Although the king had proclaimed his daughter as his successor, many in the realm, and beyond, still hoped that His Grace would produce a male heir. Viserys was not yet thirty years of age, which gave him a more than generous time frame to achieve this goal, if he so desired.
Grand Maester Runciter and Prince Aegon were the first to urge the king to remarry. The two even agreed on who was the best candidate to become their new queen: Lady Laena Velaryon of Driftmark.
A willful and passionate twelve-year-old maiden, freshly flowered, Lady Laena was the daughter of Lord Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the only child of the late Prince Aemon. By taking her as his wife, King Viserys could heal the rift that had grown between the Iron Throne and House Velaryon since the years 92 and 101.
"What better choice than her?", Prince Aegon asked his royal brother. "Lady Laena would make a splendid queen, I think. Besides, I am sure our cousin Rhaenys and Lord Corlys would find satisfaction in knowing that the claim of their line would finally be recognized and included into that of the Crown".
"Prince Aegon speaks sensibly, Your Grace", Grand Master Runciter said. "Marry Lady Laena, and you would be making sure to unite both claims. Marry Lady Laena, and find triumph amid all this tragedy."
"It seems your minds are set", was the king's reply, according to records. "Your words make sense, I admit. I must find a new wife for the sake of the realm, true. A capable and resolute woman, beautiful, intelligent and kind… but I fear lady Laena is not to be that woman".
The king's reply, it is said, greatly stunned his brother and the grand maester. Viserys I was never the strongest-willed of kings; he often took the advice of the prominent men around him, and was regarded by many within his court as a man eager to please others. On this particular matter, however, the king had his own notion, and no amount of argument would persuade him otherwise.
Viserys Targaryen would marry again, yes, but not to Lady Laena. When questioned about his choice by his brother, His Grace stated that he intended to wed Lady Alicent Hightower, the eighteen-year-old daughter of his Hand.
When the news became known, whispers took over the court. Even though House Hightower was an ancient family, of impeccable and unquestioned lineage, many considered that the Hand of the King had forgotten his place. Some even speculated that he had brought his daughter to the city with the intention of seducing the king.
In honor of the truth, it must be said that Lady Alicent's virtue was questioned by a few. During her lifetime, there were rumors that she had invited His Grace into her bed even before Queen Aemma's death. Some hinted that she had lasciviously comforted the Old King on separate occasions while she "read" to him. Others even went so far as to claim that the daughter of the Hand had lain with princes Daemon and Aegon at the same time during her first carnal experience.
However, Prince Aegon's memoirs seem to refute the latter allegation, for they vehemently insist that they never behaved inappropriately while in each other's company.
"Throughout my life", the prince wrote, "I shared my bed with many women, but none of them were named Alicent Hightower".
When King Viserys and Lady Alicent were married in the year 106, many present noted the absence of Prince Daemon and House Velaryon. The news of the betrothal had not been well-received by either party, fueling rumors that the realm might be on the brink of rebellion.
Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenyra poured the cups of the king and his new wife at the feast, and Queen Alicent kissed them both on the cheeks and called them "brother" and "daughter". Laughter and love reigned in the Red Keep that night, but some (including Ser Willem Stokeworth) would later claim that even as he danced with his new sister by marriage, a concerned look could be seen on Prince Aegon's face.
Across Blackwater Bay, Lord Corlys Velaryon welcomed Prince Daemon to a war council. The prince had had enough of life in the Vale of Arryn. Runestone and his lady wife did nothing but make him miserable.
"Dark Sister was made for nobler tasks than slaughtering sheep", he told the Lord of the Tides, according to the master at High Tide. "She has a thirst for blood".
"I am glad to hear that, Prince Daemon", Lord Corlys said. "Now, you're probably wondering why I invited you here".
"I hope it wasn't just so you could look at my face, my lord. Otherwise, I will be extremely disappointed".
Hearing this, Lord Corlys is said to have smiled. "Tell me: have you heard of the troubles in the Stepstones?".
Over the past ten years, the Triarchy, the "eternal alliance" between the cities of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, known in Westeros as the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, had conquered and annexed the Stepstones, the chain of rocky islands between Dorne and the Disputed Lands of Essos.
Although the islands themselves were of little value, their strategic location allowed them to control the shipping lanes to and from the Narrow Sea, and passing merchant ships soon saw the old and greedy pirates who plagued those waters be replaced by admirals of the Triarchy, even more thirsty for coin, goods and potential slaves.
Corlys Velaryon, whose fleet had made him as rich and powerful as any man in the Seven Kingdoms, had suffered considerably from the extortion practices employed by the ships of the Three Daughters. The Sea Snake had set out to end the Triarchy's hold on the Stepstones, and Daemon Targaryen could be a valuable ally in his undertaking.
A victory in the war promised gold and glory, which convinced the prince to support the Lord of Driftmark. Ignoring the king's wedding, the two laid out their plans in High Tide in the utmost secrecy: Lord Corlys would command the fleet, Prince Daemon the army. If the reports were true, they would find themselves outnumbered by the forces of the Three Daughters, but the prince would also bring into battle his dragon, Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm.
Faced with such might, even the forces of the Triarchy could achieve no victory.