-Chapter 52-

-Chapter 52-

-POV Aemon Targaryen-

My uncle's shocked expression slightly worried me because I wondered if I had gone too far. What I wanted wasn't for him to be suspicious of me—quite the opposite—I wanted him to trust me and confide in me.

'For that, I must be as transparent as possible about my intentions with him while keeping him distant enough that he can never truly know what I will do or what I am capable of doing,' I thought.

The heavy silence only heightened my worry that my uncle might have seen through my intentions, but suddenly, he burst into laughter while pouring himself another cup of wine.

'A fine cup,' I noticed, watching the king pour Gold Arbor until a thin line of wine overflowed from the cup, while I secretly felt the pressure within me ease.

Gulp... Gulp... Gulp...

"Ahhhhh," my uncle exclaimed as he slammed his cup down noisily before saying, "Do you know how many years I've been waiting to hear those words come from your father's mouth with the same sincerity?"

I shook my head, nearly jumping with joy inside because I had just hooked my prey; now, I only had to reel him in.

Uncle Viserys looked at his now-empty cup and said, "Too long... far too long."

He gazed at me nostalgically, then said, "You should have been my son; Daemon doesn't deserve you."

I lowered my eyes without saying anything because I didn't even know how to respond to that, but he quickly recovered and asked, changing the subject to cover his brief loss of control:

"What was the reason for this change of heart? If I understood correctly, you're not without ambition yourself."

I smirked, almost mockingly, and said:

"Ambition is the last word I would use to describe myself. To be honest, I never asked for anything that I have, and fortunately for all of us, it was my mother who raised me because she taught me the meaning of honor, family loyalty, and duty."

"Indeed," Viserys said, understanding that despite our 'closeness,' the tension in my relationship with Daemon hadn't disappeared; I had simply decided to bury it for a while.

'Because I still need him.'

I continued, saying:

"I know I might not reflect that image because I have a dragon and I'm building an army that could scare a lot of people, including my cousin, but all I want is to live in peace in the Vale. The rest doesn't matter to me."

"But…" my uncle said, looking at me, waiting for me to get to the point.

"But Jeyne Arryn is preventing me from doing that, and she poses a threat to me," I said, being as transparent as possible so as not to trap myself in the fine web of half-truths I was weaving throughout this conversation.

"How?" he asked, still not understanding the threat Jeyne posed, after all, I had a dragon.

"I have many cousins and collateral relatives with the title of knight who think a Royce by name should be leading our House," I said, trying to guide him to understand the cause of this conflict and its repercussions.

"I still don't see how Rhaenyra would be a problem for you," my uncle said.

I lowered my eyes while playing with my cup and finally said, with a deep expression of regret:

"I humiliated Jeyne Arryn and, unwittingly, confirmed the very real rumors about her by breaking off our engagement."

"I heard about that," Uncle Viserys said, slowly starting to understand.

'Strike while the iron's hot,' I thought.

So, I continued, with an annoyed expression:

"The fragile trust the Lords of the Vale had in her because of her birth has collapsed. She's seeking revenge for that while trying to prove to everyone that she is the undisputed Lady of the Vale."

"And Rhaenyra is a perfect ally since they are cousins, she has a dragon, and she is the Princess of the Realm," my uncle said, finishing my sentence.

'Perfect. If he finished my story himself, it means he believes it to some extent,' I thought, nodding.

I nodded with my eyes on the ground before looking back at him, saying:

"I would have liked to stay far from all this misery, but by breaking off my engagement, I unintentionally triggered a conflict between us and, more broadly, between House Royce and House Arryn. I can flee my father and the capital, but I can't escape this; I must now face the consequences of this feud."

"I better understand your position now. You needed a strong ally to counterbalance Jeyne, and aside from Rhaenyra, the only one left was Laena, who is the rider of Vhagar. With her, you became untouchable to both Jeyne and Rhaenyra," my uncle said.

I nodded, and he continued: "I understand everything you've done so far because it was all carefully planned to protect your House from the storm, but what I don't understand is how you tried to do it."

I smiled inwardly because this was exactly what I wanted him to ask so I could prove my 'unwavering' loyalty despite the obvious conflict of interest with Rhaenyra.

"I don't understand," I said seriously, pretending to be confused by his remark.

"You're trying to depose Jeyne based on the fact that she's a woman, but you know perfectly well that would condemn my own daughter to the same fate."

I smiled and said, "There are two reasons why I chose to use that argument."

"I'm listening," my uncle said.

"The first is the most obvious: I chose that argument because it's the easiest to get most of the realm's nobles, who are men, to accept. The Queen's supporters, and by extension House Hightower, would immediately adopt this as their rallying cry."

Uncle Viserys narrowed his eyes but said nothing, letting me finish, and I added:

"The second reason is that the traditional succession laws of Westeros may apply to everyone, but not to us."

"Why?" he asked, frowning.

"Because we are not mere... men. We are Targaryens, and the doctrine of exceptionalism adopted by the Faith during the reign of the Conciliator protects us from all the laws or rules that govern ordinary mortals. That also means they didn't choose you over Rhaenys because she was a woman, but because they found you more fit to rule than her. It's as simple as that," I said, bringing the wine cup to my lips and watching my uncle, who was visibly shocked.

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-POV Viserys Targaryen-

'It's as simple as that.'

The end of his sentence struck me like a bolt of lightning because the problem that had troubled me for years was now solved after a simple conversation with Aemon.

Since the birth of Aegon and Aemond, I hadn't dared to publicly declare my succession because disinheriting my male heirs in favor of a female heir would go against tens of thousands of years of rites and traditions.

'And against the outcome of the Great Council that placed me on the throne. I also didn't want to give the Sea Snake an excuse to contest the result of the Great Council, especially not now.'

"Why didn't anyone think of that?" I said, still in shock.

"Because it's too simple, maybe?" Aemon said, laughing.

"I don't realize it anymore when I talk to you, but you're only fifteen, and yet you see further than dozens of old men with years, if not decades, of experience on the Small Council," I said, sincerely impressed and also annoyed that no one had noticed this.

Aemon smiled, flattered, and said:

"I don't think I see further, but I think I see from further away."

I frowned, and he explained:

"Everyone living here year-round will inevitably have an ambition or a goal. Sometimes, goals align, leading to the creation of factions, but that's not the case for me because I'm a lone wolf."

I listened intently to my nephew, and he continued, saying:

"I have nothing to lose, nothing to gain. I have no bias; I influence no one, and no one influences me. I simply observe... from afar."

Aemon, noticing that I still didn't quite understand where he was going, said:

"If I could think of it, others probably could too, but they either had something to lose once you realized this information or..."

"Something to gain by keeping me in the dark," I finished my nephew's sentence, furious, because as time passed, I realized that Otto had stopped being my friend the moment Aemma died.

'All he cares about is becoming the grandfather of the next king.'