Capítulo 41: Aenar's Answer
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Chapter 42 (You Will Doom Us All), Chapter 43 (The First Cry of War), Chapter 44 (Revenge is a dish best served Cold), Chapter 45 (Dragons and Snakes), Chapter 46 ('You are not Loved'), Chapter 47 (Rhaenyra's Rage), Chapter 48 (Spread your Wings), Chapter 49 (A Falling Dragon), Chapter 50 (Even Eyes Can Lie), Chapter 51 (A Crying Dragon), Chapter 52 (Tears of a Dragon), Chapter 53 (I Wish We Had More Time), Chapter 54 (The Bitter Harvest), Chapter 55 (Red Vipers, White Lies), Chapter 56 (Purple Eyes, Dark Crown), Chapter 57 (Learning to Dance with Storms), and Chapter 58 (A Sister's Oath) are already available for Patrons.
'"Do not do anything stupid, Viserys. You will regret it." Daemon hissed with a hushed tone before walking past him. His eyes flickered at Lady Alicent, who wore a smile of triumph on her face as he walked past her, and he heard her close the door as he walked away.
Alicent turned to look at the King with a sad expression; he looked conflicted and exhausted.
"My King. I'm really sorry about what happened to Good Queen Aemma; she was a gentle and kind soul." Alicent comforted him with what sounded like a sincere voice as she leaned closer to the King, her eyes looking at his troubled eyes; he glanced at her before looking away from her, letting out a sigh, before crouching down, grabbing the wine bottle, the liquid inside moved around, as he shuffled towards the bed, Alicent wondered if he was already drunk, his lips were red with wine.
"Thank you for coming here, Alic." The King said, sounding grateful as he sat down on the edge of the bed with a weary sigh, his head slumped down as if it was too heavy for his neck to hold upwards.
Alicent felt her lips twitching upwards for a brief moment. She slowly approached him, but not too fast. She knew he trusted her and needed to be careful with what she said; one wrong word could result in everything she had worked for so long burning in ashes like Queen Aemma did yesterday at DragonStone.
"Always, my King. You know I'm your loyal servant, and I will always be there if you ever need me." Alicent said the words easily, without a moment of hesitation; it was as easy as breathing at this point. The King lifted up his face; for a moment, he looked young again. A smile formed on his lips, and Alicent knew she was succeeding in her mission.
"I told you before, call me Viserys when we are alone." He reminded her, and Alicent showed her first genuine smile today.
"Of course, my King-- I meant Viserys," Alicent spoke smoothly, her voice as soft as silk as she strode closer to him, now standing right before him. He seemed like he wanted her to sit on his lap, but she had other ideas on her mind.
"May I sit? I found this book in the library. I think you will like it," Alicent said, grabbing the book she held under her arm and showing it to him. He didn't seem very interested in the book; his eyes looked up at her in a way that Alicent had seen Aenar look at Lady Laena.
At the thought of the whore, Alicent's entire joy soured, just like that, but she reminded herself that she shouldn't show that to her face; her father had told her time and time again never to show her true emotions. Not even with him.
'In this game. There's no making mistakes, there only needs to be one, and your head will be on a spike before you can even blink.'
"A book, Alic?" Viserys asked as he tapped the place next to him for her to sit. She offered him a smile—a forced one—but a smile nonetheless—but she cared not as long as the King believed them.
"Yes, Viserys. A book about the Arm of Dorne." Alicent said, sounding excited as she sat right next to him. She felt the soft mattress under her; it was not her first time sitting on a Royal Bed.
"Ahh, the Arm of Dorne. I used to read about that when I was young. It's fascinating." Viserys said with a smile, reaching his eyes as he reached for the pitcher full of wine. Alicent reached for one cup for the King, but her smile faded slightly when he grabbed another one and handed it to her. Not looking at her, she accepted the cup, wetting her lips with her tongue. She didn't like wine and could easily get drunk.
She felt the need to scratch her fingernails, but she stopped herself. The King would know, she reminded herself, as the King poured wine into her cup and his own. His arm slipped as he was pouring for himself, causing the bottle to slide further ahead from the cup's rim. Wine dripped into his fingers and onto the carpet below, darkening the red carpet.
