Chapter Seven: Have to Start Thinking Things Through.
Twenty First Day of the Second Month, 111 AC.
Where was he?
The question rung in my mind as my eyes scanned the sky above me like a freaking hawk.
I was not looking at the tournament, I could lament the eventuality of getting my rear kicked in combat later, survival was the only thing that mattered.
"Gaem? What is wrong?" Rhae asked from beside me in the royal box. It annoyed me to no end that she was wearing the damned red-black dress and that Alicent was dressed in Green and gold (which incidentally made me wonder as to why she was dressed like a Tyrell) and any other time I would voice said objection but I had bigger (and murderous) relatives to worry about.
HE was coming. I knew he was coming, he came in the canon and there was no reason to assume that I had gotten lucky at any rate. If he came then things were going to go south faster than an incredibly horny butterfly in mating season. I needed a plan, I did not have one aside from hoping that he did not stay long and that I must successfully latch myself onto my guards and stay that way. They would also need to sample my meals.
"Gaem?" Rhaenyra repeated with some concern as I shook my head to refocus on her. Although as I looked at her I kept glancing at the sky.
"Sorry Rhae, I am a little distracted," I said with a bright smile. Smile, always smile. She might stab me in the face after he shows up.
Her brows furrowed in concern, "What is troubling you?"
"Nothing, it's nothing," I mumbled. "The weather strikes me as bad today."
"Oh?" Rhaenyra looked up at the crystal-clear sky. "It seems fair to me."
It was not the best throw-away line given the situation.
Fortunately, the announcers picked this moment to announce the next set to lance.
"Ser Criston Cole of the Kingsguard will face Ser Gwayne Hightower," The short man continued his speech but I was not paying it much mind. All that mattered was that Rhaenyra's eyes were glued back to the joust as her dear knight strut out with a black favor tied to his white armour. It revolted me that the man would be wearing my moth-Alicent's favor before long.
Hmm, I wondered if I caused a severe enough ripple to make Gwayne's lance to shatter and send a sliver through the eye and brain of my hated foe. Any other day my eyes would also be glued to the joust but not that day.
I had only met my uncle Gwayne in passing and he did not strike me as competent enough to kill the annoyingly skilled knight of assholery.
There were only two days left to the week-long farce and I knew that HE was due soon. No time to be wishing death on Criston when my own life was on the line after all. Unless I could achieve a mutual kill but that was something else entirely.
"Gwayne!" I heard Alicent whisper as she clasped her hands on her mouth.
Oh? I looked to see that my estimation of the battle was proven correct given the Hightower on the mud with a crumbled breastplate.
Hardly a surprise, for all that I despised him, I knew well enough that my foe was dangerous as all hell. My overconfident sixteen-year-old Uncle had not stand a ghost of a chance.
My only concern was for the troubled expression on mothe-Alicent's face.
"Do not worry my love," Viserys said as he put one beefy hand on her shoulder. "I will see to it that young Gwayne is seen to by Runciter himself."
That seemed a touch dramatic, the boy did not seem like anything had been hurt aside from his purse. Which would likely be hemorrhaging between the ransom of the armor and repairing said plate.
"O-of course my love," she said as she moved to cup his own hands before giving a venomous look at Rhaenyra, who was smiling smugly.
"It seems my white knight is as masterful as ever," she said with mock-innocence. Rhae did not accel at subtlety.
Of course, Alicent did not take that laying down. "Indeed, it is truly a shame. That not all men are not boys of six and ten so that Ser Cole might be deemed invincible."
"Enough," Viserys commanded with a sigh, silencing both. "It is a tourney, nothing less and nothing more."
Hmm, I made a mental promise to myself to be present when the Predator showed up to rip out that impressive spine. I doubted that he would take the skull already given what a moron the king already was.
I sighed, that felt a bit harsh given that the man was half responsible for my current body but the sentiment was not wrong.
I decided to apologize by lending a helping hand.
"My liege?" I asked speaking out loud so that everyone in the royal box could hear me.
Viserys eyed me for a moment, he did not like that. He wanted to be 'father' but that did not seem to really fit for me, I loved and respected both of my original parents, it felt like sacrilege to grant him the title. At least mother-Alicent was trying.
"Yes Gaemon?" He asked with as much cheer as he could muster.
"Why have Mom and Rhae been wearing the same colours for five days now?" That froze both of them like statues (as well as everyone in earshot save the king).
"Hmm?" Viserys' eyes narrowed with interest as he took note of the style of two most important people in his life. "That is a good question Gaemon."
Before either could respond I decided to stoke the flame a little more.
"I heard some men calling themselves 'Blacks' and 'Greens'. Is it a game or another of those things normal people do?" I asked innocently, I had no clue if they were already doing it but hey, what's wrong with a little theater?
Viserys's eyes darkened a little as Alicent's and Rhaenyra's eyes narrowed on to me. Heh, they weren't angry with me. They were wondering who screwed up and let me hear about it.
Or I would find my next meal poisoned. One of the two.
"My sweet ladies," Viserys said with a brittle tone. "I fear that I must request that you both dress in different colours tomorrow. Your beauties are so vast that I fear one set of colours is insufficient." His words sounded nice enough but the tone left it clear that it was not a request.
"In fact I would think it proper," he added as he sipped his wine. "If you trade colours."
"O-of course father," Rhaenyra said quickly.
"Excellent Idea my love," Alicent said as quickly.
"Good," Viserys said as his features quickly returned to their jolly norm. "Do not worry Gaemon, it is a small oddity of us big folk."
I figured I might as well milk this for all it was worth as had become my default strategy.
"Can I wear black and green?" I asked happily. "That way I can be like Mom and Rhae!"
That got a deep laugh from the king and warm looks from the women that had no clue that I had just thrown them under the bus.
Well, less thrown under the bus and more like making a desperate attempt to drag them by the ankles away from the wood-chipper they insisted on crawling towards.
The pleasant mood was ruined as a dragon shaped shadow darkened the tourney grounds.
I closed my eyes and slowly raised my head.
Please be Rhaenys out and about, please be Rhaenys out and about, please-
I opened my eyes and strangled a curse.
Instead of the shining and deep red of Meleys, I instead saw a dragon with a pale red hue whose name I knew very well.
Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm.
Most battle-hardened of the living dragons. The badass monstrosity who tanked freaking Vhagar with little more than a 'come at me bro' and not only achieved a mutual kill but proceeded to crawl its way out of a titanic lake and die on the dry shore.
And with him came the man whom I was eighty to ninety percent sure was a high priority threat to my survival.
Daemon 'Definitely Going to Try to Kill You' Targaryen.
…
After causing a sufficiently massive stir to stroke his ego, the Rogue Prince descended onto the tourney grounds. It was fortunate that the jousting stands could be easily removed to make way for the dragon (I would have treasured making the dragon circle for a few hours to move a more difficult set of stands).
I gauged the reactions of those around me as the identity of the dragon and its rider became clear during the descent.
Alicent's hand was firmly wrapped around Viserys' own. Both had white knuckles even while her face was carefully neutral about the whole thing.
Rhaenyra for her part was smiling broadly even as Ser Criston stood behind her with concern etched deeply into his handsome features. For once I agreed with my enemy, Daemon was the bigger threat. Now if only I could persuade him to nobly bring Daemon poisoned drinks and sacrifice himself.
Unsurprisingly, the great dragon kicked up a great deal of dust as he came down onto the field. By all that was GRRM, he looked cool! Covered in scars with great deep bronze horns and a 'I can kill you in a heartbeat' look in his bright red eyes.
Then he dips down his head to lick his wing patiently… and it was back to cats.
Giant, fire-breathing, army-killing, flying-lizard-cats. After a point the trend became silly.
It was so anticlimactic that I did not notice my doom climbing down the handles of the great saddle and walking towards us until he came to a stop before the king.
Gods damn it all, he was hot too. Was there some sort of evil sorcery at work? Why did I get Viserys-brand chubby genes while all of my foes were male models in armor? There was definitely something magical at work preventing everyone from being far more ugly than they should be by all rights.
He wore the same suit of armor as I had seen in the World of Ice and Fire picture (why the hell gothic style armor existed in Westeros was a question for later) with a beautifully fluted design and a cloak with golden yellow hues. The impressive figure he cut was only aided by also being at least a hundred and ninety centimeters tall and having a well-muscled and lithe frame.
He was handsome in features as well, with fine Valyrian features accented by suitably wind-blown hair that reached his shoulders and a charming mix of a smirk and confident eyes.
