Main Content
Archive of Our OwnArchive of Our OwnHi, TheBrimmedHat!PostLog Out
FandomsBrowseSearchAboutWork Search
tip: "sherlock (tv)" m/m NOT "sherlock holmes/john watson"
Actions
Entire Work Next Chapter → Chapter Index Bookmark Mark for Later Comments Share Download
Work Header
Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category:
F/M
Fandoms:
House of the Dragon (TV)Warhammer FantasyA Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Relationships:
Rhaena Targaryen (Daughter of Daemon)/Lucerys Velaryon (Son of Rhaenyra)Baela Targaryen/Jacaerys Velaryon
Characters:
Lucerys Velaryon (Son of Rhaenyra)Laena Velaryon (Daughter of Corlys)Rhaena Targaryen (Daughter of Daemon)Baela TargaryenJacaerys VelaryonRhaenyra TargaryenDaemon TargaryenCorlys "The Sea Snake" VelaryonRhaenys Targaryen VelaryonAemond "One-Eye" TargaryenAegon II TargaryenAlicent HightowerDaeron Targaryen (Son of Viserys I)Cannibal the Wild Dragon (A Song of Ice and Fire)Valyrian Gods (A Song of Ice and Fire)Helaena Targaryen
Additional Tags:
Character Turned Into VampireUndeadNecromancyVideo Game MechanicsThe Dance of the Dragons | Aegon II Targaryen v. Rhaenyra Targaryen EraLaenor Velaryon is Lucerys Velaryon (Son of Rhaenyra)'s ParentLaena doesn't let something like being dead stop her from helping her familyDragon RidersPOV MultipleDeath to all GreensPiratesBody HorrorBAMF Rhaena Targaryen (Daughter of Daemon)Temporary Character DeathReligious Imagery & SymbolismWeird Plot Shitno beta we die like everyoneBook: Fire and Blood (A Song of Ice and Fire)Self-IndulgentChild DeathDismembermentDragonrider Rhaena Targaryen (Daughter of Daemon)Rhaenys and Rhaenyra act more like their bookselves cause their showselves suckCanon-Typical ViolenceCannibalismVampire BitesThe non-sexy kindDark Lucerys Velaryon (Son of Rhaenyra)Vampire Lucerys Velaryon (Son of Rhaenyra)Angst with a Happy Ending
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:2024-06-14Completed:2024-10-31Words:169,619Chapters:35/35Comments:1,151Kudos:2,057Bookmarks:542Hits:94,733
Lucerys Velaryon of the Vampire Coast
SkilledWarriorKiwi
Summary:
The tragedy that befell Lucerys Velaryon at Storm's End was never planned, on this all of our sources agree. The first battles in the Dance of the Dragons were fought with quills and ravens, with threats and promises, decrees and blandishments. The murder of Lord Beesbury at the green council was not yet widely known; most believed his lordship to be languishing in some dungeon. Whilst sundry familiar faces were no longer seen about court, no heads had appeared above the castle gates, and many still hoped that that the question of succession might be resolved peaceably.
The Stranger had other plans. For surely it was his dread hand behind the ill chance that brought the two princelings together at Storm's End, when the dragon Arrax raced before a gathering storm to deliver Lucerys Velaryon to the safety of the castle yard, only to find Aemond Targaryen there before him.
And with Lucerys's death, the war of ravens and envoys and marriage pacts came to an end, and the war of fire and blood began in earnest.
Or, Lucerys is killed over Shipbreaker Bay as he was always fated to be. Only this time he doesn't stay dead.
Mostly.
Notes:
(See the end of the work for other works inspired by this one.)
Chapter 1: Fortune favours the infamous
Notes:
I know I've got like six other wips already but whatever, the muse has crawled into my brain like a rat 🐀 for characters in this, Rhaenyra is a lot more ready to beat the shit out of the Greens in this fic so she acts more like her bookself as she's way too much of a loser queen in the show fir me to deal with (like bruuuh sneaking into kl to try and reason with Alicent 💀 some S8 got level of writing there) Same for Rhaenys, she's a lot more 'fuck them hoes let's get em' in suggestions with Rhaenyra since ya know, women willing to do violence when they're usurped or have their family murdered isn't a negative trait like the show acts.
You do not need to be familiar with Warhammer or any of the factions to follow this fic, as I'm just mashing in the Vampire Coast faction with the Merling King mythos of ASOIAF and basically everyone doesn't know wtf is happening to Lucerys either. He functions a fair bit like a Lord from Total War so he's broken af in this fic and his vampirism is like that of the Coast members so he can still walk about in sunlight and whatnot. Luke's also Laenor's blood-son in this (tho in the book that would be Jace, as the timeline makes it impossible for Harwin to be Jace's dad) tho he's the only one out of the three and he takes after Aemma/the Arryns who are shown as brown haired/eyed in both show and book material. I'm also mostly sticking to the book details of shit that went down, since there's a lot in the show I find stupid and nonsensical and generally don't vibe with it. There's also hints of Laena/Rhaenyra since I'm still salty they removed all the 'very close' friendship between those two from the books and gave it to Alicent in the show like bruh what a downgrade
Video showcasing the Vampire Coast.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Corlys found Lucerys upon the shores of Dragonstone, one week after news came of his death at Storm's End.
The Gullet was still barred by the Velaryon fleet and Corlys had returned to Dragonstone when news broke of Lucerys's death. Perhaps the Sea Snake should not have been so surprised; the Greens were usurpers who violated the laws of the king the moment he passed, why would kinslaying and violation of envoys be beyond them?
Rhaena had started sobbing when she heard of Lucerys death and had to be led away by Baela. From what the maids said Baela had stayed in Rhaena's rooms since then, keeping her grieving twin close company.
