DRAGONS REBORN: The Era After SI Ch.35 (Patreon)

Chapter 35

Some historians call ‘The Last Blackfyre Rebellion’ King Aerys’s war given that most of the strategies and resources used in this war had been one King Rhaegar had inherited from his father, the biggest of which are the three dragons hatched during this rebellion.

The marriage between Princess Daenys and Jamie Lannister would mark the end of hostilities. The Targaryen regime had emerged victorious and their overwhelming victory was a sign to the world that the Valyrian empire was not as dead as they had presumed. House Targaryen had begun losing relevance on the world stage, and yet, in a single generation, King Aerys had rebuilt their dwindling empire.

The Crown would forgo the tributes obtained from Lys and, with an additional sum, buy the island nation of Lys. It was the first transaction of its kind, and many had thought that the people of Lys would rise up against it.

Yet contrary to their expectation, the announcement was celebrated on the island, as the island became a personal fiefdom of the Targaryen family, though that would only be codified later.

With an end to slavery, the island would see massive migration towards Westeros, where the people would be welcomed to the booming cities, with nearly half of these people settling in the rebuilt capital.

The manses of the magisters would be torn down, some would be repurposed, new rules would be established about the practice of prostitution, and the people of the island would enjoy much prosperity, and in the future, they would repay the Targaryen regime for their generosity through a show of loyalty that would shock the world, during ‘the campaigns of expansion.’

The whole kingdom would celebrate the union of the lion and the Dragon. The marriage would take place in the newly built ‘Colosseum’, followed by seven days of celebration and a Tourney that holds no equal to this day.

The people in the city would rejoice, and many say that enough wine and beer was drunk in those seven days to drown a small city. House Lannister would receive a Valyrian steel sword as dowry, along with some other gifts.

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ELIA MARTELL

Elia watched her good sister sitting there infront of the Myrish mirror, fretting over her upcoming nuptials. The Princess wore a dress of her House colors. The bright red accentuated her fiery nature.

The Targaryens were already known for their godly beauty, and one glance at the Princess sitting in front of her would force one to accept those words as the truth.

The dress was made of red silk and had been embroidered with a thread of gold and silver, many small stones had been sewn into the dress, which shone in the light. The jewels she wore had red rubies in them.

She herself had worn an orange dress, while her other good sister had opted for a light blue one and sat on a chair behind them. The child in her belly had grown enough to cause a small bump though the dress had already been designed with that in mind.

“Your father would have given anything to be here?” the dowager Queen added from the side, as she slowly wiped the tears welling up in her eyes, and she saw Princess Daenys lips quiver at those words as well, as Queen Rhaella wrapped her arms around her daughter.

“I wish he was here as well,” said the Princess.

“I am so proud of you, Daenys,” the Queen added, and then there was a knock on the door, and she glanced back and found her own husband standing here, along with his brother, standing outside the door.

“Rhaegar! Aemon!” the Princess called them out as the King and his brother strode into the room. Rhaegar gave her a small kiss, as Prince Aemon talked to his wife before both of them joined their mother.

“Now, Daenys, it seems like it's finally your time,” Rhaegar added, and the Princess’s lips thinned.

“Just take care so you don’t scare off your husband before your marriage. I was with the guy and he has no idea what he ahs gotten himself into,” Prince Aemon cut in from behind.

“Aemon!” the young Prince was chastises by both his lady wife and his mother while the Princess, chose this moment to throw an empty box at the Prince.

“See that’s what I am talking about. If Lannister knew what was good for him he would have run away when the match was first announced,” and as the Prince moved to pick up another box, she stopped her as she glared at the laughing Prince.

“Aemon!” the dowager queen was beside her second son and had slapped him on the back of his head before he could react.

“Don’t tease her Aemon. She is nervous enough,” she chastised and the Prince walked to the Princess’s side, and gave her a small kiss on her head.

“What’s there to worry about, that golden idiot is enamored with her. She is the dear princess of the realm, and if that idiot has any sense he would cherish her for the rest of his days,” and then his expression shifted and then came out the man who had burnt down half a castle during the war.

“If he doesn’t well, then he better run for his life,” said the Prince and the Princess smiled for though the three of them may tease each other, they were all very close.

“Give us the room,” suddenly Rhaegar said to her, as he glanced towards Lyanna as well, and she nodded as she leaned forward.

“I will be waiting outside, don’t worry at all. After today, the history books shall write abut another Realm’s delight,” she said as she walked out of the room as the servants helped Lyanna out as well, and the doors closed behind her.

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RHAEGAR TARGARYEN

Rhaegar watched as the doors behind him closed, leaving only the siblings along with their mother in the room.

He glanced towards Daenys as he smiled.

“Elia was right, you do look ravishing dear sister,” he said and she smiled as she nodded.