Even from where I stood, I could see that the man reeked of danger as he walked forward (and not just because of the living flamethrower behind him). He carried himself like a deadly man and more importantly, like an arrogant man. Frankly I did not know which trait was more dangerous.
More interesting however were the two most notable items on his person. The first being a crown on his head, a fine circlet of steel and rubies no doubt meant to imitate the crown of the Conqueror.
The purported crown of the Stepstones.
Of much greater interest was the sword sheathed on his hip. I recognized her from depictions in my reading even if her steel was hidden from my eyes, her rippling golden guard and the shaped flames of her pommel. Combined her slender shape it was hard to mistake Darksister for any other blade.
There was no doubting that I was looking at the man who would screw me over horrendously unless I really shook canon up.
Which Viserys took little mind of as he, Alicent and Rhaenyra stood and walked towards the edge of the box.
After a moment of Aegon tugging at my sleeve, I gave into peer pressure and followed suit.
"Brother!" Daemon shouted as he approached our box. I noticed his eyes flickered ever so slightly to every person in the box except for me.
"Daemon," Viserys said with a tight smile. "I see you wear a crown of your own now."
"Yes," Daemon responded with relish, "I have claimed the Stepstones with Fire and Blood."
And theatrics apparently, also it was quite a bit of hyperbole on his part given what I recalled about his 'rule'.
"I am pleased to hear of this," Viserys responded with a bit of genuine happiness spreading onto his features. I was not sure how the king could love his brother. Given that he probably screwed the king's wife and planned to do the same to Rhae.
"I am glad brother," Daemon said with a smile as he pulled off his crown and raised it high. "For I bring it to you in offering, may none doubt my love and loyalty you! My dearest brother."
I begrudgingly had to give the man points for laying it on that thick. Although given the expression of many for the gathered nobilities faces it worked.
I quietly damned their gullible souls.
Without a word Viserys descended the stairs of the box and made his way to where the Rogue Prince waited unmoving. I noticed that Viserys actually had a few inches over his younger brother, who kneeled as his elder approached.
It was easy to forget that had he been less of a marshmallow Viserys would have been a physically intimidating man. He fat to be sure and jovial, but he was also very tall (well over two hundred centimeters tall) and very broad-shouldered to the point where a good diet and an exercise regime could easily have made the jovial king into a meat-tank.
Unfortunately, pigs were more likely to sprout wings and breathe fire.
Viserys took the crown into one hand and looked at it for a moment before speaking loudly so that all could hear, "It is a fine thing you have done, Daemon. You brought war to the tyranny of the Triarchy and avenged the many slights they have done to our glorious realm."
That got nods and shouts of approval from the audience as I contemplated smashing my head against the rail of the box. These people were either obsessed with drama or just plain stupid.
Not as stupid as Lys enslaving people as their version of a shipping fee and not expecting consequences stupid but still pretty damned stupid.
"All for your glory, my brother," Daemon answered with a fierce smile as he soaked up the crowd's praise. Oh, that's pure and uncut bullshit!
He did it for his ego and Corlys's wallet!
"Father would be proud," Viserys answered with earnest cheer. At that point I was desperately trying to keep my hand from palming my face hard enough to give me a concussion.
"I am glad brother," Daemon answered with a beaming smile as he took in the praise.
The king nodded before bending down and heaving his brother up into a tight embrace much to the jubilance of the crowd (while I chuckled as I realized that he was literally rag-dolling the prince).
With a face-splitting smile, Viserys once more addressed the crowd, "While this gift is most appreciated my brother I cannot accept what you have so long toiled for!"
Weren't you funding him?
I wondered if the man realized that he was essentially bankrolling the most expensive midlife crisis since the Conquest.
"Keep you crown but know that you have brought me a far greater gift in your return," were the corners of his eyes wet? This was getting sickening. "Please promise me that you will stay with us for a time, at least a year or two, surely Corlys can manage without you as you rest amongst family?"
"It would be my honor and privilege my brother," Daemon answered with a twinkle in his eye. I certain that that twinkle was a portal to hell.
I was unsure whether I should teach Ser Cole the time-honored tactic of strapping some dynamite to himself and then bear hugging Daemon, preferably before he killed me.
…
As the tourney broke so that all may prepare for the night's feast, the family gathered in the Red Keep to properly greet our prodigal uncle.
Well the uncle who was not preoccupied having his head checked by a sleepy Runciter for brain damage or some other injury.