Queen Rhaenyra had not fared any better; The death of her son Lucerys had been a crushing blow to a woman already broken by pregnancy, labor, and stillbirth, of hearing her father's death and her throne being stolen. She had collapsed when told the news, of how Arrax's torn body had washed up upon the shores of Storm's End.
And they learned of King Aegon throwing a grand feast in celebration of his kinslaying brother. Corlys felt bitter in his grief and anger when he was told, still so easily recalling Lucerys quiet comment of shying away from lordship as it would mean he was gone. The boy had always been gentle and sweet, soft hearted like his grandmother the late queen Aemma, and now he was dead and his body returned to the sea. And with his death came the end of any chance for a peaceful negotiation; the Greens had drawn first blood, and Corlys was old enough to know the following war was to be vicious and cruel. Even moreso with the Rogue Prince's involvement and that of dragons.
Corlys had gone to the small chapel dedicated to the Merling King; House Targaryen and House Velaryon had long been allies, both of Valyrian ancestry. The Targaryens had controlled the sky while the Velaryons had guarded the sea and just as Driftmark had a chapel dedicated to the Old Valyrian gods, so did Dragonstone hold a chapel to the Merling King. The windows were wide and the building overlooked one of the many cliffs Dragonstone was built upon.
The chapel was small but clean and kept neat, and Corlys gave several offerings of gold and pearls to the clam-shaped bowl carved from pale blue marble before the great form of the Merling King. Though Corlys knew as well as any other Velaryon that the Merling Court was as capricious as the sea itself; they may pray for fine winds and calm seas but they all knew how quickly the weather would turn. The same ocean that drowned them and sunk their ships would gift them great schools of fish and hidden treasure.
Outside the storm which had been raging for seven days had begun to give way to steady rain, the thunder and lightning and howling winds slowly ebbing. Still, the night was black as Coryls made his final offering to the sea. Rhaenys had left the previous night to continue her patrol of the Gullet, slow and steady upon Meleys back as a flurry of messages arrived at Dragonstone. The Queen was now not interested with peace, spurning Otto's offer and now with the death of her son only a bloody end may stop the usurper.
He could only hope the rest of his grandchildren would be spared, when they did reach the end. He could only hope Lucerys was with his father now, both taken back to the Court along with Laena.
And then Corlys was choking, spitting out a mouthful of saltwater as he dropped several medallions on the marble floor. A fork of lightning, so bright it briefly blinded him before a howl of thunder so great it shook the very building. Coryls could hear some startled shrieks in the distance, from the few servants and guards still awake during the height of the night, but he was too busy coughing up sea water to notice.
Outside the rain had shifted to a soft patter, the sudden violence vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Still, the salt in his mouth wouldn't abate and Coryls felt the familiar shiver in his bones. Something that would warn him of something amiss, made by years of sailing at sea and fighting in battle. Now that instinct was prodding at him, like the scurry of spiders upon his back.
Instead he could spy out a soft red glow far down in the distance, along the sandy shore just beyond Dragonstone's walls. Like the glint of torches or a lantern. An assassin? A far fetched idea, but considering who would be upon the Green council and the sins they had already committed Corlys was not about to discount anything.
Swallowing down any lingering taste of salt, he checked that his shortsword was still present before calling for two guards as he quickly made his way to the gates out to the courtyard. A lone assassin would be intercepted easily enough, and he was well used to being in the dark and rain. Life as a sailor certainly had its advantages.
The guards followed him closely, the noise of their armour loud in the lull of the night even as the soft rain continued to fall and quickly soaked him through. Carefully they made their way down one of the rocky sidesteps of Dragonstone, the smaller path down from the immense courtyard and to the small sandy beach below. Corlys remembered the times Laena and Laenor would play at the beach when they were children, building sand castles and mock-fighting with driftwood they had found.
When he made his way down to the beach with the two guards, the thick storm clouds overhead had finally faded and were letting in the silvery glow of the half-moon.
His eyes were focused on the stranger down upon the sand, and even as he descended the slippery stone stairs he could see the gleaming white of their hair. Not unusual, for the location, but odder still was the lack of boat or raft nearby; instead the footprints led directly into the sea, as if the person had managed to swim up to the beach. A capsize then? The way the person was walking lent credence to that idea, stumbling slightly and slowly like someone drunk, their clothes dripping salt water. The stranger was also very small, either a teenager or a short adult, and Corlys felt some of his defensive anger ebb though he remained cautious.
"Stranger," Corlys called out, his boots going from hard slippery rock to soft damp sand. "What are you doing out here at such a graceless hour? Has your ship been flung ashore in the storm?"
The person looked up and Corlys flinched while one of the guards behind him cursed; the glow he had seen before were not lanterns, but rather the person's eyes. A strange, unnatural scarlet that glowed like embers, blinking at him through the darkness and keeping him transfixed.
It took him a moment longer to realize the white hair and crimson eyes belonged to his grandson Lucerys, who was soaking wet and staring at Corlys with glowing eyes.
"What-"
"Grandfather," Lucerys spoke, his voice rasping. "I think something is wrong with me."
Then the boy collapsed, hitting the sand face first before Corlys could even think of catching him.
"Lucerys!" the boy was sodden and ice cold when Corlys managed to snatch him up from the ground, lolling against the Sea Snake's chest.
The boy should've been dead, not just from the state of Arrax's remains but from the storm which had been lashing across Westeros the past seven days. How did he even reach Dragonstone?
Corlys glanced over towards the sea, flinching when he briefly spotted more red eyes watching him from the waves but just as quickly they were gone. Saltwater filled his mouth again and Corlys shook off his confusion as he straightened and began to hurry back to Dragonstone with Lucerys's cold limp form in his arms.
