64 AC - 65 AC
The months immediately preceding the deaths of Lords Raymont Baratheon and Aumary Tyrell saw the realm and the crown enjoy a relatively quiet period. And the year of 64 AC came to an end with few events of interest occurring with the exception of an outbreak of violence in the North. The hill clansmen under the leadership of the Flints of the Mountains rose up against Lady Arya Stark, a woman known for her cruelty due to perceived high taxation and a wish for greater self government. Despite skilled leadership from the hill clansman, the revolt was put down within months and the Wardeness of the North put Lord Flint to death most cruelly and established her second son Walton Stark as Lord of the Northern Clans, and the proud Flints of the Mountian would never regain their former leadership and within decades would cease to exist.
The bloodletting in the North would not end with this however and in the final months of 64 AC the Umbers would also find themselves in revolt against the cruel Wardeness, frustrated with her refusal to provide support against Wildling raids, this revolt would be similarly defeated and Lord Umber and his eldest son would be beheaded for their role in the rebellion.
There was no attempt by the crown to interfere with these conflicts, though the Princess Lianna often advocated for royal intervention during meetings of the small council, but the Queen was content to let the Northmen handle their own affairs, following the precedents of her father and grandfather who had largely left the North to their own devices, there would soon come a conflict however that the Queen could not overlook.
The final months of 64 AC also saw the improvements to the city walls of Kings Landing, initiated by her father Vaemond finally completed, leading to even more immigrants from the surrounding crownlands to come and seek their fortune in the capitol, which by now was one of the largest cities in Westeros.
65 AC-66 AC
The beginning of 65 AC would see the court of Kings Landing suffer a significant loss as Lord Rhodry Martell, Hand of the King would suffer a heart attack whilst working at his desk at the age of 42. While Lord Martell would be largely regarded as a just and hard working man, well liked amongst the lords of the realm, he would suffer considerable stressors watching the numerous wars and conflicts that assailed the realm, having little authority to stop them. The histories have largely regarded Lord Martell as a powerless hand who was kept on a short leash by the Queen, never possessing the authority to fully serve the realm. He was succeeded by his young son Blaise Martell, the betrothed of the Princess Larrissa.
In his place the Queen would appoint Oswin Arryn, Lord of the Vale, and former husband of the late Princess Syaella. Though the man was young, being just 26 when he assumed the role, he was regarded as honorable by the Queen who felt any threat of betrayal was unlikely, and the appointment helped resume the alliance between the Crown and the Vale following its uncertain status with the death of the Princess Syaella.
Kings Landing would soon suffer another death later that year as Lynn Arryn, Commander of the Kings Landing and the Gold Cloaks would succumb to a fever. The Queen already had a replacement waiting in the wings, appointing Lynn's son Ser Renly Arryn, a promising young officer in the Gold Cloaks as the next commander, an appointment that made even more sense since the man was married to the Princess Vaella, ensuring the city watch and the city would remain loyal.
66 AC - 67 AC
66 AC would signal a new beginning of the Targaryen dynasty, with the young Princess Jaehaera proudly announcing to the court that she was expecting her first child, which if born healthy, would be the Queen's first living grandchild, and the beginning of the next generation of the House of the Dragon.
However while the court celebrated this announcement, it soon became apparent to the Queen that something was amiss, something her personal informants confirmed after a short investigation, what should have been a joyous occasion quickly turned into a situation that if exposed, could cause much shame and embarrassment to the royal family….for the child the Princess carried in her womb was not the seed of her Pentoshi husband, Nakados Tendryis, the castles master-of-the-hunt but rather the product of an affair with the Black Bard, the Queens spymaster.
Princess Jaehaera had never been overly fond of her foreign husband, she had done her duty as was expected of her, but his foreign religion and rituals frightened her, and her husband was often gone for days at a time in the Kingswood, supervising the royal huntsmen due to his role as the Master of the Hunt, and even when in Kings Landing would often disappear for hours, clearly hiding something.
The Princess found solace in her unhappy marriage and loneliness through song, she had a gentle heart and enjoyed ballads of love and romance, which the Black Bard was all too willing to perform in her chambers, and before long the Bard began to render other services.
The affair was not common knowledge, both the Bard and the Princess were fearful of the Queen and were quite discreet in their meetings, but hiding something from the Queen of Skulls was much easier said than done and it did not take the Queen long to find out about it.
To the Black Bards credit, he was not as clueless as the Blue Bard before him had been, noticing the unusual amount of eyes trained on him, watching his every move….he knew the game was up.
The Black Bard knew that fleeing was out of the question, he wouldn't get 10 yards out of the Red Keep, so in his desperation he made a gamble. He propositioned one of his informants, placed in the Dragon Cloaks, the castle guard, promising the man more gold than he could spend in a lifetime to slay the Queen in her chambers, no doubt hoping to flee the castle in the confusion.
