Chapter 23: Aerion II

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

114 AC, Twelfth moon.

Kings Landing

The journey to King's Landing from Runestone was the longest Aerion had been on dragonback since claiming Gaelithox, long enough that he dozed off, though he  was grateful that he had the riding chains.

He was awoken by a loud screech from Gaelithox as Kings Landing came into view, rubbing his eyes, he almost shit his breeches when he realised he was still in the air, close to freaking out until he calmed himself.

Gaelithox landed outside the city walls near to the Dragons' Gate, the pit being too small to hold him and Aerion refused to have him chained up by the keepers as others were, almost having to kill one of them back at Runestone.

He planted down onto the floor from the roped ladder, and took in the view of Kings Landing, being both happy and sad to have returned to the capital, he looked forward to setting his eyes upon Rhaenyra once again, though it was a cesspit filled with snakes and rats looking to take advantage of you.

It felt free to not be at Runestone, each day was longer than the last and he was glad to have finally left, leaving weeks before the tourney was set to take place in order to spend some time with Rhaenyra before the capital became crowded.

Aerion knew before he went that questions would be asked of him on why he killed Gunthor and Gerold, no doubt the king received the full details from the spies in his court at Runestone, all of which he knew of.

There was a kitchen maid, Dalla, who arrived shortly after the siege to replace one that had died, she was caught sending out a raven in the middle of the night, though Aerion kept her on as to send those she served the wrong information.

Lords and Ladies will judge him despite not knowing the hardship of battle if it hit them in the face, but believed they had the rights to look down on a dragon.

He laid his head upon Gaelithox, running his hands across his blackened scales, whispering to him in the ancient tongue.

"I had the same dream as I slept, do you see them?" he asked, knowing he would never receive the reply, though hoped that perhaps their connection was deep enough to let him see into the dragon's mind "Do you see my dreams?" he asked again "You are in them, battling against another great dragon, one with scales of bronze."

Aerion drifted off and told him further of this dream, and as expected, the Dragonkeepers made their way down from the pit, all three of them, yet they were different to the ones on Dragonstone, having light brown robes.

"Welcome to Kings' Landing, my prince." one of them said, holding a long nine-foot pike with a spiked end "We will ensure Gaelithox is kept safe while you are here, as well as keep him from others, his reputation is well known."

Aerion swiped his hands down his leather breeches, removing the dirt from when he was on the ground.

"He will eat you should it be that you use that on him." he nudged towards the pike, the two behind him were holding a heavy chest, and Aerion moved to suspect it, revealing heavy chains within "And if I see that these have been put onto him, I will kill each and every one of you." he barked, switching to the common tongue.

They were each silent, and Aerion shut the chest, nodding his head farewell as he sets towards the Dragon's Gate, there was a lot of foot traffic as everyone arrived for the Tourney, Willam would be arriving in the coming weeks with a caravan of traders, guards, servants, and the likes.

He looked as Merchants and Farmers with goods to sell came through to King's Landing, and he extended the hood over his head to cover his face, as to not draw attention to himself before he makes it to the Red Keep, though the dragon scales on his riding leathers were a giveaway.

A guard with black-plated armour and a golden cloak draped over his shoulder stopped him on his way into the city as he attempted to sneak through "Where do you think you're going?" he questioned.

Aerion lifted his head up, revealing his lilac eyes for the knight to see, and he instantly ungripped his arm, stepping back as Aerion glared at him.

"That is right..do not put your hand on me again, or I will have it removed." he clasped his hand upon Goldfyre "You see that a dragon has recently landed, and did not think that a man dressed like myself is the rider?"

"My apologise, my prince, had I known it was you, I never would have -" the guard stumbled on his words, and Aerion simply walked away, leaving him to think on it, with a wide grin on his face.

He travelled through the Street of Silk, which was beaming with life as men went to drown themselves in the finest wine, or taking to bed with a pretty girl. It was famous for its fine establishments, which were open to everyone for the right price.

