Chapter 53: Chimera Cull

Baela

Tenth Moon, 114 AC

The scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and mouth was suffocating, but not the real reason Baela felt like she was dying. The curtains in the room were thick and heavy, drawn to prevent sickness from spreading. Soaps, boiled wine, and other sanitary supplies were placed in neat cabinets all over the building, and she had been forced to wash her hands up to her elbows before she entered and she'd have to do it again before she left. The infirmary was a place for the dying and sick, just being here was a risk for her, one only allowed by her rank and status. Yet there was nowhere else Baela would rather be right now.

In the bed she sat beside, her husband laid. The peaceful expression on his face belied how close he was to death, a truth that came to light whenever he frowned and groaned in pain in his sleep. She wanted nothing more than to hold his hands, comfort him, but she was already too close as it was. She might be a dragonrider and the future lady of their house, but the infirmary staff were terrifyingly strict and watching her like hawks. She was not allowed to touch Jacaerys.

He had been like this for a week ever since he had collapsed in Luke's arms, bedridden and unresponsive. Baela had known exactly when it had happened. They all had. Tessarion had roared and the entire city had heard her grief, the mournful screams of a noble creature who had lost everything. She had followed Jacaerys as they had moved him from his house to the infirmary and even now she could not be compelled to leave her place in the yard outside, not even to eat; they had had to bring her food.

Her master's body burned with a high fever, hotter than any man of lesser blood could have survived. He never woke, not even to eat or drink, the healers had been forced to wear gloves and pry open his mouth to force him to do so. His subconscious mind had accepted it at least, Baela had been told, gulping the sustenance down hungrily and thirstily.

This was the first time she had been able to see him ever since he had been taken into the infirmary. Isolation rules were absolute, even for her, and Luke had only allowed her into the infirmary when the healers had confirmed that the disease could only be spread through bodily fluids. Only those that had been directly injured by the chimeras had contracted the disease and while they could still spread it through their coughs and blood, there weren't many of them to do that anymore. Nine in ten of those who had contracted the disease had died within two days, put out of their misery on Jacaerys' last order when they had started screaming from the pain.

Of the remaining one in ten, the last five survivors, none were not out of the woods yet, as the disease had not been purged from their bodies yet and was still fighting to kill them. Even if they didn't die screaming and bleeding, they might still die anyway from the fever, their bodies exhausted by the fight and unable to go on any longer. Jacaerys was among those in this category whose lives they feared for.

Three of them had already begun expiring from the fever but still Jacaerys held on, clinging to life with a stubborn will and yet Baela had seen for herself how that strong will could shatter in an instant as the deathly ill slipped away from life.

Despite what Luke told her Jacaerys must have feared, his illness had not at all lessened his image with Maratis and the other soldiers, not yet at least. Zaldilaros was clearly resistant to the disease, so they said. When others screamed and died, Zaldilaros had only just begun to feel the symptoms. Even now as the few other survivors began to expire from the fever, Zaldilaros fought on to survive and win ultimate victory over the deadly disease.

It was fascinating at times just how much those with religious inclinations could warp their logic and worldview to accommodate their beliefs. Yet it was also a double-edged sword. Because Jacaerys hadn't showed symptoms at first, because he had made a pretension of immunity under the guise of Exceptionalism, he had staked the legitimacy of the Zaldilaros Creed in the eyes of these soldiers on his surviving the disease.

No matter what Luke had promised him, if Jace died, the morale of the soldiers would crumble. If even Zaldilaros could die from the Red Death, what chance did they have? No amount of devotion and loyalty would see them march into Gogossos after that blow, nor would Luke have the stomach and will to command them to, promise or no promise. Rhaena would not let him, and he would be too consumed by grief besides.

That was a future that seemed to grow more and more likely as Jacaerys' life hung on the edge of a knife. The healers had warned that Zaldilaros or no, his body could not maintain this high fever for much longer. He either overcame the disease soon or he wasted away and died. There was no middle ground. The very real possibility that Jacaerys… no Jace could die was forcing Baela to confront feelings that she had thought she had locked away.

Her parents would be pleased wouldn't they? The man who had done her father such a grievous injury, who was the heir of the family they despised, the family that had taken her away from them, would be dead. The chains binding Baela to House Velaryon would be permanently severed. She would be free. Free to return to House Targaryen, free of the indecision and conflicted feelings and loyalties that tore at her soul.

But it wasn't what she wanted was it? Once perhaps, but now? She had grown accustomed to her position and power as a lady of House Velaryon, grown to love the house and what it stood for, grown to care for those it ruled and enjoy the trust and devotion they placed in her as a member of the family. And she had grown to care for Jacaerys, losing herself in his deep purple eyes that still lured her in, laughing at his sarcastic wit, how he always gave back her japes as good as he got. She'd been drawn to the devotion he had to his duties, his people, and his family, appreciated how he had always made time for her or made it up to her if he couldn't.

She'd fallen in love with Jace. She couldn't lie to herself anymore that it was just lust or possessiveness that drove her care for him anymore. She had tried to deny it, tried to keep her feelings at bay, unwilling to admit it even to herself that she had fallen and fallen hard long ago. Overthinking and worrying too much about everything, wasting the time they had together, the time she hadn't realized could be so limited, so brief and painfully short.

She'd tried to put a distance between them, even as their bodies had become one, even as they had slept in the same bed by night and fought alongside each other by day for months, she had done everything she could to keep her traitorous heart from becoming his. Making pointless excuse after excuse to not call him 'Jace' because somewhere deep down in some irrational part of herself, she had thought it would be the final surrender to call him so intimately and acknowledge that she had fallen for him and she couldn't get back up anymore.

No more. She couldn't run from her feelings anymore. Couldn't lock away her heart and pretend she didn't feel the things that she did. "I love you Jacaerys," she whispered.

The forbidden words she hadn't been able to bring herself to say for so long came bursting forth. It felt terrifying to say them, to admit that truth to herself and all the uncertain complications that it could come with, yet it felt empowering as well to finally stop pretending.

Realizing that the infirmary staff had stopped watching her for a few brief moments, Baela looked at Jacaerys' feverish and lonely hands. There was no real risk after all, they had said so themselves. It was just a precaution they had said. Fuck the precautions. She grabbed onto his hands tightly and felt consoled that she could still feel the warmth burning in them, the life.

