22 Chapter 22
- Outside of Yunkai - That Night -
The assassin moved through the darkness of the night with the lack of the Moon giving him even more cover. Which helped considering he was moving silently all around the Unsullied guards. He would say this for the eunuch army, it was every bit the fighting force the stories said they were, and their diligence was nothing to scoff at either. He had almost been caught by them three times. Three times! If not for the lack of moon light, the assassin had no doubts in his head the Unsullied would have spotted him during one of those three. The man couldn't strike out at the Unsullied because they were always in formation, on patrol, and in groups or nearby each other individually to the point where anyone could see or hear something that was off.
And if there was one thing Daario Naharis was not, it was stupid.
Though when realizing the Wise Masters, who hired the Second Sons had failed to tell them about the three dragons currently lying around the tent of Daenerys Targaryen, the man was considering backing out of this assignment. If the Captains had a problem with it, Daario would ask them if they could best three large fire breathing dragons.
When looking for his intended target, he had seen the silver haired woman walking into the tent the three dragons surrounded and new that was hers. Daario was looking for the masked man calling himself Aegon Targaryen and soon found him head for a tent not to far away, but just enough that sneaking into it wouldn't be an issue. The man didn't even have guards outside of the tent, which Daario had to admit provided an enticing target for him to exploit.
So much so that the Second Sons Lieutenant took the offer presented and made his way into the tent with his favorite dagger in hand.
Only when he entered the tent and looked around, no one was in the tent at all. Which did not make sense to Daario since he saw with his own eyes how Aegon had entered without any signs of him leaving it any other way. So where did the masked Targaryen go? And why did he feel an uneasy? Why did he feel a cold chill now slowly crawl up his spine?
Unless...
Spinning around, he came face to mask with Aegon Targaryen in all his black clothing covered glory, which Daario didn't understand why the man would wear it in a place like Essos. No one wore this much black on their person in the hot weather of Essos and come out of it all sweaty, sticky, and without losing breath. It wasn't natural!
"Hello assassin," said Aegon before he drew his sword faster then Daario could react and cut deep into his torso.
All Daario could do was gasp in shock and pain before falling to his knees, clutching the wound to keep his blood and guts from falling out. Looking up at the masked man, it was no wonder the Yunkai were nervous. This man was one scary man. It didn't matter if he had the Unsullied or even the dragons. Daario got the distinct impression this man didn't need them to take Yunkai.
This man could take it all by himself! A one man army!
"Wait! Wait! You don't have to kill me. I can bring the Second Sons to your side! I am one of its more skilled Lieutenants. The Captains are expecting me to return with your head. I can get close to them and end their lives. With them gone, I can take over as the leader of the Second Sons," protested Daario with Aegon tilting his head slightly.
"You assume I want or need the Second Sons in my pocket. They are Sell Swords. They go to the highest bidder," commented Aegon with Daario wincing from the pain.
"They serve who their Captain leading them serves. When I become Captain, they will fall in line. Especially when they know you have three fire breathing dragons on your side," said Daario with Aegon saying nothing for a moment.
"And what is to stop one of these men from betraying you? Or betraying me for a greater position? You cannot speak for all of the Second Sons. Regardless if you kill the Captains running it," said Aegon before Force Pushing Daario out of the tent into the open desert and walking out to face the man struggling to sit up.
And no doubt wondering how the Prince did that.
"What should we do with him your Grace?" asked Ser Jorah with his sword out and Jon Connington doing the same.
"Kill him. And put his head at the front of the gate. Drogon! Vaderon! Revanchist! Hunt down the Second Sons army. Use this one's scent to find them in the desert and feast to your heart's content," said Aegon with the dragons taking in the wounded man's secret before roaring and taking to the sky.
After the three dragons left, Daario reached for his dagger, only to find it was no longer in his possession, but rather it was in Aegon's hands. The clever Sell Sword could almost sense the amused look behind the masked face and even more so when he Prince shook his head.
That was the last thing Daario Naharis saw before darkness took him due to Ser Jorah of House Mormont severing his head from his neck.
"Two days your Grace?" asked Jon Connington with Aegon nodding.
