Chapter Text
All those who lived and worked in Summerhall and those closest to the Royal family in King’s Landing knew that Prince Maekar’s second son–Prince Aerion–was....a difficult child. At eight years of age, he was constantly at odds with his teachers and nannies, not to mention with his parents, siblings, cousins and even his own grandparents, the King and Queen.
Prince Baelor had joked once that his nephew was more dragon in his demeanor as he had in his looks then anyone else in the family. No one refuted that claim as the young prince’s demeanour could change in an instant, like a raging dragon on the attack when he was provoked by the smallest of things.
A common thing that made the prince’s unpredictable nature clear was his need to wander of his own volition despite instructions warning otherwise. Whenever the Prince of Summerhall came to King’s Landing with his wife and children, his second son would constantly disappear out of sight from the nannies and maids. And when he was found, it was in the most unpredictable places in which he ended up: the training yard, the Tower of the Hand, the Small Council rooms, and on one notable occasion, the little prince was found sitting upon the Iron Throne by his father and uncle. That notable incident had caused enough raucous that the prince was made to have constant supervision whenever he was brought to King’s Landing.
However, the retinue of eyes tasked with monitoring the prince was somehow looking elsewhere when, during another visit from Prince Maekar and his family to the capital, Prince Aerion had disappeared.
Again.
At first, no had panicked too much, believing the young prince had merely wandered off not far and would be found somewhere along his usual haunts of exploration. But as the servants and palace staff searched and none could find him still, it quickly grew into concern and worry about where he exactly might have gone off to.
It was in the way of a panicking servant who had been forced to interrupt the ongoing small council meeting in hopes of finding the young prince present inside the small council rooms themselves did the prince’s father, uncle and grandfather were informed of his absence.
The panic increased the longer that the search commenced and that there was still no sign of Prince Aerion inside within the Red Keep.
Prince Maekar, in a rage over the lack of results, ordered the nannies and servants that were supposed to be watching all the children in the royal nursery to be questioned. Despite the strict orders of supervision regarding Prince Aerion’s ‘wandering adventures,’ none had noticed the young prince’s initial absence.
Lady Dyanna–heavily pregnant with her fourth child–was in hysterics upon hearing that her son was missing and her state had made Prince Maekar’s already dark demeanor over their lost son grow even darker.
A clue to the prince’s whereabouts then came from a young chimney cleaner who claimed to have seen a small figure near the cellars, which brought hope and further fear in the realization of why Prince Aerion would ever be around there and the dangers it posed.
It wasn't until hours of scouring the cellars where the skull of Balerion the Black Dread rested did news of Prince Aerion’s whereabouts reach his panicked family in Maegor’s Holdfast.
It turns out that the prince did indeed wander into the underground cellars in search of Balerion, and had promptly gotten lost in one of the hidden passageways there and found his way in the streets of King’s Landing.
It was only pure luck that the prince was spotted by a passing member of the Gold Cloaks who had escorted Prince Maekar’s family only weeks prior to the Red Keep upon their arrival into the city and had recognized the Prince’s chaotic second born.
It was also by pure luck that the prince had not ended up on one of the worse streets then the one he was found on or had found himself robbed of all his clothes.
When the disgruntled prince was returned to the Red Keep and reunited with his panicked parents, they found that their son had returned covered in grime without his doublet, carrying a half eaten pastry and with a giant and very clearly terrified boy with him.
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Maekar never felt panic as he had when the servant sent to search the small council chambers had informed him that his son was missing. Aerion’s escapades around the Red Keep had become a sort of joke amongst the family but were tinged with an increasing worry with how easily and quietly that his young son was able to intentionally escape from the nursemaids and servants charged in looking after him.
Finding one’s own seven-year old in the empty throne room eating oranges upon the Iron Throne had not been something he had ever expected to come upon that he thought the lecture that he and Dyanna had given Aerion afterwards–alongside the increased guards present in the nursery as a precaution– had seemed sufficient enough at the time to prevent Aerion’s unsupervised explorations of the Red Keep.
In fact Aerion had seemed to follow the warning the last time they had visited King’s Landing, and the first few days of this trip stayed amongst the nursemaids and played for the most part nicely with Daeron and Valarr with little trouble. Still a mischievous boy he had asked repeatedly for their nannies to take them down below the Red Keep to see Balerion but otherwise he behaved as much as Aerion could behave.