"I love you Jace," she said again, calling him by the nickname he had long desired her to, the intimate and deeply personal name that all his friends and family called him by, the name she had been too afraid to use.

For months, whenever she had let her guard down, let herself indulge, she had thought of what it would feel like to confess her feelings to Jace. She never would have imagined that he'd be unresponsive and bedridden, and possibly dying of the Red Death. She chuckled to herself at the absurdity of the thought, it helped to dull the edge of the pain and tears.

Somehow, somewhere along the line she'd grown to love the idea of falling for Jace, of ruling Tyrosh and growing old with him, spending the rest of their lives together in bliss with some little ones following them around, the pitter-patter of their feet making clattering against the marble floor of Zaldilaros Palace as they ran. She wanted to start a family with Jace one day, to have and raise children with him. There wasn't anyone else she could imagine doing it with at this point. She just hoped it wasn't too late.

Rhaena and her had been taking moon tea for months, in safe amounts of course. The Velaryons were quite odd in this aspect, as they were in so many other things. Aunt Viserra and Lord Corlys had suggested that they wait until they were at least eighteen to have children, Jace and Luke had obeyed their parents of course, Rhaena had been put out by it but had acquiesced and Baela… Baela had been all too happy to agree, she hadn't felt ready to be a mother or ready to accept all the implications that motherhood came with.

Still torn and unable to reconcile her feelings and divided loyalties with each other, she had feared that having children would make her marriage truly permanent and bind her to House Velaryon forever, that it might one day force her to choose between her parents and children, something she had feared for many years and had grown to fear even more when she had heard of how Aunt Viserra had taunted her mother.

When they had all gone on campaign, it had become even more important that they didn't get with child. Carrying a child and giving birth to them in the humid, filthy, and disease-ridden Basilisk Isles was a terrible idea, and yet a part of Baela wished that she had done it anyway, if only to have a piece of Jace left before he… no, he wouldn't die. He couldn't.

"You can't die Jace, you hear me? You stubborn fool, you can't die on Luke or your family. They need you to live. I need you to live," she told Jace. Her words had no effect on her sleeping husband, who was so still she feared he might have died already.

He was so stubborn. Twice he had turned down her pleas to go to the infirmary, once when they had first realized that he had been scratched and once again the next day, when he had already started showing symptoms and simply been denying it like a stupid fool.

But Baela had been stubborn as well, a fool in love who had denied her own feelings out of unnecessary worries and overblown fears and now it might be too late for her. Perhaps they really were meant for each other. Two fools in love, both too stupid to appreciate what they had had before it was too late…

She wasn't one for praying, her parents had never raised her to be religious, and she knew Jace wasn't much either, but in that moment Baela prayed. She prayed to any god she thought might listen. To the Fourteen her ancestors had once claimed to revere and to the Seven the Velaryons claimed had raised them up to be their champions.

Certainly if there was even the slightest truth in the power of their bloodline and descent, the Fourteen would answer right? Surely if the Zaldilaros Creed had any truth in its words that wasn't simply an illusion for the masses, the Seven would grant her wish? Or maybe the gods truly didn't exist at all and it was to simply be left to the cruelties of chance.

She looked back at Jace and though his fever hadn't yet broken and he was clearly still deathly ill, he looked to be a little more at peace. If that was all she was getting today, she would take it. She rose from her seat and walked away.

If there was one thing she knew about Jacaerys, she knew that he wouldn't want her to waste away by his bedside when there were still things they had to do. If he woke up… no when he woke up, Baela was determined to ensure that everything that he had asked for was ready. She would not let him down.

_________________________________________________

One week was long enough to get a lot done. Maratis and his men had finished reinforcing the black wall's southern gate and securing the seals on all the other gates. There was no danger of the chimeras escaping for now. Even the winged chimeras had wings too small and deformed to let them truly fly and any that almost made it were reduced to ash by the dragons. They had also destroyed all the wetlands and swamps on the island with dragonfire, removing the major breeding grounds for insects that could bite the chimeras and spread the disease.

With the inner city sealed off and the Red Death with it, the soldiers had begun work on clearing and repairing the roads between their camp and the harbor further south where every day more and more of their fleet arrived, bringing hundreds of men in reinforcements and all the supplies and weapons that they needed. It would be a month at least before they had the men and the equipment to storm Gogossos but when they did it would be with the fully disciplined might of the Velaryon Army, equipped with heavy armor and siege weaponry, and a vanguard of fearless Unsullied to take point.

Baela's task today was to convince Luke and Rhaena to continue their preparations. Every day that Jace continued to linger on the brink of death was a day that Luke grew more and more tempted to break his promise to him and burn Gogossos to ash just be done with it.

When Maratis and the other officers departed the room after giving their daily reports on the ongoing preparations, Baela stayed behind to speak to Luke in private. She noticed that Rhaena stayed behind as well.

"What is the point of continuing these preparations Luke?" Rhaena asked, halfheartedly, she already knew the answer.

"I promised Jace I would," Luke said firmly.

"And you will keep that promise," Baela declared firmly, leaving no room for argument as she made her continued presence known. Luke might have the command now but one day she would be his liege lady and she would have his loyalty and obedience.

Rhaena didn't glare at her but she knew that she was unhappy with her interruption. She tiredly glanced over at her and sighed. "Why do you feel so strongly about this Baela?"

"Why do you? We'll be on our dragons, there's no risk to us at all."

"There is always risk. I didn't come to this cursed city to throw away thousands of lives or to watch my husband or sister die! Not when I already have to – " Rhaena cut herself off from finishing her sentence, but they all knew who she spoke of.

"You gave him your word Luke. He will be deeply betrayed if he wakes up and finds that you haven't kept it," Baela said, addressing Luke in the silence that followed.

"If he wakes up," Rhaena said despondently.

"When he wakes up," Baela corrected insistently.

Luke's eyes were exactly like his brother's, the same deep purple. They were filled with pain and unspoken grief. He squeezed them shut and when they reopened they had only a grim determination. "Jace isn't dead. So long as he lives, his orders stand," he said before he walked out, clearly not in the mood to hear any more arguments, from either side.

