Disclaimer: This is a story based on ASOIAF Universe and all recognizable characters, plots belong to GRRM. I have no ownership to it.
Chapter 63: A Game of Magic III
King's Landing
Red Keep
The Bastard King
"The dragons are distracted, and the dragonlings are weak now. We have no better opportunity to strike than now."
I woke with a sharp gasp, dragged out of sleep by a surge of horror that clung to my mind even as awareness returned. My eyes snapped open, and it took only a moment to realize that I was already sitting upright in our bed. Gael held my hands tightly, her grip firm enough that I could feel the faint ache of it.
I looked down and saw bruises in the shape of my fingers forming along her hands, already beginning to fade as they healed.
My chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as I struggled to steady myself. I closed my eyes and drew in a slow, deliberate breath, forcing my thoughts into order. Beneath that effort, I could feel Morghul's fury coiled at the back of my mind, burning with restless intensity. His distant roar echoed through our bond and physically too, carrying all the way from the Dragonpit to my ears as if no distance existed between us.
I reached out through that connection and calmed him, suppressing the rising storm before it could grow. At the same time, I extended my warg senses outward, brushing against the minds of animals I placed near my more vulnerable children. I checked each of them in turn, ensuring their safety. Relief settled in me when I found no disturbance. For now, everything remained as it should be.
I opened my eyes and turned toward Gael. She watched me closely, her expression caught between worry and something close to fear.
"What woke you?" I asked, my voice steadier now, though my mind still lingered on the remnants of the vision. I studied her carefully, wondering if she had sensed anything through our bond.
Gael snorted softly in response and gestured toward me instead of answering directly.
I followed her gaze and finally noticed the state I was in. My sleepwear clung to my skin, soaked through with sweat. When I ran a hand across my face, it came away damp.
"Oh," I muttered under my breath.
"Aye, Daemon," Gael said at last, her tone edged with unease. "I woke because it felt like I was lying in water. What happened? The last time I saw you sweating like this was in the Stepstones, after the poison… when you were slaughtering pirates and fighting that Faceless Man."
I gave a slow nod. She was not wrong. It took significant strain to bring me to this state now, not after everything my body had endured and adapted from it. I had worked with dragonfire and survived it. Sweat no longer came easily.
"It was…" I began, before stopping abruptly as my thoughts returned to the memory of the dream, or vision, or whatever the fuck it had been. I was unsure of what it truly was, because it had not felt like a normal dream, and the uncertainty left me unsettled. Shaking my head, I forced myself to think clearly and chose to act with caution rather than rush forward in arrogance. The sensation of being constrained by another power, even within a dream, had not been pleasant, especially when I had lived for years as the most powerful man without challenge since my brief clash with the Night's King beyond the Wall. Something was wrong, and I intended to uncover what it was.
"Dear wife, even I am confused about what happened. I will explain after I use all my resources and power to See," I said as I pushed myself off the bed, already stripping off my damp nightwear and pulling on a fresh shirt and trousers. Without delay, I made my way to my office, unlocking the hidden compartment in the wall to retrieve my dragonglass candle. From there, I headed straight for the godswood.
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I opened my eyes and straightened my spine before settling back against the weirwood tree that had supported me for hours. As I looked around, I noticed the pale light of dawn creeping across the sky, and a flicker of surprise passed through me when I realized how much time had passed while I repeatedly forced myself through the vision. Hours of relentless effort had given me answers, though none of them brought comfort. The vision had not been random. It had shown the immediate future, and it had been a warning meant for me.
Some force had sent it, that much I was certain of. Either it was the same entity that had brought me into this world, or it was something akin to the greendreams that Bran and Rickon had experienced in canon. I doubted the latter. I had never possessed such dreams before, and even if I had, the sheer level of detail far exceeded anything those boys had seen. Perhaps my own strength and magical ability had amplified it, yet the feeling remained that this vision had come from an external force.
Even Morghul agreed with me and through our bond, I felt his anticipation, his excitement at the promise of upcoming battle. Whether it was against krakens or walkers meant nothing to him.