One of the guards had been sent for Maester Gerardys while the other was sent to the queen, while Corlys took Lucerys to his own rooms within Dragonstone. By the time Maester Gerardys arrived, with a leather bag brimming with supplies tucked under one arm, Corlys had lit several candles and had built up the fire within the hearth while Lucerys lay pale and motionless atop the blankets.
The maester barely greeted Corlys before he was at Lucerys's bedside, pulling out various pots, flasks and vials from his bag as his other hand went to Lucerys's temple. Then not a moment later the door swung open with a harried Rhaenyra in the doorway.
The queen hadn't even bothered to brush her hair, clad only in a silken robe of crimson and her feet bare. Her purple eyes were shadowed by bruise-like bags, features taut and frantic.
"Lucerys!"
"He's breathing, Your Grace," Gerardys assured her, not complaining as the queen all but trapped him against the bedside to grasp Lucerys's slack face in her hands.
Her expression was one of desperate hope and Corlys could see the moment she realized it was indeed her son; her face crumbled in relief, tears quickly spilling down her cheeks as she let out a gasping sob.
"Come, sit down," Corlys gently yet firmly tugged Rhaenyra away, guiding her around the bed so she could sit opposite the maester as Gerardys began to scribble down upon a sheet parchment as he counted Lucerys's breath.
Rhaenyra's sobs was soft and strangled and she quickly snatched up Luke's hand the moment Corlys managed to guide her onto the chair. Her eyes were bright with tears as she stroked Lucerys's damp skin with her spare hand, gaze briefly darting up to Corlys as she rasped, "How is this possible? We all read the reports, even the fishermen who found Arrax...How..."
"I found him upon the shore," Corlys said grimly. "He collapsed when I approached. I know not how he even managed to get to the shores. But..."
"What is it?" Rhaenyra looked back to Lucerys, who resembled a corpse as he lay upon the top of Corlys's bed. "He's injured? Why is he not moving?"
"Firstly he needs dry clothes and to be checked for wounds, and it could be exhaustion which has rendered him asleep," Gerardys said, and Rhaenyra quickly ordered one of the guards at the door to go to Lucerys's rooms to fetch fresh clothes.
"And have them fill my bath tub with warm water," Corlys added. "The sea chill has seeped deep into him, the cold can kill more quietly than other injuries but it can be just as deadly."
"But why has his hair changed colour? It is not dye," Rhaenyra brushed a hand against Luke's fringe, gently ruffling the wavy locks.
"The deep trauma, perhaps?" Gerardys suggested. "I know some head wounds can be severe enough it causes the hair to regrow pale."
Corlys frowned, even as he heard the servants moving in the adjourning room where the copper tub was, before he said, "Check his eyes, maester."
Gerardys glanced over at the Sea Snake, something Rhaenyra mirrored, until the man reached out and gently peeled back one of Lucerys's eyelids.
Only to twitch as the red pupil was exposed; it was not glowing, as it had at the beach, but the sudden change from dark brown to a vibrant crimson was obvious. And how Corlys could see the whites of Luke's eyes had changed, now pitch black that made the red ever more prominent.
Rhaenyra's face was pale even if she did not stop petting Lucerys, "What does this mean?"
"I do not know, Your Grace," Gerardys let Luke's eye slide shut, taking one of the boy's wrists and pressing his fingers against the pulse. "The slow heartbeat could be from the cold even if it is still far too slow but the eyes and hair...I must say, I have never encountered anything such as this."
"What do you mean?" Rhaenyra asked. "His heartbeat?"
"Everyone has a heart pulse that beats for a certain amount of time within a minute passed," Gerardys said, gently placing Luke's arm back upon the blankets as a frown marred his face. "Sometimes faster, sometimes slower, depending upon sickness or even mood but more or less the same. But Prince Lucerys...His heart has only beat six times within a minute. That should not be possible."
Before either of them could speak, one of the maids knocked on the door to let them know the bath was ready. Corlys carried Lucerys to the next room, with Rhaenyra following close while the maester brought up the rear with several bottles and jars in his arms.
The bathing room was already heated, the great copper tub steaming in the center of the room with a neat pile of clothes placed on the side table and a fire stoked. Rhaenyra insisted on disrobing Lucerys, the clothes sodden with sea salt, and when Corlys gently submerged Luke's bare form into the water he noted how the boy did not even twitch in the change in temperature.
And they all noticed the immense wound that curved along Luke's torso. An injury that by all of Corlys's experience should have Lucerys bleeding profusely. It was an injured that started at the upper arm, running into a great curve down his forearm, across his sides and lower belly, and then up the length of his opposite arm.
"Those are marks of dragonteeth," Corlys said grimly, shaking the warm water from his hands.
From the thick curve following Lucerys's chest and arms, the boy had been quite literally bitten in half. The wound was open, showing deep puncture marks where they could all see crimson muscle and pale lines of fat, and even upon his arms they could see the glint of bone.
Yet still, he was not bleeding. And nor did he cease breathing, as Rhaenyra gently shifted his head to lay a towel at his nape to stop the curve of the tub from digging into his neck. Her tears had stopped but Corlys could see how the queen's hand trembled as she stroked Luke's newly pale hair.
Something terrible had happened to Lucerys, that Corlys knew beyond doubt. Something terrible and wondrous in equal measure.
The storm that had raged since his death was proof of it and Corlys felt a flush of cold sweat despite the warm room. He could still taste salt.
Gerardys inspected the great wounds upon Lucerys with open bafflement, before his expression shifted to calm professionalism. However when he uncorked one of the bottles and gently opened Luke's mouth, that calm mask cracked. As in doing so it showed Luke's teeth, including his eye-teeth which were now long fangs. Like a wolf or great cat.
The maester faltered, giving Corlys a bewildered look before he straightened his shoulders and poured the tonic down Luke's throat. The boy did not even twitch, remaining limp and unresponsive even after Gerardys gently shut his mouth. Then the man gently probed at the open wound at Luke's shoulder, a frown upon his face as he traced the injury.
