Rose Road, The Crownlands...276 AC...
A small column was moving up the road towards Kings Landing, a dozen knights all wearing the golden tree of House Rowan surrounded the wheelhouse as it continued onwards. All seemed well until they neared a rocky part of the road where some of the large stones made the road very narrow.
The perfect place for an ambush.
Some bandits had set up here and waited on top of the rocks until the knights were going through, leaping down on them from the rocks onto the knights, knocking them off their horses and stabbing some of them before they even hit the ground. Others leapt onto the wheelhouse and stabbed the driver and other guard while the horses bolted in panic after the bandits cut them free, leaving only the wheelhouse surrounded by bandits.
They jeered and pulled the wheelhouse open, a pair of maidens in fine gowns along with two handmaidens all of whom were under the age of sixteen were forcefully dragged out from inside it. The girls looked terrified as they knew what happened in these situations and rape was the most likely the outcome, Lady Talla Rowan, youngest daughter of Lord Rowan was the only one worth a ransom, the rest of them would likely end up being used as whores before being sold to an actual whorehouse if they were lucky.
Then a rumble started to be heard over their jeers and self-congratulations, they all looked around for the source until they looked north and saw a sight that terrified all of them, except the ladies who's hearts leapt at the sight of potential rescue.
"Run! It be the Red Dragon!" One of the bandits screamed as he saw a group of men on horse back heading straight towards them, led by possibly the most terrifying figure at the very front.
The bandits turned to run but the horses were faster, the leading figure already had a sword out and cut down two of them as he rode past and then ran down the rest of them with his men. The twenty or so bandits were cut down on the run and the lead rider turned to two of his men and ordered.
"They will have a camp near here, probably on the edge of the Kingswood, find it." He commanded and two of the riders went off at high speed to see if they could find just where the bandits had been hiding. The main rider came back at a much slower pace towards the women and dismounted, the ladies were all still scared near witless by their experience and stayed huddled together as he approached.
He was very tall, about six foot nine wearing dark coloured steel armour with a red dragon emblazoned on his chest-plate. He also wore a red cloak that he wiped his well made bastard sword clean on before sheathing it, coming up to the ladies he then proved surprising tenderness by holding out his hand to help Lady Rowan up. With some hesitation she took his outstretched hand and he carefully helped her to her feet. The other ladies too one after the other as his men secured the area.
"My Lady, are you well? We have been chasing these brigands for some time and I hope that I was able to prevent anything untoward happening to you or your friends." The man asked with surprising gentleness, Lady Rowan despite being slightly flustered did her best to appear as a high-born lady and answered with a curtsy.
"We are well your grace. Our guards were not so fortunate but you have saved us." Lady Rowan said looking around at the bodies of her father's knights.
"Then we must be grateful for small mercies." Haeron said with calm look on his face. He wished he could have saved the men but he had only just learnt of the column's lack of heavy guard. "In their absence it would be my honour to escort you and your ladies to Kings Landing. My mother is anxiously awaiting your arrival."
"Thank you Prince Haeron, we truly appreciate it." Lady Rowan said with a blush on her cheeks as the prince was even more handsome than she had been led to believe. She was hoping that she could use her post as one of the Queen's new handmaidens to get closer to him as her father had ordered but his intense purple eyes both entranced and scared her. Entranced her because of the deep and alluring shade but also scared her because of the intensity with which they stared back at you.
"Then we had best get to it, it would not do to stay out here too long should some other group of bandits find us." Haeron told them before telling some of his men. "Ser Giles, tie your horse to the wheelhouse and drive it until we reach the safety of the Red Keep. You two catch those horses that fled."
The hedge knights did as he was told while Haeron got back on his horse and after their fellow two riders had rejoined them after confirming there were no more bandits in the camp or anything of value, and they had managed to catch two of the fleeing horses and tie them to the wheelhouse they moved north towards Kings Landing.
Haeron rode at the head of the column, the men he recruited were mostly hedge knights or other men who were willing to ride with him as he patrolled the Crownlands and kept the lawless elements in check, he did on occasion lead these men into other areas along the boarders with the Reach, Stormlands, Westerlands and the Riverlands to rid them of bandits wherever they sprang up. The men who joined him were often hungry for glory and acclaim and hoped to get it at his side, many of the lords they helped would recruit them to their household if they received a good recommendation from him.
It was a fair exchange, ride and serve and in return have a chance to advance socially.
Haeron himself mostly did this not just out of a sense of duty but also to curry favour with the different nobles, Lord Rowan would owe him for this one he thought coldly but knew he could never count on that.
He had been doing this for awhile now and it had even gotten him knighted at fourteen, the youngest in his entire family when he had rescued Lord Sunglass and his family from such a raid. While he had an especially great contempt for knights in general these days it helped him develop his own legend here in Westeros. This was also the reason he had been sending extra food from the kitchens of the Red Keep to the poor of Kings Landing to built up his reputation.
The sight of the Red Keep and Kings Landing would have been a welcome sight for most people, especially for Lady Rowan and her ladies after the experience she had just had but for Haeron it was just another reminder of what he was fighting against.
The people in the streets parted as he rode through them and Haeron did his part by waving to the crowd even though he felt it was a complete waste of time, they would cheer for anything he thought with dismay at the fickleness of people but he would not let it show on his face as he led the column through the streets and to the Red Keep itself.
Riding through the gates he dismounted and allowed the stable hands to take over his horse, he did not bother to name them as Aerys had a habit of killing the horses he named as a new way to try and hurt him but he was disappointed when Haeron showed no sadness even if he hated such beautiful animals being killed, especially for no good reason.
With Golor at his side he walked through the corridors of the Red Keep, allowing the ladies to be handled by the stewards while he went to bathe and change his clothes. He ignored most people as he passed, not wanting to endanger anyone else's lives by befriending them.
He took off his armour as he walked, he was not willing to allow a squire to do it for the same reason he kept people at arms length, they would be put in too much danger. Entering his room Golor respectfully stayed outside as he stripped off his remaining clothes and took the bowl of freshly boiled water and soap that he had made himself along with a clean cloth and began to scrub himself down.
He was now almost eight and ten years of age, eighteen he thought with mirth as he scrubbed himself clean. How time had flown he thought as it seemed only yesterday that he had awakened his true memories and had his life changed forever, it had taken many years of toil and sweat to get to where he was now. Exercising hard, rigorous training and hours and hours of actively channelling his magic had left his body more developed than he had ever been before perhaps due to doing it while experiencing puberty. The results had surprised even him as he was now not only very tall at 6ft9 but had a great deal of muscle mass, the effects of his magic being channelled through his body when combined with the hard training regime he had established for himself. He had to wonder why magical families didn't do the same back in his old world, he could only guess that either they didn't know about it or were too lazy, these were things he had only learned later in life after all.
