Chapter 16: Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Deep in one of the greater manses in the great city of Bravos. Four people sat around a table as they worriedly talked about a certain mishap.
"What was he thinking, attacking that ship?" spoke one of the men, in a frustrated tone.
"He claims that his crew made a mistake," came the reply in a dejected voice.
"MISTAKE! That fucking mistake could cost me everything. Do you have any idea how many of my magisters owe him a favors? GODS! He delivered my own child! Who do you think everyone will blame when he stops treating them? Huh! I will be booted out of my office within days! Days!" screamed the last of the three men.
The fourth man was dressed differently and held a key hanging around his neck. His purple robes in contrast to those of the others stood out.
"You think I will be any different! Many of my magisters have been asking me to pull back the support from Drahar for some time now! Gods I also have another pair of twins due in some time! There is no way he sends anyone to help deliver them now!" spoke the man as he nursed his glass of wine.
"Perhaps! We could send tribute! He just built that huge college of his! Perhaps we could smooth this with some money!" yet the other two shook their heads.
"Nah! There are rumors that he owns a couple of trading fleets. He is probably as rich if not richer than all of us!" came the retort and the chambers slid into silence, as the three prominent magisters from the infamous Triarchy sat there dejected. However, the man with purple robes broke the silence.
"If you call for him he will still come! He won't deny you his healing or his healers," and his words surprised the three magisters.
The First Magister of Lys perked up at that.
"You mean he won't retaliate? The princess that was killed was said to be very close to him. There is no way he lets this go!" and the purple robed man replied.
"Oh! He won't let this go. I can assure you of that. But he won't deny you, his services! If he finds out you were behind this, and he probably already suspects, he will bleed you dry. He will cripple your businesses he will demolish your politics! But he will still heal you and your families!"
The three magisters gulped at this. They all looked at each other, and nodded at each other when one of them spoke up.
"Yet you still called us here! So, tell us what do we need to do!" and the man held his key and began to twist it in his hands as he gave them all a smile.
"Well, you have only two options. You either wait for him to bleed you all to your deaths, or you make him bleed to his!" and their eyes widened as the implication behind those words dawned on them all.
"You want us to kill him!" and the man nodded.
"Indeed! And believe me that is your only option for survival," the three magisters looked at each other and after some time looked towards the purple robed man and nodded. The man gave them a smile, showing off his black teeth as he got up.
"That is good! There will be an opportunity soon. We will strike then. And I would advise you to have your pirate move any of your wealth out of the Stepstones. Because he might not be able to kill you, but he won't spare him. Your little 'crab feeder' is as good as dead!"
And the magisters nodded as the purple-robed man left the chambers, leaving them all alone once more.
0000
CORLYS VELARYON
Corlys Veelaryon sat in his chambers as he waited for the arrival of his guest. He nursed the wine glass in his hands as he took small sips of the finest Dornish Reds. Looking at the shore from the balcony of Dragonstone was an experience. The castle somehow reminded him of his own seat of Driftmark with a clear view of the bay.
Rhaenys wasn't present and was with the King and the Queen trying to dissuade them from their latest misadventure. A misadventure that just might cause another split in the Royal family. He had tried and failed, and now it was up to her to talk Viserys out of the idiotic plot he had cooked up for Aenys.
There was a knock on the door as a servant entered and spoke slowly.
"My Lord, Prince Aenys is here," and Corlys turned away from the balcony and walked towards the table as he motioned for the servant.
"Let him in," and with a bow, the servant walked out and seconds later, Aenys walked into the room, his gait heavy, his eyes sunken, and his face filled with a mix of grief and rage. Unadulterated fiery rage.
Corlys walked up to him and gave the younger Targaryen a hug.
"Thanks for making some time for me on such short notice," said Aenys as they separated, and Corlys waved it off.
"It was nothing. Come sit," and they took their seats. Corlys offered him some of the wine, yet Aenys refused.
"No, I believe that it would be better if we were sobre for this," and Corlys nodded, noticing his tone's graveness. The truth was that he had a pretty good idea about what this was all about. So, Corlys pushed away the bottle, leaned back in his chair, and looked straight at Aenys.
"All right, I believe I have a pretty good idea what you want to talk about," he began slowly, and the Prince nodded, his face hard, yet Corlys noticed the tightness in his eyes as his gaze hardened.
"And that is," the Prince questioned, as he leaned for war.
"War," and it was as if the room's temperature dropped, and silence reigned over as his words almost reverberated across the room. Aenys nodded as he cracked his knuckle.
"Then I believe we are on the same page. From what I remember, this Craghas Drahar was also quite a problem for your trade," and Corlys nodded, for that was true. Drahar had more or less halved his trade, hurting House Velaryon.
