80
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199 AC
Harrenhal
Aerion Targaryen
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"The fish took the bait." Words whispered by Gwenys send a shiver through my whole body even as I sit next to a roaring fire outside watching my children play in the snow.
"We got them hooked?" I ask feeling like I have waited far too long to say those words, It should not have taken this time but the fish I was 'fishing' for was skittish.
"Ready to pull them ashore and cook them alive." I grin widely as I pull Gwenys against my side, the slight baby bump doing wonders to warm me up as my heart fills with glee.
"Today is a damn good day." I sigh letting out a cloud of whatever the hell it is that comes out of your mouth when it's freezing dicks off outside.
"A damn good day." Alyssa repeats as she embraces my leg and I tense up as Danny turns around wide-eyed and then narrows her eyes at me.
"She said it of her own free will..." I ruffle my Daughter's hair as her Mother looks at me with annoyance.
"I said it because I wanted to." My Daughter the sweet 'Daddy's Girl' that she is instantly notices 'we' are both in trouble and took the arrow for me like a champ which her Mother huffed at but turned back to face the children in the snow.
Alyssa wordlessly looks up at me with a sly smirk and I nod feeling proud of my baby girl.
"So, are you ready to pull the Trout out of its river and toss it into the flames?" Gwenys who is on a mission refuses to let her teeth out now that she has tasted blood.
I find myself amused and aroused and blame Daenerys for my preference for murderous women.
"We will... just let me enjoy the show for a bit longer and then we can get to work." She hums happily and nuzzles her head against my shoulder seeking my warmth. "Alyssa." My Daughter snaps to attention with her eyes darting around searching for some unseen enemy.
I might have taken the training a bit too seriously with this one...
"Father?" She asks with confusion evident in her tone.
"Go tell your Brothers if they get their tongue stuck on an icicle the only way to get it off is to have someone else piss on it." She scrunches her small nose up cutely before she seems to realize what that exactly means and then her smile turns cruel as she turns to find her Brothers.
"I got it!" She quickly waddles off in far too thick of clothing that her Mother forced on her but like the good girl she is she wears it regardless of how much it annoys her.
"God I love that girl." I shake my head in amusement seeing her stomp through the snow with a bit of difficulty as she heads to ruin her brother's day... Viserys just got his tongue stuck to the ice.
"You know she acts like that because she knows you like it... all of them have their own little ways of getting your attention." I shrug uncaring of Gwenys words as it just makes me happy to have so many children to love and care for and fill my days with fun.
I don't think I have missed the internet in almost eight whole years... these children are keeping me on my toes.
Empty nest syndrome is going to hit me like a Valyrian steel wrecking ball.
I might end up doing something stupid like sailing west of Westeros when all my children wander off to do their own things in life.
A muffled scream is heard from one of my sons as Alyssa practically bounces in place no doubt telling him the only way he can be freed from the ice prison is to get his tongue pissed on.
"Cute." Mya chuckles as all the children start crowding around Viserys who is punching the icicle like his life depends on it as mischievous Gaemon pretends to work at his belt as if he is volunteering to do the pissing.
"Oh shit." Gaemon was not pretending.
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"Man up boy, a little piss wont kill you." I grunt at Viserys as he scrubs his face with some of the lavender soap we stockpiled knowing winter would be rough on our flowers.
Winter roses do surprisingly well, the glass houses are also still working well and I have made a metric ton of them to let the common folk have fresh vegetables... but I still wanted to be ready. Like a doomsday prep addict, I piled up entire rooms with supplies that will be hard to get when the snow sets in for months at a time, much to my wife's delight as they love spending gold on stupid shit.
"He almost got it on my tongue!" Viserys screeches before taking a deep breath to calm himself and then returns to scrubbing his face raw.
"A man of House Grylls taught me to survive in some pretty fucked up environments and drinking piss is sometimes the only way to live." I speak up attracting the attention of my younglings as we all remain huddled around one of the bigger hearths in the castle. "Eating spiders and snakes and whatever else he could get his hands on... it was just what had to be done to live." I can see the instant transition from their confusion about what House is 'House Grylls' and now they all have a twinkle in their eyes as they get ready for story time.
Damn, it's nice to have an entire world of media to pull from to tell my children stories that blow their minds.
Even Viserys drops the washcloth into the basin he has in his lap as she scoots a little closer to hear better. I smile as I rub my hands together wondering how much of that crazy man's survival tactics I should teach to my own flesh and blood. But knowing they always will have a dragon to bail them out of any stupid 'survival challenge' they might come up with like a half retarded Gen Z'er I nod slowly as I lean forward to let them in on the secrets of the wild.
Man vs Wild style.
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199 AC
Harrenhal
Gwenys Targaryen
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"What were you two whispering about?" Narha asks asks as she knits another piece of thick clothing for one of the children.
"The destruction of House Tully." I lift my glass tasting the sweet taste of victory that is just out of my reach but also perfectly within reach at the same time.
A odd taste... almost tastes like Arbor Gold.
"How did you manage that?" Narha asks with a chuckle as the rest of the ladies also turn from Aerion and his 'wild adventure' story.
"Bait and a hook just like catching a fish." I reply while savoring the taste fading in my mouth. "That and a whole lot of blackmail and undercover spies, some 'doubly agent' spies as well." Personally, I think there is some potential to the old lady of the mud being a triple agent but I have had a sharp eye on her and seen not a twitch of guilt.
She is either the best spy alive or helplessly stupid... she has a touch of Tully blood in her so I would not be surprised if it was the latter.
"So the fish will be chased out of the river?" Elaena chuckles lightly as she comforts her Son who just ran up to her with 'cold hands'.
I think the boy just wanted some more of his Mothers love... all of these children are like those sponges that Aerion has been buying but instead of water they absorb affection. I hope my little one is like that... or maybe I don't as that would ruin my job... but I think I do want it. Shaking off the confusing pregnancy feelings and thoughts I ground myself in the moment as I watch the child run off after his Mother kissed his hands and 'made them better'.
"They will be fished out of the river and cooked before we feed them to the rest of the Riverland Lords. While the Riverland Lords are distracted stuffing their faces the crown will put forward a 'vote' that will see House Targaryen rise." I stop and swirl my drink a little to build suspense just as Aerion does in the middle of one of his good stories. "The vote will be for the Riverland Lords to make a decision they will feel bitter about making. The Riverlands will either be ruled by House Targaryen of Harrenhal or the Riverlands will be annexed under the crown as Harrenhal and the surrounding lands of the Gods eye where." Aerion has been working on this plan since before he even came to own Harrenhal... I am surprised he was patient enough to wait for the fish to bite.
I half expected for him to send some of our Assassins creed to kill all the redheads of Riverrun to put this plan in motion. But instead, he played the long game and 'killed them with kindness' which I know for a fact has been sending them up the walls in anger.
Each invitation to be Guests of honor or offer to foster their children or even assistance with their debt to the Iron Bank... it was slowly chipping away at their self-esteem. Slowly but surely like an axe hitting a big tree, Aerion has taken strikes at them until they have fallen. Their tree is tumbling and they do not even know, they will only know when they hit the ground and realize it's too late to do anything.
I am not sure if it's the pregnancy or my own mind but seeing Aerion huddle the children up while my mind is full of thoughts of him slowly pulling out a Great House and ending it... It makes me almost sticky I am so wet.
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Signing a message that will hopefully make it to Kingslanding in the horrible weather I bite my lip with worry if it gets seen by someone, not the King. If the Raven dies to the cold or gets intercepted by someone else... it could ruin the plan if we do not stay on our 'time schedule' as Aerion puts it. But the faith I have in the selectively bred ravens of Harrenhal push a bit of the worry away as I tie off the message to the raven's leg.
"Fly true my trusted feathered ally." A little verbal motivation certainly can't hurt either.
A sharp croak leaves the raven as it hops to the window I just opened, it seems to shiver and toss me a look over its shoulder that makes me roll my eyes at the pity I fell for the feathered 'friend'.
"If you can make it there and back successfully and deliver me the King's response letter... I will ensure you have whatever food you want for the next three months." A loud cry leaves its beak before it leaps out the window snapping its wings open and disappears in the flurry of snow. "Did that bird just understand me?" I blink rapidly in pure confusion before abruptly standing up and planning a path to Visenya's chambers to see what she is up to.
That little troublemaker better not have stolen one of my ravens for her little pranks!
The last time she did this she delivered a message for Lord Stark to Lord Tyrell and I was left to clean up the mess!