Visenya Targaryen (107 A.C. Nineth Moon)
King's Landing – Godswood Royal Gardens
Visenya waited below the big weirwood. She had asked Laenor to come. At the doors into the Red Keep waited her sworn shield since childhood, Ser Clement Crabb, her strong ser, her mentor who had trained her in arms.
Then she heard her sworn shield speak. "The princess is waiting outside."
She took a deep breath and looked at him, the boy she had played with when she was still a child, as many still saw her. She needed to speak to him before she would speak with her brother. She wanted to have something to propose to him, a way to make the relationship she wanted a possibility.
It had been more than half a year since Aemon found out about the affair she, Rhaenyra, and Laena had started. Something that pained them, because all of them had broken his trust. Although Laena had spoken to her and Rhaenyra shortly before she and Rhaenyra returned to King's Landing from High Tide, she had not liked it at that point, yet it was something she understood. Laena did love them, but she needed to end it to earn Aemon's trust back.
"Visenya, good morning. It was quite the surprise that you wished to see me during the rise of the sun," he muttered as they embraced. She saw Ser Clement looking and shaking his head. She chuckled softly as she looked back toward Laenor.
"I know. I just needed to see you, to speak to you about something," she said, putting her hands behind her back and playing with her fingers.
"Okay, you can tell me anything. You are one of my best friends."
Visenya smiled at his words. "I hoped so. I suppose you know Aemon told us of your proposal?"
Laenor smiled, then looked down at the ground and went to sit on one of the roots of the weirwood. "I know. He told me that you all know. My preferences. It is why I proposed what I did. That I marry you or Rhaenyra," he said softly. Visenya sat down beside him and took his hand.
"Do you still want that?" she asked, her heart beating hard in her chest. She knew that reply would mean the future of her relationship with Aemon would be like.
"I do. Politically, it makes sense, as it would tie us together, and we are both dragonriders. My father would be overjoyed if I came to him with this. It is a match that would be accepted," Laenor replied, squeezing her hand.
She smiled, yet something she still needed to ask made her stomach uneasy. "What of our children? Would you be okay with them not being yours, but Aemon's?"
"I would be. I would claim them as mine to the world, but in our inner circle, they would be known as Aemon's. All I ask is that we love who we love and be discreet. I will have love one day, I hope, as I know heartbreak already," Laenor said with a small, sad smile.
Visenya's eyes widened for a moment. "You mean Aemon, don't you? You love him?" she asked.
"I did love him, like one would a lover, yet nothing happened save for when I impulsively kissed him in the far North. He pulled back right away, and he told me he didn't feel the same way or look at men that way. Yet he told me he was still my brother, if not by blood, but in truth. He didn't judge me for my preferences," Laenor said, taking a deep breath afterward.
"For that, I will be loyal to him until the end, and it is why I proposed this as an option," he added with a smile.
Visenya smiled, and she saw her brother in an even better light. He was a good man. She saw it now. He hadn't rejected her because he didn't find her pretty or love her. He did, although it was still like a brother. He did it because he cared, because, as Aemon had told them, pleasure without affection is fleeting. Aemon wanted her to be sure and didn't want to take her choice away. She had given herself to him on a silver platter, without a thought of the consequences. Many men would have taken her in that bath, and afterward would not have thought of her again, or used what happened to force her into marriage. Yet Aemon hadn't. He protected her like a brother should have, like he had protected and helped Laenor.
She took a deep breath. "Thank you for telling me. Thank you for the option you have given me," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and rising from the root.
"No worries, Neya. I will be there for you, and if all works out, I will be proud to call you my wife one day," he said a little more quietly. She gave him a soft chuckle and embraced him once more.
"And I, you, my husband." Laenor chuckled as they both walked out of the godswood.
Aemon's Chambers
As Visenya arrived at her brother's chambers, she saw two guards waiting. She smiled when she saw Ser Harrold and Ser Jeffery.
"Princess, good morning," Ser Harrold noted.
"Thank you, and good morning, sers. I'm here to see my brother," she stated with a small smile.
"I shall ask if he can receive you."
Ser Harrold walked inside the chamber, and she was left alone with Ser Jeffery. "Ser, how are you feeling since your fall?"
"I'm well, princess. A little bruised, right shoulder and ego, but not much else," he muttered with a smile.
"Good. I think you could have won against Daemon if he hadn't missed his thrust," she muttered.
"Perhaps. Yet the prince is a good rider. He gave Aemon quite a challenge. Not as good as Lord Ormund, yet still a good showing," Ser Jeffery stated, as Ser Harrold walked back out the door.
"He is inside, yet he is currently a little busy. You can wait for him in the common room," Harrold said, a little uneasy, and she frowned but nodded.
She walked inside and went to sit down on the couch. She picked up a cup with lemon water and found she was quite parched. Then, to her surprise, she heard a loud moan. "Aemon!"
It was Laena's voice, and she knew then what her brother and former lover were busy with, and why Ser Harrold had looked so uneasy. Visenya's face flushed as she took another quick swallow of her drink.
Then another hard groan, this time from Aemon, and it caused her to feel hotter, and a little damp between her legs. Her mind went to the idea of Aemon doing it to her. She swallowed hard as she pushed the thought aside.
Soon enough, she heard voices from the bedchamber, and Visenya looked toward the door. Then it opened, with Aemon walking into the room in a morning robe, his face flushed. He saw her sitting there and gave her a small smile.
"Morning, sister. I'm sorry you had to wait," he said with a small smile, as he went to the table and poured himself some lemon water, drinking deeply from his cup. "Ah, in these moments, I miss the ice cellars in Seadragon Point."
She smiled. "Yes, some ice in the water would make it cooler for sure. It's not even summer yet."
He went to her, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and sat down in front of her in a chair. She smelled him then. Aemon smelled musky, and like Laena.
"Visenya, over the last few moons, I have been trying to come to terms with what happened, and what you said," he began.
"I wanted, I will always love as a sister, and even at the time I felt kind of jump. With everything, and the fact that you all drunkenly kissed, or you came to me in the bath for that, I do forgive you." he stated with a firm look, and she looked down toward the ground.
"I'm sorry for what I did, and when we started it, I didn't think of the consequences, for you, and for us. Now I see why you acted the way you did, although your words were harsh, and not something I wanted to hear. You protected me and the others because you were worried, and after I did something impressive again."
He smiled at her then. "Thank you, and as for the protecting, you are my sister, and it's my duty to look out for you, especially since father's passing. That goes for the others, well, Laena was to be my wife, Rhaenyra is my niece, and Alicent is a good friend."
She smiled, and she knew that was true. Aemon had looked out for her since then, and even before, whether she wanted it or not. Although she loved Viserys like a brother, their bond wasn't strong, and they weren't truly familiar with each other. As for Daemon, that man was an asshole, and someone she may have cared for when she was little and didn't know any better. Yet over time, she had come to feel a great disdain for him.
"I know, and I love you for it. Yet that doesn't mean I stopped loving you differently as well. Dreams and fancies can get into the head of a young girl, and I fell in love with the idea, even if we didn't see each other for years at a time. You were the image and feeling I had, the person I saw as someone I could love, and Laena and Rhaenyra were, I suppose, a happy side effect of us all being in love with you. That's why I need to ask you something. Could you love me differently?"
He smiled at her then. "I suppose I could. When I found out, I didn't think of it like that. I was betrothed and told myself I wouldn't take another woman to bed. Then I came to Driftmark, and I was hit with quite a few revelations: that you, Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Laena all had feelings for me, you all had kissed each other, and you were sleeping with Rhaenyra. In that moment, I couldn't really think of what I felt or what could happen."
She looked down sadly and nodded at his words as guilt settled in her stomach.
"Yet now I have, and I can say I could. We are Targaryens. While I will always see you as my sister, I have always noticed what a beautiful woman you are becoming. So to answer your question, I could."
Her heart leaped in her throat at those words, and she blushed at him saying she was beautiful. "So if there was a way to love Laena and me, and perhaps Rhaenyra, you would?"
