Jaehaerys woke up satisfied. His wife was sleeping beside him. But not for long. The princess sensed his movents and opened her eyes. He kissed her. They both got up silently. She seed embarrassed by the previous night.
He took the sheet, stained with blood and other fluids.
He disliked this custom of inspecting the virgin blood after a wedding night.
About an hour after getting up and bathing, Maester Pycelle appeared with Queen Rhaella. They both examined the cloth, finally nodding in confirmation that it was real. He turned his eyes away. But that tradition would ensure that there were no rumors about his wife's chastity.
Rhaella left with a dazed Daenerys. She wanted to spend more ti with her before they left for Harrenhal.
Jaehaerys, for his part, walked through the castle. Torrhen was at his side. Brandon followed the queen mother and Daenerys.
Viserys had set sail for Dragonstone. Innocent.
But he was still left with a mystery. Who ordered the assassination attempt? It was soone powerful from the royal family or the private council. Cersei had shown that she could send Lannister n to attack his fiancée. She was a possible culprit.
But Cersei had problems with Daenerys, and the attack was directed at him, not his betrothed. No, his wife. He rembered.
Oberyn, Varys, Paxter, Baelish, Tywin, Aegon, Tarly... Rhaegar.
Oberyn and Aegon could have done it to eliminate a candidate for the Iron Throne. But his hand was already taken, and he had no grudges against any of them.
He discarded Tarly and Paxter; they were lords of the realm who had nothing to gain from his death unless they wanted to marry Dany to one of their heirs, which was unlikely with Daemon around.
Varys and Baelish were more enigmatic. They were unknown characters to him. At first, he saw Littlefinger as little more than a jester. But the man had a sharp tongue and a mind capable of keeping up with him. The look Varys gave Peter when he talked about how the two fleeing assassins died is still on his mind.
Jaehaerys sent his forr lover to buy brothels in King's Landing to keep an eye on the capital. She failed to acquire any establishnts; to do so, she would have had to relieve the prince of her patronage. According to Ros, Baelish owned countless brothels. It was because of him that she failed to buy anything. How did a lord of a small island co to control the flesh trade in the capital?
How did a man from the Fingers beco a master of coin?
Varys, the spider. He knew nothing about him. He could be a loyal servant of the crown. Or he could be seeking the ruin of the House of the Dragon. It was suspicious how he found out so quickly about the assassins and sent Viserys straight to his chambers. In the end, even without knowing his motives, the sa question remained.
What did they gain from his death?
Chaos? He could see it, a civil war. They could easily bla Viserys. They would have gotten rid of him. They would have struck a prince and brought down two. It would also sow distrust among the king's sons. If Viserys could kill his brother, why wouldn't Daemon do the sa?
Then there was Tywin, although he doubted it. The man wasn't that stupid. The attack seed designed to pin the bla on soone else, too careless. The only reason Tywin would attack would be to maintain his granddaughter's position as queen. For the mont, Jaehaerys was no threat to Myrcella.
And finally, there was Rhaegar. His brother. He thought he knew him as a good king, but apparently, he wasn't. He was a petty man, willing to punish Viserys in favor of a Dornishman. Jaehaerys' head hurt. The possibility that it was Rhaegar was enormous.
In doing so, he would kill a potential rival and Viserys, who would marry into a great house, one capable of providing him with a hundred thousand swords.
He hated not knowing. He was unable to confirm his suspicions. He wanted to stay in King's Landing longer and dig until he uncovered the truth. But he couldn't neglect his territory. In the capital, he was vulnerable, but in his territory, his n would answer only to him.
He had about five hundred n in King's Landing, though only about twenty in the Red Keep. The rest were in the city, recruiting young n to take to Harrenhal.
He gritted his teeth. He needed information; how he wished he were a green-seer. But he would have to make do with other ans. Once trade in his lands began, he would be able to send spies to the capital as rchants.
