Chapter 4
ALICENT HIGHTOWER
The Red Keep was a massive keep, built on Aegon's fort the castle finished in the reign of his son Maegor stood along the Blackwater Bay, touching the Sea. Alicent had lived in teh castle for years now, coming here first with her father when he gained a position at court, while she became a playmate and companion to the young Princess Rhaenyra.
And over the years, she had seen the castle shift, from the tense court of King Jaehaerys to the near breaking of war of succession to now, a more joyous court with many tourneys and celebrations held periodically by the new King Viserys.
And even now, there were celebrations being held as the Queen was pregnant once more, becoming heavy with the child for the fifth time in twice as many years, yet with still no heir to show. Tragedy had struck House Targaryen five times, with the pregnancy falling apart and the babe not living.
It was a somber affair, yet every time the Queen would become pregnant, the castle would rejoice, and festivities would be arranged to welcome a new heir.
And often, when the bustle of the court became too much, Alicent would seek refuge in a quiet little corner of the Godswood, under the long arching heart tree, with its overarching branches. She would sit with a book on her lap and read as she tried to find some respite from the noise of the court. And with the castle filled with festivities once more, she found herself here underneath the old oak tree, as she sought a small respite.
"Alicent! Alicent!" and she was broken out of her trance by the lovely voice of her companion and friend. She opened her eyes and saw a flushed and excited princess rushing towards her in a very unladylike manner that would have earned her a scolding from their septa had she been present here.
A punishment she would have shared if not to just keep her company.
"Slow down, Rhaenyra," she tried to calm her down as she opened her eyes and tried to stand her, yet her words fell on deaf ears as she ran towards her and stopped in front of her.
"He agreed. He finally agreed," she began as her chest heaved from the exercise. Despite her age, Rhaenyra was fairly athletic, so this showed that she must have run here from all the way inside the castle.
"Who?" though she asked failing to understand the reason for her friend's excitement.
"Father. He finally wrote to Lady Rhea and ordered her to send Aegon to the Red Keep, and she finally understood everything.
"Mother was finally able to convince him, and he said he has received a letter from Runestone that Aegon will be departing for the Red Keep soon enough," she added as she took a deep breath and she didn't miss how her eyes lit up as she spoke of a cousin she had not yet seen.
And for some reason, it irked her a bit. Yet she pushed that feeling down.
"That is indeed exciting news," she agreed, though she knew that such would not be the case for everyone in the castle. Rhaenyra smiled and nodded and she saw the exhaustion finally register as the silvery blonde plopped down on the ground.
"I have been asking him to come to the capital for years now, yet for some reason he continued to put it off. Now, he has no choice but to come because of the King's edict," Rhaenyra added triumphantly, and she was aware of that.
Aegon Targaryen, a Prince of the realm who had yet to step foot in the Red Keep, was an enigma to the court. He was the son of the Rogue Prince, yet was said to take after his mother's side, much to the consternation of the said Prince, who had not returned to his wife's seat since the birth of his son.
"But wasn't he busy with the campaign against the Mountain clansmen?" she asked, recalling the contents of the Prince's last letter, reiterated to her by Rhaenyra as she sought her aid in writing a response as she always would.
"Yes, but it should be ending by now. They say that the knights are very close to victory in the campaign and that Aegon has managed to do what no other Lord or knight before him has ever managed to do," Rhaenyra replied excitedly.
And it was one thing that made the Prince, who had yet to show a face at court, such a controversial figure. It was visible to those present that the Court that the court was divided, and the cause of that divide was none other than the Rogue Prince himself.
The Prince's antics over the years had made him a controversial figure, with many forces acting against him, including her own father who regularly clashed with the said Prince.
Now, given the Prince's estrangement with his son and wife, one would have hoped that they would be against him, and would be considered as allies of the opposing side. Yet Prince Aegon still carried the blood of the Rogue Prince, and blood showed.
Even as a teen, the young Prince was quick to gain a moniker for himself as he singlehandedly put down Arnold Arryn's rebellion. He slew three men to rescue Lady Jeyne before leading her forces to victory against the usurpers, earning himself the title of 'the Bloody Prince.'
He would go on to replace his grandfather at the Eyrie, and many would say that he had blackmailed the Lady of the Vale to do so. In doing so, he would gain substantial power in the court of the Eyrie.
And so, the Prince was an enigma. Many thought of him as a bloodthirsty youth not much dissimilar to his own father, and others thought of him as a cunning and ambitious young man whose ambitions and desires remained unknown.
Yet much to the relief of the two factions, the Prince had religiously avoided the Royal court, something she was an eyewitness to. She had seen the various invitations and imploring's by the Princess with her own eyes, yet the cousin of the Princess would deny her each time making excuse after excuse, though it seems he would avoid it no more and would have come to the court.
"I cannot believe it has been so long since we have not seen each other's face," Rhaenyra mentioned, and it still irked him as she thought of a stranger she had never met so much.
She sat down and put her head on her lap.
"You have seen his portrait," she rebutted as Rhaenyra settled down in her lap with the ease of years, as she began to sift through her hair, removing the small branches and leaves stuck in them.
"But what good are those?" Rhaenyra replied petulantly.
"I want to see him for real after I have heard so many things about him. Uncle Daemon will be excited...." but Rhaenyra cut herself off because both of them knew the truth about that. She had been present herself when the Prince would insult his wife and son, though the former was the major target of his brash comments far more than his son.
"Will Lady Royce join Prince Aegon?" and Rhaenyra shook his head.
"No, and neither will Lady Jeyne. Mother wishes to see her cousin, but with the situation with the mountain clansmen being what it is, both of them decide to stay behind. But father was firm that Prince Aegon had to come, and they have written back with assurance that he will be there," she added.
And she believed that it was for the better. After all, the whole realm knew about the relationship between the Rogue Prince and his lady wife.
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AEGON TARGARYEN
The Eyrie and its halls had long become home to him, for he had spent nearly half his life in these halls, initially serving as a paige to his grandfather when he was the Reagent for Jeyne, and then after his death he had come to occupy his position as he helped Jeyne cement herself as the ruler of the Vale.
Built on the tip of the Giant's Lance, the Eyrie was actually one of the two castles held by House Arryn, the Eyrie on the top and the Gates of the Moon down below. The two castles were nearly impregnable, especially the Eyrie which was said to have been constructed on the place where Arnold Arryn slew a Gryffin.
The Halls of the Eyrie were decorated heavily, adorned with many a artistic pieces depicting their history. And as he waited for Jeyne, he found himself staring at one of these very pieces, a rather recent piece depicting a young Ronnel Arryn sitting on the lap of the indomitable Visenya Targaryen.
Beyond this portrait was another, one that had been recently commissioned at great cost, depicting a rather familiar face, his own face, yet he tended to avoid looking at the piece.
He stood there, lost in thought, when the doors to the Hall swung open once more, and he looked back and saw the Lady of the castle walk into the Hall, her loyal guards by her side chose to stay outside as she had the doors closed off behind herself and walked upto him with a wide smile.
"Aegon," she greeted him warmly as she came and hugged him, ignoring both etiquette and norm, yet it was long past him to concern himself over these matters as he reciprocated her hug and wrapped his own arms around her softly.
"It is good to see you, my lady," he said as they separated.
"You should have written to me that you were arriving. I would have arranged a hero's welcome for you. Many wish to catch a glimpse of the hero that has subdued the Mountain clansmen," she admonished him, yet he had ridden back late into the night and had not wished to disturb the whole castle.
"You know that I do not like such things. Plus, the men who joined me on the campaign deserve all the praise," he added, and they had. The campaign against the mountain clansmen had been tough and arduous and had been his first time leading an army, and though he had the art down quickly, the start was quite rough.