Unbeknownst to the Bard, the man was also informing for the Princess Vaella, who had begun to create her own small network of spies and sneaks within the Red Keep. Upon hearing of this, Vaella went to her mother.
While the Queen was furious with this latest development and could have easily ordered the man seized, cooler heads eventually prevailed as Laena did not wish to make a spectacle of the event and risk rumors being spread….instead resolving to handle the affair with subtlety and leave her daughters reputation unsullied.
Vaella instructed the guard to return to the Black Bard and claim that he had found another willing conspirator who was willing to meet, to which the bard reluctantly agreed to do so, time was running out, forcing him to take uncharacteristic risks.
When he entered the chambers in the heart of the Red Keep, expecting to negotiate with a fellow plotter he found Queen Laena sitting at a table. The man immediately tried to flee but was quickly subdued and thrown to the ground , where the man began to beg for his life.
Queen Laena responded with the rather ominous promise that ''Today is not the day you die bard….but my face shall be the last sight you see..'' which did little to assuage the poor man's terror.
If rumors can be believed the Queen ordered the man's eyes gouged out right in that chamber, punishment for looking upon her daughter's nakedness before ordering the man to be dragged into the black cells, the deepest and darkest level of the Red Keeps dungeons where he would be slowly tortured to death.
The Princess Jaehaera, a rather timid young woman never confronted or challenged her mothers claim that the man had retired from his duties as royal spymaster and traveled across the narrow sea to serve at the court of the Sealord of Braavos. The Princess would take her lovers sudden disappearance quite hard however, secluding herself even further.
Some months later, in the final months of the year 67 AC, Jaehaera would give birth to a healthy boy whom she would name Aenys. Even though the affair and the circumstances of the boy's birth was not known at court, rumors would begin to circulate around the princeling as he grew older, largely due to the Prince's dark black hair, which could not be explained by either his Targaryen lineage or his Tendryis ancestry.
If Nakados Tendryis was aware of these rumors, it must be said they troubled him little, which can likely be explained by the fact that the man was involved in his own affair, a tale which shall be seen later within this chronicle.
As for Queen Laena, her patience with bards had officially reached its limit, with recent events showing that bards were distrustworthy by their very nature, the Queen disbanded her network of bards and appointed her daughter Vaella as the new court master of whisperers. Furthermore the Queen declared the Red Keep closed to bards and traveling musicians, and had her daughter make it known that any bard found in the Red Keep from that day on would lose their tongue, and for many years the halls and feast tables of the Red Keep would grow silent.
The end of the year would also see another announcement to the court, as the Princess Lianna announced that she was once again pregnant by her husband Ronnel Baratheon,
68 AC
While there had largely been peace in the years following the deaths of Lords Tyrell and Baratheon, the year 68 AC would be an eventful one for many reasons.
The beginning of the year saw ominous tidings coming from the North, Lady Arya Stark was calling her banners to Winterfell, and sellswords were also making their way north, the most obvious indicator something was coming, for just as vultures gather round a corpse in expectation of a feast, so too do sellswords in preparation for a war.
These were obviously grim tidings, and Princess Lianna grew so anxious due to the situation, she sent a raven to Winterfell, asking the Wardeness of the North to state her intentions….though no response arrived, and the Princess was preparing a to go North personally as a royal emissary before news of the war broke out.
Lady Stark had not called her banners to rebel against the throne but rather to march against the Riverlords and seize the seat of House Frey, the Twins, one of the most formidable castles in the realm.
Princess Lianna wanted to ride north immediately and put an end to the war before it had a chance to begin,her only alternative since her dragon Kastax was not yet large enough to ride, but the Queen reminded her daughter that she would not only endanger herself by embarking on such a long journey, riding through a warzone but also her unborn child, the potential future of their house, and went so far as to issue a royal command that her daughter was to remain in the capitol, the Princess did not defy this order, but was still a strong advocate for royal intervention.
Another such advocate was the Queen's Husband, Jaekar, whose sister Daena was married to Lord Andrey Tully, Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. Jaekar attempted to convince the Queen to act in favor of the Tully's, but the Queen still held a grudge against her cousin Daena for stealing her father's dragon Moondancer all those years ago and refused to act in her favor, giving her well practiced proclamation that this was a matter between Stark and Tully.
In the end it was Princess Lianna who once again managed to convince her mother of the need for the crown to interfere, pointing out the fact that Daena had access to a near 40 foot dragon. If this dragon was utilized in the war, it could cause the Kingdom's devastation that had not been seen since Aegon the Conqueror's conquest of Dorne. In addition to this, Lianna reminded her mother that as long as Daena Targaryen lived and was married to Andrey Tully, the Crown could count on the loyalty of the Riverlands, as Daena was Jaekars own sister….should something happen to Daena during the war however, the loyalty of the Riverlands would become far less certain.
