Chapter 24: Truths, Lies and Half-truths.

111 AC

The King's Bedroom, Maegor's Holdfast

Red Keep, King's Landing

"Aegon, will you be honest with me," Viserys asked me as I looked over his model of Old Valyria that spanned half the room, his inner nerd was only meant for the bedroom, I wondered what Alicent thought of it, she was a history buff herself if my memory serves correct.

"I have always been honest with you Viserys," I idly remarked as I took one of the dragon models in my hand, it resembled a mix of Vermithor and Caraxes.

"Put that down and look at me I am being serious," Viserys snapped, I turned to look at him and I could see all his frustrations coming out, the man was practically shaking, sweat collected on his forehead and his mustache before he quickly sat down on a chair and poured himself some wine.

"You alright?" I asked him as I put down the model and walked toward him.

Viserys huffs "What do you think, Aegon? My wife and daughter are at each other's throats every single damned day and I have to keep the peace between them, I have to deal with all the Lords annoying me from the Great Lords to a Landed Knight,"

"I thought I took care of the Landed Knight problem by instituting the Justiciars," I responded.

"Just because everyone in the Riverlands obeys every word that comes out of your mouth doesn't mean that the same goes everywhere else, Otto was right, any noble worth their salt will find themselves insulted to have their issues dealt with by bureaucrats who are commoners themselves,"

He continued, "Which brings me back to the topic, I wanted to talk about you in the Riverlands,"

"What about it? Did some ingrate come and complain to you," I asked as I poured myself some of the Arbor Gold.

"No, no, in fact, people have been singing your praises all around, of course, there are many who look upon your good fortune with jealousy least of all the Tullys and everybody else who thinks that we will soon replicate your efforts in the other kingdoms,"

"And won't you?" I curiously asked, "I mean, won't you give little Aegon and Aemond lands and castles to hold for the Crown,"

Viserys sighs, "Aegon, you are speaking about placing Targaryen Princes in the middle of kingdoms as if it is something that we have always done, you and Daemon are the exception, never before have we gone out of our way to interfere in the affairs of the Kingdoms,"

The Starks and Umbers would disagree as would those who practiced the tradition of First Night, not to mention didn't Old Jae unify the law.

"Do you have any idea about what an uproar there was when Father and Grandfather announced it in court that you would be given Fairmarket, did you know how close Lord Tully was to raise his banners in rebellion, every Lord, from the highest to the lowest considered it an infringement of their rights and many feared that it was just the beginning,"

"Yes, I am well aware, he didn't revolt because Grandfather threatened to take away his Lord Paramountship and also because he knew that nobody else in the Riverlands would side with him in his suicidal rebellion," I drawled, "Why are you telling me this?"

"He didn't revolt because Father threatened to make Riverrun another Harrenhal if he did not accept" Viserys answered, I must admit that I was surprised because I did not know of that part.

"Which is why I want to know why?" Viserys asks resolutely, "Why did Father and Grandfather go out of their way to put you in Fairmarket? They threatened a Great House with extinction for you, you may have been the baby of the family and everyone's favorite but that doesn't explain why they went to such great lengths for you, I am certain that we could have found another heiress for you after Gael died."

I didn't reply for some time before I said, "Fairmarket was chosen because it is ideally located in the center of all the trade routes in the Riverlands by land and river, it was the center for the Hoares during their occupation and during the time of the River Kings, it could have been a prosperous city had it received a charter, it fits all the needs for a power base in the Riverlands, with the Tully's being recent overlords with fractious vassals it was a perfect spot to expand our dominance,"

Viserys nodded "Grandfather did lament that Aegon the Conqueror did not expand the Crownlands properly to make a proper kingdom rather than slices of the Riverlands and the Stormlands, for the Crownlands were a pittance to other Kingdoms other than the Iron Islands,"

"But that doesn't explain why they were so insistent about you," Viserys presses.

I turned to him and took his Valyrian steel dagger which was on the table and I placed it in the burning Brazier, his eyes became wide as saucers and the words inscribed on the dagger were seen.

He began to mumble before I said to him, "You aren't the only dreamer in the family,"

"You have dreams as well," He says with no small amount of trepidation.

I grimace "Calling them dreams is a kind word, no they are best-called nightmares,"

"Since when and how come I did not know about this, and who else knows, does Daemon know, do you know about the prophecy, how did Father and Grandfather know?" Viserys begins his rapid question fire before I calm him down and pour some wine for the two of us as I sit next to him by the hearth.

"It began when I was eight years old, I foresaw a dragon dying when a crossbow bolt pierced his neck, it was a fortnight before Uncle Aemon left for Tarth, I told Father of my dream, but he did not believe, and who would, a crossbow quarrel killing a dragon and the word of a boy who still wet his bed."

"It wasn't a literal dragon but the dragon was Uncle Aemon and the dream came true, and there was the whole issue of the succession, and following that the same night when Rhaenys, Corlys, Aunt Jocelyn, and Grandmother left King's Landing, Father woke me up in the middle of the night and brought me to Grandfather where I was told to repeat everything I saw in my dream,"

"And since then every night after you and Daemon went to bed or snuck out for the night, I was taught more about the dreams in our house, Daenys' dream, Aegon's dream, and everything else that came along with it,"

"What dreams did you have?" Viserys slowly asks me and I take my time before answering.

"Dragons dancing, it's usually that, then there were a few of Father and Aunt Gael, not that it helped,"

"The reason why you weren't told about my dreams is that Grandfather deemed it best at the time for I was still a child whilst you were a man and family secrets are best kept when fewer people know about it, especially if Daemon got to know that the two of us were being separately taught the family secrets while he was left out,"

Daemon was not trusted with the secret because he was Daemon, a simple explanation for a complex reason.

"As for why I got Fairmarket it is because I asked for it, I wanted a place for myself that not only helped the power of the Crown grow but also as a safe place for me, a place where I could build a branch of the family that could perhaps survive the danger that could befall us,"

For some time, Viserys did nothing but sigh and bury his head in his hands before he got up saying, "I have so many questions that I can't possibly start now, we will continue this talk in the morning,"

I got up as well, "Very well, as you wish but first I have one more thing to tell you, it's not much of a dream but common sense,"

"What is it?" Viserys asks tiredly.

How do I put this delicately, "There is a slight chance that Daemon might take Rhaenyra's maidenhead sometime around now if their actions throughout the past few months are any indication,"

For a few seconds, Viserys stares dumbfounded before he roars "WHAT??!!"

Next day morning

"Look on the bright side, Daemon did not take her maidenhead," I added as we watched Daemon and Caraxes fly away from the city.

Viserys has gripped his tea tightly in his hands as he shakes in the aftermath of his fury, I wonder how long before Viserys finally snaps, the whole Rhaenyra and Alicent affair, the Daemon affair, and the Prophecy nonsense must be grinding him to dust.

"How do you know that?" He asks with gritted teeth, "For all you know, Daemon fucked her and left her there when you found her,"

"I won't be so sure of that, for if Daemon did lay with her then I would have found her in a bed somewhere naked," And a few more things along with it.

"Instead I found her in one of his usual spots, half-naked and confused," Not to mention, horny as fuck.

I have a good feeling that she would have jumped on me and unleashed all her sexual frustrations on her uncle by screwing over with the replacement uncle.

Thank goodness that I had some essence of nightshade with me, a few drops of that and she was asleep as a log.

"While I believe you Aegon, it is not the truth but rather the perception of it that matters, and by midday, everyone in court will have their own stories of what happened, each more horrendous than the first," Viserys says with a long-suffering sigh.

Yes, and with that infernal dwarf Mushroom around, you can trust him to make the most scandalous stories imaginable.

Then he moved from the window and turned to me and said, "I will deal with Rhaenyra after she wakes up but now I need to finish our talk."