The Rise Of A Dragon - Chapter 10: Why?

The Twelfth Moon of 274 AC, King’s Landing

Aerea stood outside the nursery, sighing as she continued to wait for any news from the people inside.

Her younger brother, Jaehaerys, had been born at the beginning of the year, coming into the world with loud shrieks and a lot of crying. He was small with the same silver blond hair and indigo eyes as his older brother, a look that appeased Aerys, who took this as a sign that the child would live.

Just like all the other children they had, Aerys had barred anyone from being alone with the newborn, including his wife. Aerea was not allowed to even see Jaehaerys besides when he was born, out of fear that she may accidentally hurt him.

It had frustrated her at first, but now Aerea was glad that she was not allowed to be with her brother, guiltly happy that she had not been given the opportunity to bond with him.

Despite not seeing him much, Aerea could see the change that Jaehaerys had caused within their father. She heard whispers from nobles and servants that the young prince’s birth had abated the madness growing within Aerys, that he had become as joyful as he had once been in his youth.

But this joy that had been created within the King soon started to waver as Jaehaerys had suddenly become gravely ill the previous night. And now Pycelle and a group of maesters under his command were inside the nursery, watching over the baby and trying desperately to heal him as Aerys stood dangerously, watching over them.

Rhaella had remained in her bedchamber, already grieving her son once it became clear that Jaehaerys had become sick. The Queen had no faith in the maesters, not after she had lost so many children up to this point.

Aerea had stayed with her mother that night, saying nothing as they laid in bed and Rhaella squeezed her tightly, her body rocking with sobs before she eventually cried herself to sleep.

Once it was morning, Aerea had managed to untangle herself from her mother’s embrace, Rhaella not moving during the process, tired from the previous night.

She quietly left the chamber, ignoring both Barristan and Gwayne who had been tasked with watching over the Queen and princess. Aerea did not look back when she heard Barristan begin to follow her as she made her way to the nursery.

And here she stood for over an hour, wanting to be the first person to know about Jaehaerys’ condition, to give her mother the news instead of a servant, or worse her father.

After the losses of Shaena, Daeron, Vaera, and Aegon, Aerea wanted nothing more than to stop having to mourn siblings.

I wish Rhaegar were here, he would know what to say, what to do. Aerea thought.

Rhaegar was still on tour; he had left the Stormlands a few moons ago and had made his way to Dorne. Aerea had remembered the look on her father’s face when he learned that Rhaegar had added the southernmost continent to his journey, his expression making him look as if he had smelled something sour. But the birth of Jaehaerys was able to distract the King from the uncharacteristic actions of his heir, giving Aerys something to focus on.

Rhaegar was currently on his way back to King’s Landing but was still some time away, about a moon or so if the most recent letter that Aerea received from her brother was correct.

Barristan took a step towards the girl, “Princess, perhaps-”

Before the Kingsguard could finish, a horrific howl was heard coming from the nursery, causing the two to jump, their skin crawling as the screaming continued.

“Father.” Aerea gasped, trying to make her way to the door, but was stopped by Barristan who grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Stay, princess, we do not know what is happening. Allow me to see.” Barristan said, wanting to keep her from running into an unknown situation.

Barristan slowly walked to the door, his hand grasping the handle of his sword, just as the knight was about to open it, the door swung open and the group of maesters ran out.

Each one had a look of fear strewn across their faces, trying to get as far away as they could from the nursery, the last one to leave was Pycelle. Unlike the others, Pycelle did not run but was walking quickly, physically shivering.

“Grand Maester, what has happened?” Barristan asked.

Pycelle jumped but relaxed once he saw the Kingsguard and the princess, the Grand Maester looking at the two, especially Aerea solemnly. “The... Prince Jaehaerys is dead.”

Aerea lowered her head, she knew that Jaehaerys would likely die, but hearing the conformation did not lessen the pain of it all. She then looked back up, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes, “And the King?”

Pycelle flinched, “He... he is taking the news hard, Your Grace. My colleagues and I tried everything we could, but it was not enough.”

The Grand Maester then bowed to Aerea, quietly and quickly taking his leave, no doubt trying to put as much distance between himself and the King as possible.

