Chapter 27: Interlude - The King's Strong Hand

113 AC

Small Council Chambers, Red Keep

King's Landing

"Your grace, this is borderline sedition, what the Seasnake is doing is simply unacceptable," Lyonel advised the King but he sighed and buried his face in his hands, not for the first time Lyonel wished that his king would have a spine when it came to dealing with matters on the fore rather than simply leaving them be.

"The marriage between the Seasnake's daughter and that Rogare is the greatest threat to House Targaryen, the Iron Throne, and the Realm as a whole," Ser Tyland smoothly picks up from where Lyonel left but it seemed to not affect the king who was still unresponsive.

"The problem is in front of us and we can keep finding more ways to exemplify its dire consequences but does anyone at this table have solutions to this problem other than starting a war that could potentially devastate the country between two houses that control dragons," Lord Lyman Beesbury came to the defense of the king.

Admittedly, Lyonel could think of no other solution than to start a war, the dagger that the Seasnake now held to the King's throat was simply too dangerous and big to ignore. The news of the marriage between Laena Velaryon and Drazenko Rogare had sparked outrage throughout the Seven Kingdoms, with many fearing that the Seasnake intended to overthrow the king, while the Seasnake had proclaimed that he had no such intentions, believing it was something that even a trusting man like the king would balk at.

The king finally rose and said, "Send a raven to Fairmarket, tell my brother to come to King's Landing at all haste, he will know what to do, he always does."

The king's suggestion did have some merit, when faced with the question of dealing with the Triarchy, it was Prince Aegon who solved it by destroying them, though Lyonel wasn't sure whether that same tactic will work again on Driftmark, the Seasnake will be cautious and prepared for such an eventuality.

"And what will Prince Aegon do, Your Grace? Fly to High Tide during the wedding and destroy it, I doubt the Seasnake would fall for that not to mention, there are three dragons in Driftmark to Prince Aegon's one, Seasmoke, Meleys and of course the mighty Vhagar, I may not be well versed in dragon fighting and its tactics but anyone can tell you that it will prove to be too much for even the famous Behemoth to handle, and the same goes if Prince Daemon is brought back to court to deal with the Seasnake, the problems that he brings with him notwithstanding," Lord Jasper Wylde remarked tactlessly but no one could dispute what he said.

"I have a solution, Your Grace," Grand Maester Mellos speaks up and the king allows him to continue, "There is a way to ensure that Lord Corlys does nothing unforeseen with his newfound alliance with Lys, his son Laenor Velaryon gives us a perfect solution, I believe that Lord Corlys is subtly hinting that he wants you to uphold the terms of the Pact of Oldtown, wherein you promised that your heir would marry his children or grandchildren, you have long lamented that you have been unable to find a suitable match for the Princess Rhaenyra and now here you have the heir of Driftmark, the perfect match to bind the two claims together and to put an end to Lord Corlys' machinations."

"That would just be playing into his hands," Lord Jasper replied with an affront, "No doubt that is what he wants us to do."

"And what is wrong with that? Is it so hard for you to accept a few concessions and a little blow to your pride that you would rather see the realm burn." Grand Maester Mellos replies with a little of bit heat in his tone.

"I have heard rumors that Laenor prefers the company of men and boys rather than women, I doubt Princess Rhaenyra would like that," Ser Tyland snarked.

"What of it? I am not fond of fish, but when fish is served, I eat it," Mellos answers waving away concerns about Laenor's possible homosexuality.

All talk stopped when the king got up, "Send a raven to Fairmarket until then we wait." The king left without another word with Lord Commander Darkyln following him, Lyonel exchanged glances with Lyman, who nodded.

The King's Solar, The King's Chambers

Royal Apartments, Maegor's Holdfast

"Your Grace, Lord Lyman, and I wish to speak with you about something that we believe is of the utmost importance," Lyonel said to the king, as he and Lord Lyman were granted a private audience with the king in his solar.

The king gave them both a tired look before saying, "If this has to do with the Velaryons, I said that I will deal with it after Aegon arrives."

"Your Grace this has to do with Prince Aegon and not the Velaryons," Lyman quickly speaks up. That got the king's attention.

"Aegon, what about him?" The king asked with a cautious tone.

