Longtime, no see everyone! I've been pretty busy with my last semester, and I am currently waiting for feedback on a rough draft of my final paper (72 pages long!), so I am using what free time I have to crank out at least one chapter for you guys. Enjoy!
Author's Note: Blood and suggestive themes, with one being an encounter between a teenaged girl and a slightly older man.
149 AC
Twenty years on the Iron Throne. It was hard to believe that so much time had passed. Those were some interesting years indeed that were full of joys, triumphs, sorrows, fury, hope, and disappointment. Rhaenyra could still remember celebrating her tenth year as queen in 139 AC! She remembered how, during her first meeting with Lady Sam during that same tourney, she had hoped that Queen Rhaenyra would live to reach her fiftieth year on the Iron Throne.
Rhaenyra I could not imagine being a queen at age eighty-two in 179 AC, but who knows? She might rule the realm well into her eighties if the gods saw it fit. But for now, at the age of two and fifty, Rhaenyra just wanted to enjoy the celebrations that were going to be held in her honor at Duskendale. Lord Rodrik Darklyn had offered to host the queen's Twentieth Year Tourney outside the walls of Duskendale, an offer that Rhaenyra had happily taken him up on. It was nice a change of scenery from having the tourney held outside of King's Landing again.
Spirits were high in the Seven Kingdoms, and it was not all just from the upcoming celebrations. One year after announcing winter's return, the Citadel sent out white ravens to announce the wonderous surprise that spring had come back to Westeros. Many viewed the return of spring in the twentieth year of the reign of Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen as being more than just a coincidence. Those people viewed these two occurrences as signs that pointed towards good fortune being bestowed upon the realm. After what the royal family had gone through in the past three years, news of this good omen was welcomed full heartedly by both the Targaryen's and their allies.
Sadly, however, some of the family did not attend the tourney at Duskendale. King Daemon Targaryen stayed behind in King's Landing due to poor health. "Poor health" was, unfortunately, a euphemism for the physical decline that Daemon had been suffering from in recent years since 146 AC. Starting with a tremor in his left hand, Daemon had begun to find walking, unsheathing Dark Sister, and even feeding himself to be cumbersome due to a painful stiffness that had overtaken his muscles. The Rogue Prince's once strong and sharp tone of voice had softened to a whisper, his straight posture became stooped, and his sense of balance wavered. Daemon became reclusive as a result of his deteriorating condition, and he was unofficially retired from public life.
Grand Maester Thaleus treated the king's pain with herbs and sweetsleep, and applied poultices to his arms and legs to try and ease the muscle stiffness. Seeing Daemon's decline was a painful thing to watch for his family, and they did their best to keep this situation contained within the walls of the Red Keep. The queen could not believe that this was happening to her husband. As a girl, Rhaenyra thought that her Uncle Daemon was the strongest man in the world and that he was invincible, a sentiment that she continued to carry in her heart well into womanhood and throughout her marriage to Daemon. But now, Rhaenyra I helplessly watched as her husband suffered from what could be best described as a living death, and she now had a feeling that Daemon's final years were well within in sight.
She hoped and prayed that when the Stranger was to come for her uncle-king, that he would take Daemon in his sleep like he did with Rhaenys. Until that time came, Rhaenyra sought to have her husband provided with the best of care so that his final years were spent as comfortably as possible. The queen was relieved to know that Daemon would not be the only Targaryen left behind at the Red Keep. Because their daughter Rhaenys was only a few months old at the time, Maelor and Visenya chose to stay behind in King's Landing. Princess Helaena also chose to remain in the capital to help her son and daughter-in-law with the baby, as well as to care for her ailing uncle, a duty that would be shared with Visenya too.
Taking on the role of caregiver was also the reason why Prince Aemond Targaryen stayed behind in Oldtown rather than travel across Westeros for his half-sister's tourney. Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower was still mourning the loss of her eldest child, Prince Aegon the Elder, and her health had become delicate in the four months since her son's untimely death. Ghost had reported to Rhaenyra I that Alicent had taken up drinking to cope with the pain she was suffering from. Now the oldest living son of Alicent, the responsibility of looking after his mother had fallen upon Aemond's shoulders, a task that the prince had taken up without complaint. Normally assisting Aemond with this task was his sister-in-law, but since Bethany was travelling to Duskendale with her husband and children, Lady Patricia Redwyne and widows Jeyne Merryweather and Myrielle Peake would be helping Aemond out with caring for Alicent in Bethany's absence.
Prince Lydus Targaryen accompanied his Uncle Daeron and Aunt Bethany and cousins in his father's stead. Travelling alongside him were his mother, stepmother, and younger half-brother, Baelon. Lydus's other full-blooded cousins from King's Landing, twins Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Jaehaera Targaryen and their children, attended in their widowed mother's stead. Unbeknownst to, but suspected, by Jaehaera, her twin brother-husband had organized to have his mistress and their twin bastards snuck into Duskendale so that they could attend the tourney too. Falena and Maegon and Maegelle would be staying at the town's best inn, but how they would be secreted into the stands by Jaehaerys without being seen by his twin sister-wife or other relatives would be another matter.
Accompanying the prince's half-aunt to Duskendale were all five of her sons, their wives and children, and great-grandson. Lord Rodrik Darklyn and his family gave the Targaryen's a warm welcome and they were given the best of accommodations at the Dun Fort. Princess Megaera Velaryon even flew to the seat of House Darklyn all the way from Pentos with her twin cousins on the back of Meleys, and they arrived the morning of the first day of the tourney after spending the night at Sharp Point on the tip of Massey's Hook. Lord Alessor followed his wife via ship; his parents did not sail with him. Accompanying the couple was a Dothraki bodyguard named Nanaggo.
The man had every Dothraki trait: black hair and black almond shaped eyes, copper skin, and was bow legged from spending most of his life riding on horseback, and he wielded an arakh. Making Nanaggo stand apart from his fellow horselords, however, other than travelling via ship, he wore leather and metal Pentoshi armor, and he did not have a braid, which all Dothraki men wear. The braid in question was found tied to Nanaggo's belt and it was coiled over his right hip. He was also clean-shaven which made Nanaggo, to Westerosi eyes, look "civilized". Civilized or not, Lord Alyn Velaryon and Lady Joyce Wylde were later horrified to learn from their eldest daughter that her twin sister had a crush on Nanaggo, and they began hoping and praying that nothing more serious would manifest from this crush.
The exotic draw of Nanaggo was ignored by the over three and a half year old Prince Aemon Targaryen as he ran on his little legs towards his Aunt Meg.
"Aunt Meggy! Aunt Meggy!" squealed the happy little boy as he ran into the awaiting arms of the smiling princess. Aemon planted a big kiss on his aunt's cheek before wrapping his little arms around her neck, causing Megaera to grin and for her heart to melt. Aemon was such a cute and sweet little boy.
"How is my little nephew?" Meg asked Aemon.
"Good. This is my first tourney!" chattered the happy prince. Aemon's excitement caused his parents to grin and chuckle along with his aunt. Baelor and Alysanne were in need of happiness.
