Tony McNucklz: Re your point about the strange beings. I'm really pleased that you're asking what their culture and temperament is. The fact that it is a lone skull with nothing else near it is an ominous thing to be truthful. How did it get there? How long has been there? Why is this being so different to humans? All that and more questions to be asked.
federermod:
I always hear this...that Aegon is unlikeable. I do quite agree in some points to be truthful. For the most part though, I think it's largely down to the fact that he is quite combative in his own way. Often times with himself and sometimes with others when he doesn't need to be. But that is a flaw of his. Just one part of many flaws. He is an imperfect person.
With regards to the loyalty and devotion shown to him by others...much of that is due how he comes across to them. You have access to his thoughts...they do not. They do not see that his actions are measured and careful but you do. They only see the effects of his actions and hear his words that accompany them.
In any case... please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think. I always read the reviews even if I don't comment on them.
Note: If you would like to read ahead, the next three chapters after this chapter are available on P^A^T^R^E^O^N / Boombox117
Mid 110 AC – The Stepstones
Lord Corlys POV
He stood on the fore-deck of the ship, his sight set on the dimming smoke that likely had clouded the horizon less than a day ago, smoke that emanated from the ruins of their fortress they'd built on the northern cliff of Bloodstone.
Rage bubbled within him, an ugly look on his face as he stared at the ruins with eyes full of fury. This island was garrisoned with an army a thousand strong and with walls that should have seen the fortress stand for moons yet it fell within seven days after they'd sailed to the Last Refuge that once again fell prey to another attack by sea by a fleet that set off from Dorne or from Tyrosh.
He heard his brother Vaemond bellow out orders to his men, orders that were repeated on the other five and forty ships that sailed with him back to this rock once they 'pacified' the Last Refuge, and soon enough, near enough a hundred boats were set towards Bloodstone searching for any remnants of the enemy left in the surroundings though, Corlys thought bitterly, he highly doubted any of them remained on the Island, least of all anywhere that had the open sky above them.
Hours passed and by the time the twilight of the evening came, his men had returned. As expected, there were no signs of any survivors or enemies remaining, only corpses though most of the men who died, had died after they had surrendered to the enemy from the sounds of it.
It brought Corlys a small measure of pleasure to hear the traitors died a gruesome death, their bodies cut apart and laid out for the birds and animals to feed upon.
These had been Daemon's most well paid sellsword army and they'd been most eager to sit out of the fighting to retake the islands, their only task being to hold the island at all costs.
'One less sellswords army to pay'
Mayhaps the last sellsword army to pay. Good riddance.
Only the moment of pleasure only lasted a trifle of time though and it did nothing to quell the anger that raged in his heart as he threw the silver goblet against the hardwood table, the sharp cluttering of the sound silencing all of the men's arguments and complaints in his cabin with immediate effect.
"Enough." Corlys said with a sharp voice, his tone tinging with heavy anger, his eyes setting on his nephews Daeron and Rhogar before his eyes travelled to his vassals who came aboard his ship. "This…this is enough." Corlys said with a deadly calm washing over him, the storm that had brewed within that left him stewing suddenly having lost its violence and its tempestuousness.
No more.
So much gold spent…
So much gold wasted…
Curse the Triarchy. Curse the filthy Dornish. Curse the damn Targaryens!
He had enough.
Years…years he spent on these worthless rocks and years has he spent his gold and his men on this damnable war only to lose more and more with every day that passed!
"We won't be able to hold these islands." Corlys continued as the men in his cabin remained silent and waiting for him to speak. The acceptance was bitter but Corlys had to accept it for what it was. His pride was harmed but he knew when a cause was lost.
"We let it slip through our fingers." The words only barely passed through his mouth, only the small comfort that this loss came not at his own hands pushed it through for him to admit their failure.
'No, this was not on me. None of it was on me. All of this lays before the feet of Viserys with his folly and Daemon was not blameless either.' Corlys thought bitterly.
Daemon had been a problem at the beginning, preferring to wield Dark Sister than he did ride Caraxes, the desire to be the one who took the head of Crabfeeder causing them to manoeuvred around by the corsairs island from island.
