The court of King’s Landing was tense; even the most foolish of lords knew that something big was about to happen. The turmoil began when Princess Gael and Prince Maekar flew together over King’s Landing on their respective dragons.
What should have been a joyful occasion quickly turned into a tense atmosphere. The news that the king wanted to form a possible betrothal between Princess Gael and Lord Lannister’s son, Tymond Lannister, had already spread rapidly.
However, even a blind man could notice that Princess Gael and Prince Maekar were extremely close, as the two were seen together practically most of the time. This included intimate gestures, such as hugging or even feeding each other.
No one living in King’s Landing was stupid; they quickly understood that the two dragonriders were together, but instead of approving the marriage, the king preferred to cast off Princess Gael with Tymond Lannister.
The implications of such actions made everyone tense and ready to run as fast as possible. During the time since the Targaryen Dynasty was founded, the noble houses of Westeros had learned something very, very smart.
When gods fight, mortals suffer.
The Targaryen throne and crown were forged not only of steel but also with the corpses of hundreds of thousands of lives that turned to ash under dragonfire.
Most lords were quite curious if the Lord of Casterly Rock, Loreon Lannister, would accept the betrothal between Princess Gael and his son.
After all, Maekar was a Dragonrider riding an extremely large adult dragon, perhaps second only to Vhagar. Furthermore, he was a fourteen-year-old boy. Having once been young, all men knew how impulsive a youth could be.
They did not doubt for a second that Maekar could mount his dragon and fly toward Casterly Rock for a "friendly" conversation. After all, what young man would stand still seeing his beloved marrying another man?
For this reason, the lords were tense. It was a possible war involving not only the Westerlands but also the Crown and Prince Maekar.
Another noteworthy thing happening at court was the increase in fights among the noble lords of King’s Landing. Many women began to fight, and their husbands were drawn in to defend their wives’ honor.
Such fights had already resulted in two nobles being seriously injured. This only reinforced that something very big was happening.
In the Great Hall, Jaehaerys sat on the Iron Throne with the crown upon his hair. The king’s violet eyes were calm and deep. Looking at the fifth case he was trying to reconcile just this morning, the king’s brow furrowed.
Jaehaerys knew it was his wife Alysanne’s act of revenge. But it caused an anger he hadn’t felt in a long time. He knew it was only the beginning; Alysanne would throw the entire court into total chaos. There had only been two men seriously injured, but tomorrow there would be dead nobles and even multiple murders in duels.
"Everyone, get out of my sight!!!" Jaehaerys’s shout made the blood of everyone present freeze. Regardless of the reason, everyone lowered their heads and quickly left the Great Hall. No one dared stand before the king and be the target of his fury.
"Ser Ryam, summon my wife to the Great Hall." Looking at the Lord Commander of his Kingsguard, Jaehaerys spoke with a tone that caused chills in the deadliest swordsman in Westeros.
"Yes, Your Grace." Ryam bowed and left the Great Hall, leaving Jaehaerys alone sitting in the Great Hall.
The shadows of the hall fell over the monstrosity that was the Iron Throne, making the king look even more somber at that moment.
About thirty minutes later, Alysanne walked along the carpet leading to the steps. She was alone; Ryam himself did not dare enter the Great Hall at that moment.
"I have come, my king," Alysanne spoke in a calm tone; she leaned on her cane while calmly looking at her husband.
"Stop your tricks at court," Jaehaerys ordered in a deep tone, clearly containing his anger. He looked at his wife with a gaze that could terrify even the bravest of soldiers.
"I do not know what you are talking about, my king." The same words Jaehaerys had spoken to Alysanne were now being spoken by Alysanne herself.
Seeing his wife’s hard and indifferent expression, Jaehaerys’s anger softened; he whispered, "Aly."
Though it was a whisper, Alysanne heard it and showed a reaction of nostalgia at being called by her childhood nickname.
"Maekar is dangerous; he is just like Maegor," Jaehaerys said in a calm tone, but the grinding of his teeth showed he was furious with Maekar. "He asked Baelon for the throne. The throne—he asked for it as if it were a sword given to anyone."
"Baelon will be king; he is the one who decides who his successor will be," Alysanne replied in a still calm and indifferent tone. She did not deny that Maekar wanted the throne, but saying her grandson was just like Maegor was something she did not agree with.
"He is not king yet!" Jaehaerys bellowed, totally losing his composure. A very rare occurrence. It wasn’t every day that someone as patient and cold as Jaehaerys lost his composure, especially because of a boy who wasn’t even an adult yet.
Even Alysanne herself was shocked by Jaehaerys’s loss of composure; she couldn’t imagine that the image of Maegor was still so fresh in her husband’s memory. It was no wonder Maekar called Jaehaerys a "Paranoid Old Man."
"Do you know what he calls you?" Alysanne said, looking at her husband’s furious face. An expression she hadn’t seen in a long time.
"Paranoid old man. He calls you that, and I agree with him; even after nearly six decades, you still haven’t overcome the terror of Maegor," Alysanne continued speaking.
Jaehaerys couldn’t believe what he was hearing; Alysanne’s words reverberated in his mind, making him rise from the throne.
"What I am looking at is not my wise, brave, astute, and incredibly handsome husband, but an old man who is fearing a mere fourteen-year-old boy and using my only daughter as a pawn in this game between you two," Alysanne spoke, but her voice faltered at that moment, choked up, almost as if she were about to cry at any second.
A trace of pain flashed in Jaehaerys’s eyes; he hated seeing Alysanne cry. Seeing his wise and brave wife crying showed that he had failed as a husband.
However, the duty of the king comes after the duty of the husband and brother. Determination shone again in Jaehaerys’s eyes. Returning to his calm expression, he sat back down on the Iron Throne and spoke in a tone of command. "Gael will marry Tymond Lannister. He is a good man; he will be worthy of our daughter."
"If he dares set foot in King’s Landing, I myself will serve him as a pig to Silverwing," Alysanne also regained her composure and spoke in an icy and chilling tone.
If the couple’s first two quarrels were terrible, this one was catastrophic. Alysanne was not a woman of weak personality, and Jaehaerys even less so. When a couple of two people with strong personalities fight, it is something serious. Especially when it is a king and a queen.
In the past, Jaehaerys and Alysanne’s daughters helped the couple reconcile, but now, Gael did not have that power of persuasion, nor did anyone else.
"If you dare, you need not return to King’s Landing!" Jaehaerys said in a cold tone.
"Then keep this city that smells of shit and filth." Alysanne showed no weakness before her husband. She had already self-exiled to Dragonstone when she lost three daughters in a short five-year period, much less now.
Furthermore, she could continue causing chaos at court, even from Dragonstone.
Without any hesitation, Alysanne turned around and left the Great Hall; only Jaehaerys remained, watching his wife’s back disappear from the shadows of the throne.
"Alysanne, you will regret having believed in this boy; he will bring chaos and ruin to our house," Jaehaerys murmured in a slightly tired tone.
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Read my other books:
House of The Dragon: The Pale Prince
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard