Driftmark

Corlys stares out of his window, the water from the sea had now covered the causeway entirely, as it does from time to time, a benefit of High Tide as he wanted it to be a defendable as possible with it's sea, a terrain that Corlys was all too familiar with his days as a captain.

And one that he hoped to have dominion over.

The sky was bright light blue, the white sand beaches of Driftmark were a beautiful contrast to the royal blue of the ocean.

The children were likely playing on the beaches of High Tide by now…

He rested his hands upon his lap and breathed in deeply as he thought of Laena and Laenor; everything he was doing was for them, their birthright was that of a Princess and a Prince, one who should have been in line to the Iron Throne. And yet his family had been spurned of this, the second house in the realm humiliated and cast aside by a King who should have known better than that.

How wroth he was with the King and council then; to have done that to Rhaenys, Prince Aemon's only child, when both she and her mother Jocelyn had lost so much and when Rhaenys was great with child. He was not deaf to the mutters of curs and cox-comb lords who whispered when Laena was born, how Jaehaerys made the right choice, yet those same lickspittles spoke naught a word when his son was born a year later. 

This is my chance, my chance to right that wrong.

To have house Velaryon where it belongs.

To have my blood on the Iron Throne.

He opened his eyes and continued to stare of the window, waiting for both the Prince and Lord-Hand to return to his solar and continue their negotiations; it had been three days since their arrival and while concessions were made here and there, neither side were any closer to agreeing on who should be the heir to the throne. His wife Rhaenys had tried to get the measure of the Prince; a conversation which when his lady-wife had relayed back to him seemed confusing, agreeing that what the King did by passing over Rhaenys was unjust yet also believing that Laenor shouldn't be heir fearing he will end up a boy king.

And of Otto, the man seemed able and competent enough; well-mannered enough when speaking to Corlys, learned likely from his upbringing in Oldtown, and clever. Yet Corlys could tell that there was a lining of more underneath all that was a desire for more.

I know ambition when I see it.

Corlys knew men who wanted more than what they could reach, he was all too familiar with that feeling, the question was now trying to understand what; He had long ago decided to reach for his dreams and seize more than what the Gods had initially allowed him.

Today, either I succeed or grasp at more than what fate had offered my family.

There was a knock on the door.

That would be them.

"You may enter he called out." He turned his chair to his desk to face them as both Daemon and Otto walked into his solar, taking the seats they had in each of their meetings. "Hello again, Prince, Lord-Hand." He greeted them politely yet firmly.

"Lord Corlys." Otto spoke "I hope your morning was well."

"Quite, my lord." Corlys replied "Shall we get straight to it then?"

"Yes, let us." Daemon said, it was clear to Corlys that the Prince was impatient to leave soon, oh he would dote on Laena and Laenor but his guards watched him sit on the beaches of High Tide and stare into the direction of King's Landing.

"Much to your disappointment, my good sers, my position has not changed." Corlys told them "Laenor should be the heir to his Grace Jaehaerys."

"Neither has ours." Otto said, Corlys had expected him to say as much "But that does not mean we are not amendable to certain changes."

"We are willing to meet you halfway, my lord, on various matters." Daemon added "But to possibly place Laenor, a boy of seven, on the throne would not be a wise decision."

"You had said as much to my lady-wife Daemon, regencies are nothing the Seven kingdoms are strangers to." Corlys argued. "As you had negotiated one."

"Seven kingdoms alone yes." Otto said "But not Seven Kingdoms united." He paused to let the words linger "We have seen what happens to the monarchs of the Iron throne when a king is perceived as weak, for the sake of stability we need a king who is ready to lead, Gods be good, the King may live for more years but we can not take that chance."

"I would not let anything happen to my son or let anyone challenge him." Corlys spoke, rising his voice.

"That, in itself, is an issue." Otto argued "They will see that a blatant power grab by yourself; they will see yourself as the power behind the throne with Laenor being only a puppet king, such is the impression of child lords and sovereigns.

Corlys resisted the urge to scowl at them, keeping his calm demeanour as he considered these words. "If the lords would not have me as my son's regent then so be it, I would be happy to have the Lord-Hand, my lady-wife or anyone else as his regent."

"Forgive me for saying this, Lord Corlys." Daemon spoke this time "But… the 'meat' of the issue regarding Laenor's heirship, is it about his and Laena's rights or is it a matter of making sure that Aemon and Rhaenys blood sit the Iron throne as Andal law would have dictated?"

Corlys was no fool, he could see that the Prince was trying to asking him 'Is your goal to have your blood sit the Iron throne?' without being too direct that it would insult him or outright call him an overly ambitious man.

"What is it that you propose, Prince Daemon?" Corlys asked curiously.

