Maegor VI
25AC
My sword whistled as I swung it through the air. I hit the straw target but my sword sliced only a part of the target right off. ' Damn it, ' I thought with annoyance. I had been trying this exercise for the last half hour and I was still struggling to cut the damn thing in two.
It was kind of surreal swinging my new sword. I had seen it on my mother's hip for so long that I could hardly believe it was mine now. Back and forth I slashed but I couldn't find the right angle. The sword did not fit in my hands nicely and with how light it was I was struggling to properly damage my target.
Dark Sister was the second Targaryen Valyrian steel blade. Most houses did not have an ancestral Valyrian steel sword. Those that did normally had only one. It was a mark of pride and their origins as the last of the Forty that House Targaryen had two swords. Blackfyre was the sword Aenar the Exile brought with him from exile while his second wife Jaehaera Targaryen had wielded the sword Dark Sister until her death.
It made sense that she would wield it because this sword was meant for a woman's hand. Everything about the blade is slender. From the hilt to the pommel to the blade itself. If it were a normal sword it might even wobble when swung. It was only because of the otherworldly properties of Valyrian Steel that the blade was as rigid as a greatsword. Because it was designed for a woman's hand I struggled to find a grip that was comfortable for my large hands. As a result, I was far less versatile when using this blade than my mother was.
I basically had to completely retrain myself when it came to using this sword. It just felt wrong in my hand. Beyond feeling weird there was just something off about the blade. Like I could not swing it the way I wanted to through no fault of my own.
'I should ask Ser Gawen, he has Lady Forlorn. Maybe he has some advice for me,' I thought as I sheathed my stunning black blade. I was using my mother's old sheath, though I may order a new one for my own use. Dark Sister had gone through many, as time passed. The blade did not wither away but the rest of its accompaniments did.
"Ser Gawen!" I called him as he was finishing up his own morning training. I had gotten the habit from him. Train in the morning, go about your day, and then train again at night.
"Ah, Prince Maegor. How are you feeling, my prince?"
"Ser, I may no longer be your squire but I would like to ask for your advice once more."
"What do you need help with?" he said with a smile. I was formal at first for some fun but both of us cared very little for formalities. It was part of the reason I liked speaking with him.
"Do you have any advice for Valyrian Steel?"
"Hmm, oh you have Dark Sister now don't you."
"Yes, my mother gave it to me on Dragonstone."
Truth be told I was kind of expecting it, but I was still grateful all the same. I kind of expected her to do it more publicly but my mother cared little for theatrics. So she offered to fly me back and I got to arrive at the feast atop my dragon and I managed to avoid the sponge bath.
We landed on Dragonstone and I basically sprinted towards the baths. Even after taking off my armor I still reeked and I wanted nothing more than to clean myself. King's Landing not having running water for baths was tragic for me and Dragonstone was a wonderful reprieve.
After a short bath, I needed to get back to King's Landing so I could not stay on my wonderful island home as long as I wanted to. I moved towards my room with a quick pace and got dressed in finery. My mother had the servants prepare my outfit so we could leave quickly. After I got my clothes on and opened my door to leave she barged in and stopped me.
"We need to speak before we return."
"Pardon? What do we have to talk about?"
"I wanted to congratulate you on your victory over Ser Corlys. He is a formidable warrior."
"Thank you, Mother, it was touch and go for a while there," I said with a smile. That was without a doubt the most challenging fight I ever had. My mind was working faster than I thought possible trying to figure out a way to win. Eventually, the terrain gave me the chance I needed. It was where my abnormal strength came into play. I was quickly getting exhausted trudging through the mud but it also meant I did not sink into it. The mud sealed Ser Corlys's fate and I merely needed to disarm him.
"I agree, that is why you will take this," she said as she unclasped her sheathed sword and held it up in front of me.
"What? Are you sure?" I asked on instinct. I wanted the sword real bad but it was my mother's right now. Taking it felt weird.
"Yes you can, and you will. This sword is not tied to a single person. My father wielded this sword before me, his father before him, his father before him, and his mother before him, and Daenys the dreamer before her. This sword has been in our family even longer than your father's Blackfyre. Now I am giving it to you."
