In early 262 AC, good news from Storm's End brought joy to everyone.
Ser Steffon's wife had given birth to twins.
Just like Rhaegar, these two children would become the trendsetters of the next generation.
Has the wheel of fate begun to turn? Robert Baratheon, Brandon Stark, then Eddard Stark, the siblings Jaime and Cersei, and the Tully sisters. I will change the course of history; this era belongs to me, Rhaegar thought.
As these children grew to adulthood, the story would begin to write itself. I must seize the opportunity to rewrite the script.
"Roberta Baratheon, my little bride? Even this fact alone has already altered history. In the near future, the Hammer King, Robert, might become my brother-by-law." Rhaegar thought of the girl from the House of the Stag again, wondering how much change she would bring him. The butterfly effect he had triggered was truly fascinating.
King Jaehaerys and Lord Ormund did not seem to be joking about their intentions.
The dragonlords placed excessive weight on dragon blood when choosing a mate. Roberta's grandmother was a Targaryen princess, making her the closest match by blood. Coupled with the special relationship between the Crown and House Baratheon, this marriage was all but set in stone.
The great alliance of Dragon, Lion, and Stag had its origins in the adventures of Aegon V and Duncan the Tall. Tywin's grandfather Gerold had supported Aegon V's ascension with gold, and the "Laughing Storm" Lyonel Baratheon had shared a deep bond with them both. That profound and enduring friendship still influenced the pulse of the era.
Rhaegar thought it over and felt a sense of relief; he could not escape the inertia of history entirely.
In this age where noble houses reigned supreme, people placed immense value on family, honor, heritage, and appearance.
Especially for the heirs of great houses, marriage was strictly limited to their own circles. Unless the bloodline and nobility were supreme, they could not intermarry, and even those with ugly appearances found few suitors.
Take Prince Duncan for example; Rhaegar could not choose his marriage freely, especially since he was currently the only heir.
The Crown could no longer tolerate instability, and a free marriage would only further provoke the anger of the great lords.
Fortunately, the high lords of the Stormlands, the Westerlands, and Dorne usually bred handsome men and beautiful women with steady consistency; their "genetic improvement programs" were quite effective.
Robert was handsome and dashing in his youth, a dream lover for maidens. If he had a sister, she must be beautiful too.
Princess Jocelyn Baratheon of that time had been a world-renowned beauty, standing five feet eleven inches tall. She had possessed thick, lustrous black hair that fell to her waist like raven's feathers. The princess was tall and graceful, and later married the heir to the Iron Throne.
While the adults sent greetings to Storm's End via raven, Rhaegar's greatest concern was "The Autobiography of Brynden Rivers, Lord Bloodraven."
When Rhaegar read that ancient, weather-beaten book, he felt as if he could see Lord Bloodraven's face, a stern, severe, slightly melancholic visage.
Bloodraven's life was full of contradictions; sometimes he was black, sometimes white; sometimes burning fire, sometimes cold ice.
He was highborn, yet a bastard; ruthless, yet he stabilized the realm; he pursued light through dark means. He was a warrior, a sorcerer, and Hand of the King. A truly paradoxical figure. Even his deep affection for his sister Shiera ended in bitterness.
After obtaining the Dragonlord Ring, Rhaegar had taken the book back to his room.
Rhaegar flipped through it, but could only read the first half; he lacked the ability to open the second half.
Bloodraven's memories, growth, philosophy of rule, and even his archery and martial arts benefited Rhaegar greatly, but the most mysterious parts remained veiled.
Perhaps Lord Bloodraven had placed some magic on the book as well.
Reading closely, Rhaegar did find clues about Aegon IV.
Though Aegon the Unworthy was dead, he seemed to live on in everyone's mind, despite his infamy.
"The world believes Aegon IV was neither a loving father nor a good man. My father drowned in pleasure, unable to extricate himself from his lust for love. He was so tender and considerate, yet so fickle; his feelings for women were like the wind, coming and going without trace. Beyond his nature, however, I always felt my father was also influenced or guided by some prophecy."
"Once, while drunk, he told me he believed the Prince That Was Promised would be born of his line, and that a descendant of one of his children would fulfill the prophecy."
