Visenya II
23AC
Visenya Targaryen, Queen of Seven Kingdoms, rider of Vhagar, and eldest of the dragonlords, and here she was, standing on a pile of bricks overlooking the construction of the Great Dragonpit in the city she hated so much it beggared belief. To be honest, Visenya never would be in this wretched place if she did not have to help her brother, King Aegon. It was only because of him that she would be here, sit on the Iron Throne and rule in his name when her younger brother was busy prancing his kingly status and black dragon to all those lords she would not care to even think of.
Dragonstone was where she would be, the island that was always her home, the home to the last of the dragonlords, no matter what Aegon said or did with this shithole of a city. Though she stayed here for a time, back when Rhaenys lived. Nights of love, passion, and fun. It wouldn't do her much good to dwell on those memories now. Once her sister died, she left and had no intention of ever living in the city again, especially once she had her own son to look after on Dragonstone. But now that son grew older and much like his father he too wanted to live in the capital, with knights and lordlings frolicking around him and once again she had to be here just so she could see him and protect him, her dear son, her Maegor. Honestly, she had tried to avoid this for as long as possible. It was why she never took Maegor with her on her trips to this city. She feared that he would want to stay here, and then she would have to as well. And at last, all she had been fearing came to take place, during the wedding of her nephew with the Velaryon girl her son became enamored with the court and once it was over there was no way he would have liked the solitude of Dragonstone.
The city that Aegon was building was slowly coming together. When they first landed their dragons here more than two decades before, the place had only broken stones and overgrown ruins all scattered around the three hills that were named after them. Atop Aegon's High Hill, the Aegonfort rose from the ground, a ramshackle fortress of earth and wood that was downright torturous compared to Dragonstone. The fort was quickly set up and when Aegon finalized his conquest and was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms, a new town grew fast around the Aegonfort.
King's Landing, the town was called which soon became a city before a decade of their rule surpassing the ancient Andal cities of White Harbor and Gulltown. Trade shifted from Duskendale and Maidenpool, and by now King's Landing had become the realm's third-largest city, behind only Oldtown and Lannisport. Their base-born brother, Orys had called upon the guilds of Dragonstone to help them make this unplanned mess of a city liveable while he served as the new hand of her brother. Even after he left the construction continued, as Ser Osmund Strong completed the city walls and seven gates not all that long ago.
Aegon himself had also ordered the construction of the two remaining hills. The Sept of Remembrance sat on the hill named after her sister and it was ordered after Rhaenys's death. The Sept was almost complete and waiting to be consecrated by the High Septon himself. How that stout half-wit would consecrate the sept without moving here annoyed her to no end. Visenya would prefer to have someone so influential in close proximity if only to threaten to take him, hostage. Then there was the behemoth of a building that sat atop the hill named after herself. Aegon ordered this building to begin construction just after the conquest was complete. She still remembered his words "We will be here for the foreseeable future, the dragons will need a proper home" It made her want to scoff.
Queen Visenya was suddenly jerked away from her thoughts by a particularly horrid stench. She hated this damn city. Everything about it was terrible, especially this fucking smell. Orys had ordered a great public bath be built in the city and its foundations were laid but with him gone and Aegon focusing on his own two projects and the walls, it had been largely neglected. There were only so many laborers to make this city. And thus the absence of proper drainage meant the entire city reeked of piss and shit. The only thing that she hated more than the stench of this city was the court of the kingdom she fought to create.
"There are no secrets in King's Landing," was a saying that was getting passed around more and more often. She was inclined to agree because the whispersreturned. They were not the exact same, the previous whispers were about herself, how she was apparently barren, and that after Aenys died she would be set aside as queen, and Aegon would take another wife. She scoffed at the idea, she had been married for over two decades at the time but the point about her being barren was what really got to her. The whisperswere silenced when her perfect son was born, but now she had to suffer them once more.
Now they regarded her niece. Rhaena, Alyssa named her. An obvious attempt at earning Aegon's favor, as if she did not already have it. Aegon loved Aenys more than anything in the world, more than herself, even more than their deceased sister, and more than his other son as well. Though she could not entirely blame her for the name, after she got a good look at the babe, she really did have Rhaenys's eyes. It was surreal, she was happy to see the eyes again and she loathed them. Her relationship with Rhaenys was very complex. A mixture of jealousy and love. Now she saw her once again, just writ small. What was even worse was the whispers that surrounded the girl.
The leeches and rats that hovered around the power in King's Landing had already begun murmuring to each other. "Who was Prince Aenys's heir?" "Who will succeed Prince Aenys?" "Where is Prince Maegor in the succession?" The gossip made her want to kill something, kill the whole lot of them. Obviously, her son was above the infant girl. He was a prodigy in the yard, the wonder of the realm. He was so skilled that Ser Gawen had started pitting him against the seasoned men at the arms of the Aegonfort. Her son was still throwing these men around no differently compared to the unfortunate squires Ser Gawen found before. They were calling her son the most gifted swordsman in generations. Yet they thought that Rhaena would succeed her nephew before her own beloved son. The only thing stopping Visenya was the local Westerosi succession customs. Dragonstone's own laws were never codified since most of the time succession in Valyria was solved by marriage between the eldest male and female claimants.
She had spent the last moon trying to figure out how to help her son. She knew he would be a perfect king, she had groomed him so. A skilled swordsman at just one and ten and already years ahead in his education with the maester, he was touted as a prodigy not seen in generations. He should sit on Aegon's throne. He could carry the burden Aegon carries and ensure the future of the realm. He could certainly do it better than his weak-willed brother or the weak children Aenys would surely sire upon his lady wife.
…
Visenya resolved to implement her plan, it would not be a permanent solution however, it would silence the damn whispers for the time being and resolve another issue. She decided to implement her plan at a family dinner. These happened a lot more often, more so than even when Rhaenys was alive. They would all gather in one of the more private areas of the Aegonfort or in Aenys's manse and they would all sit down and eat together. Visenya would have found it relaxing if her son bothered to show up more. He was spending more and more time with his friends at court. Though he did show up today, ' good, his presence will make Aegon more amenable to my request, ' She thought with reassurance. They were all in attendance, her husband, her son, and her nephew and his family. Even the subject of debate was present today, Rhaena herself.
"Husband, I would like to make a proposal," Visenya began her plan in earnest, the food had been here for some time and people were in a jovial mood.
"What would your proposal be, dear wife?" The entire table was now paying attention to her. Maegor was speaking with Aenys about something or other and Alyssa was playing with her daughter Rhaena but now all eyes were on her. Especially Aegon, she rarely called him husband, normally only when she wanted him to listen to her. She normally called him Aegon in private and Brother in public to annoy the fat slobs of the faith.
"I would like to propose a betrothal for my son, Maegor," That caught Maegor's attention and he looked down towards his feet, clearly embarrassed about the subject. She smiled a small smile at that, she was not exactly thrilled with her marriage either but she got over it, and so will her son. It also reminded her of her son's age. He acted much older than his one and ten name days but in his heart, he was still a boy.
"And who would you propose for his betrothal?"
"I would propose a match between Maegor and Rhaena."
"What?!" Alyssa said instantly but the rest of the table went completely silent. Maegor was pale as a ghost and Aenys went slack-jawed. Aegon got a dark look in his eyes.
"I would say this match doesn't hold any merit, Your Grace!" Alyssa said in a very bitter tone and Visenya could not understand why. Her son was the most eligible bachelor in the realm. He would be a renowned warrior, rides a formidable dragon, and is very quick of wit, so much so that the maesters were running out of things to teach him. From every point of view, Maegor was the best match in the entire realm.
"And why would you reject this match, Alyssa?" Visenya asked with narrowed eyes. She could not understand why she would be against the match. Rhaena was the most logical bride for Maegor.
"For one, Rhaena is too young! She is not even a year old!"
"Not really an argument Alyssa, older men marry younger women all the time, and their age gap is certainly not the worst that I have heard of."
"And what of my next babe? I may have failed to give my husband a son with my first babe but I am confident with my second. Should Rhaena not marry her younger brother? As you did with your own younger brother?" Alyssa had been growing more confident ever since her marriage. Visenya found her new confidence irritating, it reminded her of Lord Aethan, he often spoke above his station, and he used their familial connection as a shield against punishment.
" If you have a son, could he not also marry a younger sibling you are no doubt going to give my nephew? As my husband did?" Visenya spit back.
She turned to Aegon then. "Rhaena is the best candidate for marriage with my son. It is Valyrian tradition to wed brother to sister. When there are no siblings available a cousin, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew is not uncommon. There are no more Velaryons to call upon for marriage so cousins are out of the picture, Rhaena is the best possible candidate with our traditions." Aegon's eyes were dark and Visenya knew he was weighing the options in his mind.
"Is it not also tradition to marry the eldest siblings? When our son is born, he should marry Rhaena, as Targaryen traditions call for."
"Rhaena has no siblings as of now and you cannot guarantee a son, thus she should marry Maegor." Visenya was getting really tired of Alyssa's tirade.