Rhaena reached out her hand to hold him back but stayed at the last moment, watching him leave. "He's putting off his decision as long as he can," she said.

"Can you blame him? He still has hope."

"And what if it's a fool's hope Baela?" her sister demanded as she turned to face her. "If Jace dies, a part of Luke dies with him. I don't want him to tear himself apart even more. Jace's plan is ruthless and cruel Baela, it sacrifices the lives of thousands for vague and intangible gains and Luke hates it. He's fiercely loyal to Jace and that's why he obeyed the order initially without complaint. But if he was in command, he'd have never made that call and now because of his promise to Jace he feels that he has to. Don't you understand what this is doing to him? Why do you keep trying to hold him to it?" her twin said, distraught.

"The same reason you try and convince him to let it go Rhaena," Baela said sadly. "You love Luke… and I love Jace."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rhaena found it in herself to chuckle as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Finally realized that have you?"

Baela frowned. Rhaena laughed and continued. "Luke and I noticed months ago dear sister. Watching the two of you dance around each other was quite painful. We might have intervened eventually but it seems that wasn't necessary."

The melancholy expression returned to her sister's face. "Luke told me that Jace had another request, other than making Luke promise to keep to his damnable plan that is. He told Luke… to tell you that he loved you."

Baela clenched her fists. She had suspected, hoped that Jacaerys returned her feelings, but hearing it confirmed was something else entirely. It should have brought joy to her heart but knowing he might be on his deathbed, it brought pain as well, a grief that tainted the joy and crushed it to dust.

"He didn't want to say anything, insisting that Jace told you himself but I felt that you should hear it now. You can know that he loves you while he's still alive at least."

"Don't say that." Baela got upset.

"I have to. It feels like I'm the only one here who can acknowledge that possibility. Maratis and the rest are useless fanatics, you and Luke are in denial. I'm the one that has to think about that eventuality and think about how I'll pick up the pieces left of both you and Luke when it comes."

Baela looked away from her sister, not wanting to look at her right now. Rhaena sighed. "It's been a week Baela. You heard what the healers said. If he doesn't wake up soon, he never will. I know that I'll be just as distraught if I was in your place and Luke in Jace's, but you have to steel yourself and prepare your heart for that possibility. Or you'll break, and you'll never come back."

"I wasted so much time," she said, haunted. "I was too stubborn and stupid to see what I had. All that time wasted when I could have told him I loved him long ago and now it might be too late. If he dies, it will crush me Rhaena, because I wasted it all and I can't forgive myself for that. And the only thing that could make that feeling worse, is if he died for nothing. His last request to Luke wasn't to ask him to risk his life and the lives of thousands Rhaena. It was to ask him to make sure he wouldn't die for nothing. I refuse to let that happen, no matter what."

Her twin looked at her sadly. "Let us hope he doesn't then. Or we will be at odds dear sister. For what it's worth though, I don't hold it against you at all. I'd be exactly the same in your place."

"How did you do it?" she asked her. "I wasted all that time because I was torn up in my feelings, feeling like if I chose to accept that I loved Jace and I loved being part of House Velaryon, it would be a betrayal of our parents and our maiden house. How did you reconcile that so fast? Even before the wedding you were close to Luke and you were more than eager to marry him."

Rhaena seemed to pause and think on the right words to say. "It was not as easy as it seemed. You remember what started it Baela, I'm sure you do. We all saw it, how our father was beaten and bloody when Jace was done with him that day oh so long ago."

She winced at the memory that came to mind of her father in the infirmary bed, nose broken and bloody and face swelling with bruises. "I do."

"We were twelve. We didn't know anything. All we knew was that our Velaryon cousins had attacked our father and injured him so grievously. It made us hate the Velaryons and our parents kept feeding it with their own paranoia. Every time they disparaged them our hearts turned more and more against them."

"So how did it change for you?" Baela asked. "I know you're much closer to them than I am but our grandparents couldn't have changed your mind that easily could they?"

"No. You remember how scared and angry we were the first time they took us to Driftmark don't you? It was just six months after the incident and those two stupid boys had been writing us incessant letter after letter as if they thought that would let them win our hearts. The only thing our grandparents convinced me to do was ask, just ask Luke what his family's side of that whole incident was.

"It had helped that he wasn't actually the one who had caused our father such harm, even if he was there, so I was able to swallow up my distaste eventually and ask him. I heard his side of the story, how our father had goaded Jace into a duel, then attacked him from behind when he lost, how scared Luke was that he would lose his brother, he told me everything.

"It shocked me to the core. I didn't want to believe it at first but our grandparents confirmed it, and then so did Uncle Aemon, Uncle Viserys, Cousin Rhaenys, everyone. I was in so much denial for months but when I finally got over it, well there wasn't really any obstacles for me to fall in love with Luke after that and by the time we got married I had just completely stopped caring about what either of our parents said about the Velaryons.

"Because this is something you need to accept Baela. You've known for years what really happened in the yard that day and you know deep down our father was the one at fault, that's why you've been able to fall in love with Jace to begin with. But you haven't to be honest with him or yourself until now because you still haven't accepted the simple truth that leads to; our parents are not perfect.

"They had more than their own fair share in creating the tensions that exist between our two houses and the hostility that the Velaryons show our parents was more than justified and provoked. Our father doesn't even need explaining. Our mother complains to us about how Aunt Viserra taunted her and while I hate that she said something so cruel to her I can't lie and say our mother didn't have it coming either. You're afraid to choose between our parents and Jace Baela, but our parents are already choosing and it's not us. It's Jaehaerys and Helaena they favor now; you know this."

"So what?" Baela demanded. "Do you not love them anymore then?"

She scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course I still love them, flaws and all they're my parents. I've just stopped listening to their jealousy and paranoia because I can't let them and their views control my life forever. If they're at odds with my husband and new house so what? I'm greedy, I'll make them all play nice with each other. Whoever said I had to choose? I am both a Targaryen and a Velaryon."

Baela looked at her sister in a new light, one of awe and wonder. Was it really that simple? "I should have come to you about this years ago."

She nodded in agreement. "You should have. Maybe you wouldn't have wasted all that time tearing yourself up over nothing. But don't beat yourself up too much for it either. You did what you thought you had to to be a good daughter and no one can blame you for that, least of all Jace with how loyal and devoted he is to his parents."