Slowly, Aerea walked to the doorway and stood next to Barristan. As the princess looked inside, she saw Sers Oswell and Jonother were standing in the corner, watching over her father. Both men stood rigidly, but Aerea could see the worry and fear in their eyes as they looked at their King.

Aerys was standing in the center of the room, his heart broken screaming had long ended, trailing off into low whimpering. Lines of dried tears could be seen on his face, his eye unblinking as he stared that the small body he was carrying in his arms. That is when Aerea realized that it was Jaehaerys that her father had in his arms. 

The prince’s face was pale, deep blue veins had appeared on his face, trailing down the collar of his shirt, a ring of vomit had formed around the corners of his tiny lips, his body limp and his eyes were still open, revealing the now dull shine to them.

He is dead, he is dead. Aerea thought, standing in a grief filled shock.

She had never seen the face of any of her siblings after they died, usually only seeing their bodies after the silent sisters had wrapped them in cloth before they were eventually burned. This was the first time that she could truly see the aftermath, and she hated it, hated these feelings of sadness, anger, and resignation that they caused within her.

Aerea looked up at her father, she had wanted to console the man like she had done for her mother in the past, but Aerys looked more like a corned animal than a man, and Aerea feared just what he would do to the first person who drew his attention.

But Aerea was not able to make a choice as Aerys had chosen this moment to finally look up and away from his now deceased son, meeting Aerea’s eye.

“Aerea...” Aerys croaked, his voice hoarse from screaming, looking at his daughter with bloodshot eyes. “Come...”

Aerea relaxed her expression, not hesitating as she walked towards her father. “Father, I... I had come to see Jaehaerys. I...”

Aerys balanced Jaehaerys in one arm and grabbed Aerea by the shoulder, pulling her into his chest. His grip was painful, Aerea was forced to bite her lip to keep herself from crying aloud.

She had wanted to move away from her father, to distance herself and the still open eyes of her baby brother but could not because of the strength of her father’s hold.

“I still have you, my promised princess.” Aerys whispered into the top of Aerea’s head.

Aerea’s brow furrowed, “What? Father, I don’t-”

“You are of me, evidence of my greatness. There is nothing lost, I will get Rhaella with child again, this will not be the end.” Aerys continued, pulling Aerea deeper into his hold, ignorant of her discomfort and confusion.

Aerea remained within her father’s embrace for what seemed like hours, her stomach turning as she feared what Aerys could do next.

~X~

The Next Day

Aerys stared at the body that laid at his feet coldly, his expression was emotionless as he watched the blood continue to flow out of the neck.

The woman had been Jaehaerys’ wetnurse, the one responsible for feeding his son. In his rage, Aerys was convinced that she had been responsible, that only she could have caused his healthy son to suddenly turn sick and die.

So, Aerys had the woman dragged to the throne room by his Kingsguard, enjoying the fear he could see on her face as he sat over her from the Iron Throne. The woman hung her head, allowing her brunette hair to cover most of her face, pleading to him for mercy, that she had nothing to do with the prince’s death and was innocent.

Much of the court had gathered to watch the punishment that would be given to the woman, many doubted that she was guilty, but none would stand up for her and risk the King’s ire, especially not for a peasant woman.

This only angered Aerys further and he quickly ordered the executioner to behead the woman. Oswell and Jonother held the woman down by her arms, allowing the executioner's strike to hit true as he brought his sword down and chopped off her head, gasps running through the court.

Aerys thought that having the woman killed for her crime would satiate his anger, his bloodlust, but it did not. These two feelings still bubbled beneath the surface, begging him to find others to be released upon.

It could not have just been this wetnurse, there had to be others to conspired to kill my son, to weaken my house. Aerys thought, looking around the hall and trying to figure out who among them was guilty.

“Take this traitor away from my sight. Have her head placed on spike on the Keep’s gate.” Aerys ordered.

“And her body, Your Grace?” One of the servants who had moved to clean up the mess.

Aerys’ gaze became harsher, “I don’t care, just ensure that bitch is not given a proper burial.”

There are more I just know it... Aerys continued to watch the scene in front of him, knowing that this was not the end.

~X~

A Few Days Later

“Has the King deiced what the fate of the Harkar family will be?” Tywin asked Symond Staunton, the Master of Laws.

Before he could respond, Symond was interrupted by a howling desperate shriek coming from beneath them.

