Chapter 28: Chapter 22

Chapter Text

With a mighty roar, Vermithor whipped through the rocks and shoals, touching the water briefly for a large spray behind them. I kept snapping my whip in the air, changing directions to navigate. The adrenaline hadn't stopped yet, I needed to keep moving, keep flying. After a few more maneuvers, Vermithor finally emerged over open water and began climbing.

I turned and looked around. No one behind me, excellent. Vermithor broke into a dive, speeding up and coasting along the water again. I was so close, I could make it! I had to do it in time, I had to. Only a few more climbs and I could make it. With a snap, Vermithor climbed higher, higher. He passed through a cloud before I snapped the whip for him to dive. There! I could see it, my destination.

Suddenly, a roar rang out behind me. Of course. I had thought I evaded my pursuer, but apparently I hadn't. Turning around, they were gaining on me. Snapping the whip quickly, Vermithor began to climb again, being followed quickly upwards, before my pursuer finally broke off, diving straight towards my destination. Shit. I snapped the whip and dove after them, but it was far too late. With a flip for flourish, Vhagar landed on the beach and sent out a small jet of flame into the sky. With a groan, I snapped the whip and directed Vermithor down to the beach and landed next to the other dragon.

"I win," Laena cheered, sticking out her tongue at me. I sighed and unchained myself from Vermithor, climbing down onto the soft sands.

"Accidents happen," I replied. Laena looked at me in mock offence before climbing down herself and walking right up to me. I tried to back up, but she was too quick and approached before I could.

"I didn't win through an accident, you didn't dive fast enough," she said, standing inches away from me. I felt heat rush to my face as she stood there, a grin on her face. "It's not something you'll learn by just being taught, you have to feel it," she finished. After a moment, she giggled, bopped my nose with her finger, and climbed back up onto Vhagar.

"Hey!" I called after her, but she was already moving Vhagar to take off. I jumped back to avoid getting smacked by her wings as sand flew up everywhere, leaving me to cough as Vhagar disappeared over the hills.

Why does she do this to me? I thought as I climbed onto Vermithor. With a snap, he circled into the air and followed the rapidly shrinking form of Vhagar in the distance. The sea breeze blew by as I followed Vhagar back to the modest-sized port town that Father called his capital. Laena dismounted first, running off to the "merchant's" house that Corlys had appropriated after its previous owner accidentally and tragically suffered an unfortunate case of my father cutting his head off and feeding the corpse to Caraxes.

I dismounted as soon as Vermithor landed, handing him off to the three dragonkeepers we'd managed to bring with us… that were willing to risk my uncle's wrath by ignoring that they were supposed to not bring their knowledge to any other group. Oh well, not like they'll lose their entire livelihood the moment that Father gets bored and decides he'd rather do anything else but sit on these dreary isles and actually do any of the duties required of a King.

After running inside, I swiftly changed from my riding clothes into something respectable and made my way through the halls. Left, right, right, left, it didn't take long to reach Lord Corlys' solar. As I approached however, a sudden force and weight took me from behind, sending me sprawling to the ground with a yelp.

I spun around, after regaining my composure, being met with a face full of silver hair that I had to cough out of everything that I could use to breathe. A high pitched yell immediately followed. "Luke, you're back!" I managed to free and hand and brush the hair out of my face, revealing my sister's bright smile. I forced a smile to my face as she held onto me tighter.

"Baela, why aren't you at your lessons?" I asked. She looked away for a moment guiltily, then looked back as if I never said anything.

"They're boring, I wanna come see you! You're fun! I like fun!" she said, not skipping a beat. I sighed internally. I loved Baela, I really did, from the first moment Mysaria let me hold her, and easily the greatest change I made to the world since I'd been in it. But by the Old Gods and the New, she had enough energy to make my head spin and a shorter attention span than even I did at that age. I wasn't sure how much of that was down to general Targaryen kookiness or just being a four-year-old, but I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know. After a few more moments, I managed to maneuver my way out from under her iron grip and planted a kiss on her brow, while picking her up gently.