"I…"
"Your father gave you a knighthood and named you prince of this island. I can give you only this, take this sword, Maegor."
That proclamation really touched me. Same with receiving this island. I knew it held a special place in my mother's heart and it held one in mine too. I do not think my father giving me this island was part of her master plan but it was a welcome surprise. It was probably also the greatest olive branch my father could have offered save canceling my betrothal.
"Alright, mother. Thank you."
"Wield it to defend yourself, that will be thanks enough," she said with a huff and I smiled at the sight. My mother did not do well with sappy moments and her gruff demeanor told me all I needed to know.
"Now let us go, we have a feast to attend."
I clasped the sword to my belt and it felt oddly wrong at the time. It was hard to describe it, too heavy yet too light at once. I hoped that after I got back to King's Landing it would get better but it did not. Thus I was asking Ser Gawen.
"Hmm, what is your issue?"
"Something feels off with the sword. Like something is preventing me from using it how I want to."
"Hmm, yes I know your problem. You have used this sword before, yes?"
"Yes I have, I trained with it a few times on Dragonstone, why?"
"Did your mother not instruct you on its use?" he looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"No, she just sent me into the yard with it."
He chuckled to himself before he began speaking once more. "No wonder you are struggling. Valyrian Steel is different from normal weapons. You cannot use the weight of the blade as you so like to do, as the weapons are so much lighter. You do not need much force behind the blade, focus on getting it where it needs to go, not striking with all your might. The sword will do the rest of the work"
I could only stare at the hilt of my blade. I had been treating it as I did the old longswords I used to use. For those, I would lean into my abnormal strength. I was far too strong for a normal four and ten-year-old so it had influenced how I fought. I would swing with all my might and if a person was not felled by my strike then they would certainly be staggered. Thus giving me an opening. Now I needed to totally change up how I fought, ' This is going to take me some time. '
…
I had decided to call my training off for the rest of the day once I spoke with Ser Gawen. It would take more time to rework my sword style so I decided I would start with a fresh mind later in the evening.
"Maegor!" Aeron called me over before I could exit the yard. I ran over to him and Jasper, they were training earlier with Rayford but I could not join them due to my new sword. They had adopted the habits I learned from Ser Gawen's training. Namely waking up very early to train in silence.
"What is going on Aeron?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to ask you what Ser Gawen said. You were swinging at that target for a while."
"Just some advice for Valyrian Steel, Dark Sister is a completely different beast compared to my tourney sword."
"Why did you sell that by the way? The sword was very nice even with the chips in it from Seascale." Jasper cut in and I was relieved he was finally starting to get less formal with me. Formality was for the random lords I met at court, not my best friends.
"I did not need it anymore, I have a much better blade now," I said as I pat Dark Sister on its pommel. I had not figured it out yet but once I did I would surely be the greatest warrior I could be.
"Surely it would have sentimental value though? I mean it is the sword that got you your knighthood."
"Ehh, not really. I would rather not live in the past. Besides, I got a much prettier prize to remember my knighthood by," I said with a wicked smile. I was now one of the few warriors on the planet who wielded Valyrian Steel and I was pretty damn happy about it. It was a goal I had set out for myself in this life. Valyrian Steel was frankly cool as hell and I wanted a sword to call my own.
"I wonder if I will ever get Valyrian Steel?" Aeron asked himself while staring at the sky and I smiled. Valyrian Steel was the dream of every swordsman. It could decide a fight between two warriors of equal skill and my mother once vocalized the thoughts of nearly every swordsman. "A warrior worth their salt will wield Valyrian Steel," she once told me when I was young, she was hellbent on making me a warrior and it seemed she was successful.
"I mean there is always Seascale. Your father gave it to Ser Corlys, prove yourself a warrior and he may give it to you."
"Ah! You are right! Jasper, let's go! I demand a duel!"
I chuckled as they ran into the yard but I did not follow. I would have loved to toss them around for the next few hours but I decided a different course of action for today. I was going to go and observe a Small Council meeting.