"Yes. We give them two days Jon. Word will soon reach them by that point of the Second Sons failing. If they don't surrender willingly, we make them surrender," replied Aegon with Jon nodding since that was usually how it worked.
If Yunkai would not bend the knee, they would burn by dragon's fire.
- King's Landing - The White Tower - At Night -
Ser Barristan the Bold of the Kingsguard stormed into his room and loudly slammed the door shut. His heart filled with turmoil. Fear, rage, joy, and sorrow from the past he had once thought buried deep within his being had come to the surface. For the first time in a long time, not since Rheagar died at the Trident, and word reaching him of Elia Martell along with her children being killed did he cry. He wanted to scream! To shout! To curse! To yell! To do something! Anything!
Aegon was alive! Rheagar's son was alive and well! Or so the man claiming to be him had said as much through his brief conversation with the Spider.
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"Ser Barristan. A word please."
"Not now Spider. I have a mess to clean up regarding Prince Joffrey and his treatment of one of the servants."
"Ah yes. The Crown Prince. Shame how he treats people. One can imagine how he will act when becoming King one day."
"Get to the point Spider. Why are you here and not with one of your little birds?"
"It is because of my little birds that I am here Ser Barristan. I am here to tell you about something important. Something the King would not tell you, nor would anyone on the Small Council tell you for fear of your true loyalties."
"My loyalty is to the Crown. To the King. You know the Oath of the Kingsguard."
"Aye, I do know. And yet, I also know you wanted to serve a different King. A better King. One who you cared for and protected when he was a Prince. One who would have been King had Robert Baratheon not slain him at the Trident with his war hammer."
"Choose your words carefully Spider. Or I might just lash out in a moment of weakness and run you through with my blade."
"My apologize Ser Barristan. I mean no disrespect or offense to the late Prince Rheagar. Like you, I too miss him greatly. He was the future King we wanted. The future King we needed. The future King we were denied."
"You don't have to tell me that Lord Varys. I was there. I was there to see it all. From the beginning to the bitter end."
"I know. Which is why I know should the time come to choose between the bloated stag and the mighty dragon, you will side with the latter."
"Even if what you say were possibly true, they are gone from Westeros. Rheagar is dead. Viserys is reported dead. And Princess Daenerys is somewhere in Essos. For all I know she is either dead or wishing she was dead."
"They have truly kept you out of things Ser Barristan. Judging from the sound in your voice, you wish to leave for Essos and be by the Princess's side."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yes it is Ser Barristan. Fortunately, no one is here to overhear our conversation. And as such I can provide you with a few pieces of information. Namely, in regards to Rheagar, his son, and Princess Daenerys herself."
"Rheagar's son is dead Lord Varys. You know that. You were there!"
"Aye, I was there Ser Barristan. I was there when the Mountain and Lorch brought the children in wrapped in Lannister red as proof of Tywin's fealty to the new King. I was there when the new King we have served for nearly 20 years laughed and denounced them as children. Instead, he called them 'dragonspawn', and praised Tywin for having his men kill them so brutally. But I'm not talking about that son of Rheagar. I am talking about another one. There was another child of Rheagar out there Ser Barristan. A child with the blood of the dragon running strong in his veins. Just like his Father."
"I swear Lord Varys, to all the Old Gods and the New, if you are trying to play a twisted game with me about this, I will strike you down right here. Right now!"
"No games. No lies. No half-truths. What I am about to tell you now is a secret kept even from me since the time of Rheagar's death. Maybe even just before it happened."
"Tell me. Tell me everything!"
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And so Varys did. About Rheagar loving Lyanna Stark. How she was with child. How the birthing had not gone as plan without a Maester to prevent the stranger from taking her. How Ned Stark had claimed the boy as his own bastard Jon Snow. A fact that burned Ser Barristan something fierce since he knew bastards were considered by many to be child born from sin and lust. How many High Lords abandoned them or the High Ladies had looked down on them for one reason or another.
But what really set Ser Barristan off or rather it nearly did, was the fact Varys had heard rumors of Lady Stark being physical with the boy. Physical! Abusive toward a helpless child just because it was not her own blood and believed he was her husband's through another woman! Slapping him in the face. Denouncing him as something as less than human for being a (believed) bastard. All under Lord Stark's own nose and castle no less!