Many of their men, Velaryon men and sellsword men alike, had died fruitlessly in the first year and even when Daemon acknowledged the need of him prowling the skies and burn away their ships, preventing their easy escape, the circumventing of their forces on the islands had been a persistent issue.
Only later, when they finally decided to remain patient with their conquest and hired Volantene captains with the gold of the Braavosi to aid in the blockade, had they managed to truly secure the islands against their enemies. They starved out the filth island by island until all of the major and minor islands were cleared for good, no more were the caves a safe refuge from which to resist them.
A mocking smile threatened to form on his face as he remembered the moment that led to Daemon beginning to listen to his council, and he would cherish it always.
News of the Basilisk Isles and the fate that had befallen it at the hands of Prince Aegon the Elder, in what was 'the Culling of the Basilisk Isles' as it was named moons later, had sent Daemon into a jealous filled rage that almost saw the man climb onto Caraxes and fly to Tyrosh to burn it to the ground.
Only his words of warning against it, warnings that hinted to exile and assassination should he burn down a Free City, had stayed the dangerous Prince.
Truthfully, he'd feared the consequences to Driftmark's trade should the war extend beyond the borders of the Stepstones, the very last thing he wanted and the very reason he convinced Daemon to act in the Stepstones.
And equally truthfully, even if he would admit it only to himself, he regretted warning Daemon away from attacking the Triarchy directly given what has happened now, emboldened as they were with the shackles Viserys had placed on them.
He was sure they had known that Viserys would not permit them to act against the Triarchy, or the Dornish, and now, it had all fallen apart. Only moons after he crowned Daemon as King of the Stepstones, fresh fleets carrying thousands of men arrived to these accursed islands from the ports of Tyrosh, never numbered more than five and twenty in any fleet, enough to carry men to take islands and few enough ships to hide in the many wide bays of hundreds of islands, and the conflict they thought they'd won suddenly restarted, as if it never once ended, wiser and far better stocked and informed than the corsairs they'd been fighting before.
Six islands, one of them being Wreckstone, in the northeastern side had fallen within days of one another, the garrisons they'd left behind had to abandon the islands or were killed to a man.
It was the beginning of a struggle that made the previous years of war seem as if it had been nothing more than the trifling raids that took place in the Marshes.
No matter how effective, Corlys sneered in his mind, Daemon had been in burning whatever fleet that he managed to catch – five fleets thus far – the ships kept on coming and the task of starving out the Triarchy men on the islands they barricaded themselves in, stocked with supplies and food to last them for more than a year, had become completely ruinous as even with Braavosi backed gold and whatever meagre gold Viserys supplied them could not bring them the men they needed to fully pacify the islands nor was it nearly enough to hold them against thousands.
'And Bloodstone, an island that possessed a fourth of their army, could not even last the week before they fell against the Triarchy'
"Prince Daemon won't be happy." His nephew Rhogar by his deceased brother Jacaerys, said with a fretful expression and it stoked the calming storm within him back into fury.
"I do not give a damn if Daemon will be happy or not!" Corlys bellowed angrily as he fixed an icy glare at his nephew, choosing to keep the more deserved words he wished to curse Daemon with to himself…for now.
Daemon may not be as responsible for this failure as Viserys but he was a culpable factor in this failed conquest.
"Leave! All of you except my brother." Corlys said with disgust in his voice, his face turning away from the men before him. They all left and soon enough he was left alone with his brother who had kept silent through much of the arguments that had been going on before he'd thrown his goblet.
"Nothing to say?" Corlys questioned as he stared at his brother.
His brother gave a thin smile before he shrugged "I happen to agree." Vaemond eyed him carefully before he continued to speak. "Given you're disinclined to involve Laenor in this war"
Corlys shot his brother a hard look at the mention of his heir, a look that once would have left his brother cowed but now left him unfazed as a consequence of being battle-hardened. "I do not see us winning this war with the rules we're bound to and even, we do not have the men to keep these islands."
Vaemond scowled slightly as he leaned back in his chair. "I doubt even the number of men on Driftmark, young and old, would be enough to secure these islands."
With Dorne to the west, Tyrosh and Myr to the east, all of them allied in cause, the chance of them securing these worthless isles were practically non-existent.
That much was clear and laughably, any infighting between these damnable enemies was brought to a low with their presence in the Stepstones.