Walking, he reached the gardens and looked at Cersei with her daughter, Serena. The girl would soon go to Harrenhal with them.
He had found no way to punish Cersei directly. But taking her daughter away from her had been a stroke of luck. He still rembered their conversation from the previous days.
"Aren't the gardens beautiful, princess?" he rembered asking her. The woman startled. The Lannister guards tensed, but luckily for them, they did not draw their swords.
"They are. I enjoy the sun here," she said tensely. "Is there so reason you brought yourself here, Prince?"
"The view is beautiful," he replied, smiling at her. She felt flattered. "I'm used to seeing piles of shit in the city, so any improvent is welco," he continued. "Tell your n to stand back."
"You think you can talk to
like that?"
"Stand back, or you'll lose your heads," warned the prince. The n looked at Cersei. 'Loyal,' gold was undoubtedly captivating.
Finally, Cersei nodded.
"If my husband were here, you wouldn't dare—
"You can invite him," he interrupted her. "I'm sure he'll enjoy the conversation. It's about his eldest son, after all." He didn't explain where his anger ca from. She already knew.
"Joffrey has nothing to do with this," she beca more defensive.
Jaehaerys remained silent in front of the woman. Despite her anger, she took care to pose for him, showing off her curves.
"I want Serena sent to Harrenhal. She will serve as a lady-in-waiting for Daenerys."
"No," she refused flatly. "There is nothing in this world that could make
give you my daughter," she said.
"Ah, but you have no problem giving her to Joffrey, do you?" he said sarcastically.
He watched the woman's face turn white. He watched her throat move as she swallowed hard.
"What are you talking about?" she tried to play dumb.
"About how your eldest son visits your daughter's chambers," he said.
"What right do you have to judge a lion?" she said. "Brother and sister, just like you and the princess. Don't my children have the right to love each other?"
"A dragon is judging a cat." He mocked, "We both know it's not love. Your daughter is not consenting to Joffrey's actions," he spat angrily.
It was an unpleasant surprise. The little son of a bitch was a rapist. This was punishnt for Cersei, but it was also salvation for the girl. She was only three and ten years old.
"You know nothing," her voice ca out tense as she clenched her teeth. Her once beautiful face was contorted into an ugly grimace of hatred.
"Serena plans to throw herself from the highest tower of Red Keep," he said. He watched Cersei's face turn whiter. "I will take her with ," he declared.
"She's my daughter," she said, looking defeated.
"She's also Oberyn Martell's daughter..." The prince's voice trailed off, tickling the back of her neck. "What would he think if he found out? What would he do to Joffrey? What would he do to you? Knowing that you knew and never stopped him." She lowered her head.
"I'll make Jai give you more gold," she said, trying to negotiate. He was tempted to accept.
"I'll take Serena with . I've already spoken to her. Her father won't stand in our way. Oberyn always allowed his children a lot of freedom. Only you could stop her from leaving. But if you do," he touched her cheek, enjoying seeing her tremble at his touch. "All of King's Landing will know the truth. There will be a trial and I'll fight against your son, or his champion. I don't care how, but the best fate for your son will be to be a eunuch on the wall." He stood up and left. "And make sure Joffrey doesn't hurt others. If you want to calm your spawn's desires, use your own body," he said before leaving.
He could feel the lioness's eyes on his back, but her claws remained sheathed.
Days later, during the ball, Serena thanked him. The little girl had a small spark of hope in her dull eyes.
He looked at the mother and daughter in the park. Serena seed uncomfortable, and Cersei, to his surprise, had genuine remorse in her eyes.
That didn't matter. Joffrey was alive because he allowed him to be.
Oberyn was a man known for his hatred of rapists. He might not kill his own son, but he would make him live a miserable life. For now, Joffrey was a weapon to control Cersei.
Jaehaerys shook his head. He had to organize his n to leave the capital soon.
He ca to the capital for answers and left with questions.
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