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123 AC, The Citadel
Vaegon Targaryen was one of the youngest Archmaesters that the Citadel had ever produced, but he never felt so old. If he remembered correctly, in another life, he would be celebrating his sixtieth nameday a few moons back, likely at the company of one of his sisters, and perhaps even children. He was the son of Jaehaerys the Conciliator, the current uncle of the king, though he was sure that most had forgotten his own existence.
He regretted much in his life, especially his estrangement from his siblings. They were all gone now, save for Saera, maybe, and she barely counted, having fled to a continent away, in her self-absorbed selfishness and foolish pursuit of freedom from the imagined chains that bound her.
Oh, he still stood by his decision not to marry. He had learned in his youth that carnal desires held no meaning to him, and these were confirmed to him as he grew into an adult. He would not have been happy in a castle with a dull wife and children, not like he was amidst the largest repository of knowledge in the Known World.
Truthfully, Vaegon had once thought that his father had sent him to the Citadel to get rid of him. It took until he became an Archmaester, something he was sure that his name helped accelerate, that he realised that it wasn't quite right. He had been sent to take the measure of the Citadel, to see if they would be a threat to the Seven Kingdoms. His father had never directly asked this of him, but many of his orders remained unspoken.
If he had wished to set himself apart from the endless politics of King's Landing, then he had failed to do so by going to the Citadel. Vaegon had learned that everyone in the world loved power, and Maesters were not excluded from this. The Citadel loved to tout its influence over the Seven Kingdoms before the Conqueror had set foot on this continent. They were, before the dragons' arrival, the greatest power from Dorne to the Wall, and they had used this to shape entire Kingdoms to their liking.
In a way, most keep now could not function without a Maester in it, and many Lords remained disdainful of them for their weakness, to not realise that they shaped their heirs in ways that they never thought possible, teaching them exactly what they needed for them to keep relying on their order, while still having a measure of competence, mostly when treating with other ignorant nobles and fighting their endless wars.
Vaegon's father was right to be concerned about this influence, but he had no way to combat it, not in any way that would not be detrimental to his precious realm, and so Vaegon's reports became even more sparse. The King had wished to create a second Citadel in King's Landing, to split them, in a way that would allow the Crown to exert more influence over them. He knew that he had planned the same with the Faith through Maegelle's appointment as a Septa, before her idiotic death from Greyscale stopped it. Still, he likely hoped that Baelon would have finished what he started. Alas, by the end of his reign, King Jaehaerys had given up on many of these schemes in favour of the issue of his succession, rendering much of Vaegon's efforts over the years quite useless, allowing him to focus more on his passion for learning and finally be free from the expectations of the realm.
His disappointing nephew, Viserys, likely would not have benefited from his aid anyway, especially given how he seemed determined to destroy everything that his predecessor had built out of sheer incompetence.
Something that was seemingly changing, given what was unfolding before him, "This is unacceptable! How could we have not foreseen this?"
The Conclave, the ruling body of the Citadel, was debating the results of an attack of some Shadowbinders of Asshai on the Capital, one that ended with the disownment of Princess Rhaenyra, or at least, her removal as Viserys's heir, not that he expected her to sit on the Iron Throne, not for more than a year at the very most without dying of a mysterious disease or some uprising.
Archmaester Orwyle shook his head, "The attack was a surprise to everyone. However, that is to be expected. We have a few members of our order beyond the Seven Kingdoms. Grand Maester Mellos's letter even claimed that the attackers wished to target the royal family's dragons, to stop a purge of their lands. Asshai is said to be deserted, having fallen to some foul magic, I would think."
Magic was a sword without a hilt. That was what Orwyle alluded to, ever the politician. The man was a snake, but well-spoken, and he saw many members of the Conclave nod in agreement. Another member of the Conclave seemed to continue for him, "Maester Kelvyn of Driftmark asserts that two of the Sea Snake's nephews seek to make a journey of his own to Yi-Ti. Perhaps, we could ask that a few members of our order accompany them, at least to ensure that the rumours have some truth to it, and if Asshai still presents a threat to the realm."
