Chapter Text
The path she was walking was dark and humid. A tunnel created by Maegor the cruel that went inside the bowels of the castle, a secret she was sure not even King Aerys knew about.
That night Elia had been awaken by who she thought was a strange man, dressed as a guard of the black cells. It wasn't until he spoke that she recognized the voice of Varys, the spymaster.
"Princess, the Lannisters will be here any moment now. If you wish to live you must come with me."
Elia was aware the Lannister army was closing in on King's Landing, but she was sure Tywin Lannister came to help his friend Aerys defeat the rebels.
"Are we in danger Varys? Speak clearly if you can." Elia had never trusted the Spider, who filled with poison and threats the mind of her husband's father and she especially hated how he always spoke in riddles and two meaning phrases.
"Tywin Lannister comes but he isn't Aerys friend anymore. He comes to sack the city and the young princess and prince are the ones most in danger. I can get you out of here. There's a small ship going to Braavos, you must board it before the sun is out."
All the information spilled at once made Elia's head dizzy but since the beggining of the war she had been on edge and prepared for anything the Gods threw at her.
"How are we going to escape? Aerys has put guards on my door. I'm not even sure how you got in here."
"That painting of beautiful Queen Naerys on your bedchamber is not everything that it looks."
Oberyn had once told her there was a rumour of secret passages built in the castle but she had just laughed at him and called him paranoic.
"We can get the children without the guards noticing my lady."
Elia nodded and got out of bed, changing quickly to ridding clothes, ones she wore not too often but they were the most comfortable for the trip ahead. She didn't care for decency in front of the eunuch, after all he seemed little interested in women.
A couple minutes later Varys was pushing a trap door behind Naerys painting and conducting Elia through a dark hallway. She could barely see in front of her but the Spider knew exactly where they were going and also where to stop to get the kids.
Luckily Rhaenys and Aegon were sleeping in the same nursery to help with the lack of guards.
Another trap door opened and Elia could see her two children sleeping soundly, not aware of the danger that loomed over their heads. She went to wake up Rhae first "Babe, Rhaenys you have to wake up" she said while caressing her hair "We have to leave the castle my love."
The three year old moved, slowly opening her eyes, those purple eyes that marked her as a Targaryen. "Mommy? It's still dark outside" she said yawning.
"I know but we have to go now. Come on put on your shoes. I'm going to take your brother."
Elia leaned over Aegon's crib but all the noise made the baby cry and she feared a guard would hear them. She was trying to calm him when the nursery door opened, revealing the youngest White Sword, Jaime Lannister.
"Princess! What are you doing here? How did you get here?" He looked astounded and kept changing looks between her and Varys who was already holding Rhaenys' hand.
Elia's eyes filled with tears but just out of sheer despair "Please Jaime, your father will be here any moment now and it won't be to defend us. I will do anything in my power to save my children and if I have to fight with you so they can escape be sure I will do it."
Jaime looked like he couldn't comprehend the scene in front of him but in the end he said "How are you going to escape?"
"Varys knows a secret tunnel" was all Elia said, surprised by Jaime's reaction.
"And you're going alone?" He took one step closer to her and she flinched, so he stopped.
"I will look for help in Essos. A princess of Dorne's word might still have some value."
"Why are you so sure my father will not help you?"
"I know I shouldn't, but I trust Varys on this. I won't risk my children. If all they meant was help Aerys then we will come back when the rebels are taking care of. But I won't seat here and wait for my death."
A minute that felt like a century passed before Jaime said "Then I'm going with you. Prince Rhaegar said to protect his family, so I will."
Elia looked at him, just a boy of five and ten. Good with the sword, yes, but a boy still. Wouldn't it be better for him to wait for his father's arrival and be relieved of the stupid choice he made by joining the White Swords? But he looked so determined and Elia could use all the help she could get.
"Alright. Come with us and swear your loyalty to Aegon."
"You have my word princess."
Varys then took them through a maze of tunnels that Elia felt were slowly descending meaning they were getting out of Aegon's Hill and getting closer to the Blackwater Bay.
In the darkness of the tunnel all they could hear were their footsteps until Varys spoke.
"By the looks of it it's very possible the rebels win this war but there's still people in Essos who will want to take in a Targaryen prince. In Braavos you can talk with the Sealord, he will welcome you."
Elia wished they could just go to Dorne, but that would only bring bloodshed to her people. She knew they weren't safe in any of the Seven Realms anymore. A life of escaping was what waited her and her children from now on.
Even though it was still dark outside, the end of the tunnel shed some light on their faces and Elia could see the Bay in front of her, dark as the name it was given. They walked through the sand, Aegon in her arms and Rhaenys in Jaime's until they reached a small ship hidden in one of the beach's turns.
"Here is where we say goodbye my princess. Ser Jaime, I must say I wasn't planning on you joining them but I'm glad the little princes have someone to protect them. Farewell."
The eunuch turned around and left them in front of the boat. To the other side of the ample river, Elia was sure she could see Tywin's Lannister host approaching. Or maybe it was just her imagination. Either way the sooner they left, the better. She still thought that maybe Varys would sell them out and gain favor with the new king by handling them in a silver platter.
"Come Ser Lannister. Essos awaits us."
She looked back one final moment, seeing the Red Keep in the distance. She had never been happy there so it was easy to say goodbye. She took a deep breath and boarded the ship.
Arthur was guarding the entrance to the Tower of Joy, carefully watching for any intruder that tried to disturb Rhaegar's newborn son.
His prince had left him moons ago and he still hadn't heard any news of him. If he had won or perished in battle Arthur didn't know, but the mission the Targaryen prince had left him and his brothers before leaving was clear: Protect the girl and the baby. So he had been posted in front of the gates of the miserable tower where the couple had taken refuge, for what felt almost like a year now.
On occasion he would check on the baby, made sure he was well tended. He had been born healthy but the girl was exhausted and Arthur worried at first she might not live but after a couple of days the color started spreading through her cheeks again and later she even had enough strength to breastfeed the baby on her own.
The nursemaid said lady Lyanna would live and Arthur was glad.
At first he thought the whole ordeal Rhaegar made them go through just to be with the northern girl was crazy, and he still thought so. But now he blamed Rhaegar more than he blamed the young girl. A girl of four and ten dashed by a prince and desperate to escape her marriage was all Lyanna Stark was in Arthur's eyes.
Once the war was over they would all go to King's Landing and things would be settled. Arthur didn't know if Rhaegar planned to make Lyanna his wife or just his paramour but in either case he knew Elia would be shamed again and he hated that.
His loyalty was for Rhaegar but he always saw Elia as a sister, and it pained him that Rhaegar had to chose another girl putting her aside. But the prince was convinced it was necessary to save the world and Arthur had decided to believe in him.
When they were back in King's Landing he would make sure Lyanna and Elia got along just like princess Naerys and Bloodraven's mother had in the past. And that way all of Rhaegar's children would grow as brothers and sister.
The sun was finally setting and the red sands of the desert would soon start turning cold. Arthur was going to change shifts with one of his brothers in arms when he spotted a rider galloping towards them.
The only person that knew where they were was his sister Ashara, so if anyone came to them they had to be from Starfall.
Arthur waited for the horse to get in front of him, but just in case he had Dawn ready to attack. A man he recognized as a messenger from his house jumped off the animal.
"I bring news for Arthur Dayne from his sister Ashara."
"That's me. Speak your message" said Arthur while putting Dawn away.
"The prince and the king are dead. Robert Baratheon sits the Iron Throne. The prince died at the Battle of the Trident and then Tywin Lannister sacked King's Landing, killing Aerys."
Arthur mourned his prince but his second thought was for Elia and the children. "How is the princess of Dorne? Is Aegon dead?"
"There's no mention of them in the news from the capital but is rumoured they haven't been found."
Could it mean they escaped? Or is Elia being held prisoner for ransom? Maybe they had spared Rhaenys and Elia but Arthur was sure Aegon had been put to death. That meant this babe was the heir to the throne. People could still rally behind him.
"My lord, your sister says that she will help in all she can. You can ride with me and be back in Starfall by tomorrow afternoon."
Arthur knew how far Starfall was, but from then on what was he supposed to do? The Targaryen forces had been defeated, and most of Dorne's soldiers had been at the Battle of the Trident, which meant that Doran didn't have enough power to support Rhaegar's son. They needed more time.
"Wait here." He said to the messenger. He then entered the old tower and headed to Lyanna's room. The girl was watching the baby as he slept. A healthy boy with a head full of brown hair just like his mother's. Without the Targaryen features it would be hard to put the boy on the throne but it would also make it easier to pass as a normal baby.
"My lady, Rhaegar is dead." He said waiting for her to cry or at least show some kind of sad emotion but all she said was
"Oh" and then after a long silence "what does than mean for me and the baby?"
"No matter how much Robert Baratheon claimed he loves you, he will not let the boy live."
"I know that. We must protect him at all cost. I will protect him at all cost." She said with a determined look.
"As I will my lady. For all we know this boy is the last surviving son of Rhaegar and the heir to the throne. It's my duty to protect the royal family and as Rhaegar's friend I will protect his son too."
Lyanna let out a deep breath. "I'm glad I can count on you Ser, but sooner than later people will find out we are hiding here and no matter how good you are with a sword you can't defeat an entire army."
She sat on the bed thinking for a minute "is my brother Ned still alive? Maybe we could hide with him?" She looked at him with hope but Arthur had gotten rid of that idea already. Robert would never allow it and the second the northerners saw Lyanna and the baby they would reach to the right conclusions and word would spread to King's Landing.
"He would take you yes, but the risk is too much. We must escape where Robert's hand can't get to us. We must flee to Essos."
"Essos my lord? Is that really necessary?"
"We need time for the babe to grow and can lead an army to battle. The Reach and Dorne won't put their swords for a baby, even if he is Rhaegar's son." He left out the fact that they hadn't been married with the permission of the High Septon making the baby a bastard, but to Arthur he still had royal blood. "We can take a ship from Starfall, my sister will help us."
"What about the other guards?" asked Lyanna.
There were still other two white brothers with him.
"If they come with us everyone will notice. They must go protect Viserys and queen Rhaella, who are still in Dragonstone. I will go with you to Essos, I will pledge my life to this boy."
The baby boy slept soundly in his crib. His mother hadn't picked a name for him yet. Rhaegar was hoping for a girl he would call Visenya but the Gods had thwarted his plans and given him a boy. And now a Targaryen name seemed like a bad idea, since it would bring attention to them.
"My lady have you decided on a name for the boy?"
"I had thought Rhaegar wouldn't let me, but since he isn't here anymore I think I will give him a northern name. I thought of Brandon or Rickard for the ones I lost, but I want this baby to live a life free of attachments from the past. I will name him Jon, a northern name but one that doesn't stand out too much."
An hour later they had packed everything they needed to leave. Arthur spoke with his brothers and they all agreed on his plan. If they could they would all reunite back in Essos, bringing what was left of the royal family together.
The road made Arthur realize this could be the last time in a long time he would be seeing the red mountains of Dorne so he tried to take everything in to keep it in his memory.
The Stark girl rode very well, even with a babe on her arms and having given birth a moon ago. That made everything easier since they couldn't waste any time carrying the girl in a cart.
With smalls breaks that made the trip a little bit longer they managed to arrive to Starfall almost at dusk of the next day. Arthur saw how exhausted Lyanna was and the baby had been crying for the past hour but they couldn't risk staying at the castle for too long.
At the entrance gate he saw Ashara waiting for them.
"Arthur! I'm so glad you're safe. Father has spoken with a captain that will sail tomorrow morning to Essos. He has bought passage for you and the others." She said to his ear while hugging him.
Behind him Gerold was helping Lyanna get down from her horse. She was carrying Jon in her arms.
"Is that... Rhaegar's son?"
Arthur nodded "He could be the heir to the throne" he whispered in her ear.
She looked at him surprised "We received news from Doran. Elia and the children escaped to Essos. When Robert Baratheon arrived only Aerys was left in the castle. He was so paranoid they found him hiding under his bed and the usurper himself cut his head."
Arthur couldn't believe his ears. Elia was alive, Aegon the trueborn son and heir of Rhaegar was alive. He knew he had to find them. But he couldn't leave Lyanna and Jon. So he decided they all had to be reunited, all of Rhaegar's children.
"Is there a way to know what Free City they are headed?"
"Are you planning on finding Elia?" Ashara looked at him with a face that revealed what she thought of Rhaegar's relationship with Lyanna.
"Rhaegar would have wanted for all his children to grow up together. I won't leave Jon here so Robert Baratheon kills him and forces Lyanna to marry him."
"Jon? Is that his name? Doesn't sound like something Rhaegar would chose."
"Rhaegar isn't here anymore." And that was true, his best friend was dead and he had the duty to protect his children even if it meant leaving his homeland forever.
They entered the castle and rested for the night. Arthur got to spend it in his room, a place he hadn't sleep in many years. And this would be his last night in Dorne for who knew how many years.
The next morning before dawn they were already boarding the ship that would take them to Essos. Arthur gave one last look to the red sands of Dorne and prayed to the Gods to give him the strength to find Elia and her children so he could protect what was left of Rhaegar's offspring.