The Scheming Mind of a Targaryen Prince. - Jonothor Targaryen - The Green Dragon

Hello Everyone!

To read early

Chapter 15: 'The Patriarch of House Targaryen'

Chapter 16: 'Silver Hair'

Chapter 17: 'The Boy who loved his family'

Chapter 18: 'Dragons, Dreams and Children'

Chapter 19: 'Lovely loving sisters."

Chapter 20: 'The Duty of a Prince'

Chapter 21: 'Tormented Dragons'

Chapter 22: 'A Dragon has many desires'

Chapter 23: 'Powerless'

Chapter 24: 'Drowning'

Chapter 25: 'A Dragon's Dream'

Chapter 26: 'A Sweet Time'

Chapter 27: 'The Heart of a Little Girl'

Chapter 28: 'Between four walls'

Chapter 29: 'Joffrey'

Chapter 30: 'Ruin'

Chapter 31: 'The Sea takes its due'

"I'm not a Targaryen, I'm not a Targaryen, I'm not a Targaryen."

Such were the words that Jon repeated every night when he lied in his bed. Trying and failing to erase the image of his smirking uncle from his mind.

"I'm not a Targaryen, I'm not a Targaryen, I'm not a Targaryen."

He hit his mattress, a useless gesture that did not appease him in any way, but at the very least, he had not hit the wall.

"My name is Jon! I am the son of Alicent Hightower and Eddard Stark! My name is Jon! My name is Jon! "

"Gods, I'm becoming mad." He said aloud as he sat on his bed and ran a hand through his hair, covering it in sweat.

Realizing that he would not get any sleep this way, Jon sighed in defeat and got out of bed. He needed a distraction.

Ser Criston was not among the guards at his door tonight, yet, despite the fact that they were not kingsguards, the three men followed him dutifully through the corridors of Dragonstone. Jon was tempted to send them away, but he was still a nine-year-old boy despite his status and should remain reasonnable. They would not dare to approach Ghost anyway.

His Dragon was resting in Dragonstone's courtyard, since Jon had refused to see it chained, the Dragonkeepers had furnished the white dragon's nest, and fed it there for all the servants, guards and knights to see. Many had whispered that they had never seen such a well behaved dragon and had praised Jon for training it. But the Prince never took any credit, Ghost was Ghost, always quiet and gentle. Terrible with its enemies only.

Jon sat against its belly and rubbed its scales, Ghost simply opened his left eye to greet him.

"You can leave us." He told the guards. "I will not fly, I simply wish to spend some time alone with my dragon."

The guards exchanged looks and left to watch him from afar. Jon smiled at the dutiful men and thanked them with a nod.

He gently lied against Ghost's scales.

"Do you enjoy this new life that has been given to us?" He asked in a low tone.

The dragon turned its reptile head to look at him, in its eyes, Jon could read the same curiosity he had seen when the beast had been a direwolf.

"It must have been quite a shock for you… You were a direwolf, now you're a dragon. Yet you seem to have adapted better than I have."

Ghost gently nudged its rider's cheek with its snout, making the latter smile.

His smile died when he saw his reflect in the large bucket of water that had been placed to sate the dragon's thirst. Not for the first time, Jon examined his new looks.

He never knew what to think of it, who in the History of Mankind had ever ended up with a new life and a new face? How could someone remember another life, another family and expect to live this one fully?

Jon had died, everyone he had ever called family in his previous life had died, he would never forget them, never ceased to love them.

This new family of his… Gods, he loved them as well… So what was the issue with him?

The answer probably resided in his Uncle's words. 'Aemon' he had called him.

The name of the only Targaryen Jon had ever known in his previous life. 'Bastard' he had called him, which Jon was not anymore.

"Never forget what you are, the rest of the World certainly won't, wear it like an armor."

Tyrion Lannister's advice resonated in his mind, Jon then realized that he had tried to bury his former status with the one he had obtained. He had forgotten how to wear his armor, no wonder Daemon's dagger had reached his heart so easily.

