15
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186 AC
Kingslanding
Tybolt Lannister
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"What have you heard?" I ask one of my knights who I tasked to approach the people around the dragon prince.
"Nothing my Lord, no one talks about him other than what is widely known. The only thing I could get from anyone is that they are expecting Balerion Otherys to arrive back from his travels to the Summer Isles. They say he will be participating in the Name day tourney and trying to win it to prove his moniker as the 'Black dread come again'." So nothing important, this prince is becoming more and more of a problem.
Dragons alone coming back is a problem but with this prince moving things around under the cover of the king I am getting worried. I have heard reports that the silver dragon has been sighted flying from one side of Westeros to the other. A long trip to the North was recent and with him talking to Lord Stark I can see something brewing.
Maybe he is trying to get a marriage alliance with a future child of his?
If he wanted the throne no one could stop him and his sister and their fire-breathing dragons. I just can't figure out what is driving this seemingly frantic action to acquire gold. Businesses and goods of all kinds and even selling himself personally to play his admittedly good music at events. His price could even make a Lannister double take but when he played in Lannisport I had to admit it was worth the cost.
This prince is a mystery and that is a problem.
If he is in need of gold so badly I wonder if he will take my son Damon as a squire, it would do my boy good to befriend the dragon rider. I am already sending Damon and some other Lannister boys to participate in his 'training camp'. Another play to make gold from what I can see from the prices of the luxury lodging but I paid it easily enough.
The game the boys play will be demonstrated for the first time Infront of such a large crowd, soccer as they call it. It will have a tournament that will reward the winner with an 'iron throne cup' filled with gold for the team to split.
I can foresee some scheme to milk out every bit of that gold back from the Lords and Ladies watching the match.
If I weren't so off-put by the sneaky prince I would attempt to befriend him myself, but he gives me a bad feeling. It is best to watch a while longer and see how the playing field looks when someone else makes a move.
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186 AC
Kingslanding
Daeron II Targaryen
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"I know it is pointless to worry but I can't help but worry when I see your brother talking with a Lord paramount." I follow her eyes and spot Aerion talking with Lord Stark who I was surprised to see arrive for my son's Name day.
They are likely talking about the gift deal, nothing to worry about.
"It is fine, worry more about the people eyeing the Dornish Ladies you invited with fire in their eyes." Reach and Stormlands Lords glaring daggers into the Dornish woman and they still laugh and carry on with no sense of surroundings.
I know they are ready to defend themselves in the unlikely scenario someone does something but I still can't help but worry about their carefree personality.
"Well Jena Dondarrion is seemingly hitting it off with our son, that is some good news at least." I smile watching my boy talk with the beautiful young lady and when he catches me looking he nods.
I shake my head with a smile before looking back across the room and catch Danny dragging away my brother.
"I didn't foresee my brother becoming so passionate about acquiring Harrenhal, if I am honest it would not be a problem to give it to him at this point. I would get some complaints from a few Lords but they would easily be quieted. Mainly the Tullys who will take offense to Harrenhal swearing directly to the Iron throne. But no one can say he is not worth Harrenhal, I mean just the dragons make him worth the seat. His recent actions that have been making massive waves and earning him a lot of gold show he is capable." I feel my wife pull my hand to her lips and kiss it.
"It is good that you will have such a powerful and loyal person who is family sitting in the biggest castle in Westeros. If he follows through and restores it and completes the other plans he has talked about he will be one of the strongest 'Lords' in Westeros. That is not even counting his dragon and his soon-to-be wife's dragon as well." I smile and pull her hand to my lips and kiss it but notice a thoughtful look on her face.
"What's wrong?" She shakes her head and smiles and I press my lips on her hand before lowing our held hands back down.
"I was just wondering again how that will work, will they be taking their own sigil and keeping the name Targaryen? They are starting their own branch at this point and I was just wondering what they planned to do with their sigil or if they are keeping it as is." I nod and look back over and catch the two dancing as the music plays and I can't stop myself from smiling.
"Let's dance as well, I love this song." I stand up and my beautiful wife follows after me as people clear out of the way.
Hopefully, I won't embarrass myself after not dancing for a few months.
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186 AC
Kingslanding
Mya Rivers
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"There they go." I dryly comment as I watch Aerion and Danny leave through a side door.
"What do you think they are up to this time?" Gwenys asks as she sips on her own cup of wine leaning against the wall.
We both tucked away onto the side of the celebration, trying to escape the hungry vultures. Too many second sons thinking they will make their father proud grabbing up a dragon blood wife who is in the line of succession. The legitimization from our father did nothing good for any of us, we didn't get bigger allowances or special privileges. The only thing we got was more people annoying us for our hand in marriage.
