Westeros Continent.
Ever since Aegon the Conqueror rode his dragon, Balerion, leading his sister-wives, Queens Visenya and Rhaenys, to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, this continent has known a unified rule.
The era is counted from Aegon's coronation, known as 1 AC (After the Conquest). The year of unification serves as the boundary. Before it is BC (Before the Conquest), and after is AC.
109 AC.
The Vale, Runestone.
"House Royce is one of the oldest and most noble houses in the Vale. Their sigil is a shower of pebbles upon an orange field, surrounded by runes."
Inside the castle attic, an old maester spoke eloquently while holding a book. The environment was well-decorated, with bearskins and swords hanging on the walls, revealing a rugged, low-key extravagance.
In front of him, two students sat side by side.
Aemon used a raised book to cover his face, lowering his head to let out a big yawn. He was so sleepy he really couldn't stand it. He hadn't slept well again last night, his mind filled with a bunch of bizarre dreams the moment he closed his eyes.
William, the young man sitting to his left, cast a disdainful glance upon seeing this, straightening his back and listening attentively.
Aemon noticed but didn't care at all. The poor thing was only eight years old, a full five years younger than him. He wouldn't bother arguing with someone stuck here with him.
It is said that a child without a mother is like a blade of grass. His situation was different. He had a countess mother who loved to hunt and a father who was away all year. Both were hands-off, all but forgetting their only son, Aemon. How bitter for the child.
Aemon was used to it; the soul of a transmigrator was happy with this arrangement. He had been a high school student with clear eyes, eating ice cream and humming a song, who had a "lucky" accident while crossing the road. One blink, and he had been reincarnated.
Now he is called Aemon Targaryen, a pure-blooded descendant of Old Valyria.
(Note: In the established canon of George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood" and the "House of the Dragon" series, Daemon Targaryen and Rhea Royce did not have any children together. Their marriage was unconsummated. The character of Aemon is an original creation for this fan fiction.)
His father is Prince Daemon Targaryen, a highly skilled and unruly warrior, who also happens to have a good older brother who is the king. Very powerful.
His mother is Lady Rhea Royce, the current Lady of Runestone. Unfortunately, the couple's relationship is not just disharmonious; it is broken.
Thanks to the Great Council of 101 AC, the then-Lord of Runestone worked hard for the sake of his descendants.
(Note: The text mentions "Yobert Royce" as Rhea's great-uncle and Regent of the Eyrie. This character is not found in the canon. The known Lord of Runestone around this period is from House Royce, but the name Yobert and his specific actions as described are part of this story's narrative.)
In the canon, Prince Daemon Targaryen's wife was from the Vale. In order to compete with other contenders for power and influence, securing the Vale's support was crucial.
The condition for this support was simple: Daemon and his niece had to consummate their marriage.
Daemon despised his wife, scornfully calling her the "Bronze Bitch" and mocking that the sheep of the Vale were more comely than she. Therefore, the two had never consummated their marriage after the wedding.
With the motivation to help his brother, King Viserys, secure his position, coupled with political pressure, Daemon agreed. Just once, which led to the creation of the originally non-existent Aemon.
"Mom is clearly very beautiful; he really has no taste," Aemon thought, his eyelids drooping as his body almost lay flat on the table.
After living a second life, his mentality is very stable. Since God let him be a child again, he should do what a child should do: be happy and enjoy the childhood that adults dream of. When he grows up, he can try to stop the tragedy of the "Dance of the Dragons."
Dong dong!
The old maester spotted the inattentive student, closed his book, and knocked on the table, stopping his lecture. "Aemon, tell me, what is the motto of House Royce?"
"We Remember!" Aemon answered promptly.
"That's right, We Remember."
The old maester nodded in satisfaction, though his meaningful gaze was slightly unnerving.
Aemon yawned again secretly, muttering in a low voice: "Maester Hugh, why don't you ask about the motto of House Targaryen?"
