Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Lady Alicent Hightower's time as the Hand began in a much different fashion than Prince Aenys Targaryen, for the Royal family was in a much different situation at the beginning of her time than it had been for her Lord Husband.

House Targaryen had surged in power, their ranks replenished to a level reminiscent of the Old King's era, the Red Keep now echoing with the laughter and joy of amethyst-eyed children, a sight that both delighted and concerned their mothers.

Their coffers were nearly overflowing with the wealth brought by the new ventures started by the Prince. The capital was rebuilt, and a strong and professional army of five thousand men was at their call.

House Targaryen was once more at the peak of their power, and this time, they were together as well. Despite many provocations and incitations the bond shared between the Queen's family and Prince Aenys's family would not be disrupted. The two branches of the dragonlords would remain gelled together, ruling wisely over their dominion, much to the detriment of the Lords of the realm, who would see their power dwindling.

Lady Alicent, in her time, would see mainly to the consolidation of the endeavors begun in her husband's time. She would prove to be an effective and powerful hand, having learned the art of statecraft from her fabled husband. So it is rightly said that the true architect of the Era of Women and modern-day Westeros was none other than the Prince Aenys Targaryen.

Her biggest achievements would not be financial or infrastructural. No, they would be regarding civil rights, more importantly, women's civil rights. The First Night had been abolished by the Good Queen Alysanne. Yet, the law was not enforced until Lady Alicent and the Queen brought down the hammer on the abhorrent practice, burning two lords who had been convicted of the crime they thought their right as an example for all.

Share of women in inheritance, and their ability to petition for separation from their lord husband on the threat of their life and many more. Though most of these laws seem trivial today in the fifth century, they are only so because of the effort and actions of these women and their future foresight.

It would be in her reign that House Greyjoy would, in one of their usual raids, capture a hundred or so women from the Bear Islands of the North, taking them for themselves as thralls and salt wives as per their tradition.

House Stark would petition the Crown, as they had many times over this matter, yet unlike the previous times, their plight would be answered.

Three dragons would fly off from Kingslanding, Meyles, Syrax, and Seasmoke, and circle the castle of Pyke, roaring for minutes as the castle inhabitant would cower away before the Queen would land first dressed in the plate as Queen Visenya would, with the Lady Rhaenys and her son, Lord Laenor following along.

The Lord of the Tides would come himself to welcome the Queen, yet she would deny the offer of Bread and Salt as she would remark.

"I deny your bread and salt, for I do not come in peace. Free the men, women, and children you have taken from their homes and return them to their lands, or I shall burn your lands such that you shall not find a stone spared from a dragon's wrath!"

It was a declaration of war, and the Lord of the Pyke would rage and rave, yet the ultimatum and the threat of absolute destruction would work, and House Greyjoy would free all their thralls and salt wives.

They would leave only a day later, and the Queen would give a chilling warning to the followers of the Drowned God.

"I care not whether you sow or not. But if you slave anyone in my lands, you shall face the dragon's wrath and taste such fire that nothing of your blood shall remain."

The threat would work for years until the old Lord of the Pyke would die, his seat going to his son, who would rubbish the words of the Queen. Queen Rhaenyra would not be in the world at that time, yet her descendants had not forgotten her promise and would bring Fire and Blood to the Iron Islands in the fabled burning of the Kraken, and the subsequent end of House Greyjoy's dominion over the island province.

Three years into her position as Hand, Lady Alicent fell pregnant for the sixth time and suffered her first miscarriage. The child was lost despite all the efforts from Aenys Targaryen. She fell ill after that and resigned from her position, with the mantle passing to her brother and the consort of the Queen, Ser Gwayne Hightower, who had served for years now as the Captain of the improved and highly skilled City Guard.