"They say there is nothing more accursed than a kinslayer," Corlys said, tone grim. "Old gods or new gods, kraken or merling, they all hate kinslayers even when they kill unknowing. And Aemond Targaryen knowingly pursued his nephew, we were told from various accounts including Borros Baratheon's own. That he chased after Lucerys, slew his own blood, and cursed himself and those who support him."
"My son is no demon," Rhaenyra bristled.
"I never said that," Corlys said. "But the that is one thing Alicent Hightower has cradled close to her breast, is her devoutness to the Seven. And she raised her children as such, to the point they can barely even speak High Valyrian and know nothing of the Valyrian gods. She raised them worshiping the Seven and they all hold the affront of kinslaying. Perhaps those gods saw fit to rebuke Luke's death."
The queen paused, hand stilling from where she had still been stroking her son's hair. Her purple eyes were sharp but curious as she met Corlys's gaze, "You think perhaps they kept Lucerys alive and swept him here?"
"How else can you explain that great wound and yet he still lives?" Corlys gestured to Luke's prone form. "How else can you explain the changes of his eyes, his hair, his teeth? The way Arrax died yet Lucerys was delivered here after we witnessed the worst storm in decades? And even worse when dragonsblood is involved, we all know of Maegor the Cruel's strange fate."
Rhaenyra's expression grew contemplative at that. Corlys, from his decades of marriage to Rhaenys, knew well that even the Old Valyrian gods held kinslaying as a sin but killing a dragon was the greatest thing to a curse the Valyrian gods held for their subjects. Maegor's killing of his nephews and his slaying of Quicksilver drew the god's ire and his death was still a mystery many decades later while none of his children were permitted to live.
Then Jaehaerys and Alysanne were infamous for the amount of dead children they gathered, only a handful outlived their parents. Rhaenys admitted she believed it was them inheriting Maegor's curse of kinslaying, of dragonslaying, along with them embracing the faith of the Seven, caused the Old Valyrian gods to take so many of their children out of spite.
It was something Corlys had thought upon, when he visited the Merling King chapel. The gods may be quiet at times but none took mockery well, even the more silent like the Seven. The gods of Old Valyria meanwhile were temperamental and volatile, just like dragons, even if they were slow to rouse from their fading slumber.
That was why he was growing increasingly convicted upon Luke's fate, and his strange change in appearance. The way the storm had pushed him to shore and the sea had kept him alive. Storm's End was said to be magical in nature, the mythic first Storm King who defied the gods with his wife Elenei, the daughter of the sea god and the goddess of the wind. Perhaps falling to his death there had made the gods act, to pull him ashore to Dragonstone and breathe life back into him.
"I will go to Driftmark," Corlys announced.
Rhaenyra and Gerardys stopped their quiet conversation to give twin looks of confusion to the Sea Snake.
"You're leaving?" Rhaenyra asked.
"I will bring back the head priest and priestess of the Merling Court, they live within the main temple there. Whatever is happening to Lucerys is because of the sea, perhaps even the will of the gods themselves. I know much of the ocean but I cannot speak to peculiarities of the Merlings. They will know, as I believe this will be beyond the work of any maester."
Gerardys did not look offended, "Lord Corlys is most likely correct, Your Grace. By all my teachings, the young prince should be dead with such an injury and with such a slow heart. Yet he lives. Perhaps it is not medicine but faith which can restore him, especially if his retrieval is due to the gods acting against Prince Aemond's act of kinslaying and dragonkilling."
Rhaenyra gave a troubled look back to her son; if it wasn't for the very slow breathing, he could pass for a corpse.
"Very well," Rhaenyra allowed, smoothing a hand across Luke's brow.
"I would urge you to inform the king consort of this change in news," Corlys said as he turned to the door. "I will also send word to Rhaenys."
The trip to Driftmark was swift, and in the far distance he could see the Velaryon blockade keeping King's Landing restrained within Blackwater Bay. Driftmark was a bustle of activity when Corlys reached it at the edge of dawn upon the Sea Snake and the head priest and priestess of the Merling Court were already awake and tending to their duties. The temple, built down low and with great arching windows that let in the stench of the sea, had several worshipers already in attendance. The immense form of the Merling King took up the majority of the back wall but other small statues ringed the temple. Fat tallow candles burned in whale bone chandeliers and the smell of seaweed and salt was thick.
The head priest and his wife immediately agreed to come with Corlys to Dragonstone when he explained Luke's strange condition, with the priest speaking of the strong signs they had been seeing within the currents and surf and the raging storm that had only just passed, but had assumed it was due to the imminent civil war of the Black Queen's stolen throne. Now however they instantly snapped into action with knowledge of Lucerys and his unnatural state, with Corlys not leaving out any details of the odd event.
The two took seven of their thirteen daughters, the rest staying at the temple upon Driftmark, along with a dozen great boxes, bags and sacks after they heard of Luke's state. When they returned to the castle, Lucerys was in much the same condition and Maester Gerardys had a notebook filled with his observations while Queen Rhaenyra had changed into an ornate black dress with hundreds of rubies sewn within the skirts but remained attentive at Luke's side.
The very first thing the priest and priest did was fill the copper tub with cold sea water, lining the bottom with gold coins. Lucerys then was wrapped up in so much thick green seaweed all Corlys could see was his face, with various pastes smeared into his wounds. The pastes were made from an assortment of oceanic creatures, organ and scales and flesh pulped until it almost seemed like a chowder they were rubbing in his exposed wounds. Through it all, the nine sang the lilting sea shanties of the Merling Court, ones Coryls had grown up hearing when he learned to sail the seas.
