The Red Keep, Kings Landing...
Lannister and Baratheon men stood around the Prince's Chambers to guard the young prince as Lord Tywin and Lord Steffon did not believe given what they had done that the Kingsguard could be trusted with the prince's safety especially as his father the king had ordered them to do it! They would likely have moved him to one of their own castles given the chance but they were already pushing their luck by doing this and taking him out of the Red Keep would likely trigger a response from Aerys who thankfully was enjoying himself being the centre of attention again while his son was fighting for his life!
The wounds had not become infected as they had first feared but he had now caught a fever which was hitting his weakened body hard! He was in a deep and feverish sleep and had been since the event and was showing no sign of coming out of it.
His mother who had not left his side since it happened held his hand tightly, as if willing her life into him so he would see another tomorrow. The longer he went without waking up the worse things looked and she was starting to worry that she was going to lose her precious boy! No she thought with determination, almost slapping herself to stop that horrible line of thought.
He was going to wake up! Rhaella swore to herself as she mopped his brow and pressed a kiss to it. He was going to get better and she would hug him so tightly and she would never let Aerys do anything like this again! She swore knowing that she had to protect her children from their father no matter what from now on. She would need her own allies at court and her own men she thought with determination. She would kill him if he ever threatened one of her boys again! Rhaella swore to herself with a renewed determination to see it through. Honestly she was just cursing her stupid father for making her marry Aerys on the word of a random woodwitch! How could he be so naïve and short-sighted she thought with disgust. The only good thing that had come out of this was her two boys!
But right now she just focused on caring for her boy and bringing him back to her. Rhaegar she was keeping away for his own sake as the last thing she needed was for him to get sick too! Instead she was having Joanna look after him and he was quite content reading his books so she thanked the gods for that mercy.
She had prayed to them for Haeron as well and despite knowing that they were cruel and uncaring as she had seen the punishments they brought down on others often when they had done nothing to warrant such treatment. She nevertheless prayed that they would perhaps just once answer her plea and make sure that he son lived! He was so smart and clever, he would be the best king in centuries if only given the chance! She just hoped that the gods would listen and answer her plea with mercy, let him live she hoped dearly and pressed a damp cloth to his head in the hopes of bringing down his fever.
Live Haeron, she thought desperately as she tended to him...Live.
- x -
Haeron was in the midst of a sea of confusion, memories and experiences that he had no context for swirling inside his mind.
A world with technology that was frankly almost as magnificent as the magic he saw in later memories. It seemed beyond anything that he had ever imagined or even heard of in legends.
Metal wheelhouses that moved faster than any horse and without anything pulling them, flashes of light that changed objects into other things and many more incredible events. Haeron did not understand just why these things were coming to him but he just knew that somehow the boy and then a man that these images revolved around was him somehow. He had read of an old belief in the Freehold as part of his studies, that souls can migrate to other places instead of going on to the afterlife and continue their works if the gods had more need of them else where.
Was he such a person? Haeron thought with some confusion or where these images a form of madness as he lay dying? Honestly he was not sure but he had never read of such things as he was seeing and yet he knew they were real, he felt it in his bones.
He had a great deal of knowledge that was slowly entering his mind, magical knowledge of that other place and memories to go with it. He could remember being treated like a slave by a particular fat man and thin woman with their equally stupid son before arriving at a great castle and being trained to master magic, having various adventures that seemed to revolve around the school he was attending or an evil wizard which ultimately ended with the boy defeating him.
Haeron was still in a horrible state of mind as the images of his dead friends came into his head, especially Sara who he knew his father had raped much to his horror. The idea of the good and happy people he had known dying in such terrible ways was bad enough but the fact it had been done largely at the hands of the knights that he had idolised and thought the most noble and best in the world was what made it so much worse.
Seeing in Harry Potter's memories that he had seen some awful things too and people had let him down too was oddly a comfort in that moment as he was forced to remove the veil from his eyes. Harry might have had a happy ending, with love and family but even that was tainted by the losses he'd taken along the way and for years after he was haunted by much of what had happened. He had lived to an almost impossible age of over a hundred and fifty years old or more but although he had made a great life for himself he had always carried that trauma with him.
