Chapter 30: Interlude - The Weary King

113 AC

King's Chambers, Maegor's Holdfast

Red Keep, King's Landing

Viserys could do nothing but sit back and drink his fears away, as he dreaded the day, the day he would ask Aegon to marry Rhaenyra, seven hells, if Aegon refused, he would be forced to cede Corlys' demands, even the fool ought to know when they have overplayed their hand. And then there was Daemon, was it so hard to sit his ass down in a place and stay still and be satisfied, it was as if he was being tested on all things he was ill-equipped on.

"Brett," Viserys tiredly called out to his cupbearer and squire, "Pour me some wine," Brett Lannister, a cousin of Tyland's that he had taken as a squire, on Alicent's suggestion to smoothen the Lannister feathers that he and Aegon had ruffled during the hunt. 'Huh, ruffle feathers,' Viserys thought, Aegon and Daemon would have ripped out all the remaining feathers and roasted the bloody chicken. The boy came forward and poured out a handful of drops from the goblet and stopped.

Viserys looked at the empty cup and then looked at the blonde ponce who pretended as if nothing was wrong, "What are you doing?"

"It's empty, your grace." He replies with a little nervous stutter upon seeing Viserys stare incredulously at him, Seven Hells, he missed the days when Rhaenyra was his cupbearer.

"What do you mean it's empty?" Viserys angrily asked him when it was apparent that the fool needed to be prodded into thinking with sense.

"There is no more wine," He answers, Viserys could see some sense trickling into him but not enough to understand.

"Is that what empty means? So get more," Viserys barks at him which sends the dumbass scampering away. Why was it so hard to find cupbearers with common sense?

Viserys leaned back in his chair, he looked at his father's and his mother's rings on his fingers before thinking about the day he was saddled with the job of taking care of his brothers.

Flashback:

84 AC 

"Promise me Viserys, that you will take of your brothers, you are the elder, it is your duty, you will do me proud won't you." Mother asked Viserys in a tired voice, she sat on her bed, despite the maids cleaning the room constantly the tangy smell of blood was thick and Viserys wanted to retch but it was the first time he was seeing his mother in months so he kept it away. His mother was crying, her eyes were red and Viserys saw the same tear marks that Daemon has when he cries. He wanted to ask why his mother was crying but the words couldn't come out, his mother couldn't cry, crying was meant for babies, big people don't cry. 

"Yes, Muna, I will take care of Daemon." Viserys promised but his mother shook her head and asked, "And who will take care of Aegon?"

Aegon, Viserys wondered, Father did tell them that they had another brother but Viserys only saw him once before he started crying and since then he wasn't allowed to see him, but for his mother's sake Viserys nodded, "Yes, Muna, I will take care of him."

She closed her eyes as tears filled them, "Good, take care of yourself Viserys, and love your brothers,"

Before Viserys could say anything, Grandmother and Aunt Maegelle came and took him away before he could hug Mother. As he was led out of the chambers, he shared a final look with his mother who gave him a sad smile and he also saw tears stream down her cheeks.

That was the last time Viserys saw his mother alive. 

90 AC

"It's not fair that Kepa takes Aegon to fly while we stay here," Daemon angrily stomped as they saw Vhagar flying away, ever since Rhaenys' marriage feast where Uncle Aemon called Aegon an Uncle Vaegon in the making, Father decided to take Aegon flying every day.

"Don't worry, Daemon, I am sure that once Kepa returns, he will take us flying as well," Viserys tried to reassure Daemon, he was starting to get more unruly and wilful as of late, and a rivalry of sorts had started to form between Daemon and Aegon for their father's affection and Aegon tended to win.

"That is what he said last time and he didn't take us because Uncle Aemon gave him some work to do," Daemon angrily retorted as he started to sulk.

"There was important work to do in the Small Council and Grandfather called Kepa to a meeting of Small Council, and don't worry it won't happen again, I am a cupbearer in the Small Council and today there is no meeting, so Kepa will take us all, to fly" Viserys answered which he could see brought some hope into Daemon, though he felt bad for lying to Daemon, there was a Small Council meeting today but it wouldn't be a for a couple of hours and Viserys could only hope that Father arrived in time to take Daemon to fly.

When Father did arrive with a red-faced and still screaming Aegon, it was a little late and Viserys knew that someone would have to lose their chance to fly tonight he was proven right when his father said, "I am so sorry boys but only one of you will get to fly today, I promise that I will take the other first while flying tomorrow we will spend the entire day flying tomorrow." They had heard this excuse many times but something or the other always came up to take Father's attention.

Viserys could see that Daemon was in tears before he spoke up, "It is alright, Kepa, you can take Daemon, I will wait for tomorrow," the effect was instant on Daemon whose tears almost immediately dried up.

Then Daemon looked up to Viserys in wonder, "But don't you want to fly, Viserys."

"It's alright, Daemon, you can fly today, I will fly tomorrow, you wanted to fly didn't you?" Viserys reassured Daemon with a smile who responded by jumping on Viserys with a hug.

93 AC

"You have done well, Viserys, bonding with the Black Dread, even I wouldn't have dared to do something like that," Father said to Viserys with a beaming and proud smile, it made Viserys feel accomplished, something that made his Father look at him with pride, while Daemon was a prodigy with the blade while Aegon was a prodigy with books and the bow, Viserys could say that he was the first to bond with a dragon and it was none other than the Black Dread.

"Didn't you smack Balerion on the snout when you were a child?" Viserys asked as his Father poured one of the finest vintages in the Red Keep's cellars for him, the dark purple came from the casks that Grandfather jealously forbade anyone from using without his express permission.

"Please, I was but a child who didn't know what foolishness was," Father waved it off, "Besides I doubt the Dread even noticed the smack, I barely touched his upper lip after jumping."

Just as Viserys took a sip and savored the taste of one of the most potent strongwine he had ever tasted before his Father brought up his marriage, "You are to be married to Aemma in two months, drink up, you will need it."

"But I won't bed her for another few years and isn't it the bedding that settles the marriage," Viserys said to which his Father smirked, "True but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't drink this wine that I have so gracefully taken from the cellars without your grandfather's knowledge, though he will know of it by know."

Viserys gave out a chuckle before laughing with his father, "To be honest, I thought of flying to Dragonstone on Balerion but I fear that the Dread no longer has it in him to do so." Viserys could barely control the Black Dread as it were.

Father nodded, "True, age has caught up to the Dread as it will soon catch up to my old lady, age is already showing in her and it will increase as the years go by."

"Kepa, can I ask you something," Viserys asked his Father who nodded, "Yes, Viserys, what is it?"

"How is it to be a father of a child? And what should I do when I have many children? Is having a favorite child bad?" Viserys asked the one question that had long haunted him since his betrothal. "I may not become a father a couple of years hence but I am a man now, I wish to know."

His father sighed before looking at him and said, "Being a father is something that words cannot describe, you will love your children more than life itself, you will love them despite their faults, even if your relationship with your wife is messy, the children will always to be there to change your day for the better, as for having favorites, then all I have to say is that you have done a bad job of being a father if you do not have a preference amongst your children for if you don't have a preference it means that you haven't spent enough time with them, your favorite child tends to embody you the most, Daemon was your mother's favorite because the two of them were equally wild," And Aegon is your favorite because he is mother's last gift to you, Viserys thought, that part went unsaid but it was understood.

"Come, let's not dwell on such thoughts, we need to finish this wine before your Grandfather comes marching in here," Baelon said with a smirk and Viserys laughed as he held out his cup.

96 AC 

"Well done, valonquar, you proved us all wrong and you bonded with Sheepstealer, something none of us thought possible," Viserys said as he raised a toast for Aegon, while his father hadn't yet allowed Aegon to drink, Viserys felt that today was a day that an exception could be made. A pity that Father was in King's Landing but a raven had already been sent and knowing Father he would come with all haste carrying Daemon with him who would undoubtedly be angry and jealous.

"Thank you, brother," Aegon said with a smile, Aegon had a claimed a month ago that he would bond with Sheepstealer, and at the time to everyone's ridicule, Aegon walked to Sheepstealer's lair and laid a freshly killed sheep for him which allowed the dragon to get accustomed to Aegon's presence until he finally bent his neck for Aegon.

A truly cunning method but then again, Aegon was always crafty and too clever for his good, and if Grand Maester Elysar was to be believed, twice as smart as Vaegon but well-liked. Viserys doubted Vaegon would ever come to King's Landing ever again after that.

"So, have you decided on a name, Sheepstealer is hardly a fitting name for a dragon?" Viserys asked as Aegon drank a bit too quickly, just like Daemon on his first time.

"I tried naming the bastard something different but he won't answer to it, so I have to settle with Sheepstealer for now," Aegon grumbled as he hiccuped into his cup.

Viserys patted Aegon on the back as he said "Slow down with the drinking, the wine is not going anywhere and Father will be back tomorrow night at the earliest, and also why have started calling your dragon a bastard, a bit too early for that, innit."

Sheepstealer was called the Brown Bastard by the shepherds who lost sheep to him, and he was brown as his monicker suggests, a dark mud brown color for his scales whilst the horns, crests, and wings were of a lighter shade of brown, his eyes were golden, flames were orange and his claws and teeth were ink black. While not the most eye-catching dragon-like Dreamfyre, Sheepstealer was large and hardy, scarred and lean from a difficult life in the Dragonmount with the Cannibal, and in the same size as that of Meleys and Caraxes and his temperament seemed to mirror that of Aegon, quiet at first and then in a blink of an eye he could be vicious and ill-tempered.

"I spent a whole bloody week trying to get that asshole to come to me, I have earned the right to call the big turd a bastard," Aegon huffed with a pout which made Viserys chuckle.

"What about you Viserys? Why don't you bond with a new dragon? Dreamfyre and Caraxes are available or maybe a hatchling here in the Dragonmount." Aegon then asked him as he leaned forward to grab a plate of figs.

Viserys shook his head, it was something that Daemon had asked him before, "No, Aegon, I will not, the Black Dread was good enough for me and I wish to take no other, and also now you are there with a dragon that is good enough for me." He said while tousling Aegon's hair.

"Now drink," He continued to pour more wine into Aegon's cup, "Father will kill me once he finds out but it will be worth it." 

105 AC

"Your Grace, this is the last thing that any of us wish to discuss at this hour but I consider the matter urgent," Otto said as soon as he sat down disregarding Viserys query about Rhaenyra's whereabouts.

"What matter?" Viserys asked hazily, his mind still wrapped over his beloved Aemma and Baelon's passing.

"That of your succession," Otto did a good job of pretending to be concerned but Viserys saw right through it, he was worried about Daemon. "These recent tragedies have left you without any obvious heir."

"The king has an heir, my Lord Hand." Corlys Velaryon cuts in but Otto continues regardless, "Despite how difficult this time is Your Grace, I believe that it is important that the succession be firmly in place for the stability of the realm."

"Where is Prince Aegon? As the Lord Justiciar, he must be here," Lord Lyonel stops Otto from speaking further and Corlys adds to it, "Yes, where is Prince Aegon? Did he not receive the message that there was an emergency meeting, mayhaps we should send a page to call him."

Viserys looked at Otto expectantly who replied, "I went to call Prince Aegon myself, Your Grace, he excused himself stating that he had no intention of attending the meeting as he intends to be at his wife's side." Both Lyonel and Corlys didn't seem to believe him and neither did Viserys but he let it slide for now.

Lyonel then says to Otto "And as for your query my Lord Hand, the matter of the succession is already settled, by precedent and by law."

"Shall we say his name?" Corlys asks trying to bait Otto. "Daemon Targaryen, and after him, Aegon Targaryen, the King's brothers, and following them the twin sons of Aegon, Daemon the Younger and Aegor Targaryen, four male heirs, what more could any king possibly want?" A son of his loins, Viserys thought morosely.

"If Daemon were to remain the uncontested heir, it could destabilize the realm." Ruciter then finally spoke to which Otto nodded.

"And what do you intend to do about that? Remove Daemon and place Aegon ahead, it would cause further unrest." Lyonel countered.

"Destabilize the realm or this council?" Corlys asked with a scoff. Corlys never had respect for the Small Council since the day his wife was passed over.

"No one here can know what Daemon will do were he a king but his ambition is plain to see, look at the Gold Cloaks, a private army that is utterly loyal to him, nearly three thousand strong, and then there is Prince Aegon, a man who has started to show tyrannical behavior in the Riverlands already, Lord Strong, one would think that you of all people would not stand for his blatant abuse of power."

"Careful now, Otto," Viserys warned him while Lyonel had a dark look on his face directed toward Otto.

