Aegor

He would not let Calla die, Aegor told himself over and over again. He would not let her destroy herself over the guilt she held.

Poor girl… He had trained her to hone her skills as a warrior, but her heart was soft and pure. He should know that cold logic could not sway her as much as just showing her that... he cared.

He berated himself for not noticing how love-starved she was. He was the closest thing she had to a father since Daemon died, yet he failed to provide for her as he should. He did not show her the affection she desired, leaving her uncertain, desperate for his approval.

She must be surrounded by those who loved her, who would show her appreciation. Only then she would forget and forgive herself for what she did.

That was why he was in a hurry to find Aenys, but…

"Uncle!" Daena cried, her face flushed red in anger, "Good thing you're here. Hear what Aenys has to say for himself!"

Aenys held his palm on his cheek, blood dripping down his lips. "Geez, Daena, I see that you have gotten stronger since our childhood," there were hints of laughter in every word he spoke, yet devoid of any humour, "Good that I sent all the guards away. It won't do for them to see their king like this. Right, Uncle?" Even the gaze he shot Aegor was hollow.

Aegor surveyed the room. Aerion Brightflame was there, staring at the scene with a bewildered expression… ignoring those who were unrelated, Aegor's eyes focused on the Queen, standing in the corner of the room, shivering, pulling her collar up.

But she was not fast enough to cover the bruises on her neck.

...Damn it, Aenys. Damn it!

Aegor thought that Aenys loved her. Did the loss of their son break them up? But even so, to strangle his wife was…

"I came here to inform you that Calla is awake," swallowing his rage, Aegor said coldly, "She is waiting for us. I'll advise you to patch yourself up before going to see her, Your Grace."

"Calla…" The corner of Aenys' mouth dropped down as his eyes regained focus. In those eyes, Aegor read impatience, unease, dread, and… determination. "I shall pay her a visit. We have things to talk about."

No joy, no relief over his sister's recovery from coma. Just fear of what would happen next.

...He did not refuse to make amends because he believed in Calla, but for his pride and the sake of keeping appearances.

"No! You don't get to see Calla and pretend nothing has happened," Daena shouted, "Uncle, he hurt Rohanne, he hurt his wife, he might as well have told Calla to kill those people too. This cannot stand!"

"I don't deny the first two accusations, but I didn't order Calla to do anything. In fact, I didn't expect her to be involved in the rebuilding project at all. But by chance, she stumbled into it, and now we have to deal with the consequences. If you ask Uncle Aegor or any member of the small council, they will agree with me," Aenys said.

"I talked with Calla," Aegor said before Daena's accusing gaze had turned to him, "If there's anyone who should be blamed for her actions, it's me." This guilt he was ready to bear fully. He would not allow Calla to think she was at fault.

She was innocent. Pure. Any blood she had shed was on Aegor's hands.

Daena made a rather disgusted sound. "Fine. I will see Calla later anyway. Tell me, why did you attack your own wife, little brother?"

Selyse Peake squeaked, "It's fine, really…"

Aenys' eyes flashed dangerously as he huffed, "This is business between us. Elder sister or not, Daena, you don't get the privilege to know our secret unless I say so… well, or unless Selyse says so." A corner of his mouth pulling up unnaturally, he turned to his wife, "Go on, tell them. Tell them what I have done, if you want."

Selyse widened her eyes. "Aenys, don't…"

"It was foolish of me to believe you to begin with," Aenys raised his voice with each word he pronounced, "Come on, you have the right of it after what I did to you, right? I was clearly in the wrong, so there's nothing wrong with you betraying my last bit of trust. Nothing wrong with you telling it to my sister, married to a Targaryen, of all people—"

Thunk as Daena's fist hit Aenys' face. "Shut up!" she yelled, "When did you become so heartless, brother? Why did you hurt Rohanne and Selyse? You aren't like that! Give me back the sweet Aenys who would pick flowers for me!"

Aenys treaded backwards, coughing. Daena stepped forward with her fist raised. "Answer me, Aenys!"

As much as he deserved it, Aegor could not afford to let Daena beat Aenys bloody. He was no boy anymore, but a king. So Aegor blocked her, locking her firmly in her place. "Once is enough, Daena."

"Are you going to tolerate this just because he's the king now?" Daena seethed, "This isn't right, Uncle. Father would never do this. You won't do this. Not even Aerion would do this! If that taste of power is what changed Aenys, then I'll beat it out of him."

"I—" Aerion opened his mouth, but with a warning stare from Daena, he closed it again. Aegor wished Daena did not bring him with her. A Targaryen should not be allowed in a meeting among family, not when they were discussing sensitive matters.

"He's not a child anymore," Aegor replied, looking not at Daena but Aenys, who had a smirk on his face even as he wiped his blood, a desperate gleam in his eyes.

Daena was right. He was not the boy Aegor had watched growing up. These few years of wearing Aegon's crown… made him unrecognisable.

Yet he was still Daemon's last son and Aegor's king.

"That's right," Aenys laughed, "I'm a grown man. And still a king, despite many people's wishes."

"Tell me. Why did you hurt Rohanne," Daena demanded, loosened her fists and stepped back, seemingly willing to communicate without the use of violence. She knew it would not accomplish anything after the heat in her head passed.

Aenys sighed, "I told you about Rohanne. I was distraught, and the shock of losing Daemon made me unaware of my own strength. I didn't mean to hurt her, and since that day I have been keeping a distance from her just to be safe. Besides, I heard that she was happy to receive my present— not that it excuses what I did, but I have since done everything you wanted me to do, Daena."

"That doll— it was from you?" Aerion hissed.

"I purchased it from Essos. Daena had a doll just like it back in Tyrosh, so I thought it would fit. Do you remember, Daena? You lost it later, but you used to really like it." Aenys' smile turned melancholic, "We have both lost a lot."

"I lost many things throughout the years," Daena ground her teeth, "but not as much as you, it seems."

"You don't know what it was like for me at that time. I was just following Haegon around, being his shadow, the helpful little brother, until..." Aenys trailed off, his gaze wavering from Daena… to the corner of the room, where his wife stood helplessly.

Selyse turned her head away from him as their eyes met, tears dripping down her face. Aegor saw Aenys tremble. "...There is no going back to better times. I am who I am now, and I need to continue on no matter what mistakes I have made. That is what being a king means. Daena, my dear sister, if you want to replace me with your husband there, you will have to wait for a while."

Aegor gritted his teeth. Aenys had fallen into this extent of paranoia, because of… everything that had gone wrong in his reign? Feeling unable to reach his father and Haegon's height? Or… something worse?

If he did not trust Daena, then he might not be able to trust anyone… including Aegor himself.

"What did you say?" Daena shrieked, "I would never—"

"Don't you dare talk to my wife this way, Aenys Blackfyre," Aerion hissed, "Don't you dare! She has been loyal to her family above everything else! She trusted you… even more than me…"

"Aerion…" Daena took her husband's hand. "I trust you." But with the way she gripped his arm, Aegor could tell that she did not trust him to not be foolish. The consequences for him trying to attack Aenys would be completely different from Daena, and she must know it.

Aegor must stop this before the situation sprawls out of control. In hindsight, he should have ordered this earlier. He was the one that made Aenys king, and he would be the one to deal with him. "Daena, take your husband and get out of here. I will take care of this."

"But Uncle!"

"Visit Calla while you're at it. She must be wondering what is taking us so long," Aenys added with a smirk. Aegor did not want that, for Daena might tell her what Aenys said…

But Daena left quickly after one last hateful glare towards her brother. Daena loved Calla, for she was the one who had stayed on her bedside in the year following her mother's death, so she should at least pick her words to say to her… Aegor sighed, his gaze dropped on the only person left that he did not want in this room.

Aenys spoke first. "Selyse," he was avoiding her eyes too, "You… What did you wish to accomplish? You could have told them the whole thing. Expose the truth for everyone to see. Yet you only showed Daena your bruise."

"I…" Selyse's gaze briefly flew to Aenys' face, then moved away again. "I didn't tell her. She just noticed," she muttered, "I didn't plan to tell anyone."

"...So it's just a coincidence that you happened to run into Daena today…? Hmm, I suppose this can be true." A forlorn smile rose on his lips, "And really, I have no right to get mad after what I did. It's just that, I had hoped… I wouldn't have ruined everything."

Selyse wept silently. "I wished so, too," eventually, she whispered.

"...You can leave now. I don't think you will be happy to hear what I'm going to discuss with my uncle next."

"..." Selyse closed her eyes painfully, "I Understand."

Her back was shaking badly when she walked out of the door. Aegor saw Aenys clenching his fists, biting his lips to stop himself from calling for her. He must have known that the damage he dealt was so severe that nothing he did or said could repair it.

This was what was left of Daemon's legacy: A king so broken and paranoid that he would hurt his own family, despite knowing he was wrong.

Aenys, Calla. Why did everything go wrong?

Daemon, his children… they should not suffer, should not be cursed. Because everything started from Aegor's lies, to fulfill the desire for revenge for his poor mother. If someone must be punished, it should be him.

But the ones who kept suffering were Daemon's children.

"Uncle," eyes dead, Aenys muttered, "If you want to scold me, do it. You probably want to."

Indeed, Aegor wanted to. All this was beyond foolishness. But Aenys was still salvageable. There were worse kings to ever sit on the Iron Throne. And he had wanted to give up on one of Daemon's children before… he could not make that mistake again. "As your uncle, I only want to know one thing. Why did you do it?"

"It isn't important. What is important is… she'll never forgive me. Seven above, I was a fool. In all aspects of things. But I'm still the king and it's a responsibility I must bear until the end of my life," Aenys sighed, "I fought to have it, therefore I should fight to keep it too."

"Daena isn't trying to usurp you. She would never."

"Maybe. But I can't trust anyone." Aenys tightened his fists, "What did Calla say after she woke up?"

"She feels guilty over the deaths she caused… so much that she wanted to give her own life in a trial. I managed to convince her to abandon the idea, but she is still very distressed. We need to keep someone with her all the time, else I fear for her safety." Aegor felt pain just thinking about Calla. She could never know how her family had been divided.

"This isn't good," Aenys muttered, "Calla must live. She is all we can rely on, our victory. How could we hold anything without her Crystal?"

What he said was true, but the cold analysis infuriated Aegor more than anything else Aenys did today. An image of Calla flashed in his mind, helpless, tortured by guilt… "She isn't just a sword. She is your sister."

"Uncle." Yet Aenys looked at him with ghostly eyes. "Calla is my sister, true, but she is more important as a sword. As Aenys Blackfyre, I will be worrying for my sister. But as King on the Iron Throne, I must think about the sword before I think about my sister."

Aegor hardened his eyes. This is a logic he could not dispute; and, indeed, must abide by. "I tried to drill that into all of you. Looks like you get it now."

"Always keep the ultimate goal in mind and make decisions towards it, before considering anything else. I… I need to be a good king. A great king. This is my goal since I took the throne. But my plans all turned on me and everything was ruined." Aenys stared at his own hands. "Even so, I have chosen to wear the crown. So I must do my best to keep it."

"Your Grace— no, Aenys. You must never attack a woman or a child again. This is not what a king does." Briefly, Aegor remembered his poor mother, and the father he had only seen twice. Aegon the Unworthy broke countless women, by shattering their hopes and dreams. But he was never a good example for a king.

"I won't. I won't even go back to Selyse's chambers again. I don't… deserve to be with her." Regret was the emotion that dominated Aenys' voice, but there was also a hint of wishfulness behind it. Suddenly he grabbed Aegor's shoulders, begging, "Uncle Aegor. Do I still have your support as my Hand?"

Aegor only had one thing he could do. He clapped Aenys' shoulder, "I swore an oath to your father. You're Aenys Blackfyre, the only surviving son of Daemon Blackfyre, First of His Name. I will see you thrive as King of the Seven Kingdoms, or die trying."

"...So it shall be. I won't fail this time," Aenys declared, "I must be a good king… Or," he repeated Aegor's last few words darkly, "Or die trying."