Here's the answer to the cliffhanger from the last chapter! Brent Parson, I am sorry that I did not answer your question in your review earlier. Ser Gwayne Hightower is unmarried and is serving in the Oldtown City Watch. He is in good health and fine spirits. Now, let me warn all of you, this is a big chapter with a lot of stuff happening, so buckle up and enjoy! :)
Author's Note: Disturbing scenery and mentions of animal cruelty ahead.
146 AC – 148 AC
The untimely passing of Dowager Lady Samantha Tarly came as a horrible shock to Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen. She looked healthy and lovely when Rhaenyra last saw her before the Hightower's departed for home at the end of the Black and Green Wedding festivities. Maester Ulrich had written the letter, and he detailed how the return journey was normal and fine until after the Hightower's left Stonebridge. Lady Sam came down with a fever about a week after departing from Stonebridge, as did her daughters, and two youngest stepsons, Sers Martyn and Garmund Hightower. The fever did not abate as the days came and went, and instead, the sufferers felt themselves becoming hotter and hotter.
As Samantha and her family sweltered under the growing heat of their fevers, they also began to suffer from a nightmarish litany of ailments like headaches, muscle and stomach pains, runny bowels, and rapid weight loss. The afflicted soon became bedridden and were quarantined in their rooms, and only maesters could visit them to administer medicine and other treatments to Samantha, Lilith, Regina, Martyn, and Garmund. Coughing, moaning, and occasionally weeping could be heard coming from the rooms of the afflicted. Lord Lyonel Hightower inquired about the health of his stepmother, younger brothers and half-sisters every day, and he spent many nights alone in his solar worrying about his ailing kinsmen. Servants who attended to Lyonel noticed that he had been drinking heavily, and that his eyes were red and baggy from both sleeplessness and crying.
As her illness progressed, Lady Sam lost her wits. She became delirious, called out to her dead husband, spoke to people who were not there, and could barely focus. As his stepmother got sicker, Lyonel's drinking worsened. He began voicing his suspicions while in his cups that the wine cask that had been gifted to Sam by Queen Rhaenyra had been poisoned.
"Tears of Lys. They have been poisoned by the tears!" argued Lyonel with Maester Ulrich one day in his solar.
"My lord, keep your voice down!" Ulrich had said with his palms facing Lyonel in an attempt to calm his liege. "This is not the Tears of Lys. This is typhoid. What on earth has makes you believe that your stepmother and siblings are suffering from poisoning?"
"I read about the Year of the Stranger, and how Lord Androw Farman poisoned his wife's companions with the tears. Lady Sam and my brothers and sisters have been having stomach pains, haven't they? The tears do that; the queen has poisoned the wine!"
"It is not Tears of Lys, my lord. Signs of poisoning by Tears of Lys occurs shortly after it has been ingested. Lady Samantha and your siblings did not become sick until after you all returned home from the wedding."
"But they have been drinking that wine off and on. Can gradual imbibition of small amounts of tears delay the symptoms?"
"No." Ulrich said more sternly than he had liked. Seeing anger flash in the eyes of the Voice of Oldtown, Ulrich made a quick attempt to assuage Lyonel. "But I will try and give purgatives to Martyn, Garmund, Lilith, and Regina. Lady Samantha is too far along with her illness to be purged. I am sorry, my lord."
The maester's answer proved to be satisfactory, and Lyonel stopped arguing, though he looked more crestfallen than before. Ulrich administered the purgatives as promised, but it had no effect on his patients. Samantha's condition soon became critical, and she spent her last days in bed still and sapped of all her strength. Lady Samantha Tarly was only three and thirty when she finally died. Lyonel wept when he was informed of his stepmother's passing.
The rest of the Hightower's were just as lachrymose, and there was not a dry eye to be found in their home. The first thing that Queen Rhaenyra I thought of after reading Maester Ulrich's letter was to fly to Oldtown to be with her late friend's children, but Ulrich had strongly recommended in writing that the queen not visit due to the typhoid still raging there at the Hightower. Over the next two weeks after Lady Sam's death, four more ravens arrived bearing letters stamped with black wax seals. Those letters informed the grim news that both of Lady Sam's daughters and youngest stepsons had all succumbed to typhoid fever one after the other just days apart from each other. A pall of sorrow would hang over Oldtown for the rest of the year after these six untimely deaths took place, and Lyonel would wear black for most of 146 AC in mourning of his losses...
Reports trickled in that some members of House Caswell had also perished from typhoid as well. Neither the Hightower's nor the Caswell's had been around anyone suffering from the illness; all they had in common, once questioned by their maesters, was that the afflicted had all shared in the Lyseni white wine that had been gifted to Lady Sam, which had been watered down to dilute its sweetness. This fact, combined with Lyonel's great sorrow, fueled his suspicions and anger towards Rhaenyra, and he continued making loud, slanderous, and baseless accusations that she had tried to poison his family. Making these accusations was his way of trying to explain why six healthy and vibrant people had died so suddenly without warning. Rhaenyra I angrily denied the accusations with as much passion as Lyonel did making them, and it took the combined efforts of both Alicent and Daeron to calm him down and to get him to take back what he was saying to spare his head.
But the damage had been done, and a rift had formed between the queen and Lord Hightower. Rhaenyra prayed for the health of her late friend's sole living child, Reginald Hightower, who was now an orphan who had outlived both his older sisters as well. Reginald, along with his other unaffected kinsmen, did not drink any of that seemingly accursed wine. Maybe when the time was right, Rhaenyra thought, she would offer a betrothal between Reginald and one of her granddaughters or future great-granddaughters to make up for the lost engagements between her grandsons and the late Lilith and Regina. But only time would tell.