Baela nodded reluctantly and Rhaena pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't lose hope Baela. I know I was lecturing you earlier but I'm honestly in awe of you. The fact that you're still holding onto hope is incredible and I believe that your faith will be rewarded."

They broke the hug but they didn't leave the room. Instead they each took a seat and just talked, like they hadn't in months, maybe even years. They reminisced about their childhood, memories with their younger siblings and parents. They spoke their thoughts on their new lives in House Velaryon, what they had liked about Tyrosh before they had left it. They even spoke about ideas for the names of their children, anything and everything to get their minds over the heaviness and darkness that was Gogossos and Jacaerys at death's door.

A few hours later, Luke threw open the doors and burst into the room, surprising both of them. Baela immediately got to her feet, dreading to hear what he had to say, fearing the worst. Her fears abated and her excitement grew instead however when she saw the beaming smile on Luke's face.

"His fever's broken! Jace has woken up!"

They almost ran to the infirmary after hearing what Luke said. Washing her hands felt painfully and agonizingly slow in the rush that she was in and as soon as she could she threw open the infirmary doors and burst into the building, sprinting to Jace's bed.

The curtains had long since been drawn open. A small crowd of healers had gathered around Jace who was sitting upright in his bed. He looked tired, but awake and so clearly alive. He was hungrily gulping down some food and water when he noticed their coming. Putting down his food, he smiled happily at them. "Baela, Luke, Rhaena! It's good to see you!"

Baela choked. Uncaring about the mess she might make of his food or the anger of the healers, she surged forward and threw herself onto Jace, though she did it lightly, remembering that he had only just woken up. She held him tightly and refused to let herself cry in relief, not in front of all these people.

It was not long before the healers tried pulling her off of Jace but they backed down at his command and he let her stay there for several moments as she hid her relief in his embrace. When she finally broke it, she moved a little further away from him before berating him for worrying her so much.

"Hiding your illness from us was unimaginably stupid and illogical! You better not hide things from us again like that! Understand Jace?" she said before blushing a little at how bold she was acting. "I'm warning you. This is a command from your princess," she said, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

Despite his tired state, he had the audacity to smirk at her. "Calling me Jace now are we?"

She couldn't help smiling back. "If you annoy me I'll go back to using your full name again."

Luke cleared his throat then and Baela turned to see him looking very unimpressed. Smiling sheepishly, Baela withdrew from Jace's side. Luke immediately took her place and hugged Jace so tightly he begged his brother to release him before he suffocated. Baela laughed with Rhaena as they watched from the side as Luke took his own turn chewing Jace out for his stupidity and for making them all worry.

There was something truly special about the bonds between twins, she thought as she looked over at Rhaena. It was different to the love between a devoted husband and wife, and yet no less powerful in Baela's mind. She could speak from experience.

The three of them waited for the healers to finish checking over Jace as he continued insatiably devouring all his food and drink. Once he was done with his meals and the healers apparently satisfied for now, Jace predictably began asking after the rest of the troops and the preparations they had undertaken in the week that he had been ill. Baela also confessed, to Luke and Rhaena's annoyance, that they had been heavily debating whether they should continue the plan or not while he was sick.

Jace looked very pleased by their reports and smiled gratefully at Luke. "Thank you Luke, for keeping your promise to me."

"It was the least I could do. The other thing you asked me for is not done yet though. I leave that to your discretion. I suggest you don't procrastinate much longer," Luke said, nudging his head at Baela meaningfully.

If Rhaena hadn't already revealed the truth to her, Baela wondered if she would have been totally oblivious to what this exchange could mean or had some suspicions of her own. She liked to think she'd have realized it immediately but she couldn't be certain. It was pointless wondering about that she supposed.

Jace's smile didn't fade but Baela thought she could see a shade of nervousness in his eyes as he nodded at his brother's words. "I'll get to that when we're done here. Thanks for the reminder."

He then turned to address Rhaena. "I know we have had our disagreements, but I wanted to thank you for looking after Luke and his best interests. It means a lot to me to know that you will always be there to take care of him no matter what happens to me. For what it's worth, I am sorry that I put Luke in that position."

Rhaena's lips formed a thin line but she nodded. "Thank you."

"Now that I'm awake, we can put this debate to rest thankfully. I take the burden of leadership off your shoulders again Luke."

"Just as it should be," he replied.

Jace smiled. "You've done well in my stead but if acting as my right-hand makes you happy, I have no problems with that."

His gaze turned to where the healers and other infirmary staff were busy with their duties. "The healers have told me that I can likely be discharged from the infirmary in a few days. They would like to keep me for observation in case my condition worsens again but that looks unlikely. It will be a few weeks before I'm back in top shape though. Once I'm recovered enough to really get out of this bed I'll need to hit the yard and build my body back up. That should be enough time for us to get all our reinforcements and supplies readied to storm the city."

"If we want to wait for the Unsullied to be the vanguard however, it will take even longer than that. Maybe until the end of the year at least before we can make our move," Luke pointed out.

Jace had a thoughtful expression on his face. "In the meantime then, we can finish clearing out any surviving corsairs and rebels in the rest of the islands so we can move as many troops to Gogossos as we please without any worries that they'll make a resurgence."

Baela nodded. "That works. We'll need to maintain at least two dragons and a large force here in the meantime to keep the chimeras sealed in though."

"We can take turns and rotate. Previously we used Talon as our headquarters between flights, well this will be the new one," Rhaena contributed.

They all looked at her, a little surprised.

"What? If we're doing this, I should contribute to the planning in some way so we can do it as best as we can right?" she defended.

Jace smiled. "Glad to have you onboard with us then Rhaena."

Baela was glad to see the cordiality between Jace and Rhaena restored but she was feeling increasingly impatient for the private conversation she and Jace needed to have.

"I think that's enough battle planning for now. Jace only just woke up and he still needs to rest and recover," she said as she ushered Luke and Rhaena away. "You two go on ahead. Jace and I have something to talk about, just the two of us."

Both of them gave her knowing smiles and smirked at each other. Luke gave his brother one last hug and Rhaena nodded to him before they took their leave, still smirking as they went. Baela glared at them as they left before turning back to Jace.