Daemon glanced over to Otto who gave him the slightest of nods "Laena and Laenor are children of Rhaenys and the grandchildren of Aemon, the first heir, perhaps they should inherit the titles of Princess and Prince."

Corlys raised his eyebrow "That would be without precedent." He pointed out "Tradition states that those whose father or grandfather are king inherit such titles."

"And Aemon should have been King if not for that bolt." Daemon said. "See this as a step in the right direction and righting a wrong done to House Velaryon and my cousin Rhaenys."

"If you are willing to give my children the honorifics of royalty then am I to assume that you have decided to place Laenor on the throne." Corlys asked, almost half in jest.

"No." Otto said simply. "This is simply granting them the titles that should have been bestowed upon them if not for an unfortunate accident."

"Then it is an empty title." Corlys pointed out "Why grant them the honours if they are not in line for the throne."

"They are in line for the throne." Otto spoke, this time his own voice mirrored the firmness of Corlys "They will not be ahead of Prince Viserys." Otto breathed in "But in accordance with the precedence set by his Grace of passing over a female Claimant, and by suggestion of Prince Daemon, Laenor can be Viserys heir to the throne until a son is born to him."

Now this, Corlys was not expecting; he glanced over to Daemon, trying to get any measure of his reaction yet his face was as still as Corlys as he sat looking at the parchment they had been writing their terms on.

He would forsake both his and his own son's proximity to the throne?

"Of course that does not guarantee that Laenor or Rhaenys' blood sits the throne at some point in future so regarding that a match between Rhaenyra and Laenor can be proposed." Otto spoke, he glanced over to Daemon nodded his head "Should anything happen to the Prince Viserys before his wife can birth a son, then Laenor shall sit the throne with Rhaenyra as his Queen. But should the Prince be given a son then a daughter between the union of Laenor and Rhaenyra will be matched between the two."

"So both my wife and I should be content with the possibility of a great grandson?" Corlys asked. "And why not match Laena to this future heir?"

"Timing." Otto said, again, simply. "Your daughter is already a girl of eight name days, we can not say whether the Princess Aemma Arryn will give Prince Viserys a son either this next or in the next five years, but then Laena will be far too old for the heir and may possible waste the best of her birthing years." just from the corner of his eye he could have sworn he saw Daemon glower. "It would not be fair on her or a future prince."

"We can offer you a promise." Daemon said, his voice confirming the irritation that Corlys thought he saw. "the blood of Aemon will sit the Iron throne either through Laenor or Laena's line."

"You have a match proposal for Laena?" Corlys asked.

Daemon shut his eyes, Corlys can see his jaw tense. "We do." He admitted "My son, Baelor."

Ah, there it is.

The ambition of a Prince, was this a concession that Otto had made to sweeten the bitter idea of pushing you further down the succession?

"I had not considered matches for my daughter, but tell me more of this?"

"Should no daughter be given to the union of Laenor and Rhaenyra then a daughter of Laena and Baelor will be matched to the future Prince and heir." Daemon explained "Either way, the blood of 'Aemon' will sit the Iron throne one day, that we swear."

Corlys leaned back into his seat and considered the offer; he had already extracted a lot from them and the promise that both his and Rhaenys blood will certainly find its way to the Iron throne through their children was good, though the idea that it would be a great grandson instead of Laenor or even a grandson was a disappointment.

"These terms are generous." Corlys said "You have given me much to consider, though this will still be a disappointment." He could see creases of frustration in Otto's face and as Daemon pinched the bridge of his nose. "If I am to accept this then I would like to amend a previous term."

"Forgive me for my tone, my Lord, but what we have allowed is far more generous than anyone would have offered." Otto spoke "Given the circumstance of these negotiations."

"The 'circumstance' of these negotiations is my son being denied his birthright." Corlys argued back, this time it was the Sea Snake who spoke than the Lord of Driftmark.

"Please." Daemon spoke, raising his hand "Name the term, Lord Corlys."

"Merely a guarantee." Corlys said "Just one, a boon from the future monarch, that they will support House Velaryon should anything threaten our house."

"You are already protected by the crow-" 

"There are threats just as serious a armies." Corlys continued "Economic, political, and matters of alliance that may threaten us, I want a guarantee that, even if just the once, the Iron throne will support House Velaryon when we are threaten."

Otto sucked in his lip and bit it as Daemon narrowed his eyes.

"So be it." Otto said. "But know this, it is that and nothing more, and there are some concessions that you will need to make to."

"So be it." Corlys repeated.

"You and Princess Rhaenys are to appear at King's Landing, to his Grace and Prince Viserys and swear that you acknowledge Prince Viserys as the rightful heir to the Iron throne and swear to be leal bannermen to the Prince once he ascends the throne."

Corlys bit his cheek, he knew he would have to do such a thing if we did concede that Viserys was the heir, but it was clear that Otto wanted to humiliate him in doing so.

"Second, House Velaryon is to pay for the loss of trade this crisis had inflicted upon King's Landing." Otto spoke "We shall figure out a proper figure after learning of the damages but it will be costly, that I promise you."

Corlys clenched his teeth, his house could likely eat the costs without too much issue but it will still be a bitter drink to swallow.

"Thirdly, I understand that Laena desires one day to ride a dragon much like Laenor." Daemon said "We shall not stop her, however she is free to tame a dragon only until she reaches her majority and furthermore, the dragon cannot be Vhagar." 

She will be bitterly disappointed by that. 

"But in addition to this, if House Velaryon are to acquire another dragon then it must surrender something in return." Otto said. "We demand half the Velaryon fleet to be redistributed among other houses in the realm."

Corlys damn near lost his composure, "Unacceptable, I will not part with half my fleet." He told them, a simmering inferno in his voice. 

"Then Laena will be denied a dragon." Daemon said simply "It is not something I enjoy saying, Laena wishes to tame a dragon of her own, but we cannot allow House Velaryon to have a kind of power that would outdo even mine own house, Lord Corlys." 

"I wonder if Laena would look at you the same way if she knew this." Corlys told him.

Daemon shut his eyes and sighed "Better for her to hate me and be alive than plunge the realm into war." 

"For house Velaryon to have both the largest fleet, dragons and a claimant is a threat to the realm stability, you must see that." Otto said "If you wish to have dragons then you must surrender an advantage of your own, but are you prepared to tell Laena that you denied her a dragon in order to keep your ships? Will you tell the Princess Rhaenys such? What will they say?" 

Corlys breathed in deeply, biting the side of his cheek almost hard enough to draw blood. 

"So be it." Corlys spoke, begrudgingly "I accept." 

"And finally, should some terrible tragedy befall King Viserys, and Laenor ascends the throne, the terms of this deal shall be renegotiated." Otto said. 

"And why is that?" he questioned. 

"You will have gotten what you desired, the power you would wield with both your son on the throne and the liberties taken from this agreement will make house Velaryon far too powerful." Otto explained. 

"You cannot simply have it all, my lord." Daemon spoke this time "It must be one of the other; either House Velaryon becomes the realm's second house, or Laenor becomes King, the lords will not accept both."

Corlys pressed his lips together "These terms are harsh but acceptable, though I will need to speak to my lady-wife first before we can agree on these terms."

"That is fine, take what time you need to discuss this with Princess Rhaenys." Otto said "But know that this offer is final, I hope you both make the right choice, Lord Corlys." Both Otto and Daemon got up from their seats. Daemon then handed him a copy of the terms.

"I shall have a scribe properly write the agreement." Daemon said. "Be well, Lord Corlys." Both men walked out of the door. Corlys looked through the terms of their agreement.

To anyone who looks at this, they will have said I have taken far more than what should have been allowed, they will say I have risen far beyond my station.

Other lords will no doubt hate me.

But they have not done what I have done.

Still though even with all the concessions made by both the Lord and the Prince, he could not escape the feeling of disappointment; how he desired for a son of his to sit upon the Iron Throne, must he settle for a descendant he may never even meet?

My Legacy… our legacy will be secure.

With this… no one could challenge that we are the second house to the Realm.

The door to his solar opened again, the guard opening the door allowing his wife, Rhaenys, into the room before shutting the door. She looked at him coolly, she always had a steely beauty to her, she refused to be broken but anything; that was something he loved about her.

"Is it done?" she asked walking towards him, taking the seat of Daemon.

"This is what they have offered." Corlys said, handing her the terms.

Rhaenys quickly read through the papers, almost impatiently "It seems we have gained a lot and much except one." she said. 

"In exchange for a lot too." Corlys said "Half my ships given freely to different houses, I would rather drink a barrel of seawater than have done that... yet-"

"It would have meant Laena would never tame a dragon of her own..." Rhaenys' eyes soften as she looked at her husband. "Still... Laenor may never be king." 

"It was always going to be near impossible to place Laenor on the Iron Throne." Corlys said. "It was a distant chance but we tried to reach it." Rhaenys continued to read through it. "In the end we landed somewhere close to it."

"I should be happy in a way." Rhaenys said "I wanted the respect and honours that Laena and Laenor should have been granted had my father not died that day, maybe he may end up sitting the Iron throne in the end." Rhaenys placed the parchment on the table. "I wanted so much more, Corlys, I thought this would be our chance… I wanted those lords who disrespected us to eat their words and acknowledge us for who we should have been."

Corlys smiled at her sadly "I know… I wanted that too."

