Chapter 44: -Chapter 41-
-Chapter 41-
-POV Rhaenyra Targaryen-
"How could you make me look like a fool in front of the entire nobility of the realm?" I said, glaring furiously at Harwin, who didn't dare meet my eyes.
"I tried..."
"You tried, you dare say you tried!" I said, laughing nervously.
"YOU LET ME DIG MY OWN GRAVE IN FRONT OF EVERYONE BEFORE YOU SEALED IT YOURSELF!" I screamed, throwing a glass near his face, purposely missing despite my anger.
I calmed down when I heard commotion at the door of my chambers. I listened closely and heard Ser Erryk Cargyll arguing with someone.
"These are the Princess's chambers, you cannot enter," he said.
"And what will you do to stop me?" replied the intruder, throwing open the doors of my chambers.
"It's fine," I told Ser Erryk, who was about to put his hand on my uncle.
"What do you want, Daemon?" I asked, staring at him.
Daemon smiled softly and said, "I need to talk to you. Make your pet leave."
"I am the Princess's champion," Harwin said, frowning.
'Men and their ego contests,' I thought.
"Leave," I said, not wanting to deal with this absurd cockfight.
I noticed the hurt look on Harwin's face, but he said nothing and left, his expression hard and sullen.
"What do you want?" I asked Daemon.
"Is that how you speak to the only person who still wants to see you on that cursed throne?" he said, smiling almost mockingly.
"You are far from the last person to support me," I said.
"But I am certainly the last person who can reason with Aemon and bring him to your side," he said.
I smiled softly, realizing I had been handling him wrong, and said in a discouraged tone:
"I find your words utterly ridiculous, but I imagine you have something in mind, or you wouldn't have come here."
"I'm glad you can still see reason," Daemon said, sitting down and picking up a cup he had taken earlier.
I grabbed the wine jug on the table and poured him some, satisfying his ego. Once served, he didn't rush to explain his thoughts and simply savored the wine.
"The way you pour the wine adds to its flavor," he said, clearly trying to provoke me.
Seeing that I wasn't reacting, he rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp before placing the silver cup down loudly.
"Alright, what you want is to sit on the Iron Throne as Queen. The best way to do that without opposition would've been to abandon that sword-swallowing Velaryon."
"Laenor is not…"
"Don't even try to defend him; you don't believe it yourself. Plenty of people know about his nature, and believe me when I say Aemon knows too. He won't hesitate to use it when the time comes, because he won't be afraid to do it openly. Viserys is weak, and Aemon knows that perfectly well," Daemon said, irritated by my attempt to lie.
"You're talking about your king," I said, angry at the casualness with which Daemon spoke about my father.
'His own brother…'
"You think I've never told him that?" Daemon said, smiling.
A brief silence fell between us before he broke it without hesitation, saying:
"Let's put aside my brother's weakness. Aemon is the key piece that could tip the realm toward the children of that Hightower whore."
'He has no limits,' I thought, hearing him speak like that about the… queen.
"I didn't know the boy he was, but I know the young man he is now, and I know there's only one thing he cares about: profit. A secure, risk-free profit that you'll offer him by abandoning that Arryn wench, who doesn't have a single drop of our blood," Daemon said in a tone I didn't like.
'The tone of someone giving orders to a servant.'
I contained my anger and said through gritted teeth:
"If I abandon Jeyne, I expose myself to everyone's blades."
"You're already the target of everyone. You've toured several of the Seven Kingdoms and insulted the heirs of these noble houses. That may have been your right, but rest assured, they will remember. They might not wear green yet, but that won't last long," he said.
"You seem to forget that I have the Velaryons on my side, uncle," I said.
"The Velaryons…" Daemon said, chuckling, "…There are no more Velaryons, Rhaenyra, don't you see? After this tournament, no Velaryon will have a dragon. Laena will take her husband's name, and Laenor will be under your thumb."
"Corlys, in trying to place his blood on the throne, has lost his advantage."
I widened my eyes, realizing I had foolishly assumed that Laenor and Laena would always listen to their parents. I had completely forgotten that Corlys had just handed over the keys to the kingdom.
'To me, but also to Aemon,' I thought.
'Even though we each have two dragons, Aemon still has an overwhelming advantage, even more than before, because we won't be able to stand against Urrax and Vhagar in a war. Syrax is far too young, as is Seasmoke,' I thought.
"Very well, arrange a meeting between us. If Aemon can meet my demands, I'll do the same."
Daemon smiled, truly pleased with our exchange, and said:
"I'm glad you've finally realized who your true family is."
That realization was the final push for me to seek an alliance with Aemon, but…
"You still have to convince Aemon of the same," I said.
"Who says that isn't already done?"
Seeing that I didn't understand what he was implying, Daemon smiled and stood up to leave, saying:
"We'll be waiting for you at the White Worm's brothel at the hour of the wolf."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Ghostrider0002
Ghostrider0002 My Patreon is : patreon.com/Ghostrider0002
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone