The rumors ran rampant about Targaryens these days. Daenerys Targaryen birthed three dragons and intended to ride them to Westeros to take back the throne. Viserys Targaryen died, as mad as his father. Aemiella Targaryen was shaping up to be Visenya the Warrior Queen come again. Aegon Targaryen was alive, smuggled out of Dorne and plotting his family’s return to power. Arthur didn’t know what to believe.
The obvious first. Aegon Targaryen was dead, and the rumored Prince a pretender. If Arthur knew one thing about Elia Martell, it’s that she would have protected Rhaenys and Aegon both.
Second, Viserys...he could believe it. The boy hadn’t shown much madness as a child, but pushed into exile at so young with only his sisters left alive? He could see how madness could come.
Third, dragons, real life dragons, were almost too good to believe. Daenerys was just a babe the last he heard of her, so he couldn’t say the truth of this either way.
Finally, Aemiella as good as Visenya, the Warrior Queen? Oh, he could believe it. She showed much promise, even as a young girl all those years ago. And if she had to protect her siblings, he could imagine a sword would be very handy in doing so.
Yet, the only way to validate the truth of any of these rumors was to do something he should have done long ago. Search out the last of the Targaryens. And, so he does.
It’s Aemeilla he meets first, and gods, is that really her? Is that really the giggling young girl he’d known all those years ago? Is it not Rhaella? Is it not Rhaegar in female form? It was like seeing a ghost, yet he couldn’t deny his happiness at the fact that this ghost, at least, still lived.
“Princess Aemeilla, it has been a very long time.”