After hearing her daughters arguments, Queen Laena finally agreed to attempt to put an end to the war, though one may assume she was moved to action due to her daughter's reminder that the loyalty of the Riverlands depended on the bond between Daena and her husband rather than out of concern for the common people. It is also worth noting that Lianna did not suggest a peace council this time, simply sending a raven with her mothers permission to Winterfell informing Lady Stark of the crown's position and calling for an end to the war.
Unlike her earlier message, this time the Wardeness of the North gave a response, and on the fifth month of 68 AC, a raven from Winterfell arrived in King's Landing.
5th Moon, 68 AC
Queen Laenas Chambers, The Red Keep
Queen Laena sat in her chair as the spy relayed his report, normally she would only receive briefings from her daughter Vaella, but this matter was not one she wished to involve her daughter in, in the corner her daughter Daeoril sat in the corner, as per usual with a knitting needle in her hand.
''He recently was seen leaving the Grandmaesters chambers after receiving treatment….that combined with the fact he was seen leaving the establishment in Eel Alley..'' The man finished in a hushed tone.
''I know what it means.'' Laena snapped, causing her daughter to look up from the corner.
The Queen calmed herself for her daughters sake ''That will be all…..leave us.'' The spy bowed and withdrew.
Laena supposed she should not be surprised, she and Jaekar had not shared a bed in years and he had a man's needs after all. The Queen had never been a woman ruled by desires of the flesh, she had birthed six daughters with her husband out of duty to her house, but Jaekar had never been a particularly skilled partner and she did not necessarily miss his embrace.
Even so, she was fond of the man, he was loyal and a good father to their daughters, so long as he did not dishonor himself or his house by siring a dragon seed she would take no action, except perhaps a quiet word that should he wish to continue with such behavior, he should be a great deal more subtle about it.
She was shaken from her thinking by the approach of her daughter Daoeril, who was holding a small piece of clothing, made from black cloth with a red dragon sewn into it.
''Its for the baby.'' Her daughter explained.
Laena smiled at that, her daughter was always working on some project or another.
''I am sure your sister will appreciate it.'' Laena replied.
''I'm going to make one for Liannas baby too, except I don't know if it will be a boy or a girl.'' Her daughter continued before there was a knock at the door, with one of her Kingsguard announcing her daughter Lianna.
Her daughter walked, or rather waddled into the room, hands over her belly.
''I see you've finished with that…..why don't you go and show it to Jaehaera and the babe, she could use the company.'' Lianna smiled at her younger sister, though the Queen did not fail to notice a rather uneasy look in her daughter's eyes.
Laena eyed Lianna as her youngest daughter left the room ''I trust this is important.''
Her daughter nodded, something clearly bothering her as she produced a small scroll of parchment ''A raven….arrived from Winterfell….from Lady Stark.''
Laena extended her hand to take it.
Lianna was about to give her mother the scroll before pulling it back slightly ''The Northerners mother…..they have their own customs…their own…..way of speech.''
Laena said nothing, looking at her daughter cooly, still extending her hand and reluctantly her daughter obliged, handing her the scroll.
Laena Targaryen,
The North has no intention of standing down its armies as its claim to the Twins and grievances with the Riverlords is both just and readily apparent. As Lady Paramount of the North, such domestic matters are subject to my own authority, and both the North and House Stark do not recognize either the crowns or your own authority in this matter, as following the precedent set throughout your reign. This is a matter between Stark and Tully.
Arya Stark, Lady of Winterfell and Wardeness of the North.
Laena felt the anger rising within her as she read through the scroll, the insolence increasing with each sentence, who did this woman think she was to speak to her in such a manner.
She forced herself to hold the anger back however, there was no use in betraying her true feelings on the matter in front of Lianna.
In good time The Queen thought to herself, her gaze returning to her eldest daughter who was watching her expectantly.
''I can send another raven…continue the dialogue…perhaps I can reach a.'' Her daughter began.
''No Lianna…..we have devoted enough time to this squabble, put it from your mind and focus on your babe….that is how you best serve your family.'' Laena said.
''Mother….'' She again tried to speak but Laena cut her off.
''Tell me, what else can we do….arrest her…Winterfell is over a thousand miles away…she would have ample warning of any party I sent North to take her into custody…I could of course send your sister Vaella and Narrah to dissuade any attempts on them….tell me, is that your preferred course of action….to risk your sisters life and risk a war with the North?'' Laena said sharply.
Lianna opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it, closing her mouth and shaking her head, almost meekly.
''Good, then we are agreed, we will take no further action on the matter….now go and rest, the Maester tells me it may be a difficult birth, you will need your strength about you.'' Laena said, gentling her tone as her daughter slowly left the room.
The Queen sighed and walked towards the roaring hearth in her chambers, throwing the scroll into the flames, watching them lick and burn the parchment as the wax seal in the shape of a wolf melted and began to lose its shape.
In good time She thought to herself before summoning her daughter Vaella to her chambers.