Kairos

Aelon Targaryen

Twin brother of Aerion Targaryen “The Brightflame”

He was born second according to his brother. Aelon doesn't make a fuss of it. Aerion has always needed to be first in everything and Aelon is always willing to let him believe it.

“The twins were born midwinter, on a warm night beneath air that was thick enough to cling to the skin. Aerion howled for breath, but Aelon came quietly, so silent that the Maesters pinched his softened skin to elicit a cry from him. Even then the cry was not profound, it had been merely a kitten mewl.”

— Maekar Targaryen

Aelon Targaryen was born with a weak constitution. The Maesters recorded it upon his birth that the boy's breath did not come in a way that was natural. What Aelon does with his body costs him a considerable amount more effort than it costs anyone else.

The maester's ledger, noted: “The pale prince breathes, but unnaturally and with effort where there should be none.”

This unfortunate condition set Aelon up to be a scholar rather than a warrior. While his brother trained and squired Aelon spent his younger years reading and being locked away in the Maesters tower. There he studied not only Medicine but also history, rhetoric, logic and high Valyrian. When he wasn't studying books he was studying people. Although he was not a profound fighter from his experience watching fights he became a formidable analyst where combat was concerned.

Aerion never liked to study much, he would rather be in the training yard than in a dusty book, but Aerion spent much time with his brother so naturally alot of that time was more or less spent studying alongside him. Although Aerion also spent a lot of time making up games they could play that would not disturb his brother's lungs.

One of these childhood games involved holding a hand over an open flame and seeing who could resist the burn the longest.

Appearance

Of ten and eight, with a beauty that rivals even old Valyria. His prized Silver-gold hair is worn longer than his twin's, falling past his jaw in pale, fine strands. Much to his annoyance Aerion has wound his fist around Aelons hair in anger more than a few times.

His eyes are a lilac-blue steady, deep, and had a quality of staring that unsettled people.

His bone structure is unmistakably Valyrian. High cheekbones, pale lashes, an ancient type of beauty that reads too delicate for the hot temper that surfaces beside it. Often mistaken for a maiden by those who do not know better which infuriates Aerion to no end.

Aelon announces himself with a thin persistent, cough without meaning to. It is a small involuntary sound that was always worse at Summerhall, but better in Lys, where the air was warm and open and his lungs had more room.

He is his brother's mirror — the same Valyrian features, the same silver-gold colouring, the same elegant bones. But where Aerion's beauty is sharpened, Aelon's is rendered softer. Two faces made from the same materials by two entirely different hands. One cruel, the other composed.

“I meant no insult, m’lord. The light was in my eyes. Your brother is fair, and I spoke without thinking. I am newly come to the tourney and meant only to be courteous.”

“Courteous. Is that what hedge knights are these days? Courteous? I had heard they were hungry, often illiterate, and desperately seeking a lord to sponge off. But courteous. How refreshing. Apologize to my brother. Properly. On your knees, I think. That would be courtesy.”

— 'Ser Duncan The Tall Apologizing for Misidentifying Aelon Targaryen'

Aelon is not soft, nor gentle, he is contained. Where Aerion burns brightly Aelon is the fire that bellows out from the flames Aerion produces. He has spent twenty years in rooms that Aerion had set on fire and does not complain, nor does he attempt to save anyone who Aerion burns.

He is intelligent and wise in everything except to when it comes to his brother, because underneath this intelligence he has painful awareness that Aerion cannot be his forever. Eventually they will have to truly separate, eventually their father will have enough of it and will marry them off and they will have to fulfill duties bound to them by their family.

Maekar had tried to separate the twins twice. Aerion is not fond of the suggestion at either time and fights as a dragon would fight for its rider. Vicious.

They were ten and two the first time that Maekar, in his wisdom proposed to send Aelon away to train in the citadel to become a maester..

“Then I'll go too. Ill go, or he will stay. Those are the choices. You want to send him away because you think hes weak. He's not weak. He's—mine!”

Aerion does not have this. He rages as he always does, creating such a headache for Maekar that he gives in to his sons temper.

The second time Aerions rage is not enough. After the Tourney Maekar had planned on sending one twin away. The one who has caused the mess in Ashford. It was his last attempt to salvage the boys. To undo Aerions Corruption upon Aelon.

They end up going together anyway, but not because of a temper, but because Aelon had negotiated with Maekar.

How does this end?

Well…in truth Aerion lives longer than Aelon.

A few years while sent away in Lys an incident occurs. It severely burns Aelon. We do not know what this incident was, but it had been recorded as a horrible accident and no further information given or it has been lost.

Most of his face and body are covered in very bad burns after the accident. His lung condition is only made worse by smoke inhalation. He survives a moon's turn (thirty days) before he succumbs to his injuries. The Maesters who see Aelon upon his final days write of vitaliated air and the passages of the lungs suffocating the prince in his own chest until he can no longer wake.

This fast tracks Aerion's descent into madness and even seems to be a contributing factor in his consumption of wildfire In those later years.

There's an AU I am working involving the two where Aelon isn't burnt and Aerion drinks wildfire sooner and turns into a dragon ^^