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Rating:
Mature
Archive Warning:
Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories:
F/FF/M
Fandoms:
House of the Dragon (TV)Game of Thrones (TV)A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Relationships:
OC/Helaena TargaryenDreamfyre | Helaena Targaryen's Dragon & Helaena TargaryenDaemon Targaryen/Rhaenyra TargaryenHelaena Targaryen/Original Male Character(s)
Characters:
Helaena TargaryenDaemon TargaryenRhaenyra TargaryenKermit TullyDaeron Targaryen (Son of Viserys I)Aegon II TargaryenAemond "One-Eye" TargaryenAlicent HightowerOtto HightowerJeyne ArrynOriginal Rhea Royce/Daemon Targaryen Child(ren)
Additional Tags:
The Dance of the Dragons | Aegon II Targaryen v. Rhaenyra Targaryen EraAutistic Helaena TargaryenHelaena Targaryen Deserves BetterDragon Dreamer Helaena TargaryenOriginal Character(s)
Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of The Bronze Dragon Next Work →
Collections:
Heroes hive👀
Stats:
Published:2022-10-28Completed:2024-10-27Words:301,757Chapters:97/97Comments:984Kudos:2,279Bookmarks:489Hits:168,982
The Bronze Dragon
kornerbrandon, orphan_account
Chapter 9
Chapter Text
I can't be sure what the situation on Dragonstone was around this time. To hear my aunts tell it, it was tense. The possibility of confrontation with Queen Alicent and Ser Otto loomed over them all, though I have been told it took the heaviest toll on Rhaenyra. The Princess remembered all too well her father's stories of when the dragonlords fought over Valyria.
Other historical records of this time have largely been lost; likely burned when Aegon took Dragonstone during the war. My aunts however suggest that Daemon began to concoct a plan to sway my father to their side . . .
Once upon a time, Dragonstone had been a minor outpost at the far reaches of the Valyrian Freehold, now it was arguably the second-most powerful stronghold in Westeros. The heir to the Iron Throne held court here, ruling as the Prince of Dragonstone until they were crowned, and were expected to carry out their duties as any other Lord would.
Except the current heir to the Iron Throne was not a Prince, but a Princess.
Rhaenyra was looking northward, towards the Vale and beyond that, to White Harbor. Part of her yearned to take Syrax for a flight around Westeros as the Conciliator and Good Queen Alysanne had done, but she knew the impracticality of that. Besides, her father would see to it that the lords would have no objections to her.
"The entire world in the palm of my hands…" She mumbled. True, there would be those who objected, but there would also be those who supported her. Those would be the ones who would be rewarded when the time came. She would remove the Hightowers from court and replace them with men loyal to her and no one else.
"Mother?" She heard someone say, before turning around to see her eldest son.
"Jace." She smiled. "It is good to see you. What brings you out here?"
Her son was growing. He had put on a bit of muscle since the confrontation on Driftmark; possibly out of a desire to protect his brothers from Alicent's children, monsters that they were.
"I wanted to talk about Daevar, Mother." He said. Rhaenyra resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Is there nothing else, Jace?" She half-jokingly asked. "I hear enough of him from my husband. Always carrying on about how much of a disappointment he is."
"Disappointment? But he is a good warrior for his age. And he is apparently well-liked at Runestone." Jace replied. How his… stepfather could describe Daevar as a disappointment was beyond him, especially when Daevar seemed to be shaping into an ideal lord.
"I believe he fears for his reputation; he does not take kindly to it being threatened." Rhaenyra said before chuckling slightly. "Sometimes I wish the two of them would make peace. It would make the matter of my accession far easier."
"How?"
"Daevar would be one of my advisors. He holds a powerful title, and will likely command respect from the rest of the Vale in time. I need people like that on my side." And so it seems does Alicent… It had been of some suspect to her that Alicent had so quickly agreed to the marriage due to it now making him a brother-by-marriage to Aegon. We shall have to see who can get to him first… Rhaenyra thought. "That is where you come in."
