Hugh Hammer (ASOIF/SI)

 I fucking swore I would not do this again…

 But I broke my vows and so this is the result

 Jacaerys Velaryon I

 "Well? How went your day?" asked his mother, her face lined and

 tired looking, her eyes haunted looking as they had been ever since

 the day that she had learned of the death of his younger brother

 Lucerys.

 They were in his mother's Solar, the former fool Mushroom was

 present, as was Maester Gerardys, ever since what some were

 calling the 'sowing of the seeds' Jacaerys had found himself

 interrogated nightly by one, two or all three of the people before him.

 And the topic of conversation was not just their new dragon riders,

 though it was often mostly what they discussed. His duties as Prince

 of Dragonstone were also always discussed, war or no war he was

 the Prince of the Ancestral seat of House Targaryen and he had the

 rights and duties attendant with that upon his shoulders.

 Wider issues of the war were always also discussed, there were war

 councils during the day, but his mother always insisted on meeting

 with him every evening no matter of she attended the councils

 herself during the day. Lord Corlys was somewhat out of favor at the

 moment after the death of his wife at Rooks Rest and Jacaerys had

 been working hard to bring the Lord of High Tide back into the fold,

 seeking to placate his mother so that he could offer the wily old Sea

 Snake the position of Hand to the Queen.

 His mother was still fragile since the death of Lucerys, prone to bouts

 of melancholy and fits of black, terrible rage. Unvoiced out loud but a

 constant refrain in his mind was that he did not think his mother was

 in any fit state to rule. Though he was distrustful of Lord Daemon her

husband, indeed he would not put it past the Lord Protector of the

 Realm to murder him and Joffrey to place his half-brother on the

 throne. In his darker moments Jacaerys only thought himself safe

 from an assassin's blade from his good father because he was

 betrothed to Princess Baela, his step-sister, and Daemon's daughter

 by Lady Laena Velaryon.

 He shrugged his shoulders "Dragonstone suffers from the lack of

 trade, its traditional role as an entrepôt for Kings Landing is

 obviously no longer viable, the merchants complain and grieve their

 loss of earnings. The harvest has been brought in, mostly, and it is

 reasonably good, enough to feed the island for several moons at

 least, should we be besieged. Arrangements are still being made to

 ship my younger half-brothers to Pentos, a Pentoshi cog, the Gay

 Abandon is being readied to take them there, she will hopefully

 depart within the next few days."

 "And your new dragon riders?" asked Maester Gerardys, his mother

 and the former fool staying silent, but he felt their eyes on him.

 "Nettles is as wild and difficult as ever, she rarely even resides in the

 castle, she prefers to spend all her time with Sheepstealer. Ulf the

 white spends most of his time drunk, whoring or gambling, and little if

 any aloft on Silverwing."

 "He will be a problem" commented the dwarfish ex fool, who had

 cast aside his motley for sombre blacks, and who seemed to have

 his mother's ear. Jacaerys had come to suspect that the fool was no

 fool at all and was probably possessed of a finer intelligence than

 many knights and lords that he knew.

 When nobody gainsaid or supported Mushroom Jacaerys continued

 "Addam of Hull and Hugh are inseparable, they train diligently with

 the Knights and squires every morn, and spend most afternoons

 aloft on their mounts, in what look to be mock duels. Both are

 courteous and do not cause much in the way of trouble, Hugh in

 particular seems to be most reserved and withdrawn."

"It is interesting your Grace" Gerardys remarked "Hugh was a

 troublemaker and something of a problem before he claimed

 Vermithor. He had even spent some time in the Dragonstone jail for

 drunken behaviour and fighting. And yet he seems a changed man

 after the former Kings dragon condescended to be ridden by him, he

 often spends an hour or two in the library reading. He in no way acts

 the way he previously did, and no longer associates with the

 smallfolk at all. He has scarce left the environs of the castle, except

 on dragon back. Some of his former 'associates' asked for

 permission to see him, and he refused them, even going so far as to

 scorn them."

 "And he knows his letter and numbers, does he not?" asked

 Mushroom, Jacaerys noticing for the first time a very large goblet of

 wine in the dwarfs' hands, for the gloom of his mother's Solar was

 deep, another thing that she had taken to in her mourning of Lucerys

 was to scorn light, be it sunlight or candlelight.