Haeron was Harry, the pain of that life had thankfully not followed him into this life but now he had a new reason to be haunted.
He felt himself on the very brink of death, his life was literally hanging on the edge and one push would send him either way.
Haeron, now with all his memories of being Harry felt like he was on the edge of a cliff. He could easily just end this now and hoped that he would finally be allowed to rest but something held him back.
Aerys.
It sounded strange that the man that had effectively nearly killed him and killed those closest too him would be the thing that stopped him but it was a fact. Harry or Haeron whatever name they chose to call themselves by had always felt a deep sense of responsibility for those that he cared about and other people in general. He had always done what was right for everyone else however much he had hated it.
He could not leave Westeros to Aerys, Haeron thought with a sigh of resignation. He could not leave his mother to mourn him and then have to deal with Aerys at the same time who he was certain would only get worse with time. People like Aerys were beyond help, Haeron thought with a disgust sneer, they lived only to cause pain. It was the only thing that brought them pleasure and it would only get worse as time went on. Rhaegar was too much of a dreamer to ever really keep Aerys in check and that was assuming that Aerys didn't end up killing him later too. Haeron honestly felt that Aerys was worse than just about any monarch he had ever heard of bar a few more extreme examples but give him time and he was sure Aerys would surpass even them.
So his decision although hard was simple...he would live for one reason...to protect the world from Aerys, someone had to keep him in check and eventually bring about his downfall for the sake of millions that could be endangered if Aerys wasn't balanced by his presence.
He had to live he thought with determination.
Rhaella who had not moved from his side since the incident in the Throne Room, days had passed and she would not sleep for fear that she would find her beloved boy dead when she woke, she even had a dagger at her side in case Aerys or any of this thugs she thought with disgust at the Kingsguard came back to finish him off. She knew that she had little chance against a trained knight but she would not hesitate to sacrifice her life for her son if she had too Rhaella thought with calm resolution.
She had known all her life that Aerys was going to be a king that the coin landed on the side of madness but never that he would be this bad she thought with fear for her sons as he might try to finish Haeron off for good or would he turn his attention to Rhaegar now she thought with a near panic.
"He will live." Joanna said as she came with fresh water and some food that Rhaella would barely touch, The comfort that Joanna was offering was deeply meaningful to Rhaella in that moment but she couldn't help but voice her fears.
"I can't lose him Joanna." She said with fresh tears in her eyes with her cheeks still covered with the marks of all the tears that she had shed over the last few days. Joanna knew the fear of losing a child as did every mother in this world but she did her best to reassure her.
"He has the best healers in the realm working tirelessly to save him. He will survive." Joanna said despite knowing things were decidedly grim.
"But he won't be my smiling happy boy any more." Rhaella said with a devastated expression. "He was like sunshine and pure love...now he will be damaged. I don't know if I can live with that happening to him." Rhaella said with misery at how Aerys had managed to snuff out the one truly bright and good thing in her life.
Joanna didn't know what to say to that as she knew it would be true, who knew what Haeron might become after having lived through something so horrible. He might become a monster himself although she dearly hoped not, maybe he would be wiser and smarter she thought with a hopeful smile but who knows.
That was when something that both of them had feared would never happen, Haeron began to stir.
Both women looked at him and then each other with a hopeful look as Haeron began to regain consciousness, Joanna calling for the maesters while Rhaella knelt at his bedside and gently held his face as his eyes opened much to her joy.
"Haeron, can you hear me?" Rhaella asked him and Haeron with a confused and dazed expression began to look around the room which was difficult in his position as he was laying on his front.
"I can mother." Haeron said with a tired and weak voice that was probably from lack of water, so as gently as she could Rhaella sat him up and pressed a goblet of clear water to his lips which he drank slowly. He seemed to become more aware and alert after that as he looked to his mother who held him like he was fine glass that could shatter at the slightest touch. The silence as his mother just held him, so happy that his fever had broken and he was at last awake.
"It wasn't a dream...was it?" Haeron asked her after some time had passed. Rhaella gently put her hand on his cheek and sadly smiled at him.
"No it wasn't."