That seemed to end in an agreement, all around, and Vaegon thought it a reasonable position to take, all things considered. Finally, he opened his mouth and asked, "What of the Red Faith?"
Vaegon's question rendered the entire Conclave silent. Most knew that it was a Red Priestess, Melisandre, who had been responsible for putting Rhaenyra under a spell, which ended with the death of Otto Hightower.
It was an obvious attack on the Seven Kingdoms and the Citadel from a foreign power, one that had been expanding violently in recent times, having so much as reached Qarth, a strategic point in Essos, and a known centre of trade between the Free Cities and Yi-Ti.
As he usually did, Orwyle shook his head and tried to defuse the situation, "It was overreach, perhaps, but it has earned the Red Faith the enmity of every noble from Dorne to the Wall. Putting a princess, a potential future Queen, under a spell is not something that anyone would accept. The Red Faith would need to fight their way into bringing their gods and practices to our shores, something that will take some time. We have more pressing, and more importantly, local issues that we will need to address."
It was easy to see what he was alluding to: the incoming Great Council. The Citadel had spent quite a lot of resources to ensure that a king of Hightower blood would sit on the Iron Throne.
After all, while Otto Hightower was all but ruling the realm during his tenure as Hand of the King, he was not able to make any drastic changes to the Seven Kingdoms in Viserys's name, for he was not the King. This meant that the Citadel did not benefit, not as it wished to, at least, from his position. Instead, the man had cleverly used this to solidify his position and influence across the realm, secured the allegiance of the Conclave, in return for concessions and certain allowances for the Citadel, when his grandson rose to the throne.
The matter of the succession was divided when it came to lesser Maesters, but the Conclave did not hide the fact that it wished for Aegon Targaryen to be king. Sure, some members were very vocal, such as Alfador, who has served in the Hightower as its Maester for decades, but even moderating influences like Orwyle wished for the same, though it was never said outwardly. The man thought himself a good candidate as the next Grand Maester, but he truly had no idea how out of depth he was when it came to reigning in dragons and their tempers
Anyway, Otto Hightower's death dealt a blow to the Conclave's ambitions, and the fact that Viserys had finally done something intelligent in his time as king by calling for a Great Council had changed the field. Sure, it would do much to undo his foolish decision to keep his daughter as his heir, which Vaegon was almost sure would have inevitably resulted in a war between Dragonriders.
The results of the Great Council were evident. Aegon Targaryen would be King, as he always should have. The only other option would be Prince Jacaerys, and no one would ever choose a bastard to sit on the Iron Throne, even if no one dared say it in fear of the King's reaction. No one would publicly claim that Rhaenyra had birthed bastards, who would be protected from reprisal.
This was likely Rhaenys's doing. A woman, she may be, she was at least competent.
Of course, Aegon Targaryen did not know of the arrangements between Otto Hightower and the Citadel, hence the lack of satisfaction at his likely rise to the throne. And with Rhaenys acting as Viserys's Hand, she would see their schemes easily enough.
Another member of the Conclave broke Vaegon from his musings, "What of the rumours of magicks amongst the Seven Kingdoms? Supposedly, Cregan Stark was involved in some way while wielding a glowing sword of light. The Maester of Winterfell sent no words of such feats, let alone any other house in the North. The possible spread of such magicks is dangerous. Asshai's supposed downfall is proof of that. It was likely the result of some foul ritual that killed them."
Vaegon was tempted to scoff at these words, though he ensured his face was impassive, knowing that any reaction would not help. It was not well-known, but most Maesters had a dislike of magic. Even having a chain in the Higher Mysteries was not well-regarded, not that Vaegon had been tempted. The field held no appeal to him, especially when what little they knew of the subject was vague and unconfirmed suppositions at best. However, there were certain groups of Archmaesters that had been outspoken recently. Now that he thought about it, it was just after the theft.
For some reason, many pointed their fingers in his direction after the fact, but they had found very little, of course. Vaegon had not appreciated his time being wasted by this nonsense, but it was curious that they had been so directly antagonistic towards him. He cared very little for the vaults beneath the Citadel, having visited them a few times and found very little of interest. They were mostly rare books, gifts, treasured trinkets, and a rather impressive treasury, not anything he cared for.
Sure, he had suspicions that they hid some things from him, likely in fear of his telling his father, but now, perhaps, they had other motives. The only reason he could see them suspecting him of any wrongdoing would be his blood, which lent credence to the fact that it had something to do with magic or dragons.
The fact that there had been many catastrophic events, such as the fall of Pyke, the destruction of Harrenhal, and even the One-Day Winter, which had no real logical explanation, worried many of their members, and Vaegon would not deny that he was unsettled as well.
He made a show of humming in approval, "Perhaps it would be better to send a delegation to King's Landing, both to oversee the coming Great Council, and to speak to any persons of interest there. After all, it is our duty to advise the Lords of the Realm and record their events for the future, and Grand Maester Mellos is likely to be extremely overwhelmed given the recency of the attack."
That suggestion let a wave of whispers spread amongst the members of the Conclave, and Vaegon resigned himself to a round of arguments as to who would have the honour of attending.
Thankfully, no one had the time to argue as suddenly the doors opened violently, and a haggard Acolyte entered the room, being watched in silence. Alfador was the only one who spoke up bitingly, "Acolyte Erreck, you disturb…"
"I beg your pardon, Archmaesters," the acolyte gasped, clutching several scrolls so tightly the wax seals cracked in his hands. "Ravens have arrived. All at once."
Orwyle frowned. "From where?"
The acolyte swallowed and lifted trembling fingers. "Everywhere, Archmaester. From Winterfell, Casterly Rock, Storm's End, the Eyrie, Highgarden, and King's Landing. And… and they all say the same thing. We… I thought it urgent to bring that matter to you at once."
A hush fell over the Conclave, "Speak, Acolyte…"
Erreck swallowed, voice unsteady. "At each castle, at first light, Maesters found stacks of wooden crates outside the gates of their keeps, with must have been tens, if not hundreds of thousands of books inside. Some expressed issues as they found particularly rare books inside, ones that should not have left the Citadel. It is not theft, I assure you, as I found the tomes in question. Archmaesters, it seems that someone copied the entire Citadel six times over and spread it across the Seven Kingdoms."
Silence reigned, as every single Archmaester became suddenly speechless at the news, Vaegon being no better. This was unprecedented and completely unexpected. If this were true, then one would need an entire army of scribes and… decades to achieve this feat.
Decades…
There was someone who was alive decades prior, who had a vaunted interest in dividing the Citadel's might. Had this been the work of Vaegon's father, a scheme that lasted even after his death? His father was a schemer with a mind as sharp as Valyrian Steel. Could he have set this all up before his death, with agents that he trusted would fulfil their duties?
Looking at what occurred recently, Vaegon noticed that the Faith had also lost much of its influence through seemingly leaderless riots. The Citadel had been asked to investigate the matters alongside Otto Hightower, and they found no sign of a spark that started any of this, much like they wouldn't have if King Jaehaerys had planned it himself. They had given up quickly as they were more preoccupied with the thieves who broke into the Citadel's vaults.
The theft…
Gods, the theft…
Had this been the final part of the plan, a place where the scribes would not be able to access easily or without detection, they remained brazen. Had they been looking for some sort of hidden knowledge?
It all made much more sense now, and yet, Vaegon couldn't help but feel bitter at the fact that his father had not trusted him with this. Did he doubt his loyalties? Did Viserys know? Did Rhaenys?
Vaegon Targaryen ignored the pandemonium around him as he focused on the fact that his trip to King's Landing became all the more important.
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The Rise and Fall of the Citadel of Oldtown
by Archmaester Tyrion of Casterly Rock
The Citadel, before its official reformation in 164 AC, was a controversial topic for many years. One might argue that it had reached its greatest heights before the Conquest, for it was the only organisation to be spread across the continent of Westeros in any unified manner.
Even after the Conquest, its influence did not lessen significantly, and it remained an autonomous organisation that presumably served the Seven Kingdoms and even was represented in the Small Council by the Grand Maester, which was appointed by the Conclave.
Faith in the Citadel's neutrality was ingrained across the lands, but its downfall began undoubtedly with the Great Theft of 123 AC, which was reportedly the end of a scheme decades in the making with the aim of decentralising the Citadel's authority into different kingdoms. It achieved this by sending copies of every book in the Citadel across the castle of most Lords Paramount in the realm.
The Citadel had asked to return these tomes, only to be met with refusals, as the original copies remained in Oldtown, arguing that these were not stolen. Even House Baratheon had not been tempted, but that was mostly due to the books' value, which was extremely high given the price of parchment at the time, and not for the significance of the knowledge contained within. In the Westerlands, Lady Joanna Lannister was said to have taken a deep interest in building a library in Casterly Rock to house these tomes, which earned her the title of the Lady of Tomes, something that her husband, Lord Jason, was rumoured to dislike.
Over the course of decades, Maesters began to refer to their local libraries instead of the Citadel. Eventually, promising Acolytes simply voyaged to their local libraries to learn under Maesters and Archmaesters in their kingdom, instead of journeying to Oldtown. Eventually, in 152 AC, branches of the Citadel had been set up in each Kingdom, allowing them to formally train Maesters and forge chains, though under the authority of the Citadel of Oldtown. This provided a great advantage to each kingdom. To further prove this, even to this day, scholars cite the lack of a Citadel on the Iron Islands as a main reason for the kingdoms' dependence on the Westerlands.
However, rifts started to appear between the branches and the main Citadel, with the Citadel of Winterfell officially training Wargs and Skinchangers, and creating a separate chain made of Ironwood and Weirwood. The Citadel of Oldtown had spent years vehemently warning against any practical studies of the Higher Mysteries, claiming that they pose a threat to everyone around them.
Unfortunately for them, it seemed that the increase of magical births in the Seven Kingdoms interrupted many of their plans, and most other Citadels followed suit with the expressions of magic prevalent in their regions. Even the Citadel of Highgarden had not listened, given the strategic advantage of fighting mages provided, as well as protection from potential enemy mages.
It was not until the scandal of 164 AC, when Prince Baelor Targaryen discovered a series of texts in the Citadel of King's Landing that highlighted plots designed by certain groups of Maesters to influence lords and kings through their education, that the Citadel of Oldtown was seized by the Crown under the supervision of Prince Aemon Targaryen.
The details of the investigation were never revealed to the public, but reports claim to have heard that by the end, the prince wished nothing but burn the building to cinders. Alas, the result was the same, as half of the Conclave was executed by the order of the King, and the Citadel of Oldtown was disbanded, starting the great reformation of 164 AC.
This reformation mostly centred on creating an independence of each Citadel to avoid collusion between the governance of different kingdoms, each led by a Grand Maester, appointed by each Lord Paramount. The children of lords were then permitted to learn directly from the Citadel in their kingdom, as opposed to under a single Maester in their own keep, as well as the potential in creating new specialisations with the approval of both the local Grand Maester and the local Lord Paramount. This reformation, while controversial at the time, was proven to be a great idea, as it sparked a rivalry between different Citadels, starting an age of innovation that would change the world in the centuries that followed.
To this day, scholars argue about the source of the theft. Given the scale of the scheme in question, the costs required to achieve it, and the duration, a few attribute it to be the work of Jaehaerys the Conciliator, which was then continued by Viserys the Peaceful. Alas, it seems that this mystery would be one that would remain unsolved, much like that of many events in 123 AC.
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AN: Since you lot liked the last historical chapter, I decided to include a small historical passage in the end to show the destruction of the Citadel. It's supposed to be a slow decline and not a sudden fall, since the infrastructure is ingrained in Westeros. I thought the best way was to create 'rival' citadels that would slowly grow independent, increasing tensions, making the ones in Oldtown irrelevant.
And given that its great asset is its library, it was what Harry targeted. And the new citadels would be overseen by Lords Paramount as opposed to a conclave; they would formally be part of the Kingdom. Also, for those of you who don't know, Vaegon Targaryen is the son of Jaehaerys the Conciliator, who ended up being a Maester. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me, check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions on them, so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.