CHAPTER 24:

THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY AND DESTINY

It was a few days before the Third Task. In Dumbledore's office, Daenerys stared at the blade, in shock, while Harry, Jorah and Dumbledore looked on. Apparently Dobby had brought it over from Westeros, albeit on Sirius' instructions. And Sirius had apparently found it during a trip to Pentos, trying to find out what Mopatis had in store for Dany, as well as steal anything interesting. "Illyrio had this?"

"The letter Dobby brought with it claimed that Mopatis was talking with the leader of the Golden Company," Dumbledore said, albeit with an air of disapproval. "He stole a number of things, though given that Mopatis was still searching for you…while I cannot condone wanton thievery, he hinted that he gained things that belonged to your family anyway. This was one of them."

"Indeed it is," Dany said quietly, a tear trickling from her eye as she looked at the blade.

"The note said that it was a Valyrian Steel blade," Dumbledore continued, "and I took the liberty of scanning it. Most extraordinary. It's not unlike Goblin Steel, magically infused, and potentially enchantable, though the only enchantments seem to be those to enhance durability and sharpness, but still…"

"I know this blade," Jorah said. "I had a Valyrian Steel blade myself, Longclaw, but I left it with my father when I exiled myself to Essos. A Valyrian Steel blade is quite literally worth a king's ransom, and they are all prized. But this is…"

"…Blackfyre," Dany concluded.

Harry frowned. Dany knew he knew the name from the history book he got in that farmhouse. The fabled blade of Aegon the Conqueror. It was also the name of a line of Targaryen bastards who took their name from the blade after Aegon IV, aka Aegon the Unworthy, legitimised them and all his other bastards on his deathbed. The history book had suggested that the hedonistic and quarrelsome king had done it out of spite towards his trueborn son and heir, and given the revolts that plagued Westeros for decades afterwards, Dany agreed. Aegon the Unworthy seemed unrepentantly fond of misrule. "That's Valyrian Steel? And that's Blackfyre?" Harry asked.

Dany nodded, all but overcome by emotion. She stared at the steel, with all the ripples within the dark gleaming metal. So beautiful, and yet so lethal. How much history was seen by this blade? How many lives, famous, noble or small, were taken by it?

"Stolen by Bittersteel," Jorah said. "No wonder Sirius found it with one of the Golden Company. Bittersteel was one of Aegon the Unworthy's bastards, one who wanted to overthrow the Iron Throne like the Blackfyres, and he supported their cause on occasion. He founded the Golden Company to raise an army to take what he thought was his. Well, he initially supported the Blackfyres, but he had his own ambitions. I remember seeing it once when I was in the Golden Company, or so I thought."

"A once worthy name for a sword, tainted by an unworthy king and the bastard he gave it to, the one who took it for his own," Dany said quietly. "Another, Dark Sister, was taken by Brynden Rivers north when he joined the Night's Watch, from what I have read and you have told me. A shame. Despite his illegitimacy, I feel the Bloodraven did more for his king than many, even if the actions he took that led to him taking the Black were dishonourable. Still…this is too large and too heavy a blade for me to wield."

"Aye," Jorah said. "Better that we could have found Dark Sister. Still, the smiths of Qohor know how to rework Valyrian Steel, and while they guard the art jealously, I daresay we could have it reforged into a weapon better suited to you for the right price."

Dany frowned pensively. Melt down Blackfyre? The very sword Aegon the Conqueror wielded in Westeros? She gently cradled the sword in her hands, careful not to let it cut her. On the one hand, it was THE sword of Aegon the Conqueror, something that should have been a family heirloom, just as much as the dragons should have been. And regaining it, even if it was through theft, had the air of providence about it. It was a potent symbol of the past, and something that seemed to say something about her future.

But on the other hand…it was not a sword meant for her. She had trained with some sword-fighting with Jorah, and she knew she wouldn't be able to wield such a weapon. In addition…would hanging onto the sword as it was now hinder her? Her brother boasted and bragged of House Targaryen's former glories, and felt that they meant he had the Iron Throne by right, and no other. Would holding onto the past hold her back as well? To say nothing of the fact that a usurper tainted the name of Blackfyre by taking it as his own, and then trying to overthrow his rightful king, as would his descendants.

