Kings Landing 300 AC.
Rhaenys.
If it were up to her she'd much rather be spending time with Myrcella helping her prepare for the wedding. Actually, if it was truly up to her and she could do as she liked then she'd have loved to have been able to accept Willas's offer to go hawking. Even spending time with Aegon or with her mother or father she'd feel less apprehensive. Having a guard come to her with a note from Tywin Lannister inviting her to spend the day with him, was not how she'd thought her day would go.
She walked with Ser Oswell and made her way to the Tower of the Hand, the black bat smirking all the way there and she wished she had some pithy remark she could say to him. Her nervousness and wonder over why Tywin had asked to see her, let alone why he wished her to spend the day with him though didn't allow for one. Instead, she walked quietly and when they reached the stairs, she then walked slowly, taking her time to reach the door to the Hand's rooms.
"Lord Tywin wishes to speak to me." she said to the guard at the door.
"Of course princess, I'll tell him you've arrived." the guard said before knocking and entering the room.
They weren't made to wait too long and after a few moments she was led inside, Ser Oswell's smirk never having left his face. Lord Tywin sat at his desk, books open in front of him as he wrote without looking up, Rhaenys moving and taking the seat before it was offered.
"Forgive me Princess, a moment." Lord Tywin said.
"Of course my lord." she replied.
Whatever he was working on required a lot of writing and so she waited as patiently as she could until he was done. Tywin moving the note away after blowing on the paper to help the ink dry.
"I find when I'm in mid-thought it's hard to stop, so again I beg your forgiveness." Tywin said.
"There is nothing to forgive my lord, I understand how busy you are.".
"Do you?" he asked looking at her "I only ask because I believe you are to be my replacement when your brother takes the throne." he said before she could answer his question.
"I am and I do my lord, but my brother shall not take the throne for some time." she said and Tywin nodded though not very firmly.
"Which gives me an opportunity to do something no other Hand has ever had the chance to do." Tywin said.
"Which is?" she asked curiously.
"Train my successor." he said surprising her.
"My lord?".
"It may surprise you, Princess, to know I did not wish to be Hand, not now, oh once it was what I wished for more than anything, but now I'd prefer to spend my time ensuring the West is ready for when my time is at an end." Tywin said his eyes drifting to something in gold on his desk, something she couldn't see clearly.
"It does my lord.".
"Please let us dispense with the titles here Princess, I'd prefer if between us we could speak without them." Tywin said surprising her once again.
"Rhaenys." she said with a smile.
"Tywin, pleased to meet you." he said back and she laughed when she saw his smirk stunned that he would jape with her, or anyone for that matter.
"It does surprise me Tywin." she said noticing the little nod he gave her when she used his name "I had assumed, I think most people would have, that it's what you wished still.".
"I am content Rhaenys, for the first time in my life I am content. My granddaughter will marry a good man, the prince her grandmother wished for her, she will be queen even though it's not what my wife or I had sought for her. Yet I find myself happy that she will be and that she and Daemon will sit the throne.". he said and she was even more stunned than she had been with the jape, never having expected Tywin Lannister to reveal such things to her.
"They will be good together, they are good together." she said and Tywin nodded.
"They are and they will. They will also need a good competent Hand and in you, they've made the right choice." he said and she looked to see if he was lying or playing her false, unable to see evidence of either.
"You believe so, truly?" she asked genuinely curious.
"My recommendations." he said handing her a different piece of paper.
Rhaenys took it and looked it over, Stannis appointed to the council, Brandon Stark as Lord Paramount of the Trident, Eleanor Mooton as his wife. Lord Yohn Royce to take over the Vale as Warden of the East. A standing army to be sworn to the King and Queen. Some of the things she read there were things she and Jon had discussed, the Brandon and Eleanor betrothal and the standing army only very recently.
"Have you been spying on me?" she asked.
"No, but I was pleased when I heard that you had made some of the same suggestions I was thinking of making, most pleased." he said looking at her "Were I in any doubt of your competence, which I was not, then this alone would have removed it. Though it's another reason why you're not just the best but the only person suitable for the position.".
"Which is?" she asked.
"The crown must be united, your house must stand together against everyone and I believe you see that more than most." he said and she found herself nodding.
"I do, we've been working against each other for far too long, making enemies of ourselves, factions within factions. That Jon Connington was Hand and my uncles had their own ambitions didn't help, but both Aegon and I played our part." she said her voice low.
"And you can now along with Daemon play your part in making House Targaryen be what it should always be." Tywin said.
"Which is?" she asked curiously.
"A beacon of light, an ideal, something to aspire too, that's what Aegon wished and what your father had planned. It's what Rhaella and Daemon wish and given my granddaughter and future great-grandchildren will forever be a part of your House, it's what I intend to see it done before I breathe my last.". Tywin said.
"So what do you intend with me?" she asked.
"Spend the day with me, see what being Hand is like, then a day or so a week, two days, then three and so on. Whenever it is that Daemon is ready to take the throne or even if you feel ready to be your father's Hand before then, let us work together to see that day comes sooner rather than later?." Tywin said.