"No." Corlys shook his head "Even if we recalled my men back to the Isles and levied more of the island's commonfolk, we'd only lose more of them in the long run." He'd sent back half of his ships and three-fifths of his men back to Driftmark when he'd crowned Daemon.
He was glad for it, truth be told.
The fewer men made had him cautious and chances were that he would have lost a good bulk of them before he could admit failure.
"So we sail back tonight then." Vaemond said after a few moments of silence and Corlys clenched the back of the chair before he sighed and nodded.
"Aye. It's time. I'll send a ship to Daemon in courtesy." Corlys said with a twisted and wry smile which made Vaemond snort.
"Make sure to send a captain you won't miss." Vaemond muttered and Corlys sighed knowingly.
"Planned on it already." Corlys answered with a tiredness washing over him before he took a seat.
"He won't give it up, will he?" Vaemond questioned him and Corlys looked up to meet his brother's gaze.
"Nay. Not for some time at least. He'll see this as betrayal and the man is driven by his emotions." Corlys paused for a moment before he continued. "It'll suit us well to keep supplying Daemon and his sellswords, for a time anyway."
"You're thinking of keeping the door open with the Prince?" Vaemond pondered aloud, one of his eyebrows raised. "He is many things but dull he is not. He'll see it for what it is."
"Perhaps he will see it." Corlys conceded "But he will also know that I am the only one he can still call ally. The Braavosi stopped their funding when they discovered Daemon was crowned and that gold will soon run out, if it has not already."
"Hiring the Volantene, their most bitter enemy, was fine but it is too much when a crown touches a head." Vaemond said with a laugh.
"They probably wanted to pull their support for some time. The crowning of Daemon was the right moment without any loss of face or duplicitous mutterings." Corlys said to his brother. Plus, he mused to himself, the economic war they played with Myr had paid off and now there was not a place in Westeros or Essos that did not purchase Braavosi glass instead of Myrish glass.
One of his contacts in Pentos relayed information to him as well that Myrish ships that sailed the Narrow Sea were inexplicably 'lost' at sea and he did not find it difficult to believe that the Braavosi were using them as cover to truly harm the Myrish to the point that they were willing to turn away their gazes from Braavosi ships which must have succeeded.
'And from what I am hearing from back home, the previous Sealord who died four moons ago was also used as a political sacrifice to explain away the 'waste of coin'' Corlys thought with a grimace.A mess that he'd need to deal with as well given that his daughter was betrothed to the man's heir.
Corly shook his head. "No matter." He said before adding "Daemon will have no reason to spite me." Daemon would be reluctant, yes, but nevertheless, he'd allow Corlys' ships to pass through the passes under his control. It would give Corlys time to continue re-establish his trade beyond the Narrow Sea. A few words of promise here and there would be enough to keep up the hope that Corlys may continue to aid him later. Of course, he would not nor did he think Daemon would not recognise that his conquest was folly, sooner or later, thus freeing Corlys from any perceived obligation…
"The Seven know Daemon has no one else beside me or Viserys to call ally." Corlys said with a note of bitterness in his voice and his brother picked up on it.
"We're soon to return to the Realm, brother. You'll have to address the King by his title lest he takes your tongue." Vaemond japed and Corlys laughed and it was not friendly, not a single bit. Viserys acting like a true man with a spine? Pah!
Pigs would sooner fly than that ever happening.
Gods, there was only one man still living that Corlys loathed more than he loathed Viserys and there were moments he truly hated Viserys more than he ever had hated the smug Hightower cunt.
He hoped Jaehaerys looked up from the Seven Hells with dismay at what he caused to happen to the Iron Throne. A man that was as ill-suited to the throne as Aenys ever was but unfortunately, there was no Faith Militant to stoke up rebellion in the Realm and send Viserys to an early grave.
To think that Viserys came from the seed of Baelon the Brave…
He may have been aggrieved on behalf of his wife when Jaehaerys had passed over his wife in favour of Baelon, but he'd grudgingly respected it…after some time.
But Viserys?
A man that he'd thought to be unworthy to be King and his actions since he'd been crowned only understated his unworthiness, that useless, worthless, sack of flesh and bones…
Anyone with a measure of wisdom would know the dangers of letting the Stepstones fall in the hands of the Triarchy but the fool preferred to listen to the snake in his ear, urging caution when Driftmark and Kings Landing were suffering heavy loss with the tolls and the loss of ships in the Stepstones.