"Uncle Daemon!" Rhaenyra said as she launched herself at the rogue with a hug.
Had I been armed I would have been drawing steel at that.
"Dearest Rhaenyra," Daemon said as he kissed her brow and looked her over. "You have grown beautiful beyond all comparison, my dear."
She. Was. Fourteen. You creepy son of a Cersei!
A man of thirty had zero business eyeing up a tween like that.
Viserys smiled broadly at the reunion that I figured he was misreading before clearing his throat. "And brother, you remember my queen."
"Ah yes," Daemon said with a slightly stiff smile as he bowed and kissed Alicent's offered hand which was as rigid as stone. "It is a fine thing to see you again Alicent."
"And you Daemon," Alicent returned with an equally empty smile with a ghost of a twitch at the corner of her right eye.
Oh shit the rumours were true weren't they?
I could sense the tension of ex-lovers from a mile away and it revolted me to my very core.
I was going to kill that (potentially literal) motherfucker!
"And these are my sons Aegon and Gaemon," Viserys continued as he either ignored or was dense enough to not notice what had just happened.
"Greetings nephews," Daemon said with an even smaller smile. That guy was getting on my nerves in record time.
"Hi," Aegon said with a clumsy bow.
I repressed a sigh. For god's sake Aegon, you are making us look bad.
"Aegon!" Alicent reprimanded at the improper greeting and the improper language.
"It is quite alright Alcient, they are that age after all," he said with patronizing amusement. It was probably that smug look in Daemon's face that made me act without thinking again.
"Greetings dear uncle," I said with a deep and distinctly unchildlike bow before rising to look him square in the eyes. "I have heard much of you and your adventures."
My efforts were rewarded as that perfect mask fractured for just a moment to reveal naked confusion before reassembling into a deep laugh.
"What an odd lad, brother!" He said with a grin.
"Yes," Viserys as his own smile faltered. "Gaemon is… somewhat special. In any case these are Helaena and Aemond."
He continued with the introductions and Daemon seemed to dismiss me from his attention but I still felt something between pride and horror.
Pride, for catching his smug ass off foot and horror, at making myself an even bigger dot on his radar.
My panic was interrupted as Rhaenys spilled into the room.
"Daemon," she said loudly as she clasped arms with the rogue.
"Rhaenys!" He answered back with his annoyingly bright smile.
"How is Corlys?" She queried immediately. I wondered if she realized that her husband already had bastards despite her clear affection.
Daemon laughed at her bluntness, "He is quite well and sends his love. If you wish I could take custody of the pit and you may join him?"
"Now that is a kind offer!" She answered with a bright twinkle in her eyes. I could tell that the old snake was going to get positively rammed the moment she got to him.
"If his grace finds it acceptable, that is?" She added in as she remembered that the king was right there.
"Go on, Rhaenys I won't keep you away from your lord husband without cause," Viserys answered merrily.
"By your leave then!" She nodded and made to depart.
Crap, I need to interfere.
"Are you leaving Rhaeny?" I asked as I ran to pull on her pants.
She looked down on me with a smile, "Aye lad, not really needed here now and I've been away from my man for far too long."
She gave me a wink that I pretended not to understand and tilted my head in confusion. She laughed and ruffled my hair.
"Don't worry about it lad, you will understand when you are older!" She said with another laugh and then a twinkle entered her eye. "Actually, what do you say to a parting gift?"
"A gift?" I asked.
"Want to go for a ride on Meleys?" She asked me suddenly.
"Really?" I tried to sound excited which I was.
The problem was that it was also a terrifying idea for those of us very much subject to gravity.
"I do not see why not! You are old enough now, would you not say your grace?" She looked over at the smiling Viserys and Alicent whose right eye was starting to twitch ever so slightly.
"I see no reason why not," the king chuckled. "Why, I think I was the same age when father first took me flying on old Balerion, Daemon as well."
He gave his treacherous brother a fond smile at the old memory.
"Hear that lad? No trouble this time," she said with a wink.
"NO!" Surprisingly, it was Rhaenyra who shouted before turning to Viserys. "You promised I could take him on his first flight with Syrax!"
"I see no reason why you cannot come princess," Rhaenys rolled her eyes in amusement. "You and Daemon come as well, we can have a little dance of dragons with little Gaemon."
Well, that was ominous.