"Very well Tywin, I accept, so what's on our agenda for today?" she asked and heard the little chuckle that came from him as he handed her another piece of paper.
"The wedding." she said as she began to laugh a little too.
They ate lunch together, discussed Stannis even further trying to figure out what role they wished to offer him on the small council. With Varys gone they needed a new Master of Whisperers but both of them agreed that this was not the job for Stannis, Master's of Coin, Laws, and Ships were already taken and Hand was not an option. Tywin suggested a Master of War position and she found herself agreeing and disagreeing.
"While Stannis is not as disloyal as Jon Connington would have had us believe, I don't know if it's wise to put him in a position over our armies or how we may structure them." she said and Tywin nodded.
"We may need someone to take that role anyway if Daemon is right." he said and she couldn't disagree.
"Perhaps we need to discuss this with others Tywin, with Daemon and my grandmother, my mother and father?" she asked.
"While that's usually a good idea and when you and your brother are working hand in hand it will be something that occurs all the time, on this I think we need to have the solution at hand. Something to present rather than look for others to help us find it." Tywin said and she looked at him.
"Master of the People." she said and he narrowed his eyes and then bid her continue "We have him in charge of making the lives of the Smallfolk better, seeing to their needs, improving their lots, building in Flea Bottom and working with the faith."
"The faith?" he asked.
"Both of them, all of them." she said and Tywin nodded.
"It gives him a voice at the table and it's something long overdue, it can be long term or temporary if another position or candidate came up, I like it. We'll meet him together on the morrow." Tywin said and she smiled as she agreed.
Walking to dinner that night she found she had enjoyed the day, they'd spoken of finances and dispersing of coin, she found that despite Daemon refusing a dowry Tywin had paid one into the crown, or would as soon as the marriage took place. A Lannister paying their debts he had put it as and she had laughed for the first time upon hearing that.
More than anything though she felt she had accomplished something, earned Tywin's respect and learned things about him she had not known. Daemon marrying his granddaughter had made Tywin more loyal than anyone could ever have imagined, she wondered if it would have always been that way. Had it ended up being fortuitous that Tywin and the Lannisters were given the cold shoulder and had bringing them back in from the cold been the smartest and luckiest thing they'd ever done.
Volantis 300 AC.
Oberyn.
Malaquo was a odd duck, the man loved warriors and war, planning them, speaking of them, taking part in them, reminiscing about them. Even Oberyn who loved martial pursuits grew bored of his stories and his constant need to see men spar and fight. Trips to fighting pits were a regular part of his stay and at times he would have preferred to be with a man who just visited brothels.
Their army was large though and Malaquo seemed to believe the portable scorpions they had would take down a dragon. The steel bolts fired at a tremendous pace did look impressive and they had built a large number of them. When he suggested they coated them with poisons though the man balked, saying that there was none that could actually harm a dragon, that they had tried and lost men because of it.
"I don't understand?" he asked.
"We snuck some men into the temple and poisoned the dragon's food. It ate it all with no effect and so we increased the doses, when the men went back Daemon and his men were waiting. I believe he fed them to the dragon but I cannot know for certain.". Malaquo said.
"Why didn't you just attack the temple, take him and his men?" he asked the man's hatred for the bastard was something he'd not gotten to the bottom of yet.
"You think we've not thought of that, it's not as easy as you think, my men will not harm those in the temple, most follow the Red God. True I could hire others but the faceless men won't accept a contract for Daemon, sellswords won't risk their lives against him or the Fiery Hand.".
"Surely some will?" he said.
"The Golden Company hate him, though we've only learned how much recently but I cannot bring them to Volantis, was the Red Temple to fall then this city would fall, no, we're not ready to take them on, not yet." Malaquo said.
Over the time he was there he learned a little more, there was a sellsword group led by a Daario Naharis who also feared little when it came to Daemon or the dragon, though they did fear the Fiery Hand. The bastard prince had made enemies in his time in Essos, some spread over a great distance, men in Meereen and men from Astapor who lived there no more, from Yunkai and Norvos, Pentos and as far away as Yi Ti.
How he had managed to stay alive for so long Oberyn didn't understand, his only thought being that the distances involved had led to these enemies not knowing of each other. It was near the time when he was getting to leave that Malaquo came to him and told him the full extent of what he was offering, Oberyn finding the offer to be an interesting and exciting one, but one he couldn't accept alone.
"We intend to see the prince dead, any who stand with him dead, my army, the Golden Company, and some others are willing to join together to bring him down, the only question is where it should be done?".
"Essos?" he said and Malaquo nodded.
"If you can get him here then here it would be, but I fear this war won't happen on my shores." Malaquo said his voice full of sadness.
"What did he do to you?" he asked and once again was refused an answer.
"If war was to come to Westeros, if Daemon had an army to stand against us, more than his unsullied or the Red Priests, will Dorne join us against him?" Malaquo asked.
"I wish him dead, my brother wishes him dead, we seek another on the throne and fear we are to be denied and that it is Daemon who will be crowned, should that come to pass then we will seek allies to remove him." Oberyn said.
"Then allies we will be." Malquo said.
"I must speak to my brother before any formal alliance can be declared." he said and Malaquo nodded.
"For now informality is our friend Prince Oberyn." Malaquo said.
The night before he was leaving he couldn't sleep, going out into the gardens to enjoy the crisp air and to look forward to returning to see his family again. He was standing there silently when he heard the whispers of the voice carrying in the air. Quickly and quietly he moved towards it, finding Malaquo standing in a quiet alcove speaking to what to Oberyn looked to be the wall.
"Soon he will pay my love, soon he will suffer for what he did to you, for what he cost me." Malaquo said his voice soft and almost at breaking point.
Oberyn waited until he moved away and then moved to the alcove. Inside it, there were candles and a small table, and above it a framed picture. The woman had dark hair and dark eyes, she was beautiful and young, no more than two and ten or three and ten. He leaned forward and saw the writing covered in dust, moving his hand he wiped it clean so he could read it.
" Talisa Maegyr, beloved daughter of Malaquo and Arlaxa Maegyr, taken from the world far too soon.".
Leaving the next day he headed to the ship and felt far better about things, his doubts about whether or not Malaquo was a man to be trusted soon fading away. Daemon was responsible for the death of the man's daughter and as a father himself Oberyn knew what he would do to such a man. The Tigers would be a great ally if there was a war to come and with their help, he would see the bastard dead.
Kings Landing 300 AC.
Rhaegar.
With the preparations for the wedding he almost wished he could put off what he needed to do, but he knew he could not. He then worried that Daemon wouldn't come and speak to him and then that he would and it'd devolve into another argument. It was after sitting with Aegon though that he knew it couldn't wait any longer, his son was broken and it would take time for him to ever be even close to being fixed.
Speaking to Elia he was stunned to find they had a grandchild and like his wife he cared not about the politics of what that meant, instead only feeling joy when he met the little girl. After meeting her and her mother, seeing Aegon with the girl, and learning more about her, his own failure with his children stood in stark contrast. For Aegon and Rhaenys he had been there for them but hadn't truly been a father and for Daemon it was so much worse.
"Arthur, I need you to speak to Daemon for me, to ask him to come to see me." he said as they walked the halls.
"Why?" Arthur asked and Rhaegar forced down a sigh, he and his old friend still not seeing eye to eye.
"We need to talk, both of us, clear the air at least enough so we can work together." he said.
"Perhaps it's best to wait until after the wedding?" Arthur said.
"It is and a part of me wishes to do so, but it needs to be before the wedding." he said and Arthur nodded.
Arthur walked with him to his solar and then left to head to Daemon's Manse, giving him plenty more time to sit and think about his past and more importantly about the future. He knew the decision he had made was the right one, not because he had made it but because he'd almost had it forced upon him. His daughter, his wife, his mother, Tywin, even Aegon had basically told him this was what he needed to do and deep down he knew it too.
He looked to the texts on his desk, the books, the notes, years of work and he could see where he had gone wrong with them. The jumps he had made were of his own volition, Aemon had helped and made some of those same jumps also and it was clear now why they had done so. Instead of simply concentrating on the prophecies and texts in front of them, they had both tried to apply what their family's position in those texts was.
Looking at them and seeing Azor Ahai, the Prince that was Promised, Lightbringer, seeing all the words circled he shook his head, had they just kept to that then he'd have figured it out. Instead, he, Aemon, and others had tried to make the Targaryen family the key, their own words becoming jumbled up amidst the prophecy. Nowhere did it say the dragon must have three heads and nowhere did it suggest that he needed a Visenya. Yet that was where his mind had gone, Aegon becoming the promised prince and needing a Rhaenys and a Visenya to complete the three heads of the dragon.
"Your grace, prince Daemon." Arthur said as he nodded and Daemon walked in, his son looking far more relaxed and content than he had been when last they spoke.
"Your grace." Daemon said and Rhaegar tried not to cringe.
"Daemon, please take a seat." he said and Daemon sat, Rhaegar seeing how he looked at him but happy that he sat comfortably and not stiffly "I wanted to thank you for Elia, my granddaughter, just having her here seems to have helped Aegon as much as anything I or even his mother has been able to do.".
"You are moving her here?" Daemon asked.
"You think we should not?" he asked looking to his son.
"I think it should be Aegon's decision, her mother's decision." Daemon said.
"She can have a better life here Daemon, be looked after better." he said and he knew as soon as he saw the narrowing of Daemon's eyes he'd said the wrong thing.
"Not everyone finds life at the Red Keep better." Daemon said but as he went to reply Daemon shook his head "You'll give her a name?".
"Elia wishes her to be given our name, you agree?".
"Again speak to her mother, to Aegon, grandmother too." he said and Rhaegar looked to him.
"Why your grandmother?" he asked wondering if they'd spoken of the politics of it.
"She better than any knows how to raise a child who's unwanted." Daemon said and Rhaegar cringed once again.
"Elia is.." he began and saw his son stare at him.
