Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The System Has Failed
Vaegyl
The faith of the Seven arose in the Hills of Andalos among the Andals. It is claimed that the Seven walked among the Hills of Andalos in human form. According to The Seven-Pointed Star: The Father brought down seven stars from heaven and placed them on the brow of Hugor of the Hill, the first king of the Andals, to form his crown and the Maid brought forth a girl supple as a willow with eyes like deep blue pools that became Hugor his first wife, the Mother made her fertile, who bore him forty-four mighty sons as foretold by the Crone. The Warrior gave each son strength of arms and the Smith wrought each a suit of iron plate.[4]
The Faith was brought to Westeros by the Andals who invaded from Essos, more than six thousand years ago, where it largely supplanted the local worship of the old gods. The city of Oldtown became the centre of the Faith, and the Starry Sept in the city served as the seat of the High Septon for a thousand years until the Targaryens came.
"What are you reading my love? Come back to bed." Vaegyl heard his wife- it felt so good to think of her as his wife, let alone say it- Rhaenys say.
He turned around from where he was sat and looked at her. Taking in her slender and curvaceous form, he began to feel the stirrings of arousal take hold of him. Shaking his head to clear his head from such thoughts he simply said "I must learn more about the Faith and why they continue to trouble us so. Father did always say that the best way to defeat an enemy was to know them and their weaknesses."
He heard his sister snort then, and by the sound of the rustling of the sheets and the fact that he could hear her feet padding toward him, he knew she had gotten out of bed. Something that was confirmed when he felt her begin to nibble at his earlobe. He had to suppress a moan and instead pulled her into his lap. She squealed good naturedly and then asked "Why must you persist in reading about the Faith? Surely they are no longer our enemies, after all cousin Jaehaerys has managed to get the High Septon to agree to get the Faith Militant to disband."
Vaegyl sighed; his sister was many things but politically minded she was not. "I keep reading because, our wedding offended the Faith, and with our fool of a brother having married that Lannister whore, we can never know when they will go back on their promise to acknowledge us as the true rulers of Westeros and not that sot Westerling woman and her offspring."
He felt and heard Rhaenys sigh. She did not believe that their half brother Aegon would try and usurp his or their children's place on the Iron Throne, she believed in only the goodness of people, she could not see the blackness that was present in everyone's heart, waiting just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Something that was confirmed when she said. "Not this again. Vaegyl, how many times must I tell you that Aegon would never try and usurp your place on the Iron Throne, no matter what you think Lady Westerling whispers in his ear, Aegon has more honour that to do that. Besides even if he did try to rebel, none of the lords of the realm would support him, for he is not the rightful heir, nor was he the heir that father chose. You were."
With that she finished speaking and began kissing him on the lips. They kissed deeply for a long time, until Vaegyl could feel his arousal firmly protruding from his breeches, he was about to forget all about his worries when he heard a knock on the door. Sighing he broke off the kiss and called "Yes, what is it?"
The door creaked open slightly and Ser Lucamore Strong of the Kingsguard poked his head round the door looking slightly sheepish."Pardons Your Graces, but his grace Prince Jaehaerys wishes to speak with you."
Sighing again, Vaegyl replied. "Very well, let him in then Ser Lucamore." Rhaenys remained sitting on his lap, specifically over his arousal, and Vaegyl was grateful for that, for he did not wish to speak to his cousin- and hand- whilst his arousal was visible. He wondered what Jaehaerys could wish to speak with him about so late at night, the small council was meeting on the morrow.
He saw his cousin enter the room looking rather tired and haggard, and Vaegyl felt a pang of sympathy for his cousin, when Vaegyl had come to the throne he had been nothing more than a little boy, his cousin Jaehaerys had become his regent, and had ruled in his name until about three moons ago when Vaegyl had been formally crowned. His cousin seemed to have taken a great amount of pressure on his shoulders in helping to run the kingdom as Vaegyl grew up and he seemed to have not been able to let that burden go despite Vaegyl's insistence that he relax for a while. He sounded weary as he spoke. "Your Graces, sorry to bother you at such a late hour," He paused and saw Rhaenys effectively straddling Vaegyl, and a sly grin came upon his face. "Though it seems you were both already up, so perhaps I did not bother you too much then."