Their son was their pride and joy, but in recent months, Baelor and Alysanne had been feeling sorrowful. The source of their sorrow was a miscarriage that had occurred about three months ago. Princess Alysanne had become pregnant for the second time late the previous year, but she lost the baby midway through her first trimester during the beginning days of 149 AC. The miscarriage was a bitter blow for both the princess and her family. Despite the pain, bless Baelor and Alysanne, they were still resolved to grow their family, and they hoped to try again for another child when the time was right.
Seeing their son's joy over attending his first tourney was enough to dispel the clouds of sadness that had been hovering over the prince and princess for three months since the miscarriage occured. The queen's Twentieth Year Tourney was also the first tourney to be attended by Aemon's cousins, both Princes Daemon and Baelon Targaryen, and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and those three were just as excited as Aemon was. Little Daemon was drawn to everything, particulary to the horses, and he wanted to pet every steed he saw when his family toured the fairgrounds whether the horse was tethered to a post or was on its way to a tilt. Little Rhaenyra was captivated by all of the colorful tents and banners, and she amused her parents and brother on how she swiveled her head from left to right and up and down to look and point at everything while saying "What's that?" over and over again. Baelon was fascinated by everything too, be it a merchant's stall, a horse, a suit of armor, a tent, what have you.
Aemon enjoyed the sights and sounds of his great-grandmother's tourney too, but what he loved most of all was when one of his parents would take him flying around Duskendale. From the sky above on the back of either Palefyre or Galewing, Aemon could see the entire layout of the tourney outside of Duskendale's walls. Sometimes either his Aunts Alyssa or Megaera would take him flying too. The young prince could not wait to have a dragon of his own one day. The day Aemon was born, a dragon egg that had been laid by Galewing was placed in his cradle, and the prince could not wait for the day when his future mount would hatch from that egg.
And speaking of the boy's two favorite aunties, their grandmother's tourney provided them with the chance to catch up and talk about what had been going on with their lives in the past two years since Meg married Alessor. Boy, did Meg have a lot to say about her husband and his parents! Married for nearly two years, Meg and Alessor still had not had a child together. Having no grandchildren yet, especially a grandson, was a source of anger for both Lord Armanno and Lady Juno Thoredando.
Though they were angry at their son for not fathering a son of his own, Megaera received the bulk of Armanno and Juno's anger. Armanno was a man of little words when it came to his daughter-in-law, and he expressed his disappointment in her by acting both coldly and rudely towards Meg. Juno was the most vocal about her frustration over the lack of new Thoredando heirs being born, and Meg repeated some of the rude things that her mother-in-law had said to her in the past two years.
"Why have you not gotten pregnant yet? Is your womb broken? Are you not lying with my son whenever he wants? Are you being cold to him?"
Repeating these words caused Meg to fly off into an angry tangent.
"She is such a bitch!" a frustrated Meg vented to Alyssa as they sat on a limestone shelf at the beach outside of Duskendale's walls one early evening. "It is always my fault that I have not gotten pregnant yet. It took a full month of encouragement from me to get Alessor to even consummate our marriage! The man is afraid to do anything out of fear of displeasing is mother.
His father is the same way too; Armanno is easily cowed by his wife!"
"She sounds like a cunt!" exclaimed Alyssa with wide indigo eyes. Meg was not done yet, but she was not as worked up like she was before.
"Juno has been giving Alessor and I every love potion and amulet she can find hoping that it would help us conceive a son. I wish she would just leave us alone..."
Alyssa nodded sympathetically in response to her cousin's plight. She considered the physical features of Lord Alessor Thoredando. He was tall and thin with long curly brown hair and a brown beard that was oiled and forked in the Pentoshi fashion. Alyssa felt that her cousin-in-law looked effeminate, and she carefully asked Meg this question.
"Pardon me, Meg, but do you think that Alessor... prefers men over women?"
Meg shook her head. She did not look the least bit offended by her cousin's question.
"No. Even if Alessor were that way, I doubt he could muster up the courage to lay with a man like he cannot with me." Meg then smirked. "Gods, Armanno and Juno would be even more disappointed in their son if he preferred men over women!"
"It sounds like his parents can only be disappointed!"
Both women shared a good laugh over that. After the laughter died down, it was Meg's turn to ask her cousin questions about her upcoming nuptials.
"Are you excited for your wedding, Alyssa?"
Alyssa blinked at her cousin, the corner of her mouth rose up slowly but then fell and she looked away.
"What's wrong? What happened?" asked a concerned Meg in rapid succession.
"It's nothing." Alyssa answered, but her cousin kept pressing.
"Come on, you can tell me."
Sighing, Alyssa got right to the point.
"I have heard from Flo that my betrothed is quite the womanizer." Alyssa finally said. Meg's concerned expression softened with sympathy, and she listened to her cousin explain the Warden of the South's lusty behavior. "Lyonel went on a lord's progress late last year through the Reach, and Flo heard from her father that Lyonel had openly flirted with her sister Fiona when he visited Goldengrove."
"Did he flirt with anyone else...?" Meg's question was answered with both a nod and another explanation.
"Yes. Oh my, yes! He also flirted with Flo and Fiona's cousins too. But that's not the worst of it. Lyonel apparently got two of the Rowan's chambermaids pregnant!"
Meg's eyes widened in disbelief when she heard this. She continued to listen to Alyssa out of both familial concern and general curiosity.
"One can imagine how many other women Lyonel has flirted with and impregnated during his progress. He probably has a bastard in every corner of the Reach now! Wonder how many female servants come and go at Highgarden. Most of them probably leave pregnant..."
"Oh, Alyssa..." murmured a sympathetic Meg, and she reached out to touch Alyssa's hand. "Please try not to think too much about it. You are more beautiful than any of those women. When Lyonel sees you walking down the aisle three months from now, he will lose interest in all other women."
Alyssa made a face when her cousin suggested that she try not to think of her fiancé's flagrant womanizing, but she felt some flattery over being described as more beautiful than any of Lyonel's flings. However, the princess had a feeling that Lyonel would eventually grow bored with her Valyrian looks and start looking for a different pretty face to take to his bed to make his married life "livelier". Sighing sadly, Alyssa spoke to her cousin.
"Thank you for your kind words, Meg. But I doubt Lyonel will change after we are wed." She was quiet for a moment before she asked the following question. "Which do you think would be worse, if a husband cheats on his wife with another woman, or with a man?"
Meg blinked rapidly twice before answering.
"Well, I would imagine that both would be quite humiliating and hurtful... Why do you ask?"
Alyssa shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. It just came to me. I personally think it's worse if the husband has a mistress because she can become pregnant by him with a child who could compete with their trueborn half-siblings. At least there is no risk of any bastards being born if the husband takes another man for his paramour."
"But I think the wife's pride would be hit even harder with that." countered Meg. "Husbands bedding other women is, sadly, common... Sharing a bed with the member of the same sex is considered obscene by even the most adulterous lords in the realm. Either way, it's not right."