"Not me. But I didn't mean it like that, you're going to call her a Targaryen and to some, she'll be known as a Blackfrye. There will be those at court who will treat her as such, think of her as such and your will alone is not enough to stop it. There will be people who seek to use her also, to take advantage of her being Aegon's child, this is what you're bringing her into, are you sure that's what's best for her?." Daemon said staring at him as he spoke.
"I don't know, it seems as if we've not thought it through.".
"Then do so before you change that girl's life, know what your doing is for the best before you hurt her." Daemon said determinedly.
"I'll do as you say, Daemon, I..what I've called you here to speak on, it wasn't just that you're an uncle now." he said trying to make light of it.
"I know why I'm here." Daemon said.
"Do you? How?" he asked curiously.
"You think I don't understand the politics of coming back to King's Landing? That just because I left Westeros when I was nine namedays old I didn't spend years learning from my grandmother of how court, how the realm works?.".
"I know you did.".
"Good, then let's not pretend you don't." Daemon said stiffly.
"Daemon you are the crown prince now, in all but name you're the heir to the throne." he said speaking it aloud for the first time.
"You know this was the last thing I ever wanted, not because of the responsibility or the pressure of ruling, not even truly because I have my own duties to do, duties that don't allow me sit a damn throne." Daemon said his voice tight "I didn't want the crown because I didn't want to become like you." Daemon said and Rhaegar felt himself shrinking in the chair.
"Daemon I..".
"That crown, that throne it ruins people, sure those who sit in it have the freedom to make their own choices, they're not forced down a path. Still, it ruins people, Ser Barristan used to speak to me of the promise that grandfather showed, as a king, if not a man. Grandmother would speak to me of you, of what you had been like, and how much she hoped you'd not be your father's son." Daemon said and Rhaegar felt his throat go dry.
"I..I tried.".
"You failed, for seven and ten years you failed, not just me, you failed the crown, your grace." Daemon said.
"I lost myself Daemon, after your mother died I lost myself and I don't think I ever truly came back. Since you returned though I feel closer to what I was but I learned something about myself as well Daemon, a final lesson if you will." he said.
"What lesson?" Daemon asked.
"That my time is done." he said softly.
Daemon looked at him for a long time, or at least it felt that way. The two of them sitting silently just looking at each other. Yet despite the uncomfortable nature that silence usually had, for Rhaegar this was perhaps the happiest time he'd spent with his son since his return.
"What do you want me to do, your grace?" Daemon asked.
"The night of the wedding feast in front of the court I will name you officially as heir. I'll have Marwyn send word to the Realm that you are the crown prince and future king. Once Oberyn returns I'll inform the small council of my abdication and you'll be crowned king." he said and saw the shocked look on Daemon's face.
"Your grace?".
"We cannot work together son, as much as it pains me to say it, we both know it's true. Too much has happened between us, the things I've done..the things I've failed to do, too much has happened." he said sadly.
"You cannot step down." Daemon said.
"My time is done Daemon, I not only don't have the energy to right the wrongs of my reign but I also don't have the inclination. You're right about Elia, but it's not just her, it's Aegon too and now they need me more than the realm does. Elia wishes to spend time with our grandchild and with our son, as do I. I cannot fix the realm Daemon, maybe I can at least try and fix my family.".
"I have things to do your grace, places to go, I don't get to choose when or where the fight comes, only that I must lead that fight.".
"Which you can do better as a king than a prince. I know of the fight to come Daemon, the prophecy is clear to me now, it's you, it was always you, your mother knew that even when I did not." he said with a small smile as he thought of her.
"A king can't abandon his crown, Your Grace, you stepping down is one thing, if I then am forced to go to Essos, go beyond the wall and believe me I will be, then who rules in my stead, in your stead?." Daemon asked.
"You named your sister as Hand, you'll soon have a wife, a queen, you'll pick a council and your grandmother will be here. You're smart enough to figure it out Daemon. When you're crowned we'll move to Summerhall." he said.
"It's finished?" Daemon asked.
"Close enough, the rest can be done once we're there." he said.
Once again there was silence between them before Daemon stood up and walked to the window and looked out, just staring at the sky and not speaking for some time.
"You should travel to Winterfell." Daemon said after a few moments.
"I will, you saw her?" he asked.
"She's with her family, I..I..left a winter rose in her hands." Daemon said his voice almost cracking.
"She loved them so." Rhaegar said remembering the crown.
"Did you love her?".
"I still love her, I'll always love her and when I die I'll have to go to her and know she'll not allow me to share the afterlife with her, not wish to see me or speak to me and I'll have to face her wrath." he said his own voice full of the despair he felt.
"You won't…" was all Daemon said as he moved to the door, looking back at him before he walked out, hesitating but then walking from the room.
He sat back in his chair and felt the weight he'd carried all his life suddenly get lighter, the pressure of who he was supposed to be finally relieving some. The silver prince, the hope for the future, husband, father, king, savior, he had turned out to be lesser in each of these regards than he ever thought he could be.
The legacy he had hoped to leave behind him would be forged by a better man than he and he supposed that was the best he could truly have wished for. For the son to be a better man than the father, the true curse of the Targaryen family was that it seemed to need that to happen way too many times.