"I would," he stated, and in that moment, she couldn't hold her excitement anymore. She went to embrace him. "Oh, I am very happy you said that."
Aemon took a deep breath then. "I know, but we need to be careful, as this isn't a small thing we are doing. We also have built what we have together, as I did with Laena."
She smiled and kissed his cheek, "I agree, I know it will take time." She replied contentedly.
Then the door opened, and Laena, in a morning robe, walked into the room. "Morning, Visenya. Did Aemon tell you the news?"
She looked from him to Laena. "He did. Did you know?"
"We spoke of it at length, and it was our decision, although mostly his, as he knew my stance already. And I am really grateful for my husband accepting it, and coming to terms with everything. Although I suppose at some point we have to make it up to him," Laena noted, as she gave Aemon a kiss.
Visenya felt flushed once again at the statement. "Oh, okay," she said nervously. "I also should tell you both I spoke with Laenor this morning. I wanted to come here with a plan, and we spoke about what he proposed to you."
Aemon nodded. "I see, and if I'm honest, it is the only way I see it working. Yet what of Rhaenyra? I know she is your lover, and apparently loves me, too. What of her?"
It was the question she had thought of before and proposed. "You could marry her, perhaps under the Valyrian faith, and marrying more than one was never really banished. King Maegor did it too, and his reign was never declared invalid."
Aemon pinched his nose at that. "I know, yet I'm not sure if I'm ready for that outcome. Plus, Maegor was a King, and the first time he took another wife, who wasn't a princess by the way, he was banished. I suppose we have to speak to Rhaenyra. Maybe even my brother, and I suppose there could be ways to justify Rhaenyra marrying me, to keep the dragons in the family."
Laena spoke then. "I suppose that could work, especially if we make the argument that with Rhaenyra, you, Visenya, marrying Laenor, the dragons could stay in the family."
Then Aemon frowned. "There is something else. Arya too. She is not yet betrothed, a dragonrider as well, and any argument made for you or Rhaenyra would also have to be made for her. And I suppose there are three options. Thankfully, Daemon has made a step too far with Viserys, so he is banished, and him taking her as a second wife is gone with that."
Visenya found it odd, now thinking of her little sister. Then again, her little sister was a smart girl, similar to Aemon in many ways in how they acted and thought.
"What options are you thinking of?" She asked.
"Well, I see Arya perhaps marrying Viserys when she is older. It would be a good match. She is a dragonrider and also linked to the Starks." Visenya looked away slightly, and she found that image something she didn't enjoy. Arya was twenty years younger than Viserys.
"Bennard, or Rickon. Preferably Bennard, as they are closer in age and he is a second son, and with the right agreement, perhaps Benjen could be persuaded to have Bennard and Arya marry matrilineally, so the dragons stay in the family, or perhaps with agreements to keep the dragons within our reach," Aemon noted, and she looked at him. It seemed it was something her brother had already thought of.
"The other option I see are the Strongs, who are loyal to the crown. Larys is personally loyal to me, and is a good man, and a warg as well, just like Arya. I see them accepting such an agreement as well," he added, and Visenya didn't like the thought of Arya marrying a cripple. Yet then again, Aemon knew better than any of them, and the fact that the man was a warg surprised her.
"So he can also see through the eyes of animals, like the wolves, as we can? Or like you with more animals?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Yet for now, these are just thoughts. I say we speak to Rhaenyra and Arya as well, and see what they think."
Then a knock came on the door. "Enter," Aemon said.
Ser Harrold walked inside. "My prince, the king summons you to join him in Meraxes' shrine in an hour."
"Alright, I shall be there," Aemon stated toward Ser Harrold, who gave a nod.
"Well, it seems I have to get dressed," Aemon said, and went to summon a manservant.
She stayed as she watched him and the manservant disappear into the bedchamber.
"Visenya, have you broken your fast yet?"
"No, it was an early rise, so I could speak with your brother," she said with a smile.
"Good. Then I will order something for two. I know Aemon will eat some fruit and dried beef and be off toward the King. Yet us princesses, I say we should break our fast properly," Laena said with a grin.
She smiled as Laena walked off to order them some food.