Once he was clean he saw night was falling and after making sure his room was secure he went to bed, tomorrow would no doubt bring more challenges and tasks to do.
- x -
The following morning Haeron woke up early, as dawn was creeping over the horizon and dressed in his training clothes before heading straight down to the training yard.
He began his workout routine, weightlifting, press-ups, pull-ups, sit ups and running laps for a good couple of hours, his body was covered with sweat and the maidens who rose early enough saw the highly muscular chest of the prince and swooned at the sight. Even the scars that still crossed his back did not put off their fantasies of him being their man. Another thing for Aerys to feel jealous of as he had women solely because of his position, while that was in part true of the prince as well they were more than willing to have him in their beds even without his title given how beautiful they found him.
Putting a shirt on much to their disappointment he saw some of the men he trained with arrive. He did so every day against multiple opponents for hours until breakfast, drawing blunted training weapons they began to fight. Haeron was as fast as he was strong, moving with a grace born of years of dedicated practice, ducking, sidestepping, parrying and pivoting to deflect, block or evade blows sent his way. He took the occasional hit but as he did this more he became better and better, never making the same mistake twice.
Ser Gerold Hightower watched silently from the side as he saw the Prince training, in all of these years they had never managed to make any ground in improving their standing with the Prince. He would not allow them to accompany him whenever he left the Red Keep preferring his own men and when the time had come for him to learn the arts of swordsmanship and everything else to do with matters of warfare he had found other teachers rather than accept tutelage from them. This did deeply anger Gerold as training the future king in the arts of war should be their job, instead they were kept on the outside. They had trained Rhaegar and would train other men born into the Royal family but not the Crown Prince this time.
"It is an affront to not be involved in the prince's training." Ser Harlan said from the side as he joined Ser Gerold, unknowingly echoing his brother-in-arm's thoughts. Ser Gerold though could do nothing as the Prince refused to trust them and from what he could see his current training was hardly lacking. He trained himself harder than they themselves did and it showed, Gerold admitted reluctantly as he had agility worthy of the best warriors and strength to match. His technique was almost flawless which he was still striving to achieve even though he was considerably better than just about any knight, perhaps even as good as any of them now Gerold conceded to himself.
"But he wishes it to be this way and as Kingsguard we must respect that." Gerold told Ser Harlan who nodded bitterly.
- x -
After a couple of hours of training Haeron went to bathe and then changed to meet with the maesters, lords and farmers from the Crownlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, the North and the Riverlands to present them with a new innovation. He had dressed in his signature outfit, the one that had given him the nickname of the 'Red Dragon'. Black breeches with a leather belt and red shirt, a black waist coat over the shirt, black boots and a long leather coat. It was a mix of black and red leather which had been styled to look like dragons, hence the nickname he had been given 'Red Dragon'. No-one ever used this name in Aerys's hearing though as he would have them flogged and insist that he was the only dragon.
He walked up the stairs to the old Small Council Chamber, it had been replaced with a new one lower down in the castle after the Dance of the Dragons but Haeron had restored it with his own hands and now it served as his personal meeting room.
"Greetings to you all, and thank you for coming." Haeron said as he entered the room. The various members of the audience looked curious as to why he had asked to meet with them all but he would not keep them waiting for long. "Today I intend to show you how you can increase productivity of your farming to increase food production and free up labour to work in the fields."
The lords and farmers looked somewhat insulted that he would dare tell them how to make the most of their lands when he had never worked a field in his entire life but the Maesters were interested as they wondered just what he had to say.
"Now, the first is to with grain. At present you have to use men to crush it into flower but what I am about to show you will make this process much easier and require far less manual labour. Observe." Haeron said as he pulled a blanket off a large scale model he had created. It was strange with a large paddled wheel next to an open pipe. Haeron took a bucket of water and poured it into the open pipe, as the water ran through it, the paddles were pushed by the water and it turned the mechanism which in term moved a wheel that would ground the grain. The lords and farmers all now looked on with great interest as did the maesters.
"As a ship's sails will catch the wind to move it forward in the water, so can water move the wheel, which moves the mechanism which moves the crushing wheel and grounds the grain into flour." Haeron said with a calm look on his face as he explained the process. "Now men who would normally have to crush the grain by hand can be freed to work in the fields, as long as the water flows it can keep working. And it need not only be water as it can also be done with the wind, catching sails and moving the mechanism the same way." Haeron said pulling another blanket off another model with a wind powered mill beneath it.
The audience were stunned, this could save them a lot of labour and time that could be spent elsewhere and immediately wanted to know how to build them but Haeron was not done yet as he revealed another potentially more important discovery.
"At the moment you use a three year system to grow crops with a year where the field will sit empty meaning for a third of that cycle to let the soil become fertile again. I have discovered after experiments that there is a way to allow the land to recover and grow crops at the same time, thanks to this." Haeron said and the audience wondered if he was going to pull out some magic potion or something but instead he held up a well known vegetable.
"The turnip." Haeron said as he held one in his hand. "When planted they breathe new life into the soil while they grow inside it, meaning you can grow a crop of turnips and then immediately use the field again afterwards to grow another crop. This creates a four year system where the fields need never be abandoned and always used to grow new crops. This will drastically increase the amount of food produced and therefore, profits as well." Haeron explained.
The lords and farmers were more disbelieving of this second point but the idea that they could use their fields all the time to make more food and therefore more profit definitely interested them. It didn't take long for them to decide to give his ideas a try.
But Haeron wasn't done yet as for the Riverlands and the Reach somewhat he had another innovation that might interest them.
"Now with this greater amount of goods created, there will need to be a better way of moving them around. So after study of the low draft of the longboats I have concluded that we can use similar boats to move goods about without the need for sails or men to move them with oars. Instead horses could be used to pull them in much the same way they pull carts now, if kept close the bank on tight enough ropes then we can use them to pull the barges along to their destination. Only the strongest horses will of course be able to do this but it will free the roads of long columns of carts and make use of the waterways rather than them be a hindrance." Haeron said, then asking the audience. "Any questions?"
- x -
There were a few but the lords and farmers did not take much convincing to try his ideas.
Haeron was using the knowledge of Earth to make changes here it was true but they served a dual purpose, one was to make things better for everyone where possible but also to gather him favour with the lords of Westeros...so they could see he was the better option on the throne than his father. Westeros was still pretty much in the Middle Ages science and technology wise so he was having to push it forward with Renaissance and a few Georgian Era concepts.
It was slow going as he knew the sort of resistance half of these things had received on Earth when they were first thought of. He was having to do it slowly so the ideas could take root and hopefully would move Westeros forward rather letting it stay in this stage of development as it had for centuries now even if he found it incredibly annoying and exhausting.