A snort of laughter hit my mind from my bond with Morghul who felt my thoughts. I groaned in irritation as the arrogance of Morghul regarding his Power after adapting through our bond was too much even for me.
'Or you are simply a scared little man' Morghul's mocking voice and laughter rang out.
"It is not fear when caution is warranted, Morghul," I snapped back. "Or have you forgotten that some higher power sent me that vision. You have seen my memories, you have seen my small battle with Night's King couple of decades ago and yet you are not worried. Even we would fall if enough ants swarm us."
'Higher power?' Morghul scoffed. 'The same higher power that fled when I entered the vision? You should have summoned me from the beginning. We might have found it by now. As for this Night's King… he will burn, just like everything else. Even a small flame you copied from The Black Shadow's mind was able to keep him away from subsuming your mind then. I look forward to the man trying the same again when I am here. I would like nothing more than to burn him physically but reducing his mind to ashes would also be good enough.'
"Well, it seems you may have your first real encounter with that entity soon enough," I muttered with a sigh. "Do you have any clues where the vision came from or have you heard about something like this in your long life?"
Morghul offered nothing in response, and I understood that even he had no answers.
I had spent hours attempting to trace the source of the vision, then more hours verifying what I had seen. I scoured through my networks, reached through my animals, and even turned to scrying in an effort to pinpoint the timing. Fortunately, I was able to confirm fragments. I found physical movements in present pointing towards the two events I saw: an Ironborn attack and an impending clash between a wildling army and my sons at Hardhome.
Yet when I searched for the wights and walkers, I found nothing. Neither my beasts nor my scrying could uncover them. Even so, the battle would occur in three days. At the same time, I was nearly certain that the Ironborn, led by that Hoare bastard, would strike within that same window.
Dragonstone showed no signs of enemies in preparation for an attack on the dragons in dragonmount. There was nothing near the dragonpit that suggested danger to the young dragons, and even after extending my search toward Essos, I found no indication of any threat there. The simultaneous nature of the Ironborn assault and the wildling conflict felt too precise to be coincidence, yet I lacked proof of a deeper connection.
"Maybe the canon Stark curse of everything going to shit for them going shit at the same time finally reached me." I muttered under my breath with exasperation.
Until now, I had enjoyed the kind of fortune that bordered on absurd. My plans had unfolded cleanly, one after another, each success building upon the last. In other words I had the canon Lannister level good luck. That kind of luck never lasted forever. When I was born as Dameon snow and planned what I must do, I never thought I would be king by this time. or if I was to be king then it would be because I had to kill the Targaryens because of their arrogance or foolishness. I had thought that by now I would have been starting a slave revolt or fighting a war on Essos or against the Targaryens for stealing a dragon by now. Yet here I am being the King without fighting a war at all, with complete support from almost all the lords as well Targaryen dragonriders. The fact I had to start the war myself for actually starting on my ambitions was quite surprising for me.
Closing my eyes again, I turned my focus toward Dorne. Half an hour passed as I carefully scryed its castles, its borders, and its movements. When I finally withdrew, I released a quiet breath of relief. There were no signs of an attack from Dorne within the next three days. If there had been, I would have lost my shit entirely.
The light of dawn had strengthened by the time I rose from beneath the weirwood. A meeting with my family could not be delayed any longer. Orders needed to be given, preparations set in motion, and every possible path weighed with precision.
Before facing them, however, I needed a plan—one that would ensure I chose the most efficient path forward with most benefits for me and mine.
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The only reason I did not appear tired or wary when my wife, Aethan, Benjen, my cousins, and my Hand of the Queen entered was due to my enhanced body. By now, I possessed tremendous stamina and required very little rest before I could continue. They greeted me as they took their seats, and I acknowledged them with a slight nod.
Gael looked slightly worried, likely sensing my emotions through our bond. The others appeared wary as well, as they must have realized that something had happened, given Morghul's furious roar in the middle of the night and the power I had leaked at the end of the dream vision. My rage had spread throughout Maegor's Holdfast during that moment, carried by my presence.
"Your Grace," Viserys said, as the silence began to stretch into something tense and uncomfortable.
I shook my head slowly, my gaze moving across each of them before I answered.
