86 AC.
A tall man with broad shoulders and a muscular body walked with hurried steps, his expression growing more anxious with each passing second. He had the unique silver hair of the royal family, and purple eyes which were as fierce as they were worried. He slammed the door open as he walked into the chambers.
"Alyssa!" He yelled, his fists clenched as his expression tightened upon seeing his wife laying in bed. However, his worst fear did not come true.
In front of him was a young woman with messy dirty blonde hair, drenched in sweat along with her entire body. She had mismatched eyes, one violet and another green, which made her a bit of a unique case in the family.
She appeared more unruly and ferocious rather than elegant.
Looking up, she grinned wildly, unable to help but laugh even if she was exhausted to the point of wanting to just lay down and fall asleep.
"He's fine." She spoke, her voice hoarse and tired, shaking her head. "I'm fine too, Baelon."
Baelon let out a breath of relief, his face brightening, and rushed to her without a second thought, holding her face and kissing her with laughter. "That's all that matters..."
"Mhmmm..." Alyssa nodded absentmindedly, staring at her child who was looking up at her with wide, unblinking eyes, sharing the same mismatched eye colour as her, one a sickly acidic green and another deep, dark purple.
Baelon hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to ask after labour. He knew he was late, that an entire day had almost passed since his son's birth, so she wouldn't be as tired as before. But he still worried. However, Alyssa was much more blunt, her tongue involuntarily biting and harsh. "Stop beating around the bush for the Seven's sake, speak."
"What should we name him?" Baelon smiled wryly, sitting down awkwardly and touching the baby's face.
Alyssa let out an exhausted groan, handing him the baby and sinking into the bed, staring at the ceiling for some time. Until her eyes gradually closed, and before she fell asleep, she managed to utter a single word. "Zalarys..."
"How is she, Baelon?" A voice interrupted their moment from behind. Alyssa was already asleep, so Baelon, holding little Zalarys, looked back with a warm smile.
"Everything is fine, father. Both Alyssa and Zalarys are healthy and filled with vitality." He said with a short laugh.
As for Jaehaerys, he looked at them intently, his face unreadable as he stroked his beard with his deep purple eyes. He was wearing black and gold robes, his crown a simple band of yellow gold ornamented with seven gemstones of different colours, his silver hair growing to his waist.
"Health is what matters most. Everything else can be taken care of." He sighed, finally allowing a touch of warmth to bloom on his face, but before he could say another word, someone rushed into the chambers, her voice filled with relief and joy.
"Baelon! You're back." Queen Alysanne hugged her son with a happy smile, cupping his cheeks and looking up, but slowly her elated expression crumbled, replaced by a scolding look. "You're late!"
"I know, my apologies, mother." Baelon scratched the back of his head apologetically as the baby in his arms was snatched into the loving embrace of Alysanne.
"Uhm... Mother, can I-"
"No! Be silent." She shut him up quickly, leaving Baelon even more awkward. Then, turning around, her face turned fierce, giving her husband and son a determined look. "We should prepare his cradle and a dragon egg as well!"
"Do you truly believe that too?" Jaehaerys asked, his tone deep and his eyes wise as he contemplated which egg they should choose.
"Why not? It's a nice tradition." She argued back with a huff, turning to Baelon. "Don't you think so, my child?"
Baelon wore a helpless smile, only nodding at her every time she asked something.
A few days later...
"Father! Father! Let me choose! Let me!" A very obnoxious and loud voice split Baelon's head open, his expression irritated and bleak as he stared down at the boy, with the classic silver hair and amethyst eyes of his house. He was athletic despite being young, free-spirited and quite adventurous. He was also a very annoying and persistent little shit.
"Daemon, be quiet." Baelon muttered under his breath, covering his face. At least Viserys was a calmer and more obedient boy. That at least brought him some solace.
"Mother, which one do you like?" Viserys asked softly at Alyssa, who stared at the dragon eggs with interest.
"I'm not sure yet..." She hummed, crossing her arms under her chest, tapping her foot on the floor.
"Mom! I know! I know!"
"Shut up, Daemon!" she yelled at the boy, her eye twitching as she smacked the back of his head, silencing him instantly. He clutched his head with a pained expression but still refused to cry, glaring at his mother with bitterness before returning to Baelon, as persistent as ever, demanding to be the one to choose the egg.
"Now, now, calm down, children." Good Queen Alysanne let out a sigh, though her expression was still warm and cheerful. Her house had suffered too much lately and lost too many of its members. So seeing their family once again growing made her giddy.