"You have something to say to me, don't you?" Baela asked.

Jace looked a little surprised. "I thought Luke said he didn't say anything."

"He didn't. Rhaena did."

Jace chuckled though she suspected he was hiding his panic. "He told Rhaena? Well he should have expected it to have gotten to you then."

"Even if he hadn't, the two of you were hardly subtle when you spoke of it earlier."

Jace sighed with a smile before he looked at her. His expression was a little nervous and uncertain but it was determined. "We've been married for over a year now Baela. And before that we were betrothed and getting to know each other for four. And in that time, I think that I've become very… fond of you.

"You're beautiful and lovely. You burn with a fire and life that just draws me in like a moth to flame. You're bold, feisty. Witty and daring, with a provocative and mischievous streak that one cannot help but feel endeared by. I… oh I should just say it. I think I've fallen in love with you.

Baela let the words sink into her. It was one thing to hear about it from another person but to hear it from the man itself? It left nothing in doubt. Her soul bloomed with warmth and her heart pounded with excitement and joy.

She took too long to make her reply it seemed because Jace hurriedly continued. "I… I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable or if you don't want to hear it. I know that you've been… struggling to reconcile your place in my family with your place in House Targaryen. The bad blood between your father and I certainly can't help. But I feel that I have to say it now, now that I've been blessed with this second chance at life. I held back out of my own fears and worries for so long and I just can't do that anymore."

Baela smiled at him. "Don't be sorry Jace. Your words bring me more joy than you could know… because I love you too."

The look of pleasant surprise and happiness on Jace's face made her day and brightened her spirits so much that it felt like the darkness and melancholy that had plagued her for the past week had never happened at all.

"I had the same worries you know? Drowning in my fears and concerns, overthinking this feud between our families and my place in it all. Denying my feelings for you because they confused me so much and left me not knowing who to feel loyal to and who to protect. But I don't want to do that anymore, I don't want to hide my heart from you and waste our precious time when we've both seen for ourselves how little of it we really could have.

"I'm still worried about the difficulties in the relationship between our families, but I think we can work through them, figure it out together as we move on from here. I've been speaking with my sister and she's helped me realize that, maybe I don't have to choose between being a Targaryen and being a Velaryon. Why not strive to be both? Bring a lasting peace between our families and make them friends and allies again as they once were instead of holding myself to the imagined requirement that I have to be only one or the other?"

Jace looked at her cautiously and asked, "Do you really think that's possible?"

"Possible? Certainly. Would it be easy? Perhaps not. But together, maybe we could make it happen. I want to make it happen. With you. The future may be uncertain, but right here, right now, I'm certain that I love you."

Jace looked at her and there was a heartfelt joy and understanding in his eyes. Sometime along their conversation, their hands had met and intertwined on the bed.

"So where do you want to go from here?" he asked her.

"I'd kiss you if I was sure the healers wouldn't bar me from the infirmary for that," Baela confessed.

Jace burst out laughing and Baela smiled, happy that she made him laugh.

"But more seriously. We kill all these chimera fuckers from Gogossos and eradicate the Red Death from the world forever. Hopefully without any of the four of us getting sick again and without too many of the men dying. Then we return home in glorious triumph with the treasure trove of the century and all of our names and memories immortalized in history forever."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Indeed. I'm about to make a wild suggestion which you will probably hate but hear me out. I know Valyrian steel is unimaginably priceless and it probably won't be your decision alone to make but if you wanted to, gifting my father a Valyrian steel sword would go a long way in dulling his animosity towards you and your family. He's long desired one and by now my grandfather has made it clear that he is never getting Dark Sister."

Jace was pensive at her suggestion though it made her happy to see that he was at least thinking about it. "I wouldn't hold it against you at all if you decided against it," Baela reassured him. "I know that there is a lot of bad blood between my father and you but it would help out a lot in mending ties and making things easier for Rhaena and I. And frankly, we will soon have so much Valyrian steel we wouldn't know what to do with it all."

"Have you considered that perhaps receiving a Valyrian steel sword from me or my family would actually anger your father rather than please him? He might see such charity as a slight and mocking him, as well as a subtle jab at House Targaryen's wealth since we would now have so much Valyrian steel we can afford to give away swords as gifts and be no less wealthy for it."

Baela had not considered that. "Perhaps. That's a fair point actually. This is why we work best together you and I. Together we can see things we couldn't alone."

Jace smiled at her words about them together. "Perhaps we could look into gifting a sword to your brother instead? It would serve a similar purpose but without the possibility of the gift being tainted by any previous bad blood."

"You want to give Jae a Valyrian steel sword? If you do I think no matter what our parents say, he'll worship you for the rest of his life," Baela jested, her mouth aghast at the idea of her thirteen-year-old brother with a Valyrian steel sword. Her father wouldn't even know what to think about that, whether to be pleased or insulted, and knowing Jace that would be half the point.

Jace continued her jape, "Latest convert to the Zaldilaros Creed perhaps."

"Oh Seven, he'd be absolutely insufferable once he really hears about that and what it means," Baela said, shaking her head in bemusement at her brother's antics. He was still so young and innocent and she prayed that he could keep that innocence for a few years more at least.

"I do have one more suggestion," she began. "It would absolutely infuriate my parents but once it's done it can't be taken back and they'd be tied to House Velaryon forever, whether they liked it or not. I'll make them like it if I have to."

"Now you're just making me really curious."

"Well," she said, drawing out the word to leave him in suspense before she continued with a sly smirk and teasing tone. "When we get back to Tyrosh, I could stop taking the tea and we could give them their first grandchild."

Jace looked at her in absolute shock and Baela could feel her cheeks burning red in embarrassment but she refused to lose her composure. Finally, Jace gave in and guffawed. "I think we'll be competing with Luke and Rhaena for that," he jested.

"It's a race then. And you know how I hate losing races," Baela said sultrily.

"Oh I do," Jace said before he took her hands up to his mouth and kissed them softly. Baela was uncomfortably reminded of how weak Jace's grip felt after he had been sick for one week. It was filled with bravado and the pretense of strength and energy but at least it was alive. He looked tired and Baela felt a little guilty for keeping a still weak and recovering person up so long.

