—So… How did they destroy the Targaryen's?
Vlad leaned back in his chair.
—The magic of the Targaryen's was in their blood. So, if they couldn't destroy them with armies, they would destroy their blood. For generations, the maesters were advisors to the Targaryen kings. They had access to their food, their cups, their medicines, delivered their children, helped their pregnant women. A little of some substance that over time eroded the mind...
—Poison —whispered Daenerys.
—Exactly. A drop a month doesn't do much. But one drop every month for forty years can drive even the sanest man mad.
Daenerys's face paled. There had always been Targaryens who went mad, who fell ill in strange ways, who had dead or deformed children.
—Maekar… Aerion… Baelor…
—Aerys —Vlad said calmly.
Daenerys's eyes shone with fury and disbelief.
—Aerys went mad because of the captivity he suffered in the Dark Valley.
—Are you sure? —Vlad raised an eyebrow. —Or maybe there was someone at court making sure he drank and ate the "right" things?
Daenerys felt the room growing smaller.
—Don't misunderstand me. Your father was indeed a madman in the last years of his life, but before he ruled, he was known as a brilliant and sensible man. He was a personal friend of Tywin Lannister; it was because of that friendship that he named him Hand of the King. It was only when he ascended to the throne that he began to grow paranoid and delusional.
—It was all… manipulated.
—It was all orchestrated. They made the magic disappear. They ensured that the dragons died. And when the last dragon died… the magic in your blood was extinguished, leaving you more susceptible to poisons. All in a cycle.
Vlad took a sheet of paper and began to draw.
—Let me explain how magic works in this world. Imagine that the world is a closed room. Every magical creature is a small candle releasing smoke; that smoke is magic. If there are many candles, the smoke fills the room, and the magic becomes stronger. The candle doesn't go out easily.
Then he drew a bonfire.
—Dragons are bonfires, much more powerful than candles —he explained—. And the Targaryen's, by having a blood connection with the dragons, are torches. When there is magic in the world, that magic protects you: from the subtle influence of poisons, curses, diseases. Even incest is safe, because the magic stabilizes your lineage. But without dragons...
—We are like a candle burning out —Daenerys responded.
—Exactly.
—I doubt the Citadel knew that ending magic would weaken you like this. But it doesn't matter. They made the magic disappear. They ensured the dragons died. And when the last dragon died… the power of the Targaryens began to crumble, after centuries of madness and decay. Only then was Robert's Rebellion possible.
Daenerys was stunned, processing the implications of all this.
—Then came your father's reign. Yes, he was a tormented madman, but still, the people accepted him because he didn't focus on them; he preferred the nobles —he continued—. Then he made the foolish mistake of killing the patriarch and the Stark heir, leading the North into rebellion. Then Jon Arryn joined, and soon after, when your brother and Lyanna Stark fled, the Baratheons also joined.
—Wait —Daenerys interrupted—. My brother fled with Lyanna Stark? Didn't he kidnap her?
—No, not at all. Your brother, as I understand it, had a rare Targaryen trait: dragon dreams. Prophetic dreams that used to warn the Targaryen's of danger. Your brother dreamed of the Long Night, and in his dream "the dragon had three heads." So, when Elia Martell had only two children before becoming sterile, he knew he needed to remarry. Poor Elia loved him so much that she agreed to divorce him so he could do it legally.
—What? If something like that had happened, it would've been a scandal. Everyone would have known.
Vlad looked at her, amused.
She seemed to catch the idea.
—Maesters —she growled.
—Maesters —Vlad nodded. —They hid the documents. They didn't inform the lords. So, when Rhaegar and Lyanna fled and married legally, no one ever knew.
—Then came the Tullys. As I said, Hoster desperately wanted his descendants on the throne. So, when the letter from Lyanna reached her brothers informing them that she hadn't been kidnapped, Hoster burned it and sent a letter to Brandon and Rickard Stark telling them that Lyanna was in King's Landing, hoping the Mad King would deny it or imprison them. Fortunately, Aerys unknowingly cooperated and burned them both, ensuring the rebellion.
—Damn ingrates, you're right, they should burn, all of them —he said, clenching his fists in anger.
—Then everything that followed is history: the rebellion happened, your brother fell, Robert reigned, and the Targaryen dynasty collapsed. What they didn't count on was that Edd Stark and Jon Arryn wouldn't accept the throne, leaving Robert as king. And what Robert didn't expect was Edd Stark's betrayal.
—Betrayal? —asked Daenerys.
—Rhaegar and Lyanna had a son, born in the Tower of Joy when Edd arrived to "rescue" his sister.
—Do I have a nephew? —Daenerys jumped up, excited.
Vlad calmed her with a gesture.
—Yes. Aegon Targaryen by birth, Jon Snow by upbringing. Edd Stark raised him as his bastard and sent him to serve the Night's Watch when he turned fourteen.
—How dare he? Live as a bastard? —Daenerys exploded—. Why haven't we gone for him?
—Honestly? Because that boy is 100% Stark. He has black hair and that naive predisposition to be honorable even if it costs him his life. But the truth is that he's doing an important job at the Wall. As I understand it, he's reorganizing the Night's Watch and keeping the wildlings at bay... until we go to negotiate.
—Do you plan for them to cross? —asked Daenerys, calmer now.
—No. My plan is to make them kneel... or burn them all. I'm not giving the Night King a hundred thousand soldiers —Vlad said seriously—. This is important. That's why, as long as Jon can be of help without knowing it, I'll keep him where he is. Also, as I told you, that boy is almost a Stark. If you offered him the Targaryen name, he would never use it. You'll see.
Daenerys frowned.
—I understand... Just take care of him. Not every day does someone of your blood come along who isn't mad.
Vlad hugged her tightly.
—Don't worry, my love. After getting you back on that horrible throne again, we'll make sure our family is strong. No one will be able to hurt them.
—Whoever tries, will get what's coming to them: fire and blood —Daenerys declared, more determined and confident every day.
—Fire and blood —Vlad nodded.