Chapter 43

Chapter 43

MYSARIA-Lady Mysery

Mysaria walked towards Daemon's room slowly as the servants lined the halls pale as a sheet, and the sound of shouting and grunting permeated through the manse. Daemon had broken his nose and had lost two teeth in the melee yesterday. His face had been scarred, yet the thing that had taken the biggest hit was his pride.

And Daemon Targaryen was a creature full of pride, and right now, he was filled with rage enough that he had taken off the head of the first servant who had entered his room. She saw the blood flowing out from under the door and looked towards the servants.

"Leave us," she said with a side glance, and though a few of the guards tried to say something, she motioned them to leave as she stood outside the door and took in a breath as the sound of glass breaking and metal continued to come out of the room.

She pushed open the door and stepped into the room, ignoring the headless corpse lying on the floor. She saw Daemon turn towards her, his violet eyes gleaming with rage and frustration, and for a second, she thought that coming in had been a mistake. The bandages around his face had become red from blood as his wounds reopened.

He huffed, and for a second, she thought he would strike her, yet he turned away from her, picked up his sword, and continued to whack away at the bed, reducing it to splinters. The floor was wet with swine and blood, as cups and broken glass were littered around it.

"AHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHH!" he screamed in rage as he brought down his sword again and again. And again, before he finally stopped, she saw blood begin to drip from his hands as the sword fell from his hands, and Daemon fell to the floor.

She walked behind him and slowly wrapped her arms around him as she tried to calm him down.

"I will kill that bastard. I will end his whole line! That throne is mine! MINE!" he raged, and his speech was affected by his injured jaw.

His voice was determined and promised retribution.

"I will not let those bastards usurp me!" he muttered, and she uttered soothingly in his ear.

"Everything will be as it is meant to be! You shall ascend that throne, my prince!" she said soothingly, and he repeated in a crazed tone.

"I will! I will!" he said, and she felt his breathing slow down, even though she could feel that in his rage, he had undone all of the healers' work from night and had reopened most of his wounds.

"Yet you need to calm down my Prince. You need to clam down, that duel meant nothing. Nothing for you are the man who brought the whole Triarchy to heel. You are a conqueror, a true warrior!" she soothed him.

And she saw him nod, at her words. The duel had been a shock to her, she had head the rumors of the martial prowess of Prince Aenys, his duel with Jason Lannister for the Hand of Lady Alicent Hightower was said to be a marvel. Though even she had been surprised by his skill, the man may not have the talent and flare of Daemon, yet he fought effectively leveraging any and each advantage.

Thankfully, she had another piece of news that could help Daemon and his cause.

"I also bring news from the castle, my Prince. The King called a Council meeting earlier in the morning," she began and saw Daemon glance at her.

"The Princess Rhaenyra is set to marry Gwayne Hightower in a moon's time," she began and saw his eyes narrow at that, but she continued quickly.

"Moreover, the King also shot down the notion of taking a second wife. He rejected the proposal of the Velaryons. I have heard that the Sea Snake stormed out of the room in a rage and has resigned from his position as Master of Ships at the insult," she added and saw the Prince's mind race as he nodded slowly.

"That is indeed good news," he said, and she nodded as she helped him up and supported him from the side as she led him to a chair on the balcony.

"Indeed, and you and I both know that a man like Corlys Velaryon would not settle for anything less than having his own blood on the throne, and the only way that could happen…." she said and saw the Prince smirk as he finished her sentence.

"….is through me." the Prince finished though he frowned as he added with a grunt.

"Yet he denied me her hand when I reached out to him earlier. What makes you think he will agree this time," he looked towards her.

She smirked as she answered him.

"The man will be desperate. The future of his whole lineage is in jeopardy here," she said.

"And apart from that, I have something that you could use as leverage. Something would bring upon him the rage of his lady wife and could unravel his whole House," she said, and the Prince frowned.

"What do you know?" he questioned, and she reached into her pocket and took out the sketches she had received from her informant.

"The Sea Snake has been seen frequenting a specific House in the Hull for some years now," she began as she put forward the scroll, which Daemon took from her hand.

"It seems the man has a pair of bastards hidden away in the Hull," she said and saw Daemon raise a brow as he looked towards her and questioned.

"Yet what of our son? What of Baelon? Corlys would insist that I make his blood my heir," Daemon answered, and she controlled her expressions and answered in a small voice.

"Then so be it. He shall remain your son, and once you ascend the throne, you could have him inherit the Stepstones."

