Aerion IV
Kings' Landing
The sound of Aegon's laughter as Gaelithox came back down to land was enough to make anyone smile, including Aerion, the experience of riding a dragon was not something everyone got to enjoy.
"Again! Let us go again!" he asked, bouncing up and down on the saddle as he sat in front of Aerion.
"I believe that is enough for now, Gaelithox needs to regain his energy," Aerion answered.
They made their way down from the dragon, Aerion made sure Aegon did not fall on his way down, almost slipping from the roped ladder.
He looked up as Rhaenyra flew by them on the way back to the dragon pit, she was not particularly pleased with him bringing Aegon on their morning flight, especially since it was to be his last day in the city.
Ser Darklyn was already waiting for them, and walked up to them with a hand firmly on the hilt of his sword "Did you enjoy your ride today, young prince?" he said, looking down at Aegon.
"It was amazing!" he ran back over to Gaelithox, and began to stroke his scales.
"Ser Darklyn, I know that you are supposedly here for my protection - but would you mind escorting Prince Aegon back to the Red Keep." Aerion asked, clasping his hands "I am sure his mother will want him returned to her."
"Will you not be returning to the Red Keep, my prince?" the kingsguard asked.
"I have some things to deal with in the city before returning." Aerion replied with a broad smile "fear not - I have my blade here with me should I come into trouble." he smirked, tapping his sword.
"My prince, I strongly urge returning to the Red Keep - then I can accompany you once we have returned Aegon to the Queen." Ser Darklyn urged him.
"I am afraid it can not wait that long - I plan to leave soon once Gaelithox has regained some energy for a long trip." he continued "Aegon!" Aerion called to him, and he came running toward them.
"Ser Darklyn is going to return you to the Red Keep." Aerion said, kneeling down to his level "I am sure we will see each other before I leave, but if for some reason we do not, keep up with training, and be sure to focus on your lessons."
"Do you have to leave?" Aegon replied, tugging at his arm "I want to ride Gaelithox again."
"When I return, we will ride atop Gaelithox as many times as you want." Aerion smiled "How does that sound?"
"Okay." he simply said.
They made their way to the closest gate into the city, where they separated with Aerion making his way to Flea Bottom, he traveled through the alleyways until he came across a small building tucked away from the main path.
When he entered, he was surprised to see how busy it was, though it looked more like a tavern that had been refitted to be a soup kitchen, with a long line of people waiting for some grub.
"Well if this is not a pleasant surprise." a man ran his dirty hands on a cloth as he walked up to Aerion "What brings royalty to our door? Come to see where the poor eat while you all sit up in your keep and have grand feasts."
"Well, aren't you friendly?" Aerion replied "I take it you are the owner of this establishment."
"The name is Gerren, as to whether this is my establishment or not, I would not say I own it, it belongs to the people." the man wore clothing one would expect for a peasant, but spoke like a highborn.
"Right, well Gerren, I was sent here by the white worm." the man's attitude shifted somewhat and he directed them into a private room at the far end of the building where they could speak in private.
"What does she want? I told the last fool she sent here, that I am not selling her this establishment so that she can turn it into one of her brothels, the city has enough of them." he shook his head "We help people, give them food to eat, a place to rest."
"Quite the opposite." Aerion replied "Rather I want to help you expand." his response caught the man by surprise, and he stood with his mouth open for a few short moments.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I am sure at the moment you are experiencing high levels of demand, quite frankly Kings' Landing has too many people, a large amount living in this slum" he rubbed his head "I can put up the gold to help establish more of these kitchens in Flea Bottom, as well as the cost of grain and the likes."
"And you expect to believe you are doing this out of the kindness of your heart - I know your type, you want to win over the people, yet in reality you care not about what happens to them." Gerren responded.
The man was speaking the truth, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Aerion did not care whether the smallfolk had something to eat, or a place to sleep, there were only a few things in the world he cared about.
"Does it matter my reasons? - no one does anything out of the kindness of their heart, there is always something to gain - to which I have much." he answered honestly.
"At least you are honest, I suppose that makes you slightly better than most."
