The feeling of freedom is a beautiful rare taste in some people's lives, for Baelon, the complete sense of freedom was when he was in the sky with his dragon Grey Ghost. There was no other feeling that could compare to that one. His dragon is truly spectacular and his pale grey-white color made him impossible not to blend in the clouds and mist — truly an amazing thing for Baelon to experience.
Baelon was racing with Rhaenyra and Syrax today. It was one of their favorites activities to do together ever since they both became dragonriders. There wasn't a moment they both didn't want to be in the sky. It was liberating and carefree. It fulfills their dragon blood in every part of their body system.
Dragons belong in the sky — and for these two Targaryens, it wasn't an exception.
When they finally reached the Dragonpit and landed on some dirt, the Dragonkeepers approached them.
"Dohaeras , Syrax!"
"Dohaeras , Grey Ghost!"
"Umbas . Rybas."
Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Baelon both hopped off their dragons and petted them farewell for the rest of the day. Grey Ghost quickly vanished in the sky again while Syrax stood on the ground. The cousins looked over at Ser Harold Westerling nearby on horseback.
"I trust the ride was pleasant," said Ser Harold.
"Try not to look too relieved, ser." said Rhaenyra, with a smirk planted on her face.
"I am relieved. Every time that golden beast brings you both back unspoiled, it saves my head from a spike."
Baelon chuckled. "Let's hope that never happens, ser."
The two Targaryens approached the carriage where Lady Alicent Hightower was standing. Alicent had been a friend of them for many years but Baelon had to admit that Alicent and Rhaenyra were closer than Alicent and him, nonetheless, he enjoyed the company of the Hightower girl.
"Syrax is growing quickly." Alicent smiled. "She'll soon be as large as Caraxes."
"That's almost large enough to saddle two." Rhaenyra looked at her friend with a little grin. Ever since he was a little, Rhaenyra has been trying to get Alicent to go with her on dragonback — till this day, she hasn't been successful.
"I believe I'm quite content as a spectator, thank you."
Baelon touched Rhaenyra's shoulder. "Let's go see your mother."
***
Baelon, Rhaenyra, and Alicent walked through the courtyard in the Red Keep and through various halls with their arms intertwined together before arriving at Queen Aemma's chamber. Aemma is laying on a couch and attended by various servants, Baelon quickly thought once again that Aemma's belly looked like it was about to explode.
"Ah...Rhaenyra." Aemma said the moment she spotted her daughter by the door. "You know I don't like you to go flying while I'm in this condition. You know this too, Baelon."
Baelon was about to reply when Rhaenyra won against him. "You don't like me to go flying while you're in any condition."
"Your Grace," said Alicent.
"Good Morrow, Alicent. Baelon, I see you have taken my daughter into the skies." said Aemma while passing her hand briefly through her belly.
Baelon smiled. "Because your daughter insisted on it. She is my princess, my queen. I couldn't say no. It was an order."
Aemma looked at Rhaenyra and before she could say anything, Rhaenyra quickly asked, "Did you sleep?"
"I slept."
"How long?" Rhaenyra sat by Aemma's feet.
"I don't need mothering, Rhaenyra."
"Well, here you are, surrounded by attendants, all focused on the babe. Someone has to attend to you."
"You will lie in this bed soon enough, Rhaenyra. This discomfort is how we serve the realm."
"She is so beautiful." said Alicent in a tone only Baelon could hear. "The queen."
"She is." Baelon replied, not taking his eyes off his aunt and cousin.
"I'd rather serve as a knight and ride to battle and glory."
Aemma laughs while both Baelon and Alicent chuckled. "We have royal wombs, you and I. The child bed is our battlefield. We must learn to face it with a stiff lip. Now take a bath. You stink of dragon."
"I will stay with her, Rhaenyra." said Baelon, moving closer to Rhaenyra and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nonsense, Baleon, I don't need — "
"My beautiful aunt, I will stay with you for a little bit longer. Besides, Rhaenyra is going to be late for the council meeting and Alicent has to study. Let me stay." Baelon kindly smiled at his aunt and Aemma couldn't help but smile and give in to his request. Baelon was a very persuasive man without even trying in the slightest.
"Very well, you may." Aemma uncomfortably shifted on her couch.