"He believed Daemon had more of the warrior's nature, and that the descendants of Daemon Blackfyre were more likely to fulfill the prophecy that led to chaos, bloodshed, and war. Furthermore, Daemon's mother was Princess Daena, who had pure dragon blood, making him no weaker than the legitimate son Daeron. Daeron was not a natural warrior, and his mother was sickly; she could not bear him three dragons. Daeron was also arranged to marry a Dornish woman, so his children would carry Dornish blood, diluting the Targaryen line," Brynden Rivers recalled. Rhaegar could feel the indignation in his tone.
In terms of fatherly duty, Aegon IV was undoubtedly derelict in the extreme. He indulged in his affairs but refused to uphold the honor of his children. He even spread rumors that his wife had committed adultery, simply because he disliked his son Daeron succeeding him.
Rhaegar was shocked. Could Aegon IV's "Great Seeding" plan really have had such considerations?
Moreover, Aegon IV always held the mindset: "After I die, let the floods take the world." He cared nothing for the chaos his many children would cause. He was even willing to give away three dragon eggs just to sleep with a woman.
Rhaegar gained a profound understanding of House Targaryen's obsession with prophecy. So, he read on.
"I believe the 'Prince That Was Promised' is mostly nonsense, a hypothesis my father used to mask his emotions and lusts. His words were half-truth, half-lie; perhaps he was superstitious about prophecy, but he loved women more. However, the legendary nature of House Targaryen is too thick, and the superstition too deep. Everyone knows Targaryens are either geniuses or madmen. They believe in prophecies and dragon dreams without question, living their whole lives in fantasy. For a dragon dream, they will do anything. My poor great-nephew Aerion has already turned to dust."
"As far as I know, apart from 'Dragon Dreams,' the three prophecies House Targaryen is most superstitious about are: The Prince That Was Promised, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Dragon Has Three Heads."
"A Song of Ice and Fire: Ice and fire, hate and love, bitter and sweet, winter and happiness, winter and the summer hall, evil and justice."
"The Dragon Has Three Heads refers to the idea that the dragon lord family should have three members. Initially, these three heads referred to Aegon the Conqueror and his two wives, Rhaenys and Visenya. But the later meaning is hard to define."
"Is it still the Prince That Was Promised?" Rhaegar's heart gave a fierce thump. This prophecy in particular had plagued the dragon kings for years.
Born amidst salt and smoke, beneath a bleeding star.
Rhaegar's grandfather believed deeply in this prophecy. Because the woodswitch prophesied that the union of Prince Aerys and Rhaella would birth the Prince That Was Promised, he ordered Rhaegar's parents to wed. Rhaegar himself would later become obsessed with it, first believing he was the prince, the fire at Summerhall was the smoke, the tears of the people the salt. Later, he believed the Prince was his son Aegon, and became obsessed with "The Dragon Has Three Heads," but ultimately ended in failure.
It turned out his distant ancestor Aegon IV also believed this prophecy. However, the way this ancestor went about fulfilling it was extraordinary.
Aegon IV became the "Sower of King's Landing," mingling with women of every color across the known world, his lovers hailing from as far as across the Narrow Sea. In Braavos, he dallied with the courtesan Bellegere Otherys (the Black Pearl); in King's Landing, he spent nights with Princess Daena; in the Riverlands, he bedded both House Bracken and House Blackwood. He even got his wish with Serenei of Lys, the sorceress who bore him Shiera Seastar.
Perhaps Aegon IV thought: the more dragon seeds in the world, the greater the chance the prophecy would be realized. The logic seemed plausible enough.
Maybe we were all wrong? Rhaegar thought.
Both Prince Aerys and Rhaegar himself would later fall into prophetic mania. Half of this was due to the crisis of dragon numbers and resource scarcity, and half because they could not fulfill the "Three Heads of the Dragon."
He felt as if the world was trapped on the rails of fate. According to the Red Priests, the Prince That Was Promised had been foretold for over five thousand years. How could he easily believe he was that prince?
And now, with so many dragon seeds, perhaps every one of them harbored such a beautiful dream.
Rhaegar understood the content of the prophecy, but he would not believe blindly.
Prophecy was only prophecy in the end; excessive obsession would only be counterproductive.
"Close Bloodraven's autobiography," Rhaegar murmured.
I am not superstitious about prophecy.
The false silver prince believes in prophecy; the true silver prince must create history.
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20