"Because your mother does not like Targaryens," the old maester replied fluently.
Aemon frowned, pointing at himself. "I am a Targaryen." Look at this smooth, silver-gold hair and these violet eyes. Doesn't he look very Targaryen?
The old maester cast a sympathetic look, slowly closed his book, and prepared to leave as the lesson was over.
"Huh?" Aemon tilted his head. He then understood that his mother didn't like him very much either. Who told him to have such a hateful father?
Class was over.
Aemon perked up, evaded his young companion, and walked lightly through the corridor back to his room. In the huge castle of Runestone, there was no place suitable for children to wander.
As soon as he entered the door, the septa in charge of his education greeted him: "My prince, would you like to have lunch first, or recite from The Seven-Pointed Star?"
Aemon's face drooped slightly as he waved his hand. "I'm tired. I'll sleep for a while. We can talk about it in half an hour." He was genuinely a little sleepy, and definitely not because he didn't want to recite the holy precepts.
After coaxing the septa away, Aemon lay bored on the bed, as decadent as two cubs, a far cry from his lively persona outside. After lying down for a while, unable to quell his inner anxiety, he looked up and saw no one was around. He turned over, got out of bed, and walked to a corner where he moved out a round, black steel brazier.
Click!
He lifted the lid, and a wave of steaming heat billowed out. Aemon's face flushed from the heat as he took out a dark egg from the brazier filled with fiery red charcoal. The oval egg was almost a foot long.
Aemon seemed unable to feel the temperature, holding the black egg and looking it over, muttering, "Why haven't you hatched yet?"
The egg a Targaryen possesses is, naturally, a dragon egg. His small hand stroked the surface, its shell covered with a layer of diamond-shaped scales, their hardness comparable to stone.
Every newborn Targaryen has a dragon egg placed in their cradle. If it hatches, the young dragon can grow up with the child. As a child unloved by his father or mother, Aemon had never even had a drop of his mother's milk. This black dragon egg in his hand was placed in his cradle by his great-grandfather, "The Old King" Jaehaerys I.
The Old King passed away in 103 AC.
(Note: The original text stated Jaehaerys I died in 104 AC. The canonical year of his death is 103 AC.)
"Your mother dragon is so productive, yet you are a bit disappointing."
Aemon looked at it for a while and became even more worried, pointing a finger at the dragon egg. People say that many dragon eggs of this era came from the dragon Dreamfyre, an old, large, and very productive light blue she-dragon.
It's no wonder Aemon is worried; the future course of history is too perilous. The current world is at the peak of the Targaryen dynasty. In the near future, the number of dragonriders in the family will increase to an unprecedented level, leading to the cruel and bloody civil war known as the "Dance of the Dragons" in the struggle for the Iron Throne.
After the civil war, dragons became nearly extinct, and the bloodline grew thin and declined. The honor bestowed by the surname was lost, and the terror they once inspired was gradually forgotten by the Seven Kingdoms.
Now that Aemon is here, he of course hopes to avert this tragedy. But to play a role, he must first have the ability to protect himself. He knows that dragons are the fastest way to change his fate.
A Targaryen without a dragon is no better than a salted fish!
Since moving to Runestone at the age of three, he has been secretly hoping the dragon egg would hatch, so he could tame a dragon that would accompany him from childhood. Although a newly hatched dragon may not be as powerful as the wild dragons or the giant beasts of past kings, it is definitely a bright path worth dedicating oneself to.
"Sigh!"
Little Aemon helplessly leaned back, heaving a sigh. Where was he going to get a dragon? The egg was disappointing; it hadn't hatched in eight years. There are no dragons in Runestone. Did this mean he had to run to Dragonstone?
Just as he was about to put the hot dragon egg down, he suddenly heard a voice.
"Discovered an item containing magic. Obtained magic essence +3."
Aemon was stunned when he heard the sound and sat bolt upright on the spot.
Summary of Corrections and Naming