Scions of the Cruel King

Aegon the Pretender

The feeling around Casterly Rock had turned from joy to sorrow quite drastically Aegon had not failed to notice. Since word had come from Laecareys of Daemon's death as well as the death of his dragon, that red beast Firefree, there had been an air of despondency around the Rock, the like of which Aegon had never seen before. Council meeting after council meeting had been called, as they discussed what could be done now, now that they were on dragon down and without one of their most skilled diplomats and players of the game, Aegon did not fool himself into thinking that he was as expert a manipulator as his little brother, not even their grandfather seemed capable of thinking of what they needed to do now.

Their abandoning of Riverrun had been a deep blow to the morale amongst the lords and knights sworn to their cause Aegon knew. Laecareys had not wanted to leave Riverrun, they had had the greater numbers Aegon's little brother had argued, and they could give the fight to Jaehaerys and his northmen. Aegon had been tempted to agree with his little brother, after receiving word of his brother's death there was something, some sort of fire inside him that simply wanted revenge, and besides they could have held Riverrun, he could have left in the grasp of their grandfather and marched for King's Landing, but no Daemon being the fool he was had had to go out and fight Jaehaerys, and die.

And now here they were, yet another meeting. Aegon, Laecareys, their grandfather the much paler and gaunter Gerold Westerling, Gerion Lannister the new Lord of the Rock, his brother Loren Lannister and Aegon and Laecareys mother Jeyne, shadowed in her grief. "We must do something Aegon; we cannot just stay here like cravens whilst Jaehaerys and his northmen march either for the Rock or into the south to deal with Jasper Florent." Aegon heard his little brother argue, the same argument he had been giving for the past two weeks.

Aegon heard their grandfather sigh, and he could hear the tiredness in his voice when he replied. "We have been over this my prince, we cannot just march straight back for Riverrun, plans are being put into place that will take time to come to fruition, plans that will bring us victory. Jasper Florent is a capable warrior and commander I am sure he shall be able to hold his own for a while against Jaehaerys and the northmen."

"And what if Vaegyl should join Jaehaerys? What will you do then grandfather?" Aegon heard his brother ask, and he felt a twitch of irritation towards his youngest brother.

"Vaegyl has not left Harrenhal for some time now; the man has clearly lost the stomach for a fight. He is not Maegor's son, even if he is of his seed." Aegon heard his mother say, and he groaned internally.

It seemed that this was too much for Laecareys to take and he got up and said heatedly "Vaegyl is definitely father's son mother. I wish you would stop being so blinded by prejudice. The man fed uncle Gawen to his bloody dragon for seven's sake, if that's not something father would do then I don't know what is. And in case you have forgotten they still have more dragons than we do, including the two original dragons from the conquest. So how exactly are we going to win this godforsaken war if we simply sit here and do nothing?"

"Sit down Laecareys." Aegon snapped. When his brother seemed to hesitate, he snarled "I am your king and your elder. You shall sit down and shut your mouth and listen to what I say now and you shall understand why we wait."

Laecareys bowed his head in shame and sat down. Aegon took a deep breath and then said. "Gerion here has contacts in Lys from his days wandering the free cities, and has agreed to give us two ships with which to transport Myrielle, Melissa and the children to Lys. You shall be going with them. Should anything happen to me during the upcoming battles, I want you to protect them, and raise them to know of what is theirs. I want you to fight for them and protect them until they and their dragons are old enough to come back and claim their rights. Is that understood?"

"But brother, I, I want to fight for you. Why are you sending me away?" Laecareys stuttered.

Aegon sighed. "I am not sending you away brother. You are the Commander of my Kingsguard are you not?" When his brother nodded Aegon went on "Then as your king I am commanding you to protect my heir and my family, as well as Daemon's family. I do not trust the sellswords we have hired from across the sea to protect them as much as I trust you to protect them," Laecareys still seemed as if he wished to protest and so Aegon went on. "You shall not have a chance to continue your protestations brother. The ship bound for Lys leaves tomorrow morning. I shall give you the chance to pack your things and then you shall be off."

Laecareys merely nodded, and Aegon granted him permission to leave. Once his brother was gone he turned to his mother and said "You shall be going with them mother. I do not want Vaegyl to get his hands on you."

His mother merely nodded. Aegon then turned to Gerion Lannister and said, "Now what was in that letter from Ser Jasper?"

He saw his goodbrother swallow slightly, before he spoke in a voice just below a whisper. " They are camped at Old Oak, having managed to escape Jaehaerys and his band of northmen. Though he reports that they were attacked in the rear by a small sortie led by Lord Jorah Stark. He also asks for help as his scouts have seen Jaehaerys on his dragon approaching Old Oak," Aegon was about to respond, when Gerion continued. "There is more Your Grace. Ser Jasper's scouts also report that they have seen the Vale Host marching down toward Old Oak flying Vaegyl's banner and that the Black Dread has been spotted amongst them."

