One-Day Crown Prince?

The Westeros Continent.

After King Aegon the Conqueror rode his dragon and defeated the Seven Kingdoms alongside his sister-wives, Queen Visenya and Queen Rhaenys.

The continent was united.

His accession marked the Year of Aegon I, also known as 1 AC.

That first year became the dividing line.

The years before unification were BC, and those after were AC.

111 AC.

Early summer, morning.

King's Landing, the capital of the Westeros Continent.

On the eastern side of the Red Keep, the outer wall stood along the coastline.

Inside the wall lay a small garden that courtiers could rarely approach.

"White Hart, dirty handkerchief, bear in the sea..."

A boy of five or six, with silver-gold hair and purple eyes, sat leaning against a thick weirwood tree.

He muttered idly to himself.

"Another nightmare. They never end."

His name was Rhaegar Targaryen, and he possessed a genuine true dragon bloodline.

His father was Viserys Targaryen, the fifth king of the Continent of Westeros.

The master of the Iron Throne.

"Prince Rhaegar, your birthday celebration is about to begin. The Queen is asking you to come."

A young maid approached and gently reminded the little prince.

Rhaegar raised his head. His face was thin and pale as paper, with heavy dark circles beneath a pair of large, melancholy eyes.

He looked at the maid and said in a low voice, "I told you, I don't like birthday celebrations."

The maid clasped her hands and forced a smile. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but the Queen really is calling for you."

"I understand. I'll go."

Rhaegar nodded. Rather than make things difficult for the maid caught in the middle, he rose and followed her into the Red Keep.

He was King Viserys's first son.

His mother was the late Queen, Aemma Arryn, who had died in childbirth.

His birthday was also the anniversary of his mother's death.

So...

I really must thank the current Queen, Lady Alicent Hightower, for celebrating my birthday every single year without fail.

The interior of the Red Keep was vast, magnificent, and solemn.

As they reached a room on an upper floor, a child's cries drifted through its open door.

Rhaegar motioned for the maid to leave and approached the doorway.

Inside, a beautiful young woman in lavish clothing held a crying little boy.

At her feet stood a little girl drooling over a cake.

Catching sight of Rhaegar's slight figure out of the corner of her eye, Alicent immediately turned and said apologetically, "Aegon's been craving your cake. If you'd taken any longer, I wouldn't have been able to soothe him."

(Note: Westerners often name their descendants after their ancestors.)

Rhaegar entered the room. "It doesn't matter. If he wants it, let him have it. How much could he eat?"

"You really are a good older brother, Rhaegar."

Alicent handed Aegon to a nearby maid, then took Rhaegar's small hand and led him to sit beside a low table.

"Your father has affairs of state to attend to, and who knows where Rhaenyra has run off to play," she said attentively. "I'll be celebrating your birthday with you again this year."

"Blow out the candles and make a wish first."

Rhaegar remained silent.

He obediently blew out the birthday candles, clasped his hands, and closed his eyes.

Plagued by poor health, he had a quiet disposition and rarely spoke.

Because of the difficult birth, his mother Aemma had been forced to undergo a cesarean section to deliver him.

Even that had not given him a healthy body.

Before the age of three, he had cried only once, at birth.

He had spent all the rest of that time unconscious, sustained each day by breast milk.

At one point, the Grand Maester had believed he would not survive until "the next day."

That had earned him another name: the "One-Day Crown Prince."

Fortunately, he had not died in infancy.

At three, he had awakened from his coma after treatment by a foreign witch.

His health, however, remained very poor.

And there was a side effect.

Frequent nightmares.

Strange, fragmented scenes always appeared in his dreams.

Dragons, flames, war...

In short, they were terrifying.

He often woke with a start, further weakening his already frail body and leaving him listless for long stretches.

"I want some! Give it to me!"

Aegon's voice suddenly rang out, and Rhaegar instinctively raised his head.

