Game of Thrones/ASOIAF: The Prince of Scrolls

"It's so big and warm. It feels good," Daenerys said, holding Jaehaerys's eggs.

"Warm?" he asked, touching the same black egg Daenerys seemed so obsessed with. A warmth covered his palm. He could feel the heat, too. But others couldn't. When others touched the eggs, they were cold, though only Brandon, Torrhen, and Ros had done so.

There were three eggs in total: one black with dark purple spots visible only near the fire. The second egg was silver with a black line running through the middle.

The last egg was copper red with gray streaks like steel, and it was the smallest of the three.

He believed his Targaryen blood made them react to his touch. Because of that, he had felt special. And he was.

But apparently, his fiancée was just as special.

Jaehaerys began to thank Rhaegar silently. Although he hadn't been convinced about the marriage at first and had only accepted it to obtain land and a castle, it now seemed that his sister's lineage would help him: "Mother of Dragons." He liked the title.

'Only Daemon remains,' he thought bitterly. If Daenerys weren't in love with someone else, everything would be much simpler. They seemed to have a lot in common.

The prince thought about why he had taken her to his room. He had always been very careful with his belongings. The twinge in his temple served as a warning sign. It told him that she had to see them. 'Can I trust her?' he wondered, already knowing the answer.

'I can't,' he thought. After the princess left her chambers, he decided he would hide the eggs somewhere else.

"Are they alive?" she asked incredulously. "Forget it," she said, realizing she had said something stupid.

"Dragons are magical creatures. Fire made flesh," replied Jaehaerys. "It would be foolish to assume they're not alive," he finished.

"Can I have one?" she asked, her violet eyes shining with innocence and joy. The prince was about to give in.

"For now, they must remain a secret," he said, perhaps a little too curtly.

"I see," the princess replied naturally. Her ears turned red.

"Maybe... once we're married," he said.

The girl looked at him with conflicting emotions. She was torn between her desire for the dragon eggs and her feelings for Daemon. She remained silent. Jaehaerys cursed himself internally. What he said sounded more like a condition than the casual comment he had intended.

-----

Daenerys wondered what her life would be like with Daemon. He was an accomplished warrior and was respected by the lords; no one dared to mess with him. She would probably be a beautiful rose by his side. They would have sons as talented as their father and daughters raised the same way she was.

Then she thought about her life with Jaehaerys. Perhaps she could be freer at his side. He was a scholar. She had heard some knights call her betrothed "The Prince of Scrolls." The warriors did not respect him, even if they never said it to his face. Dany wondered if, since he was so intelligent, he could teach her something. Or at least allow her to learn on her own? Perhaps he could demand that the maesters teach her. An intelligent man like him shouldn't be seen with a foolish wife, should he?

Daemon would never do such a thing. She had often tried to convince him to borrow a book from the maesters' library for her to read. He obeyed, but he always brought back a book about chivalry and romance. When she asked for something more academic, he mocked her, saying that if she learned such things, she would take the maesters' jobs away.

She didn't want to accept that. Her mind seemed to want Jaehaerys to win the duel tomorrow, even though it was impossible. She felt guilty instantly. Although she hoped for a better life with Jaehaerys, she still loved Daemon. If she married Jaehaerys, she would feel like she was using him.

"Hide!" Jaehaerys urged, scaring her. She took the eggs and hid them under the bed.

Then, he dragged her behind a piece of furniture. He was rough; Dany would have moaned if the prince's muscular hand hadn't silenced her.

He manipulated her as if she were a rag doll. For the first time, she realized how big Jaehaerys was. He was at least half a head taller than Daemon, who was much taller than her. He moved her with alarming ease. Contrary to her initial thoughts, the idea that he could subdue her so easily didn't seem so bad.

The door opened slowly, and soon they heard footsteps approaching.

"What is your purpose here?" Daenerys heard the prince speak, accompanied by the sound of a chain. She received no answer.

Then, she heard steel being unsheathed. It was a sound she had grown accustomed to. Whenever Daemon asked her to watch him train, she went.

Her heart raced in her chest. Her first impulse was to cower.

"Surround him," said one of them in an accent similar to Queen Elia's. A Dornish accent.

"You may withdraw now," said the prince, his voice firm but not carefree.

'Damn it, he's brave!' the princess thought. She wished he would run for his life.

The men let out small, stifled laughs.

"Shut the hell up," said the only one who had spoken. "Let's do this quickly," he ordered.

Daenerys screamed into her hand when she first heard steel clash against steel. Tears began to fall from her eyes at the thought of losing her brother. They weren't very close yet, but she had grown fond of him in a short time.

"Son of a bitch!" she heard one of them shout.

"Damn monster!" The fear was palpable.

"They said it would be easy!"

"I'm out of here. This shit isn't what they told us."

Dany poked her head out. The sight made her stomach churn. Jaehaerys was fine, standing in front of two bodies. In his hand was a strange tool. It was three metal tubes joined by a chain. Dany had never seen a weapon like it. She could see that it was dark iron, stained bright red.

"Please," a third man, whom Dany hadn't seen before, began to plead.

-----

"Who sent you?" The man remained silent.

Jaehaerys let the weapon slide down his hand until he grasped one end. With a slight arc, he broke the man's leg at an odd angle.

"Ahhh! I can't. Please," the man whispered. His hands were unable to support his broken leg. Daenerys saw Jaehaerys raise the tool again.

"It was Darkstar! He swore it was him. Please forgive me," the man sniffed, squealing like a pig about to be sent to the slaughterhouse.

"Darkstar?" Jaehaerys muttered incredulously.

The man wasn't capable of sneaking five men into the red fortress as if it were nothing. Jaehaerys thought about how the man looked at Viserys and realized he had found his culprit.

'Is he that stupid? An attempted murder in broad daylight?' Rhaegar wasn't the most affectionate man, but he knew Viserys craved the throne and saw Daenerys as a tool to help him get it. Had he succeeded, the investigation would have led back to Viserys, giving Rhaegar an excuse to eliminate a rival for the throne.

Jaehaerys began to think that Daemon wouldn't be his only problem in the capital.

The sound of approaching footsteps distracted him from his thoughts. He soon felt a small body grab him from the side. The princess held him tightly, burying her face in his chest. He held her tenderly. The poor girl must have been scared.

"Jaehaerys, are you all right?" To his surprise, the concerned voice came from Viserys, who was accompanied by a group of knights and white cloaks. 'Hypocrite,' he thought, seeing the look of concern on Viserys's face. He felt an urge to break his arms when he reached out a hand, apparently to check if he was okay. "Dany?" he said incredulously.