…
The room in the Aegonfort where the small council met was adjacent to the Iron Throne. Holding meetings with my father on the enormous Iron Throne would just make it annoying and inefficient so the small council met in one of the adjacent rooms most days. It spoke to how pathetic the Aegonfort was that there was no dedicated room for small council meetings. I figured that after the Dragonpit was done my father would finally set about making a proper castle for his seat of power.
All the lords took their seats after my father, a sign of respect as he was their king. I sat next to my father, in the seat my mother traditionally occupied. While she had "made up" with my father and began working with him again she was still not attending every small council meeting. It irked my father but he was just glad she would sit on the throne again. He was already planning out a new progress to The Vale.
On the other side of my father was an empty seat. Aenys rarely attended these meetings. He cared little for the debates and arguments that would happen here and he preferred to spend the time with his family, friends, or me. For the few instances he did attend, he took the seat to my father's left.
I had been trying to get him more involved with politics but it was difficult. We held many private chats and we discussed Westeros in them frequently. The future of the Kingdom. What Aenys wanted to do when he was king. Unfortunately for me, Aenys was very skilled at veering the topic of conversation off-course but I resolved to work harder. I was going to help him rule one day. Not rule for him.
Next to Aenys's empty seat sat the Hand of the King, Ser Osmund Strong. He was a renowned warrior and close friend to Lord Edmyn Tully. He was named Hand of the King after Lord Edmyn Tully resigned the office to deal with his family troubles. Lord Edmyn must have painted one hell of a good picture of Ser Osmund as my father followed his last piece of advice and named him as his third hand.
He was a great fit for the job. Strong, loyal, and hardworking he was an inoffensive choice for the position and had served my father loyally for the last nine years. He was skilled enough to keep up with my father and mother and they were both supremely skilled sovereigns. Under his watch, the new walls around King's Landing had sprouted with haste and they would soon be completed. He was also the person who did the most to hold the court together when my mother decided to withdraw from her role.
Next to Ser Osmund was Lord Tion Tarbeck. He was the new Master of Coin appointed by my father after Lord Alton failed to pay the workers laboring at the Dragonpit. He was a well-connected lord from the Westerlands and had put the finances of the kingdom back together after they fell apart under his predecessor's poor work. He seemed loyal but he had made an enemy of Lord Aethan. Who sat to my right.
Aethan Velaryon, Lord of the Tides, and Master of Ships was a very powerful lord. Prior to my mother's actions, he held a death grip over the court. Lord Alton was his kin and so was Triston Massey. With the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard position already filled by his brother and his daughter being married to my brother, it looked like House Velaryon was untouchable.
This assumption was wrong however. My mother's refusal to act as sovereign had put Lord Aethan's coalition to the test and they were deemed incapable. Due to the skill of my father and my mother, they could largely get away with less skilled small council members in favor of loyalty. Once the sovereigns retreated from court their flaws became glaringly obvious. Lord Alton was dismissed the moment my father returned from the city and he let it be known he was looking for a new Master of Laws as well.
He found his new Master of Laws a little over a moon later in the elder brother of my betrothed. Lord Martyn Hightower, heir to Lord Manfred whom I met in Oldtown. We had shared a few words since he finally arrived in King's Landing. He was courteous, if a little distant. I suspected he was not totally happy with the match between me and his sister but he hid it well if that was how he felt.
Lord Martyn was new to the position like Lord Tion but just like his allied lord not unskilled. The Master of Laws was perhaps the least desirable position in the realm. Each Kingdom had its own set of laws regarding all manner of things. Punishments for crimes, tariffs on imported goods, rights of merchants and smallfolk, movement restrictions, and all manner of different laws from thousands of years of being separate kingdoms.
I did not envy lord Martyn but he seemed to take the work in stride. He had only been in the position for a few moons but he quickly acclimated to the roles of the position. My father privately told my mother that he was pleased with his performance.
Where there was essentially a coalition under the leadership of Lord Aethan before there were now two groups that quietly were competing. They did not appear outright hostile but there was some chill in the air and it was from more than the coming winter.