Time would move slowly, and the year 146 AC would drag on. It would be remembered as a year that was mixed with both great joy and sorrow. Starting off on a minor but pleasant note, the Red Keep gained three new additions to the royal court. Impressed by Lady Sabitha Vypren's prowess as a mystery knight during her half-sister's wedding tourney, Princess Baela Targaryen expressed an interest in taking the woman on as her newest companion. Her desire happened to coincide with her stepmother's search for a new master-of-arms after the previous one had died.
Killing two birds with one stone, Queen Rhaenyra summoned both the Lord and Lady of the Crossing to the Red Keep. Taking over the reins of the Twins in his parents' absence was the couple's son, Lord Cinean Frey. Forrest was known for his gallantry and skill with blades, and he soon proved to be an excellent master-at-arms, and he quickly became popular with the queen's grandsons and the royal squires. Sabitha became fast friends with Baela since both women shared a wild streak in them, and the presence of the Lady of the Crossing revived some of Baela's long suppressed wildness. The women would race on horseback through the streets of King's Landing, which often occurred after a bout of heavy drinking, and it was even rumored that Baela and Sabitha even snuck away from the castle to Flea Bottom to see cock fights or to simply play games of chance in seedy taverns with men of ill repute.
Concern over the apparent resurfacing of Baela's recklessness was soon overshadowed by an even greater loss than the death of Lady Samantha Tarly and her daughters and stepsons. One warm morning early in the eighth moon, four months after the Black and Green Wedding, a female servant entered a bedchamber in High Tide to rouse the room's occupant.
"Good morning, your grace." the young woman had said cheerily once she parted the curtains of the ornate canopy bed. "It is time to wake up now."
She gently shook the arm of the bed's sleeping occupant, who was laying on their side. Getting no response, the maid chanced to shake the person even harder. Taking notice on how still the sleeper was, the maid's concern increased tenfold, and she hurried out of the bedchamber to fetch Maester Thaleus. The two rushed back to the room as soon as possible, and it was Thaleus who confirmed the death. The person who had died was none other than Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was.
She had died peacefully in her sleep at the age of two and seventy. Eyes wet with tears, Thaleus told the equally distraught servant to keep a vigil over the princess's body so that he could share the tragic news with the rest of House Velaryon. High Tide's great hall, which had been noisy with chatter, became silent after Thaleus announced Rhaenys's death. Lucerys' mouth fell open in disbelief while his wife, children, and the other Velaryon's began crying. It was not long before tears filled Luke's own eyes, and he pressed a fist against his trembling lips as the reality that his beloved grandmother was no longer with them began to sink in.
This same action was repeated by the Master of Driftmark's mother after she received the news. With a heavy heart, and with both her cheeks glistening, Queen Rhaenyra took it upon herself to inform her uncle-husband that his dear cousin had passed away. Rhaenys' death left Daemon as the sole surviving (trueborn) grandchild of King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Strangely enough, Daemon did not weep when he heard the news. The body language he displayed shortly after learning of the princess's death wordlessly and soundlessly expressed his sorrow for him: sagging shoulders, poor posture, a dark, vacant look in his eye, and lips that were cast downward.
News of the death was soon spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and the queen declared three months of mourning in honor of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. A beloved figure in the realm, Rhaenys' body was transported to King's Landing to be put on display in the Red Keep before the Iron Throne for a public viewing. Thousands streamed into the capital to pay their last respects to the Queen Who Never Was both lowborn and highborn. Even the reclusive Lord Borros Baratheon left the Stormlands to attend his cousin's funeral. Just like King Daemon, Rhaenys's death left Borros as the sole surviving grandchild of his grandparents: Lord Rogar Baratheon and Queen Alyssa Velaryon.
All of the Four Storms came to King's Landing for the funeral, and for the first time in twelve years, Borros and Maris saw each other. Just like the Hightower's and Targaryen/Velaryon's, Lady Maris Baratheon had suffered a loss of her own earlier that same year; she had become a widow for the second time after Lord Roland Westerling passed away from natural causes. Maris was shocked by her father's puffy appearance, the side-effect of his continual use of milk of the poppy, and Borros was surprised on how much older his daughter, who was now the Dowager Lady of the Crag, looked. Father and daughter did not say anything to each other at first during the morning services, but as the Baratheon's left the sept, Borros placed a hand on Maris' shoulder and he expressed his condolences over her loss. Maris thanked her father, and she told him how sorry she was for his loss too.
Death may have taken a woman away from her family, but it brought a father and daughter back together again. Borros even got to see his two grandchildren by his second oldest daughter. He had not seen his eldest granddaughter, Lady Tara Lannister, in a dozen years either, and it was the first time the Lord of Storm's End had ever laid eyes on his grandson, Lord Tyland Westerling. Borros complimented his granddaughter's beauty, and remarked on his grandson's robustness, and asked the boy if he was enjoying being fostered at Winterfell by his Uncle Cregan and Aunt Cassandra, which Tyland said he did. Rhaenys' funeral also gave Borros the opportunity to see the rest of his grandchildren by his other three daughters too.
After laying in state for one week, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen was cremated in the Red Keep's main courtyard. Her beloved Red Queen lit her funeral pyre. The gathered mourners watched in solemn silence as the flames consumed Rhaenys' body. A myriad of memories flooded Daemon's mind as he observed his cousin's cremation. Memories of both joy and sorrow.
Rhaenys was more like an older sister to both Daemon and Viserys I rather than a cousin. Daemon's earliest memories of Rhaenys involved her giving him piggyback rides while their mothers watched with adoring grins on their faces. When his mother died from lingering childbirth complications in 84 AC, a distressed three year old Daemon was gently commanded by his cousin to look away from his mother's pyre as the flames reached her body. The king could still remember pressing his face against Rhaenys' stomach as she held and comforted him by rubbing his head and telling him that everything was going to be alright. After claiming her late Aunt Alyssa's dragon, Meleys, as her own, Rhaenys took Daemon out for rides on the dragon's back.
As a man grown, Daemon was always made welcome at High Tide by Rhaenys whenever he was on bad terms with his older brother. Even after he had eloped with Rhaenys' daughter, she welcomed him back with open arms, and treated him no differently than she had before he took Laena to wife. Rhaenys supported Daemon no matter what he did, whether it was him starting the War of the Stepstones, or taking Rhaenyra as his third wife even though the future queen at that time was the recently widowed wife of Rhaenys' son. During her golden years, Rhaenys exchanged many letters with Daemon in which they shared their experiences with getting older. And now, there would not be any more memories made between the two cousins.
To Queen Rhaenyra, Rhaenys was more like an aunt to her rather than a cousin. She was one of Rhaenyra's greatest supporters, standing by her through thick and thin. The princess had defended the paternity of Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey; congratulated Rhaenyra after she married Daemon, and always stuck up for her claim to the Iron Throne. Rhaenys proved her loyalty to her cousin's daughter twice during her reign by first helping to crush the Wylde Rebellion in 130 AC, and helping to subdue Myr during the Three Daughters' War in 132 AC. Never crowned queen, Rhaenys nevertheless fought tirelessly for another queen, and proved her loyalty time and time again.
Once Rhaenys' body was burned to ash, her cremains were gathered up and split up between her grandchildren into little pouches. Mounting their dragons, the three Velaryon Princes and the twin princesses flew over the spot where Corlys the Sea Snake had been laid to rest in in the Narrow Sea fourteen years earlier in 132 AC. Jace swooped down first over the waves atop of Vermax to scatter his grandmother's ashes onto the waves below. Luke and Arrax went down next to scatter his pouch of ashes, then Baela and Moondancer, Rhaena and Morning, and finally, Joff and Tyraxes. The pain that the princes and princesses felt over their beloved grandmother's death softened a little at the thought of her being reunited with their grandfather, father and mother, and all those she had loved in life.
One week after her great-grandmother's death, Princess Megaera Velaryon claimed the riderless Meleys as her own. There was an instant connection between the Red Queen and Meg, and they flew around Driftmark three times before returning to High Tide. Meg loved to fly, and she could often be found flying with her parents and Laena in the skies above their island home. She would take her younger brother flying with her, and many hoped that this would inspire confidence in Corlys to claim a dragon of his own. Corlys hoped to claim Vermithor has his own, and he swore to himself that he would be flying the beast the following year.
In the aftermath of death came the beginning of new life. On the fourteenth day of that same month, Lady Daenaera Velaryon bore Prince Aemond Targaryen his second born son. Strong, healthy, and handsome, the baby boy possessed every Valyrian feature, and he strongly resembled what his older half-brother looked like when he was born. Proud of having fathered another son, Aemond christened his new child as Prince Baelon Targaryen in honor of his late older half-brother, the long dead Heir for a Day. Aemond's half-sister was surprised that he had named his newborn son after her baby brother, and she felt somewhat touched by this gesture.
Four days later on the eighteenth day of the eighth moon, the widow of Ser Garmund Hightower, Lady Myrielle Peake, gave birth to their third child. This child was also male, and just as she had agreed with her late husband before his death, Myrielle named her son Ormund, his full name being Lord Ormund Highotwer, in honor of his grandfather and former Voice of Oldtown. But one birth would outshine these two completely in the following month. It was the birth of the Dragon Queen's firstborn great-grandchild.
On a bright and sunny day during the ninth moon, Princess Alysanne Velaryon, with her grandmother and both her mother and aunt by her side, gave birth to the next heir to the Iron Throne. Baelor and Alysanne's firstborn was a son. The prince was born with his mother's silver-gold hair and his father's brown eyes. Having been born the month after his great-great-grandmother had passed away, the baby prince's parents found it fitting to name him Prince Aemon Targaryen in honor of Rhaenys' father, the long dead of Prince of Dragonstone whose untimely death planted the seeds of the issue of an older sister inheriting before her younger brother. Rhaenyra I wept when she held her newborn great-grandson, and she carried the swaddled babe outside of Alysanne's bedchamber to present Aemon to his father and grandfather.
Rhaenyra proudly looked on as Baelor held his firstborn child, and later seeing Jacaerys hold his firstborn grandchild. She saw three generations of heirs before her, three future kings, a clear line of succession. Son, grandson, great-grandson. Father, son, grandson. Jacaerys the First of His Name, Baelor the First of His Name, Aemon the First of His Name.
The birth of Prince Aemon Targaryen was the ray of sunshine that broke through the dark clouds that had been hanging over the Red Keep following the untimely passing of Lady Sam and her daughters and stepsons and Princess Rhaenys in the past few months. A feast was held to celebrate the boy's birth shortly thereafter. Jacaerys and Baela, and Lucerys and Rhaena received many congratulations for becoming grandparents for the first time, and the same was done to Baelor and Alysanne on starting parenthood together. The cousins' siblings also received toasts for having become first time aunts and uncles. Alyssa and Megaera both adored their nephew, and Laena smiled for the first time in a long time when she held her older sister's son for the first time.
Jace hoped and prayed for a granddaughter to be born next so that Aemon would have a sister he could later marry to ensure that the next generations of Targaryen's were born "pure". Despite his hope for a granddaughter, a rather promising candidate for a granddaughter-in-law did come up the month after Aemon's birth. Near the end of the ninth moon, white ravens flew out from the Citadel announcing the end of the glorious ten year summer and the beginning of the fall season. The warm air soon chilled, and this did not sit well with the old Lord of Harrenhal, Larys Strong. Larys soon developed autumn fever, a sickness that would claim his life during the first days of the tenth moon when he was six and fifty.
At the time of Larys' death, he was the only male Strong left. All of the other male members of his family had predeceased him over the years, and Larys had outlived two wives, and six of his seven children. Larys Clubfoot's only heir was his nine month old daughter, Lady Lyanor Strong, his only living child, who had been borne from his now widowed third wife, Lady Jeyne Caswell, on the third day of 146 AC. Shortly after her husband's death, the nineteen year old Jeyne named herself as lady regent, and began ruling in her infant daughter's name. In life, Lord Larys Strong was a Green, and the irony of him being succeeded by a daughter of his own while he was opposed to Rhaenyra's succession was not lost upon the Blacks in King's Landing.
