A while later, they were still in the Queen's chambers.
"Alicent, Your Majesty, my dear, you must believe me," Aemon pleaded, his face a mask of pure enjoyment as he lay with his head in Alicent's lap. "I am in desperate need of a sweet, sparkling green Arbor grape." As he spoke, he tilted his head back, just enough to keep from sliding off her legs.
Alicent remained expressionless, but she still plucked a green grape from the fruit bowl and fed it to him.
"Ahhh~" Aemon opened his mouth to accept it, his hands folded in satisfaction. Without even having to sit up, he had already won Alicent over. Handling her girlish heart was a piece of cake for him.
"Aemon, you're very proud of yourself, aren't you?" Alicent's tone was cold, letting him know that she was not in a good mood. Friendship was one thing, resentment another. She still couldn't get over his disregard for her feelings and his repeated assaults on her father and sons.
"Then hit me!" Aemon, ever the scoundrel, grabbed her hand and playfully slapped it against his own face. As far as he was concerned, he'd already won.
Alicent shook her hand free, admonishing him earnestly. "Don't play dumb. Helaena is my bottom line. You must protect her."
"Don't worry," Aemon assured her, patting her thigh. Alicent rolled her eyes and removed his hand.
On the matter of the Green children's marriages, the two of them now stood on a united front. With a few sweet words, Aemon had easily secured their common goal.
Elsewhere in the room, Aemond watched his cousin flirting with his mother. He had long grown accustomed to their closeness, but a pang of envy still welled up in his heart. He turned his head. Helaena was cradling the large, red-furred rabbit in her arms, gently rubbing its head. Aemond lay down beside her and mimicked Aemon. "Helaena, sister, I want a grape."
Smack.
Helaena tugged on the rabbit's ear, and its soft red paw landed on Aemond's face. The rabbit's round, bouncy face remained perfectly composed as it calmly chewed a piece of grass. Eat, you fat thing, Aemond thought.
Meanwhile, Viserys received a notice from the maester and rushed to the Tower of the Hand to see Otto, who had just had his wounds redressed. Otto's face was pale, and blood was still oozing from the bandages on his ribs. He looked horrified. To the uninformed, it looked as if he had just emerged from some honorable duel.
"What's going on?" Viserys's eyes widened. Not only was Otto injured a second time, but he was also shocked by the state of the room. Had there been a fire?
"I am fine, Your Majesty," Otto forced a smile.
Viserys couldn't help but be moved. He urged him, "Heal well. The kingdom needs your help." After all, they had been king and subject, father-in-law and son-in-law, for many years. They still had a bond. Besides, good and loyal men were hard to find.
"I asked to see you this time because I have some complaints," Otto said, not truly complaining but rather playing on the King's pity.
"Speak, I'm listening." Viserys sat down beside the bed and took Otto's hands in his. The sight made Otto's eyelids twitch, and the pain in his newly bandaged ribs intensified. Fortunately, Viserys was a kind man and had no taste for inflicting pain.
Otto silently withdrew his hands. "The marriages of the princes and princess cannot be neglected. Your Majesty must reconsider."
Viserys listened intently.
"For the future of the kingdom, Prince Aegon and Princess Helaena should follow family tradition and be wed. A marriage between Prince Aemond and Dorne is the next best option," Otto repeated, then suddenly changed the subject. "If that does not work out, the nobles of the Reach are the best choice."
Viserys understood all this, but he hesitated, fearing that his decision would ruin his children's lives.
Seeing this, Otto added fuel to the fire. "House Hightower will always be your most loyal ally, Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Viserys sighed, his opinion of Otto rising. Oldtown was truly special. It was the largest of the five major ports in Westeros, boasting the most stable tax revenue. The maesters in every noble castle came from the Citadel within its walls. The Starry Sept of the Faith of the Seven also had its roots there. The impact of those three institutions combined was immense. Furthermore, he had married Alicent and had four children by her. House Hightower held as much weight in Viserys's heart as House Velaryon. Gaining their firm support was always preferable to falling out with them.
"Is there anything else you wish to say?" Viserys asked, choosing to trust him.
Otto thought of his young grandson. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Prince Daeron is still young, but his diligence and eagerness to learn shine like gold."
"If Your Majesty is satisfied, you could wait until he is older and send him to Oldtown to squire for my nephew, Lord Ormund."
"That..." Viserys was unsure. It wasn't an insult for a prince to serve as a squire. According to Andal tradition, it was a necessary step towards knighthood and a way to build alliances between great houses.
Otto's words were precise. "The atmosphere at court has been affected. Aegon and Aemond are prime examples. Away from the hustle and bustle here, a pure soul like Daeron's will have a better chance to grow."
