272 AC – King's Landing, Crownlands – Seat of Power: Aerys II Targaryen
It has been 10 years since Aerys II had risen to power and the realm was not going to forget about it anytime soon. To celebrate such an important event, Tywin had planned an Anniversary Tourney in the name of the King.
The celebrations were grand, with different competitions taking place such as Archery, Spear Throwing and the Jousting Tourney of Knights. Hedge Knights and Lords from all corners of the Western World had arrived to participate and show their loyalty to the King.
Yet, it was Tywin who seemed to gain the favouritism of the people. They cheered for him louder than they did for their King as rumours kept spreading of who truly had the power between the two.
While Aerys had been selfish with his needs and too close-minded to rule properly, Tywin had earned the respect of Lords and peasants alike for his smart thinking and his ability to bring back gold on multiple occasions; ensuring the coffers were never empty.
The King sat on the Royal booth with his wife and his remaining family members. Visenya had also been invited but a Raven had been sent the day prior, informing the King that she had fallen Ill and was unable to travel. This left Tywin to be alone amongst the Targaryen, if not for his dear wife, who had also come along with the 6-year-old Twins; Cersei & Jamie. The King often stole glances at Joanna Lannister, known by now that the Targaryen male had a liking for pretty women and often took mistresses in his chambers.
Tywin had noticed and had tried his best to keep his body as a barrier, obstructing most of the King's view of his wife. It did not settle well with him but his focus shifted fully once the Jousting Tournament began.
Among the knights participating, there were two that stood out the most; The Lannister Lion and the Targaryen Dragon. Kevan Lannister, younger brother of Tywin, had chosen to participate in the Tournament and so did Crown Prince Rhaegar, despite being only 14 namedays old.
Aerys did not mind that his son participated, having full hopes that he would take down all of his opponents and show everyone the might of the Targaryen and the strong genes passed down to him by his father; the King.
Tywin glanced at the participants, his eyes momentarily falling to his brother but then his eyes fell on the Crown Prince. Dressed in full black armour, the helmet obstructed almost the full face and only allowed the eyes to be visible through the slit. The pattern of Dragon was carved on it and Dark Sister was sheathed by the side.
What struck him odd, however, was the size of the crown prince. Some might say was the fact that he was on top of a horse but Tywin would share the Prince was not that tall; not yet at least.
He did not comment anything on it and instead watched in silence as the Jousting began.
The crowd went wild as the Crown Prince managed to unseat yet another opponent, this time being Tywin's brother. Joanna could not help but pull a face faintly at the rough landing of her good brother and cousin. By her side, Jaime was practically beaming with excitement as he leaned on the wooden railing and watched the knights with fascination. His sister, on the other hand, did not seem to share his interest and instead looked around her bored.
Many found it impressive that the boy who had just reached his 14th name day had managed to do so well in the Tournament. Yet again, he had been unseated a couple of times but had always managed to recover or finish the battle with swords on the ground.
In the end, only two were left standing before the victor would be crowned and those were Rhaegar and a mysterious Hedge Knight. Bearing no sigil, the mystery man had come and had taken down all of his opponents to reach standing across from the Crown Prince.
This mystery and change of odds had kept both the King but also the crowd focused, especially as the two knights prepared their jousting spears. The Mystery Knight rode on a black stallion that seemed uneasy despite the strong grip of his rider.
Rhaegar, on the other hand, rode a white mare; something that had also struck Tywin odd since the prince favoured a brown stallion instead. Yet, the mare remained calm despite the shouts of the crowd or the noise around it; matching the confidence of her rider.
The signal was given and both riders wasted no time to charge, their horses turning fast from trot into a gallop while their jousting spears were lifted and ready. Once within reach, both struck a strong hit on their opponents and the result was both knights falling to the ground at the same time.
Quickly standing up, the mystery knight took out his sword and asked for a shield to be passed to him. Complying with his request, Rhaegar drew his sword and was given a slightly smaller shield than his opponent; who towered above him.
In seconds, their blades clashed against one another and a fierce battle took place. Blades smacked against shields, creating dents and numbing the holder's hand or blade that met the blade in a battle of dominance and strength.
Rhaegar might be tall for his age but lacked the strength to compete against the beast that was now his opponent. To make up for it, the young Prince remained swift on his feet and spent the majority of his time dodging; aiming to tire his opponent.
Eventually, both dropped their shields and stood panting while holding their swords. Sweat rolled down their backs due to the blazing heat above and the weight of their armour but none dared to back down.
The mystery knight charged, his swings long but heavy; aiming to take the head of the prince or at least it looked like it to some. Yet, the prince was quick and kept dodging or blocking with his own sword to ensure no true damage would happen.
His opponent eventually grew too tired, his moves sloppy and an opening was presented not long after. With the agility of a snake, the prince ducked beneath his opponent's arm and turned his body.
His shoulder met his chest plate and despite the pain from the rough contact, he went for a strong push. At the same time, his own blade smacked at the base of his opponent, making him drop his sword before falling backwards to the ground.
The crowd cheered, going wild at the victory of the young prince; who seemed to have down all of his opponents despite his young age. The king was practically glowing with pride, taking those praises of himself since it was his son, who had just won.
He looked with pride as the Prince walked towards his booth, his sword being dragged faintly by his side but there were no signs of injury on him. As the Prince approached, he finally lifted his head and Tywin quickly took notice of his eyes through the slit.
Rhaegar had his parents' violet eyes, the famous eyes of every Targaryen but those that looked at them; were actually a burning amber. Before he could even truly process the fact, a scream was heard from the crowd.
The supposed defeated knight had started to get up as a cloaked figure was finally visible from between the peasants. The sign of an arrow was caught before it was released, quickly embedding itself in the Prince's left shoulder; right in the unprotected spot between his shoulder and his arm.
People gasped and the King's Guard quickly rushed to hunt and take down the archer, who had started to run away. At the same time, the mystery knight grabbed his sword and aimed an attack at the wounded prince.
"Rhaegar!" His mother shouted with worry, a warning sign for the injured prince.
Looking down, he spotted the shadow of his opponent behind him and he quickly ducked to the side; avoiding the sword that was aimed for the back of his neck. Grabbing his sword, he ignored the pain coming from the arrow embedded into his shoulder and started to block the aggressive hits coming from his opponent.
Another man with a sword jumped into the arena as the crowd started to flee out of terror and fought a King's Guard, who had tried to stop him.
"Guards! Take him down!" Aerys shouted but most of his men either tried to fight through the fleeting crowd or had gone after the assassin with the arrow.
The Prince was busy trying to deflect and dodge but was losing the battle, too tired and injured to be an effective fighter at the moment.
Wasting no time, Tywin unsheathed his own sword and jumped from the booth into the arena. He had already fought a war and had both the experience and the energy to take down their latest intruder.
With long strides, he managed to reach the second mysterious knight and quickly started to push him back with his calculated and effective attacks. The man might have pure strength to back him up but the Lion had experience and intelligence to give him an edge on the battlefield.
It did not take long to push his opponent to the ground with the help of an injured King's Guard, who had refused to back down despite his bleeding side. Just then, the sound of people gasping made him look behind him; his green eyes opening wider at the sight.
The Mystery Knight had managed to grab one of the fallen shields and smacked it against the head of the Prince, confusing him for a moment and weakening him as well. He had then tried to attack but in a last attempt, the Prince moved backwards as much as he could.
His helm was damaged and was pressuring his head too much, the dent of the shield visible on its dark structure. Getting annoyed and tired, he removed his helmet and let his white hair fall freely on his back.
The gasps came from the Royal booth and some people that had remained to watch because the one under the armour was never Prince Rhaegar himself but his aunt; Visenya II Targaryen.
She spit some blood from the ground and grabbed the chance her opponent was frozen by the revelation, to strike him on the hand that held his shield. Hitting on the inside where the leather straps were, her sword cut both the straps and the man's hand.
His cries of pain echoed across the open arena as he dropped his sword and held his now bleeding hand; his wrist and below having been cut by the valyrian steel blade of the princess.
Visenya kicked the man on the ground with her boot and pressed on his chest, her sharp blade stopping inches away from his covered face. Her chest heaved up and down, the blood from her wound having stained her clothes from beneath her armour and there was this faint ringing in her right ear but she kept glaring at him with those burning orbs; as if she would unleash fire upon him like the Dragon she was.
