Oldtown

The year 130 AC had gone by so quickly. The Black regime had been threatened, the peril then subsequently destroyed, Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen welcoming the arrival of her firstborn grandchildren, and the Citadel announcing the transition from fall to winter. 130 AC was also an eventful year for the exiled Greens at Oldtown. Although not as interesting as Rhaenyra's first year as queen, her stepmother's first year as an exile was rife with just as much tension. Even being holed up in the impenetrable Hightower did not prevent Alicent from being paranoid about whatever machinations, real or imagined, she believed that her stepdaughter was cooking up against both her and her family.

Her paranoia only increased when she learned how the Wylde Rebellion was thwarted. Learning that the White Worm had a spy network that extended all the way into Essos caused Alicent to become fearful that Daemon's old flame may have spies working in Oldtown, and even within the levels of the Hightower Pharos itself. The dowager queen became guarded around the servants, believing that any one of them could be listening behind closed doors or around hallway corners, collecting information to pass over to Mysaria via raven for her to then relay back to the queen. Alicent was thankful that she burned the letter when she did.

Even though a covert investigation had revealed no solid evidence of House Hightower's involvement with the Wylde Rebellion, Alicent did receive a letter from Jasper just prior to his flight to Lys. He had written with words meant to get a rise out of Alicent: her late husband's betrayal, the humiliation and separation of her family, all which led to the piece de resistance, the overthrow of the Blacks and the installation of her son, Aegon, as king. As much as Alicent wanted to bring back her family's former glory, there was one thing that held her back, the lives of her captive family in King's Landing. Even though the letters Helaena wrote to her mother did not overtly reveal any of her fears, Alicent knew that her daughter, son, and grandchildren lived with swords dangling above their heads. If Alicent were to do anything that would be considered even remotely treasonous to the Blacks, the lives of her children and grandchildren would end at the sword.

Shortly after contemplating this, Alicent held the letter over a candle flame, watching as the fire consumed the treasonous parchment and its contents.

Despite living in fear of retribution, Alicent did find some solace in being back at her childhood home. Having no sisters of her own, Alicent socialized with the female members of her extended family. Alicent spent a lot of time with her cousin Ormund's second wife, Lady Samantha Tarly. Affectionately known as "Lady Sam", the beautiful seventeen year old daughter of the Lord of Horn Hill married the much older Ormund just the year before. Making this marriage even more bizarre besides the age gap between the Voice of Oldtown and his beautiful young wife, Lady Sam was also only two years older than her eldest stepchild, Lord Lyonel Hightower.

But rather than being the brainless beauty that Alicent had anticipated her to be, Samantha was actually an immensely intelligent and mature young woman. Twenty-five years Alicent's junior, Lady Sam impressed the Disgraced Queen with her intellect and charm. Although she knew that Samantha's family, both her father's and her mother's (House Rowan of Goldengrove), were Black supporters, Alicent nevertheless found herself slowly becoming fond of the young woman. However, Alicent did not care for how Samantha enjoyed the attentions she received from her stepsons, particularly the fifteen year old Lyonel. This was not lost upon Lord Ormund Hightower either, and Alicent could tell that her cousin greatly disapproved of the close relationship between his son and second wife.

Speaking of parental disapproval, it was an understatement to say that Alicent absolutely detested Alys Rivers, the bastard born mistress of her son Prince Aemond Targaryen. Alicent found the woman to be bizarre, haughty, and worst of all, possibly unsound. The concerned mother also found Alys to be distrustful after Larys had mentioned to Alicent when her family was staying the night at Harrenhal that Alys may actually be much older than she looked. Larys's cousins gave conflicting accounts of Alys's life, with one account claiming that Alys was Lord Strong's bastard half-sister, another said that she was actually the wet nurse for both Larys and his late older brother, Harwin, but Larys Clubfoot's senile granduncle and castellan, Ser Simon Strong, stated that Alys was actually old enough to have been the wet nurse for his nephew Lyonel, the father of both Harwin and Larys!

Adding more to Alicent's woes, Alys was also rumored to be a witch. Despite his lover's negative reputation, Aemond was besotted with Alys. Near the end of 129 AC, Aemond got Alys pregnant. The news of Alys's pregnancy was received rather grimly by the prince's family. Although this was Aemond's firstborn child, the same could not be said for his mistress.

Alys had divulged to her young lover at some point that she had been pregnant several times before, but sadly, all of her babies had been stillborn. Alys suffering numerous stillbirths did not garner any sympathy from Queen Alicent, and the Hightower servants whispered that Alys may have sacrificed her own children to demons during rituals involving blood magic. However, Aemond stuck by Alys, and he was by her side when she gave birth to their son. Hearing her baby son's cries made Alys grin from ear to ear. She finally had a living child.

"A son, Aemond. We have a son." Alys had said to the prince as their baby boy was placed in her arms. The child had his father's silver-gold hair and purple eyes.

"My boy…" Aemond said softly as he gently rubbed the top of his newborn son's head. "My beautiful baby boy..."

The proud parents named their son Lydus, full name being Lydus Rivers; keeping touch with his roots to House Strong of Harrenhal. For days after Lydus's birth, Aemond spent most of his time in his bedchamber with his mistress and their baby son. Alicent was quite hesitant at first to be in the same room with Lydus let alone look at him due to him being baseborn. This hesitation gradually evaporated since the Queen in Exile terribly missed her legitimate grandchildren in King's Landing. Just as she had done with Helaena and her children when she still lived at the Red Keep, Alicent began receiving nightly visits from her son with baby Lydus in tow.

Of course, Alicent refused to be around her grandson during the daytime when she was with her trueborn family members, during which she would spend her time sewing, reading, and gossiping with her female relatives. While Aemond was a source of eternal concern for Alicent, her youngest son, Daeron, was an absolute angel in comparison. Daeron kept to himself, stayed out of trouble, and engaged in typical nobleman hobbies like reading about history, philosophy, religion, and rhetoric; practiced swordplay, took walks in the garden, and flew Tessarion around Oldtown. Just like at the Red Keep, the tongues of every female in the Hightower were wagging about the handsome prince and his benevolence and humbleness. Despite having many admirers, Daeron did not take interest in any of the women.

Instead, he preferred solitude for the most part. Walking in the massive garden that surrounded the Hightower on a man-made tier was the perfect way for Daeron to escape the intrigues and drama of his family, especially during cold fall days when the gardeners and other people would be absent. Despite wanting solitude, the former prince did have company on occasion. The day after Prince Baelor Targaryen and Princess Alysanne Velaryon were born, Daeron went out on one of his walks. The day was cold and flurries fell gently down from the armor grey sky above.

He had just entered the garden when he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Turning around, Daeron smiled when he saw who was following him.

"Ah, Lady Bethany. What brings you out here?"

The girl curtsied before Daeron.

"The same as you my lord, to get fresh air."

Daeron smiled softly at Bethany's reply. He could tell that that was not the real reason why Bethany had come outside to join him. It was well known that she barely tolerated cold weather, preferring to stay warm by sitting by a fireplace wearing furs. In fact, Daeron was quite sure that the girl was pursuing him in a romantic way. Rather than being annoyed however, Daeron found Bethany's affections to be cute.

"I see." Daeron said and he gestured down the path with his chin. "Come along now, cousin. Let us get fresh air together."

Bethany happily walked up to Daeron's side. She was petite with a round face and wavy brown hair and eyes. Despite being short, Bethany kept up with Daeron's stride. To outside eyes, Daeron and Bethany could have been mistaken for an older brother and younger sister taking a walk together in the garden. But Lady Bethany was no ordinary girl.

She was the only daughter and the youngest of four children born to Lord Ormund Hightower and his late first wife, Lady Priscilla Bulwer. Bethany was four years younger than Daeron, with her being born in the year 118 AC. The second cousins first met four years earlier in 126 AC. That year, Queen Alicent Hightower had sent her youngest to Oldtown to serve as both Ormund's cupbearer and squire. The prince received a grand welcome from his mother's extended family.

Lady Hightower could still vividly recall the arrival of the royal entourage. Targaryen banners fluttered in the wind as an elephant sized Tessarion flew high in the sky above. It was an awe inspiring sight to see the Blue Queen land and her rider dismount. Bethany could remember how warm her face got when she first caught sight of the prince. To hide her blushing countenance, Bethany looked away in the direction of the stables.

Her closest older brother, Garmund, had caught his younger sister looking away, and he elbowed her to stand at attention as Daeron approached them. Thankfully, the handsome prince did not notice his then eight year old cousin's predicament since he was being warmly greeted by her father. For the duration of his stay, Bethany felt that Daeron was barely aware that she even existed. But it was not because Daeron was snobby, Bethany was just too bashful to be around him, and she did her best to avoid the prince so that he would not see her sanguine complexion. Four years later however, Lady Bethany Hightower was now twelve years old and a budding romantic, and she had grown braver and she wanted to get to know Daeron better.

Because of the age gap between them, the second cousins did not cross paths often since they mingled with people who were around the same age as they were. Whenever they did happen upon each other, Bethany usually inquired Daeron about his wellbeing or family or said something complimentary to him. Shortly after arriving in Oldtown, Daeron discovered that he had lost a pair of riding gloves during the journey from King's Landing. A few days later, Bethany gifted her cousin with a new pair of gloves she had made for him. They were made of black leather and had Daeron's initials monogrammed in red thread; the prince wore them every time he flew Tessarion.

Because of her sweet words, kindness, and genuine interest in his wellbeing, Daeron had become quite fond of his young cousin. Pressing on through the avenue of trees, the two struck up a conversation.

"How is Tessarion, my lord?" Bethany began. "It has come to my attention that you have not ridden her lately."

Considering the snowflakes that were slowing floating down through the air, Daeron thought that his cousin would soon realize the obvious. A very long and awkward minute passed before the prince realized that it had not yet sunk in for Bethany. Daeron remembered his mother mentioning how Lady Sam had described her stepdaughter as being sweet but a little dense.

"It is a little too cold for flight, Lady Bethany." Daeron said after sighing internally. "I would have to bundle up like a wildling before I could even mount Tessarion!"

The image of the regal Daeron wearing layers of furs and animal hide was a source of great humor for Lady Hightower, and she giggled aloud sweetly. Daeron was somewhat bemused by Bethany's response.

"What is so humorous, cousin?" he asked, and Daeron could not help but chuckle when Bethany told him what the source of her giggling was. After the jovial sounds had died down, Bethany asked another question.

"Speaking of Tessarion, how is she? Is she growing bigger?"

"Slowly but surely." answered Daeron. "Tessarion enjoys flying around Oldtown. Before it got too cold, I was able to fly her up the Honeywine to visit both the Quill and Tankard and the Seven Shrines. But", the prince said somewhat sharply, "as Tessarion grows, so does her appetite.

I am sorry to say that during our stops up the Honeywine, Tessarion has eaten nearly a dozen sheep. The smallfolk have been forgiving of Tessarion's craving for mutton, but I feel bad about my dragon taking away some of their livestock, especially since winter has come."

Bethany gently patted her cousin's arm. "Oh Daeron, do not fret. I am sure that the smallfolk have plenty of other livestock to make up for the lost sheep."

Unseen by Lady Hightower, Daeron winced at how out of touch she was. Then again, as a prince, Daeron was in no position to lecture Bethany about the hardships that were a fact of life for those who resided on the lower tiers of the social ladder. But he did understand that Bethany was only trying to comfort him, and Daeron did appreciate that. While the Blue Queen was more active, the ancient Vhagar spent most of her days lounging in the Hightower's courtyard. Aemond would take Alys for rides on dragonback around the city before she became too heavily pregnant with Lydus.

Vhagar had not been ridden since the birth of Daeron's newest nephew, which had been a fortnight ago. If she missed her rider, Vhagar did not show it. In fact, she seemed to enjoy having time to herself outside, most of which she spent sleeping. The topic of dragons now concluded, it was now Daeron's turn to ask his cousin a question.

"How are your brothers, Bethany? Any betrothals for them yet?"

"They are doing well, cousin." answered Bethany. "As for any news on who their future wives will be I am not sure. But my stepmother has mentioned that father has been writing to the Lord of the Arbor on a daily basis. Lady Sam said that ravens have been flying to and from his study as if it were a rookery!"

"Hmm," the prince hummed, "marrying a Redwyne woman would be a good match for one of your brothers."

Bethany nodded and she resumed speaking. "I am sure father is planning to marry Lyonel first since he is the eldest. Lady Sam has not said anything about other possible brides."

"Any plans for you to be married, cousin?" Daeron asked. Bethany's demeanor changed when she heard Daeron's question. She looked down at her walking feet and pursed her lips. The girl appeared to be anxious.

"Are you alright, Lady Bethany?" A concerned Daeron asked. His words resulted in a half-smile from his second cousin.

"I am, my lord." She said, her tone sounding more proper. "It is just that Lyonel was teasing me earlier today that father was going to marry me off to Lord Unwin Peake."

