Sorry about taking so long. I've been busy with a lot of stuff lately. Fire school, more school, two new jobs, and a bunch of other stuff. I do have a lot of this story written down now, so expect consistent updates for at least the month of September, and hopefully all the way to December.
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"I swear to remain loyal, your grace, no matter what actions Lord Tully takes in the days to come," Walter bowed before his King deeply, his long white hair touching the floor as he swore his undying allegiance to the Targaryen line.
It would have been more touching if it hadn't been done by the dozens before him already.
Aerys wanted to name him a liar, to have him executed for potentially treasonous actions, drawn and quartered in front of every would-be traitor that came to this tourney so that each lord of the seven kingdoms would see what happened when someone dared try to go against the Targaryens.
As things were, he simply offered a thin-lipped smile and signaled Walter Whent to rise to his full height. The man was a far cry from his brother Oswell Whent, the Lord Commander of Aery's Kingsguard. While Oswell was a wide and tall man, all muscle and power even as his hair turned white and his memory began to fade. Walter was little more than a pale reflection of his brother, short and skinny, with shaky hands and nervous eyes. Wearing a silk leather doublet with Bats sewn into the fabric, and leather trousers, along with dark brown riding gloves. He dressed like a fool in Aery's opinion, but so did everyone else. At least he didn't smell of perfume like some of the reach Lords he talked to throughout the day.
"I never doubted your loyalty," Aerys lied, he still doubted the man's loyalty, but he couldn't act without proof if he didn't want to alienate Oswell and the other lords who were still loyal. "You can go, and inform your brother to bring me Rhaegar on your way out." He dismissed, and Walter nearly hit his head on the stone floor as he bowed one last time before bolting from his own solar as if he had been set aflame, stopping once he exited to speak with Oswell who waited patiently at the door with Llewyn Martell.
Aerys had borrowed Lord Whent's Solar in order to meet with his bannerman, to discuss their loyalties, wherever they may lie, and their actions in case some foolish lord should turn traitorous in the future. He was not pleased with what he found. There were few lords would could be trusted, and none that he would consider reliable.
For example, Lord Darry would certainly rise for him if there was a rebellion, but he was hardly competent, and Aerys found it likely the man would only succeed in killing himself in the event of a war. Jon Connington was another man who would fight for the Targaryens, but his loyalty was to Rhaeagar.
Then there was Mace Tyrell, the only Lord Paramount both foolish and ambitious enough to seek him out on his own, he lacked the brains to attempt rebellion on his own, but he had the ambition to join the winning side. He was like Tywin in that regard, no loyalty to speak of, Aerys was sure both men would hate the comparison.
The rest of his lords, he couldn't trust. It was becoming increasingly clear by the day his rumored paranoia was justified in the pit of snakes which made up politics in Westeros. The conversations he had with Jon Arryn and Rickard Stark were stilted, neither man said anything of importance, and both swore their allegiance without fuss, but something about the conversations felt wrong as if the two men were in on a jest that he wasn't privy too. A cold knot of dread swept its way into his bowels as he pondered what it could all mean.
If he were an optimist, he would agree with the fools at court, and simply say it was nothing, a simple bout of paranoia, one which robbed him of sleep and comfort, but something that would pass with time.
However, Aerys had not been an optimist since Duskendale, not since Tywin, his alleged best friend, had proved his loyalty by letting him be tortured in a godforsaken city with rats to keep him company and locked in a dimly lit cell that smelled of urine and shit. All for some imagined slight, or because Tywin could not accept that after all these years Joanna preferred a King to a servant.
No, he wouldn't make the same mistake again. None of his principal bannerman could be trusted either, and he would deal with them all when they came for him. He would crush whatever thoughts of rebellion they had under heal, and assure Targaryen dominance for generations.
Some foolish romantic in the reach would see Rhaegar as some tortured soul bound in a loveless marriage. It was no tragedy to be born a prince and marry a pretty bride, even if that pretty bride was Dornish. The truth of the situation is that Rheager had embarrassed himself in front of the realm for some pretty Northern Whore.
