Dying to Know 4 - (ASoIaF, Qyburn!SI)
239 AC, Arbor
Vaella Targaryen is an oaf.
This statement, which could easily be attributed to Olenna Redwyne, was a bit more objective than many would expect at first impression.
The daughter of Prince Daeron the Drunken and of Lady Kiera of Tyrosh, she was briefly mentioned four years ago as a potential claimant to the throne at 11. She was ruled out as simple-minded and naive, which reinforced King Aegon V's claim in securing the throne in t he Great Council of 233.
That was six years ago, and now I would say that the simple-mindedness was only 'true' whenever it mattered to Vaella herself. At first glance, nothing much stood out from the expectations I had for the young brunette.
She was quite a gorgeous lady despite lacking the usual white/platinum blonde hair the Targaryen were renowned for. Her brown hair akin to chocolate mousse that was quite a 'gluttonous' detail mixed with her vibrant violet eyes. Her bosom was full, her hips were curved nicely, and her smile was dazzling and...
And her mind was dangerous.
It was a paradox, I know. First, I detail her as the same 'half-witted' lady that she is briefly depicted as, but I had a valid reason to suspect and then 'admit' that she may have more brain power than she was willing to show.
When she and Prince Daeron (her cousin) arrived to Arbor, they were welcomed by Lord Runceford with incredible warmth - fitting for a royal entourage of sorts. Prince Daeron was then pretty much pushed towards Olenna and, while the girl had matured into a more 'patient' girl of one and ten, she still reserved some sharpness by her tongue to make any interaction as abrasive but 'polite' as possible.
Olenna had indeed taken my words to heart two years ago, mastering the sublime art of being a malicious compliant individual much to Daeron's chagrin... and relief. After all, this behavior proved him with reason to dodge his supposed future wife as much as it was possible for him.
What I couldn't have predicted with what little info I had on Vaella was how the woman, rather than help her cousin, decided to worm her way into my proximity. Not too suddenly or bluntly, but her interest on 'flowers and plants' made me too careless in realizing that she wanted something else from me.
The politeness, the helpfulness- all those simple traits I deemed fit with a 'oaffish woman' proved to be just a cover to get where she wanted to be.
It was during one of those random visits in my workshop where Vaella began to prod the true reason she had visited this place.
"What about dragons?"
I blinked nonchalantly at the question as it was coming from a lengthy but rather simple discussion over reproduction of men, animals and other creatures. Dragons was a topic that hadn't been broached in the entire three days they had been there.
While it was 'unusual' for modern times for 'play dates' to last this long, the fact it takes a month, maybe more, to get from King's Landing to this island, I would say they needed a bit of a break from that hassle. And as I scribbled there a few notes on any potential addendum to the journal I published on the flowers' experiment, I ended up threading a rather scary path without me noticing until it was quite late.
It was just the two of us in the workshop due to the hour and Lord Runceford hardly left any guards to keep an eye on me due to the reliability I held in his mind and heart. This was indeed the worst situation to be cornered in a rather interesting trap.
"Dragons are... difficult," I answered quietly. "Dragons are creatures some may expect to have similarities to lizards due to their reproduction involving eggs, their scales and overall similarities with other reptiles. But... it's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"You can dissect or vivisect a lizard. The former is impossible with a dragon due to a sense of 'morality' preventing this, while the latter is... well, physically impossible."
"But why would either be important?"
"To understand how life works, we can't just stop to the behaviors of the living. What I call a 'study through diagnoses' is based on knowing what's happening through... 'symptoms' or the effects of a sickness or a specific attitude shown by a patient," I replied with a bit more details. "If someone around you starts coughing, can't breath from one of their nostrils, and is struggling to breathe, then there is a chance he has an issue tied to his lungs. It could be as simple as a common cold, or it could be more complex like a deadlier illness. What happens when a dragon is seen sneezing frequently."
"...It has a cold?" Vaella guessed.
"That's the best we can draw without knowing how a dragon's body truly works, Lady Vaella. After all, we expect them to be living being like us, but how can we truly compare when their mere existence is proof of magic and that they can breathe pure fire from within?"
This time, Vaella appeared both baffled and awed by this mere thought. There was a brief pause after my words, but the young woman didn't waste any time finally hitting at the core problem behind her sudden shift of topic.
"What about the eggs?"
"I believe you should call them petrified husks. They can't be revived," I firmly assured, but Vaella... frowned and leaned closer.
"That's quite a strong affirmation, Maester Qyburn," She argued with a hint of 'annoyance' mixed with curiosity. "Why would you say that?"
"The Citadel had the chance to check a Dragon Egg in the past. One of those petrified ones that, by all means, can't be revitalized by normal means."
"Magic?"
"Is not an option, Lady Vaella," I flatly answered. "Not only is Westeros deprived of any as of now, but the expense of such a powerful ritual, going by the brutal practices of some Essosi figures, would be too excessive to make a dragon worth it."
"How expensive would that even be?" Vaella asked, clearly failing to realize the full scope of what a 'magic ritual' was at this point in time.
"Centuries ago? Two or so Targaryen. But by relying on my theory on how traits tend to dilute within the ensuing generations... a hundred."
"...A hundred... members?" Vaella was speechless on that large number. "S-Surely this isn't-"
"Minimum," I added, causing her jaw to drop once more. "Understand that by what we know of old magic tends to highlight more than just 'magic itself'. Blood of the Dragon the Targaryen may be, but time has gone by since magic had disappeared. It is in fact quite common in some historical journals to refer how dragons had grown less big with each new hatchling. Unless magic was to make a return, no ritual about magic can be done to change the matter."
Vaella bowed her head at this, and I decided I needed to get myself a rest. I stood up from my chair to leave, but perhaps my action was taken as a reason to depart out of irritation. The displeasure of Maesters over magic was a known thing, and while a bit silly Vaella knew this may have been the case.
She stood up rapidly, grabbing my robe and pretty much causing us both to trip down. An awkward development for sure, and a potentially deadly one if I didn't move fast enough. Call it 'panicked reaction', but I cared not for her title as I pulled her in a hug and cushioned our fall with my left arm. I was sore as we landed, but the woman had shifted to return the impromptu hug as I kept her stuck there for a few more seconds.
"A-Are you alright, Lady Vaella?"
Nodding against my chest, Vaella's voice was a bit trembling. "Y-Yes and- and Maester Qyburn, if I offended you, I-I am sorry and-"
"You did not. I was just leaving to find some rest. It's getting quite late."
...
"Oh."
"But alas, I see no reason for you to be concerned over-"
"I-I need to bring something to my uncle. The king is... growing restless," Shifting out of the hug and now kneeling, I saw a rather nervous look on her face. "Egg is... I mean, the King is trying his best to reform the realm but- but the lords had grown too powerful. And he is trying to get his hands on Dragons."
"Which is not going to happen," I pointed out, and she nodded in agreement. "But that doesn't mean it is the only solution to this issue."
If I remember correctly, Aegon V's main issue- the thing that drove him into the mad search to restore the dragons, was the need to have a 'large-enough stick' to use on unruly lords as he planned to grant reforms to the peasantry. While Dragons are not an option to pursue, the concept of what he needed was far from wrong.
He needed a stick to enforce order.
"I-Is it not?"
I shook my head, helped her off the ground and gestured to her to sit down once more. Confusion soon morphed in realization as I picked a new batch of papers and then started to explain what I was referring to with my words.
By the end of the visit, Vaella was pleased to leave Arbor with a small journal containing ideas and plans for a potential 'Military School' meant to 'reform the military in the Crownlands'. I could have gone as far as mention cannons or other modernizations, but if there is not a well-disciplined standing army that was loyal to the king and willing to fight to their very death, then it wouldn't matter much.
Vaella would send me a letter once they made it back to King's Landing, mentioning that the king had been interested in the ideas I proposed to him and nothing else was added to it. And she said that she missed me which was really really concerning since I knew how romance was handled to ladies that were not only single but ready to claim those men that could actually be fine to be a partner to. Despite the fact I was sworn to be a celibate scientist.
For several months, nothing else changed within Arbor. Olenna had been somewhat 'pleased' with the inconclusive results of that interaction, and she was most delighted when she was told of Prince Duncan's decision to marry a peasant girl and even surrendered his claim to the throne. Likewise, Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Shaerra were caught trying to marry, but were stopped in advance by some loyal guards to the king.
Nonetheless, the news of their attempted incestuous marriage prompted the interruption of their respective betrothal out of 'fear and shame of having their family members sullied by those troublesome Targaryen'.
With the political move meant to consolidate the realm failing, it almost didn't come as a surprise when I received a letter from the king himself to require my attention to a matter tied to Summerhall. Considering the date, I was willing to think it was not the tragedy I was worried about and more something along the line of what my letter suggested.
To be fair, the double crises may have triggered some of that dormant paranoia in Aegon V's mind, and the idea of having his order cemented within the lines I adviced may have pushed him to have me act upon what I had offered to him.
It was... difficult explaining this to Olenna.
The girl was 12 at this point, and she was as educated as she could be. She had been taught the rules of verbal sparring, granted important education on the matters of accounting, historical awareness and other elements that someone with her brilliant mind needed- but she expected me to stay and give her more of that knowledge and wisdom. But I could tell all she wanted was for me to stay indefinitely because she liked me as a tutor.
Sadly, that wasn't a position I could maintain as Lord Runceford was not interested in 'facing the wrath of the king'. I was thus leaving Arbor after a rather bitter lashout session from Olenna. A brazen lady that lost her temper and truly whipped me over my many many flaws. It was all emotional, quite unnerving, but I understood the reason why it happened.
I promised to write her some letters, even if she would just discard them 'out of hatred'.
Without further frustrations, I departed from my job as a tutor and reached Summerhall to find it being handled by its newest lordling put in charge of the residence- a certain Prince Jaehaerys that had been sent out of court due to what he tried to do with his sister.
While this promised some bitterness due to my 'connection' to the king's renewed opposition to incestuous bonds through my journals, I was glad to find out that what welcomed me at Summerhall was a small-sized bootcamp with the kind of details I had asked for.
A Military School, the first in the whole Westeros, was soon to give birth to the most effective military force of the time. A Peasant Army... for a 'Peasant King', I suppose.
AN
Despite the Tragedy of Summerhall being seemingly avoided for now, Westeros' stability is still tending towards the abyss due to the failing political marriages the King has tried to use to reform the kingdom. All that is left to do is to prepare for the storm and... face it when it hits.