Chapter 14-Meanwhile in Westeros Part 2: Getting the Strong Boys Involved

Lionel Strong realizes that to take down Alicent, Otto and the Maesters, he's going to first have to tear them down via their reputation. Luckily for him, he has children whom he knows are up for the task.

A couple days after Laenor had shared with him the evidence that Rhaenyra had collected almost 20 years before, Lionel was still pondering how to proceed with bringing those to justice who had committed crimes against the crown and royal family. Then, while he was speaking with his children over a meal, he realized that he had them. His eldest child and heir, Ser Harwin, was Commander of the Gold Cloaks and was still, years later, loyal to Prince Daemon and Harwin held the loyalty of the Gold Cloaks in his own right. As for his younger son, Larys, he was good at going unnoticed and this was part of what had earned him the title of Lord Confessor. Lionel realized that sharing the knowledge he had gained with them would help disperse it and could weaken the Hightower's enough to bring them down.

So the next day he called a family meeting and had both of them swear to listen to everything he said before asking questions.

"My sons, recently I was brought evidence of a large number of crimes committed since the conquest against the crown and royal family. Almost all of these crimes were committed by three distinct groups and all three are currently almost untouchable. Amoung the crimes committed are murder, rape, slander, theft, drugging, bribery, fraud, forgery, conspiracy, stalking, extortion, and assault. These crimes have been committed against Queen Visenya, King Maegor, Princess Rhaena, King Aenys, Queen Alyssane, Princess Vaellla, Princess Daella, Princess Saera, Princess Saera, Princess Gael, Prince Aemon, Prince Baelon, Lady Jocelyn, Princess Alyssa and most recently Princess Rhaenys, Queen Aemma, Prince Daemon, Lady Laena, Ser Laenor and Princess Rhaenyra and this does not include all of the miscarried, stillborn and died-in-the cradle babies, of whom there have been nearly one hundred in just six generations {1-Aegon, 2-Aenys, 3-Jaeherys, 4-Aemon/ Baelon, 5-Rhaenys/Viserys/Daemon, 6-Rhaenyra}."

As he spoke, he saw his sons' eyes go wide and after he finished Harwin spoke up, "Prince Daemon long suspected that there was something wrong happening with his family but could never get hard proof before that last banishment and his disinheritance which led him to leave Westeros for good. Now, unless I'm guessing wrong, the person most likely to have gathered the evidence is the King's daughter and that she was raped."

Lionel was shocked but then responded, "Yes, she was raped and yes, she gathered the evidence. She tried to share it with her father before her own disinheritance and exile but our King refused to even look at it. When Lord Corlys accidentally stumbled upon the girl in Wessex years ago when she was a young wife and mother, she wound up passing all of it onto him. He then shared it with his family, including Prince Daemon. Ser Laenor then shared it with me after his parents along with our King and Queen sailed off to visit the King's daughter and her family in Mercia."

Then Larys spoke up, "I know the King was, shall we say, encouraged, to bed his first wife on their wedding night when she was still a child, but when he honestly believed his young and very sheltered daughter had seduced multiple men that were more than a decade her senior and they hadn't denied her as any self respecting man ought to of such a young maiden. Plus being that some of those men had been her assigned guards, I never believed she was guilty. I believe it is why Queen Alicent has been barren as the Gods have been punishing her for hers and her family's role in destroying an innocent child."

"I never said the Queen or her family was involved, Larys."

"Who else had the most to gain from the Princess's fall from Grace? The Princess was heir to the throne, had her father's seeming devotion, was well loved by the people, had the loyalty of the Vale and North, as the North does not break oaths, and she had a dragon. Alicent could have borne a dozen sons and there was no guarantee that the King would even name one his heir as Rhaenyra was the ONLY heir he officially named, EVER. Daemon had always been the heir presumptive rather than heir apparent. There was also no guarantee that Alicent's children would ever hatch or claim a dragon as not all Targaryens ever do. They had already finally driven Prince Daemon away for good and I know they had arranged for Queen Aemma's death since Alicent was of age."

"How did you learn that?" Lionel asked, bewildered.

"I spoke with the midwives shortly before the Lord Hand made them disappear. Apparently the boy was breech but they would have been able to turn him and had been working on turning him when the Grand Maester told our King that he needed to order his wife butchered. The midwives also said that, after they would have finished turning the boy, the Queen would have been given a bit of time to rest as she wasn't quite ready to birth the child and that then they would have helped her squat down to actually birth the Prince. Neither should have died and both could have lived."

Harwin was absolutely flabbergasted and their father just put his head in his hands, sighing deeply.

"We could have had a secure succession for about 20 years now but greed and corruption prevented it. If Prince Baelon had lived, especially if Queen Aemma also had, which would have meant Prince Daemon would have never been exiled that last time, there could be three separate lines of heirs. Baelon would be old enough now to be a father so it would be him followed by his children and then Daemon or Rhaenyra and their children followed by the other and that one's offspring. Instead we have a childless Queen, the King's daughter long disinherited, disgraced and exiled with a life, husband and many children far away, the King's brother also long disinherited and exiled, married with children in Volantis, all of whom are dragon riders and lastly the King's cousin who's daughter is the King's sister by law and mother of his brother's children and the son of the King's cousin being childless due to a preference for men. Yet Otto still believes his aging daughter will miraculously bear a son soon."

"The King would have better luck just taking another bride to get heirs," stated Harwin. "Who though besides the Hightowers are among the guilty though father? I doubt they were working alone. I would guess at least some of the Maesters if what Larys said is true and possibly the Faith as they've always hated the Targaryens. Both would also stand to gain much if they could get one of their own on the throne and also work on eliminating the blood of Old Valyria."

"Harwin, you have guessed correctly. Many of the Maesters and the Faith have been working together and with House Hightower to bring down the dragons. However, all three have many protections around them. That is why I need you boys. Harwin, you interact with the small folk all the time and have the ability to spread the tales of treason and treachery to the people. Larys, you are able to go unseen and extract information from unwilling people. You also are able to interact with the women in their gossip. I need the people to turn against all of them. I need more recent information and I need to get the court buzzing about the convenience and suspicious nature of so many disasters befalling House Targaryen. Can you boys help me destabilize the support systems all three have so that they can be taken down?"

"Of course father!" replied Harwin. "I will get right on it."

"Yes, it is time for the truth to be brought to light and Towers to fall. I stand for our House and for the fallen," Larys responded.

Lionel then hugged his sons and soon both boys departed to begin sowing the seeds of revolt.