The knock at the door interrupted him from his musings. Rhaeagr would never wait for an invitation, and as expected, his silver son entered the room with a soft smile and his hair tied behind his back in a loose ponytail. The Targaryen sigil on his chest was stitched in gold and his violet eyes shined even in the torchlight. He was the perfect prince in appearance, something Aerys never was even in his youth.
"What are your intentions with the Stark Girl," Aerys spoke simply, not wasting time with pleasantries. There was no need with Rhaeagr, his son's opinion of him was set in stone, and there was no reason to put on a front for him. Rhaegar had hated him for years and would hate him for years yet, he wouldn't pretend to care about his son no more then he would pretend to care about the peasants who cleaned his feet or the whore who warmed his bed.
Rhaeagrs smiled disappeared instantly, seemingly surprised by Aery's line of inquiry as if he didn't make a public spectacle of himself by crowning a girl he had never conversed with his Queen of Love and beauty. Aerys waited for the answer, tapping his fingers upon Lord Whent's wooden desk and contemplating having his first son removed from the line of succession.
Unfortunately, it would never work, the Martells would never allow it, regardless of the insult Rhaeagr dealt with them, and the other Great houses would take advantage of any perceived weakness, not mention Viserys had his own set of problems.
"Father, I have no intentions with the Stark girl, I merely crowned her to show the vast amount of resp-"
"Spare me the lies Rhaegar," Aerys cut off the response that Rhaeagar had likely prepared well in advance, "You have never been a skilled liar, and only a fool or a Septon would be gullible enough to believe you have no intentions with the girl." Rising to his feet, Aerys glared at his son. "Do you expect me to believe you made a mockery of yourself and your Dornish wife because you respect the Northerners so dearly?"
"I swear upon the seven, that I have no inten-"
"If you have no intentions with the girl, then you're a fool, and I don't raise fools." The finality of that statement caused his son to flinch back in surprise.
Viserys, who hadn't had his rashness beaten out of him yet, would likely remark that Aerys hadn't raised him anyway. Rhaegar was different. He would never get visibly angry or upset. Instead, he would smile softly offering some useless platitude as he did and then quietly disappear for a moon's turn. It was an excellent way to avoid Aery's wraith if nothing else.
"I'm sorry if you think my actions foolish," Rhaegar bowed with a thin smile, an air of innocence about him. "I believed it would be an excellent way to improve relations with the North.
In all honesty, he found Rhaegar's' action more humorous than anything else. He had made sure to laugh loudly when Rhaegar rode his horse passed Elia Martell and presented a crown of winter roses to Lyanna Stark. Whispers would haunt her every waking moment in the moons to come, they would follow his princely son as well, and optimistically those rumors would destroy whatever support Rhaegar had if he ever tried to take his crown by force.
"Relation's with the North," Aerys scoffed, "It would have been far easier to hire a pale-faced whore and save the Dornish whore you have at home the embarrassment." As expected, Rhaegar didn't react to the comment, but his eyes shifted for a moment, mayhaps the prince did feel guilty. Regardless of whatever guilt Rheager felt, it was more than likely House Targaryen would pay the consequences.
"Elia's pregnant, is she not? Yet, you decided to ignore her for a girl betrothed to another man, a northern whore who hasn't yet seen six and ten name days but more than likely has seen more than six-and ten men."
His lips thinned, and there was a hint of steel in Rhaegar's eyes, but he didn't react besides that. Aerys had always known that his son was no dragon, but he felt disappointed Rhaegar couldn't even claim to be a man.
But there was something in Rhagars eyes when he commented about the Stark girl, a fire he had never seen in his son's eyes before. Not since he was a boy and asked to be trained in arms after dusting off some old forgotten scrolls. It was a moment of weakness, one that Rhaegar would live to regret. One Aerys wasn't expecting.
