Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lucerys felt numb.

The once innocent, vibrant young prince who had brought so much joy to everyone around him, including his uncles and aunt, had just lost something that he could never get back. His dearest companion, Arrax, the dragon whose egg had shared his cradle was dead.

It felt almost surreal to him and he hadn't been able to think about anything else since the moment he registered Vhagar swallowing Arrax whole. He hadn't even registered when Aemond grabbed him and assured him that everything was fine and that he would bring him to safety.

Safety.

He was not safe.

Aemond had taken him back with him to the Red Keep, though from the little glimpses Lucerys had seen of his childhood home, it should've long been renamed the Green Keep. There were no traces left of the Red and Black of their House, the decorations of their ancestors and their dragons, and paintings that showed images of great battles and conquerors. There was only Green, Green, Green. Green tapestries, green paintings, green-clad servants, green symbols of the Faith of the Seven. Only Green.

The only red and black spot had been him, though he had been wearing the blue and teal of his paternal house.

The Velaryons, his paternal family, if not by blood then by name and he carried it proudly. When he was younger he had dreaded the day he was to be named Lord of the Tides, he had grown since then and under the tutelage of his grandfather, he had grown to love the sea and its tides just as much as the Sea Snake himself. Yes, it was the only place he felt at home, besides his mother's arms or on Arrax's back. And one of his safe places had just been stolen from him.

It almost made him want to cry again.

But even that was taken from him because he was not alone. No, he was inside some strange room, staring at its walls, until he realized that somebody was calling his name, demanding his attention. He looked in their reaction, grimaced, and promptly looked away again when all he saw was yet another dreadful shade of green.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet your great-grandfather?" Otto Hightower replied in a mocking voice, making Lucerys feel sick.

"You are not my great-grandfather," he whispered, yet everybody in the room heard him clearly.

"Well seeing as my daughter, the dowager queen, is your mother's stepmother, I would think that's close enough, is it not?"

"Your daughter is not my mother's stepmother, she is but a green-cheeked wench who wouldn't know the echoes of her father from her own thoughts if she tried. A sheep or a cheap bride she may be, but she is neither worthy of the title of a Queen, nor that of a stepmother or a mother. Perhaps if that woman had done her job as a mother, we wouldn't be here right now," Lucerys replied icily.

Never before had anybody heard the usually soft-spoken prince speak in such a manner, yet it seemed as if he had lost all that made him what he once was.

Alicent, who Lucerys hadn't even seen before, was clenching her teeth but proved him right by not speaking a word to defend herself, only looking to her father to see what he would do. Otto himself had grown angry and was about to say some without a doubt cruel words, but was interrupted by Aegon cackling, making both Alicent and Otto look at him incredulously.

Usually, they would've just rolled their eyes at his behavior and moved on, but they were all aware of the fact that the supposed King was actually sober for once, courtesy of them removing every single bottle of wine or other alcoholic beverage they had stored within the Keep.

"I must admit, as much as it pains me to know the reason for your newfound open ire towards us, I cannot help but appreciate its freshness. I might even say that I must agree with your words! Of course, I won't say that, because I respect my elders and all that, but know that between us I cannot help but grow fonder of you now that we see eye to eye," he ended by giving Aemond a side eye, glaring at his brother and then smirking when he thought of another small jab to add.

"Or eyes to eyes, I feel the need to highlight because not everyone in this room would get the chance."

Aemond looked like he wanted to punch his brother right in the face, but Otto's warning look held him back last minute.

"Now, we will forget about all this if you do us one small favor. Write to your mother and tell her to give in, swear loyalty to Aegon and the new regime. In turn, we will allow her to keep Dragonstone and your heirship of Driftmark will be preserved. How does that sound, great-grandson?"

"It sounds like it was an idea from a madman with no less than a negative amount of brain cells. I will not write to my mother."

Aegon chuckled again, but remained quiet this time. Yet, he looked at Lucerys with a newfound interest, watching each of his reactions carefully.

"Lucerys, I urge you to reconsider. I promise you that under my protection, nothing will happen to you and you will be treated well, as a prince of your station deserves. You will get the finest meals, will be allowed to roam free in the gardens or the beaches, wherever you prefer. I will give you myself if that is what you want, but please reconsider, this must not end in war," Aemond unexpectedly took his hand and begged.

In any other situation, Lucerys might have laughed because Aemond was the one who was advocating for peace and no bloodshed. But now? He could only feel bitter resentment.