"I have to be ready, in case he tries again." Haeron said with a cold determination in his voice that would have made Tywin Lannister proud, that shocked Rhaella as she had expected him to cry and be grief stricken and he was but not like she had imagined. Haeron wasn't acting like a boy who had been gravely hurt and nearly died, instead he was seeming almost calm which scared her.
"My friends are dead because I failed to protect them. That and a dozen families are left grieving having lost a child. I made that happen by befriending them and not keeping them safe from Aerys." Haeron said with complete certainty which made Rhaella fear he would blame himself and she quickly told him with seriousness, making him look her in the eye as she said it.
"None of this is your fault. Your father is a monster and you are just a boy. There was nothing you could have done to prevent this." She told him and he didn't speak, still feeling the grief hit him hard.
"Then I need to make sure it doesn't happen again. If Aerys is a monster then we must all be on our guard around him." Haeron said and she knew with her heart breaking that she wouldn't be able to convince him not to blame himself but what really struck her was that he didn't call Aerys father. He always had in the past and it was done respectfully but now clearly that respect was gone. Hardly surprising after what had happened which she couldn't blame him for, it was probably the worst thing that any king had done in living memory, maybe more she thought with sadness that things had come to this.
But her son was seeming to put the weight of protecting himself and by extension her and Rhaegar, on his own shoulders. She was becoming really worried that a boy of seven would dare try to carry such a heavy burden and told him.
"Protecting you and Rhaegar is my responsibility." She said and meant every single word of it, she would not allow Aerys to threaten her son's well-being again she thought with a determination that would rival her own son's. She would make sure that if Aerys ever tried anything like this again she would have him killed regardless of what happened to her.
"And protecting you is mine." Haeron said which frustrated her no end but it would take time to convince him otherwise she thought to herself.
- x -
Haeron sat in front of the fire staring into it intently and alone as his mother had finally gone to eat something and get some much needed sleep, his back was still bandaged and extremely sore but it was something he could endure. The wounds were healing faster than normal thanks to the magic that he now had access too, he held up a hand and concentrated, saying quietly to himself.
"Lumos."
A dim orb of light appeared in his hand, the fact it was flickering made him worry and there was a great deal of pressure that he felt when trying to maintain it. He remembered from what he had learned in his previous life that magic was a like a muscle, it grew stronger when receiving exercise and use and withered when it was neglected. He also remembered that the physical body also needed to be in good shape to channel your magic more effectively. He as Harry had been diligent in making sure that his body remained in reasonable physical shape which as an auror had been essential, it was like comparing an old and damaged bucket with a well maintained one. The old one would likely leak and carry less water while the properly maintained one would be able to hold its water better.
If he was to regain his magic, let alone become strong enough to use it wandlessly as clearly he could see most wand crafting materials didn't exist here to say nothing of the fact that he would need to learn exactly how you made a wand first he would need to work on that. Maybe with some effort he could create some kind of alternative but who knows Haeron thought calmly as he planned out his moves.
Recovering from the fever and whipping was the first step, then he would need to train his body to be as physically fit as he could possibly be so that his body could channel enough magic to be usable. That also would mean that he would need to practice his spells and channelling relentlessly to build up its strength. And do all of this without tipping people off to what he was doing, he thought as if people knew he had magic they would fear and prosecute him.
Haeron was however broken from his thoughts by the knock at the door, he turned and called out.
"Enter."
The door opened and one of Lord Steffon's knights appeared, he looked at the boy with awe that he had not only truly survived what had happened to him but was actually up and about so soon. It honestly astonished him that the prince who was still so young had so much strength.
"Your grace. Ser Michel Redding is here to see you." The knight said with suspicion given it had been by that knight's hand that the prince had been injured and Haeron's eyes narrowed at the mention of his so-called sworn shield.
"Tell him to return to the king's side where he belongs." Haeron said with dismissive tone and the knight in question who was waiting outside then burst in, the Baratheon knights drew their swords in response and Haeron held up his hand.
"I would not inconvenience Lord Baratheon by costing him his household knights. If Ser Redding is here to kill me then at least be honest about it." Haeron said, turning in his chair to look at the knight that not so long ago he had admired so deeply. The Baratheon knights put their swords away but stayed close in case he should try and make a move towards the prince.
