Morel
patreon
44. Aenys IX / Martyn II 37AC
🕑 Added 2024-12-20 19:02:55 +0000 UTCNOTES: Hello everyone, You're all getting the chapter for this week early because I feel like it. Please do let me know what you think about it in the comments. I love reading your comments.
Aenys IX
3rd Moon, 37AC
“I hereby announce the following betrothals,” Aenys began while sitting on the Dragonstone Throne. He was dealing with a colossal headache at that moment, but these had to be announced quickly so he could attend to more important matters.
“First and foremost, my eldest son and heir Prince Aegon of House Targaryen, shall be wed to his sister Princess Rhaena of House Targaryen on his fifth and tenth name day!” Aenys announced and the crowd of Targaryens, Velaryons, Celtigars, Bar Emmons, Masseys, and Sunglasses all cheered. None of them noticed the far less enthusiastic cheer from the Andal nobles from the mainland.
Aenys may have not noticed the lack of cheer from his mainland Andal vassals, but he did notice the absence of his son. Seeing his empty place next to the throne, Aenys’s headache worsened further. Truly, his brother was correct when he said that things were going to get messy, only Aenys hoped such troubles would not befall his family on top of the realm at large.
When his son claimed Balerion a sennight prior, Aenys was a little shocked, especially after hearing that Aegon ran from his sister’s room to the pit, but ultimately he thought little of it. It was certainly considered early, but his father had already tapped his son with the honor of being the next rider of Balerion. It was only with further information being relayed to him by his son and wife that Aenys’s headache worsened.
As it turned out, many people had been withholding information from him. First was his wife, who did not tell him of his daughter’s first dalliance with another lady of the court. Aenys had been told that Larissa Velaryon was sent away because of a good prospective match with the grandson to Lord Galladon Tarth, not because his daughter had taken more of an interest in her than was permitted or natural.
‘Argh!’ Aenys thought, gripping the arms of the throne strongly. He was not one to normally get so angry, but it seemed like everything had gone wrong so fast. Now he had to deal with his wife not being wholly truthful to him on top of his myriad of other issues.
Under normal circumstances, Aegon would have chastised his wife heavily for her overreach, and he still planned to do so, but he could not as of yet. His daughter's foolish mistake had clearly upset his son.
The fiasco between his two eldest children only worsened Aenys’s already ever-present headache. He expressly pushed forward the announcement of their betrothal because of his daughter’s foolish error, to try and get ahead of any whispers from another of his daughter’s ladies in waiting quickly being sent away to marry some lord. Not to mention her entire group of ladies in waiting being swiftly replaced with picks of his wife’s choosing.
Aenys was lucky that House Darklyn’s heir had been in need of a betrothal, and that Lord Darklyn was so accommodating for a quick match. ‘I will have to apologize to Alyn later,’ Aenys thought with dread. He loathed forcing the daughter of his Hand of the King into a quick marriage but he had no choice, the honor of House Targaryen was at stake.
That same honor was currently being thrown away by his son, however. Aegon had become unruly and ferocious after his claiming of Balerion. Aenys could understand that he was upset after Rhaena’s foolish mistake but Aegon’s temper tantrum was both poorly timed and childish.
He had raised his son to be better, to be the spitting image of the man he was named after, he did not raise his son to childishly refuse to sit next to his betrothed at family meals. Aenys fully expected his son to grieve his grandfather’s death, they all grieved in their own way, but Aegon could not sully House Targaryen’s name in this dire time.
‘All will be made well with time,’ Aenys thought as he cleared his throat to speak loudly again. His son was grieving, and lashing out childishly, in time he would come to realize his mistake and forgive his sister. Sure she erred greatly, but everyone did, and Aenys was certain that she learned her lesson this time, especially after his wife no doubt gave her a ferocious lecture while he met with Aegon.
“Secondly, my second son Prince Viserys of House Targaryen, is hereby betrothed to his cousin, Princess Visenya of House Targaryen!” Aenys announced with the same fervor and the entire crowd erupted in cheer, all of them excited for another royal match being announced.
