"What happened?", Viserys' cold voice echoed in the room, his jolly tone gone as he stared at his son, grandsons and nieces.
"It was nothing, Father. None of them were hurt in the scuffle," Aegon responded with a smirk before freezing as his father's glare turned to him, not used to see the look of rage in the man's eyes as he let out a low breath.
"Nothing? Nothing?! You call this nothing?!", He shouted, his gaze lingering on the blood staining Jacaerys' shirt as well as the blood-stained dagger still in his hands.
"I was woken up from a peaceful sleep by my Kingsguard Commander, talking about my son, grandsons and nieces fighting with each other and the ward under my protection being stabbed by my oldest grandson! So tell me, Aegon, where were you during all of this when you should have been there to protect both your brother and your sister's betrothed?!"
"I…I was in my room, Father."
"In your room," Viserys' voice was quiet, sending a wave of fear through the room as Ser Harold narrowed his eyes with a disappointed look.
"Yes, Father," Aegon answered softly, now meeker than he was before as the King took a step forward and his portly face shifted with rage.
"So, while your family and someone soon to be your family fought in the shadows of these halls, you were in your room. You are to be heir to the Iron Throne should happen to Rhaenyra, Aegon, and mayhaps her Lord Hand should she become Queen. If you cannot even keep your kin from drawing steel on one another, how do you expect to help her rule a realm?!", The man hissed, but was not surprised when his son could not answer.
"And you!", He spoke, turning with a disappointed frown on his face as he stared at Jacaerys, who looked down as the man walked over to him.
"What possessed you to raise a blade in the dark and against the betrothed of your aunt? Are you the grandson of this realm's king or are you but a simple cutthroat wishing to spill blood over childish quarrels?"
"He…he was siding with Aemond against us. He was-"
"I care not what words passed through you!", Viserys' voice cracked like a whip, instantly silencing Jacaerys as the man took a deep breath.
"Insults are air and wind, Jace. Steel is final and you, boy, would do well to learn the difference before your temper costs you your life…or someone else's. As for you, Aemond."
"What have I done?", Aemond asked with a frown, but Viserys narrowed his eyes as he heard the tone in his son's voice as well as how he was not avoiding his gaze at all.
'It appears that taming Vhagar has made him more confident than he was before.'
"While I am overjoyed to see you having bonded with a dragon, taking the dragon of a deceased rider before their own blood could attempt to is a very grave matter."
"And yet, Princess Rhaenys did the same when she gained the dragon Meleys. Are you saying that if you take Vhagar from me, you will do the same with her and Meleys?", He asked, to which a tense silence feel as the girls and Rhaenyra's children glared at him while Viserys sighed.
"You speak boldly, Aemond, perhaps too boldly for one so young. When the Princess Rhaenys bonded with Meleys, it had been three years since my mother had passed. This is not the same as Lady Laena's remains had not sunk deep into the waters nor have her daughters dried their tears."
"And for that, father, I apologize for my rude behaviour. However, Vhagar had no rider and I had no dragon. Were you not the one who taught me to grasp an opportunity when it is offered to me?"
"I did, but not at the expense of ruining your relations with your family. Claiming a beast of fire and fury is one matter, but you did so in the hour of fresh mourning. Such acts may win you power, but they will cost you kinship and the latter, boy, will keep you alive far longer than the most."
"…I understand, Father," Aemond murmured, but Viserys knew that the boy was just saying things to appease him as he looked to his family and shook his head.
"You are the blood of the dragon, each and every one of you, but blood can burn hotter than fire and consume its own kin if left unchecked. I will not see this family torn apart by petty rivalries and thoughtless pride. Lord Commander!"
"Yes, your Grace?", The Kingsguard commander asked, to which Viserys looked with one final glance at his family before turning to the man.
"See to it that the Princes and the Ladies are kept apart until tempers cool. No one is to step foot on a training yard or to be left alone without a sworn sword present."
"As you command, your Grace," The man nodded before the children began walking out, Viserys watching them leave before shaking his head with a sigh.
"You should rest, husband," Alicent spoke with a concerned look, to which Viserys smiled as his wife was finally talking to him in more than one-word responses.
"Unfortunately, my time of rest is done. I must write a letter to Lord Stark to inform him of today's happenings."
"Would that be a wise move? If you send that letter, it could result in the Starks becoming aggressive towards the crown and the royal family."
"I know, but the second son of its Lord was just stabbed by my own grandson, my blood. If I do not and he does find out through other means, it would seem as though I wished to hide it," He responded with a sigh, lowering himself into his chair with Alicent's help as his fingers brushed against the parchment.
"And if he demands recompense?"
"Then I shall give it. Better to meet a man's wrath openly than to let it build in the cold of Winterfell. Starks hold their honour like a septon holds his vows. If I am forthright, he may be content with an apology and oath. If not, well, no one can say that I did not do my duty as king."
"I suppose so, husband." Alicent murmured before they both looked up as the door opened, the man not happy to see his daughter and his brother walking in with a frown on Rhaenyra's face.
It appears that the letter might have to wait.
"Word travels quickly, brother. Quicker than the ravens you wish to send to Lord Stark, I'd wager."