Splat—

A chubby little hand plunged into the cake, scattering crumbs as it swung.

A lump of cream struck Rhaegar squarely in the face.

"Heavens! Keep an eye on Aegon!"

Alicent hurriedly scolded the inattentive maid, then took out a handkerchief to wipe Rhaegar's face as she explained:

"I'm so sorry. Aegon's a mischievous little monkey. If you no longer want the cake, I can have the kitchens make another."

Rhaegar accepted the Queen's ministrations and calmly said, "It's all right. My little brother likes it. We can share one."

Alicent looked at Rhaegar's composed face, then at Aegon, who was clutching cake and stuffing it into his mouth.

For a moment, she nearly lost her composure.

Fortunately, a voice broke the wretched atmosphere.

"Your Grace, the King is discussing your hunting trip and asks that you join him."

A sword-bearing knight in silver armor and a white cloak appeared at the door and delivered the message with a solemn expression.

He was a White Knight, a member of the King's Kingsguard.

There were seven members of the Kingsguard, utterly loyal to the King and bound to obey his every command.

Their white cloaks had earned them the name White Knights.

"Very well. I'll go."

Alicent gave Rhaegar an apologetic look and said gently, "Your father is calling for me. I must go at once. If there's any gift you'd like, you can tell me now."

"Nothing."

Rhaegar's answer was crisp and direct.

Then, as though something had occurred to him, he added, "If there is one thing, I'd like to take less medicine. It's very bitter."

Alicent managed a smile. "We'll have to ask your father about that."

With that, she rose and followed the White Knight out.

She did not forget to tell the maids to look after the princes and princesses and make sure they did not overeat.

Just after Alicent left, the little princess sitting to one side, picking cake crumbs off the floor and eating them, turned to look out the window.

Out of nowhere, she said, "Don't disturb the sleeping beast."

Rhaegar gave her a puzzled look.

The little princess was Helaena, Queen Alicent's daughter, who was two years old that year.

They had not spent much time together.

From what the maids said, Helaena seemed rather different from ordinary children.

She was always absorbed in a world of her own.

She would abruptly spout nonsense, acting strangely and mysteriously.

It seemed the maids had been right.

Once Alicent was far away, Rhaegar turned his gaze toward Aegon, who was feasting heartily.

"Do you like eating that much?"

Rhaegar walked over to Aegon and asked softly.

Aegon did not even glance at him. He casually scooped up a lump of cream and stuffed it into Helaena's hand, then continued eating.

At the sight, Rhaegar's lips curved upward. "You remembered to share some cake with your little sister. What a good older brother. You deserve a reward."

"What?"

Only at the mention of a reward did Aegon look at him, his eyes shining with pure, unclouded stupidity.

"If you like it, have some more. You can eat it all."

Rhaegar reached for the back of Aegon's head, aimed him at the cake on the table, and shoved down hard.

Thump—

Young Griff's entire face slammed into the rich cake, drawing a startled cry from the maid beside him.

Helaena watched curiously, her little tongue licking the cream.

Rhaegar released Aegon and walked over to her.

He stroked Helaena's silver hair.

"Prince Rhaegar, please don't do this. The Queen will be angry."

The maid went pale with alarm, pleading on the little princess's behalf as she wiped the mess off Aegon.

Rhaegar ignored her.

He merely rubbed Helaena's little head.

"If you want food, get it yourself. Don't eat things off the floor or take other people's handouts."

"Brother, hee-hee!"

Helaena did not understand. She clapped her little hands and laughed at Aegon, whose head and face were covered in cream.

"Silly little thing."

Rhaegar withdrew his hand, now wiped clean of cream, walked around Aegon, who had just begun to wail, and left the room.

In the original work, the One-Day Crown Prince was named Baelor, after Viserys's father, in his memory.

In this book, the protagonist was called Rhaegar.

Because the author did not particularly like the name Baelor.

I preferred the name Prince Rhaegar from Game of Thrones.