Late 161 AC, Sunspear
The Commander of the Stormbreakers
Oscar shifted in his chair, trying to find a comfortable spot on the cushion. To his side, Aegon was arranging some of the figures which represented men on the map in front of them. The seat opposite both of them was empty. They were waiting for the King.
The sound of a knock on the door rang out. Aegon seemed to be lost in the map, so Oscar nudged young Quentyn Ball to open the door. He ran over and pulled by its handle. As it swung open, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms stepped through, resplendent in red and black, the crown on the Conqueror on his brow.
Oscar stood up and offered a bow. Aegon was still lost in thought and Oscar nudged him from under the table with his foot. Aegon looked up and then stood to sketch a hasty bow.
"Please, sit my friends. All of us are among friends here. I hope you will call me Daeron, cousin, and not your grace."
"As you will, Daeron." Aegon smirked. The King laughed and took his place at the table. It was an exclusive conference. Even the lord of the castle wasn't permitted to take part in this discussion. Of course, considering the Lord of the Castle was Qoren Martell and the matter of discussion at hand was Dornish perfidy, only a fool would have let him in, and Oscar was no fool. Neither was Aegon, nor the King.
"Shall we begin?" Oscar asked.
"Yes." The King leaned over the table, taking one of the pieces placed near the Boneway. A black dragon. Aegon had Quentyn paint a silver ring on its brow.
"This is me," the King said. He placed it at King's Landing. "I won't be here."
There was another black dragon on the side of the map. Aegon picked it up and put it on the Boneway.
"This will be your double."
"This is Prince Aegon?" Oscar asked before Aegon could confirm his position.
The King frowned and did not speak.
"I have no problem acting your double Daeron," Aegon said. Oscar scowled. There was no reason for Aegon to risk his life. It would be easier to bring a dragonseed from Dragonstone before the King left than to have Aegon take his place.
"But," Oscar interjected, "Aegon will not pass for you, your grace. Even if he shaves his beard and loses twenty pounds."
The king nodded. "You are right, Ser," he said. "My cousin is too different from what I am."
"And you are too young," Aegon added.
They all laughed.
Once the laughter died down, the King took a red dragon from Sunspear and put it on the Boneway beside the black one. He also took some pawns and put them on the Boneway. Bait, army and a leader.
"Is Aegon required to be there?" Oscar asked. He did not like Aegon springing the trap. Too many people to worry about, and too high of a chance for Aegon to get injured in the confusion.
"I want him to be there, Ser," the King said. "And so he will be there."
Oscar wanted to push against the King, but he could not. Aegon must have sensed his thoughts, for he spoke.
"I cannot accompany you for no reason, Daeron," he said. "Especially if we want to raise no suspicion."
The King crossed his arms across his chest, looking to the world all his eighteen years. "So, we need a reason for you to accompany me?"
"It would be prudent to give out the illusion that we do not suspect anything, cousin.."
There was a simple solution for this. Oscar was surprised neither Aegon nor the King came up with this yet. "We will be opening trade with Dorne, won't we, your grace?"
"We will." the King put his chin in his hand. "I don't see how it helps us with our problem now though."
Aegon leaned forwards as well. Oscar made a mental note to teach his once squire more about the matters that entailed ruling a Kingdom within the, now, Seven Kingdoms.
"We need to build new toll gates and watchtowers along the Boneway and the Prince's Pass. I am sure the Lord Hand or the Master of Coin has drawn up plans for these. Aegon can base himself off of Kingsgrave or the Vulture's Roost to oversee their construction. Either would allow for our plans for Aegon to be close enough to intercept an ambush."
The King smiled. "Perfect." He studied the map before moving the red dragon to the Dornish side of the Prince's Pass. "Aegon will base himself off of Kingsgrave."
Aegon picked up the thread easily. "I can coordinate the building of our toll gates from there," he said. He grinned in anticipation, a bloodthirsty expression. Oscar couldn't help but smile at his once squire's excitement. "A majority of the Stormbreakers will be with us. Blow the horn, Daeron, and we will ride out."
"It will not be the King at all," Oscar reminded gently.
Aegon was too far gone in his thoughts of battle to care. "Then it would be some dragonseed, Ser Oscar," he said. "As long as the Kingsguard are with the poor sod and a helm covers his face, the Dornish will have seen no difference for us to worry about."
Oscar nodded. "That should work."
The King clapped his hands. "It is settled then. Aegon will leave for Kingsgrave as soon as he is able to, on the morrow preferably," he said. "Do build a lasting toll gate, cousin. We need the tax."
"I shall," Aegon said. "By the time the Dornish realize I am here, I will be at the Manwoody keep."
"Good," the King nodded. "Let secrecy cloud our plans for as long as possible."
"If I may, your grace," Oscar interjected, before they let themselves be carried away by excitement.
The King's attention left Aegon and settled on Oscar. That gaze belonged to none but a dragon. Oscar suppressed the urge to cringe away. He cleared his throat.
"Aegon and the Stormbreakers should leave for Manwoody Hall as soon as possible," he said. "There should be enough time between us and your departure for there to be no perception of any relation between the two."
"I am aware of that, Ser," King Daeron said. Oscar scurried to make his position clear.
"What I mean is," he said, "we ought to leave as quickly as possible." He looked at his squire, catching his eye.
Aegon caught on to his meaning. "We need time to plan our journey, Daeron," Aegon said.
The King frowned, though for what reason it was Oscar could not seem to guess. "I will leave you then," he said. "My door is open for you, Aegon. We are family, and always will be."
Aegon bowed. The King frowned, stood up, turned on his heel, and left. His Kingsguard guarding the door closed it behind him leaving Oscar, Aegon, and Quentyn alone.
"Surely I taught you better than this, son," Oscar said.
"I am not sure what you are talking about." Aegon's tone was defensive.
Oscar sighed. "The King wishes to be a more intimate friend to you than what you are now." He picked up the red dragon and placed it by the black one at King's Landing. "Do not pretend to be blind to it. I know not what you did in your time in King's Landing, but I hope it has not cultivated sloth in your mind."
Aegon winced. "The farthest thing from my mind is being Daeron's confidante, Ser," he said. "That is the reason I am not receptive to his offers of friendship."
"Well, you need to be," Oscar said firmly, "at least if you aim to achieve our goals."
"Remind me, Ser," Aegon retorted, a sort of filial defiance coloring his tone," what are our goals in Dorne."
Oscar sighed. Aegon was being difficult on purpose. "Quent, tell your master what we aim to achieve in Dorne," he ordered.
"It is simple, isn't it Ser," Quentyn Ball said. He had mastered the art of being a squire, out of sight and out of mind unless called upon. "We will be taking the whole of Dorne for ourselves."
Oscar nodded. "Exactly," he said. "And the only way we can do that is?"
Quentyn jumped up excitedly, for he knew the answer. "Is if the King gives it to us."
"And why would the King give it to us?"
"Because we, us," Quentyn faltered. "Because we are good?"
Aegon and Oscar laughed. "He would give it to us if most of Dorne rebelled," Aegon said. "If Dorne proved ungovernable as it is now."
"Exactly!" Oscar gestured at the map on the table in front of them with his hand. "So what ought we to do then, Aegon?"
"I do not think it to be a good idea, Ser," Aegon said, a mote of warning creeping into his tone.
"We must!" Oscar began to grow vexed with his squire. "We have come all the way across the Sea. Our men need lands to settle, women to marry, and lands to rule." His tone brooked no argument. "We will get no opportunities beyond Dorne."
"I know that!" Aegon retorted. "It's just…"
"Just what?"
Aegon must have had enough. "We cannot let the realm dissolve into anarchy for the sake of our ambition!" He banged his hand on the table between them. The pieces flew into the air and Quentyn cowered away from their argument. "It is our duty to maintain the peace."
Ah.
A gentler approach was required. "It will not, son," Oscar said. He leaned across the table and placed a hand on Aegon's shoulder. "But think of our men, of Jon, of Harrold. Years, they have spent in Essos, dreaming of a homecoming. Do they not deserve this?"
Aegon's face softened. Oscar knew he had him then.
"Think about it, Sunspear for you, Hellholt for Jon, Skyreach for Harrold, and towers along the Greenblood and Torrentine for the rest."
Aegon smiled. "And you, Oscar?"
He laughed. "Whatever you deign to give me, Governor," he said. Time to drive the point home. "Should we let the whole of Dorne revolt and then put it down, my castle will be whatever you deign to give me, Lord Paramount."
Aegon laughed, his expression shifting from hesitant to pleased. "Ask and you shall have it, friend," he said. "What reason would I have to refuse you?"
Oscar smiled. "Someplace on the Greenblood, mayhaps," he said. He stroked his chin in thought. The water called to him. "Or on the Torrentine?"
"Starfall is yours, then."
Oscar inclined his head at Aegon's choice. He had no preference either way. Now all that was left was to ensure Dorne rebelled in its entirety.
—-
A/N: And that's another chapter done. I liked writing this one, though it is shorter than my usual chapters. As you can see it is a little time skip as I didn't want to write Aegon's journey from KL to Dorne.
Anyway, let me know what y'all think. Did you like it? Hate it? Want to complain? I thrive off of feedback so do let me know!
