[Chapter Size: 2400 Words.]
Third Person POV.
King's Landing.
...
...
Aegon stared in disbelief at the parchment that had just fallen into his hand. A strangely shaped raven had come to him unnoticed; after all, Aegon doubted his guards would allow a raven to enter his tent.
Though cautious, Aegon approached the bird, which showed its leg with the parchment tied to it, and he removed it.
He opened the parchment and began to read:
[Your queen, queen of the Seven Kingdoms, is having secret meetings in the gardens of Storm's End, every night at the hour of the wolf, with Eric Storm.
Robert's bastard is taking advantage of the queen in the king's absence.]
Although it seemed like mockery in the final line, Aegon read it merely as a warning message.
"No... She wouldn't do this to me. With a bastard?" he murmured, incredulous.
He might have married her for political alliances, but she was receiving something in return as well! She would be queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Would she betray him like this? He could not believe what he was reading.
"...Is having secret meetings...", he repeated, staring at the words.
He did not think twice. He tucked the parchment away and strode out of the tent, while Ser Harlan, his Kingsguard, greeted him quickly.
"My king, do you need anything?" Ser Jorah Mormont asked.
"Come. Let us go to Varys," was the only thing Aegon said, and the bear nodded, though he noticed Aegon seemed somewhat unsettled.
He crossed the camp with firm steps, heading toward his spy's tent, who at that moment was listening to a soldier with him and analyzing some information that was constantly arriving.
"Varys!" he exclaimed, entering without asking permission.
The eunuch and the soldier looked at the king and lowered their heads.
"I want to speak with you in private." Aegon ordered.
The soldier quickly left the tent, while Varys watched, curious. His nephew seemed nervous.
"I received this," Aegon said, showing the paper.
Varys took the parchment and began to read, frowning.
"This can only be from him? You recognize that man's handwriting... The raven... did you kill it?" Varys asked immediately, already imagining the animal might have been controlled by someone.
"You think it is the bastard? That raven came straight to me..." Aegon said.
"My king, it has already been proven that he has powers beyond the ordinary. Besides magic, he can also control animals. I have researched that in the North there were ancient magics in the blood of the First Men, people who could do this, control animals. The Starks killed the warg kings and married their daughters. It is very possible that he has this ability to control animals. It is no wonder he can summon his dragon without needing to go to it," Varys tried to explain.
Aegon frowned, but he did not wish to discuss that matter now.
"Can you place your spies in Storm's End to confirm whether this is truly happening?" he asked, with a serious look.
"I can do that, my king. But you are allowing your adversary to strike you emotionally. This may be a ploy to make you lose your head," Varys explained, in a concerned tone.
Aegon remained visibly nervous.
And how could he not be? How could he be betrayed by his wife in such a way, only days into their marriage, when they did not even have an heir yet!? He hated the mere idea that this might be happening. The simple possibility of being betrayed already made fury bloom within him.
"I know this may be a move by that bastard, but I still want you to check. I want your spies to confirm whether this is happening or not. Do you understand?" Aegon insisted.
He still remembered Margaery's look, which had seemed disappointed, and even the tone of anger from the bastard that he had cast when Aegon refused to allow Eric to go to King's Landing with the army.
"I will do so, my king. But do not let this trouble you so deeply. Your Grace is better than this," Varys tried to advise.
Aegon nodded, but looked at Varys firmly. "I know... but I need to be certain."
He would be the king of the Seven Kingdoms. No one would betray him with impunity. If he confirmed it, there would be death. Perhaps he would not need to deal with it now, but he would once the war ended. After already having used the Tyrells....
Even so, the mere idea that it might be happening deeply irritated him.
And that Daemon was probably behind it...
'I will destroy him for this. Especially if it is a lie. If it is true... perhaps I will even thank him before killing him,' Aegon decided to himself as he left Varys's tent.
He headed back toward his own tent, but changed course halfway. He made for Arianne Martell's tent. All he needed at that moment was the body of a woman to forget the supposed betrayal.
Arianne was there with Tyene, one of Oberyn's bastard daughters. Both were surprised to see Aegon arrive at that hour, since he usually appeared later.
"Your Majesty?" Arianne and Tyene greeted, with a calculated smile.
"I want a moment alone with you, Arianne," Aegon said.
The princess raised an eyebrow. She knew something had happened. If he wanted to be alone with her, it was because he needed to release something. Even so, for a moment, she considered calling Tyene to join them. However, she wanted to understand what was going on first, since Aegon often revealed things there, between sheets and confidences.
In the end, Tyene withdrew.
Aegon went straight into Arianne's arms.
In the capital, Daemon was still rereading documents and reports. He studied the previous governments of Westeros and also the secret passages of the Red Keep. Since the first time he had been there causing chaos, he had mapped most of them, investigating routes alongside Val, who often accompanied him through the secret passages.
Meanwhile, the rest of the forces were lodged in the Red Keep and outside the city in the camps. The war had not yet ended and, perhaps in three days at most, Aegon would arrive with his army from the south, as well as the ships advancing by sea.
"I think with this almost all the passages are already mapped," Daemon commented, satisfied.
Daemon did not want to be caught by surprise by secret tunnels or hidden routes. He even found some of Varys's spies — tongueless children. He exposed it publicly, stating that the eunuch's methods mutilated children to use them as spies.
The people of King's Landing did not like that very much. Even so, things were going relatively well. Little by little, people began to grow accustomed to the new government and ventured out of their homes more. Many families, however, left the city, believing the rumors that Daemon would be an evil tyrant and would begin a reign of dark magic, sacrificing people.
