28 AC, Westeros — Dragonstone
3rd POV
A woman's screams could be heard throughout the castle of Dragonstone. A new Targaryen was being brought into the world. Behind the doors from which the painful cries came stood Maegor Targaryen, second son of the great Aegon the Conqueror. He was very tall and broad-shouldered. He had the looks of a Targaryen: silver hair and purple eyes. He was only sixteen, and soon he would be a father.
Maegor hadn't thought much about fatherhood in his life. He knew that one day he would be a father, yes, but he never thought it would be so soon. He was a great warrior and still had more glory to gain, so in his mind he didn't have time to be a father. Although he was the son of the king, he very rarely paid attention to him. The king mostly focused on his older brother, Aenys. He had nothing against his older brother — he was his blood, and one day his brother would be king, and he would serve him well. Such is what a brother should do for his only brother. But if he was being honest, his brother Aenys was weak. Plain and simple.
Aenys wasn't just weak in strength, but also in mind. He didn't have the mind of a king. His brother was more of the peaceful type. And Maegor could admit that, at times, peace was a good thing. But they were dragons, and those who defied them should face dragonfire. That's just how it should be in his eyes. It had been put in his head at a young age by his mother: he was the dragon, and dragons ruled.
The screams stopped, and out came a maester.
"Prince Maegor, they are ready for you," he said.
Maegor didn't respond and walked past the man. Once he laid eyes on his wife, he saw that she was exhausted and barely conscious. Ceryse Hightower was truly a beauty, and even now she was still stunning. A maid eventually came to him with a little bundle in her hands.
"A boy, Prince Maegor. You have an heir," she said.
Maegor took the boy from her arms and looked at him. He had the Targaryen look: pale white hair and a strange blend of green and purple eyes. Maegor already had a name for him, and he spoke it.
"Aerys Targaryen," he said. "Prince Aerys Targaryen, my son and heir."
His wife was now fast asleep, so Maegor took it upon himself to care for the child. There was something about him, something different. He held the boy in his hands when, out of nowhere, the doors swung open. In came his mother, Queen Visenya Targaryen. She was aging, yes, but she was still a beauty — long silver hair flowing down her back and dark purple eyes that seemed like a void. In her hands she held a blood-red dragon egg.
"Oh, so this is my grandson," she said with a smile. "His name?"
"Aerys. Aerys Targaryen."
That made Visenya's smile widen. "He shall be a god of war," she said.
Maegor looked at the egg in her hands. "Was that laid by Vhagar?"
"Well, of course, my son. My grandchild shall have nothing less than the best."
"And Father? Is he here?"
Visenya gave her son a sad look. "My son, as you know, your father has not been doing well as of late."
Maegor gritted his teeth. "Is it because this is not Aenys's child that he cannot come see his grandson?"
"Enough of that, Maegor. You know your father would not miss this if it weren't for good reason."
Maegor looked down at his son. The sight of him brought him pure joy. This was his legacy — not his brother's nor his father's. It was his.
Then, in the silence of the room, something unexpected happened. The egg in Visenya's hands began to shake. They looked at each other in shock. Visenya carefully placed it on the ground. As soon as she did, the egg cracked open, and out came a blood-red dragon. Its neck was long, almost like a serpent's, and it had powerful hind legs. The dragon stretched and flew over to Aerys, coiling around the child.
Maegor was stunned, and so was his mother. Most dragons didn't hatch in a baby's crib — but this one had hatched at the sight of the boy.
"Oh, they will be trouble," Visenya said.
Maegor smiled. "They will, Mother. They shall bring fire and blood to all who oppose us."
So the day was marked. Twenty-eight years after Aegon's Conquest, Prince Aerys Targaryen, the dragon of war, was born.