Chapter 29-A Prelude to Tragedy!

Chapter 29

OTTO HIGHTOWER

Politics was a game of time and influence, both of these aspects required a sensible and deft hand, and with his little tirade with Alicent he had understood that he had little of both. Alicent's behavior was one of a petulant child, and if she was left to do as she pleased, she could cause irreparable damage to his cause.

She had somehow gotten besotted with Daemon's son, refusing to see the truth that was staring her in the face. The gruesome and rotten truth is that all her suffering was not caused by him but rather by the very person whose bed she sat besides, praying desperately. He had only done what was best for her and their House, keeping at bay the political power and influence of Daemon's child.

The atmosphere in the capital was rather tense. The tension from the whole ordeal of Alicent's abduction had been added to by the news from Dragonstone, where House Velaryon had found itself another dragon rider in the form of Lady Laena Vealryon, who had bonded with Vhagar much to the consternation of the King.

And in all this, the King's own ailment ate away at him. Those wounds that refused to heal which had first cost him but two fingers had only spread, and the look on the Maester's and the acolyte's faces told him that he was set to only lose more.

"Your grace, the incident from Dragonstone is disturbing and has Daemon's hands all over it. As the custodian of the ancient seat, it was his paramount duty to guard the dragons. This whole ordeal shows a lack of commitment and duty if not sheer malice on his part," he began as the King sat in his chair, his body bare for the master to mark the wounds which had only grown.

"Believe it or not, we cannot pin the blame on Daemon. The girl skipped past several dragonkeepers, when she eventually approached Vhagar. The mighty beast could have damn well killed her!" the King cursed, and wouldn't that have been easier for him. Now, the Velaryons had a disproportionate amount of power, power that was allied against him.

"Daemon has replaced the dragonkeepers that let this happen, but we cannot separate her and the dragon," the King added, and he did not for one second believe the Rogue Prince's excuse. This was deliberate. This was a response from the man against his actions.

"There is still the matter concerning Daemon's involvement with my daughter's abd..."

"Otto!" the King cut in before he could finish, those amethyst orbs snapping towards him in apt attention as the room became silent.

"We have talked about this. Daemon had no part in it, and it has been investigated enough. Do not bring this up again," the King cautioned him sharply, and he could do little but nod.

The Strongs had been tasked with investigating the matter and had declared Daemon free of charge, claiming that the two men had acted independently, something which he refused to believe.

"As you say your grace," but after years at court, he was able to recognize a lost avenue when he saw it, and it seems this was but one of them. The King gave him a nod as the Grand Maester turned towards the King.

"I am afraid, Your Grace, we have no choice but to cauterize the wound again. But they have refused to heal, and if they do not stop, I am afraid we might have to sacrifice the hand," and he saw the King's lips thin at that, given that the King was rather fond of regal look, something which would be rather greatly marred by losing a hand.

"Seven Hells!" the King cursed as he shooed away the old man and shook his head.

"Letters have begun arriving from Runestone about Aegon's condition," the King added, and he did not know that.

"His mother is rather wroth with the Crown over his condition. She has demanded that the boy be returned to the Vale as soon as possible and has sent her own maester as well," he added as Otto perked up.

"This is preposterous. How dare she accuse the Crown of malice," and the King raised a hand.

"She is his mother, and she was not pleased with me deciding a match for him as well. Was it not for Daemon, she would ridden for the capital herself. She might even do that as well," the King sighed.

"Has there been anything from the Eyrie," he cryptically asked, surprised at the silence of the main power behind Aegon Targaryen, and the King shook his head.

"No," the King added quietly as he began to rub his chin.

"Not yet," and he nodded at that, curious about was going there.

"But the Prince serves in the Council now. How can he be allowed to return to the Vale," he asked, and the King sighed as he rose from the chair and began to dress himself up.

"And then there is the matter of the marriage," he quietly added as the King turned towards him.

"What about it? I have announced the match at your proposal," the King asked, and he seemed to hesitate for a second before he added.