She smiled at him. "I think it's time you got back to rest," she said before she got up from the bed and pulled up a chair. "Sleep," she instructed.

"Don't worry," she reassured him when she saw the uncertainty in his expression. "I won't be going anywhere. I'll still be here when you wake up."

Nodding reluctantly, he shuffled down on his bed with her help and within moments he was snoring softly. Baela had to resist cooing at how cute he was acting and how adorable he looked. She would definitely have to tease him about it once he recovered and oh how Jace would hate that. He was all about strength and being manly and inspiring to his men after all, but it made her happy to know he trusted her enough to be vulnerable around her.

____________________________________________

Twelfth Moon, 114 AC

One week till the turn of the year, and their army was finally ready. Their mission was to kill every last chimera that roamed Gogossos before they systematically opened every vault they could find to kill any chimeras that might lurk within. It was to be the day that started the extermination of abominations, the slaughter of hybrids, the cull of chimeras.

Months of preparations had been undertaken for this operation. The rest of the Basilisk Isles had long since been cleared out of any surviving corsairs and garrisoned with skeleton forces as the vast majority of the army moved to Gogossos. Additional reinforcements had also come down from Velos and Viserria and now a force of 10,000 Velaryon army soldiers and 5,000 Unsullied at their head stood ready to storm into Gogossos and destroy the creatures from hell.

They were all armed and armored as heavily as possible with plate and chainmail and large axes and spears. Some of the best champions had been chosen to wear and wield Valyrian steel weapons and armor pieces that had previously been salvaged. They would of course be returning all of them when the cull was complete though or their lives would be forfeit.

As far as possible, Baela and her fellow dragonriders had thinned the numbers of chimeras in the city, over the past few weeks, burning any that they found roaming out in the streets. Still a few dozen were believed to still be extant and they had learned how to avoid the dragons whenever they flew overhead, hiding in the buildings and beneath the trees when they realized they wouldn't burn them in there.

Thus the duty of flushing out these last chimeras was given to their army. They would try and support them as best as they could but the danger of friendly fire and collateral damage to the city limited how much the four of them could do with their dragons. The vast majority of the killing and thus the dying would now be in the hands of the soldiers. It was a solemn and brutal task.

The healers in the infirmary might have confirmed that the Red Death could only spread through bodily fluids, greatly reducing the risk of infection, but how much did that really change when you faced the chimeras yourself? Even if you survived the encounter with giant and horrid monsters that could tear apart or crush you and your comrades, the Red Death would still fester in the wounds they inflicted upon you with their teeth and claws. A visit from the Stranger would almost be certain for you.

It was thus a testament to the loyalty and devotion of the Velaryon Army that they were brave enough to assemble at the gate. The Unsullied took the vanguard, the fearless eunuchs would be the spearhead of their advance, each one had been given a long spear to hold back the chimeras and they would be deploying phalanx tactics. They had each been armored in heavy plate from head to toe.

Inside the city, some of their scout teams had already entered, daring to enter certain buildings to set up their siege equipment and archer hills, but the bulk of the army had gathered here. On each of their faces was a look of fear and grim certainty of death. Baela looked over to Jace, they both knew this army would begrudgingly obey out of loyalty alone, but without any fire in them, they would lose heart easily.

A sudden roar tore through the sky, deafening to hear. It silenced all the chatter and dissent in the ranks and brought their attention to where Jace sat atop his dragon. Tessarion's legs were perched upon the gatehouse and her wings curled around the battlements.

Jace began to speak then, somehow managing to project his voice so far as he all but screamed. Perhaps he already had some magic of his own or his charisma as a leader was simply that great. Throughout the army, heralds had already been tasked to read out his speech to the men, but his voice thundered so loud that perhaps it hadn't been needed at all.

"I know if I give the order, all of you will march into that city! Out of nothing but loyalty and love for me and mine, devotion to Zaldilaros! But deep down in your hearts, you will always wonder why? Why are you being given this order!? Why can't Zaldilaros simply use their dragons and reduce it all to ash, chimeras with it?? Why are you being asked to throw away your lives for what seems to be nothing!?

"I will tell you why. Because inside that city lies a wealth greater than any in the entire Known World. A wealth in gold and silver, in gemstones and pearls, in ivories and silks, in Valyrian steel and magical artifacts and lore. If we burn it to the ground, all of that is lost forever, and for nothing. We will not kill all of the chimeras, neither will we have learned what we need to eradicate them and the Red Death forever. They will simply hide and skulk away in some hidden corners, or those buried in the vaults will escape from the rubble and the world shall be doomed.

"Imagine your families! Back home in Driftmark, Tyrosh, Velos, Viserria, and whatever other place you came from! Torn apart by the chimeras! Screaming as they bleed to a red death! When they go to you in the seven heavens, and they ask you why you didn't fight for them, what will you tell them? Will you them that you were a craven!? A coward who did not dare to fight for his kith and kin! Nay I say!

"We are House Velaryon! There is no tradition that we dishonor, no oath that we will forsake, no battle that we will cower from! We are the Old, the True, and the Brave and we will be VICTORIOUS! We will not lose this day! That I promise you! Yes, there is risk and yes there is danger! Death waits for us in Gogossos as certain as the sun will set and rise. But so does life! So do hope, and honor too! Look to your brothers and draw strength from them! Look to the skies and watch as the dragons destroy your enemies! 15,000 of your brothers stand beside you! The Seven bless you! Zaldilaros watches you! Four of the dragons protect you! You are not guaranteed to die this day! No you will live to answer your family in the heavens that you fought and bled for a glorious future!

"Today we fight! We fight for a future where our families will never fear the monsters of Gogossos, or the scourge of the Red Death because their loved ones have fought and bled and died to rid the world of its menace forever! A future where their husbands, their sons, their fathers, and their brothers return to them, alive and well, laden with gold and glory! A future where they are made rich beyond their wildest dreams and never lack for luxuries or go to sleep hungry again!

"And if we are to die! So be it! We will all die one day! Let our deaths have meaning! Let them serve a glorious purpose, one that resonates through all of history! Let our names be forever immortalized as those who culled the chimeras of Gogossos! Let it be so fine a death, the Stranger himself would treat us kindly! The Father judge us worthy, the Mother show mercy our souls, and the gates of the highest of the seven heavens opened to us for eternal glory and paradise!"

