Is it worth it?

"It is a marvelous sword," Ser Jaime commented when he saw Jaehaerys looking at it with a pinched look on his face.

Sitting in his chambers, Dark Sister in his lap and an oiled cloth in his hands, he had to wonder. The Court had exploded in a flurry of whispers at Yoren's words. Why had Aemon sent the sword to Jaehaerys instead of Aegon? Why return the sword to the Royal Family now? And the two most pressing questions of all; why did Bloodraven want Jaehaerys to have the sword? And how did he know Jaehaerys would be born, when the man died some forty years past?

Jaehaerys did not know the answers to any of them, but they all thought he did. He saw the glances and overheard the conversations. Most thought it a part of his plan to supplant his older brother, others said Maester Aemon must have gone senile.

Jaehaerys loved the sword. It was so slim and so light, perfect, it would give him a great advantage over any foe. But Aemon must not have been aware of the situation at Court, for he unwittingly ruined Jaehaerys' tender alliance with Prince Oberyn who quickly decided he'd been fooled by Jae.

He dismissed Ser Addam Velaryon as the Lord Commander of the City Watch a day later and ousted Lord Florent as Master of Coin, planning to replace both with Dornish lickspittles. Most of the Lords of the Realm did not appreciate the post of Master of Coin, not understanding its importance, so their ignorance would keep the outrage at the minimum, for a while. But it wouldn't be long before they began to notice that all the policies favored Dorne whereas before Lord Florent had been fair to all the Kingdoms.

Oberyn would not see him. He dared not refuse outright, but he made sure Jae couldn't even run into him by accident. Oberyn did not even want to give him a chance to convince him this was not some grand plot at work, for he must've thought he'd been fooled once and would not allow himself to risk it a second time.

He eyed the letter in his hands, terrified at the thought of opening it. Whatever Aemon Targaryen wanted to tell him, it would only bring him more heartache, more suffering, and pain. He'd been putting off reading the letter for a day until Ser Jaime raised an eyebrow and said, "I never thought you to be a coward."

That had ended his hesitation, but still he trembled to open it.

With gritted teeth and a weary sigh, he broke the seal and unfurled the letter.

My dearest nephew, it began.

I am sorry the most I can do is send you a letter. My sight has abandoned me, and all I can do is try and offer you my wisdom.

I have seen four generations of Targaryens come and go and know you face challenges few of them had before. I know the weight of history pressing down upon your shoulders, know you must feel it more keenly than any of us had at your age. But I would like to remind you there is more to the Targaryen legacy than Mad Kings and Dreaming Princes. Our family had produced great men and weaklings, had seen its ups and downs, but our contributions to the Seven Kingdoms cannot be disputed. Remember, nephew, that for all the evil our family has done, there has been good in its acts as well. We united Westeros, we took seven squabbling Kings and united them under a single banner.

It might seem hard to appreciate to a young man such as yourself, but know that many owe their lives to the existence of our Dynasty.

Yet, I fear you are to face our greatest challenges. The Seven Kingdoms linger on the edge of the sword, flailing between destruction and peace. If half of what I've heard of you is right, you know this to be true.

It will be up to you, my dear nephew, to hold the Realm together. I wish I could offer you words of comfort, but I know your destiny has been writ in blood, and I fear you know the same.

I ask of you – beg of you – not to give up on our family's legacy. If our House falls, this continent will return to its blood-soaked roots. But if we were to persevere, peace may yet find its way into these lands. And I fear the difference between the two hinges upon your choices, nephew.

I trust that if anyone can make the right decision, it is the child of Ice and Fire, the descendant of Old Valyria and the First Men.

I am sorry to put such weight upon your young shoulders but know I would not do it if I had any other choice.

They will oppose and they will disapprove, you must know this, and the Dark Sister may prove useful in that regard. Bloodraven always said it was meant for the 'dragon with ice in his veins'. May you use her to put all the enemies of prosperity into an early grave.

But beware -- Dark Sister has a thirst for blood.

Fight, Jaehaerys. Fight for the greater good of the Seven Kingdoms and destroy all who would stand in your path but never forget; it is better to defend what you love than to attack what you hate.

Your Great-Grand Uncle, Maester Aemon of Castle Black.

P.S.: You are not alone. Your ancestors smile down upon you, wolf and dragon alike.

Tears streamed down his face when he came to the end of the letter. There was someone out there, leagues away at Castle Black, who understood. Jaehaerys longed for the times Aemon had grown up in, during an era where there were more Targaryens than anyone knew what to do with. Back when the people of the Realm felt some semblance of love for his family, for putting an end to the endless wars. The Lords felt loyalty to their Lieges, knew who had united the realm, and remembered the times when dragons soared the skies. Now we are as mortal as the rest of them.

But no one could deny him the knowledge that there was more to his family than mad uncles and potentially resentful brothers. He had an uncle, however far removed, and the old man saw in him the chance for this realm to be saved, instead of seeing the cause for its demise.

Swallowing heavily, he wiped his tears as a knock came upon his door. They creaked open without him having to say anything to reveal Daenerys. She closed the door behind her, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked, moving toward the seat opposite him.

"Of course." Jae put on a practiced smile. "I've just been handed a legendary blade."

She watched him closely. "I heard Oberyn ousted Velaryon and Florent." 

"Aye." Jae nodded. "As far as the Dornish are concerned, I'm planning to usurp Aegon."

He heard her mutter a curse under her breath and couldn't help but smile. "What's to be done now?"

