"Guards have been posted throughout the keep, my Lord Hand, and all were told to stay in their rooms until the King says otherwise."
"Good. Make sure that they all rotate shifts every six hours and make sure that none enter the rooms of the royal family. Also, anyone that acts suspicious or is not supposed to be here is to be brought directly to me."
"Understood," The Gold Cloak commander saluted, Otto dismissing him with a wave as he turned to the flames of his hearth. While he did look calm on the outside though, his mind was another story.
'The eldest son of their king, assassinated in his room without a single whisper. This reeks of foul play,' He thought, walking over to his desk before sitting down with a low groan.
Who, though? Who would dare to hire an assassin to kill a king's son?
'Who would benefit from...from this?' A name came to mind as soon as the thought did, but Otto frowned as he looked at the flames of his hearth.
But would he? Would he truly risk the honour and name of his family simply to get revenge against someone for badmouthing his deceased parents?
'What am I saying? If I was his age and I had his abilities, my retort would have been far worse and less subtle than this. That and Torrhen had a lot to gain from this,' The fact that he spoke in agreement with Helaena, Aemond and Daemon of all people showed that he threw his support behind Rhaenyra.
Given how close the Starks are and how they value Torrhen's opinion, it was most likely that House Stark, and the entire North by extension, would also follow behind him.
Given that the reigning Warden of the South was still an infant and that the widow of the late Warden of the South did not have the best opinion of Otto, he was sure that they would stay neutral until the time comes where they can choose.
House Lannister was a house he knew he could lure to his side with a marriage contract, but the only issue is that House Lannister didn't have any women that were the same age as Aemond.
'Well, not that doing so would even matter given that Aemond is now promised to one of the Four Storms of Lord Baratheon,' Otto thought, realizing the masterful play made by Viserys as this would now solidify House Baratheon and the Stormlands' support to the next ruler of House Targaryen.
'Meaning there is only one place to go where we might find support,' Otto's gaze moved from his hearth, looking down to stare at the part of the Seven Kingdoms that was further south than the Reach.
The candlelight flickered as his finger traced the outline of the seventh rebellious 'kingdom', a land too proud to ever think of bending the knee.
He could remember Viserys' attempts at reconciliation being rebuffed, the princes of said 'kingdom' refusing to send envoys and their disdain for the Targaryen dynasty.
'If I could offer them something they truly desire, not through conquest but through alliance, perhaps there is a chance,' He mused, tapping his finger against the map with a hum.
Perhaps...perhaps they would see an advantage in aiding the downfall of a queen born of fire and ruin and help instill one that is not only of fire and blood but also of sand and pride.
A knock at the door drew his attention, Otto's gaze lingering on the map before it moved to the door.
"Enter," The door opened and he watched Ser Criston walk in, the Kingsguard bowing his head as the Hand turned his body to face him.
"My Lord Hand, the Maesters have finished their examination of the prince."
"And?"
"The found what they believe to be barbs, my lord, embedded beneath the skin as if he were stung and pierced by many tiny needles."
"Barbs?"
"They could not tell, my Lord Hand. However, they say that the wounds were too small and too numerous, not the work of any man."
'My suspicions are becoming more and more believable.'
"For now, keep this between us. Do not utter a word to the King or Queen. I will tell them myself. As for the Maesters, tell them that the prince's death will be declared a tragic accident."
"As you command, Lord Hand," Criston spoke with a bow, turning and departing as Otto narrowed his eyes at the leaving knight.
He already knew that the fool was going to report everything to his daughter since they were in 'relations', but that was not his concern for now.
He then looked back at the map, his gaze hardening as he looked at the forgotten kingdom of Dorne.
'If the weeds of King's Landing are culling my flowers, then perhaps it is time I plant my seeds in new soil elsewhere.'
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"You should rest," I spoke as I sat in one of the two chairs in the room, looking at Aemond as he looked out at the city of King's Landing.
"Why?"
"Your brother just lost his life and you're not trying to mourn it. Grief and let the adults worry about finding the culprit."
"I wish I could, but I fear that the culprit is closer than I expect," He murmured and I didn't say anything as I leaned back in the chair, closing my eyes.
"What makes you say that?"
"I've suffered from wasp stings before and the wounds on Aegon looked as if dozens of wasps had stung him. The thing that's bewildering me is why a swarm of wasps would attack my brother."
"Perhaps he was laced with something that attracted them."
"That is impossible. They would have had to get very close to do so."
"That...or they simply had to have a drink with him. After all, Aegon liked to drink with anyone and everyone, didn't he?" I added and Aemond's eyes narrowed as he nodded.
"True. Still, Aegon didn't deserve such a death, no matter how flawed he was."
"I agree."
"I half-expected you not to given the insult he levied against you and your parents."
"Well, I did feel some resentment towards Aegon for that, but I also did not want him to die simply because he spoke wrong. The punishment the King gave him was more than enough," I murmured and Aemond nodded before he turned.
"In any case, I don't see us being allowed to leave the room any time soon so I guess we'll have to find some way to pass the time."
"...Do you have a cyvasse board?" I asked, looking at Aemond as he just walked over to one of his many cupboards and opened it. I raised an eyebrow as he took out one of the many chests inside of it, placing it down on the table in between us.
"Is that...solid gold?" I asked as he opened the chest and began taking out the board all with the pieces, all of which were made out of gold apparently.
"A gift from the Lannisters. So, how good are you?"
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"Otto, I thought I told everyone to stay in their rooms until I say otherwise," Viserys spoke with a frown as he sat in his bed, Otto's gaze flickering to his sleeping daughter before he looked back at the King.
"Normally, I would listen, your Grace, but I thought that you would want to hear the report on the Grand Maester's investigation," Otto responded, Viserys glancing at Alicent before he sighed and nodded.
"Very well. What were the results?"
"It appears that the method of assassination was indeed poison. However, the weapon, or should I say weapons, seem to belong to...wasps."
"...Wasps? You're telling me that wasps killed my son?"
"That is what the Grand Maester has surmised it to be, yes," Otto nodded, ignoring his daughter's shifting beside Viserys as the king in question frowned.
"Insects being the cause of a murder? That's...unnatural."
"Yes, the Grand Maester believes that they could have been brought here or that they were summoned to attack Aegon."
"Summon-How would that even be possible?"
"Magic," Alicent murmured, Viserys turning his head sharply to see her wide awake with a frown.
"Alicent, let us not accuse the boy again. He has already been through so much with our family."
"Yet, it would fit, wouldn't it?"
"Torrhen Stark is not the type to crawl through shadows and murder my son like a coward."
"Normally, I would agree with what you are saying, your Grace, but what you have to admit is that this assassination was not natural in the slightest."
"We shall discuss this tomorrow or at a later date when we have more evidence. Am I clear?"
"Of course, your Grace," Otto spoke with a bow of his head, but his gaze flickered to his daughter as she caught his and nodded.
It appears that his daughter knew what he was thinking and approved.
'Now, to test just who you truly are.'
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'Hmm, this is a bit troublesome,' I thought as I opened my eyes, disconnecting my mind from the mouse I had warged into.
Ignoring Aemond sleeping peacefully in his bed, I let out a soft sigh, shifting slightly on the chair I was sleeping upon while looking out at the city of King's Landing.
It appears that I was the number one suspect in their investigation, but at the same time, Viserys didn't believe that I was the one to kill Aegon.
However, just because he believed it doesn't mean the others did too. In fact, I would be inclined to believe that both Alicent and Otto were planning something and I had this weird feeling that I knew where it would happen.
After all, weddings in Westeros were always a traumatic affair.
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"I thought I was ready for this. Oh, boy, was I wrong?" I murmured as I paced back and forth, Aemond raising an eyebrow at me as Cregan shook his head.
Both were dressed in formal noble garb that were probably the equivalent of thousands of dollars in my old world, Aemond's being in the Targaryen colours while Cregan's was in the colours of House Stark.
"Brother, you're stressing more about this marriage than Helaena does."
"She doesn't even stress about it."
"I believe that is his point," Aemond spoke up and I rolled my eyes as Cregan nodded.
"Well, I know I'm overly stressing about this, but this is a big deal. The North is finally stepping out of our comfort zone and doing a marriage alliance with a family not of northern descent."
"He is not wrong about this. This is the first time that House Stark has married a Targaryen so this is a very big deal for our family," Cregan spoke in agreement, Aemond humming with his arms crossed.
"I see. In any case, just stay calm and everything should be fine."
"Something tells me that isn't going to be the case for today," I murmured, running my fingers across the two rings I had made over the past three weeks.
Both were made out of silver with red rubies on the top of it, the inside of it having runes carved into it that would hopefully help me today should something happen.
'Oh, I sure hope nothing happens,' I thought as I took a deep breath, ignoring Cregan and Aemond's amused looks at my nervousness.
The next moment, the door opened and I relaxed as I saw Daemon raising an eyebrow at me.
"The pre-marriage nerves?"
"Yes, your Grace," I nodded, the man letting out a hum before he turned to Aemond and Cregan.
"And you two have done nothing to help him?"
"We believe that letting him figure it out on his own is the best thing to do here, Uncle," Aemond answered, Cregan nodding in agreement as Daemon narrowed his eyes.
"I...quite agree. There's nothing that can prepare you for marriage more than your own thoughts. However, I will say that you should keep calm."
"That's very much easier said than done, but I will see what I can do, your Grace," I responded, the man letting out a chuckle before we turned to see Rhaenyra walking in.
The crown of Aegon the Conquerer now adorned her head, Lord Commander Westerling walking beside her as she gave me an amused smile.
"I see the king Consort is doing his best to prepare you for marriage?"
"As much as he can, your Grace," I spoke and she glanced at Daemon who shrugged.
"The boy needed some words of wisdom."
"I do not think you are the best person to do so, my love."
"As true as that may be, I am also a man so I understand what he's going through."
"That is true, but I believe he requires a woman's intuition here," Rhaenyra responded, a sigh escaping my lips as Daemon gestured for her to continue.
"I understand that this is a challenge you are quite not used to, but what you need to understand is that Helaena is the same. You simply need to help her through this marriage as she helps you and everything will be okay from there."
"...That is very good advice."
"And mine was not?" Daemon asked with an affronted look, narrowing his eyes at me as I gave an apologetic smile.
"Daemon, he already has enough to worry about for the day. Leave him be."
"Very well, but I will not forget that," I knew he was joking, but the flashes of annoyance in his eyes made me wary as he walked forward.
"To add onto what my beloved has said, you are not marrying a farm girl or a fishmonger's daughter. You are marrying into dragons and from the moment said marriage is official, you must learn that every smile hides a blade."
"That is quite comforting to hear."
"It's meant to be," He murmured, tugging on my collar and straightening the fur-lined cloak over my shoulders. Now pleased with the look, he took a step back and nodded, Rhaenya giving me a smile before the two of them left.
"The Queen is in high spirits."
"She was made Queen and no one can deny her claim to the throne. Why wouldn't she be?"
"You did not seem as miffed about it as I expected," I responded, noticing Cregan paying attention as Aemond scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Why would I need a crown when I have the largest dragon in Westeros as my partner?"
"That...is true."
"Lord Torrhen, are you ready?" I looked up as a servant opened the door, taking one final glance at my two companions before exhaling softly and nodding.
"I am. Let us depart."
A/N; Sorry for the very late upload, but I got back only about two hours ago from a conference that I completely forgot about.
That is also why I'll be uploading the next chapter for If The Price Is Right tomorrow along with the second chapter of the Darth Maul SI.
Anyway, we are in the next arc and we have a wedding next chapter, but as everyone knows, Westerosi weddings don't have the best rep.
Let's hope this one is different.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!!