-Chapter 75-
-POV Rhea Royce-
Seeing my son so confident, I was, on the one hand, very happy for him, but I could see that behind this facade, he was still the little boy who lived with fear in his heart.
I sighed, then approached him and said, placing a hand on his cheek:
"Ever since you were little, you've always wanted to protect us from danger."
'My little man,' I thought, smiling softly as I remembered the wise advice he would give me when he was no taller than three apples high.
"I don't really know what scared you so much at such a young age, but it has always been a strength for you, a driving force that pushed you forward."
"You seem to think that's no longer the case," he said, frowning, waiting for my answer.
I smiled, then said, "Until now, it's allowed you to expand our livestock to such an extent that within a few years, we'll be able to supply meat to the entire Vale, commoners included."
'And it's not just any meat, since we only raise quality livestock, not to mention the sheep, the warhorses, draft horses, and others.'
"Thanks to your determination, our coffers are bursting at the seams. Our finances are so good that we are undoubtedly the richest house in the Vale, except for House Arryn. And all this without mentioning the main point."
"What is that point?" Aemon said, already knowing what I was about to say.
"I'm obviously talking about our army, an army built to your standards."
Aemon rolled his eyes and said, "Grandfather had already made a good start."
"Don't play humble, you're not very good at it," I said, joking for a moment to ease the solemn atmosphere I had created.
I took a deep breath, then said, "I'm extremely proud of you, my son, never doubt that. But know that the fear inside you no longer needs to exist."
Aemon frowned, not wanting me to speak about him in that way...
'But it's the pure truth.'
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-POV Aemon Targaryen-
I listened to my mother continue her speech without interrupting her, while deeply reflecting on her words, wondering if she might be somewhat right.
My mother said, "You're no longer that scared little boy who used to flee the court in fear."
'At that time, I was really afraid of incurring Viserys's wrath, his wife's, or the old king's, and being poisoned without knowing.'
"Nor are you the little boy who was too afraid of losing the importance he held in his father's eyes to tell him what he really thought of him."
'Daemon is one of the few dragonriders capable of standing up to Vhagar. It's better to have him on my side than against me for now, especially since he intends to rebuild the bond.'
"You're also no longer the only dragonrider in your family."
'She's right about that. The addition of Laena is a strong message sent to everyone.'
'But just because we're married doesn't mean she has changed between yesterday and today. Nothing has changed; she's still a Velaryon through and through.'
"It may be difficult to change your way of thinking, but you need to learn. Yesterday, you might have been afraid that Queen Alicent would resent you for taking sides, but be certain that tonight, everything has changed. You'll make a much stronger impression by opposing her than by acting like a mere dog she can whistle for at will," she said.
'That's also very true. I have no reason to fear Alicent. She should be the one begging me to remain her ally.'
"You are Aemon Targaryen, rider of Urrax, lord of House Royce, husband of the rider of Vhagar, Grandmaster of the Order of Bronze Shields, and Commander-in-Chief of more than 10,000 Bronze Lances. You have nothing to fear anymore, because trust me, that fear left you a long time ago."
'Fear,' I thought, smiling at the rare vulgar language my mother was using.
She placed both hands on my shoulders and finished by saying, "Fear has changed sides, my son, so please don't act like your father. Don't ruin your marriage before it has even truly begun, because together, you will be stronger than anything."
I stared at her without saying a word, because there was nothing I could say.
I had little desire to help Corlys Velaryon or Rhaenyra, but she was right about one thing.
'If I let Laenor die, Laena will never forgive me, and it will stain our marriage forever.'
'She hasn't yet had the time to understand that she's no longer a woman of House Velaryon, and she's already stuck between her birth family and me.'