0000

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN

Rhaenyra Targaryen had spent half the night twisting and turning in her bed, words of Aenys ringing in her head as she contemplated her position as heir. Doubts crept in her heart, and then, after much twisting and turning, when the sleep did come, it came bearing ominous dreams.

In the end, she had woke up with a headache, and her mind was plagued by self-doubt. She needed to clear her head, and so she found herself in the Godswood once more as she sat under the large Heart Tree in the tranquil forest, away from all the hassles that came with being a princess and the heir.

She felt someone else step into the Godswood, their soft steps so reminiscent of much older and simpler times when her largest worry would be getting permission from her mother to ride Syrax or stealing cake from the kitchens.

They didn't speak up, walked up to her, and sat down by her side. Rhaenyra instinctively pushed her head into her soft lap, just as she would in her youth. Soft hands began to brush through her locks, and she felt her worries fly away for a moment, the pain in her lessening as the all-too-friendly intruder finally spoke up.

"I heard from your servants that had trouble sleeping last night. Is everything alright, Rhaenyra?" Alicent asked in a soft voice in a concerned tone, and for some reason, Rhaenyra missed her mother. Missed her teachings, her chidings, her scoldings, and her advice.

"I believe half the castle would have had trouble sleeping yesterday?" she answered cryptically, and Alicent's hand stopped for an instant before she heard a soft sigh. She opened her eyes and saw her orange orbs, and the flecks of gold in them, staring at her with care, her finger continued to caress her head. Her hair was arranged neatly behind her in a simple bun, and as she stared into those eyes, she just burst out.

"I just miss mother too much for some odd reason. Without her, I am feeling alone and lost," she complained as she felt her vision blurry before a sole tear slid down her cheeks. Her eyes dimmed as she gave her a broken look.

"I can understand that, even now, I sometimes wish for nothing more than to just lay in my mother's arms, despite knowing that she is long gone," and Rhaenyra was reminded that her own friend's mother had died ages ago, and could understand what she was going through.

"What do you do? How do you cope with this?" she questioned as Alicent wiped away her tears.

"I used to pray to the Seven, though these days sitting down with Aenys and Aenar helps. Sometimes I share my worries with him, and tell him of my mother and our time together, and he listens. Sometimes we sit there in silence and as the hours pass it is as if he soaks all my worries, his presence by my side an assurance that though I may no longer have my mother, I am not alone," she answered as her hands tensed for a moment.

"Not anymore," she added, and Rhaenyra wished that she had someone like that as well, someone who could help ease the burden that had fallen on her shoulders.

"So, tell me what worries plague your mind, my dear. I may not be your mother, but you are someone I hold very dear to my heart. Let me lighten your burden?" suddenly, Alicent said as she gave her a gentle smile, and Rhaenyra's heart thumped at those words, and after some contemplation, she spoke up.

"I went to meet Aenys last night," she told her, and Alicent and Rhaenyra knew many a man in court would have raised a fit at those words, yet Alicent hadn't even reacted, showing her trust in her and Aenys.

"I wanted to know what it meant to be a ruler, wanted to learn whether all this fighting would veer stop, and was a Crown really worth more than family and kin," she spoke up and Alicent had a complicated expression on her face as she questioned.

"And did you get your answer," she questioned, and Rhaenyra thought about it.

Had she gotten her answer? Yes. She had.

And though a big part of her wished to deny that, she had reached the answer, for this whole matter depended little on her answer, no the person who held the answer was Daemon and he had shown his hand in the melee. And now she could decide to close her eyes and be blind to it or realize the reality that now stared her in the face.

"Yes, I did," she replied, as she looked into her eyes,

"Did you know what my dream for myself was when we were young?" she questioned, and Alicent frowned as she seemed to think for a moment before her eyes lit up.

"Yes, I remember," she replied with a chuckle, though that stopped abruptly as her head snapped towards her, eyes wide and with a million questions hidden in them.

"Rhaenyra, you cannot mean…." She didn't let her finish as she nodded.

"I am," Alicent said, shaking her head. Her lips thinned as she looked at her.

"It's a big decision, one that would have major consequences not just for you but for the whole realm. Do not rush into this. Think about it very seriously," she warned her.

"I will, but do you think he will agree?" she suddenly questioned, and the response was instant as she shook her head.

"No, I believe he will not." Came the answer.

She had guessed the same, yet no matter what, she would think about it more before bringing it up to him or her father.

