Harrenhall (POV: Jecearys)
Walking through the damp corridors of Harrenhal, I came upon Daemon's chambers before giving it a hard knock.
I glanced at the missive in my hand as I waited for the door to open. After a moment of waiting, when I realized that Daemon may not have heard me, I tried again.
This time there was shuffling on the other side before the chamber was opened abruptly and I was grabbed from my collar and pulled in before a force punched me against the stone walls of the castle.
"AUGH!" I vocalized, looking up in surprise to see Daemon's paranoid look.
"Daemon!" I half-shouted as he seemed to get out of whatever sort of trance he was in. He looked at me before looking at the hand that was holding my collar, then slowly letting go of me.
"I..." He said, looking for words before turning around and walking towards his bedside where Dark Sister lay, not saying anything.
Massaging my chest from the small pain I felt, I slowly approached him carefully. "Are you okay?" I asked, hesitantly, wondering if this was the witch's doing.
Daemon, who heard the question, ignored me as he strapped Dark Sister on his waist. "What brings you here, Jecearys? Did the fat lord bring any good news?" he asked me, and I shook my head in frustration.
'Daemon never changes, even in this crazed state,' I thought before answering him. "No, Lord Simon has yet to inform me of any news, but...?" I said, getting his attention as I held up the missive.
"A missive, from Vealor," I said, Daemon scoffing at the name before he approached me and snatched the parchment from my hand, reading it over, eyes narrowed.
He scoffed. "He sends you? On such a delicate mission?" he asked as he turned to face me. "Do you even know the first thing when it comes to negotiating a deal?" he asked me, and I heard the doubt in his voice.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Who do you think won the support of Lady Arryn and Lord Stark?" I asked, taking a step forward in challenge and holding his gaze. Daemon only looked at me before his infamous grin came on his face.
"Hahaha!" he chuckled darkly, with that annoying tone of his, before he handed me the parchment. "Well then, prove it to me again. Get the Brackens to lay down their swords and swear loyalty to Rhaenyra. We're going to need every man we can get to fight off the Green army," he said, walking past me to the chamber doors.
"And be careful," he added, his voice firm but with a lingering softness there.
As I stood there looking at the door Daemon had just exited, I made my way to where I knew Vermax lay resting.
'I have to prove myself to my brother,' I thought, steeling my resolve.
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Flying over Bracken land on top of Vermax, I watched in shock as the army of men readied themselves for war against the Blackwoods.
"This is much worse than I thought."
Guiding Vermax closer, I heard shouts and horns being sounded as the men noticed my descent from the sky.
Flying closer to the ground, I approached the gates of the castle before halting Vermax to a stop and landing gracefully in front of the sentries guarding the gates.
Turning to look at the approaching men with spears, I tugged on Vermax's reins before commanding him, "Rūvēs Vermax" (Roar, Vermax). And like the dragon he was, he let out a mighty roar that sent the approaching men into a panicked state.
I looked around the gathering men, who were all armed and ready to sacrifice their lives if the need arose.
I locked eyes with one of the guards stationed at the gates before speaking.
"My name is Jecearys Velaryon. I come in the name of Queen Rhaenyra of House Targaryen to speak with your lord!" I said, making sure I was heard throughout the yard as the men all stood at an impasse, looking at each other, wondering what to do next.
The gates of the castle were suddenly opened as three men walked out, one aged man and two younger men who had similar features as the man that was leading them.
As I locked eyes with the aging man, I knew he was Lord Bracken.
"Lord Bracken, well met," I said, Vermax rearing and hissing a warning as they got too close.
Lord Bracken and the two men following him stopped in their tracks as they looked at Vermax nervously, the men around shouting in nervousness.
"Prince Jecearys, was it?" he asked from where he stood, raising his voice so I could hear him through the commotion of men.
I nodded in confirmation.
"I was not expecting the Blackwoods to call upon a dragonrider. Are they so weak that they needed you, a boy, to come and deal with us?" he asked mockingly, a chorus of "Aye's" ringing through the crowd.
I frowned at the way he was speaking so disrespectfully, and as Vermax felt my emotion, he lashed out by snapping his jaw in the direction of Lord Bracken, the man reeling from the sudden movement of the dragon.
"Careful, my lord, my bond here doesn't like it when his master is talked down to," I said, as Lord Bracken regained his bearings.
"But you are wrong. I was not sent here by the Blackwoods, nor am I here to fight for them," I said, the two men behind Lord Bracken, who I understood to be his sons, looking increasingly nervous as Lord Bracken himself was frowning, trying to act tough in front of his men.
"Then why are you here?" he said, narrowing his eyes as we held each other's gazes. I thought back to the missive my brother sent me. Your voice is my voice and subsequently the queen's before steeling myself for what I was about to do.