"Which house are you from?" Aerion inquired, determining that he was in fact, Highborn "Judging by your accent, I suppose it would be one from the crownlands, maybe Bar Emmon."
"You have a good ear, I was born as heir to House Stokeworth, but I found that life never to be for me - once I was old enough, I took off, found my home among the people of Kings Landing." Gerren revealed.
"Giving up a life of luxury in exchange for scraps - well aren't you just a kind spirit." Aerion chuckled "Do you agree with this arrangement?"
"How exactly are you going to get this gold to us?" he asked.
"I will meeting with the Master of Coin, Lord Beesbury, to see if the crown is willing to put up some of the cost for the expansion while my gold is transported here from the Vale." Aerion responded, taking a small piece of bread lying on the table and eating it, squishing his face as he did not like the taste.
"And the only intent for the gold is to set up more Kitchens?" Aerion shook his head as he said it.
"No, I will have a contact here that will arrive shortly after my return to the Vale, his name is Jory, he will distribute it among other kind-hearted people like yourself, to set up orphanages, establish more jobs for people, and together, we will all make Kings' Landing a better place."
"With the help of the white worm I take it?" Gerren scoffed.
"Now you are getting it, you'll be contacted soon," Aerion said, before making his leave, exiting by the backdoor instead of going through the main chamber.
He traveled back to the Red Keep soon after, making his way through the inner courtyard and being stopped by a group of young nobles, by the looks of them they were the sons of lesser lords that decided to spend their time in the red keep rather than back in their own castles.
"Prince Aerion, I thought that we could perhaps speak with you." Aerion rubbed the corner of his eye, stopping in his tracks "The name is Jaime, of House Mallister, you fought my older brother a few moons back."
"Rymun, if my memory serves me correctly, I only just beat him in that duel." Aerion replied "A fine warrior he is, what do you want?" he questioned their intentions.
"We were hoping to join your service, my prince." he revealed, "if you would have us."
"And why would you want to do that?" the prince responded, taking a light step away from them in case they were going to pile on him.
"We have heard you are planning to be involved in the war of the stepstones, we want to put our skills to the test." he pointed to the others "This here is Robert, he is a fourth son from House Fossoway." he trailed off, introducing the others, Bertram from House Costayne, who was rather small with a long black beard, and even one of Lord Redfort's sons, Adrian."
"Well you have a long trip ahead of you, journey to Runestone and we shall evaluate you there, if you manage to pass my particular trials, I will ensure you have a place in my personal service." he left them with smiles as he made his way into the Red Keep.
The household guard was still on high alert from Alwyn's murder, he had no other choice, Aerion couldn't let his enemies get the upper hand on him, if he couldn't kill him in the arena, he was going to do so in the confines of his room.
Apart of him did not want to kill Alwyn, but he felt a roaring rage within himself and he could not control it.
He remembers when he saw Alwyn fornicating with one of the servants, the same one who claimed he had simply called her to fetch his clothes, and when she removed herself from the room he took Alwyn's own blade and he can't quite remember what took place after, only memory he has is being covered in the blood back in his own chambers.
Would his family be upset by his loss? With that, Aerion had no doubt, but he couldn't let anyone slander his name, he was the son of a traitor and was treated as such.
"Aerion, are you listening?" he was pulled from his thoughts to notice Rhaenyra in front of him, clicking her fingers in his face.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something." he instantly replied, then smiling as he looks at her "What were you saying?"
"I asked if you would like to take a walk in the gardens." she smiled.
"I would love to, Princess, but I must speak with Lord Beesbury, regarding our plans for Flea Bottom." he whispered.
"Well it just so happens I saw him venturing towards the gardens, he loves to walk them this time of day, says it clears his mind." she smiles back at him.
"Then I suppose we shall journey there." as they walked to the gardens, he couldn't help but remain fixated on her, the smell of dragon made her even more irresistible than before.
When they reached the gardens, they found Lord Beesbury overlooking the Blackwater all alone with no company, they made their way towards him "Lord Beesbury." Rhaenyra called to him.