Viserys gritted his teeth, disregarding his love for his young son and his reluctance to part with him. "Alright," he agreed. "When Daeron turns twelve, I will let him experience life in Oldtown." He still felt uneasy, so he set the age higher. His nephew Aemon had conquered the Vale at twelve. That age had become a benchmark in Viserys's mind. He believed that by twelve, Daeron would be able to take care of himself.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Otto smiled contentedly.
That night, Viserys tossed and turned. Unable to sleep, he summoned Alicent, who was about to go to bed.
"Is there something bothering you?" Alicent asked, wearing a green nightgown as she sat opposite her husband.
He couldn't ask her to come to his bed anymore, but at least he could ask for her company. In his middle age, Viserys treated her with a distant respect.
"I met with Aemon and your father today. Their opinions were completely different, which has left me very confused," Viserys said, hoping to win his wife's concern.
Alicent forced a smile of empathy.
"Alright, let's talk business," Viserys said, choked by her indifference. To some extent, his wife and nephew were on the same side, both opposing the marriages. His wife had shown great virtue by not questioning him about the Aegon-Helaena match; how could he now expect her to comfort him over his own indecisiveness?
"I have exchanged letters with Lord Tyland," Alicent said slowly. "He advocates waiting until the children are older so that they can choose their loved ones themselves."
Viserys raised his brows. "When did you contact Tyland?"
"Before he left," Alicent replied.
"Oh." Viserys nodded. "Did he really say that?" Tyland's position on the Small Council had always been rather awkward. He was only the second son of his house, backed by an arrogant brother. He usually ended up with the hard work. His transition from Master of Ships to a roving envoy was the most direct reflection of this.
Alicent affirmed, "Compared to other ministers, I think Lord Tyland is more upright."
(Tyland, far away in the Stepstones, would have denied ever saying such a thing.)
Viserys took a sip of wine and sighed. "I don't want to rush things, but once the news of their marriage prospects spreads, my desk will be piled high with letters from every lord in the Seven Kingdoms." The examples of the Sea Snake's proposal and Alicent's success were plain to see.
"What do you mean?" Alicent frowned.
Viserys asked tentatively, "Aegon and Helaena..."
"Impossible," Alicent immediately denied it. "You know Aegon's character. That would only hurt Helaena."
Viserys's face darkened, not at Alicent, but at his son's lack of discipline. The brat had learned all the debauchery that he and Daemon had enjoyed in their youth but none of the serious lessons. To be fair, he didn't want Helaena to endure Aegon's philandering either. The key factor was that their family situation had changed. The house was now unprecedentedly powerful, his nephew had a harmonious relationship with Rhaenyra, and there was a stable heir in his grandson, Jaehaerys. With internal and external stability, there was no need for his children to follow the old traditions just to strengthen the bloodline. They could have some autonomy in their choices. As for a daughter marrying a foreigner and taking a dragon with her, there was no need to worry. The Dragon Council his nephew had organized would address that. If necessary, the royal dragonriders would intervene and return the dragon to the family after a hundred years.
"Ah~" Viserys held his forehead with one hand. He was trapped by his own success.
Alicent picked at her fingernails and hesitated. "When Rhaenyra was unmarried, she toured the continent to select a husband. Aegon and his siblings could do the same."
"Send them to the Reach?" Viserys understood immediately.
Alicent nodded. "I'm sure the nobles of the Reach would be honored to receive them."
"That's an idea," Viserys considered.
"If you're worried, let Aemon lead the party," Alicent added.
Viserys's eyelids twitched, and he immediately refused. "No. We have all indulged that boy too much. Let him go away for a while." Yes, go away! A good idea began to form in his mind.
The next day, dewdrops hung on the treetops of the weirwood, reflecting the light of the rising sun. Aemon was having breakfast when he received a report from the Kingsguard.
"A heavy rain has fallen in the Riverlands. It is the farming season near the lands by the Gods Eye. His Majesty has ordered you and Her Highness the Princess to inspect the situation."
After the Kingsguard left, Aemon blinked and looked at Rhaenyra across the table. A look of clear stupidity appeared in her purple eyes. Why were they suddenly being given a vacation?
Aemon leaned back in his chair with a tactical smile. "The Riverlands are lovely. It's the best time to grow mushrooms after a rain. Call your mother, Jeyne, and Jainsfer. Our family of nine will go to Harrenhal to pick mushrooms."
"Alright, I'll ask Elenda to pack our things," Rhaenyra replied, feeling that something was strange, though she didn't know what.
Aemon smiled but said nothing. In his heart, he was already thinking about how to use this opportunity to annex the Riverlands into the direct domain of the crown.
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