Under normal circumstances, Aenys would be just as cheerful, his son had a worthy match after all. Thanks to his deal with his younger brother, not only was Aenys well on his way to fulfilling the promise he made to his father, but his son’s future was secured.
Aenys would of course have to find a worthy inheritance to gift to his son to further secure his future. Viserys was a spare after all, and with Dragonstone returning to Maegor’s control, that easy solution to his problem was washed away.
‘Hmm,’ Aenys thought, momentarily letting his mind get distracted. He never really thought about it before, but only his eldest son Aegon had a prospective inheritance. Sure Aenys would happily give Viserys the gold from Visenya’s substantial dowry, given that Aenys hardly needed gold, but it would not do well for a dragon rider to not have some land and a keep to call his own.
Aenys shook his head then, reminding himself to stay focused on the topic at hand, he had to finish up announcing the betrothals before he could get to work solving the much more important problem at hand, his second son’s inheritance could wait.
“Finally, I hereby announce the betrothal of my daughter, Princess Alysanne of House Targaryen, to her cousin, Prince Daeron of House Targaryen,” Aenys announced and the cheer was just as full as with his son Viserys’s betrothal, albeit the cheers from his own family were a bit more muted.
Aegon was not the only absence from court on that day. That damnable letter from Antlers brought some unfortunate news to Maegor’s family, and now Shiera was in mourning. ‘Dirty Bastard,’ Aenys thought, anger rising within him at the disgrace that befell House Qoherys.
Without Shiera present, Maegor’s family was more subdued and fewer in number. His nephew Daeron was present with his father and grandmother but otherwise, all of his other nieces and nephews were with their mother in her and Maegor’s chambers on Dragonstone.
Then of course there was the dissatisfaction among his own family. Alyssa was still upset with him over the betrothals of Viserys and Alysanne. In her dream world, they would have married each other, and Aenys would have proposed that Maegor’s sons should marry Velaryons while still giving his niece Visenya over to them for Jaehaerys.
It was a flagrantly foolish and bone-headed plan, one that would have only been an insult to his little brother’s family. ‘A daughter for a daughter,’ Aenys thought it was fairer, even if he was objectively getting the better deal.
It was not lost on Aenys that his brother effectively had a Kingdom in Essos, and with his daughter marrying the heir to that kingdom, two of his daughters would end up queens de facto if not in name. Meanwhile, none of Maegor’s daughters would share that same honor. So Aenys would happily shut down his wife’s foolish plans because his own plans had worked out so well.
Aenys was almost thankful for his son’s temper tantrum then, given how much it distracted his wife. Aenys was concerned that she would try to stir up trouble regarding the betrothals, but she wisely kept her mouth shut and quietly celebrated the announcements with the rest of the nobles present.
Aenys did feel somewhat bad for his youngest son Jaehaerys, who had no prospective bride as of now. Aenys had considered asking about his niece Daenys as well, but considering that his nephew Baelon also needed a future bride, and the reported dissatisfaction from his goodsister Shiera, that scenario was unlikely. Unless his wife could give him another daughter to trade of course.
Alyssa was certainly not done having children, given she was just thirty name-days-old, she still had a few more years left before it became quite dangerous to have more children. So with any luck, his wife would bless him with another daughter, and all the marriages would be sorted. Perhaps he could arrange another daughter swap with his little brother if that future came to pass, but even if he couldn’t do so, the current marriages he had arranged with his brother’s family worked well enough.
After he was finished, the knights and guards of Dragonstone began moving the nobles of the court out of the chamber. He would have ordinarily continued for a little while longer, attacked some petitions, announced some future feasts and balls planned, and announced the transfer of Dragonstone to Maegor, but the current predicament made that impossible.
Now that he had fulfilled his promise to his brother, and formally arranged and announced the betrothals they agreed upon, they could turn their focus onto other matters. Namely, the two rebellions that had broken out within his Kingdom.
...
“Your Grace, the Iron Islands are the larger problem as of now,” Lord Commander Corlys Velaryon said, and Aenys agreed with him. The letters from Pyke were quite adamant that they needed support, and the fighting Lord Goren Greyjoy described was troubling.
“Harrenhal is on the way, however,” Maegor countered, and all the while Aenys could only listen.
He had never really taken part in war planning at any moment in his life. His father’s reign had been mostly peaceful after all, and the only war that even occurred, if it could even be called a war, was a small-scale conflict in the Stepstones that his little brother managed.
He had of course taken part in other small council meetings, but the matters discussed there never pertained to war or conflict. Meanwhile, this was an entirely new matter, his realm was in rebellion.
“Any delay in dealing with the Iron Islands could have dire consequences,” Ser Corlys continued and Aenys was torn between who to support.
His war council was slim, to say the least. His aunt Visenya had elected to remain with her grieving gooddaughter and her grandchildren, leaving Aenys without her experience to draw from. However, he was not without veterans of war to call upon for advice.
There were twenty people in the Chamber of the Painted Table if the Maester and Septon describing events were counted, but only two voices truly stood out. First was his cousin and Lord Commander of his Kingsguard, Ser Corlys Velaryon. He was a veteran of the conquest, old in age but still formidable and knowledgeable in the ways of war. He was also quite knowledgeable of the matters of Westeros, given Aethan’s involvement with politics and his attendance at all of his father’s lectures.
The second voice, and the only one that could truly challenge his Lord Commander’s experience was his brother Maegor. Maegor’s list of feats and accomplishments was even grander than Ser Corlys’s. He crushed pirates in the Stepstones, he smashed the Dothraki on the Little Rhoyne, and he humiliated Braavos in under a year. Yet his conflicts were not fought in Westeros, and he had little experience dealing with Westerosi lords.
“Do you recommend sending an army to attack Harrenhal? Even in its dilapidated state, it remains formidable, and the damnable bastard has enough smallfolk to man the castle,” Maegor said with disgust and he brought up part of Aenys’s dilemma.
Two rebellions had broken out within his Kingdom in short order. The first to occur was on the Iron Islands. His father had mandated that the Faith be allowed to bring their septons and septas onto the islands after he conquered them, and ever since the first day they arrived in Lordsport, it seemed as if the Ironmen had been growing more and more upset at the situation.
From the many letters from Goren Greyjoy on Pyke, Aenys had gotten a little information about the situation developing on the Iron Islands. It seemed that after the death of his father, a madman by the name of Lodos appeared and named himself King.
He claimed to have walked into the sea during the reign of his father and returned from the halls of the Drowned God. He proclaimed himself as the harbinger of the Drowned God’s will and declared that the Faith of the Seven’s presence on the islands could no longer be tolerated.
According to Lord Goren, his message resonated with many upset Ironmen, lords, and commoners alike, who had grown discontent with the rapid growth of the Seven’s power and influence. His father had also abolished thralldom when he conquered the Iron Islands, and those former thralls had little interest in the religion of their captors, instead deciding to follow the Seven.
The situation quickly deteriorated, with Lodos proclaiming himself the King of the Iron Islands and a few lesser nobles backing his claim. Meanwhile, the common people largely threw their support behind the Faith of the seven, who took poorly to the increasing attacks on Septs and the faithful on the Iron Islands.
The Warrior Sons were quick to leap into action, clashes between Ironborn and Faith Militant soon began all across the island and the region was descending into all-out religious civil war. Most nobles were nominally on Lord Goren’s side, but he had largely been unable to act. The Warrior’s Sons and Poor Fellows of Lordsport captured the docks, and many of the Warrior’s Sons guarding the Septs around the Iron Islands began training up the local faithful. Not to mention a handful of nobles supporting Lodos’s claim to the throne of the Iron Islands.
Meanwhile, no nobles had sided with the faith but they did not need it. The Warrior Sons called for aid from the mainland and fifty knights sailed from the Westerlands and Riverlands to begin aiding their brothers on the islands.
The septs across the islands quickly became fortresses, with the Warrior Son’s training up new Poor Fellows. Even Lordsport had essentially fallen, with the Warrior Son’s capturing the docks and securing the city with an army of one thousand poor fellows and forty knights.