"Open the gates!" he barked to the gate crew. As the southern gates of the black walls opened, Jace addressed the men one last time.

"Forward! Into that city of ghosts! Because we are the Velaryon Army! We do not buckle and yield when faced with the monsters of myth! We destroy them! VELARYON AND VICTORY!"

"VELARYON AND VICTORY" the army chorused as they marched into Gogossos, the Unsullied taking point as they marched through the streets, systematically clearing out street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, building by building. Along the rooftops, the archers and the siege crews awaited as surely as their counterparts marching in formation did, ready to nock and fire at a moment's notice.

Baela and her brethren did not take off, lying in wait for the chimeras to reveal themselves. There was little food to eat in the city, the chimeras had no doubt devoured any local wildlife by now and they had even begun cannibalizing each other. Some had even go so far as to suggest until they all killed each other but that had been ruled against, if they waited too long, the risk of one chimera escaping and infecting the world grew higher and higher. And so the decision was made to march.

As they predicted, it was not long before the chimeras came rushing out, unable to resist the appeal of so much fresh meat. In an instant, endless volleys of arrows and siege missiles were loosed upon them even as they came charging into the spears of the Unsullied phalanx. Some came bursting out from the buildings in the side, striking the army formations who scrambled to defend themselves.

Baela and her brethren took to the sky and unleashed their dragons, instantly eviscerating all the chimeras who tried to assault the Unsullied while the attackers on the side were slain by their soldiers after heavy losses.

Well-drilled and disciplined, the full and armored might of the Velaryon Army cut through every chimera it encountered like a knife through butter yet in return the chimeras killed hundreds from their bites, from their claws, from their vast physical strength crushing their bodies or throwing them aside, and from the scourge that they spread in the blood of all who survived the wounds they inflicted upon them.

Having planned this attack for months, Baela and her fellow dragonriders began selectively burning chosen parts of the city, careful to avoid any locations they were sure had major vaults. Their objective was to try and flush all the chimeras out into the open for their soldiers to kill or for their dragons to burn. Any fires that spread too far could be put out by their many soldiers within the black walls.

They and their army moved together, systematically, brutally, and efficiently. As the sun set after a hard day of fighting, a count of 110 chimeras were reported dead. Casualties on the human side were not as high as expected due to careful and meticulous over-planning and over-preparation. In total, 611 men had been killed by the chimeras and a further 981 had been infected by the Red Death from their scratches and bites.

The infected were sent to quarantine and those that had been injured but not infected due to the wounds not drawing blood were sent to a second infirmary. That night, they returned to their camp outside the black wall and rejoiced and rested. Despite the high losses, morale was high. They now knew that they could fight the chimeras and they could kill them. The fear they had once struck into their hearts had lessened.

The next day, the surviving thirteen thousand or so soldiers marched back into the city and killed another thirty-seven chimeras, taking even less losses than they had the first day, even when considering the ratio and proportionality. With every passing day after that second day, they found less and less chimeras to kill and incurred increasingly fewer losses. Their skills in combating the chimeras grew, as did their confidence.

It soon came to the point that the chimeras dared not attack them in the open, no matter how hungry they were. The men were forced to leave the comfortable safety in numbers and break up into smaller units to systematically clear through the city, house by house. Their losses mounted but their spirits did not waver, for the confidence instilled in them by those first glorious days had been too great to dissipate so easily. They fought back and slaughtered the few surviving chimeras with the skills they had by now mastered. It was a cull in every sense of the word, and the chimeras, though abominable and twisted monstrosities, were simply living things at the end of the day. And all living things could and would die.

Every day, Baela and her fellow dragonriders had followed the soldiers, helping them from the skies in whatever way they could and ensuring that their every want and need was seen to as they fought to keep the morale up. By the dawn of the new year, it was reported that there were no more chimeras roaming the streets of Gogossos.

From that day onward, they moved onto all of the large vaults they had identified, those vaults that had borne a major resemblance to first vault which had released the first few hundred chimeras. At each vault, they had the dragons burn through the gate and upon confirming the presence of hundreds more chimeras within, they had incinerated them all before they even had the chance to fully awaken from their hibernation.

With the last obvious chimera vaults cleared out, the men had descended upon the rest of the city in a frenzy, taking their promised loot as they wished. No loot team was to have less than a hundred men by Jace's command, to ensure safety in numbers in case they chanced upon another hidden chimera vault or any skulking survivor, though they ended up finding none.

Every man who had fought in the Chimera Cull would go home carrying enough wealth in gold, silver, gemstones, and other priceless and valuable luxuries to make their families rich for life. A great new class of wealthy citizens had been created in the Velaryon State by this great windfall in Jace's words, and they would help to drive the economy through their taxes and spending.

For their own part, Baela and her fellow Velaryons kept for their house half of the city's wealth in precious metals, stones, and commodities, with the other half having been given away generously to their soldiers or paid to the families of those who had sacrificed their lives for the cause. Though it was only half, Gogossos had held so much wealth and treasure that that half alone was enough to increase their previous and very considerable reserves of liquid wealth by a whole third. But if Baela was being honest, she and the others all agreed that they could have given all of the gold and other wealth to the soldiers and it wouldn't have made a difference. Because the real treasure they had gained from the city laid elsewhere.

All of its Valyrian steel, cataloged and inventoried after months of excavating and sorting, was taken by House Velaryon for its own. When combined with the previous collection of steel that her goodparents had taken from Slaver's Bay, they now had enough metal to arm the entire five-hundred strong Tide Guard in Valyrian steel swords if they melted it all down and reforged it. It was an insane and jaw dropping amount that still left Baela in shock and awe to even think of. That collection alone now enshrined House Velaryon as the indisputably richest family in the entire world.

Granted, much of this steel was not to be used for reforging as they did not understand the uses of the magical artifacts they were bound to and hoped to study them. Still they had enough to reforge many, many swords while having enough left over to more than quadruple their already impressive jewelry collection. Jace and Luke, obsessive warriors as they were, were already salivating over the idea of armoring themselves from head to toe in invincible and indestructible Valyrian steel chainmail and plate armor. They had estimated that they could make at least ten such sets of armor, if not more, if they were willing to use all of their steel collection.