Thick candles of whale tallow and leviathan fat were erected around the room, while dozens of bowls filled with sea water were set upon the tables. The daughters scattered sand, shells and bones across the marble floor of the washroom. Several locks of Luke's now snowy-white hair were cut off and braided within strings of multi-coloured pearls, and shark cartilage dust was sprinkled into the sea water bath. The hearth was emptied of its current wood and filled with barnacle encrusted driftwood, while wind chimes of seaglass, shells and bells were strung upon the windows.
Then the priest and priestess brought out an immense pearl from their cargo, one that dwarfed all the rest.
Corlys was startled by the last addition; the Mother Pearl was the biggest pearl ever seen, over seventy four pounds and as large as a toddler with its shimmering white surface covered in dips and bulges. The Mother Pearl, said to have been gifted to House Velayron by the Moon-Pale Maiden when the Merling King bestowed them Driftmark, Corlys knew was a deeply sacred item to his House and only ever displayed during grand ceremonies such as the naming of a new Lord of Tides. The fact the priest and priestess had taken it from the isle left him uneasy, but the moment the two gently laid the Mother Pearl into the salt water bath and onto Lucerys's lap Corlys felt the very air around them change.
Thick, heavy. It almost reminded him of Meleys presence when she had settled long within her lair, just so much colder. The tang of sea salt filled his mouth again and all of them watched as the candle flames flickered around the room before they all turned blue.
Magic.
"Girls?"
Baela and Rhaena, who had been whispering to one another outside Lucerys's door, both jumped at Corlys's words. Rhaena immediately hid something behind her back while Baela stepped in front of her twin.
Corlys frowned, "You shouldn't be sneaking about at night, especially in these perilous times. Lucerys is recovering as well, he needs rest."
"We weren't sneaking," Baela said.
"Then what is that you're hiding?" A pause, then a more stern, "Rhaena, Baela."
The two exchanged looks before Rhaena hesitantly revealed a small jar filled with dark red liquid.
"Blood?" He asked, baffled. It was steaming slightly in the coldness of the night.
"From the kitchen," Rhaena said hurriedly, slipping the lid back on.
"And fish," Baela added, showing her own pouch filled with fish so fresh some were still twitching.
"And why do you have blood and fish?" Corlys asked.
"It's for Luke," Rhaena replied, a stubborn jut to her jaw.
A sigh, "I understand you're both worried, but as the priest and priestess said, Lucerys needs to rest. His wounds are already healing over and he is twitching and moving more with each day. It has only been a week."
"That's why we got the blood and the fish," Baela said. Always the more fiery twin, she stepped forward. "We've been speaking to the sisters, been reading the tales. So many of them speak of the heroes or fallen draw their strength through blood and rituals, not just the water. If Lucerys has been claimed by the sea then he'll need flesh and blood to heal more."
Corlys did not rebuke that, as he had seen the two priests and all daughters prick their fingers at dawn and dusk to drop blood into the tub Lucerys slumbered in between their prayers. Rhaenyra had stepped forward and offered her hand, as had Corlys himself, and Lucerys had always shifted when it happened yet he still did not awake even if the wound across his front was mostly showing raw pink flesh instead of muscle and bone. If anything the main issue had been keeping Luke's siblings away from the room, especially as his continued slumber distressed his brothers badly with both Viserys and Aegon usually ending up in tears when Luke would not wake up despite their pleading. Joffrey would just become angry.
Baela and Rhaena fared better but he knew the twins were still disquieted over Luke's coma even if they remained outwardly calm and confident. The Rogue Prince had sent several letters back and forth to the queen and his daughters, but his position at Harrenhall was enough he could not return just yet. Corlys also did not want to think of how Jacaerys would react to his brother's state, when he returned from the north.
"Luke's not just of the sea," Baela continued. "He's also the blood of dragons. Fire and blood. Father said there's always been blood rituals, there's power in it, and we've all heard tales of Queen Visenya and her sorcerery. And with Luke's strange new teeth, we thought we could..."
"Have him drink blood?" Corlys arched a snowy brow. Rhaena looked rather abashed but Baela continued to stare at him defiantly.
After a moment he sighed, stepping forward and entering the room with the two quickly following him. The first chamber had five guards inside, who all greeted Corlys and his granddaughters amicably. The Queen had taken precautions to keep Lucerys safe, with guards upon him at all times. Further in the chambers was the seawater bath and Lucerys, the room was heavily filled with candles it seemed to be high noon even with the blue flames. Only three of the daughters were in attendance, kneeling around the tub in prayer with ropes of glittering black pearls in their hands. They easily followed Corlys's prompt to leave the room, all three bowing before leaving but placing the pearl necklaces at the lip of the tub.
Inside, Lucerys continued to sleep with his ghostly white hair floating in the water around his head. The seaweed had been changed to a bulbous purple and the immense Mother Pearl was still upon his lap. The candles were all lit with bluebell flames.
"Hello Luke," Rhaena smiled, going to his side. "We've brought something for you."
"Hopefully it will help you wake up, you've been napping for far too long," Baela added, just as cheerful.
Another thing which warmed his heart is how easily the twins had accepted Luke's return and changed appearance. They were old enough to batten down any misgiving they felt over his comatose state and would regularly visit him to talk or simply tell him about their day. Rhaena meanwhile had taken to embroidering a new cloak for Lucerys in anticipating for his awakening, and Corlys knew she was nearly finished with it.
Baela set down her fish-filled pouch while Rhaena took the lid off her jar and this close Corlys could see how it was still steaming. And could smell the very faint scent of brimstone.
"That isn't goat or cow blood, is it," Corlys said with a warning narrow of his eyes.
The twins glanced at one another before Baela answered, "It's Moondancer's."
"She allowed it," Rhaena said quickly. "And Baela only cut her gums a little bit. She'll heal well."
