Aemon's Destiny

As Aemon Rode Away He Felt Determined To Live Up To The Promise He Made His Father. Aemon Might Not Be Old Enough To Understand Some Stuff, But He Was Old Enough To Know His Father For All His Apparent Indecision, Belied A Brilliant Mind. His Father Had An Almost Innate State Of Confusion, But He Was Capable Of Making Tough Decisions When The Right Pressure Had Been Applied, Aemon's Father Wanted Him Trained and Skilled As Soon As He Could Hold A Sword Or Read A Book. King Aegon Wanted This Of All His Children, But He Made It A Particular Priority For Aemon Himself. For His Part, Aemon Had Taken To Them Like A Dragon To Breathing Fire, Which Given That He Had His Own Dragon, A White and Grey Dragon He'd Named Smokewind Was Kind Of Ironic. Aemon and Smokewind Went Everywhere Together, and Soon, They'd Fly Every Where Together. Aemon Dreamed To One Day Fly Smokewind Into Battle Alongside His Father and Uncle, Whose Own Dragons Were Fully Grown and Well-Trained.

Aemon Was Sad To Leave True, But Also Excited To Leave At The Same Time. He'd Loved Exploring Storm's End Whenever His Father and Mother Visited Lord Stannis, He and Orys Would Lead The Younger Lads and Some Of The Lasses On A Grand Adventure, and Whenever They Came Back Bruised, Muddy, and Wet, His Father Would Proclaim Him The Adventurer King. But Even As He Remembered These Fondly, His Mind Drifted To Lady Jeyne and Her Sister Lady Ceryse, Lord Stannis's Youngest Children and Only Daughters. Every Visit To Storm's End Began With Shy Glances From Lady Ceryse, and Ended With Them Too, How Would She React To Him Filling Her Brother's Void He Wondered? Would She Grow Bold Or Stay Timid? Only The Lord Of Light Would Know Until The Reveal. Aemon Immediately Realised His Father Anticipated This, His Father May Spend As Much Time With Women Who Weren't Aemon's Mother Or Stepmother As He Did Ruling, But Out Of All The Promiscuous Men and Women In The City, His Father Had To Have Noticed This Consistency From Lady Ceryse, and If A Fosterling Did Well Enough, They Traditionally Wed Their Foster Parents Daughter, Was This His Father's Attempt To Arrange Both A Political Match As Well As A Match Of True Love? Did Aemon Love Ceryse? And She Him?

Before Aemon Could Ponder Further He Was Pulled From His Thoughts By The Unmistakable Sound Of A Dragon Flying Over Head. Sticking His Head From His Door Window, Aemon Saw His Father Atop Rhaegal, The King's Royal Mount, Looking Down At Him A Faint Smile Tracing His Distant Lips, Before Rhaegal Turned and Flew In The Opposite Direction. "His Grace Flies To War It Seems." Notes Ser Arys. "War?" Asks Aemon. "The Stepstones Pirates Have Become A Problem, and His Grace Called His Banners To End Them." Says Ser Arys. "I Should Go With Him!" Says Aemon Quickly. "No Little Prince, His Grace Gave Specific Instructions Regarding You, I Am To Ensure You Arrive Safely At Storm's End and Protect You Until Lord Stannis Returns From The Stepstones. "Who Else Is Joining This War?" Asks Aemon In A Neutral Tone. "From What The Lord Commander Stated, Houses Stark, Tyrell, Martell, and Arryn Have Pledged Their Support." Says Ser Arys Oakheart. "Why Not The Riverlands, Westerlands, and Iron Islands?" Asks Aemon. "I Can't Speak For House Greyjoy's Motives, But House Tully Did Pledge It's Support, But His Grace Commanded Lord Edmure and Lord Tywin To Protect The Westerosi Homeland, In Case The Pirates Retaliated and Attack Our Shores." Says Arys. "Will My Father Punish House Greyjoy For Refusing The Call?" Asks Aemon. "Hard To Say, Your Father Fought With Your Grandfather At The Siege Of Pyke, Slew Marron Greyjoy In Single Combat, So It's Possible This Is A Petty **** On Lord Balon's Part. Of Course It's Not Impossible Lady Yara Will Sail To Our Call, She Isn't As Stubborn As Her Father, and His Grace Has Always Kept A Strong Line Of Communication With The Lady Of Pyke." Says Arys.

"You Said My Father Killed Marron Greyjoy? But I Thought Marron Was Crushed Beneath A Crumbling Tower?" Aemon Asks. "He Was, and He Wasn't. From What I Understand, His Grace and The Young Lord Marron Met In The Midst Of Battle, Two Young Squires Unaware Of Who The Other Was, and The Way The Story Goes Is Marron Fought With Every Weapon He Had, Steel Or Otherwise, and When Your Father Went To Deliver The Killing Blow, He Stopped Short, But The Crumbling Walls Threw Him Off Balance and His Sword Was Plunged Into Marron's Throat, Seconds Before That Tower Fell On Marron." Says Arys. "Is That Why My Father Favours His Left Hand?" Asks Aemon. "I Doubt It, Ser Arthur Claims Your Royal Father Has Always Been Predisposed To His Left Hand, But Anything Is Possible." Says Arys.

Aemon Now Realised His Father Sent Him To Storm's End To Protect Him,Where Kingslanding Had Been Sacked and Beaten Into Submission, Storm's End Had Not, His Father Was Ensuring No Harm Befell Him Or His Siblings. But Aemon Had To Wonder Whether His Father Would Send His Remaining Siblings From Court To Be Fostered. Aegor, Maekar, and Daereon Were The Eldest Of His Fathers Male Children Outside Of Himself, and The Young Lewyn and Barristan Were Too Young To Understand, So What Was To Be Their Roles In The Conflict?