The maesters sat with him as he discussed with them a number of new 'inventions' to move Westeros forward, he was a prince that insisted that there must be a logical reason for all happenings beyond it being the will of the gods so the maesters were only too happy to work with him. They wanted a world of logic and order so they were keen to let him show them how to find scientific reasons for things beyond superstition.
He had so far shown them how to make the printing press which allowed them to make more books so much faster, he had shown them how to build mechanical clocks, high buttresses to support high ceilings, the wind & water mills like he had demonstrated today, how to make better telescopes or Myrish glasses as they were known and from there how to make the first microscope.
He was still getting them understand the importance of this not to mention cleaning medical tools in boiling water but it was a start, he had even taught artists to understand perspective so they were able to make paintings with depth and space that previously had been impossible.
He was also getting a group of maesters to work with him on creating the first dictionary, allowing the standardisation of language along with new tools for various uses. They were even creating translation books for the Common Tongue with other languages to aid in teaching.
Today he was giving a lecture on the works of Copernicus, Galileo and Issac Newton to try and get the seeds of physics down in that. Some dismissed his ideas out right but a few did seem to understand just what he was trying to explain and were intrigued at the idea of a scientific explanation for the seasons and tides rather than it being the works of the gods. The maesters whispered in many ears so having them on his side was a big step forward in his plans. After this he would then sit in on the Small Council meeting that afternoon.
But at the end of it he did take time out of his day to visit the one person he actually trusted.
"Mother." Haeron said as he entered her chambers and Rhaella looked up and smiled at her eldest child as he came in, standing up to greet him with a hug which he returned.
"Big brother!" A pair of younger voices called from the side and he looked over to see his little sister and younger brother, Shaena and Daeron coming over as fast as their little legs could carry them and clung to his legs. Haeron smiled as he pried them off and swept them up in a proper hug which made Rhaella smile too. Apart from her Haeron only ever smiled for Shaena and Daeron and what little miracles they were she thought having nearly lost them when they were born.
She had no idea that Haeron had used his magic to save them, both should have died as they were born either stillborn or premature but he had managed with effort to save them. It had drained him magically but as he looked down at their happy faces and the joy that they brought to his mother and to him he considered it a worthwhile trade. His mother was pregnant again he knew and it was looking like she might be okay without his help this time but then again so had other pregnancies that had not worked out he thought and promised to himself keep an eye on it.
Rhaella watched as Haeron played with his much younger siblings and it honestly made her feel so much better, a big and warm smile on her face. She knew how hard Haeron worked for all of them and it made her worry for him. He was so gifted, the power of not only his body but his mind was incredible and she had heard so many people say he was blessed by the gods themselves.
But at the same time she was deeply worried as Aerys was getting more and more unstable by the day, the more praise Haeron earned the worse he seemed to get and she only hoped her son knew what he was doing. Rhaegar was quite happy just keeping to himself and reading in the library but Haeron was starting to shake things up.
He was quite literally playing with fire she thought with worry at what might happen with Aerys.
She didn't need to worry as Haeron was fully aware of the danger he was putting himself in by bringing such glory and recognition to himself, showing the realm how petty and small the king really was. Eventually the time might come when he would need to flee the Red Keep and possibly Westeros too. He could not in good conscience risk the lives of the lords who might give him shelter so he would need to make sure he was ready to go to Essos should the need arise.
To that end he had enlisted an ally in the Red Keep to make sure that if he did leave the country that he would have appropriate funds to survive and build his own power base for a possible return.
He was again deeply thankful for his great uncle Aemon sending him that letter, he still regularly corresponded with him to ask him for advice and to learn more about him in turn. His reveal of the hidden chambers had given Haeron a multitude of blessings that had proven vital so far in his efforts to overthrow his father.
The chambers had been created by Maegor during the construction of the Red Keep as a place to hide should the need arise and it was connected to a network of hidden passages that would have allowed him to escape the castle or go anywhere he needed too quickly. His paranoia was on par with that of his own father Haeron thought with a shake of the head but it was extremely useful to him now as it gave him a private space to work in.
Maegor had not only kept a set of rooms for himself here but it had a treasury of gold and valuable stones so he could live in comfort if he ever needed to flee. Other kings had taken this place as their own after his death and not only added more gold to the pile but other things as well. Ancient Valyrian texts that House Targaryen had acquired throughout the centuries and several of their crowns too had been placed in this room. Kings had passed the existence of this secret place to their own heirs as a last resort should all other options fail.
The reason for the break in this chain was uncertain, Daeron the 2nd had certainly known about the room Haeron knew as he had found a personal journal of his among the books in there, which was true of all of the kings that went before him except Aegon the 2nd but after Daeron not one. Only a personal journal of Brynden Rivers or Bloodraven as he was known gave a clue as it hinted that Daeron had shared the secret with Brynden because his own heir Aerys the first had been so careless and forgetful that he would spill the secret, rendering it useless, so he had shared it with Brynden instead.
Brynden had used this place as his own and not shared it with any of the kings that had come later although he had while at the Wall admitted its existence to Aemon who in turn had passed it on to Haeron. Brynden had placed many secrets in this room including the dragon egg he had acquired while putting down the brief Second Blackfyre Rebellion at Whitewalls along with many important texts. The fact he now had a dragon egg made Haeron smile but he was not going to try and hatch it yet as he was still working on improving his magic. Healing he had discovered was surprisingly easy if draining but other spells were much more difficult, he put that down to the magic of this world being slightly different and not having a proper foci.
The gold meanwhile was in the process of being moved slowly to Braavos, Haeron had accomplished this by enlisting the help of a the cofferer of the Red Keep, the keeper of all House Targaryen's wealth...Ser Jothos Velaryon. With whom he was now meeting.
"The last ship has arrived in Braavos and the gold and gemstones have been placed in an account with the Iron Bank." Jothos told him calmly and Haeron nodded in gratitude to the man who had all the connections to make that happen. It would give him funds in a moderately safe and secure location to support not only himself but his mother and his siblings if needed.
"You have my thanks Ser Velaryon. I have ensured your squire young Boros Wallain is now to train with Ser Barristan and that the High Septon has granted you the dissolution of your own marriage so you may wed Lady Edmie Cressney. I will also when I ascend to the throne legitimize your son Aeron and see to it that he is squired to either a great knight or myself when the time comes." Haeron told Jothos who nodded in acceptance.
Haeron had learned a lot from not just Lord Tywin and watching the affairs being handled in the Small Council Chamber but also from the journals of the kings and Brynden Rivers in the secret chambers. He might only be a prince at the moment but with his accomplishments so far his words carried increasing weight and so he could use that to do 'favours' for people like Jothos to get the things he wanted or needed from them. It had also helped him understand the value in building a small network of spies of his own so he would be aware of not only any potential obstacles in his path but also opportunities like with Jothos to advance.
