| Chapter 13: The Empress in Silence |

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| Aegon Targaryen - 1st Person Pov |

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Today, the courtiers, who typically moved through the halls with purpose and energy, seemed subdued, their footsteps hushed, their conversations muffled. It was as if the air itself had grown heavier, laden with unspoken words and unseen tensions.

I had felt it growing over the past few days, this sense of something shifting beneath the surface. The cracks in the court were widening,— Jia's control, once so absolute, was beginning to show signs of strain. The Emperor's supporters had grown bolder during his appearance in court, and while Jia had maintained her composure, I could see the subtle unease in her eyes.

But it wasn't just the court that was changing.

I was changing too.

The dreams had stirred something in me, a fire that refused to be extinguished. I had seen visions of dragons, of the Iron Throne, of Westeros burning under my command.

And with those visions came a hunger,— an urgency that I could no longer ignore. I had been patient, as Jia had taught me, but patience alone wasn't enough anymore. I needed more.

Today, that need drove me through the winding halls of the palace. Jia was attending another council meeting, dealing with the growing unrest in the west, and for the first time, I didn't feel the urge to be by her side. I had been thinking about power differently, seeing it in ways I hadn't before. Jia wielded it like a weapon, precise and calculated, but I had begun to wonder if there was more to it than that,— more than just control and influence.

I passed a group of servants as I walked, their heads bowed as they whispered among themselves. They fell silent as I approached, but I caught fragments of their conversation before they did.

"She's in the garden again…"

"The true Empress? But no one ever,—"

"Hush!"

I slowed my pace, intrigued. The true Empress. I had heard her name mentioned only a few times in passing, always as a figure on the periphery of power, a shadow cast by the presence of Jia. The Emperor's wife, the woman who should have been the most powerful figure in the empire, but who had been quietly sidelined, forgotten by the court.

No one ever spoke of her directly, and I had never seen her. She existed more as a symbol than a person, much like the Emperor himself. But now, hearing the whispers of the servants, I found myself curious,— drawn to the idea of seeing this woman who had been hidden away for so long.

Without even thinking, I changed direction, heading toward the palace gardens.

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The garden was a secluded place, tucked away behind high walls, far from the bustling heart of the palace. It was quiet here, the air cool and fragrant with the scent of jasmine and cherry blossoms. I could hear the gentle trickle of water from a nearby fountain, the sound soothing in its simplicity.

As I entered, I caught sight of a figure standing by the fountain, her back to me.

She wore a simple gown of pale blue, her dark hair pinned back with delicate silver combs. There was an elegance to her, a quiet grace that seemed to blend seamlessly with the peaceful surroundings.

I knew immediately that this was the true Empress.

I stood still for a moment, uncertain of how to proceed. She hadn't noticed me yet, or if she had, she gave no sign of it. I could feel the weight of the palace behind me, the layers of intrigue and power games, but here, in this garden, it all seemed to fade away.

Finally, I took a step forward, my voice low.

"Your Majesty." The Empress turned slowly, her gaze meeting mine. Her eyes were dark, soft, but there was something in them,— a quiet strength that caught me off guard. She was younger than I had expected, her face lined with a curious beauty, but there was a calmness about her, a stillness that seemed untouched by the chaos of the court.

"Prince Aegon." she said, her voice gentle but firm, using a title that caught me off guard. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Her tone wasn't accusatory, merely surprised, as if she were used to being left alone, to being forgotten by those around her.

"I didn't expect to find you here either." I replied without showing notice of the mention of the title 'prince', taking another step closer. "I've heard… very little about you."

A faint smile touched her lips, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I imagine you've heard little because there is little to tell."

I frowned at that, studying her more closely. "You're the Empress." I said, my voice quiet but pointed. "You should be at the center of the court, but instead…"

"Instead, I am here." she finished for me, her smile fading. "The court has no use for me. The Lady Consort sees to that."

The way she mentioned Jia's title, with neither anger nor bitterness, but with a kind of resigned acceptance, struck me. She wasn't fighting her sidelined role,— she had accepted it. And yet, there was no sense of defeat in her voice, no sign that she had given up.

"How have you managed to stay in this palace for so long?" I asked, genuinely curious. "With everything shifting around you, how do you survive?"

The Empress turned her gaze back to the fountain, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of the stone. "Survival." she said softly, "Is about understanding the nature of the game. Lady Jia is the one the court watches. She is the one they fear, the one they seek to influence. But me? I am forgotten. And I believe there is power in being forgotten."

Her words gave me pause. Power in being forgotten. It was a concept I hadn't considered before,— this idea that there was strength in being overlooked, in not being a direct part of the power struggles that defined the court. Jia had always taught me that power came from control, from making others see and fear you. But this woman, this quiet Empress, had found another way.

"Don't you want more than this?" I asked after a long silence, my curious mind taking hold of me. "Don't you want to be at the center of things again? To lead?"

She smiled again, but this time there was a sadness in her eyes. "At one time, yes. I thought that was what it meant to be strong, to lead. But now, I see that power comes in many forms. And sometimes, the most dangerous player is the one no one sees."

I didn't know how to respond to that.

Her words struck something deep inside me, something that made me question everything Jia had taught me. I had always believed that in order to rule, you had to be seen, to be feared. But this woman, who had been sidelined and overlooked, was still here. She had survived in a court full of dangers, without ever lifting a finger to fight back.

And yet, despite her apparent passivity, I could feel that there was something more to her,— something that ran deeper than what I had seen in the court so far.

"Do you ever regret it?" I asked quietly, stepping closer to her. "Being forgotten?"

The Empress turned to face me fully now, her gaze steady. "Regret? No. I have found peace in my role. The court is a dangerous place. To be seen is to be vulnerable. To be invisible… that is where true strength lies."

Her words lingered in the air between us, and for the first time, I began to see that there was more than one way to wield power. Jia's way,— her control, her influence,— was effective, yes. But this woman had found a different kind of power, one that came from patience, from knowing when to act and when to step back.

"You don't fear Jia then?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

The Empress shook her head. "Jia is formidable, yes. But her power is fragile, built on the fear of others. Fear is a weak foundation for an empire. It will crumble, given time."

I stood there in silence, absorbing her words and her willingness to give me such information knowing who I was.

Jia had taught me to rule through control, to manipulate those around me to get what I wanted. But now, I began to see the cracks in that approach. Fear could only hold people for so long before it turned on you.

"You've given me much to think about, Empress." I said finally, my voice quieter now.

The Empress smiled faintly. "That was not my intention, but I'm glad."

We stood there for a moment longer, the garden silent except for the sound of the fountain. I could feel something shifting within me,— something that had been growing for some time but was only now coming to the surface. I had learned so much from Jia, but perhaps there were other lessons to be learned. Other ways to lead, other paths to power.

"I won't forget this conversation, thank you." I said, meeting her gaze.

The Empress nodded, her expression calm. "I doubt you will."

With that, she turned and got up, before beginning to walk away slowly and gracefully, leaving me alone by the fountain, my thoughts racing.

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The sound of the Empress's footsteps faded as she disappeared deeper into the garden, her figure soon lost among the cherry blossom trees. The petals fell slowly from their branches, drifting like soft pink snow, settling on the grass and the stones beneath my feet.

The garden was serene, untouched by the tensions of the palace,— a world of its own, hidden away from the power struggles that defined life inside the court.

I remained by the fountain, watching the water as it bubbled and flowed over the smooth, polished stone. The sound was steady, rhythmic, almost hypnotic in its calmness. It was such a stark contrast to the thoughts swirling in my mind.

The Empress's words still lingered, heavy in the air around me. There was power in being invisible.

There was strength in patience.

How had I never considered this before? Jia had always taught me to be seen, to control the court through presence and influence.

Yet, here was a woman who had survived through quiet endurance, through allowing herself to be overlooked. It was a different kind of power,— one I hadn't yet learned how to wield.

The garden felt like it was breathing around me, the wind gently rustling the leaves of the trees. I could hear distant voices,— courtiers, ministers, servants,— moving through the palace corridors beyond the garden walls. Their voices were hushed, but there was a subtle edge to them, a tension that was impossible to ignore.

Everything in this place was on the verge of something, some shift that hadn't yet come but was already being felt.

I began to walk slowly, my footsteps soft against the stone path. The sky above was a pale blue, the afternoon sun casting a warm, golden light across the garden. The cherry blossoms overhead swayed with the wind, their branches arching gracefully as they let go of more petals, each one drifting slowly toward the earth. It felt like a place frozen in time, as if the weight of the world hadn't yet found its way in here.

But I knew better. This garden was part of the palace, and the palace was a place where power was never truly absent.

A small group of servants passed by, their heads bowed, their hands full of silks and delicate items, likely on their way to some distant corner of the palace. They moved with a practiced efficiency, their faces expressionless, as if they had long ago learned how to become invisible themselves. The palace swallowed people like that, turning them into shadows. It was a place where those without power learned to survive by disappearing.

As I rounded a corner, I saw a courtier standing at the edge of the garden, speaking quietly with a young noblewoman. Their conversation was barely audible, but their body language spoke volumes.

The man leaned in, his hand resting lightly on the woman's arm as he whispered something that made her eyes dart around nervously. I slowed my pace, observing them from a distance, wondering what secrets they might be exchanging.

The palace was full of moments like this,— small, quiet interactions that held far more meaning than they seemed. I had learned to watch for them, to notice the way people spoke to each other when they thought no one was paying attention. In these fleeting moments, you could see the true alliances, the hidden rivalries, the unspoken power dynamics that shaped the court.

I continued my walk, my thoughts still circling back to the Empress. She was so different from Jia, so different from anyone I had encountered here. She didn't need to wield power directly to maintain her place. She didn't fight for attention, didn't assert herself in the way Jia did.

And yet, there was a strength in her,— a quiet, unshakable strength that intrigued me.

Jia was all about control. She ruled through influence, through making others see her power, feel her presence.

But the Empress… she had found power in the absence of those things. She had survived without fighting, simply by letting others forget her. And yet, she was still here.

Still standing.

I came to a stop near one of the many small ponds, its surface still and glassy, reflecting the sky above.

The water was dark, almost black, with only the occasional ripple disturbing its surface as the wind brushed against it. I crouched by the edge, reaching out to dip my fingers into the cool water. The sensation grounded me, pulling me out of my thoughts, if only for a moment.

Was this the kind of power I wanted? To be invisible, to survive by being unnoticed? The Empress had accepted her role, but I couldn't imagine myself doing the same. I had been born for more than that,— destined for more than that.

I had seen the Iron Throne in my dreams, had felt the fire of dragons burning in my veins. I couldn't rule from the shadows, couldn't disappear into the background like the Empress had.

And yet, her endurance fascinated me.

I stood again, my fingers still cool from the water, and began to make my way back toward the palace. The garden, for all its beauty, had left me with more questions than answers.

The Empress had given me a glimpse of another way to wield power, but I wasn't sure if it was a way I wanted to follow.

As I neared the entrance to the palace, I saw Jia approaching from the opposite direction.

She moved with her usual grace, her robes sweeping the ground as she walked, her face set in its familiar mask of control. She hadn't seen me yet, and for a moment, I hesitated.

There was a distance between us now that hadn't been there before, a quiet tension that neither of us had fully acknowledged.

"Aegon." Jia said, her voice smooth as she finally noticed me. She came to a stop just a few paces away, her dark eyes studying me with a calm intensity. "I've been looking for you."

"I was walking in the garden." I replied, my tone careful.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp. "The garden? Alone?"

Her question felt loaded, though her voice remained as composed as ever.

"I had some things to think about." I said, glancing briefly at the cherry blossoms still drifting through the air behind me.

Jia's lips curled into a small smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Always thinking, aren't you?"

There was a faint trace of amusement in her tone, but I could sense the undercurrent of something else,— something more possessive. She had always prided herself on being the one to shape my thoughts, to guide my understanding of the court. And now, with the growing distance between us, I could tell she was beginning to feel the strain of losing that control.

"You're learning well, Aegon." she said, stepping closer, her voice lowering slightly. "But you must remember, the court is a dangerous place for those who wander too far from their allies."

Her words were meant as a reminder, but I heard the warning in them. Jia was not used to being questioned, not used to losing her grip on those around her. And as I stood there, watching her, I realized that the cracks in her control were growing wider.

"I'm not wandering." I replied, my voice steady. "I'm just… observing."

She raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. "Observing? What have you observed, then?"

I hesitated, the memory of the Empress's words still fresh in my mind. "That there's more than one way to survive here."

Jia's eyes narrowed slightly, though her smile remained fixed in place. "There are many ways to survive, yes. But not all of them lead to power."

"Sometimes survival is power." I said quietly, thinking of the Empress.

Her smile faltered for just a moment, and in that brief hesitation, I saw something I hadn't seen before,— doubt. Jia was not invincible, not as untouchable as she appeared. And she had began to see it only now.

"You're right." she said softly, her gaze locking onto mine. "But power, true power, requires more than survival. It requires action."

I held her gaze, feeling the weight of her words.

Jia was pushing me, testing me. She wanted to see if I would follow her path, if I would take the lessons she had taught me and use them to seize control. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that her way might not be the only way.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said finally, with a nod of my head.

Jia's smile returned, but it was thinner now, more strained. "Good."

As she turned to leave, I stood there for a moment longer, the garden and the palace stretching out around me. The world was changing, shifting in ways I couldn't fully understand yet. But one thing was clear: I was no longer the same boy who had come to the Jade Palace under the protection of Jia Niao.

I had seen too much. Learned too much.

And now, the path ahead of me was no longer certain.

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| Author's Ending Note: Thoughts please? We have little to no comments... I crave interactions with you lot, c'mon guys. |