The ship was a deep wooden blur amidst the gleaming waters of the Blackwater Bay. The sun was scorching hot up in the sky and the restless sea shimmered in the light of the sun as if it was a looking glass. The wind blowed against her with sprinkles of water and a hint of saltiness in them and Daenerys Targaryen settled her blowing silver blond hair back in its place. The ship gradually neared them, its size growing big and clear with every passing second as the ship made its way towards the shores of King's Landing. The ship carrying her brother's body.
It was funny to her with this entire thing for her family waiting for her brother's corpse. King's Landing, the place where they were standing is the very place where Aegon the Conqueror had landed three hundred years before and went on to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. And this place where he landed was called King's Landing by the people ever since. But now they were waiting for the dead body of her brother to land here. Maybe they would call it as 'Prince's Pyre' hereafter. Only Viserys would not be cremated here, his body will be cremated by the tradition of their Valyrian ancestors and then his ashes would be interred in the Great Sept of Baelor just like the ashes of their forefathers had been interred before him from the times of Aegon the Conqueror.
They had been here from the morning, reaching the shores of the Blackwater Bay just as the word came that the ship which was carrying her brother's body was sighted. Daenerys had never truly believed that her brother was killed when Rhaegar told her about the raven from Braavos. No one dared to touch a dragon, no one. Yet someone touched and worse, killed a dragon hanging him from a brothel. Viserys was always inclined towards the women and it was a certain fitting irony that he was killed in a brothel, using the brothel. There were times when she had thought about Viserys to be gone for good. Still he was her brother and she would make sure that her brother would be avenged with Fire And Blood.
The ship was still a good long distance away from the shore and Dany thought that it would take some more time for them to reach the shores of King's Landing. The sea shore was mostly filled with the people of King's Landing which amazed her after remembering the day when Viserys sailed for Braavos. There had been no one to see him leaving for Braavos except their family, guards and the court who were standing to receive him back to King's Landing. Except for them there had been only a few others from the smallfolk of King's Landing to see him sail to Braavos. But Dany doubted that they came to see her brother or her family that day. She was pretty sure that they came to see the Braavosi banker. Now looking around the good number of people gathered here to welcome her brother's body she found how exalted they were to find out that Viserys was dead. King's Landing never loved the Targaryens as they'd loved them once, Dany knew that but she also knew that they never needed love.
Dany looked at Drogon flying with his brothers in the sky and felt how free and independent the creature was. Drogon never had the love of the people yet he had the fear of them towards him. And the Targaryens needed only that fear and they had them in a vast range. All of these people standing here would go rushing back, covering and shivering to their homes if Drogon came back from the sky to land here. At the first thought Dany was inclined to do that but she decided to go against it so that her brother could get a quiet and peaceful funeral.
Daenerys Targaryen didn't needed her dragon always to prove what she truly was to the people. She was Daenerys "Stormborn" Targaryen, hailed from the ancient Valyrian line, Blood of Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel. It only took one look for her to send even the strongest of the men searching for cover. And it would take only one word for her to turn the man who killed her brother into nothing but a puff of ash.
Dany had already asked about it to Rhaegar so that she could go to Braavos on the back of Drogon and return with the ash of Viserys' killer so that his ash could be thrown in the sea before her brother's remains was interred. But her brother had strictly prohibited her from doing so saying that he needed his dragon heads to be safe and sound and prepared for the long night. Dany should have objected that and flew over to Braavos to bring Fire and Blood to her brother's killer but she had listened to Rhaegar and stayed here, now waiting for her brother's corpse to arrive.
The sea seemed quiet and calm with gentle waves lapping at the shores. But Dany knew it was not so calm as it looked to be. Until Viserys' killer was brought to justice there won't be any peace for them. The dragons were restless in the sky too always roaring and screaming. All three of them rearing and hissing at each other. Her nephews both came as soon as Rhaegar sent the word of Viserys' death to them. Aegon came from Dragonstone and Jaeherys from the north. It was a difficult journey for a man but not for a dragon. A dragon could cover long distances so soon and without much rest.
Dany still remembered the day the dragons born, the day she brought them back to this world from stones. The day she walked into the pyre made for the Red Priestess' ritual with the stone eggs in her hands only to emerge again unscathed and with dragons in her arms rather than the stone eggs. That was the day the world found who she really was, the Mother of the Dragons. Now looking at them all grown up huge and mighty, restless and fearless Dany found a certain proud settling deep in her heart.
The ship neared so swiftly that Dany could make out the name written on the hull in green. 'Sea Dragon' the name was written on both sides of the hull of the ship, big enough to make it out even from a certain distance away. Dany could see the slender ship making its way towards the shores of King's Landing swiftly, it's long oars pushing and splashing the water back all in the same time, gradually and constantly. It was flanked by two more ships which were smaller than the Sea Dragon but still kept up with the speed of it.