“Thank you,” and then Aemon moved to the side and now the three of them sat down together for probably for the last time.

“Today is a joyous day, yet after today all three of us will be married and will have families of our own, families that shall carry the Blood of dragon in their veins,” he began and saw both Aemon and Daenys looking at him with a frown.

“We have many enemies, enemies who will spare no expense to destroy what our father started all those years ago. Together, we can face them all and stand victorious over them. Yet if they manage to divide us, then everything we have built will be lost.”

And both Daenys and Aemon nodded.

“So, today all of us will make a pact, a pact with each other…..

0000

RHAELLA TARGARYEN

The queen dowager of the Seven Kingdoms watched as her eldest son entered the Hall, with her daughter by his side.

It should have been Aerys here,she thought as a pang of sadness and regret passed through her, as she recalled her late husband. This very Hall, was one of his accomplishments as was the great prosperity experienced by the people all over the city. This was all his work, work for which he had provided the foundation.

And yet he wasn’t here to see what he had begun, and that was sad.

The whole Hall was decorated to represent the wealth and prosperity of House Targaryen, with white marble statues of the Seven encircling the main ceremonial altar. There were three floors, and the whole building was filled to the brim with lords, small and large, as they came to pay tribute to their families.

In front of her stood the groom, Jamie Lannister, dressed in a black and red doublet embroidered with gold thread that matched the color of his hair. His green eyes were focused on her daughter and seemed lost in her beauty, as they should be.

Daenys in her red dress looked mesmerizing; her jewelry complemented the dress, and her amethyst eyes gleamed like pearls as Rhaegar walked her up to the aisle, cloaked under their House’s banner.

Daenys had always been a beauty, yet it had remained somewhat hidden because of her choices of dresses, and clothing. Yet, as she wore that red dress, all the men in the room could do nothing but stare at her in awe.

She slowly walked up the steps as Rhaegar led her to the center of the platform, right infront of her lord-to-be. She saw the heir to the Casterly Rock smile nervously as he slowly removed the cloak of Targaryen colors and wrapped one of his own House colors over her daughter.

And as they both raised their hands and turned to face the septon, she felt tears well up in her eyes as her hand instinctively went to the Valyrian steel ring that now covered one of her fingers, just like it did so for the rest of those who bore the name Targaryen.

A symbol of the oath Rhaegar had them all swear, one to symbolize unity, and prosperity for them all. A similar ring would be worn by all those of would choose to bear the name Targaryen, in the future.

The Septon, smiled as he wrapped a white cloth around their extended arms, wrapping it around their arms seven times before he began to speak up in a soft voice, yet his voice still rumbled through the Hall.

“We stand here in the sight of gods and men to witness the union of man and wife: one flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever.” The Septon spoke as he finished tying the knot and whispered for the young couple to repeat after him, just as one had done for her and Aerys all those years ago.

And then he began again as Jamie and Daenys spoke with him.

“Father, Mother, Warrior, Smith, Maiden Crone, Stranger,” he said as the whole Hall listened closely to the voices of the three people.

“I am yours, and you are mine from this day until the end of my days, from this day until my last day!”

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‘Fire and Blood’ have been House Targaryen’s words since before the doom of Valyria, and unlike the several other Houses of Westeros, House Targaryen did not have informal words, like the ‘A Lannister always pays his debts,’ or ‘ the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives and many more that were often associated with many of the noble houses of Westeros.

That was until the reign of King Rhaegar, who infamously associated the words of ‘United by Blood’ to the House of the Dragon. And these words would symbolize the future of House Targaryen. While the House of Dragon would bring Fire and Blood to their enemies, for their family, they would champion unity and togetherness, above all, something which historians believe was instrumental in maintaining the power of House Targaryen.

There would be conflicts in the future, severe and dangerous conflicts, that would threaten to rip apart the House of the Dragon, yet somehow these words would prevail in the end, and the House of the Dragon would always come together in the end, especially in the face of a foreign enemy, and with their combined might there was none who could stand against the might of the Valyrian lords.

Many historians believe that with the return of the dragons, King Rhaegar realized the same truth that King Jaehaerys had realized when he called the Great Council at the end of the First Century of Targaryen rule.

“The only thing that could tear down the House of the Dragon was itself!”

Though many say that apart from ‘itself,’ there was one more calamity that could not just end the House of the Dragon, rather had the ability of ending all of Humanity itself. And that calamity fast approached, as the cold winds rose and the dead rose from their graves just as they had eight thousand years ago. The Royal Family prepared to battle an enemy that had slumbered away for eight thousand years, one that promised nothing but death and destruction.

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And with that, the story’s first arc comes to a close. I will need some time to map out the next one. During that time you shall be entertained by chapters of White Knight( The Batman fic)