The Royal Dining Hall at Maegor's Holdfast
Success! The prince had noticed her.
"My name is Alice Hightower, Your Highness," she said, intentionally adding a light accent to "Hightower."
"My mother—Daisy Florent, from the Florent family of Brightwater Keep…"
But a cold voice cut her off.
"I asked for your name."
"I did not ask about your parents."
"Are you planning to tell me the name of the dish?"
"You still find this interesting?"
The pledges of these families…
"Enough." Aemond had no interest in conversing with this girl who fancied herself clever.
"Set the pudding aside and leave."
Alice's smile froze. She opened her mouth, and the light shimmering in her blue eyes was for once genuine astonishment and embarrassment. She could not believe that her carefully planned encounter ended with such understated disdain.
Finally, she bit her lower lip, carefully placed the dessert in the center of the table, bent her knees, executed a flawless curtsy, and quietly left the hall.
When the door closed, Alicent exhaled heavily and rubbed her temples.
"I intended her to serve as an ordinary maid nearby, observing for a few days," she murmured.
Alice, clearly, desired to follow in Alicent's path—become a servant close to the royal family, win favor with beauty and cunning, and perhaps, eventually, rise among them.
Aemond's heart stirred with a mixture of admiration and indescribable loss.
At that moment, a rustle came from a corner.
Helaena heard it first. She turned, her violet eyes fixed on the source—a shadow between the buffet and the wall.
"What is that sound?"
It came again, clearer: a sharp scraping, like a fingernail across wood, accompanied by a faint squeak.
Helaena's eyes widened. She clenched her spoon and leaned forward. A small gray mouse, its fur glossy, thin tail twitching, eyes bright, darted across the floor and vanished beneath the tablecloth beside her chair.
"Ah!" Helaena squeaked, hastily standing on the chair, bracing herself with her feet.
The sudden motion tipped a crystal glass of water across the table.
Crash!
Water splashed everywhere as the cup rolled and shattered.
Alicent, startled, quickly regained her composure and embraced her daughter's trembling shoulders.
"It's alright, Helaena. It's only a mouse—it has run off," she soothed gently, patting her daughter's back.
The door swung open. Alice entered first, followed quickly by two other maids.
"Are there really mice in the hall?" Alicent said coldly.
"This is the queen's residence! This is where the Targaryens dine!"
"I… I don't know what happened with the mouse…" Alice stammered.
"Not know?" Alicent snapped, restraining her anger. "Is that the explanation you offer? You don't know?"
"And what if it were a venomous snake today?" Alice faltered.
"And if the mouse bit Princess Helaena? Can you shirk responsibility simply because you didn't know?"
The maids remained on the floor, heads bowed, afraid to raise their eyes.
Aemond observed quietly, his face barely changing at the mention of "mouse." Yet, in his violet eyes, a subtle undertone flickered.
Damn… the filth, the creatures that thrive in the shadows…
Yet sometimes, the most unpleasant things require attention.
Two names flashed in his mind, carrying blood and stench: "Blood and Cheese."
He cast a glance at Helaena.
Her life should not be this way. She had been innocently drawn into a whirlpool of cruelty. Observing children beaten and slaughtered had crushed him before—he had once leapt from Maegor's Holdfast in despair.
He released Helaena and turned to the second son's mother.
"I am only thinking… the sanitation of the Red Keep must be properly organized. If a mouse can reach Maegor's dining hall, it can reach anywhere."
He paused.
"This is no trivial matter."
A middle-aged man stepped forward—kind-faced, neatly combed gray hair, short trimmed beard, dressed in a dark brown wool uniform bearing the three-headed Targaryen dragon.
"Your Grace, Your Highness the Prince, Your Highness the Princess," he said, bowing respectfully.
"I am Gyles Crosby. I heard the commotion and came to investigate. What has occurred?"
Gyles Crosby, second son of House Crosby, had been appointed governor of the royal household after Viserys I's ascension. Known for loyalty, efficiency, and strictness, he maintained order in the Red Keep and enjoyed the king's trust.
"There was a rat in the hall, which frightened Helaena," Alicent said.
Gyles's brow furrowed. He crouched, inspecting the corner, then approached the curtain to investigate.
Rising, his expression grew serious.
"Your Grace, this is indeed an unforgivable oversight. Go and summon the head cook and steward immediately—I shall see them within the hour."
"By dawn tomorrow, every corner of Maegor's Holdfast—every single corner—must be thoroughly cleaned. All food storage areas shall be fitted with double iron mesh, and fresh powder scattered in every nook. Call the rat-catchers as well. Find the best in King's Landing to examine the drains and secret passages for nests."
"You have overseen the Red Keep for many years; you know of its secret passages, do you not?" Aemond asked.
Gyles looked at the prince and replied cautiously,
"Your Highness, I know little of these passages—they are twisted and devious. Only the rat-catchers have full knowledge."
Aemond's gaze sharpened.
"Were there ever two rat-catchers nicknamed Blood and Cheese?"
Gyles froze, sinking into memory. Silence filled the hall. Alicent looked on, puzzled.
After a moment, he spoke hesitantly,
"Blood and Cheese… yes, I recall. Four or five years ago, two men oversaw vermin in the dungeons and sewers. Skilled, clever… no rat could evade them. Yet… rumors persisted. Some claimed they occasionally stole royal supplies. I had them removed for caution."
He looked to Aemond, questioning.
"Why, Your Highness, do you suddenly ask about them?"
"They are low-born, untouchable by the world, with tainted reputations—not worthy of your attention," Aemond said, resuming his seat.
"Your Highness, they dwell in the most chaotic district of Flea Bottom, where fish and dragons mix. It may take effort to locate them. Even if found, should they enter the Red Keep… their past is uncertain."
"I shall have Ser Criston Cole accompany you," Aemond said decisively. "He knows the work—they can handle it."
Gyles hesitated, then bowed, accepting the command.
"As you wish, Your Highness. I will see it done."
He left the hall, glancing at the kneeling maids and motioning for them to retreat.