Prince Aenys would suffer another tragedy the same year, with one of his closest friends and confidantes, the Sealord of Braavos, dying of an ailment of the heart. Alyssano Nesaris, was credited with giving the Prince refuge when he was exiled by his grandfather, and hence changing the city of Braavos for the centuries to come. Prince Aenys empire would bring great wealth and prestige to the Free City. Through the years, the Crown and the Free City had become steadfast allies because of their shared ties to the Prince, allowing them to mount a covert and secretive plot against the slavers on the other side of Essos.

His death would cause the Prince great strife, and he would attend the funeral and though there would be some calls in the Free City to name the Prince as the next Sealord, a process many believe he could have easily won, the Prince would not put forth his name for the position and Tycho Hessarion, would take the mantle. A shrewd man whose legacy would be tarnished by his jealousy-driven actions against the Healer Prince.

In these years, the Prince would be without title and direct power. Yet, his influence still ran strong all over the land, as he would spend this time with his children and various nephews and nieces, and most importantly, his Lady wife who, despite all the efforts would succumb to her illness, two years later in 138 AC taking with herself the smile of the Healer, who would grow somber after the loss of his wife for whom he had slain a dragon.

The love shared between Prince Aenys and his wife is still considered to be a fairytale by many maidens. It had everything in it, from an evil father to a duel with a dragon. And many maidens still demand 'to love as Aenys' as a requirement from their suitors.

The Prince was still young and healthy at the time. Despite being a father of five children, he would have many suitors, as ladies young and old would throw themselves at him yet he would remain unmarried for the rest of his years, his life dedicated to his children, his work and the realm.

Many try to tarnish his reputation by citing that the Queen and, more scandalously, Lady Arryn shared his bed, some even going so far as to suggest that they did so together. Yet the claims are unfounded and meaningless, fuelled only by the likeness shared by the children of Lady Arryn and the Prince, yet they forget that Lord Laenor himself was a half Targaryen as well, and called the Prince a mentor and friend in his writings.

Years would go by, and soon enough, the realm would enter the second decade of a Queen's reign and as the Crown grew more and more powerful, their enemies began to fear their power, and soon enough, a religious campaign would begin to fester against the Targaryen regime, calling them heathens and a blight in the face of the Seven.

In 142 AC, what would begin as a small riot in Kingslanding would soon transform into a continent-wide coup by the Sept of the Seven as faith militants would try to bring the dragonlords to heel? They would try to entrap and capture the Hand, Ser Gwayne, knowing that without a hostage, their efforts would be quashed by the might of the Dragons, and so they would try and trap him to blunt the Crown's response.

Yet they would fail, and after a blow to the head from an overly zealous Septon, the King consort and the Hand of the Queen would breathe his last, and so the realm would learn what happens when a dragon is enraged.

Death would follow suit, and Dragons would fly all over the continent as the militants would be prosecuted without mercy. Septs will be burnt, and any and all resistance would be quashed with prejudice as the Crown would show the full might it had been rearing for the last two decades.

The army would sweep across the lands, killing all in their way, and in but two moons, the whole coup would be quashed with thousands dead, and the Great unbuckling would begin as the Crown would separate itself from the religion of the Seven. The state and the religion would be made separate entities.

Many would protest at this, House Hightower, the House of the King, and Lady Alicent, the most prominent amongst them, yet their voices would be paid no attention, and the decoupling of the State and the Seven would be finished, as the Crown would remove the title of 'Protector of the Faith' from its allegiances.

Many believe such a step was only possible because of the shift in the demographic and intellect of the common people. One of the most important duties carried out by the regional septs would be of healing, and over the decades of her reign, Prince Aenys's healers would take over this role, removing the more mystifying and religious aspect of the Faith and the healing arts.

The Healers, called the Crown's healers, had fostered in the populace a sense of loyalty to the Crown that was previously associated with the Faith, and losing that had lessened the Faith's influence beyond their understanding.