It's been a few minutes since Rhaenyra and Alicent left and the time Baelon has spent with Aemma was wonderful — of course, ignoring the obvious factor that was how Aemma could sometimes complain about being uncomfortable. She just wants to meet her babe already.
"What are you going to name the babe?" asked Baelon, taking Aemma's attention in an instant. "If it is a boy."
"Well, Viserys always wanted to name his son Baelon." Aemma slightly chuckled. "Your father beat him to it. You came first."
"I wouldn't mind, if you named him like me. It has a good legacy."
"I'll have that in mind." Aemma smiled. "If is another girl then...I think I have to give in to Rhaenyra's wishes and name her Visenya."
"Rhaenyra is rather fond of that name. Although I completely understand why."
Aemma nodded. "Is your mother coming for the tournament?"
Baelon shook his head. "She will not, however I know some houses from the Vale will be present. I am sure of it."
"You and Rhaenyra are the best of us." Aemma replied slowly but Baelon saw in her eyes that what she was saying was genuine. She believed that what she was saying was the pure truth and reality.
"I am not a true Targaryen."
Aemma's brows furrowed. "What do you mean about that, love?"
"Well," He cleared his throat, "I just don't feel like a complete Targaryen. I wasn't completely raised here, I wasn't even born on Dragonstone and I certainly don't look like one."
Aemma extended her hand for Baelon to take, in which he did. "You are a Targaryen, my love. Never forget that. You have the blood of the dragon running through your veins and you have a magnificent dragon that is growing more each day. You're my nephew and it doesn't matter where you were born or where you spend most of your time. You are more Targaryen than you know."
Baelon and Aemma were grabbing their hands and rubbing them with their fingers. It was comforting, warm and safe. He could confidently say that Aemma was like his second mother. All the times that he visits the Red Keep it is mandatory for him to spend some time with her. She truly is a once in a lifetime kind of person.
This was truly a moment Baelon will never forget.
***
It was true what Aemma said: he stinks of dragon.
Baelon needs a quick bath. He will spend some time with his friend Yrsa for the rest of the day.
When he finally arrived at his chamber, he found a surprise. Someone he hasn't seen in quite some moons ago and it's finally in front of him.
Daemon fucking Targaryen.
His father. In the flesh.
"Father," said Baelon, surprised to see him standing by his bed while reading some ancient book.
"My boy." Daemon smirks at his son. He approached him to minimize the space between them and place the book down. He then placed both of his hands on his shoulders. "You're taller." He hummed. "You cut your hair."
"I'm glad you made an appearance. It's good that you're here for the King despite the last...argument you both had."
Baelon was trying to keep it pretty by using the word argument in the sentence. The last time Daemon was in the Red Keep, he and Viserys were having a screaming match that almost resulted in them getting physical with each other. At the end, Viserys told him to go back to the Vale in which Daemon never did. He never does. Viserys knows this and he still continues to say so.
Daemon tilts his head. "Did you really think I wasn't going to come here?" He laughed. "Viserys may be...difficult to manage but I will never miss a tournament made for me."
Baelon rolled his eyes. Here he goes. "Bisa iksis mirre syt Visērȳs dārilaros. Nyke ao gīmigon bona." (This is all for Viserys' heir. I hope you know that)
"Syt īlva, ñuha valītsos." (For us, my boy) Daemon corrected and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. He was about to leave the room before slightly turning, "Keep my return a secret, will you? I also need you tonight. You know where."
" Kepa — "
"Baelon, tonight."
***
Baelon knows a few people from the City Watch. His father is Commander and he received full respect for his position. All of them have to follow his orders and many will always continue to do so even if he wasn't commander. Daemon was a good leader, Baelon could never argue differently, everything that had to do with this or some sort of war — his father was always there with hunger in his veins.
"You will learn what respect is." Daemon told Baelon as he could hear the members of the City Watch banging their chests. "You will learn what needs to be done and how it should be done."
His father walks upfront first and Baelon closely behind. They walk through the ranks of the City Watch, all of them wearing their gold cloaks.
One of them, the one Baelon knows is named Randyll, yells the moment they are in the center. "COMMANDER ON THE FLOOR!"
The banging then stops.
