Chapter XI : In the Eyes of the Seven
"Princess! We've heard what happened; we are so sor…"
"Shut up! Leave me alone!"
Every time Rhaenyra came across a noble while she was running along the corridors, she had to hear their insufferable lies. No one was sorry for her! No one cared about her! The only thing those bastards cared about was their own rise! The only one who had given a damn about her was Arthur, and her father and Daemon had taken him away from her!
She did not even acknowledge Ser Criston's presence near her door when she rushed in her room and locked herself inside.
Only the surprise caused by Alicent's presence on her bed had managed to snap her back to reality, she wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve.
"You're still here." She noted, her voice trying to sound impassive.
"I never left."
"Why?"
Alicent bit her lip and absentmindedly injured her hand, she had spent the entire in Rhaenyra's room, thinking. Wondering if she should help her or not.
If her friend was telling the truth -and Alicent believed she did- if she was still a maiden, then her father had lied to the King to provoke her ruin… Alicent did not know how to feel about that; her father's schemes to put Aegon on the Throne. All of this had brought her nothing but pain and sorrow. Her marriage to Viserys had been sheer torture, despite him being a good man in her eyes and despite her new position as Queen, she had suffered more than she could have possibly imagined. Her children had brought her joy, purpose, but she was unable to handle them by herself. Yet, it was expected of her to raise a King, a princess, and probably sooner than she'd admit, give birth to another royal babe and raise it as well. And if Viserys were to live longer, she'd have to keep doing this for the next twenty years, thirty if she was unlucky. She had no friend, no support, and her father had kept putting pressure on her to influence her husband and raise her children to steal her friend's birthright. The only person who had ever helped her, against all odds, had been Arthur Stark. And the only friend she could possibly have, that could possibly support her, that could potentially protect her from Viserys' need to impregnate her over and over… was Rhaenyra. And in order to help them both, she'd have to betray her father. Her father had made a mistake, an innocent man was about to pay for a false crime, the right thing to do was to help him, to help Rhaenyra. But could she do this? Betray her father? Who knows what consequences her actions would have? What if Rhaenyra had lied to her? What if she had lost her maidenhead on dragon back or horse back? What if her father ends up being the one put on trial for treason? What if…?
"Seven help me." She thought. "I don't know what to do."
"Alicent?"
Rhaenyra's voice broke the Queen out of her thoughts. Her puffy red eyes were so unusual, the Targaryen Princess had always been such a strong figure.
"Do you love him?" She asked, her voice hesitant.
The heir to the throne looked away, then at her feet. She took a deep breath.
"I am unsure." She admitted finally. "I don't know how I feel, and he is keeping a lot of secrets from me." She breathed loudly, thinking about him was painful, it was ridiculous. She had seen him last night, yet she had never missed him so much. "I care about him, this I know… I have just… never been in love before."
"Neither have I." Alicent thought sadly.
She took a moment to think while Rhaenyra sat beside her on the bed. The Queen of the Seven Kingdoms did her best to remain calm while she was taking a decision that might change her whole life, or her children's.
"Rhaenyra? Do you still have your maidenhead?"
Her friend's furious gaze immediately informed her that she had chosen her words poorly, she hurried to speak again before the Princess started demanding she leaves her room.
"I might have an idea." She confessed. "But you need to be a maiden in order for it to work. You could have lost your maidenhead riding horses or Syrax, I need to know if it is still intact."
Rhaenyra's anger was quickly replaced by confusion, and Alicent thought she saw a glint of hope in her eyes.
"It is." She stated, leaving no place for doubt. "What do you have in mind? No one would believe a maester."
"Not a maester, no." Alicent nodded. "But there are forces more powerful than Lords and Kings, and if they're with us, then there is a way to save Arthur."
Now she had Rhaenyra's full attention.
(-)(-)(-)
The next day, Arthur Stark was brought in the throne room escorted by four Kingsguards, his wrists were chained, he had not been bathed nor fed or watered since he had been thrown inside his cell, his throat was horribly dry.
He was brought to the prisoner's dock that had been displayed in front of the Iron Throne where King Viserys was sitting. On the ruler's right was Otto Hightower, on his left was Lyonel Strong.
"At least I've been given a sit." Arthur thought as he sat on the small stool that had been provided for him.