Ser Redding he noticed did not look as composed as he normally did, far from it Haeron observed, his eyes were bloodshot and his skin pale, sweating and even from here you could smell the alcohol he had consumed he thought with disgust as the man had clearly been drowning his sorrows in a haze of drunkenness.
"Your grace." Ser Redding said with a slight wobble in his words, clearly showing his thinking was somewhat addled as was his voice which did not endear Haeron to him in any way shape or form. "I came to explain, to beg for your forgiveness." Ser Redding managed to say before staggering at the door which made Haeron glare at him.
"My forgiveness? After what you and your brothers did?" Haeron said with incredulity at how he had the gall to even think that he would just apologise and all would be forgotten. "You murdered children and whipped my back solely to appeal to Aerys's inner violence. Have you gone to the families of the children that you killed and begged for their forgiveness? I think not." Haeron said with a disgusted voice.
"We are sworn to the king! We have to obey him." Ser Redding said with desperation for the prince to hear him out but Haeron wasn't having any of his excuses.
"You swore a vow when you were knighted. To protect the innocent and maidens as I recall but that meant nothing to you when the king ordered you to kill innocent children and I presume watch as he raped a young girl." Haeron said with venom in every word which struck like physical blows on Ser Redding as you could see him almost slump to the ground. With disgust he told the knight. "Stand up properly!"
Even as he scrambled to his feet Ser Redding did not recognise the harsh and cold voice that was coming out of the prince's mouth. He was so different now, Ser Redding realised to his horror as it seemed all joy and excitement, all wonder about the world had been stripped from him and the fact that he had been involved in that horrified him!
"I thank you for teaching me this lesson Ser Redding. That words mean nothing and are the most easily traded currency in the world." Haeron said coldly. "Given away without a care when it suits someone. Trust is a luxury that I now know I cannot afford. The king is a monster and it is in his nature to hurt and destroy, that is something we can all rely on. You and your brothers on the other hand know that what you did is wrong and that in a way makes you all worse than him. Now go!" Haeron said briskly before turning back to the fire.
- x -
Ser Redding was devastated to hear the prince he had adored say such things, he had never imagined that so much love and hope could vanish so quickly. That boy that who had once shone like the sun on a warm day could suddenly turn as cold and as harsh as a Northern winter. He was forced to leave as he couldn't on his own with his shock and shattered mind as the weight of what he and the others had done truly hit him at home.
He stumbled back to the White Sword Tower where all but Ser Gerold were waiting for him. They all looked anxious as they themselves were dealing with the incredible guilt over what had happened to the children and the prince. Ser Barristan was the first one to comment when he saw that Ser Redding was not going to just say what they were all worried about.
"What did he say?" Ser Barristan asked and Ser Redding just fell into a chair and with tears falling from his eyes a he did so.
"He's so different now." Ser Redding said with a devastated and mournful voice like the prince had died rather than lived but in a way that was closer to the truth. The prince they had all known and adored was gone, he had perished in the throne room after having seen his butchered friends and been whipped so brutally. "There is no warmth to him, like all of the happiness and excitement, all the aspects of childhood are gone. He has lost all trust and faith in anything." Ser Redding said with a profound sense of grief. "He doesn't want us anywhere near him."
"That is hardly a surprise." Ser Darry said with a sigh of depression at the awful world that they lived it which could not allow anyone to be truly happy and must crush anyone who could harshly underfoot.
"He thinks we're all liars and hypocrites, worse than a common sellsword that sells his services for a price. That we are no more than thugs for his grace who lie about being true knights." Ser Redding said with distress and Ser Barristan had Ser Darry take him to bed before sighing as he like all the others knew they had failed as men and as knights. Their vows were their lives but even this was not enough to make them not question serving a king like Aerys, he had actually been happy with his son being scarred forever. His only other feeling was disappointment at Lord Tywin's interference in the event and stopping it from going any further and had even been openly saying that he was 'glad the little shit had learned his place'.
Remembering how the prince had been before the events of his seventh nameday and seeing the sheer difference to how Ser Redding had described him now stabbed at Barristan's heart. He had failed, they had all failed and only hoped with time that he might forgive them but for now the ground was too frozen solid, the pain too raw for that so they would just have to take it one step at a time.
Some time later Steffon and Tywin came in to see the Prince, Haeron was now much more mobile, getting up and dressed albeit with great care to not make his injuries worse. Seeing him on his feet honestly shocked the two men who had expected him to be bed bound for quite some time.
"Lord Lannister, Lord Baratheon, please come in and I apologize for my state of dress." Haeron said calmly as they looked at him. Both still shocked he was standing and did enter after taking a moment to regain their wits.
"Your grace are you sure that you should be standing? You suffered a great wound." Steffon said but Haeron told him.
"Time stops for no-one, and I have a great deal to thank you both for. I am told that if it were not for the two of you and especially you Lord Lannister I would likely be dead. For that I can only offer my most deep thanks and vow to repay the debt some day." Haeron said looking between them and Steffon was still unnerved at how coherent the boy was being. If his son Robert had been in his position he would have been swearing up a storm and ready to crack some heads open but the prince was so calm on the surface it was unsettling.
Tywin too was somewhat concerned but also intrigued as the prince seemed...changed and not necessarily in a bad way. He seemed to be more aware of himself and his situation which was hardly surprising but for a child to grasp it that quickly was remarkable.
"I am caused though to wonder if apart from my mother that all Targaryens are as bad as my father, if so then I must be more on my guard to ensure I do not become as vicious and sadistic as him." Haeron told them as he poured himself a goblet of water. Steffon felt compelled to speak and hoped to ease the boy's worries.
"Your grace it might be wrong to speak out of turn and but there is another Targaryen who you could seek out to ease your worries. You have a great uncle up at the Wall named Aemon, the one who refused the throne in favour of your great grandfather. He may be able to convince you otherwise." Steffon said knowing this from his own mother who had once written letters to Aemon up at the Wall. The man had to be nearly a century old at least but he still kept living, Steffon admired the strength that must be needed to reach that incredible age.
Haeron seemed to ponder that for a moment before giving them a slight smile which was more polite than the ones that he had given before and told Steffon.
"Thank you for that piece of information Lord Baratheon, I must admit it interests me to know that I have more family than I was aware of. I will write to him as soon as possible and maybe he might be able to share more of House Targaryen than I will ever learn from the king. Now, if I may Lord Baratheon might I speak with Lord Lannister in private?" Haeron asked and Steffon nodded, leaving but sending a look to Tywin as if to tell him not to be too harsh on the prince but Tywin ignored that as he stayed, interested to see just what it was that the prince wanted to speak to him about.
"You saved my life Lord Lannister." Haeron said again becoming extremely serious and given the complete change from the boy he had known before it was jarring for Tywin but he knew that given what had happened to him that was hardly surprising. In that situation though you could either break or become stronger and it seemed to him that the prince was going the down that latter route rather than the former.
"It was my duty your grace." Tywin said simply but Haeron just shook his head.
"No, you went beyond duty. Unlike everyone in that hall on that day you would not allow the king to do what he wanted merely because he was the king. The Kingsguard who are supposed to be the most noble and greatest knights of the age did not just stand by and let it happen but they actively did such despicable deeds with their own hands. You made him back down and that is something I must learn too. I was weak and unfocused, not aware of the dangers around me even those that come from my own family." Haeron said as he looked bitterly into the fire.
Tywin regarded him carefully, impressed that he now understood how things were here but also wondering just what he would make of this. So he decided to test him a little.
"When you are king the Kingsguard will obey your commands as they do his now." Tywin reminded him but Haeron shook his head in disagreement.
"Men or in fact anyone that can suppress their better instincts to do something so horrid as what they did to those children merely because they committed the crime of being friends with me and the king told them too, well if they can betray the values that they claim to hold so dear then they can never be fully trusted. Used perhaps but never trusted." Haeron said with a cold edge to his voice, revealing just how little he thought of the Kingsguard now. Tywin was actually impressed as one of the key lessons in the games of power that were played here and in nearly everywhere was not to trust anyone. For the prince to have grasped this so young spoke volumes of his intelligence.
But the biggest surprise for Tywin was yet to come.
"You are a master of the games of power. Even I know how much influence that you wield and not all of it is due to the office that you hold. You know how to move pieces to achieve what you want. That is the ability that I need now. What I ask of you is a great deal to ask especially when I already owe you for saving my life but I need to understand the true way of things." Haeron asked him.
Tywin was actually astonished, the prince was asking him to teach him how to play the great game. He understood his reasons completely but the fact he was asking him was enough to floor him then again who else could he really learn from? Tywin asked himself with a knowing sigh. The boy's father was the one that he would be fighting against, the boy's mother was too frail and unskilled so there was no-one else left.
He looked down at the boy and regarded him, he was staring at him intently and with an unwavering determination which Tywin admired, that determination would serve him well. He knew that from experience as it had guided him in how to bring his family back from the brink during his own father's pathetic rule. If the realm was to be saved from Aerys it would be Haeron that would likely have to be the person to do it, and it might be in his best interests to make sure that the young prince succeeded as it meant that the next king owed him a significant favour.
"If you wish your grace. Then I will make sure that you get the chance to learn. But only you can truly control what it is that you learn." Tywin warned him and Haeron nodded gratefully.
"Thank you Lord Lannister, your aid is truly appreciated." Haeron said with his first step had been taken towards taking the power of his father away, finding someone to teach him how to play the game.
The weeks following the incident were highly tense, the king's mood seemed to change by the hour and the survival of his eldest son seemed only to enrage him but he did nothing but scowl for the moment although who knows given his rapidly changing moods how long that might last.
One sad side effect of the slaughter of the Prince's friends was that no other children would go near him for fear of suffering the same fate. Even the children who might not have known that were kept from befriending the prince by their parents. Even nobles were no longer taking the risk of bringing their children to the capital, hopes of making them the companions of Princes Haeron and Rhaegar where now forgotten as they kept them far from the Red Keep with the same fear as the smallfolk, that they would be butchered in the same horrible and cruel manner as Prince Haeron's friends.
For Haeron it was an all too familiar situation if somewhat more extreme, he remembered well from his childhood as Harry in the pathetically small minded community of Privat Drive. He had only ever known solitude and misery there, the bullying of his peers led by the fat and overweight Dudley and his little band of thugs which was constantly happening day by day and there was no escape even outside of school as Dudley would not just continue at home but Vernon and Petunia would join in. While he hoped with bitterness that some karmic justice had made their lives as miserable as his had been but he knew now that it was unlikely as the worst of people usually got away with everything.
He was used to being alone, so while it deeply hurt to have no-one to really talk too any more besides his mother or Lord Tywin...he could take it. Better that then putting anyone else in danger Haeron thought with sadness. As harsh as it sounded he could only hope that Aerys managed to get himself killed somehow but he wasn't holding his breath since that would be wishing for a ship that would likely never come.
But there was unfortunately the matter of his protection, Ser Redding was still technically his sworn shield but Haeron had completely lost trust in the Kingsguard as he had made abundantly clear to them and anyone else that cared to hear it. They were cowards in his mind who did nothing as a king terrorised his people and even his own family, in many cases they were doing the dirty work for him. They had been there while his own mother had been severely beaten doing nothing and had aided in his own torture and near death.
One day he would destroy them for that Haeron thought with determination. Just how he would do it he had no idea but he knew he would need too. He certainly would never trust Ser Redding with his safety again after the man had whipped him publicly for no reason but to appease his father's insanely sized ego and deep seated need for violence.
His mother was extremely relieved at his recovery if heart broken at his changed attitude but she understood why he had to change, so she reached out to her friend the Princess of Dorne and they were able to arrange a new sworn shield for him.
"This Golor of Blackmont." Rhaella said, introducing the tall Dornishman who was bald headed with the tanned skin of that land. He wore leather armour and was armed with two strange looking swords which Haeron remembered were called arakhs, long as a bastard sword with a curved blade at the top.
"Greetings Prince Haeron." Golor said with a bow. Haeron was naturally suspicious and asked him plainly.
"Why would you be here? Protecting me?" He asked and it surprised both Rhaella and Golor but Golor quickly rallied and told him.
"I owe a debt of gratitude to the Princess of Dorne, she gave me the opportunity to travel and see the world. I will honour that by doing as she told me, to protect you from any threat." Golor told him with a smirk and Haeron just raised an eyebrow as he had no real reason to think that anyone spoke the truth except his own mother.
But he would need a protector for now, until he was able to do so himself.
"Then Golor of Blackmont I hope I can trust you on that. Words are easily broken." Haeron said before telling him something. "I intend to begin my training in the combat arts as soon as possible not to mention building up my body. If I am to survive on my own one day then I must be capable of that."
"Haeron!" Rhaella said, alarmed at what her son was saying. He was only a boy of seven and while training at this age wasn't unheard of this new and harsh Haeron would push himself far too hard.
Haeron turned to his mother, the only person that he would ever allow to see the real him or rather his insecurities now and told her.
"Father will kill us all eventually, whatever demons lurk inside his head they already twist his thinking even now, how bad will it be in a year? Or ten years? Perhaps twenty? We must all be ready to protect ourselves, I must protect you and Rhaegar because we can trust no-one else." Haeron told her and it broke her heart that her son felt it was his responsibility to keep her safe. She should be keeping him safe she thought with sadness but then again so should Aerys she thought with disgust at the man and vowed to make sure he would never harm one of her children ever again she thought with determination.
Golor looked at the prince and wondered if he was serious or this was just a passing fancy as he knew nobles and especially royalty were prone too. He had no idea that the prince was planning far more than he could imagine.
Not only would he develop his body and fighting skills as would be expected of him, but Haeron was planning to outshine his father in every single way possible for the sole reason of showing the world how petty and pathetic he really was. He knew this would be far from easy Haeron thought as he lived in the same castle with the man and knew that he would not like it but Haeron knew that as much as it galled him he needed to wait until either Aerys died or he could convince enough lords to call a Great Council and remove Aerys from power. Convincing lords to remove a sitting king was dangerous he thought but it was the only way without declaring civil war which was a very real possibility or having him assassinated which was extremely hard to do.
Haeron wanted to avoid this if he could as every time historically House Targaryen had fought against its own members they had been left off worse for it. The Dance of the Dragons was the greatest example but the Blackfyre Rebellions and Maegor the Cruel's actions against his own family were just as relevant for different reasons.
So to remove Aerys, Haeron thought with a dark mood, he would need to either kill him or convince others that he needed to be removed and to give the throne to him. He did have two advantages to draw on but both would take time to make the greatest use of them.
One was he had magic but without a foci and given his young physical age he would need to build up his body and practice to develop it so he would be able to do it wandlessly.
The second was that he had the memories of a much older person who had a long more wisdom and restraint which he would desperately need to ensure his success not to mention since the world he had lived his last life in was known to him now, it showed many possibilities. While Harry had not been the most academic of people he did at least have enough of an idea of how things worked that as Haeron he could reproduce it with time.
He pondered on his life as Harry which in later life as he had suffered a tragedy too, Ginny had died in a Quidditch accident and he had been left a widower with three children. The pain of losing her was still deeply ingrained in both of lives but surprisingly he had found love again, in one of his best friends Hermione who herself had two children but her marriage had ended due to the actions of her husband instead of death.
Ron...and Haeron could still hardly believe he would do something like this as without saying something to Hermione first, had decided to take all of their money and buy the failing Chudley Cannons Quidditch Team. He might have put it down to grief at Ginny's loss but it had happened before her death.
Haeron knew that Ron loved the team but it had been a stupid move he thought wishing his old friend been a little more sensible with not only his money but his wife's money too. They had both good jobs but taking all of it had left them without the funds to send their daughter Rose and their son Hugo to Hogwarts! Thankfully for their sake the Weasley Family was enormous and together they had managed to gather enough money to send the pair to school but it would then take years to repay them. It wasn't necessary but Hermione couldn't leave that debt alone.
Hermione had been absolutely apocalyptic at this situation, her children barely getting into school due to the charity of their family and then having to pay it back while scraping by day by day for years had finally pushed her to her limit and she had divorced Ron there and then.
Harry had made Hermione and her two children move in with his family as they needed a roof over their heads and it was to make it easier for her. Not to mention it was easier to manage his own family with Hermione helping out after Ginny had died.
When their feelings for each other had changed neither of them had been sure, certainly they were spending so much more time together and eased each others pain. Their children were thankfully doing well with their arrangement and living together but one night after a bit too much wine the two of them had ended up in bed together.
And they hadn't stopped either.
Instead they had kept this a secret for awhile, sleeping together until eventually one of the children had stumbled across it and they had decided to make it official. Hermione had become the second Mrs Potter and the mother to all of the children. She had made sure that all five children had a education in the muggle world which Harry had picked up a lot from too.
Even in another life, she was still helping him Haeron thought with some humour.
He was still kind to servants but kept his distance so Aerys would not get any ideas to repeat what had happened on his last nameday.
He stood in the yard, watching all of the men training and studied them before taking up a wooden training sword and began to copy them. He also took to repeatedly lifting stones and dragged them across the yard, started doing strange activities that the men there did not understand like laying down on his front before lifting himself upwards with his arms before lowering himself to the ground before repeating it again and again. He would lay on his back and then sit up too along with with some fairly intense running around the Red Keep.
The king when he was told laughed at the stupidity of his son but some of the men that exercised to maintain their physical prowess recognised that the prince was training his body, pushing himself to become stronger.
Still some looked at him mournfully as they remembered the happy and joy filled boy they had known before but knew that he was gone now and this new boy had taken his place.
Then a couple of weeks after this happened Haeron came into his first Small Council Meeting, he stayed quiet and sat at the back, listening intensely as the various 'masters' did their jobs and Aerys did his great boasts and ambitious plans that would come to nothing. He never even realised that his own son was there he was so wrapped up in himself that he failed to notice even when Haeron did speak.
But crucially he was learning not just how a kingdom was run but also how the games of power were played, he watched silently from the side of the throne room, the small council, the gardens, despite being a prince being small allowed him to often be unnoticed as he watched people around him play those games.
Then after many moons of waiting, a letter arrived for him. He honestly had wondered if the letter he had sent to the his great uncle would ever be answered but finally it seemed that Aemon Targaryen had finally decided to write back.
Dear Haeron,
I was most surprised to receive your letter, I have not corresponded with any members of our family for many years, not since your grandfather took the throne in fact or dearest Rhaelle when she married Lord Baratheon.
It was regardless a truly welcome surprise and I thank you for your interest. You no doubt have been given many platitudes of sympathy for the treatment you have received from your father so I will not repeat it as from the way you wrote I doubt you would want more from me. Your father reminds me of my elder brother, Aerion Brightflame or Aerion the Monstrous as he was more widely known. His cruelty is echoed in Aerys and for that I can only hope that his reign will not be a great disaster.
You wish for any advice or wisdom then I will give any that I have to offer, while I assume that you wish this to broaden your education on our family I can also guess your other reason for needing any information that I can provide. I will help you in whatever way I can but be aware that any letter can be intercepted so be careful what you put into one. If you find yourself in need of a quiet space to think then I would suggest a quiet spot in the library, near the corner at the back with the torch holders. I spent many days there as did other members of our family when needed.
I wish you the best and hope dearly to hear from you soon.
Yours Faithfully,
Aemon Targaryen.
Haeron smiled as he read the letter, it was something of a relief that his several times great uncle was a much more stable individual than Aerys was. He understood that he would need to use a code of sorts to communicate with him in case their letters were being read but his mention of the library and that particular spot made him blink in surprise. Given the emphasis that Aemon had given it he guessed that it meant something more, so he went to the library and checked it out.
When he got there he made sure that no-one else was around and then looked around him for whatever Aemon had been trying to suggest, looking around he saw that the torch holders were fixed to the walls. Remembering the secret passages at Hogwarts he smiled as he guessed what Aemon had been trying to tell him and he managed even with his lack of height to turn the one of the left, opening a secret door. Taking a torch and lighting it with care before he went in.
Eagerly but with care as who knew just what was waiting for him in there but after a small narrow passage he came to a set of rooms, a solar with a desk and a large cabinet of books and what looked like a bed chamber off to the side.
"Thank you uncle." Haeron said with a smile as he had a place that was relatively secure to practice his magic without being seen. A place he could plan and think without interruption.
And he would need it, Haeron thought with a look of determination to make the most of it.