"But you were the one who led them," she added, and he shrugged.
"I will see them all richly rewarded for their service," she replied, and he could only nod.
"Have you read the missive that came from Runestone?" she asked as they sat down, and he nodded.
"I have. Mother wishes for me to stop by Runestone before making my way to the capital," he added.
"Yes, the King was quite stern in his message. It seems his patience has run thin with us now," she began cautiously as she tried to gauge his reaction.
"Well, we all knew such a day would come. I would have wished to avoid that damned court for as long as I could, yet that would be just deluding myself. And this is best a time to visit," and he saw her lips thin.
"I would have come with you, but with the campaign ending without you present, I do not think it is prudent to leave," she added, and he nodded.
"That is a good decision," and it was.
"Speaking of that," he reached into his pocket, took out a rather large scroll, and handed it to her.
"What is it?" she asked as she unfurled it.
"That is a detailed map of all the mountain passes," he began and saw her eyes widen.
"There are many that we can use to cut down the travel between many regions of Vale. Using these as a basis, I think it would be prudent to develop the roads along the highlighted paths to improve trade between the various regions of Vale," he added.
Aegon was not well versed in the art of city building or other sciences for that matter, yet he had a new perspective and an idea of what to focus on.
That is why, with the first bit of authority he had received, he had set out to experiment with crop rotation. They had failed at first, yet after a year of trial and error, they finally had the thing down, and now the practice had spread nearly all over the Vale along with the better plows and other small knick-knacks.
Coincidentally, he had not made these things. Rather, it had been the people themselves who, with his guidance and prompting, had invented these solutions, which he would later grant his backing.
"That is very detailed," she exclaimed as her eyes zoomed past the map, and though aloof she may seem, one must never underestimate the sharp mind that lay hidden under that facade.
She had ruled over a tumultuous reign as Vale for years for a reason, especially with her other proclivities, which were not quite well known until now.
And suddenly, she looked up from the map with a mischievous grin as she spoke.
"Will you really not marry me?" he nearly choked on his seat at the abruptness of that question as she laughed, yet it felt a bit hollow.
"Kukh, Kukh," he coughed as he looked at her indulgently and leaned forward.
"Will your little red friend agree to share you," he asked, and he saw her face flush before she suddenly pulled him closer.
"Perhaps we just need to show her how joyous such sharing will be," she added sultrily before both of them burst into a chuckle.
"But really, are you still set on your decision?" she asked her with a forlorn look, and it affected him seeing her like this. Yet he did not wish to force her into a loveless compromise, no matter what she may think.
She was in love with Jessamyn Redfort, and he had seen how the both of them looked at each other. Though he was not blind to the advantages of this match, he did not have it in his heart to come in between that and ruin the friendship he already had with her.
"I will always be there for you," he assured her as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"But I do not think it would be right for me to come in between what you and Jessamyn have," he told her as he had two years ago when she had first brought it up.
"You wouldn't be coming in between anything. You are a dear friend, one whom I would trust with my life," she said gently as she stepped closer and looked up.
"I know and am honored by that," he replied.
"Is it really so bad of me to wish you to cement by my side for the rest of my life? I would give you all the honors and authority that a lord of the Vale would have. We would have to have at least two children..." she added hesitantly.
"...one for the Vale and the other for Runestone, and then Seven forbid if things go sour as you fear them too, I..."
"...would allow you to take a lover of your own," she managed to eke out as she bit her lip once more, her eyes glued to the floor.
Aegon was taken aback by her words, and after a sigh, he flicked her forehead with his fingers.
"Ouch," she rubbed her forehead.
"You think too much, my dear Jeyne," he said to her as he held her arms.
"I had not thought that you were so worried about this," and he had not. He had thought that she would have been happy with the cover he had provided her.
"...But if it worries you so much, then I will give it another thought," he assured her, and she nodded as she put her head on his chest.
"Thank you. That is all I can ask."
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