He looked around him, the members of the Court had been placed on benches behind him to observe this farce of a trial that was about to happen. He ignored all the despiteful looks to search for Rhaenyra, yet the Princess was nowhere to be seen. Contrary to Daemon who was leaning against a wall, eyeing him like he was about to become his next meal.
The Queen was present at least, and to Arthur's wariness, it was her father that she was eyeing anxiously.
The Stark kept eyeing the crowd, looking for his Princess, oblivious to the fact that his King was doing the same. A small grimace appeared momentarily on the Monarch's face when he realized that his daughter was not present. He considered stalling but chose against it when he noticed everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to start.
Viserys shook his head and rose from the Iron Throne, everyone else, including Arthur, rose with him.
"I, Viserys of the House Targaryen, First of my name, King of the Andals, and the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, will sit as judge for this trial. With me; Ser Otto of the House Hightower, Hand of the King, and Lord Lyonel of the House Strong, Master of Laws and Lord of Harrenhal."
He took a moment to look at Arthur Stark in the eyes, the boy who he had wrongfully accused of a non-existent crime to protect his daughter's dignity.
"If found guilty, may the gods punish the accused. Please be seated."
Everyone sat, including the Northerner and the King.
"Arthur of the House Stark, you stand accused of attempted rape on the Princess Rhaenyra of the House Targaryen. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty."
Cries of outrage started emanating from the crowd.
"Silence! Do you have anything to say for your defense?"
"Before I start defending myself, Your Grace. I would like to ask for some water, I haven't drank anything since yesterday morning, my throat is quite dry, it is difficult for me to speak."
Viserys let out a sigh while scandalized whispers came from the Court. The King motioned for Ser Harrold Westerling to grant the young man's request. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard unclasped a waterskin from his belt and gave it to the Stark to drink. Which he did, slowly despite what his tongue was imploring. He drank it all and gave it back to the knight who eyed him with disgust.
"Thank you, Ser."
Ser Harrold did not answer, and went back to his post with his empty waterskin.
Arthur cleared his throat.
"I have never touched the Princess, and I will never hurt her. I did not commit this crime."
"You were seen exiting a brothel with the Princess at the Hour of the Wolf, on the night the crime took place." Otto Hightower declared while presenting a solemn look and a stern face. "Later that night, she was seen fleeing from your very own chamber, inside of the Red Keep. With tears in her eyes and nothing but rags on her body. Do you deny those claims?"
"Show me someone that claims he has seen my face in that brothel, and I will show you a liar." Arthur replied with a strong voice. "But I will not deny that she was indeed in my room at the hour of the nightingale."
Once again, outraged cries erupted from the crowd. Arthur heard some very imaginative insults and some more pitiful ones addressed to him.
"Silence!" Viserys barked. "What was my daughter doing in your chamber at the hour of the nightingale?!"
"She wanted to play a game of cyvasse." Arthur replied innocently. "Her defeat was so painful she ran away, but she was not crying."
The northerner was getting quite amused by the cries of the crowd at this point, Daemon snorted in amusement, but no one noticed.
"Silence! Do you have nothing to say for your defense but japes?!"
"I thought japes were appropriate since this trial is a farce!" Arthur retorted with a lot more strength than he'd intended to, stunning the crowd.
Daemon's snort was clearly heard this time, the Stark went on.
"Whatever the Princess and I discussed is no one's business, as her adviser it is my duty to keep her secrets, I'll die for that if I have to. But I swear by the Old Gods and the New that I've never, ever, attempted to rape anyone and I never will!"
A pregnant pause followed his declaration, Viserys shook his head.
"The promises of a traitor are worthless."
"On that much, we agree."
The Targaryen King was growing tired of the Stark's wits. He needed to put an end to this before the situation escalated, fortunately, he still had all the cards in his hand.
"I hope Mother's ghost strangles you in your sleep!"
Pain assailed Viserys' sick body, he trembled, attracting the worried glance of his Hand. He had to take a few seconds to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Where is the Princess?" Arthur Stark suddenly asked, getting more and more annoyed by the minute. "We have yet to hear what she has to say about all this affair."
"You expect us to put you in the same room as your victim?" Otto replied, his tone unbendable.