Alicent noticed that some of the wine had fallen on the dragon figure below, now red like blood. The King cursed under his breath, but Alicent pulled a napkin she always kept with herself, wiping the wine from his hands and the cup; Viserys looked at her strangely again as she was wiping the wine for him.
"Better Viserys?" Alicent asked softly as she fully wiped the wine; he looked almost transfixed as he murmured.
"Much better."
For the following hour, they discussed the Arm of Dorne, a bridge that used to connect Westeros with Essos, but it was said the Children of the Forest used their magic to make the waves destroy it; Viserys told her that he used to read about the Age of Heros, and Alicent was there to listen to everything he wanted to say to her, often giving her own opinion, the smile never leaving her face, to the point that her cheeks started hurting. As Viserys drank more and more wine, eventually, Alicent didn't even need to pretend that she was drinking along with him. She moved the cup to her lips every now and then, the wine just brushing against her lips. It tasted sour to her.
Their conversation led to the Targaryen dynasty, and his mood soured once again. "I failed. I have no heir left, and no wife to give me a boy." Viserys stammered, his head slumped down to the side, almost resting on Alicent's shoulder; she wrinkled her nose slightly.
"Viserys, I heard from soldiers that Prince Aenar is now the heir to the Throne," Alicent said, her voice sounding shocked and hurt. The King seemed to be awake again. He chewed on his lower lip. She watched as blood dripped down from his lip, and his eyes darkened.
"I ha-have no ot-other choice." Viserys stammered some more as he reached out for the cup, but it was empty, and so was the pitcher; he looked down to see that it was shattered on the floor. Viserys couldn't remember it happening, but he felt relaxed when Alicent started caressing his hair, something Aemma used to do whenever he couldn't sleep.
"You do, your grace. You heard the way they called Aenar 'King.' Your wife was in pain and giving birth to the new Heir, and all they cared about was Aenar Targaryen." Alicent whispered smoothly, scooching closer to him, their knees touching and his head resting against the top of her arm.
Visery's eyes flashed with anger. His hand reached out and grabbed hold of her arm. She winced slightly as his fingers closed around her arm, forming red crescent marks on the pale skin.
"I can do nothing. My brother has won over me, and I know my daughter is counting the days until she marries Aenar, and he will be what his father always wanted to be." Viserys stammered more, his voice barely audible, but Alicent kept caressing his hair, a smile growing on her face.
"That's not true, your grace. You still have a daughter," Alicent reminded him. Visery's eyes widened, and he looked at her with a look of realization and gratitude. He forced himself to lean away from her shoulder before standing back up.
"I had a daughter from the very beginning, and this whole time I was chasing after a son when my daughter was right in front of me." Alicent's smile grew, knowing the plan with her father was working; all he needed was one more small push.
"I will name Rhaenyra heir to the Throne. She will be The Queen, not someone who doesn't have it in him to lead the country." Viserys said, but Alicent wasn't sure if he was talking to himself or her. She still stood up and patted his shoulder, turning his face around so he would look at her.
"Aenar can still become King through your daughter, and he cannot be trusted if he marries to someone that might one day desire the Throne like he does. You should marry him to someone you know you can trust, someone you know would never betray your family. Viserys." Alicent finished with a kiss on his cheek.
"Who--Who do you have in mind, Alicent?" A smile grew on her face.'
Now
Silence fell over the Hall. One could hear the others breathing. Aenar felt his blood boiling like the flames of Valyria. For a moment, he didn't want to believe what he was hearing, but what he had heard was confirmed when Laena let out a gasp of shock. Aenar was tempted to go there and comfort her and kiss her lips, but his mind was a mess.
His eyes flickered at Rhaenyra, and she looked broken; her expression had shattered, and she seemed like she wanted to strangle her own father. At that moment, Aenar was certain she had nothing to do with this; this wasn't part of her grand plan to take the Throne and marry him to the Hightowers.
Aenar wondered what the hell his Uncle was thinking. He would never marry the Hightower. No, that would never happen; he would rather go to the Wall than marry someone responsible for the Dragons' downfall and someone he didn't love.