"Mother, which dragon laid those eggs?" Alyssa asked curiously, her brow furrowing in thought.
"They're from Dreamfyre." She smiled faintly. "She's so beautiful. I'm sure her offspring will be as stunning as her."
"Grandmother, that's boring! I want my brother's dragon to be cool!" Daemon shouted with a dissatisfied sneer, but then he froze, his eyes widening in disbelief and horror, gulping down his saliva. "Wait... Will his egg end up like mine and Viserys's?"
Viserys sighed calmly, smiling at his little brother and patting his shoulder. "I'm sure his egg will hatch. There's nothing to worry about."
Daemon nodded, calming down. But he still worried that Zalarys's egg would end up like his and Viserys's, failing to hatch, turning into a pretty, useless stone, lying somewhere forgotten on Dragonstone as mere decoration.
Still, he held onto hope. His expression brightened as he nodded to Viserys. "I hope so."
"Choosing dragon eggs, huh?" They heard a pleasant and quite soothing voice from the door.
Looking back, Daemon and Viserys saw a stunning young girl, little older than Daemon but far more intelligent. She had soft, lovely features and pale alabaster skin, her silver-gold hair braided and silky while her eyes burned with pure amethyst flames, mesmerising and glamorous.
"Viserra?" Alysanne spoke in pleasant surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Curious about our boy, hmm? Come in."
Viserra shrugged, crossing her arms haughtily and walked inside. It was clear that she was a bit unique, and a little unsettling for a child, too confident in herself.
"We're discussing which egg we should choose, sister." Alyssa grinned, grabbing her arm and pulling her in, much to Viserra's displeasure. Her eyes held a hint of disdain for her sister's barbaric attitude.
Crossing one arm, she raised another with a graceful gesture, touching her chin as she stared at the eggs.
There were three: the first was milky white like ivory, with faint traces of gold. Another was brown like earth, appearing mundane, but then again, from what she had heard, the egg of Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, had appeared ordinary too, and yet he had grown vastly larger than other dragons. As for the last...
It was dark in colour, like a starless night, reflectionless and as if absorbing all light. It was filled with sickly, acidic green veins branching all around the egg like rivers of poison, and the egg was a bit unnatural in shape as well, making her wary and a bit uncomfortable. No, she was very uncomfortable, getting a sudden overwhelming sense of disgust upon gazing at it.
Swallowing hard, she shook her head, regaining her regal air, which was a bit comical since she was a child, and thought: I want a dragon too. The brown one is ugly. It might be strong, but for someone like me, it's not fitting. Let the other barbaric mongrels have it.
As for the last egg... I don't like it. It makes me feel sick just by looking at it. So all that is left is the first, the milky white one with golden lines. Yes, that's befitting for me. She smiled in satisfaction, not even caring about the child.
"Viserra?" Alysanne asked with concern, tilting her head to get a better look at her.
Viserra coughed awkwardly, straightening up and smiling amiably, her tone innocent and affectionate. "I've heard Daemon wanted the boy's dragon to be powerful. I'm of the same mind."
"Really?!" Daemon grinned, finally finding support.
"Of course." She smiled faintly, ruffling his hair, and then looked at the others with a sweet smile, pointing at the dark egg with green veins. "How about this one? I'm sure it will become a powerful dragon in the future."
And maybe I'll have a chance to get the white egg too… This egg is made for a queen... she thought, her words echoing bleakly in her mind.
*****
[A/N: Hey guys, what's up? I'm here with a new fic, and I remember promising I wouldn't drop my other fics, so no worries... Probably.
As for this one, it takes place after the death of Baelon's son, Aegon, which also took Alyssa's life. However, in this story, Alyssa survives and gives birth to our protagonist, Zalarys Targaryen.
Those who aren't familiar with the books might find it a bit confusing, heck, even I don't remember the books that well, so it's fine. Wait, what was I talking about? Ah, yeah, this fic takes place before the Dance. Viserys and Daemon are still young, too.
Those who know the lore will say that Viserra should be older and already offed by her horse as well. And I know that too. I want some tension, so if every troublesome member of the family dies or leaves, I'll be left with nothing. Viserra isn't a simple girl, after all. I could've chosen Saera, sure but she's genuinely retarded, so I'd rather not.
Anyway, that's it for now. Enjoy the meal, and cya, guys.]