The Princess and the Queen 7: Corlys I
"Daeron is my firstborn son, and I shall decide who he shall be betrothed to, Lord Corlys," the King said, trying to sound stern and imposing, but he just sounded whiny and pathetic.
If he is your firstborn son, then why do you not name him your heir?
"Tell me, Your Grace, are there any reasonable objections you have to this proposal?" demanded Corlys. "It shall integrate one of the most powerful houses in the realm with the royal family."
It's a matter of pride. He does not want to heed my requests, no matter how sound they may be.
"Lady Jocelyn is the daughter of Ser Gwayne, the son of a second son. Such a match would be insulting to House Targaryen. I am shocked that Ser Otto even proposed it," he responded.
A few days ago, a raven had arrived from Oldtown and Ser Otto Hightower, offering Lady Jocelyn to Prince Daeron. In truth, Corlys and Ser Otto had made the agreement years ago, but now that Lady Jocelyn had come to King's Landing with Lady Alicent after spending some years at Driftmark, it was time to formalise the betrothal.
"Wherever her standing may be in her house, she is still a Hightower. History remembers names, not blood, Your Grace. A marriage between her and Daeron shall tie Oldtown to House Targaryen for many years to come," Corlys countered.
"Lord Corlys has the right of it," Jasper Wylde said. "It does not matter where a woman stands in the line of inheritance when marrying, so long as she brings the support of her father's house."
"Why are you so invested in whether a Hightower receives a royal marriage or not, Lord Corlys?" Lyonel Strong, the Hand, asked.
Corlys disliked Lyonel Strong. He was a burly man that looked like he could not read, but in truth, he was actually learned and wise and was as near as perfect of a Hand any king could ask for. He constantly provided sage advice to the King and ensured that the King's wishes were carried out as well as possible. That may have been why Corlys disliked him.
The only issue is that he chooses to support all of King's decisions and try to rectify any errors in those decisions rather than advise an alternative path.
"Lady Jocelyn is a fine young girl," Laena replied to Lyonel Strong. "Her time at Driftmark could not have gone better, as per my mother. I have spoken to her some times, and she is mild-mannered, amiable, and dutiful. She would be a brilliant option for my son. She has become acquainted with the royal family too as of late; both Daeron and Baela have taken a liking to her."
"Lord Corlys and Queen Laena do raise valid points... I do not know Lady Jocelyn myself, but if she brings the loyalty of Oldtown with her, I do not see any other better option. The only other houses that rival the Hightowers are already married into House Targaryen, and bringing them within the fold of the royal family shall ensure the Iron Throne shall have the support of its most powerful vassals for time to come," Jasper Wylde added.
"What of other powerful houses in the realm? It needn't be a Hightower... House Baratheon or House Redwyne have daughters too..." Lyonel Strong suggested.
"Yet none of them match the power of Oldtown," said Grand Maester Orwyle.
"Otto was a leal servant of mine for many years... and Oldtown's support is invaluable to the Crown. If there are no other alternatives..." he sighed.
Thank the Seven that the Princess is still returning from Casterly Rock; she would have opposed the suggestion for no reason other than it being Laena's suggestion.
"I do feel that it is a strong option, Your Grace," Lyonel Strong shrugged. "But I almost must say that Lord Corlys should not have dealt with Ser Otto Hightower behind His Grace's back and instead brought the option to him directly."
"I do not approve of you making betrothals for my son on my behalf; we shall return to the matter on another day. I no longer wish to discuss this further,"
I see that His Grace has not changed in all those years.
"Then why did you allow Princess Rhaenyra to betroth Prince Baelon to Cerelle Lannister?" scoffed Laena.
The King rolled his eyes and slumped back in his seat.
"We have gone over this previously, and I said that this matter is at an end, Laena. That was because Baelon is my grandson, not my son... Rhaenyra is the person responsible for Baelon's betrothals."
"Yet she clearly disobeyed you by betrothing her son to another, whilst you planned to betroth her to Baela," Laena countered.
