𝓐𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓪𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓻𝔂𝓮𝓷
I'd claimed one of the most ferocious dragons in the realm and it hadn't mattered, I'd lost control.

My breathing becomes erratic, uncontrollable at best.

I killed him.

Her dream had been about me and she'd seen it all coming.

It was I who was the threat all this time, I'd been the monster.

"No, no, no," I murmur to myself in desperation as everything I'd grown to love and cherish vanished before me.

Vhagar circles back around and I get a better look at the carnage as it falls through the sky but Daeron is still on the attack, blasting Vhagar with bursts of flames while I'm distracted.

Looking back and forth between Daeron and the remaining bits of Arrax I have to make the choice.

Revenge? Or hope?

Without a second thought, I tighten the reigns and call out to Vhagar, "Adhirikydho, Vhagar! Dive, now!"
*quickly, Vhagar

Vhagar grunts in annoyance with Daeron at our tail but she does as I command, diving through the clouds back into the storm where the lightning splits the sky.

Distant screams ring out somewhere deeper beneath us and I wonder if it's my mind playing tricks on me, or truly my nephew falling hopelessly just out of reach. Either way, it didn't matter, if there was a one-in-a-million chance I could save him, I would follow him to the seven hells for Elaena.

I'd promised her, and I would not break her heart again.

It isn't until we break through the clouds that I finally see him, alive and whole but falling almost faster than Vhagar can fly.

Almost.

"We must save him Vhagar, now!"

As if she feels my urgency through our bond she ducks her head and sets her wings straight back so we're mere riders of the wind, cascading through the sky.

Practically free falling, we don't see Tessarion coming when she slams into the side of us, and instead of fleeing the blue beast clings to Vhagar like a parasite.

She bites and claws at her already fragile wings and my poor dragon cries out in pain, spinning and flapping her wings to break free from them.

Growling in frustration the painful cries from Vhagar break my heart and there's hardly anything I can do except save Luke.

"DRACARYS, Vhagar! Now!"

She twists her neck firing at Tessarion and her own body, burning her wounds in the process but it does an intended, untangling us at the last moment as we break through the clouds.

I regain my bearings, looking everywhere for the little lord surrounded by the endless ocean but Vhagar must see him before I do, correcting her course to grab him, scooping him from the jaws of death with only a second to spare before he crashes against the surface of the ocean.

"Hold on down there, Lord Strong!" I call out to him with a bit of a smirk but we weren't out of the storm quite yet.

With Daeron still on our tail he's managed to keep up and with the damage Vhagar's suffered she's in no state for a battle, only just holding Lucerys below us.

I couldn't risk him being hurt.

"Are you running, big brother? Not much like you to run!" Daeron's taunting voice comes from behind us and in a past life I would've taken the bait, hell earlier this evening I'd taken it but for a moment I'd lost everything and I would do anything to never feel that loss again.

Even the gods couldn't stop me, I will keep this promise.

"Take us home, Vhagar! Lenton!"
*Home

Even with Vhagar's broken spirit and wings, she pushes through her pain with a cry and I feel it deep within my broken soul.

Leaving gusts of flames in her wake Tessarion and Daeron pull back, unable to deal with the firepower she exerted.

But wherever Vhagar takes us it's not home. 

For hours we fly as she ignores my commands until I have no sense of direction, no sense of home.

She finally lands off the shore of a small river, taking her fill of the water and letting Lucerys free to tumble in the sand.

From a quick assessment he still has all limbs and I deem that a success, though his rescue hadn't come without a price.

Taking hold of the straps I look over Vhagar's wounds. As if her wings hadn't been torn enough from old age, Tessarion had done a number on her, ripping them wider and leaving punctures up and down her side.

"You killed my dragon! YOU killed Arrax!" Lucerys shouts at me, pushing me pathetically but I hardly stumble, pushing him harshly back away from me.

"You should be thanking me! I almost sacrificed Vhagar and myself to save you! The bastard boy who took my eye!" I shout back, and at the moment I carry no sympathy for him.