Prince Daeron's eyes widened with surprise when he heard this. Earlier that year, Daeron and both his family and House Hightower were invited to the wedding of Unwin's only son and heir, Titus, to a lady from House Tyrell of Highgarden, a cousin of the Warden of the South to be exact. Daeron had met Lord Peake during a hunting excursion to celebrate Titus's wedding. The prince found Unwin to be rough around the edges, curt, and quite hard. Daeron saw an example of Unwin's hardness when he harshly berated the gamekeepers at Whitegrove for not successfully leading a herd of deer into the direction of the hunting party.

Daeron had half expected the enraged Lord Peake to have the men whipped for their incompetence, but thankfully they were spared from the lash. Other than Unwin's temperamental personality, Daeron had also taken note of the man's other characteristics. Unwin had salt and pepper hair, was nearly fifty, and had outlived three wives along with five of his seven children; Titus was his father's only living son, while his younger sister, Myrielle, was Unwin's only living daughter. Daeron found the idea of Ormund marrying his twelve year old daughter to a forty-five year old man to be quite repulsive. Sure, Bethany would become the Lady of Starpike, Dunstonbury, and Whitegrove, but she would still be marrying a man who was five years older than her own father, and would have a married stepson who was four years older than her, too!

No wonder why Lady Bethany was acting so anxiously. Daeron was quite curious about this rumored Hightower-Peake wedding. He felt some brotherly concern for Bethany too.

"Where did Lyonel hear about this?" he asked.

"Lyonel told me that he had overheard Maester Alfador talking with father about Lord Peake."

Did he hear anything else? Is that it?" Daeron asked. Bethany nodded. The prince felt his concern starting to subside.

He then smiled. "Oh cousin, I believe your brother was merely jesting. You must not have heard about it yet, but, your cousin Hobert told me earlier this afternoon in the library that Titus's wife is now pregnant. Lyonel probably misunderstood what your father and maester were talking about. Most likely they were discussing Lord Unwin's excitement about becoming a grandfather for the first time, and how he is hoping that the baby will be a boy."

Daeron's words caused Bethany to smile fully. She had a lovely smile, and it warmed the prince's heart to see it. Now it was Bethany's turn to feel appreciative about her second cousin's attempt to comfort her. Unbeknownst to the pair as they talked and traversed through the garden, they were being watched from above. The Hightower Pharos possessed nearly a hundred verandas that gave the members and household of House Hightower splendid views of Oldtown, the Sunset Sea, and the gardens and castle battlements below.

Standing on one of those verandas was Lady Samantha Tarly. From Lady Sam's perch, both her stepdaughter and the prince looked like ants. Even from that great height, the Lady of the Hightower could tell who the pair were. She was familiar with Daeron's penchant for walking in the gardens and that Bethany had feelings for the handsome prince. Samantha thought that the two would make a beautiful couple.

The idea of marrying Prince Daeron Targaryen to his blushing second cousin had been germinating in Lady Sam's brain ever since the exiled dowager queen and her family had arrived at Oldtown following their expulsion from the Red Keep. Samantha knew that Bethany was only a year or two away from flowering, which would make her stepdaughter eligible for marriage. However, with Daeron being both older than Bethany and a member of the royal family, he had a greater chance of getting married off within a year. Resolved to not let this golden goose get away, Samantha approached Alicent about marrying her youngest son to her cousin's daughter. Alicent liked her cousin-in-law's idea very much, and both women met with Ormund to discuss the betrothal.

A match between his only daughter to his cousin's son, the youngest child of the late King Viserys I Targaryen, was too good to pass up, and Ormund wondered why he had not thought of it in the first place. Needless to say, the Voice of Oldtown agreed to the match. That night in the great hall, Ormund rose up from his chair and called for everyone's attention.

"Kinsmen," he began, "I have some exciting news to share with all of you."

The Hightower's and their Targaryen cousins turned their gaze from their supper towards their patriarch. Lady Samantha and Queen Alicent had faint smiles on their faces as they listened to Ormund speak.

"After much negotiation, I have secured a betrothal between my firstborn son and heir, Lyonel, to the daughter of the Lord of the Arbor, Lady Patricia Redwyne!"

Applause soon rang out, the thunderous noise being peppered with cheering. Lyonel stiffened up in his chair as his siblings and other relatives congratulated him. Waiting for the noise to die down, Ormund made his second announcement.

"I have more exciting news." The once raucous atmosphere was now as quiet as a chapel. "After speaking with my dear cousin, Queen Alicent," Ormund put much emphasis on her title, "we have both agreed to engage our youngest children together." All eyes soon fell on both Daeron and Bethany. They had both become frozen in their chairs.