Leaving the man to his own duties Haeron went to the library and when he was sure he was not being watched he entered the secret chambers. He looked at the map Jaehaerys the First had left of the different secret passages through out the castle and city below, Jaehaerys had made it a point to learn all of these passages, spending much of his life uncovering all the secrets that Maegor had left behind. He had made a comprehensive map of them and left it here for the kings to follow him, which was what Haeron was doing now.
Eventually he sat down in meditation as he did every night before bed, focusing on channelling his own magic through his body to build up his 'magical endurance' so to speak. He held out his hand and said.
"Expecto Patronum."
A silver beast burst free of his hand, a small glowing silver dragon which flew around the room. Haeron had been surprised when his Patronus had been a dragon rather than a stag but given all that had happened to him so far in this world was it that surprising that his spell had changed form?
He held it for a good few minutes until the pressure grew too much and he had to stop, breathing heavily for a moment as he sighed. It was a slow process but he was at last making progress in accessing his magic and soon he might be able to try and hatch the dragon egg. He knew from the other world that dragon fire was partly magical, dragons regularly breathed on their eggs to not only keep them warm but to give them the power they needed to hatch. He had steadily been using fire based spells to heat the egg and it was now generating a slight heat of its own, which was a sign that the egg was beginning to come alive again.
How long it would take to hatch could not be determined, it might take months or even years but it would hatch with his continued help. Haeron only hoped it didn't take too long as having a dragon would be an immense help to him in making the lords fall into line behind him. Turning away from the egg he then resumed his meditations to recover the magic he had spent and to build up more endurance.
A Few Days Later...
After having carried out his normal routine of training for the day Haeron took time to visit one of the maesters that had come to Kings Landing to speak with him in another project to advance this country forward.
"Your grace, I thank you again for providing me with these bodies to study. It has allowed me to greatly understand the human body in intense detail." The man in grey robes said with his chain rattling slightly as he moved. The scene before him was gory as several bodies of the dead in Flea's Bottom and from around the city had been laid out on tables and were in different stages of dissection.
"In all in the betterment of science Maester Qyburn." Haeron said as he saw the man was making a detailed map of the human body and with some ideas from him starting to get a better understanding of how the body worked. Doing so would lay the foundation for more advanced medicine and the concepts of biology so he was quite willing to provide funds to Qyburn so he could acquire the corpses needed for his work.
"Indeed your grace, if you will excuse me I must get back to work. Much more to learn." Qyburn said with a smile that seemed creepy but Haeron did not fear him. Qyburn had a brilliant mind but was not malicious, he was just devoted to his work which could be obsessive but it was not done to harm. He might be willing to serve horrible masters but he was himself more interested in expanding his knowledge.
"As you will Maester Qyburn." Haeron said before leaving him to give a demonstration of the methods of making concrete to other maesters and builders.
- x -
As the Small Council meeting began Haeron who normally did not speak during these meetings waited until Lord Tywin had opened the meeting to any other business before speaking.
"I spoke to another foreign merchant today. You know what they say about Kings Landing?" Haeron said abruptly which made the various members of the council including Tywin look at him in confusion. Aerys snarled at him, infuriated that the brat had decided to speak and become the centre of attention.
"What do they say?" Aerys demanded while Haeron remained calm and told him.
"They call this city...the Shit Hole of Westeros. They say the stink can be smelt over in Pentos and that the king that cannot solve this is a complete fool. All of Essos is laughing at us." Haeron said quite boldly with mocking outrage while inside hoping he got this right. Aerys was as dangerous as a barrel of explosive together with a lit match, using his ego could quite easily backfire on him but if he was going achieve what he was hoping for then it was the only way.
"WHAT!" Aerys raged and then went on an incoherent tirade about foreigners that Haeron actually felt uncomfortable listening too and then got to the point.
"Then let's prove them wrong, be the king that fixes it! All of the other kings that went before never did so be the king that does." Haeron said pressingly.
"Yes, fix it!" Aerys shouted and Haeron was smirking inside as he had managed to get Aerys exactly where he wanted him much to his relief.
"There's a design, for a new series of sewers which will end the smell." Haeron said, putting down the plans he had drawn up for a sewer system and Aerys demanded to Tywin and to him as well.
"Build it immediately. No one will laugh at me!" Aerys demanded and stomped his way out of the room without a word.
Tywin shared a look with Haeron, nodding in approval of how well he had manipulated Aerys and the council began to discuss how to quickly action these plans before Aerys changed his mind.
- x -
Some time after the meeting when Haeron was showing the builders what would be needed to build the new system and sent them off to get the first stages done. He had done much of the work himself already so now all that was really needed was to get building underway.
He heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Lord Tywin approach, he was a much colder man since the loss of his dearly beloved wife Joanna some years back while she gave birth to her second son Tyrion. If he had been present Haeron would have tried to save her but alas he had not been there.
"Lord Lannister, what a pleasant surprise. I thank you for getting us the service of so many men. It will take much less time than I had believed to get this project complete with your hard effort." Haeron said with gratitude to the man that had gotten him were he was today. A lot of the game he had learned by watching Tywin. The man took it with good grace and nodded.
"Think nothing of it your grace, I am glad to see that you have learned something of power." Tywin said and it was for once the truth. The boy had been too soft but now he was learning to manipulate people to achieve his ends and use his great intelligence to out move his enemies like he had Aerys today, using his ego and lack of self-control to get what he wanted. He was using him as Haeron was using him back.
Something that he did take a certain amount of pride in Tywin thought to himself.
"There is however someone or rather two some ones that I would like you to meet." Tywin said and called out. "Come in now. Quickly."
Two children, about their early teens perhaps entered the room, dressed in fine clothes with golden blonde hair and piercing green eyes. They could be no-one else but Lord Tywin's twins Cersei and Jaime he realised even though he had not met the pair of them before.
"This is my son and heir Jaime and my daughter Cersei your grace, I thought bringing them for a visit to Kings Landing might broaden their minds and education." Tywin said but was also hoping to tie Cersei to Haeron or to Rhaegar. Perhaps Jaime to Shaena on the outside but a royal connection would not go amiss even without marriage.
Haeron knew what Tywin wanted and he could hardly blame him for it, the man had worked hard to get to the point he could even dream of this but the problem was even if he did agree, Aerys wouldn't. The man was terrified of being overthrown and had complete authority over all royal weddings, none of them could get legally married without his blessing. That was partly the reason why he himself was not married yet or even betrothed and the same stood for Rhaegar as well.