And so, for the last eight years, Princess Rhaenyra would rule alone, with Lord Laenor Velaryon serving as the Hand. She would not marry again, despite receiving many offers, but would dedicate her life to the realm, as she would begin one of the most transformative initiatives for the centuries to come.

The Codification of the Laws of Westeros.

It would finish years after, in the reign of her descendants, yet to this day, the first constitution has her signatures on it and is preserved in the famous Royal Museum. To this day, it is considered a masterpiece in its entirety.

0000

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN

She felt old and tired. She had felt so for years now. The tiredness is growing by the day since that accursed day eight years ago when those wretched heathens had robbed her of her other half.

Yet they had burned for their actions, their bodies burnt to a charred husk after herself and Syrax had been through with them. She had not won many friends that day, she would wager she had lost much of the image of the benevolent ruler that she had cultivated over the years, yet she would do so a hundred times again.

"But they say you can heal anything!" a shrill voice interrupted her, and her eyes darted up to her only solace after the death of Gwayne, the remnants of their love, their three children. Aemma, Viserys, and Aenys all stood infront of her as her eldest daughter raged.

"They say you are the greatest healer to ever live! So, help her! Make her better!" her eldest screamed, with reddened eyes, even as Aenys and Viserys tried to halt her outrage, knowing very well that she would regret her words and tone afterward.

"I wish I could do more. If there was anything more I could do, I would have done it. But this ailment is beyond me, beyond anyone in these times," came the aged and seasoned voice of the man who had shaped the realm and herself into what she was.

Despite being a year over fifty, he looked not a day older than a man in his thirties as he stood by her side as he had all these years. His face had changed with the years, yet neither had his skin loosened nor had it the lines that would come with age, though his amethyst eyes reflected his age, as he looked at her daughter with guilt and remorse.

"I don't believe you! You are a liar! I hate you!" and with those words and a sob, she left the room, ignoring her shout.

"AEMMMMAAA!" she shouted, yet she was long gone by then, and her voice too weak to carry across the walls as it had once been when she would run after her little dragon as a babe.

"She did not mean it. She is just worr..." Viserys began. Despite being younger, he was the more well-behaved and responsible of the three.

"I know," her uncle, the fabled Prince Aenys, the Healer Prince, the Oathkeeper, along with a hundred other accolades, spoke softly. She knew very well that despite her outrage and words, the love he held for Aemma and she held for him would never lessen.

"Go see to her. I will stay here," he said, and with a nod, Viserys left the room along with Aenys, running after his sister, who would be crying in the Godswood. Her own daughter had grown to share her own love for the quiet place.

And now she was alone with Aenys, who sighed and sat down beside her. She held his hand, relishing the familiar warmth of it, as she looked him in the eye.

"Do not mind her words. Aemma was just worried about me," she requested as pain erupted in her chest.

"Of course, I know that. You know I could never hold such a thing against a child, let alone Aemma," he said with a smile, and she knew that, of course. The whole realm knew that.

Aenys was a good father and had great love for his children. Yet somehow, the little Princess always occupied a special position in his heart. Even as a girl, she would follow him all over the castle and throw massive tantrums that would only end when he picked her up.

Gwayne would often joke that she had spent more time with Aenys than him, yet he would never be jealous of that. He was like that. He had a heart of gold, and those bastards took that from her.

"I am sorry," Aenys began slowly, his words making her frown.

"In some ways, she is right. They call me the greatest Healer, yet I can do nothing for you, it ju..." and she squeezed his hand, stopping him.

"I do not blame you," she assured him. He had explained her ailment to her, how her own body's defenses had malfunctioned and were now attacking her heart. And she wondered to this day how he knew what he knew, yet she had seen him do things that went beyond her wildest dreams, and so she would take his word for it.

"Despite what they say, you are not a God. You are a human, and you have given me much. Everything I hold today, the throne, my children each, and everything I have is in some part because of you," she said, and it was the truth.