Dany moved up with her family when the Sea Dragon stopped at a fair distance away from the shores of the Blackwater Bay. She stood next to Aegon with Rhaegar to Aegon's left and then Lyanna to Rhaegar's left and then Jaeherys next to her good sister. The Royal family was flanked by the Lord commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Gerald Hightown and Ser Barristan Selmy with Ser Jaime Lannister and Ser Daemon Sand behind them. The other three members of the Kingsguard, Ser Oswell Whent, Ser Lewyn Martell and Ser Jonothor Darry took their places along the perimeter, between the people and the Royal family. Fifty Targaryen guards were given under their command to divide the commoners away from the nobles and the remaining guards trailed the members of the court in two neat columns.
A boat set off from the Sea Dragon and another two followed it. Dany could identify that the first big boat had her brother's body with the lack of men in it. The other two boats included the crew of the Sea Dragons and her brother's guards who managed to get back to Westeros alive.
The High Priest looked radiant in his white robes chased with the cloth of gold. His crystal crown absorbed the sunlight and emitted it back as a dozen rainbows. The High Septon was an old man with a bald head and a wrinkled face. His highly fashioned clothes of gold and silver seemed to press him down with their weight. He moved up in front of the Royal family to receive the body of Viserys in the Gods' name.
The boat which had her brother's body reached the shore and Dany could see the white bundle in the middle which was her brother. The men from the other boats moved to take out her brother's body and placed it infront of them. Viserys' body was covered in a white cloth that it gave no hint of the corpse beneath it. Though the stench gave away what the cloth hid.
The High Septon moved around her brother's body with a metal censer suspended from chains, in which incense was burned to keep the smell of death away. The High Septon moved around Viserys saying his prayers before the others could see the Prince's body. The old man finished his prayers and stepped back for the Royal family to pay their respects. Dany moved with her brother and his family and reached Viserys' body.
Rhaegar opened the cloth which covered Viserys' body and Dany saw the terrible state her brother was in. His face was beaten and broken beyond recognition. His lower face was a mess, his mouth bashed in, with teeth and bones jutting out where once his perfect teeth and proud lips opened in a smile which quickened the hearts of the maidens. The noose which squeezed the life out of him had left it's mark, dark and purple around his neck. He looked pale and cold. His skin and flesh started to slough and Dany saw that her brother's body was in the worst shape possible. It was clear that he didn't even had the time for mourning. Perhaps she was right, they will call it as the Prince's Pyre hereafter as this is the place Viserys will be mourned and burned.
Aegon forced his usual facade trying hard not to wrinkle his nose as befits the Crown Prince but Jaeherys and his mother wrinkled at the smell of decay coming from her brother. Rhaegar looked at their brother for a moment then backed up giving way for the others to pay their respects and for their mourning. Dany and the other members of the Royal Family followed the King and the members of the court and the lesser Lords from the Crownlands made their way up to mourn the prince.
Dany noticed the people around, their faces all smiles and glee even though half of them looked as though they would die of hunger this night or the next. There was happiness in their faces not the fear of the dragons standing before them. Dany found her temper getting better of her as she saw the smug satisfied faces of the people. No one dares to smile at the dragon, yet they did. Let them smile, she thought. All their smiles would die with the death of the one who brought these smiles to their faces. Viserys' killer.
When everyone was done the men set up the pyre for her brother. They placed him gingerly on the pyre along with the wooden bier as they couldn't take his corpse alone without making a mess. Rhaegar set up the fire and Dany watched her brother burn in the fire. Fire couldn't kill a dragon, she thought, but even the dead dragons burned.
When the fires died out the remains of Viserys was collected in a golden urn so that they could be interred under the Great Sept of Baelor with their ancestors. The journey back to the Red Keep was a silent and sombre affair. The King was quiet as death on his stallion and no one dared to disturb him. Dany rode her silver mare, looking at her family, everyone experiencing a loss for the first time.
When they reached the Red Keep, the King called his family to his solar. Rhaegar led all of them to his solar and ordered the Old Bull and Ser Barristan to stand guard at the door. Dany noticed at all their faces as they took their seat, confusion and loss covered everyone of their faces. There room was filled with silence until Rhaegar broke it.
"The gods be damned," Rhaegar cursed and Dany knew exactly why her brother cursed the gods. Viserys got a terrible death and a worser end than that. She could never believe that anyone could experience a worser end than this. And a death like that to a Targaryen Prince is the worst thing of all. All the fear the people had for them just turned to a mockery infront of their eyes and it would not stop with it, Dany knew.
"Did you see him?" Dany asked looking all the faces in the room. "He is... was completely destroyed."
Rhaegar nodded. "This is getting worser and worser. This is pure rage. A normal killer won't do this. This is someone who we aren't aware of, someone who we haven't taken into account."
Dany lifted her head at her brother. "Let me go and see who is that then? It would take only one word for me and I shall return with that someone's remains."
Rhaegar gave a look at her which told her everything even before he voiced them. "You're not going. I will go to Braavos and right all the wrongs done to Viserys." He paused for a moment. "And when I find him... He'll get a lot worser than what he'd done to Viserys."
Dany looked at her brother and saw the fire in his eyes. The Dragon in him was woken. Viserys would get his justice in Fire and Blood and even if Rhaegar failed she would make sure of it.