Waking the Dragon

Chapter I.

Author's Note- (This is an idea I had in mind that just would not go away. Prophetic visions saved House Targaryen from the Doom of Valyria. What would happen if the blood of the Dreamer still flowed strong in House Targaryen. If one could forsee what was to come? Could they challenge fate and survive to forge their own destiny? The first parts of this story are about three remarkable women with indomitable wills. They will do whatever they must to see their children survive. As the next generation of dragons grow under their guidance, they will work hard to restore what was lost. As the new century approaches, the new generation will take back what is theirs, with Fire and Blood.

Also, this story will have regular updates as I already have over half of it pre-written. I will also soon be posting updates for all my other stories as I have now completed new chapters for all of them. Real life had gotten and is a bit crazy. Thanks for everyone who reads them.)

The door burst open suddenly and with unexpected force. Standing in the doorway was a monster of a man; a demon in human skin. There was a look of abject terror in the shining eyes of the woman who stood on the other side of the room across from the beast.

"Please! Have mercy, I beg of you. Do not harm my child, please. Do what you will with me, but don't harm my children. They are innocent. Please!," the beautiful woman begged the beast moving towards her.

"You're alone now whore! There's no one to save you. Your worthless husband is dead. Ser Jaime slew the Mad King, and now it's your time to die," said the man known throughout the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as 'The Mountain that Rides'.

"Please, have mercy! Don't harm my children!" Princess Elia Martell begged and pleaded with the man.

She knew she was about to die. She could accept that. What she could not accept, what she would not accept, was the thought of her children dying with her.

In no time at all, the Mad Dog of Tywin Lannister was upon her. The beast ripped the young babe from the woman's arms. Faster than she could even comprehend, the Mountain gripped the by now screaming babe by the neck, and bashed his skull against the chamber's stone wall with as much force as he could muster.

All that was left of the child's head was a caved in skull and a few strands of blood matted fair hair and brain matter.

The Mountain, with hands still covered in blood and brains, stalked back to the terrified Princess.

"Not to worry Princess. Ser Amory should be done with your daughter by now, and you will soon be able to join your dragonspawn in death," said the Mountain leeringly to the Princess Elia.

The scene that followed was one of the most horrific sights imaginable. The giant of a man, ripped the princess's clothing from her body, and proceeded to savagely violate the woman. When he was finished, the Princess was barely alive. The vile monster hen unsheathed his massive great sword and cleaved the Princess of Dorne nearly in two.

The dream shifted abruptly, and another man was seen looking through a room in Maegor's Holdfast. The pig like man was another of Tywin Lannister's dogs; Ser Amory Lorch. He found his prey hidden underneath a large, regal looking bed. The man pulled a small young girl of no more than three name days out from under the bed kicking and screaming. It was the Princess Rhaenys, only daughter of Princess Elia Martell and Crown Prince Rhaegar. Mute horror filled the dreamer as she watched the beautiful little girl get stabbed repeatedly half a hundred times as she screamed and cried out for the father who could no longer hear the calls of mortal men and women.

"Please let these nightmares and horrific visions come to an end," the Dreamer silently pleaded.

Swirls of color flowed and changed as the scene shifted once more.

A large forbidding castle loomed over an island in the sea. The ancient castle held a forboding atmosphere with its statues and gargoyles of dragons and stone images of the idols of Old Valyria. The sea churned restlessly as a storm raged on. Ships bearing the flags of the Usurper could be seen; ready and poised to storm the last outpost of the once mighty Targaryen Dynasty.

In a bed of blood inside the castle, the still beautiful Queen Rhaella sceamed in agony as she bore a beautful little girl into the world; utterly alone except for her terrified young son Viserys and a young maid with no child birthing or healing experience to aid her.

"Daenerys. Let her be called Daenerys Stormborn," whispered the dying Queen as she breathed her last.

Soldiers of the enemy had come for them.

The little prince and the newborn princess were left bereft and alone as the Usurper's men came to finish off the last of the Dragons.

"Enough!" The Dreamer sceamed in an agony of terror of what was to come.

"Let it end," the Dreamer thought.