She was not bitter about that; he was her support, the pillar behind her that she could always lean on. Today, the strength and the togetherness enjoyed by the whole family were in major parts because of him and his sacrifices, which could not be counted.

He had taught her everything she knew, from how to rule, how to parent, how to punish, and sometimes how to live. He had been a father to her in ways more than Viserys Targaryen had ever been.

Losing Alicent had been hard on him and on her as well. She was her greatest ally and his one true love. Their story was a sort of fairy tale and was still the talk of maidens and bards all over the realm.

"I can manage the pain, but that is all," he spoke as his lips thinned, and she nodded.

"How long?" she questioned, already resigned to her fate.

"Weeks, maybe a moons. But more than that would be a miracle," and she felt her eyes water at that.

"I had hoped that I would be able to walk Aemma up the aisle in place of Gwayne," she said, and her daughter, despite her various attempts, had yet to settle down on a suitor.

"And so, i request of you as I did before, for a union between Aemma and Aerion," she requested, for she believed this to be the perfect match.

Aerion Targaryen was much like his father. He rode Vermithor, the dragon of the Old King, and was Aenys come again. Aenys had been harsher on his sons, holding them to a higher standard than others, and so they had all grown up to be exemplary lads.

He was troubled by her request, and she knew why.

"You know I promised them that I would not marry them without their will," he said tiredly, and she nodded.

"I know, but he is an honorable boy. He would treat Aemma well" after we both are gone. Yet she did not need to say that.

"As for love, even you and Alicent did not love one another first," she told the secret known only to herself, confided in her by her best friend on her deathbed in the darkness of the night.

And he stilled at her words, his head whipped towards her as she looked him in the eye.

"How do you know that?" he questioned.

"She told me herself, not all. Some secrets she said were yours to tell, but she told me how there was little love in between the two of you when you fought Vhagar for her," and the whole notion was absurd. Fighting a dragon for a woman you don't even love, but just out of duty.

It was absurd and not worthy of the songs as it would be if the two were in love.

"Yet you two grew to love one another, so will they. Aerion is your son, your blood. I have seen him grow up with my own eyes. He is a good boy and one I would trust just as much as I would you," she said, swallowing down as pain erupted in her chest.

"Let me talk to him, if you are uncertain.." and he shook his head.

"No, I shall talk to him myself. I will have the court make preparations for the wedding," he told her, and she smiled, the dread of uncertainty fading as she breathed out in relief.

"Thank you," she said as her eyes darted to the roof.

"I know you miss her, and though it pains me to burden you once more," and she turned towards him once more.

"But please, look after them. Guide them as you once did for me, as a last favor to me," she requested as tears welled up in her eyes.

He nodded as he bent forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"You have my word," and that was enough for the Oathkeeper to keep his word.

He had done so for her own mother.

0000

'I often think that the 'Era of Queens' would never have been possible without the actions of one man. My father, Aenys Targaryen. For though the second century of Targaryen rule would be marked for the two women who would ascend the throne, it must not be missed that it was he who made it possible. For twelve years, Aenys Targaryen would hold no office, believing himself too old, even though the way the women at court behaved around him told a whole different story.

Despite his age, he was hale and healthy, and when, in 143 AC, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen succumbed to her illness, once more a Queen would ascend the throne. Breaking the tradition of a male coming before a girl, Aemma Targaryen would ascend the throne with the Prince's firstborn, Aerion Targaryen, as her consort.

This would mark the second major shift in the politics of Westeros, breaking thousands of years of tradition. The realm would be unsettled by this whole ordeal, and it was felt that firmer hands were needed to reign in the lords who once again grew bold, forgetting the 'Burning of the Seven' from a decade ago.

And firmer hands would come, as they had nearly two decades ago, to reign in the squabbling lords who had misgivings about just who held the real power in the realm.'

 ~Excerpt from the 'Era of Queens' by Denys Targaryen~

0000

One maybe two more chaps to go.