He did not stop them from leaving. He let them go.
On the other hand, the common folk were receiving food, but Daemon knew he could not sustain a city full of beggars indefinitely. He needed to relocate those people so they could survive on their own. He also needed to strengthen King's Landing's economy, create jobs, reorganize trade. But that would be a problem for later.
He observed the map of the hidden chambers of the Red Keep. Val sat on his lap, also examining the papers in front of Daemon.
She had taken part in exploring the castle's secrets. There were many chambers with hidden entrances. Some passages were useful, but also dangerous. The greatest problem was that his enemies knew those routes easily. Varys, certainly, knew how to move throughout the Red Keep, listening to whispers here and there.
Varys needs to die, Daemon had concluded. And he needed to use Bran to find out whether the eunuch had anyone else with that same knowledge. If he did not, he would seal all the secret passages.
"Tomorrow Ygritte will be among us," Val commented.
The scouts had already confirmed it. The next day, the 30 thousand men would arrive in King's Landing.
"Yes," Daemon replied. "And Robb still has not decided what to do with Lady Westerling. The last of her line."
Robb had already sought him out, asking for his opinion. The woman had obeyed her family and taken a tea that aborted the child she carried from Robb, by order of Tywin Lannister; the family not only yielded but also helped the Red Wedding take place. The woman had been trapped between betraying her family or betraying her husband. In the end, she betrayed her husband.
Daemon had killed her entire family, executed them, except for her.
Robb had asked for Daemon's opinion once; her family had taken part in the Red Wedding. They could have saved many men who died that night at the Twins, but they did not, which was why Daemon looked upon those families with a cold, unforgiving gaze.
At the very least, Jeyne Westerling deserved to become a Silent Sister. If Robb followed Daemon's will, he would execute Jeyne as he had done with the rest of her family. And Daemon would not blame him for it. Even so, that decision belonged to Robb. It was his right to decide.
Daemon stood, carrying Val in his arms. "Let us eat something. I intend to go out today with Winter..." he said of his female dragon.
"So you are going south, as you said before... Hunting?" she asked.
"Exactly. I am going to hunt some little fish. While Blackfyre advances toward King's Landing, it will be a fine surprise to present him with a few hostages. Since he does not control dragons well, I can go around the army, capture important names, and present them to him," Daemon spoke calmly.
They went to a chamber reserved for the royal family. Only Val and Daemon ate there, alone, as soon as the servants brought the meal.
After that, he arranged a meeting with his uncle Ned and Stannis, to speak about King's Landing. He wanted to reorganize the city, place more guards here and there, alter certain systems. The stench was something Daemon could not endure. He intended to reform the sewage system, since there was water flowing into the sea and he could use that to create a better structure.
He truly wanted to remove the smell that permeated the entire city. Unlike other Targaryens, he was determined to change that.
After a brief meeting with two former ministers, Daemon handed control of the city to Stannis and Mance, saying he needed to personally resolve something.
"You are going out? We are three days from their arrival..." said Lord Stark, frowning.
Daemon merely smiled. "Do not worry about that. I have more than enough confidence that I will be back by tomorrow. I need to show my enemies that their alliances and actions have consequences."
Stannis and Mance said nothing. Daemon simply turned his back on his uncle and left the Red Keep.
He went to the Dragonpit, where Winter was, with ice all around, created by her breath of white flames, as she did every day, trying to make the ice dragon more comfortable.
This ice was not the absolute zero she could unleash, which could freeze any matter in the air, but it greatly eased the climate, and even the people of King's Landing had begun to enjoy staying near the pit because the air was much more refreshing around it, with Winter occupying the entire arena.
She did not like King's Landing. She did not like the heat. That bothered Daemon, seeing his dragon somewhat unhappy, since the dragon would need to remain in the capital with him. Even so, Winter had been in the south for more than two moons. Perhaps she could grow accustomed, though she clearly preferred the North.
Daemon approached and caressed Winter's face. The white dragon looked at him, narrowing her eyes. At first, their relationship had been strange, but over time they had become partners. And she delighted in his touch.
"Now we are going to travel to a place even hotter than here. You are going to hate it, but we will only take a few people and leave," he said.
With those words, Daemon mounted her back. She spread her wings and took flight with a thunderous roar, leaving the Dragonpit. The people pointed upward, watching the dragon cross the sky — something that was no longer exactly a novelty in the city. Daemon flew with her frequently.
Daemon circled the Red Keep, as he always did, and then headed south. Winter flew high enough not to be easily detected from the ground.
Along the way, he found the ships of the Golden Company advancing by sea ahead of the army. They would not attack before the land forces were near King's Landing. Farther ahead, he spotted the army itself: more than a hundred thousand men marching, with a powerful cavalry — especially that of the Reach, famous for its strength.
Daemon watched them from above the entire time. He knew his psychological attack plan was working. What he had sent was not exactly a lie — but he wanted to torment Aegon with doubt, with uncertainty, with possibility.
And so he continued advancing south.
He flew over the marching forces and went beyond them, until he reached Storm's End. Margaery and Olenna Tyrell were there — but Daemon ignored them. That was not his objective.
He continued farther south.
The landscape began to change until nothing remained but sand and arid mountains. He was in Dorne. Winter was clearly uncomfortable with the suffocating heat, but she kept flying nonetheless.
His target was Sunspear.
He would take advantage of those few days of distance between Aegon's army and King's Landing to capture some important hostages. He did not intend to blackmail directly. He had another plan in mind.
And so, Daemon advanced through the skies of Dorne.
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