Alyssa furrowed her brow. "And either way, men have it easier when it comes having other relationships. Gods forbid if a woman is caught by her husband looking at another man "the wrong way". If two women share a bed together, the men treat it like a spectacle that they can both enjoy and abhor at the same time..."
"Do not sound so jaded, Alyssa." Meg said as she consoled the princess and rubbed her back. "Do not talk of such things. You are getting yourself worked up..." Meg's words soothed Alyssa, and she began to feel a little bit better, but some dread lingered somewhere deep down inside of her...
As the two princesses discussed men and marriage, two of their cousins, brothers Aeric and Daemion, soon both found themselves the recipients of the affections from a member of the opposite sex. The woman in question was Lady Tara Lannister. Sixteen years old, Tara had not yet been promised to anyone, and she had no shortage of suitors. Tara's classic Lannister beauty was not the only thing that drew men to her like moths to a flame.
Niece to the Lord of Casterly Rock thanks to being half-Baratheon on her mother's side, and cousin to the Lord of Casterly Rock thanks to being half-Lannister on her late father's side added more to her allure. The suitors themselves were a diverse cast of characters from every walk of life. Suitors like Daemon Darklyn, the heir to Duskendale, and Cinean Frey, the heir to the Twins; Ser Steffon Connington, the handsome younger brother of the Lord of Griffin's Roost who was still unmarried at the age of two and thirty; Ser Perceon Mullendore, the friend of the odious Lord Cyril Hightower; Stanton Piper, the old widowed Lord of Pinkmaiden, and the young new Lord of Maidenpool, Olyvar Mooton, were among the noteworthy men who all competed for the favor of Lady Lannister. Three knights: one from House Graceford, one from House Marbrand, and one from House Egen, got into a brawl by a dockside tavern over who had the best shot at gaining Tara's favor, and blood was spilled and teeth were broken before the men were pulled off each other and taken to the Dun Fort's dungeons to stay for the duration of the tourney. Despite the presence of all of these suitors, Princes Aeric and Daemion Targaryen outshined them all.
Tara made it no secret that she fancied the two brothers over the other men who swarmed her. Neither brother could really be described as handsome, but their princely titles, royal blood, and unmarried statuses made Aeric and Daemion very attractive marriage prospects for any highborn lady. It was clear for all to see that Lady Tara Lannister was just as ambitious as her mother, and she set out to make one of the brothers hers. Tara fluttered her long black eyelashes at Aeric and Daemion, she blew them kisses, and commented on their prowess in the Dun Fort's training yard. The brothers each reacted to Lady Lannister's flirtations in different ways.
Prince Aeric was not used to being the recipient of such flirtatious behavior, and he shied away from Tara. His shyness stemmed from his low self-esteem about finding a woman who would not be put off by his appearance. Measuring at six feet and seven inches tall, the oldest son of Prince Joffrey Velaryon and Lady Nell Beesbury was truly a giant among men, and he was due to turn seventeen in five months time! His Crakehall ancestry was clearly evident in his great frame: big-boned, built like an ox and just as strong as one too. Aeric could swing a great-sword with relative ease (he preferred bastard swords though), his punches were speculated to be lethal if the prince's bear paw hands were gloved in gauntlets and the blows were aimed for the opponent's head, and the choke-holds and suplexes that Aeric used in wrestling easily won him many victories due to his great strength.
Aggressive in combat, Aeric was otherwise a gentle giant in every sense of the word. Friends with his cousin Baelor and younger brother, Aeric was, however, fonder of animals than he was of people, and he abhorred hunting and hawking. Aeric's favorite animals were dogs and horses, a love that was evidenced by him since childhood. The only thing that would distract the usually studious prince from swordplay practice was when a dog handler or stable-hand would inform Aeric that a litter of puppies or a foal had been born. Aeric would stop whatever he was doing to visit the royal kennels or stables to see the newborn animals. It was from these births that Aeric got his two most beloved four-legged friends: a grey destrier named Ash, and a dog named Spider, a name that was given to her due to her long, thin legs.
Prince Daemion could be considered as a small giant in comparison to his hulking older brother. Three inches shorter than Aeric and less burly, Daemion was nevertheless big-boned and strapping, and his size was above average for a fourteen to fifteen year old male. Daemion's strength, height, and size made him an intimidating opponent. In stark contrast to Aeric's preference for larger weapons, Daemion preferred one-handed weaponry like daggers, short-swords, morning-stars, and spiked flails. Out of all these weapons, Daemion preferred short-swords, and with that and a shield in hand, many at the Red Keep speculated that the prince would make an excellent pit fighter in the arenas at the three Slaver Cities of Astapor, Meereen, and Yunkai. Great physical strength being his greatest asset, Daemion was also quick on his feet, and he had good reflexes too.
The prince was also more confident about his appearance than Aeric, and this confidence made Daemion more outgoing and charming than his brother. He loved to hunt, hawk, and ride both horses and his dragon Redfang, whom Daemion had ridden for the first time about a week before his grandmother's Twentieth Year Tourney took place, and he enjoyed flirting with any pretty young woman he saw. Needless to say, Daemion flirted back with Tara. He would puff out his chest and straighten his posture whenever she was around, causing the object of his affections to chuckle coquettishly. While his younger brother put on his mating display for Lady Lannister, Aeric could often be found observing Daemion from afar in either the Dun Fort's stables or kennels feeding apples to horses, or bones to the Darklyn's hunting dogs.
On the fourth day of the tourney, Aeric was feeding oats to Ash when he noticed the emergence of another promising suitor for Tara. It was his and Daemion's half-first cousin once removed, Prince Lydus Targaryen. It had taken Lydus four days to work up the courage to seek out Lady Lannister to try and court her. Daemion did not like being muscled in on, especially by his father's half-cousin, and testosterone was on full display that day as the two young men competed over Tara. Aeric learned later that evening during the feast that a melee was going to be held the following day to settle which prince would get Tara's favor once and for all. News of this melee was well-received, although it did make the Targaryen's nervous for their kinsmen.
This melee was going to fought on foot rather than on horseback, and there would be two teams of seven just like a trial by combat. With Lydus and Daemion being the leaders of their teams, they needed to find six teammates to fight on their side. There was no shortage of men to choose from, nor was there a shortage of volunteers. Prince Aeric was the first to volunteer to fight alongside his little brother, which greatly pleased Daemion, but disgruntled some who felt that Aeric's participation gave his brother's team an unfair advantage over Lydus's team due to his size and strength. Daemion, meanwhile, was overjoyed that his big brother was going to fight by his side, and he patted Aeric on the back with a huge grin on his face while Aeric smiled shyly.
The Lord of Highgarden was the second man to volunteer himself to fight for Daemion's cause. With his nuptials due to take place three months after the Queen's Twentieth Year Tourney, Lyonel wished to ingratiate himself with his future in-laws as much as possible, and this melee was the perfect way for him to bond with his betrothed's cousins. After Lyonel, the next four men were the heirs to Duskendale and the Twins, and the heads of Houses Piper and Mooton. Smithson, Lord Rodrik's steward and the Master of the Games, listed down the names of Prince Daemion's teammates on a roll of parchment and waited to hear who would side with Prince Lydus. The wait would not take long at all.
Ser Steffon Connington was the first to side with Lydus, his jealousy over Tara preferring Prince Daemion Targaryen, whom Steffon viewed as being ugly, over him, fueling a desire to try and best both the prince and his brother in mock combat to get back at them for "stealing" Tara from him. The second man to side with Prince Lydus was none other than his own uncle, Prince Daeron Targaryen, who wanted to help his nephew win the hand of the fair maid that he had become so smitten with. Anticipation for tomorrow's melee increased tenfold after it was realized that four Targaryen's were listed to fight against each other. The next men to join Lydus's team were Sers Cyril Hightower and Perceon Mullendore, and Perceon's cousin, Ser Peregrine Mullendore. The fourth and final man to side with the queen's half-nephew was a blast from the past.
That man was Ser Gyles Coldwater, one of the participants who had fought for the claim of Ser Eldric Arryn in the great and bloody Trial by Seven at Gulltown during the Arryn Succession Crisis fifteen years ago in 134 AC. Not wearing a helm this time, the Targaryen's and Velaryon's were able to get a good look at the "brute's" face. He was tall and well-built, and possessed looks reminiscent of siblings Walton and Lisia Tully - auburn hair and blue eyes.
"Is he kin to you?" Laena asked Walton, who shook his head and shrugged. "No. I am not aware of any Tully in the past marrying anyone from House Coldwater." was his response to his wife's question. "But he certainly resembles my kinsmen."
Laena's Aunt Baela would later learn from her Belmore companions that Ser Coldwater was actually kin to them. Gyles was the sisters' second cousin, his mother was a Belmore by birth, a daughter of the uncle of Ser Jason Belmore. It was odd seeing Gyles again after the passage of so many years, but he also made the queen and her kinsmen a little nervous due to them remembering how fierce he was during the Trial at Gulltown. Twins Oscar and Oswyn, who sat together by their half-sisters and their families, were particularly interested in Ser Coldwater.
The Lord of Heart's Home knew the most about his father thanks to what his half-sisters had told him, and he regaled his twin brother, who was more familiar with his foster family's history than his birth family's, how their late father had dueled with Gyles in that long ago Trial.
"Do you think Prince Daemion can defeat Ser Coldwater, Oswyn?" Oscar asked, to which Oswyn nodded.
"Daemion is a skilled fighter and is big and strong. Fighting Ser Coldwater should be easy for him."
"Too bad he does not have a sword like Lady Forlorn." Oscar said. "Why can't Prince Daemion use Blackfyre or Dark Sister?"
"Because Blackfyre is only to be wielded by the heir to the throne, and King Daemon currently wields Dark Sister." interjected the Lady of Ninestars before Oswyn himself could explain. "It is not like how Lady Forlorn is passed down to brother or son in our house, Oscar."
Oswyn turned to look at her ladyship. "I will one day wield Lady Forlorn?" he asked, to which his half-sister nodded.
"Yes. When you are old enough, Lady Forlorn will be bequeathed to you, Oswyn."
Oswyn's eyes lit up when he heard that. He could not wait to tell his other family about how he would one day wield such a famous and storied weapon. While Oswyn entertained dreams of knighthood and Lady Forlorn, Smithson had finished writing down the names of Prince Lydus's teammates for tomorrow's melee. Once his steward had finished writing, Lord Darklyn made a toast in honor of the fourteen combatants. He toasted to their health, to their combat prowess, and beseeched the Warrior above to bless their sword-arms with strength.
The fourteen men would definitely need those blessings tomorrow. Donning their armor the afternoon after the feast, the combatants made their way to the arena. The two rows of teams faced each other on the dusty ground, the late morning sunlight flashing off their armor. Anticipation and anxiety swirled about the stands. Tara, the reason for this melee, pulled and squeezed her favor, a length of scarlet ribbon, in her hands.
She never intended for her flirting with Prince Daemion Targaryen to come to this, but Tara could not turn back time, and all she could do now was wait at the edge of her seat to see how this melee would unfold. All of the Targaryen's silently prayed to the Mother Above to spare the two brothers from harm, the precious grandsons of Rhaenyra I, and the precious sons of Joff and Nell. The royal family was also on the edge of their seats. Deemed too young to watch the melee, the youngest Targaryen's: Daemon, Rhaenyra, Baelon, and Aemon, played with the younger members of House Darklyn at the Dun Fort. To work off their anxiety, as well as to give their muscles as good pre-battle stretch, both Aeric and Daemion rolled their shoulders and moved their heads from side to side to crack their necks.
Once the signal was given, that signal being the simultaneous nodding of both the heads of Rodrik and Rhaenyra I, Smithson called out for the melee to begin. Weapons held up high, both teams charged each other as the men yelled out battle cries that resounded throughout the arena, with Ser Steffon Connington shouting "A griffin! A griffin!", his family's traditional battle cry. Both teams converged soon thereafter, and the clamor of steel and the labored grunts and growls of men in the thick of battle could be heard by the audience. People were on the edge of their seats either watching in silence, made predictions on who would win, or made monied bets. The safest bet was that Lord Stanton Piper would be the first to fall.
Brave and loyal as he was, Stanton was also well over fifty years old, and he soon realized that he was not as strong as he used to be when he went up against Ser Peregrine Mullendore. Younger and stronger than Lord Piper, Peregrine made quick work of Stanton. Peregrine rammed his shield against Stanton's sword as he swung it towards him. The blow knocked Stanton off balance and left him open for attack. Ser Mullendore saw an opening beneath his opponent's breastplate, and he thrusted the tip of his sword into Stanton's stomach.
The sword pierced through the chainmail and skewered Lord Piper through his stomach. Stanton cried out in pain, dropped his sword, and held his wounded belly as Peregrine slid his sword out, and he fell into the dirt. Seeing Stanton's squires rushing into the field to collect the wounded Lord of Pinkmaiden, Peregrine did the honorable and noble thing and assisted his fallen foe to safety so that his wound could be treated, an act that earned him much applause from the crowds. With Stanton's safety assured, Peregrine turned to see who his next opponent would be. Quite an interesting array of duels to engross himself in!
Peregrine dared not to engage with his overlord, Lyonel Tyrell, who was currently crossing swords with Ser Gyles Coldwater, the latter appearing to be giving Lyonel a run for his money. Cousin Perceon was sparring against Olyvar Mooton as Cyril Hightower went toe to toe with Daemon Darklyn. Cinean Frey was clashing with Steffon Connington. The four Targaryen princes were clashing with each other, with Aeric vs. Daeron, and Daemion vs. Lydus. Peregrine decided to assist Daeron with his duel against Aeric "the Giant".
Peregrine discerned six weaknesses in Aeric's armor: both his armpits whenever he rose his arms up, both his elbows, and behind both of his knees. Deciding to target the prince's right elbow Ser Peregrine Mullendore made a mad dash for Aeric's right.