The queen was said to have snickered when she heard that the sonless Larys was succeeded by his daughter. Jace saw many opportunities in having Aemon later marrying the infant Lady of Harrenhal. Marrying Lyanor would not only reconcile House Strong of Harrenhal with the Iron Throne, but the castle's vast demesne would be acquired by House Targaryen as well. A cadet branch of the royal family could be established, House Targaryen of Harrenhal. Any younger son of Aemon's could become the "Prince of Harrenhal" if this were to happen in the future.
Jace had so many plans, but he would have to wait until his grandson was old enough to work on them. Besides, Baelor and Alysanne might conceive a girl in the near future anyway. As the crown prince put his marriage plans on hold, his mother's Master of Coin went ahead with his. Late in the year, Ser Jason Belmore was granted leave by Queen Rhaenyra to return home to the Vale to marry his second wife. His new Lady of Strongsong was Lady Matilda Bolton, the only daughter of Stesanor Bolton, the Lord of the Dreadfort.
The Master of Coin returned to the Red Keep with his new wife in tow, and it was hard to miss the large age gap between Jason and Matilda. Jason was in his early fifties while Matilda was only five and ten. The young Lady Bolton became not only a stepmother, but also a step-grandmother and even a step-great-grandmother by marrying the Lord of Strongsong! Two of Matilda's stepdaughters served Princess Baela as companions, and both sisters snubbed her after she arrived in King's Landing. While Jason seemed to be happy about his new marriage, his second wife looked absolutely miserable, although Matilda did cheer up a little after she was commanded to serve Princess Alysanne Velaryon as her lady-in-waiting.
The two women became fast friends, and their friendship provided 146 AC with a happy ending. The following year of 147 AC would contain its fair share of tragedy, joy, hope, and change. Sadly, the year would start off on a tragic note. Near the end of the first moon, Lady Myrine Darklyn learned that her sister-in-law, Lady Celia Staunton, had died two weeks after giving birth to her and Rodrik's sixth child together, a little girl named Avis, her full name being Lady Avis Darklyn. Myrine traveled to Duskendale with her husband and children as soon as possible to attend Celia's funeral and to comfort her brother and nieces and nephews.
Arriving at the Dun Fort, Myrine found Rodrik to be in a poor state. He looked pale and haggard, his dark and lifeless eyes framed with red. Lady Meredyth had been trying to console her eldest child to no avail and had been looking after Rodrik's now motherless children. Myrine observed the behaviors of her brother's children. Thirteen year old Daemon had taken it upon himself to be the strong one, and he did his best to not show how heartbroken he was over his mother's death while his younger siblings cried and wailed.
Celia was buried with her now dried crown of roses, the same crown that her widower had placed upon her head to name her as the Queen of Love and Beauty. Myrine stayed behind in Duskendale to care for Rodrik and his children while her family departed for King's Landing. After the mourning period was over, a grateful, but still sorrowful Lord of Duskendale, provided his youngest sister with an honor guard that consisted of House Darklyn's household knights to escort her safely back to King's Landing. Myrine was welcomed home by her husband and children in the Red Keep's courtyard. She was pleased to report that her brother and his children were doing better than they were when the Targaryen's came for the funeral.
Two other noble houses would go through similar, albeit greater, losses. About a month after the death of Lady Celia Staunton, a band of Dornishmen crossed into the Stormlands led by Ser Edward Manwoody, the Lord of Kingsgrave. Encouraged by Princess Aliandra Martell, Ser Manwoody had hoped to earn her favor by conquering Nightsong, the seat of House Caron in the Dornish Marches. The host crossed through the Red Mountains, and were confronted by Lord Manfryd Caron and his army, who had been alerted by his scouts. However, the Dornish host was larger than expected, and Manfryd and his sons barely made it out of the ensuing bloodbath with their lives.
Retreating back to Nightsong with what was left of his forces, Manfryd immediately sent out ravens to Blackhaven, Harvest Hall, Stonehelm, and Storm's End begging for reinforcements. Lord Borros Baratheon answered his brother-in-law's frantic call for help, and he marched from Storm's End with a sizeable host, which not only consisted of his man-at-arms and household knights, but also additional reinforcements from Houses Connington and Staedmon too. Nightsong was under siege by the time Lord Borros and his army arrived. A bloody confrontation soon followed, and Borros slew dozens upon dozens of Dornishmen before being slain by Lord Manwoody's nephew. The Lord of Kingsgrave himself was killed by Lord Swann.
The Stormlands was outraged over the "Kingsgrave Conquest", and the storm lords openly spoke of starting a war with Dorne to avenge their fallen. Becoming the new Lord Paramount of the Stormlands after his father was killed, Lord Royce Baratheon was intent on seeking revenge, but his widowed mother begged him to consult with the Iron Throne first to find a more peaceful alternative to this situation; Royce agreed and sent a raven to King's Landing. As soon as she had read Royce's letter, Queen Rhaenyra convened her small council to discuss the rise of hostilities between the Stormlands and Dorne.
Once a plan had been agreed upon, Rhaenyra sent ravens to both Storm's End and Sunspear requesting the presence of both Royce and Aliandra at King's Landing to negotiate a peace between them. Royce and Aliandra brought small retinues with them, with the former being accompanied by his mother, Dowager Lady Elenda Caron, his uncle Manfryd, and Lords Swann, Dondarrion, and Connington, and the latter was accompanied by her younger brother and heir, Prince Qyle Martell, their brother-in-law Lord Von Yronwood, who was married to Aliandra's younger sister and original heir, Princess Coryanne Martell. Lords Vaith, Santagar, and Dayne made up the rest of Aliandra's retinue. The Stormlanders arrived first at King's Landing, the Dornish arrived last, which was a good thing. If it weren't for the Queensguard in the throne room, blood would have definitely been spilled after Aliandra and her allies entered the Red Keep.