"If I look back, I am lost," she mused out loud. "But should I disregard the past for the future? Should I blame the sword for the one who wielded it?"

It was not long afterwards. Harry was looking for Dany, and soon found her in the Room of Requirement, Blackfyre in hand, trying to use it against some training dummies. It was clear that she was unused to the sword, and only luck, or caution, had prevented her from injuring herself with it.

She heard the door shut behind him, and turned. Sweat glistened on her face. "…Harry," she said, looking a little ashamed at looking so dishevelled, even in front of one whom she knew better than most.

"Don't tire yourself out, Dany," Harry said. "Why are you even doing this?"

"…I have to know," Dany said, lifting the sword with a supreme effort. "…It's not just the physical weight, Harry…it's the expectation. The weight of both history and destiny. You know what I'm talking about, given your own fame. We both are hated and loved by various people, for the actions of our family and ancestors. You for your parents' defiance of Voldemort and your miraculous survival, and I for being a Targaryen, as well as the child of Aerys II, and the brother of the Bard Prince. The Boy Who Lived, and the Beggar Princess. Hermione once spoke to me of Atlas, a deity known as a Titan on this world, who holds up the sky with his shoulders. My burden is far lesser, but still troublesome. And we both grew up with family that did not truly wish for our happiness. Just…used us."

Harry nodded. He went over, and gently prised Blackfyre from her grasp. While he would have liked to have lifted it effortlessly, in truth, it was heavy for him too. He'd need a lot of training before he could wield it. "…You're not Aegon the Conqueror, Dany, any more than I am Balerion. Aegon…you could argue that he took Westeros by force just because he could, because he wanted to be king. Even though he was a pretty decent ruler by all accounts, and he put paid to Black Harren and others, well, did he do it for the good of the people?"

"I'd like to think he did, but Aegon was something of an enigma, even to those who knew him, save for his sister-wives," Dany said. "And it's more than that. Harry…I have been warned that even if I try to help the people, I will be resisted by those whose interests I will be opposing. The nobles will oppose my plans for the smallfolk, the Citadel will resist my attempts to banish ignorance from our world, the Faith will condemn us for using magic, and should I try to stop slavery in Essos, the slavers will seek my destruction. I face an uphill battle trying to make my world a better place. Part of me whispers at me to just not bother. The Iron Throne is a melted lump of swords that taints the best intentions of all who sit on it, and after the Dance of Dragons, Westeros would refuse to see a queen rule alone. Let them fall to the Long Night, that voice whispers. They are barbarians and savages who refuse to change, and only fire and blood can change them."

"…Do you really believe that?"

"I'm not sure. I want to believe that I want the Iron Throne for the good of the people, to assume it out of duty," Dany said, taking Blackfyre back carefully. "But maybe the blood of the dragon is one that hungers for power, no matter what. Or maybe that's human nature. Ambition and avarice are not confined to the Targaryens. Maybe I'm fooling myself and everyone else. I don't want to. I want to be a good queen, but…what I heard from Lord and Lady Stark, to say nothing of Jorah, means I may never be. I want to be loved as a queen, but I fear I will be hated. Especially if I have to resort to violence and fear to bring my enemies into line."

"You'd do that as a last resort, right?" Harry asked.

Dany nodded. "Dumbledore spoke to me of a man called Machiavelli. Machiavelli said that one should be feared and loved, but if one can't be both, one should be feared more than loved. I do not agree. I would rather be loved, for it would be less likely to foment rebellion, and Dumbledore said one should be loved by one's allies, and feared by one's enemies. Viserys believed otherwise. He wanted me to fear him more than love him. And yet…those who wished to be loved can often fall prey to weakness. Tytos Lannister, for one."

"Dany…you're not Aegon the Conqueror or Viserys or Aerys or Maegor. You're not any Lannister or Stark or Baratheon. You're Daenerys Targaryen," Harry said quietly, but firmly. "I'd support you whether you decided to claim the Iron Throne or ignore it. I would only stop supporting you if you stopped being who you are."