"It's not your wife you care about; it's your mistress." Aerys accused, waiting for Rhaegar to deny it, but to his surprise, his son said nothing. Instead, he looked away shamefaced like a petulant child. That was curious, in years of marriage there was nothing Elia could do to win Rhaegar's love. They were courteous to one another, friendly if one wanted to force the word upon the pair, but that was a far cry from what the singers called love. Now that raised an interesting question, What could Lyanna Stark have done in a week that Elia didn't in years?
"I wasn't expecting this from you Rhaegar," and that was the truth. Aerys assumed Rhaegar had a reason, yet, he expected an actual reason, a play in the Game which would have far-reaching consequences, one that would be apart of Rhaegar's plan to improve his position in Westerosi politics, certainly not something as intangible and limited as love.
Rhaegar was intelligent in truth, far surpassing his father, and perhaps one day even his grandfather, of that Aerys had no doubt. He was willing to even admit that his son was a capable ruler and often pondered that perhaps he would be remembered as one of the Great Kings in the history of Westeros, so even as Aerys saw him make a fool of himself in the tourney, he had assumed Rhaegar was plotting something.
To say he was surprised by this turn of events was an understatement, it felt odd as well. He had been angry at Rhaegar before, so mad that he wanted his son dead and that he frothed in the mouth. But this was a different feeling, it was one of disappointment.
In a thousand years, he did not foresee his son making the same mistake he did with Joanna.
"I have done nothing improper with Lyanna Stark, the two of us have barely had a conversation with one another, let alone a relationship," Rhaegar's voice was resolute, it didn't leave room for argument. Even so, Aerys didn't believe him, and even if he was telling the truth. One conversation was already one more than necessary.
"What did I say about lying to me Rhaegar. I don't care about your love life in the slightest, continue your dalliances with the girl if you choose, bed her and have her raise your bastards with her husband none the wiser if you so desire. It would hardly be the first time a Targaryen did such a thing," a distant memory of Joanna Lannister flashed in his mind, "However, let me make something clear. You are not to run off with this girl or take her with you anywhere. The lords of the realm are looking for an excuse to rebel, dishonoring Rickard Stark's only daughter is enough of an excuse."
For a moment it looked like he would argue, and that his shoulders slumped and his eyes dulled, lacking their usual sharpness. Perhaps he realized there was no escaping reality of the situation. "I understand father," Rhaegar conceded, for the first time in years accepting his father's word.
Aerys smiled, "Leave me, I have other business to attend to, and your infidelity isn't a priority of mine." Aerys turned his back on his son, making his way back to his seat with slow steps.
Rhaegar hesitated, seemingly uncertain, and then he began to speak, either forgetting who he was talking to or not caring. More than likely the latter.
"That wasn't a suggestion," Aerys interrupted coldly, "I ordered you to leave me. If you wish to defend yourself, Elia's chambers are down the hall, and if you want to continue acting like a fool, I can find a knight to escort you to the Stark girls tent."
Rhaegar looked as if he wanted to defend himself, but true to his nature, he offered his father a ghost of a smile before turning on his heel. He shut the door softly behind him, leaving Aerys to his musings.
Privately, Aerys was thankful. Rhaegar would soon be back in King's Landing, away from the Northern girl, and stuck with his wife and unhappy as every other married man in the seven kingdoms. With luck, no more would come from this.
Then again, when had Aerys ever been lucky?
A moment of silence passed as Aerys waited, and then there was a knock, and then a bald fat man made his way into the room from a connecting door, separate from the on Rhaegar and Walter Whent had previously left from. The man bowed before him, low to the ground, and rose when Aerys acknowledge him with a wave of his hand. The smell of perfume wafted into Aery's nostrils, strong even by royal standards.
"Varys, my favorite eunuch," Aerys greeted.
"Do you know many eunuchs, your grace?" The bald man tilted his head inquisitively.
"One is more than enough," Aerys rapped his fingers upon Walter's desk, "I'm assuming you were listening in as instructed?"
"Of course, your grace, you wanted to know if any Lords lied to you, and I'm afraid to report to you, that more than a few have omitted details."
"And do tell, are Lord Stark and Arryn among those liars?" Aerys pressed, leaning forward.
