158

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299 AC

Summer Isles - Ebonhead

Eragon Targaryen

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"Are you sure you want to use real blades in our first time crossing them?" Cirilla asks with a hint of amusement as I stretch and try and let my body wake fully back up, Jaehaerys will certainly kill my sleep schedule alone let alone when his siblings get here.

"Well, it very well might also be our last if you don't take it seriously." I grin at her while sliding Brightroar out of its sheath and it ignites in golden flames.

She looks dryly at the flaming sword that adds an unfair advantage in my favor but I care not as her sword has Fyre in the name if she can't light it with real fire that's her problem. She shakes her head and gets in position after tossing Blackfyres's sheath to the side and out of the way. We slowly approach before I swing first and aim at her head.

She doesn't disappoint and sidesteps as she holds Blackfyre up at an angle to let Brightroar slide off it and away from her body. She immediately follows up with a downward slash that thankfully didn't have much time to build up power and speed. I lean back having her blade narrowly miss my chest and I choose to take a step back and right myself before attacking once more.

The nervous and standoffish Cirilla is long gone and now there is a warrior with a blade that has such certainty in her moves. A drastic change from the woman who was just sitting across from me at the table with her sister.

A fun change to say the least.

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299 AC

Summer Isles - Ebonhead

Shaena Targaryen

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What in the seven hells is that loud crashing and ringing that won't let me or the baby rest?!

"Mother can you please search out the source of that noise and put it to a stop, take Jadewing if you must, he can burn whoever is keeping us awake." She sighs and stops sewing the green and bronze dragon onto the blanket she has been working on for hours.

"Visenya, watch her like a hawk, if she tries to sleep when feeding the baby slap her or something. I won't have Jaehaerys suffocating on a tit before he can claim to have seen a full day." I want to throw something at her but my arms are weak, I may be tired but I would not fall asleep and suffocate my son.

"I will watch carefully, but I doubt she would make such a mistake." I nod in agreement at my sensible niece who takes the seat my Mother left that is beside the bed.

She gives me a nod while smirking as she picks up the blanket and starts sewing where her grandmother left off. I can't sew as well as them and I am starting to regret it, I never made anything for Shiera when she was young. I should learn so I can make something for little Jaehaerys so he is not just wearing stuff stitched by others.

Jaehaerys screams once more the longer the crashing goes on the longer he will be awake, it sounds like metallic thunder right outside the window. I scowl toward the window and hear a giggle behind me from Visenya.

"What is so funny?" I ask a little heated and she waves me off with while holding her tongue.

"It sounds like that one time I heard Brightroar clashing with Dawn when Eragon faced Ser Arthur, I expect Eragon is facing off with the Blackfyre. I do not know why but it sounds like it is pretty intense, I wonder if he will take the blade. He said before he feels like Brightroar was made for his hand so I don't expect him to want to swap for another sword." Blackfyre is the sword of the Targaryen king and would serve a king well one day.

I look down at Eragon and my son and smile wondering if he will be a king or if will he remain a prince. Eragon has 'plans' and will be claiming land that has never flown the dragon banner so I look forward to seeing our son's prospects. But I would enjoy seeing my son with a Valyrian blade in his hand if he is to have any blade in his hand. The certainty of Valyrian steel can at least put my heart at ease when I compare it to normal steel.

But with Jadewing he may never need a blade, what is a blade to dragon fire anyway?

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299 AC

Summer Isles - Ebonhead

Daenerys Targaryen

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"If she doesn't kill him, I will." I hiss as my head pounds from the clashing of Valyrian steel.

One moment I feel my heart racing as I hurry down to see what is happening, the next it comes to a stop seeing a blade almost cut him. Then he turns it around and places his blade against her throat and for some reason this Blackfyre seems happy about it. Then another fight breaks out with more intensity, I can't be bothered to care the more my head feels like it's splitting though.

"I yield!" Cirilla yields once more with Brightroar resting against her thigh, one of many spots you will bleed quicker than they can close the wound.

"You know, I feel like you have a lot of practice but it seems like it's not wit-." Eragon stops as he gazes over Cirilla's shoulder and lowers Brightroar and lets it stab into the ground.

I turn to see what he saw and spot our mother looking at him with crossed arms and tapping her foot. I shiver as I lean against the wall, if she is here she left the baby and that means she is here because of the baby. I feel my head pounding and realize Eragon likely woke the whole palace with the clashing of the Valyrian steel blades.