In an attempt to distract myself, I turn back to Vhagar but I only grow more irritated as I assess her wounds.

"Thanking you?! For killing my dragon?! You almost killed me!"

"Careful Lord Strong, if I hadn't promised my wife your protection you'd be at the bottom of the ocean," I growl, balling up my fists at my sides and thankfully for his sake I've struck him speechless.

"You could've let me fall to my death..." He murmurs, and if I had both of my eyes I'd roll them.

 All that time to think and it hadn't occurred to him why I'd done what I'd done?

Cracking the tense muscles in my neck I take a deep breath. "Did you honestly think your sister would ever forgive me if I let anything happen to you?"

His wide brown eyes look me up and down to examine me but it only unsettles me. I don't recognize why at first but then it hits me.

His inquisitive stare reminds me of Elaena, his eyebrow arching like hers when she's angry with me.

At the thought of her, my anger fizzles away and it's replaced with worry.

We wouldn't come right home as I'd promised if the cold and wind were any sign of where we were it certainly wasn't Kings Landing and for that we were lucky.

"Seven hells. We're gods know where and she's in no state to take us home..."

There was no use in trying to make her fly, she'd done what she could to get us safe but it was clear wherever we'd go, we'd have to get there by foot.

We were stranded.

Saving Lucerys would be of no consequence if I didn't get him home safe and sound. As far I was concerned, he was under my protection until we stepped foot in the castle at Dragonstone.

Taking my bag off my shoulders I throw it onto the sandy dirt and run my hands through my damp curled hair, pacing back and forth.

Behind me, Lucerys takes a seat on a rock and for a few minutes we sit in silence, only the sound of the small waves and Vhagar between us.

"What are we going to do? They're all going to think we're dead." He whispers and all I can imagine is Elaena's tearful eyes when she hears.

It wouldn't be possible for Tessarion to rip apart a dragon that size. Arrax would eventually wash ashore but there would be no sign of Vhagar and me. The obvious choice for blame would be us.

My gut twists as it comes to me all at once. Not only would Elaena think I'd failed, but she'll also think it was her own husband that killed him.

"No. They're going to think I killed you."

Luke snaps his neck to look at me, shaking his head.

"Elaena wouldn't believe that-"

"She won't have a choice... all signs point to me. It'll all but confirm it when I don't come home with an explanation." The heartbreak in my husky voice is clear and I don't have the strength to hide it from him. Elaena had always been my weakness.

All I'd done to protect her would all be in vain. Hatred and love were two sides of the same coin and if she thought I'd killed her brother?

Fuck.

My sweet girl would be sweet no more. I wouldn't be surprised if she searched the entire realm for me to get her revenge.

"We camp here for the night," I call out to him. "There's no use traveling now, we'll lose daylight soon."

Lord Strong wants to argue but decides against it, noticing the tone of my voice.

Hanging my head I join Vhagar by the water and take a seat in the sand. She grunts softly in way of greeting but my mind was spinning. I had to think of something, anything to get us home.

Vhagar nuzzles against me, whining in pain and it only deepens the crack in my cold heart.

"Iksan vaoreznuni ñuha raqiros, you didn't deserve any of this."
*I'm sorry my friend

She groans in response and if dragons could cry, I could've sworn there was a lone tear in the corner of her eye.

It was unclear where we'd go from here, but I knew if there was any chance of survival our identities would have to stay a secret. If word got out to Aegon that I was alive and defenseless, he'd send my brother back to finish the job.

To either side, I was an outlaw. Either I'd betrayed Aegon or I'd betrayed Rhaenyra and if we ran into the wrong people our heads would be offered to my brother on a silver platter at a high price.

Before the sun falls I take a walk around the perimeter to ensure we were truly alone and as far as the eye could see it was all empty roads and forest.

To my surprise, Lucerys has already started a fire. Maybe he was more competent than I'd realized.

Taking a seat across from him I flip open the clasps of my bag. Right on top of my extra clothes, Elaena had packed a small supply of food and the favour she'd offered me the day of the tournament. 

My sweet song thinking of everything.

Smiling to myself I wish for those simpler times, hoping wherever she was Elaena wasn't doubting all we'd build together.

Unwrapping a bit of bread I toss it to him without a word. From the corner of my eye, I can sense him staring at me but I take a bite of my half, looking out at the water.

"Thank you." He whispers, unsure of himself.

Glancing toward him we only lock eyes for a moment, "Thank your sister. She's who packed my bag."

Another few beats of silence separate us until he works up the courage to speak again.

"Where do you think we are?" He asks timidly.

"If the cold is any indication, we're somewhere further North. The closest town could be a day or two walk from here."

His brown eyes go wide for a moment but he catches himself and takes a bite of his bread in silence and I'm thankful for the peace and quiet.

Lucerys and I had hardly spoken to one another in the short time Elaena and I had been married. Uncomfortable awkward silence didn't even begin to cover the thick tension between us.

He stole my eye and I'd killed his dragon. I wouldn't say they were the same price to be paid but some would say we were even.

The remainder of the night is spent in silence. I offer to keep the first watch but truth be told it was clear neither one of us would be sleeping through the night.

The moment the sun rose in the sky both of us were eager to get to civilization. Leaving Vhagar to herself on the lower banks of the river unsettled me. She was a terrifying beast to any who would stand against her but I would always have the urge to protect her.

It isn't until late afternoon that either one of us speaks to the other and I was beginning to grow fond of it until Lucerys ruins the peaceful quiet of our walk.

"Why did you volunteer to go with me to Storms End?"

Being a few steps ahead I smirk to myself firing another question back at him, "Why did you stand on my behalf when I offered?"

Waiting for a moment we both answer the other's question at the same time.

"Elaena."

"Elaena."

I look over my shoulder at him but he's already watching me, just as his sister does and I can't help but laugh to myself at the bizarre feeling.

From a glance, it wasn't obvious they were siblings but now that I'd grown to know all of Elaena's quirks I was beginning to notice the same in her little brother.

As if I needed to be reminded of her.

"Your sister has... dreams."

The muscles in my jaw clench and I look away, correcting myself, "Well I suppose they're closer to nightmares."

Thinking back to the first time I'd seen it for myself it was heartbreaking to watch and I hadn't even realized how deep my feelings for her had gone until I saw the tears in her violet eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Unsure she'd want me sharing I bite at the dry skin on my lip while I think it over.

"The night you all returned to Kings Landing she saw Arrax falling through the sky in her dream. She thought she saw your death and I promised her I would protect you."

I can see he's deep in thought, doing the math to fully comprehend how long we'd suspected this would happen.

"You've known all this time? Even when you weren't married to my sister you made that vow?"

Nodding in short response I didn't want the little lord to think he was any more important than he was.

It was simple. My love for Elaena overrode any hatred I held in my heart, and for that Lord Strong was lucky.

That night I dreamt of her. I was too exhausted to keep watch all night long and though I'd gotten my rest, it was torture.

In my dreams, we were together. The morning light had shone in through our balcony on her pale skin as any other morning but just as I reached out to touch her she'd vanished.

Unfortunately for my traveling companion, this keeps me in a sour mood all morning.

Our breakfast was more of the same but neither of us complained, just grateful to have something to eat courtesy of Elaena.

Whether it be our quick walking or my false assessment we climb one last hill where the tree line breaks and spot a small town down the road.

"We can send a raven. Do you suppose someone would let us? We could tell them who we are-"

Stopping in my tracks abruptly I turn my burning gaze to him, "Do you have a death wish like your sister?" Lucerys stares at me with his dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Seven hells... no one can know who we are! Even our enemies believe you dead, do you understand?" By the look on his face, he surely doesn't understand and I groan in frustration.

"There's no bounty on the head of a dead man. Aegon cannot know where you are. If a single person hears about your whereabouts we can't take the chance that my grandfather's spies will hear about it before Daemon's."

Realization finally dawns on the young boy's face and I can breathe for a moment.

Patting him on the shoulder I pull my hood up and over my face urging him forward down the hill.