"Greetings, it is a pleasure to meet you both." Haeron said as he took Cersei's small hand and dutifully kissed it before letting go so he could shake Jaime's. Both looked at him with awe and Cersei was looking flustered despite her young age.
"It is our honour your grace." Jaime said brightly and Haeron nodded with a smile. "My sister wants to be queen? Will she be yours?" He asked and Haeron only raised an eyebrow while Cersei looked ready to sink into a hole with embarrassment and Tywin censored his son.
"Jaime, you are talking to a prince." He said sternly and Jaime seemed to wither at the harshness in Tywin's voice. Haeron was sure that growing up with Tywin as a father was a particularly difficult life to live so he answered the young boy's question.
"Young Jaime, you have a lot to learn about how things work around here. Surely it must seem odd to you that I am not betrothed? Nor are my younger brothers or my sister. The reason for that is my father, the king is a man that fears us." Haeron said calmly as he spoke them.
"Why would he fear his own children?" Cersei challenged him rather boldly, looking at them he could clearly see that Cersei was the dominant one which he knew would not suit Tywin but he spoke to both of them regardless.
"Because he loves his throne, and the idea of us or anyone else taking it away from him is the thing he fears most. He will destroy and kill anyone who he feels endangers his power, so while you are here it would serve you both well to be extremely careful what you say and who you say it too. There is only so much myself or your father can do especially if the king is the one who wants you dead." He warned them both and they both swallowed with nervousness. Tywin was glad to see the prince making sure they understood as he was concerned that Cersei's mouth especially was likely to get her into trouble here and to dirty the Lannister name.
"One day, I and my siblings will marry." Haeron said as he tidied up the maps on the table. "Some whisper that my sister would be my bride but that is something I will not accept." Haeron told the twins which made Cersei perk up a bit as it reignited her hopes of being his queen. "Marrying into your own bloodline breeds weakness and no house stands with that much weakness. No king can rule if he is feeble minded and frail. See the first Aerys for example, from below you there will always be those that want to tear you down and above you they will want to crush you if you dare challenge them." Haeron told them.
Both twins looked unsettled which Tywin was glad of as they would hopefully listen this time and that it would keep them alive. He did still hope to tie Cersei to Haeron but Aerys would never permit it Tywin thought with anger at the disrespect from Aerys. He dismissed everyone as beneath him, his ego was getting worse Tywin thought and knew something would need to be done.
The Red Keep, Kings Landing...Later that Year...
The Red Keep was busy as it was every day and night but today there was something else to whisper about in corners.
The queen was giving birth to her latest child, the queen's unsteady record with carrying children fully to term made it difficult to predict whether the castle and indeed the members of House Targaryen would be celebrating or mourning.
Aerys of course would have nothing to do with this and if anything was put off that people were more interested in this new babe more than they were in him. Rhaegar was of course reading and practising his harp and didn't bother coming out.
So it was Haeron Targaryen who took over the care of his two youngest siblings while their mother was distracted. He sat on his bed with his two younger siblings in his arms as he told them a story, he probably should be there to help his mother but she had told him to watch over Shaena and Daeron and given she was the only person whose word he trusted he did as she commanded.
"And the man flew away on the dragon's back, his family followed him on either ship or dragon, leaving all that they knew on the strength of his daughter's word. Others mocked them for being so cowardly, there was no way the greatest empire in the world could fall, but then some time later they were forced to confront reality as the sky darkened, the ground shook and volcanos lit up with fiery anger." Haeron said giving them a very careful description of the Doom of Valyria to not scare them too much.
"What did the man and his family do?" Shaena asked with some childish fear of such a thing happening but felt safe with her big and tough brother. Daeron too felt some fear but protected by Haeron who held them both tightly before smiling.
"They found their way to an island and built a fortress there, their new home until one day, almost a hundred years later they looked out over a land in chaos and decided to unify it. They took their three dragons and gathered an army before setting out to create a throne unlike any the world had ever seen before." He said, their eyes brightening as they realised he was telling them the history of their own family and giggled which made Haeron smile.
No one saw it, and no one would have believed it as it was widely whispered that the only person who was able to make the serious and stern prince smile these days was his own mother. But Haeron adored his younger brother and sister, Rhaegar too at least partly as he was not the easiest person to get along with and spent more time in the library reading than anything else. He was seemingly obsessed with ancient legends and it was just as well Haeron was here as he at least tried to balance out their father's madness and keep him in check while Rhaegar would just not bother.
It didn't take long before the two children fell asleep and so Haeron carefully put them to bed, tucking them in with a warm smile, remembering his own children as Harry when he had done the same thing for them. With Aerys being so self-involved it fell on him to be the positive role model in their lives and he was happy to do that, goodness me what would they be like if Aerys was the one teaching them he thought to himself and nearly shuddered at the thought.
It was late in the night when word finally came and Haeron after making sure that his brother and sister were safe and secure went to see his mother. He went in to see her thankfully doing well and there was a little bundle in her arms that brought a smile to his face. She too was smiling as she let him sit next to her.
"A boy." She told him proudly as she stared down at her fourth son. "I think that he should be called Viserys."
"A strong name." Haeron said in agreement while he looked at his new youngest brother. "Amazing, without Aerys' constant harassment things go much more smoothly." He couldn't help but say now that he and his mother were alone.
"Perhaps but keep up your guard. He is still dangerous." Rhaella warned him and Haeron nodded, knowing that first hand as the marks on his back seemed to ache with her words. But welcoming a new sibling was the best way to finish off a year and he just hoped that things would improve in the times ahead.
Dragonstone, The Narrow Sea...277 AC...
Haeron, as heir to the Iron Throne even if his father would never acknowledge that was Prince of Dragonstone now or at least until he took throne and had a son himself or simply named Rhaegar as the new prince. But until that happened the island and rulership over it was Haeron's responsibility.
The island was not in any way easy to run. It was barren volcanic rock with little to no vegetation and no useful minerals at least for the moment. That meant Haeron if he wanted the island to be in any way useful to him, then he had to make it that way himself.
Ships stopped here to resupply sometimes on their way to other places but there was little to attract them here so Haeron had actually done his best to make it more appealing to sailors to stop here which usually relied on two things.
Alcohol and Women.
Moving whores to the island had been a strange situation for him as he had also been the one that built a place for them, he understood that especially in this world women had few options if they wanted to work and there were only so many other jobs to go around. As long as they had a choice in the matter he saw it as their decision. But a tavern or two had been needed to built too and it had helped to get more ships to stop here but that wasn't enough so he had to think of other means to get more prosperity to the island.