 "He does" replied the Maester, "though where he learned this he

 refuses to say, he is as proficient as a high born of his age, and it is

 unusual as letters and numbers are not normally required for the art

 of blacksmithing."

 Before any further conversation ensued, there was a knock at the

 door and a guard entered "forgive the intrusion your Grace's, but,

 erh, Hugh… Hugh the Dragonrider request admittance to your

 presence."

 "Speak of a man and he cometh" quipped Mushroom, sotto voiced

 while his mother waved her hand to indicate that the former

 blacksmith could be admitted into their presence.

 In the low light Jacaerys studied the dragonseed carefully, he had

 the colouring of his mother, the classical silver-gold hair and fair skin

 of the blood of Old Valyria, along with purple-coloured eyes. He was

 tall, very tall, Hugh was probably the tallest man on the island, with

 broad shoulders and a deep chest, along with arms thickly corded

 with muscle. He was dressed in rather plain black garb, of good

enough quality but not ostentatious, he had surrendered his sword

 belt to one of the other guards as he had entered the room.

 As was his wont Hugh took to one knee before his mother and

 declared "My Queen."

 "What is it that you want Hugh?" his mother asked, not indicating

 that he could rise, an insult Jacaerys thought, no matter Hugh's lowly

 birth he rode a dragon and had pledged to fight for them against the

 Pretender.

 "Do, do you, do you have dreams your Grace?" the man asked, his

 face rent by confusion and fear.

 "Dreams? Why of course I have dreams, why, why do you ask?" his

 mother replied, her tone he likened to that she had often used when

 he and his brothers had been very young.

 "No, no your Grace, not dreams….dreams?"

 "Dreams? I am not sure of your meaning Hugh? Maester Gerardys?"

 his mother responded, Jacaerys noting that his mother's tone

 indicated that she had lost her patience already.

 "Dreams your Grace, dreams where you can see everything as if it is

 right there before you, so clear you can almost reach out and touch

 them? Dreams of things that have not yet happened, of things that

 might happen, of terrible, terrible things that must not happen!"

 There was silence for a few seconds before Maester Gerardys spoke

 "Dreams of the future Hugh? How do you know they are dreams of

 the future lad?"

 "I, I have seen…..I have seen the Three Daughters sack Driftmark,

 take Prince Viserys hostage, of their fleet bearing down on us, ninety

 ships called forth by the enemies of the Queen. I have seen it, seen

 it in my dreams!"

"But how would they take Prince Viserys if they sack Driftmark?"

 asked the Maester, his voice probing gently.

 "The Prince and his brother were sailing to Pentos on a ship, Prince

 Aegon, he, he escapes on his dragon back to Dragonstone to warn

 us, but his dragon is mortally wounded….."

 "Dragon Dreams…." Whispered his mother "I believe that Hugh may

 be having 'dragon dreams'…"

 "You, you cannot be seriously thinking of acting upon the lads, upon

 the lads' dreams?" asked Maester Gerardys, his voice rising in pitch

 and scorn.

 "It would harm us none if we sent the dragons out scouting out into

 the Narrow Sea, Lord Velaryon's ships patrol to ensure that Kings

 Landing is blockaded, they are not well disposed to fend off an

 attack from their rear" Jacaerys quickly noted, making sure to speak

 before his mother could.

 "So long as Dragonstone is not left vulnerable no, it would not" his

 mother replied, her eyes meeting his with a brief flash of love before

 she returned her gaze to the kneeling form of Hugh.

 "It may very well be that you are indeed having 'dragon dreams' and

 I am not as quick to dismiss them as Maester Gerardys, is, for our

 family only survived the Doom due to such dreams. My son, the

 Prince of Dragonstone will see to the patrols that you and your other

 new dragon riders will fly. Hopefully these dreams of yours are

 naught but the imaginations of a sleeping mind, but if they are not

 then we shall be forewarned of our enemies' approach."

 With that his mother gave a dismissive wave of her hand and Hugh

 stood up and left the room, none of the occupants seeing the

 slightest of smiles flicker briefly on his lips