The sides of the table actually reflected the split between the counselors fairly well. So far as I knew there was a partnership between Ser Osmund, Lord Tion, and Lord Martyn. Which was originally made by Ser Osmund to break the coalition of Lord Aethan. He did not seem to have any enmity towards Lord Aethan before the replacement of Lord Alton but now it seemed so. He worked together with the newly appointed Lord Tion and pounced on the scathing criticism leveled by my mother at the small council. Luckily for Ser Osmund, he was competent enough for my mother's scathing remarks to mostly bounce off. He successfully got Lord Triston replaced by Lord Martyn but now Ser Osmund was scaling back his attacks against Lord Aethan and his allies. Meanwhile, Lord Tion and Lord Martyn were working closely to continue the assault. They set their sights on the Commander of the City Watch but they were unsuccessful in their goal of getting him dismissed, for now.
The position was currently held by my brother's friend, Ser Guy Lothson. He was appointed by my father a year or two ago when the last commander was killed by one of the disgruntled smallfolk in the slums that surrounded Visenya's hill. He was largely unaligned before the collapse of Lord Aethan's coalition, he was nominally a part of their group but the position held very little influence so he was largely ignored. The position only sprung into existence a few years ago when my father made them man the new walls of King's Landing. The efforts by Lord Tion and Lord Martyn had galvanized Ser Guy Lothson and he had thrown in his lot with the Velaryons.
The final member of the dwindling Velaryon coalition was the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Corlys Velaryon. His loyalty was not in question as he was Lord Aethan's brother so the other faction did not even try to attack him, not that they could. Kingsguard served for life.
I was a little worried he would hold some sort of grudge towards me but he did not. He congratulated me on my victory and he even gave me some advice after the match. He was perplexed by my willingness to drop my sword and he told me that gambling so frequently could be my undoing. I resolved to take his advice to heart, I had no trouble dropping my longswords but the idea of dropping Dark Sister into the mud felt wrong.
The final member of the small council was Grand Maester Gawen. He was supposed to not be aligned with either of the factions as a Maester but in truth, he was allied with Ser Osmund. From my few interactions with the old man he seemed kind but I could not help but feel a little suspicious. The Maester's freaked me out a little bit and the only one I had met so far that I liked was Maester Steffon back on Dragonstone, though he was already training a replacement so I doubted I would be able to enjoy his company for much longer.
I was the last to arrive at my seat and after I took it the meeting could begin in earnest. This would be my first small council meeting so I had high hopes.
"So, Ser Osmund, what do we have on the schedule today?" My father opened the field and now it was time to truly begin.
"Well, Your Grace. Mostly minor matters, some disputes between lords over territorial rights, river access being contested in the Riverlands, and finally there is word of a rampaging hedge knight in the Riverlands."
"Well, let us begin. Why are territorial disputes between lords making it all the way here?"
"They are in the Crownlands, Your Grace. House Crabb is contesting their overlord of House Celtigar, their tax collectors have been sent back empty-handed."
"That has not happened for years. Do we know why they did it?"
"There are rumors, Your Grace but most are tied to Lord Alton being removed. They think they can get away with not paying their taxes to their liege lord now that the house has apparently lost its royal favor." Lord Aethan put in his own two coppers. It meant that he was already watching the situation. My mother had warned me to not antagonize Lord Aethan and I could see why. Apparently, he had his fingers in many different pots.
"Hmm, what to do" My father was deep in thought and I once more realized that he was a good king. He was genuinely thinking about a problem that could be waved away with a sentence at most.
"What is there to do? Your Grace, with all due respect. They are skirting their taxes to their rightful lords. House Celtigar has been Lords of Crackclaw Point ever since they arrived on the island after their departure from Old Valyria."
"It is more complicated than that, my lord." Lord Martyn now took his time to speak. I have been looking into the different lords and their histories in the Crownlands and it seems that the lords of Crackclaw Point never swore fealty to Claw Isle. The Celtigars claim the title but was it ever awarded to them by royal decree, Your Grace?"
"No, I never signed such a document. I do not think either of my wives signed such a document either." There was a small silence after he said that but Lord Aethan quickly jumped back in.
"It matters not, they have been paying taxes ever since the conquest. It means that House Celtigar is their lord de facto, even if they were not granted the title."
"That matter is not so clear cut, Lord Aethan." Lord Tion spoke.