"When I took the command of the Watch, you were stray mongrels, starving and undisciplined. Now you're a pack of hounds. You're sated and honed for the hunt." The watchmen respond by howling. "My brother's city has fallen into squalor. Crime of every breed has been allowed to thrive. No longer. Beginning tonight, King's Landing will learn to fear the color gold."
Baelon felt goosebumps as the watchmen cheered after his father finished his monologue. Daemon walks ahead and signals Baelon to follow him. He does. A gate is opened and all of the watchmen pour out into the city.
The young Prince saw almost everything that night.
Peasants were chased and beaten. A lot of them were criminals. Some were even being taken out of their homes for being abusive arseholes. His father led the group into a square where punishments were being carried out. One man is held while guards cut his hand off.
"RAPER!"
They bring forward a man before Daemon and him. Randyll castrates him in front of them as the man screams, he tosses his testes of the man onto a stump nearby. His father is apathetic of the situation, Baelon in some ways is too, he just flinched at the sight but he felt the man deserved it.
He got what was coming for him.
"THIEF!"
"MURDERER!"
Daemon looked at Baelon. "This is how we finish people like him."
He unleashes Dark Sister and approaches the man. The man is screaming for his life but Daemon lifts his sword and decapitates him so fast that Baelon didn't have time to blink.
"Bring the cart."
Baelon took the cart that was full of other dismembered human parts closed as his father placed the man's head. He decided to look around for the first time in the whole night. He saw a bunch of blood and a screaming man but most importantly, he saw other people just staring in the distance. A lot of them looked terrified while some of them looked...safer. The men that did them wrong were there — dead. They couldn't cause them harm any longer.
***
When they arrived back at the Red Keep it was very early in the morning. Baelon could barely keep his eyes open. His body was immensely tired. They were received by Lord Corlys Velaryon, who looked at Daemon and immediately coldly laughed.
"Fucks sake, Daemon. I figured that the reason why I'm up so early is because of you. Yet again, it's somehow always because of you."
"Someone knows?" asked Baelon, immediately realizing that it was a stupid question to ask.
"Everyone knows. Word spreads fast around here." replied Corlys, now with a more serious tone. "A small council meeting will take place now. Otto Hightower is now looking for the King, I advise we arrive at the small council chamber at once."
"Do I have to go?"
Corlys nodded. "You were there after all."
Daemon only had a grin on his face. Baelon knew this was something that he wanted to happen.
Fantastic.
After another long walk, they arrived at the chamber. Corlys and Daemon sat on their usual spot while Baelon stood still next to his father. One of the other members of the council started to arrive, clearly annoyed that they had to be woken up so early.
"Baelon, sit down."
"I can't, I'm not a member of the council therefore I must stay up."
"Bullshit." Daemon sighed. "Sit here." He points to the spot belonging to the Hand of the King.
"That is not my place."
"Well, you should have one."
"Can you not?" A headache was already forming and Baelon wanted nothing more than to be back to his bed.
There's voices and footsteps approaching the chamber. Suddenly, the voice of Otto Hightower could be heard as clean as ever.
"The Prince cannot be allowed to act with this kind of unchecked impunity."
They both approach the table, Otto taken by surprise when he sees Daemon sitting. He is used to Daemon not coming at the meetings at all and when he sometimes does, he arrives late. The councilors rise for the King.
"Brother."
"Daemon."
Daemon's eyes shifted towards Otto Hightower. "Carry on. You were saying something about my impunity."
"You are to explain your doings with the City Watch."
Otto and Viserys place large marbles into plates in their seats.
"Your new "gold cloaks" made quite the impression last night, didn't they?" Viserys spoke again.
"Did they?"
Everyone else finally sits down with the exception of Prince Baelon.
"The City Watch is not a sword to be wielded at your whim. They're an extension of the crown."
"The Watch was enforcing the crown's laws." Daemon looked over to Lyonel. "Wouldn't you agree, Lord Strong?"
"My Prince, I don't think — "
"Making a public spectacle of wanton brutality is hardly in line with our laws."