"Are you truly so vile and frustrated by your failed attempt, that you feel the need to keep tormenting a maiden who miraculously escaped your lust?"
The Hand of the King's words were more than enough to rally the crowd to his side.
"Northern lecher!"
"Burn in the Seven Hells"
"Barbarian rapist!"
"Have someone geld that bastard!"
"Unholy Pagan!"
Arthur bit his tongue in anger while he was being called names, for there was nothing he could say that could counter all of this. Otto had cornered him.
Viserys grimaced discreetly, all the words that were screamed were unfair, and he was doing a poor job at acting like someone had attempted to rape his daughter. To top it all, Daemon was here, observing the mess he had caused wearing a seven damn smirk, Viserys almost reconsidered becoming a kinslayer.
"What kind of trial is this?" Arthur Stark demanded, trying to divert the subject. "There are no witness, no proof, not even a testimony of the so-called victim! Yet here I stand, insulted as if I had been declared guilty, yet you are all unable to prove my alleged guilt."
"The Princess reported the assault herself…"
"Valyria will be hospitable again before I start believing that lie!"
"Are you calling the King a liar?"
"Yes."
"No, I believe the King has been lied to, and not by the Princess." Arthur knew this wouldn't lead anywhere else, so he had to play his card now or suffer the regret of not using it earlier. "Should the Princess come in this room to look at me in the eye and accuse me of the same crime you are accusing me, then I swear, by the Old Gods and the New I will slit my throat myself!"
For reasons he had no time to fathom, his declaration terrified Viserys.
"If she is unable to, then I will let the Gods decide my fate." He threw Daemon a challenging look to which the Rogue Prince responded with one of his own. "I demand a t…"
The door of the Throne room opened before he could finish his sentence, Ser Criston Cole walked in and declared as a herald:
"Princess Rhaenyra of House Targaryen, Heir to the Iron Throne."
Arthur got up first, everyone else followed a second later.
Rhaenyra walked inside the Throne Room with a heavy step, and paused to look at what she considered to be a grotesque mockery of justice. Her purple eyes were wide open, the Seven Hells themselves were fueling her passion as she threw her incinerating gaze at the crowd and the judges, her father was the main target of her ire.
She walked with a furious step towards her adviser, ignoring all the Lords and Ladies who were bowing to her, her gaze crossed Daemon's amused look, and her fury doubled in intensity. The Rogue Prince simply blinked away her rage, but he was not so amused anymore.
When she finally reached the prisoner's dock, the dragon inside her cooled off as she looked into the gentle grey eyes of her adviser. She could tell he was happy to see her, and did not seem worried in the slightest, he bowed to her.
"Princess." He greeted.
Rhaenyra smiled, shocked gasps emanated from the crowd.
"Lord Arthur. I hope you haven't been treated to harshly."
"I've seen worse." He assured her. "I am glad to see you, Princess."
"So am I." She said before her furious glare returned and she threw it at her father.
"I must admit my confusion." She declared loudly to make sure everyone was listening to her every word. "I have heard since yesterday, that I am the victim of a horrible crime perpetrated by my own personal adviser, yet, I had no knowledge of such a crime before the alleged culprit had found his way into a black cell."
Dozens of confused whispers went from one end of the crowd to another, Viserys closed his eyes and released a deep sigh. His daughter had just lost everything.
"Pardon me, Princess, but you were seen…"
"I do not pardon your interruption Lord Hand, I was not done talking." Rhaenyra snapped, shutting him up. "I am well aware of the many rumors and gossips that fueled many conversations within the Court over the past two days. And if usually, I do not care for farfetched tales and forged stories for I am only interested in the truth, I will not tolerate the loyalty of my adviser and my virtue as a Princess being questioned!"
She paused, and lost herself in her Northerner's grey eyes, she spoke without ever diverting her gaze.
"Arthur Stark, is the most loyal, the most honorable and the most honest man I have ever met. He has committed no crime. Whoever questions those facts is a liar."
Her adviser bowed his head in thanks while the crowd erupted in confused and scandalized cries, but Rhaenyra did not care for their complaints.
"Quiet! I am not done talking!"
Silence came back as quickly as it had disappeared.
"Now, let me remind you all -since you have clearly forgotten and allowed yourselves to indulge in the most scandalizing gossip- that I am the Crown Princess, to question my virtue is an act of treason."
A sept-like silence followed her statement. Satisfied she went on with a much lighter tone:
"But I will be merciful today, for I know that those disgusting rumors were spread specifically to harm me, just like my father, your King, has been lied to regarding the loyalty of my adviser."
Viserys frowned as he felt dozens of pairs of eyes fall on him, humiliation spread in his veins.
"Therefore, I am in a position where, not only is my virtue questioned, but I must now prove it still exists in order to be done with this insufferable sea of lies in which I've been wading for a day and a night. And to do so, I have invited some guests to Court."
Her eyes went to the door of the Throne Room, and everyone else followed her gaze. At the entrance stood three septas that looked to be in their mid-fifties, wearing white robes, a young one that looked to be the Princess' age, wearing a blue robe, and… a red-headed girl that looked as young as Rhaenyra… wearing a simple grey dress so tight it looked like a second skin, and allowed anyone -even the King from across the room- to get a good look at her legs. Daemon recognized her instantly.
"My lords, let me introduce you -since your wives already know them-, to Septa Marilor, Septa Ogustyn and Septa Ramy, the most pious septas present in King's Landing. With them is Ely, a young maiden who spent her entire life in a convent, she is as fair as the Maiden herself. And finally, there is Sasha. She is a whore from the Street of Silk, though some of you already know her."
Some laughs escape the crowd, some men blush and look down to hide their shame, Arthur and Daemon snorted loudly in amusement.
"I will allow the Septas to examine my virtue, and to compare it to Ely's and Sasha's. In doing so, they will determine if it is still intact, or, if it has been sullied."
She waited until the words had sunk in, and turned to face her father who looked at her in awe.
Sadly Rhaenyra did not care for his opinion anymore.
"With your permission, Your Grace. I shall leave it to their judgment to put an end to this grotesque farce."
Viserys nodded, despite the sweat that was increasing on his forehead. He was elated that his daughter had found a way out of this political turmoil.
"Please do so, you have brought me much relief, dear daughter of mine."
"I am glad." She said with a tone that clearly meant she was anything but 'glad'. "In the meantime, can I ask that you release my innocent adviser, and that you apologize for the unfair way he has been treated?"
Some gasps erupted around her, it was outrageous for her to demand something of the King, even if she was the Crown Princess. But Viserys knew he deserved it, and he was far more worried by the fury in his daughter's eyes than he could be in her respect of etiquette.
Otto opened his mouth to react to her obvious disrespect, but Rhaenyra was on him long before his breath left his lung.
"While you are at it, Father, perhaps you should start thinking on what to do with the liars that whispered their poison to your ears."
And with that, she turned her eels and left the room to find the privacy of her chambers, with the Septas, the whore and Ser Criston behind her. Viserys let out a very deep sigh and made a sloppy motion with his hand.
"Release him." He commanded though his voice lacked the authority fitted to a King.
Ser Harrold looked almost as sorry as his liege when he came to unshackle Arthur, the Stark simply nodded to tell him he forgave him.
"Lord Arthur." Viserys rose his voice when the Northerner was free. "I can only offer you my most humble apologies for this… misunderstanding. And I hope that despite this unfortunate event, you will remain at my daughter's side as her adviser."
"Oh, I will." Arthur assured while he was massaging his wrists. "The Princess Rhaenyra has earned my loyalty and my gratitude, I will not run for a lie."
The King's sigh of relief was far louder than he'd intended it to be, he didn't notice Daemon's disappointed glare, for he set his furious eyes on his Hand.
For the first time since he had known him, Viserys saw Otto shift uncomfortably on his sit and avoid his gaze. However, in doing so, Alicent's father crossed Arthur's mocking face and froze in discomfort and humiliation.
When he finally found the strength to look at his King, he sighed in defeat. Viserys did not look nearly half as furious as Rhaenyra, but his Hand had never been on the receiving end of his wrath in all his years of service. He knew he was doomed, the Princess had played her cards perfectly. Otto cursed the boy that reported that information to him, he swore he would have his tongue as compensation for this humiliation. It would not be enough to wash away the bitterness of his defeat, but it would be a good enough message sent to his other spies to make sure none of them ever think about lying to him ever again.
Arthur rested his chin on his joints fingers, like the others, he patiently waited for Rhaenyra to come back. If he was honest with himself, he was astonished by her performance. He never expected her to pull something like that out her sleeve, it was so brilliant he was sure no one saw it coming. Arthur had been certain a trial by combat against Daemon had been the only way out, but even he knew that the chances of him to die in a duel against the Rogue Prince would be high. Daemon had the best quality armor you could find in the Realm and was wielding Darksister, Arthur fought with only leather to favor speed over safety, an advantage greatly diminished when his opponent was wielding a blade made of Valyrian steel. Moreover, Arthur would have spent more times in that cell before that duel and would have lost more strength than he'd had already lost. The odds would not have been in his favor. Using the Faith to prove her virtue was a splendid idea, one a northerner would have never thought about.
When he crossed Daemon's disappointed gaze, he shrugged, they would settle their matter another time. Arthur knew the Rogue Prince was too pride to even consider letting a punch to the face slide.
Rhaenyra and her Septas came back less than an hour later. No doubt the answer regarding Rhaenyra's virtue had been so obvious to the religious women's eyes, that they had not needed more time to state the obvious.
"The Princess is a maiden!" Septa Marilor declared for all to hear. "Whoever pretends otherwise is a liar."
No one knew how to react to this news, some fools applauded but quickly stoped once they realized that no one else was doing the same. An uncomfortable silence followed this declaration as all eyes went to the King, who did not speak, he merely motioned for everyone to get out and Arthur Stark was the first to oblige. The Monarch did not see the short moment when his daughter and her adviser made eye contact and smiled at one another, Daemon did though.
Viserys' long sigh of relief was anything but discreet, but he did not care, he would enjoy it before guilt and self-hatred would come to consume him. He had failed his daughter, just like he had failed her mother… A failure of a father he was, but now, now it was time for him to atone.
(-)(-)(-)
He had gotten drunk, as he sat in the Small council's chamber, facing the balcony, he had, once again, drowned his pain in wine. But that was not enough, that was far from enough. Had he not a duty to accomplish that evening, he would have probably blacked out an hour ago to contain the bleeding in his heart, but he needed to be lucid to perform his task.
Otto had taken his time to answer his call, that was unusual but not unexpected. His Hand must have realized by now that he would not escape punishment for this humiliation.
"Your Grace." He greeted with a low tone, even his voice had lost its confidence.
Viserys downed his cup, he was still too sober to ignore his pain.
"I murdered her."
"Your Grace?"
" Aemma." Viserys clarified. "I murdered her, I destroyed my family."
Otto lowered his head at the grim memory.
"It was a tragedy, Your Grace. It was not…"
"Shut your mouth!" The King roared, he had not intended to roar, it was the Dragon within him who could not bear to listen to his lies.
The Hand did as he was told while Viserys went on.
"I killed the woman I loved, for a dream." He whispered. "My brother, whom I loved so much, mocked my misery and tore apart what was left of my heart. And my daughter despised me for my crime. In a matter of days, I had lost everything."
This time, Otto wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Rhaenyra never forgot, but I had hoped she would forgive me, had I not been a King, I would have fallen on my knees and begged for her forgiveness. I did everything I could to give her everything I would have given Baelon. And for three years, I ran after a ghost, for the person I loved the most in this world wanted nothing to do with me."
Viserys paused to refill his cup and drink.
"And half a year ago, a northerner arrived in the Capital with nothing but a Direwolf and a horse. I immediately liked this lad, for he reminded me what honesty was. Can you imagine that? I am constantly surrendered by the self-proclaimed greatest lords, ladies and knights of the Realm, yet, I had to be reminded of something due to me by a boy of eighteen who has nothing but an ancient name."
Otto clenched his fists in shame and anger, fortunately for him, his King was too busy looking at his cup to notice his frustration.
"He was honest about everything, even the fact that he was only here to support my daughter's claim because it was in his country's best interest. I knew… I knew Rhaenyra would benefit from his presence, from his honesty and his mind. So I sent him after her, with nothing but hope. The results…" He remembered what he had felt when his heir had brought the White Hart back from her own hunt. He remembered Arthur's toast to Rhaenyra in front of the whole Court, a testimony of his loyalty. That day, all of Viserys' worries and pain had been replaced by joy, pride, and so much relief the Monarch had slept like a newborn without needing wine fort the first time in three years.
