After a lengthy discussion, they ended up in bed. Rhaenyra's pretty face flushed and she felt a surge of heat.
"We can't come to a conclusion," Aemon feigned melancholy.
"They must be hiding something." Rhaenyra insisted quietly, turning her head to reveal only her profile.
Aemon teased, "Uncle can't possibly sell me out, can he?"
"Hmm..."
Another day passed.
Good news: Viserys made a decision and summoned his ministers for a meeting.
The bad news is: Ser Stev revealed that the Sea Serpent and Daemon had each held several private conversations with Viserys in the last few days. Clearly, some kind of illicit deal had been made between the three of them.
The throne room.
Aemon arrived late, and by then, almost everyone was there. When he entered, the nobles and ministers glanced at him. His long, silver-gold hair flowed over his shoulders. He wore a black formal suit and a dragon-scale cape draped over his right shoulder. The clan sword, the Lady of the Void, hung at his waist. He was already tall, and his physique grew even more robust as he approached manhood. With a stern expression on his handsome face, he strode into the hall with long, steady strides. Two Rune Guards flanked him, their faces stern beneath their helmets.
"It's the Prince Regent," someone whispered cautiously, deliberately lowering their voice to avoid drawing attention.
The War of the Straits was swift, ending in less than a year. Many throughout the Seven Kingdoms had heard of it but knew only the inside story. However, Aemon Targaryen, also known as the Prince Regent, was a household name. He attacked with lightning speed, capturing the Stepstones and wiping out the pirates of the Triarchy. He then sold them to Slaver's Bay for a fortune. During his trip, he purchased a 5,000-man Unsullied army and liberated New Ghis and Astapor. Rumors circulated that Slaver's Bay was engulfed in civil strife, with slave and liberated cities locked in conflict. Many speculated whether the Prince Regent would ride his dragon to offer aid. The true shock would be the fall of the Triarchy. The fall of Tyrosh by the Sea Serpents was well known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. The might of House Velaryon was clear. Even the royal family would be no match for the Seven Kingdoms' greatest fleet and three mighty dragons in a direct confrontation. Myr and Lys, on the other hand, suffered inexplicable defeats. It was known only that the Prince Regent arrived in Myr, swiftly breached the city's defenses, captured it, and liberated its slaves. For this and the liberation of Slaver's Bay, he earned the title "Breaker of Shackles." The battle in Lys was even less well-known. Rumors circulated that Daemon Targaryen had conquered Lys and ascended the throne.
"We'll see; the answer will be revealed today."
"The king has convened a meeting, presumably to reward meritorious officials."
Aemon fixed his gaze on the throne and walked to the front of the line of nobles and ministers. As he passed, he could hear whispers. From the corners, he heard unmistakable smirks as if observing the royal festivities. Aemon remained expressionless, catching a glimpse of the silverfish out of the corner of his eye. "Smile! I've memorized your faces!" With coats emblazoned with either apples or trees, they were clearly from the minor nobility of the Reach.
"Aemon, here!" Rhaenyra spotted him and waved, smiling. She stood on the right side of the hall, flanked by a group of royal counselors. Across the aisle stood key figures like the Sea Serpent and Daemon.
"What's going on?" Aemon asked quietly, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. The Sea Serpent and Daemon looked confident. It was clear they had already discussed everything.
"I don't know. I didn't have time to ask my father," Rhaenyra said helplessly.
Aemon hesitated, glancing at the complacent Otto. He wore a faint smile, seemingly brimming with pride at having recently regained the king's trust.
"Begin!" Viserys sat firmly on the Iron Throne. Looking at everyone present, he instructed Hand Lyonel to deliver the speech.
Lyonel muttered a flurry of incoherent gibberish. The gist of it was that the Kingdom had conquered the Triarchy and that King Viserys I had restored his glory as a conqueror. Aemon smiled softly. His uncle was quite good at flattering himself. Tomorrow, he would probably hear the name "Viserys the Conqueror."
Lyonel finished, coming to the crucial part of the awards ceremony. He paused and looked up at the king, who stood tall and straight. Viserys, clutching his family sword, Blackfyre, gave a solemn nod. Seeing this, Lyonel's heart settled. In his rich voice, he announced, "I, Viserys Targaryen, King of the Andals and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm..." He paused between each title to emphasize its solemnity.
Then, he announced, "I appoint Aemon the Bronze and Fireborn Targaryen, Prince of the Vale, Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm, Dragonslayer and Breaker of Chains, Prince of Myr and Prince of the Stepstones."