Aerion looked up at the Dragonpit which left a shadow over the Street of Silk, blocking the shining sun reaching the street, it was the largest structure beside that of the Red Keep, and was able to house up to thirteen of their adult dragons, unless they are the size of Gaelithox or Vhagar.

He finally made it to the gates of the keep, removing his hood and the gates were opened up for him, leading him into the large and spacious outer courtyard.

It had been primarily used by the Kingsguard and the household guard for training, there were training dummies set up and racks for weapons of any kind to train with, he spotted two of the Kingsguard, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk of House Cargyll, training in the centre, each of them mirroring the other's attack and defence.

He crossed his arms and  stood to watch them both practise, though he soon turned his head towards the stairs that led up into the keep itself as a handmaiden walked her way towards him.

"My prince, I have been instructed to welcome you back to the Red Keep, and to show you to your bedchambers." she curtsied, and Aerion found himself smiling at her as she turned and led him through the inner courtyard, a smaller area used more so for the Lords and Ladies to mingle amongst each other.

She led him to Maegor's Holdfast and he noticed that not many Lords and Ladies were present in the hallways as they were usually, nor did he see the King or Princess, though he did soon notice a large crowd flowing into the Great Hall, and his suspicious were most likely that the King wanted to make his arrival a big spectacle.

Clothes had already been set out for him when he arrived in his bedchambers, he turned to look at the handmaiden, who curtsied at him again and left him to dress.

There was a black shirt with a short-sleeved crimson tunic, along with a pair of leather bracers and black trousers with long boots, that cut off just underneath the knee.

He prepared himself, quicking dressing himself; he had recently taken a knife to his hair, doing away with the long hair Targaryens were known for, and instead had chosen a short style with his fringe cut above the eyebrows.

When he slipped on his boots, there was a knock at his door, and he went to open, three knights stood waiting for him, he remembered the two behind the Lord Commander, the twins from the outer courtyard.

Ser Harold Westerling looked to him, his hands at either side of his waist "His Grace calls you to the Great Hall, my prince, to swear fealty to him and the Princess Rhaenyra, and to introduce you back to the capital."

Aerion gripped Goldfyre tightly and hooked it back onto his belt, smiling to the Kingsguard "Let us get to it then, shall we?" he said smirking, patting Harold on his armour as he passed him, making his way towards the hall. 

He strutted down the steps of the Great Hall, the entire court turned their attention to him, mumbling amongst each other, of which he had heard many titles he had been given, including 'Kinslayer' though they were all muffled out from his mind as he peered across to Rhaenyra.

She stood at the bottom of the steps to the Iron Throne, and had grown more comely than when they last saw each other, she looked ready to pop, her hands rested upon her stomach, her presence brought a warm smile to his lips.

The King stood at the top of the steps, Blackfyre in hand, though Aerion still couldn't stand the sight of Blackfyre being used by the man, it deserved to be used by a warrior king, someone worthy of such a blade, as his child will be.

"Prince Aerion." The king greeted him formally "We welcome you back into these halls, word reached us of your bravery and might on the field of battle, the seven shine upon this day, and thus before we begin, I will bestow upon you a gift." 

Aerion unsheathed Goldfyre from his belt and rose it up into the air, balancing it with one hand rested at the hilt, and another near to the tip of the sword, he then planted the tip of the sword onto the floor and kneeling down in respect.

"My King, I dedicate those victories to the crown, and to our house, may we remain strong against all those who dare to challenge our might."

Ser Harold Westerling stepped in front of him, extending his sword and holding it above Aerion's shoulder, and the prince guided his head down towards the floor.

This was the moment, all his hard work had paid off and finally he would get the recognition he deserved, to be knighted by the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was one of great respect.

"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave" he began, touching the blade onto his right shoulder " In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just." the sword moved from his right shoulder onto his left "In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the young and innocent" back to right "In the name of the Maid, I charge you to protect all women.."

Aerion could not help feel proud of finally earning his knighthood, despite not believing in the faith, it showed that the King was on his side in the acts he had committed.

