-Chapter 148-
-POV Rhaenys Targaryen-
"Aemon must be careful with the rise of the Faith's fanatics," I said, breaking the biscuit that had come straight from the kitchens of the Red Keep in two.
'But not made by the castle's cooks,' I thought, remembering Aemon's near paranoia.
'But in the end, he's right. Who knows what these people would be willing to do to us?'
"Don't worry, he knows what he's doing," said Rhea, not the least bit concerned.
'We got proof of that yesterday, didn't we?' I thought, recalling our previous discussion.
"Hmm, it's true that your son has grown up well," I said, lowering my gaze to my cup of tea.
'Unlike mine, who remains a child, ignorant of the cruel nature of this world,' I thought.
"He has been yours as well for quite some time now," said Rhea with a smile.
I smiled back, pushing aside thoughts of Laenor and the whirlwind that was threatening to swallow him soon, as I saw Aemon approaching, a smile on his lips.
'They're all the same,' I thought, looking at Rhea, who was also looking at me, thinking exactly the same thing.
"Well?" I asked, even though Aemon's smile had already told me everything.
"You were right," Aemon said with a grin as he took a seat beside us.
"Of course we were right," said Rhea, rolling her eyes, voicing my thoughts aloud.
Aemon raised his hands and bowed his head slightly before saying:
"I accept my defeat, I bow before you."
"Let this be a good lesson for you, my son. You can be as intelligent as you wish, but some things will always remain unknown to you because you are only a man," Rhea said, teasing her son in a playful tone.
Aemon smirked and replied:
"I wasn't blind to the changes either, but I never would have believed she could go from hatred to love, considering our past."
"Hearing you talk like that, you make it sound like you're a monster," I said, rolling my eyes.
Aemon shrugged with a grin before adding:
"To some, I am a demon straight out of the Seven Hells, here to drain all vitality from this world before reducing it to ashes."
"If you start listening to the ramblings of those fanatics, then we're in for trouble," said Rhea.
"I actually agree with your mother," I said, nodding before continuing:
"Jeyne may not seem like it at first glance, but she's a real viper. If the roles were reversed, she wouldn't have been nearly as courteous as you were to her."
"Maybe that's exactly why she changed?" Rhea suggested.
I nodded in agreement and added:
"Maybe. Maybe she's judging you based on her own standards."
"And if we add to that the fact that you show no favoritism between your children, it will affect her one way or another, little by little," I continued after a few seconds.
Aemon nodded, then declared:
"You may be right, but that's not why I came to speak with you."
"Then what did you come to tell us?" Rhea asked.
"I know we had planned to talk to Laenor about all of this in order to isolate the Hightowers and bring Rhaenyra back into our fold, but I think it would be a bad idea," said Aemon, surprising me and making me frown.
"Why?" I asked, waiting for his explanation.
"I intend to disinherit Viserys and make Aerys my heir," Aemon stated calmly.
'For what reason?' I wondered.
"Excuse me?" said Rhea, shocked, but mostly outraged by what her son had just told her.
Seeing Rhea ready to bare her claws, I placed a hand on her arm and said:
"Wait, let him finish. A single night, no matter how pleasant, couldn't have changed his mind so suddenly."
Aemon continued:
"Viserys is the only one who can inherit Lamarck, besides Laenor. And since Laenor is incapable of continuing the lineage, it falls to Viserys to take on the role of heir."
"But you never mentioned this possibility before," said Rhea, her brow still furrowed.
"To be honest, I had always hoped he could inherit Driftmark, but clearly, Corlys will always prefer that the Velaryon name endure rather than the bloodline. Yet, the Targaryens also carry Velaryon blood through our ancestors. And it's not as if he doesn't have his own bastards, which Rhaenyra could legitimize in exchange for his support," said Aemon, casting a glance in my direction.
'He's right,' I admitted to myself silently, doing my best not to take Aemon's words too personally.
"That wouldn't surprise me in the least," I murmured, my jaw slightly tensed.
"But you still have the twins for that," said Rhea, her tone slightly suspicious.
'Even if she does her best to include Jeyne, that doesn't mean she likes her,' I thought, amused by my friend's behavior.
"No, Corlys will never accept a woman at the head of House Velaryon because of the name. The name must endure," I said, knowing my husband's stance on the matter perfectly, as I had already tried to change the line of succession when we first learned the truth about Laenor.
'Or rather, when he learned the truth,' I thought, since I had known for a long time.
"On the other hand, Aerys would be a better choice to take my place as Lord of the Vale," Aemon said.