The courtiers were in an uproar! After becoming Prince Regent and Prince of the Vale, Aemon would also hold the titles of Prince of Myr and Prince of the Stepstones. One man, three different fiefdoms, and four princely titles! Among the crowd, Lord Thaddeus Rowan of Goldentree, from the northern reaches of the Reach, was stunned. House Rowan is a prominent noble family in the Reach. Their domain was so vast that it encompassed the entire northern region of the Reach. In terms of power, they rivaled the Tyrells of Highgarden and the Hightowers of Oldtown. They were roughly equivalent to House Royce of the Vale. Lord Thaddeus, a burly man with a balding head from advancing age, exclaimed in shock. "The king has lost his mind, lavishing so many titles on his nephew." During the Vale's seizure of power, the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms had already recognized the king's favoritism toward his nephew. With Aemon as regent and engaged to Rhaenyra, the nobles felt somewhat reassured. The king wasn't foolish or mad; rather, he wanted his nephew to establish a "Targaryen branch of the Vale." This was chilling, as it effectively undermined the Arryn family of the Eyrie. Lady Jeyne, a woman from the Eyrie, didn't garner much sympathy. Furthermore, rumors spread in the Vale that Aemon and Lady Jeyne were engaged at the Eyrie, which would have merged the two families and reduced their coat of arms to a trident. However, the situation is vastly different now. Aemon's domain was excessive. It encompassed the entire Vale, Gulltown (one of the five great ports), the Stepstones, and Myr (one of the nine Free Cities). Much of it stretched across the Narrow Sea.
"Hmph, damned Targaryen brat!" In the crowd on the left, Bermund Baratheon's eyes burned with jealousy. He believed the king must have been bewitched.
"Keep your voice down, Bermund." His wife, Lady Ellyn, who was heavily pregnant, frowned and tugged at her husband's sleeve. The king had his reasons for making such arrangements. As a Baratheon who had participated in the Battle of the Narrow Sea, Bermund knew how important Aemon was to the royal family. The army of the Vale, the three dragons, and the Sea Serpents were all too formidable to provoke.
Aemon looked around and heard a barrage of discussions. He stepped out of the ranks, knelt before the Iron Throne, and said calmly, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Let them discuss it. He deserved it."
Viserys glanced at his nephew, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said, "Get up." He thought to himself. "For the sake of peace in the kingdom, I have no choice but to make you suffer."
"Appointments!" Lyonel continued, reading: "Corlys Velaryon, Lord of the Tides and Lord of Driftmark, Lord of Tyrosh, and Protector of the Three Cities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Corlys stepped out of the ranks, knelt on one knee, and bowed his head, his expression extremely respectful and solemn. Lyonel hadn't finished. "Appoint Corlys Velaryon, Lord of Tyrosh, to the position of Lord High Admiral."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Corlys nodded, already prepared. This had been one of the conditions discussed over the past few days. He would remain in King's Landing and rejoin the royal council. The king felt more at ease with Corlys in his presence, and Corlys was willing to return to the center of power with honor. Both sides were happy with this arrangement. Except for a certain former Sea Lord.
"Ah?" Tyland was stunned, as if struck by lightning. What should he do? Lyonel's next words shocked him even more.
After Viserys told Corlys to stand up, Lyonel and Corlys faced each other. The former lowered his voice slightly and said, "After your eldest daughter, Lady Laena, marries Prince Aemon and has children, she will choose one of her children to take the surname Velaryon at age 16. That child will then inherit the titles of Lord of Driftmark and Lord of the Tide."
Corlys smiled. "Thank you for your generosity, King."
"Ah?" Aemon turned his head abruptly. When did he agree to this? His gaze shifted to Rhaenys and Laena, his aunts, sitting across the aisle. Rhaenys turned her head and pretended not to see him. Laena looked surprised, hesitated for a moment, and then walked across the aisle.
"I don't know," she said.
Aemon was silent for a while. It didn't matter whether he knew or not. He only knew one thing. His uncle didn't sell him, but he sold his cub.
"You've had enough of the good life. Aren't you afraid I'll go crazy?" Aemon gritted his teeth. His uncle was out of his mind. He had actually agreed to the Sea Serpent's request.
Rhaenyra was speechless, staring at her father on the Iron Throne. After marrying her best friend, Alicent, he did something else shocking. Laena lowered her eyelashes; even her gentle personality couldn't defend her at that moment.
Aemon took a deep breath, resisting the urge to question his uncle in front of the court. There were too many people outside. After the meeting, he would talk to his uncle and the Sea Serpent alone. He wouldn't agree!