That was the situation relayed to him by Lord Goren Greyjoy as of a sennight prior. He had apparently called his banners but many of his lords were lacking in forces as many had defected to either the Warrior Sons or Lodos. Given the situation, it was little wonder why Ser Corlys shared the same concerns as Lord Goren, the longer the situation was allowed to continue, the worse it would get.
Maegor meanwhile was understandably more concerned with the troubles beggaring his family. The second rebellion that broke out shortly after the death of his father was in the Riverlands. A local smallfolk cretin calling himself Harren the Red captured Harrenhal in the night, and proclaimed himself King of the Riverlands.
Had it just been Red Harren and his band of brigands, then it would be of little concern, he could have simply tasked Lord Prentys Tully to call his banners and crush the pretender. Yet it was not so simple, as Red Harren was able to rile up a genuine smallfolk revolt in the Riverlands.
Lord Gargon Greyjoy succeeded his father in the year 35AC and to call him a sorry excuse for a lord would be a colossal understatement. The fool heavily overtaxed his smallfolk and lesser nobles, citing the need to “repair his castle,” according to Lord Lychester. Needless to say, this deeply upset his smallfolk and knights, which only exasperated his other follies.
Lord Gargon Greyjoy was widely known as “The Guest” on account of his flagrant use of the right of the first night. Aenys personally considered the practice distasteful, his grandfather Lord Aerion partook in the practice, thus creating House Baratheon and seeding the island with a few dozen dragonseeds, but Aenys shared the same distaste for it as his father. He had an excellent wife, so he had no need to exercise the right.
While Aenys considered the practice distasteful, the smallfolk deeply hated Lord Gargon for it. According to rumors sent to him from Lord Lychester, every maid in Harrenhal had been in Gargon’s bed at least once, and he attended every single wedding on his land. Aenys was hardly surprised he was killed, but Red Harren’s slight could not go unpunished.
The castle garrison had turned on him and his family overnight, they threw open the gates to Harrenhal and allowed Red Harren’s band of brigands into the castle. From there, they set upon Gargon’s family, slaying his wife, his infant son and daughter, and his still-living mother. Shiera was particularly upset about the loss of her mother and had been grieving ever since news of her death arrived on Dragonstone.
After slaying Gargon, Red Harren proclaimed himself King of the Rivers and Hills and began rallying the smallfolk in the Qoherys domain into a proper revolt. Upset at the high taxes, abuse of Lord Gargon’s power, and the promise of loot from other castles, many had joined him. According to the latest letter from House Buckwell, Lord Lychester marched with his levies to face Red Harren in the field and was subsequently defeated, his army was butchered and their equipment taken.
Red Harren had yet to march on the Lychester Keep, but considering that Aenys had not heard from Lord Lychester since, it was safe to assume he was likely dead. Red Harren had since rallied more smallfolk from other noble territories to his side, so while no nobles backed his claim, Red Harren had gathered an army of close to three thousand men at Harrenhal.
Maegor wished to crush them quickly before moving onto the Iron Islands, likely desiring to avenge his wife’s mother and bring her some solace. Meanwhile, Ser Corlys desired to move quickly to the Iron Islands, and by that, he meant that Aenys and Maegor should fly to the Iron Islands and attempt to settle the situation before it worsened. Meanwhile, he volunteered to lead a force to crush Red Harren and his smallfolk revolt.
Aenys meanwhile was torn, he wanted to side with his brother and slay the man who killed his brother’s goodmother, but he also knew that he could not leave the Iron Islands situation as it was. Lord Goren Greyjoy needed to be backed up quickly before the situation worsened and a bloodbath began.
“How about splitting your forces, Your Grace?” Lord Aethan suggested and Aenys raised an eyebrow.
“Whatever do you mean, Lord Aethan?”
“You have two dragons and riders available, discounting Prince Aegon and Queen Dowager Visenya. Why not send one to Harrenhal, and one to the Iron Islands?” he asked genuinely and Aenys would have agreed, dealing with the situation quickly and decisively was important after all, but he was denied.