"I was sent here to talk you out of clashing swords with the Blackwoods and to swear your loyalty to the one true queen, my mother, Queen Rhaenyra," I said, the man widening his eyes before he started laughing like a maniac, the men surrounding me doing the same.
"What do you take us for, fools?" One of the two Bracken sons spoke from behind Lord Bracken. "Why would we ever follow a babe killer like Rhaenyra?" he spat, Lord Bracken, who was laughing a moment ago, nodding in agreement.
As I heard the reasoning, I squinted my eyes and said with a firm voice, "Babe killer, you say? Was it not Aemond who killed my brother above Shipbreaker's Bay? It seems I thought you wrong, Lord Bracken. Picking and choosing was not something I expected from a lord of your standing." I spoke, trying to use his ego against him, something I learned from the small observations I made of Vealor while I was in Dragonstone. And like a fishing pole, he was reeled in.
"You know nothing, boy. If we followed Rhaenyra, it would be the end of the Seven Kingdoms. No woman could rule over us lords. I refuse it!" he said, red-faced as I understood what his reasoning was, as much as it was one without weight, but it all came down to one thing.
EGO.
"So it all comes down to that, does it?" I asked him as he looked on in confusion from my calm reaction. "You raise your banners to Aegon, that drunken fool, because my mother is a woman." I made sure to explain my understanding of his words.
"The lesser evil," he agreed, nodding as I couldn't help but laugh, before taking a gamble I knew could backfire on me.
"He will be disappointed when he hears of your reasoning, Lord Bracken," I said, hoping the man would take the bait as I watched him and his sons look between each other in confusion before he was once again caught in the trap.
"Who will, Daemon? That mad man?" he asked, laughing with his one son, the younger one having been silent the entire time, before continuing. "I could not give a rat's ass what that man thinks of me," he said, as I shook my head, Vermax moving a little as his gaze went through the soldiers surrounding us.
"Not Daemon, I meant the person who sent me," I said, before taking the missive my brother sent me from my breast pocket and squeezed it tight in my hand, hoping it would have the desired effect, before throwing it at the lord's feet.
"Read it, then your question will be answered." I said, watching as the younger son crouched down and gave the missive to Lord Bracken. As he read through the contents of the missive, the yard stayed quiet in apprehension.
"Impossible," Lord Bracken whispered as his hands trembled.
Looking up from the paper, he locked his gaze with me. "You lie, this is impossible. All of the lords from Dorne to the Wall know that Prince Vealor perished in his younger years. You expect me to believe this was his writing, that he sent you to what, broker a deal with me?" he asked heatedly, the boys standing next to him looking between each other in confusion.
"You believe what you will, Lord Bracken, but what I will say is, not only was the missive written by my elder brother, Prince Vealor, but he has also returned to Westeros with a great army capable of destroying any army you may think the Greens can muster," I spoke every word clearly so all of the people around could hear what I said.
"And when he hears your reasoning for siding with the pretender, I am sure he will fly here with Abraxas himself and burn the remaining numbers of your family after the Blackwoods are done with you," I said, glaring at the lord, who was slowly starting to believe my words.
But the message did not seem to sink in with the other boys, as the older one of them stepped forward and said with a scoff, "You make empty threats." Before he was grabbed from behind by Lord Bracken.
There was a tension as he stayed silent for a moment longer before finally speaking his mind.
"What is it you want then, to lay our hands against the Blackwoods, our sworn enemies?" he asked in disbelief as I shifted in my seat atop Vermax.
The other younger son, who to this point had been quiet, spoke for the first time. "Father," he said, getting Lord Bracken's attention.
"This could be our chance. I understand the Blackwoods are our enemies, but we didn't want to support that drunkard in the first place. With Prince Vealor alive, we can look to the future," he said, sounding desperate yet keeping his voice steady.
"The future? Boy, there will be no future for our house if we raise our banners for that woman." Hearing his dismissal, I butted in.
"The same goes for if you keep supporting that pretender," I spat, speaking the words with a little too much venom.
Turning to look at me, with fury in his eyes, I decided to elaborate on the matter so he understood that he was truly in a pickle.
"Believe it or not, Lord Bracken, many of the riverlords are raising their banners to my mother," I started, getting confused looks from the soldiers around. "The Mallisters march for Harrenhal as we speak. What do you think will happen once word gets out that the Mallisters have raised their banners for my mother?" As I spoke those words, there were hushed whispers all around, and I saw the looks the Bracken brothers exchanged—a look of desperation. "Most lords, if not all, will march for Harrenhal to join them," I told him as he sneered.
"You exuding yourself will just incentivize the lords to get rid of you and your house much quicker than Vhagar ever could," I explained as Lord Bracken's eyes slowly started to rise, cursing under his breath, most likely realizing that he would be in deep shit if he continued on this course.