From afar the small town is run down. There aren't many houses or castles to marvel at but when we come closer the streets are bustling with happy people and vendors by the dozen.

Wherever we were must've been a popular trading post so we were right to be cautious.

My long blonde hair and eyepatch were a dead giveaway and if Aegon was already looking for me, I'd be too easily recognizable.

As we sulk through the crowds we find our way to the town Inn where we can rest our feet and eat something other than stale bread.

I suppose I should be thankful for the warm fire and a roof over our heads but wherever we sat the leaky roof followed me dripping onto the hood of my cloak until we'd eventually found a corner of privacy.

Keeping to ourselves I keep my head down, listening closely for any sign of where we were until I hear the one thing that can pull me from the hallowed darkened halls of my mind.

"Late last night a dragon frightened my horses," An old man says from behind me and another chimes in beside him, "It must've been the young Prince. He's visiting the Lord of Winterfell-"

Jace. 

"No, no! Listen you fool, this dragon was different! Silver!"

Elaena.

From across the table, Lucerys and I lock eyes, and everything in me urges me to get up from the table and take the man by his collar, strangling it all out of him.

Which direction she'd gone, if anyone had been with her, anything for that matter.

Straining to listen to their conversation my grip on the cup is deadly.

"The young princess must be visiting her brother... they'd just lost a brother after all. Her own husband! They're bound to go to war,"

The news of Lucerys' death had already spread like wildfire across the seven kingdoms and my sweet girl was going to Winterfell to mourn with her brother or protect him perhaps...

My heart seizes in my chest.

Was it possible?

Could she have annulled our marriage without hearing from me?

The mere thought brings a sharp pain to my chest and I hang my head, almost keeling over.

There wasn't a single moment to waste I would go to her now. On foot, on horseback, I had to find her before it was too late.

Going to push my chair out from the table Lucerys kicks me beneath the table, gripping my arm, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"She's going to Cregan Stark's doorstep, and she's heartbroken. If we're close to Winterfell we're going after her-"

"What about Dragonstone?!" He whispers, looking around to make sure no one is watching but I tear my arm from his hold.

"Fuck, Dragonstone. I'm finding out where we are and we're leaving!"

Standing up abruptly my voice must carry, and the very table we'd been eavesdropping on is staring at us with wild eyes. Though the both of us have our heads covered with hoods, the two older men zero in on my eyepatch and my stomach drops.

The familiarity sinks in on their faces and their expressions drop slowly in fear.

As far as they knew, I was a kinslayer, a monster, and to an extent they were right. I was capable of a great many things.

Glancing toward Lucerys my eye flickers only slightly, and he knows what it means, turning around in his seat.

Clearing my throat I lean closer to them, slipping my fingers around my dagger beneath my cloak.

"Don't stop the conversation on account of me, gentleman. You were just talking about my wife."

The man on the left's mouth moves, still agape but nothing comes out. I'd stolen the breath from their lungs and the blood from their veins and their faces, but I would be lying if I said I didn't get off on it, the power that came with the fear.

"Perhaps you can help a lonely traveler on his journey." My lips tip up into a diabolical smirk, one I hadn't worn in quite some time but it does its job of keeping them silent. 

"Maybe you can point me and my men in the direction of the Kingsroad."

Keeping their eyes locked on one another they dart their gazes toward me but only for a second and my patience wears thin.

Before they have a chance to move I swiftly lift my cloak and drive my dagger into the pastry that sat between them in the middle of the table. 

With the noise that surrounds us, no one else bats an eye but by the rancid smell, one of the old men must shit themselves.

Kneeling closer I give them one more chance at their lives.

"You- You're a murderer, a traitor." The one to my left murmurs avoiding eye contact.

I take a deep breath and glance at Lucerys who sat with tense shoulders.

"That wasn't quite the answer I was looking for,"

Though it's small I notice one of them move for something beneath the table but I strike first. 

Yanking my dagger from the table I slice one of their throats. My blade was so sharp it doesn't make a sound almost like a paper cut. The other manages to get a swing at me but I dodge his sword, drawing mine and jabbing him in the gut. 