"You have dragonsblood?"
"We're the blood of Old Valyria," Baela said, a stubborn jut to her chin. "We are dragonsblood. We just need to warm up Lucerys's own, he was in the storm and the waters for so long that now he slumbers and forgets the sky. He's both of Targaryen and Velaryon blood."
Perhaps a part of him was relieved neither of the girls had decided to open their wrists over a bowl, but still the fact they decided to leech some of Moondancer's...
He was about to scold them further when a soft sniff caught their attention; Lucerys had shifted slightly in the water, head rolling in Rhaena's direction.
Corlys immediately stepped forward, sinking one arm into the tub and feeling how freezing the water was as he propped Lucerys up in the tuck of his arm. Rhaena leaned over the lip of the tub, ignoring the way the delicate Myrish lace edges of her sleeves immediately became sodden, as she carefully tipped the jar against Luke's lips. In a few short moments it was empty and red stained his lips and long eye-teeth.
After a moment Lucerys opened his eyes. The strange red glow had returned.
"Grandfather," Luke's voice was barely a whisper, but his eyes were more focused as he peered up curiously at Corlys.
"We're here, Lucerys," he soothed. "You're safely back on Dragonstone, with Queen Rhaenyra and your brothers. You're safe, they are safe."
Neither Rhaena nor Baela flinched as Luke's glowing stare slowly made it way over their features, with the twins smiling at him even as Baela seemed a hairsbreadth away from falling into the tub as she leaned forward excitedly.
"Baela-"
"I'm here," she smiled. "Mo- we're all hale, Father is at Harrenhall and he's been fussing much over you in his letters. Jace is still north but he's safe just as well."
Lucerys blinked slowly, his eyelashes the same snowy white as his hair, before he looked up at Rhaena who's smile was quite a bit more watery than her twin's. With the hand not holding the jar she gently brushed a few errant curls from Luke's brow.
"Rhaena," he rasped. "I think...I think I died."
All three froze at the words but before they could ask further Luke's eyes slid shut and he fell back asleep. But his breathing was deeper, more evened, in a true slumber.
Rhaena moved back as Corlys gently settled Lucerys back in the tub before Rhaena offered her twin the now empty jar.
A flash as the jar was snatched and Baela was all but sprinting from the room, no doubt running down to the dragon stables in the courtyard where Stormcloud, Tyraxes and Moondancer were small enough to be held. When he gathered his wits, Corlys sent a summon to the queen.
The Mother Pearl held the soft shimmer of the rainbow over its glossy white surface. Lucerys continued to pat it, even tucked into bed and finally taken from the saltwater bath. The room was heavily decorated in the same manner as the bathing room by the Merling priest and his daughters, and the wind chimes made soft twinkling noises as they crowded into the room.
After several more jars of dragonsblood- with Rhaenyra going to Syrax for the majority -Lucerys ended up eating all of Baela's fish that she handed over to him. Baela, well used to Moondancer's snapping, easily avoided having her fingertips nipped as she gave him the fish. He was coherent enough to sit and walk, even if Gerardys cautioned him against it.
As it was, it was Gerardys, Corlys, the twins, Rhaenyra, Joffrey, Aegon and Viserys in the room with the guards tripled in the outer chamber. However once the teary hugs and kisses were done, the queen summoned one of the nursemaids to take her three youngest sons.
"I want to stay with Luke," Aegon protested, violet eyes filling with tears. Viserys clung to Luke's arm, even as his brother patted his hair.
"I know, dear one," Rhaenyra soothed. "But Luke needs rest and there are adult things we need to talk about."
Her sons all protested but Corlys knew it was the right decision to send the three from the room; speaking of Luke's death would only upset them. There were some more protests until Lucerys gently detached his brothers and finally the protesting mob were led from the room, with Lucerys promising to spend time with them once done.
Rhaenyra remained seated on one side of the bed with Gerardys on the other as he went through a list of checks upon Lucerys. Baela was perched on one of the chairs by the window, her sprawled posture very much akin to her father's lackadaisical ways, while Rhaena remained standing at the foot of the bed next to Corlys.
Gerardys spoke as he snapped his small notebook shut, "The prince seems hale as far as I can understand it, Your Grace. Perhaps some of the ointments and salves used for the dragons themselves could be of use, for any further illness or scarring."
"I see. Go fetch them once you see to my sons, they may need something to soothe their ill moods if they remain anxious over being separated so quickly from Luke. Aegon especially."
The maester bowed and left the room, the wind chimes ringing gently as he shut the door. In bed resting against a horde of pillows, Lucerys still looked gravely ill with his pale complexion and white hair. The sharp contrast of his crimson eyes only compounded the issue, set within the inky blackness of his scleras.
Rhaenyra moved, leaning over the bed and gently running the back of her hand down Luke's face. His red gaze focused on her, but he still seemed eerily calm.
Then again, Corlys had seen what shock could do. And considering his grandson's changed state it could be a combination of things.
Outside through the windows the dawn was beginning to crest upon the horizon. The smell of salt was thick.
"Dear one," the queen's voice was gentle. "I know it will be hard, but please. Can you tell us what happened when you went to Storm's End? And how you ended up the shores of Dragonstone."
Lucerys blinked, his fingers kneading at the duvet. It took him several moments before he managed to say, "I went to speak to Borros Baratheon. To..."
"Deliver my message?" Rhaenyra prompted.
"He couldn't read. The man is lord of Storm's End but lacks the ability to read. He called for his maester to read it to him, like a septa to a child," Lucerys said, lip curling.
Rhaena shifted at his side but Corlys didn't let his gaze stray from Lucerys even for an instant. Luke has never been a cruel or rude child, always gentle natured and sweet. But there was something vicious and cold in his tone, when he spoke of Borros, that made the hairs upon Corlys's nape stand on end.
