Chapter 54: The Ninepenny King's Stand, The Mad King's Shadow, and the Last Dragon's Awakening (Reigns of Jaehaerys II & Aerys II)
The ashes of Summerhall had barely cooled when a new king, Jaehaerys II Targaryen, ascended the Iron Throne in 259 AC. He was a stark contrast to his father, Aegon V; where Aegon had been driven by a desperate, idealistic obsession that ultimately consumed him, Jaehaerys was a man of quiet intellect, pragmatic, and burdened by a frail constitution but a surprisingly strong will. He inherited a realm shaken by tragedy, its faith in Targaryen wisdom and mystique eroded.
Aelyx Velaryon, from his eternal seat in Mount Skatus, observed Jaehaerys II's brief reign with a detached, analytical eye. "This one bears the weight of his father's follies and his house's dwindling fire," Aelyx noted to his immortal family. "He is not a warrior, nor a grand visionary, but he possesses a degree of common sense that has been sorely lacking in his predecessors. A fleeting candle of reason in the growing Targaryen twilight."
The most significant event of Jaehaerys II's short rule was the War of the Ninepenny Kings in 260 AC. This conflict saw the last of the Blackfyre Pretenders, Maelys the Monstrous, join forces with a formidable coalition of pirates, exiles, and ambitious sellsword captains from Essos known as the Band of Nine. Their goal was nothing less than the dismemberment of the Seven Kingdoms and the establishment of their own petty domains.
Aelyx's network of Emissaries and house-elf agents, deeply embedded across Westeros and the Free Cities, provided him with detailed intelligence on the Band of Nine's formation and their audacious plans. He saw it not as a true existential threat to a united Westeros, but as another symptom of the lingering instability caused by generations of Targaryen misrule and Blackfyre resentment.
"The Blackfyre weed, though repeatedly cut down, continues to sprout," Aelyx commented. "Bittersteel's legacy is a persistent poison. This 'War of the Ninepenny Kings' is less a true war of conquest and more a grand raid by opportunistic wolves upon a kingdom they perceive as weakened. It will test the martial spirit of this new generation of Westerosi lords, and the resolve of their frail king."
Publicly, Lord Aelyx Volmark III of Skagos (Aelyx's great-great-great-great-grandson, a man whose public persona was one of quiet Northern strength and boundless Volmark wealth) responded with swift and unequivocal support for the Iron Throne, channeled through Lord Stark of Winterfell. Skagosi gold flowed south to bolster the royal war chest. The Volmark fleet, renowned since its victories over Dagon Greyjoy, conducted highly visible patrols in the Shivering Sea and the northern Narrow Sea, deterring any opportunistic piracy and freeing up Stark and Manderly resources for the southern effort. Aelyx even permitted a token force of five hundred elite Skagosi marines, famed for their discipline and superior steel, to join the Northern contingent that marched south under a young, eager Brandon Stark (brother of the current Lord Rickard Stark), a gesture of solidarity that was much lauded. Aelyx knew they would suffer few casualties, their training and equipment far surpassing that of typical levies.
Aelyx watched the unfolding war with keen interest. He noted the emergence of new martial heroes: Ser Barristan Selmy, who slew Maelys the Monstrous in single combat, ending the direct male line of Daemon Blackfyre; a young Steffon Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End; the ambitious Tywin Lannister, already making a name for himself with his ruthless efficiency; and Jaehaerys II's own son, Prince Aerys, who fought with a wild, reckless courage. The war was ultimately won by the Westerosi forces, their combined strength too great for the disparate Band of Nine, but it was a costly victory, bleeding the realm of men and resources.
"They have scotched the snake, but not killed it entirely," Aelyx observed, as news of the victory and the dispersal of the Band of Nine reached him. "The ambition for a Blackfyre restoration will linger in Essos as long as Bittersteel's Golden Company endures. And this war has further demonstrated that Westeros, without dragons, must rely on the old, bloody calculus of men and steel, a game at which many houses are adept, and which always leaves the door open for future conflict."
