บท 6: eye incident
In the middle of the night, a man barged into his chambers and pulled his covers off of him.
Aerys half thought that someone had finally gotten tired of his antics and decided to kill him.
But all he did was look closely at his face, seemingly to ensure his identity, which let Aerys recognize the man as the Kingsguard Ser Lorent.
"My prince. Please come with me. The Queen wishes for your attendance right now."
"My attendance to what?"
"There's been an incident involving Prince Aemond."
Aerys groaned. That was tonight? We just had the funeral today.
"What about my siblings?" he asked as he got out of bed and put on some casual clothes.
"They are being summoned as well."
Aerys followed the knight to the common area for the section of the castle assigned to the King and his children.
The King was shouting, the knights were running around and the children were crying, but could really only look at Aemond and Jacaerys. There was a really ugly gash on Aemond's left eye, that was being tended to by the maester. And Jacaerys had another grey rat bandaging his fingers that looked like they were smashed.
Despite himself, Aerys was impressed at their composure through the pain.
And a little excited at the blood.
He ignored Viserys dressing down the Kingsguard, and asked.
"Say, Aemond."
His brother groaned.
"Do you think the Boltons are very good at sewing up wounds?"
"What?"
"Because they make cloaks from human skin."
He groaned again.
A hand grabbed Aerys' ear and pulled him away from Aemond.
"It will heal, will it not, maester?" Alicent asked.
"The flesh will heal. But the eye is lost, Your Grace."
No shit. It's already been sewn up.
He could see the anguish on his mother's face, and the rational young woman that she was, it turned into anger.
"Where were you?"
"Me?"
He winced at the slap on Aegon's cheek.
"What was that for?"
"That was nothing compared to the abuse your brother suffered while you were drowning in your cups, you fool."
The hand got a hold of his ear again, and he was pulled out from where he was hiding behind Helaena.
"Why weren't you with your brother?" his mother asked.
"I was at dinner with Father and the Velaryons. Ow, let go! Like I was supposed to."
Any further abuse was delayed when Corlys and Rhaenys finally arrived with Baela clutching her stomach. They were followed shortly by Rhaenyra and Daemon, and the adults all went to check on their kids.
The Kingsguard must have tried to keep the issue confined to the King's own section of the castle, for the Velaryons to have taken this long to join the circus. But things like summoning the maester of the castle just couldn't be done without word reaching back to the lord of the castle.
"Who did this?" The question was barely asked before a series of shrill complaints filled the hall.
"They attacked me!"
"He attacked Rhaena!"
"He broke Luke's nose!"
"He stole my mother's dragon!"
"He was gonna kill Jace!"
"I didn't do anything!"
"He called us—"
"Silence!" The King's repeated demands finally put a halt to the blame games even as Aerys tried to understand what happened.
Obviously, Joffrey was too young to have been involved like he was in the book. Though it would have been funny watching Aemond beat up a literal infant.
And Rhaena was involved instead. Because Aemond stole Vhagar? Sure, why not? While Baela got food poisoning from eating something at the dinner.
Aerys would not take any responsibility for that. He may or may not have challenged the girls to some seafood eating competitions.
"Aemond. I will have the truth of what happened. Now."
Yes, Dad. Let's get the play-by-play, Aerys thought.
Though it was not to be as the Princess and the Queen picked up the verbal combat on the children's behalf.
"What else is there to hear? Your son was almost killed. Her son is responsible."
"My son may lose his fingers!"
"My son has lost an eye! The Prince Lucerys brought a blade to the ambush. He meant to kill my son!"
"It was my sons who were attacked and forced to defend themselves. Vile insults were levied against them."
"What insults?"
Oh, no.
"The legitimacy of my sons' birth was put loudly to question."
"What?"
"He called us bastards."
"My sons are in line to inherit the Iron Throne, Your Grace. This is the highest of treasons. Prince Aemond must be sharply questioned so we might learn where he heard such slanders."
"Over an insult? My son has lost an eye."
"You tell me, boy. Where did you hear this lie?"
"The insult was training yard bluster. The lot of boys. It was nothing."
"Aemond. I asked you a question."
The silence was pregnant, and given this was Westeros, likely about to have a miscarriage.
So Aerys stepped in.
"Like Mother said. In the training yards. Did you forget, Father? The other day when Sers Criston and Harwin had a brawl over it in front of everyone. You were there after all.
And as for who is questioning the legitimacy of my nephews' birth, well, it's half the kingdom, I am afraid. Old men question it with their death rattle, and unborn children question it in their mothers' wombs. They question it in Dorne and they question it on the Wall. No one who looks at them truly believes it, Father. Sorry."
Viserys looked at him with more anger than he had ever seen on his decrepit face. Unfortunately, Aerys had always wanted to use that Renly quote.
"And pray tell, son. Are you among the— the half that question my daughter?"
"How could I?" Aerys said, affronted. "Just look at my dear nephews! That luscious Baratheon hair! That prominent Arryn nose! The Targaryen coloring, and their Velaryon… hearts?"
"Aerys!" Viserys warned.
"What? If you wish to blame someone, blame the gods who gave them those features! I don't care who they look like, but everyone else does. And we're just children who emulate what the adults do!"