"Yes, and I believe you were the one who advised against going to war. Moreover, I believe you aren't naïve enough to believe that Drahar was alone in this," he questioned with narrowed eyes. Aenys nodded as he stood up and walked towards the burning wood in the fireplace.
"I know. It's an open secret that he has the backing of the Triarchy, but leave them to me. I will take care of those behind him myself. The main culprit of her death is Drahar," said the Prince with gritted teeth, and he reeled back slightly as he saw Aenys's blazing eyes.
"So, my offer to you is simple. I will assist you in your war in the Stepstones against Drahar, you can have all that you plunder and conquer. All I want is Drahar. He is mine and you can have all of the rest," and Corlys's eyes widened at such a blanket offer. If the Prince took care of Drahar's support from the Triarchy, Corlys was sure he could conquer the Stepstones, yet there was another issue. Another rather significant issue.
Viserys Targaryen. Corlys may have had the resources to fight the war, but holding those islands was another thing. For that, he would need the assistance of the Crown.
So, he got up as well and joined Aenys by the fireplace.
"You know Viserys will not agree to go to war," he told Aenys, who nodded.
"I know he won't. He has always been like that. But he doesn't have to. It isn't his fight, it is mine, and I plan to fight it one way or another," then the Prince looked at him and Viserys felt as if he was staring into the eyes of the Old King himself as Aenys finished.
"Either with or without you," the Prince finished emphatically, and he was once more reminded of Rhaenys's words about the youngest Targaryen brother, and he was beginning to see the truth in them.
He thought about all he had heard, and while he was ready to fight in the war even without the Crown's support, Corlys understood that it would be better to have it rather than not, for with the Crown came an inexhaustible supply of men and arms. Much hassle also came along, but it seemed like a good trade-off to him.
His mind raced as he thought of any ways to get the King involved, and hence his mind went to the discussions he had heard earlier in the day. And he hesitated about mentioning them to Aenys, for he couldn't predict the reaction of Aenys, but in the end, he decided to share his thoughts.
"I understand what you are saying, Aenys, but I believe there might be a way for us to have the Crown's backing in this endeavor of ours," Corlys began slowly, and he noticed Aenys frown at his words before he motioned for him to continue as he leaned onto the wall.
"There was a private Council Meeting earlier, and we had quite a bit of discussion over one specific topic," he began cautiously, and Aenys's eyes narrowed at his words.
"What topic?" questioned Aenys. Corlys gave a small sigh as he answered.
"The topic of your marriage, my Prince," he answered and noticed the widening of the Prince's eye at his words. The Prince took a second or so before he walked up to the table, poured some of the Dornish Red into a cup, and took a small sip as he returned to his earlier place.
"Now, why don't you tell me exactly what was discussed?" and if Corlys had known Aenys as much as the departed Lady Maegella Targaryen, he would have been very careful with his following words.
Yet alas! He didn't.
0000
RHAENYS TARGARYEN
"Aenys will never agree to it," she said as she leaned back into the chair and sat with Aemma, hoping to convince her to stop Viserys from proposing such a folly. Their relationship was rocky enough without all the drama such a demand from Viserys would bring.
Aemma chewed her lips as she replied.
"I know that, but the proposal does have its merit. Jeyne Arryn would be a good match, Aenys would practically be a high lord and Warden of the East, and it would solve many of our problems," and Rhaenys sighed as Aemma seemed to ignore the most significant issue.
"Gods, it could be the perfect match, but it would be futile if Aenys disagrees. Plus, this all would simply exonerate Daemon, who is basically the source of this issue," she said through gritted teeth. And it was confirmed that Daemon Targaryen refused to do his duty and was now the cause of all this mess.
Aemma nodded, agreeing with her.
"You are right, but this time Lord Royce also petitioned Viserys privately to resolve this issue. He is also furious with Daemon over his behavior with Rhea Royce," and Rhaenys had expected that. The arrival of the retinue from Vale with that specific combination could only ever be for that specific reason.
"I am telling you, Aemma, Aunt Maegella's death must have taken its toll on Aenys. He will be angry and rash. Please stop Viserys from making any stupid proposal for some time. If he is so sure of this, he could wait for some time before he asks Aenys about this," she advised, and Aemma nodded.
"I will try to talk to him," and that was all one could do with a King. Rhaenys looked at the frail form o Aemma, she was still pale and skinny, yet she was miles better than the last time she had seen her when she had just woken up after the stillbirth.
"Viserys should really focus more on the war on the horizon rather than the marital affair of his brothers," and Aemma frowned at her words, seemingly aghast.