Jaehaerys II's reign was also notable for his controversial decision to allow his children, Prince Aerys and Princess Rhaella, to marry for love, defying a woods witch's prophecy brought by Jenny of Oldstones that the "prince that was promised" would be born of their line. Aelyx, whose own dynasty was built upon meticulously planned, strategically advantageous (and often consanguineous, within the magical context of his immortal family) unions, found this romantic indulgence both foolish and fascinating. "He prioritizes mortal affection over dynastic imperative and prophetic guidance," Aelyx mused. "A dangerous gamble for a house as precarious as Targaryen. Prophecies, even those uttered by crones in forgotten woods, often have a way of shaping reality, whether through true foresight or the actions of those who believe in them." Lyra and Daenys were tasked with scrying deeper into this particular prophecy, seeking its Valyrian roots and its potential implications for the future.
King Jaehaerys II's frail health finally gave way in 262 AC, his reign a brief three years. His son, Aerys II, ascended the Iron Throne, a young man initially viewed with hope. He was charming, intelligent, and had shown courage in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. But Aelyx, with his centuries of observing the subtle decay of Valyrian bloodlines when untempered by discipline and wisdom, saw darker portents.
"This Aerys," Aelyx pronounced to his inner circle, after studying the initial reports of the new King's coronation and early pronouncements, "possesses the Targaryen fire, yes, but it is an unstable, erratic flame. There is a sharpness to his intellect that borders on paranoia, a charm that masks a deep-seated insecurity. He has the potential for greatness, but also for spectacular, catastrophic ruin. He will be a king to watch with extreme vigilance."
Aelyx's assessment proved chillingly accurate. The early promise of Aerys II's reign soon began to sour. His charm curdled into caprice, his ambition into jealousy, his intelligence into a suspicious, paranoid obsession with plots and enemies, both real and imagined. He became increasingly fixated on fire, particularly wildfire, seeing it as a substitute for the dragons his house had lost. His relationship with his Hand, the capable and proud Tywin Lannister, deteriorated from mutual respect into bitter enmity, Aerys delighting in publicly humiliating the man whose efficiency and wealth he both envied and resented.
The true horror for Aelyx, however, and the most profound focus of his study during this period, was the King's descent into madness. Reports from Tibbit's agents and Aelyx's Emissaries in King's Landing painted an increasingly disturbing picture: Aerys's growing obsession with fire, his delight in brutal executions (especially by burning), his rages, his delusions, his unkempt appearance, his fear of blades that led to his long nails and tangled beard.
"The Valyrian madness," Aelyx stated grimly, as he reviewed a particularly graphic account of Aerys ordering a minor lord burned alive with wildfire for a perceived slight. "It is the curse of our blood, the shadow that walks hand-in-hand with our fire. When the discipline of mind and will erodes, when power is unchecked by wisdom, the inherent magical potency of our lineage can turn inward, consuming the host. The Targaryens, having lost their dragons, the external focus and symbol of their power, are now turning that frustrated, decaying magic upon themselves." He saw it as a vindication of his own methods: the rigorous mental training (Occlumency was mandatory for all his descendants), the controlled breeding, the stable, immortal leadership, all designed to prevent such decay within his own dynasty.
While Aerys II spiraled into paranoia and pyromania, a far more significant, if quieter, triumph was unfolding within the hidden hatcheries of Mount Skatus. The seven dragon eggs Aelyx had "rescued" from the Tragedy at Summerhall, those last direct relics of the Targaryen lines, had finally quickened. For years, Aenar, Lyanna, and Aelyx himself had patiently, meticulously applied their combined knowledge of Valyrian dragonlore, Flamel's alchemy, and the potent ambient magic of the sanctuary. They had bathed the eggs in controlled geothermal heat, infused them with minute quantities of phoenix tears and Elixir, and even, in a carefully shielded ritual, allowed some of their own mature Skagosi dragons to "brood" over them, their fiery breath and innate magical resonance a catalyst.
One by one, the ancient, seemingly petrified shells had cracked. The first to emerge was from the midnight blue egg veined with silver – a magnificent drake, its scales the color of a storm-tossed sea, its eyes like molten silver. Aelyx named it "Stormbringer," distinct from Visenya's dragon squadron which shared a similar moniker. From a blood-red egg streaked with black came a fierce she-dragon with scales like polished obsidian and eyes of burning coal; she was dubbed "Nightfyre." A jade-green egg yielded a cunning, serpentine drake Aelyx called "Veridian." The others followed: a golden drake ("Sunstone"), a pearlescent white she-dragon ("Moonpearl"), a bronze with black markings ("Bronzefury," a nod to Vermithor), and a final, smaller but incredibly agile drake of pure, unblem ленished silver ("Quicksilver II," as Aenar's own dragon already bore that name, this one was its heir apparent in speed).
The hatching of these "Summerhall Seven," as Aelyx privately termed them, was a monumental victory. These were not just new dragons; they were the salvaged genetic heritage of Aegon the Conqueror's own line, unique bloodlines now preserved and destined to be woven into the ever-strengthening tapestry of the Skagosi dragon legions. Their successful hatching, where Aegon V's desperate ritual had resulted only in fire and death, was the ultimate testament to Aelyx's superior knowledge and power.
As these new dragons grew, tended by his great-great-great-grandchildren who were now coming of age as riders, Aelyx turned his attention back to the south. The madness of King Aerys II was reaching its zenith. His son and heir, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, was a stark contrast – noble, melancholic, skilled in arms and music, and deeply obsessed with prophecy, particularly the prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised, which he believed referred to himself or his line.
Aelyx's seers, Lyra and Daenys (and now Lyra II, Jojen Volmark's sister, who had inherited a powerful measure of their gift), brought him increasingly disturbing visions centered around Rhaegar. They saw him at a great tourney at Harrenhal, inexplicably crowning Lyanna Stark of Winterfell (a distant kinswoman of Aelyx's own Lyanna) as queen of love and beauty, slighting his Dornish wife, Elia Martell. They saw him later abducting (or eloping with, the visions were unclear, colored by perspective) the same Lyanna Stark, an act that would ignite the spark of a rebellion far greater than any Blackfyre uprising.
"The son seeks to fulfill a prophecy, and in doing so, will unleash a catastrophe that may well doom his house entirely," Aelyx predicted, as the pieces of the future began to align with chilling clarity. "Aerys's madness has alienated the great lords. Rhaegar's obsession and his reckless actions will provide the casus belli. The Baratheons, the Starks, the Arryns, perhaps even the Lannisters if Tywin sees an opportunity… they will unite against a Mad King and a prince who has broken sacred vows. This will not be a mere dynastic squabble; this will be a war to end Targaryen rule."
Publicly, Lord Aelyx Volmark II of Skagos continued to express profound loyalty to the Iron Throne, sending ever more lavish gifts to appease King Aerys II's increasingly erratic demands for gold and tokens of fealty. Skagos remained the North's quiet, prosperous, and unshakeably loyal cornerstone. No whisper of its true power, its immortal rulers, its legion of hidden dragons, or its stolen Targaryen heritage ever reached the south.
Within Mount Skatus, however, Aelyx Velaryon prepared. The Emissary network was placed on highest alert, tasked with gathering every scrap of intelligence as the realm careened towards open rebellion. The Skagosi dragonriders drilled with renewed intensity, their numbers now exceeding four hundred, their beasts magnificent and terrible. The sanctuary's defenses were tested and reinforced. Aelyx did not intend to intervene in Robert's Rebellion directly. His goal was, as always, the preservation and advancement of his own eternal dynasty. But he knew that the fall of a great house, especially one as ancient and powerful as Targaryen, created a vacuum, a period of chaos from which new powers could emerge, or old, hidden ones could subtly expand their influence.
The War of the Ninepenny Kings had been a minor skirmish compared to what was coming. The madness of Aerys II was the festering wound. Rhaegar's actions with Lyanna Stark would be the dagger plunged into its heart. And Aelyx Velaryon, the Shadow King of Skagos, with his immortal family and his legions of true dragons, would be watching from the shadows, ready to sift through the ashes of a fallen dynasty for anything of value, ready to ensure that his own hidden sun continued to rise, unseen and eternal, over a world consumed by the follies of mortal men. The end of one age was approaching, and Aelyx was supremely prepared for the dawn of the next.