Part One - Betrayal of A Father
Alicent gasped as Viserys panted over her, faking her ecstasy at every haphazard thrust, in her mind she was imagining a handsome knight over her, making love to her like a fervent lover than this disgusting fat man she married for power.
It was the only way she could stomach this unequal marriage.
Noticing his scrunched up expression, she upped her acting, calling out amorously. “Oh My King, YES, MORE, MORE!!” She shuddered as he spilled in her and collapsed over her, mouthing at her naked breast, lapping at its milk.
Knowing he would be most pliable to her manipulation at moments like this, she cooed as she raked her fingers through his sweaty hair. “Oh My King, how magnificent you are, you are truly strong and virile. I pray ardently to the Seven our Aegon would grow up like you, a handsome and just man.”
Viserys looked up, spit and milk sticking to his open mouth as he stared at her with hazy eyes. “Our Aegon?”
“Yes, our Aegon, our beautiful silver haired son.” She cooed, cupping his face. “Oh, can you imagine the day our son serves this magnificent kingdom like you, my beloved king.”
“A silver haired Aegon on the Iron Throne…” Viserys muttered sleepily before collapsing beside her, snoring loudly. After making sure he was sleeping deeply, the redheaded Queen sneered and left the bed, wiping at her body as if disgusted by the prolonged contact.
After dismissing the Small Council, Viserys leaned back against his chair and rubbed his head. Even away from King’s Landing Daemon was causing trouble. After claiming Stepstones for the Seven Kingdoms as well as surrendering its crown to Viserys (and oddly enough had bequeathed the barren islands to Rhaenyra as part of her dowry of all things) and then insulting Aemma' and Baelon's death with the One Day heir command, Viserys had banished him to Vale and his wife, Lady Rhea Royce to beget heirs of his own and yet the Prince had fled across the ocean and to Essos with Caraxes, playing at being a mercenary for the Prince of Pentos of all things.
After making sure Princess Rhaenyra had left the room, Otto approached Viserys. “Your Grace, I have received some new news about my grandson, Prince Aegon. The nursemaids have reported he had grown even more alert day by day, showing signs of intelligence and good health,”
Viserys grinned hearing that. He was always so pleased to hear someone complimenting his newborn son. “I’m gladden to hear that, my friend. And what have I told you about calling me that?” He scolded him. “You are my oldest friend and now my father in law, surely you can call me by my name.”
“Only one more time it seems, Viserys.” Otto smiled as he served his King a glass of Arbor Gold, “I pray every day that my grandson would grow up like the young friend I met when I first arrived in King’s Landing, a fine intelligent young man who grew up to be a great king leading its kingdoms. Yes, Aegon has a potential to be great, even greater than his father and his great grandfather King Jaehaerys.”
“I’ll toast to that my friend!” The two drank deeply from their goblets, the king somehow managed to miss Otto’s sly smile.
A month passed as day and night Otto and Alicent subtly reminded him of his son, reminding the grand legacy over him as his first born son.
One night, after a rigorous copulation, Viserys slept beside Alicent, lulled by her sweet muttering about their son. He once again dreamed about a silver haired king with purple eyes looking from the Iron Throne, people cheering for him.
Waking up with a gasp, Viserys broods over the unlit fireplace, fingering Aegon the Conquerer’s dagger.
“Did you hear?” Lord Lyonel Strong, Master of Law of King Viserys’s Small Council said as he abruptly entered the Master of Coin’s main solar.
Lord Lyman Beesbury shooed off his scribes, telling them to come later in the afternoon, turned to his long time friend.
“Are we talking about Princess Rhaenyra’s abrupt disinheritance or about Ser Otto unseemingly crowing over his grandson being the new crown prince of Westeros?” He said sourly, finding the Hand’s jubilant reaction disgusting.
“Poor princess, not only was she being stripped of her position, Otto even got the King to stop her Crown Princess allowances as well as her normal royal stipend, claiming the allocation from the Queen’s household would be enough.” Lord Lyonel said, outraged by the audacity.
“What?! But Queen Alicent never handled Princess Rhaenyra’s household, she was quite content leaving it to Lord Caswell.” Lord Lyman exclaimed, knowing quite well what he was talking about since he was the one approving the budgeting for both the Queen’s and the Princess’s households. “This means the Princess is destitute, by her own father!!”
Both of them shook their heads in disbelief. Poor Princess Rhaenyra, she had worked hard for the past year ever since being named as her father’s heir, following them around with questions every council session where she serves as cupbearer, wanting to understand every issue discussed as well as hounding the maester in charge of the library, painstakingly trying to read books on law. She even convinced the Royal kitchen and Lord Caswell to donate excess food from the numerous feasts her father had hosted to the destitute and giving free bread and soup at Flea's Bottom,
“Poor child, There is no way the Queen would let her continue her charity work, not to mention maintain her already meager household.”