"Your Grace, I would deny this match!" Alyssa practically was begging Aegon now. Aenys and Maegor were both silent, unable or unwilling to butt into this conversation.
"Husband, this is the best choice," she responded and Aegon hit the table with a thump.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Aegon suddenly roared and silenced the entire table "You are all dismissed, this will be discussed later." Aegon dismissed them all and Visenya was shocked. What was there to think about, her son would need a wife, and Rhaena was the best option that kept with their traditions. ' Has he gone mad? ' she could only wonder as she left the dining area.
…
A sennight or so later, after a certain letter with a seven-pointed seal came from Oldtown and Aenys was cowed by his wife into rejecting the match, Aegon came out with his decision, he denied the match between Rhaena and Maegor, and Visenya felt humiliated to say the least. It reminded her of that damn letter from Dorne, the letter that nearly destroyed their marriage. After Rhaenys died they were closer than ever, united in their grief for their beloved sister. They exacted a terrible vengeance upon Dorne, she burned dozens of castles on her own and put several towns to the torch. Yet after all of that, when they were so close to getting Dorne to bend the knee, he gave them everything they wanted. Worst of all, he would not tell her what was in the letter, she felt betrayed beyond belief.
She moved to Dragonstone in protest, to be with her son, she was planning on staying there but she could not let the kingdom fall apart, or her sister's death would mean nothing, so she returned. Now when he humiliated her once more it only made what Visenya already knew in her heart to be true more clear, Aegon cared little for her or her son, he favored Aenys in all things. To the point of sabotaging his own son's future.
She did not openly protest, for she had no real grounds to. If Alyssa really wished to insult her and throw Maegor's future away then she would pay her back in time. Visenya would just need to find another bride. She had made an agreement with Aegon long ago that she would be the one to decide Maegor's marriage, and as the boy's mother, it was her job to find her son a worthy match. All was not lost, however. There was precedent from the Lords of Dragonstone to look upon for inspiration, when there was no eligible relative or Dragonlord then a Valyrian woman of high prestige or wealth could be picked. Maegon Targaryen wed a Lyseni noblewoman for instance. It would dilute their dragon blood a little but it would be better than marrying an Andal, First Man, or gods forbid a Rhoynar. There were some candidates in Westeros and plenty more across the Narrow Sea, she could no doubt get a good bride for her son. At least, that was her plan before her brother decided to humiliate her further.
…
She attended a feast roughly a sennight following Aegon's decision, he was celebrating the completion of the Sept of Remembrance. ' Hopefully, the workers will be shifted to other projects and this city might finally stop smelling so terrible, ' Visenya thought idly. There was to be a huge celebration, singing, dancing, a tourney was going to be held. All to please the faith and celebrate a damned sept being built, Visenya found it all ridiculous.
Aegon always gave the faith too much attention in Visenya's opinion. They were a dangerous sect of Westeros and Aegon gave them many favors. It was no secret that the faith detested the incestuous marriages that were the tradition of the forty Dragonlord families for millennia. The High Septon did not speak about it publicly, likely fearing Aegon's wrath, but some of his underlings spoke in hushed tones. There was no possibility that Aegon did not hear these but he must have had some plan. Her brother was many things but a fool he was not.
Then, her husband decided that her private humiliation was not sufficient. Aegon quieted the hall and rose to speak. It meant that he had an important thing to say.
"I would like to make an announcement," Aegon said with a smile on his face.
"I would like to announce the betrothal of my son, Prince Maegor Targaryen to Lady Ceryse Hightower!" Aegon roared and there was a rochus cheer throughout the hall. Visenya was speechless, ' Aegon would deny me even the right to find a bride for my son?! ' Visenya thought with a righteous fury as she observed the hall. There were many very happy cheers, particularly from Aenys and his burgeoning family. There were some less enthusiastic cheers and she spotted only one other person not cheering. Her son Maegor, she smiled at the observation, despite the overwhelming rage overtaking her. ' Aegon may be a fool, but my son is not, ' Visenya thought with a wicked smile.
…
She decided she would confront Aegon later in his chambers. She could have confronted him then and there, seeing him flounder in front of his beloved vassals would have been glorious but she had her own son to think about. She cared little and less for how the court viewed her, hells if she had her way she would live on Dragonstone full time. However, now she had her son to worry about. Her son would need a good reputation in the future, she would rather not tarnish it before he got himself off the ground. So before Aegon went to bed she entered his chambers. The Kingsguard dared not stop her, not that they could have, hells she picked most of them herself.