He had managed to get some exporting going on as while Dragonstone's limited resources were useless in most places they did have some value if put in the right place. So he had showed blacksmiths that sulphur could make their forges burn hotter and that dragonglass when used to make surgical tools like scalpels as they made cleaner cuts given their sharpness and were easier to clean with boiling water with no risk of rust.
Those steps had at least made the island more well off than it had been for a long time but it was not enough for Haeron who had taken another step to try and boost the economy here. So he had decided to establish two new industries that would be lucrative with time.
He had invented the compass and several other navigation tools from his old world, like the sextant and dividers. He had also set up a mill to create paper both of which could now only be made on Dragonstone for the moment and would make good coin for the island.
Haeron looked over the map table in the keep where his ancestor had planned the conquest and pondered his own problem. The Great Houses were represented on the large map table and despite his efforts so far to earn their support many were too timid to support an attempt to remove Aerys from the throne.
He would need to up his game and it was also with the hope that if he continued to show how good he was in comparison to his father that he might do something stupid that he could use as a rallying point.
So that was why he had piles of drawings, detailed plans on how to make new and more advanced wooden sailing ships. At present he would say Westeros was about the thirteenth century in terms of shipbuilding, they were slow and not entirely stable so he would bring them new and better designs like Earth had in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Better sail arrangement and hull design would hopefully get the houses with navies of their own to rally with him but it worked for his long term goal of advancing Westeros as well so it would hopefully achieve two goals with one move.
He was still working on these when a message arrived, the old maester assigned to Dragonstone could be clearly heard as he ran up the corridor, his chain clanking loudly as he did so. Haeron looked up as he came in with such a lack of breath that he could not speak and instead as he tried to get air back into his body he handed Haeron the message.
Raising an eyebrow Haeron opened the message seeing it had the royal seal on it so who knows just what it could be good or bad. He read it carefully and his expression changed to one of disbelief for a moment before a small grin appeared on his face.
To Prince Haeron Targaryen,
It is my duty to inform you that in defiance of my advice your royal father King Aerys II Targaryen has travelled to Duskendale to hear a petition from Lord Denys Darklyn to levy his own port fees and taxes. He travelled with only a small retinue and a single Kingsguard Ser Gwayne Gaunt. Our current information is that Lord Darklyn killed the king's retinue and has taken him as a hostage.
You are requested to return to Kings Landing with all speed to discuss the situation with myself and the small council to plan an appropriate response to this outrage.
Yours Faithfully
Lord Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King
Haeron was immediately elated, this was the chance that he had been so desperate for, the perfect opportunity to get rid of Aerys. It might he conceded with worry be their only chance and so they must not waste it he thought quickly, knowing that long periods in captivity had been known to drive people to madness and Aerys was already insane...he shuddered to think how bad he might become if he survived this experience. So he turned to the maester and told him quickly.
"Ready the fastest ship we have! I must sail Kings Landing and be there as soon as possible." Haeron said with urgency although he did not expect the man to rush.
He had already brought him the best news he had received in a long time.
- x -
The Red Keep, Kings Landing...The Next Day...
Haeron immediately rushed off the ship and took the fastest horse he could find the Red Keep, his men barely keeping up with him as they rushed to follow.
Riding through the gate he leapt from his horse and while he did not run to the Small Council Chamber he walked at a very brisk pace. His men almost running to keep up with his long and determined stride.
Bursting through the door with a loud clatter which made all of the small council members jump in surprise as they had not even been informed that he had arrived in the city yet. Ser Gerold Hightower the head of the Kingsguard nearly drew his sword but seeing it was the prince he left it in his scabbard.
"Have there been any developments since you wrote to me Lord Lannister?" Haeron asked without wasting any time with pleasantries. Tywin to his credit did not waste time either.
"Not at present your grace. We are rallying an army and the Royal Navy has been placed on alert." Tywin told him and Haeron nodded in agreement.
"Blockading the city and placing the city under siege will hopefully remind Lord Darklyn that he has made a foolish decision to dare challenge House Targaryen." Haeron said with a cold and harsh voice. "Make sure he knows that if he wants his family to live then he has just one chance...surrender now and release the king." Haeron said, knowing he would likely do no such thing but a fool was a fool and it was expected for Haeron to say these things even if he was hoping that Darklyn would do them all a favour and kill Aerys now.
"Your grace." Lord Qarlton Chelsted, the Master of Coin injected. Qarlton was completely loyal to Aerys even if he was a coward and everyone knew it. "Perhaps some considerations might be considered to ensure the safety of the king?"
"No." Haeron said bluntly, glaring at him intensely. "If someone can get away with holding a member of House Targaryen with impunity then we are no longer a house to be feared. The less respect we command each moment this goes on and I will not permit my house to be seen as weak. Do you understand?" He said sternly to Qarlton who looked ready to piss himself at the strength of Haeron's presence.
"We trap him and then we break him, either his resolve or his body but either way this must be dealt with soon." Haeron told them and they all walked out slowly until Steffon Baratheon, the Master of Laws gave him a look as he did Tywin and nodded in approval.
The words that had come out of Haeron's mouth could easily have been said by Tywin and clearly he had learnt much for him. Bringing Duskendale under siege would be expected and now they just had to make sure that Aerys did not live. They could not be seen to be too rash so they would allow the siege to go on for a few months if needed but after awhile they would act whether it caused Aerys to die or not.
As Steffon left though Haeron caught him for a moment.
"Congratulations on your new son Renly, Lord Baratheon." Steffon did smile at that before leaving.
Turning back to the matter at hand, Haeron and Tywin both knew they were playing with fire, they would need to be careful, but this was the opportunity that they needed.
"Take personal command of the siege. I can trust no one else." Haeron said calmly to Tywin who nodded in agreement.
"As you wish your grace, you must remain here to rule in your father's absence." Tywin reminded him and Haeron nodded, understanding perfectly. Before going to the chambers that were held for him in the castle though, Haeron walked to his mother's rooms were he saw that she had fallen asleep in her bed with Daeron and Shaena tucked up with her and Viserys in his bassinet at her side. He smiled choosing not to wake her, letting her sleep as he went to his own chambers. He had a busy day tomorrow.
- x -
The following morning word of what had happened to the king spread among the servants of the castle and the other nobles there. Disbelief that someone would be so foolish was the key feeling and many wondered just what was going to happen.
When they saw Prince Haeron was here they all felt instantly relief. He was still well liked around the Red Keep due to his politeness and calm reason, while the shadow of Aerys still clung on, Haeron as he sat on the Iron Throne seemed to drive it away somewhat.
It was like everyone felt they could breathe and so they cheerfully went about their jobs as normal. Rhaella came in with Daeron and Shaena, Rhaegar preferring as per normal to be in the library reading so he hadn't bothered to stick his head up. Viserys of course was too young to attend.