Even now, when the involvement of the Free Cities and Dorne were unmistakable, with ample proof provided to the Red Keep, Viserys still refused to act in any capacity. And now, it was clear to see that without bringing the might of the realm against the Triarchy and Dorne, the Stepstones would only fall into their hands.
But no, the fool considered the words out of the Hightower as if they were absolute truth and not the poison that they truly were. Gods, it would be laughable if it were not so dire that such a self-serving cunt was the only man who had Viserys' ear.
Corlys shook his head, banishing away the pointlessly angry thoughts and he got up. "Inform the fleet that we are to sail back." The journey would do well to clear his mind before he returned home.
Vaemond got up and left to do as he'd bid and he was left on his lonesome in his cabin and he began to think on his plans going forward.
He knew the Stepstones would fall into enemy hands but he knew he could…manage the problem if he played it smartly. He glanced at the map that lay on the table and his gaze veered towards the south.
Aegon the Elder.
Ever since his victory in the Basilisk Isles, his ships had increased their trade many folds more than they had been. Yes, he knew that the wayward prince was trading with slaver cities, but that matter not to him. What mattered to him was that Aegon the Elder rarely traded with Westeros.
He knew he could work out an agreement with the prince that could help him recuperate his losses in a substantial way. He just needed an opportunity and he knew exactly where to get such an agreement.
A trio of Celtigar ships had been allowed to pass through Velaryon controlled passes a moon ago and he found out that the ships were headed to the Summer Isles…to the wayward Targaryens that roosted there.
Why exactly, he did not know but he could guess at the reason…and he did not think he was guessing wrongly given that the Celtigars offered little outside of their blood.
Bartimos Celtigar, heir to Claw Isle, had two daughters, one of them only a few years younger than the eldest sons of Aegon and the other daughter old enough that the wait for her flowering would not be severe.
The younger brother, Aethan Celtigar, who was aboard the Celtigar ships, also had daughters to marry off and his wife was half Sunglass, half Darklyn, both Houses that had traces of Valyrian blood in their veins, even if it was diluted.
Corlys tapped the hardwood table with his finger as he stared at the map. He'd half forgotten about Aegon the Elder, and his family, until the Basilisk Isles, likely many of the realm had done so too. When Aegon the Elder departed, refusing the lordship offered by Viserys, he'd thought the boy foolish in letting a good opportunity go because of his unwillingness to swallow the slights when it hindered him and his legacy.
But now…
He was wondering if it had not been an inspired choice, much like his choice to sail to the farthest corners of the Known World in his youth when no heir would dared to risk it.
The numbers of ships that carry his flag were said to be larger than any other fleet, ships in his fleets that were larger than even the Ibbanese whaling ships…
That coupled with the rumours that this Corinth was home to tens of thousands of people, many of whom were freed slaves and of Valyrian stock, all producing sellable goods like the porcelain he'd begun selling in the last days before his departure from Dragonstone…
His wealth must rival that of House Velaryon presently. Wealth that he would not have earned himself had he remained in Westeros.
Mayhaps Aegon the Elder gambled on the idea that the lordship would still be on offer should he return, having earned his wealth through illicit trading, returning with tens of thousands of people loyal to his family, with five dragons under his control, likely more with Liāzmariña, the queerly named she-dragon, at an age that it would sooner or later lay a clutch.
The likelihood that every child of Aegon the Elder having a dragon of their own was disturbingly high.
Corlys chuckled to himself before he shook his head. And had Aegon the Elder not made himself known in the Basilisk Isles, such a realisation may well have been missed by him and others.
Corlys' chuckle petered out as he continued to stare at the map, his finger having stopped tapping.
Allying himself with the third born Targaryen son of Baelon through trade and marriage is the best option available at present once he rid himself of the unworthy Braavosi he was stuck with and in return he'd get a family of dragonriders with
Castorys, he recalled the name of Aegon's heir being. The boy should be nearing one and ten namedays old, only a few years away from being able to marry. His Leana may be eight namedays older than the boy, but it was no matter.
Yes…he mused to himself. He could see House Velaryon recovering both in wealth and in power with an alliance with the Aegon branch of House Targaryen.
Truthfully, it was his only route to maintain his influence in the realm with Princess Rhaenyra, the only blockage the Hightower cunt cannot unblock much to Corlys pleasure, being out of his reach with her betrothal to Daemon's son Baelon.
Corlys scowled lightly. Jaehaerys had spited him with that betrothal, he knew from the centre of his heart. Rumours of Aemma's infertility had been circling for some time before Jaehaerys had forced Daemon to perform his duties…
Corlys shook his head. No. Princess Rhaenyra was out of his reach. He'd considered mayhaps causing an 'accident' to Daemon to pave the way for Laenor but he suspected that nothing short of Baelon dying would allow for such a thing and he was not so craven to cause the death of a boy, even if he was Daemon's son.
Aegon the Elder's heir will do for him and it was doubtlessly the same for Aegon the Elder. After all…Laena was the rider of Vhagar and her blood was as pure as that of Aegon's family.
-Break-
Mid 110 AC – Corinth
Castorys POV
Castorys put down the journal and looked up towards his father.
Today's lesson was about the important of reputation.
Like in other lessons, father had written what he calls 'scenarios', a word that in Greek that didn't have the same word available in Common or High Valyrian, where there would be three different situations that were different in circumstances but similar in eventual effect, like the loss or reduction of reputation of the three men in the scenarios that father had written.
Father looked up from his writing after having sensed that Castorys was ready and after a 'go ahead' look from father, Castorys breathed in a little before he spoke.
"Reputation is a type of power, an important power that is equal to that of skill in arms." Castorys said to his father as confidently as he could.
The first scenario was of a man who was considered to be a fool by the people of the village thanks to the machinations of a jealous man who had once been humiliated by the man they now called a fool when they were young boys.
The fool-who-was-not-truly-a-fool had ignored the attacks on his character for many years after having decided that the opinions of the village did not matter to him and simply carried on with his life. One day, after having gone to the river, he noticed a menacing band of men coming his direction and he realised that they were on the path to the village and so he had hurried back to the village.
He warned them of the danger and he'd been laughed off by the village, who considered the man a fool. He begged, he pleaded, he cursed them, yet they only laughed at the fool of the village and the man began to doubt himself in a way he had never done so. He should not have.
The menacing band of men came to the village much to his dismay, and that of the village, and the village was destroyed, its men killed and its women enslaved.
The second scenario was similar to that of the first but not as bad or as senseless as the first though the third scenario was one that he liked a lot. It was a scenario that spoke of a great general known for his cunning and trickery who found himself encircled by a great army when he himself only possessed a small fraction of men.
His defeat was all but certain should the enemy great army attack but the reputation of the great general was known to all and the general used this to his advantage. The great general remain calm and dressed himself as a monk and played songs and the sounds of his army were that of merriment, not one of fear and worry as those who were encircled and fated to be defeated ought to be.
The enemy general grew suspicious, then worrisome, until fear triumphed and forced his army to retreat for he feared defeat and for he feared defeat through trickery and humiliation.
"…And?" Father prodded lightly as he smiled a little at Castorys, his eyes intense as he closed his journal.
"And that reputation can make you win because you strike fear in the hearts of your enemies and make them make mistakes that they otherwise would not. Or even not try to make themselves your enemy because they are afraid of you would do to them. Also…also reputation is also dangerous because if you have a bad reputation, you are unlikely to be able to repair it and that will mean terrible things for you and also your people." Castorys said with his eyebrows knitted together as he tried to explain what he thought he understood from the scenarios.
"Good." Father said with a pleased note in his voice. "That is a good understanding of what reputation means." Father said and Castorys flashed a happy smile at the praise.
Father continued "Reputation is an invisible hand that can take from you or it could give to you. It is a means to make yourself unassailable but also a means to weaken you. It is also a constant battle that you will face throughout your life and it is easier to damage your reputation than it is to improve it and if you ever damage it to the point of losing your reputation, that is truly when things become dangerous." Father said seriously before he restored his smile to his bearded face.
"Wisdom is to reputation to what victory is to war, Castorys, and wisdom comes from experience and from learning. Keep your mind, your ears and your eyes open, and you shall have the wisdom to never let your reputation suffer." Father declared.
Castorys thought it over and nodded once he got a hang of what father was saying. Wisdom meant to know and understand when to act, what to say and when to say nothing or do nothing, and all of that was important to keep your reputation.
Castorys thought he had a good reputation. At least he thought so and he asked his father if his own reputation was as good as he thought it was.
Father smiled at him before he nodded slightly. "You do have a good reputation. Our people think well of you. You are very good with your sword already at your age and your dutifulness when I was away and now when you are shadowing me has been noticed."
When father had been at war, Castorys helped as much as he could which…wasn't much truth to be told. Mother didn't really let him or his brothers much freedom.
But Castorys did make his fellow squires put in a lot more work in the training so that seemed to count a little at least. Now though, he was older and father was taking him to the training yards of the army and having him learn more about the army and how father acts with the army.
"The only thing I would say is that you should try and do better with mastering your emotions. You feel strongly, Castorys, and much of it is geared towards chastising yourself in an unhelpful manner." Father said gently. "It is good to have high expectation of yourself but it is not so good to drown yourself in them."
"I've been better." Castorys protests and it was true as well. He always wanted to be like his father and he hated it when he wasn't doing so well. It took a long time for him to understand that father really didn't want him to be like him but wanted him to be Castorys, himself, rather than be exactly his father.
"You have been." Father agreed "But you do sometimes show more frustration than you should. As the eldest son of our family, you are the one who our people and our family will look up to. Your frustrations will and are felt by those around you." Father said to him before continuing. "A leader must be resolute and you do this by first mastering your emotions. Learn to control and manage your frustrations, your anger, your fears, all of it, and no one will be able to exploit you through your emotions." Father told him and Castorys nodded a little hesitantly.
He was doing better as he said to his father with regards to beating himself up about his mistakes and failures, but it was hard to not show it as his father wanted him to be able to do it.
But he will continue to try and do though, he resolved to himself.
Their lesson continued though to call it lessons was not quite right too. It felt more like a conversation, where he and father discussed all kinds of examples of men that father knew of, men that Castorys had never heard of before, and none of the examples were exactly the same, often differing in fate or how they ruled or led a war.
Towards the end of the lessons, when they were discussing a King who lost his kingdom because his vassals abandoned him in his time of need, Castorys was half distracted by a thought that had often occupied his mind in the past year or so.
His father noticed and asked him to speak up and he did so.
"Father…why don't you want to be king?" Castorys asked tentatively.
Castorys knew that many people wanted father to be King, even the people from Dragonstone. Everyone didn't really like that father was not wanting to be King of their people because his elder brother who was far away from the Summer Isles and further away still from Elamaerys.
Father sighed heavily before he smiled a little wearily at Castorys "I expected this question though I am surprised that it took this long for you – or your brothers – to ask this question of me." Father turned gaze away from Castorys and seemed to stare into the distance.
Father remained silent for a long few moments and Castorys worried that he asked something he should not have. "There are many reasons why I do not wish to become King, Castorys though there is one, winning reason why I seek to avoid it." Father said to him as he turned his gaze back towards Castorys and he was surprised to see father look at him with great intensity.
"And that reason is you, my boy." His father said quietly as his eyes softened slightly and when Castorys understood what his father meant, a sharp pain of betrayal entered his heart. His father didn't want to be King because of him?
Did h-…
"Castorys." Father's sharp voice cut through his thoughts and he met father's sharp eyes. "Do not finish the thought that is written on your face." Father's voice was softer when he continued to speak. "Remember what I taught you about not jumping to conclusions." Father said and he calmed himself though it wasn't easy.
His mind went back to the lessons, one of the first of many lessons. Father taught him and his brothers not to act without having as much information available – and verified if possible – to them, that it was unwise and would leave you to the mercy of luck and that only fools and the desperate depend on luck.
Father smiled softly at Castorys and he nodded. "Good." Father then sighed before he washed his hand across his bearded face. "I could have worded that better." Father muttered before he shook his head and refocused and looked at Castorys.
"When I mean with you, I mean that I do not wish to burden you with all that comes with Kingship, Castorys." Father said heavily. "Kingship for the likes of us is something that will eat us alive from the inside."
"I…I don't understand." Castorys confessed after he digested what father was telling him. 'Eating us alive…?'