Apart from Valyrian steel, they had also seized thousands of magical artifacts, including hundreds of glass candles, and all of the lore and histories of Gogossos, both magical and mundane. Buried in those tomes, they had found what Jace had promised. The methods the blood mages had used to create and control their chimeras, to track them if they went rogue, and even suicide or self-destruction commands. They had used all of these spells and commands to confirm that every last chimera on the island was dead and they had breathed a great sigh of relief afterward.

There was a lot of other magic and spells taught in those tomes, many they were too scared to even attempt using and the vast majority of them they couldn't even begin to understand. Ranging from shadowbinding, fleshshaping, blood magic, and pyromancy, magic was terrifying as it was awesome. But even though Baela was uncertain how willing or able House Velaryon would be to use these arcane arts, she still felt better knowing that they had access to this knowledge so they could understand their foes if ever they fought against magic again.

Among all the magical artifacts and lore, Jace and Luke were most interested in the glass candles, which they had deemed the safest to study and use. Even the maesters at the Citadel had some candles and they were mostly harmless but it was nigh impossible to make the candle do as one wished it to.

Legends told that the Valyrians of old could use them to see across the entire world and communicate with others in their minds no matter the distance with the candles. However, legends also told that if one could not master the candle, the candle would master them and drive them mad with endless visions and painfully vivid colors, so there was at least some danger. Still there was potential at least and they had found several books that Jace and Luke believed could eventually teach them how to use, master, and perhaps even make more glass candles.

Ultimately, it had ended up taking them several months to exterminate every chimera in Gogossos and then excavate every vault and sort and inventory and divide out all of its treasures but all things came to an end eventually, even tedious tasks like this.

Jace and Luke's cousin Rhogar had already arrived a month ago and he had been sworn in by Jace and Luke personally as the Velaryon Governor of the Basilisk Isles. Garrisons had been left all over the islands, hard at work deterring the corsairs from returning and rebuilding and expanding the infrastructure for settlers and colonists to arrive and make the region habitable and profitable, all part of some dramatic and suitably ambitious plans Jace and his family had been conceiving for years.

As for Gogossos, all the chimeras had been cleared out, and the Red Death had never reemerged after the last soldiers infected by the chimeras had sadly died. With all the dangers and treasures removed, all that remained of Gogossos was a ring of indestructible black walls surrounded on both sides by a ruined city overgrown with jungle.

Yet that would not be the case forever. Despite the damage they had done to the city with their fighting during the Chimera Cull and its general decay in the past one hundred and forty years, much of the city's infrastructure remained intact beneath all the vegetation, as they had noted when they had first arrived in the city. Rhogar had seated himself in the city ruins after Jace had declared it was to be the region's capital and work was already in progress to clear out the overgrown trees and other vegetation and begin repairing and rebuilding the ruins.

The city on the Isle of Tears would bloom and prosper again one day in the not-so-far future, once again becoming a rich and wealthy center of commerce and culture. But the name Gogossos, the name of chimeras and abominations, of slavery and sorcery, that name was to be relegated to the history books. As the Valyrians had renamed the city of Gorgai to Gogossos, so too would House Velaryon name the ruins of Gogossos anew, to symbolize the new start that it was given.

Corlantis would be the Velaryon capital in the Basilisk Isles. Named for Jace's beloved father, Corlys the Sea Snake, and mirroring the city of Viserria to the north that had been named for his mother and renamed after the conquest of New Ghis. Together the cities of Corlantis and Viserria would watch over and protect the eastern trade routes of House Velaryon and bring wealth and prestige to the house, just as the pair they had been named for had done for decades.

The work was not done yet. It would take years, decades really, before the Basilisk Isles could be developed to their full potential. The still resentful locals, many of whom had supported the corsairs, had to be pacified and integrated into the Velaryon State, with force if necessary. Corlantis and the other forts and towns still had to be rebuilt and expanded, and the islands were still greatly lacking in people and needed many colonists to settle and farm and exploit them, but these were all tasks that would be left in the hands of Rhogar and his subordinates.

The work of the dragonriders was done and the aftermath would be left for their servants and vassals to oversee. And so it was that as the fifth moon of 115 AC began, Baela boarded the treasure-laden fleet with her husband, twin sister, and goodbrother. Several ships would be left under Rhogar's command for his new governorate but the remainder was stuffed full to the brims with treasure and that was after several ships had already returned home with full cargoes and returned for more.

They would not be returning home the way they came. They had already informed several Summer Islander Princes that they would be stopping over for resupply in their ports. This detour served both its stated purpose but also served two other functions. It allowed them to impress on the Summer Islanders the strength of House Velaryon's power and the vastness of its wealth in person, helping them to draw the islands further into their own economic and political orbit and influence and away from the Western Alliance and South Sea Company's. It also allowed them to begin the plans Jace had for recruiting colonists for the Basilisk Isles from the Summer Islanders themselves.

After the Summer Islands, they would sail straight for Tyrosh, though they would not tarry there for long. By the time they returned to Tyrosh in around three months or so, Jace and Luke would have not seen their parents and siblings for almost two whole years. Worried about what they had heard had happened in the Basilisk Isles, Jace and Luke's parents had ordered them to return to High Tide as soon as they had settled their expedition back in Tyrosh so they could see to their health and hear their reports in person.

Baela also found herself missing her own parents and siblings back in Westeros. It would be good for Rhaena and her to take a short flight over to Dragonstone or King's Landing to see them when they returned to Driftmark.

As their fleet released their sails to catch the morning wind, Baela held Jace's hand as they turned around and watched as Gogossos, no, Corlantis, faded from view. At long last, after one and a half years of fighting and hardship, they were finally saying goodbye to the Basilisk Isles, and bound for home.

Over the course of those one and a half years, over four thousand Velaryon soldiers had died, be it from disease, the swords of the corsairs, or the mauling of the chimeras. A costly but acceptable price she knew Jace would say. Despite her sadness at the loss of so many of their men, Baela could not help but agree. Four thousand lives for everything the Basilisk Isles and Gogossos had given them and would continue to give them was a more than fair trade.

It was only years later that Baela would look back and realize that the sacrifices had only just begun when they conquered the Basilisk Isles.