Kings Landing 300 AC.
Rhaella.
She read the letter again and then handed it to Bon who read it too, her knight looking to her once he'd finished doing so. Rhaella had to give it to her son, this was not what she expected and yet was perhaps the one thing he could do to make things right. For years she had planned while not a coup, certainly the potential for one. Between them, she and Bon had made plans, formed alliances, and had built up the support to place her grandson on the throne.
They had not wished for war but had prepared for it, only for fate to step in and throw all their plans in the air. Daemon's disappearance had meant that they had no king to crown and Rhaella hadn't cared enough to do much once he'd gone. Instead, Bon had kept the alliances straight and prepared just in case they were needed, he was also the one who had forged even further ones in her name.
One of them would soon be coming to visit her and she wondered how much she could say to Stannis of what was soon to happen. While she couldn't tell him that Daemon wasn't just to be named Crown Prince but would also soon be named as King, she needed to ensure that his loyalty was to her grandson and no one else.
"Should I burn this?" Bon asked and she nodded watching as he held the letter up to the candle.
"I did not expect it so soon." she said once the letter was gone.
"Nor I, but it's for the best." Bon said.
"It is, we may need to stay here longer Bon." she said knowing that he like she did preferred Dragonstone.
"We stay for as long as is needed my queen." Bon said and she leaned in to kiss his cheek.
"Stannis?" she asked.
"I'd have preferred if Tywin had waited, it would have been better coming from Daemon but Ser Davos has helped us out.".
"He has?" she asked not sure how.
"He and Stannis are old friends, finding out that Davos serves Daemon and that the changes he sees in King's Landing are due to Daemon's priests. Stannis is a clever man, he'll see that Daemon marrying Myrcella and him suddenly being brought back into the fold are no mere coincidences." Bon said with a smirk.
"Good.".
It wasn't Stannis who arrived first though, instead, it was Daemon and when he arrived back at the Manse he came straight to her. Rhaella while expecting it was surprised all the same by just how quick the meeting had been, she'd expected them to spend more time together, had hoped they'd speak on other matters. Daemon though was in no place to forgive his father just yet and she wondered if he ever would be.
"You knew?" he asked when he looked at her.
"Only after you'd gone, Ser Arthur gave me a letter from your father.".
"I..I have things to do grandmother, places to go, places where only I can go, if I'm the king and I just fly off on Lyanax, I don't… I can't say when I'll come back.".
"What did your father say when you told him this?.".
"That I'd have Rhaenys, Myrcella, a small council, that I'd have you." Daemon said.
"And you will, I know this may not seem like a good thing Daemon, you see it as you being shackled to the throne, but you will be king, you decide what kind of king you are." she said.
"An absentee one it seems." he said and she went to reassure him only to see him chuckle.
"Have you decided on your council?" she asked.
"I don't think we should change much." he said.
"Why not?" Bon asked.
"We remove any and we look like we're punishing people, I'd not have Lord Mace but as Master of Coin he's competent enough, but I remove him and risk annoying the Reach." he said and Rhaella smiled.
"Good you listened." she said.
"Always." he said with a small nod.
"You need a new Master of Whisperers." Bon said.
"I know, I'd have asked you to do it Bon." Daemon said but held his hand up when Bon went to speak "But I'd not put you in the position of having to turn me down." Daemon said with a small laugh.
"I thank you for it Daemon." Bon said.
"Do you have anyone else in mind?" she asked ready to make her own suggestion.
"Thoros." he said and she looked at him about to raise an objection only for Bon to speak first.
"An excellent choice, of all your council, the Hand and Master of Whisperers must be your's Damon, your choices, the people that you can trust completely." Bon said and she found herself agreeing.
"Will you stay for a while, here with me?" Daemon asked softly looking to her nervously.
"I'm here for as long as you need me Daemon." she said and he walked over and hugged her holding her tightly.
"Thank you grandmother, for everything, thank you." he said and she rubbed his back as she tried to compose herself.
"We'll speak later, now go, you've got an outfit to be fitted for I believe." she said as he kissed her cheek and turned to walk from the room.
She sat down beside Bon who poured her a glass of wine, she had barely a chance to sip it more than once when Stannis arrived, one of Daemon's guards leading him into the room when she gave him the nod.
"Lord Stannis, it's good to see you again." she said with a smile.
"You two my queen, Ser Bonifer.".
"Lord Stannis.".
"I had hoped to meet your grandson, my queen." Stannis said as he took the offered seat.
"Daemon is unfortunately quite busy with preparations for the wedding." she said and Stannis nodded "You've been informed of some of the changes that are coming Lord Stannis?".
"Some yes, others not so much, I've been invited to meet with the Hand this afternoon.".
"Where you will be told that the restrictions on you as Lord Paramount will be relaxed and will then be offered a place in the small council." Rhaella said and watched as Stannis looked to her and then smiled.
"Because of your grandson?" He asked.
"In a way yes, as I said Lord Stannis there are changes coming, I hope you'll be part of those changes?".