“Absolutely not,” Maegor said instantly and suddenly all eyes were on him.
“Aenys has never been to war, and neither Quicksilver nor Terrax can match Balerion. We ought to move quickly to Harrenhal, reinforce Lord Tully, and retake my wife’s castle, and then we may both fly to Pyke to support Lord Greyjoy,” Maegor said with an iron will, and nobody in the room had the will to challenge him, besides Aenys.
“I may not have been to war, brother. However, you said it yourself, Quicksilver is more than capable. I will fly to the Iron Islands and attempt to support Lord Greyjoy while you go and dispatch this pretender in the Riverlands,” Aenys offered and a glare from his brother shut him up.
“No,” Maegor said simply, it seemed like he was trying to find an excuse as to why but he was failing.
“Why?” Aenys queried, staring down his brother.
“With all due respect, brother, you are inexperienced at war, and you would be without your counselors and Kingsguard should you fly to Pyke alone,” Maegor said and that caused Aenys to think.
‘He is not wrong,’ Aenys thought with a hand on his bearded chin. He would indeed be without his counselors and Kingsguard if he flew to Pyke, but he would be without them regardless.
“Brother, we would be without them regardless,” Aenys said and another glare from Maegor shut him up.
“I would be able to counsel you should we work together, it will not take long to solve the situation at Harrenhal. We will fly there in the morning, and deal with the bastard before moving onto Pyke,” Maegor demanded and Aenys saw no real reason to deny him.
“Very well, we will depart at dawn and fly for Riverrun. Lord Prentys has already called his banners and we will support him as he descends onto Harrenhal,” Aenys said, and he could not help but feel a little upset.
The idea of simply killing all the smallfolk put a bad taste in his mouth. Red Harren certainly needed to die or go to the Wall, but his smallfolk soldiers were rightfully upset at the overly high taxes and Gargon’s abuse of the first night. Images of the crowds that gathered to greet him on his many progresses flooded his mind. ‘How can I solve this,’ Aenys thought as the room descended into talks and plans about what to do while he and his brother were gone.
_______________________________________________________________
Martyn II
3rd Moon, 37AC
“This is an outrage, your High Holiness! We cannot allow this travesty to stand!” his ever-faithful brother loudly shared the very same opinion that he and everyone else in the Seven Kingdoms with a brain between their ears held. Incest was a sin, and it seemed his former Lannister ally had been correct in his prediction, as King Aenys announced the betrothal of his eldest daughter to his eldest son.
Martyn shivered involuntarily at the thought. ‘Those poor children,’ Martyn felt genuinely sorry for Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaena, who were being forced to sin because of their father’s foolish plans. The mere idea of marrying his sister was enough to make Martyn’s skin crawl.
“I am well aware, Captain Morgan,” his holiness, the High Septon announced and unlike his little brother, Martyn was able to hide his emotions in front of their uncle and leader of their faith. They were brought into a private meeting, the least his brother could do was be quietly enraged.
“My apologies, Your Holiness. I am just revolted by King Aenys’s disgusting plans,” his brother demurred to the High Septon, realizing his mistake.
“Your apology is accepted, Captain Morgan,” the High Septon said before he continued their little impromptu meeting.
When the letters arrived from Dragonstone, telling the whole Kingdom of King Aenys’s foolish decision, the entire continent had been astonished. Several announcements had been made, but it was the betrothal of Prince Aegon, heir to the Iron Throne, to his elder sister Princess Rhaena which shocked the realm to its core.
There had been a silent hope within the Faith and many faithful nobles for decades now, that House Targaryen’s incestuous and sinful ways would end with King Aegon. It had not seemed like a foolish hope until recently. King Aegon had done much to appease the Faith after all.
It was only because of his close relationship with the High Septon that he knew all the details of this, but the late King Aegon was clearly moving House Targaryen away from its sinful past. It was obvious once all of his actions were placed in front of him, even if the late Targaryen had clearly failed.
