Chapter 9
Daemon and Maenera left Daemon's chambers and entered Viserys, they were to meet Rhaenys soon for lunch. Maenera slowly opened the door to Viserys bedchamber and checked on him and Rhaenyra.
"They are still asleep." His sister said while she took a seat beside him at the table.
"That's good, they need rest." He replied, both of them falling into a confortable silence. It wasn't long till Rhaenys was announced and entered the rooms.
"Cousin, my condolences." She said and embraced Daemon.
"Thank you."
His sister was quiet, not something unusual per se but her gaze was worrying. She didn't stand up to greet Rhaenys, that was rude onto itself. As she was a princess and the King's sister her rank was higher than Rhaenys so she didn't need to courtesy, quite the opposite actually. But Rhaenys didn't know that, nobody knew actually so this perceived insult could rise a lot of concerns. Rhaenys took it in stride though, never faltering under his sister gaze but her she made eye contact with him and there was a question there.
"Please cousin, have a seat." He invited her." I hope that Corlys told you what this is about."
"Yes he told me that he offered me up in front of the council to take over Aemma's duties for the time being." Her voice made clear her displeasure.
"Yes, you are the oldest woman in our generation, and you are family."
"May I ask why your wife didn't take this duty, as it should have been?" She asked face mocking.
"My wife..." He started but was interrupted by his sister.
"You should be grateful."his sister broke her silence. She now sported a full on glare directed at Rhaenys.
"Excuse me? Who are you exactly to make such remarks?"asked his cousin.
"Who I am is not the matter at hand. The Royal family knows my name and my status and that is enough." His sister replied. She was not pulling her punches. In one sentence affirmed that Rhaenys wasn't part of the royal family anymore and she wasn't important enough to know her identity. It was harsh but not entirely false. Rhaenys herself had refused any reconciliation until that point so she should not be surprised when they stopped trying.
"You should be grateful that you are allowed into the procession and you are given an important enough role."
"I am a princess of the blood" Rhaenys said and he could see that she was angry. Her cheeks were red and her fists were clenched.
"You cannot be a princess of the blood only when it benefits you. Since King Viserys has ascended to the Iron Throne you introduced yourself left and right as Rhaenys Velaryon, wife of the Sea Snake. You cannot enter into the King's chambers and act all righteous when you have spurned any reconciliation until now." His sister was in a spectacular mood and it showed.
"Even as lady Velaryon you have to show me the respect I am due. By the looks of it you are a dragon seed, a bastard." Well, Rhaenys laid her bed. Daemon sat back into his chair and waited for his sister to eviscerate the older woman. " Who's are you? Viserys? No, you have Daemon's impertinence and arrogance."
"For one, my lady, I am not a bastard, my parents were in fact married. Secondly I can assure you neither Viserys nor Daemon had fathered me. Thirdly, as I was saying, you can either be grateful for the opportunity presented to you and shut your mouth or you can go back from where you came from, tail between your legs and we will let everyone know that you were deemed unsuitable for the role. "
Exactly like he expected, Maenera destroyed her verbally. Not only pointed out the fact that she was true born and to call a true born lady a bastard was a big deal in polite society, but she had the looks of a Targaryen which meant that by law she was a princess as well. Another blow came from the fact that she referred to both himself and his brother by their given name and Daemon didn't corrected her, which showed a level of familiarity few were afforded. And of course the killing blow. It was no secret that Rhaenys was passed twice as queen, first by his Father then by his brother, but to be deemed unsuitable for a role that should go to her by rights as the oldest in their generation would destroy her reputation and any standing she had left with the royal family.
It was a bit cruel what his sister did, but he did not have in his heart to defend Rhaenys anymore. It wasn't him and Viserys that did her wrong, it was his grandfather and the lords of the Seven Kingdoms. What did she expect when she proudly took the name Velaryon and let her children, her heirs take that name as well? She should have kept her name and give at least one of the children the name Targaryen as was written in the contracts negotiated between Aemon and Corlys, but no. She was Aemon's heir, his only child and she grew so complacent in her status and power that the fight for the Throne was won before she even managed to wake up from her stupor. The fight at the Council of 101 was not even between her and Viserys, it was between Viserys and her son Laenor. What did she expect to happen when the lords were forced to choose between a boy of seven who had an infant dragon and his brother who was already a man of four and twenty, with two heirs and the last rider of the great beast, Balerion the Black Dread.
Her animosity started to grate him a while back. Her refusal to accept her duties and her disregard of the name Targaryen were a constant and despite how much he loved her, it was enough. They grew up together, they ran as children through the Red Keep and flew on their dragon over Kingslanding, those were memories that he will forever cherish, but she had to make a choice, a complete break from the working royals as Saera , Vaegon and Rhaella did, or she was back in the saddle, taking on the responsibilities that were demanded by the blood that flew in her veins.
"Well, what will it be?" His sister asked interrupting his thoughts. He saw Rhaenys looking at him, maybe in the hope that he will help her. He hardened his gaze and gave her the answer without any words. He saw her then unclenching her fists and averting her eyes.
"Tell me what needs to be done." Rhaenys said.
***
His sister surprised him again. She won a battle of whits and words with a woman much older than her, one that grew up in the pit of vipers they call the capital.
"My brother will have a conniption when he finds out what you've done." He said after Rhaenys left and they were left alone again.
"Didn't see you complaining then, dear brother. " She replied and started to pour both of them some wine. "Besides it needed to be done." She continued handing him a cup.
"Why? We spent many years with her toeing the line. Why now?
"Because House Targaryen cannot be divided anymore. There are enough threats outside our house we don't need one inside of it."
"You would be a fool to not consider Rhaenys a threat, especially now. You made an enemy out of her."
"Not really, I gained her respect. And even so, she will consider me the enemy, not you or Viserys. Is better if the focus of her anger is not the King and his heir anymore. "
"That may be true but you put yourself in danger. The insults you delivered today, no matter how truthful, will make her retaliate. "
"Oh... Dear sweet brother, are you worried about me?" She said and playfully bat her eyes at him. And what eyes she had. He could get lost in those mismatched beauties of hers.
"Do not worry your sweet head over it brother, I wouldn't do what I do if I am not prepared for backlash. "
"What's next?" He asked knowing she had a plan for the rest of the day.
"Well we will spend most of the day in this chambers waiting for Viserys and Rhaenyra to wake up, we will spend some time with them and when the night falls we will go into the city. "
"Why would we be going into the city?" He asked confused.
"We are killing a whore!" She said cheerfully. She even clapped her little hands. Even her hands were beautiful, small with long fingers, well manicured nails, he started to wonder how they would feel in his hair. Maybe he will ask her latter to braid his hair. Wait, what were they talking about?
"What whore?"
"Yours."
"Mine?"
"Yes, yours"
"Why are we killing my whore?"
"Because she's been bad. Biting the hand that feeds her"
"Wait a minute, what whore are we talking about?"
"Misaria"
"Misaria? Why are we killing Misaria?"
"For fucks shake Daemon, didn't i just tell you she's been a bad girl?"
"How bad, because sometimes I like them to be bad girls and to be honest I like Misaria quite a bit"
"She's been selling your secrets to the Lord Hand"
"You are right, we are killing a whore tonight"
"I know."
***
Viserys woke up to his siblings voices. They weren't talking loudly just loud enough for him to decipher bits of conversation. He didn't bother to move at first but then he hard Rhaenys voice and got curious. What was Rhaenys doing in his chambers? Then the conversation started and even he could understand that Rhaenys made mistake after mistake. She heard his sister destroyed the older woman and give her an ultimatum. He wanted to intervene but his feet couldn't move why wasn't his brother stopping her? After it came Rhaenys acceptance, he was surprised, he expected his cousin to tell them to go to hell and leave.
His sister did presented her with a hard choice. Gave up her status as princess once and for all or forget any grievances and get back into the fold. His sister had been ruthless with her words, but he expected nothing less, even as a child had been brutal in her delivery. And she liked him (at least he hoped so) but the conversation and the way she spoke left him with the impression she didn't like Rhaenys all that much.
The conversation flew over the preparations and the cost and the coordination with Lord Beesbury and the servants. He tuned most of it out chosing to play with his daughter's hair instead. Then Rhaenys left and while he wanted to get out of the room he was curious about the interaction between his brother and sister.
He wanted to laugh. His brother was already wrapped around he finger. He was asking for her advice and letting her lead him in any direction she wishes. He wasn't exactly surprised, Daemon always wished for a sister. He remembered when they were little and her mother had fallen pregnant, their parents had asked them what gender they wished for the babe. His father barely had time to finish the question before his brother all but screamed that he wished for a sister. His brother didn't talk with him for two days after he responded that he wished for another brother. He didn't know what his brother was thinking, maybe that if they both wish it hard enough the child will be born a girl. He shook his head trying to get rid of memories.
His sister gleefully said that they were killing Daemon's whore tonight, and his brother protested for all two seconds before giving in. True it was surprising that his whore was selling secrets to Otto and she surely angered his brother, but Viserys was sure that even without a good reason if his sister really wanted to see her dead his brother will make it happen. Mad siblings, can't live with them and can't live without them.
***
Viserys came out of his bed chamber looking a lot better. The same could not be said about the little girl in his arms, Rhaenyra looked like disgruntled little kitten. She was glaring at the world, her hair in every direction and a pout on her lips. It was clear she didn't want to wake up, probably his brother woke her up because it was well past noon and if they wanted her to sleep tonight she needed to awake now.
They didn't talk about the Council meeting or the funeral arrangements, or anything of importance. The flow of conversation was full of mundane topics while both his brother and niece had something to eat. After Rhaenyra finished eating, Maenera put the girl in her lap and started to comb Rhaenyra's hair with her fingers and started braiding it.
"Those are valyrian braids" Daemon observed, his brother turning his head to look at the girls as well.
"Yes, father took his time showing me and my mother how to do them. He was surprised when he saw me wearing northern braids and asked my mother why did she put them in my hair. He was truly surprised that my mother didn't know how to do valyrian braids."
"Why would your mother know how to do valyrian braids, only the valyrian hoses know how to do them." Asked Viserys.
"As I told you my mother was a bastard, but she had dragon blood in her, that's what first attracted father to her. "
"She was a dragon seed? In the North?"
"Yes, the Old King wasn't as dedicated to his vows to the Good Queen as he let the world believe."
"Your mother was the King's daughter? Why didn't she came to the Council of 101, she had a claim, especially having married Baelon and having you. "
"My mother didn't want anything from the royal family. Her and her mother before her were shunned by both House Stark and House Targaryen, she didn't want the throne and she definitely didn't want to meet the family. "
"Why? She was one of us. We take care of our own." Daemon said .
"The Old King only recognized the mistakes of others, not his own. He was not going to recognize a daughter he had by forcing himself on a Stark girl. After all they did everything in their power to hide them both. " She said and Daemon was thankful that Rhaenyra was now playing in the other corner of the room not paying attention to their discussion.
"My grandmother was young when she had my mother, only ten and four, her "honor" " she said that words with distaste." was tarnished, the letters sent to the King unanswered, so they sent her away, to have my mother in secret on Bear Island. She was struck from the books and marked as dead. It was a well kept secret in the North."
"So what just because your grandmother had the Old King's child they made her disappear?"
"Yes, honor is a big deal for House Stark and my grandmother was a stain that needed to be removed, so they did. I do not know what could she had done, what they think she should have done, my grandmother was a child, and the Jaehaerys a grown man. Is not like you can say no to the King."
Her voice sounded frustrated. It was true as a girl of ten and four her grandmother didn't stand a chance. It was hard to fight a grown man at such age even if he wasn't the King. Three generations of women hidden away like dirty little secrets just because his Grandfather couldn't keep it in his breeches. Daemon wanted to ask some more questions, but he could see on the face of his sister that she didn't want to talk anymore, her attention already stollen by the girl in the corner of the room who was playing with some wooden toys.