[Kingslanding Shipyard Port - The morning mist clings to the docks as sailors prepare a Stark ship for its somber voyage north. Prince Aegon stands motionless near the gangplank, cradling newborn Princess Alyssa against his chest with one arm while watching silent servants carry the draped form of Lady Jocelyn aboard. His parents hover nearby, their expressions tight with shared grief.]
Jaehaerys II: (adjusting his daughter-in-law's funeral cloak) "The Silent Sisters prepared her well. She looks... peaceful."
Shaera: (wiping tears) "Like she's merely sleeping. Oh, my sweet girl..."
Aegon: (voice hollow) "She hated southern silks. Make sure they dress her in northern furs before..." His throat works. "Before Winterfell."
[A steward approaches with a scroll.]
Steward: "My prince, the ravens for White Harbor and Winterfell are ready. Lord Rickon will be waiting when you—"
Aegon: (cutting him off) "No ravens. I'll tell my good-brother myself when I deliver his sister home."
Jaehaerys II: (frowning) "You still mean to go? With the babe so young?"
Aegon: (tightening his grip on the swaddled infant) "Alyssa needs to see her mother's homeland. And I... I need to keep my hands busy."
Shaera: (reaching for the baby) "Let me hold her while you—"
Aegon: (turning away sharply) "No."
[An awkward silence falls. The baby fusses in her father's arms.]
Jaehaerys II: (lowering voice) "Son, about Summerhall... We can't possibly keep this from your brother and grandfather for an entire—"
Aegon: (eyes flashing) "You will. Aerys is finally happy with Rhaella expecting. Grandfather's health can't take another shock. They'll learn the truth when they return."
Shaera: (wringing hands) "But the funeral rites—"
Aegon: "Were observed here as befits a princess of the realm. What comes next is for House Stark." [He exhales sharply.] "Tell them... tell them I took Alyssa to Dragonstone for sea air. That Jocelyn remained in King's Landing with a fever."
Jaehaerys II: (grimacing) "That's a lie that won't hold—"
Aegon: (voice breaking) "It only needs to hold for a few weeks! Seven hells, Father, must I beg?"
[Alyssa begins crying in earnest now. Aegon rocks her mechanically, his own tears falling onto the silver wisps of her hair.]
Shaera: (softly) "We'll keep your secret. But Aegon... when you return—"
Aegon: (interrupting) "I know. There will be petitions to remarry. Council meetings about alliances." [He kisses Alyssa's forehead.] "But not yet. First, I take my wife home."
[The ship's horn sounds - final call for boarding. Aegon adjusts his cloak around the baby as he moves toward the gangplank.]
Jaehaerys II: (grabbing his arm) "At least take a wet nurse! That child needs—"
Aegon: (pulling free) "The captain's wife just birthed. She'll tend Alyssa." [Pauses at the rail.] "Tell Rhaella... tell her I'm sorry I missed her name day."
[As the ship pulls away, Shaera collapses against her husband, sobbing. On deck, Aegon stands motionless - a silver-haired statue with a tiny bundle clutched to his chest, watching King's Landing shrink on the horizon.]
[Kingslanding Shipyard Port – The morning mist still lingers over Blackwater Bay as Prince Jaehaerys II and Princess Shaera stand frozen on the docks, watching Prince Aegon's ship grow smaller in the distance. The weight of their son's grief hangs heavy between them, the quiet lapping of waves against the pier the only sound. Then—hurried footsteps echo on the stone as a breathless servant, Edric, stumbles toward them, his face ashen.]
Edric: (gasping) "M-My prince! My princess! A raven—from Storm's End—"
Shaera: (turning sharply) "Edric? What's happened?"
Edric: (hands shaking as he holds out the scroll) "It—it's Summerhall. There was a fire—"
[Jaehaerys snatches the letter, his eyes scanning the words. His face drains of color. The parchment trembles in his grip.]
Jaehaerys II: (hoarse) "No…"
Shaera: (reaching for him) "Jaehaerys? What is it?"
Jaehaerys II: (voice breaking) "Father… Mother… Aerys. They're gone."
[Shaera's hands fly to her mouth. A choked sound escapes her.]
Shaera: "No… No, that's not—"
Edric: (swallowing hard) "The raven says… the palace burned. Most of the family… didn't escape. But Princess Rhaella—she survived. She… she gave birth in the chaos. A son. Prince Rhaegar."
[A terrible silence stretches between them. The world seems to tilt. Jaehaerys grips the railing to steady himself.]
Jaehaerys II: (whispering) "Gods… Aerys is dead. Rhaella is a widow. And Aegon—"
Shaera: (horrified realization) "—just lost his wife. And now his brother."
[Jaehaerys' fist slams against the stone wall, his breath ragged.]
Jaehaerys II: (gritted teeth) "Aegon doesn't even know yet. He's sailing north with Jocelyn's body—with no idea his brother is—"
Shaera: (tears streaming) "And Rhaella… alone, traumatized, with a newborn…"
[Edric shifts uncomfortably, then hesitantly adds—]
Edric: "The raven also said… Princess Rhaella saw it all. The fire. The… the deaths. She barely escaped before the birth."
[Shaera sways, and Jaehaerys catches her, his own hands unsteady.]
Jaehaerys II: (grim) "We need to go. Now. Storm's End will have taken her in, but she needs us."
Shaera: (voice breaking) "What do we tell Aegon? He's already broken. How do we tell him he's lost his brother too?"
Jaehaerys II: (jaw clenched) "We don't. Not yet. Not while he's carrying Jocelyn to Winterfell. Let him have this one act of peace before the storm."