Aemon Targaryen (107 A.C. Nineth Moon)
King's Landing - Shrine of Meraxes
As he walked down the staircase, followed by his two guards, his conversation with Laena and Visenya played in his head. He smiled a little. He had accepted the fact that he would have his sister as a lover. That idea had been lingering in his head ever since she told him she loved him, and now he had accepted it and moved past everything that had happened.
It was a step he never thought he would take. He had considered the possibilities of bedding Alicent, and even Rhaenyra if she ever became heir to the throne and would still marry Laenor. Yet coming to Driftmark and finding out all those things had thrown his plans and ideas into a tailspin.
Now he was actively thinking of becoming a man who would have multiple wives and lovers as well. If anyone had told him, when he was still a bastard, that it would ever happen, he would have laughed in their face, and perhaps even become angry at them for suggesting it, thinking they were teasing him. Yet here he was.
He took a deep breath as he opened the door to the shrine.
As he looked toward the skull of Meraxes, he walked toward his brother, who stood there waiting for him. He smiled as he looked at the black skull and the part of the cracked skull where the scorpion bolt had hit the dragon's eye and slain a legend. Sometimes, he felt that way, as if he walked among legends. Her skull was a massive thing, a favorite spot of his when he was a child, quite a peaceful place, where he and Balerion had spoken often when he was little, and the old dragon had told him things of his mate, and the hurt he had felt when she died.
As he came closer, he saw his brother moving his hands slowly over the flames, not being burnt, or at least showing resistance. Targaryens seemed to have some fire resistance. Then again, he had walked out of the pyre and lived. Fire and Blood were their words.
"Brother," he spoke softly.
Then he looked to the other door, where Rhaenyra walked in, escorted by Ser Ryam.
"Uncle, Father," Rhaenyra said, confused about why she had been summoned.
He wondered why his niece was here.
His brother soon turned to them both, but returned his gaze to the skull before them.
"Balerion is the last living creature to have seen Old Valyria before the Doom, its greatness and its flaws," his brother said.
He had always considered Balerion more a treasure and a great friend than just a creature. Viserys turned around and looked at his daughter. "When you look at the dragons, what do you see?"
Rhaenyra looked at him and her father in confusion. "What? You haven't spoken a word to me since Baelon's funeral. Now you summon me here, escorted by your King..."
But his brother cut her off. "Answer me. It's important. What do you see?" Viserys asked his daughter, giving him a look.
Why was he asking this? What he saw in the dragons was themselves. Balerion was his family as much as the rest of his family was. Still, he wouldn't agree that they were considered gods, as he knew their history. Without the dragons, they eventually fell from grace, and the Targaryen dynasty was toppled.
Aemon wondered over Viserys's question and walked over to Rhaenyra, taking her hand as she spoke.
"I suppose I see our family," she said, glancing toward him and her father.
His brother urged his daughter on.
"Many believe us closer to gods than men, but that is only because of our dragons. Without them, we are just like the rest of the people," she finished hesitantly and squeezed his hand a little.
His brother smiled and looked at him. "Your turn, brother. What do you see?"
"I see wonder and power that we have to respect, and as we all know well in this family, I know my bond with Balerion. I do not have control, only a bond, one that goes both ways," he said.
His brother looked at them both with pride.
"The idea that we control the dragons is only an illusion. They are a power man should not have trifled with. One that brought Valyria its doom. If we don't mind our own histories, it will do the same to us."
He then stopped mid-stride to stand directly in front of them. Aemon disagreed that men should never have trifled with dragons. The dragons, and all else the Valyrians built, had been great, yet that golden era of young Valyria was long gone. The Valyria that had been built to defend their lands and later for conquest, in the later days of the Freehold, were different. Even Balerion didn't know whether that was true. He only knew the legends the older, wiser dragons had told him.
"Targaryens must understand this to be king and queen consort."
"What?" The word was out of both their mouths before they could comprehend it.
