-Chapter 145-
-POV Jason Lannister-
Lord Jason Lannister,
I am writing to you personally to inform you that, during the investigation I conducted, I learned that certain individuals have accused you of being part of a group conspiring against His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Crown Princess.
This group is referred to by many as the Greens and is said to dress accordingly.
According to numerous nobles and servants I have questioned, your House is undoubtedly involved in this matter.
However, as Hand of the King, I do not believe in the gossip of just anyone, and I am still convinced that you never intended to do anything against His Majesty King Viserys.
On the other hand, I am aware of the past tensions between you and my cousin, who is said to have humiliated you.
Thus, in the interest of fairness and objectivity, I cannot entirely dismiss the possibility that you took part in this conspiracy.
You have until the tournament celebrating the new position I hold, thanks to His Majesty King Viserys, to come to court and present your testimony.
If you do not come of your own accord, I will assume by default that you were aware of this vile conspiracy and even that you participated in it.
I will order all the knights and lords of the realm to track you down and drag you to the capital to face the justice of the Iron Throne—meaning the dragon's fire.
This sanction will also apply to all members of your House.
---
"Signed Aemon Targaryen, Hand of the King, Prince of the Vale, followed by the entire list of his secondary titles."
'What should I do?' I thought, clenching my hands nervously, unable to think clearly.
"This is an insult to you, my lord. If you ask me, it would be wiser to get in touch with Lord Orm…"
"Thank you, that will be all, Maester Myles," said Johanna, forcing the new maester of Casterly Rock to fall silent and leave the room.
The maester wanted to add something but had to comply under the sharp gaze of my wife.
"Stop listening to whatever nonsense that fool whispers in your ear."
"Stop talking to me as if I were stupid."
"Then stop acting as if you were," Johanna retorted, gritting her teeth in pain.
"Are you all right?" I asked, concerned.
It was her fourth pregnancy, and every maester who had examined her in the past had advised her not to become pregnant again, lest she risk her life.
'But she is a true lioness,' I thought, nonetheless respecting the strength of character she possessed.
"What do you advise me to do?" I asked my wife, who had always been wise in her counsel.
"I advise you to follow the recommendations Tyland gave you in the letter preceding Aemon's," she replied before continuing:
"Go to the capital and demonstrate unwavering loyalty. Show the king, the court, but especially the new Hand that there is nothing to fear from you, that you are a loyal servant of the Crown."
'Tyland is always right anyway,' I thought, slightly jealous of the praise coming from her mouth, as, just like our parents, I was certain she favored him over me.
'Of course, since he is the smarter one between us,' I told myself with slight bitterness.
'But in the end, I am the eldest,' I thought.
After a few moments of reflection, Johanna added:
"Get as close to him as you can and offer one of our daughters in betrothal to one of his sons in order to secure his favor. It doesn't matter which one, since they are both dragonriders, and one of them could very well be propelled to the head of House Velaryon if Rhaenyra's children's bastardy were to be publicly exposed, as Tyland seems to believe."
"You think he could succeed in taking the crown?" I asked suddenly.
"Prince Aemon?"
I nodded.
"It's not a question of 'whether he can do it,' it's more a question of 'whether he wants to do it,'" Johanna replied. And she was right. If a war broke out today or within the next five years, Prince Aemon could easily take the Iron Throne.
"Why hasn't he done it?" I asked, finally voicing the question that had been haunting me since I learned just how powerful Aemon Targaryen was.
"Who knows? Perhaps he is not willing to sacrifice what he has for something he could potentially gain," Johanna answered flatly. But I had known her too long not to recognize the hidden jab in her words.
For years now, I had indeed taken a mistress in order to have a son, but she had only given me daughters so far.
'I have sacrificed our harmony for a son who does not come,' I thought, as I was already at two natural daughters with my favorite mistress.
'Maybe the problem is me after all,' I thought, lowering my gaze slightly in shame.
I felt Johanna's hand rest on mine before she added:
"Do not lower your eyes before anyone. Never forget the banner you bear and what you represent."
'She is right,' I thought, letting out a deep sigh.
---
-POV Ormund Hightower-
Dear cousin,
I am writing to inform you that we are in an extremely precarious situation.
I imagine you must have already heard of all the changes that have taken place after Aemon Targaryen's appointment in the capital.
The tide has turned, and we are losing all our allies one by one.
Myles sent me a letter in which he raged about overhearing a conversation between Jason Lannister and his wife.
It appears that the lion of Casterly Rock is nothing more than a big cat dominated by his lady, and that she has a soft spot for the prince, practically ordering her husband to kiss his feet at every step.
I have lost all power in the capital, and my sister remains locked up with her children.
I do not know what will become of my father, but what I do know is that if we abandon him to his fate, House Hightower will be the next to fall, for we have frightened too many people.
It is time to show everyone why even the Conqueror himself had to set foot on land again to face us.
It is time to display our strength and prove that the beacon of Oldtown is the beacon of all Westeros.
The beacon of faith, a place blessed by the gods themselves.
Ser Bryndon Hightower
---
"What do you think, Archmaester Dorian?" I asked, looking at my great-uncle.
"He is blinded by anger and pride," my great-uncle said calmly, not in the least impressed or concerned by the grim picture painted by my cousin.
"To be completely honest, I do not care much for this Bryndon. He does not have what it takes to succeed his father, who was also a great man before his pride and ignorance led him to provoke the dragon," he said, digressing mid-sentence before suddenly resuming:
"But we must admit that he is right. If we allow Prince Aemon to act as he pleases, he will have no difficulty dismantling everything House Hightower has taken hundreds, even thousands of generations to build."
"What do you advise me to do, then?" I asked.
"I do not know, I am hesitant," he replied before turning to his old friend, High Septon Peremore, who, according to rumors, was also a descendant of my House.
But regardless, he had always been extremely loyal to our House, and I had great respect for these two old men, who had advised my father and even his father before him.
"What do you think, Peremore? You have always been better than me at making decisions in times of crisis," my great-uncle asked the High Septon.
"I am not sure either, for I feel as if I am seeing a younger Maegor in Prince Aemon. They both have that same arrogance, that same certainty of superiority granted by their dragons. But he is more intelligent. What I do not know, however, is how much cruelty he will allow himself to show to the world," said Peremore.
Archmaester Dorian nodded and said:
"I quite agree with you. But what should be most concerning is not the level of cruelty he might display, but the level of cruelty he might be willing to accept."
I furrowed my brows, which did not escape my great-uncle's notice. He then added to explain his thoughts:
"Not everyone is born with the ability to burn thousands of people in dragonfire."
"Yet he still took the Stepstones," I said, my brows still furrowed, as I was not certain they were right to doubt Prince Aemon's cruelty.
The High Septon nodded and then replied:
"Indeed, but if I understand correctly, he attempted to minimize human losses whenever possible. He destroyed the defensive structures on the Stepstones so that the garrisons would be left defenseless and the pirates could quickly seize control of them."
The Archmaester nodded:
"You are absolutely right, my old friend. It is this slight cowardice that could be his downfall and that we could use to our advantage in this conflict."
"How could we exploit it? He can practically command every knight in the realm, except for the king and the princess," I asked, unable to see a way out of this predicament aside from denying our ties with my uncle.
My great-uncle smiled and said softly:
"Valar Morghulis, my dear nephew… even the dragons."