Father nodded slightly before he leaned back in his chair. "I will explain but first…tell me what you believe it means to be a King?"
Castorys thought about it for a moment and he remembered everything he saw of his father and then he answered.
"A King protects his people and a King rules his people. A King is righteous and fair but also strong and fearless. A King is to be obeyed but not a tyrant. A King cares for his people and makes their lives better." All of which father was in all but name anyway, which he was sure everyone knew too.
Father smiled slightly before he nodded. "That is what a King should be in the eyes of his people, I agree, though I would say that the first and foremost principle of that of a King is to provide stability and order to the land and to the people." Father paused for a moment before he continued.
"And yet, the nature of Kingship is inherently unstable, Castorys." Father then frowned a little as he spoke. "You are more than simply a leader as King. You are a warrior, a scholar, a ruler, a Septon, the embodiment of your people as King."
"It is a position of power that as absolute as that of the Gods, where you, as King, can decide life and death and the course that those lives take. You can decide who lives and who dies, who is rich and who is poor, and it is a position that is corruptible when the King is meant to be incorruptible for the role it symbolically and factually has." Father said to Castorys with a heaviness in his voice.
Castorys thought it over for a few moments before he looked to his father "And you think I would be corruptible?" Castorys couldn't help but ask.
Father looked at him and smiled softly at Castorys "Castorys, you'll be a better man than I am. At just one and ten namedays old, I am confident enough that I can say without deception that if I die tomorrow, the fate of our people and our family will rest assured on your shoulders." Father said sincerely to Castorys.
Castorys blanched "Don't say that you'll die!" as much as father's confidence in him pleased Castorys a lot, the thought of father dying terrified him.
Father chuckled "I won't die any time soon." Father said a little amused as he leaned forward and ruffled Castorys' hair before he leaned back into his chair. Castorys really didn't like the way father made so much light of his death.
Father grew serious once more as he spoke "Nevertheless, though I do not believe you will be corruptible, what I do believe is that the position of King will become corruptible over time. The nature of power, the allure and attraction of the position of King is one that is irresistible and that covetousness comes in many forms." Father said to Castorys seriously.
"Take the tale of Maegor for example." Father said as he leaned back into his chair.
"Maegor did not rebel against his brother Aenys when Aegon the Conqueror died even though it was clear that Aenys was a soft man and of weaker constitution still." Father said as he looked directly into Castorys' eyes.
"Had Maegor wanted it, he could have deposed his brother, even kill his brother and his nephews and nieces, the moment he mounted the Black Dread. His mother Visenya may well have helped him do it. Based on what you read and were taught about our House…do you agree?" his father asked him.
Castorys was dismayed by the idea of brothers killing each other but he knew that Maegor was a monster that killed his own nephews. "Yes." Castorys said uncomfortably before he breathed heavily. Maegor was monstrous enough that killing his own sibling would be possible. "He could have killed his own brother."
Father nodded slightly before he spoke. "Yet…yet he did not do so out of love for his brother Aenys." Father frowned heavily as he spoke a little quieter.
"A love that did not extend to his nephews when Aenys died. Maegor took the crown instead of swearing fealty to Aenys' son, Aegon, and instead, killed him and his mount in battle, becoming an accursed kinslayer in the process and became twice over a kinslayer when he, at the very least, presided over the gruesome and awful death of Viserys, my grand-uncle." Father then waved randomly with a hand.
"What happened next is not of much import to this discussion regarding Kingship for the matter of Maegor ascending, and how he did so, to the throne, is what is relevant." Father looked him directly in the eyes.
"Maegor may have loved his brother but he also loved and coveted the throne. His love for his brother died when Aenys died and unfortunately none of that love extended to Aenys' children who suffered as a consequence.
There may have been circumstances that pushed him to act on his desires for the throne, such as the Faith Militant, but ultimately, Maegor could not resist the attraction of the throne and nor could his aiders and abetters resist to join him in his usurpation of the throne in their own hunger for power.
And though Maegor was cruel even as a young boy, his usurpation is not one that is resigned to those of cruel constitution for the allure of Kingship is simply that great to many and most." Father said as he breathed out wearily.
"And for our family…" Father said as he smiled a little tiredly "For our family, the allure of Kingship is ever more dangerous when we possess the very means to make oaths and laws matter less than the paper they are written on."
"Do you mean our dragons…?" Castorys asked. Father nodded seriously.
"Had Maegor not possessed Balerion, the chances that he could have taken Kings Landing is minimal. Had Maegor not possessed Balerion, the chances of him being able to kill Aegon in battle would have been nigh impossible given the rightful support Aegon son of Aenys had from the Realm. Our dragons, particularly those who live to be more than a hundred years of age, make armies and younger dragons worthless."
"And that brings me back as to why I believe Kingship will eat us alive should I declare myself King. Our Power is manifested through our dragons, our bonded life-mates, who every named Targaryen has a right to bond with.
In such a circumstance, every Targaryen is made equal. We are above all else in this world and though I may be cynical, I believe that it is a belief that every Targaryen has felt and will feel throughout their lives." Father leaned forward.
"Our very strength, our very Power, is ultimately a danger to the idea of Kingship, Castorys. You will have children, your brothers and sister will have children, and those children will have children, all likely possessing dragons of their own.
One day, another Maegor will come from those descendants who covets the throne and disregards the bonds of blood should the position of Kingship, with all of its allure and power, exist." Castorys twisted his face unhappily at that but before he could speak father continued.
"Castorys." Father said gravely. "Proclaiming something to be impossible simply because you hate the idea is not a good habit to have."
Castorys clenched his hands before he nodded a little jerkily.
Father looked at him for a long while before he sighed heavily and continued "It is also a day that I fear will destroy Elamaerys, along with destroying our reputation and our family in general, if our dragons in all of their numbers Dance against one another.
For all of that, do I believe Kingship is something we should never rise to in Elamaerys and instead, I believe we should look to Old Valyria on how they managed to rule."
"The Forty Families." Castorys said with widening eyes.
Father nodded though he looked slightly amused. "Though I hope you and your siblings and your children do not take this as a challenge to create forty different branches of House Targaryen." His father said in a teasing note and Castorys looked away from his father in an embarrassed look.
"Anyway." Father said in a chuckle "Though our ancestors have done and accomplished many things we should not replicate, there are some parts like the Archonate system that will suit our family – and our people – very well."
"Oh." Castorys said in response, a small frown appearing on his face as he tried to recall what he remembered about the Freehold and what it means to be Archon.
"Aren't Archons elected?" Castorys asked. He remembered that quite easily. It was very strange, the idea of electing your ruler.
"They can be." Father said as he nodded slightly before he added.
"But Archon of Elamaerys will not be an elected position. You will be the Archon after me and your son shall be Archon after you. But neither me, you or your son shall rule alone. No Archon will not rule alone. No, our family will have a voice that matters to the much like the Forty Families had voices of their own."
"But why not have a Lord Paramountship like in the Seven Kingdoms?" Castorys asked his father a little unsure. "Wouldn't that be better?"
"No." Father said firmly. "It would not. From such a governing would come the problem of the nobility, Castorys. The vassals of the Lords Paramount are capable of raising armies that are collectively several times larger than the Lord they are sworn to." Father looked him directly in his eyes. "And you should know by now the problems that can come from self-interest and ambition."
Castorys swallowed and nodded. There were plenty of examples that father shared with him about the Kings and rulers that were foolish enough to tread dangerously with their vassals and the people they governed.
"The Archonate would not have this problem." Father said, recapturing his attention. "There will be only one land, one army, and one ruling body, all lead by the Archon who takes council from the members of House Targaryen, family."
Father paused for a moment before he continued.
"I understand that it is a lot to take in, and there are many things that I have not fully explained, which I will in due time, but you know now at least some of my reasons of why I do not wish to be King and what I plan for you, our family and our people." Father said as he looked at him directly in the eyes.
"I understand." Castorys said as he nodded carefully to his father.
Father looked at him strangely but he returned the nod and he stood up. "Alright. I think it's enough for now. I'm sure we've missed the beginnings of the first games of Olympic." Father said and Castorys shrugged.
The first two games were the qualifying rounds of shield throwing and spear throwing, and neither were games that Castorys really liked anyway. He would have been upset if they missed the rugby games though, he thought as he felt his father's hand on his neck as they walked out of his solar.