Thanks, dad.
"Gold, whatever it is they went to do involves gold." Gwenys chuckles as she looks away from the side door and over to Narha.
"What are you so quiet for, shouldn't you be excited your brother will be here tomorrow? It has been more than two years since he left and he is finally returning." Narha shrugs without looking interested in the slightest.
"He won't be staying long, he wants to sail to Sothoryos next and I won't see him for years once more or he will even die. I try not to think about it but I am already disappointed once more that he will just up and leave and not even give it a second thought. He enjoys traveling and seeing the world too much." Balerion and his obsession with books grew into an obsession with seeing everything for himself with his own eyes.
It is respectable that he is setting off to do what he dreams and makes me think about what I want to do. I am a woman grown now and I need to decide before it is too late, I could always try something else if I fail early.
Balerion borrowed some gold from Aerion and is paying him back by writing books about everything he finds and collecting different kinds of plants for Aerion to try and milk for gold. One half-brother is obsessed with travel and another is obsessed with making gold so he can 'buy' the biggest castle in Westeros. My full brother is also obsessed with something but it seems a lost cause if I am brutally honest.
I turn to my right and see Shiera trying her best to ignore the two bickering voices beside her.
My brother Brynden and my half-brother Aegor, both being attracted to Shiera and tried to get her attention. The girl is a bit too young to fully pursue and has not even flowered as of yet, but with how much they annoy her their chances are low. They seem to not even notice she is not willing to bother with either of them and is busy looking at a certain side door.
"Poor Brynden." I mutter and shake my head while rubbing my forehead.
"Yea he is struck with Shiera and the rivalry with Aegor only seeks to make it feel more intense, he won't back down easily. It is more of a man's pride thing at this point than real interest in Shiera as she just ignores them." My point exactly, I wonder if they are only pretending to care about her so they can keep arguing with each other at every event they meet.
"Think they will fight in the tourney?" I ask and hear a chuckle.
"I would bet on it, they will charge past anyone in the way to get at each other." I shake my head and walk toward the argument to break it up so Shiera won't suffer any longer.
"Can you two stop, you are bothering Shiera." I speak with a bit more fire than I intended and they both look over in anger before looking at Shiera.
Seeing her stare off longingly they both go stiff before looking at each other one more time.
"This is not over albino freak." Aegor grunts and walks off to harass someone else, that or rub up on his favorite brother Daemon.
"Go on, I want to talk to Shiera alone." I shoo my bother off with a hand and he scrunches up his nose before giving in and walking off with a defeated sigh.
I slip into a seat beside Shiera and wave my hand Infront of her mismatched eyes and she blinks quickly in response.
"Huh?" I snort to stop myself from laughing, she tuned out the whole world just now because of those idiots.
"What are you thinking about?" I ask knowing full well what she was thinking about, or rather who.
"I was thinking it sucks to be too young." I raise a brow and she looks over and finally makes eye contact.
Her blue eye matches the sapphires on her necklace and her green eye matches the emeralds making it look dazzling. A final gift from our father, she took the name Seastar soon after fathers passing and every time I meet these eyes I see why. It was also what her mom had said shortly before passing away after birthing her so that also factors in.
"What are you too young for, or rather who are you too young for?" I ask with a smile and she rolls her eyes and looks back to the door.
"I heard them talking about getting married soon, he will win the tourney and crown her his queen of love and beauty and then announce their hasty wedding. After that, it will be impossible to marry him myself, at least without freaking the faith out. I could slip him a love potion and convince him to fly us over the narrow sea on Moonfyre and marry me in Pentos or something." I try to catch myself but she keeps throwing verbal jabs as I stagger to reply.
"You heard them talking about getting married?" She nods slowly with her lips pursed.
"Yea, sept of Baelor and everything." Danny didn't even tell me.
Probably because it was a recent decision and she didn't think to spread the news yet, I will ask her about it. I can't help but also feel a bit defeated, I knew they were going to get married but I also hoped deep inside I would marry Aerion and take the real Targaryen name. My kids would have dragons and I would be happy with Aerion making good food every now and then and singing to me. No other man can even cook half as well as him and as far as his voice it's one of a kind, he is also fun to be around. He is nothing like the annoying men hunting me down to talk my ear off about stuff I don't care about.
"Damn this does suck." I slump back in my seat and Shiera nods with empathy in her eyes.
"It does." I snort and she raises a silver brow.
"So what's this about a love potion?" Her lips twitch up into a smile as she tries to restrain herself.