He stood there for a moment, not saying anything, eyes locked on the gravel floor of the yard, most likely trying to come up with any hole he could crawl out of. But the way he shook his head and exclaimed in frustration told me he couldn't come up with anything.
Lord Bracken, who couldn't come up with a solution, turned around almost as fast as a whip before shouting, "AMOS, RAYLON!" calling his sons.
They conversed in hushed whispers, as the whole of the yard waited in anticipation.
I waited patiently atop Vermax, who was shifting ever so often and reacting to the smallest movements the soldiers with the spears were making, waiting for an attack.
Finally, after a long silence, Lord Bracken turned around from his sons, who he was most likely asking for counsel.
"Say we do this then." As the words left his mouth, my heart spiked in anticipation, though my face stayed passive. "Say I get on my knees right now and swear fealty to Rheanyra, what does House Bracken gain from such an action, other than the ire of the Greens and the rider of Vhagar, the largest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms?" he said, making a good point. He was not wrong to think he would be on the crosshairs of the Green Council.
"Father, you must not be serious?" the older boy, Amos, spoke in a whisper before he was shut down by Lord Bracken raising a hand.
Looking at the face Lord Bracken was making, I knew he was giving it an actual thought, so I had to give him an incentive big enough to agree and not hesitate... and I knew just the thing.
Though I hoped my brother wouldn't think this a bad play.
"New land," I said after a while of staying silent.
Lord Bracken and his children, hearing this, looked at me with an unreadable look.
"I will grant you new land, that is much larger than the land you occupy now, in addition to a marriage pact," I said, getting shocked looks from Lord Bracken and his children, while the soldiers who were surrounding Abraxas slowly started lowering their weapons as they heard what was being discussed.
Lord Bracken, who seemed shocked by the generous proposal, took a moment to digest the information before speaking his mind. "A... truly generous offer, but you speak of marriage. Do you intend to wed one of my daughters, my prince?" As Lord Bracken spoke, I couldn't help but grin a little as I heard him say, "My prince." He was sold, that was for sure.
But before I rejoiced at the victory that was not yet mine, I shook my head. "Not me, but my younger brother Aegon," I said, my gaze drifting to the older son of Lord Bracken, who seemed displeased. Have to get him on our side, I thought.
"I have heard you have granddaughters." I spoke my intentions, as Lord Bracken looked at his older son, Amos, whose eyes widened hearing my proposal before answering.
"Yes, the youngest, Elena. She is turning 3 name-days in 6 moons from now. She would be of the same age as Aegon, would she not?" He spoke as his son nodded in confirmation, too shocked to say anything more before turning to me and staying silent as he thinned his lips for a moment.
"How could I know this will be honoured?" Lord Bracken spoke after a moment of silence, showing some hesitation. "For all I know, this could be a ploy in which after I agree, you fly your dragon and set the Blackwoods on us." As he finished speaking, I looked at him in bewilderment before a laugh escaped me.
Lord Bracken and his men all grew silent as I laughed at his hesitation.
"If I wanted to kill you, Lord Bracken, I could have done it the moment you set foot out of that gate," I spoke, Vermax growling to remind them of his presence. "Besides, my mother and brother gain more from your support than your demise. It would be a foolish act to do what you're suggesting," I said finally, seeing his tense shoulders slowly relax.
I sat there on Vermax, waiting for Lord Bracken to say his next words, which would either solidify a new ally or...
I did not want to think of the other option.
Lord Bracken finally stepped forward to speak after a moment of heavy silence that felt closer to eternity. "Very well then, Jecearys Velaryon, I will bend the knee." And as the words left his lips, I felt the physical weight of this mission lift from my chest as I sighed softly while I sagged my shoulders before making sure to correct my posture once more before Lord Bracken went on to speak.
"I will stay my hand from the Blackwoods, with the condition they do the same," he said, nodding in confirmation to him, reminding myself to visit the Blackwoods after this.
"That goes without saying, my lord," I confirmed as he finally sighed before looking behind where his boys stood, a moment of hesitation before turning to look where I was sitting atop Vermax, before he dropped to his knee. Silence descended on the grounds, no one doing anything for a moment.
Then slowly, one by one, soldier by soldier, they started taking knees, and like a wave, every man in the vicinity took a knee.
Turning to look at Lord Bracken, who was facing the ground, I finally heard the words I was waiting for him to say.
"I, Lord Bracken, swear fealty to Queen Rheanyra Targaryen, First of Her Name, and her Named Heir, Prince Vealor Targaryen." As the words left Lord Bracken's mouth, Jecearys, who sat atop the large dragon, couldn't help but smile with pride.
'I did it, brother,' he thought, as he watched all the men bowing, on their knees.
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