His blood splatters across the table ruining the perfectly good pastry and before I can revel in my victory Lucerys grabs my arm. 

"What happened to keeping our identities a secret?!" He hisses and I arch an eyebrow, impressed by the venom he spits but when I take a look around we'd seem to have acquired an audience. 

Whispering among themselves I can only make out a few keywords. 

"Prince Aemond,"

"Kinslayer,"

"Fallen brother of the crown,"

The smirk I'm wearing falls at the insults they mumble beneath their breath but I remind myself none of it was true. 

The only person who mattered was in the care of another man and she was hurting because of these lies. 

The crowd that surrounds us closes in and I can't risk both of us being exposed. 

Reacting immediately I tug Luke's hood down over his face and for once he must be thankful to be a Strong bastard with plain brown hair. 

Pushing him out through the crowd he keeps his head down and we make it out the door but I can feel the others who weren't far behind. 

Taking off in a sprint we're both running for our lives through the swarms of people but I don't take many steps without turning to make sure Lucerys is right behind me.

"What's your plan?!" He shouts and I only chuckle, surveying the area for our way out when I spot the horse stable.

"That's my plan, Lord Strong!" I point with a sly grin, pushing him in front of me so he gets to the horses first.

Helping him up I toss him the reigns, sending him on his way just as one catches up to us, yanking my cloak and revealing my face in the process but it's no use now.

Our swords clash and my steel getting a taste of combat thrills me, my adrenaline pumping through my veins as he swings my way again.

Dodging it I sway to the side and take his legs out from under him with one kick and make an X in his chest with my dagger. This time I don't finish the job, using the spare moment to jump aback a horse, following Lucerys down the road until the small town behind us disappears through the hills and forest.

We don't slow until the horses are run to exhaustion and we're staring out over a long stretch of a field with not another soul in sight.

Finally, we look at one another and we both burst into relieved hysterical laughter and from afar someone might think we liked one another.

His pale face is flushed from the cold and I wonder what I must look like covered in blood.

"Well... what's the plan now? I suppose we could just trek north and hope for the best,"

When he doesn't respond I look over my shoulder and he's going through a pack that most certainly wasn't one of ours. 

"This is the plan, Prince Aemond." Mocking me almost like a brother, the thought brings bile up my throat and I could almost throw up when he smirks at me.

Digging through the pack he finds a weathered piece of rolled-up parchment and examines it for a moment before a smile lights up his face. 

"We trek west, to the Kingsroad." Awfully proud of himself Lucerys holds up the map where the menu for the inn is tucked in between the folds.

'White Harbor Inn and Ale'

We were North alright but we were still a one to two-week ride away from Winterfell at the most.

Two weeks.

Almost a month away from her? Almost a month of her heart broken in two wondering why I'd run away without a trace. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve any of this.

Elaena needed the father of her child, she'd be showing any day now.

"Fuck, we're too far from her," I grumble to myself hopping down from my horse. 

The adrenaline fades and I cringe at the mental pictures that flooded my mind. 

She'd be vulnerable, and that son of a bitch will have her right where he wants her and how could I blame her? She thinks I killed her brother, she would think this was all a lie just as she did before.

"If she hasn't annulled our marriage yet, she will. Two weeks is too long... it's too long." Grounding my jaw I fiddle with the handkerchief I had tucked away in my pocket. 

Lucerys chirps up from behind me and his voice starts out unsure, "Then we don't have another second to waste."

Locking eyes with the little lord I fight the small smile at his words and look down at the dirt as I reiterate his words. 

"Then we don't have another second to waste," 

***

𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻:

AHHHHH! Finally. This twist was one of the very first things I had to decide when outlining key plot points and it's been SO HARD to keep it a secret this long so I hope you like it and I can't wait for you all to see what else I have planned edit wise and fic wise. I also worked super hard to get this action-packed chapter to you soon rather than later!!

Thank you to everyone whose read this far I love you all and read every single comment so please let me know your thoughts and feelings thank you <3 

Also; older Luke 
Pictured; harry gilby