"Still it is more than we could possibly have hoped for, even if Laenor does not end up becoming King, he and his children will be powerful lords within themselves, married to a Princess and Laena will marry into a rich family with Targeryen blood." Rhaenys said, as if trying to convince herself. "You will agree to these terms?" Corlys nodded his head. "Good, I hope this settles that matter."

Corlys stood up from his seat and walked towards Rhaenys before holding her in an embrace, kissing the top of her head.

"I will hate having to make a show of loyalty to my cousin Viserys however." She said, half jest, half not. Corlys laughed as the two swayed back and forth slightly.

Later than night, after Corlys had his own scribes write down copies of the terms and took his meal alone this time, preferring to sit alone and think upon what had been discussed. When he finally left his office he sought out his children; the day was also gone and likely the servants will be getting them ready for bed now. He wished to say goodnight to them.

How I have fought for your future, I only hope that I have done right by you two.

As he approached the room who could hear an excited gasp from one of the children.

"Cyclops!" he heard someone proclaim from inside the children's playroom, he peered inside to see Daemon standing from his chair as both Laena and Laenor sat down watching him, covered in blankets with their toys nearby "If any man asks how you came by your blindness, say that Odysseus, sacker of cities, Laertes' son, native of Ithaca, maimed you!"

Laenor cheered at the hero's proclamation.

"But wait!" Daemon proclaimed "For the Cyclops looked to the heavens and called upon his father, Poseidon, the God of the seas and the Earth-shaker, to curse Odysseus and his men!" both children gasped "Lord Poseidon, hear me! Let Odysseus never reach his home of Ithaca! And if he destined to return let him arrive late, losing his men and finding great trouble when he returns to his shores!"

"Children." Corlys called out, catching the attention of Daemon and his children.

"Father!" they both called out.

"It seems you are having fun." Corlys said with a smile on his face.

"Father, uncle Daemon is reading us the story of Odysseus!" Laena said.

"Best not let your mother hear you haven't called Daemon by his title." Corlys said in jest. "What is this story?"

"It is about a king making his way back from war to reach his home." Daemon explained "He faces monsters, Gods, witches and the elements along the way."

"Have you perhaps taken inspiration from my travels, Prince Daemon?" Corlys smiled.

Daemon winked "Perhaps."

"Children, you must ready for bed." Corlys said to them, the two frowned at him.

"We will continue before you go to sleep." Daemon assured them, the two got up from their blankets, hugged both of them both running out of the room.

"Cherish Baelor as he is." Corlys told him "They grow wilder as they learn to walk." Daemon laughed. "Come, I wish to speak you in private." He led Daemon to an empty room with an open balcony. The servants moved some chairs onto the balcony and leaving the two cups of wine on a small table.

The sea was calm, the moonlight shimmering on the waves as the silhouettes of birds passed by the grey clouds.

"What did you wish to discuss, Lord Corlys." Daemon asked.

"When Rhaenys told me that if given the chance you would not put your son onto the Iron throne I had believed you a liar." Corlys said "For what man would surrender such a chance?" he sipped his wine "And then you tell me that you would allow Laenor to push you back in the line of succession; make the chance of walking those steps even further away."

"I told her the truth, I would not want Baelor anywhere it."

"But why?"

Daemon swirled his drink in his cup "That metal chair is just over one hundred years old and has already seen nearly two wars for succession if my great-uncle had not died suddenly and numerous rebellions; I will not have any part of it and I will not have either Baelor or my future children die for a crown, they will be happy in Runestone."

Just then Daemon grabbed his chest and took in a deep breath.

"Again?" Corlys asked.

Daemon nodded, it had taken him a couple seconds to regain his composure "Pardon me."

"Then why betroth Baelor to Laena then if you desire no part in it?"

"Because both I and Otto reasoned that if we were to bring your children into the royal family then it may leave us vulnerable to the plots of ambitious lords who would wed their sons to Laena and one day claim the Iron throne through the Princess." Daemon explained "I do not trust other lords and both Rhea and I are content with Runestone so there would be no threat from us."

"Does your Lady-wife know of this arrangement?"

Daemon shook his head. "I will tell her what had transpired, she may be cross with me as we both wished to go over matches for our son together but being tied to House Velaryon is nothing to dismiss." He took a sip "So I guessing you shall be accepting these terms."

"I shall."

"Good, let us put this whole matter behind us now."

"I shall drink to that." The two knocking their cups together, finishing their drinks before placing it down onto the table "There is one thing I must ask of you, my Prince."

"It's just Daemon when we're alone." Daemon said.

"Daemon, what drives you exactly?" Corlys asked. "Do not try to deny it, you speak as a humble man and a leal servant to your king, the realm, your wife and family yet I know ambition when I see it, but what possesses you?"

Daemon smiled and clasped his hands together "Peace in our time."