After the events that took place in the Tourney, the royal family had gathered in the King's Study or at least some of them. Rhaella was not allowed and had instead rushed to find her son, who had not appeared during the Tourney.
Aerys stood with his back turned on his younger sister, his rage visible by the stiffness of his back muscles and the tightening of his hands into fists. The only other person present was Tywin; who as Hand of the King was allowed to remain.
The sudden sound of a fist against a wooden surface snapped everyone's attention as the King turned to face his sister. His violet eyes were blazing with anger, and he felt the need to cut her head off for the trouble she had caused him.
"What in the 7 gotten into you? Lying to me of being ill, replacing my son in the tournament and humiliating every single Lord that participated" he spat, his lips having formed a snarl.
Yet despite his temper or his glare, Visenya did not seem to bend under the pressure nor cower in a corner. She kept her head lifted, still dressed in armour and with the arrow pinned to her shoulder. Whether she felt the pain by now or not, was not visible on her face as her amber eyes glowed with determination.
"I was protecting our family" she explained, her voice not once rising an octave. "I heard words of a planned assassination attempt for Rhaegar, taking place in the Tourney. So, I returned in secrecy and persuaded Rhaegar to take his place to draw out the assassin; which in the end I did."
The rage of the King seemed to only be ignited by her words. She had moved behind his back, planned something that he was not aware of and all in the name of rumours? Furious, he moved to stand in front of her and in seconds the sound of a slap echoed in the silent room.
The King had lifted his hand and had delivered a powerful strike, his ring cutting her cheek as Visenya's head was thrown to the side from the force. Yet, when she turned her head to look at him again; not a single tear was visible and no sign of fear.
"I have been linear with you, Visenya but do not chase your luck" he spat, his hand trembling and itching to deliver another strike. "Do not ever think of going against my back, again. I am the King! I decide what is to be done and no one else! Are we clear?"
Visenya did not once break eye contact with him, his yelling not affect her, however. She glared silently at the disrespect and his tone, getting a good idea of how the power of the crown had infected his mind.
While never close with one another, Aerys had never lifted a hand or talked to her that way. He mostly ignored her or scolded her when they were younger but he had never crossed that line. Based on the bruises she spotted on their sister, it was obvious that Visenya was not the only one facing his new temper.
Since he was still waiting for an answer, Visenya gave a small bow. "Your Grace," she said and wasted no time to walk out of the room.
Tywin had remained in the room to watch as the interaction between Brother and Sister flared, but only one-sided. Curious of her plan, he listened as she explained her reasonings; although they were quite vague.
Based on the limited intelligence of the King, it was perhaps better not to go into details and she did not; hiding her source completely from him.
Her reasoning was fair and she had indeed saved the boy's life for if the Prince had managed to win or was given an opening; that arrow would have ended his life. If it would not be the arrow, it would be one of the two men, who had decided to charge and take his life with a sword.
She had risked her life to protect her nephew, knowing fully well that there would be consequences from the King once he realised that he had been left in the dark; and they did come.
Yet, Tywin would have never imagined them to come that way. When the slap landed on her cheek, his green eyes glared dangerously at the King, the golden flecks within glowing like molten gold.
Lifting a hand on your own relative because of your fragile ego, was not something he approved. Visenya had done her duty to the crown and to her family, keeping the prince safe and yet the King thought he could lift his hand upon her like that.
As he expected, the Dragoness did not budge nor did she shed any tears. The slap had injured her cheek and there was the arrow on her shoulder but she did not move a single foot. She kept her ground, her head held high with the pride of a Targaryen and her eyes remained cold upon the face of her brother and King.
By the tensing of her jaw, it was clear that she despised such treatment and disrespect but she was no fool. She knew that she could not go against the king, despite their relationship. Based on his shouting, it was clear to both of them that the one wearing the crown was unfit to do so; yet none truly had the power to do anything.
In the end, she gave a courtesy bow and retreated; letting the two men watch her leave. One glared daggers at her back and the other watched with silent admiration at her control, while questions flowed in his mind like a swarm of flies.