Chapter 25 - Interlude: The Elder

122 AC

Aegon POV

As I sit here, pondering about my past, I cannot help but feel a sense of sadness and regret. I wonder what life would have been like if I were born into a noble family instead of a royal one. There are times when I yearn for the freedom that comes with a life free from these shackles.

Growing up in the Targaryen household was not easy. My older sister Rhaenyra was always favored by our father, and I was often overlooked. Despite my best efforts in the training yard to prove my worth, I was always second-best. I longed for the day when my father would look at me with pride and say, "Well done, my boy, I am proud of you." But those words never came.

My mother was always there to whisper in my ear about my birthright, about how the Iron Throne belonged to me as the eldest son of the King. But the thought of ruling the Seven Kingdoms filled me with dread. The thought of the responsibility that came with the throne made my skin crawl.

I remember the day when I realized that after Rhaenyra, her bastard son would sit on the throne. The thought of a child with no Valyrian blood ruling the Seven Kingdoms angered me to no end. But what made me even angrier was that my father did not even bat an eye when Rhaenyra gave birth to her strong bastards he did nothing to stop her. But when I made the very same mistake, he had the gall to admonish me. It was not my fault that the stupid whore did not drink moon tea, but that did not matter to my father.

It was then that my father decided that I would marry my sister. I knew it was inevitable, but the thought of being married to someone so foolish and erratic filled me with dread. Helaena was always talking to herself and playing with insects, and I could not relate to her in any way.

I was never close to any of my siblings. Daeron was too young, and our age gap made it impossible to relate to each other. My relationship with Aemond was complicated, to say the least. I remember him as a hot-headed child who would get angry at the slightest of things. But everything changed when he tamed Vhagar on Driftmark. For the first time, I felt proud of my brother. He had accomplished something great, and I was happy for him.

But instead of being praised for his achievement, our foolish father sent him away just because our cousin lost an eye. I could not understand why he would do such a thing. It was then that I realized that our father was a coward.

Now, after nearly two years, Aemond had returned. I expected him to be more hot-headed and prideful, like I was after taming Sunfyre, but he wasn't. He had become calm and collected and had even become more pious. He seemed halfway there to becoming a septon. I couldn't remember the last time I had visited a sept, but my brother seemed to find solace in his faith.

But our relationship is still complicated. We have had our fair share of arguments and disagreements, but I cannot help but feel a sense of kinship with him.

"Why did you call us here grandfather?", I asked the man who was the second most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms after the king as well as my grandfather.

The man ignored my question and stood near the window of his solar in the tower of the Hand looking at the dark waters of Blackwater Bay.

"Take this Aegon, you deserve it", said my mother as she handed me a chalice filled with wine.

I happily took the burden of the glass away from her while my sister kept staring at me.

"What happened Helaena?", Mother asked her softly but she turned her face away.

It was then that I heard loud voices coming from the base of the Tower and after a few minutes, I saw Aemond rushing in with Ser Criston right behind him.

My brother looked furious and I realized that the fire in him was not fully quelled rather It was still deep inside searching for a way to come out.

"Aemond are you well?", Mother asked as she made her way toward him.

"Why did you do it grandfather?", he asked looking straight at Grandfather while completely ignoring Mother's question.

"Sit down", was all that grandfather said and in a huff, Aemond went and sat down.

After everyone was seated Grandfather looked at all of us with a smile on his face.

"Aegon and Helaena my dear grandchildren you represented your house well and showed the unity of the Greens. Now the nobles have had a good look at their future king and Queen".

I nearly threw up the wine when I heard him.

"But there are certain things which I did not like", he said in a serious tone.

"Aegon", he said while looking at me pointedly.

"Yes, grandfather", I replied nervously.

"How many times I have told you not to grope the passing serving girls? As the future king you have to maintain certain decorum".

I just nodded at his words while thinking about that one serving girl who had a huge ass.

Then he looked towards my sister and said,"Helaena, I want you to stay away from Daemon's squire".

Hearing grandfather's words all the thoughts of the serving girl vanished and I grimaced thinking about that good-for-nothing peasant who dared to show his superiority back on Driftmark.

I took a swig of the wonderful 'Arbor Gold' which was gifted by Lord Redwyne and nearly spat that out as well when I heard her response.

"No", she said softly.

For a few seconds, I could not comprehend what she had just said.

"Helaena", mother said aghast.

"Do not worry Father she will do as you said", mother said in a hurry.

While Helaena looked on defiantly.

"And now onto your question Aemond, the fact of the matter was that It had to be done", grandfather said.

The Seven above only knew what the fuck they were talking about.

Aemond clenched his fists in anger, his eyes flashing with fury as he listened to his grandfather's explanation. "So you think it's acceptable to change the dates of the tourney just because you fear 'him'?" he spat out, his voice shaking with emotion. "You call that honorable?"

Grandfather raised an eyebrow, his expression cool and composed. "I call it prudent," he replied. "The safety and stability of the Seven Kingdoms is at stake here, Aemond. We cannot afford to take any unnecessary risks."

"But what about honor?" Aemond protested. "What about fairness? Changing the dates of the squires melee at the last minute is hardly fair to the other participants, especially to Ulf who is not well and would not be able to perform ably due to his illness at such a short notice."

Grandfather leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers thoughtfully. "I understand your concerns, Aemond. But you must also understand that in politics and war, sometimes we must make difficult decisions for the greater good."

Aemond shook his head, his face contorted with rage. "The greater good? What about the good of the people who are competing in this tournament? What about their honor and their reputation? By changing the dates like this, you are tainting the entire competition. Everyone will talk about how one of the most talented squires in the seven kingdoms will not be able to do well due to his illness and the fact that the dates were shifted so late."

"Do you not believe in my strength grandfather that you have to resort to such underhanded means so that I could win?", Aemond asked in a tone which indicated that he was hurt by what had transpired.

"Aemond my grandson I have full faith in your abilities, but the fact remains that the boy Is too much of an unpredictable variable just like the man who taught him."

Grandfather sighed, a weary expression crossing his face. "I know you are upset, Aemond. But you must try to see the bigger picture. The future of House Targaryen, of the Seven Kingdoms and you and your families' very lives, depend on this tourney and on our ability to demonstrate our strength and unity. We cannot afford to let anything interfere with that."

"The main goal of this tourney and the subsequent wedding is to show the realm how strong the green faction truly is and I do not want anything unexpected to happen so when I learned what had transpired with the boy on his journey I immediately did what had to be done and I do not regret it", said grandfather in a tone which booked no argument.

Aemond looked away, his jaw clenched tight.

I knew that Aemond knew our grandfather was right - at least, in a strategic sense. But that didn't make it any easier for him to swallow. He had always been taught to value honor above all else, and to see it disregarded so casually was a bitter pill to swallow. But he had learned his lesson just like I had with our father.

The fact that Father would never love us as he loved Rhaenyra was a harsh blow to deal with and only the wine and the women helped me to deal with it.

Fine," Aemond said, at last, his voice low and tight.

"But know this, grandfather - I will not forget this. And I will not forgive it, either."

Grandfather nodded, his eyes somber. "I understand," he said. "But you must also understand that in The Game of Thrones, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. One must do what one can to ensure the survival and prosperity of one's house, even if it means making difficult choices."

Right after that Aemond got up quietly and left the room and so did the rest of us after all tomorrow was a big day.

It would be the start of the tourney and I could not wait to drink the best wines and fuck the bustiest of ladies.