GoT: The Blessed and the Cursed

The morning after his return to Siren, Azaerys woke up with a smile on his face, and it was because he was pinned by his daughter, who was lying on his chest, and little Daenerys, who was hugging his left arm.

Trying his best to not disturb their sleep, he looked around the room.

Ashara was not there, and when he shared the Drgaonsight with Aerylyx, he saw that all the dragons were resting, which meant that she had not gone out on a ride.

It was not time for breakfast, so either she was training in swordplay or was with Elia and Lyanna.

As the memories of last night's dinner surfaced in his mind, he sighed in his heart.

His brothers were fighting again, growing very competitive with each other, and they needed a lot of attention in this phase of their lives from him and Viserys, who were the older brothers. Especially from him since he was the father figure in their life.

He knew that none of the ladies would be able to control them. The two were Dragons, one mischievous, and the other stubborn, just like their dragons, Rhaegal and Lyrax.

And given how busy things were going to get starting next year, he frowned.

His attention was soon drawn to the door of his room, which opened, and in walked Ashara and Elia.

They both turned quiet when they saw that he was awake, and his wife smiled his way, amused at how he was helpless, pinned under the two girls.

Elia gestured to the girls, asking him if she should wake them up, but he shook his head.

However, someone else was not so considerate.

Rhaenys, dressed in her riding gear, suddenly rushed into the room, climbed the bed to plant a kiss on his cheek, and then shook Daenerys shoulder.

"Wake up. It's time for training." She whispered, and the little Princess groggily opened her eyes.

"What is it, Rhae?" She sounded a little annoyed.

"Training."

"Can't we skip it today..."

"No," the older Princess cut her off and then pulled her out of the bed.

Even though she looked upset, Daenerys did not resist Rhaenys and left the room with her.

"What training?" He curiously asked Elia, and she helplessly shook her head.

"Swordplay," she informed him. "You asked Ser Horace to prepare saddles and vests with enchanted glass for Rhaegal, Lyrax, and Draegon?"

"You went to the forge?" He curiously smiled.

"Yes," and she still looked at him for an answer to her question.

"I am taking them with me..."

"No. Aegon and Rhaemon are too young," Elia adamantly shook her head, her fears clear on her face.

Viserys had told them why they had come back so early and what they were going to face in the coming moon. Needless to say, the Martell was not willing to let the two boys go with them.

She did not want Rhaenys to go either, but she knew her daughter was a lot more sensible.

"They will not enter the battle, Elia. I want them to watch it, and they need to witness and learn how Dragons fight in wars."

"They are children, Azaerys, and they are mischievous," She reminded them, nearly choking on her words, and lowered her head.

Elia knew that she would not be able to change his mind, and now, she felt a little restless in her heart.

"They will not enter battle. Only I, Viserys, Arthur, and Rhaenys will deal with the Man-Apes."

"I am not going with you?" Ashara surprisedly looked at him.

"Stay here. Daenerys and Eleana will become very restless if you leave too. And your sister needs you by her side right now."

Though not convinced, she still understandingly nodded her head.

"We need to talk to you about something. Meet us in the study when Ella wakes up," said Ashara, and assuredly smiled at him when he raised his brow, letting him know that everything was fine.

"Okay."

An hour later, the little Princess finally woke up, and he chucked as she sat up on his chest and yawned, stretching her arms wide.

"Kepa," She smiled at him, and he sat up to nudge his nose against hers.

She giggled but then laughed as he tickled her belly.

The maids waiting outside the room heard her voice, and soon knocked on the door, asking permission to enter.

Elaena pouted at him, thinking he would leave her in their care, but brightly smiled after hearing his next words.

"Is the bath ready?" He asked.

"Yes, Your Grace," two answered.

"Warm?"

"Yes."

Azaerys nodded to them and then stood up, picking his daughter in his arms.

"Let's go. I will wash your hair today."

He smiled at how she happily bobbed her head.

The maids blushed when they saw him take off his clothes in the bath and enter the pool which was filled with uncomfortably warm water.

They were not surprised when they saw little Elaena happily bath in it like it did not even bother her, and they laughed when they saw the father and daughter play with each other, filling the room with laughter that echoed into their souls.

"I will meet you at the breakfast table," He told his little Princess after he helped her dress up and left her in the care of the two maids.

"Yes, Kepa," She obediently nodded to him, and Azaerys left the room to head to his study.

Ashara, Elia, and Lyanna were sitting there reading some letters when he entered the room.