"The houses of Crackclaw Point have repeatedly shirked their taxes to House Celtigar. They have happily paid their taxes to the Crown but there have been repeated complaints by House Celtigar over the years on this exact subject, am I correct, Lord Strong?"
"I think I can recall another issue like this, though it has been a few years since that took place."
"Regardless, this has an easy solution, Your Grace, simply confirm the title House Celtigar has held for years. It will silence these petty squabbles once and for all and they will stop troubling this council."
"There is another solution, Your Grace. The many houses of Crackclaw Point are lords, and have been lords ever since they bent their knees to the River Kings of Old. They are not knights sworn to a new house but houses sworn directly to Your Grace. They bent their knees to Queen Visenya during the Conquest and have been naught but loyal ever since. Should they not be rewarded for such loyalty? You could make it clear that the lords of Crackclaw Point are sworn directly to the crown. Not to some other lord, Your Grace." Ser Osmund spoke and I was reminded of the feud between Lord Aethan and Ser Osmund. They had grown increasingly less cooperative ever since Lord Alton left.
"That would be a gross insult to House Celtigar, which has also been nothing but loyal ever since before the conquest, Your Grace."
"Hmm," my father looked deep in thought and clasped his hands together in thought.
"What say you Maegor? What do you think of this situation?" He suddenly turned to me and asked.
"Uhh, I am not sure. Both are loyal vassals to the crown. Would it not be a punishment either way?"
"Such are the difficulties of ruling, my prince." Ser Osmund responded and I was reminded how informal these meetings were. There was still etiquette but the strict speaking order was largely laxed to facilitate easier conversation and debate.
"Did the houses of Crackclaw Point ever bend the knee to House Celtigar?" This was where I would decide, anyone could be threatened into paying taxes, but if they did not bend their knee then they were not their vassals.
"There are conflicting reports, some lords have over the centuries but the region has always been desolate and in flux, but there are clear reports that tax collectors from Claw Isle have regularly been sent back home empty-handed, my prince." Grand Maester Gawen then stepped in and I realized then and there that I did not like his voice. It was quiet and calm, eerily calm.
"If they did not bend their knee then they are not their vassals. To impose such a thing on them would be cruel, I think" I made my decision but I was not one hundred percent. House Celtigar was loyal and a fellow Valyrian house but they also held no real control over the region. 'If the lords there did not consider them their liege then why should we force it upon them?' were my thoughts as my father seemed to finalize his decision.
"All of you make sound points, still House Celtigar is a loyal and storied vassal of my house. As such I would not strip them of their titles without due compensation. Lord Tion, lower their taxes due to us for the next ten years, also lower their merchant's duties in King's Landing for a period of five and ten years. In return, they will give up their claim and no longer try to tax the lords of Crackclaw Point who bent their knee to my sister. If they are vassals of anyone aside from me it would be her." He said the last part with a smile but the message was clear. They were the direct vassals of the crown. Just like Houses Velaryon, Darklyn, and Rosby.
"Very well, Your Grace." Lord Tion dipped his head and the decision was settled. Lord Aethan looked displeased but at least House Celtigar was not completely humiliated.
"Now you said there was trouble with Riverlords? I was just there a few years ago, are these troubles new?" He turned towards Ser Osmund once more.
"Yes, Your Grace. The Mallisters have asked us to intervene in their troubles with House Frey."
"Which are?"
"The Freys claim that the Mallisters should pay taxes for the usage of the Green Fork but the Mallisters deny needing to pay a tax."
"Are the Mallisters trying to cross the Green Fork?"
"Not to my knowledge, Your Grace. They are merely using it for trade, sailing from Saltpans to Frey Territory and then over land to Seagard is closer and cheaper than all the way around Westeros. Especially with all the piracy in the Stepstones."
"Then tell the Freys to stop trying. They are allowed to collect tolls for their bridges. Not the river."
"As you say, Your Grace." Ser Osmund bowed his head and I was once more surprised by my father. I figured he would go through the whole song and dance again but he came to the decision in an instant. 'He certainly is not a one note ruler' I thought with a smile. My relationship with my father was a bit strange after my betrothal, with him flagrantly disregarding my apprehension, but I still tried to keep a good relationship with him. My mother was furious with him but I was more upset than furious.