"Where was this attitude at Storm's End, when I assured you that I was merely an envoy and wanted nothing but to deliver a message? Where was your pacifism when you and your beast hunted me and my loyal friend to his death, robbing me of the first friend and companion I ever had, the only one, truly because nobody else was ever brave enough to look at me after I took your eye in an attempt to protect my own brother from your foolish impulsiveness," he hissed at his uncle, who could only bow his head in misery.

"It wasn't on purpose! I merely wanted to scare you, never harm you! And I saved you didn't I?"

Lucerys scoffed, "I am not surprised that you do not understand. How could you, when you only bonded with your dragon at a later stage in life, a dragon who had already had many other riders before you no less? Let me educate you on the matters of a bond between a dragon and its human, especially when they are born and hatched, fed and cared for in the same cradle. It is unbreakable. Your dragon feels what you feel, it knows your thoughts and you know theirs, they follow your command before you even knew you wanted to speak it and when the dragon or the rider dies, the one that gets left behind will never be the same. You may be Vhagar's rider, but you are not her bonded human, for her bonded died many many years ago and what is left is only a shell of her former self, which is why you are unable to truly control her."

Aemond sputtered, clearly unsure what to say now. But it was true. Aemond had no idea what a dragon bond truly felt like and Vhagar barely listened to him on a good day.

"Get over it, boy, it was only some large lizard with no other uses besides carrying you to war and it couldn't even do that in the end. Now, if you would excuse me, I have other matters to attend to and I expect the letter to your mother to be crafted by the time I return," Otto rolled his eyes in annoyance and left with Alicent in tow, though the once Queen couldn't look him in the eye and was clearly still embarrassed by the harsh words he had spoken of her earlier.

That left him and his uncles. Aegon looked at him in pity yet there was also something unsure and vulnerable in his eyes, something Lucerys had never seen before, not even when they were children. Of course, how could he have, when it had always been carefully hidden away by the eldest of them, only to be let out when he was alone in his chambers at night, after whoever was to punish him that night for things he did or didn't do had finally left. Usually, it was his mother, who he had learned to feel indifferent about a long time ago. He had long thought to himself that that woman was not his mother. She never cared for him, she only saw him as an extension of his grandfather's expectations. She had never cared for his own ambitions which were to live a simple yet comfortable life, raising little children with whoever he would end up loving. He never spoke it aloud, but he imagined a hoard of little children with his coloring yet a cheerful, compassionate yet adventurous demeanor, not unlike a certain young boy he had once known before their elders' poisoning had destroyed them all.

Lucerys supposed it made sense, in a way. Though they hadn't properly spoken or interacted with each other in years, Aegon had also grown up with Sunfyre. They had shared a cradle, just like Lucerys and Arrax had, and Aegon no doubt understood the bond of a dragon and its rider if his pride and open affection for his golden dragon were any indication. So if not for the once familial bond between a dashing and handsome uncle and his sweet, excitable nephew, then his compassion came from a place of understanding from dragon rider to dragon rider.

"I truly do feel sorry, nephew. None of this was done in my name or on my orders, I never wished to be King in the first place and I wish things could be different. Everyone else may have forgotten but all four of us used to be friends once and you were once my favorite nephew. It saddens me what has become of us due to our family's meddling and poisoning. Perhaps in another life, things could be different and we would be by each other's sides as loyal companions," Aegon smiled sadly at him, then looked to Aemond who looked like he had eaten something sour, scoffed and left the room, leaving only Aemond and Lucerys.

Lucerys looked away, uninterested in talking to his younger uncle anymore. If things went his way, he would never have to exchange another word with the man again.

"Luke-"

"Go. You've done enough, haven't you?" Lucerys sounded truly broken now.

And though Aemond looked like he wanted to say more, he clearly recognized the tremor in his voice and wanted to at least allow him to fall apart on his own, to keep his dignity in tact. So he left him alone, or at least that's what Lucerys thought.

It took a few moments before suddenly someone else spoke quietly.

"The Stormbringer, struck with grief, he thinks the Dragon Queen will ease, instead the Bonded will break free. Unburnt will be the future heir, his locks now silver as the moon, his eyes reflect Valyria's doom. The Storm brings an end to poisonous reign, only the innocent will remain, the Golden Prince his lovely fruit."

The cryptic speech alone immediately made him realize who it was.

"Aunt Helaena?" he asked in confusion.

He had never interacted much with her, and had been too young to appreciate her company, but he did enjoy her gentleness and he thought she could be very funny at times. But they had never been close, so he was very confused as to why she was suddenly in his room.