"Baela, you know I have to study with Lord Corlys today," I said as calmly as I could. Immediately, her eyes shot to me, the eyes we both shared, and gave me a look that would make the Great Other melt. Damn it all, I can't resist her no matter how hard I try. "I promise, I'll play with you tonight. I'll play as long as you want me to," I offered. This, finally, made the puppy's eyes stop and her bright smile return.

"Okay, I like to play with you!" she said cheerily. I wasn't sure whether to be proud or annoyed that I'd managed to spread that word around. According to the few letters I still got from King's Landing, Aegon was starting to use it as well, due to Rhaenyra always using the word. As carefully as I could, I returned Baela to the ground.

"Now, go back to your lessons," I said. At that, she turned and pouted.

"No, I don't wanna," she said. I sighed audibly this time.

"Baela, if you don't go back to your lessons, I won't play with you tonight," I said, frowning at her. She turned back towards me, and shook her head.

"But, but you promised!" she protested. I shook my head.

"Only if you go back to your lessons and are good," I emphasized the last word. Unhappily, she looked away.

"You better come play," she finally said, before turning and stomping off. Relieved, I rubbed my side where she'd tackled me and turned to finally make my way to the solar, only to find Corlys standing there, not far behind me, leaning against a wall. My face went bright red as he walked over to me.

"You saw that?" I finally asked, looking away.

"I saw all of that," he replied. I let out a pitiful whine that sounded vaguely like no. A gentle hand on my shoulder directed me towards the solar, and I complied with little resistance. Once the door closed, he turned back to me.

"Have you given thought to the question I posed at our previous lesson?" Corlys asked after a few moments. After taking a breath to remember, I nodded.

"Aye. You posed the question as to what should have been the response to the Faith Militant Uprising by King Aenys," I began, restating what he had told me. "Ultimately, by the time of the uprising itself, confrontation was inevitable, after he'd allowed the Faith to be expelled from the Iron Isles and done nothing of substance against his brother's taking a second wife. The Faith of the Seven and House Targaryen had already offended each other, and war was inevitable…" I hesitated, then continued. "And yet, when Maegor took over, his response only enflamed the Faith further, making it a fight to the last man, no surrender, no mercy. I can't help but wonder if the response had been closer to King Jaehaerys' battle, that they might have not driven themselves to fight so zealously and violently." Corlys leaned against his desk and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Yet what made Jaehaerys' strategy work, so the claim goes," he said carefully, "was that the Faith was already broken down by the years of fighting. They had no fight left to fight, and their will was broken. They wanted a favorable peace, and took the chance when the hated King was dead." I shrugged.

"Mayhaps, but if that was the sole case, then why did they not break the agreement when Jaehaerys married Alysanne? Was that not the same action that led to Aegon the Uncrowned and Aenys being denounced as abominations? Is there naught else that can tell us what happened? The Swords and Stars were not disbanded until 63 AC, after six children had already been born to the two," I said. Corlys let a small smile show for a moment, and nodded.

"Aye. It was his image. Despite being a child at the time of his marriage, he was still seen as more decisive than Aenys was. A young precocious warrior, a fast-growing dragon, his mother married to the most powerful Lord in the realm at that time, and the Swords and Stars left at their weakest since the Battle of Six Kings, they were unable to resume the fight; and giving up on it meant they never could, those that hated what the new King had done saw the Swords and Stars as having given up, no longer standing against the 'abominations'." Corlys smiled at me. "When the final Swords and Stars laid down their arms, it was acknowledging the reality they already knew was happening- they would never return to their former power." I nodded. It made some amount of sense, in the Westerosi form.

"So, I guess the conclusion is, there was no solution?" I finally proffered. Corlys nodded.

"While many things could have headed it off, by the time of the marriage of Aenys' children, there was nothing that could have stopped it. So spoke my grandfather," he concluded. As much as I wanted to point out that said grandfather also spent the entirety of Maegor's reign on the Small Council, I bit my tongue and left that line of thought hanging. Now was not the time. Before I knew it, though, Corlys had continued, and whatever questions I had fell by the wayside as he continued. This was gonna be all day, I knew it. I only hoped I got out soon enough for Baela to not be mad at me, I hated when she got mad.