"Seven hells, Laena... were you not against Baelon and Baela being betrothed, not long ago? Have you suddenly had a change of heart since then? Is this just so you can besmirch my daughter's name some more? Your endless hostility to my heir must stop..."
The tension was too much; everyone on the Small Council just looked down and pretended that they weren't there, and nobody provided their opinions on the matter.
"Lord Husband..." Laena sighed. "I just hope that you allow me to choose who my daughter gets to marry now that you have allowed Rhaenyra to do the same with her son."
"Oh, bloody... yes! Very well! You can choose Baela's husband, then! Is that what you wanted to hear? To put an end to your constant complaints, at least!" he grunted. "This council is dismissed!"
Laena smirked as she stood up to leave the Small Council room. The King just closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.
"Your Grace, another matter-" Corlys began.
"I said this council is dismissed!" the King shouted. "If this was so you can pester me about how my daughter should not be my heir, hold your tongue, Sea Snake!"
Corlys simply turned and left the room. He had tried to bring up the matter of the succession multiple times upon his return to King's Landing but to no avail.
Was this my last chance before the Princess returns?
Ever since a raven from Casterly Rock had announced that Prince Baelon was to be betrothed to Ser Tyland Lannister's daughter, the King was furious. He had foolishly thought that his suggestion of a union between Baelon and Baela would cease all the divisions within court, but seeing Baelon become promised to another girl had not gone well with him.
The King was even angrier that his beloved daughter would be the one to go against his wishes.
Since then, Corlys and Laena had used the opportunity to try and convince the King to change the line of succession, but that only seemed to strengthen his resolve.
"Were you about to bring up the matter of succession?" Jasper Wylde whispered to Corlys as they walked out of the council chambers.
"I think that is obvious, Lord Jasper," Corlys curtly replied.
"I would suggest that you use a different argument in your favour, however, Lord Corlys," he said. "You constantly mention how Princess Rhaenys was passed over in the Great Council, but if you were to follow her bloodline, Ser Laenor, Vaegon, and Lady Valaena would all be ahead of Queen Laena and Prince Daeron, regardless."
Corlys stopped walking and turned to face the Master of Laws.
"Why would you suggest I change my arguments, though?" Corlys asked, squinting his eyes in curiosity.
"You are trying to use the legal argument as to why Prince Daeron should be heir, but the argument is not legally valid."
Ever the lawman, Jasper Wylde.
"If I were to use the correct legal argument, do you think that His Grace would change his mind?" Corlys laughed.
"No, I do not, unfortunately."
"Then why suggest all this to me? What do you have to gain, Ironrod?" demanded Corlys.
"I may sit the King's council, Lord Corlys, but I sit there to council him, and not to support every decision made by him. Personally, a son should always be before a daughter, and to forsake that is an affront to the laws of Gods and Men. "I do support Prince Daeron's claim to the throne. And so you know, you have an ally in the Small Council," he calmly replied before walking away.
After Jasper Wylde departed, Corlys smiled to himself, thinking about the number of allies he had started to gain.
The Hightowers and most of their vassals, a Small Council member, half of the Crownlands, and potentially part of the North and Riverlands.
Three out of four of the four ravens that Corlys had sent out to Winterfell, White Harbour, Riverrun, and Volantis had returned. Torrhen Manderly had stated that both of his son, Warrick, was already betrothed to a Bolton girl, whilst the Triarchy of Volantis also demanded for Daeron and Aemon to also marry a Volantene woman when they grew older. Meanwhile, Elmo Tully was open to betrothing Kermit to Baela, and made sure to mention that he was also willing to discuss the terms of the hypothetical marriage in person.
He is willing to declare his outright support for Daeron.
Winterfell still had not responded, and it had been some weeks since all of the other ravens had arrived, so Corlys had little hope that the Starks even received the raven.
A betrothal binding House Stark to us would have been slightly more preferable than House Tully, but both options would provide strong alliances.