"The results came faster than I had anticipated, and were far beyond my expectations. This day, i knew, I knew I had made the right decision and I was actually proud of myself. I was content, and I got comfortable in the months that followed, watching my only daughter mature, taking her duties seriously and smile. Oh, how I had missed that smile…"
A pregnant pause followed Viserys' review of his fond memories, Otto stood were he was, waiting for his King's judgement.
"I owe all of this to Arthur Stark, he is the one who gave my daughter what she needed," he paused, and spoke again with a darker tone, "and I find myself jealous to see that those two are so loyal to one another, when my most trusted advisor and my brother never hesitate to stab me in the back."
Now Otto could not let that slide, he could suffer being justly punished for his mistakes, but being compared to Daemon was far too humiliating for him to endure.
"Your Grace, I admit I have made some mistakes…"
"Some mistakes?" Viserys laughed humorlessly. "Some mistakes? You told me my brother had defiled my daughter! You insisted that your spy was a reliable source! Even Daemon confirmed your lie as if he knew I would blindly believe anything you would tell me and mock me for my stupidity! And now look at this disaster; I looked like a fool in front of the whole court! I have accused the member of a great house of a phony crime to protect my daughter's reputation from a lie, instead of finding a way to reveal the truth!"
Viserys went to Otto's face and threw him the dirtiest look he had ever thrown. The Hand could only lower his head in shame.
"Rhaenyra will never forgive me." He said, his voice poisoned by grief and anger. "I tried to force her to betray and doom the man she loves. She will resent me for the rest of her life for that. Your lie robbed me of my only chance to atone for my sins, Otto."
Viserys narrowed his eyes at his treacherous adviser, how many lies had he told him? How many times had he betrayed him? He remembered Daemon's words in the Throne room after he had called his son "the heir of a day", perhaps his brother, despite all of his flaws and ambition, had been right.
"Five days." He murmured.
Otto slightly frowned in confusion.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace?"
"Though it was some time ago." Viserys conceded as he delved into his memories. "The details... they fade in memory. My father was a hale and healthy warrior and dragon rider at the peak of his abilities. Jaehaerys named a great royal hunt to celebrate him being named the Hand of the King. Five days later my father lay dead. Tourneys last longer. Baelon the Brave, rider of Vhagar, heir to the Iron Throne… dead of a burst belly. The gods have a dark wit."
"It was a grim day." Otto said, his own mind relieving his own memories. "I recall it all too well.
"Yeah…" Viserys' tone was dark. "It was a good day for you. Jaehaerys named you Hand in Baelon's stead."
Now the Hightower man saw where this conversation was going, his first reflex was to deny it.
"That's hardly how I viewed it, Your Grace. It was a duty."
But Viserys did not look like he had heard him.
"You served my grand sire nobly in his final days. You are the man that taught me how to be King."
Otto lowered his head once again, though, it was in gratefulness this time.
"You honor me, Your Grace."
"Just five days… you went from being another man in Jaehaerys's court, to the second most
powerful man in the realm."
Viserys' face contorted in a grimace of despise that sent chills to the Hand's spine, his eyes shone in disgust.
"I wonder… how long did it take you to choose yourself over your King?"
He raised a hand to prevent his old adviser from denying his accusation, he would not believe one more lie.
"I will never recover from Aemma's death." He admitted as the pain in his heart spread through his veins. "But Alicent… she took me through the worst of my grief. She was a calculated distraction. I only now realize how well-calculated it was."
"That is an absurdity." Otto wanted to scream, but remained as calm as he could despite his loud heartbeat. "The Queen loves you… as I know you love her."
Once again, Viserys ignored him.
"Your interests no longer align with those of the realm." He accused him. "Your judgment has been compromised."
The King looked at the man who had served him through his entire rule, he remembered all the times he had listened to him, how grateful he had been to have him by his side during his first small council meetings. How relieved he had been every time Otto had pulled him out of an uncomfortable situation. Every time he was too happy to let him take a decision on a matter on which he had been undecided. How many times had his loyal Hand taken advantage from his weakness?
"You were a faithful servant, Otto." Viserys said, wishing he could still believe that. "The Crown and the Realm both owe you a debt that can never be repaid."