"I'm afraid those two were speaking the truth, I have found no direct evidence that they are planning a rebellion. They have been in meeting with one another, but I was unable to confirm what was discussed in those meetings. Additionally, Lord Stark has been stockpiling Gold and food, but it seems likely that is in preparation for winter."
"I see," Aerys frowned, he couldn't shake his feelings on those two men, it could be that they were innocent, but he couldn't trust them still. "I expect a full report on the lords that lied to me, no matter how small the lie was."
Varys nodded his head in understanding, the master of Whispers likely formulating a list in his head as they spoke.
"Another thing, was my son among those who lied to me?"
"I am afraid so your grace," Varys look of sympathy was unconvincing, to say the least, "He has spent more time than is proper with Lyanna Stark, his evenings and some of his mornings are often spent ion her company. One can only imagine what they are up too."
"If Lyanna Stark shows any signs of pregnancy, I want her dead. we do not need any Frostfyres running around," Rhaegar would certainly make the girl drink moon tea after each coupling, right? Aerys rather not give the order for Lyanna Stark to be pushed down a flight of stairs, but, well, he had lived with worse.
"That will be difficult my lord, killing a Stark in their own castle," the Eunuch carried a look of deep contemplation. "Not to mention a political disaster if the assassin is caught. However, I do have a suggestion. A child could prove to be a useful hostage. Rickard Stark would never rise against the throne if his grandchild's life was at risk."
Aerys contemplated the situation for a moment, a child could be useful, but it could also prove dangerous. He could already see Rickard, the ambitious fool, calling his banners to give a bastard his crown. No he could not let that happen, the babe would have to die, and the mother with it preferably
"We have Rickard's son as a hostage already, even if he doesn't realize it, we have no need for two Starks in King's Landing." It was fortunate Ashara found something in the plain looking northerner to hold her interest, even if the fling only lasted a few weeks, it would be long enough to trap Eddard Stark. Dragging the fool to King's Landing gave Aerys an opportunity, one he would not miss. "If Lyanna Stark is with child before she is married off, even if it is not Rhaegar's, she dies, that is an order Vary's."
Vary's seemed unhappy with the order, but it was not Aerys duty to make the eunuch happy. The bald man was smart not to voice his displeasure and instead changed the subject, "The Stark Dayne Alliance gives Lord Rickard access to the second strongest force in Dorne, at the price of a formerly landless second son. Should Lord Eddard Stark be taken care of as well, his demise would hamper lord Rickard's southern ambitions."
Aerys looked at the eunuch as if he was a fool. He already explained the value of a Stark Hostage in King's Landing, and now he wanted to kill him, that's something a fool would do, and Varys was not a fool. "He lives, he has value as a hostage, and his placement at Lord of the Rainwood will destroy Lord Baratheon's credibility in the region." Truthfully, Aerys wasn't sure what Robert was thinking when he asked permission to name the Stark a lord.
The lord's of the Storm Lands were already apathetic to Robert Baratheon, the decision to name an outsider a Lord, one of the most powerful lords in the region as well, was sure to anger his bannerman. The presence of the new Lord's Dornish bride was to make matters worse, the two regions had a long history of conflict, one that stretched longer than the history of House Baratheon.
"You are to undermine their efforts south, assure that Eddard Stark receives a poor welcome, but Dorne is not a concern," Elia would be a prisoner if it came to war, along with Ashara Dayne, Jaime Lannister, Llewyn Martell, and of course Eddard Stark. "Rickard Stark will never rise against the Iron Throne with his son in our care, and if he does, we can send him the ashes to bury."
...
It's up to you guys to decide if you believe Varys or not regarding the relationship between Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Additionally, Aery's memories of Joanna might not be exact. Next Chapter should be out by 9/10/2018, and it will be Elia's meeting with Lyanna Stark. From There, we go to a Robert Chapter, then a Jaime Chapter, and then we're back to Ashara Dayne. I do plan to skip around a bit, I also want to do a Rhaegar or Lyanna chapter, but I'm trying to figure out how to fit that in. If ya'll have any questions, feel free to ask.
Thanks everyone for reading.
