[RHAENA’S POV]
A full week had passed since I made the firm decision to limit my son’s personal freedom.
I had once tried to use a strict disciplinary measure on his older sister, my sweet Aerea.
At first, I was concerned that my son would become bitter and resentful.
I was worried he’d start acting like Aerea did when she rebelled against me.
To my great relief, Aelor obediently followed through on his grounding.
He even sincerely apologized to me on the same day I handed down his punishment.
During this time, he was extensively exposed to the intricate management of our vast estate.
These were important lessons that he would have had to learn eventually.
At first, I thought Aelor would be bored out of his mind after only a few hours in my solar.
The resident maester had frequently stated that Aelor did not appear to be as enthusiastic about academic subjects as he was when training with Rysio in the yard.
Despite being clearly a brilliant child, Aelor appeared to dislike sitting still.
However, the more time I spent with my growing child in a professional setting, the more I learned about his true nature.
It made me realize that I didn’t even really know my own son.
Aelor is typically very easygoing and playful.
He usually doesn’t take things too seriously, and he can be downright disrespectful to authority.
But once I got past that childish persona, I realized that Aelor is very good at observing his surroundings.
He is exceptionally intelligent.
I realized that the real reason Aelor isn’t enthusiastic about his daily sessions with the maester is that he already knows everything the old man has been trying to teach him.
Now that he had been properly exposed to a new learning environment with practical experience, Aelor’s true talents shone through once more.
One of the best examples of this occurred immediately following the first day of his punishment.
We had both sat down to discuss what he had learned throughout the day.
“When speaking with Lord Theomore, you deliberately undersold our production capabilities in order to persuade him to offer Northern manpower.
“That extra labor will easily increase our current workload,” Aelor explained to me.
“You are confident that many of those Northern workers will choose to migrate here permanently due to the much higher wages available in our lands and the lower cost of goods. This is exactly what happened before, but now you’re using a much larger portion of the surrounding land. I read the most recent census report you commissioned for Harrentown. I am confident that our total population has grown sufficiently to rival the sheer size of Lannisport. That is an incredible feat for any city to accomplish, especially given that we are not even a coastal port.”
He had perfectly summarized everything he had learned during our entire day of negotiations.
Following that revealing day, Aelor began to actively participate in ongoing negotiations with the guild partners and other noble lords of the realm who wished to collaborate with our house.
I found myself becoming increasingly impressed with how Aelor’s brilliant mind worked. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
But trade was not the only thing that had kept me extremely busy over the last few days.
I had just received an urgent letter from the royal family informing me that they would be leaving King’s Landing shortly.
They would be accompanied by a much larger retinue than last year.
Queen Alysanne was not pregnant during her travels last year, but she is now heavily pregnant.
I thoroughly prepared for the worst-case scenarios that could occur along the roads, such as unexpected bandit attacks or stealthy infiltrations.
I had already worked extensively with Jory to ensure that the City Watch of Harrentown was fully prepared to handle this massive new influx of people while maintaining strict peace across our lands.
My racing thoughts were abruptly interrupted by my son.
Another group of wealthy merchants had arrived at my solar.
These were the men who would officially set up shop for the upcoming grand tournament, which my brother King Jaehaerys had graciously sponsored.
The royal tournament would be a grand celebration for the birth of his new child.
“Perhaps we could establish official betting rings,” Aelor said abruptly as the merchants and I were talking.
“We could legally back the arena wagers while controlling the odds and final winnings. For example, if one of the Kingsguard knights entered the tournament lists, their chances of winning would be significantly higher, resulting in a much lower coin payout for the bettor. Meanwhile, an unknown knight would not have the same advantageous odds because they are completely unproven. We could also establish a separate martial division in which wandering hedge knights could fight. If they perform well, they may be given a unique opportunity to join the official ranks of our own household knights. After all, you are constantly complaining that we are severely lacking in experienced guards for our own protection.”
His bold interruption made both the wealthy merchants and me reflect on the enormous potential of his ideas, particularly the part about recruiting skilled hedge knights if they won their bouts.
The three merchants and I then began to eagerly discuss the finer details and logistical preparations required to put my son’s clever suggestions into action.
Meanwhile, Aelor simply sat back and listened quietly once more.
When we finally finished our lengthy discussion, the sun had already set over the lake.
I formally excused the three merchants for the evening.
Aelor and I then spent the twilight hours talking about our long day, with Aelor sharing his sharp insights into daily business ventures as we patiently waited for the servants to bring us our evening meal.
[THIRD PERSON POV]
Exactly two weeks had passed without a single problem, but today was a truly special day for the people of Harrentown and Harrenhal.
The final preparations for the grand arrival of the royal family were currently ongoing.
Outrider cavalry had arrived the night before to report the exact pace of the royal progress, which successfully allowed the castle servants to make incredibly precise preparations for the feast.
Inside his private washroom, young Aelor was being scrubbed thoroughly by three dedicated servants and groomed to absolute perfection.
After a short while, he was finally dressed.
This time, instead of wearing the pure white colours of his previous noble attire, he was presented with the traditional colours of his royal ancestors.
Aelor was purposefully dressed in the striking colours of House Targaryen to publicly show their unwavering allegiance to the current royal family, as well as to highlight the direct blood connection his mother and he shared with the crown.
He wore a pure black tunic paired with a crimson red cape that featured a dark black inner lining.
After being completely dressed, he was quickly guided down the corridor to where his mother had been waiting.
Princess Rhaena was wearing a stunning black and red dress, perfectly matching the royal colours that Aelor was currently wearing.
When Rhaena saw her handsome son, she approached him with a warm smile.
She gently parted his platinum hair directly down the middle, ensuring that not a single strand of hair made it past his ears.
“Mother, can you please stop touching it? Lily worked so incredibly hard to style it perfectly, and I really do not want to sit in that wooden chair for her again. She is scary when she is working,” Aelor complained to his mother as he quickly moved his head away.
His playful words made all the armed guards and servants in the room snicker and laugh out loud.
After a few more moments of light discussion among the household staff, a breathless guard entered the solar to make an urgent announcement.
The black and red banners of House Targaryen were finally visible on the horizon, and the loud roars of the royal dragons could already be heard echoing through the clouds.
Aelor and his mother, closely followed by their elite personal guards, immediately walked towards the massive entrance yard of Harrenhal to formally welcome the royal family.
When they arrived in the open courtyard, Dreamfyre was already resting there alongside Ancalagon.
Aelor and Ancalagon happily greeted one another through their telepathic bond, while Dreamfyre also nudged her beloved rider with deep affection.
After a few moments of anticipation, two separate and deafening roars were heard from the sky above.
It was Vermithor and Silverwing, the massive dragons of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne.
Down below on the Kingsroad, the massive royal carriage finally approached the open gates.
This time, King Jaehaerys was not proudly leading the march upon an armoured warhorse.
Instead, he was riding safely inside the heavy carriage, lovingly supporting his pregnant wife through the bumpy journey.
The two royal dragons descended and landed gracefully in the massive yard.
Even with four dragons, a thousand armed guards of House Towers, and the returning retinue of the royal family, there was still a tremendous amount of open space within the impossibly huge walls of Harrenhal.
A long red carpet was swiftly laid out from where the carriage halted, leading directly towards the grand stone stairs of the castle entrance.
All of the local servants, Aelor, and Princess Rhaena immediately began to kneel in deep respect.
A royal herald stepped forward from the carriage and loudly began to announce the royal attendance.
“Jaehaerys of House Targaryen, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm!” the herald announced with a booming voice.
The heavy wooden door of the royal carriage then slowly opened, fully revealing King Jaehaerys to the waiting crowds.