"The Stormbringer, struck with grief, he thinks the Dragon Queen will ease, instead the Bonded will break free. Unburnt will be the future heir, his locks now silver as the moon, his eyes reflect Valyria's doom. The Storm brings an end to poisonous reign, only the innocent will remain, the Golden Prince his lovely fruit," she repeated with a blank stare.

She kept doing so while slowly walking out of the room, continuously looking in his direction until she was completely gone. Not thinking much about it, he finally let go and cried himself to sleep.

Only now that he was truly alone in his misery was he able to feel his inner emotional turmoil and the knowledge that his beloved Arrax would never come back to him. He would never join him in the skies again, would never feel his comforting warm scales on his hands again, and would never have his protective wings wrapped around him again.

And that's when grief fully hit him.

The whole knight he was in and out of sleep, continuously waking himself up with nightmare after nightmare of Arrax, plagued by thoughts about what to do about Otto's demands, knowing that the former hand of the king would never give in, would never allow peace until every last one of his family was gone.

But that still didn't matter as much as the thought that kept slipping into his mind. He would have to live without Arrax. And after hours and hours of thinking about him and how his life could look like without him, he realized that whatever it was, he couldn't face it. Didn't want to, even. So in the early hours of the morning, when he knew nobody would be awake yet, he slowly walked to one of his room's walls that had a bookshelf next to it and looked for a particular one. When he found it, he pulled, resulting in the bookshelf slowly opening up and allowing him to go through.

He had lived here as a child and children were known to explore. And mere days before they had to travel to Laena's funeral, he had discovered a secret passageway connecting every single residential room within the castle directly to the place where the dragons were kept. He had been so excited to show his brother and his uncles, hopeful that they would praise him for his discovery, but of course, the whole situation that had resulted in them moving to Dragonstone had meant that he had never been able to show them. What a missed opportunity that was indeed, but now he was glad that he had never gotten the chance because this greatly decreased the possibility of anybody finding him before he arrived at his destination.

It took a while, but then he stood in the same area as the few dragons the greens had on their side, Dreamfyre, Sunfyre and of course - Vhagar.

Once upon a time, the large Queen of the Dragons had scared him, but now he only felt apathy. Not even hatred, because yes, Vhagar had chosen to swallow Arrax against Aemond's orders, but she was a dragon raised for war. What had Aemond expected? That she would be able to refuse her instincts in such a situation? That only showed once more how little he knew about the free, untameable creatures.

Vhagar immediately noticed him and narrowed her eyes at him, yet he walked closer still until he was standing right in front of her. Now looking at her, Lucerys knew it had to be her. She had killed Arrax so the closest way for him to be with Arrax once again was by using the same dragon.

So he kept eye contact with her for a few moments before he calmly spoke just one word, "Dracarys."

Vhagar only looked at him in confusion, especially when he started repeating the word with increasing urgency, to the point that he was now screaming at the dragon, practically provoking her. Yet instead of seeming angry, she seemed like she was oddly constipated. Then her stomach slowly began to rumble loudly as if she were hungry. Her loud noises had apparently been enough to wake some of the inhabitants of the castle, who were now rushing to see what was going on. Right at the front were Aemond and Aegon, both of them looking panicked when they realized the dire situation. Aemond immediately tried to come closer and command Vhagar to stop, yet she only continued to growl louder and louder, to the point that even Aemond was too scared to get close. Meanwhile, Aegon simply looked at Lucerys with understanding yet an underlying sadness and resignation. Behind them entered a stunned Alicent, a resigned-looking Helaena and an enraged Otto.

"What are you doing, boy, get away from the beast!"

But Lucerys ignored every single one of them, confident in his knowledge that neither of them would dare to come closer now that Vhagar was provoked.

One last time, he looked right at her and gave the loudest command her had ever given, "Dracarys!"

And suddenly, something unexpected happened.

Vhagar's eyes widened in horror and her stomach began moving in weird ways, the strange growl inside of it getting louder and louder. Until something broke free from it, ripping her whole stomach apart in the process, spying fire the whole time.

"Arrax," Lucerys breathed out in disbelief, before he felt his dragon's flames engulf him.

He heard screams behind him, some that sounded distinctly like a man possessed with grief, the other ones belonging to a shocked Alicent and angry Otto. The most heartbreaking, however, sounded like the anguished cries of a man losing his lover, a voice he knew to belong to his uncle Aegon.

Yet he could only concentrate on the heat he suddenly felt. It was a strange heat, for he logically knew that it was extremely hot and should've burnt him alive, yet at the same time he felt a sense of calmness overcome him, as if the flames were welcoming him home. He supposed it was technically true, as Arrax was his home and his flames were indirectly welcoming him back home.

And then suddenly, the feeling was gone. When he looked up, he saw Otto kick something in anger, Alicent shook her head in frustrated terror and Aemond and Aegon were both crying hysterically. Yet Helaena was looking right at him with a knowing look.

When Arrax had stretched and fully adjusted to being back in the land of the living, he came to Lucerys' side, gently nuzzling his face while cooing at him softly. The sound made Aegon finally look up and gasp when he saw him, which in turn made all of the others look at him as well.

Each of them carried looks of surprise on their faces, though he had no idea why. He hadn't truly grasped what had just happened. Shouldn't he be dead by now? What was going on?

"Your hair..." Aemond said in awe, making him blink in surprise and grab one of his locks, trying to pull it to the front so he could see.

It was silver, like the moon.

"You were not burned by the fire," Aegon said in awe.

His beloved little nephew, who he thought he had just lost mere moments ago, was a true dragon indeed, now more than ever. He had never needed to look like a Targaryen for him to know, but now his appearance and his personality truly matched those of a dragon. Silver hair, ivory skin and violet-teal irises reflecting the colors of the rainbow.

His nephew was a beauty unheard of, even in their own family. He was sure that Lucerys must have been the most beautiful being to ever have walked the earth.

And only when Aegon spoke, did Lucerys understand what had happened.

Vhagar had swallowed Arrax whole, so this whole time his beloved dragon had been inside of her stomach, waiting for his rider to save him. So when he heard Lucerys's command, he had broken free and followed his wishes as he always did. Yet Lucerys had not been burned by the flames, he was Unburnt.

He suddenly remembered Helaena's words from before.

The Stormbringer, struck with grief, he thinks the Dragon Queen will ease, instead the Bonded will break free.

Unburnt will be the future heir, his locks now silver as the moon, his eyes reflect Valyria's doom.

The Storm brings an end to poisonous reign, only the innocent will remain, the Golden Prince his lovely fruit

The first two parts had already been fulfilled then, but what about the rest?

If he was the Stormbringer, did that mean he was supposed to end their poisonous reign? But how?

And then he truly recognized the situation for what it was. An opportunity.

He was all alone in a space where nobody could witness, with the key players of the 'poisonous reign' as Helaena herself had called it. So with a clarity he had never felt before, he spoke once more while looking directly at Otto and Alicent.

"Dracarys."

And Arrax did. It took mere seconds, they hadn't even had enough time to scream, and then there were only scorch marks where Alicent and Otto had stood moments before.

Aegon looked at him in awe, Aemond in shock and Helaena with a look that didn't reveal anything about her thoughts.

He stared at all three of them expectantly, until they finally understood his unspoken question. Helaena walked to his side without hesitation, putting a gentle hand on his arm and smiling as a show of support. Aemond did so reluctantly, but only because he was unsure whether he was actually wanted on Lucerys's side. Lucerys only smiled knowingly, Aemond would be punished enough when he realized that despite Arrax being alive, he still had no interest in an affair with his younger uncle. Now, his elder uncle, however?

He came closer in a shy, almost timid way, which was very uncharacteristic of him.

"Nephew?"

"Uncle," Lucerys raised his eyebrows and held out a hand for Aegon, which he took eagerly.

"I will abdicate the throne and return it to its rightful Queen immediately. As long as you allow me to stay by your side, whether as your husband, your lover or your whore. I would even become your willing broodmare if you so wish, beloved," Aegon spoke earnestly.

Lucerys only chuckled, "Don't be silly, uncle. You are and always have been by Golden Prince, have you not uncle? I will wed you as soon as my mother has her throne and her kingdom and we will start a new era of peace. After we dealt with all the traitors, of course."

"Of course," Aegon giggled happily while kissing Lucerys's forehead.

The future Lord of Driftmark and his Lord consort flew back to Dragonstone on Arrax and Sunfyre, with their future advisors Aemond and Helaena in tow, riding Dreamfyre together. The two of them got the blessing of the Queen, who was coronated mere days later and the realm rejoiced in the rightful heir finally returning and in the union between the two princes, who would go on to have a hoard of children together. Aemond eventually got over his brother winning the affection of the love of his life and married Helaena, and though both of them knew that he would always love Lucerys more, they were still happy with their union and the few children that came of it.

And that all, because of the Unburnt Moon.