"Arise, Prince Aerion, A knight of the Seven Kingdoms." Ser Harrold said, stepping back into the line of Seven Kingsguard.

"I thank you, ser." Aerion said, remaining on his knee despite being asked otherwise and looking at the Princess.

"I, Prince Aerion Targaryen, Lord of Runestone, promise to be faithful to King Viserys, and to his named heir, the Princess Rhaenyra." he bowed his head to her especially "I pledge fealty to them and promise to defend them against all enemies, in good faith, and without deceit, I swear this by the old gods and the new."

He rose from the ground, his hands still gripped on the pommel of Goldfyre , and the Lords and Ladies began to clap.

"And there you have my fealty, your grace."

The King stepped down and made his way towards him, placing his gloved hand on his cheek and smiling to him, of which Aerion returned.

"I have missed you, nephew..or shall I say Ser." the man chuckled, following with a rough cough.

"We shall reconvene on the morrow." Lord Lyonel announced to the crowd, before everyone began to leave.

"I have missed you both also, my king." he said, watching as Rhaenyra slowly walked to them "And congratulations are finally in order on the princess's pregnancy, I apologise that it could not be sooner." he smirked "This is a blessing upon our house."

"Indeed it is, Aerion." Viserys patted his shoulder "I shall leave you both, I am sure you have much to discuss with each other."

"Would you care for a walk in the Gardens, Princess?" Aerion asked, clasping his hands in front of him, turning and walking away, grinning as he looked to the corner of his eye of her following behind.

"You and Laenor must be looking forward to bringing new life into this world." he continued, attempting to gain some distance, fearing one may be paying attention to their words from the shadows.

"Laenor comes and goes, preferring the salted air of Driftmark to the confined halls of the Red Keep - where you do not know when one may be looking to you." she replied.

 "I do not blame him - though he should be here, it is his duty as your husband and future father to your child."

 They eventually made it to the Gardens on the eastern side of the Red Keep, stone paths led in all directions, though they decided to go down the centre, passing a stoned statue of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.

"How does it feel to be a dragon rider? Syrax was born to me so I have always had a curiosity of what it feels like to claim one." she asked him.

"It feels exhilarating, I now know how you must feel to be up in the skies, the wind blowing against your face at high speeds, with the entire world beneath you, and there is a connection that I can not understand, it almost as if he can read my mind." he continued "Daemon says the connection between rider and dragon will be one that no one will ever understand."

"You spoke with Daemon?" she responded

"I did, he is currently at Runestone with Lady Laena, I am sure you heard of their marriage? It would have been many moons ago now" he asked, to which he swiftly nodded her head "He is teaching me how to properly control Gaelithox, to train me for the eventual war I have committed to fighting in."

"I see.."

"Three great dragons all in the same place, each with a rider." Aerion smiled "If you came, it would have made four, it is a great sight to behold as they fly."

They reached an overlook of the blackwater bay, and Rhaenyra placed her hands on the stone railing while Aerion turned and leaned against it, the same warm smile on his lips as he looked to her, trailing his eyes down to her stomach "Are you okay? You haven't talked much."

"I am just worried, that is all." she took a deep breath "My mother died from childbirth, and my brother died.." a tear dropped down her skin "What if the same thing was to happen to me?"

"It won't." he shook his head, placing his hand over hers "You are strong, and fierce, your fate is not to die on the birthing bed." 

He trailed his hand towards her stomach, and whispered in her ear "Our child will be ruler of these lands, and we'll crush anyone who opposes us." she looked up at him and he smirked.

"I have truly missed you." she replied "With Laenor being away so much; I have felt so alone here in The Red Keep, even with my ladies, I see how the queen's followers look at me when I pass them, despite who I am." she continued "We even have a name for them now, the greens." 

Aerion chuckled at the name that had been given to them.

"The Greens?" he asked "Is it those ugly dresses she insists on wearing?" he grinned, and leaned in closer to Rhaenyra "And what do they call us?" he looked down at what she was wearing, and was not surprised to see her in the black and red of their house "The Blacks?" he shook his head, peering down at her  once again

 "You tease me, why must you look so beautiful?"

"Give me enough compliments and you will make me blush, Aerion." Rhaenyra answered.

"Well I will be sure to continue during my stay in Kings' Landing." he replied "But I very much want to do more than that." he smirked, trailing his hand down from her stomach, though she pushed his hand away.

"Are you mad? Not here of all places, we don't know who might be watching." she said, causing Aerion to grit his teeth and roll his eyes.

"Fine, we'll have it your way." he turned back around to face the blackwater bay, gripping tightly onto the railing.

"Will you be flying with me on the morrow?" she asked him, much to his surprise, given that she was almost ready to give birth "We can even make way to Dragonstone…and do what we had promised to each other."

"Rhaenyra, I do not think this is the finest idea." Aerion rebutted, his eyes peering down towards her swollen stomach "You are with child, one of which I do not want to risk, we will have enough time after the birth."

They were soon interrupted within the gardens by one of the gold cloaks, who also happened to be Rhaenyra's new sworn shield; Aerion found it strange that she did not have one of the Kingsguard.

"Princess, the small council will be convening soon." the man bowed his head in Aerion's presence "Apologies if I have interrupted something."

"Thank you, Ser." Rhaenyra smiled, turning her attention back to Aerion for a moment "Cousin, I'd like to introduce you to my new sworn shield, Ser Harwin Strong, son to Lord Lyonel Strong, the Hand of the King, and a Captain within the City Watch."

Aerion looked at the man from head to toe, before smiling and extending his hand towards him "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ser, how did a man such as yourself come into the service of our princess?" he questioned.

"It is a bit out of the ordinary, I know.." Harwin explained "My father suggested to the king that I take Ser Criston's place, especially after his outburst, and that I already proved myself by protecting her from that scuffle at the Wedding feast." 

"I see…" Aerion looked back to Rhaenyra " I shall attend this small council meeting with you, cousin."

"We should speak with my father after the council has convened to see if you should come to the next meeting." Rhaenyra countered.

"It is long due that the Vale have a voice, besides it will only be until I return to Runestone after the birth." Aerion patted Harwin on the shoulders "Come, I am sure your knight will protect us as we journey there." he chuckled.

So that was it, they all travelled through the halls of the Red Keep and into the Small council chambers, Harwin positioned himself outside as both Rhaenyra and Aerion walked up the small set of stairs, only the King and Lord Strong had gathered, so at least they were not late.

"Father." Rhaenyra spoke aloud, causing both him and Lord Strong to direct their attention towards the two "Aerion wishes to be a part of the small council meeting."

"This is not protocol." Lord Strong interrupted, "You have neither been asked by the king or myself to sit on the small council, nor do I think you would have any opinions to add to the issues discussed."

"I disagree, Lyonel." Aerion clasped his hands together "I believe I have much to offer while I remain in King's Landing, and I come on behalf of the Vale, and a representative has not been on this council for a long while."

"Dear Lyonel, the queen has sent her apologies, so Prince Aerion may take her seat for this meeting, then we can discuss further of his role while he remains here." the king smiled, gesturing towards the seat to his left.

"Thank you, your grace." Aerion bowed his head, sitting down with a wide grin on his face as he peered towards Lyonel Strong, it was not long after that Lord Beesbury made his way through, followed by Jasper Wylde and Grand Maester Mellos, and lastly, Tyland Lannister.

"My Lords, before we begin, you will have noticed that we will be joined by Prince Aerion, and his appearance may come to our benefit, in regards to issues the Vale have been facing." Lyonel said.

"Now let us move onto the first order of business, I understand you want to bring something to our attention, Lyman." he asked, looking towards the Master of Coin.

"Uh, yes, Commander Luthor Largent of the City Watch is requesting further funding towards training additional men, and says that they have been experiencing high rates of crime than ever before, primarily in Flea Bottom."