"It seems we are facing imminent danger, a threat to our blood. I had a dream vision that revealed at least three dangers beyond the coming Dornish conflict. I spent the entire night verifying its truth through my magic, and it has been confirmed that two of these threats will occur simultaneously on the third night from today."
Silence followed for several heartbeats before nearly everyone began speaking at once, questions spilling over each other as they demanded to know how, where, and what exactly the threat was. I raised my hand, silencing them, and then explained what I had seen and felt during the vision, along with how I had confirmed it.
Several minutes passed in silence as they absorbed the information. I could see the disturbance in their expressions, not only at the threats themselves but at my lack of my usual dramatics or amusement in the face of danger.
Gael was the first to break the silence. "Husband, what is the plan to deal with this and turn it to our advantage? Even beyond the Wall is within reach for us on dragonback within three days."
No one else offered suggestions, as they all knew I would devise the most efficient course of action.
"There is a possibility that this is a trap, meant to draw all dragonriders away from King's Landing," I said, frowning. "Even so, forcing a dream vision upon me required tremendous power, enough to breach my defenses. We must proceed with caution."
I paused to review my plan one final time before committing, but I was interrupted by Benjen, who appeared to be restraining anger and worry by the narrowest margin.
"Why are we still sitting on our asses while a kraken and a hundred Ironborn are about to attack Lyanna?" Benjen snapped. "You should already be on Morghul, hunting that damn monster. It has been hours since the vision, and we are still talking. A dragon is weak in the ocean, and a kraken rules there. Even Lyanna—"
For a moment, I was silenced by the outburst from one of my most cleverest and capable son who went on to explain the strength and weaknesses of kraken and dragon trying to show me why I must go myself. I looked around the room and I could see the surprise on everyone's face at the outburst against me, more than that I could see slight agreement on the matter on the faces of Daemon, Aegon, and Rhaenys. Clearly Lyanna had wormed her way to their hearts with her charm.
My eyes narrowed and I unleashed by presence slightly to silence Benjen, cutting him off.
"Do not interrupt me, boy," I said with coldness evident in my tone eventhough I was almost laughing inside. I had always wanted to use that line from a position of authority and now I finally could. I scrutinised him and I saw he was gritting his teeth but he kept his silence.
After a moment, I continued.
"Now that Benjen has finished his moment of stupidity, I will explain how we are going to save our collective asses. Gael, Benjen, Aethan, and Viserys—you will remain in King's Landing to ensure its safety and that of the younger members of our family. Gael, remain vigilant in case this is an attempt to draw me away from the castle and my children. As of now, your speed and skill alone are enough to kill even a Faceless Man."
I was not even lying to appease my wife or make a show of her skill. Our bond has ensured that Gael receives the boost needed to make tremondus growth in skill and capability.
Gael, Aethan and Viserys nodded while Benjen just remained silent stifling his anger I could feel from my seat.
"Aegon, you will escort Corlys and our fleet through the Stepstones. I saw no direct threat there, but we will not be careless. Carry the dragonglass knife and the Valyrian steel sword I gave you." Aegon bowed, vowing to protect every ship.
"Daemon, you are to go to Dragonstone and remain there for its protection. The Essosi scum who planned the attack specifically mentioned dragonlings and eggs. The young dragons recently hatched on Dragonstone are our future, and no one is to be allowed anywhere near them."
The moment I finished, Daemon shook his head, anger flashing across his face.
"What? You want me to babysit and do nothing? Send Aegon there and let me fight. You know damn well I am more effective in battle than sitting on my ass playing guard. Or at least let me go to the Sunset Sea. I will fight alongside Lyanna, or I will order her to go to Dragonstone and take over there."
I let out a tired sigh before replying.
"Daemon, this is not meant to punish you or insult your abilities in any way. Right now, you have the greatest affinity with dragons among the adults, aside from myself, my wife, and Lyanna. You understand dragonmount better than Aegon or Rhaenys, and even the dragon guards trust you more than them. It has to be you, and it is only for a week."
Daemon finally gave a reluctant nod.
"I will go and protect the dragons," he said, though his tone carried clear displeasure.