Ormund's second wife sighed to herself. The idea to marry her stepdaughter to Daeron had been her idea. A man taking a woman's advice, particularly a younger one, was considered to be quite unmanly and childish. At least Ormund gave his cousin credit, even though she did not come up with the plan either. But alas, such was the reality of being a highborn woman in male dominated land.

"Yes, my lords and ladies," continued Lord Hightower, "another match between our glorious house and House Targaryen! In light of the ascension of our cousin's wretched stepdaughter, and all of the misfortune that has happened since then, House Hightower has remained undaunted and dignified throughout it all. We still light the way!"

Cheering erupted from the Hightower's. The noise was so loud, it was heard outside by the guards patrolling the battlements and the residents who lived nearby. Lady Bethany Hightower remained silent even as the excitement flared up around her.

"By the Seven, I am going to marry Prince Daeron! I am going to marry Prince Daeron Targaryen!"

The exciting thought raced through Bethany's mind, and a grin slowly formed on her face. She then shared a glance with Daeron, who smiled softly at her. Combined with those soft indigo eyes and silver-gold hair that glowed white by the legion of candlelight in the hall, Daeron's smile seemingly disarmed his second cousin, now his fiancée, of her senses. Bethany began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Without warning, she fainted.

Much commotion ensued, and the unconscious Bethany was soon surrounded by concerned family members. Maester Alfador was summoned, and he placed a vial of smelling salts beneath Bethany's nose. The odor roused the girl from unconsciousness. Groggy, Bethany soon became embarrassed when she learned what had happened. Apologizing profusely, Bethany divulged that she was just so excited about marrying Daeron and that was why she fainted.

Prince Daeron felt both impressed by Bethany's confession and sorry about it at the same time. His brother, Aemond, snickered, and Daeron overheard him referring to their cousin as "the fainting bride." After Lady Hightower had been escorted to her bedchamber, her father picked up where he had left off.

"Now that the evening's entertainment has ended." much chuckling ensued. "Let us all raise a toast to Lyonel, Patricia, Daeron, and Bethany, for all four shall be married within two years time!"

Goblets were raised along with the cry of "to Lyonel, Patricia, Daeron, and Bethany!" Alicent happily squeezed Daeron's hand. When the prince turned to look at his mother, he could see that she had happy tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. Daeron had not seen his mother this happy, minus the tears, in a long time. The Black Conspiracy and the exile of her family had weighed heavily on Alicent's heart, and the woman had found it difficult to be happy about anything.

Daeron gently touched his mother's hand and smiled back at her. As the great hall became filled with the din of excited chattering, Alys Rivers, who was sitting beside Aemond, watched the candlelight. The delicate flames seemed to entrance the mysterious woman, the pale gold light dancing in her dark eyes. Taking notice of his paramour's interest in the candles, Aemond leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"What do you see, my love?"

Without taking her eyes off of the candles, the mysterious woman spoke.

"The flames are too small, but I am able to see many things, my prince. Many, many things."

"What kind of things?" Aemond asked. Alys slowly turned to look at her lover. There was a strange look on her face.

"Dragons, both red and gold; ravens, wolves, fields of fire, and rivers of blood and tears…"

Prince One-Eye, although familiar with Alys's dabbling in mysticism, was taken aback by her comment.

"Is this the future that you are seeing?"

The seeress said nothing, and she turned her gaze back to the candlelight. A bemused Aemond brought his attention back to his Arbor Gold. As House Hightower celebrated the double betrothal, Alys Rivers continued to watch the flames. If only they knew what she was divining from the candlelight. If only they knew…

Rewrite Notes: Enter Lady Samantha Tarly! I was put off by the publication of Fire and Blood at first, but now, I am glad that it came out because I can incorporate these new characters into my story. Of course she replaces Lady Priscilla Bulwer from my original chapter, who has been retconned as Ormund's deceased, unnamed first wife.

1. Besides Lady Sam, Lady Patricia Redwyne hails from Fire and Blood too. She was one of the marriage candidates who was presented before Aegon III during the Maiden's Day Ball in 133 AC.

2. Maester Alfador was also mentioned in the same book too.

3. I have also scrapped both of Aemond's bastard daughters, Lily Flower and Naerya Rivers.

4. Alys Rivers's background has been expanded in FaB. Very odd woman isn't she?