Vaegyl felt his cheeks colour then and Rhaenys giggled and pressed her head into his chest. "Get on with it cousin." Vaegyl growled.
Jaehaerys chuckled then, but became more serious as he spoke. "Harrold Tully came to see me just now, with grave tidings. It appears that the Faith Militant is re-arming once more."
Vaegyl nearly groaned in frustration. "What has caused them to? I thought you said that the High Septon agreed to end the Faith Militant? So why are they rearming, are they so without honour?"
Jaehaerys seemed much older then when he replied. "The High Septon does not know about the rearmament of the Faith Militant. As far as he is concerned the treaty still stands and the Faith Militant no longer exists. No this is the work of the Most Devout. There are those within the Faith who are appalled that the High Septon agreed to stop the warring in the kingdoms. These disillusioned men and women have the ear of some of leaders of the Most Devout, and it is with their permission that the Faith Militant has begun rearming."
Vaegyl began to feel anger building up inside of him, how dare these pious fools break the treaty that was agreed upon by the High Septon, were they so without honour, without brains that they would think to arm again? He would teach them a lesson, with Fire and Blood if he had to, they had to be taught a severe lesson. Almost as if she could read his mind, Rhaenys gripped his shoulders tightly and looked into his eyes pleading with him not to say anything rash. Vaegyl counted to ten to slow his breathing before he spoke. "What would you suggest we do then cousin?"
He heard Jaehaerys take a deep breath in, before he spoke. "Nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean nothing? We can't do nothing Jaehaerys! These pious fools are rearming right under the High Septon's nose, and are breaking a treaty that was done within the Starry Sept!" Vaegyl exclaimed.
Jaehaerys sighed then. "We cannot be the ones to make the first move Vaegyl. If we make a move before the High Septon becomes aware that there are people within his order who are betraying the treaty, he will not side with us, and we shall have more blood in the streets. Westeros will continue to bleed if we make the first move. No, I say wait and let these fools rearm them and face the wrath of the High Septon. Only if the man comes to us should we make a move, not before."
Vaegyl was about to argue with his cousin when Rhaenys put a finger to his mouth and said "It makes sense Vaegyl. Why give the fools more fuel to their fire? Why let them have more reason to call for Aegon to be crowned king? No listen to Jaehaerys Vaegyl."
Vaegyl felt the argument die in his mouth at the sign of Rhaenys' pleading eyes; he had never been able to refuse her anything even when they were little children. He simply nodded then and said "Very well, we do nothing for the time being. But if the High Septon does not come to us, and there are disturbances within the Kingdoms, should there even be the tiniest slither of trouble, I will mount Balerion and teach these fools a lesson."
Jaehaerys merely nodded in acceptance, and bowed before he left the room. Vaegyl felt Rhaenys slump against him, and looked down at her to see tears beginning to shine in her eyes. "Hey," he said."Why are you crying Rhae?"
She looked up at him then and said, "Because we both know what will happen now. The Faith Militant will continue to re-arm, and the High Septon will continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that his people are honourless cravens and then there shall be a war, and we will have to fight. It will be just as it was during father and uncle Aenys's reign."
He kissed her on the lips and then pulled away and said in a voice filled with a confidence he did not truly feel. "It won't get that far Rhae, I promise you it won't. I won't let it get that far."
With that he lifted her and carried her back to bed, where they made love once more, and just before they both closed their eyes to allow sleep to take them, he heard her say against his chest. "You had better make sure there is no war Vaegyl; I want our child to know his father."
It had been three moons since that conversation with Jaehaerys, three months in which the Faith Militant had continued to re-arm itself, growing stronger and stronger as each day went passed, and Vaegyl hated the sense of hopelessness he felt as the reports continued to come in from Jaehaerys and Harrold Tully. He hated the smug expressions on Lord Tybolt and Lord Gerold's faces, the knowing looks that they often shot his way, when they thought he wasn't looking.
Of course he had stuck true to his promise to Jaehaerys, he had not given the Faith nor the High Septon any reason to complain, and yet this state of doing nothing continued to grate on him, truly it did. He could feel the shackles closing in on him, could hear the whispers that he was too weak a king to do anything about the Faith, that his father would have never let their rearmament go so far, that even his brother Aegon- that blithering fool who had wed a woman who spread her legs for any man who knew how to use his cock- would do a much better job than he was doing. It grated on his being and took everything he had not to mount on Balerion or even Malystryx who was quickly growing very large, and burn down every warrior's son or poor fellow he saw.
Then of course was the news that had sent his world spinning when he had heard it first on that long ago night, he was to be a father, Rhaenys was pregnant. It seemed so surreal, he was to be a father, and yet there was the constant threat of war breaking out, hanging over all of their heads, he had never felt so hopeless, not even when he had seen the arrow pierce his father's heart- he was convinced to this day, that that had been the work of the Westerlings-. He had to be here to see his son or daughter be born, he had to be, but he wanted them to be born in a time of peace, not near war.
All of these thoughts ran through his head as he sat in the small council meeting, listening to Lord Beesbury go on and on about the taxation rates and the amount of money coming into the treasury, and how perhaps a tourney could be staged to celebrate the birth of the King's new son or daughter when the time came. Vaegyl was not truly paying attention he was looking intently at Lord Tybolt, the man seemed to be most interested in what Lord Beesbury was saying and Vaegyl seriously wanted to know why that was.
Of course he could not truly just go up to the man and ask him, oh no he would have to be subtle about it, perhaps he could ask Visenya to… no he would not do that, the thought of using any member of his family as a bargaining tool repelled him, Visenya was his and his alone.
Eventually he had had enough of listening to Lord Beesbury speak of money and decided to end the small council meeting. He walked out of the chamber, calling for his cousin and for Harrold Tully to walk with him, Ser Alyn Connington and Ser Michael Mertyns trailed behind them. Once they reached his chambers he bid Ser Alyn and Ser Michael wait outside and closed the door behind his uncle and Tully, then sat down and waited for them to be seated, once they were he spoke. "What news of the Faith Militant my lords?"
It was Tully who spoke first. "They have managed to get a sizeable force gathered near the Honeyvine my little birds report some 2,000 men have mustered to the Warrior's Sons. Even more to the Poor Fellows. Lord Hightower sent some men out to parley with their leader to ask their purpose, but my birds did not hear what the response was."
Vaegyl felt himself begin to drown in despair it would come to war, he knew it would. Aloud he only said "And what does Lord Hightower say he will do about these pious fools, they do after all sit on his territory."
Tully replied, "Nothing Your Grace. His brother leads the Warrior Sons he does not wish to become a Kinslayer."
Vaegyl sighed then and said "So it will come to war then will it?"
Jaehaerys spoke then. "It need not come to war Your Grace. An envoy can be sent to get them to state their business and then peacefully disband."
Vaegyl simply stared at his cousin for a long moment before saying. "We shall see. Thank you my lords you may go."
Once they had left, he sat in front of the window that looked out onto the city of King's Landing, and thought of Visenya, his fierce warrior sister who had left the capital sometime ago, and had not been seen since. She had written once, to say she was visiting their cousins at Storm's End, but since then there had been no communication from her. He was beginning to worry. Where was she? If those Pious idiots had done anything to her…
He was waiting outside his and his wives rooms in Maegor's Holdfast, waiting for the maesters to come and tell him it was alright to come and see his wife Rhaenys and his new son or daughter, when the messenger came and gave him the raven, and he felt his world spin upside down. Dorne and the Warrior Sons had captured Visenya. Outside he was distantly aware of both Balerion and Malystryx roaring their sorrows.
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