"More unifying," I added, perfectly understanding his decision and approving it, because, if well-guided, Viserys would make a perfect Lord of the Tides.
'Viserys Velaryon,' I thought, a smile forming on my lips.
Aemon nodded, but Rhea asked:
"I don't understand what made you change your mind."
"It's Jeyne," Aemon said, surprising me.
'And not in a good way.'
Rhea asked:
"Did she put the idea in your head?"
"No, not at all, this has nothing to do with her. I'm simply aware of everyone's expectations, and I know that Viserys has a better chance of succeeding Corlys as a Velaryon rather than trying to seize everything he built by force. I don't want to make an unnecessary enemy, especially not Laena's father," Aemon said, looking at me.
"And how did she make you change your mind?" Rhea asked, not understanding Jeyne's role in all of this.
'Just like me, for that matter,' I thought.
"I had not planned on giving Aerys major responsibilities. Besides his birthright, which is the Eyrie, he would have had nothing. I didn't want Jeyne to try to poison her son's mind to use him against the twins or Viserys," Aemon explained.
"But now that you've got your hands on her…" I said, leaving my sentence hanging, finally understanding why he had changed his strategy.
'But that means he will inevitably come into contact with Rhaenyra… Laenor must not get caught up in all of this,' I told myself.
Aemon raised his eyebrows at my expression, then I added:
"I'm married to an old sea wolf."
'In this case, more of a snake,' I corrected myself inwardly.
"Yes, now that I see a possibility of trust, I can consider this path," Aemon said.
"If you manage to make Viserys my husband's heir, then we will control the greatest naval force in the Narrow Sea," I added lightly, making Rhea nod before she also added:
"Not to mention Lys."
"How is that progressing, by the way?" I asked.
"Well. By the end of the year, a law should be passed to implement a policy similar to Pentos," Aemon said, though he didn't seem as satisfied as Rhea and I.
"That's good news. It will allow us to concentrate all our efforts on a single family by centralizing power in Lys, without having to continue feeding all those pigs who are members of the Triarchy," I said, frowning, as I hated every single member of the Triarchy, responsible for my father's death.
'And especially those bastards who boast about being from the bloodline of Myr's dragonlords,' I thought.
"What about Benjen Stark? What do you intend to do? He didn't even bother to respond to your letter," Rhea asked, pulling me out of my murderous thoughts.
"I intend to do exactly what I said," Aemon replied nonchalantly before adding:
"Drag him to the capital."
"He won't leave without a fight," I said, genuinely doubting that the Regent Lord of the North would surrender himself to certain death without resistance.
Aemon smiled, then declared:
"Let him try… That will give me the perfect reason to burn him and his entire family to ashes."
"I heard that Harlon Greyjoy did respond to your letter, though," Rhea said.
"Hmm… He decided to come to the capital to explain himself before the court. He seems smarter than his peers," Aemon said, not taking the matter very seriously.
'His peers,' I thought, amused, rolling my eyes.
"One more thing. What will you do if he comes to the capital to declare himself innocent? It's not like you have any proof to imprison or execute him," Rhea asked again.
Aemon shrugged before replying:
"It's not me who will judge him. If he's innocent, the Master of Laws will declare him innocent."
"Then what will have been the point of all this? You don't seem very concerned about his condemnation," I asked, noticing the casual way he was handling these trials, which were being closely watched by all the lords of the realm.
'This is his chance to establish himself,' I thought.
"I am not concerned with the condemnation of anyone. Whether they are judged guilty or innocent, it makes no difference to me," he said. He paused for a few moments before adding:
"It's not the verdict or the sentence that I want the lords of Westeros to see. What I want them all to understand is who they will be dealing with from now on."
"In other words, you want to assert your authority," I said, grasping his intention.
"Hmm," he simply replied.
"Speaking of authority, what have you decided for Aegon?" Rhea asked, her brows furrowed, slightly disappointed in the young man who had so quickly betrayed her son's trust.
'It was to be expected… He's not Aemon's son,' I thought, not at all surprised that he had chosen to ignore Aemon's orders to secretly let Bryndon Hightower into the cells.
"Nothing at all. Besides, it's not up to me to decide these things," he said.
"Then who?" I asked, perplexed, slightly worried that he wouldn't punish Aegon.
"The same person as always… Daemon," he replied, making Rhea's eyes widen slightly.
'And to think I was worried he'd be too lenient with the boy,' I thought ironically, shaking my head.
'That's almost too cruel.'