"Don't thrust too hard. Don't thrust too hard. Just poke him to startle him." Peregrine said to himself. He did not want to cripple Prince Aeric, or wind up accidentally killing him by nicking a blood vessel.
Ser Mullendore was closing in on Aeric when the prince suddenly drew his sword back on his right, oblivious to the foe who was rushing him. The blade of Aeric's bastard sword slammed right into Peregrine's helm with enough force to leave a deep dent in it. The blow gave the knight a concussion and it knocked him over; the dent had also cut into the skin of Peregrine's forehead and it began to bleed beneath his helm. Startled that he had hit someone behind him, Aeric turned to see who it was. Taking advantage of his half-grandnephew's distraction, Prince Daeron ran around Prince Aeric and, much to the surprise of everyone, jumped onto the Giant's back, a feat that was made possible by adrenaline.
Aeric immediately began trying to shake Daeron off of his back, and the latter all but bear-hugged the prince's neck to keep from getting thrown off. Daeron, who was now being called Daeron "the Daring" by the excited audience, focused on getting his legs wrapped around Aeric's sides. His wife and children cheered from the sidelines, even though the couple's eldest child, Saera, was sitting next to Aeric's cousin Alyssa, who looked concerned for her kinsman. Succeeding in that goal, Daeron then grabbed the upper shaft of his mace with his left hand and pressed the weapon against Aeric's throat in an attempt to choke him and get him to fall onto his knees. Gasping for air, Aeric used all of his strength to shake off his half-granduncle and to pull the mace away from his throat to no avail.
Out of options, Aeric sauntered over towards the stands. Kicking off of the wooden wall with his right foot, Aeric made himself fall on his back with Daeron the Daring still hanging on to him, effectively crushing him. The onlookers closest to the wall heard an audible grunt of pain coming from Daeron after he got crushed underneath the walking boulder that was Aeric. Bethany and her children gasped out of shock, as did the Black Targaryen's, while Alyssa grinned. Feeling the pressure on his throat lessen, Aeric grabbed his half-granduncle's right wrist and pulled the mace away from him.
Aeric got up as quickly as he could and he checked on Daeron. The daring prince was splayed out like a starfish on the ground moaning in pain. Trying to stand up made Daeron realize that some of his ribs may have possibly been cracked since he felt sharp pains emanating from both sides of his ribcage as he moved and sharply inhaled. Seeing Daeron grimace in pain, Aeric felt some remorse for what he had done. Extending his hand towards Daeron, the tall prince assisted his kinsman up, and handed him over to the arena attendants to be examined by a maester.
This act of good sportsmanship also earned Aeric applause. Casting his gaze back towards the center of the fighting grounds, where the melee was still going strong, Aeric noticed that Peregrine had been taken away too to have his injuries treated too. There were now eleven combatants left fighting in the melee. Well, it was soon down to ten after Gyles had sliced the left side of Lord Olyvar Mooton's neck with his sword while simultaneously holding off an exhausted and battered Lyonel. Jugular cut open, Olyvar collapsed as blood gushed out from his wound.
Gyles then turned around, rose his sword up, and slammed the pommel into Lord Tyrell's nose, breaking it, a feat made possible after Gyles had stealthily lifted it up sometime during the fight. It was Lyonel's turn to fall, and he did so whilst clutching his face. Nine left now. Seeing his cousin's betrothed down and hurt, Aeric quickly retrieved his sword and charged Gyles. Realizing that this aurochs of a prince was coming after him, Ser Coldwater steeled himself for what was to come and he stood his ground.
He rose his shield up to defend himself when Aeric prepared to swing his sword. Gyles, however, was not prepared for the strength that the prince would exert in his swing. Aeric's bastard sword slashed the painted oak of Ser Coldwater's shield, leaving deep scratches on it. Pulling his sword back, Aeric then thrusted it towards Gyles' shield with all of his strength. Amazingly, the sword pierced through the shield, the tip going about a foot and a half through the oak.
Aeric then tore the shield off of Gyles' arm and threw it off to the side. Startled that he lost his shield, Gyles quickly recovered his senses and he gripped his short-sword with both his hands. Gyles did his best to counter the prince's blows, but even then, he was no match for Aeric's strength, and his sword was knocked out of his hands after Aeric made his third swing at Gyles. Unarmed and defenseless, Gyles was now at the prince's mercy. Aeric then pointed the sword at Gyles's face.
"Yield." Aeric said, and Gyles reluctantly complied.
"Go away! I will manage."
Aeric looked over at Lyonel and saw that he was shooing away the squires who had rushed over to help him after the duel between the prince and Ser Coldwater had ended. Lyonel pulled himself up with his sword, and Aeric was taken aback by how bloody the Warden of the South's face was. A dark red crust of dried blood covered his upper lip and there were dry but sticky streams flowing down his chin, and Lyonel's nose was crooked. Breathing through his mouth, Lyonel grinned at the prince.
"I hope this heals right before I marry your cousin, my lord!" panted Lyonel, to which Aeric smirked good-naturedly.
"You will be fine." the prince said comfortingly.
A yelp was heard, and the two men turned to see Lord Daemon Darklyn getting knocked down by Ser Steffon Connington. Lord Cinean Frey had defeated Cyril Hightower and was now dueling fiercely with Ser Perceon Mullendore. The exhausted and bruised heir to Duskendale yielded to Steffon. With his opponent down, Steffon turned his attention towards Prince Daemion Targaryen and proceeded to saunter towards him. Seeing the fearsome knight march towards his younger brother stirred Aeric's protective instincts.
"Ser Connington!" the prince shouted.
As Steffon turned to face Aeric, both the prince and Lyonel charged towards their new foes, with the prince going after Steffon, and the Lord of Highgarden going after Perceon. Lyonel had the easiest time since when Perceon noticed that his homeland's overlord was coming after him, he quickly bent the knee and yielded to him rather than dare harm a hair on Lyonel's head even though the man had his nose broken about fifteen minutes ago. Aeric had a more difficult time with Steffon. Six inches shorter than the prince, Steffon Connington certainly did not lack for courage, and he met Aeric head on with his sword raised and an expression of fierce determination etched on his face. Steffon blocked Aeric's first swing at him with his shield and then the second one with his sword.
It was now only the two Targaryen brothers, their father's half-cousin, and the younger brother of Lord Connington dueling in the arena. The audience was rapt on the four combatants as they crossed swords. Queen Rhaenyra was gently turning the rings on her fingers as she observed her two grandsons as they fought against their foes, one of them being her own half-nephew. The brothers' parents, Prince Joffrey Velaryon and Lady Nell Beesbury, were at the edge of their seats with worry. Joff and Nell cheered loudly as Aeric took down his opponents while Daemion held his own against Prince Lydus Targaryen, and, although they were strongly confident in their sons' abilities, they were still very concerned for their safety.
