Chapter 44

Chapter 44

RHAENYS TARGARYEN

Rhaenys watched her husband rage as he paced through on the balcony. A frown marred his face.

"This is preposterous! Preposterous! How dare he deny us the match!" he said through gritted teeth, and she had been surprised by Viserys's decision as well. He had seemed receptive to the match when they had first discussed it, so the refusal had come as a surprise.

A part of her was elated though, she was never truly easy marrying off her daughter to Viserys, knowing that doing so would thrust her into the middle of the impending conflict. A conflict that could have drawn its first blood yesterday in that tourney.

"He shames us! Shame my House! I will not stand for this," said Corlys as he entered the chamber once again, and she frowned at his words.

"You exaggerate. Viserys has refused to take a wife at all, he hasn't just denied a match with Laena," she cut in, and saw Corlys look at her with a frown.

"How could you say that? Do you have no care for our legacy? For the legacy of our House!" he shouted at her, and she was taken aback by his tone. Her eyes narrowed as she cut in a cold tone.

"You mean your legacy! For neither House Velaryon's nor House Targaryen's legacy is in jeopardy," she cut in and saw him grind his teeth.

"Whatever I do, I do so for this family! I do to right the wrong done to you…!" but Rhaenys had had enough and cut in.

"ENOUGH!" she said, raising her voice and saw that it had taken Corlys by surprise.

"I have had enough of you, painting your own ambition with my blood. I have long come to terms with the decision of that Council," she said in an icy tone.

"Though it appears as if you haven't. You still hunger after the Crown, wish to see your own blood on that throne. So be honest, do not cloud your true intentions, with this false veneer," she spoke with an icy tone and saw him rage.

"Our blood was supposed to sit on that throne. Our BLOOD! It was our right!" he shouted, and she shook her head.

The decision of the Grand Council had been painful. It had hurt her greatly. Yet sometimes, as she saw Laenor laughing carelessly with Laena or with his lover, despite her anger she felt grateful for that ruling of the Grand Council, especially as she had seen Rhaenyra scream as Daemon had swung that blade at Gwayne.

She was thankful that she had chosen the Hightower boy, for she didn't have the heart to see her own son on the other side of that blade.

Her children were her greatest treasure, and she cared much more for their lives than that ugly seat.

"You may have given up on it. But I have not!" Corlys said, and his head snapped towards him, as she felt her heart race up.

"What do you mean?" she questioned as she saw his eyes glint ominously.

"Viserys has denied us our right! This leaves me no other choice. We must ally ourselves with Daemon," he uttered, and she could not believe her ears for a second. Yet as she realized that he meant what he had said, she was appalled and asked incredulously.

"Have you lost your mind? DAEMON! Daemon that nearly killed a lord infront of everyone yesterday!" she questioned his sanity for even bringing up the match, and yet, as she watched him look into his eyes, she saw that he was actually serious about this.

"Daemon Is wild indeed! Yet we need him for his blood just like he needs us for ours. As for his behavior, he is a beast, yet he could be brought under control."

She scoffed at his words.

"Daemon is a rabid beast, one that no one can control. He even bit the very hand that fed it all these years. Viserys always stood up for him even when the whole court stood against him. Yet today, he raised his sword against Viserys's blood," she pointed out as she shook her head.

"I have had enough of your machinations, husband! I went along with your initial plan, but I will not let you marry our daughter to a beast like Daemon!" she spoke with finality and saw Corlys turn towards her with a snarl.

"You have no say in this, Rhaenys! I am the Lord of this House, and I shall decide on its future!" he spoke, and she was surprised by his words, taken aback by his tone.

"Yet the very claim of our children comes from my blood! Mine, not yours!" she snarled angrily.

And Corlys shook his head.

"They may share our blood, yet they carry my name! They are Velaryons and will do their duty to this House despite what you say!"

0000

ALICENT HIGHTOWER

"And you think they will agree?" she questioned as Aenys told her about his meeting with the representative from Iron Bank.

He nodded.

"They have no other choice; open war is bad for business, and my businesses in Braavos are too big. They cannot target me without turning the populace of the city against themselves," he added, and she narrowed her gaze, realizing that all those altruistic actions taken by him were finally showing their power.

The common folk of Braavos loved the healer, Prince, perhaps even more than the common fold of Kingslanding, for his operations in Braavos were nearly twice as large as the one's in Kingslanding.

"And what if they don't?" she questioned, growing concerned, and he shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her. As both of them lay in his chambers, the healers didn't want him to move much, yet he had ignored them and went to meet this keyholder called Haron.

"I am telling you they won't. There are people among the key holders who hold favorable views about me; it was one of them that helped me obtain the charter, and they have assured me that the Council does not seek a confrontation. This matter will resolve itself soon," and she could see him relax. The tension that had weighed him down for months now lowered somewhat as he lay there in his bed, with his arms wrapped around her.

"Was this the reason for all your charity work in Braavos?" she suddenly questioned as her mind remembered her father's words from last night.