"And who am I?"

"…A beautiful, intelligent and compassionate girl," Harry said. "Not without faults, but who is? I'd say you're worrying too much, but whether you want to claim the Iron Throne or not is something I can't blame you for worrying about. Besides, I sometimes worry too much about other things, so I can't talk. Dany, you're sixteen. Even by your world's standards, that's a bit young to want to change the world in a serious way. We have time to make the decision, even if the Ministry forces us to leave Britain."

Dany stood there, in silence, so Harry gently embraced her. God, she was so warm. Then, as she relaxed a little into his embrace, he said, without thinking, "…I love you, you know that?"

For a moment, he cursed himself for saying such a thing. She stiffened beneath his embrace, before she relaxed again. "…Of course I do. I love you too. Harry…stay with me. Not just today, but for all the days to come. Without you…I worry what I may become, what paths I may walk down." She gently broke from his embrace, and turned to face him, her violet eyes glistening with tears, her smile a sad one. "I am not alone, am I? Even if only a single ruler can sit on the Iron Throne, it does not mean they have to rule alone. I need you, I need our friends. Jorah, Sirius, Luna, Hermione, Ron, Remus, and all the others."

"I know."

"Hmm. Perhaps that is it. Even if I cannot regain the Iron Throne, I will have people who care about me. Because…" Her voice caught in her throat. "…Because that's something I've wanted. I wanted a home, and yet, due to both the Usurper's hired killers hunting us and our hosts growing bored of us, my brother and I were forced to move between the Free Cities. My brother cared for me once, but he cared more for regaining the Iron Throne, and over time, that became all he cared for. So know this, Harry. If I have to choose between the Iron Throne, and the people I cherish…there is no choice. I would choose those I cherish. If it is my destiny to claim the Iron Throne, but at the cost of all those I care for…then to the Seven Hells with destiny."

"So, what of Blackfyre?" Harry asked.

Dany looked at the sword contemplatively for a moment, before she said, "I will melt it down. Turn it into a weapon or weapons suited to me, and burn away the taint Daemon Blackfyre and Bittersteel have left on it…no, the taint Aegon the Unworthy gave it when he gave this sword to an equally unworthy wielder. The metal and the history will remain, but it will become something new. Something without the weight of destiny in it. I have enough of such a burden on my shoulders."

Once more, he hugged her, careful to avoid being stabbed by Blackfyre. He knew what it was like. Probably not to the same degree, true, but he had been dogged by expectations since attending Hogwarts, due to the overblown reputation of the Boy Who Lived. And he had shared memories of her lonely life when they spoke in their dreams.

"You're the ruler of one thing, at least," Harry said quietly. "You rule my heart."

Dany smiled impishly, and said, "Don't tell anyone, but you rule mine as well."

That was one of the best things she had ever said to him. Probably because she didn't seem to be trying to act as a princess or someone trying to restrain themselves. It was infrequent that Dany acted as a playful teenager, and yet, here she was.

Harry hoped that he could draw out more of that. He loved her dignity, true, but he also wanted her to have more moments of normality, where she could be playful and relaxed, instead of having a mask of royalty on her face. He hoped, once this mess was over, he could see more of that, where the weight of history and destiny was less on her shoulders, and she could just be human…

CHAPTER 24 ANNOTATIONS:

Well, there you go. Sorry about the wait. I was originally going to write the chapter set during the Third Task for this one, but I had this notion of Dany regaining Dark Sister. Unfortunately, I miscalculated, rather embarrassingly, as I thought from my knowledge of the lore that Dark Sister was lost in the Gods Eye during the Dance of Dragons, specifically the battle between Aemond and Daemon Targaryen. But Dark Sister was recovered after that battle, and was taken by a certain Bloodraven north, after I did some research, so I decided on Blackfyre, whose providence is a bit better established. It seems like that was a better choice anyway, as I gave Dany some more self-reflection, and had her decide on her course of action.

Anyway, next chapter will be the Third Task. Dunno when it'll be out, though…

Review-answering time! DZ2: Yes, Dany will procure the services of the Unsullied eventually, along with Missandei.

No numbered annotations this time.