the Targaryens. Aegon, as things stood — with his planned marriage and upbringing — would inevitably favor the dragons and the ever-strengthening House Vaelarys.
Two Valyrian houses vying for influence would leave Corlys' house, now resting on his personal achievements, at a distinct disadvantage. Currently, House Velaryon had only Joffrey's dragon, while House Vaelarys boasted six dragons. And in the foreseeable future, the Vaelarys dragons would only multiply.
Daemon fiddled with the orb before him, refraining from commenting on Corlys' argument. A Targaryen king, so long as he had a dragon beneath him, would command respect. Yet House Vaelarys... Daemon had long suspected their growing power, but it was now clear just how terrifyingly immense it had become.
In the aftermath of the war, the Targaryens were left with only four combat-ready dragons: Daemon's Caraxes, Joffrey's Tyraxes, Baela's Moondancer, and young Aegon's Stormcloud, all of whom were still young and vulnerable. Vermax, Syrax and Dreamfyre(Basicly) had lost their riders, returning to King's Landing and it Dragonpit to nest. As for the wild dragons — Seasmoke, Grey Ghost, and Sheepstealer — they still roamed Dragonstone, but remained unclaimed.
Meanwhile, House Vaelarys wielded true might. Apart from Vermithor, they had Silverwing, now a fully grown dragon, and Shadowbane, whose strength had reportedly exceeded the crossbow bolts of the Triarchy. Vaelarys' household also had three maturing dragons, with Draezell's eldest son, Rhaegor, riding a particularly large and rapidly growing breed.
Daemon sighed deeply. "Lord Corlys, I believe we should honor Jacaerys' wishes."
"Daemon, this—"
Daemon raised a hand, silencing Corlys. "Let us consider this as following the precedent of our ancestors. After all, Draezell is Aegon's guardian, and he himself spent several years living at Dragon's Nest."
Lord Bartimos Celtigar and Grand Maester Orwyle exchanged glances, both choosing to lower their heads. They understood that meddling in this matter would be tantamount to courting disaster.
Draezell nodded. "Then let us begin preparations for Aegon's coronation." He scanned the faces of those present in the council chamber, seeing no further objections, and smiled. "We are adjourned."
As they walked back to the Tower of the Hand, Corlys hurried to catch up with Daemon. "Daemon, House Vaelarys is spiraling out of control," Corlys whispered in High Valyrian, his voice low but urgent. "If Aegon grows up under their wing, he will inevitably align with them, further bolstering their power. Are you willing to stand by and watch as a second Dragonrider dynasty emerges?"
Corlys was filled with indignation. The Velaryons had invested immense effort, sacrificing generations of resources, to achieve their current exalted status — both wealthy and possessing dragons. Despite centuries of intermarriage with the Targaryens, the Velaryons were never permitted to approach dragons until the day Corlys married Princess Rhaenys. Only then did the Velaryon officially gain access to dragons.
"Precisely for that reason, Draezell and his house cannot remain in King's Landing," Daemon said coolly. He had given up hope of curbing the growth of House Vaelarys unless internal division fractured their unity or some catastrophic event wiped out their entire family. The lands governed by their border territories were vast, equivalent to a kingdom in size. "Keeping them away from King's Landing benefits us and Aegon. Building good relations with House Vaelarys is also beneficial," Daemon added, his cold gaze fixed on Corlys. "The only two dragonriding families left in the world ought to support each other, bound by fire and blood."
The old lord felt a chill run down his spine. Ultimately, he said nothing more.
---
In another room, Baela sat staring blankly at a portrait of Jacaerys on the table. In the painting, Jacaerys stood beside his dragon, Vermax, smiling brightly. She had been staring at it for what seemed like an eternity.
As dusk fell, Baela finally seemed to awaken from her daze, wiping away her tears. In the end, she said nothing.
The young Dowager Queen made a silent decision. If she could not spend her life with the boy she loved, she would follow her grandmother's example and become a true dragonrider. In a few years, Moondancer would be ready to take to the battlefield. When that time came, she would become the sharpest sword of House Targaryen.
What she could not find in the bedchamber, she would seek on the battlefield and in the skies.
"Crone, hear my prayer. Let your lamp guide Jacaerys back home," Baela whispered, hands clasped in prayer.
---
Aegon's coronation was not a grand affair.
When the silver dragon and the gaunt black dragon roared their arrival at King's Landing, young Aegon, riding his blue one-horned dragon Stormcloud, descended with them upon the Red Keep.
Ravens were sent across the realm, announcing the death of the old king and the ascension of the new one. Lords swore new oaths of fealty to young Aegon after mourning the passing of the wise King Jacaerys.
The High Septon anointed Aegon with holy oils. The current High Septon resided in the grand Sept of Visenya's Hill. Draezell and Daemon had plans to renovate King's Landing in the coming years, transforming the foul-smelling, corpse-littered capital into a cleaner city. One key focus of this effort was the grand Sept — Jacaerys' Sept.
Initially, it was to be named Rhaenyra's Sept, but the clergy strongly opposed this. They preferred to name the new seat of the High Septon after Jacaerys.
Young Aegon cautiously took his seat on the Iron Throne. Daemon handed him the orb and scepter of kingship, while Draezell placed the crown of Aegon's choice upon his head.
The boy chose his brother's simple crown, forged from Valyrian steel and sword points.
The coronation concluded with a modest procession through the city and a brief flight over King's Landing on dragonback.
Wasting no time, Draezell immediately departed King's Landing with Aegon, leaving Daemon to deal with the city's troubles.
The titles of the young king were as follows:
King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, and Aegon II of House Targaryen.
Of course, in Archmaester Munkun's True History, young Aegon was recorded as Aegon II. However, later chronicles would refer to him as Aegon III, as Aegon the Usurper was, in strict terms, the true Aegon II.
But history is always written by the victors.
Isn't it?
---
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