"Princess, what a pleasure it is to see you..and the young prince of course." he bowed his head "Princess Rhaenyra told me that you wish to discuss something." Aerion glanced at Rhaenyra and realized that she must have planned the meeting.
"I was unaware she had." Aerion smiled "Do you go into the city often, Lord Beesbury?" he asked him.
"It has been a while - though the last I went, there was this beautiful sapphire necklace that I had bought for my wife, Kings' Landing most certainly has the greatest craftsmen in the realm."
"Have you ever made your way through, let us say, Flea Bottom?" Aerion shot his next question.
"Oh most certainly not, such a place is not for the faithful," Aerion smirked at his answer, giving another glance to the princess.
"How well are the realm's finances at the moment, Lord Beesbury, if you do not mind me asking of course?"
"They are in a great state, and have been since your great-grandfather reigned, why do you ask?."
"I had wondered if you would be interested in helping the poor of this city, by donating gold in order to set up kitchens, orphanages, and the likes." he asked "It would benefit the king greatly, increasing the smallfolk's opinion.."
"Interesting.." Beesbury pondered for a moment, running his hand on his chin "I must confer with the small council on this, bolstering support for the crown will go a long way."
"The crown won't be covering the costs completely by themselves, Runestone has had some additional sources of gold income so I will take on half the costs." Aerion continued.
"Well, with that assurance I am sure the council will be more than happy to agree to this expense."
"Thank you, Lyman, I shall see you in the next meeting." Rhaenyra smiled, and they left his company and decided to continue their walk in the gardens.
"Are you upset with me, Princess? For bringing Aegon on our morning flight." Aerion asked.
"I just don't understand why you feel obligated to even speak with him, it is Aegon that they want to put on the Iron Throne." she brushed him off, turning her head from him.
"Aye, they do." Aerion said "but he is still a child, and knows nothing of their plans." he placed a hand on her arm "It is the queen and her foolish allies who have something against you, not him."
"That does not mean he will not in the future, his mother will whisper poisons in his ear, if she has not already." she shook her head "I will be Queen, I cannot be forming a relationship with the enemy that is to be."
"Will you not try? If not for me, then do it for your father." he replied "It must be terrible to see siblings not speaking with one another, regardless of how old they are." he looked down as they made a stop, shortly running his hand down her stomach before clasping them behind his back.
"How long will you be away this time?" she asked, and honestly he did not how to answer.
"I..uhh, I am not sure." he turned away "Could be months..maybe a year, the triarchy will attack the stepstones soon, and i'll be there fighting beside my father and the Sea Snake, I will not return till the war is finished."
"You can not be serious, the last war lasted four years before Daemon returned." she shook her head "No, I will command you to stay if that is the case, as heir you would have to follow it."
"It will be different this time, the last war was to capture the stepstones, this is just to defend, and we will smash the triarchy like they are nothing, especially with Gaelithox in the skies." he turned back to her.
"You can't be that certain, I am not foolish, I know what can happen when you go to war, our grandfathers' brother died fighting Myrish pirates, and he was the first rider of Caraxes." Aerion shrugged off her concerns.
"I have prepared for this since I was a child - and with a dragon, I'll be even more prepared, he'll keep me safe." he smiled "And when Jory comes to Kings Landing, I'll know you'll be kept safe while I am away."
They continued to walk through the gardens until saying farewell to each other, he looked throughout the red keep in search for Aegon and perhaps even the King but could not find them and decided to forego the goodbyes from them.
He traveled back to where Gaelithox was resting, bidding farewell to the dragon keepers and setting off on the long trip to the Vale, Gaelithox having eaten a few sheep since riding him, courtesy of the local farms.
He looked back at Kings' Landing until it came out of view, patting Gaelithox "Time to return to the Vale, we must go to see Lady Jeyne."
The Vale
Aerion was relieved when the Eyrie finally came into view, for miles all he had seen was grasslands and mountains, but the white slender towers were a welcome sight, and so long on dragonback took its toll.
They took land in the courtyard, and Aerion loosened his riding chains and settled down from Gaelithox, removing his gloves and tucking them into his belt.
