105 105
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115 AC
The Eyrie
Daeron Nymeros Martell
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"Honestly after you do it a few times it loses its... how should I put it-" I sigh and drop my head back on a pillow as I lay in bed with my Wife and the twins playing in between us. "-the 'shock value' is lost once you do it multiple times." Rhaenyra looks at me strangely and I purse my lips as I turn my attention to Nymeria who is sitting up on her own with a smile showing her few teeth.
"Alright, firstly, what does that even mean?" I roll my eyes grabbing Rhaenys and dragging her by both of her chunky little legs and pulling her against my side.
"It means after you see hundreds of people die screaming in dragon fire you stop caring about burning people in dragon fire." Honestly, it is pretty screwed up to think about, but killing people with my dragon is more of a chore than anything else at this point.
The first time was... mind-blowing if I had to explain it, it left me speechless mostly.
The second time was a little less 'special' but still sent a chill through me.
The third and every other time after... was just painful to watch.
No one stands a chance against a dragon, it's like calling a natural disaster down upon someone but you are forced to actually be there and watch it happen.
"Men kill each other all the time, I have seen it plenty of times at tourneys and even a few times in one of the Red Keeps training yards." Rhaenyra sighs as she shakes her head, a conflicted look on her face.
"You know you don't actually have to go with us or you could even call the little 'flight' off if you wanted." I was mainly just going with the flow, I felt like I could vastly improve the opinion Lady Arryn had of Me and by extension my wife.
But if she does not want me to burn down their huts and cull a small population of savages then I won't. I know Jeyne might be disappointed by it still remains to be seen if she actually has the guts to climb onto my dragon's saddle anyway. She seemingly does know the location of the Stone Crows though... which may or may not speak volumes about some hidden away anger she likely holds for those Mountain Men.
"I have no problem going-" Rhaenyra takes a deep breath and sighs before copying me and grabs Nymeria by her legs and pulls her over to her and holds her against her chest. "-I have no problem burning or at least seeing people burning either, I just did not expect for this to happen." I hum in agreement as I press a kiss on Rhaenys head as my Daughter plays with the stubble of my beard.
"We do or we don't, it makes no difference to me." I smile at Rhaenyra as she remains lost in thought but I still feel like saying something I have been wanting to say since she started acting 'weird'. "Either way though I think you should still kill someone or something sooner rather than later." God, I feel like a serial killer or something.
But she is to be a Queen, and doubt when making a decision because you are squeamish can potentially cost people their lives. Though honestly, I don't think she is scared of being responsible for people's deaths or scared of even killing someone herself. She is a Princess and grew up with a Royal upbringing not to mention her Houses history and the fact she is a massive fan of Visenya. Being responsible for people's deaths is just a normal thing for royalty, in most cases.
Rhaenyra just seems caught in an odd mood.
Hmm... hope she isn't pregnant again, I want to finish this damnable Royal progress and pick either Dragonstone or the Red Keep to start playing the 'game' from. My Father won't be kicking the bucket anytime soon and so I can't really jump around on his toes down in Dorne without hearing him nag too much. Essos has some fun going on but I got children and I won't leave them to go play with 'Uncle' Daemon in the East. So I am left with Dragonstone Rhaenyras rightful seat or the Royal Court with my Good Father.
Thinking of my Good Father, I need to remember to send him a Raven asking him to look into the 'Whispers' castle or even land on the tip of the Crackclaw point. I want to see about funding a small port town with a shipyard, I want my own trading vessels that I can further increase my wealth with. I know for a fact the Sea Snake will brag day and night about all the places he has been and seen and I can likely get some advice on where to send some trading ships to gain some profits.
"-are you even listening to me?" I smile as my Wife huffs and reaches out to pull at my cheek but instead of letting myself be 'attacked' I grab her hand and kiss the back of it.
"I wasn't but I would love to hear what you said if you would repeat it." Rhaenyra deadpans but I hide my face behind Rhaenys as my adorable child moves herself up toward my head.
Both of the twins seem obsessed with my stubble when it is prickly, it gives me the motivation to keep shaving it and letting it grow out a bit just to have them 'love' on me more than anyone else.