"What my daughter suffered or went through is something known to all. Despite his earlier acceptance, the Prince, once away from the capital, may try and remove himself from the match," he spoke softly and helplessly as the King waved away his concern.

"No! The boy is not like that. Otherwise, he never would have agreed to marry her in the first place. I have put him through enough. Even Rhaenyra is rather wroth with me over his condition, but " the King finished as he rubbed his head, and Otto's jaw clenched as he saw the King's concern for the Prince.

"Has he...."

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Who is it?" he asked softly as the door was knocked at many a time.

"Your grace, I bring news regarding the Prince," came the voice from the other side.

"Come in," the King added before he could begin, and he watched as the doors flung open and a servant came in, nervous as he began after a bow.

"What happened?" the King asked quickly as he buttoned up his shirt.

"He has woken up. The Prince, he has woken up."

0000

AEGON TARGARYEN

When it came to warging there were but a few cardinal rules. Rules that were of paramount importance to a person blessed with this ancient power. And Aegon had broken several of those cardinal rules, warging into multiple animals at once dividing his attention into many as he tried to search for Alicent. Yet, his greatest crime had come after that.

Death.

He had tried to circumvent it, removing himself from one just about to die to another crow as he tried to keep those two bastards away from Alicent, yet when one skin changed into an animal, they became the said animal. They obtained its senses, its body, and its pain.

And whether it was a broken bone in a man or in a crow, the pain was truly astronomical. He had fought through it, putting it in the back of his mind until he had ensured Alicent's safety, only to succumb to it afterward.

And now he woke up days later to the same face that he had closed his eyes to.

From what he had gathered from Rhaenyra's little teasing and tirade, the Hightower girl had sat beside him, for days, praying as he slumbered away. Thankfully, it had taken him only some four days to wake up, for there was much he needed to do.

"It is good to finally see you awake," the King added as Aegon sat and smiled, his eyes noticing the stiff expression of the Hand and the tense atmosphere between him and Alicent.

Now, he finally understood Daemon's hatred of the man and saw him for who he truly was. A monster at par, if not even worse than Daemon. One who would stop at nothing to further his own agenda.

"Thank you, your grace," he said as the King smiled.

"Now you need to recover quickly and take charge of your duties. I have made the announcement of your match with Lady Alicent," the King began. Aegon's lips thinned at that. A sense of anguish and rage bubbled inside him at being forced into this.

But he did not let it show, if not for his own sake but for the sake of the girl who sat beside him.

"It is time enough for the people to celebrate something. The mood in the capital has been rather sombre," the King added tersely, and Aegon nodded before he asked a question of his own.

"Has there been any word from the Vale?" he asked his voice a bit coarse from the dryness and disuse but nothing too painful. And the King frowned before he nodded.

"Letters came from your mother. She was quite concerned about you," he said, and that was expected, but he was thinking of something different.

"You should write to her as soon as you can," the King offered, and Aegon hesitated before he added.

"And what of the Eyrie?" and as the King shook his head, Aegon felt an ominous feeling grip his heart. For that was both troubling and unexpected.

"No, no letter came from the Eyrie, which is rather surprising," the King added himself.

"I would like to ask your permission to leave for the Eyrie, your grace," Aegon added quickly and the King frowned, his face turning towards his Hand for some reason.

"Why such haste? You should recover first, and then I shall give you leave to go to the Vale," the king added, but Aegon shook his head.

"I am afraid I must insist on this, your gra..."

"I have said my word," the King added, sharply cutting in as he gave him a nod.

"We will talk about this after you have recovered," and Aegon grits his teeth as the King leaves the chambers, leaving him alone with Alicent once more.

There was silence at first, something which had been initially occupied by Rhaenyra, and now, with her gone, both of them were quiet, each avoiding the other's gaze for reasons of their own.

His mind raced as he considered the situation at the Eyrie and what he could do to resolve it. The lack of letters showed that something had obviously gone wrong, and just extrapolating on that made his head throb with worry.