"Nobles from every corner of the realm are right now descending upon King's Landing for my brother's tourney. Do you want them mugged, raped, murdered? You mightn't know this unless you left the safety of the Red Keep, but much of King's Landing is seen by the smallfolk as lawless and terrifying." There's a bit of silence. Baelon can see Otto thinking about what to say next. Daemon looks at his brother. "Our city should be safe for all its people."
"I agree." Viserys looked briefly at Otto, Baelon knew he wasn't going to win this one. "I just hope you don't have to maim half of my city to achieve this."
Daemon simply replied with, "Time will tell."
"We installed Prince Daemon as commander to promote law and order. The criminal element should fear the City Watch." Lord Corlys added.
"Thank you for your support, Lord Corlys."
"What does the young Prince think?" Lyonel Strong asked. "He was there."
Everyone's heads moved towards Prince Baelon.
He cleared his throat. He looked extremely tired. "I...understand he should have talked to you about it first, Your Grace. We both know my father doesn't tend to do such things." Daemon sniffed. "What I saw there...no matter how gruesome it was, I saw relief faces. A lot of them were more than just thiefs, a lot of them were murderers and rapers. The look of the women being free from this type of people should be a sign that whatever came over my father last night, perhaps was the correct thing to do. If the City Watch is an extension of the crown and if the crown cares about his people, then this kind of thing should happen. Fear. Fear of doing something like that and if they do it again, they know what's coming."
The Rogue Prince had a proud smile on his face. His son defended him. He looked at Otto. He won this one. Daemon won.
Baelon also looked over at Otto. He knew the next thing that was going to come out of Otto's mouth wasn't going to be something pretty.
"If only the Prince would show the same devotion to his lady wife as he does his work, Your Grace. You've not been seen in the Vale or at Runestone for quite some time."
"I think my bronze bitch is happier for my absence."
Prince Baelon closed his eyes. "Father — "
"Lady Rhea is your wife; a good and honorable lady of the Vale."
"In the Vale, men are said to fսck sheep instead of women. I can assure you, the sheep are prettier."
"Enough!" Baelon said louder this time.
He always does this. There can't ever be a good moment between them before he ruins it all.
He knows Otto is doing this because everyone is agreeing with Prince Daemon but Gods does Baelon wish his father wouldn't talk about her this way. About his mother. The mother of his son.
"Dear me." Baelon heard Lyman's expression.
"You made a vow before the Seven to honor your wife in marriage."
"Well, I'd gladly give Lady Rhea to you, Lord Hightower, if you're in want of a woman to warm your bed. Your own lady wife passed recently —"
Otto Hightower stood up in anger. Something he shared with Baelon.
Prince Baelon was completely angry now. His hands were now in a fist form but maintained them down. He learned how to control himself at this point. He will not make a scene.
"Did she not?" Daemon asked. He hit a nerve.
"Otto." said Viserys but Daemon spoke again.
"Perhaps you aren't ready to move on just yet." Daemon continued to jest.
"You know how my brother makes sport of provoking you. Must you indulge him?"
Otto sat back down. "My apologies, Your Grace."
"This council has, at great expense, bettered the City Watch to your exacting standards." Viserys looked at his brother. "Enforce my laws, but understand: Any further performances like last night's will be answered."
"Understood, Your Grace." Daemon stood up and started to walk out of the meeting. Baelon quickly followed him.
When they were out of the chamber, Baelon knew it was safe to let it all out. "Talk about my mother like that again and I swear to you — "
"You will what?"
Baelon is furious. He is sure there's a vein in his head wanting to pop out. "I understand that you feel a dislike for her. I beg, father, that at least when you're near me...you don't talk about her that way. She is my mother. Just because you haven't given her the chance to even know what she likes to drink doesn't mean you should go everywhere speaking that way!"
Daemon still has a smirk on his face. Baelon is really his son. "Will I see you tomorrow at the tournament?"
Baelon sighed. "Yes."
"Good. Is there anyone in particular you would like me to mess with?"
"No." Baelon quickly responded. Daemon started to leave him behind until a certain someone came into his mind. "Wait!"
Daemon turned around to face him again.
"Gwayne Hightower."
His father looked surprised. "A Hightower? Why is that?"
Baelon shrugged. "Just because. He isn't a great fighter, that will give you an advantage. Don't screw it up."
Daemon jokingly bowed. "Of course, my prince."