Those involved reacted strongly, as did the onlookers. The princes and ministers looked at each other, unable to believe their ears. They knew the royal family and House Velaryon had been intermarried for generations. But was this how an alliance was formed? Prince Aemon was the future prince consort. There was also a Lady Jeyne in the Vale whose authenticity was unknown. Now, he was arranging for the eldest daughter of the Sea Serpent, Corlys? It seemed likely that Lady Laena would inherit Driftmark and that her offspring would take the name Velaryon.
So, which was the main line: the Velaryons of Driftmark or the Velaryons of Tyrosh?
"Of course it's Driftmark. It's the Velaryon homeland," someone whispered. Tyrosh was a new territory and held the title of duke. However, this only meant that Tyrosh was more privileged than Driftmark; it did not mean a shift in priorities. Laena was the eldest daughter. Following the precedent set by Rhaenyra and Jeyne, she was eligible to inherit Driftmark. But! Marrying multiple times violated the Code of the Seven. This key point intensified the discussion.
Viserys's face was frozen, and his anger faded as his guilt toward his nephew diminished. He had married multiple times. With so many children, it would be easy to choose one to inherit Driftmark. As for the dragon-taming rights of House Velaryon, after consulting with his nephew, he established the so-called Council of the Dragon. He would officially declare that only Targaryens held the right. The child who changed his surname could hatch a dragon egg or tame a dragon before turning 16, the age of adulthood. However, if he didn't have a dragon by then, his dragon-taming rights would be revoked, even after the name change. This was the sacrifice Aemon had to make. Even as a Targaryen, he wasn't guaranteed to become a dragon rider. Consider his aunts and uncle, Vaegon the Dragonless, for example. Aemon could choose a child without dragon-riding talent and have them inherit Driftmark after changing his surname. Viserys consoled himself with this.
Corlys got what he wanted, smiled contentedly, and retreated to the left column.
"Appoint!" Seeing that the discussion in the hall was about to explode, Lyonel quickly read out the name: "Prince Daemon Targaryen, Prince of Lys and Protector of the Three Cities."
Daemon strode out of the ranks with a smile on his face.
"Daemon!" Viserys suddenly called out to him.
Daemon knelt on one knee and looked up at his brother. Viserys said solemnly, "I appoint you Prince of Lys, and I also appoint your heir, your eldest son Aemon Targaryen."
This was the right that Viserys had fought for his nephew. Due to the rift between father and son, the line of succession could not be altered.
Upon hearing this, Aemon instinctively glanced at Daemon. Daemon was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"You actually agreed?" Aemon was taken aback. He hadn't expected Daemon to agree. Daemon was in the prime of his life—the most energetic time for a man. Finding a woman and fathering a few children would be easy for him. Well, although, Aemon did intend to wait for Daemon's death, eliminate his bastard brothers, and reclaim Lys through primogeniture. That's right. He took what belonged to Daemon, and he felt comfortable doing so.
"You said that yourself. Remember your promise, Daemon!" Viserys warned.
Daemon nodded, not intending to refuse. He and his brother barely communicated. The rift from their previous conflict still lingered. Viserys had promised him a return to the family and formally appointed him. Daemon hesitated for a moment, then agreed. He could have turned away from King's Landing for the sake of his reputation. However, he was indignant, feeling unappreciated by his weak brother who had become king and forgotten him. He felt superfluous, swept aside by his brother. Now, however, he had Lys, and he could pursue his ambitions in front of the Seven Kingdoms. He wanted to return to his family and prove his greatness. Besides, he was the only bloodline for the time being.
"Get up." Seeing that his helpless brother had finally behaved, Viserys's expression improved slightly. He didn't take the discussions of the princes and nobles to heart. If Daemon returned to the family and his nephew Aemon married into the Velaryon family, the royal family could have up to six dragons at their disposal. It was said that his nephew took three dragons with him when he fought in Myr. That would make a total of eight dragons. Although there were voices in the Seven Kingdoms against multiple marriages, they were not afraid of causing a commotion.
After hearing the conversation between the king and Daemon, the princes and ministers did not think much of it. The scandal of the feud between father and son remained hidden. Most people had only heard of the feud between Daemon and Aemon; they had no idea it had escalated to the point of fighting and killing. It was common practice for a father to designate the eldest son as the heir.
Aemon was stunned, his brows twisted into a knot. Was Daemon really that honest? He didn't believe it!
"Brother, I have a crucial request." As expected, Daemon stood up and put forth his conditions. Viserys was slightly startled and didn't dare agree hastily. This was an emergency. Based on his understanding of his bastard brother, he would most likely be embarrassed in public. Daemon said nothing, hands in front of him, looking at his brother on the Iron Throne.
"Damn it!" Viserys felt awkward being looked at and said in a bad tone, "State the content of your request first."
Daemon smiled and said, "I request to dissolve—"
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