“Not entirely.” Lyonel said, looking quite shifty. “Remember the Stepstones Isles? While Prince Daemon surrendered the crown to our King, he signed an iron clad agreement, giving the island to her as well as his share from the war.”
Lyman laughed, “Good for him. He might be an awful master of coin,” he scowled at the memory of having to untangle the big mess the prince left during his brief stint, “he had given Princess Rhaenyra enough to run a bigger household and run her charity for a very long time.” He sighed, “I only wished we could do more for her.”
Lyonel, staring out the window, said slowly, “I believe we can. Princess Rhaenyra has shown potential of being a great ruler and she does have the islands, which if developed properly, can be a good place for her to rule over.”
“What, like a kingdom and Princess Rhaenyra as its Lady Paramount?” Lyman was intrigued by his musing,
“Yes, but I’m not sure the Prince Daemon’s treasures would be enough to kick start the development.”
“Wait, I think I have a solution.” Lyman quickly rooted through his books and records, finally finding the book he looked for. “Yes, yes I was right. There is still Queen Aemma’s dowry.”
“Her dowry? Was it not included in the Royal Treasury?”
“Yes but late Lord Rodrik was a smart man. He had negotiated a bride price for Queen Aemma, emphasizing the fact that the gold was to be used by only Queen Aemma and during her passing, to be divided amongst her living heirs, which was Princess Rhaenyra. And what’s even more impressive,” Lyman said with an awe tone, “Is that he had compounded the need of percentage of interest over the dowry, thus increasing its amount by year. He must’ve been very furious over Queen Alysanne stealing his daughter away and marrying her at a young age.” Both of them had remembered the marriage presided over the 16 years old Viserys and the 11 years old Aemma and how he had bragged over consummating the marriage the day after.
Yes, the two fathers can see why Lord Rodrik had asked for such a steep price for his daughter, it was the only way he could protect her and her children.
“And how much was it?” Lyonel leaned forward to watch as Lyman calculate the total amount,
‘“50 thousand golden dragons with 500% interest rates over seventeen years where Queen Aemma had never touched it would make it... 4,250,000 golden dragons.” He ended with a choked voice.
“Four million golden dragons?!” Lyonel exclaimed. “Can the Royal Treasury pay out such an amount?!”
“We can, in fact, pay it in full to her, but we won’t have enough surplus after that for a grand investiture ceremony Ser Otto wants for Prince Aegon nor the King can throw his feasts and tourney as much.” Lyman smiled vindictively.
“Lend me some parchments Lyman, let me write up an ironclad contract to give to our King so Otto can’t steal the Stepstones islands and Queen Aemma’s dowry from her as well.”
The two loyal men quickly worked through the day, writing a contract to protect Princess Rhaenyra from the power hungry Hightowers.
Ten years old Rhaenyra was feeling at a loss. After being abruptly summoned by her father yesterday morning, she found herself being stripped of her title Crown Princess and Heiress to the Iron Throne. Her father had waffled about the Song of Ice and Fire and the need of a strong king on the Iron Throne but Rhaenyra knew it was just pretty words he was saying so he won’t feel guilty.
She had raged, had screamed and cried in front of her father but Viserys was adamant, Aegon would be the new Crown Prince of Westeros.
His qualifications?
For just having a cock.
Going back to her suite of rooms amidst the whispers and the judging glances, she was surprised to see Lord Alun Caswell waiting for her with an apologetic face.
As it turns out her humiliations were not over, Ser Otto apparently had told her father the King to stop her funds as the Princess of Dragonstone as well as her monthly stipends as a member of the Royal Family, putting her household under Queen Alicent’s control.
And her first action?
To pull two of her three remaining maids into her household as well as taking Ser Criston Cole and assigning him as Prince Aegon’s new sworn sword now that she was no longer the heir. She also told Ser Caswell to stop Rhaenyra’s work offering free bread and soup to the destitute, claiming it was a waste of the Royal resources since there are Septons and Septas that can do that sort of charity work for them.
Smiling pathetically to loyal Annora, her only handmaiden left, Rhaenyra spent the day in her bed, avoiding everyone knowing people would talk about the king’s decision.
Staring out the window and at the Blackwater Bay, she toyed the idea of flying with Syrax.
It’s not like she has anything to do now, doesn’t she? Rhaenyra thought bitterly.
“Your Grace.” Rhaenyra was startled out of her bitter daydream to see Annora standing by the window seat she was reclining on.
“Yes Annora?”
“Lord Strong and Lord Beesbury are asking for your permission to talk to you, Your Grace.”
The princess blinked. Why were her two dedicated teachers looking for her?
“Of course, they have my permission to enter.” She was further bewildered to see two of her father’s councilmen entering her room with books and papers. “Can I help you, My Lords?”
“On the contrary, my princess, there is something we could help you with.” The two men bowed deeply as she was still the Crown Princess, Lord Lyonel passing her a sheaf of papers.
Reading the papers, she was surprised to see what was on it and looked at them in shock.