Aenar felt like he was reliving his old life all over again, the same way Prince Oberyn and Arianne had betrayed their trust. She had pleaded that she hadn't known the wine was poisoned, but Aenar hadn't cared to listen; his first daughter with Daenerys, his Lyanna, was gone because of her; whatever or not Arianne had known mattered little; she was gone, and would never walk nor talk, and now, his Uncle Viserys, has betrayed his trust. He knew he was known as a weak King, but he had never thought he would go to such lengths over what some lords said during the Tourney, but the silence in the Hall was shattered when a certain lady strode towards him.
"Prince Aenar, I'm so happy to be your bride. I promise you to love you and give you many strong children, and beautiful daughters." Alicent's voice broke the silence as she slowly approached Aenar. Her face had never looked brighter, and he couldn't remember ever seeing her so happy, but he didn't return the smile, even as many ladies looked happy with what Alicent just said.
"WHAT!--" Laena's shout was silenced by her mother, who closed her mouth and quickly walked out outside with Laena, who tried to break free as Lord Corlys walked behind them. Laenor, who seemed confused by everything that happened, followed.
"Brother! I Will Not Allow it!" "Silence, Daemon." Queen Alysanne ordered firmly. Her eyes fixed on Viserys, who shifted uncomfortably on the Iron Throne; she quickly turned to face all the lords and ladies in the Hall.
"My Lord and Ladies. Can you all leave? I want to have a private discussion with my family and congratulate Princess Rhaenyra." Everyone knew she was ordering them, and Aenar knew how important it was not to show public hostility towards the King, especially in front of the Lord Paramounts of Westeros.
They all left one by one, but Alicent seemed like she wanted to stay. The Queen looked at her strangely while her father left without saying a word.
"Did you forget where the door is, my lady? Or do I need to call the guards to remind you where it is?" Queen Alysanne asked with a sweet smile, but the cold glare made Alicent flinch for a moment; her eyes flickered at Viserys, expecting him to say something in her defense, but he seemed busy looking back at Daemon to worry about her. Knowing she had no other choice, she turned her eyes and looked at Aenar, who looked at her blankly; how he looked at her hurt her, but she knew he would soon look at her the same way he looked at Laena.
"I hope we can have a cup of tea later, my Prince. Get to know each other." Alicent offered with a sweet smile as she leaned closer to peck his lips, but her lips only kissed his cheek as he turned his head at the last second.
"I think we can try that after we get to know each other." It took everything for Aenar not to show how much he wanted to tell her to get lost. Instead, he reminded himself that he was a prince, and as one, he spoke with courtesy.
Alicent's smile faded slightly, but she quickly turned on her heels, holding her face high, the moment the guards closed the door, and the members of House Targaryen were alone in the Throne Room.
"BROTHER! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!!" Daemon was the first to break the silence as he marched upstairs towards his brother. His hands turned into fists, and he was ready to punch his brother in the face. He would not let this slide, allowing his son to be married to someone much lower than them and for his Throne to be stolen. NO, NEVER.
"Daemon. I'm your King. I'm ordering you to stand DOWN!"
"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE. IN WHAT RIGHTS YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!!" Daemon shouted; his face had turned red as he walked up the stairs of the Iron Throne; he could not believe that his brother had betrayed him. He remembered what his grandfather had told him in his last days, making him promise that he would never be against Viserys and protect him, but Daemon would never choose Viserys over his son.
"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT DAEMON. I'M THE KING OF WESTEROS. YOU OBEY ME!!!"
"YOU ARE KING BECAUSE THOSE LORDS VOTED FOR YOU, BECAUSE ME AND AUNT GAEL HELPED YOU. LOOK HOW YOU REPAY US!!" Viserys opened his mouth to say something back when Daemon grabbed his brother by the throat and slammed his head against the back of the Throne.
Viserys choked, trying to break free, struggling against his grip. Daemon knew they were telling him to stop, but he couldn't care less. His Son. He had promised Lyanna he would be happy and never allow--"FATHER!!" As if a bolt of lightning had just struck him, Daemon let go of his brother's throat and turned around to see his son.
His son looked blank, but he knew he had lost control. Daemon sighed, closing his eyes. Reluctantly, he walked down the Throne's stairs as Rhaenyra rushed past him to check on Viserys. Daemon had promised himself that he would never be like this since Lyanna. He had promised himself that he would never act like the old one, the one who never cared what he did, and as he approached his son, he was ready to apologize.
"Aenar--" "Don't worry. Just don't do that again." Aenar said quietly with a gentle smile as he patted his father's shoulder. Daemon looked relieved, but the attention was quickly drawn back to Viserys, who was walking down the stairs with a fresh cut on his palm, rubbing the back of his head, and letting out whimpers of pain.
"Daemon, next time you do something like that, I will kick you out of this castle for a month." Queen Alysanne scolded her grandson, grinding her teeth and fixing him with a glare. Daemon reluctantly nodded, still feeling his blood boil from what his brother had just done.
Aenar had never heard his great-grandmother sound so furious, despite how well she had hidden her emotions; at this moment, she sounded furious with Viserys.
As her grandson reached the foot of the Throne with a little help from his daughter, she cleared her throat loud enough for everyone to fall silent; even the Hall itself kept its breath as she gave Viserys a cold glare; she had never imagined she would need to do something like this, a long time ago, Daemon had been the reckless and the fool who did whatever he wanted, while Viserys was the smarter one, she had never thought the roles would be reserved like this.
"Viserys, you just claimed that your daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, is the Heir to the Throne, while Daemon and Aenar Targaryen are still alive and well. Might I know what made you make this irrational decision?" Alysanne spoke with as much courtesy as she could, trying to keep her voice calm. She was a Queen, not some child.
"Irrational," Viserys drawled, sounding furious by her choice of words. "I'm the King here, and I decide who will be my Heir. I have nothing against my nephew." Daemon almost stepped forward; he seemed to want to punch him, but Aenar quickly got hold of his arm, stopping him from taking a step forward.
"But my daughter is my blood. I want her to sit in my Throne when I pass away. I want her to rule; it's my decision." Viserys answered, his voice echoing throughout the entire Hall. Alysanne understood what this was all about the moment he said those words.
"So you are doing this for Aemma." It took a moment for everyone to remember that Gael Targaryen was in the Hall with them as she stepped forward, looking at Viserys with both pity and anger; Viserys looked away from her.
"Aemma died giving birth to your son. The gods were cruel and took your son away too. and you want to make amends for what happened to her, you feel responsible--" "ENOUGH!!" Viserys shouted, not wanting them to talk about his wife. His aunt looked at him with disappointment before walking up to Aenar and standing beside him.
"Viserys, undo this right now. Do you really think my Lord Husband and me will accept this? Do you think the North will accept this. Aenar is Heir-" Gael gave Rhaenyra an apologetic look before continuing. "And not your daughter. Your daughter wasn't taught how to rule, Aenar is well liked in King's Landing. People like him. How do you think my husband will feel when his nephew's rightful place in the Throne is taken away like this. How do you think I feel?" Gael finished with a hint of threatening in her voice, and to add to that, her Dreamfyre let out a roar from the DragonPit.
Viserys seemed a bit frightened when he heard the dragon outside but quickly stifled it before putting on a brave face. "The Decision is already made. My daughter is Heir. What do you expect me to do, to just tell all of them that it was all a bad joke. No, it's not. I'm the King here. I decide who I want as Heir." Viserys stood his ground; Daemon snarled, ready to walk up to him and do what he needed to do.
"It's not like you can even call them without shaming all of us," Aenar spoke for the first time since this whole incident started, and everyone turned to face him.
Viserys looked at him strangely. "What?"
Aenar looked at him, annoyed as if he was talking with a child.
"You just announced in front of every lord Paramour of Westeros that Rhaenyra is the Heir. The news is already being spread like Wildfire as we speak right now. How do you think they all will react if tomorrow, you make another announcement that Rhaenyra is no longer Heir, but it was all just a bad joke? People will laugh at us. They will know that the House of The Dragon is not as united, and our enemies will try to use that to their advantage. And the King will not be feared." Aenar explained, glaring at his Uncle, making him step back; he quickly turned to face Nyra.