His brother looked at them with a sad and regretful expression. "I have wasted the years since your births wanting a son, when the whole time, you both stood before me. You two are everything I wished for in my successors, and you, Aemon, if I ever had my own son. I see you as one, even if we are brothers. You and Rhaenyra are the best of our blood, our hope for the future. What you have done, Aemon, with Seadragon Point, and how you have conducted yourself, shows me enough to see you are a worthy successor."
"Although I'm flattered that you want me to be your heir, you want me to marry Rhaenyra?" To be honest, he had been planning on asking it for different reasons. Yet Viserys, asking himself, had been shocked.
Rhaenyra looked at him, then to her father. "Although I do not object to the match, I do not know if this can work. Aemon is already married to Laena, and a misstep could cause a rift with House Velaryon that could never be healed."
Viserys looked at them, nodding. "I understand, but this is the way to honor your mother's sacrifices and to make Aemon's accession easier, to have a wife of the previous king's blood still sitting on the throne beside him."
Then Viserys looked at him once more.
"There is no one I would place more trust in to care for her than you. As for the Velaryons, I'm taking a page out of the book of the Conquerors, and because of Jaehaerys, there is the Doctrine of Exceptionalism. Maegor, although he wasn't a great king, had marriages that were never declared invalid by the High Septon, save for his first marriage," his brother said, his voice low.
"You want me to, like Aegon did, have two wives. But what about Corlys and Daemon?" He knew Corlys would never expect his daughter to be one of the queens. He looked at Rhaenyra, whose hand he still held.
"I do have plans for the succession, and I'm thinking on what to give Corlys as recompense," his brother answered.
"Daemon was not made to wear the crown. But I believe you two were, and Laena as well. The smallfolk and many others already adore the three of you." He looked at them both with a smile. "This isn't a trivial gesture or a thought I had on a whim. A dragon saddle is one thing, but the Iron Throne is the most dangerous seat in the realm, Aemon. For you as well, my daughter."
He looked at both of them seriously and with some pity.
"There is something else that I need to tell you both, something I shared with your mother when I was made heir. What I'm about to tell you both might be difficult to understand."
Viserys looked toward the skull of Meraxes.
Was he going to speak of the prophecy their grandfather had told him about? The damn prophecy, the cold, and the dark that were coming. Something his mind went toward almost every day, Aemon thought with a groan, though he kept it in.
"Our history tells us that Aegon looked across the shores of the Blackwater and saw a rich land ripe for capture. But ambition alone is not what drove him to conquest. And just as Daenys foresaw the end of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men."
His brother paused and looked at their faces. He got the expected reaction from Rhaenyra, but not from him.
"Aemon, why don't you look surprised?"
"I already know. Grandfather spoke to me before the Great Council. I'm sorry for what I'm about to say, but as your heir, I have to inform you. He wanted me as heir back in the day, but I was too young. A regency would have taken hold, and we both know Daemon would never have accepted the decision. Grandfather also had another plan, that at least one of my children would marry your future heir," he said.
Rhaenyra looked at him, shocked, but Viserys's face seemed to fade into some form of relief.
"Yes, it is true. I intended to marry one of your future children to my heir, but fate had other plans. Perhaps it can still be in a way, with little Alysanne."
Aemon clenched his empty fist a little at that. He knew from Aemma and Rhaenyra that Viserys had yet to truly visit them. He had come once or twice, but not much else. He still grieved over Baelon too much to spend time with Alysanne.
"I feel more steadfast now in my decision to name you. This way, I hold both my promises. So, if you will, please tell my daughter of the prophecy," his brother continued with a smile.
"Great-grandfather wanted you as heir. But why not try to say that before? Why not try to take it after you gained power?" Rhaenyra questioned.
"Family, niece. Family, and to protect it. That is all. That is all I ever wanted."
Rhaenyra frowned but nodded.
"You should know, daughter, yesterday he recommended you as heir. That is why I chose him, and for his temperament and selflessness. I wish him to marry you for the very same reason. To keep you safe and to honor your mother," his brother spoke, his tone soft.
Tears appeared in Rhaenyra's eyes, and then she gave him a hug and cried into his chest. All but a simple "thank you" came out of her as she sobbed. She had been strong these past few days, dealing with heartbreak and taking care of her sister. Now, it all came out as she calmed down.