Aliandra was a beautiful woman who possessed all of her family's physical traits. She had olive skin, raven black hair that had ringlets, and black eyes. She wore a fire orange dress that had a huge red damask sun sewn onto the sleeves. The princess possessed an air of cockiness, her eyes sparkled with mischief, and she smiled as if this gathering were a regular social event where she was to share wine, cake, and conversation rather than negotiate peace between two countries. Aliandra's demeanor, thought Rhaenrya, was similar to that of a cat's: imperious, playful, and dangerous all at once.
The Lady of Sunspear's apparent indifference to the gathering, let alone her and her fellow countrymen's presence, made the Stormlanders reach for their swords. Thankfully, nothing happened, and peace was made between the two lands. Jacaerys the Matchmaker sealed the peace agreement with marriages. Since the widowed Aliandra was childless, her nephew and nieces from her also widowed brother Qyle, were betrothed to the nobility of the Stormlands. With the sixteen year old Royce still unmarried, Jace betrothed him to Princess Ofelia Martell, Aliandra's oldest niece by Qyle, a nine year old girl.
By betrothing Royce, Jace had successfully secured marriages for all of the late Borros' children. He would have been so proud. As for Ofelia's older brother and younger sisters, Jace found fitting matches for them all as well. Prince Daryus Martell was promised to Lady Cynthea Caron, the youngest daughter of Ser Manfryd Caron. Princess Ysara Martell was betrothed to the heir to Stonehelm, Lord Elias Swann, and finally, Princess Hera Martell was engaged to the heir to Blackhaven, Lord Morgan Dondarrion.
After the promises of marriage were made, everyone toasted each other with wine, and the peace was settled and secured. While some were a little nervous to drink wine under the queen's roof after what had happened to Lady Sam and her family, there was still some underlying tensions between the lords of storm and sand. Returning to the Stormlands, some of the nobility secretly grumbled about the idea of having a "viper" ruling over them someday, let alone the idea that some of their kinsmen were going to have Dornish spouses. The Dornish in turn did not like the idea of becoming closer with the Iron Throne's allies, fearing that these future marriages would later lead to the weakening of their principality's independence from the rule of House Targaryen. Sadly, peace may grant stability, but it cannot always guarantee complete happiness in the aftermath.
Sometime the same year Borros had died, his third daughter, Lady Ellyn Baratheon, gave birth to her second born son and sixth child. She named her newborn son after her father, his full name being Lord Borros Arryn. Coincidentally, Lord Jason Lannister died the same day that Borros did. His cause of death, however, was by no means glorious. What took the life of the Lord of Casterly Rock was pox, which he had gotten from a prostitute he had been seeing.
Dowager Lady Maris Baratheon smirked when she learned how her former brother-in-law had died. She viewed Jason's death by pox to be a fitting end for a sleazy adulterer. Jason was succeeded by his only trueborn son, Lord Lorean Lannister. Both Lorean and Royce offered Maris to move back to their domains to get away from the loathsome members of her late second husband's family, but she refused. As much as she wanted to be with her daughter again at Casterly Rock, Maris did not want to suffer Johanna's presence there, and even though Tyland was being fostered up in the North, Maris wanted to stay in the Westerlands to be closer to her children, which was why she rejected her brother's offer of coming back home to Storm's End. Besides, it was not all that bad at the Crag.
At worst, Maris's stepchildren ignored her, and she was well-liked by their children and grandchildren. She was the Dowager Lady of the Crag, and she was there to stay whether the new Lord Westerling liked it or not. Even if the family's new patriarch was obeying the Widow's Law begrudgingly, he had another good reason for not casting his stepmother out. Maris had reconciled with her father the previous year, which had resulted in him dropping his edict of Maris being banned from ever returning to Storm's End, and now that her younger brother was the incumbent Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, Maris' ties to her family was strong once more. It would be very unwise for the Westerling's to treat her anymore disdainfully as they had been, for if they did, the family could incur Lord Baratheon's wrath, and lose access to the power and wealth of Storm's End.
As 147 AC proved to be a big year for Houses Baratheon, Lannister, and Martell, it was also a big one for both Houses Targaryen and Velaryon too. During the third moon, Mysaria announced her retirement. At two and sixty, Misery felt that she was getting too old to continue serving on Queen Rhaenyra's small council. Searching for a successor was not needed, for Mysaria suggested an acquaintance of hers to fill her vacant seat on the small council. Eyebrows were raised when Mysaria first presented her "friend" to her fellow councilmen and queen.
The individual was dressed in the garb worn by the shadowbinders of Asshai: long black hooded robe that was embroidered with thread of gold, and a lacquered wooden mask that was painted purple. Uncharacteristically of shadowbinders, however, this person wore black leather gloves, and there was a faint scent of some sort of exotic bloom that could only be detected by those who stood close to the shadowbinder. No one in the Chamber of the Sphinxes could tell whether this newcomer was male or female. Stranger still, the person did not talk, and Misery served as their spokesperson, filling everyone in on how "Ghost", as the new Master of Whisperers wanted to be called, wanted to operate incognito, and that no one, not even the queen, was to know of their true name or sex. Only Mysaria knew her successor's true identity.
Ghost would communicate only through writing. To prove their reliability as a spy, Ghost produced an extraordinarily detailed written account on how the kennel master at the Red Keep had sold some of the puppies of a new litter born to one of the royal hunting dogs to buyers from Flea Bottom to raise them into bait or fighting dogs, claiming that the missing pups had died to cover up their disappearance. Needless to say, everyone was impressed. The kennel master lost a hand and was terminated from his position that evening after his theft was exposed. The small councilmen made a mental note to be on their best behavior when alone, for Ghost could be watching them from the shadows unseen and unheard.