Jon looked at his reflection once more. A wave of sadness washed over him.

He realized, perhaps for the first time, how much he missed looking like a Stark. He used to look more Stark than Robb and had secretly always taken great pride in his appearance. Jon did not wish to look like Viserys or Daemon. He wanted to look like the parents he had loved the most: Eddard Stark and Alicent Hightower.

He still wanted to be a Stark, after all these years, after his rebirth and the fact that his direwolf had turned into a dragon. This desire never left him. He did not like his new looks for this sole reason.

As if the Stranger itself was taunting him, Jon remembered the dream he had years ago, when he was still Jon Snow. He remembered it vividly despite all the years that have passed.

He had been in the Winterfell's crypts, limping past the stone kings on their thrones. Their grey granite eyes had turned to follow him as he had passed, and their grey granite fingers had tightened on the hilts of the rusted swords upon their laps."You are no Stark. There is no place for you here. Go away."

Jon looked at his reflection once again. How could he deny their words now? He was no Stark, he was a Targaryen, even though he never wished to be one. Jon sighed and crossed eyes with Ghost.

"Was it easy for you?" He asked. "To become a dragon?"

Ghost did not answer, nor did it make a single noise, it simply put its head on its rider's laps.

Jon smiled again.

"I guess I should stop complaining and follow your example."

If only it were that easy.

Jon remembered the Targaryens he had admired during his childhood in Winterfell. Daeron the Young and Aemon the Dragonknight. Both had been born after the Dance, no Targaryen that had lived during the first hundred and fifty years of the Targaryen dynasty. Jon wondered if he had tried to be Maester Aemon. He had tried and would keep trying to guide his siblings towards the best way, giving them advices and encouragements whenever he needed. He chuckled at the thought of being as old as the maester.

"Perhaps I had taken him as a model without realizing it." He thought aloud. "But I can't be like him."

Jon remembered all the regrets Maester Aemon had shared with him, the anger he had felt when he had learned of the death of Rhaegar's children, the sadness he had felt when he had heard of Daenerys Targaryen, alone across the Narrow Sea. Jon grimaced, Maester Aemon had not just been a Targaryen, he had been a Maester of the Citadel and a brother of the Night's Watch. Jon was neither, not anymore, He was a Prince, a Dragonrider, a brother, a son, a Targaryen.

He took, yet again, another look at his reflection, as a Prince his name would be written in the History books for better or worse, and he started to imagine what kind of reputation he would gain among little boys like Jon Snow and Robb Stark.

Would he be a hero or a villain? A peacemaker or a conqueror? Would boys interpret him or ignore him?

Jon had no wish nor intention to become King, with this road closed, what were his options? Could he spend the rest of his life preventing the Dance? As Alicent's eldest son, he could simply refuse the throne. Preventing the war, then, he would find a way to unite his mother and sister's dynasty and be done with it. But what kind of man does this? A Family man? A warrior? A politician? All three?

Jon sighed, dealing with Daemon would be difficult, he is nothing but a boy, it would take a long time for him to obtain the ability to stand up to his uncle and Caraxes. Would he ever need to fight him if the Dance never were to happen? Perhaps not but it would not hurt to be ready for any cases.

How could he support Rhaenyra's claim to the Throne while maintaining peace and preventing any escalation or ambitious Lords from manipulating his siblings? He had three main issues to deal with: his grandfather Otto, Aegon, and of course… Jace's bastardy.

Jon grimaced at the thought, Jace was a sweet and innocent boy. A boy who reminded him of Bran and Rickon far too often. If Rhaenyra had done as he had told her, then her second child would look like Laenor… Meaning everyone would have clear evidence of what Jace truly was.