Colors and light swirled for a final time as the vision shifted and became illuminated in the eerie green light that only wildfire could emit. Uncontrollable flames of green bathed the dreamers vision of the island of Dragonstone as ships and men alike were bathed in the flames.

From the heart of the flames however, a final hope was discovered. Birthed from the green flames of wildfire, beings unseen for well over a century emerged from eggs long thought to be stone. In all shapes and colors did they emerge. As the Dreamer counted, seven dragons were born anew. The might of the dragon had returned to the world of man, but of the family that was bonded to them, none remained. Left to themselves, in time they would come to terrorize the whole of the western continent.

"You must succeed," whispered a voice to the Dreamer.

"Save the dragons, and you will save yourself and that which is most precious to you," the unknown voice said.

"You know what you must do. Your's is the blood of the First Men and the ice of the North. Save the dragon's and raise the Prince that was Promised. You are strong. Show the world that you are no man's tool. Save them, and you will save yourself, your child, and even the world itself," the cryptic voice whispered passionately with purpose.

"I will do it. On my blood and my honor they will be saved," the Dreamer said.

"I know what must needs be done," the Dreamer finished.

Eyes snapped open abruptly as Lyanna Stark awoke from the dream that showed her the consequences of what shall come to pass if she does not act stop them. She somehow knew with every fiber of her being that what she was shown would most assuredly happen should she choose to ignore fate's warning.

The She-Wolf of the North was resolved. She would not allow every last member of her son's family to perish if she could help it; and she knew she was carrying a son. No matter how crazy it might sound, Lyanna knew with an absolute certainty, that the child in her womb was a son.

Throughout her pregnancy, Lyanna had been bombarded with visions of a sort. They mostly came in the form of dreams that were far too vivid to be mere figments of her imagination. She knew they were real, as so far, they had all come to pass. She would not allow this to come to pass; this she swore.

She knew she had to act immediately. She had very little time with which she could act. If she was able to leave now, despite being rather advanced in her pregnancy, she should just barely have the time to reach the capitol and spirit away her sister-wife and step-daughter. She was unsure if she would be able to retrieve the Blackfyre child as the Mad King was known to keep him under heavy guard.

She let out a bit of an internal laugh at that. If the madman knew who he really was his rage and subsequent tantrum would be of epic proportions.

Lyanna knew whom she would have to approach if she had a hope of getting the Kingsguard to agree with what she had in mind and disregard their orders. She must succeed. Time was of the essence.

Lyanna made herself presentable, and walked to the rooms on the floor below her own. By the gods was she ready to be rid of this thrice-damned tower. She was the She-Wolf of Winterfell damnnit, and did not do well confined. It was always unwise to confine a wolf; especially a direwolf.

As she entered the room, the Kingsguard immediately stood at attention when the now Dowager Princess of Dragonstone entered the room.

'Dowager Princess,' Lyanna thought.

How she loathed that title, it should not have happened this way.

She had gained the one man she felt she could and did truly love; and was left a pregnant widow after barely a year.

She had no time to let herself fall into further grief. Time waited for no man.

Perhaps it might wait at least a bit for a woman?

"Ser Arthur, might you join me for a moment? I have some issues I need to discuss with you," Lyanna said to the Sword of the Morning.

"Of course My Princess," Ser Arthur replied.

Ever the true knight, Ser Arthur offered her his arm as they left the room and took the stairs to Lyanna's chambers.

Once there, they both settled into the comfortable chairs that were arranged in front of the useless fireplace.

Of all the Kingsguard knights of which Lyanna had made the acquaintance of, Ser Arthur Dayne was her favorite by far. Over time, the two had developed a true friendship with one another, and Lyanna held the knight in the highest of regard. They had both become rather informal with one another in private.

"How are you feeling Lyanna," Ser Arthur asked the Princess.

"The baby and I are both in excellent health, despite recent events, Arthur," she told him.

"Arthur, I need you to listen to me, and help me. Many lives depend on it," Lyanna said.

Arthur Dayne was taken aback by the seriousness of Lyanna's tone. She, who was usually so composed and fearless, appeared terrified. Something terrible enough to scare the She Wolf must be awful indeed.

"Whatever you ask of me, I swear to do my best to help in any way I can. What is it Lyanna?" he questioned

"You know of the visions I've been having all throughout my pregnancy. I'm not sure how, but I know it is my son that is the reason for me seeing them. Every last one of them has ocurred with uncanny and rather frightening accuracy," she explained.

"Before you tell me what the vision showed you; let me ask you a question? Do you know who my grandmother is?" Ser Arthur asked.

Lyanna pondered that for a moment before she remembered.

"Your grandmother is the Princess Rhae, is she not? The youngest daughter of King Maekar, correct?"

"Yes, yes she is. She is the aunt to your own grandmother, King Maekar's eldest son Daeron's daughter the Princess Vaella; wife of Edwyle Stark." Arthur told her.

"My grandmother is one of the strongest women I have ever met. She always supported me in some of my more unlady-like interests. You know they actually considered her for the throne briefly during the Great Council in 233? She was the last heir to the throne's only child, but she had no desire to rule, or even be in Kings Landing. She was a most accomplished mummer, you might say. She had developed an entire persona that led everyone to believe she was dull witted," Lyanna said with a laugh.

"It was all a ruse. She did not want to be married off to any of her relatives, nor did she want to be used to by any players of the Game. So, no one thought anything about it when she managed to arrange a marriage for herself as far away from the capitol as possible," Lyanna explained.

Arthur chuckled at that. The tale of that particular lady reminded him of exactly something his own grandmother may have concocted.

"Well, what I'm trying to say is that I believe your dreams to be truly prophetic because mine own grandmother has a touch of the sight as well. You are carrying a Targaryen heir in your womb, and you yourself are the grand-daughter of a dragon princess. With what I know, I do not doubt you for a moment Lyanna. Now, whatever it is must truly be dire. What have you seen?" Arthur asked in a serious tone.

"It was terrible Arthur. Tywin Lannister will soon sack the capitol. They'll destroy so much. Ser Jaime is going to kill the King, but that's not the worst of it by far," she said.

Arthur sucked in a sharp breath.

"Jaime is going to kill Aerys?" Arthur asked.

"How and why?" Arthur needed to know.

He needed to know if the young knight he held in such high regard would truly betray all honor.

"I don't blame Ser Jaime in the slightest Arthur. Aerys has it coming, we all know that. He did have a very valid reason though. Aerys ordered him to bring him Tywin Lannister's head. That in itself was bad enough, but that wasn't the real reason. Arthur, Aerys had told the pyromancers to release all of the stores of wildfire that he apparently had stored in strategic spots throughout the city. He wanted Kings Landing burned to the ground utterly. He said let the Usurper reign over nothing but rubble and the dead. He meant to kill everything in the city; including his own family and the half a million people that lived within it," Lyanna explained.

Arthur could hardly contemplate the ramifications if Aerys' plan was successful. With that in mind, he found it far more difficult to judge Jaime. He did not know what he himself would have done in Jaime's place.

"What else?" Arthur asked.

"It was awful Arthur. Elia...Elia, she..." Lyanna appeared to be barely restaining tears at this point.

"What happens to Elia, Lyanna?" Arthur was feeling dread like never before.

"Tywin Lannister unleashed his mad dogs on them. The Mountain, he...the Mountain bashed the baby's head against a wall crushing his skull. Then the beast raped Elia and cut her in half. Then, oh gods Arthur...Amory Lorch dragged little Rhaenys out from underneath her father's bed. He killed her. He must have stabbed her half a hundred times. They presented the bodies to Robert in the throne room. Ned was furious, but Robert looked gleeful. He spat on them, and called them dragonspawn," Lyanna said as tears were now flowing down her pale cheeks unchecked.

Arthur collapsed back in his chair. The horror described to him...it was unspeakable. He could not allow that to come to pass. He would not.

"The Queen was on Dragonstone next Arthur. Their was a fierce storm going on, and she was all alone giving birth with nothing but a lone servant and little Viserys. She gave birth to a little girl and was dying while the Usurper's forces were about to storm the island and kill them all. The Queen was terrified for her children. If she had help, she may have been able to survive. That poor woman endured Aerys all those years, only to meet her own end like that when she was finaly free of him. We have to help her too Arthur," Lyanna told him as her voice burned with a strong fire.

