The more Corlys Velaryon thought about it, the more intrigued he was, for he had failed to realize what purpose it would truly serve.
When he had received the raven that had brought the invitation written by the hand of Arthur Stark himself, the Sea Snake a taken a long time looking at the letter. Not reading it, he had done so once and had felt no need to do it again, it was the Northerner's handwriting that had caught his interest. Since he had become Captain of his first ship, the Lord of the Tides had spent a great deal of time reading in his cabin during his voyages. A book written by a maester whose name he'd forgotten, had taught him a specific trick he had used countless times as a player of the Game of Thrones; The study of Graphology. The art of observation and interpretation of handwriting aimed at establishing the portrait of its writer's mind.
Arthur Stark's handwriting was… quite interesting, harmonious, yet sharp, elegant, yet straight, the vertical bars above the m, j and p indicated high intelligence. The way he wrote his L's and A's… that was a man who found pleasure in inflicting pain, he also liked to be in charge and enjoyed being above others… Yet the Sea Snake found no trace of apparent madness or alarming cruelty.
"What an interesting young man." He thought as he disembarked his ship in King's Landing's harbor, in order to shook the hand of the man who had a massive direwolf by his side.
"Lord Corlys, on behalf of King Viserys of House Targaryen, the first of his name, I welcome you into the Capital."
"Thank you Lord Hand." Corlys answered as he thought. "He speaks well yet uses a strong tone. He learned quickly."
"I suppose congratulations or in order, it was high time for a new Hand to take the office. Though, I hope I will not upset you, milord, if I say that I did not expect a man as young as you to rise so high in so little time."
Arthur Stark smiled.
"Believe me, Lord Corlys, I was more surprised than you could possibly be. Let us all hope that the King's decision was a sound one, I shall do my very best to repay the faith he put in me."
The Lord of the Tides nodded, then he took a quick look at the men Stark had brought with him. They were all Northerners, which surprised Corlys since he had been informed that Arthur had arrived in the capital with nothing but his horse and his direwolf. But given his new position, it was not unexpected for his uncle to send men to protect his life, especially since this nasty business with the Dornish Prince and the trial he had been tricked into.
Following his gaze, Arthur Stark introduced the eldest man by his side.
"Lord Corlys, this is Roderick Dustin, Lord of Barrowtown, and currently the captain of my guards."
"A pleasure." The Sea Snake shook the man's hand and noticed how hard and scarred it was. Roderick Dustin was not a man to be trifled with.
"By the way, the Princess Rhaenyra apologizes for not greeting you in person. She assumed your children would come on dragon's back and wanted to greet them herself."
Corlys waved the matter away.
"My daughter was eager to see her cousin again, I hope they will enjoy the rest of this beautiful day as we, men, talk about the future of the Realm."
It was indeed a beautiful day, the days of Spring were warm and enjoyable, yet, a shadow passed on Arthur Stark's face despite the small smile on his lips.
"Do we, now?"
"Oh, Lord Hand. We do, and the sooner the better, I'd rather know were we stand, you and I. And I have heard that northerners don't like to beat around the bush."
Said Northerners chuckled, the Hand of the King did not.
"You've heard right, please let us escort you to the Red Keep."
He was about to turn on his heels when the most powerful roar he had ever heard shook the very earth he'd been standing on. The largest shadow that could be casted covered the Sun and the creature to whom it belonged brushed the wind away to fly straight to the Dragonpit.
"I'll be fucked…" Arthur Stark murmured as Vaegar roared a second time and the Lord of the Tides smiled at him. "Perhaps we should hurry to work before the ladies demand our attention." He japed while Meleys and Seasmoke flew after Vhagar. "This is power, power of my family, now you know who you're dealing with."
He could see in Arthur Stark's grey eyes that he had indeed learnt that lesson, just like all the northerners who had followed him in the great Game.
"Let's see what you're actually made of, Stark."
(-)(-)(-)
It had been so long since Rhaenyra had ridden Syrax that her dragon almost pushed the dragonkeepers away and rushed towards her rider. Rhaenyra had gently embraced the golden dragon's snout and pressed her cheek against it.
"I'm sorry." She whispered affectionately and sincerely. "I have so much to tell you."
She waited until her dragon was saddled, then she mounted her and took off without bothering to decide where to go. She simply wanted to isolate herself in the air in order to confide to her most faithful friend everything that was on her heart.
She climbed high, the weather was splendid but a few solitary clouds were lost in an immensity of blue above King's Landing. Rhaenyra went through one and took a breath of fresh air, far from the stench of the capital.
"I fell in love!" She screamed suddenly.
Syrax was apparently surprised, because she turned her head to look at her rider with a curious eye.
"I wasn't sure for a long time. But now I have no more doubts! I know he is the man I want to share my life with."
She felt a tear fall, the wind carried it away before it passed her nose.
"I would very much like to introduce him to you. He is handsome, tall, strong, loyal, intelligent. He is... Oh Syrax... he is what I desperately needed without ever having known it."
Syrax grew gently, Rhaenyra could tell she was as curious as she was wary. She understood his distrust, after all, Rhaenyra herself would never have thought she would say such words less than a year ago.
"I've always been afraid of marriage." The wind carried away more tears. "I always thought it would be one of the worst days of my life, my wedding day. I imagined it in my worst nightmares: walking into a damn sept and kissing a stinking old man against my will while all these court rats applauded my misfortune alongside my father."
She stopped, and cried more, not out of sadness, but out of relief and hope. Those awful days and dreams were behind her, she was sure of that now.
"Now, now I'm in love with Arthur Stark... Yes, a Stark of Winterfell, a kind barbarian from the North who has a big wolf at his side, and who is always there when I need him. Always. "
Rhaenyra felt her heart beating at full speed, up there in the sky, with no one to listen to her except her dragon, she felt free. She had forgotten this feeling... Or maybe she had never even known it. Gods, she felt good.
"I... I want him to be mine, Syrax. I... I need him so much. I want all these fools at court to bow to him when he passes, I want all the people in this realm, men, women and children know that he is mine. I want to sit on the Iron Throne, knowing that he is at my side, I want…
What did she want?
She wanted Arthur, she wanted a life by his side. But she also wanted the Iron Throne.
And just like that, her joy faded, leaving only perplexity and... And a deep feeling of guilt.
She had lied to Arthur, she had let him think that the Iron Throne had no value in her eyes but... But it was a lie... A hideous lie.
She wanted to be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she wanted to sit on her father's throne and rule with Arthur at her side. She wanted her children born of Arthur's seed to be her rightful heirs. Alas... how could she get all this? How to convince Arthur to take her as his wife, while retaining her right to the throne? How could she defeat her enemies and gain peace for her reign and her offsprings? She didn't know, maybe Arthur knew, but he... He loved her, desired her, but if he found out she was planning a life with him without his consent...
She was afraid of his anger, afraid that his heart would turn into ice and freeze the invisible fire that united them.
"I could lose everything..." She whispered in fear to her dragon. "I could...lose HIM.»
Rhaenyra feared her plan would backfire on her. This tournament... it was a plan for her to find a husband, she knew it, it was Arthur's escape, HIS plan. He had forced her to craft a counterattack, a way for her to continue to hope for an outcome that would go her way, no, theirway.
Whatever she did, she could not force Arthur to marry her, and her seductions, although they worked wonderfully, would not break his sense of duty. They would serve even less as a shield for her rights to the Iron Throne.
"I'm just buying time."She thought as Syrax slowed down, surprised by the sudden silence of her rider. "I need a real solution, a way to protect us all, Arthur, me, our children..."
Children. She would never have believed that she would want them if she had not imagined them in the image of the father she had chosen for them. Strong boys like Arthur, with Valyrian features, girls who would look just like their mother... Rhaenyra longed for all that, and more. But everything in its own time, Arthur first, then the throne, then the children.
"I wish Mother was here." She whispered to her dragon. "I would have liked her to meet Arthur, to hold our children in her arms. This would have healed her heart, wounded by all her miscarriages."
A shiver ran down her spine and paralyzed her limbs down to her fingertips. Rhaenyra only had to close her eyes to see the sweaty and exhausted face of her mother after her many pregnancies and miscarriages. Aemma had ended up dying in childbirth after Viserys had insisted so many times to get the son he had so desired. At that time, Rhaenyra would have called the King's wish childish and selfish, but today... Now that she was in love with a man and wanted to start a family with him, she began to see things from another angle.
She could already feel it; the shame, the disappointment, the despair of being unable to give Arthur what they both wanted. She imagined herself in her mother's place, in a blood-stained bed next to an empty cradle, her wolf holding her hand, wiping away her tears and promising her that things would get better. Rhaenyra felt her own eyes filled with tears and a dull terror gnawing at her insides, she closed her eyelids and let Syrax take her wherever the dragon wanted.
"If I am incapable of giving birth... What would all our efforts, to place me on the Iron Throne and succeed in having Arthur at my side have been for? Nothing would remain between us. History would remember us as being the two incapable people who took power to do nothing with it. I will be called a useless Queen, and Arthur… a lackey and a dog."
She placed a hand on her stomach, grabbed as much flesh as she could through her clothes and squeezed with all her strength. She, who had fantasized about the idea of having Arthur inside her, was now dreading this idea.
"I will birth our children." She convinced herself. "I have to, I can't sit on the throne and be the Queen I dream to be without the happiness of having my own family."
The days the Realm's Delight had spent with her brother and sister came back to her, and she gritted her teeth. Rhaenyra wouldn't go so far as to say she loved them, but she didn't hate them either, and if she were to name them as her heirs... Would she be able to bear the sight of seeing the little Heleana giving birth to the Princes and Princesses who should have been hers and Arthur's? Alicent had carried her children so well that the heiress to the Throne had secretly become jealous after what had happened to her mother, now she could only feel admiration, despair and hope that she would succeed in doing what her friend had done so well.
"I will do it." She said to herself. "My body will succeed in producing the children I need, Arthur's and mine. There is no other way." A new tear run down her cheek. "It must..."
A deafening roar struck her eardrums, forcing her to put her hands on her ears. Syrax squealed in return and plunged to avoid the devastating form of Vhagar. Rhaenyra looked up just in time to see her cousin Laena waving her from the back of her monstrous mount. The princess was tempted to wave back, happy to see one of her oldest friends and impatient to share her feelings with her. But she stopped at the last moment when she heard the roars of Meleys and Seasmoke.
She swallowed her saliva and wiped her tears. She couldn't trust Laena, friends they were, but her cousin remained a Velaryon, and her father's ambition was no secret. What would Laena do with her secret? Would she bring it to her father? To her mother? She couldn't take that risk. She had no friends apart from Arthur, Daemon had made sure her lesson was learned.
Her gaze landed on Laenor, the man that her loyal Stark had advised her to marry since the day they met.
She sighed, all of Arthur's arguments had been sound. But Laenor had two major flaws that made him unweddable: he loved men, and he was not Arthur.
An abominable idea then bloomed in her mind, a plan that seemed far too good to work. And indeed, this plan presented a flaw as well: Arthur would never accept it.
Rhaenyra felt her heart beat in frustration and her breath accelerated in anger. She exhaled to calm down and shook her head, this flight with Syrax was supposed to relax her, but she had managed to get her condition worse by dragging herself into a path of thoughts that could have broken her. She needed the arms of her Northerner, but it would have to wait. If Rhaenys, Laena and Laenor were present, it meant that the Sea Snake was also here. It was time for her to shorten her flight to go and play against her own blood. Judging by her aunt's gaze, the game promised to be complicated.
(-)(-)(-)
As he rode alongside the streets of King's Landing with Arthur Stark and his Northerners,Corlys Velaryon was actually surprised to discover how popular the Hand of the King actually was.
It was not uncommon for small folk to gather around a host of knights and lords, as they passed in the streets, most of these commoners were there to beg for a gold dragon as it was probably the only way for them to get their hands on such a coin. Popular Ladies often emptied a purse of silver stags to appear noble and pure-hearted as they were taught to be in the Faith of the Seven. But Arthur Stark…
Lord Corlys rose both his eyebrows when he heard a woman cry:
"Milord Hand! Did you see the Princess today?!"
Another asked:
"When will you marry?!"
And another, a man this time:
"Will you rule by her side?! Will she be the one to make decisions for all of us?!"
"Will you swear to protect us and care for us when you become our King?!"
"Why hasn't your marriage been announced yet?!"
All these clamors were of the same ilk, all spoke of the union between Arthur Stark, the Hand of the King, and Princess Rhaenyra of the royal House Targaryen. Lord Corlys couldn't believe his ears, he frowned in anger. Was this the real reason why this tournament was organized? Had the Lords of the Seven Crowns been so brazenly duped? The Lord of Tides felt his fingers tighten on his horse's reins and his teeth grind. He probably would have broken a molar, the insult had so deeply cut into his honor, but Lord Roderick's laughter interrupted his dark thoughts.
"Don't take what they say too seriously, Lord Corlys." He laughed. "There is a troupe of actors who invented a love story between the Princess and the Hand, it is rather popular in the capital, and the people believe it to be true."
In front of them, Arthur Stark let out an annoyed groan.
"That the people believe it hardly surprises me, but the Lords Rosby and Rykker attended the play with their wives. Since then, the women have been spreading scandalous rumors and the men have shared what they saw with other Lords. I was obliged to summon them all to silence their absurdity, but no man has the power to stop the spread of stupidity."
Lord Corlys relaxed, but instead of answering, he considered the consequences this might have.
If Rhaenyra were to marry another man - like Laenor - then said man could find himself in the shadow of Arthur Stark. He would be seen as the one who prevents two loved ones from uniting. Once Rhaenyra is married, perhaps even before she is, Arthur Stark will have to give up his role as Hand of the King. Or damage the Princess's marriage forever.
"It doesn't bode well for the coming tournament." Corlys thought. "Knights and Lords have come for the opportunity to marry the Princess. If the mere name of Arthur Stark dampens their prowess, it could have serious consequences for the Princess. And if she is determined to marry her northerner, then she must give up the throne, together, these two have nothing to offer us except trouble."
Corlys continued to watch Arthur Stark's figure as they rode slowly towards the Red Keep. The young man was tall, he had a good build, good manners, a good instinct for politics and the intelligence befitting a Hand of the King. And he had a Direwolf at his side. He would have been a strong candidate for Rhaenyra's hand had he been the heir to Winterfell. Fortunately, the South didn't like Northerners.
"I heard you collected the spoils of my war." He said while the castle of House Targaryen was still a good distance away. "How are the Stepstones doing?"
Arthur Stark turned his head in his direction, his eyebrows slightly furrowed and his gaze suspicious. The Northerner surely expected this discussion, but he probably did not anticipate that it would take place in public.
"They are slowly starting to grow." The Hand of the King responded. "The colonists haven't had any trouble with the pirates since the defeat of Drahar, and part of the Lannister fleet is preparing to join the Manderlys to help them protect the islands. In a few years, a decade at most, the Stepstones will be a part of the Realm."
"It's good to know that my efforts have yielded results." Lord Corlys said in a tone full of innuendo. "If I may be so bold, could you tell me who will be the Lord of this new domain?"
This time Arthur responded with a smile.
"They are too large to be under the sovereignty of a single Lord. And we must wait until their potential is fully developed to measure their true value as well as that of the taxes they will guarantee to the Crown. Of course, this does not prevent us from having in mind the names of the potential candidates for a future lordship And it could not be more normal to imagine that a Velaryon is one of them, given your victorious campaign against Drahar, perhaps your brother would be interested, Lord Corlys?"
"No he would not. But I have nephews."
"And did they participate in the war against the Triarchy?" The Northerner's tone suggested he knew the answer.
"My brother did it." Corlys replied."He has the right to claim land for his blood."
"He has." Arthur Stark admitted. "But Lord Manderly's second son, Torrhen, fought the Myrian pirates himself and has held the Stepstones since you left them. He has set up his quarters in Steelwater, the new inhabitants of the Island treat him as if he were their Lord and he protects them as if they were his people. Bleakheaven is free, however."
"Curse you." Corlys thought."Stark is smart enough not to ask for the biggest piece of the pie but he awarded the tastiest one to one of his own men."
Indeed, Steelwater had a fort that could be transformed into a castle, a port only half destroyed, and above all, it was the closest island to Tyrosh. Which made it an excellent trading port, a very good defensive island, and it had lands worthy of a Lord. If Corlys offered Bleakheaven to Vaemond's son, the latter would be forced to deal via Torrhen Manderly to trade with Tyrosh and Myr, or he would be forced to take a long detour. Vaemond would not accept one of his sons being dependent of a Manderly, and trying to choose a Lord Paramount of the Stepstones would only lead to problems and conflicts. The Manderlys were Northerners, they only answered to the Starks, not the Velaryons. The Lord of the Tides gritted his teeth. Arthur Stark was formidable, Corlys should have returned to court as soon as the dismissal of Otto Hightower had been announced. This brat held all the cards, and without his position in the small council or a very specific grievance to present to the King, Corlys was powerless to Stark's plots.
"I have to play carefully." He thought. "I hope my children and my wife are more successful than I am."
(-)(-)(-)
"Hello my dear niece, I was hoping you and I could talk."
If she was honest with herself, Rhaenyra had to admit that she was reciting a poor performance. She was relatively cold towards Laenor and Laena although she had tried to hide it. Perhaps Laena had felt her discomfort, because she sent her a discreet sign of understanding through a nod. Laenor was less understanding, judging by his face, he was unhappy to receive such a greeting. Fortunately, Rhaenys hastened to interrupt their reunion to get into the heart of the matter directly.
"With pleasure, dear aunt." Rhaenyra replied while trying to contain her emotions. "Ser Harrold, have the kindness to escort Ser Laenor and Lady Laena to the Red Keep while I converse with my aunt."
The Kingsguard nodded and led the two youngest Velaryons to the stagecoach while Rhaenys and Rhaenyra entrusted their dragons to the Dragonkeepers. The Queen Who Never Was kept smiling throughout the procedure. But once she was alone with her niece in front of the Dragonpit, she spoke:
"I hope that the quarters given to us by your pet Direwolf will be better than those Otto used to settle us in, the beds were abominable. I had to change them during each of our visits."
Rhaenyra instantly abandoned all precautions and incinerated her aunt with her gaze.
"The King's Hand is not my pet." She hissed between her teeth.
"He does seem to matter a lot more to you." Rhaenys replied with a reproachful tone while noting the anger in the look of the princess. "Do you realize that you are dooming yourself, Rhaenyra? Your lover has no lands, no gold, no castle, no army, and especially no dragon."
"And that is precisely the reason why he will never marry me and will keep pushing me into marrying your son." She replied in a sharp tone.
Rhaenys rose an eyebrow, not surprised, but circumspect.
"Do you think I will let you cuckhold my son with a barbarian?" She said in a neutral tone with leaps of anger. "You and your ..."
"That's enough, dear aunt. Arthur does not want to marry me and if you really wish to know, he doesn't love me." Her own words tore her heart, but she could not let Rhaenys shake her like a rag doll. "Arthur Stark is only here to serve his King, his future-Queen and his homeland. Of this he could not be clearer."
It was not a lie, and Rhaenys saw it almost immediately. Rhaenyra was even more on her guard.
"Then all the rumors we've heard, and which have probably gone around the Realm, they result from your behavior and not from his own."
"They result from Daemon's manipulations and Otto Hightower's lies." Rhaenyra spat. "My dear aunt, if you only came to try to dissect me like a maester's apprentice, I am sure Meleys still has the strength to bring you back to Driftmarck."
Rhaenys' smile reappeared, Rhaenyra decided that she preferred her when she was frowning.
"This is more interesting." She declared. "You learn, but you are a little slow. Your progress need to come faster."
"Are you speaking from experience?" Rhaenyra replied.
"Yes." Rhaenys admitted. "That's why I'll give you an advice, even if you don't want to hear it from me."
"Please do so."
"If you are still so decided to rule over the Seven Kingdoms. You will have to consent to many sacrifices. The first will be your maidenhead, the second ... will be your wolf."
Rhaenyra clenched her fists out of anger, Rhaenys saw it.
"Do not sacrifice your life for a man, Rhaenyra. Especially for a man who does not love you, men have the stingy tendency to disappoint us when we depend on their support."
As the princess did not answer, she continued:
"Your future-husband, whoever he will be, cannot suffer the rumors about you and this Stark. You will be forced to dismiss him once you are married."
"Unless I marry him."Rhaenyra thought, but she replied: "Arthur is my father's Hand, not mine."
Rhaenys rolled her eyes.
"We both know who he really serves, and even if I admit that he makes a much better Hand than Otto, it is already too late. No lord worth their salt would accept to live in his shadow. Especially my son. "
"Your son will not care."
"But I will, as will my husband." Rhaenys cut. "Do you think Laenor a woman who marries who he is told to marry and is forced to endure her husband's antics? My son is a knight, you will get nothing from us as long as Viserys does not assure us that Arthur Stark will be thanked for his services as soon as your wedding is announced.
Rhaenyra felt her heart skip a beat, her fingers began to shake, and she gritted her teeth in anger.
"My dear aunt, you have nothing to worry about. Laenor is Arthur's recommendation, and not my choice. You see, despite all the power of your House, to marry into it would be a serious mistake, because unlike men like Arthur, Laenor is unable to give me a child.
Her words seemed to have cut Rhaenys deep, for not only did she frown in anger, but she was also unable to retort. Rhaenyra continued:
"I would very much like to know what made you think that you were the best person to tell me how to prepare for my rule. You, who failed to obtain the crown despite all the power and wealth of your husband. I think I have much more to learn from your failures than from your words. Corlys was the most powerful Lord after King Jaehaerys himself and the richest of them all, yet you've failed to capture the Crown. I have no doubt a marriage to Laenor would result in the same failure. You have no lessons to teach me, dear aunt, and even less to say regarding whom I will chose as my husband, your future king. Do you think me blind? Do you think I know nothing about the Game of Thrones? Do you really think that, had you been crowned Queen, your husband would not have ruled you thanks to all his wealth and power that are his only and only yours when he sees fit? No matter what you suppose, you are wrong. Arthur is not going anywhere, and believe me, my future-husband may not end up being the most powerful man in the Realm, but he will be the best husband for me and the best father for my children. My hand in marriage will not be bought with gold, swords, or dragons. I am not desperate, to the point of destroying the potential of obtaining a family from which I can be proud of, for a throne of swords. "
Rhaenyra had spoken in one go, barely taking the time to breathe, her face had reddened, her facial features had been distorted by her anger, but she had not bent and would not. She refused to be broken by her aunt, the Queen Who Was Never, Rhaenyra, would be the actual Queen.
Rhaenys sincerely looked impressed by her performance, she smiled out of amusement. Rhaenyra was starting to hate that smile.
"Perhaps I underestimated you, but nevertheless remember this: no woman chooses her husband. This applies to you too."
"We will see about that." Rhaenyra thought, burning with anger. "We will see about that, my dear aunt."