( Daeron POV )
Jon looked at the sunrise beyond the Red Mountains.
It was a sight he could well never get tired of, from the view of the balconies of Summerhall. There, below him, were the green valleys which extended into large lakes, trapped between cliffs and mountains.
In front of him, in the distance, were the peaks that marked the border with Dorne, from which the sun slowly rose.
It had taken some time for him to adjust to Summerhall. The warmth, relative isolation and completely new scenery were tough for him to adapt to, though he slowly managed to get used to it.
He also got used to his new role, of policing the new Marches. To keep order from the "bandits" that scoured the border between the Reach, Stormlands and Dorne.
Jon, though, knew the sad reality of it.
Most of these were not bandits, but Stormlanders, who never wished to become Dornish, and that had taken up arms. Most of them, when faced with the choice of surrender, refused it, cursing the Targaryens that had sold them to the Dornish, and welcoming death rather than the perceived dishonor.
Though, these "bandits" slowly faded, as the borders became more and more quiet.
Jon no longer had to ride Winter for days on end, trying to locate the remnants of a burning camp, or a few horses lost in the wilderness. He could finally settle down and be free, if only for a moment.
A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulder.
"Hello, Jon."
Jon smiled as he turned around and kissed his wife.
If there was something that he did not regret in his actions, it was marrying Arianne.
He had stood by her side, and her by his all these years, and it had been what had kept him going every day. Arianne, and the children.
It was only them, now. Sam had moved to Horn Hill, married and had children of his own. Daemon stayed for a time, working in his household guard, but eventually left for the War in the Stepstones, to make a name for himself. He was still there, and would likely be landed by the year's end.
As for Arianne, she had kept Tyene with her. Shared her with him, as well. But Tyene grew, and eventually married as well. She found herself enamored with Ser Joss Hood, another knight of his household guard, and eventually married him. Jon found them a small holdfast, overlooking one of the many lakes in the Summerhall area, so that they were always close to the palace.
As for his wife, well, Arianne proved to be much better at managing the lands around Summerhall than he was. She managed to masterfully manage the balance between Reacher, Dornish and Stormlander lords and knights, allowing Summerhall not to completely take sides while not being hated, either.
Slowly, Jon and Arianne became mediators of the area, but also of the realm itself.
This did not mean that everything did not go without challenges.
With Aegon and Daenerys not having children, and with him now having seven of his own, tensions had slowly started to flare, whether between Jon and the Targaryens, or between the Targaryens themselves.
Aegon had wanted to take a second wife, something many of the lords vividly opposed, Arianne's brother Quentyn and Jon's cousin Rickon being among the first to do so. After all, Aemon had their blood, and would sit the throne one day.
And for the rest…the prospect of a Dance was too much. Especially when Aemon and Daena's eggs hatched, revealing two more dragons to the world.
This greatly disturbed Aegon, who hadn't been the same since Rhaegal's death, slowly sinking into a small melancholy, and burying himself in the affairs of the realm to stay occupied.
To his annoyance, Jon had to go to King's Landing. To renew his fealty, but also to see Aemon, who had been sent to the capital to squire for Aegon.
That was something he disliked. Having to send his children to Aegon and Daenerys, only to see them so infrequently.
"Aemon wants to talk to you," Arianne whispered to him.
"What is it?" he asked her. "Does he not want to go to the capital again?"
Arianne sighed, stopping their embrace.
"I don't know," she simply answered.
Jon frowned, but followed her to the common room, where the indoor pool was.
The Martell architects had done a wonderful job, and the palace of Summerhall was truly a marvel, with running water, showers, flushing toilets, indoor pools and even a hot spring…no, truly, this was a perfect place to raise children.
Aemon, for his part, came running up to him.
Daena was close behind him.
Their secondborn, Daena, was more Dornish than Targaryen. Her skin was as dark as Arianne's, and she had dark hair, with only the grey eyes showing off her Stark heritage, while she had nothing Targaryen apart from her dragon.
"Father!" Aemon called out.
Jon took them both aside, Arianne following behind him, as they sat on a few chairs, and shared some tea.
"What is it, Aemon?" Jon asked. "Your mother has been worried about you. Is it about King's Landing."
"Yes!" Aemon cried out. "Well, yes and no…"
Arianne spoke softly, grabbing their son's hands,"Come on, sweet, tell us what is wrong."
"I…I don't want to marry Daena," Aemon said with tears in his eyes.
Arianne looked at Jon with sad eyes, and it was then that Jon knew he had very little power.
The betrothal of Aemon and Daena had been something that had been publicly announced to the realm after the hatching of their eggs. It was something he had not been consulted on, and a raven from King Aegon had announced it to him without even asking. It was just congratulating him on having the future King and Queen of Westeros come from his blood…nothing else.
"Listen, Aemon…" Jon started. "I know you do not like it. I personally do not like it…"
"Then break that betrothal!" Daena angrily chopped a hand through the air. "I don't want to marry him. It's so…disgusting! He's my brother. Ew, I don't even want to think about it…"
Queen Daenerys would not be pleased. She thought Targaryen children should marry each other, like the Targaryens of old. And when he pointed out that the last time the Targaryens married brother to sister, it went poorly, he was promptly dismissed from court.
Then again, this betrothal arranged no one but the King and Queen, it seemed.
"I know." Arianne sighed. "But it is the King's wish…"
"Uncle Aegon is annoying!" Daena crossed her arms. "I much prefer Uncle Quentyn and Uncle Trystane! They don't force us into doing anything stupid!"
"I also prefer our Dornish uncles," Aemon agreed.
Arianne chuckled and turned to Jon, who looked at them with sad eyes.
It was true, the Water Gardens and Sunspear were much more appealing to them than King's Landing. The beaches, the city, the fresh breeze coming from the sea…truly, Dorne was paradise for them, compared to the stinking piss dump that was the capital.
Not to mention that while King Aegon and Queen Daenerys were grooming Aemon to become King and follow their family tradition, trying to break what they perceived as Jon's hold over them, Quentyn and Trystane were much kinder and treated them as if they were just family.
"The capital is full of people that are either dull, lickspittles, or both." Aemon sighed. "I much prefer Dorne."
"Is it because of the girls?" Daena teased.
"No!" Aemon defended himself.
"Mother, I saw Aemon kissing the Jordayne girl!" Daena laughed.
"Liar!" Aemon defended himself quite poorly.
"Alright, alright, calm down…" Arianne put a hand on Daena's arm. "Your brother was probably playing kissing games, nothing to worry."
"Uh uh, 'kissing games', in your…"
"Shut up, sis!" Aemon lunged for her, trying to tackle her to the ground, which Jon immediately prevented.
"Hey, hey, Aemon!" Jon warned.
"I hate her!" Aemon growled, "I don't want to marry her!"
"Calm down, Aemon. Calm down." Jon hugged him close. "She's still your sister."
"Please, father, I don't want to marry Daena. Please tell Uncle Aegon it's a stupid idea." He angrily protested, "Uncle Aegon will listen to you."
Jon sighed. Aegon may be more malleable than Daenerys, but he was still his King, and he doubted he could strongarm him into anything.
"I know, Aemon, but Uncle Aegon is the King…" Jon sighed.
"I don't care!" Aemon looked him in the eyes, determined. "I don't want to marry her! I'll run away to Essos! I'll…I'll put a baby in the Tyrell girl! Septa Harlene told me that if I put a child in a girl, I would have to marry her. I'll do anything to escape that fate."
"Hey, hey, hey…" Jon put both hands on his shoulders. "You will do nothing of the sort, alright? You will not dishonor a lady just because you want to get out of a betrothal."
"Especially since I doubt the King and Queen will care…" Arianne softly whispered, shaking her head.
"Promise that you won't do anything stupid, Aemon." Jon looked at him very sternly.
"I…I…" Aemon stuttered.
"Come on, Aemon. You are honorable, and true. Would you let something like that stain your reputation? Would you want people to compare you to…your grandfather?" Jon looked him deeply in the eyes.
Aemon looked horrified.
"No! No, I am not like him!" Aemon shook his head. "I won't dishonor her, I swear!"
"Good." Jon nodded. "I'll talk with Aegon and Daenerys, alright? I'll try to break the betrothal, but I cannot promise anything. Aegon is my brother and my king, do you understand that?"
Aemon, teary-eyed, nodded.
"Alright, come break your fast, you need something to get you going before your lessons."
Aemon agreed and waddled away.
Arianne had had a similar conversation with Daena, it seemed, and her head came to rest on his shoulder.
"What will we ever do?" she asked.
Jon shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Do you think Aemon would…" Arianne caught herself. "No, what am I thinking? He wouldn't."
"I don't think he would, either. But it is also a cry for help. Aemon is in a bad place." Jon sighed. "And I don't want our son to feel miserable."
"What are you thinking?" Arianne asked.
"Queen Daenerys plans to wed them on Daena's fourteenth nameday, in just over a year. If they have not changed their opinions by then…" Jon sighed. "Well, I love my children, and I don't want their lives to be horrible."
"You'll whisk him to Essos?" Arianne asked. "He has a dragon."
"I don't know, Ari. But I'll do anything to stop him from being trapped in this…prison."
"I agree with you, but I do not see any issue either. We know what happened the last time two Targaryen siblings were forced to wed against their will, and we also know the determination of the current monarchs." Arianne replied. "But still, there is no issue. The alternative, whatever it is, would be worse. Teach them about paramours, respecting each other. Don't even force them to lay together. Rhaenys' or Baelor's children could inherit…"
Jon sighed.
"I feel like any choice we make would be a bad one. It is the kingdoms or our children."
Arianne nodded, running a hand through his hair, while watching the rest of their children.
Rhaenys was like her namesake, a girl with Martell features, dark hair and golden eyes. Baelor looked more like a Stark, with his brown hair and purple eyes. Then came Rhaena, who looked exactly like Aemon, with long, silver-blonde hair, and purple eyes. Alyssa was their sixth child, one that shared Jon and Arianne's features, with dark hair and grey eyes. Finally, Aelyx, their last, born last year, had brown hair and purple eyes. After these seven children, Jon and Arianne had agreed to stop. They had more than enough children, and Arianne did not wish to go through more pregnancies.
"What would you propose?" Jon asked.
"Let us take a trip to Dorne." Arianne replied. "All of the family. We can go see your cousin at Starfall, and my brothers at Starpike and Sunspear. Make it look like a tour of Dorne, since my brother has been stuck in relative isolation and hasn't interacted with much of the Targaryens since. Then, when we are in the Water Gardens, we can have a talk with Aemon and Daena. They'll be at their happiest then, instead of sulking in their sadness now. They'd be more receptive, and we can thus mitigate a disaster in the making."
"Aegon and Daenerys won't like it," Jon countered.
Arianne sent him a mischievous look.
"Since when do you care what they think? Spin it as a way to strengthen the relations with Dorne, sign a few trade deals, something with more medicine, or Dornish coffee or chocolate, anything will be good to take."
Jon chuckled.
"Have I ever told you that I love you?" he asked, kissing her square on the lips.
"Enough for three lifetimes." Arianne laughed as she broke the kiss. "Come, let us prepare to leave."
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