"I cannot...we cannot allow this to happen. We must save them. If we left right now, with Varys' help we just may be able to secret them out. If he can find someone with even a bit of resemblance, it will be enough to fool them. There would not be enough time for them to be discovered." Lyanna explained what she wished to do.

Arthur sat there for a moment thinking of what all they needed to do. That they would act was not even in question. They could not allow any of this to take place. Lyanna could write to the Eunuch for him to be ready with his part. Arthur would force Ser Gerold and Ser Oswell if he must. Remaining here would only get them killed.

His home was not far away. If they left now, they could be in Starfall tomorrow and take a ship from there. He knew his brother had one ship in particular that was especially fast. It would take two weeks to reach the capitol. Hopefully they would arrive before the Lannisters. He would not allow Elia or Rhaenys to meet such a cruel fate. They deserved much better. Then, they would need a maester and flee to Dragonstone to help the Queen and the little prince.

"Princess, get your maid and pack everything up. We will leave for Starfall immediately." Arthur said.

"What about Ser Gerold and Ser Oswell?" Lyanna inquired.

She knew how stubborn those two could be.

"You just leave them to me. I'll see to everything. We must make haste," Arthur told her.

As usual, Ser Arthur was as good as his word. It was not two hours after their conversation ended that they had abandoned the Tower of Joy and were making their way to Starfall. Lyanna had no idea what Ser Arthur had said to convince the other two members of the Kingsguard, but at this point, she did not care. It was enough that they both agreed to come and help.

The ride was fast, long, and arduous; and her pregnant state did not help matters. Lyanna was an excellent horsewoman, and had sometimes been claimed that she was half a horse herself; just like her older brother Brandon.

By the gods, did it grieve her heart to think of the brother and father she had lost. Even to that day, she still did not understand how some of these happenings had occurred. When she left with her Silver Prince, she had left word of what she was going to do, who she was with, as well as where she would be. And with several different people at that. The letter to her lord father even included a missive from Queen Rhaella herself! How her letters and the messangers themselves were all lost she would never know. She despised thinking about the what if's in life. She had her son to think of now. His safety and that of their family were her only priority.

After a night with little to no rest, they arrived at Starfall. Lyanna thought it was beautiful with its pale stone towers and commanding views of the sea. The Lady Ashara recieved them. Lyanna had gotten on quite well with the beautiful woman who had stolen her brother's heart. Lyanna was aware that Brandon had been hopelessly in love with the Dornish beauty, and had had every intention of breaking off the betrothal with Catelyn Tully in order to marry his lady love. The evidence of their love was visible to all as she was holding a small babe in her arms that could not have been more than three months old. Inside the swaddling clothes lay a baby girl with dark hair and beautiful violet eyes.

Lyanna had been shocked to learn her niece's name was Lady Elaena Stark, only child and true-born daughter of Brandon Stark. Apparently, Brandon had married Ashara in secret as soon as he learned of the pregnancy. He was just about to inform the Tully's that the betrothal was cancelled when he and his companions rode to Kings Landing.

Ser Arthur and Ashara led her into a solar on the night before they were to board the ship for Kings Landing. Inside the room, was a rather elderly woman Lyanna suspected was past her seventieth name day. She was proven correct when she was introduced to Arthur and Ashara's grandmother, the seventy-four year old Princess Rhae Targaryen-Dayne.

"It is and honor to meet you Princess," Lyanna said to the elder lady.

"No, the honor is mine my dear for you carry our future within you. I have never had the gift of foresight as strong as some of our ancestors did, but I have seen enough of late to know what needs to be done." the Princess Rhae said.

"What do you mean?" Lyanna asked.

"I know you are heading on the right path, but you must hurry. If you are strong enough, you will save them. Your son, and the other children are our dynasty's only hope. Your boy shall be the greatest of them all," the old woman said.

"Princess, perhaps you should come with us as well. From what I have seen, Robert Baratheon's wrath will make no one with true Targaryen blood safe." Lyanna implored the old woman.

