-Chapter 91-
-POV Rhea Royce-
Since my minor dispute with Aemon, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Disagreements may be trivial for others, but for us, it was the first real friction since his birth.
'To think he left this morning without even telling me,' I thought, both annoyed and saddened by the tension between us.
"Rhea"
I turned around to see my uncle Yohn approaching quickly, escorted by five knights of the Bronze Shield order.
'Knights fiercely loyal to my uncle.'
'He's practically given them everything,' I thought, knowing my uncle's personal guard well, composed of the finest swords in the Vale.
"You look ready to go to war," I said with a slightly haughty tone, chin slightly raised, as we were not on good terms.
'He's always sought to usurp me, especially since Aemon was designated as my father's heir,' I thought, observing my uncle, imposing with his height over 6'3", even more impressive in his armor.
"I heard you invited those savages into m… our ancestral home," he said.
'He was about to say my home,' I thought, already frustrated by his slip, barely corrected.
"To whom are you referring?" I asked, not understanding his allusion.
"Who else, the mountain savages," he replied angrily.
I frowned, truly confused, and said, "I haven't done any such thing…"
I didn't even get a chance to finish before he continued, "Are you trying to tell me you don't know what your son is doing?"
Seeing my genuine confusion, my uncle spoke with a tone of disdain, even a bit of scorn:
"You really don't know."
He didn't let me respond and continued in a tone of authority, one I hadn't heard since my father used it to scold me: "Besides being his mother, you are the regent of Runestone, dear niece. It's your duty to reason with Aemon, who doesn't yet have the authority to make these kinds of decisions."
"Aemon listens to no one but himself; I merely advise him. If you truly believe I still have any decision-making power, then you're even blinder than I thought," I said, exasperated at constantly being caught between Aemon and the rest of my family.
'It's been over ten years; when will they finally fully accept him?' I thought, truly weary of being the bridge that connected them.
'Without me, half of them would have had hunting accidents years ago.'
Uncle Yohn, still furious, said, "You need to reason with him, because I won't sit here listening to these savages spout nonsense and share our table when they took the life of my son Daman."
I frowned. While I understood his pain, I knew perfectly well where my loyalty lay and always would: "I…"
"You could remind him they killed the son of Lord Yohn, who is also the brother of his sworn shield, Gunthor," Willem suddenly said.
His voice froze me, and I didn't even have time to respond before my uncle stepped past me and said:
"Do as you please, but if I see any of those savages in our ancestral home, I'll have them struck down like the animals I know they are."
I stayed stunned for a moment before finally moving forward in silence; I needed to act quickly if I wanted to prevent Aemon from beheading half of this House by the end of the day.
'Including Willem, for that foolish intervention, which will surely reach Aemon's ears,' I thought, watching the servants who pretended not to have heard but would repeat everything to Rogar, who would gladly report it all to my son.
After a few moments, Willem murmured, "I didn't mean to…"
"Be quiet."
---
-POV Laena Velaryon-
"Place that here, perfect, that's great," I said, satisfied with the decor.
"For the rest, you'll find a way to make the room feel livelier," I told the servants, who all bowed before watching me leave.
I stopped just before crossing the doors of the Great Hall and added, "Don't forget to add tables so everyone can be seated, and make sure not to place the mountain clan leaders next to Ser Yohn. The Prince was very clear on this point."
"Yes, Princess," they responded in unison before resuming their work.
As I exited the Great Hall, I came face to face with my mother-in-law, who seemed furious for some reason.
"Did you know that Aemon invited the barbarian clan leaders from the mountains to Runestone to dine with them?"
I nodded, slightly confused, then said, "Apparently, you weren't aware."
"He doesn't tell me anything anymore," she lamented.
'Of course, given he no longer trusts her judgment or position,' I thought, glancing briefly at her sworn shield.
'Her lover.'
My mother-in-law caught my gaze and asked, "Did he tell you why he no longer confides in me?"
She didn't openly mention her affair, but it was clearly implied.
I hesitated, unsure of what to say, and she asked again:
"If you know something, I'm asking you to tell me."
"Not in detail, but he doubts your judgment might be biased," I said, searching for a word that wouldn't hit her too hard.
Her chest heaved as she clenched her fists tightly, then sighed, releasing her grip before saying, "Thank you, Laena."