~~~Third Person, Eleventh Moon, 277 AC~~~
~~~Throne Room, King's Landing~~~
The Great Hall, which contains the Iron Throne Room, was packed with people who made up what was known as the Court, both people who were willing to be able to have an audience with King Aerys, or just to get to be at the site of important meetings of the realm, as in the case of ladies or merchants who represented some control within Westeros.
But today the meeting matter was different, there were no imprisoned awaiting trial, no issues of sheep stealing or taking another peasant's chicken possessions, instead, the matter was more important, more expected, as the king of Xandar, the only dragon rider in over a hundred years, was about to appear before the Iron Throne as a guest of King Aerys.
The atmosphere was of total silence, so much so that even the throat clearing of Aerys on top of the Iron Throne could be heard throughout the room, the lords and ladies were anxiously awaiting the outcome of the meeting, wishing to meet the infamous king of Essos, the council members were eager to see the man who had earned the respect of Aerys, something very difficult to achieve.
Soon, the doors to the Great Hall opened, the massive oak doors creaked as they were forced to move, being opened by two fortress guards, Ser Barristan Selmy was the first to enter, he walked to a certain part of the Hall and stood.
Once Ser Barristan was settled, the reason for the court meeting in the Throne Room became present; Azrael entered with a firm step, his gaze stoic and high, his leather boots clacking against the flagstone of the floor, his Blood Riders walked behind him with measured steps, four on each side.
A wave of murmurs began to sweep through the court of King Aerys, the ladies blushed and averted their eyes, and the men looked with grimaces on their faces at the appearance of Azrael, who had a look completely alien to what was expected of a king in Westeros.
With black hair to the middle of his back was braided into hundreds of small braids that started from the edge of his neck to the ends, with dozens of gold and silver bells that jingled with every step he took, amber almost golden eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
At 6.5 feet tall, which made the garment he wore, enhanced his kingly bearing. Brown cloth pants, dark brown boots, and a pale grayish poncho tight across the chest and ending in wide, long pleats at the crotch, a belt with Endoxes face on the buckle, and a blue trench coat with terracotta colored detailing.
The attire was complemented by the high, upright collar of the garment, along with the metal shoulder pads and bracers, along with the necklace on the chest with an Endoxes tooth attached to the collar.
The whole ensemble spoke of power, wealth, and altitude, and many in the court noticed.
"You stand in the presence of King Aerys Targaryen, king of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, lord of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the land!" The Herald wasted no time in naming Aerys' titles, eliciting a tiny smile on Azrael's mouth.
Essino smiled bitingly beneath his mask, and raising his voice, introduced his King; "With you, His Majesty the King, Azrael Jaesyrian, Rider of Endoxes, Khal of the Imperishable Horde, King of Xandar and its surrounding lands, Khal of the Great Sea of Grass, Yokebreaker, Father of the Newcomers, Stallion Riding the World, Conqueror of the Yellow Cities, and Jhattar of the Nhai Jogos!"
The row of titles seemed never to see an end, and with each title being named, the smiles of Azrael's Blood Riders widened even wider beneath their masks, mocking the weakness of the Westerosi. For them to be surrounded by weak men who would not even fight on the battlefield with their men was a complete show of contempt for all that a man should be.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Aerys laughed, his laughter spreading through the Hall like paint on water, "My friend Azrael has blessed me with providing his presence here at the Red Keep, his being here today is an omen for the future of House Targaryen, and the Seven Kingdoms as a whole, which is why there will be a tournament this afternoon to celebrate."
This proclamation took everyone present by surprise, but they were quick to shout and celebrate for the coming festivities, the Small Council, for their part, was left confused about it, because a tournament was not on the list of things that had been discussed earlier in the meeting that morning, so Tywin, being the hand of the king, would have to take charge of the whole organization, and in record time.
So the face of Tywin, who was at the foot of the throne, hardened even more, because of all he would have to do. But this Aerys did not care, he for his part began to descend the stairs of the Iron Throne, until he reached the cold stone floor and stood in front of Azrael.
"Azrael," Aerys, in a display of approach rarely seen from him, gave Azrael a one-armed hug tightly, which caused the former hubbub of the Hall to hush, but in the midst of all this, Azrael's Blood Riders had their hands on the pommels of their Arakh, and the only reason they did not act in some aggressive manner upon seeing how Aerys so recklessly approached their Khal, was because of a signal from the Khal.
Azrael nodded but did not reciprocate the affection, Aerys did not care or did not notice, but released Azrael and turned to Tywin, "Tywin, my friend, organize the tournament, the Small Council will help you with that, I will talk to Azrael for a bit."
"Lord Tywin," Azrael said a small greeting, though it was more as a means of letting this one know that Azrael had noticed his presence, "Your Majesty."
"Azrael, I know our relationship has not been long, you have helped my family, Rhaella has been able to conceive another pregnancy thanks to your help," Aerys began to come clean as they walked through the halls of the Red Keep, on their way to the Godswood, as both Blood Riders and the Kingsguard, followed closely behind them both.
This time it was Azrael's turn to be surprised, he didn't know Rhaella was pregnant, let alone now, would Daenerys be born sooner? Or would another Targaryen walk the halls of the Red Keep? "That's a pleasant surprise, glad to hear the line is still going strong."
Aerys smiled, but his smile seemed tired, weak, and false, "but I fear Rhaella will lose her baby," Azrael looked at Aerys with a questioning look, wanting to know what he meant, "it's not too hard to point out, Rhaegar is imprisoned in Duskendale, the entire army of the Crownlands is in front of its walls but unable to enter for fear of something happening to Rhaegar, Rhaella won't let Viserys leave her side, she is very nervous, it will hurt her baby."
Azrael nodded, having reached the Godswood, the sight of elms, alders, and black poplars welcomed them, but what caught his attention most was the tree with bone-white bark, its branches stretched upwards as if they wanted to touch the sky, and its blood-red leaves contrasted sharply with the white of the tree covered in smoke berry vines.
Though the face carved into the tree made Azrael uncomfortable, "That is why I want to ask you for something, a help more than a favor, my firstborn is still in Duskendale, and I need him to get out of the possible cell they have him locked up in, by doing so, you will not only save Rhaegar's life, but also the life of my unborn son or daughter."
Azrael was forced to take his gaze from the Weirwoods, to look at Aerys intently, "Ask for anything, if it is in my power, I will grant it, but I cannot afford to lose two sons, especially now that my family is weak, I implore you Azrael." Aerys practically begged, behind him was his pride, his dignity as king, he was now a father and a husband, and he was willing to even humble himself with seeing his family reunited.
"Very well," Azrael nodded, and calmly looked at the members of Aerys' Kingsguard who had accompanied him, "which of you wishes to free Prince Rhaegar?" he asked, looking between Ser Barristan, Ser Arthur, and Ser Gerold.
"I will," all three said at the same time, but Azrael had a different plan, "excellent, the three of you will go!" He said with a cheerful smile on his face, "I will eat today, and then meet you three at the White Tower, you will receive gifts, it is up to you if my gift to King Aerys, you use it to rescue Prince Rhaegar, and I believe that deception is not an option."
With that said Azrael walked past the three Royal Guardsmen and approached the Weirwoods, leaving the three knights to their thoughts.
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