Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rhaenys clutched Balerion tight and closed her eyes as she huddled under her daddy's bed. Grandfather said he wouldn't, but he would come back and save her, she knew he would. She hated being here all alone. She wished Mummy had not gone away when she was meant to get her new brother or sister. Or had taken Rhaenys with her. Anything so she was not here alone. She wished her brother or sister were here now, Aegon for a boy or Visenya for a girl , her daddy had said, so she would have someone to hide with her, or help save her. 

Rhaenys buried her face in Balerion's fur.

And there were people in her daddy's room.

"What did you do?" asked a boy's voice. 

"This was not my doing!" replied a girl. 

"I– Is this death then, sister?" The boy again. "Where is Rhaenys?"

Oh, that was her!

But where had these others come from? Were they friendly? Or would they hurt her, like grandfather said? 

"I think this is the Red Keep," said the girl.

"The Red… It doesn't look like it."

"Maegor had it completed."

"I see." The boy began to move around the room. "What are we doing here then, if this is not death?"

"I think…" The girl sounded unsure. "I think something went wrong with a magic."

"Then this was of your doing!"

"Aegon."

Aegon! Then this was her brother, like she'd wanted! 

"If this was of my doing, do you think I would have done it without also bringing Rhaenys?"

"I… No. No, I do not believe that of you, sister."

Sister . So she was Visenya. She got a brother and a sister. 

"I would also have chosen a more preferable time. It would appear the city is under seige."

"What?" The boy joined the girl at the window. Rhaenys could see them both from the waist down, where they were both clad in leather trews and heavy boots. 

"What enemy would dare..?" muttered the boy. 

"It would appear many."

"Where are the dragons?"

The two shuddered, and the girl whispered. "There are none. We are the last." She took a step back. "We must deal with this foe."

"No."

The girl turned towards Aegon. "The enemy is upon our city, what would you have us do?"

Aegon took her hands. "Visenya, my mind. Look at us. See how small we are like this. We cannot fight five grown men, let alone an army, and certainly not without dragons."

"We have dragons."

"We won't be big enough. We must flee." He crossed the room. "We need to get out of this Keep."

"The tunnels."

"What tunnels?"

"Maegor had them installed. Come." She stepped towards the fireplace, and there was a great awful scraping, groaning sound. Rhaenys squeaked. 

Her new siblings stopped. 

"What was that?" asked Visenya.

"A small animal?" suggested Aegon. A moment later, a small face framed by silver hair peered under the bed. "It's a child!"

"Well, what's it doing under there?"

"It appears to be hiding." He lowered himself onto his hands and knees. "Hello. What's your name then?"

"Rhaenys," she whispered. "Rhaenys Targaryen. Are you my brother?"

He stilled, and then smiled brightly. "Yes, Rhaenys. I believe I am." He held his hand to her. She reached to him and took it. Carefully, he helped her out from under the bed. He was about her size, with purple eyes and silver hair, just like their daddy. Behind him, Visenya looked like him too, except her hair was longer, like Rhaenys's and Mummy's.

Visenya scoffed. "She looks Dornish."

"Our mummy was Dornish," Rhaenys said. 

"She was not!" Visenya snapped. 

Aegon frowned at her. "Visenya, be nice."

Visenya turned towards the fireplace. There was a door there now, leading into the dark. 

"If you will have us run like cowards, I believe it best we leave, brother."

"Where's it go?" Rhaenys asked. 

"Outside the Keep."

"Can Balerion come?"

Aegon gave her a funny smile. "I don't believe Balerion will fit through that passage, sister."

"He will!" she protested, holding Balerion up. 

Visenya covered her mouth with her hands, making strange laughter. "You named… your… kitten Balerion?"

"Mm huh!"

Aegon looked about the room and found a leather bag that belonged to her daddy. "Put him in here."

Balerion mewed as Rhaenys tucked him into the bag. Aegon fixed the strap over her shoulder. "There." He led her over to the gaping hole. "Let us leave, sister."

Chapter Text

The door led onto a narrow staircase that spun downwards in a circle, into more and more darkness. Once Visenya closed the door behind them, it was darker than night time, and only Aegon's hand in hers led her onwards. Rhaenys clutched the bag holding Balerion tightly.

"How thick are these walls?" Aegon whispered. 

"Thick enough that they shan't hear us," Visenya replied. 

"Good. Rhaenys, do you know who the enemy is?"

"The enemy?"

"The army attacking the city."

"Oh. Grandfather says all Westeros wants to destroy him."

"I… see." Aegon's voice was funny. "And where is your– Our– Father?"

"Saving Westeros. Grandfather says he's not coming back; that's why I had to stay and Grandmother and Viserys got to leave. But I know he'll come back for us. He'll be so happy to meet you!"

"Indeed," Visenya said from the darkness somewhere ahead.

"Mm huh! He always wanted an Aegon and Visenya."

They got to the bottom of the staircase and stopped, clustering in a small circle. 

"The docks or the Dragonpit?" Visenya asked. 

Aegon squeezed Rhaenys's hand. "Are those truly our only options?"

"The only ones that count. There's a tunnel to the main gate, but I can't say if it's still open in this time, and we'd be walking straight into the army you so wish to avoid." She frowned. "We could try the Sept I suppose, but there's no saying whether that entrance is open either, or whether they'd welcome us with the army sacking the city."

Aegon sighed heavily. "Then it's no choice at all, is it sister?"

"Don't bemoan me with that voice! Maegor established the tunnels!"

"Ah yes, let's pin all the blame on Maegor."

"Stop fighting!" Rhaenys shouted. "We're meant to love each other, not fight!"

For a moment the two were very, very quiet.

"The Dragonpit then," Aegon said at last. "The docks will be barricaded."