Mysaria, meanwhile, retired to a seafront manse that was staffed with servants who would wait on her hand and foot. She would make frequent visits to the Red Keep to see Daemon and to check on how Ghost was faring in their new position. Besides change, there was also joy to be had at the Red Keep. As if creating four betrothals between the Stormlanders and Dornish was not enough, Jace promised his youngest son to Lady Arielle Tarly, the niece of the late Lady Sam by her younger brother Alyn Tarly and his wife, Allison Beesbury, who were now the current Lord and Lady of Horn Hill. Just as the standing of House Beesbury had grown during the reign of the Dragon Queen, it appeared that it was House Tarly's turn to gain more prominence through a royal marriage.
The same occurred twice at High Tide. Over the years that he had been fostered by the Master of Driftmark, Lord Walton Tully and Princess Laena Velaryon had become fond of each other. Walton was a kind and contentious young man, and he was one of the few people who could get his foster sister to smile even during her darkest moods. He was an avid flutist, and Laena liked to hear Walton play his flute from time to time since the music also had a soothing effect on her. Luke had noticed how fond his daughter was of her foster brother, and he found it fitting to betroth them to each other.
The Lord of the Tides knew that his daughter was going to have to be cared for and looked after for the rest of her life. He and Rhaena were not going to be around forever, and Luke dreaded the idea of grasping lords seeking his daughter's hand simply to gain access to the Velaryon's wealth and royal connections. Lucerys felt that Walton would be the perfect husband for Laena. Remembering that Walton had a younger sister named Lisia back in the Riverlands, Luke found it fitting to betroth her to Corlys. This double Tully-Velaryon engagement was celebrated at both Riverrun and High Tide.
Back at the Red Keep, Prince Maelor and Princess Visenya Targaryen announced on their first year wedding anniversary that they were expecting their first child together. The news was received with great felicity by the Dragon Queen, and she embraced and kissed her daughter's cheeks with pride and love after hearing that a grandchild of both Black and Green was to be born to her. Excitement over Visenya's first pregnancy gradually turned to worry after she fell ill when she was four weeks along. The princess experienced terrible morning sickness, suffering from frequent bouts of nausea and vomiting, and her ankles and feet began to swell. Grand Maester Gerardys immediately put Visenya on bedrest, and recommended that she be fed foods like broth, bread, and porridge since they would be easy on her stomach.
Gerardys checked on Visenya daily, and she received frequent visits from her family. Her mother and husband visited her every day. The illness fluctuated from appearing that it was abating to worsening. Unfortunately, Visenya's condition ultimately worsened when she was midway through her second trimester, and she went into premature labor four months early. Queen Rhaenyra was by her only daughter's side holding her hand as the poor girl sobbed in pain from both her contractions and the terrible knowledge that this childbirth was doomed to end in tragedy whether as a stillbirth, or with her premature firstborn dying shortly after taking their first breath.
Gerardys would draw forth a stillborn son from the princess. His grim work was not done though, for Visenya felt another round of labor pains, and Gerardys soon delivered the dead boy's twin sister, who was also born sleeping. Poor Visenya was so distraught over the stillbirth of her twins that she had to be medicated with sweetsleep; her mother stayed by her bedside rubbing her head long after she had drifted off. Maelor wept bitterly when he heard what had happened, and his mother and sister comforted him. A pall of sorrow hung over the Red Keep for the rest of the year after the double stillbirth had occurred.
The wedding of Princess Megaera Velaryon the month after the stillbirth brought some much needed joy to the Targaryen's. It was an interesting ceremony. House Thoredando followed the Lord of Light, and Alessor and Meg were married at the great red temple in Pentos. Instead of being escorted down the aisle by her father, Meg was escorted by a red priest to her future husband. At the time of the wedding, the princess was four and ten while Alessor was five and twenty.
The ceremony bore highlights like the bride and groom reciting that they would "share a fire" together to "warm themselves" when the "night was dark and full of terrors" for their wedding vows, and how Alessor and Meg had to leap over a fire together that was burning in a pit that was built into the center of the temple's sanctuary. Husband and wife both made it over the fire together unscathed. After the clapping had subsided, Alessor removed Meg's maiden cloak, and replaced it with a red one that bore the symbol of R'hllor: a red heart in the center of the sun. Meleys roared from the temple's rooftop after her newlywed rider had emerged from the sanctuary arm in arm with her husband. Vermithor roared beside her, and Corlys, who had finally claimed the dragon, could not wait to ride the Bronze Fury around Pentos.
Alyssa and Megaera wept as they embraced when it was time for the Targaryen's and Velaryon's to return home, and they promised to see each other as often as they could. To keep his half-niece company at the Thoredando's great manse, Lord Alyn Velaryon enlisted his twin daughters, Ladies Rhaenyra and Rhaenys Velaryon, to serve Meg as her handmaidens. The twins and their mother wept too when it came time for the latter to leave Pentos. The happiness over Megaera's wedding gilded the final weeks of 147 AC. The year ended on a happy and hopeful note when Princess Visenya announced her and Maelor's intention that they were going to try again for another child on the last day of the year.
The new year of 148 AC would prove to be a shocking one. Just two years after autumn had begun, white ravens were sent out from the Citadel to announce the arrival of winter. Although the last winter had ended twelve years ago, many still remembered its harshness, and the realm prayed fervently that this new one would be more merciful. The winter would not be harsh, but a certain individual at the Red Keep would be praying hard for mercy early in the year. That person was Lady Matilda Bolton.
Having fallen pregnant the previous year, the Lady of Strongsong gave birth to her first child with Princess Alysanne by her side. But after the baby was born and was announced to be male, Matilda began to cry and panic. Jason, meanwhile, grinned when he learned that another son had been born to him, and he was still grinning when he entered his wife's bedchamber to see their newborn son. Jason's grin evaporated when he saw Matilda's fearful expression, and he soon found out why after he held the baby boy for the first time. His fears that his son had been born with a deformity of some kind were soon replaced with confusion when he noticed that the baby boy was perfect.