Aenys frowned as he looked down at her. His hair had grown long, at least longer than usual, and reached his ears, and his purple gaze glinted as the fingers of his idle hand brushed her cheek.

"And if I say yes, will that change the good I did by healing those people," he said, and that was an answer enough. And she shook her head as she gripped the covers tightly and pulled them up.

"No, it would not. Though I can still not imagine myself becoming a keyholder," she said as she settled her head on his chest. Its rhythmic rise and fall comforted her.

"Ohh, you will be fine. The charter basically forces them to offer the key to the richest individual in Braavos, and given that Nesaris tried to kill me, I am entitled to his seat as well," he added.

"I am not making them give me anything less than I deserve. Don't worry about this too much," he said as his fingers brushed through her hair, and she wouldn't. That didn't mean there were other things occupying her mind.

They had not had time to lie down since the birth of Aenar, and it had been some time since she had found herself in his arms like this, simply alone and in solitude. Both of them weren't very talkative and preferred the silence of togetherness.

"There is something on your mind," he added, and she should have known that he wouldn't miss the signs of her tumultuous thoughts, just as she would not.

"Is this about meeting your father? I told you, Alicent, you don't ha…." And she shook her head.

"NO, no, this isn't about that," she said as she straightened up, pulling the sheets around herself to cover up as she sat down and looked at him.

"In fact, I met him out of my own choice," she told him, and he raised a brow.

"Then tell me what troubles you," he questioned as he leaned forward himself. The sheets only covered him from the waist down, and his whole upper body was bare now, the various scars and wounds there for her to see.

She bit her lip as she thought of what to say until she finally decided to ask him the question head-on.

"Have you ever desired to be King?" and she saw that her question caught him by surprise, as he stilled for a moment before he answered. And his answer came as quickly as she had expected when she had told Rhaenyra, as he shook his head.

"No, I have never desired to sit on that Iron Throne, but why are you asking this," he questioned, and she didn't doubt his answer. Over the years, she had come to know him. She had come to know enough of him that Aenys held little desire for the throne.

"There are rumors, rumors that a Grand Council may be called again to deal with the matter of succession," she began and saw his eyes narrow as he nodded.

"Indeed, I have heard such rumors as well. And maybe it will get called, the Lords shall vote for Rhaenyra, and she shall become the Queen, with her children taking the throne after her," he answered.

"And what if they don't? What if they vote for Daemon?" she cut in, and he shook his head, thinking the whole scenario would be a jape.

"And why will they do that? Daemon is a cruel monster, one whose face they all saw just yesterday. He is a vile monster who would resort to kinslaying. The realm will be damned if they vote for him."

"But he is a man," she cut in sadly and he gazed at her with a complex expression at her words.

"And a great warrior who conquered the tumultuous lands of Stepstones, the absolution of his marriage also opens the possibility of probably match, a match that could help him gain considerable political capital," she answered, and Aenys's expression became more and more grave with her words, until he finally cut through the tense silence.

"Then may the Gods have mercy on the people of Westeros, for those lords will have damned the men and women of the seven Kingdoms," he said. She gulped.

"Rhaenyra would make a great Queen, yet she is young and a woman. And though I know you disagree with them, many in the realm believe a woman to be incapable of ruling. Daemon has many accomplishments to his name, honors that would attract many a lord to his side," she added, and Aenys leaned back into the bed.

"Then we shall pray that the Lords of the realm make the right choice out of the two," he said until she cut in.

"But what if they had another option," and she felt him still at her words as his eyes shifted. Gone was the loving gaze he would always direct at her, and out came the cunning Targaryen Prince who had demolished the entire Triarchy under his heel.

His icy gaze landed on her as he uttered in a cold tone.

"You cannot be proposing that," he said, and she bit her lip as she mustered all her courage and gazed into his eyes, the sheer act taking much more courage and bravery than she had expected yet she knew she had to.

"And what if I am?" she challenged, and his eyes widened as his fists balled up as his gaze tightened before he added in a chilling tone.

"She is your friend. You call her a sister, and you would have me usurp her birthright!" he spoke, his voice cold and detached. He had never taken that tone with her. Never.

And this was the rage the whole world feared, unlike the fiery rage of the Rogue Prince and King Viserys. This was the cold rage said to have been possessed by the Old King Jaehaerys, Aenys's grandfather. The one which had made the King dye the streets scarlet as he mounted the heads of half the Flea bottom on pikes when they slaughtered his Master of Coin in a riot.

"And what if it is Rhaenyra herself who makes such a proposition? What if the notion I speak of is one being considered by her," she added and saw his temper soothe a bit as he shook his head.

"That would never happen. The Gods have yet to make a man who lacks desire for the Throne," he said, and she cut in quickly.

"You are wrong," and he looked towards her with a frown.

"You told me earlier, for didn't you tell me earlier that you never desired the throne!"

And as the couple lay in bed, a small envoy entered the capitol, clad in fine armor carrying sigils of a falcon flying on a blue background.

0000

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A/N: A bit short, but yeah, Aenys and Alicent's relationship is healthy enough that she could approach such a topic.

Should Aenys accept the proposition? Please comment.