They continued down the dark passage, the stone walls pressing in on them. In places they were so tight and thin she could hear the voices of those beyond, echoing shouts of panic. Thin shafts of light broke through in places, illuminating the darkness.

"I am your King!" screamed her grandfather. "And you must follow my commands!"

"That's the throne room," Visenya said.

"Could we get out that way?" Aegon asked.

"I shouldn't like to try it. Come. This should lead straight to the Dragonpit, assuming there are no blockages."

"But what about Grandfather?" Rhaenys cried. "We can't just leave him!"

"Rossart is dead," said another voice in the hall. 

Rhaenys flung herself at the wall, kicking and beating at it. "We must help him!"

"Then you must carry the message!" Grandfather declared. "We shall burn them all!"

"Rhaenys!" Aegon caught at her arm. "There's nothing we can do here. We must flee!"

"Leave the brat," said Visenya.

"Burn them, and arise anew! I am the King of the Dragons!"

"Grandfather!" Rhaenys screamed. "Grandfather!"

"Come, brother," Visenya said. "I have no wish to listen to this poor show of what our family has become."

"Grandfather!"

And then the wall was moving, sliding aside with a great grinding of stone. Before her was the throne room, and the young Knight drawing his sword. "I killed Rossart."

Her Grandfather dashed backwards, rushing at the throne. Rhaenys scrambled into the room, screaming for him, as the blade cut upwards through his throat. 

He toppled onto the steps of the throne and stopped moving. 

"Grandfather?" she whispered.

"Seven hells, Lannister," said another man from the doorway. "What have you done?"

"He's killed the King," said another.

Rhaenys could only stare as a pool of blood spilled from her Grandfather and down the steps onto the floor of the hall.

Chapter Text

Rhaenys turned and ran back for the entrance to the passage. "Wait!" shouted Lannister from behind her. "Princess!"

She threw herself through the opening and after Aegon and Visenya as quickly as she could, but there were footsteps behind her all the time.

Aegon turned towards her and tried to draw the big sword at his side. Visenya bared her teeth and hissed , like Balerion. Her body shuddered and began to shift and change, lengthening, hardening, scales rippling across her. The footsteps stopped.

"What–"

The small bronze dragon sprang forward. There was a wet thwack as she crashed into Lannister, followed by a thud as they hit the ground. Rhaenys stumbled as she turned. The dragon was tearing into the Knight anywhere the armour left uncovered, mostly his face and lower arms, her teeth and claws ripping deep.

"Visenya!" Aegon shouted. "Visenya! I think he's already dead!"

Two more men appeared through the entrance to the passageway. The dragon tore herself away from Lannister and dashed at them. Behind her, there was a snarl from Aegon. He was changing too now, except his scales were blacker than the darkness, and he must be bigger, because his shoulders scraped the walls as he moved. Rhaenys covered her mouth and hurried to follow Visenya before Aegon could crush her. Could she do that? She'd never seen daddy do that.

She tumbled back into the throne room and Aegon the black dragon glided over her head, snarling as he turned on the remaining men in the room. They were shouting, screaming, some running, as Visenya had already taken to the wing and was diving down on them, tearing at them with claw and teeth. 

"Dragons!" screamed one. "They've got dragons!"

Daddy had taught her about the dragons, when he had still stayed with her. Rhaenys closed her eyes. "Lykirī!" she shouted. "Aegon, Visenya! Lykirī, Lykirī!"

They didn't obey her. Weren't they meant to obey? How did she calm them?

"Dohaerās, Aegon! Rȳbās! Visenya, Umbās! Drakarys!"

Aegon let out a great, terrible screech and a trickle of black fire illuminated the hall. The soldiers screamed as they caught light. 

"No!" Rhaenys cried. "No! Umbās! Lykirī!"

Visenya swooped down and landed, folding in one wing and looking to Rhaenys. 

"I… I don't think I can…"

Visenya snorted and nudged her leg, ducking her head to try and crawl beneath her.

"You want me to sit on you?"

Visenya crawled under her and rose up so she was sat on her back like her pony, and then spread her wings and lurched forwards. Rhaenys screamed and flung her arms around her neck. Visenya rose higher still and then swooped down and drove through the doorway. Aegon followed swiftly on their tail.

The fighting in the big hall head long since stopped as all men took shelter from the two dragons now screeching and diving down on them.

"Do the fire thing again!" Rhaenys shouted. "Visenya! Dracarys!"

A splutter of bronze flame lit up the hall, but only tickled the men. Rhaenys cried the command again, and this time Aegon joined in, bathing the hall in a thin stream of black fire. The dragons let out victorious shrieks and plunged into the courtyard, where they were met by more soldiers.

"Dragons!" shouted one, and many scattered. 

"Let them go where they might!" shouted another. "Let them free!"

"Shoot them down!" Another man was shouting. "Kill the beasts while they're small!"

"Visenya!" Rhaenys cried. "Aegon! Fly high; fly!"

Aegon circled the courtyard, bathing the men in his thin flame. One tried to raise a crossbow and Visenya screeched, tearing it from his hands. 

"That one's got a rider!"

"The King!"

"Prince Viserys!"

"Serve me, Visenya!" Rhaenys cried. "Fly up; fly up!"

"Shoot them!" thundered a voice she did know – Tywin, Grandfather's friend. "Bring them down!"

"Up!" Rhaenys screamed. 

And Visenya obeyed. 

The city shrank beneath them, until it was small like her toy horses. Rhaenys hugged Visenya as Aegon rose up alongside them. Balerion mewed from his bag. The two dragons circled for a moment, and then turned south towards the horizon.

"Where are we going?" Rhaenys asked, but they couldn't answer like this. She closed her eyes and clutched Visenya tighter.

Somewhere inside her she knew daddy was never going to meet her new siblings.