"I said that it's fine to go through with it if Jeyne can muster her own courage to go with us, if she can't find the courage to join us then we will not go." I hum in approval and pepper Rhaenys with kisses on her squishy cheeks sending her into a laughing fit.
"Sounds good to me." If it really is important to her then she will go with us, if not then we will just be some unpaid hitmen taking out some poorly armed men hiding in the shadows of the mountains.
Though debatably as a part of the royal family, there is some 'Duty' in making sure the lands of 'our' people are safe. If this was Dorne and there were tens of thousands of woods squatters living how they want and not paying taxes... they would have been wiped out, and not even their bones would remain. In Dorne, you have to give the nearby Lords some coin if you are living on 'their' land or they will come and crush you into a sandy grave.
Which if I look at it that way and I think about how the mountain men don't even have iron weapons, it makes me doubt the claims of how 'formidable' the knights of the Vale are. Any other kingdom would have crushed the cancer-like populace living and hunting on their lands. The North is the closest thing I can think of with their wildlings from beyond the wall and I know for a fact Northern Lords sometimes hunt the 'savage folk' for fun.
So why don't the Vale Lords do the same?
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115 AC
The Eyrie
Jeyne Arryn
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Taking off my necklace I place it back into the padded and silk-lined box in front of my mirror before I close the box letting it lock. Turning to look at my bed I see Jessamyn reading a book without paying me any attention. I sigh turning and heading toward the bed, my thoughts a mixed and mashed mess as I crawl into bed after removing my footwear.
"Something wrong?" Jessamyn asks as she looks in my direction for a moment before returning to reading.
"I got a lot on my mind." I confess knowing this will lead me to talk about the plan that I have been slowly coming up with.
"Like what?" She lays her book down careful to keep her page as she turns her full attention to me. "Are you still thinking about what Rhea Royce confessed to you not long after her arrival?" I hum and think back to the odd meeting in my solar.
"Not entirely." I take a deep breath and sigh as I brush my hand over the blanket over my body and look toward the stone ceiling. "My meeting with Prince Daeron went well, I did not bring up what I originally planned to bring up but I am satisfied with the direction things are heading." The only good Stone Crow is a dead Stone Crow.
"What do you mean?" Jessamyn moves closer and takes one of my hands in hers and I turn to lock eyes with her.
"I mean he offered to take me for a flight on his Dragon and I asked if we might could burn some of the Mountain Men plaguing my lands and he agreed." Jessamyn's eyes go wide and I look back toward the stone ceiling, a pit forming in my stomach. "Does that upset you?" Jessamyn is an overly kind person, she has not seen or had to do things I have had to do or see.
It is one of her greatest charms in fact, her Father sheltered her from the worst of people and it has grown Jessamyn into who she is because of that fact.
"You want him to use his dragon against the Stone Crows?" She asks directly knowing exactly who I would turn a dragon loose on if given a chance.
"I do." She flinches and clutches my hand tighter.
"I see." I sigh hearing the oddness in her tone.
"The Stone Crows would not hesitate to do the same if a Dragon Rider came and stayed with them. They would see the whole of the Vale burned out just so they can claim 'their' lands." I hate that I have to explain this to her, too many people are too comfortable with the lives they have and ignore the dangers around them in favor of more comfort.
The Mountain clans would kill every last Lord or Lady they could get their hands on just to spit in the faces of civilized society. No pity should be given to people who hold none for us, they brought this kind of viewpoint on themselves.
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115 AC
Winterfell
Rickon Stark
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"More dragons..." I sigh setting aside the letter that came from the Eyrie, an early 'warning' of the incoming Royal Couple and their dragons.
This time one bigger than that Blood Wyrm will be coming to stay for a while... at least the Prince of Dorne has some decency and is offering to pay for any food their dragons consume. I just hope this won't become a common thing, dragons make everyone nervous and leave them on edge.
Cregan will at least enjoy their stay, my young Son loved looking at the great red beast during its short stay. I will ask the future Queen if she will allow him to touch her much smaller dragon as I dared not ask the Rogue Prince during his stay. The beast was snappy even when it was fed daily and if it attacked my Son I don't even know what I would have done.
"Hmm." Standing I head for the door to leave my Solar and start the early preparations for the Prince and Princess, there will be much to do.