The most prominent and important of King Aegon’s decisions had been when he knelt in front of the High Septon after conquering Westeros, recognizing the Faith’s presence and authority. Then King Aegon had worked closely with the Faith when it came to governing the realms.
The late Queen Rhaenys had worked closely with members of the faith when she influenced her husband to declare the Rule of Six, not to mention King Aegon’s readiness to rely on the ever-faithful and obedient Warrior’s Sons to keep the peace within King’s Landing.
Even when looking at King Aegon’s family, it was clear that he was moving House Targaryen away from its past, one merely needed to look at the betrothals made or attempted to be made.
For Prince Aenys, King Aegon chose the now Queen Alyssa Velaryon. Many of the Lord Paramounts and Wardens felt a tad snubbed that they were not considered, including his own prestigious house, but House Velaryon was far from a bad choice.
The house was of course put to shame by all the Lords Paramount and Wardens but considering their historical ties to House Targaryen as loyal and powerful vassals, it was understandable. It was also notable that King Aegon had not pushed his remaining incestuous wife for a daughter, instead opting for a loyal vassal house.
Even the botched attempt by King Aegon regarding his disobedient second son pointed to King Aegon learning from his past mistakes. The betrothal to his younger sister was an obvious one, given his house’s prestige and connections, and when it blew up, King Aegon was upset enough to banish Prince Maegor. Even if Martyn considered that to have been an insufficient punishment, he could at least appreciate that King Aegon was not wholly unbothered.
Then of course came the grandchildren, many were concerned about the lack of prospecting for potential options. Martyn knew that his own children were unlikely options given his regrettable outburst at his last Small Council meeting but even still, there remained many good choices for both Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaena.
For Prince Aegon, his former ally Loren Lannister had a daughter of similar age, albeit a tad older than the Prince but nothing impossible. Then of course there was Lord Prentys Tully, hardly the most deserving but he also had daughters available. King Aegon could have also chosen from his favorite steward and picked among House Tyrell’s daughters.
Princess Rhaena had many potential suitors as well, as many houses would have loved nothing more than to get a Targaryen princess. Lord Rogar Baratheon, heir to the Stormlands remained unwed, along with the heir to the Riverlands Cedric Tully, and if those were not suitable to King Aegon, surely the young Lord Corwyn Velaryon should have been an option. Yet King Aegon had made no betrothals or even sought out counsel on the matter from what his informants on Dragonstone told him.
Many in Westeros dearly hoped that King Aegon had simply been meeting behind closed doors, considering what happened to his last public betrothal, yet it appeared that King Aegon did not move swiftly enough. King Aenys rapidly announced the prince and princess’s betrothal to each other shortly after King Aegon’s death, which must have meant that King Aegon had something in the works.
However, now it seemed that House Targaryen had fully relapsed into the same incestuous ways that had gotten the other nine and thirty dragonlord families of Old Valyria killed. ‘The Seven gave them a chance and they would waste it so?’ Martyn thought it was bewildering that they would turn back to incest and sin after so much work to move away from it.
“What are we to do, your High Holiness?” Martyn asked with a thoughtful expression etched onto his face. He wished to actually progress the conversation along instead of just letting his little brother and uncle pass verses between each other.
“We must act with caution, but we must act all the same,” the High Septon said, and Martyn narrowed his eyes, the words sounding suspiciously similar to the ones of a certain lion that had cut off all contact with him.
‘Caution,’ Martyn thought with disgust. He fully understood the reason behind it, of course, diving headfirst into war without a plan was an excellent way to end up with your head mounted on a spike in the worst case and heavy losses in the best case. Even still, the word left a bad taste in his mouth, especially after his alliance with House Lannister had gone dark.
His darling little sister, Ceryse of House Hightower, once the most eligible bachelorette in the entire realm, was currently alone and neglected in Casterly Rock. When his little sister had failed to get pregnant even once after six years of marriage, it became abundantly clear that she was barren.
The words whispered among the kingdom now were of how lucky Prince Maegor was to avoid such a fate, and it only irked Martyn more. ‘Prince Maegor,’ he thought with a sneer, that damnable lion had predicted incorrectly there, as it was now more clear than ever that Prince Maegor Targaryen was not done with Westeros.
It had all begun to go wrong once Prince Maegor’s whore and his illegitimate children were taken in by King Aegon. The action thoroughly spooked his Lannister allies, who seemed to start looking for a way out of their alliance. Unfortunately for his house and his sister, she happened to be that excuse.
Their marriage had not been annulled on account of his uncle, the High Septon, but his goodbrother Lucion Lannister had all but set her aside. He had reportedly taken a mistress in Casterly Rock that had grown heavy with his child.
His little sister had been devastated at the news, and the whole series of events was enough to finally put their father in the grave on top of all of that. So not only did Martyn have to acclimatize to finally taking his father’s seat at the top of the Hightower, but his alliance with the golden lions had all but evaporated.
Martyn could not help but feel rage brew within him when he thought of his distraught sister in Casterly Rock. She had been unduly humiliated at every possible opportunity it seemed. First, her betrothed chose a whore over her, then her husband had all but set her aside, and now the entire kingdom was whispering about her being barren.
‘Did he know?’ Martyn thought, thinking about the damnable prince Maegor. How could he have known? There was no possible way to know if a woman was barren before marriage unless she happened to suffer some grievous injury, which Ceryse certainly did not.
The discussions mulling throughout the Kingdom about Prince Maegor’s luck only let Martyn’s existing hatred boil more ferociously. Now he had the gall to return to Westeros as if he did not humiliate both himself and Martyn’s family, and King Aenys was rewarding him with betrothals and even the island of Dragonstone.
“With caution?! Your High Holiness, we must act swiftly and right King Aenys’s course!” his brother yelled and Martyn was brought back to reality.
“We must indeed right King Aenys’s course, but we must act with wisdom. King Aenys is known to be pliable and open to convincing, we must simply find the path the Seven have laid for us,” his elderly uncle said and Martyn narrowed his eyes.
“Are we certain peace is possible with an abomination?” Martyn asked, with both the High Septon and his younger brother pausing.
Martyn had never really understood why King Aegon was given a pass regarding his incestuous and bigamous marriage to both of his sisters. It was one of the gravest sins one could commit, both incest and bigamy, yet the Faith bent over backwards for King Aegon.
‘Why are King Aenys and Prince Maegor even recognized as legitimate?’ Martyn had wondered more times than he cared to admit, and many other faithful lords wondered the same. They were abominations, born of incest and bigamy. By all rights of the Seven, they were nothing more than bastard abominations, with no right to anything.
Yet they were both kings, and even if not in the name, they were de facto. King Aenys was the King of all Westeros, even if he had yet to be anointed by his High Holiness. Maegor meanwhile conquered a Kingdom for himself in Essos, subjugating Old Valyria’s daughters to satiate his lust for wealth, fame, and power.
Why had the Faith given King Aegon an exception? It all felt so off to Martyn, he was more than ready to fight to depose them, Dorne managed to drive them away after all, surely the rest of Westeros could do the same.
Martyn had been preparing for war for the better part of the last few years. His network of alliances stretched all throughout the Reach, with the foolish Lord Tyrell none the wiser. Without his Lannister ally, a rebellion would be more difficult, and with Prince Maegor’s intervention it would no doubt be more difficult as well, but with the faith on his side, victory was more than possible.
His High Holiness merely needed to announce to the millions of faithful within the Kingdoms that King Aenys was nothing more than an abomination and the Targaryens would be helpless. Sure they had dragons but how did that stack up to the force of the mighty Seven and their millions of followers?
“The Seven blessed King Aegon, and that much is clear with his success, so his marriages and children were recognized, Lord Martyn. King Aenys can be swayed, I know it to be true, you must merely look at his other betrothals for proof,” the High Septon continued and Martyn raised an eyebrow in response.
“If King Aenys sincerely desires a royal match, his younger brother’s family is an obvious choice. We would of course prefer if he picked a worthy bride of Westerosi nobility, but if he must choose a Targaryen, he need not sin as well,” the High Septon continued and this time it was his younger brother who was confused.