"War?" and Rhaenys was reminded once more that Aemma had never interfered in the running of the Kingdom. So, she explained.
"Drahar just killed our Aunt and has also been targeting our ships. Corlys had already been clamoring for a show of force. And now Aenys will support him, and with his connections, he will be able to isolate Drahar from the Triarchy, making an attack from the Velaryon fleet a very lucrative opportunity. AN opportunity Corlys will want to take," and she noticed Aemma nodding along at her explanation before she replied.
"Yes, I remember Rhaenyra telling me about this some time ago. But I don't think Viserys will agree. For all his qualities, Viserys hesitates about initiating conflict," And didn't Rhaenys know that? But the war will happen. She could feel it brewing already. Aenys would never let this go, and Corlys would jump at such an opportunity.
"Perhaps, but the war will happen, one way or another. I can feel it whether it is with the Crown's blessing or without," and Aemma's eyes widened at her words.
But before Aemma could say another word, they were interrupted by loud voices coming from across the Hall exactly where Viserys was.
0000
ALICENT HIGHTOWER
Alicent walked towards her room after her meeting with the Prince, her heart at ease. The Prince's offer had been a bit of a surprise, yet she could understand where it came from. While to her, the match signified an escape from the plots and machinations of her father, to the Prince, the match meant more than that.
Companionship.
The Prince had just lost his only true family and was all alone with all those secrets buried in his heart. The burden of the future, she couldn't even imagine what it did to him. However, there were still many hurdles in all of this. The biggest of them would be her father, and she instinctively began to chew her thumb as she thought about him.
He would never agree, and her rumored match with Jason Lannister would provide the perfect pretext for him to deny Aenys the match. The Prince knew that yet had told her that he would take care of it. Suddenly she felt her name being called out as the sound of footsteps got close until a silvery blonde figure appeared at the end of the corridor. Rhaenyra Targaryen stood there dressed in all black as she huffed slightly, her flushed cheeks showing how she had been searching for her for quite some time.
"Alicent! Alicent!" then Rhaenyra finally saw her, and a smile appeared on her face. Her heart fluttered as she saw those eyes light up.
"Where have you been? I searched the whole castle for you?" she complained as she rushed towards her. However, she suddenly slipped in her haste, and Alicent's heart nearly gave out as she rushed to catch her friend. And thankfully, she was able to stop her friend from falling as she caught her in her arms.
"Gods! You have to be careful, Rhaenyra," she chastised her friend, who just smiled away her concern as she stood up, leaving a slight lingering warmth in her arms. Rhaenyra smiled as she waved away her concern.
"Moving on, I asked you where you were. I couldn't find you anywhere," and Alicent sighed as she nodded.
"I had gone to see the Prince, and why were you searching for me?" she replied, leaving out the details, and Rhaenyra's smile dimmed at the Prince's mention before he answered her question as they both began to move toward her room.
"Ahh, someone was here to meet you, one of the Lannister Twins, Jason I think, I can't really tell them apart."
And Alicent's feet stilled for a moment before she calmed herself as she joined Rhaenyra by the side once more. And suddenly, Rhaenyra frowned by her side as she spoke conspiratorially.
"There are rumors that you are going to marry Jason Lannister," she questioned her. And Alicent didn't know how to respond to that, so she nodded.
"Father has been working towards a match between me and Lord Lannister," she replied, keeping her voice even. However, Rhaenyra suddenly stopped as they reached her room, and Alicent noticed the rather complicated expression on her face.
"You don't seem happy with the match. Is your father forcing you to marry him?" her question stumped her for a second. They entered her room, and Alicent sat on the bed as her mind raced on how to answer her question. But perhaps the silence had been an answer enough.
"You don't have to answer. I can see it on your face," and Rhaenyra suddenly sat beside her.
"I cannot fathom what you must be going through, being forced to marry someone like him when you love someone else," and Alicent's heart began to race at her words. Her head snapped toward Rhaenyra, who sighed and looked toward her, and their eyes met, and Rhaenyra suddenly closed the distance, and she could feel her breath prickle her skin as Rhaenyra lightly whispered.
"But don't lose heart yet," said Rhaenyra as she held her hand, and before she could speak up, Rhaenyra continued.
"I will talk to Uncle Aenys. How could he ignore you like that? How can he be blind like that? Both of you would make such a perfect match!"
0000
Ahhh, poor Alicent being match made by her love.
As always, you can read ahead and support me on Patre 0n. Your support helps me out a lot. So, if possible, have a look and consider dropping a dime. I shall be extremely thankful.
www.Patre 0n.com/Drkest
Thanks for reading!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone