Fire and Blood (Book One)

Chapter Thirteen Princess Alyssa Targaryen

On a different part of the beach, a young Aemond Targaryen had snuck out of the castle and had found Laena's dragon Vhagar asleep in the dunes, all the while Alyssa Targaryen was trailing behind him. Nearly the size of a sand dune herself, Vhagar was the oldest and largest living dragon, twice the size of Caraxes and last of the original three dragons from the Targaryen Conquest. Alyssa watched as Aemond cautiously approached and put a hand on the rope netting to her saddle, but this awoke Vhagar who sensed that he was a prince of Targaryen and backed down. Alyssa continued to watch as Aemond once again put his hand on the rope again and started to actually try to mount Vhagar however, at which she growled and started building up fire in the back of her throat to immolate him with as she had done to her previous ride Lady Laena. However just as Aemond bravely stood his ground, Alyssa fled back to the castle and awoke Laena's daughter: Baela and Rhaena and together the three woke up Jace and Luke. Soon the five children intercepted Aemond just as he was returning to the castle through the tunnel that led to the beach. "Vhagar was my mother's dragon." "Your mother is dead. And Vhagar has a new rider now." "She was not yours to claim." As the two children began to argue, Alyssa was growing even more concerned and she hoped that a fight was not about to break out as she knew that if a fight did break out then one if not all the children would be injured.

Suddenly Rhaena charged Aemond but he easily shoved her aside causing her to hit her head and for Baela to punch him in the face and he quickly punched her back. This caused a brawl to break out between all five of the children; Aemond then punched Luke so hard that he broke his nose. Soon the other three children joined in and all five managed to pin Aemond to the ground and began to hit him. Aemond then used his large size into play and broke free of the five, but like the other children he was bloodied, as the others were on the ground he stood up and grabbed Luke by the throat with one hand while holding a large rock in the other to strike him with. "You will die screaming in flames just as your father did! Bastards." Alyssa being old enough to understand looked to Jace and watched as Luke tried to argue the fact but like Alyssa, Jace was old enough to understood while Luke wasn't. While Alyssa tended to her half-sisters, she looked to Aemond and pleaded with him not to say anymore but Aemond did, "He doesn't know, does he, Lord Strong?" Alyssa watched as Jace suddenly drew the knife he had brought with him and charged Aemond with it, but he managed to knock the blade out of his hand and knocked Jace to the ground. Alyssa watched as Aemond turned his attention to the older boy and advanced on him with rock in hand, none of the children noticed Luke circling around to recover the discarded knife. Just before Aemond could base Jace's head in with the rock, he distracted him by flinging sand into his face, just as Luke charged from the side to use the knife on Aemond, causing Alyssa to scream "NO!"

Aemondwas left screaming on the ground; just as Ser Harrold and the other Kingsguardsarrived; Alyssa stood up with the other children and gathered the four behindher, shielding them from the sight of Aemond bleeding from his eye. She watchedas Ser Harrold knelt beside the bleeding Aemond and said, "My Prince, myPrince. Let me see." The children watched as Aemond was turned slightly to theside and even though she couldn't see Ser Harrold's face, she knew that by hisactions Aemond most likely had lost his eye thanks to Luke. "Gods be good."Before they were escorted back to the Hall of Nine, Alyssa walked up to Aemondand watched by everyone, she tore off the hem of her dress then gently tookAemond's hand away from his eye only for her to gently wrap the injury up withthe cloth. In the Hall of Nine, the adults of House Targaryen and the remainderof Valaena's children were roused to the Hall in the aftermath of the fightbetween the children. Alyssa watched as her grandfather arrived and was furiouswith the Kingsguard for not protecting the princes and princesses of the royalblood, to which Ser Criston protested they weren't expected to defend theprinces from each other. While Maester Kelvyn was stitching up the horrificslash across Aemond's face, Alyssa stayed by her cousins and sisters side.