Defending Rhaenyra's claim was hard enough, defending Jace's claim would be even harder, if not downright impossible. In the worst case scenario, the Velaryons would publicly disown him to make sure their blood would sit the throne. But that would be a catastrophe both for the Velaryons and for Rhaenyra, for Otto would jump at the occasion to declare that a woman could not inherit and try to proclaim him King. Once again, Jon repeated himself that he did not want it… But what if the majority of the Lords demanded that he took the Crown and publicly rejected Rhaenyra? What if another Great Council was called and the Lords chose him as King? What would Jon do, what could Jon do, to save his sister?

Marriage sounded terrible in Jon's mind, whether his bride would be Rhaenyra or a potential daughter of her, Jon would never be able to partake in incest. Just the thought of laying with a girl of his blood made his skin crawl. Could he do it for the sake of the Realm and to prepare for the long night? He knew himself well to know that the answer was more than likely, yes.

As Lord Commander, he had done things he had hated to do to make the Wall stronger. He had even organized a marriage between a Karstark and a Thenn, something that would have caused his Stark ancestors to strangle him in his sleep had they been able to.

But marrying his own sister or niece… Gods, he hoped no one would ever force him to marry Rhaenyra, she would hate him for the rest of their lives, whether they did their duty or not. And Jon could not imagine his sister happy if he were to marry her daughter. She might be fond of her own uncle, but mothers had different perspectives, especially if you're the one who stole her throne.

Would he have any other options? Perhaps a wedding between a son of his own and Rhaenyra's daughter? Would his sister even be willing to wait this long?

Jon shook his head, this path of thought started with the Velaryons publicly disowning Jace, and Rhaenys had told Jon that she did not care who sat on that throne. But would Lord Corlys share her thought? He shook his head once again, and instead of focusing on the Velaryons, who had supported Rhaenyra during the Dance, focused on a problem he could deal with very soon: Aegon.

And again he grimaced… How in the World could he fix his relationship with his twin? After everything that has happened between them and all the efforts he made to be a good brother… After Aegon had injured Aemond, after Jon had injured Aegon. His twin may never recover… Jon had been delighted to see how seriously Egg had been taking his studies, he had naively believed that this would prevent him from turning into the abominable King that he had been, but now… Jon had maimed him, possibly forever and he could not forgive himself. Would he have to kill him? No! He threw away that thought, he would not be a kinslayer, he had killed Harwin Strong for dishonoring his sister and condemning an innocent boy to a bastard's life, Jon could not possibly justify the murder of his brother and even if he could, he would not do it, he would not inflict such pain upon his mother.

Jon frowned at himself. Murder his brother? Since when has he gotten so… Cruel? Mad? Bloodthirsty?

Mad, yes, mad was the right word.

They say every time a Targaryen is born, the Gods flip a coin. Madness and greatness are the only two sides. And with all the violent emotions that Jon has experienced since he was reborn, he actually understood that curse better than he had ever before. What had he threatened to do to Laenor when Rhaenys had demanded trueborn grandchildren?

He would impale him, yes, that was what he had said. Not just that, he would also roast him to feed the crows and rats.

Jon rose an eyebrow and felt disgusted by himself.

This did not sound like him, though, who was he? What did he mean by 'him'?

Did he mean Jon Snow? Or did he mean Jonothor Targaryen?

Jon thought about his second life, until realization dawned on him and he sighed in defeat.

Growing up a second time had perhaps affected him more than he had thought. More than once did he act like an actual child on impulse. Otherwise, he would not have injured Aegon so harshly. There was also the new education he had received, he walked like a Prince, talked like a Prince, lovedbeing a prince. He loved his family, loved his dragon, loved to fly. He had a mother, he was not a bastard, he was admired by lords, ladies and heirs alike.

He loved this life, it was the life Jon Snow had dreamed of, even though he never wanted to be a Targaryen.

Perhaps this was the actual reason for his anger issues that often resulted in violent behavior; Whenever this life of his was threatened, whenever people threatened to disrupt the peace and recognition he had fought so hard to acquire as Jon Snow, gone would be the wisdom he had acquired through all these years and lives, gone would be his composure, the only thing left would be his fierce desire to protect himself.