"We were not expecting your return so soon, my prince." Eldric noted, as he was accompanied by two others from their household guard.
"Captain Eldric, my business in Kings' Landing went quicker than expected." his ran his hands against each other, clasping them together "I trust Lady Jeyne has been well?"
"High spirited, as always, my prince." Eldric responded "You have just returned in time for a feast, Lady Jeyne will be pleased to see you there."
"A feast? She told me nothing of this on my last visit." Aerion questioned.
"It is not grandiose, a show to put on for the lords and ladies already here at court." the man turned and began to escort him through towards the Great Hall "While the feast is not until tonight, everyone is gathered in the Great Hall, Lady Jeyne is taking petitions as we speak."
"Well, I certainly came at the right time then." they made their way through the Crescent chamber where Aerion grabbed a goblet and filled it with a sweet wine that made him lick his lips after he drank from the goblet.
They quietly entered into the great hall, though some turned to them as a loud creek from the door was made, and they got a quick glance from the Lady Jeyne.
"Lord Ruthermont, I understand your frustration, but you are not the only house experiencing raids on their villages, both House Royce and House Redfort have experienced the same issues, as many other houses have." Lady Jeyne urged the man petitioning to her.
Aerion walked behind the crowd, taking another sip of his wine, and worked his way to the end of the hall, leaning against a pillar as he watched on.
"I only ask for a hundred men-at-arms to patrol the nearby villages so we may be able to keep them at a distance." the lord urged her, it looked as if he was going to get on his knees and beg, but no self-respecting lord would do that.
"I will discuss this with our captain, to see if we may be able to spare some men." she smiled, then look at Aerion once again "That is quite enough for today, I shall hear more petitions on the morrow, I look forward to speak with some of you at the feast." the lords and ladies mingled as they made their way out of the hall.
Aerion made his way to the throne "Must I say, I would drive myself mad would I need to listen to petitions everyday, takes a certain kind of strength." he smirked, placing the goblet of wine on the arm of the throne.
"I am close to it; many lords have been petitioning to deal with the clansmen, to attack their foothill camps." she brushed her hair, grabbing his goblet and taking a sip, nudging her head in agreement to the wine.
"We will need to get a better layout of the mountains, and the location of their camps, but it is entirely possible to attack them, we are strong enough." Aerion said, sitting down on the smaller weirwood throne beside her and slouching.
"Aye, but my concern is the enemies we have hiding in the shadows, a war with mountain clans could last years, slowly reducing our resources, and we may find ourselves weakened." she replied "We must not forget that Arnold is still hiding out there somewhere, plotting his next attack."
Aerion slowly nodded, "We could arrange a meeting with them." Jeyne looked to him, confused as to what he meant "The Clansmen…all this senseless fighting is what is weakening the Vale, there is always a possibility of finally uniting us."
"Don't be ridiculous." she scoffed "our Ancestors thought the same thing could be done, and yet none ever lived long enough to see it accomplished."
"That was before the dragons united these lands, they may not have bowed down to the andals, but perhaps they would if it was a dragon asking." he smiled "Have you thought much on my proposal?" Aerion pointed out.
"I have spoken to my most loyal council here, they agree that a marriage between you and I would go a long way in securing the Vale." she offered him the goblet back, to which he accepted and took a sip "So I accept this proposal, and we will announce such tonight at the feast."
"You speak of your most loyal council." Aerion added "What of Jessamyne? I do not want to come between the both of you." he lowered his tone.
"She understands what is expected of me, and while we are not completely happy with this arrangement, we both understand that it is the best course, besides, if it had to be anyone, I am most glad that it is you." Jeyne spoke.
Aerion looked around the Great Hall, and noticed Jessamyne's absence, turning back to Jeyne "Where is Jessamyne anyway? I expected her to always be beside you as one of your ladies."
"Contrary to popular rumors, she is not attached to my hip, she is traveling to visit her father for a moon or two." she rises from the throne "Now, go and get ready, I want you looking your best for the feast, we can't have you dressed like a commoner." she smirked.