When the news from the city watch came that Aerion had been found in the streets, Maekar had already been readying himself to go into the city himself and look for Aerion when it became apparent that his son had indeed gone into the underground cellars and was potentially lost beneath the castle or even found himself outside the.
When word came that Aerion had indeed been found safely in the city and was being brought back, Maekar rushed to the front gate of the Red Keep to see the truth himself.
Seeing the silver head coming up towards the gates upon horseback, Maekar was filled with a relief that he only ever felt when the Maesters would confirm that Dyanna was stable after the birth of each of their children.
The idea of a leash for Aerion was becoming a more feasible solution to prevent further similar incidents in the future.
Grabbing hold of his son before the horse carrying fully stopped, the older prince held Aerion tight to his chest, ignoring the grunt that the boy gave at the tight embrace his father gave him. ‘He’s fine, he’s fine, he’s fine,’ repeating over and over as he smoothed his hand over his son’s silver hair. Pulling back to get a better look at himself and assert that the reports of his son’s wellbeing were correct; Aerion seemed to be covered in a layer of dust that almost made his silver locks almost seem brown in some lights . Gone was the black and red embroidered doublet that Dyanna had buttoned for him that morning with only his now dirty linen under shirt.
Aerion seemed unperturbed at the fear he had put the entire Red Keep in or that of his father in front of him and instead smiled. “ Kepa!” he exclaimed, still in Maekar’s arms. “I met Balerion! And I followed a path outside and found a giant!” pointing at the large boy that Maekar suddenly realized was with the gold cloaks that had returned Aerion.
“He didn't believe I was a prince but I made him follow me to find some food, look!” he said as he shoved a half eaten pastry in Maekar’s face.
“And then the gold cloaks brought us back,” Aerion’s face suddenly went dark. “They wouldn't let me stay longer. I wanted to find a dragon statue to buy but they said I had to go back. But they let me bring him with me.” ‘Him’ being the boy who looked ready to faint as if only now believing that Aerion was a prince.
Maekar was in a state of shock hearing Aerion speak of his adventures into the city, managing to manage one question.
“Where is your doublet?”
“Huh?” Aerion looked down, “oh I traded it for my pastry. I was able to get two for it, Dunk said that I got a good deal for it.”
“Dunk?” he asked.
“My giant,” he pointed at the other boy again. “I didn't have any coin on me but he said my doublet could be traded and I was able to get two so I got him one too.”
The ‘giant’ Dunk was a large but skinny thing and Maekar realized that despite his size, he was only a few years older than Aerion.
Snapping back into reality, Maekar remembered himself and the situation at hand.
“Aerion” he said, attempting to be the hammer he was in every other part of his life except amongst his wife and children, “you know you are not supposed to wander off on your own. You have worried half the Keep with your antics, not to mention your mother and I.”
Aerion’s smile seemed to die a bit, “I only wanted to see Balerion,” he said, tightening his small fingers around Maekar’s jacket. “The raven told me to go and see him and I got lost, I didn't mean to!”
Maekar sighed, pulling his boy back to his chest. “Hush, none of that. What am I to do with you?”
“I’m sorry Kepa.”
Maekar hummed and gave Aerion a pat on the head in acknowledgment of his son’s apologies, knowing this would be far from the last time that Aerion caused chaos and disappeared.
Looking away from his son, Maekar saw that the ‘giant’ that had apparently helped his son looked quite poorly himself and ordered that he be given some food and a bath before promising to hear his account of events later.
Hours later and with a clean child now secured in Dyanna’s embrace and bed chamber, Maekar made his way down to speak to the ‘giant Dunk’, wondering if that was his real name.
Turns out Dunk was, in fact, his name. He had come across Aerion at the edge of Flea Bottom, close to the Silk Streets and had been commanded by Aerion as his prince to show him where to get food. The boy did not believe Aerion was in fact a prince, but seeing his well-made clothes–and being a bit afraid of Aerion–agreed to help him.
He had had to pick up Maekor’s chaotic and proud son when found by the gold cloaks and had refused to go with them. Despite being afraid of Aerion as the gold cloaks were, Dunk had no problem telling Aerion he was being foolish and simply threw him on the guard’s horse himself. It was only when he was attempting to return to the streets from where he came from that Aerion demanded he come with them as proper payment for his help beyond the given pastry he helped Aerion trade his doublet for.
Maekar was left speechless and not at all surprised by Aerion's behaviour with the clueless boy, who was unfamiliar and seemed no longer alarmed by his son’s threats of being a prince and yelling orders at him. Still in shock over the day's events and wanting to see Aerion again, he ordered that the boy be given a room to stay in for the time being until it could be decided how to properly repay and thank him.