Haeron rose from the throne and embraced her and his younger siblings as they appeared, Rhaella was smiling too, many would have been expecting her to be worried about Aerys but few knew what their marriage was really like. Those that did know would not be in the least surprised by her relief that her husband wasn't here.
Haeron sat on the Iron Throne and held court, he addressed all of the duties that a king held. He met with the people that wanted his assistance and carefully listened to their requests before deciding whether any of them merited his intervention which was very rare.
He also joined the Small Council meetings, not just as Regent King while Aerys was 'indisposed' but also acting as Hand of the King while Tywin was away, having rode out just today to meet with the large army being assembled near Duskendale. Ser Barristan had gone with him, Haeron had no interest in the Kingsguard beyond ensuring their destruction but knew he could not until he was king proper.
He sat that night taking dinner with his mother and siblings, even Rhaegar had been dragged out of the library and was eating with them so with the exception of Aerys their entire family was here.
"Will father be gone long?" Shaena asked innocently, she didn't really have much to do with him but had noticed his absence, Daeron too looked intently to Haeron and their mother for answer. Haeron, Rhaella and Rhaegar shared a look as they all wondered just what to say but Haeron told her with a smile.
"We shall see, it all depends on what happens in Duskendale."
She nodded, seeming to accept that and Haeron asked Rhaegar who was toying with his food. That only annoyed Haeron who knew he was itching to get back to his books and told him firmly.
"Your assistance on the Small Council and at court would be appreciated." Haeron said tensely and Rhaegar dismissively replied.
"You seem to be doing fine, my researches are important." He said without a care. Haeron's eyes tensed as he would have hoped given the delicate situation that their house was in he might have shown more interest but he was more involved with his ancient legends.
Rhaella seeing that her eldest boys were on the edge of a potential argument decided it was better to change the subject.
"Daeron, you've been reading about naval battles I understand from the maester." She said and the young boy nodded quickly.
"Its so amazing! I want to sail!" Daeron said with excitement that made Haeron and Rhaella smile as they saw he had big dreams. Shaena smiled with them but Rhaegar didn't seem to care either way which only annoyed Haeron. Did he actually care about anything but those stories of his? He asked was wondering if he could make him take more responsibility but he had a feeling that Rhaegar would do it half hearted.
Duskendale, The Crownlands...Six Months Later...
Haeron rode with his party towards the Royal Army camp, it was large and a model of efficiency as you would expect of Lord Tywin Lannister.
He was not challenged as he rode into the camp, his armour easily identifying him as the Crown Prince, he dismounted from his horse and Ser Golor and the others marched to the main tent where Lord Tywin would surely be. The day was ending as soon night would be upon them, he had been delayed leaving given there was some debate about leaving Rhaella in charge as opposed to Rhaegar but if he did that nothing would ever get done. Rhaegar cared little for his royal duties and actually making sure things ran smoothly.
Haeron was greeted by Lord Tywin personally, Haeron had to give the man credit for his patience. He had waited for six months for Darklyn to come to his senses and surrender before committing to the attack, no-one could say he had been reckless now and the stage was set for their assault.
"Excellent work Lord Lannister, you are too be commended." Haeron said with a nod as he stood next to the man on the table. Tywin if he liked the compliment didn't give any outward sign.
"Thank you your grace. We attack tomorrow, I gave one night to Barristan Selmy one night to save the king before we attack. I would have preferred not too but we have to try and at least make it look like we are trying to save the king." Tywin said and Haeron nodded but inside he was deeply concerned.
If Barristan succeeded and brought Aerys out alive, after six months in a dark cell what state would Aerys be in? Even sane and strong men would crack in a dark cell over all these months. Aerys had been mad before going in, how much worse might he be now? Haeron thought with worry that Barristan's overinflated sense of honour and duty would cause a lot of problems if he succeeded in his mission.
The night drew in and they both waiting with worry, Haeron just hoping that Barristan did not ruin what might be the only chance they might have to be free of Aerys. It might be ruthless but a truly insane and very likely murderous Aerys on the throne was the worst thing they could think of.
Then as they were about think Barristan must have failed the moment they had dreaded arrived.
A ringing of bells and cries of alarm could be heard from the city and as the gates were closing a single horse carrying two people came through. Seeing Ser Barristan with an arrow in his chest but clutching the filthy and frail looking body of Aerys in his arms they knew they would need to react quickly.
"Archers!" Tywin called out quickly, knowing that the plan was ruined and they had to protect themselves. Haeron followed his lead on this and picked up a bow himself and with the skill earned of many hours practice shot the men on the wall that might be a danger to Barristan and Aerys from reaching the safety of the Royal Army, but he did it with a sense of dread at what might happen now.
The horse of Barristan Selmy stopped just before them and with Aerys barely conscious Haeron took the man in his arms, lifting him with ease and carrying him to the tent while a maester tended to Ser Barristan. Aerys seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness and seemed to look at him strangely.
"Aegon." Aerys said with a slow awe but Haeron could only imagine just what was going through his head but he just let him be as he carried him into a tent and called for servants to bring in fresh clothes and a bath for the king. Everything appeared at lightning speed, Haeron watched as Aerys was bathed and his clothes changed while he drifted between reality and dreams.
He was wondering just who Aerys had been seeing when he had called him 'Aegon'? There had been a number throughout history so it could be any of them but whoever it was, clearly Aerys was completely exhausted. So he watched as Aerys was put to bed and then as he slept, some of the men would say that the Prince was keeping a tight vigil over his father to protect him and make sure of his well-being seeing him as a noble and devoted son, many not knowing just how bad things were between them but in some ways they were right. Haeron had to be seen as protecting his father and so that was what he did, his men stood around the tent all night as he watched over the king himself. The temptation to kill him was there but with so many people around they simply couldn't risk it now much to his anger, vowing to make Ser Barristan pay for this.
He didn't move all night as he waited for Aerys to awaken, the dawn light was peaking over the horizon when Aerys finally woke up. He seemed startled as he came around, not remembering his rescue for a moment and was confused that he was not in the cell that had been his home for half a year. He looked around in confusion before his eyes settled on Haeron snarled at him.
"Traitor!" He said with a sneer, pointing accusingly at him. "You and Tywin and Rhaella planned this!"
Haeron was in no mood for this so he walked over and saw the fear in Aerys' eyes as he did so, but Haeron made sure to look him in the eye as he spoke.
