House Targaryen
Part 6: 15 AL - 18 AL
Part 6: 15 AL - 18 AL
King Aegon's half-brother had been cursed with stillborn children, both legitimate and bastard ones. When one of his two daughters, Cassana, died at the age of two, concerns emerged whether Lord Orys would or would not father a healthy son to continue his line. Princess Argella Durrandon remained at Storm's End as his lord husband's regent while Orys was in the capital most of his time, helping King Aegon rule the realm. There was also the fact that Lady Ravella Baratheon might not be Orys' child after all. So when the news reached the capital that Orys' wife had given birth to a healthy son, there was much celebrating. The relationship between the two brothers was a close one, and honoring that bond Orys announced he'd name his newborn son after his own brother.
Lord Owen Tyrell of Reach had history with the King dating back years. He'd squired for Aegon back when he was but the second son of Lord Harlan Tyrell, and had married one of the Conqueror's daughters. Still, it seemed that the alliance that the marriage provided was not enough to lord Owen; he'd sent one of his advisors to King's Landing to try to win Aegon's favor with gifts and flattering words. The efforts and the intentions of the young lord of the Reach seemed sincere, and made the King more certain of Lord Owen's loyalty and friendship. Once there was but one man Aegon could trust, yet now there were two.
Trying to improve his damaged reputation among the smallfolk of the Crownlands, Aegon decided to put the money Lord Owen had sent to good use. A summer fair was hosted at King's Landing, and people poured into the capital to take part in the celebrations. The amount of peasants surprised all the local authorities, and the Commander of the City Watch took the matter to the King, asking for a permission to restrict entry to the capital. The King was reluctant to give such a permission, but knowing well how heavily the City Watch was burdened by the amount of visitors, he hired sellswords to help the guards. To distinguish those preserving the King's peace from other folk, King Aegon invested in new attire for his City Watch. Every guardsman received a heavy woolen cloak that was painted in the color of gold, marking that they had taken the King's gold and in exchange worked to uphold his laws.
With wine flowing, there was much work for the City Watch to do - even with their reinforcements. In addition to bards and minstrels, the fair attracted other attention-seekers beyond counting. While most of them were harmless, some caused more trouble than they were worth. One errant monk preached that the Targaryens were the harbingers of the end, bringing fire, blood and death upon Westeros. Silencing the man was necessary, so Aegon commanded the priest to be thrown out of the city. Though the act angered some peasants, Aegon knew that letting the man preach would've been a worse option in the long run.
There had been a tradition in the former kingdoms of Westeros about a reverse of roles during fairs. For one day, even the lowest of people would be treated like a king, while the king himself could walk among the commoners and enjoy about the celebrations without having to fear he was acting inappropriately. The idea didn't please King Aegon, but he agreed to it all the same to win the people's favor. It was due to that change of roles that Grand Maester Lyman made a request he would never otherwise had done. The man was a servant, but he'd admired the dragons and had long desired to sit on one. Despite the fact that the Grand Maester was slightly in his cups, Aegon agreed to his request. Though dragons accepted but one rider at a time, or two in case the actual rider was also present, the King deemed it safe in case Balerion didn't take the air. Only it wasn't.
Dragons are creatures to be both feared and respected. There is a reason why only the Targaryens, or those with Valyrian blood in their veins, can tame them. It is unknown what went wrong, but the moment Grand Maester Lyman approached the Black Dread, everyone realized something was awry. The first man to ever be granted the honorary title of Grand Maester of the Citadel met his death in an exceptionally brutal way, burning alive in dragonfire as a crowd of commoners shouted and shrieked in terror. It was far from the end Aegon had planned for the fair to have, and it resulted with whispering that perhaps the errant monk had been right after all.
Already stressed by the amount of work to be done, the mishap with the Grand Maester didn't make the King's life any easier. Although years of ruling had taken most glamor off from holding the reins of the kingdoms, Aegon was determined not to let his realm fall apart because of him. King Aegon Targaryen was a man with ambitions for the future and he had the means to make them come true. Although the Seven Kingdoms were united under his leadership - with the exception of Dorne - they were quite independent from one another and the people of each region distinguished themselves as 'Stormlanders' and 'Westerlanders' instead of 'Westerosi.' To make the people realize they were suddenly of the same civilization after thousands of years of being ruled by one king or another, Aegon realized he had to start from the bottom level.
Highborn children were called to the capital to serve as pages, wards and squires from all around Westeros. The King himself was busy enough overseering the training of both his sons, having taken them as his squires now that Lord Owen and Lord Ronnel had come of age. With his hands full already, Aegon gave these children as wards to be tutored by other noblemen sworn to him. Lord Commander 'Greatheart' was reluctant at first, stating that he was a Kingsguard and not a Kidsguard. The King's stubbornness got the better of him, however. Serving as a squire to the finest swordsman of Westeros was a great honor, and Aegon managed to convince 'Greatheart' of that fact.
Aegon's reforms concerned other highborn than just children old enough to serve as wards. To show that corruption was a punishable crime, King Aegon had several nobles arrested and confined to the dungeons of King's Landing. While most arrests went well, Commander Valarr of the City Watch managed to evade capture and gatherered his most loyal officers to support him in an attempt to overthrow the Conqueror's rule. The several hundred men were no match to all the armies of Westeros that Aegon commanded, but in a swift move their numbers might've been enough to topple the Targaryen dynasty and undo everything Aegon had done for the past fifteen years. Against any other ruler this plan might've worked, but Aegon posessed an advantage that couldn't be outdone by numbers or quick actions. When the King took the air atop Balerion, the rogue guards lost their courage and turned Commander Valarr over, confined in chains he personally so often had used on others.
The cells the City Watch used to lock up criminals were not into Commander Valarr's liking. In his opinion it was an embarassment to be held in there by his employees after serving Aegon faithfully for so long, and so he requested to be moved out to some other quarters. When the guards came to escort Commander Valarr out of his cell, it was indeed to a more suitable location for him. It was said he began to cry like a girl when it was revealed that he was being escorted to a ship that would take him to the Wall.
Commander Valarr wasn't the only warning example Aegon wished to make. The King received information through his spymaster that Lord Banfred Hightower's eldest son and heir, Quentyn, was plotting to buy the loyalty of the authorities in Highgarden. What power his father had earned with hard work and loyalty, his son meant to buy for himself with his father's money. Princess Valaena had been sent to Highgarden to be Lord Banfred's ward, but the tutelage she'd received from the Lord of Oldtown hadn't been sufficient and the current lady of the Reach remained but a pretty face. It was a sad thing to admit, considering Lord Banfred had decided not to follow King Mern Gardener to war during the Conquest and later opened the gates of Oldtown to King Aegon without resistance.
But good lords may not necessarily make good fathers, it seemed. While Lord Banfred remained in Highgarden at Lord Owen's court, his wayward son ruled in his name at Oldtown. Acting behind Lord Tyrell's back, Aegon ordered Quentyn Hightower's arrest and had the young man brought to the capital before his father Lord Banfred could react. Knowing well that the evidence against him was enough to condemn him, Quentyn Hightower demanded a trial by combat, trying to win his way out of the situation with swords when he couldn't accomplish it with words. Had he chosen anyone else to be his champion, Aegon might've considered doing the same. But the young, proud lad wanted to fight his own battle - and though none said it, everyone expected Aegon to do the same.
King Aegon had won himself the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne with fire and blood - surely this boy couldn't match the Conqueror himself? The question was on everyone's lips when King Aegon ordered Blackfyre to be brought to him. Claiming that the faith was his shield, Quentyn desired to fight with only a sword and no armor - taking that option from his opponent as well. The Conquest had happened fifteen years ago, and Aegon wasn't a young man any longer. He still considered himself a fairly good swordsman who posessed a great strength few men did, but the boy facing him had everything to lose. Like an animal driven to a corner, Aegon expected him to fight to the bitter end, using every trick he knew.
And so he did.
Although Quentyn was but a sloppy swordsman, no better than an average soldier, he put up a good fight and made King Aegon struggle for his life the way he hadn't for the past fifteen years. The sound of swords clashing against one another rang in the throne room where the court witnessed the duel, knowing well that the spectacle might cost their king's life. With each close miss, there was a hundred gasps of air - but the tension grew thousandfold when the King suddenly staggered. Trying to topple his opponent off his feet, Quentyn struck his sword at Aegon so hard that the impact of Blackfyre meeting it sent the Conqueror on his back on the ground.
Some knights would've ended the duel then and there, but Quentyn didn't show any signs of relenting. If there had been a moment to think before the young Hightower's blade began its approach, Aegon's thoughts would've been with his children. Young Maelon and Aerion watched the duel, both in horror that their father was two seconds away from death. Yet the fate had something else in mind than staining Quentyn Hightower's name and reputation for regicide; the King rolled aside, making his opponent's sword miss him with mere inches. Quentyn stalled his hand in disbelief, allowing Aegon regain his footing. And as he gripped the hilt of Blackfyre harder in his hands, the duel was about to get a new turn.
Aegon launched a furious attack, forcing Quentyn to defend without giving him a chance to fight back. The young Hightower was a smart, brave man with tricks up his sleeve. But he was no match to Aegon now that the dragon inside him had woken. The Valyrian steel cut Quentyn's flesh, staining the marble floor of the throne room in red for the first but not the last time in its history. Though it is said that all men must die, the Stranger was forced to wait a little while longer as King Aegon emerged victorious from the duel. But his relief over having survived was cut short as the next morning Lord Banfred Hightower, Quentyn's father, rode to the capital. Whatever hopes the Lord of Oldtown had harbored of getting his son out of the King's dungeons were robbed of him the moment he set his foot in the Red Keep. He returned home with his son's body, but only after stating that the North is not the only region that remembers.
After Lord Hightower returned home to put his son and heir to final rest, the Iron Fleet emerged at his doorsteps. Lord Greyjoy had gathered twenty-thousand raiders and now set upon the southern coast of Reach, plundering their fertile and rich lands. Despite the fact that Lord Vickon Greyjoy had sworn fealty to King Aegon the Conqueror, his son Harren had gone rogue and cared little and less of old ties. It seemed that even being married to Lady Falia Tyrell didn't stop the Greyjoy from attacking his brother-in-law's subjects. To support Lord Owen Tyrell was Aegon's initial plan, but making a choice over two of his vassals and showing that he favored one over the other wouldn't have been beneficial. The Ironborn had raided the western coast of Westeros for ages, and not even the arrival of the Targaryens seemed to be enough to change their nature. Knowing that Lord Owen's bannermen would be enough to drive the Ironborn back to the sea, Aegon remained neutral in the conflict.
It was around that time that Princess Elaena reached her sixteenth nameday. For the past few years she'd served as a ward to Lord Loren Lannister of Westerlands as a compensation for King Aegon having fired him from the Small Council. Elaena had learned Lord Loren's trade and now, having had reached adulthood, she returned to King's Landing. King Aegon's younger daughter was a true beauty who time and Casterly Rock had molded into a brilliant steward. Whereas Princess Valaena was but a shade of her mother, Queen Rhaenys, Elaena shone like a star in her own, special way. It was clear that Rhaenys favored the younger daughter of hers as well: soon after Elaena's return the queen granted her an egg of her dragon, Meraxes, as a gift. It was not long later that it hatched, likely sensing Elaena's greatness and deciding there was a woman worth bonding with.
When Aegon had sent his younger daughter to be fostered elsewhere, she'd been but a girl with unusually fierce temper. When she got back, she'd become a woman who knew her duties as a princess and a future queen, along with the possibilities that her position granted her. Endearments the king gave her were received in a way none couldn't have anticipated; the way Elaena looked at him and acted overall when alone in his company, biting her lip teasingly or subtly touching him made Aegon realize that his daughter desired to get something entirely different than just fatherly love from him. To get her daughter's attention elsewhere without causing a scandal or turning members of the Targaryen family against one another, Aegon replaced the master of coin Lord Celtigar with Elaena, hoping that work might keep her mind away from further distractions until Prince Maelon was old enough to marry her.
The dragon that had hatched to Princess Elaena was yet small, but with the construction of Dragonpit atop Rhaenys' hill having finished, there was now a place in King's Landing for the other three dragons to stay in. Public opinion about the winged beasts had always been suspicious, and Balerion had given the smallfolk one reason more to fear them during the fair. For everyone's safety dragons of the three siblings were locked in the huge dome and kept under guard, only to be released in the presence of their riders. It was one fear less for Aegon, knowing that locking the dragons served to keep the people away from them to avoid any other accidents. They were no animals to be caged, but for the safety of his subjects Aegon had to make sacrifices.
The Ironborn raiders troubling Oldtown retreated quickly to their ships when the Reachmen, united under the banner of Lord Owen Tyrell, finally emerged to drive them away. Luckily no major battle was fought between them, making the situation easier to repair once things would calm down. Harren Greyjoy didn't turn his fleet around, however, but led his ships to continue the raid elsewhere. Aegon was determined to try mend the dispute between him and Lord Owen once the Lord of Pyke would return from his raid, but until then the king's justice would have to wait.
Starting a conflict with another realm was an old but working way for a kingdom to fix its internal discord. Dorne remained independent and the fact that the seventh of the kingdoms of Westeros was yet to be conquered kept bothering King Aegon. With the other six kingdoms backing him and four dragons at his disposal, the war would likely turn out differently than the one Aegon had started eighteen years earlier. But the Conqueror wanted to be remembered differently than just as a man who made Westeros bend their knees in fear of dragons. He was a soldier at heart, born for battle and baptised in the blood of his fallen foes - but also an idealist. To show the world he was more than just a man with a weapon and the strength to use it, King Aegon decided to try and win Dorne with not four dragons - but one.
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