Viserys didn't know what to say to that. So he moved to a broader perspective.
"This interminable infighting must cease! All of you! We are family! Now make your apologies and show good will to one another. Your father, your grand sire, your king demands it!"
He did sound very kingly.
"That is insufficient." Just not kingly enough for the Queen. "Aemond has been damaged, permanently, My King. 'Good will' cannot make him whole."
"I know, Alicent, but I cannot restore his eye."
"No, because it's been taken."
"What would you have me do?"
"There is a debt to be paid. I shall have one of her son's eyes in return."
"And what of Jacaerys' fingers?" Rhaenyra interjected. "Shall I have Aemond's fingers in recompense for them?"
That only enraged Alicent, and turned her anger from Lucerys to Rhaenyra.
"How dare you even compare my son defending himself to your sons ambushing him with a knife?! Aemond is a sweet child. He wasn't hurting anyone. Just what need did your sons have to seek him out for a fight? Was it not enough that they tormented him in his own home?" Alicent demanded, walking closer to Rhaenyra as she spoke.
Aerys' attention shifted to Aemond considering his brother from their mother's perspective, while Alicent called for Ser Criston to capture Lucerys.
But sudden screams drew his gaze back to the two women to find that Rhaenyra was lying on her back with Alicent straddling her. People were shouting and Alicent made a grab for a medical blade the acolyte tending to Jacaerys had been carrying.
The acolyte tried to step back hurriedly and Alicent only caught something wrapped in a piece of cloth. The two women fought over it, with Rhaenyra finally managing to push Alicent off of her, making the other woman lay by her side still struggling. Until the cloth suddenly tore and deposited a handful of wriggling white creatures on the two women.
"What the fuck." He muttered as the people reaching out to separate the two women flinched in disgust.
He exchanged a look with Aegon that translated to:
"Should we do something?" "Why are you asking me?" "You're the eldest."
Or it could have been translated to:
"Why is this weirdly erotic?" "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "I'm a Targaryen."
He wasn't very good at eye contact conversations.
As the two women screamed at the maggots, Viserys, who was quite used to those disgusting creatures, had finally gotten to them.
He bent over, balancing himself on his stick, and tried to help his wife and daughter. Unfortunately for him, neither woman was thinking straight. One pulled sharply at his hand that he had tried to help them with, and the other kicked at his stick in a panic.
The decrepit middle-aged man lost his balance and fell face-first on the ground.
Shouts of "Your grace!" and "The King!" spread in the hall, and people hurried to help him. Aerys jumped in too. If the old man kicked the bucket now, in the heart of Velaryon power, he would probably get taken prisoner by Queen Rhaenyra.
Fortunately for his ambitions, Viserys survived. As he was helped to his feet by a cluster of concerned attendants, a strained silence fell over the hall. The chaotic din of accusations and counterclaims subsided into a nervous murmur.
Laenor, who had just arrived at the commotion, looked bewildered and glanced around at the disarray. His eyes eventually fell on Aerys, who was watching the scene with a mix of fascination and concern.
"What happened here?" Laenor asked, his voice carrying the weight of concern.
"Just the usual family drama," Aerys replied, trying to mask his apprehension with a smirk. "But it seems things have gotten more... physical."
Viserys, who had finally regained his composure, now stood supported by two of his guards. His face was pale, but his gaze was as steely as ever. He attempted to restore order to the chaos.
"Alicent! Rhaenyra! Enough! This is not how we handle our disputes." His voice was firm, though laced with exhaustion. "We will settle this matter in a more appropriate manner."
Alicent, her face flushed with anger and frustration, finally stopped her struggles with Rhaenyra, who had been similarly disheveled. Both women were clearly still seething, their eyes darting around as they tried to compose themselves.
The King's intervention seemed to have a calming effect on the room, though the tension remained palpable. The various parties involved—Viserys, Alicent, Rhaenyra, and the children—were left to cool down while the situation was sorted.
Laenor, who had been watching silently, turned his attention to Aerys. "Do you know what really happened?" he asked, his tone carrying a mix of curiosity and concern.
Aerys shrugged. "It's a mess, as usual. Aemond and Jacaerys had a run-in, accusations flew, and somehow we ended up with maggots on the floor."
Laenor frowned, his brow furrowing in thought. "I see. Well, let's hope things don't escalate further. We need to maintain some semblance of order."
Aerys nodded in agreement, though his mind was already racing through potential ways to spin the situation to his advantage. The chaos of the night was far from over, and he was determined to be in the middle of it, taking advantage of every opportunity.
As the hall slowly emptied, with the various parties heading to their respective quarters or seeking solace, Aerys remained in the background, observing the aftermath. The whispers and gossip among the servants and guards would surely spread the details of the night's drama far and wide.
Aerys knew that this incident would only deepen the existing rifts within the family. The damage done tonight was not just physical but emotional and political. Each faction within the Targaryen family would now be more entrenched in their grievances, setting the stage for future conflicts.
But for now, Aerys could only watch and wait. The night had brought its share of chaos and opportunities, and he was prepared to navigate both as best as he could.
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