-Chapter 125-
-29th Day of the 6th Moon, 301 AC-
-POV Viserys Targaryen-
My dear uncle,
It is with deep regret that I must inform you that the Vale is struck by an outbreak of plague.
A ship that docked in Gulltown carried sailors afflicted with this illness.
To prevent the rest of the realm from being endangered, I have ordered a complete lockdown of the region to ensure no other lands suffer from this malady.
My biannual visit will, therefore, need to be postponed until this sudden and deadly epidemic is contained.
I insisted on having Prince Aegon sent back to you, but he refused, unwilling to risk infecting his brothers and sisters.
You will find an enclosed letter from him, hoping this finds you in good health.
Oh, and I almost forgot: my congratulations on bonding with a dragon for the second ti.
Vermithor is no Balerion, but I'm sure he is more vigorous.
Let's hope the sa can be said for you.
Aemon Targaryen
Prince of the Vale
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"This is an insult. He's mocking us," Rhaenyra said, frowning.
"Yes, it is an insult," Daemon replied, not the least bit upset by this turn of events.
"He knows I can't do anything," I said, furious but more discouraged than anything else.
After my successful bonding with Vermithor, I had felt, for a few weeks, that nothing was impossible for .
'That I could achieve my childhood dream of becoming a legendary king like my ancestors, the Conqueror and the Conciliator. But reality has harshly caught up with ,' I thought, shaking my head internally.
"We could strike now," Otto's son suggested.
"And how?" I asked, open to any solution that could get us out of this predicant.
"We could raise an army and…"
Daemon interrupted him with a slight chuckle:
"This isn't a damn open field like the Reach he rules over."
'He's right. As long as Aemon stations n at the Bloody Gate, we can't do anything,' I thought, adding internally:
'And it's certain he's already done so.'
"Let's attack by sea, using House Velaryon's fleet and that of…"
Corlys interrupted Otto, his dark gaze showing discontent:
"My ships are not at your disposal."
"But they are at His Majesty's disposal," Otto retorted aggressively, silencing Corlys.
'To defend our lands from our enemies, not to attack our own family,' I thought, realizing that Corlys would find countless excuses to delay any deploynt or simply avoid attacking altogether.
This would give Aemon all the ti he needed to anticipate and counter our moves.
"This is an act of treason. Are you a traitor?" Otto pressed, confronting the Sea Snake.
"If my father were a traitor, he wouldn't be here, and neither would I," Laenor interjected, standing abruptly.
"There's no use in quarreling," I said, imdiately calming the room before adding:
"Aemon is counting precisely on this. He knows Laenor will never raise a sword against his sister, nor will his mother. This deprives us of leys and Seasmoke, leaving only Syrax, Caraxes, and Vermithor."
'It's the dragons that matter. The number of soldiers ans nothing. The Conqueror took the Seven Kingdoms with far fewer n than Aemon has,' I thought.
"Syrax isn't large enough to participate in such a battle. And in the event of ard conflict, Prince Aemon would be wise to kill the Princess first," Larys Strong suddenly said, breaking his silence.
"And why is that?" Otto inquired.
"Don't pretend you don't understand; it's disgusting," Daemon replied, tearing the mask off the man I once considered a friend.
'How could I have been so blind?' I wondered briefly before shaking my head.
"Aemon would then hold the heir to the throne in his fortress," I said, tacitly explaining what Otto seed to "ignore."
'Damn viper.'
"That leaves only Caraxes and Vermithor," Daemon said, sighing.
"Vermithor and Caraxes won't be enough," I said, my tone slightly defeated.
I was acutely aware of the size difference between the dragons, which worked against us, not to ntion my stark lack of experience compared to Daemon.
"I doubt that. Caraxes has fought before, and I'm sure we could…"
I cut Daemon off firmly:
"Don't fool yourself, Daemon. We've all seen Urrax. I doubt the two of us could defeat that monster."
Daemon remained silent, and I continued:
"Beyond its size, Urrax is a near-perfect dragon. And despite its mass, it is feared for its speed, even faster than leys."
"Then what do you propose? We've gone too far to turn back now!" Daemon retorted, annoyed.
'And whose fault is it that we're in this position?'
'If only, for once, you had stayed in your place and hadn't used your n to ransack his establishnts, he would be here now, and we could have judged him as I intended,' I thought, shaking my head.
"But as usual, you did whatever you wanted, alerting Aemon to our movents in your quest for vengeance."
"Unofficially…" Lyonel Strong began, pulling from my thoughts.
He continued, seeing that he had my attention:
"Officially, we've done nothing. We haven't pursued any formal charges against the Prince for his dubious takeover."
"We could ease these tensions by proposing a solution that allows both sides to save face," the Sea Snake quickly added, supporting Lyonel's proposal.
'This would allow him to avoid choosing a side,' I thought.
'And it would let avoid a war entirely.'
"Send him a letter to that effect," I said, signaling everyone to leave.
They all stood, bowed, and left the room—except for Daemon, who stord out, slamming the door in anger.
'I won't let you plunge the realm into fire and blood,' I thought, gesturing for Rhaenyra to stay.
"Father?" she asked softly.
"You seem to share the thoughts of my foolish brother," I said, scrutinizing her.
"I don't share his thoughts, but I don't understand why you let Aemon do whatever he pleases. He's even holding your son prisoner and mocking you!" she replied, her frustration evident.
"And what would you have do? Go to war? Who would fight? You?!" I shot back sharply.
"I could," she said defiantly.
I shook my head and replied:
"That wouldn't be wise, and I refuse to lose you for a war we can avoid through simple negotiations."
Rhaenyra exclaid:
"This is madness! He's the one acting like a traitor, and we're the ones who have to negotiate? Daemon is right. We should…"
"He felt threatened because of Daemon!" I said sternly, cutting her off.
She fell silent as I continued:
"If that idiot had managed to control himself, Aemon would have had no choice but to be exiled to Essos for five years. I could have managed the situation before his return, ensuring the Vale returned to its rightful lords."
I shook my head, regretting not having handled Daemon better at the ti.
Rhaenyra finally asked after so thought:
"And now, what will you do, Father?"
"What can I do?" I replied with a slight shrug.
I took a mont to explain to Rhaenyra:
"Even with Vermithor, we're not strong enough to impose our vision on the realm. Aemon knows this. He also knows that no army can breach the Bloody Gate, and he knows the Velaryons won't raise their weapons against his wife."
"So he's won. You're just going to let him have his way?" she asked angrily before adding:
"He should be the one kneeling before us, not the other way around!"
I sighed before replying:
"Aemon rules the Vale through fear. To maintain control, he must project strength and keep his vassals in constant dread. If they were to realize he isn't as powerful as he claims, they would all turn against him."
Rhaenyra thought for a mont before murmuring:
"So, if we push further, he'll choose to fight to the death."
"Exactly. If we push too hard, we'll plunge the realm into a civil war just before a winter that could last years."
I paused, then concluded:
"And it would destroy our House. Only dragons can kill other dragons."
Rhaenyra nodded slowly, finally understanding.
"Once the children are grown, everything will be much simpler," she said with a sigh.
I gave her a faint smile and replied:
"I hope so. Aemon once told that the crowned head finds rest only in the grave. Today, I think he was right. But this is the burden I bear, and it will be yours one day. No matter what is asked of us, we must do it for the peace of the realm."
Rhaenyra nodded in agreent before embracing warmly, understanding that I was once again sacrificing my pride for the realm's peace.
'And becoming, once more, the weak Viserys in everyone's eyes.'
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