Jaehaerys looked at the two knights with a frown. He needed to kill them.
He granted the royal family guest rights. Only they ate bread and salt. Usually, this was extended to the entourage, but it was not a rule of the gods; it was merely a custom.
"The men who are here. Do you want them alive?" he asked.
"They will ask questions if they disappear," was all she answered.
"The dragons will eat them," he gestured to Torrhen.
Two heads fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry," she said, unmoved.
"It doesn't matter," he called to the dragons. He felt a bond with the silver one, and Dany felt the same with the black one. The copper one followed the other two; he was the most docile.
"Do you know why I wanted to talk in front of the weirwood tree?" she asked him after they had separated.
"To know that you're telling the truth," he replied instantly. He recognized it before. And he believed that the gods would give him a sign if she were to lie.
"If you don't give him the dragons. If the dragons have already bonded with you or your wife," she began. "Rhaegar will kill you—poison, faceless. He'll use everything he's got," she said. "I didn't hear it from him. But I know him," she said, looking at the corpses on the ground.
"He wants the conquerors," he deduced. Aegon, Rhaenys, Visenya. Only their dragons were missing.
"Yes. One represents the Valyrians, another the Rhoynar, and another the First Men. I'm not sure, but Myrcella could represent the Andals," she paused for a moment. "He always believed that his children would be better than the conquerors. That they would do what they couldn't. A prophecy, one he keeps close to his heart." She scoffed. "It wouldn't be surprising if he wanted the new Aegon to have three wives instead of two."
"And he needs dragons to stay in power if he intends to do that. I can't see any other way Tywin would agree. Either he sees his granddaughter sharing the title of queen with two others, or he sees her dead," he said. Tywin would be the biggest problem. The religion accepted that Rhaegar had two queens. It wouldn't be so far-fetched for his son to follow in his footsteps.
"Yes," she said vaguely. She looked among the trees and heard footsteps. Torrhen had moved away from the dead bodies. "Those—gods!" she exclaimed. The dragons were now the size of deer. However, the widest one seemed to have the build of a bull.
She looked at the fire, with three distinct flames: black, white, and red.
The smell of burning human flesh took her back to when she first smelled it. And... for a second she heard her baby's cry.
She felt, within all the bitterness and pain, a flash of happiness, just from hearing her baby again.
The sound of skin tearing between their jaws kept her absorbed. They attacked the skulls first. Within minutes, the flesh was gone, and only bones with small pieces of meat remained. One leg, one arm, and part of the torso of one of the men were almost complete, almost intact, but they were filled before they could reach them.
For a magnificent second, she imagined Rhaegar replacing those corpses.
"I'll need your help," said Jaehaerys. "I want to keep Visenya here," she frowned.
"You want a hostage," she said, not looking happy.
"Yes. And you'll stay with her," he said. "When I negotiate with Rhaegar, I'll ask that she stay here as Daenerys's companion."
"You'll give her dragons?" she asked.
"No, but your daughter will be close to them. It will make her believe she'll be their rider," he said.
"How can you be so sure she won't join him?" she asked.
"If she does, she'll stay here. Raised by you," he said.
"And you'll take her as your second wife," said Lyanna.
"What? No, I don't plan to." He denied.
"But I do. If she manages to tame a dragon, marry her," the queen seemed stubborn.
"She's almost half my age, I can't, no," he refused vehemently.
"I can convince Rhaella to pressure the king. But I want you to promise me that if she bonds with the dragon, you'll marry her," her reddened eyes stared at him intently.
"Why?"
"With a dragon, you won't use her as a weapon. I know you'll have two. Besides, I know you'll protect her," she took a deep breath. "I trust you will survive the assassins, and I trust you will keep Daenerys safe. Rhaegar will not try to kill Visenya, but other lords may think differently." She was selfish.
Jaehaerys thought about how unpleasant it would be to marry a child. However, it was really for the best. The idea of keeping Visenya was to keep Rhaegar in check. He couldn't deal with a war, not without his grown dragons. Knives in the dark were more manageable. And he knew that no matter what he did, they would come for him first. Rhaegar would only do something drastic once he saw no way to kill him in the shadows. His daughter at Argentstone would make him cautious. The biggest problem would be getting Visenya into the castle.
If Rhaegar planned to kill him with assassins, that was more feasible, as he would see her free as soon as he learned of his death. Rhaegar's trustworthiness would be an advantage for him.
"If that happens, I'll wait until she's 18," he said. He already felt bad for marrying Daenerys so young, although his morals had been distorted in Westeros, and he didn't see it as so far-fetched.
"If you wait that long, they might..."
"They won't. If necessary, I'll marry her younger, but it will only be a sham," he added when he saw she was not convinced.
"Good. Do you swear to keep my daughter safe and take her as your wife if she becomes a dragon rider?"
"I swear," and he felt a chain on his arm. "Lyanna, do you swear to do your best to live?" he asked her.
Convincing the king to keep Lyanna in the castle was easy, easier than convincing him about his daughter. She would stay for her daughter, whom she considered too young to be away from her. Rhaegar would agree.
If Jaehaerys were him, after the assassins failed against him and Dany, he would kill Lyanna. That would make the lords distrust him. It may seem like a small thing, but it would turn Visenya against them if the rumors reached her.
And Rhaegar, believing the girl to be a dragon rider, would expect her to escape flying.
"You're cruel," she smiled bitterly. "I swear," and from the way her eyes widened in surprise, he was sure she felt the magic too.
The queen let out a huge laugh. It wasn't funny, but she was happy. She felt safe. She already knew about magic; the red whore had shown it to her. But knowing that Jaehaerys had it too made her even happier.
"Make sure you convince my mother," he said. "That could be quite complicated. She's already unhappy that I'm here," he said.
"Oh, she'll see the fact that her granddaughter is here as a way to extend her influence in the castle," said Lyanna. "You could expect septons and septas. Will that be a problem?"
"No," he replied quickly. "My mother can send whoever she wants; I decide whether to let them in or not." He added.
Lyanna nodded before saying, "Thank you. It's not your responsibility to accept. But you've proven yourself to be more of a man than your brother will ever be."
"They're family," he said, though that wasn't the whole reason. "And you know this will affect me just as much."
"But you didn't have to offer to save my life," she said, her smile sweet.
Jaehaerys didn't respond to that. Instead, he focused on the alibi for the two men's deaths. "The men looked at the dragons and got too close, and they both died. One of the dragons looked at you, and, fearing death, you began to cry." He quickly made up a story. "When you see your daughter, hold her tight. It will reinforce the story."
"If you were a better actor and more interested in the throne, you would be a danger to Aegon," she said. She wasn't the first to tell him how bad he was at acting. "You're like an open book. I saw the sadness in your eyes, maybe that's why I opened up so much," she sighed. "I'll hug my daughter anyway. For the first time, I feel like I have a future," she touched her wrist, where she felt the magic form a bond.
"About the throne," he began. "What do you know about Aegon?"
"Are you asking if he's like Rhaegar?" she asked. He looked at her and nodded. "I don't know. I stayed away from him and Rhaenys. If his stoicism is a facade, he's better at maintaining it than his father. And Rhaegar is very good at maintaining it," she lamented not knowing more about him.
"I see," he said, looking at the weirwood. His face was redder than ever. "The sun will set in less than two hours. We must return," he didn't say why he had asked the question. There was no need.
If Aegon were like his father, another king would have to be chosen.