"What's wrong?" Eragon asks with concern but it feels more like a mask than anything else as she walks toward Brightroar's sheath.

"You are, you are out here clashing away with thunderous blows and Jaehaerys is not having it. He is screaming bloody murder and is close to going as red as the dragon on our banner, stop playing around. If you want to fight then use training swords that do not cause so much noise." Each word has Cirilla and Eragon cringe until Eragon looks up toward the window where 'our' son is.

"I see, we will head further away next time we cross the real steel, I will be up in a bit so I can get him back to sleep if he is not already." With that our mother turns and heads back to see the baby she won't leave the side of by choice.

"I noticed it was loud but I was having fun and..." Cirilla sheaths Blackfyre and follows Eragons line of sight up to the window. "Let's take a break anyway since I just ate and I am not at my best, we can pick it up later if you still want to. I am fine using training swords but I want to clash the real blades like just now again if we can." Eragon looks at her like she has grown a second head and then laughs causing the Blackfyre to frown.

"That's good, you looked at me like I was your worst enemy not even half an hour ago, and now you are a step away from barking orders." Eragon shakes his head and places a hand on her shoulder as she looks at him wearily. "We still need to hammer out an agreement that leads to you being worth keeping around. I wanted to see if that sword on your hip was for decoration and I am not entirely disappointed, but that doesn't mean I suddenly trust you." He holds his hand out flat in front of her and then motions for Blackfyre that is resting in Cirilla's grip.

She reluctantly hands over the sword and Eragon nods before tucking it under his elbow to free up a hand. He runs his thumb over the back of her arm and swipes up some blood from a hairline cut that was pooling a red drop. He holds the blood on his thumb up before her and his face and gestures to it by wiggling his thumb.

"This is why you are here, that and Oberyn seems to have a good opinion of you, do not give me a reason to ignore those two things. I do not hate you or your sister because of past things done by your family, if I did I would hate half of Westeros if not more than half. But I won't trust you just because you showed up here without resisting when you had no real other option. I look forward to working something out that we both like and can look forward to, a dragon is a dragon and so far you are seeming like a dragon." Eragon waits for no response as she walks off with both Valyrian blades, leaving behind a conflicted-looking Blackfyre whose little sister approaches and hugs her.

I sure hope this is the right plan, but we all have our eyes open and will be looking for any deceitful tricks or traps.

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299 AC

Summer Isles - Ebonhead

Cirilla Blackfyre

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Laying on the bed I tossed and turned on all last night I think about what I so far know about this place and the Targaryens. They do not seem like what I was expecting from the stories, Eragon for one is nothing like the stories. He is married to multiple women but he also does not seem consumed entirely by lust.

At least not entirely.

I can't find it to hate him just as he said he didn't hate us just because of our family's past. He seemed very genuine when he said that and I believe it, it put some of my worries at ease. I don't expect him or any of the other Targaryens to knife us in our sleep or poison us but I also am not sure of our safety. We are roomed far from them and under watch to ensure we don't do anything but I doubt the guards would stop a third party from coming to kill us.

I will discuss our 'safety' when we talk next, his son was just born and I understand he wants more time with him before getting stuck in negotiations with us. But the little fight we had was nice and I prefer if the entire negotiations could go by like that. There is a lot I want to talk to him about and our cooperation but I am thankfully being given more time to think about it even if it's because he wants time with his baby.

"What do you think about all this now that you are seeing it with your real eyes?" I ask my sister and she hums as she laces her fingers over her chest.

"It is a real family, they are warriors and conquerors and king and Queens while being a real family and I want it." I sit up and look back at her in surprise, she seems serious.

"You want what they have?" She nods and I sigh while rubbing my head even though my heart is pulled at wishing I had a family this big and powerful.

They don't need sell swords and greedy men reaching for what's on their plate, they are making their own path. They have a loving mother and or grandmother while also babies are on the way swelling their number. I haven't seen their dragons but we will soon and I know there are seven if not eight with Jadewing jumping ship. They have something here that House Blackfyre has likely never had at any point.

It would be a lie if I did not want this for myself as well but not in the way my sister seems to want it. I always wanted something like this, but we never would have had it, so is it wrong if I want to try and have it in some kind of way with them?

I do not need a crown or a sword, I just want a piece of the unity they have and the belonging I see in their eyes. If me and my sister can find a spot to belong a part of all they have going on I will be satisfied with that. I do not need a castle or land after all of this is over, I want my sister's happiness and a place of belonging. If they can promise that then I will agree to almost any terms they put forward.