"You said there was one more thing, yes? I would like to wrap this up quickly, I wish to see my grandchildren before they are put down for their afternoon nap." My father looked excited. He visited my niece and nephew quite often, he spent much of his days with them after my mother rejoined court.
"That would be the hedge knight correct?" Lord Aethan jumped in.
"Yes, my lord. A hedge knight is harrying the smallfolk of the Riverlands."
"So why are we hearing of this? He is breaking the King's Peace. The local lord should have him killed, why is the issue here?" I shared his confusion, this sounded more like a local issue rather than something the Iron Throne should get involved in.
"You see, my lord." Ser Osmund sounded displeased. "The local lords did dispatch a hunting party. Lord Jamie Deddings and Lord Joffrey Wayn were killed by the knight and his hunting party was destroyed."
The silence of the council was deafening. If a lord was killed it was a serious matter. A professional force led by a lord should not have been destroyed by a hedge knight.
"How did this happen?" My father's eyes were dark. His vassals had been killed by this man and he wanted answers.
"According to the rumors the hedge knight has gotten both a following and a likely accurate epithet. There are a few smallfolk armed with stolen weapons following him according to rumors. The people are calling him the Giant of the Trident.."
"Organize a hunting party of willing knights. Also, let the lords in the region know to keep an eye out. I want him found fast and done away with. I will not let this hedge knight trouble my vassals and smallfolk." He told Ser Corlys to organize the party and the Grand Maester to notify the lords. They all had their clear jobs and it made delegating much easier.
After my father's proclamation all of the other members of the council rose from their seats. The meeting was over and they had tasks to attend to. Meanwhile, all I could think about were the smallfolk being terrorized and the dark look in my father's eyes. ' Shit, ' I thought before I mustered my nerves. I turned to look at my sword before I decided to speak. "Father, may I accompany this hunting party?" The entire table was still shocked and my father turned to me.
"Pardon? Maegor you are not even four and ten, you need not do this."
"I disagree, father. You yourself knighted me. I swore to defend those who cannot defend themselves and to protect all women and children. The smallfolk of the Riverlands can not defend themselves and many of them are women and children. I swore to be a knight. How can I call myself such if I do not help."
I did not really know what I was doing but I felt the need to do something. I had been cooped up for so long in King's Landing and on Dragonstone. Training and Training and Training, all for a chance like this, a chance to get my name out there and start my legend proper. Plus, I was a little embarrassed to admit but I was hoping to maybe inspire some change. If I was an exemplary knight maybe some others would follow in my footsteps. I was far from the throne but with a little luck and a lot of effort I could start changing Westeros for the better.
My little impromptu speech seemed to strike home with my father and he sighed after a long pause he responded. "Very well, I will let your mother know. The hunting party will depart for Saltpans before marching north along The Trident. You will depart for Harrenhal today and get acquainted with the terrain and begin searching."
I bowed my head to my father and I could only thank him. I wanted a chance to prove myself beyond the tourney ground. This chance to help people was exactly what I needed.
…
I was in my room preparing my armor and I could only marvel at it. ' The smiths of Dragonstone certainly earned their fame, ' I thought with a smile from ear to ear. My tourney armor was deliberately ordered to be as unassuming as possible, no fancy dragon markings or adornments. It was ordered in secret so dragon markings would have ruined the surprise.
I was shocked at how deep my mother's scheming was. She did not even explain her entire plan to me as I only realized afterwards that my mother always intended to goad my father into knighting me. I was under the assumption Ser Gawen would do so after the Tournament, or perhaps a Kingsguard. Yet I was told to kneel then and there and I rose as a knight.
I sold my old set of armor along with all the other sets I had earned throughout the tourney. Selling Kingsguard armor was not allowed so I just got a cash payout from my victories over Ser Raymont and Ser Corlys. I worked up a healthy supply of coins and I was going to order a nice set of armor to replace my boring one from the tourney. So I sold it on the burgeoning Street of Steel and was going to order another before my father stopped me.
After Father learned of Mother giving me Dark Sister, he custom ordered a beautiful set of armor from the most experienced blacksmith on Dragonstone. It took nearly a full day to get all the details ironed out but now my armor was sitting before me. I would need to put it on myself as I was lacking a squire who would normally help in such duties. ' I really need to get one, I may be young but I am still a knight, ' I thought as I picked up the gorgeous chestplate.
Squires were important and my choice could be a serious help towards my mother's plans. I was not blind to see how she was raising me up as high as she could. My marriage was her main goal right now but she was also trying her damndest to raise me up. Any squire I take could be a chance to pay back a favor from one of my mother's few allies over the last two years.
The chestplate was the same dark gray, almost black steel as my tourney chestplate but it now had some rather distinctive decorations. Namely was the three-headed dragon of my house made of rubies that were dead center of the piece. It was stunning and likely cost a small fortune on its own.
As I slipped the chestplate over my head I looked at the other pieces of my armor. It was much harsher looking than my old armor. My previous armor was very plain-looking and had many rounded edges. The greaves and pauldrons and pieces over my forearms on my new armor had sharp edges and gave off a threatening look. I was also given a black cape with my house's red three-headed dragon sewn into it. It was beautifully laid out on my bed and as I was slipping it on my mother suddenly burst into my room.
"Maegor!" she yelled and I jolted from my trance. ' She looks mad, ' I thought with a wince.
"Yes, mother?"
"What is this I hear of you going to go fight in the Riverlands?"
"A hedge knight is causing trouble there. I am going to put an end to his terror." I finished attaching my cape and lifted my helmet and held it under my left arm. This talk was not going to be easy, I would just have to be blunt.
"Why do you care? Are you seeking glory? You have no reason to do this."
"I care because I swore an oath mother, I swore to defend those who can not defend themselves. I intend to keep my oaths." That was the only way I could really describe my feelings, it was also a bit of a white lie. I was in fact seeking glory, though not totally for its own sake. Sitting on my hands seemed wrong.
My mother snorted and it seemed I struck a nerve. "What utter horse shit, oaths are not so unshakeable, knights sack towns and rape smallfolk no different from men at arms."
"I intend to be a different sort of knight, I will uphold my oaths." I guess this was my goal right now. To become an exemplary knight. It sounded dumb in my head but I felt like I had to do something. I guess I must have valued my own oath more than my mother valued oaths.
She narrowed her eyes and then sighed like my father did when I relayed my wish.
"Very well, if you wish to go fight in the Riverlands go ahead, do as you wish. However, you will swear an oath to defend yourself first, you are certainly more valuable than any unwashed peasant." I was once more reminded that my mother was smart, wickedly so. It took her an instant to turn my own words around on me.
"I swear I will prioritize my own life. But when two oaths conflict which takes precedence?" I wanted her opinion. Mostly because I did not really know what I was doing right now.
"Whichever keeps you safe." She narrowed her eyes at my question and I smiled. She had been quite protective over my childhood. Sheltering me on Dragonstone away from interacting with all the different lords of the mainland. Ever since I arrived here she had grown less worried about my health, throwing me at men at arms and knights but she still cared. Her concern here proved it to me.
"Very well, I promise to stay safe, I will not take any risk that would put my life at serious risk."
She narrowed her eyes further but then sighed. "I know you will, I just had to make sure your mind was not poisoned by the foolish idea of self-sacrifice. If I hear that you died defending the smallfolk you will not escape my wrath, even in death." Her threat was not said seriously but I still started sweating. My mother did not tell many lies and I could tell even with her lighter-hearted tone she was not kidding.
"Well then, I must get going. I told the Dragonkeepers to saddle Terrax not long ago. I do not want to keep my dragon waiting."
"I agree, goodbye Maegor. I will await your return." She turned to leave and I could not help but feel like something changed. I had spent so much time listening to all of my mother's wishes and commands. Making decisions, real ones, on my own was both interesting and worrying. I did not have someone looking over my shoulder constantly anymore. I had to make my own decisions and live with the consequences. After a long pause, I placed my helmet on my head and exited the room. ' It is time to hunt a giant, ' I thought with a little excitement