The entire motivation Laena had to find a suitable betrothal was due to the threat of the King forcing a Baela and Baelon marriage, but that was averted. Regardless, it was good to use this opportunity to strengthen support amongst houses in the realm.
Following this, Corlys had lunch with Laena. They had a simple meal that day; only three courses were to be served. The first was a soup of beef, lentils, and hot Dornish peppers. It was too spicy for Corlys' liking, so he stuck with the oatcakes and fruits whilst Laena wolfed down her entire bowl.
"You saw his bloody reaction there," Laena sighed after wiping off some soup on her chin. "And it shall only become more difficult when Rhaenyra returns."
"Try in some days' time; he may have a change of opinion," Corlys replied.
"Not likely," she grimaced. "At least he gave me explicit leave to find a husband for Baela. If he tries to deny that, I had witnesses."
"I don't think he would deny that..."
"Then you do not know my Lord Husband. That or the fool shall conveniently forget that the meeting even happened," she laughed.
"That fool you speak about is the King," responded Corlys.
"And? That does not stop him from being a fool."
With each passing day, Corlys had underestimated just how much Laena hated the King. At first, Corlys thought she was exaggerating her dislike due to his refusal to name Daeron his heir, but the more time Corlys spent in Laena's presence, the more it became apparent. Every time Laena spoke, she found some way to insult her husband, even if the subject of the conversation had nothing to do with him. Even during Small Council meetings, Corlys noticed that her face turned into a slight scowl whenever the King spoke, and whenever he moved anywhere near her, she winced and backed away.
I would hate him just as much if I was in her position.
The second course served was a roasted leg of mutton spiced with herbs and nuts, served on a bed of pease, onions, and carrots. The skin crackled, and the flesh was fatty and pink, and was much more to Corlys' liking.
"Is Aemon still a nightmare?" Corlys asked through a mouthful of mutton and carrots.
"Even more so," she sighed. "He liked Vaegon and Valaena as playmates, and Alicent did not mind taking up the burden of looking after all three of them."
A few weeks ago, Lady Jocelyn Baratheon, Rhaenys' mother, had passed away; the crabs in the belly had finally taken her. Rhaenys went to Storm's End for the funeral and later flew to Driftmark to brood instead of returning to King's Landing. Laenor had also decided to return there for a while to comfort his mother. Lady Alicent chose to join her husband there, since she enjoyed her time at Driftmark and took the children with her.
I still have yet to see Rhaenys since she left for Storm's End... I should have gone to Driftmark to visit her...
Corlys had decided to remain in King's Landing instead, to consolidate alliances, especially during the time Rhaenyra was currently away from the city. She would be returning soon, anyways, and Corlys was looking forwards to seeing her face again.
"Mother said that it was because he does not have an egg in his cradle, and that is what causes his foul moods," Laena said.
"Mayhaps... but many Targaryens did not have eggs in their cradle, and were not as ferocious. But I think it is no matter; he shall grow out of his tempers."
"I do hope so, but I reminded Mother to make sure to bring an egg with her if Meleys does lay a clutch. It would be good for Aemon to have an egg, regardless."
It would mean an added dragon on our side.
"If not, there may be some eggs on Dragonstone, or the Dragonpit, if you wish for an egg for Aemon."
"I have already considered that path," replied Laena. "The dragonkeepers have found no new eggs in any of the lairs for some time. There was, one, some moons ago, but that hatched all the way on Dragonstone. The keepers call it Tyraxes. If only I had pursued the idea sooner..."
"In time, he shall have a dragon. It needn't be from an egg," Corlys reassured.
Laena smiled and nodded before taking a sip of her wine. The final course to be served was a selection of fruits, melons and grapes and oranges from places far and wide. There were also some lemon cakes and berry tarts fresh from the ovens.
"Lord Borros arrived yesterday, did you hear?" Laena asked as she helped herself to an orange slice. "It would do well to see whether he shall provide support to Daeron or not."
"Why wouldn't he?" Corlys asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Yes, but I distinctly remember back some years ago, he stated to Mother that he would only support Daeron under certain conditions. She was livid when speaking of it."
Corlys scoffed. "The man must be japing."
"I do not think so, sadly. He only declared that he would support Daeron's claim so long as his aunt was still alive, and demanded a marriage pact if Storm's End were to provide any further support."
The man cannot be such a fool. It is a small wonder he never learnt how to read.
"I shall do that, and I shall be sure to invoke the late Lady Jocelyn's memory... Other alliances we must negotiate for, but House Baratheon's should be a bloody given!"
"You should tell Lord Borros that," sighed Laena.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come!" Laena shouted, and in came Grand Maester Orwyle.
"Ahh..." the Grand Maester said. "Queen Laena, Lord Corlys... a raven has arrived from Winterfell, and it is addressed to you... it must be that private matter you had requested of me those weeks ago."
"Yes. Yes, it was," Corlys bluntly said, snatching the letter away from his hands. "Thank you, Grand Maester."
"It is my pleasure, Lord Corlys," he replied softly. "Might I ask, what was this matter that required so much secrecy?"
"You may not ask, Grand Maester," Laena quickly replied.
"Very well," the Grand Maester smiled before leaving the room.
Corlys looked at the parchment. The seal was still unbroken, as were the previous other letters, so Corlys breathed a small sigh of relief. The dried wax was a light grey, and a wolf's head was shaped into it. Corlys broke the seal with his knife and unrolled the parchment. He squinted and read the words scrawled on it.
Lord Corlys,
You insult me with this proposal.
My son shall marry a true Northern woman, not some Southron Princess who has not lived in the real North.
Lord Rickon Stark,
Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.
Corlys just scoffed and threw the letter at Laena to let her read it for herself. She scanned through it herself and was flabbergasted at what was written.
"Does Lord Rickon not know that if Cregan were to marry Baela, his grandchildren would be dragonriders?" she laughed. "It seems that Winterfell shall not be one of our supporters, then."
"It is no matter," Corlys said. "We shall proceed with Lord Tully's son, then. And though we may not have House Stark's support, but with a fool like him as the Lord of Winterfell, we are better off."
"I shall send a raven to Riverrun later," Laena said, wiping her lips with a cloth.
"Whilst I shall suffer the presence of Borros Baratheon," replied Corlys.
Later, Corlys invited Borros Baratheon to his solar. By then, the day had become late, and a slight chill had started to come through the balcony. The Baratheon lord arrived before sunset and was clad in a large yellow doublet that had black stags embroidered onto it. From his neck hung a black chain, and he wore black breeches and boots. His black hair and beard were cut short, and his blue eyes glowed in the evening darkness. Lord Borros was a large man, half a head taller than Corlys and certainly wider too.
"Please, Lord Borros," Corlys smiled. "Sit. Might you want some wine?"
"I certainly would not mind," snorted Lord Borros as he sat in the chair across from Corlys. Corlys poured Lord Borros some Arbor Gold and then some for himself.
"Firstly, Lord Borros, I am terribly sorry for your loss. Lady Jocelyn's must have affected you, too," Corlys said sincerely.
"Yes..." he smiled. "She was a good woman, and Storm's End shall certainly miss her presence. My thoughts are with Princess Rhaenys too."
"Thank you, your courtesy is well appreciated."
"I have not seen her presence in the city, yet. Has she not returned from Driftmark?" Lord Borros asked.
"No," Corlys replied. "She still mourns back at Driftmark, but she shall return in some weeks."
Lord Borros nodded and poured himself another cup of wine.
After speaking more of Rhaenys and Lady Jocelyn, Corlys then changed the subject.
"There is another matter I would like to discuss with you, Lord Borros," Corlys calmly said.
"And what would that be?" he replied, finishing his sixth cup of wine.
"Some years ago, Rhaenys visited her mother at Storm's End. She also exchanged... some words with you."
"She did..." he cautiously replied.
"I would hope that your views have changed on that subject now," stated Corlys bluntly.
"Why would it have?" he replied dismissively.
Seven hells.
"So you still are demanding a royal marriage in return for supporting my grandson's claim?"
"Yes, I am," he said. "I have three daughters now, and I expect a betrothal. I have heard that Daeron may be promised to another, but betrothing Prince Aemon to one of my girls shall suffice."
"Shall suffice?"
Corlys could not believe the audacity of this man.
"Yes. In return for House Baratheon's support, Prince Aemon shall marry one of my daughters. The choice can even be yours."
"And if I refuse, you shall not support Daeron?"
"You are correct, Lord Corlys. I need a good reason to; I want my daughters to have good marriages."
Corlys could start to feel his blood boiling.
"Are you truly such a fool? Daeron is part Baratheon; is that not a good enough reason?"
"He is... what? One-eighth Baratheon? No, that is not good enough of a reason," Lord Borros replied.
"You would be going against your own family. Your father was a staunch supporter of my wife, as was Lady Jocelyn."
His brows furrowed, and his mouth turned into a scowl.
It seems I have made displeased the man.
"Do not bring my family into this, Lord Corlys. I warn you," he whispered, ever so quietly but ever so threatening.
"Seven hells... you would be desecrating the very memory of Lady Jocelyn by going against her wishes. Do you not have some bloody respect for her," Corlys shouted in response, bringing his family into it.
Lord Borros stood up from the seat, enraged.
"Who are you to dictate how I choose to honour my late aunt? Who?" he roared.
"Very well, Lord Borros," Corlys replied, calmer. "Give me one good reason for you to support Princess Rhaenyra over Daeron? Seven hells, she spurned you in favour of marrying a Lannister!"
"I may not be able to read, but my father and maester certainly taught me of the concept of honour. Something I doubt you have."
Now Corlys stood up, equally as angered.
"Then your honour is worth nothing, Lord Borros. If your father was still around, I do not doubt he would have been as foolish as you are!"
He then clenched his right hand and pointed his other at Corlys.
"I dare you to say that again, Sea Snake! Presuming what my very father would have done!" he roared, saliva and wine spitting onto Corlys' face.
"He would not have supported Princess Rhaenyra over his very own kin, that is for certain," scoffed Corlys.
"You are mistaken, then. Do you not remember, all those years ago? Kneeling in front of His Grace and pledging to acknowledge Princess Rhaenyra as his heir? I was there, a young lad, standing next to my father. And I distinctly remember you making an oath too... so never lecture me on honour ever again..."
"You fucking fool," spat Corlys, not caring that all hopes of House Baratheon's support were now well and truly gone. Corlys just wanted the last word. "You would forsake these vows you claim are so sacred to you in exchange for a royal marriage. Do you not see the hypocrisy of your actions?"
He didn't reply to that; instead, he just stood there frothing at the mouth.
"That is what I thought, Lord Borros. You are a fool but also a hypocrite. All you care about is your bloody ambitions. You could not care about honour and decency and family," laughed Corlys.
Lord Borros took the chalice of Arbor Gold and emptied it into his cup before taking one final drink. Then, he stormed to the exit of the room.
"I know the way out, Lord Corlys. You needn't show me the way," he said, marching over to the door. But before he left, he turned and faced Corlys. "But know this, so long as I still breathe, House Baratheon shall never support your daughter's screaming whelps claim."
He slammed the door as he left, which sent an echo throughout the room. Corlys then grabbed the empty chalice and flung it at the door, which shattered as it hit it. He then sunk back into his seat and put his hands to his face.
Seven hells... Aemon isn't even betrothed to anyone... I should have just accepted his demands and not let my bloody hubris stop me.
Corlys reached for the chalice to pour himself another cup of wine before he realised it was in about a thousand pieces on the floor ahead of him.
I have been trying to forge alliances, but instead, I have made an enemy.