"As do I my queen." Stannis said.
They spoke of his family and he told them that his daughter and son were with Ser Davos, the knight showing them around King's Landing, he thanked her for sending some of the unsullied with them. Though it was Ser Davos and not her who had done so and they spoke then on Daemon. By the time he'd left she was even more thankful for Ser Davos, the knight doing an even better job of selling her grandson than she would have.
"You think he'll be loyal?" she asked Bon as she got up from the desk.
"Stannis was ever loyal, that's what the Griffin never understood, Daemon will have no lealer man than he." Bon said.
"This only leaves the snakes Bon, all the others are in line, we're left with the snakes." she said and he nodded the two of them walking from the room.
She wasn't sure how to deal with Dorne, logically she could reach out to Arianne and try and appeal to the girl's wishes for the future, to her ambition. Doran was a lost cause and Oberyn would do something stupid before long. Arianne would be the next ruler of Dorne and despite her pitiful attempt at coming to King's Landing to be with her grandson, logically she was the best hope.
The problem was that she thought as her father did, her uncle did, believed that Dorne somehow was more than they were. That they could dictate terms and the crown would give them what they wanted, they could threaten and the crown would fold. Daemon wasn't his father though, he owed nothing to the Dornish and they'd yet to realize that fact. No, she thought it was not the right time to reach out to Dorne and they may need to be thought a lesson first.
Qarth 300 AC.
Daario Naharis.
Travel had been long and hard, by boat, horse, ship, all the while carrying what he knew was precious, valuable, cargo. He had met up with more of his men once he'd left the boat on the Rhoyne and traveled fast to Myr. The ship already waiting there for him and only when they were past Volantis did he relax. From there to Qarth took over a moon and a half and each night he would look at the jar and wonder did blood spoil?.
The thoughts of that would keep him up some nights, that he was carrying something that in the end would prove useless. That when he arrived in Qarth they'd see it as useless and he'd then be held responsible for it. Daario knew what happened to those who'd failed, chaos was a ladder and as long as you were climbing you were in control. Should you stop, hesitate, you'd soon find yourself pushed from it, so climb you must but should you reach too far, too high, you'd find yourself falling just as easily.
He was aiming for the rungs way above him and so had taken big risks, the evidence of just how big was clear in Qohor. For Daario though the risk almost at times outweighed the reward, the challenge meaning more than the prize. It was what he lived for, that and a lady he'd not yet tasted, someone he wished for and hadn't had the chance to sample.
" She told you no Naharis." a voice called out in his head and he felt his anger rise.
Standing on the deck as they pulled into the harbor he could see the pale man waiting, his bald head and jewel crusted nose clear even from a distance. Xaro Xhoan Daxos, spice merchant, benefactor, and boy lover, a man who thought that he could use Daaario so he could rise high. Daario smiled and looked at the man and readied this Myrish stiletto just in case.
He walked down the gangplank carrying the chest and looked to the merchant, the man's eyes looking to the chest instead of to his own. When he did look at him the smile on Xaro's face was as false as the courtesy with which he spoke, Daario though played along as he always did.
"You were successful my friend?" Xaro asked.
"I was. Our other friends not so much." he said with a laugh.
"Hoat was a fool, he should have performed the ceremony as soon as you brought him the boy." Xaro said dismissively.
"Or I should have brought him here." Daario said.
"No, we could not risk a dragon in Qarth, to see the greatest city that is or ever was, burn, no, we could not." Xaro said shocked that he would suggest such a thing.
"No matter, what is done is done, we should meet with the others." Daario said and Xaro smiled as he led them back to his palace.
Arriving at it Daario again shook his head at the opulence of the place, one room's worth of the treasures within would set a man up for life. Though compared to the Pureborn even Xaro was no more than a peasant. He saw him then as he moved through the halls, the warlock flickering from one form to another. His eyes on him and the chest he carried but mainly on Xaro.
"Your men, they are tired and in need of refreshment, Alplex, see that Daario's men are entertained." Xaro said and a small slim boy wearing almost see-through silks moved forward and bid his men follow.
Daario watched as Xaro stared at the boy's bare buttocks, the robe allowing an almost unhindered view, he tried not to laugh when the man caught him looking at him, instead just nodding letting him know that he had seen.
"You seek no entertainment yourself Daario?" Xaro asked.
"I don't for now, had Hoat not then I would not have needed to come." he said and watched as Xaro opened the chest.
Taking the jar out the merchant held it up to the light and smiled before putting it back into the chest. He clapped his hands and food and drink were brought and as the dishes were laid out in front of him, Daario noticed the warlock once again, this time shaking his head when he went to eat.
"I find I've no appetite, when are the others arriving?" he asked and Xaro tried his best to school his expression though his annoyance was clear.
"Tonight my friend, but you should eat, drink, we have hours until then.".
"I'll eat once our business is concluded." he said and Xaro nodded.
When he saw him stagger into the room he moved fast, his man not even needing to tell him what had happened. His lady was in his hand in moments and in Xaro's neck within the blink of an eye, the gurgled sound only increasing when he removed her and Xaro breathed his last. A shrill scream from the young boy from earlier was his warning as he ran for him and his lady did her work yet again, the throw catching the boy square in his chest.