"Me?" Jace asked.
"I would like you to honour Laena Velaryan's wishes and take Baela and Rhaena to Runestone." She said simply. "Daevar will continue to be an advisor to you one day, Jace; it only makes sense for you to get to know him. After all, he is your brother by marriage now." And it might help soften his attitude towards me. It wasn't exactly a secret that the relationship between herself and Daevar hadn't been the best after the confrontation on Driftmark, and if there was a chance to heal the rift, she would take it. The lad was her stepson now, after all.
"His friend tried to kill us!" Jace replied, a little incredulous. Maybe his mother was right, but that didn't erase the fact that Daevar had sided against them when they fought with Aemond. "Aemond tried to kill us and Daevar defended him!"
"Daevar was doing what he thought best; there is little more than any of us can do but that." Rhaenyra sighed. Truth be told, she admired Daevar a little for standing with Aemond that night, and found it a little bizarre that her father hadn't done anything to punish Luke or defend his own second son, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Then… I suppose I could." Jace said, finally agreeing to it.
"Good. You and Luke will go, along with Baela and Rhaena. Time spent mending rifts with powerful lords is never wasted." She smiled. Perhaps this was her chance to find out the certainty of Daevar's support as well, given his defence of Aemond and betrothal to Helaena.
"What will Daemon say?" Jace asked. Rhaenyra hadn't thought about that; she had almost come to think of Daevar as being entirely a Royce with no connection to Daemon. And doubtless he'd prefer it that way, given their animosity.
"I will speak with Daemon. You must tell your siblings of the travel plans; the details will be arranged in the coming weeks." She said before disappearing back inside the ancient Targaryen fortress. Predictably, she found her husband in the Chamber of the Painted Table, poring over the wooden table of Westeros. It was here that Aegon and his sisters-Visenya and Rhaenys-had planned their conquest over a century ago. Many calamites had befallen their house since then, and Rhaenrya was often left wondering if those long-dead Targaryens would be proud of what they had achieved today. How could they not be? Our country is stronger than ever.
"Daemon, there is something I want to discuss with you."
"And what would that be?" The Rogue Prince asked, turning to face his new wife with a smirk. "More concerns regarding Laenor? I assure you he is safe and happy in the arms of many men."
Rhaenyra frowned. She was not in the mood for japes. "It is regarding your son. Your eldest son."
Daemon's smirk began to fade, turning away and looking back at the painted table. "What more is there to say of him? The boy has gone native, cursing the family name, and raking my own through the mud with every defiant breath."
Rhaenyra held her tongue at that. She still failed to understand how Daemon could feel such animosity towards his own son and not even attempt to make amends with him. Surely her husband felt at least some affection for him; as Jace had said, he was almost exactly what Daemon would have wanted in a son. "I am sending Jace and Luke to Runestone. To visit him. I want to send Baela and Rhaena as well, but I would need your permission; you are their father after all."
"The boy has no affection for me; he likely has even less for his sisters." He said, shaking his head. "There is no point to having anyone visit him. Not now that he is betrothed to that idiot daughter of the Hightower whore."
"At the very least, it would make him think better of us if we were to offer the first branch." Rhaenyra insisted. "Daevar cannot be erased from our bloodline. We must show him that there are still those willing to call him family."
Daemon had gone silent. Thinking the situation over, he realised that Rhaenyra may've had a point. After all, the boy still acknowledged Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, regardless of his opinion of any of them. "… he would make a valuable ally in the wars to come."
"I do not intend to make him a soldier for a war that might not happen." Rhaenyra said. "WhiIe I do not doubt there will be some struggle, and soon, it would be vastly more beneficial to welcome Daevar as part of our family. And given the recent rumblings in the Vale, it would be difficult for him to visit us."
Daemon grunted. "I heard that Lady Arryn humiliated that idiot Arnold?"
Even here, they had heard of Arnold Arryn's incessant whining about him being the true heir to the Vale, and not Jeyne. The whole thing was a bit absurd to Daemon. The man had been beaten, and as far as he was concerned, that was the end of the story.
"To hear Lady Redfort's report, it was rather amusing." Rhaenyra replied. She was grateful to have an example like Jeyne Arryn to follow; ruling women were always in a difficult spot with their male relatives, and the fact that Lady Arryn had not only ruled well but also crushed a rebellion gave her heart. "But given that Ser Arnold has risen against her before, I doubt he will let her have the final word on this."
"As do I." Daemon said simply. "So, we have Jace, Luke, Baela and Rhaena visit him in Runestone. With whom? The two of us cannot leave Dragonstone."
"He and Rhaenys get along well enough. She will escort them." Rhaenyra replied.
"Fine. They can go. But do not expect me to start sending gifts to the boy. If he wants me in his life, the boy can come here."
"What?" Viserys asked. "You wish for me to depose Jeyne Arryn as Lady Paramount of the Vale?"
"With me taking her seat." Arnold replied simply.
For once, Otto was a bit at a loss for words. The mad heir went through the trouble of traveling from the Eyrie to King's Landing, all to simply ask this of them without any messenger raven heralding his arrival or requesting an audience. Otto would consider the act bold if it wasn't so foolish; not that Arnold Arryn had ever been a picture of sanity to begin with. Looking around, he could see the rest of the court was thinking the same.
Tyland Lannister was attempting to disguise his chuckles through feigned coughs, while even Larys Strong, who usually gave no indication of emotion whatsoever, was smirking slightly at the whole thing. For his part, Eldric Arryn was pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation; his father had honestly thought that they would actually take this into consideration without looking at anything else about the court members present, and there was nowhere to hide in the Throne Room.
"Lady Arryn has served the Vale and crown loyally for many years, Ser Arnold." Otto said, attempting to put an end to this farce before it could go any further. "There is no reason to remove her from authority, nor is there precedent."
"My Lord Hand, would you permit your niece to inherit the Hightower?" Arnold protested. "The Vale is under constant threat from the Hill Tribes! Lady Jeyne has let them run amok! She is too soft to rule the Vale."
"You have already risen against Lady Jeyne once, which gave those Hill Tribes the opportunity to strike." Viserys replied in as firm a voice as he could muster. Ultimately, the decision had already been made that this man would not be given any concessions. "If you had been a member of my family, I would have exiled you permanently. Lady Jeyne, however, is of a more merciful nature, so you should consider yourself lucky that you're escaping with a mere confiscation of land."
Arnold's face was turning bright red, Otto noticed. Truthfully, the affairs of the Vale were usually far from his mind unless the Hill Tribes attempted a major assault on the lords of the Vale. It had happened before after all, but the Valemen always got a hold of it before the Tribes became a problem. There was no reason to think that there was a major attack coming soon, as far as the Eyrie's reports said.
"I am a Knight of the Vale! I am entitled to my own lands!" Arnold shouted.
"Yet it is not your lands you feel entitled to; it is the lands of your better." Larys said, breaking his silence with his hand resting comfortably on the top of his cane.
"Lord Strong is correct." Otto added. "Lady Arryn has ruled well for many years; I fail to see a need to replace her."
"As do I." Viserys spoke. "Ser Arnold, I cannot punish your indiscretions because it is not me you rebelled against, but Lady Arryn herself. All I can say is that she has treated you more mercifully than you deserve."
It was intended to be the final word on the situation. The King had made his decision known, and it was now the law of the land. Arnold Arryn would have to find another route to air his grievances to an ever-shrinking crowd of people that were listening to him. Eldric couldn't help but notice that the list of people entertaining his ideas were mostly landless knights and second and third sons who stood to inherit nothing, which was not exactly the crowd one wanted to draw.
His father had never been good at taking hints though, and that extended to now as with barely contained rage, he continued his little diatribe. "A woman cannot rule the Vale!"
Everyone was set on edge almost immediately, especially Viserys. With the question of his own succession resolved long ago, insisting that a woman couldn't rule was very hard for him not to take as some sort of personal attack. It felt like a challenge towards his own rule; he was aware of the rumblings around Rhaenyra's ability to rule, and he sought to put an end to them now.
"What do you mean by that, Ser Arnold?" Viserys asked, standing up. "A woman is currently heir to the Iron Throne!"
"I said a woman cannot inherit the Vale. I never said a woman cannot inherit the Iron Throne." Arnold said, quick to defend himself. Eldric let out a long sigh. His father was lying; he had in fact railed against the idea of Rhaenyra inheriting the crown multiple times, but never to large crowds, and only to people who were loyal to him and wouldn't pass on the information to anyone else.
"That is enough, Ser Arnold!" Viserys roared. "You come here, demand I revoked the title of one of my chief vassals, and then dare to attack my choice of successor?! You are a scoundrel, ser! You will not remove Lady Arryn from her authority by my command!"
"Then you give me no choice but to take what is mine with force!" Arnold shouted. Eldric sighed and punched the bridge of his nose again, wishing he could shrink between the cobblestones that formed the floor. His father had just revealed his plans to high treason in front of the entire court. Nevermind the fact that the crown would intervene if things went badly for Jeyne Arryn and her supporters; it was unlikely it would get that far in the first place.
"Threaten what you like, Ser Arnold. But you condemn yourself with your own tongue. I caution you to forget what you are planning." Otto replied. He was enjoying this; seeing this pompous man be humiliated was one of the few things he got any joys from these days when he wasn;t busy managing the realm as Viserys fiddled with his model set of Valyria.
Humiliated, Arnold stormed out of the Throne Room, determined to gather what resources he could. Of course, if he wasn't so focused on himself, he might've noticed his son hadn't followed him, and as the King and Hand stepped down, he approached them. "Your Grace, my Lord Hand, my father will not take these refusals lightly."
"And what do you wish for us to do?" Otto asked.
"He is gathering an army. A small one; hedge knights and other men desperate to make a name for themselves. After his last rebellion, none of the major houses will follow him." Eldric explained. His father had already damaged both of their reputations despite Eldric's attempts to moderate his father's ambitions.
"Why are you telling us this?" Viserys said. "You would turn on your father so quickly?"
"I am not turning on my father; merely trying to save him from his foolishness. He has already caused us to become pariahs in the Vale. I want to change that." He said. Their reputations were not beyond saving just yet, and perhaps he could salvage something.
"Your primary concern is your reputation?" Viserys said incredulously. Did no one ever have pure motives for anything anymore?
"What does it matter? I'm giving you the information on my father's force. I don't know the size, but I assume it's less than six thousand and laden with infantry. That's all I know." He said before leaving.
Later that day, a raven was dispatched to the Eyrie, and from the ancient seat of House Arryn, a cloud of ravens burst forth.
The Lords of the Vale were to answer the call to war.
Arnold Arryn's second rebellion was already well in motion by this point. He had a force large enough to pose a serious threat to Lady Jeyne's power while her own hosts prepared for war. The issue was that with his smaller force, Ser Arnold could move far more quickly than the larger armies of the Arryn vassals.
Fighting would break out weeks later as Arnold Arryn began burning farms and stampeding livestock throughout the central Vale. The few roads that passed through that small kingdom were also cut by supporters of his, who set up barricades and impeded movement throughout the region.
The loyalists would soon rally their forces though, and the rebels began to encounter pockets of heavy resistance. While outposts held their ground, the loyalists were gathering an army in the foothills beneath the Eyrie, led by Ser Corwyn Corbray.
It would be my father's first real taste of battle; a far cry from the training he had been undertaking for several years by now.
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