-Chapter 137-

-Chapter 137-

-POV Corlys Velaryon-

"I feel a palpable tension since this morning," I said softly, approaching my wife from behind.

"Hmm, this morning Viserys seemed rather preoccupied," she replied, observing Laenor in the training yard accompanied by his new playmate.

'He will never learn,' I thought, disappointed to see that he still hadn't grasped the importance of his heritage.

'A heritage that will pass to House Strong if this continues,' I mused, watching Ser Harwin Strong a few meters away, advising the new sworn knights of the Princess, handpicked by himself.

"I hope this has nothing to do with Aemon and Laena," I sighed, annoyed, as my son-in-law's stubbornness had nearly plunged the realm into war, while the temperatures kept dropping.

"A war in winter involving dragons would be one of the most disastrous scenarios," Rhaenys said, her tone flat and indifferent, clearly uninterested in the subject of our conversation.

"You don't seem too concerned about it," I remarked, not understanding the cold and distant attitude she had adopted toward me since her return from the Vale.

"Because I will not fight against my own blood," she said, frowning, visibly holding back something inside her.

"Unless the King orders us to," I corrected, knowing that if we didn't fight, we'd side with the rebels. Aemon was clearly not ready to fight for the throne, meaning we'd eventually have to publicly choose a side if that moment arrived.

'And our side will always be the winning one,' I thought.

Rhaenys turned around and gave me a cold, piercing look, her jaw clenched, before saying furiously, though in a tone so low I almost didn't hear it:

"Just because you allowed yourself to father bastards behind my back doesn't mean you'll sacrifice our children to satisfy your thirst for power, Corlys."

Stunned by her words, I was momentarily speechless.

Just as I was about to defend myself, she silenced me by adding:

"Don't worry, I won't harm them. They're your children, after all. But make this clear in your head, Corlys: Meleys will never turn her flames against my flesh and blood while I'm alive. Am I clear?"

"Aemon is not your son," I said furiously, as she was clearly cornering me.

"And Laena is no longer just your daughter; she is much more than that now," Rhaenys said, turning away, avoiding meeting my eyes, before adding:

"Today, she is a wife, the mother of an heir. She won't listen to you anymore, and there's no way I'll face her in the skies."

I clenched my fist, frustrated by her behavior, before releasing the tension and saying:

"Very well. Do as you wish."

As I turned to leave, she added, "There's no point in going to see Laenor."

"Why not?" I asked, even though I already had a pretty good idea of the reason.

She didn't answer, but I knew she had likely already spoken to him about everything she had just shared with me.

Shaking my head, I was about to insist when we were interrupted by Ser Steffon Darklyn, who informed us: "The King summons you, Lord Corlys."

"May I know why?" I asked.

"It seems it concerns Prince Aemon," said the Commander of the Kingsguard without elaborating.

Sighing, I glanced at my wife, who simply responded with an air of indifference, as though none of this concerned her.

"We were finished anyway," she said, dismissing me tacitly.

I frowned but followed the Commander of the Kingsguard without a word, realizing this wasn't the right time to press the discussion.

---

"Lord Corlys, we were only waiting for you. Please, have a seat," the King said upon my arrival.

I nodded softly, and before I could say a word, Otto Hightower remarked mockingly:

"It's becoming a habit of yours to make the King wait."

'Vile snake,' I thought, frowning instantly, ready to retaliate. 

Already on edge from my quarrel with Rhaenys, I needed just one excuse to put him in his place and vent all my pent-up frustration.

"Take your seat, Lord Corlys, and don't take the Hand's misplaced remarks to heart," the King said dismissively, not even reprimanding his dog as usual.

I huffed in displeasure before sitting down and placing my sphere in its socket.

"Now that you've finally gathered us all, are you going to tell us why you summoned us so early?" Prince Daemon asked, his tone slightly irritated.

'As always,' I thought.

The King took a deep breath before announcing:

"We are all here because I have received Aemon's terms for peace."

Instead of relief, anger, or even frustration, a flicker of panic crossed Prince Daemon's face.

'He's afraid of his son?!' I realized, confused as to why the mere mention of Aemon caused him such fear.

"There are only three conditions for his surrender and for abandoning his intention to wage war against the crown," the King said.

"What are those conditions?" Rhaenyra asked, frowning.

"First, he will keep Aegon until his thirteenth name day without returning him to the capital," the King said. This elicited no reaction from the Princess, her face unmoved, her features softened by her third pregnancy in three years.

"Secondly, he has requested that the Vale be exempt from taxes for the next ten years," the King continued, listing Aemon's second demand.

'Ten years is absurd. As long as the crown holds the upper hand, he must comply with the King's demands,' I thought, deeming it a futile request.

"This is ridiculous," Otto Hightower said, unable to hold back.

"And lastly, Aemon has demanded… that I banish you," the King concluded, fixing his gaze on his brother.

"Banish me?" Daemon asked, pointing to himself, a smile tugging at his lips.

"…"

The King stared at his brother in silence, and everyone understood that the King wasn't seeking our advice. He had already agreed to Aemon's demands.

'He's merely informing us of the decision he has made,' I thought, finally grasping the King's unease, though I still couldn't comprehend his reasoning.

'What has happened for us to shift from a dominant position to one of defeat?' I wondered, sensing that something was amiss.

"Even with a dragon, you remain the same…" the Prince said, rising from his chair, glaring at his brother with a mix of contempt and deep-seated anger.

He added moments later: "…The same weak and pathetic fool who will die drained by the leeches sucking the life out of him."

"There is no greater leech than you, my Prince," Otto Hightower retorted.

'He's not wrong,' I conceded inwardly, though I would never admit it aloud.

Frowning, I resisted the urge to silence Otto Hightower, knowing I was on too bad terms with Prince Daemon to support him.

Daemon turned his gaze to Otto Hightower and smirked without a word, before addressing his niece: "I leave you to them. I wish you good luck."

Princess Rhaenyra wisely chose to remain silent, as the King was visibly restraining himself.

"In any case, I've missed Bloodstone. This place is starting to reek of shit," the Prince quipped mockingly.

"You won't be seeing Bloodstone anytime soon," the King suddenly said, chuckling derisively.

Daemon, who had already turned to leave, stopped momentarily before turning back to his brother, frowning: "Why do you say that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Viserys replied, relishing the fear in Daemon's eyes.

Suddenly, observing their interactions, I widened my eyes, beginning to piece things together but still struggling to believe what I suspected.

"Bloodstone has fallen," the King finally announced, before adding: "The Triarchy has already reclaimed your stronghold."

"How?" Prince Daemon asked, visibly shaken.

"Take a guess," the King replied, raising his brows, savoring the humiliation on his brother's face.

'Aemon,' I thought, realizing, like everyone else, that only someone commanding a dragon could deliver such a swift victory to the Triarchy.