Aegon felt himself go cold at his goodbrother's words. If the Dread had been sighted, that could only mean one thing, Vaegyl had finally stirred himself from Harrenhal, their final confrontation could only be imminent now there was no stopping it now. As if sensing what he was thinking, his mother gripped his hand tightly and said in a voice filled with fear "You do not have to do this Aegon. Someone else can go and fight Jaehaerys and Vaegyl. Someone else could lead the forces, you have a young wife and family to think of give the command to someone else."

Aegon looked at his mother, and said simply. "No, it has to be this way. I was the one who started this war; Westeros had bled for two years now because of this. The bleeding must stop, and the only way that can happen is if the two of us fight. One of us will live, whilst the other one dies. There is no chance of the two of us coexisting peacefully together not now, not ever." He took a sip of wine and then said once more his voice very quiet so that all had to strain to hear what he said "Besides, you should have known it would come to this mother." With that he stood up and then speaking to the room at large said "I have a wife and children to say goodnight to. If that is all I shall see you all tomorrow to plan for what we shall do to deal with this latest development."

With that he walked out of the solar and towards his bedroom where his wife was, he opened the door, and simply stood in the doorway looking at her sleeping peacefully, and felt something painful stirring in him. He knew this would most likely be the last night they would spend together, for a while if not forever. He moved into the room and got changed, and then as silently as possible got into their bed, his wife stirred beside him, and curled into him saying sleepily. "I thought you'd never come out from that room my love."

Aegon kissed her forehead before saying "Aye so did I."

Myrielle replied "Atleast you're here now." And with that she fell back to sleep, leaving Aegon with a whole host of troublesome thoughts. The next day, they made love twice in the morning, before they got ready and made the short trip to Lannisport, there were no common folk around, the war had taught them to stay indoors whilst the dragons were around.

Aegon kissed Myrielle on the lips, before saying "Until we see each other again my love."

There were tears in his wife's eyes when she replied "Be safe my love, I love you."

"And I, you." Aegon replied, he turned to kiss his son Daemon on the head and then turned to his brother Laecareys and said "Take care brother." His brother nodded and then they embraced, and with that Aegon watched his wife and his son board a ship to Lys, where hopefully they would only need to spend a short time.

Later that day Aegon found himself sat in the Lord's Solar of Casterly Rock, with Gerion and Loren Lannister, his grandfather Lord Gerold and Ser Garon Brax of the Kingsguard. They spent many a long hour speaking of how best to approach the host that would undoubtedly be gathering under Vaegyl's banners and what was the quickest way to go to Old Oak. Going by sea was discounted, it would take too long and the Ironborn's loyalty was still deeply in question, marching through the Riverlands was once again discounted as taking too long, eventually it was decided that they would march straight from the Rock through the forests of Crakehall and keep marching till either they reached Old Oak or heard that Vaegyl was camped elsewhere. After their retreat from Riverrun, Aegon had summoned Ser Stafford Crakehall and the host of men he had been training from the Tooth to the Rock. It was decided that all remaining men of fighting age would go on this march, to fight the battle Aegon sincerely hoped would be the last in this war.

The day they marched marked the beginning of the ninth month of the 62nd year after Aegon the Dragon's Landing. This Aegon had managed to assemble a host of 15,000 men from the West plus 5,000 men from two sellsword companies. Not enough to fight the Vale and the north combined, but it was the two dragons that concerned Aegon more. "Fire at Quicksilver and Jaehaerys, leave Balerion and Vaegyl to me." He had told Ser Gowen Marbrand the head of the archers before they marched. Four days away from Old Oak they received word from Lord Andros Oakheart that Ser Jasper Florent and his host had moved toward Red Lake and so they too marched for Red Lake. Upon arriving they were not greeted by Ser Jasper Florent but by Brendon Flowers, the bastard of Old Oak. The man was built like an ox and Aegon remembered hearing rumours that the man could have been a bastard of Aegon's own father, though how true the rumours were he knew not, the man looked nothing like a Targaryen. Though he had the fire and confidence of one.

"Your Grace." Flowers said. "Welcome to Red Lake."

"Where is Ser Jasper? I believe he was in control of the men?" Aegon asked curiously.

"Dead, buried somewhere between here and Old Oak." Flowers said neutrally.

"Dead? What do you mean dead?!" Aegon said incredulously.

"Killed by a spy for Vaegyl the abomination Your Grace." Flowers replied.

"Did you capture this spy?" Aegon asked, feeling rage and anger boil up inside of him.

"No Your Grace, I killed him." Flowers said.

"You killed him, did the thought that his grace might wish to question him not enter your head bastard?" Gerion Lannister asked scornfully.

