-Chapter 62-
-POV Larys Strong-
"You accepted both offers?" said the king, surprised, just like I was, because I thought Prince Aemon was trying to raise the stakes between the Princess and the Queen, but no...
'It seems he's much smarter than that, he's aiming directly at the king,' I thought, slightly admiring the maneuver of my new master.
'Now I finally understand why he's telling the king about all these intrigues.'
Aemon spread his arms and said:
"We discussed just this morning a way for me to help you understand what your wife and your daughter are both scheming in their respective camps, while also uncovering the complete list of their supporters."
"And what did you find?"
"All the names, and here is the first: I present to you Larys Strong, the Queen's master spy," said Prince Aemon, taking me by surprise.
Shocked by this turn of events, I turned to the Prince, utterly perplexed, while the king stared at me as though I were a traitor who needed to be executed immediately.
'What is he doing?' I thought.
"Don't be so quick to have him beheaded, uncle," said the Prince, noticing the look the king was giving me.
"What does this mean?" the king asked his nephew.
"I fully understand the anger and the urge to kill rising in you, uncle, because I, too, thought about having him beheaded the moment I learned of this rat's actions. But I urge you to keep your calm, for this rat is the key to my... no, to our plan, if you want to regain control and restore order in your court," said Prince Aemon.
I let out a small sigh of relief, realizing he hadn't abandoned me, though I couldn't help but feel irritated that he was so openly gambling with my life without considering my... feelings.
"Are you sure about what you're doing?"
Aemon nodded, and the king said, "Go on."
"Larys has placed dozens of his spies in the secret passages of the Red Keep to spy on the highest nobility's every move."
The king threw me a venomous glance before turning his attention back to his nephew, who continued, "He reported all our actions to Alicent Hightower. He is a cripple with no inheritance, and his family lacks any significant fortune."
"A man with more ambition than sense," said the king.
"Like all the others," replied the Prince, causing the king to raise his eyebrows in frustration.
"He has the trust of the Queen, your wife, and also of her family, who are clearly aligned with Rhaenyra's camp. He knows everything about both sides, and starting today, he will be our eyes and ears, because we now possess something we've always lacked until now... an advantage."
The king's eyes widened, while my heart began to calm after the fright the Prince had given me.
The Prince continued his explanation:
"They all think they've managed to buy me, that my honor and loyalty have a price, but that's not true. My honor, my loyalty, and my duty are solely to you, uncle, and no one else. You are the head of our House, the last house of dragonlords, and you are my king. That will not change as long as you live. I will fight only for Viserys, first of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men."
"And to think, for a moment, I doubted you," said the king, sighing in a guilty tone.
"What do you propose?" King Viserys asked his nephew.
"First, I want to return this to you," said the Prince, handing over the red ball.
'The symbol of his position as master of whispers,' I thought, already aware he was the king's spymaster.
The Prince placed the red ball on the table before saying:
"I am deeply touched that you considered me for a place on your council, but the position of Master of Whispers is not for me. I would be a poor counselor if I didn't tell you that."
"We've already discussed this. I won't change my mind, and you've already accepted..."
"I know, but without mentioning the distance that will soon be between us or the possibility that one of our letters might fall into the wrong hands, I won't be able to advise you as I should in court, because I am far too visible," said the Prince, cutting off the king, firmly determined not to take on this task.
'Why is he doing this? It doesn't make sense. He has the king's ear; he can whisper anything he wants, and the king will believe whatever comes out of his mouth.'
"I understand," said the king, after a few moments, disappointed by the Prince's refusal.
As the king was about to put the ball away, the Prince said, to my great surprise:
"But I think you should give this title to Larys."
The king raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, prompting Prince Aemon to spread his arms and say:
"I've decided to start investing in brothels, as it's a constant and inexhaustible source of golden dragons. But also because this will be the front I'll use to communicate with you safely."
"What does that have to do with Larys' appointment?" asked the king.
'He wants to make me his intermediary,' I immediately understood, forcing myself to tighten my face to keep from smiling.
"I need a visible man, unconnected to me, so that my reputation isn't tainted by unwanted rumors about these businesses. Larys will be that man, and I will use this venture to send you messages quickly, without anyone knowing they came from me."
"As long as no one connects Larys to you, no one will be able to connect you to me if Larys becomes my Master of Whispers... very clever," said the king, beginning to appreciate the idea.
"Exactly," said Prince Aemon, smiling.
The king pondered for a moment, occasionally glancing in my direction.
'He's on the verge of accepting,' I thought, watching his body language.
"Do you trust him enough to entrust him with such an important mission?" asked the king.
Prince Aemon took his time responding, observing me for a few seconds before shaking his head:
"No. He is an ambitious and very dangerous man. It wouldn't surprise me if he tried to betray me one day, but I have faith in my dragon's fire. If his tongue becomes too loose, he will die. We've already agreed on that."
I quickly nodded, lowering my eyes, and the king slightly nodded as well before rolling the ball toward me, adding:
"If you speak of this matter to anyone, consider yourself already dead."
I nodded again, quickly, thanking the king and the prince while swearing my loyalty to them. Then, the two of them ignored me and continued their conversation.
'Before meeting Prince Aemon, I was nothing but a rat to the nobles. Now, I am part of the small council, on the same level as my father,' I thought, already relishing the revenge I would take on all those who had underestimated or mocked me because of my infirmity.
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-POV Aemon Targaryen-
"Very well, now that we're all in agreement and clear with each other, we need to agree on how we're going to use everything we know to our advantage," I said, mainly addressing my uncle.
"My prince, if I may..." said Larys, hesitating in a way that didn't sound false, though I doubted he was the fragile little thing he so desperately tried to portray.
I looked at my uncle to ask for permission, which he granted with a nonchalant wave of his hand, so I said, "Be concise."
"We already know everyone's motivations, we already know all the people involved in all the alliances, and we already know how to dismantle them. But if you expose yourself, some might figure out that you and the king are working together."
I nodded and looked at my uncle, who was also taking Larys' words into consideration.
"He's not wrong. Either we aim for the short term, or we aim for the long term," said my uncle.
"Not necessarily. We can do both," I said, already having an idea in mind.
"How?" asked Uncle Viserys.
"I think I have an excellent idea for this very situation," I replied.