To say that Otto was upset would definitely be an understatement. For decades, he had been lying, deceiving, killing, maiming, stealing, and more to gain power and right as it seemed like he nearly had it all, it seemed to be escaping his grasp. His once treasured and dutiful daughter had failed for twenty years to birth a son to the King, to become King and now it seemed like she had failed him again.
"I sent you to Mercia with only ONE TASK my daughter! Just ONE to secure the realm! One task that should not have been all that difficult! All you needed to do was wait until the village was asleep and then set a single home ablaze, killing the entire household in their sleep. Now, you come home without hands or eyes and burned ugly. Even if you were to finally succeed and bare a son, there's no way I could find you a suitable second husband after the King is disposed of and that son was placed on the throne. If the King sets you aside to try to get an heir off of another, then all you will be good for is the Silent Sisters, and that's even if they will take such a hideous disfigured handless monster such as yourself. We can only hope that the King's affection for you prevents this as otherwise YOU ARE WORTHLESS!"
"FATHER!" Alicent cried, "I did do as you asked! I did find out where that entitled bitch lived, blocked the door from outside and set the structure ablaze. However, she must partake in some kind of evil sorcery as somehow they all managed to escape from their burning house alive and unscathed. I then tried to kill the children with a torch and it did not burn them. I even tried to kill the dragon whore with a knife but she blocked it with her arm and I was captured by those barbarians, bound and gagged! The next day, I was paraded by them to the center of town where the Heathen Lord had my clothes stripped off me before I was spanked and whipped. Then he let that bitch burn me before I was tied to a pole, my eyes were burned out and my hands sliced off! Oh, Father, why did you make me go there? Surely you could have found another who could have been better suited at finding a way to end the whore and her bastards! Thankfully, Viserys believes I'm innocent and even called the whore a cruel monster! He never took her side while we were there! Please Father, let me keep trying to get with child. Perhaps now that the Gods' have seen my devotion, they will bless me?!"
"Good! I'm glad he hasn't realized what we've done to his daughter as otherwise it would spell total ruin for us. As it is, there are rumors all throughout the realm of what we and our allies have done that I have not been able to discover their source and end. You had best hope that you will indeed soon give the King a child. At this point, even a worthless girl would be better than what you've done so far as then we could wed her to one of your Hightower cousin's children and the dynasty name could be switched to Hightower from Targaryen. We do not have much time left for you to succeed my daughter so you had best hope that the Gods' are truly now on our side."
"I know. I truly believe that soon I will finally succeed though and that those Heathens will face divine fury like Dragonstone had. The Seven give us challenges to make us strong before they give us their blessings just like it says in the Holy Book."
"Indeed, now I need to go and try to ensure that the only truth behind your disfigurement is the truth from the King's decree rather than anything else."
With that, Otto swept from his daughter's chambers, unaware that Larys Strong had heard everything from the secret passageways in the wall.