C6

They had not been friends after that, at least not at first. Nor were they ever truly rivals for the same men... for while Sansa was a plain young girl, Margaery was a lovely young woman with a head full of clever plans. The two girls were different in every way... save one: they both dreamed of marrying Prince Joffrey. They differed in age, in birthright, in station... yet they shared in the dream of sharing a king, if need be, and when it came down to it, that was all that mattered.

Margaery was the youngest daughter of Lord Loras of Valoret and Lady Alerie Mallister, the widow of Ser Brynden Tully. Her older sister Cersei took charge of the family estate when their mother died; her elder brother Renly succeeded their father when he fell fighting Robb Stark's host during the War of the Five Kings, but he was slain at Duskendale whilst leading his own bannermen against Stannis Baratheon's forces... and thus it fell to his younger sister to rule over their vast holdings in the Riverlands. Their grandfather Baelor had founded House Mallister, and his line was strong and proud, but his granddaughter was the first born and so was accorded the honors that should have gone to her older brother, Renly.

Her grandmother's son Rhaegar had inherited lands and titles when his uncle Aerys Targaryen was overthrown and killed in King Daeron's Rebellion, but he fell to madness and despair when his son Viserys was seized by the Dothraki, and spent the rest of his life wandering among the sands seeking dragons that did not exist... until he perished beneath one such beast, when his son Rodrik was only six years old. That left two more grandsons to succeed Rhaegar's son Aegon, yet neither was heir apparent; the eldest was only sixteen when he wed Daenerys Stormborn, yet she had no children of her own... nor did any of her sons or daughters-in-law bear him any issue before she died giving birth to the last, Jon Arryn... whose son grew up with no name at all, until it became necessary for him to assume a title and claim one for himself... leaving poor Jon as the one remaining child without a place to call home. The lordships and castles that made up House Arryn were scattered throughout Westeros and Essos; it was hard enough keeping track of one man in his position, much less three. The last time that anyone had heard from Jon Arryn, he had been seen riding eastward along the Trident towards Highgarden, with his friend Maester Luwin at his side. Since then the king's men said that he must be dead... and since the queen wished it so, no one dared say otherwise.

Jon Arryn's second grandson had been named for his late aunt, but her bloodline was weak indeed, and so her niece and nephew were raised as cousins and not as siblings... the better, perhaps, to conceal the fact that they were half-siblings to each other as well. As far as the world knew, they were only stepcousins, a pair of young nobles who shared a common heritage yet kept separate households, so that no questions might arise about who they were related to or what they might owe each other.

Aegon and Doran Martell were alike in stature, though the latter was somewhat taller than the former; both had fair hair, green eyes, and pale skin that turned pink as they smiled; in truth, no one could tell them apart... so it was best not to ask. Neither bore the scars left by their father's madness or the bitterness that followed... not entirely, anyway. Though they never spoke of it, no one doubted that their relationship went deeper than merely friendship, for in matters of duty and honor both acted as brothers. It was easy to forget that the two were not truly related unless they sat together upon the throne of the Reach... and so when the gods decreed that the day would come when the line of kingship must end, and the throne must pass on, the choice was clear: they would be king and kingmaker together.

Yet when they arrived in King's Landing to make their bid, they found the city ailing and its people sick of war and tired of scheming and fighting. There were few who would follow a pair of nobodies when the king's own son was available for the asking... and besides, most believed that Tyrion Lannister had the right to the Iron Throne. So it fell to these two young cousins to prove the wisdom of those who chose them, and the strength of their claim... which proved to be a daunting task indeed. For two summers Aegon rode through the south, rallying loyal lords to his cause and winning battles where needed; but soon it became obvious that his path lay north, and beyond the reach of his uncle's power. He reached the Arbor and won the allegiance of the northern lords, then crossed the Narrow Sea to fight the Blackwater, the battle of his name, where he slew the pirate lord Lord Illyrio and his fearsome champion, Ser Gerold Hightower. On the heels of this victory he marched to the riverlands, claiming lords and castles wherever he went, until he had taken hold of every castle between the sea and the mountains, and had become known as "the Conqueror." Yet even here there remained some lords still loyal to Tywin Lannister, for whom a young man had little appeal. Even so, Aegon's march ended at Casterly Rock, and he made a marriage alliance with Princess Elia of Dorne to bring the western shore firmly under his control. In time, however, it proved too costly an expense... not to mention politically risky... for a young princess whose kingdom bordered another's. With the death of her mother, Elia was free to choose her own husband, and she sent word that she had decided to wed Prince Rhaegar.

In truth, Aegon had hoped that Elia would wait a bit longer before making her choice; for if she wed Rhaegar she would inherit Doran's claim as well as hers, and that would leave Aegon without any real hope at all. His hopes rested solely on the claim of Rhaegar's son Jon Connington, now Lord Commander of the Night's Watch; he was certain that the bastard would win his father's heart once Jon came home from the Wall and laid claim to his seat beside Eddard Stark at Winterfell. Yet Rhaegar had been absent from court for more than twenty years, and had never returned since the Battle of the Trident. Perhaps he was dead by now, or perhaps he had joined the Targaryens in exile... or even worse, he might be returning as king instead of a rebel. Still, it seemed a good plan to have Jon Connington as a hostage, a powerful bargaining tool should he fail to return... so Aegon offered him to Elia.

But the princess had not waited. She had chosen her new bridegroom when she was twelve years old, and she was determined to keep her word... so she turned her back on her cousin and sailed off with her beloved to Volantis instead. No sooner had the ship set sail than a fleet of galleys appeared offshore to challenge it... a dozen ships filled with soldiers sworn to Rhaegar, including many of those who had fought alongside him at the Trident. The princess commanded her small galleys to scatter in confusion... yet her larger vessel was trapped between the two enemy fleets, and it was boarded by the foe first.

Once inside the hull, the invaders discovered gold and jewels worth hundreds of thousands of silver marks... enough riches to buy a hundred queenships and more besides. Not content to plunder them at leisure, Rhaegal ripped out his brother's throat and devoured the royal dragon eggs that were his sole legacy to his nephew. Then the younger dragon tore into the mainmast, killing the helmsman and several more sailors before he was slain by his brother, Viserion. By that point the galley was sinking, taking the princess and all her companions down with it, except for one lone handmaiden, who escaped unharmed and swam ashore... and that was how the Targaryens lost the last of their dragons and the last of their pride.

The following year Aegon was crowned king of the Seven Kingdoms aboard the Redwyne Fleet in Pentos, and he ruled with great wisdom and strength until he was betrayed by one of his closest counselors... and murdered while still a boy, just like his father. That was when the true heirs to House Targaryen came face-to-face with each other, when two cousins realized they could rule with greater ease if they worked together rather than alone... and in a sense they succeeded, for they brought peace and prosperity to Westeros and forged the Three-Eyed Raven to unite its realms. When the warlord Qhorin Halfhand led his men west to join the Children, it was with the understanding that they would remain as outlaws, forever beyond the reach of crown or throne... but the time will come when all must bend the knee before the Dragon again. And then the Dragonknight shall rise.