Upon returning to his chambers to hear him telling Daeron and Aemon all about the giant whom he could now command, Maekar was not tempted to get a leash for his son as it was clear that no other form of supervision was adequate to keep Aerion where he was supposed to be without escaping to the Gods know where and doing Gods known what.
In the days that followed Aerion’s ‘visit’ around King’s Landing–and the introduction of Dunk to his siblings and cousins to prove that he had in fact met a giant– Aerion could be seen repeatedly ordering the larger boy around.
The boy–Dunk–complied for the most part to Aerion’s demands, except on one occasion when Aerion ordered him to push Valarr down and take his toy. Instead of following suit, the large boy stared at Aerion, then simply pulled the protesting Prince to sit next to a dozing Daeron and listen to the story the new nursemaid was reading.
Neither Maekar nor Dyanna could believe what they were seeing.
When it was decided that Dunk would be offered a servant position in the stables in thanks for finding Aerion, and meaning he would no longer be present for Aerion to boss around--Aerion’s dragon fire was let loose in protest. It seemed Aerion had grown accustomed to demanding –and more often being denied–the larger boy around and all but pleaded with his parents and uncle that Dunk could remain, keeping them company in the nursery, or as he said, “working for me.”
No one could really understand Aerion’s reasoning behind his strange attachment to the large boy. Baelor had suggested that Aerion must believe the larger boy to be intimidating enough to get what he wanted out of his cousins and the servants.
Truly, most of the time, the boy was merely following Aerion’s smaller demands and ignoring the rest. More than one notable occasion, the boy--to the shock of the maids present-- would simply pick up Aerion and distract him away from whatever ridiculous demand or tantrum the young prince was about to have.
When questioned, the large boy simply said that Aerion had been too loud and would have been hit in the head by someone if he hadn't intervened, which was quite accurate when Maekar noticed the wooden toy in Valarr’s hand and the look in his eyes ready to pounce on Aerion for interrupting his and Daeron’s game board.
Dyanna had joked that maybe the large boy was the leash that Maekar had suggested Aerion needed. Truly, Maekar was becoming more agreeable to the idea despite the protests from his brother and father at the absurdity of it.
Still, the strange boy that Aerion had claimed as his remained amongst the royal children for the remainder of the Prince of Summerhall’s stay in King's Landing.
When asked about himself and whether he had any family, the boy said he was from Flea Bottom and had no family that he could recall. He readily agreed to stay and keep the prince's company, but asked what exactly he was supposed to be doing besides eating with and following Aerion around.
Baelor had made sure to ask multiple times whether he was comfortable in Aerion’s presence and to inform them if, at any moment, that changed. Maekar had found it ridiculous to even ask until his brother had pointed out that the boy was not a personal guard despite what Aerion seemed to partially treat him as.
So Dunk stayed, keeping the young princes and princesses company, protecting them and the maids from Aerion’s need to take charge and being unperturbed by his temper.
When the princes would have to go to their lessons, Dunk would find himself watching the knights in the training yard. When Aerion learned of this, he demanded that the boy be allowed to train, arguing that “if his giant was to further protect him and follow his commands, that he must know how to wield a sword.”
Baelor had snorted when he heard his nephew's words repeated to him later on. “The boy is more a wall to protect Aerion from himself than his own personal assassin, as he believes he is. Let him train, but do make sure Aerion knows what a knight's duty exactly is.”
Aerion never did learn the difference in what exactly Dunk’s position and presence around him should be described as–nor did it matter to him when it was decided that the boy would return with them to Summerhall–discussions of allowing him to remain in King’s Landing would not be heard by Aerion–or when Dunk would begin his sword training and Aerion could be heard telling his father of all that Dunk would do under him upon becoming a knight under him.
Neither would they change when Dunk would begin to leave to travel with Sir Arlan on occasion. This would be despite the tears that could be heard behind closed doors whenever Dunk departed. But there were also smiles seen on Aerion upon hearing word his 'oafs' returns.
For Aerion, Sir Duncan the Tall forever remained under him and his loyalty alone, as he did as the large giant called Dunk that he met as a boy.
His younger brother Aegon’s own devotion to the future knight and later travels with him did nothing to change that either.
For as much as Sir Duncan would care and love his little squire Egg and owe much to him, his heart remained to another prince who showed no fear when looking at the Flea-Bottomed filth boy he had been and gave him a pastry all those years ago.