Aeric and Steffon were polar opposites in size, strength, and speed, but their mutual ferocity and dogged determination aided both men with their duel. Steffon, at some point, outmaneuvered the prince and stabbed him above his left elbow, the blade piercing through the other end below Aeric's bicep. Aeric roared in pain. His mother and father turned pale in their seats. Grinning that he had dealt a direct hit to Aeric the Giant, Steffon slipped the sword out of the prince's arm and to go after his right.
But the prince turned quickly around to face Steffon, gritting his teeth as he moved his arm to have his hand grip his sword's handle. In pain and furious, Aeric rose his sword up as if he was going to repeat how he disarmed Ser Coldwater earlier. But instead of piercing Steffon's shield, Aeric, who used his stance as a bluff, quickly thrusted his sword towards Ser Connington's left foot. The tip of the blade went through his ankle and came out the other end. Aeric pulled out his sword from Steffon's ankle as the man fell screaming in pain with blood pouring out from his wound.
Now only Daemion and Lydus were remaining. They were matched in both skill and strength, and they showed no signs of getting tired. Despite being shorter and leaner in comparison to Daemion, Lydus was surprisingly strong and he was swift. To top it all off, Lydus was just as talented and fierce with a sword like his father. Perspiring and bruised beneath their armor, the two princes nevertheless carried on with their duel, their mutual desire to claim the favor of Lady Tara Lannister spurring them on.
And speaking of Tara, the poor girl had gone pale after the Lord of Maidenpool had collapsed into the dust with blood spurting out of his sliced neck, and she had been feeling numb since then. Would this final duel end bloodlessly? Lydus sidestepped Daemion when the latter tried to swing at him, and he attempted to bring his sword down on Daemion's right elbow. Seeing what his half-cousin was trying to do, Daemion quickly retracted his arm and Lydus's blade was deflected by a steel gauntlet. Daemion then tried to slam his shield into Lydus, but he quickly backed away before the shield could hit him.
Daemion charged Lydus and he made a quick swipe for his head, which the latter artfully evaded by pulling his head back. With lightning fast reflexes, Lydus rose his sword up and thrusted it towards the left side of Daemion's neck like a scorpion lunging it barbed tail at its prey. Tara gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, horrified at the sight of seeing a repeat of what had happened to Olyvar earlier. Thankfully, Daemion moved his neck to the side, and his half-cousin's blade only grazed his skin. However, he did not want Lydus to know that.
Daemion backed away, dropped his sword, and grabbed the side of his neck to feign that he was injured. Seeing his chance, and falling for the bait, Lydus charged full bore towards Daemion. Once Lydus was in range, Daemion, smiling slyly beneath his helm, thrusted out his shield. Lydus crashed into the shield, and Daemion used the momentum of the impact to lift his opponent up over his head to throw him down onto the ground with that shield. It was an incredible sight to behold, and the audience was rendered mute in awe by this display of cunning and strength by Daemion.
It had happened so quickly that Lydus barely had time to register what had happened as he rolled on the ground. Cheering resounded from the arena after Lydus was thrown, the volume being loud enough to make the stands tremble. Joffrey jumped out of his chair shouting with glee and fatherly pride. His niece Alyssa jumped out of her chair shrieking excitedly as Saera and her mother and younger siblings looked at her wide-eyed in surprise at her display. By the time Lydus's senses had returned to him, Daemion was standing over him with his sword pointed at him.
"Yield unless you want another beating."
Lydus stared defiantly at his half-cousin once removed. He wanted to fight, he truly did, but he felt so tired and sore all over. Lydus glanced from Daemion to Tara and back to Daemion again. Sighing deeply, his brow furrowed, and disappointment filling him, Lydus yielded.
"I, I yield..."
Strangely, Lydus felt relieved after saying that. The cheering's volume increased even more after Daemion won the melee. Aeric and Lyonel cheered for him, and Lyonel even slapped Aeric's back in excitement, causing the giant prince to look down at Alyssa's fiancé with a bemused expression. Lyonel looked up at Aeric and smiled sheepishly at him before looking away and putting his hands behind his back. Daemion stood and took in the cheering.
He lifted up his visor and held his sword up high, grinning and looking around the arena at the excited crowds. Seeing Lydus trying to get up in the corner of his eye, Daemion offered a helping hand, which Lydus politely declined, and he got up on his own strength.
"Prince Daemion!"
Tara's voice made the prince turn around. Smiling broadly, the prince made his way towards the stands where Lady Tara Lannister awaited him with her mother, half-brother, and cousins. Tara stood up from her seat and she tied the ribbon to her prince's sword. After receiving the favor that he had fought so hard and long for, Daemion held the sword up and turned around to show everyone his prize, which earned him an encore and more cheering. Lydus balled his hands into fists as he watched Daemion show off, but his anger and disappointment settled after he took a deep breath, and a faint smile did appear on his face, for deep down, Lydus was happy for his half-first cousin once removed.
As if winning the favor of the fair Tara was not enough, Daemion, along with his older brother, would have more to celebrate early that evening. At the conclusion of that day's events, Queen Rhaenyra knighted both of her grandsons to award them for the valor and skill that they displayed during the melee. Joff and Nell smiled, the latter having tears in her eyes, as they watched their sons receive their knighthood. Sadly, felicity was not felt by everyone. Lord Olyvar Mooton lost too much blood for the maester to save him, and he passed away before a septon could arrive to perform the last rites on him.
Unmarried and childless at the time of his death, Olyvar was succeeded by his younger brother Benjamin. Olyvar had succeeded his late father, Lord Walys Mooton, just two weeks before his own death... The recipient of a terrible wound himself, Lord Stanton Piper, thankfully, was expected to recover in the long run. Cinean, Daemion, and Daemon suffered only minor injuries, and they were all fine, although Daemon's pride was hurt more following him yielding to Prince Lydus Targaryen. Aeric was expected to recover fully despite his injuries.
The same applied to Ser Peregrine Mullendore too, and his cousin Perceon, and their comrades Cyril and Gyles were relatively unharmed as well. Unfortunately, Ser Steffon Connington was not so lucky. His wound was disinfected with boiled wine after he was taken out of the arena, but he contracted an infection anyway, and Steffon's left foot had to later be amputated above the ankle. Aeric felt remorseful when he heard that Steffon lost his foot. So remorseful in fact, that Aeric approached the Lord of Griffin's Roost offering to pay for a prosthetic foot, an offer that Steffon's older brother politely declined. There was some comfort in the fact that, although the fierce and proud Steffon had been crippled, he only lost a foot and not a leg, and he could still fight with a fake foot attached to his calf later on.
Prince Daeron Targaryen did indeed sustain cracked ribs, four in fact, after getting crushed beneath Aeric. Bethany and the children had to be careful with their embraces when they were allowed to visit Daeron after his wounds had been treated. Lydus also visited his uncle, and apologized to Daeron for forfeiting the melee.
"Do not fret about it, Lydus." Daeron said reassuringly as he patted his nephew on the arm. "The world is full of pretty young maidens. You will find one who is worthy of you some day."
Lydus nodded in appreciation of his uncle's words. He viewed his beautiful cousin Saera as being worthy of him. Perhaps, when the time was right, Lydus could try and ask Uncle Daeron to have his oldest daughter's hand in courtship. Saera was turning fifteen during the second to last week of the year, and she had flowered about a month ago. She was ready to be considered for marriage.
It would not be long before ravens from noblemen started arriving at the Red Keep bearing marriage proposals between Princess Saera Targaryen and their heirs. Lydus was not keen on fighting in another melee even if it was to win his cousin's heart. There were other avenues that involved no violence that Prince Lydus Targaryen could take, of course, but he knew that he lacked the talent for those. Singing was definitely out of the question since Lydus was both shy and pretty confident that his singing voice sounded like a chicken getting strangled, and it seemed so impersonal to pay a bard to compose and write a love song in his stead. Writing was another no go since Lydus did not like to write, so there would be no romantic poems penned by him.
What Lydus was good at besides swordplay was playing the harp, hunting, and horseback riding. Riding. Riding a dragon. What if the prince were to tame a dragon? Surely that would be enough to steal the heart of the lovely Princess Saera, and make her cousin Lydus her premier suitor.
Approaching Baelor and Alysanne during one of the nightly feasts at the Dun Fort, Lydus learned from the couple that only two feral dragons were left on the island of Dragonstone. One of those dragons was Seasmoke, the former mount of Baelor and Alysanne's long dead paternal grandfather, Ser Laenor Velaryon. The other dragon was a frightening and bloodthirsty creature known as "the Cannibal" by the inhabitants of Dragonstone for his penchant for consuming the flesh of his own kind whether it be dragon eggs, dragon hatchlings, or dead dragons. There were originally two other feral dragons that were born wild named Grey Ghost and Sheepstealer alongside the Cannibal, but they had both been gone for some time now. Grey Ghost had died a few years ago and the Cannibal had feasted upon his remains, and Sheepstealer had flown away from the island in the direction of Essos and was never seen or heard from again.
Baelor and Alysanne regaled Lydus about an intriguing story that had been circulating in recent years that not one, but two feral dragons had been spotted flying over the rolling hills of Lhazar. Baelor and Alysanne both believed that these two creatures were the offspring of the missing Sheepstealer. Very recently, sailors drinking in Duskendale's dockside taverns were sharing tales on how these two dragons had apparently grown big enough to keep the Lhazareen's longtime nemesis, the Dothraki, at bay, and that the Lhazareen viewed the two beasts as divine protectors given to them from their god, the so-called "Great Shepherd". Rhaenyra I herself was aware of these stories, and she was considering the idea of sponsoring an expedition to Lhazar to see if there was any grain of truth to what was going on in the far side of Essos. Intriguing as these stories were, Lydus was more interested in claiming Seasmoke as his own.
"Do I need your grandmother's leave to visit Dragonstone? I have enough coin to pay for passage across the Gullet."
Prince Baelor considered his kinsman's words.
"I will ask grandmother. I am sure that she will agree to you trying to claim her late husband's dragon, but let me ask just to be sure."
Lydus nodded, and Baelor got up out of his chair and approached his grandmother's seat at the high table.
"Grandmother?" the prince asked into the queen's ear, causing her to look away from her wine glass.
"Baelor. What is it?"
"Lydus just asked if he needs your leave to visit Dragonstone after the tourney is over. He wishes to claim Seasmoke as his own. Would you be agreeable to that?"
Rhaenyra furrowed her brow at first, but then her face relaxed.
"Please bring Lydus over to me, Baelor."
Baelor did as he was told, and he stood behind Lydus as the queen conversed with him. Rhaenyra did not like how her half-nephew had tried to slice open her grandson's neck during the melee the other day, but both men seemed to have no quarrel with each other and all appeared to be well. There was also the issue of increasing Oldtown's dragon population from two to three. However, from what Rhaenyra I had heard from Helaena, the ancient Vhagar's health was starting to decline, and it was believed that she was only capable of flying around Oldtown now, even though Vhagar had been able to fly from there to King's Landing just last year for Prince Aegon the Elder's funeral. With the oldest and most battle seasoned dragon entering her last days, perhaps it would not be so bad to allow Lydus to try and tame Seasmoke and fly him back to the Hightower.
"Seasmoke has not been ridden since my first husband's death almost three decades ago during the Red Spring." Rhaenyra said; disbelief over how much time had passed since that terrible year of 120 AC grabbed at her heart and mind. "He was Laenor's pride and passion, and his fondness for his late rider probably still lingers after all this time. Are you sure that you have what it takes to tame Seasmoke, Lydus?"
The prince nodded. "Yes, your grace. I am ready to try."
Rhaenyra nodded too. "Cocky like his father." the queen mused. "But he's humble like Daeron, and that I respect." She finally spoke.
"Very well, then. You have my leave to visit Dragonstone, Lydus." Rhaenyra then glanced at Baelor. "Baelor, please accompany Lydus to Dragonstone. Would Palefyre mind having an extra rider on his back? If so, take your cousin on dragonback. Keep him safe when he tries to approach Seasmoke. Maester Hunnimore has written to me that Seasmoke can be quite testy when people come near him."
It was Baelor's turn to nod. "Of course, grandmother. Whatever you say. Palefyre is a gentle soul. He will not mind."
"Good."
Lydus suppressed the urge to wrap his arms around his aunt and kiss her on the cheek. With as much restraint as he could muster, Lydus breathed a happy thank you before walking quickly back to his chair with a big smile on his face. He shared the good news with his mother, stepmother, and half-brother, who were all in turn happy for Lydus too. Alys was confident that her son would succeed in taming Seasmoke. He had the Dragon's blood in him, blood as hot as fire, and blood that made him impervious to burns.
Lydus's excitement carried on throughout the rest of festivities to celebrate his half-aunt's twentieth year on the Iron Throne. Daemion even competed in the jousts with Tara's favor wrapped around his lance. Although a skilled swordsman, Daemion proved to have no talent for lancing, and he was defeated by his first opponent, Ser Addam Velaryon, in the first tilt. Thankfully, the prince was able to keep Tara's favor. Addam would go on to win five tilts before falling to Ser Cyril Hightower, who was an exceptional lancer.
Cyril won six tilts, and it looked like that his betrothed, the youngest daughter of the Lord of Brightwater Keep, was going to be crowned as the Queen of Love and Beauty. That is, until Lord Lyonel Tyrell entered the lists. Other than the High Marshal of the Reach going up against a member of his house's most powerful bannerman, what made this joust even more interesting was the fact that Lyonel did not wear a helm with a visor due to his broken nose, which was bandaged up. Lyonel ducked his head down as quick as he could whenever his lance struck his opponent, and by the grace of the Seven, he was not struck in the face by any of the large splinters that flew up when the lances were broken. The two Reachmen broke three lances against each other before Lyonel finally unhorsed Ser Hightower and became the tourney's champion.
Taking the crown of roses from Smithson, Lyonel rode to where Princess Alyssa Targaryen sat and presented the crown to her. Although the deep red roses clashed with the princess's blue ensemble, Alyssa happily placed them on her head, and she became the Queen of Love and Beauty. Both Lyonel and Alyssa received a lot of applause.