Then he glanced at me with a snort. "So, the mighty king is going to the Sunset Sea to fight a kraken and save his precious daughter?"
I just smirked at the question and almost everyone groaned in frustration as my sense for dramatics returned with a vengeance. Still, they must have misinterpreted my smirk by the reaction and thus I corrected them. "Of course not."
Daemon nodded in agreement with a faint, proud smirk, but it vanished instantly as realization struck him. The rest of the room reacted the same way, except for Aethan and Gael.
"No? You are not going to save Lyanna?" Viserys asked, shock plain on his face. Even Benjen seemed momentarily silenced.
"As I said, I am not going to the Sunset Sea to save Lyanna. Instead, I will fly north, beyond the Wall. I will stop at Skagos, activate our contingency plans, and send ships to Hardhome. Then I will wait for nightfall and save my sons by killing every single walker and undead bastard that appears."
I continued calmly, ignoring their stunned silence.
"I will contact Lyanna through dreams and warn her not to engage a kraken if such a situation arises. If she is overwhelmed, she is to retreat. I will remind her that staying alive to fight another day is a victory in itself."
"This is… unexpected," Rhaenys said, her voice filled with disbelief.
Only Gael and Aethan showed no surprise. They understood the true threat beyond the Wall.
"That's it?" Daemon demanded, fury rising in his voice. "You are only going to vaguely warn her? Why the hell are you not ordering her to return? You could easily prevent this entire situation. She follows your command."
I met his gaze and could see the anger he barely held in check, along with something else—fear, and care for Lyanna. I could feel his emotions clearly.
Lyanna has been confused between Benjen and Daemon until now, not committing to any choice. She could not choose Benjen because of how it would complicate things, especially since she is a dragonrider, and she did not choose Daemon either because he has been hiding his feelings for her due to his lingering pride and arrogance regarding Valyrian looks. Daemon did not want to take the step of asking for her hand without being certain she would accept, or without Lyanna herself declaring her choice.
I even had a bet with my dear wife, Gael, about whom Lyanna would choose. I chose Benjen because he is my son, while Gael chose Daemon because it was better politically. Gael had tried her best to match Daemon with Lyanna, but she was unable to complete the matchmaking. I had tried to support Benjen, yet even then I could not control someone's mind to make the decision for them. It has been a nice bit of drama for me to enjoy, watching the three of them make fools of themselves.
"That is exactly what I am going to do, Daemon," I said with a shrug. "I will not order or warn her openly. Lyanna is my eldest daughter and a dragonrider. If she cannot protect herself from danger at this age, despite all the powers I have bestowed upon her, then she deserves whatever is going to happen."
I paused slightly there before continuing;
"Even now, I will say the same thing when I contact her later. If, after that, she still chooses to fight a losing battle, then she must learn the final lesson—that daddy dearest is not always going to be there to save her."
I looked pointedly at both Daemon and Benjen before letting my gaze sweep across the others.
"In fact, I have no use for dragonlords who need protection because of their arrogance, pride, or headstrong nature."
I finished to an uncomfortable silence.
Daemon was almost struck dumb by my words. He whispered to himself in shock, low enough that only Gael and I could hear with our enhanced senses.
"But that is your favourite, precious daughter…
'My love, are you quite sure about this? It is as Daemon just whispered. She is your favourite child, even more so than our Gaemon and Daenerys', Gael asked me through our bond.
I almost sighed aloud before restraining myself, sending only a mental echo of my exhaustion.
'Quite sure, my love,' I replied. 'I have no other choice. If I start rescuing her simply because she is my daughter, she will only grow more wilful. I have given her all the tools needed to survive even unexpected threats like this. If she cannot do that, then I will mourn her death—and then I will do two things; Destroy the Iron Islands themselves if needed to end that idiotic culture and then ensure my lessons for our other children improve, correcting my mistake.'
Gael merely shook her head slightly, offering no response.
All of this passed within a heartbeat. I saw Daemon shake his head, trying to clear the impact of my words before resuming his argument about Lyanna. Suddenly, Viserys placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from escalating further.
Daemon glanced at him, Viserys shook his head, turning to look at me.
"My king, while the idea that a dragonlord would need safety from anything other than another dragonlord may seem laughable, I do not think you have considered the message this sends. Abandoning your favourite child—one who idolises you and has followed you faithfully—to save four bastard sons who openly hate you and have exploited your indulgence…" Viserys said carefully.
"Viserys is quite correct," Rhaenys added from her seat. "We follow you because you provide both reward and protection from certain dangers. If you abandon your most beloved daughter to her fate, what does that say about what will happen to us when faced with similar choices?"
To be honest, I had not expected my cousins to argue so strongly on Lyanna's behalf. Even so, I felt a quiet pride that my daughter had managed to charm such powerful allies.
"Rhaenys, Viserys, do not mistake my confidence in my daughter for abandonment," I said evenly. "I believe she will survive the night—whether by killing the kraken or escaping the trap. You are all reacting this way because, once again, I chose a course of action you did not anticipate.
The moment I said Lyanna was in real danger, you assumed I would go to save her. I cannot be everywhere, nor can I hold your hands forever. This is no different from expecting you not to slip and break your necks on wet steps. I expect caution from all of you—just as I expect Lyanna to survive this unexpected threat, even if that simply means flying away.
As for my 'hateful' bastard sons—you are out of date, Viserys. They may have begun by hating me, but they are clever enough to recognise my power and influence. They follow my will, so long as I do not smother or abuse them. And in the end, whether they love me or hate me is irrelevant.
I will never allow my blood to fall into the hands of the Night King. Beyond that, the opportunity to slaughter even a fraction of our enemies is a gift. My purpose beyond the Wall is to destroy as much of the dead as possible—while ensuring my sons survive. Even if it were Gaemon in that position, I would still choose him over Lyanna."
I could see the argument building again, but fortunately, Benjen intervened.
"Uncles, Aunt Rhaenys, it is useless to argue with Father about this now. He has made up his mind, with the final choice being what is best for himself and the realm at large," Benjen said as he looked at them. Then he turned towards me, and I could see the coldness in his eyes. The emotion was hidden behind a perfect Stark mask of coldness.
"Father, you are really a bastard, and I am not talking about being born out of wedlock. You wanted the attack on Lyanna, or even the attempt, to happen because you are finally fed up with the cursed Ironborn. One of their abilities to control a kraken is a threat, and you wanted a reason for you to attack and wipe them out officially. If Lyanna escapes the attack, then you have a reason to attack them. If Lyanna successfully kills a kraken, then you have a reason to attack, as well as the credit for training your daughter to such a degree that even a monstrous kraken is not enough to kill a dragonrider."
I just smiled slightly at that because Benjen was correct, and only he could see my motive outside of Gael and Aethan in my current plan. The only thing missing was that I had another reason too, outside of this.
Benjen gritted his teeth in anger, seeing my smile and taking it as confirmation. He suddenly stood up, avoiding all courtesies, and started walking towards the door.
Just as he reached the door, I said, "Benjen, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He didn't acknowledge me at all as he walked out, his entire demeanour pouring out anger.
The door closed, and I could see that they all looked uncertain about what to do or say. They had all followed my lead in indulging my bastard children to various degrees. The fact that many of them were charming, respectful, and skilled enough to be very useful made sure of that.
"Aethan," I said finally with a sigh, "make sure to keep an eye on Benjen for the next few days and advise him against doing anything I wouldn't do."
Aethan just snorted and laughed at that, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Aye, my king," Aethan said. "I would advise him just like I have advised you all these years. What are my other orders, and what should be done on our Dornish front?"
"Find anything that could be a threat from Essos. I will be out of the capital by today evening, and you, along with Gael, shall take over my warg spies in the capital to keep an eye. Rhaenys, you shall fly to our preliminary war camp in the Reach. I don't want any surprises from Dorne on the third day, even though I couldn't find anything. Just be there to respond if anything happens. Gael will have the final say on any matter when I am unavailable. Last time, I couldn't use my warging from beyond the Wall to the Seven Kingdoms. If I can do it now, I will be in contact if something happens, to order what to do. Communication is very important in winning any war, and let our enemies beware of how fast it is under my direction."
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Author Note: sorry for late late update..
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