The queen's expression was unchanging, "That craven sent word shortly after...after the events, insisting upon his innocence. On how he supports the usurper, shaming his late father's oath, but claims he refused to let Aemond harm you within Storm's End even as he betrothed one of his daughters to that oathbreaker."
Lucerys blinked, fingers digging into the blanket. "Refused, after demanding I marry one of his daughters even after I told him I was betrothed. He called you a bitch and Aemond called you the whore of Dragonstone."
Rhaenyra frowned but she did not stop her gentle caressing of Luke's face, "Words are wind, sweet boy. You were brave to still venture into Storm's End, even after seeing Vhagar. To honour your task as envoy."
"I didn't fight in the castle even if Aemond tried to attack me. He wanted one of my eyes, to gift to his mother."
Her breath halted briefly, before Rhaenyra spoke, her tone deceptively mild, "The queen...why am I even surprised? That Alicent's poison grew strong, as she leapt at the chance to have her son steal my throne and violate King Viserys naming me heir. Her father tried to lie on her behalf but I see now what she is."
"I refused, I left on Arrax."
"Lord Baratheon said as much, even as he tried to plead innocence in your attack. He claimed Aemond chased you into the storm over Shipbreakers Bay."
Luke's red eyes fixated upon Rhaenyra's purple ones, "I should have killed him."
The queen's breath hitched, "No, you couldn't have. Vhagar is from the age of the Conquest, she-"
"Not outside Storm's End," Lucerys said, bristling as he tried to raise. "Inside, I should have killed Aemond. I should have rammed my dagger in his throat, as I should've done all those years ago. I should have killed him even if it mean the Baratheon guards would have killed me. Then Vhagar would be free of him, and Laena wouldn't be so angry."
Rhaenyra grabbed Lucerys in her arms as he tried to push himself up, even as the air grew colder and the tang of salt had slithered into Corlys's mouth.
"It wasn't your fault," Rhaena stepped forward. "What happened all those years ago. Aemond was going to strike Jace in the skull with that rock, and before that he threatened to feed us to Vhagar on the day of our mother's funeral. He was the vile boy then and grew into a vile man."
"All the same, I am glad you did not violate guest right," Rhaenyra said, pressing a kiss to Luke's temple before guiding him back onto the pillows. "The Green court may be filled with liars and oathbreakers but we are not."
After a moment Lucerys nodded and relaxed back onto the pillows as the queen smoothed over the blankets.
"I tried to leave back to Dragonstone but the storm was so fierce," Lucerys said, his eyes becoming unfocused. "Arrax tried, but it was all he could do to stay aloft. And then Vhagar followed us."
"He was very brave to carry you so far," Rhaenyra said gently.
"He was strong and fierce," Baela added.
"No, he was scared. Like me. We were both so scared. Vhagar kept snapping at us, and I could hear Aemond laughing over the rain," Luke's voice was soft, gaze still unfocused even as Rhaenyra's features became hard with anger.
Rhaena spoke then, "A liar and a bully. Pursuing you, an envoy, and on such a larger dragon."
Corlys crossed his arms, brow furrowed. Aemond's actions were understandable to him; a boy who had never been in a true battle, suddenly able to lash out at the one who took his eye. A power play, but he knew from Rhaenys, Laenor and Laena that dragons were not to be trifled with. Especially Vhagar, who Corlys had heard his daughter venting about for she was so old she could be incredibly stubborn and volatile, even with someone bonded so closely to her as Laena.
"We got above the clouds," Lucerys said. "The storm was below us, and Arrax's wings were so tired. Then Vhagar appeared from below, and her teeth...I felt myself snap in two, felt Arrax die and how hot his blood was, feeling our bond die. Then falling. Through fire, and water. Salt and blood. I was falling."
His voice trailed off, crimson remaining unfocused upon the window. The chimes were ringing gently and outside the sky was growing orange streaked with dusky purple.
"Did you fall into the sea?" Baela asked.
"No. Laena caught me."
Corlys froze. Everyone else in the room seemed just as caught off guard at the matter-of-fact way Lucerys spoke.
"Mother?" Rhaena asked, just as bewildered.
"Yes. It was her. I remember, after I died. After I felt Vhagar bite me and Arrax in half," Luke blinked, his eyes focusing back to Rhaenyra.
"...Could it be the Drowned god you felt?" Corlys asked tentatively when it became apparent the queen wasn't going to speak.
"I don't think so," Lucerys said. "I think I might have seen He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves, when I first fell. There was a man in the darkness of the sea, I think. Covered in armour like scales, a golden face in the form of a kraken. The tentacles...I didn't want him near me, I think he wanted to hurt me if he could. That was when Laena grabbed me. I remember, it was that spicy perfume she liked. I could smell it over the blood and salt."
"The one from Pentos," Rhaenyra said. "The searing rose, I remember she gifted me a bottle."
"Yes. I still remember that, and how she dabbed some on my nose during one of her visits when she was showing all the treasures and jewelry she had brought from the Free Cities. That's how I knew it was her."
Corlys could feel his hands grow clammy as he asked, "So Laena caught you after...after your death. Did she take you to Dragonstone?"
"I'm not sure. After she pulled me to her we were in a strange place, like a bubble beneath the sea. I could see great ships, sharks and whales and fish, and Laena," Lucerys said, voice calm as if he were not discussing his journey through the afterlife, like something from a tale.
"How...what did she looks like?" Rhaenyra asked.
"Like I remember," Lucerys looked up to his mother. "But her eyes were red, they glowed like lanterns. And she had sharp long teeth."
Is Lucerys even aware of his own physical changes? Corlys thought.
"Did she say anything to you?" Rhaena asked.