And finally, the last rumor almost made the man throw down his white cloak along with his golden armor. If what Lord Varys said was true about the reason Rheagar's son left, which it probably was, Ser Barristan wanted to take only his sword get on a horse, and ride to Winterfell to show the foolish woman and her husband what he thought about their treatment of so called bastards. He wanted to cut down every single man from the North that would stand in his way until he reached the gates of Winterfell and struck down those there who hurt Rheagar's son.
And yet he stayed his hand. His mind told him it was not the way. No. If leaving was the way, Lord Varys would have hinted as much. The Spider had always been an unknown in terms of where his loyalty lied in terms of House. Many suspected he was a Targaryen loyalist. Others said he was a foreigner whispering his beliefs into the ears of Kings to be the true power behind the Iron Throne. But Ser Barristan knew the man was truly neither and chose to side with whoever was best suited to rule and stayed loyal to the side that was ruling when there were no other options.
So instead, Ser Barristan would wait. He would wait and watch. Varys had told him that the Prince was protecting his Aunt from harm, how the man held none of the madness of his Grandfather. The same for the Princess. To hear how two Targaryens were without the madness in this lifetime was a gift from the Gods. While Varys was unsure if the two practiced the questionable incest based relationship almost all Targaryens did in the past, the Spider did not believe so since his little birds did not see it during their spying of the two on their actions.
"You should calm down Ser Barristan. You'll age too fast from such a stress," said Aegon with amusement in his voice while Ser Barristan whipping around at incredible speed one should not expect for a man his age, sword in hand, and ready for a fight.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" asked Ser Barristan with his sword poised to strike.
"I am not really here. I am a projection. All the way from Essos," replied Aegon with Ser Barristan shifting his stance bit in caution.
"Magic," mumbled Ser Barristan while cautious of such things since he didn't know just how far this man could use it in this form.
"In a manner of speaking. Your sword won't help you here. Not that you need it," replied Aegon with Ser Barristan still being cautious.
"Better to be safe then sorry," remarked Ser Barristan with Aegon letting out a chuckle at his words.
"You told the same thing to my Father ages ago. And to always mind his surrounding for they can be your friend or enemy on the battlefield," remarked Aegon with Ser Barristan gasping.
"How do you know that?" asked Ser Barristan since he only told that to Rheagar.
"My powers go beyond producing a mere projection of my form. I can see into the past as well. I saw you and him at the Trident. After my Father fell, you threw yourself onto his body and begged Robert to give him a proper burial. How you would bend the knee and serve the Stag as the new King in exchange for this small mercy," replied Aegon with the knight before shedding tears and his sword wavering in his hands.
"Show me your face. I want to see it. I want to see if you are Rheagar's son or a mummer trying to claim the Iron Throne with sorcery," said Ser Barristan with Aegon nodding.
"I understand. You are skeptical. Lord Connington was the same way," replied Aegon before removing his mask and stared right into the eyes of the man who was his Father's most trusted friend in the Kingsguard outside of Ser Arthur Dayne.
"Those eyes have a shade of purple hidden in the black unless the light shines just right and the cheek bones are definitely his features. Your hair is clearly your Mother's, but I know Rheagar's features anywhere. You are his son. You are Rheagar's son," remarked Ser Barristan with tears falling from his face and dropped his sword.
"So I have heard," added Aegon with a smile that reminded the knight in front of him of the boy's Father.
"What happened? Varys told me you were raised as Ned Stark's bastard son. How you left the North and made your way to Essos," replied Ser Barristan while hoping this was not a trick or dream.
"What Varys told you was true. I am Rheagar Tagaryen's true born son. He had married Lyanna Stark in secret. His marriage to Elia Martell was annulled. All the documents I need to prove it are at the Citadel. Buried under piles of papers and unknowingly hidden from the Maesters," replied Aegon with Ser Barristan nodding while making note to visit the Citadel on "royal business" to get those documents and keep them safe.