"Lord Tywin told you not to go! Only the truly stupid would say that if it wasn't what they meant. If I wanted you dead I would have drowned you in the bath last night or smothered you with a pillow while you slept! Only a stupid person would think I wanted to kill you when I watched over you all night so you would be safe!" Haeron told him with a sneer which made Aerys quake in fear. "Your actions have made us look weak and foolish! Walking into such an obvious trap! I have spent the last six months keeping things together while you rotted in a dudgeon. The same blood runs in our veins!" Haeron said holding up his own arm along with Aerys' own which scared the king even more. "I would never threaten our house's safety by having you killed! I would not be a kinslayer like Aemond Targaryen or Maegor. Maybe think of that before you start waving around such mad accusations!" Haeron warned him and then left the tent and quaking Aerys behind him.
- x -
Without his hostage, it did not take long for Lord Denys Darklyn to surrender and beg for mercy, he was tied up on the ground before Aerys with Haeron and Tywin watching for his shoulder. Ser Barristan was there too with his chest bandaged despite the maester's recommendation that he should be resting.
However Haeron had overruled him, he wanted Barristan to see just what his so called 'honour' had brought about now. The results of his decision to save the king and not being able to turn his back like he and his sworn brothers did whenever Aerys did something horrible like beating his mother senseless or other things like that. He wanted him to see the price of 'honour'.
"MERCY MY KING! PLEASE!" Lord Darklyn begged but all of them knew that he was wasting his time, given how he and his extended family had been holding and tormenting Aerys for months now...what mercy could Aerys ever have for him?
"You will die." Aerys told him with a disgusting look of excited anticipation. "But everyone who bears your family name and anyone who ever has will die too. No one will be spared." Aerys said with a great sense of anticipation. "Your wife, she will have her tongue and womanly parts removed before being burned at the stake."
The way Aerys said that, with such excitement and delicious anticipation made all of the other men around share a look. The extremeness of it was a sign of just how damaged Aerys now was and all of them knew it would be only an omen of things to come. Ser Barristan looked horrified at the mention of what was going to happen, he spoke up in desperation to at least try to save someone.
"Your grace..." Ser Barristan said, racking his mind with just who to save before making his mind. "If you would grant me a boon. Could Squire Dontas Holland be spared? He is not of Darklyn blood." He begged with some urgency.
Tywin and Haeron were both fully expecting that Aerys would deny the request as Lord Darklyn was dragged off to the block. But Aerys showed surprising consideration with his next statement.
"I cannot ignore that you saved me Ser Barristan so I will spare Dontas Holland but only him. Now, let us watch as justice is served." Aerys said, commanding them to watch as his revenge was enforced.
They watched as Lord Denys Darklyn and all of his family; his brother, his aunts and uncles not to mention their own children were all beheaded as they screamed for mercy.
But it was not just House Darklyn that suffered, Lord Denys had a sister who had married into their bannermen House Holland who had supported their little defiance. Ser Symon Holland who had been master-at-arms at the Dun Fort and killed Ser Gwayne Gaunt, the late Kingsguard knight who had tried to defend Aerys, he had already been killed by Ser Barristan.
His death had been quick and clean, a small mercy that would not be afforded to the rest of his family with the exception of young Dontas.
Jon Holland, his wife and their child along with the rest of their house died on the rack, even young Robin Holland who had danced around the king and pulled on his beard when he was in the dudgeon. Haeron and the rest of them were all made to watch by Aerys who was looking almost orgasmic at the spectacle where men, women and children were all torn to death on the rack.
The people of Duskendale were spared any punishment but the villages that held allegiance to House Holland were not so lucky. They were all burned to the ground and the castle of House Holland torn down at Aerys' command. Duskendale and its lands along with those of now ex-House Holland were given to House Rykker.
The sight of Lady Serala Darklyn, a Myrish woman having had her tongue and womanly parts torn out screaming on the fire as it burned her alive was a unique insight in Aerys' mind, he was almost at peace as he watched it which made all of them worry. The Targaryens had always had a close affinity with fire, it was part of their family words and now Aerys seemed to only find a moment of peace when he was watching someone burning.
That sent a shiver through all of them, for Haeron and Tywin it was a grim reminder that they had failed to remove Aerys when they had the chance. Things would be even worse now they reasoned with chilling clarity.
But for Ser Barristan as he was made to watch it was horrible sense of devastation, suddenly things were so much clearer as he had allowed this to happen. The oath he had sworn and the courage and dedication that had led him to be named 'Ser Barristan the Bold' had made this possible...this horror was as much his responsibility as Aerys in a way. If he had only allowed Lord Tywin to attack and Aerys was killed, then Haeron would assume the throne and he was not cruel nor mad as his father was.
All for his honour he thought with a mounting guilt.
The Red Keep, Kings Landing...
The procession to welcome the king back was not a joyful one, far from it the crowd was cowed as word of the horrors at Duskendale had reached them and as they were all a little unnerved to say the least.
In court it was no different and Aerys now refused to leave the castle again, not for any reason and he would now no longer meet with Haeron, Rhaella or Tywin without all of his Kingsguard present. Wanting all seven with him and their swords were the only blades allowed near him, even to cut his hair and cut his nails meaning it would grown unattended.
That did mean however a new knight had to be recruited to fill out the ranks of the Kingsguard as they only currently numbered six.
Lord Commander Gerold Hightower managed to find one at relatively short notice, Ser Lewyn Martell. Brother of the current Princess of Dorne he was a highly skilled warrior and a dedicated man who would fit in well with the current roster.
Haeron however was not excited by this due to his already low opinion of the Kingsguard but this was the first time that he had been allowed to meet a new recruit.
"Your grace." Ser Lewyn said when Haeron met him in person. Haeron nodded and asked him plainly.
"Ser Martell, I have no doubt that you are aware of what has happened to me at the hands of my father and the Kingsguard, that is the reason I have such a low opinion of the other members who have stood by or helped our king do the horrors he has committed so far in the name of duty. Will you be the same?" He asked him intensely and Ser Lewyn was surprised but only at being asked the question.
"In Dorne we travel far and wide in our youth. The Free Cities strip you of a lot notions you have about right and wrong but also about divine right." Ser Lewyn said with a small smile and Haeron nodded, he didn't trust him but having a member of the Kingsguard who was more open-minded would be a refreshing change.
But something he had said stuck in Haeron's head, the Martells would travel the Free Cities to broaden their minds and make connections. In the past royals had made similar trips around Westeros which had fallen out of favour in the last century or so. Maybe Haeron thought with a smile it was time to bring it back.
There we are, hope you all enjoyed it! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.
Shaena was born in 267 AC and Daeron was born in 269 AC.
One thing that you might remember is that Rhaegar was a great non-presence in affairs before the Tourney at Harrenhal, he did little during the Defiance of Duskendale and was more focused on the legends of the White Walkers and the need to unite the realm and have 'three heads' of the dragon. In this reality Haeron comes before him so he see's matters of state as his problem. There is no need in Rhaegar's own mind to get involved.