Jae shrugged. He had no idea.

"Oh, come now, there must be something," Dany demanded.

"Would you trust me if you were him?" Jae asked.

Dany winced. "But maybe I can help," she said brightly.

"Sure, why not," he muttered.

"Hey," she cried indignantly, "I can help, he'll trust you with his life by the time I'm done with him." She raised her chin defiantly. "Just you wait."

Jae laughed, watching her with a fond look in his eyes. "If you say so," he said. "It makes no matter, it will all come down to what Aegon thinks anyway." 

"Gods, I hope he's not an idiot," Daenerys breathed and Jae had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "But don't worry, I'll help you with him as well."

"You know they may not trust you either."

"We're all dragons." The look in her eyes suggested she would not be dissuaded from this notion. "And if Aegon doesn't know it, then we'll teach him."

The door creaked open again, this time revealing Princess Arianne. She strode into his chambers as if they were her own. She looked quite surprised to find Daenerys there as well.

Jae raised an eyebrow and said, "Does no one knock when coming to visit me?"

Arianne froze in place for a moment under the scrutiny of two Targaryens, but spotted the corners of Jae's mouth twitching, and shrugged indifferently. "A nasty habit, I fear." She looked to Daenerys. "Wonderful to see you, my Princess."

"And you," Daenerys replied with a polite nod, "I don't suppose you're here to tell Jae that Prince Oberyn has changed his mind."

"I'm afraid not," Arianne said.

"More's the pity," Dany lamented, standing from her seat. "I will leave you two alone. Jae." She nodded to him. "Princess Arianne." And left, giving Arianne barely enough time to curtsy. Dany showed much more restraint than she would have only a couple of moons ago, but still not enough.

Arianne glided to the table and sat down in the chair Dany vacated, leaning back and crossing her legs. She grabbed the pitcher of wine and poured herself a measure, even as Jaehaerys watched her through guarded eyes.

"A quaint little knife," she commented, glanced at the Dark Sister, and took a sip of the wine. "Worth the price of my uncle's hatred, I hope."

"I imagine not."

"And just as you were doing so well," Arianne said.

Jaehaerys snorted in spite of himself. "Aye, I was starting to get my hopes up."

"So what will you do now?"

Jae shrugged. "I suppose I'll cross my fingers and hope Prince Oberyn realizes I'm not stupid enough to alienate him by having Dark Sister brought to King's Landing in the open."

"He does not think you so stupid," Arianna said, shaking her head. "He thinks you so brilliant, convincing him this was the independent act of an old Maester, while you go on plotting under his nose."

Jae ran his hand through his hair, sighing in desperation.

"I imagine the idea of fucking me and going back to Dorne seems intimately more tempting," she quipped.

Jae rolled his eyes, "Beautiful as you are, I'd much rather die here than live to see the Kingdoms go to hell."

She huffed in frustration. "You northerners, I'll never understand you. Such bland lives you live. Honor and duty and no enjoyment and then you go off to die for some allegedly noble cause and that's all there is to your lives. You might as well have some fun before."

She had a point but it was part of her manipulation, so what did it matter. "Fun with you would mean I wouldn't get to die for my allegedly good cause, Princess."

"You've lived in King's Landing for too long, it's made you impervious to all forms of manipulation."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing,"

She shrugged elegantly. "Everyone gets manipulated, it's only a question of who does it and why."

"I suppose I shall have to find someone else since I am not too fond of the idea of spending the rest of my life in Dorne."

"You wound me, my Prince," Arianne replied, a look of hurt on her face all of a sudden. The woman is as mercurial as they come. "You think I would lay with you like some common whore on the simple say-so of my father?" The corners of her lips curved into a small smile, full of promise. "No. I have much more... interesting plans for you."

"Well, spit it out, will you?" Jaehaerys said with a grin, "I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into."

"Ah, ah, ah." She laughed. "Good things come to those who wait, my Prince."

"Mayhaps I will resist all your suggestions and hints only to spite you, then."

"And mayhaps that's exactly what I'll want you to do."

"Ah, is there no mercy for a poor Prince?" Jaehaerys asked. "Is one Prince of Dorne not enough for me to worry about?"

Arianne laughed. "I'm guessing this is your first attempt at stirring up sympathies?" She smiled warmly. "I suggest you adopt a slumped posture next time, it works wonders. Besides, I am certain you are already working on some plot to convince Oberyn of your good intentions."

Jaehaerys huffed in frustration. He'd wracked his brain trying to do just that, but plots and good intentions did not go well together. Whatever he did would only leave Oberyn more convinced Jae wanted him to drop his guard.

"I don't think plotting will get this done."

"What will you do then?" she asked as she stood from her seat and glided to him.

"Wait and see, I suppose," Jaehaerys said, looking up at her. She spread her legs and sat in his lap, leaning forth to peck him on the cheek.

"Maybe I'll help you convince him," she breathed in his ear.

"In exchange for what?"

Arianne threw her hair over her shoulder, running her hand down the side of her neck. Jae gave in. He kissed her neck. Next, her hand moved to her cleavage, and Jae's lips followed. Then she pulled on her dress, revealing her large, dark nipple. Jae licked it, his hands subconsciously moving to her plump ass as she moaned.

She was his only way into Oberyn's good graces and he could only thank the Gods she had her own schemes to involve him in.

As her dress slid down her body, he wondered what would be the true price of regaining Oberyn's trust.