Lyonel decided to speak "Your Grace, while Grand Maester Mellos' suggestion to marry Princess Rhaenyra to Laenor has merit, I am afraid, Lord Lyman and I oppose such a match, we would have opposed it in the Small Council but we would have rather told it to you in private. Marrying Princess Rhaenyra to Laenor will bring about the same problems that Princess Rhaenys faced when she married Lord Corlys, the problems that a House that isn't the Royal House might gain too much power and turn House Targaryen into its puppet." The king didn't say a word but Lyonel could see that he was considering his words.

"And the best option for Rhaenyra is the man whom you have sent for," Lyman finishes which causes the king's eyebrows to shoot up.

"Aegon?" The king quietly whispers to which both Lyonel and Lyman nod.

"Yes, Your Grace, Prince Aegon is the best option, it is known that he is the true Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, as a Riverlord myself I will tell you that he is the one whom most Riverlords would accept as an overlord," Other than a few malcontents, "He is dragon rider with experience in war, and he has the name Targaryen, two things that Laenor doesn't, his influence rivals that of Lord Corlys' and if there is anyone to go toe to toe with Corlys Velaryon it is him."

Before the King could say anything, Lyman picks up, "Your Grace, I have known Princess Rhaenyra since she was a babe at her mother's breast, you have named her the heir to the Iron Throne, something that you know full well that, people will try to contest once you are gone and the best way to secure her succession is with marriage to a man who is best suited to protect her and fight for her."

"Prince Aegon is a capable statesman, warrior, and diplomat, there is no question to his qualifications, his sons are in line for Fairmarket which ensures a rather peaceful succession afterward in that regard and most importantly it will tie the Royal family with its cadet branch more closely, instead of pandering to a restless and greedy man whose ambitions know no bounds." Lyonel finished.

"Marrying Prince Aegon to Princess Rhaenyra makes sense in every way, and many people do believe that it is something that the Gods have foretold, all of us remember the hunt for the White Hart nary a year ago," Lyman adds the hunt to help convince the king.

The king sighs, "My wife wants Rhaenyra to marry her Aegon, you two want her to marry my brother Aegon, my brother Daemon wants to marry as does every other Lord and knight in the Seven Kingdoms, I am surprised that neither of you has brought forth your sons and grandsons as suitors for my daughter."

Lyonel and Lyman bow before Lyonel says "Your Grace honors us with such a thought but no, we consider ourselves too low for such a prestigious match," And dangerous, marrying Harwin to Rhaenyra would push him in the direction of all the pointed knives and for all of his son's strength, he doubted Harwin was smart enough to survive the dangerous game of politics.

It was bad enough that Harwin was in the Queen's bad books and that he had to be stripped of his position from the Command of the City Watch after he accidentally killed the Queen's brother. And if little Prince Aegon were to ascent the Iron Throne, Lyonel doubted whether Harwin would be safe considering that the Queen held a grudge against him.

"I forbade Daemon from ever marrying Rhaenyra and now if I give her to Aegon, then would it not tear another rift in the family," The king questioned, the matter about Daemon in the Stepstones was something that Lyonel had been pushing back for years.

And once tales of his mismanagement had reached King's Landing, the king dispatched Prince Aegon to fly to the Stepstones to clean up the place of its corruption only for that to last a few months after Prince Aegon left. Prince Daemon was no more interested in ruling the Stepstones as he was in King's Landing, the only part of the ruling that he took part in was taking care of the occasional Dornish pirates and raking in the taxes from the ships. Lyonel was certain that the share of the taxes reaching King's Landing was less than what it was meant to be, most of it was no doubt being used to line Daemon's pockets and to satisfy his army in the Stepstones.

"It is best that we allow this rift with Daemon to ensure that Prince Aegon will be there for Princess Rhaenyra to help counter it and all further problems that could arise against her," Lyman sagely replied. "The practice of marrying niece to uncle is in Andal and First Men traditions, it has occurred multiple times before when the heiress is wed to her uncle to unite the claims and to prevent infighting."

The king considered their words for a while before dismissing them saying, "I will think it over, the night brings counsel, and remember, Aegon has to agree to this match and so should Rhaenyra."

(A sennight later)

The King's Chambers

Prince Aegon seemed unperturbed about the upcoming marriage between Laena Velaryon and Drazenko Rogare as the king talked with his brother while Lyonel watched, standing by the king's side. Prince Aegon sat on the other end of the oak table near the door while Lyonel and the king were on the other side near his model of Old Valyria, Lyonel oft wished that the king would be bothered to give half the attention to what he gave to that model to rule the Seven Kingdoms.