0000

TYCHO HARON

Tycho Haron sat in the manse that had been arranged for him as he waited for Prince Aenys. His mind was still reeling from what had happened at the tourney grounds yesterday, and he was impressed by the display from the man.

Prince Aenys Targaryen, the healer Prince, had fought off three knights, before defeating the infamous rogue Prince. He wasn't blind to see the underlying tension in their fight, that was more than a simple tourney, it was a message from the younger Prince. A message to all those who were smart enough to see it.

A small knock on the door made him sit straighter as the man who had occupied his very thoughts stepped into the room. His face still carried cuts and bruises from the battle, and his hands were bandaged still, yet those eyes had more or less the same fire as they had held in that melee.

"Prince Aenys," Tycho Haron stood up and greeted the man, who reciprocated with a much chiller and sterner greeting as he sat down, Tycho had, of course known of the Prince yet this was the first time he was meeting him face to face.

He was impressed; he had heard rumors about the man and had received warnings from Armando about not underestimating him, and he could understand why. His eyes were examining him, scrutinizing him before he finally spoke up.

"So, tell me, Prince Aenys, have you made your decision?" Tycho broke the silence and saw the man's eyes narrow.

"Oh, I am afraid I will have to decline your offer," said the Prince. Tycho didn't miss the smile on the Prince's face as he continued.

"And may I ask why you would deny yourself the honor of becoming a keyholder," he questioned. The Prince didn't answer and simply reached into his pocket, took out a scroll, and put it on the table between them.

Haron recognized the scroll at first sight.

"I believe that should answer your question. It was quite difficult obtaining this charter, but I was able to do so after a lot of hassle," said the man as he leaned back.

It was the charter of Iron Bank that governed its running and the roles of the keyholders. One of the rules was that at least two key-holders were needed to veto any decision of the council. Something they had hoped to employ to bend the Prince to their will.

Yet it seemed like things were not going to go as they had planned.

"Joining your group would have basically ended my autonomy over my own life and business. My whole empire would have become hostage to you and your council had I accepted your offer," the Prince said, and Tycho didn't bother hiding it.

"We wouldn't have been so cruel. It is just that Nesaris wasn't the only one concerned with the presence of a dragon lord gaining power in Braavos," he added, and the Prince nodded.

"And that is the other thing, I refuse to believe that your group was unaware of his plans, or at least his intentions, and you could have stopped him. Yet you did not," the Prince added as he picked up the glass by his side and took a sip.

"We were only aware of his animosity towards you. That he planned to attack the Sealord was not something we had expected," he told the truth.

"And how do you think the office of the Sealord will react once he comes to know of your role in that whole ordeal," the Prince threatened.

The office of the Sealord was protected. They could not move against it openly, especially when the man was as popular as he was.

"And you are threatening to bring all this to the knowledge of the Sealord," he questioned.

"Not just that. I was also imagining how my brother would react if he came to learn that Braavos had lied to our grandfather and had bought the eggs stolen by Elissa Farman, now that would be very troublesome for everyone wouldn't it," and Tycho narrowed his eyes.

"I see, then I believe we are at an impasse," Tycho noted, for they were at an impasse. War would be bad for Braavos, and while he doubted the Kingdom of Westeros could triumph over them, their dragons represented a massive danger to Braavos.

"And what do you want?" he questioned. The Prince gave him a smile as he answered his question.

"Ohhh, it is rather simple. I want to become a keyholder," the Prince replied, and Tycho frowned until the Prince suddenly added.

"And I want my wife to be one as well!" and Tyco's head snapped towards the Prince at that, as he saw the Valyrian dragonlord smile as he continued.

"Two seats, one to Aenys Targaryen, the dragon rider, and the other to the representative of the Healer Prince as the wealthiest individual in your city, the one who was wronged by your very order," The Prine finished with a smile before he suddenly added.

"And unlike you, I will give you ample time to think about this."

0000

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A/N: Basically, this would give him autonomy over his actions and the protection afforded by those by laws. Iron Bank, for as powerful as they are, cannot move against Westeros until they have dragons.

This way, Aenys will have two seats and will be very powerful.

Basically, they had to make an offer to him because he is the richest in the city, and now he is going to leverage his position and wiggle out two seats from them.

Should Rhaenyra really abdicate to Aenys, or should she fight? And if Aenys is approached over this issue, should he agree, or should he not even entertain it?

Corlys is in trouble! Corlys's bastards are canon and are in the books!