Looking closely at the baby, however, Jason noticed why his young wife was so fearful. The boy had blond hair and blue eyes. Matilda had black hair whereas with her husband, being a Belmore, was a redhead. They both had brown eyes too. This child had not been fathered by Jason.
Alysanne had noticed this too when the baby had been given to his mother to hold shortly after his birth. She recalled how Matilda had been vocally expressing her wish for her child to be a girl throughout her pregnancy, and how she had been praying at the altar of the Mother in the Red Keep's chapel for a black-haired daughter. She now understood why. The revelation that one of her own ladies-in-waiting had been having an affair came as a great shock to Alysanne. Fuming, his skin turning as red as his hair, Jason handed the boy back to Matilda, called her a whore, and stormed out of the room.
The furious Master of Coin marched off to inform the queen about the child and who the baby's real father was. There was only one person at the royal court who had blond hair and blue eyes. That person was Ser Victor Royce of the Queensguard. Outraged to hear that one of her guardians had broken his sacred vow of celibacy, Rhaenyra I summoned Victor to stand before her, King Daemon, and his sworn brothers to confess his sin for everyone to hear. Victor confessed to the affair, stating that he and Matilda had been meeting each other in secret for some time during the first few months at the Red Keep.
Victor was bold enough to claim that he and Matilda were in love with each other with her cuckolded husband present! Ser Erryck Cargyll had to restrain Jason when he saw his hand rush towards his sword! Love or not, Ser Royce had committed a crime that was an affront to the integrity of the fraternity of the Queensguard, and he had to be punished. Taking note from how her great-grandfather had punished Ser Lucamore Strong in 73 AC, Queen Rhaenyra had Ser Victor Royce castrated. Victor would not be alone in his punishment for making a fool out of the realm's treasurer.
Jason would later drag his cheating wife to the sept on Visenya's Hill. There, she was shaved of all of her body hair by septas, and was forced to perform a Walk of Atonement from the sept to the Red Keep. In the winter cold in bare feet, Matilda had to perform the walk naked. Shivering, crying, and sniffling, Matilda, escorted by a group of stern-faced and uncompassionate septas, walked on the cold, hard cobblestones as the smallfolk who lined the streets jeered and hollered at her. Men and women both called Lady Bolton a whore and a slut, some of the men catcalled her, and some pelted her with her muck and rotten food.
Waiting for the disgraced Lady of Strongsong at the Red Keep's entrance courtyard was Princess Alysanne Velaryon with a blanket. The young woman collapsed sobbing into Alysanne's arms after her ordeal was done. Shortly after his wife had finished her Walk of Atonement, Ser Jason Belmore tried to force Matilda to join the order of the silent sisters, but Alysanne was able to convince him otherwise. Instead, Jason petitioned the High Septon to annul his marriage, which was granted.
After the annulment was finalized, a humiliated Jason resigned as Master of Coin and left Matilda and her bastard son, who was given the name Drystan Snow, at the Red Keep to return home to the Vale. Unlike her ex-husband, Matilda had nowhere to go. During the course of her scandal, which had come to be known as the "Affair of Snow and Stone", Matilda received a letter from her father stating that she had been disowned and was not allowed back at the Dreadfort. Adding more to Matilda's woes, she had also received word from the queen that she was no longer welcome at the Red Keep either. Lady Bolton had never felt so lost and alone.
Thankfully, her lover had an idea. Stripped of both his white cloak and manhood, Ser Victor Royce was in the same position as his lover. At least he still had his sword-hand, and Victor sought a new life across the Narrow Sea in Essos to serve as a sellsword or as a bodyguard. He invited Matilda to join him with their lovechild. With nowhere else to go, Matilda agreed, and the family of three departed from King's Landing on a ship bound for Braavos; their fare was rumored to have been paid for by Princess Alysanne herself.
In the aftermath of the Affair of Snow and Stone, Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen had to appoint a new Master of Coin and knight of the Queensguard. Filling the vacancy on the small council was Creighton Bar Emmon, the Lord of Sharp Point. Filling the vacancy in the Queensguard was Ser Lucias Tarbeck, the youngest brother of Matthias Tarbeck, the Lord of Tarbeck Hall, and the husband of Prince Joffrey's cousin-in-law, Lady Sonja Beesbury. Unbelievably enough, another new face would be added to the small council just one month after the Affair had taken place. Sadly, this new face would not be added because of resignation or retirement, but because of a death.
Leaving the Red Keep's rookery after feeding the ravens, a maester arrived in Grand Maester Gerardys' study just in time to witness the old man convulsing on the floor from a powerful seizure. The horrified maester called out for help, but nothing could be done for Gerardys, and he passed away shortly thereafter at the age of sixty-eight. Looking back on it, Gerardys had been having some health issues during the days leading up to his death. He had been taking sweetsleep to cope with a recurring headache that was usually accompanied by a pain that felt like it was coming from behind his own eyes. It was also noted that the Grand Maester had become bothered by sunlight recently too.
Losing Gerardys was a bitter blow for Queen Rhaenyra. He had been serving her as her maester for thirty-four years since her first marriage to Ser Laenor Velaryon. Gerardys had delivered all six of her children, most of her grandchildren, and her great-grandson. Gerardys had also tutored her children and grandchildren, and he was one of her most ardent supporters during her father's reign. Rhaenyra I held a wonderful funeral for her dear maester, and she had his remains interred in the Red Keep's crypt.
Rhaenyra did not need to inquire the Citadel about a worthy replacement for Gerardys on her small council. Her son Lucerys had suggested his own maester, Maester Thaleus, to succeed Gerardys at the Red Keep. The queen took her son's suggestion, and thus Thaleus became her second Grand Maester. Taking Thaleus' place as the lead maester at High Tide was his protégé, Maester Julian. And speaking of High Tide, the double Tully-Velaryon Wedding was held there about three months after Gerardys' death.
After his foster son turned sixteen, Prince Lucerys Velaryon decided that it was time to marry Walton to Laena. He also decided to marry Corlys to Lisia together too. The night before the double wedding took place, Luke knighted Walton Tully, giving him the title of "Ser". The two couples were wed in High Tide's chapel. Despite the toll that her mental illness had taken on her, Princess Laena looked beautiful in her wedding gown, and she looked both lively and healthy as her father escorted her down the aisle.
Lord Kermit Tully escorted his own daughter down the aisle too. The couples were married by Septon Oswell. Walton and Laena both looked happy, while Corlys and Lisia looked nervous. Their nervousness was understandable, especially since the bride only ten while her groom was fourteen! When the time came, a silver seahorse was replaced with a silver trout, and a silver trout with a silver seahorse.
Walton remained at High Tide after the wedding with his bride. The marriage was a source of relief for the Lord and Lady of High Tide since they knew that their daughter was going to be cared for by someone they trusted in the event of their deaths. No children were expected to be born from Laena and Walton's marriage, and Rhaena was said to have instructed her daughter to drink moon tea before she planned to have intimate relations with her husband to prevent her from getting pregnant. Regardless, none could deny that Laena was the happiest she had been in a long time after she married Ser Tully. Corlys and Lisia, meanwhile, were still awkward with each other, and Luke and Rhaena hoped that they would grow closer over time.
More happiness could be found back at the Red Keep. During the second moon, Visenya announced that she was with child again. Although happy for her daughter, Rhaenyra I was concerned since the stillbirth of Visenya's twins had occurred only four months ago. The princess was put on bedrest by Grand Maester Thaleus shortly after she made her announcement, and her condition was monitored daily by him. Thankfully, Visenya did not fall ill during her pregnancy, and when her time came later that same year, she gave birth to a small, but healthy and living child.
The baby was a girl, and Visenya named her after the late Queen Who Never Was, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. Maelor grinned from ear to ear when he heard the first cries of his child, and he was in awe of the baby when she was first presented to him. Much to his grandmother's delight back in Oldtown, Rhaenys was born with silver-gold hair and purple eyes. The newborn princess was fawned over by both sides of her family after she was born. Prince Aegon the Elder congratulated his son and half-niece/daughter-in-law for finally having a living child together.
It was such a shame that 148 AC could not end on a happy note. A few days after the birth of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, some of the Targaryen's went out for a hunt in the Kingswood. The weather had been unseasonably mild, causing some of the snow and ice to melt, making it easier for horses to tread through the woods. A fine hart was spotted and it was tailed after by Prince Aegon and his sons Jaehaerys and Maelor. It was a chase that had many twists and turns, and at some point Aegon came across a large fallen tree as he rode swiftly through a curve on the path he was on.
He pulled back on reins hard to get his horse to stop, but the animal stopped too quickly, and Aegon was thrown from his saddle. Jaehaerys and Maelor both saw the accident unfold, and they deserted the chase to check on their father. Seeing the elder prince lying crumpled and still on the ground, the two brothers all but jumped off of their saddles and ran towards him. When Jaehaerys and Maelor rolled their father over, they noticed how his neck and head moved as if they were separated beneath his skin. Aegon's eyes and mouth were open in an expression of fright, and he had no pulse.
Prince Aegon Targaryen, the first son of King Viserys I Targaryen and Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, was dead at the age of forty-one. Aegon's death came as a great shock to the realm. Despite the animosity that had gone on between them in the past, Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen felt some sorrow for her younger half-brother's death. She felt especially sorrowful for her now widowed half-sister and her children and grandchildren. The queen's children were not sure how to feel about their half-uncle's death, especially the Velaryon Princes. Jace, Luke, and Joff were viewed as being the archrivals of Aegon the Elder and his own brothers for the Iron Throne, and those early memories of bitterness and loathing made it difficult for them feel much sorrow for their dead kinsman.
Alicent collapsed when she heard of her firstborn's death, and she became bedridden soon after that. As their mother mourned for their brother at Oldtown under the medicated haze of sweetsleep, Princes Aemond and Daeron Targaryen traveled to King's Landing to attend Aegon's funeral. The prince's pyre was ignited by his beloved Sunfyre. After her late brother-husband's body had been cremated, Princess Helaena Targaryen placed his funerary urn beside their father's urn in the Red Keep's crypt. A fortnight after his grandfather's funeral, the youngest Prince Aegon claimed the riderless Sunfyre on his eighth nameday.
As the last days of 148 AC came and went, House Targaryen hoped that the next year would be much better and not be so death ridden as the last two years had been. The upcoming year of 149 AC held a lot of promise for the royal family. The main highlight of that year was the celebration of Rhaenyra I's twentieth year on the Iron Throne. The second highlight was going to be the wedding of Lord Lyonel Tyrell and Princess Alyssa Targaryen. Marrying a dragon princess to the overlord of House Hightower would be the linchpin of the reconciliatory process.
One could hope...
Lady Sam and her daughters and stepsons, along with the afflicted Caswell's, got typhoid fever from the water they used to dilute the wine they had been drinking. The bacteria that causes typhoid fever can be found in water and food contaminated by fecal matter or unwashed hands. Gerardys died from a brain aneurysm. Blake Parson, thank you so much for your idea in your recent review! I had planned for several betrothals for Prince Aemon Targaryen, but for some reason, I never once considered Princess Rhaenys Targaryen.
Thanks again (plus, we will not be hearing from Aegon the Elder's bastards)! Also, my last semester of online classes is starting tomorrow, and it is going to be a tough one, so this will be the last chapter for some time. I might try and publish more chapters here and there, but my schoolwork comes first and foremost. Thanks for reading, and please review! :)