Well… Perhaps his family also had an important impact on his mental health.

Jon could barely imagine how he would have reacted or even simply grown, had Robb been as jealous of him as Aegon was. He imagined Sansa as Rhaenyra, Brandon as Aemond, Rickon as Jace, Arya as Helaena, Eddard Stark acting like King Viserys, Benjen Stark acting like Daemon, Lady Catelyn as Princess Rhaenys.

Jon Snow would have gone insane as well had he been born in such a complicated family.

So… With all those elements in mind, what could he hope to accomplish? And what did he need to be in order to do so?

His first concern was the Dance, obviously. What Rhaenyra needed was his undeniable support and the means to beat his grandfather in the game of thrones. So, Jon needed to find a way to destroy Otto Hightower's ambitions, as well as Daemon's. Two perfect opposites

Daemon was a warrior, but a terrible politician, Otto was an excellent politician, but the only dragons he could ever dream of acquiring would be through his grandchildren, and Jon would never let any of them be pawns in the grand scheme of the Iron Throne. Daemon could only acquire the throne through a marriage with Rhaenyra, as she was already wed… could he prevent both Laenor's and Laena's death?

Perhaps he would have, had he remembered how they died.

He actually hit his own head for this, chastising the little boy that Jon Snow used to be. Neither Laenor nor Laena had been warriors or heroes in their time, Jon Snow may have learned how they passed but never remembered it as he never had any interest for them. Meaning that Jonothor Targaryen had no way to prevent their deaths.

"One thing at a time."He thought. "Daemon won't have the opportunity to marry Rhaenyra before many years. Which means that I have time, time I could use to prevent Otto's plots."

Otto had been dismissed from the Small Council years ago, before Rhaenyra's marriage to Laenor. But Jon knew his grandfather well enough to know that he had not stopped plotting while he was away from the capital, even though he did not know what exactly he was plotting.

"The only way to find out is to go to Oldtown."

As a descendent of House Hightower through his mother, Jon had more than one reason to justify his visit. Perhaps he could even convince his mother and siblings to come with him? A visit in the largest city of the Seven Kingdoms, away from the capital's schemes and vipers would be a relief for everyone of them. Which would give Jon the perfect opportunity to spend some time with his grandfather, who would try to manipulate him into joining his scheme. Jon would then get the names of all the Reach lords and knights that would be ready to betray Rhaenyra for him and bring this list to his sister who would…

He stopped himself, what would Rhaenyra do? She had no allies, no advisers, she was alone… Would she listen to him if he were to give her proof of his loyalty? Yes… to a certain extent, he was not even ten years old. She would try to do things her way… And the worst she could do would be to go to Viserys, who would blow it all up by summoning all the Reach lords and demand an explanation. Otto would then learn that Jon had betrayed him and make up a new plan while making sure Jon would never learn of it until it was too late.

"One thing at a time." He repeated himself. "First learn of the plot, then, figure out a way to neutralize it… perhaps I could even take advantage of it…"

Jon shook his head and yawned, finally sleep was taking him. Exhausted by the trials of the past few days and all the thinking he had done since he had went to find Ghost, Jon layed against his dragon's warm body and fell asleep.

He was awakened on the next morning by a gentle kick to his boot, Ser Criston's smiling face was the first thing he saw.

"Is Ghost comfier than your bed, my prince?"

"You're welcome to try, Ser." Jon yawned.

Ghost instantly snarled at the white cloak who rose his hands in surrender.

"No thank you my prince, a kinsguard's life is meant to be harsh, we would grow lazy if we got too comfortable."

Jon smiled at the knight and stood up to stretch.

"What made you leave your bed, my prince?"

"Concern." Was Jon's short answer.

"And what was it that eased your mind?"

Jon chuckled.

"Schemes."