[Shaera nods numbly, staring at the horizon where Aegon's ship has vanished. The weight of the tragedies crashes over them—their parents, their son, their daughter widowed, their bloodline hanging by threads. The once-mighty House Targaryen, now fractured in a single day.]
[The Red Keep Courtyard – Morning light filters through the high stone arches as servants scramble to prepare a royal wheelhouse for departure. Princess Shaera stands rigidly beside the carriage, her traveling cloak clutched tight around her shoulders. Prince Jaehaerys II grips her hands, his face drawn with exhaustion and grief. The courtyard is unusually silent, the usual bustle muted by the weight of recent tragedies.]
Jaehaerys II: (voice low) "You're sure you won't take more guards? The roads—"
Shaera: (shaking her head) "A dozen knights and a wheelhouse are enough. The faster I travel, the sooner I bring Rhaella home."
Jaehaerys II: (jaw tightening) "She shouldn't be alone. Not after…"
[He trails off, unable to voice it—the image of their daughter fleeing Summerhall in flames, giving birth amidst smoke and screams.]
Shaera: (squeezing his hands) "She has the babe. And she'll have me."
[A tense silence. A squire approaches hesitantly, then bows.]
Squire: "Your Graces… the Grand Maester says the ravens have been sent to the Great Houses. The realm will know by nightfall."
Jaehaerys II: (nodding stiffly) "Good. Let them see House Targaryen stands, even now."
[Shaera's breath hitches. She glances at the wheelhouse, where a nursemaid already waits with supplies for Rhaella and the newborn Prince Rhaegar.]
Shaera: (softly) "When Aegon returns from the North…"
Jaehaerys II: (grim) "I'll tell him myself. He deserves that much."
[Shaera's composure cracks for just a moment. She pulls Jaehaerys into a fierce embrace.]
Shaera: (muffled against his shoulder) "We've buried two sons now. First little Daeron in his cradle, now Aerys… I can't—"
Jaehaerys II: (cutting her off gently) "Go. Bring our girl home."
[She pulls back, straightening her spine like a queen already. As she turns to the wheelhouse, a voice rings out—]
Ser Harlan Grandison (Kingsguard): (approaching) "Your Grace, the Small Council demands clarification on the succession. With Prince Aerys gone…"
Jaehaerys II: (sharp) "They'll have their answers when my wife and daughter are safe within these walls. Not before."
[Shaera gives him one last lingering look before stepping into the wheelhouse. The door shuts with a decisive thud. As the carriage rolls through the gates, Jaehaerys stands motionless—a prince who never wanted a crown, now left alone to hold a fractured dynasty together.]
[The King's Chambers – The heavy oak door creaks open as Prince Aegon slips inside, his travel-worn boots silent on the Myrish carpet. Princess Alyssa sleeps against his chest, bundled in northern wool. Moonlight spills through the stained glass windows, painting the room in fractured colors. At the desk, Jaehaerys II sits slumped over his father's ledgers, a half-empty goblet of wine at his elbow.]
Aegon: (quiet) "Father?"
Jaehaerys II: (Jaehaerys jerks upright, ink smeared across his fingers. His bloodshot eyes widen) "Aegon? By the gods—when did you—"
Aegon: (adjusting the sleeping babe) "An hour ago. The servants said you'd taken to working here since…" His gaze flicks to the empty chair behind the desk—Aegon V's chair.
[A beat of silence. The brazier crackles.]
Jaehaerys II: (rubbing his temples) "You weren't meant to return for another fortnight."
Aegon: (mouth tightening) "Rickon insisted I come back. Said the realm needed me more than Winterfell needed another mourner."
Jaehaerys II: (Jaehaerys stands abruptly, the chair scraping. He moves to the window, shoulders rigid) "There's something you need to know."
Aegon: (still rocking Alyssa) "I heard about Grandfather and Grandmother. The ravens reached White Harbor before I left."
Jaehaerys II: (turning slowly) "Not just them."
Aegon: (Aegon freezes. The baby stirs with a soft whimper) "Who else?"
Jaehaerys II: (Jaehaerys' throat works. The words come like pulled teeth) "Aerys. Rhaelle. Orys. Most of the household. Summerhall burned, Aegon."
Aegon: (Aegon's arms tighten around Alyssa. His breath comes too fast) "Rhaella?"
Jaehaerys II: "Alive. She… she birthed Aerys' son in the midst of it. Rhaegar."
[A choked sound escapes Aegon. He stumbles back, bracing against the bookshelf. The movement jostles Alyssa awake—her thin wail slices through the room.]
Aegon: (voice breaking) "Gods. First Jocelyn, now—"
Jaehaerys II: (crossing to him) "Mother went to Storm's End to fetch them. They should return within the week."
[Aegon stares at his father, then down at Alyssa—now the last living piece of Jocelyn, just as Rhaegar is the last of Aerys. His knees buckle. Jaehaerys catches him by the elbow, guiding him to sit.]
Jaehaerys II: (grim) "The Small Council has already begun petitions. They want me crowned within the moon's turn."
Aegon: (hollow laugh) "And that makes you heirless. Unless—"
Jaehaerys II: (nodding) "You're Prince of Dragonstone now."
[Alyssa's cries grow louder. Aegon presses her to his chest, his fingers trembling against her tiny back.]
Aegon: (whispering) "I never wanted his place."
Jaehaerys II: (hand on his shoulder) "None of us wanted any of this."
[Through the window, the first light of dawn creeps over King's Landing. Somewhere beyond the city walls, a lone dragonkeeper tends the last embers in the Dragonpit—a dying fire, like their house.]