He then thought back to the past. To be honest, looking back almost sixteen years ago, he had hoped for a similar reaction from Daenerys. His love, aunt, and the other hopes he had. But she only said, "That makes you the last male heir to House Targaryen. You would have a claim to the Iron Throne."
She wasn't happy that she had more family and was no longer the last, or for the fact that he wasn't a bastard anymore, something that had haunted his entire life. No, she only cared for his claim, not family. And in the end, she drove him to become a kinslayer.
"Aemon? Is everything alright?" Rhaenyra asked after she had calmed down, still in his arms.
"Yes, sorry. I was just lost in a memory."
His brother smiled at them, taking satisfaction in their bond, trusting he had made the right choice. He wasn't sure how his love Laena would react to it, but for now, he made a second vow toward Rhaenyra, protecting her until his dying breath.
"Alright, what was your father about to tell us? To begin with, it is a terrible winter, and a gusting wind will come with it from the North. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds. Whatever is inside those winds will destroy the world of the living."
He paused, thinking back toward those haunting blue eyes that had killed him and so many others.
"If our world is to survive, all of Westeros must stand united against it, and a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne. If I'm correct, it has been passed from heir to heir since Aegon's time. He called it a song of ice and fire."
His brother nodded. "I shared it with Aemma. She knew about it. That is why I shared it with you both, as you will share the burden."
His brother said this, and Aemon felt pained as he thought back to the memory of Aemma.
"I need you both to promise me you will protect this secret," his brother said to them.
"I promise, Father, that I will be your daughter and the future wife of King Aemon," she said with full conviction.
It made his heart beat a little faster at the words King Aemon and his future wife.
"I already swore it once to Grandfather, but I will swear it again to you, my brother and king," he said, then paused for a moment. "I, Aemon of House Targaryen and Stark, promise to keep and protect the song of Ice and Fire, so we may one day protect the world against the coming dark."
He said it as he knelt before Viserys.
"Good. I know you both will do your duty. As for another thing, I won't announce your marriage yet. I have ideas on what to grant Lord Corlys to have him accept the proposal," his brother said.
"I understand. I see ways for Lord Corlys to accept the proposal, although it will help that he will soon know his daughter will be a future queen. As for Laena, I will not keep this from her. She is my wife and deserves to know the truth. She understands well that she cannot speak of this until the time is right," he replied.
"I will also hold my word for now, Father. But like Aemon said, we can't keep this arrangement secret for too long. I will go with Aemon in a moment and tell Laena," Rhaenyra said.
"I understand. She has a right to know, and I can also keep only so much from your mother." His brother said fondly as he looked toward Rhaenyra. Although Aemon didn't like that at all, as he knew an ugly truth, and he knew he had to deal with it soon, and make a decision on how to do it.
"We have to inform the kingdoms of the decision. I have summoned a council meeting for tomorrow. Aemon, I also need you to draft an agreement for Corlys. I will speak with you later about the details. You both are dismissed," his brother said.
He and Rhaenyra walked toward the door.
Aemon's Chambers
The walk back to his chambers was quiet, and his mind was on what his brother had just told him. He would be the heir to the throne. If he was honest, it was something he wasn't sure he wanted. Yet he didn't fail to notice the advantages.
For now, it would be informing Laena, as well as Visenya. As they arrived at the door, he opened it, and Visenya was still sitting beside Laena, brushing her hair. Laena wore a wonderful black and golden dress, with a three-headed dragon upon both her shoulders.
"Rhaenyra," both of them said as they saw her walk into the chamber behind him.
"Well, we just returned from my father, and we received some news."
They both looked at them expectantly. He and Rhaenyra both sat down, and he looked at them and took a deep breath.
"What I'm about to tell you both cannot leave this room. It will be announced later on, but not yet." They both nodded.
"Viserys has decided to name me heir. On the morrow, he will tell the council." Laena and Visenya both looked at him with wide eyes.
"Truly? To be honest, it was one of the choices he could make, I suppose. Save naming Rhaenyra, but the realm has shown a preference for not wanting a woman to inherit the throne," Laena noted, as she gave Rhaenyra a small smile.
"I know, but my father told me Aemon supported me. Yet if it had to be one of us, I am grateful it is him. I think he will handle it better than I ever could. You always had a dutifulness about you that I never had," Rhaenyra stated, as she took his hand and squeezed it.
"There is something else as well," he began, and looked then toward Laena and Visenya. "It more or less solves a problem we spoke of this morning."
All of them frowned, Rhaenyra too, as she didn't know what he was talking about.
"This morning, we discussed us, Rhaenyra. That I accepted the possibility of taking you and Visenya as my lovers, and wives also. I'm not entirely sure how to put it. We discussed possibilities on how to make it possible. One was me taking you as my second wife, and Visenya marrying Laenor."
Rhaenyra's eyes widened. "Well, I can't say I didn't think of that when we walked toward the room, of what Visenya and Laena would say about what my father said. Hearing this, I understand your meaning."
Visenya and Laena both frowned at that and looked toward him.
He smiled a little. "Well, Viserys has asked me to take Rhaenyra as my wife."
At that, both their mouths hung open, and he grinned.
"You mean it?" Visenya asked.
"I do. He plans to use the Doctrine of Exceptionalism to make it work, and the precedent that Aegon took two wives, and Maegor as well, although with him, only his later marriages, which the High Septon of the time never spoke against," he began, before continuing. "I still need to do some work with my brother on the proposal, as well as what to grant your father, for him to accept the decision."
He ended as he looked at Laena.
Visenya looked up brightly. "Well, considering that we are planning on marrying me to Laenor, I doubt it would make your father unhappy. It is a prestigious match for Laenor, I suppose the best he could have besides Rhaenyra herself, or Arya."
Laena smiled then. "I think it will help, yet I do think he will want something concrete, to ensure that his blood will sit on the throne after he finds out that the King named Aemon as his heir. Surely, he was placated by Baelon and his reappointment as Master of Ships after my mother was not chosen to be Jaehaerys's successor. Yet even now, he still holds a grudge."
"I know, and before the king and I present the proposal, I think we will have to think on something to placate your father, Laena," he said with a smile.
Yet as he sat with them and talked about what it would all imply, he thought on what Larys had told him.
Chapter 52: Otto Hightower
Otto Hightower (106 A.C.)
Kingslanding - Council Chamber
He waited in the council chamber and wondered about all that had happened and what would happen. Two nights ago, he had been informed of Daemon's dismissal and banishment to the Vale, and last night, the King didn't send his daughter away when she visited him. A good start. All he needed was for her to gain the King's affection. Then his daughter would be Queen, and if everything went well, she would give him a son, a true heir for the throne. A true Andal king, one with Hightower blood and loyal to the Faith.
If his daughter had a son, there was no way Viserys would keep his daughter as heir. He would choose her as a better substitute to take the role instead of Daemon. If the King wasn't thinking of marrying his daughter, he had two sons, one not yet married, so a son of the Hand would make a great king consort. It was still a way to get Hightower blood on the throne. He also knew that Viserys would never disinherit Daemon for Aemon. He wouldn't risk it.
Then Viserys broke him out of his thoughts.
"My lords, as you all might have heard last night, I banished Daemon to Runestone as punishment for his words about Baelon and family," Viserys said when everyone entered the room and took their seats.
"Your Grace, what was said when you banished the prince?" Corlys questioned.
"He wasn't apologetic, and he was uncompromising in his belief. Not only did he disrespect Aemon and my sisters, but he also insulted my stepmother."
Otto didn't know what to say. Daemon was sometimes too provocative for his own good. Not that he cared. However, he didn't mind any bad words spoken about Aemon either.
"He insulted my goodson's family?" Corlys asked. "Indeed, he did." The King replied. "Well then, his banishment is well deserved, even more than what was said about Prince Baelon's tragic passing," Coryls added as he looked pridefully at Aemon.
The man seemed to truly like the husband of his daughter.
"Thank you for your support, Lord Corlys. I'm as disappointed in my brother as you are, if not more. Still, he is a prince, even one with many flaws," Aemon said and looked at Corlys.
That was one thing about Aemon. He was very tempered and didn't reveal his cards, which was proving to be difficult to combat. He was a player, and Otto wouldn't dispatch him the way he did Daemon. No, Prince Aemon needed to be dealt with differently.
"My brother is right. We aren't here to discuss Daemon. He is gone until he can show duty toward my family. But I called you here to discuss the future of the realm. It still hurts me to say it."
The King looked pained as he looked toward Aemon and Rhaenyra.
"The passing of my son, with Daemon disinherited, and my fear for my wife should we try once more for an heir, have made me see that I need a true heir to take the mantle," the King said.
There it would come. Rhaenyra as heir and Alicent as a future queen. It all started here.
"I have come to a decision. I have decided to name my brother, Aemon Targaryen, as heir," Viserys spoke and looked toward Aemon.
Otto's mouth fell open. "Your Grace, if I may have a word," he said.
"No, you may not." Viserys's tone was firm. "I have made my decision. With many of the lords already here, we will hold a ceremony by the end of next moon, and the lords will come to swear fealty to my chosen heir and me."
"A wise choice, Your Grace. Aemon has proven his leadership in his lordship of Seadragon Point and brought an invention back into the world that had been lost. The trade taxes that the crown has received from the Sunset Sea have increased greatly. I delight in starting to work with your chosen heir, Your Grace," Lord Beesbury mumbled.
The man got far too excited about coins.
"You have my full support, Uncle. My mother always speaks highly of you, and you cared for my brother in his living days. You have also brought my mother and me much comfort these last few days in my grief," Rhaenyra said.
And there went the only one besides him and Mellos. He had hoped Rhaenyra would show some displeasure toward Aemon being named heir. But it seemed the princess was very supportive of her uncle.
"You have my full support. May you hold the standard high for all heirs to come," Lord Lyonel said, smiling brightly.
"A wise decision, Your Grace. As Lord Beesbury said, Prince Aemon has done an impressive job during his rulership of Seadragon Point. As heir and Prince of Dragonstone, I can see him doing even greater things," Lord Corlys said, his face in a full grin.
"My prince, I congratulate you. If I may ask, as prince of the realm, would you also allow learned men to learn how to craft your inventions? It would greatly benefit the realm if the Citadel could learn from you. It would be a great loss for the realm if the knowledge you have were to be lost. Suppose you were to lose it," Mellos asked.
Otto already saw the King's and Aemon's faces darken. Mellos. Oh, the dolt of a man. He grumbled inside as he kept himself from sighing.
"Grand Maester Mellos, as my brother explained before, and as I will, the crown will not reveal the secrets of our heritage. We have already allowed you to learn High Valyrian. Do not presume to ask for more," Viserys hissed. The King had lost much patience with the grand maester ever since the man made the suggestion during the birth of the prince and princess. It stung, especially because they had no control over either Prince Vaegon or this maester Dussard. That to the King's words, a blessing to the Queen.
"Lord Hand, I have yet to hear you congratulate my uncle. A king's Hand should strive toward the realm's stability," the princess spoke up and addressed him.
"I know you wanted a different heir, Otto, but I command you to accept it. For the good of the realm, as you always put it," Viserys spoke, his voice low and hard, which brooked no argument.
Otto couldn't change this decision, but still, a son came before a brother. Even with a man, the change would be more difficult to force through.
"My prince, I have had my reservations, as I know your older brother has insulted the previous heir. Also, he has not been someone who was very law-abiding," he said, trying to make his voice sound calm rather than irritated. "I am sure His Grace has made the right decision. You have my support as our future King, my prince," he said, bowing to Viserys and Aemon.
"My lords, princess, and my King, I thank you all for your support. I hope to be as great an heir as my father was," Aemon spoke, stood up, and raised his glass.
"To the Prince of Dragonstone, and Heir to the Iron Throne, Aemon Targaryen," Corlys spoke cheerily, raising his own.
"Hear, hear," was repeated around the council chamber.
Otto would do his duty and would bide his time. Yet in the future, Hightower blood would sit on the throne.
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