-Chapter 14-
Once we approached close enough to the throne, we stopped in front of the steps, and I kneeled as custom dictated.
"Rise, Aemon," my uncle said from the throne, gesturing with his hand for me to stand.
I complied, stealing a quick glance at my cousin who stood to the right of her father, while his wife stood slightly lower on his left with their children.
'This is quite different from what I remember from the series,' I thought.
The king stood up and descended the steps one by one until he stood beside me and embraced me as if I were his long-lost son.
'This is quite hypocritical considering the jealousy he harbored in the past,' I thought while returning his embrace.
'After all, I am still a loyal ally and subject of His Majesty the king.'
"You have grown, dear nephew," my uncle said.
Faced with his praise, I merely smiled timidly before saying:
"Are you expecting someone of great importance, my uncle?"
"Besides you, you mean?" he asked in a playful tone.
"I am not someone important enough for the entire court to await, am I?" I said with a small smile, careful not to disrespect him.
'Even if everyone says he is weak, it's better he sees me as his ally rather than his enemy,' I thought.
He sighed and said, "You are just as clever as you were when you were young, you haven't changed a bit."
I did not respond and merely waited for him to speak, which he finally did, addressing me with slightly pained words:
"What will happen later is not against you, try to remember that. Keep your composure, we will have the opportunity to talk in the future."
I frowned, confused, quickly thinking about what might displease me, but my uncle did not give me time to ponder.
He patted my shoulders, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I nodded at his questioning look with a small smile, bracing myself for the worst. I then followed the direction he indicated, towards Jeyne Arryn, my fiancée, who was greeting me from afar.
I nodded toward her, then my mother and I moved towards her.
All the lords of the Vale and their heirs were gathered there, and I could already observe cracks in this supposedly honor-bound faction.
'Half of them are on my side, while the other half, led by House Corbray, are the lapdogs of House Arryn,' I thought.
As I ignored Jeyne Arryn alongside her dear friend Jessamyn Redfort, I quickly considered all the opportunities I would have to rise socially and economically during this trip, as this was not a restful journey to help me relax. Far from it, this trip is crucial for the future of my House as well as my future position.
'I must demonstrate to everyone that at the age of 12, I am a good friend to have and a terrible enemy to make.'
All my thoughts stopped once the doors of the Great Hall opened and I recognized my father entering.
He held a boy of about 4 years in his hands.
'Holy shit,' I thought, seeing the rider of Sheepstealer for the first time.
I turned my gaze away from them to look at my uncle who was watching me, and everything became clear in a second: my father was going to make his bastard his heir.
I don't know how I hadn't realized it before, but it seemed that taking sides with my mother had deeply affected him, so much so that he had to produce another son elsewhere and give him a dragon.
'How could a 4-year-old boy tame a dragon like Sheepstealer? It's almost certain he used Caraxes as insurance to test or even force Baelon's compatibility,' I thought disdainfully.
Once my father reached the foot of his brother's throne, he removed the crown he was wearing as well as some kind of war hammer.
I couldn't see well from where I stood.
Daemon said, throwing both: "Add them to the others."
Viserys cast only a glance at the crown and Craghas Drahar's weapon before saying:
"Are you finally abandoning your kingdom to surrender to your true sovereign?"
"I was never a king, it was my men and the Sea Snake who named me thus. I don't even know why they did it," he said, looking at the Sea Snake who was to his left, like my uncle, although I could tell that his surprise was nothing more than a charade.
I rolled my eyes, seeing the two brothers play the court, which seemed completely scandalized by my father's accusations, then he said:
"But I am certain it was nothing more than a title given in the drunkenness of battle and not a call to treason."
"I hope so," my uncle said, frowning at the family of his cousin the queen, who never truly was.
"In addition to securing the kingdom's trade routes, you bring me new territory. What do you desire, my brother? You have earned a handsome reward," said Viserys, sweeping aside all the years of coldness between the two brothers.
'With two dragonrider sons, Viserys has an interest in reconciling with father because three dragonriders are as many as House Velaryon. In case of armed conflict, if Baelon Targaryen's branch is united, we will have the advantage over Aemon's branch, as well as more bargaining chips in negotiations,' I thought.
"I want you to make my son Baelon my sole heir and dissolve the marriage I have with my bronze bitch," said Daemon.
"You already have a son and an heir," said Viserys, visibly surprised by his words but not by their content, judging by his small, panicked, furtive glance in my direction.
"The son of my bronze bitch is not my son. I want Baelon, whose mother I married according to our old traditions, to be my sole and only heir," said Daemon with a sly smile.
'This is punishment for not standing by his side.'
"Aemon is your only legitimate son, but I will agree to legitimize your bastard and if Lady Rhea consents then..."
"I consent, Your Majesty," said my mother after consulting me with her eyes.
Judging by the victorious smile and all the eyes on me, I could already understand what my bastard father was trying to do.
Being one of the few people with whom I spoke openly, mostly through letters, he knew that if I had agreed to come to King's Landing, it was to break off my engagement to Jeyne Arryn smoothly and find myself a new wife who would come from a powerful house but be submissive enough to know her place when the time came.
'The fool thinks I will compete for Rhaenyra's favors,' I thought disdainfully.