"Yes, I am well aware after all I was invited to the wedding," Prince Aegon lazily drawls which surprises both Lyonel and the king.

"Your were?" The king asks in shock, "I thought Corlys and Rhaenys held you responsible for the near disaster on Bloodstone along with Daemon."

"They do hold me responsible and no they did not invite me, it was Drazenko who invited me. I believe your wife's cousins Sers Ormund and Bryndon have been invited as well," Prince Aegon reveals to the further shock of the king and his hand. The Queen did not reveal this to the king it seemed either that or her cousins didn't bother to tell her in the first place, Lyonel wondered which.

Prince Aegon continued "To the best of my knowledge, the marriage is to be a matrilineal one, the children of this union are to be Velaryons, and as dowry, the castle of Driftmark and the town of the Hull is given to them, I hear that builders from Lys have arrived and begun to change the salt-stained, damp, dark and flooded castle to better suit its new Lyseni Lord's taste." Yet another sign that the Lyseni are here to stay in Westeros rather than be simple traders, establishing ties with the landed aristocracy is something that even Braavosi and the Pentoshi are starting to do.

"Yes, I am aware of that," The king said nodding, "But what do you have to say about this marriage in regards to the threat it poses to the Iron Throne, they are plenty including myself who are more than uneasy at this prospect while others think that this is a prelude to war.

"Do you think that the Braavosi or anyone else for that matter will stand for this marriage, Mark my words within a month, the House of Black and White will come knocking on the door of the House of Rogare," He says to reassure his brother. "The Sealord and the Iron Bank will not tolerate this and you know it."

"Which reminds me, have Lord Lyman ready for such an event, once the Rogare brothers are inevitably killed by their ambitions, we should seize all Rogare properties in Westeros and then sell them back at cheap rates to native Westerosi merchants which should help them compete with the Braavosi and Pentoshi, it will be a boon for us and put an end to all of that infernal talk about Essosi dominance of Westerosi trade," He continues to which Lyonel nodded, a weight seemed lifted from his shoulders.

"Why haven't the Braavosi done anything for the past five years while the Rogares put down roots in Westeros?" The king inquired. And the answer to this query was something that Lyonel already knew but it seemed at the king forgot what happened.

"That is because Lord Hightower and I along with Lord Lyman have kept a tight leash on them to ensure that they don't run amok, you really should pay attention to Small Council meetings," He said with a smirk to which the king replied with a shake of his head, "I barely stay awake during them."

"Not to mention, we have given the Braavosi and Pentoshi the same privileges, so they can't complain." Prince Aegon says before continuing "So don't worry brother, the Rogare problem will be solved by others, sometimes it is best to leave things be."

Prince Aegon would turn prophetic in his predictions when a fortnight later during the wedding, Drazenko Rogare died suddenly while consummating his marriage to Laena Velaryon, the Maester of High Tide, and the Lyseni healers proclaimed that his heart gave out while his brother Lysandro perished when the ship carrying him and his brother's body back to Lys sank in the Narrow Sea with all hands on board.

"You didn't bring me all the way here for that did you," Prince Aegon asked with a raised eyebrow and the king nodded as he gripped his shaking hands together tightly.

"Before I say anything or you ask anything, you must know this, I have asked Rhaenyra about this and she has said yes, so I need to know your answer, only then will this go forward." The king said with no small amount of trepidation while Lyonel looked at the king in surprise, he wasn't aware that the king had asked the Princess first much less that she had said yes to the proposal.

Prince Aegon looks at the king before straightening up in his chair and asks "Viserys, what are you talking about?"

The king straightens his back and takes a deep breath before saying in a clear and loud voice "Aegon of the House Targaryen, Prince Royal, Lord of Fairmarket, Warden of the Blue Fork, I Viserys, First of my name, of House Targaryen King of the Andals, the First Men and the Rhoynar, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, do hereby offer my daughter Rhaenyra of the House Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone, to you to wife, do you accept."

After the longest pause of Lyonel's life where he could hear his heart beating, Prince Aegon nodded, "Yes, brother, I accept, I will take Rhaenyra to wife."

Notes:Lord Commander Harrold Westerling has died and is succeeded by the new Lord Commander Steffon Darklyn and his spot is taken by Ser Rickard Thorne.