He took the pin off the devastated man who was responsible for his bleeding heart.
"But I can no longer trust your judgment."
(-)(-)(-)
Arthur spent almost an hour in his bath to clean himself from the dirt of the black cell in which he had spent two days and one night. If the grime was easy to remove, the smell persisted to the point where he had to bring himself to ask that his bath water be changed. The servants were surprised when he apologized and justified himself for the inconvenience. A maid assured him that he was not the first to make such a request, but that did not lessen his embarrassment. Once clean, he threw away what he had left of water and fermented goat's milk, fearing that an assassin had slipped poison into his drinks, and went to the kitchens to supply himself. There, he took the opportunity to serve himself a generous plate of food to satisfy the devouring hunger that tormented his stomach. Back in his room he stuffed himself happily with nearly three pounds of meat, which he refreshed with grapes and apricots. If there was one thing he loved about the south, it was its fruit. He accompanied his meal with a relatively strong wine to celebrate his freedom, after which he went to lie down on his bed and dozed off most of the afternoon, dreaming of Winterfell. His restful sleep was interrupted however, when there was a knock on his door, annoyed, he put on a shirt, used his bath water and mirror to fix his hair and opened the door. He had expected to see Rhaenyra, possibly Daemon, but certainly not the King himself, in which case he would have bothered to shave.
"Your Grace," he bowed, "My apologies for not being more presentable."
"It is quite alright. After what happened to you, I understand your need to relax, lad. May I come in?"
"Of course."
Arthur stepped away to allow his King inside his room, noted that the Kingsguards were not following, and closed the door.
He took a moment to take a look at the monarch he had seen sober this morning and who had apparently consumed more than a jug while the northerner was asleep. He looked like he had aged a decade in a matter of hours.
"Fuck," he raised a worried eyebrow, "you look like shite. What happened to you?"
Viserys chuckled, spotted the Stark's chair and jug of wine, sat and poured himself a cup, but Arthur took it before he could drink from it.
"Sorry, Your Grace but I won't have you passed out in my room and being accused of poisoning you. Your cells are not as comfortable as they look, and I found that freedom is quite enjoyable. Moreover, you did not come to visit me in your state to drink more wine, did you?"
Viserys rose his head to look into the Stark's eyes. There was a serenity and honesty in his eyes that the monarch found more than refreshing after having endured so many lies. He sighed, the lad was right. He had to pull himself together to redeem himself.
"First of all, I wanted to apologize…"
"I refuse your apologies," the Stark replied sharply.
Viserys' eyes widened in bewilderment.
Arthur shook his head.
"I fully understand why you did this, I even respect your temerity. Sacrificing a stranger to save your daughter's reputation was a difficult but daring choice, and I think I would have done the same had I been in your boots. But don't apologize for a choice you made deliberately knowing full well that this crime was imaginary and that I was innocent. You're not sorry you did it, you're sorry Rhaenyra found a better way and you did not."
Viserys opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head as well.
"My daughter is in love with you." He blurted out.
Arthur froze, closed his eyes and sighed.
"She should not be."
"You're right," Viserys nodded. "But she is. Tell me, what was she doing in your room at the hour of the nightingale?"
"I thought I had made myself clear this morning."
"Please." The King almost implored. "I just want to know what exactly happened, I have heard and made up far too many lies. I just want the truth. Besides, I already know much; she was with Daemon in a brothel, then you took her out of it, then she exited your room crying, and since I know she loves you and you are a dutiful man, I can imagine what happened. I just want the truth."
Arthur had to admit that his King was raising very good points, there was truly no reason to hide what had happened with him knowing almost everything that mattered. So he told him, everything, even what Daemon had done and what he had said to earn Rhaenyra's slap. Once he was done with his tale, Viserys was so distraught that he couldn't stop eyeing the cup Arthur had taken from his hand. The Stark sighed, drank half of it and gave it back to the King who was all too happy to finish it.
"Daemon be cursed," he spat, "I should have banished him from the Realm a long time ago."
"He will always find a way to come back." Arthur warned him as he took the cup from his hand. "He is a great warrior and a dragonrider, there aren't nearly enough nowadays to get rid of one. He is far too valuable and he knows it. He will just wait until the next conflict arise to make a triumphal return."
Viserys groaned in frustration.