"Yes, Ash?" He asked his wife as he took his seat, and then picked up one of the unopened letters, which was sent by the Red Priests and contained the information about what was happening in Westeros.

The letter in his hand detailed the information about Eyrie, and he carefully went through it.

"Az, what is this?" Lyanna suddenly asked, and her address made both Ashara and Elia furrow their brows.

The Young King looked at the sheet of paper in her hand, which contained a sketch that he had drawn.

"A castle," he answered, and she rolled her eyes a him.

"I can tell that much but why do you have it in the file of priorities?"

"It was at the end of it." He pointed out, to which she again rolled her eyes.

"Still. It was in the file of priorities."

Azaerys took the paper from her hand and smiled at the image on it.

"This will be the new Castle of the Targaryen Family and it will be built on the western bank of God's Eye, a few leagues away from Harrenhall, on top of hills. I need to find the right builders for it, which is why it is in the file of priorities."

All three of them surprisedly looked at him, and soon they all frowned.

"Why a new Castle?"

"Things need to change," he nonchalantly replied.

"What about King's Landing? Red Keep?" Ashara frowned.

"It will stay a seat of the Targaryen Family and will belong to Viserys' line. Of course, this New Castle will take time, and until then, we will stay in the Red Keep."

"You don't like the city, and you don't want our family to live there," His wife smiled, guessing his reasons, and he acknowledged her words, nodding to her.

Ashara stayed silent for a moment and then lowered her eyes.

"You haven't named Elaena your Heir," said his Queen, and he sighed in his heart.

He knew that this conversation would come up one day.

"Viserys is my Heir, and he will remain my Heir until I have a son, magically strong and worthy of becoming the next Lord of my House."

His wife stayed quiet after his answer, but Lyanna frowned.

"You are fine with making a Lady a Knight, but you won't name a girl your Heir?"

"I won't, and no one in my family will ever name a girl their Heir if there is a Targaryen Prince alive."

"You think women can not rule?" She narrowed her eyes and tensed up when he met her gaze and his purple orbs stared into her soul.

Lyanna lowered her eyes.

"They should not have to be burdened by such a responsibility. Ruling isn't a game or a seat of comfort that you would wish your children would take after you. Any sensible Monarch would feel sad, not happy, for the child who has to bear such responsibilities. And men are generally less empathetic, straightforward, and more decisive when it comes to taking the hard calls. So, yes, I do believe and know that the right man would make a better ruler than the right woman, and they would be able to carry the burden for much longer before succumbing to the weight of the throne."

Hearing his words, she remained quiet. Even if she wanted to refute his words and argue, she dared not.

"I do not wish to have any discussion regarding my Heir in this household again. It's not up to you to advise me about it. Who my Heir is, is my call. I hope you will remember that." He coldly said to all three of them, and Elia was the first to nod to him.

"Will they be Targaryens?" The Martell asked.

"Who?" He frowned.

"Your children from the Kharzik Twins."

"No. They will bear a new Family name, and I will create a seat of Power for them, just like how my children from Arianne will not have the Targaryen name."

She nodded her head to his words and then took a deep breath.

"Who's Aegon going to marry?"

"What are you worried about?" He asked instead, and she tensed up.

"He's... not magically as strong as Viserys, Daenerys, Rhaenys, or Elaena. If he marries outside the Family, his children..."

"Will not be Drgaonriders?" He finished her words, and she nodded to him. "I made sure of certain things, and Aegon and Rhaemon's children will have a high chance of being Drgaonriders, provided that the girl that births them is wedded through the Valyrian Tradition, and it is I or Daenerys who officiates the Marriage Ceremony," He smiled. "But if their Children do not stick to Valyrian Traditions, do not wed each other, their line would cease to produce Drgaonriders."

They were all aware that Azaerys had conducted some Blood Rituals with all the Dragon Blood in the Family. Ashara and her siblings were part of these rituals, but he had never revealed what exactly they were about. All he told them was that it was for the best of their family's future.

Now, he had confirmed one of their guesses.

"It's the same for Arthur's line? The Starlytes?" Lyanna frowned.

"Yes. His line would directly serve the Targaryen Crown as our Servants and Knights. Starlyte Family will be a Family of Knights, the Dragonknights of the Targaryen Emperor."

Ashara surprisedly looked at him and then felt a little warm in her heart.

"But Arthur's children will never be magically as strong as the Targaryens, and it will be the same for Rhaemon and Aegon's children if they marry outside the Family." The Martell asked.

"It will be the case even if they marry inside the family," he told them, shaking his head. "However, in Rhaemon's case, I am confident that his line would develop the special traits and inherit the Warging abilities. That is if he marries a Stark Girl or a girl with both Stark and the Targaryen Blood. The latter is more desirable."

"And Aegon?" She asked about her son, and he smiled at her.

"If any of my daughters from Laeha or Laena marry him, his line would inherit the same ability."

"And if they don't?"

"His luck then," He shrugged.

"You don't care?"

He frowned at her words.

"I am not going to betroth any Princess in this Family. They all will be raised with our values, and they will understand their duties. So, I will trust them with making the right calls."

"What if no one chooses him, Azer?" She asked, looking worried. "And... what if Rhaemon and Aegon start fighting over Rhaenys or Daenerys..."

"I will be very disappointed if they do such a thing. And I promise you, I will not hold back on the punishments." He coldly said, making both Lyanna and Elia flinch.

His words were a warning to them that they must not speak nonsense to their boys and always keep them in check.

"Allyria's Twins. Are they girls?" Ashara suddenly asked, catching the attention of the two ladies.

"No. A boy and a girl, and they are magically linked. They are bound to fall for each other." He informed them, and his words made his wife's eyes flicker in brilliance.

"You are magically linked with Daenerys," She commented, and both Elia and Lyanna surprisedly looked at him.

"Yes," He truthfully nodded his head, and there was silence in the room for several minutes.

Ashara glanced at Lyanna, and after sorting out her thoughts, looked at her husband.

"If Aegon marries a Warg from the North or someone from the Kharziks..."

"The chances are extremely low since he himself does not possess Warging Abilities. However, if he does marry a Targaryen Princess, bearing the blood of a Mother who is a Warg, then his line will inherit those traits. From that point onwards, they will have to keep their Blood pure for several generations before marrying people from other Houses of Dragonlords. It's the same for Rhaemon's line."

Once she heard his words, his wife again glanced at the Stark, who was frowning right now.

"Marry Lyanna to Viserys. She is young and healthy enough to bear more children. If she births daughters, Rhaemon and Aegon will have future brides..."

"Enough!" Lyanna stood up, her face red in rage, "I am not a broodmare!" She nearly screamed.

"You are speaking to your Queen, Dame Lyanna," Azaerys' cold voice echoed in the room, and an instant later, the Stark's bubbling rage vaporised.

She held back her tears as she turned to look at him, and then deeply bowed to him.

He had used her title to address her, and she knew she was now speaking to the King, not her friend.

"Please, do not make me do this, Your Grace. I do not wish to marry Viserys," She begged, and the hurt in her voice made Ashara feel guilty.

"Your son needs a bride, Lyanna. He can then be a Dragonlord of his own House, which may rule The North in the future. It will help if his sister and wife has Stark Blood just like him. It may even create a magical link between them. There are Blood Rituals as well..." The Queen stopped when her husband narrowed his eyes at her. She was speaking too much.

However, she had already said enough.

Once she voiced her reasoning behind her proposal, Lyanna became quite anxious, realising that she might not have a choice if the matter is pushed.

"There's no blame on you if you refuse," Azaerys gently said to her, and his voice calmed her down. "Rhaemon is not even eight namedays old. We have time. It's the same for Aegon. Don't forget that they are boys, and they can have children later in life too."

Hearing his words, she gratefully nodded to him, and his wife sighed. However, since he had spoken, the Queen did not say anything more on the matter.

"I am sorry for my outburst, Your Grace," said the Stark to her Queen.

"Drop the honorifics, Lyanna. You know I don't like them, and you know you can speak freely with me. It's just family here, no one minds it."

To her words, the grey-eyed lady nodded her head and then glanced at Azaerys.

Both Elia and Ashara raised their brows as their instincts kicked in, and sure enough, what Lyanna said next was as expected.

"I will not marry anyone, Your Grace. However, if you command it, I will do my duty and serve as the Royal Mistress to produce children for my Lord. I just have one request."

"Yes?" He asked, even though he was already sighing in his heart as he knew what she wanted.

"If this is to be my fate, I want you, whom I have accepted as my Lord, to hand me this punishment and to sire children on me. I will take it as my duty to you and the Family whom I serve..." Her voice broke, and she took a deep breath and met his eyes. "I will not accept anyone else." She made it clear.

To her, Rhaegar was her only love. And she would never take another husband in her life.