"You look beautiful." was said by all of the women who sat near Alyssa: Bethany, Saera, Vaella, Florence, Magda, and Lia. The princess's frisson faded once she noticed how Lyonel smiled at both Saera and Florence. Unseen by Lord Tyrell, Alyssa reached over to gently squeeze Florence's hand, who returned her squeeze. Alyssa still kept smiling, even though her old dread about her betrothed's wandering eye resurfaced.
She was able to bury that dread later that night during the tourney's final feast. The gravedigger, so to speak, was an announcement that was made by Lords Rodrik Darklyn, Bartimos Celtigar, and Alyn Velaryon.
"My lords and ladies, it is with great joy that I announce the wonderful fortune that has just blessed my family today. Thanks to the combined genius of her grace, Queen Rhaenyra the First of Her Name, and her eldest son, the Prince of Dragonstone, all of my dear children have been promised to the children of the Iron Throne's closest allies, House Velaryon."
Rodrik then gestured towards his children.
"My sons have been promised to the fair and lovely daughters of Lord Alyn Velaryon, the Admiral of the great Velaryon Fleet, and my daughters have been promised to the fine and strapping sons of Ser Addam Velaryon, the Castellan of High Tide. My firstborn son and heir, Daemon, is to wed Lady Rhaenyra Velaryon. May their future marriage be as strong as the marriage between our dear queen and her consort, his grace, King Daemon Targaryen. My middle son Klause has been promised to Lady Rhaenys Velaryon, the twin sister of Daemon's betrothed, and my youngest son Jon is to wed Lord Alyn's youngest daughter, Lady Marissa Velaryon.
My oldest daughter, my very own Rhaenyra, has been promised to Ser Addam's eldest son, Lord Phaeton Velaryon. The hands of her younger sisters, Jena and Avis, have been promised to Addam's youngest two sons, Lords Aenar and Ivon Velaryon, respectively. Truly wonderful engagements for House Darklyn! And it is all thanks to the queen and Prince Jacaerys."
Applause followed after Rodrik made his announcement. It was now Lord Bartimos Celtigar's turn to speak.
"I too have their graces Queen Rhaenyra and Prince Jacaerys to thank for the good fortune that has come to House Celtigar. My eldest grandson, Aegon, has been betrothed to the beloved only daughter of Ser Addam Velaryon and his lady wife, Alysanne Blackwood: Lady Visenya Velaryon. My darling only daughter Thea is happily married to Prince Aegon the Younger, and I hope my grandson's future marriage to Visenya will be just as happy as his aunt's. House Targaryen has my eternal gratitude, and the eternal loyalty of House Celtigar!"
More applause followed and then it was Alyn's turn to speak.
"My brother Addam and I owe so much to the queen and our half-brothers, and we are immensely humbled to be the recipients of so many blessings from them. Raised from baseborn status to trusted members of House Velaryon, and now, both my children and my niece and nephews have been betrothed to the children of the great allies of the Dragon Queen. I am so proud to announce that my oldest son, Cordylion, has been betrothed to Lord Bartimos's oldest granddaughter, Lady Faeryse Celtigar. Let us all raise our glasses to the queen and her family to toast them."
Everyone raised their glasses to the Targaryen's.
"Long may her majesty, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen the First of Her Name, reign. Long may his grace, King Daemon Targaryen, reign. May both Queen Rhaenyra and her family know good health and good fortune for all of their days. May the Seven continue to smile down on them forevermore."
Applause once more resounded throughout the great hall. These series of betrothals between the sons and daughters of Addam and Alyn Velaryon to the children of Lords Darklyn and Celtigar soon came to be collectively known as "the Great Velaryon Engagement", and right away did the noble guests begin to exalt this as one of the Iron Throne's great triumphs under the Dragon Queen's reign, and it was also a great triumph for both the queen and her eldest son too. These were powerful matches that served to increase House Targaryen's ties to their most stalwart allies in the Crownlands and cementing their allegiance to the Iron Throne for generations to come. Mirth abounded throughout the rest of the night, and wine and laughter flowed like a coursing river. As they retired to bed later that evening, the Targaryen's expected to leave nothing but good-will behind at Duskendale upon their departure the following day.
When tomorrow morning finally came, the royal family sat down with their hosts to a good and quiet breakfast. However, Princess Baela noticed that her daughter Alyssa was missing from the table. Baela's cousin-in-law, Lady Bethany Hightower, soon noticed that her own daughter Saera was also missing from the great hall too. Not only were both princesses unaccounted for, so were Florence and Lyonel as well. Alyssa's other two companions, Ladies Magda Rollingford and Lia Wendwater, were commanded by Baela to go find her daughter and Lady Rowan and to rouse them from their beds if they were still sleeping.
Bethany dispatched her handmaiden to go search for the missing Saera, and Dowager Lady Mary Crane sent both her own handmaiden and one of her son's squires, a boy from House Leygood, to go find Lyonel. Lady Hightower's handmaiden received no response when she knocked on Princess Saera's room, and Lia received a similar response when she went to see if Florence was in her room. Both doors were unlocked, and when the women entered, they found that the beds had not been slept in. This was a curious development. Where did Saera and Florence sleep last night?
That question was soon to be answered by the other searchers. As they got closer to Lyonel's room, Mary's handmaid and the Leygood squire thought they heard some muffled sounds coming from behind the door. Curious, the Leygood squire opened the door and stumbled upon the sight of Lyonel straddling a young woman on the bed both as naked as the day they were born. The light coming from the open door startled the couple from their lovemaking, and they both turned to see who their unwelcome guests were with pale, wide-eyed faces, expressions that were shared by Lyonel's squire and his mother's handmaid. Taken aback at seeing the engaged Lord of Highgarden and his companion naked was one thing, but what made this truly shocking was the identity of the companion in question, for she was nonother than Princess Saera Targaryen!
Just as Lyonel's latest and possibly most scandalous affair was being discovered, Lady Rollingford knocked on Alyssa's door. Receiving no response, Magda proceeded to open the door as quietly as she could. Lady Wendwater was coming up to meet her companion when she saw Magda step out of the room with her hand over her mouth.
"What is it, Magda?" Lia asked. "Is something wrong with the princess?"
She became curious when Magda shook her head. Pointing her finger at the door, all Magda said was "Look". Tiptoeing warily to the door, Lia saw in the morning sunlight what her friend had seen, and she soon found herself covering her mouth and staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the bed. Princess Alyssa Targaryen was unclothed and sound asleep on her bed, but she was not alone, for she had her left arm wrapped around a person who was curled up naked beside her. But this was not a man who was sharing the engaged princess's bed, it was a woman, Lady Florence Rowan to be precise, and on top of her golden hair was Alyssa's Queen of Love and Beauty crown!
Oh, boy! Lyonel, Saera, Alyssa, and Florence are going to be in some pretty hot water after this! Stay tuned, for I hope to try and get started on the next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review! :)