And all that was in addition to his own situation, how he had been outsmarted by the Hand, and how his actions had caused irreparable damage to Alicent's reputation.

And suddenly, both of them turned to face one another, their mind in sync as they both opened their mouths at once.

"I am sorry..."

"I am sorry..."

The same words slipped out of their mouths as they both halted, surprised and a bit embarrassed at the coincidence. And now, as he got a good look, he could see the toll the last few days had taken on her.

Her eyes had sunken in, and the redness both in and around them told of sobbing and many sleepless nights. And then there was her hand, which had been bandaged, and he could easily imagine what had caused it.

"You really need to stop doing that," he commented to lighten the mood, and she nodded as she tried to hide the bandaged thumb, but it was too late.

"I will try to," she said meekly before she finally looked up again and into his eyes.

"I am sorry for everything," she added softly, and he frowned.

"You have nothing to apologize for," and she did not. Not really. If there was anyone to be blamed for this, it was him and her father. Or rather the sheer cruelty and lack of morals of this world and politics that ruled over it.

"Of course I do," she cut in.

"I know what my father did. Of what he forced you to do," she said, her eyes falling down once more.

"To force you, a Prince, to marry damage..."

"Do not call yourself that!" he cut in before she could finish as he reached for her hand.

"You are not damaged goods," he assured her, reaching for her face and making her face him.

"And you never will be. Never," he said sharply as she saw her eyes tear.

"Why! Why don't you shout at me? Curse at me!" she asked tersely, and he frowned as he saw her break down, tears beginning to slip down her eyes.

"Why don't you hate me? Why do you treat me as such? Why!" she nearly screamed, and he smiled, giving the most honest answer he could.

"Because I want to," he answered and saw her eyes widen as he wiped away her tears as he closed the distance between them.

"Is that not reason enough?" he asked a question of his own.

"I have nothing to offer you," she added shakily as she looked at him helplessly.

"I am but a daughter of a second son, with nothing to my name. You are the Prince, second in line to the Iron Throne. Your match should be with someone of equal station, someone who would add to your station, your power," she added as she looked down.

"Not with someone like me. Someone who is nothing more than shackles to pull you down," she added, and he was not blind to the political implications of this match and why the Hand had orchestrated this whole thing.

Aegon would admit openly that he had been outplayed, yet never had he felt so content after losing. And now that the Hand had played his last hand, he would play his own hand.

"Not every match in the world has to be for political gain," he added softly as he looked her in the eye.

"But you are the Prince..."

"I will make allies aplenty," he assured her.

"I had always only desired one thing from my other half," he added. He saw her eyes narrow as he revisited the conversation he had once had with Jeyne all those years ago.

"Happiness, and for what it's worth..." he continued.

"...You make me happy, Alicent," and yet, as tears slipped down her eyes, she shook her head. She looked into his eyes intensely before she suddenly closed the distance between them. Her lips crashed onto his own. She kissed him then and there with raw emotion, biting away at his lips. Time slowed down as they both remained joined together, only to separate a millennia later, both breathless as a red-eyed Alicent stared him in the eye.

"Say what you will, Aegon, but I don't deserve you. I never will," she said, and he smiled.

"And who are you to decide that?"

0000

And late into the night, as Aegon contemplated on the lack of missives from the Eyrie and the subsequent reports he had received from the other leal lords of the Vale, he saw that something was amiss, that the Eyrie was under siege.

"I need you to do something for me," he said as he turned to the brown-haired girl beside her, who nodded dutifully.

"I need you to send a letter to Runestone and..." he said, looking her in the eye.

"...I need you to get me my sword and cloak. I plan to leave the capital by tonight."

And had he not been so worried about the happenings of the Vale, had he spared a moment to look at the girl beside her and notice the shift in her gaze, the slight tightening of her eyes, and that resigned expression of her, he would have seen the tragedy that was to come.

"I will do it..."

0000

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