-Chapter 53-
-POV Aemon Targaryen-
Seeing my uncle deeply lost in thought, I fell silent, waiting to see how much this discussion had affected him.
'The more doubts he has about those around him, the less he'll have about me. The less he trusts them, the more power I'll have over him, which means, by extension, over the entire kingdom,' I thought.
Viserys spent a few moments in thought before saying in a light tone:
"The wedding won't take place until tomorrow."
"I know," I said, as I had been informed by the servants.
"Marry Rhaenyra," he said softly, in an almost… pleading tone.
I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and for a moment, I considered it.
I took the time to think about it because it was the fastest way to become King without any possible contest from the rest of the kingdom. We would have true Targaryen sons, all of them riding dragons. I know I could dominate her and carve out my place.
But, although I trust myself enough and especially Urrax to win the Dance, whether in politics or war, even while starting in Rhaenyra's camp, I shook my head in refusal.
'This is not the path I've chosen. There's still more than a decade before hostilities begin; it's not yet time to take a final position. I must remain flexible.'
A marriage with the current Rhaenyra wouldn't work for many reasons, the first of which being that I knew I wouldn't tolerate deceit.
'The future is far too uncertain. In a case like this, I might make a mistake, and it wouldn't even be worth it.'
"I could make you the king, the true king, equal with Rhaenyra," he said, trying to convince me, but I shook my head again to signal my refusal.
I took a few seconds to think and then said, "All I want is a peaceful life. I'm sorry; I already have too many responsibilities. The weight of a kingdom would crush me."
Viserys sighed deeply before saying, "The gods are truly cruel. The only heir I truly needed was born from my brother's seed, and the only man I would trust with my daughter and the throne wants neither her nor the throne."
"It's not..."
"I was a young man too. If you had loved her, or even simply liked her, a woman of such beauty would have stolen your heart in no time," he said, interrupting me with a smile on his lips.
'Let's be thankful I'm not a teenager controlled by hormones then.'
I smiled without saying anything, and we remained silent for a few moments before he asked me, "What would you do in my place, in such a situation where your wife and daughter are on the verge of killing each other?"
I slightly widened my eyes, surprised by the question, and thought inwardly, 'I wouldn't let such a conflict escalate this far.'
"I would try to balance the forces as much as possible. Right now, Rhaenyra has far too much power, much more than she seems able to handle."
"That's normal, given that she's my heir," he said.
"Certainly, but she won't raise your four other children, four potential dragonriders, and four possible alliances with major Houses, or even Great Houses," I said honestly.
Seeing that he didn't respond, I added:
"If I were you, I'd try to get to know the members of your wife's faction as well as your daughter's and balance the forces, starting with the small council."
"It's not as easy as you seem to think. They're not going to kindly tell me they support my wife and hope Aegon will dethrone his sister," he said, already unconsciously taking Rhaenyra's side.
His whining tone slightly irritated me, and I said, "That's the problem! You're thinking as if you were already dead, my uncle!"
"I must ensure my succession..."
"The succession won't take place for a long time. You're still young; you have years before all this happens. If you try to slowly change things around you, you could avoid a fratricidal war," I said, slightly excited because this was his problem.
'This chronic passivity.'
"If you think your wife will have a harmful influence on your children, then place them as wards with vassals you trust. Take time to teach them the history of our House and the importance of loyalty to our family, especially to the head of this House—you still have time to change everything," I said, sincerely believing what I was saying, because it would be much simpler if everyone lived in peace.
'It's really naive to think this way, but even if it doesn't happen like that, I'll still have a place of trust with my uncle.'
"My word doesn't carry much weight anymore," Viserys said, revealing a crack in his armor.
"You're the king," I said, trying to exploit it.
"And that's all I am. I'm not like the kings who preceded me. I'm no longer the rider of Balerion; otherwise, you'd never have had the nerve to threaten Rhaenyra with your dragon in my presence."
I wanted to defend myself, caught off guard by this sudden change in attitude. "I..." but he interrupted me and said:
"Don't you dare deny it. I saw how Urrax descended from the skies. That wasn't luck—you don't need to communicate with him."
I hesitated for a second before deciding to take a risk:
"I won't deny it. My bond with Urrax is more special than the one dragonriders usually have. I'd even go as far as to say that my bond with Urrax is unique."
Viserys frowned but said nothing, so I continued, frowning seriously:
"I shouldn't have done what I did, but just because I have no ambition doesn't mean I'll let anyone crush my pride, trample my dignity, or disrespect me, whether they're a friend of my cousin or not."
"So it's true—you can command him without speaking," he said, more focused on the information I had revealed than on the rest of my sentence.
I nodded, and he said, "That's magnificent."
I smiled, understanding that he had just bluffed to test me, and I had likely passed, judging by his smile.
'Even though he just tricked me into confirming that I can command Urrax with my mind.'
He then said, "I must prepare; I have a small council meeting. I greatly enjoyed this little discussion, and we should have more of them."
"I'd like that, but I'm afraid we'll have to settle for letters very soon," I said, pretending to regret these little moments of 'sincerity.'
"You're not staying," he said.
"It's not my place," I said, shaking my head.
"Even if I offer you a place on my small council?" he asked.
I burst out laughing, appreciating my uncle's humor, until I realized he was serious.
"Really?" I asked, stunned by the successive offers my uncle had made today.
He didn't reply, but I quickly shook my head, saying:
"I don't like this environment. It might corrupt me. The mountain air and the beautiful landscapes of the Vale have the power to clear your thoughts and soothe the mind. I wouldn't trade this tranquility for anything in the world," I said, determined to leave this place as soon as possible.
'It's only been a week since I've been here, and I've already nearly started a war. If I stay a full moon, I might trigger massacres.'
"Very well, I understand," he said, standing up.
I stood up as well, thinking he was going to embrace me before I left, but he said, "Wait, I have something I want to give you."
He went rummaging through several chests before finally finding what he was looking for, and I was surprised to see a simple dark red orb.
I raised my eyebrows at the jewel he handed me, and he said:
"Grandfather—I mean, your great-grandfather—had an unparalleled hatred for his uncle. He didn't want to appoint a Master of Whisperers, probably because it was a position inaugurated under Maegor's reign. As his heir, I didn't want to do it either. But I'm forced to admit that I'm the last to know what's happening in this damned kingdom—I don't even know what's going on in my own… house."
I didn't take the stone, and he continued, "I trust you, Aemon, and I'm giving you the task of becoming my eyes and ears, advising me when you sense the winds changing, and most importantly, warning me. Do you feel up to it?"
I frowned before finally taking the stone, nodding without saying anything.
"No one must know," he said.
"And no one will know," I replied.
"Very well. I'll await your letters eagerly," he said, sitting back down.
I gave a slight bow before turning around, trying my best to maintain a serious expression while hiding the stone in my clothes.
'I just pulled off a hell of a heist.'