"Already controlling what I wear, I am sure this will be a successful marriage." he chuckled, rising from the chair and making his way to the guest rooms, being escorted by one of the household guards.
When he arrived to his bedchambers, he had a hot bath prepared for him, having managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours to regain his energy after such a long flight, not sleeping the entire way.
His arm was still causing him pain, and while the Maesters in Kings' Landing did their best to clean and stitch it up, each time he took a look, it only seemed to be getting worse.
Once he was out of the bath, he dressed in a silk white shirt underneath a short-sleeved blue tunic with a golden trim with black breeches and boots, his belt shared the same color with a golden buckle.
He soon set off back to the Grand Hall, stopping in the Crescent Chamber and looked around as the noblemen and women mingled with each other, it wasn't long before one of them had walked up to him as he drank more of the wine.
"Prince Aerion, it is a pleasant surprise to see you here." he turned his head around and smiled, recognising an old friend.
"Leowyn, I did not know you were going to be here." they firmly shook each others hand "What brings you to the Eyrie?"
Leowyn was a long-standing friend and ally to Aerion, having met him during a feast in Gulltown when he was young, alongside his brother, Corwyn, they had always managed to get into trouble at every feast from then on.
"I will be traveling to Gulltown soon, when I was told of a feast I made my way here, who does not like a free meal." he chuckled "Congratulations on your victory over the traitors, it was a shame to hear that they were your own family."
"You should come to Runestone when you have finished business there, we will be happy to have you, and Corwyn, where is he anyway?" Aerion asked.
"He is warding for Lord Waynwood, he is becoming quite the exceptional duelist from what I hear." he continued "What brings you here exactly?"
"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, you will find out shortly at the feast." Aerion smirked, downing the rest of his wine and planting the goblet down on the table "We'll talk soon, looks like we have a feast to get too." he said, as the large wooden doors opened.
He waited as each of the lords were introduced into the hall, it must have been the slowest line he had seen, the Captain of the Household Guard, Eldric, came up to him "You may want to wait a while before entering, my prince, I hear Lady Jeyne herself wishes to introduce you."
"I get a lovely seat at the high table? Great, I won't have to do any smalltalk with the minor lords." he chuckled "there is nothing worse I can imagine."
"Well, I suppose it would be quite strange if her betrothed was not seated beside her." Eldric replied "It may not be my place, Prince Aerion, but I have watched Jeyne grow since she was a child, I hope you do not plan on dishonoring her."
"We'll both do our duty, Captain, don't you worry about that." Aerion smirked, and he could hear Jeyne begin to speak in the Great Hall "Well that looks as if it is my time to enter."
"My Lords…Ladies..I welcome you to this fine feast, before we begin, I have an important announcement to make." she said, tapping the goblet in her hand with her fork, turning everyone's attention to her, and having them stand to their feet.
"For a while now, questions have been asked about who I am to marry, and it is this very feast that I will reveal my betrothed." she continued "This union will strengthen the Vale and will lead us to prosperity."
Aerion began to slowly walk his way down the great hall, two long tables had been set up on either side with the Arryn banner on each of the pillars.
He got the attention of some of the lords, who immediately started whispering to those next to them before Jeyne managed to introduce him.
"Prince Aerion Targaryen and I are to be wed before the year is out, he is the future protector of the Vale." she revealed to the court, and the whispers between the lords and ladies got even louder, though Aerion could not work out what they were saying, though immediately knew some agreed and some disagreed.
He reached the end of the Great Hall, and took Lady Jeyne's hand and landed a peck on her knuckle, before grabbing a goblet of wine from the high table, turning to the guests.
"I may have the Targaryen name; but I am just as much a Royce as I am a Dragon." he started to speak "the blood of first men flow through my veins; as does the blood of the andals; my house's words are We Remember."
"I promise as your Protector, that the mountain clans will be brought down onto their knees, and anyone else who decides to attack us." he raised his goblet "May the rivers run red with the blood of our enemies."
Their was a long pause of silence before the guests began to clap for the new pair, whether they were happy with this union or not, Aerion cared little about their opinions, they were no match against a dragon should they decide to act against them.