"Then what should I do?"
"Banish him for now, he needs a war to come back. In the meantime, House Targaryen needs to multiply, there are many dragons and too few riders. The Velaryons are far too powerful as well with Meleys, Vhagar and Seasmoke. And I'd rather not send Rhaenyra to battle."
"Neither would I." Viserys felt a chill run his spine, this was a horrifying vision to imagine. "So there is nothing we can do…"
"You consider raising children and marrying Rhaenyra 'doing nothing'?" He rose an eyebrow. "We both know Lord Corlys, despite being very ambitious, would be on your side should a war break out. What I am saying is that, for now, House Targaryen is too dependent of others to truly inspire the respect and fear it is owned. Jaehaerys and his two sons were all terrifying dragonriders, and since we both know you cannot ride another dragon, we will have to wait until your children grow, and hope that Rhaenyra quickly finds a good match and starts breeding. Apart from that, the Realm needs to be as stable as possible for more than a decade at the very least. How have the Stepstones been faring since the war has ended?"
Viserys thought for a moment, and ended up releasing a sigh.
"I do not know." He admitted to Arthur's consternation. "Otto was in charge of that problem."
"Your Grace," The Stark's voice was reproachful, the King could hear it distinctively. "You must know. The Triarchy will return and Daemon will thrive from a new war if the Stepstones are not fully secured. And the glass garden the North was promised will never be delivered, thus angering greatly the Northern Houses. And our naval routes will not be safe for commerce to thrive, meaning our economy will be impacted once more, which will anger many houses in the Reach and the West."
Viserys rose his eyebrows, impressed by the lad's reasoning. What could he accomplish if he was more than just the nephew of the Lord of Winterfell? Perhaps his decision was far more sounded than he had thought.
"You seem to have given a lot of thoughts into this, lad."
"Of course I have given a lot of thoughts into this, Rhaenyra's succession will be challenged if she is not strong enough. I want her rule to be stable, I want the North to grow strong enough to thrive even during the next Winter. None of this will be possible with Daemon's shadow lurking to seize an opportunity. Nor will it be with House Velaryon's influence and power so far above House Targaryen's. The Stepstones' acquisition is merely the beginning, once it is secure, you will need to start rebuilding the strength of your house, and not only with dragonriders. First, you will have to…"
Viserys rose his hand to ask him to stop talking, and Arthur did, realizing he got carried away. The Stark lowered his head as an apology but his King dismissed it, he had no reason to be sorry.
Rhaenyra's father looked at him from head to toe, that young northerner who was as intelligent as he was honest, who had no personal ambition that could alter his judgment, who never feared to say the truth no matter how awful it was to hear or how bluntly he needed to speak. He, who was as loyal to Rhaenyra as she was to him, he, who wanted to see her on the Iron Throne and rule for as long and well as Jaehaerys. He, for whom the Game of Thrones was not an insurmountable challenge.
The King had made his decision, he rose from his sit to face the lad.
"Rhaenyra is very lucky to have you." He said, his voice was warm with acknowledgment. "She needs you, she is going to need you for a long time. Perhaps I need you as well."
The Northerner frowned in confusion.
"You want me to be your adviser as well?"
"No." Viserys shook his head as he pined something on the Stark's shirt. "You need to be more than that."
Arthur lowered his eyes and widened them when he realized what his King has pinned on his shirt.
"Arthur Stark of Winterfell, I name you Hand of the King."
The Northerner was too stunned to reply, it did not matter for Viserys' look had hardened.
" Now, I hope you realize that I am entrusting you with the entire Realm, not just the North." He warned. "I need you, to help me stabilize the Seven Kingdoms and prepare Rhaenyra to rule, if I suspect any kind of betrayal, I will banish you from this city."
The threat was quick to pull Arthur out of his shock, he regained a solemn face and nodded.
"The North will always be my priority," he warned, "but Rhaenyra has my loyalty, and if to secure her rule, I have to make some concessions, then so be it. I will resign if I find myself unable to accomplish my task."
"Glad to hear it." Viserys declared as he pated the Stark's shoulder and went to exit the room. "The Small Council meeting starts tomorrow at dawn."
Without another word, the Targaryen King closed the door, allowing the Northerner the intimacy he needed to look at himself in the mirror.