Aegon saw Flowers bristle with indignation and quickly stepped in. "Enough. I trust you know where Vaegyl and his men are?"

"Aye Your Grace," Flowers replied. "The abomination and his cousin and the northmen and the Valemen are camped near Red Lake castle. House Crane has joined them."

Aegon merely nodded he had expected as much. "Very well. Have the men ready for an immediate march, we shall start fighting now."

"But Your Grace!" His grandfather began to protest before Aegon silenced him with a look.

"We are here, there is no need to delay the inevitable. We fight now and we fight hard and true." He said in a tone of iron. "Give the command to the men."

"Aye Your Grace." Ser Loren Lannister replied, as did Brendon Flowers.

Three hours later Aegon found himself mounted on Urrax, his glorious blue and green dragon, donned in black armour. Watching as the ground was littered with bodies and cloaked in green flames from Urrax, the men of the enemy were screaming and begging for mercy and Aegon saw that his men were willing to oblige them, though they were fewer in number it seemed as if they were winning. Aegon himself had yet to actually taste combat yet, none of the archers on Vaegyl's side had fired at him or Urrax, and he would make them pay for that folly. He urged Urrax on and as he watched the green flame continue to engulf the masses below him, he could not help but feel as if victory was assured. Jaehaerys and Vaegyl were nowhere to be seen; perhaps even now they were leading a retreat back to King's Landing, that would be something Jaehaerys would suggest.

That feeling was quickly put to rest when he heard a deafening roar coming from somewhere close by, and through the fog and the steam that had gathered, he saw the winged mass of Balerion the Black Dread, and mounted on its back was Aegon's brother Vaegyl, wearing the crown their grandfather and father had worn, Blackfyre glinting in the flickering sun. "Brother, so I see you have come out from hiding." Aegon shouted, with a confidence that was quickly fading.

He could not see his brother's face but from the tone of his voice when he replied Aegon knew his brother was angry. "Aye I did brother; I have come to kill the man who has made my kingdom bleed, so foolishly Aegon. I thought I had taught you better."

"Well prove the truth of your words then brother," Aegon shouted as Urrax let loose a terrifying roar. "Come meet me, dragon to dragon, steel to steel. And we can see who is the better man, the better king for Westeros."

Vaegyl did not deem to reply, but Balerion let loose a terrifying roar that made Aegon shiver, and Urrax moan in despair. And then The Dread had slammed its huge bulk into Urrax, sending the dragon tumbling down toward the earth, where terrified soldiers turned their horses and fled, or those not quick enough to do so were crushed underneath the male dragon's weight. Urrax though was fast where Balerion was slow, and managed to move away back into the air before the Dread could lock its jaws around its head.

Aegon turned round and yelled at his archers on the ground. "Fire!" And at once arrows came out and into the sky, one or two must have hit the Dread for as Aegon urged Urrax up high into the sky, he heard the dragon give a mighty cry of anger. There was no sign of Quicksilver anywhere, and Aegon began to panic, was he being set up? No the more he thought about it, Vaegyl would want the pleasure of killing him, himself, he would not want anyone else's help.

And it seemed he was proved right for the Dread was soon snapping at Urrax's tail, when the Dread sunk its teeth into Aegon's dragon's tail, he heard Urrax give a shrill cry and a hiss of pain, helplessly he watched as Urrax turned round to face the Dread, and soon in a lock of claws, teeth and fire the two dragons fought and plummeted and rose and fought again and again. Soon enough they broke away, both were covered in an assortment of injuries, Aegon felt rather than saw Urrax's wounds on his wings and tail and the missing claws. The Dread had dents in its wings and claws as well.

The Dread seemed to be tiring, though that did not stop Vaegyl from urging the great behemoth closer and once the beast was close enough Aegon watched as his brother dived from the Dread and onto Urrax, as Balerion slammed into Urrax once more, sending them all plummeting down to the ground, and the river below. As they fell the brothers exchanged sword blows, a hit here, a thrust there, a parry, they kept swinging at each other until the ground came closer and closer into view, Aegon felt like crying, or saying a prayer if he knew how to. He expected something similar to be on Vaegyl's face, but instead all he saw was remorse.

"Goodbye brother, may the seven grant you peace." Aegon heard his brother say. He was about ask why, when he saw Vaegyl grab onto one of the Dread's horns and hoist himself back onto the beast's neck, and as the beast flew upwards, Aegon heard his own dragon's mournful cry, and then he was submerged in the waters of the Red Lake.

Cloaked in heavy armour and with a dragon bringing him down, there was no chance for Aegon Targaryen, son of Maegor the Cruel and Jeyne Westerling to swim to the top. He sank to the bottom along with his dragon the mighty Urrax, and on the seventh day of the tenth month of the 62nd year after Aegon's Landing, his grandson was killed and the war of the Targaryens ended, for now.