"I am King Maekar's daughter, and I will not allow Robert Baratheon of all people to run me out of mine own home. His own grandmother, my niece Rhaelle, must be turning in her grave at the actions of her own blood. Besides, he won't have any real power in Dorne in any case. Prince Doran will ensure both mine and Starfall's safety. I shall also be of better use to your son here, where I can keep an eye on things as well as help to ensure your son has strong allies in the future. He will have need of them," the fierce old lady stated.

Ser Arthur and the Lady Ashara both looked worried about leaving their grandmother in Starfall, but they admitted she was more than likely right. Prince Doran would ensure no Baratheon or Lannister soldiers were allowed in.

At dawn the following morning, all in their party were ready to depart. Ashara Dayne had told both her brother and Lyanna in no uncertain terms that she would be going with them. Elia was her best friend, and with Brandon gone, Lyanna and her child were her daughter Elaena's closest ties to her father. They left with the dawn as the bright Dornish sun illuminated the sea in a beautiful tapestry of blues and greens.

During the voyage, Lyanna would easily admit that she was no fan of sea travel.

"Direwolves and water do not mix," she told Ashara as they occupied themselves with playing with Ashara's little daughter.

Whilst they had been friendly acquaintances before, Lyanna and Ashara got to know one another better throughout the seemingly never-ending voyage. It was not long until the two proud, independent, and beautiful women were fast friends. Underlying everything though, was the tension they all were feeling that they would be too late to prevent the nightmarish visions Lyanna had seen. They each did their best to distract themselves, as they were truthfully doing all in their power to prevent that nightmarish end.

One evening, Lyanna and Ashara were on the deck of the ship watching as the sun set over the horizon. Both were seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Ashara finally voiced a question which had been plauging her mind for some time now.

"If we are successful in all of this, what will we do? Where can we go? I haven't the slightest notion of how we could hide, and if your visions are correct...well, Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister will hunt us to the ends of the world. What kind of life will we be able to give to our children Lya?" Ashara questioned as she looked down at her little girl.

That particular question is one that had been haunting Lyanna for some time. What did the future hold for them? Sadly, it was one she did not have an answer for. Not yet, at any rate. She had some vague ideas, but nothing was readily apparent to her.

"I don't know Ash. When we have Elia and the Queen, hopefully we'll be able to figure out something. I do know we must all stick together. We cannot allow the children to be separated. I don't think hiding in Dorne would be possible. There's simply too many of us, and I doubt it would be hard for them to find us, as that would be the first place any would think to look. The only ideas I've really had were either someplace in a very remote corner of my father's domain, or rather my brother's lands now I suppose; or across the Narrow Sea to Essos," Lyanna said quietly.

"There are parts of the North that are so isolated that I doubt we'd ever be found. The loyalty the people have to my family would help, but the climate I imagine would be less than agreeable to a Dornishman. There are several islands that certainly have no contact with any other part of the Seven Kingdoms save for remote contact with Winterfell. I seriously doubt anyone would ever even think to look for us there. Perhaps the Free Cities would be better, I just don't know," she explained.

Lyanna decided to lighten the mood up a bit.

"You know Ash, had Elaena been born a boy, I would have paid good gold to see the look on Catelyn Tully's face when she met the new heir of the North," Lyanna told Ashara with a mischievious grin.

"You and me both Lya," Ashara said with a grin just a big.

"I take it you were not overly fond of the Lady Catelyn?" Ashara asked curiously.

"Fond of Madame Septa, as I call her? Hardly. Personally, I don't think my father could have found anyone less suited to betroth his heir and his daughter to if he had tried. Catelyn would have driven Brandon absolutely insane with her precious adherence to all proprieties, and I would have most likely gutted Robert Baratheon on my wedding night," Lyanna told her with a smirk.

Ashara burst into peals of laughter at Lyanna's bold opinion of those two. She could easily see the She-Wolf doing just that to the Usurper.

The two women looked back out to the sea in better spirits as each fervently prayed their journey would be successful. They simply could not allow the future Lyanna saw to come to pass. The future of all Westeros depended on their success. Their children would live no matter what they had to do. Nothing was more important or precious to them.