"But. I believe in Rhaenyra; she can become a Good Queen." Nyra's face lightened up as he said it, but he wasn't done yet. "But I'm not marrying Lady Alicent Hightower," Aenar declared, and Cannibal let out a roar outside the walls.
He stood up on his legs, his upper body peeking over the Walls and his neck reaching higher than every other building except The Red Keep.
Aenar would never agree to marry that girl; he wanted Laena and Rhaenyra.
Viserys looked visibly shaken when Cannibal roared but still shook his head. "No. I already promised Otto--" "I don't care what you promised that snake, Uncle. If you want to marry Alicent so much, then marry her yourself. I will not marry her. I do not love her and never will. I want Rhaenyra, and Lady Laena of House Velayron." Aenar declared for the first time ever. His father and Queen Alysanne were the only ones who knew of his desire to marry them both.
Aunt Gael looked impressed; in any other moment, if the situation wasn't so tense, she would have teased her nephew like any other good Aunt would do, but right now, they all looked at Viserys, who didn't seem to like what he just heard.
"I want to marry him too, father. Him and Laena. Let us be together." Rhaenyra quickly added, walking up to Aenar, her arm sneaking around his, holding him close as everyone waited for Viserys to answer.
*
*
*
"No." The answer was short and sharp from his tone.
"Brother!"
"I SAID NO." Viserys shouted, his voice echoing throughout the entire Hall. They knew he wouldn't change his mind; Aenar sneered loudly before letting out a bitter laugh. His uncle looked at him strangely as Aenar looked at him with disgust and disappointment.
"You really don't understand, do you? Because of your own selfish desires, you decided to betray your entire family. You betrayed your own blood because you allowed a girl to tell you what you should do. You allowed yourself to be played like a child. All the lords in the small council only use you for their own end, and you don't see it. You only see what you want to see." Aenar accused, sneering at his Uncle, who turned red.
"Enough."
"I have helped this city thrive. My father makes sure this city is safe. We did everything right, but you just have to blow it up. Your pride and your ego. You just couldn't accept that you are responsible for what happened to Queen Aemma, but instead of taking it like a King, you decided to put all your blame and guilt on me. Because you are a coward, Viserys Targaryen. You are no King. You are just a little men who destroyed everything because of his own foolishness, because he wanted himself to feel that he mattered, but you never did. You are no Dragon, you are a Worm." Aenar said defiantly, turning on his heels and walking away.
If his Uncle wanted to be foolish, he would do things his way. The time has come for everyone to learn his name beyond Westeros and for Dorne to finally learn why you never mess with a dragon.
Tomorrow
Viserys woke up with a bad headache. His head throbbed; he looked down to see empty pitchers of wine scattered across his bed, some still leaking wine from their rims. The words of his Grandmother still echoed in his head like a bell.
'Viserys, the only reason why I'm still talking to you right now is because you are my blood, you are my grandson. I do not want to-- do something drastic, but remember how you became King. You can easily not be one anymore.'
'Is this a threat?' Viserys demanded as his Grandmother walked away from him. She turned to face him and opened the door.
'It's a Promise.'
Viserys wondered if he should really just marry Alicent to himself and Rhaenyra to Aenar. No, no, no. That would make Aenar King.
Last night, he had tried to talk with Rhaenyra about her new duties as Heir, but she didn't want to listen; she only asked if Aenar would be her King; when Viserys had answered, she had walked away from him and left him alone in the dark of the basement where Balerion's Skull was kept.
Abruptly, he heard footsteps approaching, and the door opened. Otto strode inside, and Viserys quickly rose from his bed, wearing a cloak as he stood up to face his Hand; he looked a little distraught, murmuring, 'How did he know that?' under his breath, but the King noticed that Otto's face had turned rather pale. His mind went to the one person he had right now.
"Is my daughter hurt?" Viserys asked, concerned.
"Your Grace." He lifted up his face to look at him, speaking the words with difficulty.
"Prince Aenar and Prince Daemon left The Red Keep under the cloak of the dark last night. They have captured The Dragonstone, and your daughter went with them."
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