"It is what you expect when you do not have the right programmes in place for the people, there should be kitchens set up, places for the homeless to sleep." Aerion pointed out "These are such things that in Gulltown, and Oldtown from what I know." he continued, then he looked to Tyland "Does Lannisport have such places, my lord?"

"It does." he replied.

"Prince Aerion's suggestions are well, and I would need to go through the numbers to see if this is a possibility for us." Lord Beesbury replied "Perhaps if the Prince was to meet with me, we can discuss this further."

"I will, Lord Beesbury, we shall meet on the morrow." Aerion nodded.

"Very well, I will leave you both to handle this issue, and to bring your findings before the small council within the week." Lord Strong replied.

"I would agree." the King also added, though he appeared disinterested in the meeting, and looked almost in pain.

 "Now, Prince Aerion, we would  like to know more of the troubles facing the Vale, if you would."

"I am willing to answer any questions you may have, my lords." Aerion scratched the side of his head "But I must let you know, there may be things even I don't know."

"We have been told that there were mercenary companies operating in the Vale under the command of your cousins, could you tell us of their status?" 

"Both Mercenary companies have since been disbanded and have been the bulk of a new company set up in Essos; they are currently in a contract with Braavos." Aerion informed them "They are mainly made up of Exiles and Second Sons."

"And who is now in command of this new company?" Jasper Wylde asked "You?"

"Aye, I am their commander, though I do not intend to serve among them over in Essos." he looked to Rhaenyra "I have too much keeping me in Westeros."

"Nephew, what of the clansmen, we have heard that you were facing trouble from them, has Lady Jeyne acted on these attacks?"

"They have since retreated back into the Mountains of the Moon, your grace, but I am preparing a plan to deal with them, along with House Redfort." Aerion nodded, tapping his hand against the table.

"And that  brings us to the fate of your cousins, My Prince, do tell us if the rumours we have heard are true about Ser Gerold." Grand Maester Mellos added.

"And what rumours would that be, Mellos?" Aerion turned to look at the man.

"That he was tortured for months, and may still be getting tortured till this day." Mellos replied.

"Gerold is dead." Aerion revealed "I killed him about a moon ago, if it pleases the small council to know of this, as to whether he was tortured…well I suppose you would have to listen to the spies you have in my court."

There was a silence in the chamber for a moment, until the King spoke up.

"Does another member of this council wish to bring up anything else?" the king looked around the table, looking for someone to respond.

"Your grace, I know they have been a recurring topic of this small council, now that we have Prince Aerion with us, I was wondering if we could speak of the stepstones?" Lord Tyland asked.

The King nodded, turning his focus back to the prince.

"What is this alliance you have with Driftmark?" the King asked him "We have been told you will be assisting in defending the stepstones shall we enter into war once more."

"The last report I received from Lord Corlys was that they are moving  their forces through the disputed lands, and are camped near the set of islands known as the Skulls, no doubt we will be at war in a few moons." Aerion responded "As for what I benefit from this, the Sea Snake has agreed to trade with Runestone, one of which will profit me more than him."

"And how many men are you expecting to commit to these skirmishes? Five hundred, perhaps a thousand?" Lord Jasper Wylde asked "From what we know, Runestone does not have a large standing army as it once did, with many defending your ports."

"It is true that at this current moment we are rebuilding our forces, although if we include the company across in Essos, we can possibly count for three thousands, perhaps four committed to the stepstones." Aerion stated, his eyes drifting across the room once again as everyone focused on him "This is ofcourse, if Corlys can provide the ships for departure."

"No further questions from me, my prince." Lord Tyland nodded, happy with the answers to the small council's questions.

"Well if that is all, we shall reconvene at the end of the week, and will expect the report from Lyman." the king rubbed his head, struggling to get to his feet.

Aerion assisted him in this matter, lifting himself up from his chair and extending his arm to the king to use as an anchor on getting up 

"Thank you, Aerion."

 As the king slowly made his way out of the chamber, the prince remained until only he, the princess and Lord Beesbury remained.

"How are you feeling, Princess?" the old man had asked Rhaenyra, rising from his chair and bowing his head.

"I am well, Lord Beesbury, thank you for asking." Rhaenyra moved over to him, and rested a hand upon Lyman's hand in respect "How has your wife been as of late? I know that she was coming down with a fever, I am so sorry."

"She has been healing by the day, Princess, though I fear she will be better at Honeyholt, while the Red Keep is grand, it will never be home." he replied.

"Will you not be returning to her, my lord?" Aerion involved himself, leaning back down onto the chair.

"Oh no, I could not possibly leave Kings Landing at this moment, and while I would love to return to Honeyholt, there is only a single man I trust with the realm's finances, and that is myself." 

They each chuckled together.

"I shall look forward to discussing the suggestions you have for Flea Bottom, Prince Aerion." he smiled, and then turned back to the princess "And shall you ever need someone to speak to, Princess, know you will forever have my ear."

"You are among the crowns' most loyal subjects, Lord Beesbury, I thank you for your support, and there is no one in the seven kingdoms more suited to be Master of Coin than you."

He soon left and Aerion rose back up from his seat, preparing himself a goblet of wine.

"That man right there is a good ally in the years to come, should he not die and be replaced." Aerion said, taking a sip.

"He has been a constant in my life, and my father before me." Rhaenyra responded, it was true that from what Aerion knew, Beesbury had been the longest serving council member, serving the Old King previously, though he was replaced for a short while as Daemon took over his role as Master of Coin, which did not last for long.

Aerion escorted the Princess back to her chambers so that she may prepare for the feast taking place tonight, and as he journeyed back towards his own, a child's laughter filled the corridor and caused him to stop.

With each moment, it had gotten louder until suddenly something ran into his leg, throwing him off guard, and began to tug at him.

He looked down to see a silver long-haired boy, slightly taller than when he last saw him, but he immediately knew it was Aegon.

"Ahh, Look who it is." Aerion smirked, grabbing Aegon and picking him up, grunting as he did once feeling how heavy the kid was "Where might you be running too, Little Dragon?" he said, scuffing up his hair as he ran his hand through it.

"I was trying to hide from Maester Orwyle." Aegon replied, his voice was light and resembled more of a whisper as he spoke, with his finger on his lips "He is so boring…"

"Oh really, what is it that was so boring about him, that you had to run away, hm?" Aerion asked, jabbing Aegon in the side, causing him to giggle.

"He is teaching Valyrian…its not fair, Aemond doesn't have to do any of that, he just plays." he pouted, smacking his fists at Aerion's shoulders, causing him to put him down back onto the ground, and then squat down to his level.

"High Valyrian is the language of our ancestors, I was about your age when I first began to learn the words." Aerion was set on returning him to his lessons, though Aegon noticed the new blade hanging from his hip, and his eyes suddenly filled with wonder.

"Wow! Can I hold it?" he said, jumping up and down "or maybe you could give me your other one, with the dragon? It is way better than a wooden sword."

"I tell you what, little man; if Maester Orwyle is so boring, why don't I take you down into the outer courtyard and practise some techniques, just as I promised?"

"You will train me to become a great warrior like you?" Aegon replied, a cheeky smile on his lips.

"That takes time, little dragon, even I have not fully mastered the art, and I have been training for a long time." he stood straight once again, clasping his hands "Come on then."

They made their way to the courtyard, and Aerion could feel how the nobles studied him as they passed, whispering amongst each other as they tried not to make their feelings known but Aerion did not care how they felt.

Since he first arrived in Kings' Landing a few moons ago, he had been persistently judged for his actions and deemed mad.

"Is it true you have a dragon?" Aegon asked, pulling him out from his own thoughts.

"I do, did you not see him as I circled Kings' Landing?" Aerion responded

"What is it like?" Aegon asked curiously "Rhaenyra never wants to take me on Syrax, she never wants to do anything." 