"Visenya" Aegon seemed surprised to see her as she practically kicked down the door but he was not fearful, yet. ' So he is a fool, ' Visenya thought. She would make him know her wrath. She was fuming the entire time after he declared his damned decision and was just waiting to corner him.
"Why was I not consulted?"
"About what?"
"About my son's betrothal you miserable ingrate!" Visenya roared. This was a long time coming. They delayed a proper argument by separating themselves. Now it was time to lift the pot, no more kicking it down the road.
"What is your objection? Lady Ceryse is a perfect match!"
"How?! Explain to me your reasoning little brother, " she would not hold back here. The last time they argued was the damned Dornish letter. People would whisper but she did not care, not anymore.
"Ceryse Hightower is one of the most eligible bachelorettes in the Kingdom. From a fabulously wealthy family which commands immense power in the Reach and her family has close ties with the Faith. A marriage between Maegor and Ceryse would ensure their loyalty for the future."
"Ceryse is ten years older than Maegor! By the time he can marry, she would already be five and twenty! How likely is she to give my son any worthy children?"
" Our son is only one and ten yet he looks four and ten, he can marry younger than normal. He will marry in two years."
"At three and ten?! Have you gone mad!? I feared it but it seems that my brother's mind has been rotted by this city of shit."
"Did you come here to insult me or to talk, Visenya?" Aegon was displeased but she was not done.
"Ceryse Hightower is not a good match, I will never accept it."
"Unfortunately for you, dear sister, I have the final say in this. I am the head of the house."
"So you forgot our promise years ago too? Age must have rotted your wits just as much as this shithole."
"I promised you a say in his marriage, yet I am making the decision as it is the best possible match, I will take your opinion into account but he will wed Lady Ceryse."
"She meets none of the requirements for our traditions! We are not related to their family in any way. There is no dragon blood in her family going back thousands of years, not one marriage. She is not even Valyrian! Have you forgotten all of our traditions!"
"Traditions are secondary to the future of the realm, the kingdoms must be united sister, lest all we fought so hard for will disappear into a sea of snow."
"You upheld our traditions for Aenys! Why is Maegor different?"
"Aenys had an eligible Velaryon to marry, and they hold many benefits aside from their relation to us. They are a very wealthy and powerful family in their own right."
"My son had an eligible Targaryen to marry yet you denied him even that."
"You are a fool if you think the marriage to my granddaughter could ever work. She will marry her younger brother and the succession will be secured."
"So you deny even his right to marry a Valyrian woman? As our traditions so clearly dictate?"
"Given our circumstances, setting aside our traditions to ensure the loyalty of our lords is the more intelligent play, would you have me snub the lords who hold my realm together for a marriage to a lower lord? Or a foreigner? Or gods forbid a wealthy commoner?"
"As opposed to this hag you have lined up for my son? Tell me Aegon, why is she an unmarried maiden at one and twenty? Even I was married off at seven and ten yet she is one and twenty and unwed? The Hightowers are planning something and you are too blind to see it. Besides, our dragons keep our realm together and you would sentence your grandchildren by Maegor to lose our ability to ride them."
"Perhaps the Hightowers were expecting a royal match, like I said earlier they are a prestigious and rich house. You are paranoid, what would their plan even be with Lady Ceryse? Regarding our blood, you speak in hyperbole, a marriage or two outside of Valyrian families will not damage our power, our blood is strong."
"Yet the fact you you are willing to take the chance makes it clear, that Maegor is MY SON, you have clearly shown to care little for him."
Aegon hit the table with a thump, "You dare claim I do not love my son!? You act like this choice is out of malice but clearly your sight is too narrow. I want my sons to grow up in a realm of peace! We slaughtered tens of thousands of people for this throne. I do not want my sons to share the same fate!"
"You neglected your son for ten years and now wish to be a father? Do not make me laugh Aegon, that chance has passed you by, you are merely fooling yourself. You care about Aenys above all else, to the point of barely speaking with Maegor. You ignored him in favor of sitting on your damned throne or touring your disgusting barbarian kingdoms. So be it Aegon, if you truly care so little for your son's future then do not call him your son at all."
"Neglect?! Surely you have not forgotten your words to me after Rhaenys passed. Yet you blame me for you hiding on Dragonstone?!"
"I wish you had never come to Dragonstone." With that last punch to the gut, Visenya turned on her heel and left the room. Aegon thinks he has ultimate control but she is Visenya Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, rider of Vhagar, and eldest living Dragonlord. Aegon will rue this day, she will solve this problem without his help. If Aegon wants to sell out his son for his kingdom then so be it, he could rule his damn kingdom without her help