Otto continued, "Your Grace, it is well known that, Prince Aegon upon receiving Fairmarket and the Blue Fork called Lords Tully, Blackwood, Bracken, Mallister, and Frey to Fairmarket and openly threatened them with the destruction of their families, and their seats with his dragon, he was given Fairmarket to keep the peace, not to inflame tensions."

Lyonel answered, "And the peace has been kept for the first time since the rule of the Justmans the Riverlands have been more united and peaceful, Prince Aegon has not interfered in any matters of the Riverlands unless asked by the parties concerned."

"It is telling when a Reachman is so concerned about the freedoms of a Riverman when the Rivermen themselves are accepting of this supposed tyrant, but then your political interests align with a certain story that Tully and Bracken would love to preach," Corlys snarked prompting Otto to respond before Viserys cut him off.

"I will hear no more of Aegon's supposed tyranny when no Riverlord has complained when Tully and Bracken grow their stones to approach me about Aegon's 'tyranny' Then we shall speak further on the matter," Viserys shut down that conversation for good. "And what about Daemon?"

Otto regains his breath before continuing, "The truth is Daemon should be far away from this court, we all know what he and Aegon did in Myr, while they may claim that the fire spiraled out of control on its own, anyone with even a modicum of sense will know that a simple out of control fire cannot burn down an entire city, a Free City at that, it is clear as day to everyone that both Daemon and Aegon went out of their way to slaughter the innocent inhabitants of Myr, most of them being slaves, the leadership of the Triarchy housed in the Grand Palace of Myr was the target, not the city of Myr, the Princes were simply too bloodthirsty, unhinged, and out of control when given to their baser elements. It was an act that has incurred the wrath of the entirety of Essos against the Iron Throne."

"Daemon and Aegon are my brothers, my blood, you would do well to remember that, Otto, and as long as I am king they will have a place in my court," Viserys says as he refuses to consider Otto's reasoning.

Runciter replied, "Daemon can keep his place at Court, Your Grace, but should the Gods visit some further misfortune upon you, Your Grace, by accident or by design."

"Design? What are you saying? That my brothers would murder me to take my crown," Viserys angrily asked, " Are you? Please, Daemon has ambition yes and the same goes for Aegon but not for the throne, he lacks the patience for it."

Otto replies, "The Gods are yet to make a man who lacks the patience for absolute power, Your Grace, not to mention, Prince Aegon on the other hand, certainly has to patience to wait out the Long Night if needs be, Your Grace."

"Under such circumstances, it would not be an aberration for the king to name a successor," Runciter then said in an attempt to change the conversation back to its original topic.

"Who else would have a claim?" Lyonel then asked looking at the Grand Maester.

After a few seconds of uneasy silence, Otto spoke, "The king's firstborn child."

"Princess Rhaenyra," Lyonel asked incredulously, "A girl, no Queen has ever sat on the Iron Throne."

"That is only by tradition and precedent, Lord Strong, not by law." Runciter countered.

"If order and stability so concern this council, then perhaps we shouldn't break a hundred years of it by naming a girl heir," Lyonel answers with a scoff.

"Daemon would be a second Maegor if not worse, and Aegon, only the Gods know." Otto hotly responds. "Daemon is impulsive and violent, it is the duty of this council to protect the realm and the king from him."

Otto turns to Viserys, "I am sorry, Your Grace, but that is the truth as how I see it and that is how others here see it, some may have been intimidated into saying otherwise, and the best candidate for a peaceful succession is the Princess Rhaenyra."

Corlys stands up "This is utterly preposterous, my wife was passed over for being a woman and now you intend on placing a girl heir for it suits your purposes when you fear the dragon outside the door, this is an outrage, a hypocrisy of the highest order, this council ought to stick to their rules, three and ten years ago, I was told to my face in this very chamber by the Old King himself that a woman cannot inherit the Iron Throne and the entire reason why the king won the Great Council four years ago is because of that same reason."

"I will not be made to choose between my brothers and my daughter." Viserys declares in an attempt to put the talk to rest but it was not to be.

"If that is the case, then I suggest my son Laenor as heir, he is the grandson of Jaehaerys' oldest son, Prince Aemon and he can take the Targaryen name," Corlys then said as his anger subsided and his ambition came to the fore.

"Just moments ago you were talking in support of Prince Daemon and Prince Aegon," Otto answers with a haughty scoff. As others began to speak Viserys finally exploded.

"MY WIFE AND SON ARE DEAD, I WILL NOT SUFFER TO SIT HERE AND SEE AS HOW CROWS COME TO FEAST UPON THEIR CORPSES." A pin-drop silence descended in the chamber.

Viserys got up from his chair and stormed out of the Small Council chambers with Lord Commander Harrold Westerling following him.

Next Day

"Before we begin, I have a report, I feel compelled to share," Otto spoke as the Small Council convened. "Last night, Prince Daemon bought out one of the pleasure houses on the Street of Silk, to entertain the officers of the City Watch."

Otto continued "He toasted Prince Baelon, the King's son, styling him as the heir for a day, I corroborated this account with three separate witnesses, by all accounts the mood in the brothel was a celebratory one, who knows what else Prince Daemon would have said had Prince Aegon not arrived and stopped the celebrations."

"Where is Aegon?" Viserys asked as anger built up in him.

Otto answered, "Prince Aegon is currently in one of the justice houses in the Street of Steel, dealing with a few closed cases that have been brought up to his attention as being corrupted cases, there seems to be a sort of corroboration between the Justiciars and the Watchmen, wherein the Watchmen and the Justiciars sentence people without a fair trial and only take the word of the Watchmen instead of ordering a thorough investigation."

Viserys takes a deep sigh before saying, "Summon my brothers."

109 AC 

"Any replies from Fairmarket or Bloodstone, Grand Maester," Viserys asked Runciter for the tenth time that day but Viserys never wanted to lose hope that one of his brothers would eventually reply to him.

Runciter shook his head, "I am afraid, Your Grace, that there has been no response from either, it seems that both Prince Daemon and Prince Aegon won't be arriving for the tourney of Princess Helaena's birth."

Viserys had to fight to keep the heartbreak from showing on his face but it seemed that Runciter understood before he dismissed himself. Viserys turned himself away and before he knew it he felt bitter tears falling down his face. It was his fault, he turned both Daemon and Aegon away, went into his hidden anger and jealousy, and lashed out at his brothers. Now it had been three years since he last saw them.

A stab of bitterness filled him, thinking of how he was meant to shoulder them both up when they fell but he was left alone when he needed them the most, they were the three heads of the dragon, and now they couldn't even be bothered to send ravens to him.

While Daemon's folly was on his head, Viserys had to take the blame for how he dealt with Aegon, his jealousy at Aegon showed its ugly head and now he paid the price for it, and it was made worse after the war when a raven was sent to Fairmarket demanding his presence in King's Landing, it distasteful and presumptuous of Viserys to expect Aegon to arrive in King's Landing for a feast after Dacey's passing and Aegon responded by not responding at all.

Viserys looked out of the window, half expecting a brown dragon and a red dragon to arrive but it was a fool's hope. If there was ever a time for Viserys to go back and take back whatever he said, he would have gone back to that fateful and wretched day in the throne room. 

Back in the Present day

"Your Grace," Ser Arryk, or mayhaps it was Ser Erryk, despite the years being with them Viserys could never really be sure of which of the twins it was. "I have something of great import to report to you, it pertains to a rather delicate matter."

"Yes, Ser, what is it?" Viserys asked all the while wondering where the hell was the idiot with his wine.

"I happened to come upon a scene that is very sensitive." He answered.

"Go on," Viserys nodded wondering what troubled him so much.

"Whilst I was doing my rounds in the Royal Apartments yesterday night I happened to find Prince Aegon abed with Princess Rhaenyra," He reveals, "I thought informing Your Grace directly, instead of going to Lord Commander Darklyn first."

For a moment Viserys wasn't able to register what had happened until he finally did, it seems that Rhaenyra took to convincing Aegon into her own hands, Viserys felt more than horrified at what Rhaenyra had done yet a part of him felt relieved, for it means that Aegon will accept the marriage.

Aegon will stay with him now. He can't leave, not again. Suddenly it felt a like a huge weight was lifted from his chest. No matter what, Aegon will be there for Rhaenyra, and Viserys would love to know the fool who would dare to challenge Aegon.

"Your Grace?" The knight asked but Viserys waved him off and shook his head.

"It is alright, it is alright, it is alright." Viserys slowly mumbled before the doors opened yet again with the blonde idiot finally arriving with the wine. Suddenly the urge to drink that whole mug in relief and celebration filled him.

"Gods boy, where did you go to get the wine? Volantis!!" Viserys remarked while a calming feeling of relief filled him.