Ser Barristan wouldn't trust those grey rats in robes any more then he trust Grand Maester Pycelle with the old man being rumored to not keep up his vow of celibacy.
"If I had known. If only I had known. I would have raised you myself. Not as a bastard, but as my adopted son. While our Oaths forbid the Kingsguard from having children, it usually means children by blood," said Ser Barristan with Aegon smiling at him.
"You would have made a great Father to me. I have no doubt of that," replied Aegon with Ser Barristan smiling and crying harder now before falling to his knees, reaching for his sword to hold it properly in this position.
"I, Ser Barristan, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, hereby pledge my undying, and unwavering loyalty to Aegon of House Targaryen. To be his sword, shield, and provide advice in times of great need. I will protect him with my life until the end of my days," said Ser Barristan while gazing up at the image before him and swore to himself that the image of Rheagar was beside the boy smiling down at him in approval.
"Arise Ser Barristan. I have need of you and the position you are in as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard," said Aegon while Ser Barristan slowly rose from the ground.
"Name it my King," said Ser Barristan eager to hear the command of his King.
"Sadly, I am not a King. Not yet. But soon, in a few years. But in those few years, all will be different. I have foreseen events that will come. Varys is on our side. Trust the Spider and let him spin his webs. As for the Falcon, the Lion and the Stag, leave them all to me. The others will fall in line when the time comes to reveal the truth to everyone," replied Aegon with Ser Barristan nodding since it was clear his King had a plan.
"Robert will no doubt send assassins after you. If not him, then Tywin Lannister," said Ser Barristan worriedly since he wouldn't put it past Tywin to do that.
"Leave that to me. You are needed for a more secret mission. I need you to find out who among the Kingsguard are worthy of their titles and who is not. I also need you find out who among the City Watch we can count on should they be called upon," replied Aegon since he knew Ser Barristan could find out who would fight for the dragon over the Stag or lion when the time came.
"I know a few who aren't worthy. How they only got their appointment due to the Queen or her Father. They are men without honor or skill. They are a shadow and blight on the Kingsguard," remarked Ser Barristan with bitterness in his tone.
"I will leave you to make a list of everyone who is and who is not worthy. Once you have completed the list, send it to Varys. He will send it to me," commanded Aegon.
"Yes your Grace. What about Robert? What about the Queen. Her children?" asked Ser Barristan curiously.
"I'm told the so called Prince is a real monster. My Grandfather only with Lannister blood in his veins," commented Aegon before putting on his mask.
"Aye. I real terror that one. His Mother, the Queen, coddles him so much it almost makes me sick to my stomach. The other two, Tommen and Myrcella, are good kids. Pure minds the both of them. No evil to be had," replied Ser Barristan with Aegon nodding.
"Unlike Robert and Tywin, I will not be cruel to any innocent children just because their own parents or Grandparents have been cruel. No. I will handle them properly when the time comes. Don't worry Ser Barristan. Nothing I do will be one of dishonor," said Aegon with Ser Barristan sighing in relief.
"What of the North your Grace? Your Uncle is the Warden of the North, but he is also the Sworn Brother of the King. If Robert calls the banners and calls on the North...," said Ser Barristan worriedly.
"Unfortunately, my Uncle would answer the call and his bannermen would follow when called upon. At least until they are told and shown the truth. Lyanna Stark was a woman of the North. No true member of the North would dare raise their banner against her or her own blood. When the time comes, they will not challenge me," replied Aegon since he knew the North would back off once they learned the truth.
"I look forward to the day you return home your Grace," said Ser Barristan with Aegon nodding.
"Stay the course Ser Barristan. When the times comes, one of the Spider's little birds will approach with specific code words. When you do hear the code words, it will be time to strike against our enemies," said Aegon while his image slowly began to fade from the knight's view.
"And what are the code words I should listen for your Grace?" asked Ser Barristan with only the man's head being left to fade away.
"Execute Order 66," replied Aegon before he was gone from Ser Barristan's sight.
"It will be done your Grace," said Ser Barristan with his smile never leaving him.
His future King would return soon. And when he did, Ser Barristan would once more have a chance serve someone worthy of being called a good King.