"I know how you are feeling; only recently had I claimed my dragon." he said with a soft smile as he looked down at him "Your time will come, but how about before I leave, you come on dragonback with me, and see how it feels, for there is no words that truly describe it."

"Mother doesn't like the dragons, she thinks them to be dangerous beasts, or at least that's what she says." Aerion raised an eyebrow, and scoffed.

"Those who are not of our blood, can never understand the love we have towards the dragons." he continued "and always remember…they are not our toys or pets, but instead our companions, and are to be treated as such."

They both reached the courtyard, and it was busy with guards training, including the knights of the Kingsguard, both Ser Arryk and Erryk, once again training as they were when he first entered the Keep's grounds.

Aegon appeared to be distracted, looking to the kingsguard as they practised "Aegon." Aerion called him, grabbing a wooden sword from the rack.

"Coming." he rushed back over to Aerion, and frowned as he looked at the wooden sword with disappointment "But I want your sword…this one is bad." 

"You have to practise with this, you are not old enough to use live steel yet, and even then, this is Valyrian steel, and must be handled with care." he extended his arm, and Aegon grabbed the wooden sword already looking defeated "Why the sad face? You get to be trained by me.."

"Grip the hilt tightly with your hand" he pointed out, and Aegon did as was asked of him.

 "Good." he continued, and went to pick up a small shield and crouched down next to Aegon, slipping his left arm through the strap attached to the back, tightening it "There you go, you're one step closer to being a knight." he smiled.

"It's too tight." Aegon moaned, tugging at the strap.

"Good, then you know it won't slip off." Aerion replied "Try hitting at the dummy a few times, see how you look." he said, pointing towards one of the many straw dummies.

"Okay." Aegon walked towards the straw dummy, the sword dragging across the dirt as he then carelessly began to swing at it, with a poor form and little to no strength.

"Aegon, put some strength behind your attack." Aegon attempted to follow his instruction, but remained pretty much the same, causing Aerion to rub his forehead.

"What is Aegon doing out here?" Aerion looked to the main doors into the red keep where the queen had come through, followed by her dog, Ser Criston.

"Mother, Aerion was showing me how to wield a sword, Look.." he smacked at the dummy, with a small improvement to his form than he was doing originally "And he promised to take me out on his dragon."

"My queen, little Aegon here was not enjoying his lessons with Maester Orwyle, I thought perhaps this would interest him more." he clasped his hands together in front of himself.

"I see, how very thoughtful of you, Aerion." she said, with a rather fake smile on her lips "Ser Criston, would you assist Aegon in removing the shield." 

"As you command, my queen." Ser Criston acknowledges, soon going over to assist Aegon in untightening the strap of the shield, throwing it on the ground.

"I bid you a good day, Aerion." she turned around "Come Aegon, let us get you back to your lessons." she held out her hand and Aegon ran to her.

"Bye Aerion." he waved to him, and Aerion smiled, turning his focus to Ser Criston.

"How does it feel, Ser Criston?" he asked him, much to Ser Criston's confusion.

"How does what feel?" he responded.

"Being a pet to the queen, with no free will of your own." he chuckled, walking towards him and pressing his hand on his clean white plated armour "I do have respect for the Kingsguard, well at least some of you, must be difficult giving up a life to protect the king, and queen." he added

"It is a duty, and an honour to protect the queen and her children." Criston responded.

"Well I suppose it wasn't really a choice you had to think about, afterall you were the commonborn son of a steward - I do wonder if the Kingsguard will ever truly be great in times of peace - after all there have rarely been wars in seventy years." he teased him, a smirk forming on his lips.

Aerion tightened his hand into a fist, gently smacking Criston's chest, leaning into whisper in his ear "I know how you broke your oath, Ser"

He looked as Criston's expression looked as if he was going to faint, which the prince mustered up a great grin on his lips,  and that was where he left the knight before going back to his own training, making sure to get a few hours before the feast was set to take place.

Notes:

UP NEXT:

A feast is prepared in Aerion's honor to celebrate him being named a Knight and to welcome him back to the capital, while tension grow between him and Ser Criston.