"Did you come to offer council or cause further issues, Daemon?", Viserys asked before Rhaenyra cut in right as her uncle went to respond.
"I've come because my sons were held in a room with tales of knives in the dark and yet, no one thought to summon me until the matter was already being managed."
"It was handled, Rhaenyra, and I would not call them tales considering the betrothed of my daughter is currently fighting for his life," Alicent replied coldly, Rhaenyra's gaze sharpening as she scoffed.
"Handled? You call separating children like criminals and posting guards at their every step handling? Or perhaps, is this just another way to keep my sons under constant watch while yours escape once again?"
"Enough!", Viserys bellowed, slamming his fist down onto his desk and drawing their attention as he sighed. "This is not a game for you all to score petty victories against one another. My ward lies wounded, my family's blades are stained with his blood and Seven help me, I will not hear another word of 'yours' and 'mine'. They are children of our family."
"And yet, brother, you cannot keep them from drawing steel on one another. Perhaps it is not them who should be lectured on unity."
"I have little patience for your games, Daemon. I'd advise you to be careful."
"Oh, I'm always careful, brother," Daemon replied smoothly, crossing his arms with a smirk as Viserys narrowed his eyes before turning his gaze to his daughter who leaned on his desk with both hands.
"If my sons are to be guarded, I'd ask for the king to do the same with Aemond and Aegon. I will not have this be one-sided."
"I have already ordered Lord Commander Westerling to do so until I deem it otherwise. Now, leave me, all of you. I have letters to write and a realm to reassure that its royal blood has not turned upon itself entirely."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
'Everything feels…weird,' The thought echoed in my mind as I felt myself lying on some sort of coarse surface. Around me, the temperature felt scorching hot and bone-chilling cold at the same time, which befuddled me as I went to open my eyes.
Yet…I could not. It felt as if my eyelids and my entire body was being weighed down, the sound of soft voices echoing in the distance as I struggled to move a muscle.
"Lord Torrhen, hold on," I heard Larys' voice, feeling my head being lifted before I eagerly drank the water placed at my lips. There was no care for it being poisoned as I gulped it down greedily, but as I was laid back down, a hiss escaped my lips as the sharp pain in my chest.
"Apologies, but since the Maester is not here, you are left with my uneasy hands."
"A-Any help is welcome," I rasped out, looking up at the ceiling of the dimly lit room before turning my head to see the crippled man sitting beside me with a look of intrigue.
"What…what happened?"
"Well, as you have already figured, you did not die from the knife to your chest, though the Maester said that there was irreversible damage to one of your lungs so I believe you will have a bit of trouble with breathing for the foreseeable future."
'That would explain why it's so hard to breathe,' I thought with a shaky breath, feeling it already as just the action of trying to breathe was already difficult enough as is.
"No, I mean with…with the royal family."
"Unfortunately, no information have been given to us lords and ladies, but from what I've heard, the princes Aemond, Aegon, Jacaerys and Lucerys as well as the ladies Baela and Rhaena have been confined to their rooms with a Kingsguard member monitoring them at all times.
They are allowed to leave as they please, but they are never to be let on the training field or in the vicinity of each other."
"Helaena?"
"She is currently with her Grace the Queen Alicent since she was not allowed to see you as you were in critical condition. Oh, and before you ask, it has been three days since your unfortunate accident. His Grace the King has asked that we stay here on High Tide until you are to wake up from your coma as he did not wish to cause you anymore suffering."
'Gods, I'm liking Viserys more and more,' I thought with a sigh, laying back down while looking up at the ceiling again.
"Lord Torrhen, if I may ask, how were you able to figure out what was going on?"
"Well, the large wings I heard echoing above the castle were a dead giveaway that someone was riding Vhagar. Therefore, I went to go and see who it was which is where I found Prince Aemond and the other children of the royal family arguing with each other."
"So, you've…just decided to just go and see who was riding Vhagar on a whim?"
"When else would I get the opportunity to see the largest dragon in the world in action?", I asked, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly as Larys hummed.
"I see. Well, your instinctual action resulted in you protecting the prince from an attempt on his life, which means that the royal family is indebted to you."
"I do not care for that, my lord. As long as the brother to my betrothed is safe, that's enough for me."
'Yeah, right. You think I haven't seen you there,' I thought as I glanced at the green-and-black thread floating in the room, flowing out to the door where I knew Alicent to be listening in on us.
If it were not for the fact that this would be the event where the greens and the blacks began to actively plan against each other, I would have just kept on sleeping and feigned surprise and horror when I woke up the next morning to Aemond's missing eye.
However, I had to admit that I was not expecting Jacaerys to just aim for Aemond's back and if I was a second too early, that would have been straight through my heart.
That meant that the idiot was aiming for Aemond's heart and that would have been a shitshow considering how Westeros treated kinslayers.
He would have lost his title as heir to Rhaenyra's throne and the woman herself would have been shunned, resulting in her losing most of the support she had as well as Aegon becoming the heir instead.
'Nonetheless, I just risked my own life to save her son. If she's still pissed at me despite that, I'm ignoring her and going about my own thing.'
"I see. Well, then I suppose that the reward of having a castle in the Kingswood is something you will pass on, then."
"…Could a castle even be built there?", I asked and the man smiled before he gave a light shrug.
"One could only find out by attempting to do so."
"Well, if they start now, they could be done by the next three years or so. However, like I've said, Lord Larys, I do not feel a need for a castle right now given that I'm a bit too young to even look after one."
"I suppose so. In any case, I will go and see if I cannot find a maester. Oh, I do believe that her Grace the Queen wished to see you when you wake up," he spoke and I took a raspy breath before nodding, watching as the man stood up and walked to the door.
Noticing Alicent's thread fading slightly as he opened the door, the man closed it behind him before their threads vanished, making me let out a sigh of relief as I laid still and closed my eyes.
A reward in the form of the approval of building a castle in the Kingswood. If I remember correctly, it was just to the south of King's Landing so it would be close to her family yet close enough to where we would have our own privacy.
On top of that, it was an untouched area, which meant that if I planted a heart tree there and then carved protection runes into it, the castle could become one of the most fortified castles in Westeros.
Perhaps, it could even become the most fortified if I kept studying and added in a few hidden traps of my own creation.
'Then again, I just denied the offer to look humble so I'm going to have to keep those plans on ho-Shit, it burns,' I thought with a grimace as another stab of pain rippled from the wound, staring at the bandages around my chest before shaking my head.
'He's just a child, Torrhen. Don't get pissed at him,' Still, even as I tried to keep myself calm, I had to remember that my mind was still partially that of a child as I could feel the rage bubbling under my skin.
Yeah, I think it would be best for Jacaerys and I to stay away from each other until I can be sure I won't plan the downfall of him and his descendants for all tim-
'Yep, I'm staying away from him.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Are you certain you do not need a day or more to recover?", Viserys asked with a frown and I smiled before shaking my head as I was carried to the Silver Grace by two attendees.
"I thank you for the concern, Lord Viserys, but I feel that the salty air of House Velaryon is not agreeing with my wound."
"Ah, yes, that would sting. Very well, carry him to one of the cabins of the Black Tide."
"Your Grace?"
"Don't look so surprised. There was not a chance where I would leave you on your own in the Silver Grace when you could travel with my wife, daughter and I back to King's Landing."
'Right, forgot Aemond now has a dragon,' I thought as I looked up, staring at where Vhagar was rumbling and shaking its body as it stood on top of a cliff overlooking the ships.
"Well, then I thank you, your Grace."
"No need to. Lord Corlys, I thank you for letting us attend the funeral to Lady Laena."
"It was our pleasure, your Grace," I heard Lord Corlys say before the attendants carried me onto the Black Tide, hiding my winces as each step aggravated my wounds before I blinked as we entered a small cabin on the first lower level.
"You can place him on the bed," Alicent's voice echoed from the left and the attendants walked over, helping me lay on the bed before I turned my head to see the woman sitting patiently with a thick wool cloak draped over her shoulders.
"Y-Your Grace, apologies for my lack of manners."
"You were injured in a battle to save my son, Lord Torrhen. I could not expect of you to bow with the injury you have."
"I-I wouldn't exactly call it a battle, your Grace," I spoke with a smile and I was surprised when the woman gave a slight smirk and nodded.
"I suppose so. In any case, you did not need to take that blade, but I thank you still. I was quite relieved to her that you survived."
"I thank you for your concern, your Grace, but if I am allowed to speak my mind, I fear that you are not just here to extend your thanks."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, I wish to apologize in advance, but I could not help but remember our exchange of words on the night before we left King's Landing."
"Ah, I see how that would confuse you. Allow me to say that I do not harbour any ill-will towards you, especially not after you saved Aemond. That was simply my instincts as a mother trying to protect my daughter."
"Ah, I apologize once again. It's rare that I get to meet other lords and ladies as a second son so I am not used to the subtleties of court like my older twin brother."
"Hmm, then that will have to change. When we get back to King's Landing, I will ask his Grace the King if we may have Lord Larys teach you more on the etiquette of court."
"Truly? I cannot thank you enough, your Grace," I spoke as I went to sit up and bow before I blinked as the woman smiled and softly pushed me back.
"Do not aggravate your wound. Rest and when we get back, we shall see about those lessons."
"I will do my best not to fail you, your Grace," I spoke with an excited smile, to which Alicent nodded with a smile as she turned and walked out of the cabin.
As she did, my smile faded and I laid back down, closing my eyes before opening them once again to see Alicent walking out onto the deck with a stoic look on her face.
'Yeah, thought so. She does feel grateful, but she still wishes to test me a bit,' Acting like an excited child was more exhausting than I was expecting, but I had to make sure that Alicent stopped being wary of me.
With both Aemond and Viserys happily acquainted with me and Helaena and Alicent being intrigued by me, that only leaves one other Targaryen to persuade to become my friend.
'Aegon, you're about to be my closest friend.'
A/N: Sorry for the late upload, but we're ending it off here. In this, we explored the aftermath of the earlier events and Viserys acts like a king for a short time.
Next chapter: A Wolf in the South.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!