"No, well she did but..." Luke trailed off, frowning as his mother stroked his hair. "I could understand what she meant, even if I can't remember what she said. She kept hold of me in the sea and then she pushed me upwards, that I had to go. That I would understand. When I got up, I was on the beach. Then Grandfather found me."
Baela's eyes darted around the room, her voice almost squeaky as she said, "Did Mother come to you because Vhagar was the one to...to send you and Arrax falling?"
She seemed hesitant to voice aloud that Lucerys had in fact been killed. Not when he was sitting before them, breathing and speaking.
"It could be," Rhaenyra spoken then, voice wavering before growing firm. "The magic of dragon bonds is deep, down to our very bones. Vermithor and Silverwing remain together, as their riders were so close. Rider and dragon can feel each other's pain. And Laena was bonded to Vhagar for decades."
"Storm's End was also forged by magic, thick and ancient," Corlys added. "It could a combination of all those things together that let Laena come for you."
"And Mother would never shy away from battle," Rhaena said, a stubborn just to her chin. "That fool boy Aemond used her dragon to murder one of her nephews, her blood. He used a dragon which belonged to a Targaryen Queen all to usurp another. Perhaps even the Fourteen are at play here. To bring order and honour back to the house of dragons, as we all know it is the Hightowers behind the actions of that halfwit Aegon. Otto and Alicent. They've infested us, like scalerot."
"Aye, and we've all heard tales of heroes throughout the ages. Daenys the Dreamer was the most famous of House Targaryen," Corlys said. "Granted foresight unlike any other if her kin, in dire times to save the dragons."
"The Old, the True, the Brave," Rhaena stepped up to Luke's side, opposite Rhaenyra. "Those are the words of House Velayron. You are just as much dragon as you are seahorse."
"I think Arrax dying protected me," Lucerys said as Rhaena took his hand. "The blood, there was so much of it. It burned and then I was drowning."
"Fire and blood," Rhaenyra said softly.
Lucerys nodded, before he slumped against the pillows with an exhausted sigh. Rhaenyra pressed a soft kiss to his temple before rising gracefully.
"Girls, could you keep Luke company please? Lord Corlys, a word if you will."
The twins nodded and Corlys followed after the queen. Neither spoke as they passed through the room of guards and then to the hallway.
It was only when they reached the Merling chapel, with the morning sunlight streaming in, did they face each other.
"That was a heavy discussion," Corlys said grimly.
Rhaenyra has never looked more young as she said hesitantly, "Could Laena truly..."
"It would seem so. I've known Luke to be many things but never a liar. And if Laena has made herself known, that Lucerys has been granted favour through the Merling King himself, then we are at indeed a perilous age."
"Arrax's death, Storm's End, Vhagar once being Laena's...a perfect storm, as Laenor would say," Rhaenyra's laugh was humourless. "Even if Luke has been changed. I've never heard him act like this before."
"Your son has come back, Your Grace," Corlys set a hand upon the Black Queen's shoulder. "Through fire and blood, salt and sea, he has returned. No boy has ever seen death without being changed. Even after all these years I remember the first man I killed. A pirate, no older than I, who boarded my father's ship when I was learning the ropes. I still remember him, and the mole beneath his eye. Lucerys meanwhile remembers his own death. Felt himself die, to fall into the afterlife. And then be pulled back, shoved to the land of the living as Laena knows war bites at our heels and has hastened to aid us. Our fate is perilous enough my daughter has shrugged off her eternal sleep beneath the waves to return him to us. You cannot falter now, not when Lucerys needs you most."
"I will never abandon my son," Rhaenyra said angrily. "Not even if he crawled out of a hellpit before me."
"Good, we need that rage," Corlys said, squeezing her shoulder. "You know the Greens will use this to deny Aemond's attack upon Lucerys, to try to cling to their non-existent honour. They will think they can still negotiate their theft, demand your surrender or abdication. You cannot falter now."
"No," Queen Rhaenyra said coldly, her purple eyes like chips of amethyst. "I know what needs to be done. They have already killed two of my children. I will have my throne and I will have their heads."
Notes:
Shout out to LucasBlackfyre298 for making some Fanart for this fic! (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
Actions
↑ Top Next Chapter → Bookmark Comments (60)
Kudos
Alien_Alice, yarchik, dog3n, Rokyyy_li, ryonaa, nyctophobia76, milimoreira203, KaidenceKyle11, knonk, Thedarkknight12, silverwing__00, Sylvanas4768, MojoMuppet, DaPulse, TheICantDecide, SweetlyMischievous, Perez70, kikikokoka7, Sunny_Starchasersversion, RAVISHING_radish2005, Tampan, trouverme, Kayden213, PersimmonAuthor, Lsywastx369, XiuLan_GracefulOrchid, sasathv, skellymanjones, SabrinaRodrigues, onceimakeyouCUME, ordermixtre, MakyiaAMurchison, Anime220403, Jormee999, fireandbrimstone, Diamonds4Daffodils, NotaPridefulWitch, EstellasArt, Thedevilknowsme, Elia12145657, Showmethedark, Butchisallaboutattitude, Galleon511, yoxiv, Babaa_Yagaa, Aziminal, Sidekickforlife, Darth_Narwhal, Misoto575, AnnikaBananika, and 975 more users as well as 1032 guests left kudos on this work!
Comments
Post Comment
Comment as TheBrimmedHat
Plain text with limited HTML ?
Comment
10000 characters left
Footer
Customize
Default
Low Vision Default
Reversi
Snow Blue
About the Archive
Site Map
Diversity Statement
Terms of Service
Content Policy
Privacy Policy
DMCA & TIDA Policies
Site Status
Contact Us
Policy Questions & Abuse Reports
Technical Support & Feedback
Development
otwarchive v1.2.0.0
Known Issues
GPL-2.0-or-later by the OTW