Sweet Waters Throne

Lord Balrus leaned in on Princess Aeryn “It isn’t what you expected princess, is it?” he asked as usual with his riddles and not clearly specifying what he really means.

“What?”

“I mean... a son”

There was a guilty look on Aeryn’s face and she tried to quickly hide it by looking at Aurora struggling to push. “I am happy for my brother and Aurora. I have no idea what you are talking about my lord”

A small chuckle escaped Lord Balrus “Do forgive me my princess but I’m afraid the rodents do talk, even the ones you may think are stuck in the kitchen eating leftovers. You threw a feast and called out the nobles of Storm Town, saying if you were to have a son and Aurora a daughter – then your son will have greater claim to Sweet Waters throne, didn’t you?”

Princess Aeryn turned to Lord Balrus with a frown look on her face, it was no secret she hated Lord Balrus and for those three months she was back in the capital, she has been doing everything on her power to try and avoid him. But here they were, all joined up in one occasion and it may seem Balrus wasn’t playing games nor did he want to leave her alone.

Instead of arguing with Lord Balrus, Aeryn left him and walked straight to the bed where Aurora was struggling to push and she seemed to be out of energy. The midwives encouraged her that the head of the child was close, one more push and he will be out. However, Aurora felt her energy declining her and she didn’t have any.

.....

Aeryn took Aurora’s hand and kissed her forehead even though she was sweating and with a fever “I know how hard us Arteides’ can be, he is stubborn” she smiled. “But so was my father and so is my brother, one more push and he will out” she encouraged Aurora and kissed her forehead again.

A very worn out and exhausted Aurora asked “One more push?” and Aeryn nodded again with a smile. These two being so close to each other and sharing such bond of childbirth, led Lord Balrus to flee the midwives’ chamber and sought out other things to do, somehow he felt Aeryn was beating him at his own game.

And indeed it only took one push where Aurora held so close to Aeryn and screamed with all she had. Artemis was outside with Visenya but he heard that scream of agony and pain and he wanted to race back inside, but Visenya stopped him.

“It’s done, Your Grace” said Visenya.

“What’s done?”

“Your son is born... we should stay here and watch the eggs hatch”

Artemis seemed not so easily convinced “I have to be with my wife” he said.

“No, you have to be here. If these dragons are to obey your commands and Aurora’s and your children. They have to feel your skin as soon as they are born, Aurora can’t be here but you and Aurora are of the same body now. She will want you here Your Grace, she understands” Visenya tried to explain.

Although Artemis was confused as to why he has to be there instead at his wife’s side, he still stayed and watched as the eggs hatched as soon as the fire stopped. This was the most magical day in Artemis’s life, and this day is when he believed in magic when the dragons hatched, all five of them.

They looked like tiny rodents but just bigger, they were smaller than cats with only the exception they had wings. And they did try to breath fire but all that came out was smoke, after thousands of years finally the new age of dragon was reborn right there in Aurora’s Hill across the bay of Silent Sea.

With a proud and joy look on her face, Visenya told Artemis “Go on, pick them up”

“Won’t they... burn me?”

Visenya chuckled softly “A dragon breathes fire after six months Your Grace, when they are fully grown and can be saddled. Otherwise, they are just babies...”

Artemis knelt down within the ashes and whatever was left over from the fire and picked all five dragons at once, they were tiny so they fit inside his arms perfectly. Each dragon had its own color and physique, Artemis was shocked because he thought all dragons will have one color and in his mind he thought perhaps green.

But there was only one green dragon, the other two had a mixture of reddish color and some pink – Visenya said these were twins and they possibly came from one womb. The fourth one was purple and a little mixture of blue, Artemis thought that one was cute and the last one was black.

“I thought they will have similar color” Artemis spoke of his shock to Visenya whilst still holding the dragons.

“The dragons are never the same, each with it’s own purpose and rider. The green ones are said to be fierce, faster and with a lot of strength. The black ones can fight in a war and their flames are so hot they can melt an iron and bring down a stone house, it was the black dragons who destroyed Dark Town when their riders were murdered”

“This story about House Morrow and their dragons, I never believed in them at first. I thought they were just stories Aurora was making but now...” Artemis paused and looked at the dragons once more “It’s all real. The new age of dragon has been reborn”

“Indeed Your Grace, and you will be a rider, so will your son and his sons and daughters afterwards. These dragons will hatch more eggs and those will grow into other dragons, I just hope this new age doesn’t extinct nor cause destruction. We have waited for so long”

Artemis and Visenya were in their deep conversation and celebrating the hatchlings when Lord Balrus came to them, his eyes widened with amazement. It was a shock to him as it will be to anyone when they first see the dragons because the sight alone wasn’t something which wasn’t used to.

Artemis ordered Lord Balrus to tell the midwives and maesters they are barred from the chambers so he may bring the dragons to Aurora. Lord Balrus curtsied “At once, Your Grace and congratulations. You have a son”

Artemis didn’t seem so shocked, but he was pleased “I know my lord, my wife foresaw it since she was in her first moon” and Lord Balrus understood what he meant and quickly walked away.

After the afterbirth came out, Aurora was cleaned with hot water and given some portion to help her heal quickly and gain her energy. Although still exhausted and worn out, Aurora was also the happiest woman in the world that day. She couldn’t stop looking at her son with such joy in her eyes.

“He has Artemis’s eyes...” Aeryn wept softly holding the newborn baby. “Or father’s, I don’t know yet” and they both chuckled. The chamber was cleared but only Aeryn remained since she knew of the dragons and the whole tale about them.

When Artemis entered inside with Visenya escorting her, Aurora’s heart nearly busted with joy upon seeing the youngling dragons. “Oh, my babies...” she gasped and a tear dropped on her left eye. Artemis placed the dragons on Aurora’s arms and immediately they bonded with her since they were curved by her name and spelled to obey her and her blood.

Somehow the dragons were happy being inside Aurora’s arms and they showed it by chattering and screaming, Visenya was crying the whole time and she couldn’t believe that after one thousand years, finally the chosen one had claimed the dragons as she was meant to. Aeryn was stunned standing close to her brother, Artemis pulled her in for a hug and kissed her forehead.

Then it was time for Artemis to meet his new born son, he took the child from Visenya and wept while holding him.

“Sleeping in front of the King already, what a terrible decision young lad” It seemed these words from Artemis made everyone inside that room laugh. Counting to just five of them inside, these were the first ones to witness the age of dragon being brought to life and what a day for Lord Balrus, he knew kingdoms will never be the same again.