“Whatever do you mean, your High Holiness?” he asked the clarifying question that Martyn did not need, he knew full well what the High Septon was speaking of.
“Many throughout the Kingdom were waiting for King Aenys to betroth his son to Prince Maegor’s daughter, Princess Visenya,” the High Septon confirmed Martyn’s suspicions. Such a match would have been disappointing for much of the realm, but nothing like how Prince Aegon’s current match infuriated Westeros.
“Princess Visenya is betrothed to Prince Viserys now, your High Holiness,” Morgan said despite everyone at the table having already read the damnable letters.
“Betrothals can be changed, Captain Morgan. King Aenys must still travel here to be anointed as King. When he does, I shall convince him to change his arranged betrothals,” his old uncle seemed confident in his abilities then, and Martyn would have felt reassured had it not been for the previous actions of Prince Maegor.
Prince Maegor blew up his previous worthy match, and he had signed off on the match between Princess Visenya and Prince Viserys. What was to guarantee he would not tear up this change as well? Not to mention that created another problem for King Aenys.
“What of Princess Rhaena, then?” Martyn asked, deeply curious. Princess Rhaena currently rode the dragon Dreamfyre, and if she did not marry into House Targaryen, that would mean another house getting dragons.
‘Interesting,’ Martyn thought, just wondering how he could attempt and make alliances with whichever house, Baratheon, Tully, or Velaryon was blessed with the princess and her beast. Another house getting a hold of a dragon meant a colossal shift within Westeros after all.
“She has other suitors, ones which are faithful and completely worthy of a royal match,” his High Holiness responded and Martyn hummed to himself. He was doubtful that the High Septon would succeed, especially with Prince Maegor in the mix, but there was always a chance.
“And if King Aenys does not come to his senses?” Morgan asked the question Martyn wanted to and so Martyn resolved to thank his brother later.
“Then we must seek other means of preventing abominations sitting atop the Iron Throne of Westeros,” the High Septon said suddenly, venom dripping from his tone.
Martyn smiled at the sight and sounds, secretly hoping for that outcome. He had prepared meticulously, after all. After years of planning, countless lords and knights were on his side, and Dorne already showed that the dragons could be defeated. With the Seven on their side, they could surely route the dragons from Westeros.
“Very well, your High Holiness. So we shall wait for King Aenys to finish his work in the Riverlands and Iron Islands before attempting to convince him?” Morgan asked and Martyn was reminded of the faith’s other concern, the Iron Islands.
The catastrophe on that island could not be overstated, and his High Holiness made it clear that the faithful were correct in defending themselves and their septs. He had even authorized several of Oldtown’s best Warrior’s Sons to depart for the Iron Islands.
“Indeed, King Aenys shall certainly quell the damnable heathens on the island and restore our influence there, just as his father had done before. In the meantime, we must prepare in our efforts to convince King Aenys,” the High Septon said as he got up from his old chair, pulling over his cane to aid him in moving toward the door.
‘Oh I will prepare alright,’ Martyn thought with a smile, he would get back into contact with his allies around the Reach, and tell them to begin stockpiling resources and preparing for the war to come. Houses Peake, Osgrey, Tarly, Florent, and Oakheart, all ought to prepare their resources for the coming conflict. Part of him hoped that the High Septon would be successful, but a larger part of him was eager to exact his revenge on House Targaryen.
Comments
Morel
He isn’t aware of the Hightower schemes but he is aware that there is likely a faith rebellion on the horizon.
Oj1989
If maegor is aware of the Hightower scheming with the faith does he plan on dealing with them? Or is he just letting it play out?
Morel
I doubt the faith would give up their weapons as of now. They need to be humbled first.
AJ
If I were Aeny I would change the betrothals to visenya if he doesn’t want war but I would say I would change it if the faith gave up their arms and warriors . He should take a lesson from the negotiations with his brother. It would show he is not a weak willed man that they can walk over but their king and a son of King Aegon . And it would ease tensions with the crown and the faith for long enough for Aeny to get a strong hold on the kingdom and proper grasp of his duties as king