"This way." Pyat Pree said when he discarded his disguise.
"I thank you for the warning." he said with a nod as he took his lady from the boy's chest "You wont need that." he said a moment later when Pyat Pree moved to the chest beside Xaro.
"The blood?" the warlock asked.
"Is not in there." he said and saw the blue-lipped man smile as he led him down through a passage behind the room.
He was taken to the House of the Undying and found the other warlocks waiting, alongside men he didn't know, Pureborn, men of the Thirteen, men from further away than Qarth.
"Does he have it?" one of them asked and Pyat Pree looked to him.
"I have it." he said taking the jar from his pants.
"Xaro?" one of the others asked.
"Reached too high and tried to use it for himself." Pyat Pree said and Daario nodded.
"He had sought to cut you out Naharis, take the reward for himself but our god has use for a man such as you, more use than he has for one such as he." a slim man said and Daario nodded, glad for the warlocks and more importantly the god's help.
He watched as they prepared an altar and then heard the screams as the girl was brought in, she was young, slim, and beautiful. Her silver hair and purple eyes showed her to be Lyseni and he dared not guess her age but knew she was no more than three and ten. He watched as she was stripped and tied to the altar, then as the blood in the jar was rubbed all over her soon covering almost every inch of what he could see of her.
"It's time, the blood is good." Pyat Pree said as he was handed a knife.
"We make you this offering, blood, and innocence." one of the men said.
"Blood and innocence." the others and even Daario said loudly.
The knife moved slowly and was pressed rather than plunged into the girl's heart, her screams now of pain rather than fear. Time seemed to stand still as she took her last breaths and he watched as the knife was pulled out. Her blood quickly spilled out from the wound and soon the altar was covered in it, the blood on her skin mingling with the blood from her heart.
"Did it work?" one of the voices said.
"I don't know." another said.
The room suddenly grew cold and he began to shiver, his breaths clear to him each time he exhaled. He looked to the altar and watched as it began to be covered in something and each of the men stepped back. He heard the voice in his head, the calling and he took his lady and stepped forward moving closer to the altar.
"Set me free." the voice called and he plunged his stiletto into the covered altar.
He had never seen snow, or ice and so had no words for what it was that had formed a block around the altar, no explanation as to why he could see the girl's body through it. As his lady hit it though it exploded and he felt the power knock him and everyone in the room to the ground. When he got up the altar was gone, the girl was gone and the ground was covered in water and he had no idea what had just happened.
"Did it work?" a voice cried out.
"It worked." he said and yet he had no idea why he did so.
Kings Landing 300 AC.
Myrcella.
She stood in front of the looking glass, the dress she wore was perfect, the dressmaker having made every alteration she had asked for. Her hair was tied up and on her neck, she wore a ruby necklace, while not quite the same as the one Melisandre wore it was a decent copy. Her mother stood behind her with a large smile on her face, her own dress crimson and gold.
"Are you ready my love?" her mother asked and she turned and nodded.
They walked from her room and down the hall, meeting her uncles, grandfather, and brother who were waiting for them. Both her uncles smiling while her grandfather showed his approval with a nod. Tommen gave her a wide-eyed look before he too gave her a smile. All four of them were dressed identically and as they all walked out into the courtyard she wondered what they looked like to other people, what impression they were sending.
The carriages were many and the procession to the Dragonpit was one that to her seemed to take forever. Outside she could hear people cheer, her name, Daemon's name, the Lannister, and Targaryen words. She wondered if her grandfather had arranged it or if the Red Priests had, but she hoped that it was the people themselves who'd decided to do it.
Outside the Dragonpit she saw the sheer number of carriages and horses, they seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, wrapping themselves almost completely around the walls. Her mother, brother and uncles said their goodbyes and left her alone with her grandfather and their guards, Myrcella smiling at him when he offered her his arm.
"I am so proud of you Myrcella, so happy for you, I know your grandmother would be to." her grandfather said softly.
"Thank you grandfather, for everything." she said and he leaned in and kissed her cheek, the first time in years he'd done so.
Taking his arm they walked into the Dragonpit itself, night was falling and the sight she saw when she entered took her breath away. It was full to its capacity, seats had been laid out and she was glad to see that it wasn't just the Lords and Ladies who'd come. The Smallfolk too had come in their thousands to see her wed and as she looked at them she was stunned to see they all held some sort of flame in their hands, looking closer she saw they were lanterns of some kind.
Some of the Lord's and Ladies held more elaborate ones and as she looked she saw a line of Daemon's people holding even more. A line that led to where Daemon himself was standing waiting for her with Thoros and Melisandre. Her grandfather led her up through the line and she saw the people more clearly. Men and women stood either side of her, the flame they held in their hands only in some cases covered. She caught her breath when she saw the red priests and priestess held an open flame in their palms, the others holding lanterns like everyone else.
When she reached the top she looked to see Daemon smiling warmly at her, her husband to be was dressed far better than she had ever seen him. Black and Red, his swords at his hips instead of his back, the three-headed dragon clearly shown. Her grandfather took his hand from hers and kissed her cheek once more before turning to go take his seat with the rest of her family.
"Your graces, My Lords and Ladies, men and women of Westeros, we've come to witness the union of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Lady Myrcella Lannister, to see them brought together in the lord's light." Melisandre said loudly and Myrcella felt her heart beat faster.
King's Landing 300 AC.
Daemon.
His grandmother had almost wept when she saw him, only the hug he gave her and Ser Bonifer's arms stopping her from crying. Ser Davos, Grey Worm, Melisandre, and Thoros had all looked at him with varying degrees of emotion. Daemon's own were simple, he was happy, more so than he could ever remember he was happy. They rode to the Dragonpit, he, Thoros, Davos, and Grey Worm, while the others rode in the carriages.
When he got there he saw the crowds and just what an incredible job Melisandre had done, the pit looked aflame, the little lanterns people held in their hands making it seem as if everyone carried fire. By the time he got to where he was to stand he saw the priests and priestess, they and the rest of the people who had followed him to Westeros formed an honor guard of sorts. With a nod from Thoros the flames lit up, the lanterns alight in the hands of those who held them, the flames bare in the priests and priestesses.
He looked to see his family looking on, the king and queen, his sister and brother, his uncle and aunt, and his grandmother all sitting together. Aegon looking both happy and sad as their eyes met, looking around more he saw his other uncle and the Northmen, each of them seeming happy to be there. Then he heard a gasp and turned to see Myrcella and her grandfather as they walked towards him and all else in the Dragonpit soon faded away.
She looked even more beautiful than ever, her white dress fitted her perfectly and as he looked closer her could see patterns in it, lions, dragons, and a white wolf with red eyes. Seeing the impression of the wolf on her dress almost forced him to look to see where Ghost was, though he knew the wolf was nearby watching. His heart was in his mouth when she reached him, so much so that he barely noticed when her grandfather walked away. He only came back to himself when he took her hands in his and Melisandre began to speak.
"We are fashioned for love, so much so that we seek for ourselves that side of us that is missing. Some of us spend years trying to find that which will make us whole, others are luckier and find them far more quickly, and once they do then even the gods look on with joy. R'hllor is joyful today, happy that we are to witness his chosen make his own choice." Melisandre said.
"Love is fire, it burns within us, the flame that burns brighter than all others in this world. It may start off as a spark but if we are lucky, if we are truly blessed, then it will burn like a raging inferno." Thoros said.
"Prince Daemon, does the fire burn bright?" Melisandre asked.
"It does." he said looking at Myrcella who's smile beamed as she looked to him.
"Lady Myrcella does the fire burn bright?" Thoros asked and Daemon held his breath.
"It does.".
"You have heard it from their own lips, the fire is bright, the love is strong and together their flame will never be extinguished." Melisandre said.
"Are you ready to test your flame, to see if the love you feel for each other is worthy, to see if R'hllor blesses this union?" Thoros asked.
"I am." Daemon said.
"I am." Myrcella said almost at the same time.
Thoros took Myrcella's hand and Melisandre his walking them to the empty space, once there they placed Myrcella's hand in his and he felt her grip him tightly.
"The fire will decide." Melisandre said and he watched as Thoros raised his hand and the ground lit up.
For more than ten feet in front of him, the ground was aflame, the fire's heat reaching them and their path blocked by it and he felt Myrcella grip his hand even more tightly. Turning to her he leaned in and whispered that he loved her in her ear then moving back he looked into her eyes.
"Do you trust me?" he asked.
"I do." she said without hesitation.
"Do you think I'd see you harmed?" he asked and she shook her head.
"No.".
"My god has given me his favor Cella and I gave you mine just as freely." he said and kissed her softly before moving closer to the flames.
The gasp which came from the crowd was loud, the shouts from his family and from Myrcella's even louder but they were too late. He and Myrcella had stepped into the fire and as he held her hand they began to walk. Daemon watched as she moved her free hand looking at it as the flames licked it, as she looked at her dress be covered in fire and yet not burn. By the time they were halfway through the flames she was smiling and when they reached the end and stepped out she was kissing him.
Whatever noises the crowd was making were lost to him, whether they cheered, sang out in relief, or were silent and stunned he had no idea. The world to him had shrunk, it had become her arms around him, her lips on his, her tongue in his mouth and thoughts of what the rest of the night would bring. When they stopped kissing he stood looking into her eyes and heard the roar and then Lyanax landed close by.
"R'hllor has spoken, the love these two share is true and good. Let any man who dares to try come between them know this, fire burns and our god is the god of fire." Thoros said loudly.
"To Prince Daemon and Princess Myrcella." Melisandre said and the crowd cheered loudly.
Daemon though walked with her to Lyanax, looking at her he saw her nod as he helped her climb onto the dragon's back. Once she was comfortably sitting in front of him he leaned in and kissed her once more and then with his arms around her holding her tight he spoke to his dragon.
"Sōvegon." he said as Lyanax took to the air.