After having Prince Jaehaerys’ wetnurse beheaded, Aerys had changed his mind and decided that one of his mistresses, the young daughter of one of his household knights, was responsible for the prince’s demise.

He then had the young woman and her entire family brought to the Black Cells to have them all tortured. Under torture, all confessed to murdering Prince Jaehaerys, though their accounts on Jaehaerys's death greatly differed from one another.

Even after obtaining the confessions at the beginning, Aerys continued to have the family tortured as he watched their suffering.

“The King has proclaimed that they shall all be put to death by the sword at sunrise on the morrow.” Symond answered the Hand once the screaming had stopped.

“I have spoken to the torturers, and they have told me that the King wants their bodies to be broken and then tossed into the Blackwater.” Gurnar Mallery, Master of Whisperers said next.

Tywin’s jaw clenched, annoyed by the spectacle that this was all becoming. He understood that Aerys was devastated by the loss of Prince Jaehaerys, but no true investigation had been done into any of the people that the King had claimed were guilty.

Pycelle had said that it was strange how quickly that Jaehaerys had become ill, but stated that it was possible that Jaehaerys had been sick for some time.

And yet neither he nor any of the other maesters had noticed. Tywin thought.

And now the realm was talking about how Aerys’ rude and irresponsible behavior had changed, now becoming crueler as he fell mad with grief, in the minds of everyone it was becoming clear that more children from Aerys and Rhaella were becoming unlikely.

At the very least the realm has an heir and a spare in Prince Rhaegar and Princess Aerea, leaving the succession somewhat secure. And even more positively as Rhaegar is proving to be everything a man would want in an heir apparent. And everything that Aerys is not.

Tywin only hoped that the Harkars would appease Aerys, and that he would make no grander executions of his people. It was already hard enough to try and minimize the rumors, but things would be far worse if Aerys went after those of higher status.

~X~

The First Moon of 275 AC, King’s Landing

Rhaegar showed no emotion as he stood in between his mother and sister along with much of the court behind the front gate of the Red Keep.

He had received a raven from Rhaella regarding the death of Jaehaerys while he was returning home. Once he had reached King’s Landing only a few days prior, the family, except Aerys, had gathered once more to burn the young prince’s funeral pyre.

When he asked where his father was, Rhaella hesitantly responded that the anger he held over Jaehaerys’ death had dissipated, leaving only guilt behind as he remembered what he had done to those he had accused.

He had sought out the High Septon and had locked himself in his chambers, fasting for a fortnight. He was now preparing to do a walk of repentance from the Red Keep and across the city to the Great Sept of Baelor.

Unlike others who had done the walk, this was a punishment that the King had given to himself, a strange choice as the walk of repentance was usually a punishment given to lowborn women and whores. And he, unlike the others would not be naked, Aerys having refused to completely bare his body to the world unlike all those women who were forced to.

Aerys was standing a few feet away from his family, only having smallclothes covering his lower half and nothing else. Rhaegar had moved closer to Aerea, using his shoulder to try and block the sight of Aerys from her.

The citizens of King’s Landing had heard about the King’s self-given punishment and had lined up to watch, the crowd was packed along the King’s Road wanting to get the rare sight of their King, starting at the bottom of Aegon’s Hill which the Keep rested on top of.

Aerys began making his way to the Great Sept, five of the Kingsguard following a yard away to ensure the safety of their monarch. The King ignored the sounds and jeers of the crowd, facing forward as he walked, his hands clasped together in front of him.

“Is father really going to change?” Aerea asked as the nobles around them began to walk back inside.

Rhaella and Rhaegar looked down at Aerea, both thinking about what she had asked and what they should tell her.

“Your father is showing his remorse. He is trying to right his wrong.” Rhaella said after a moment of silence.

“That is not what she asked.” Rhaegar finally said, speaking for the first time since they came outside.

“Rhaegar,” Rhaella began, looking between her children and those who were still in the yard.

“Father is not going to change; he is going to stay exactly the same.” Rhaegar said, his voice becoming uncharacteristically harsh.

Rhaella sighed, “Let us return inside. It will take some time for your father to return from the Sept, he will still have to pray with the High Septon.”

The trio walked inside the Red Keep, heading towards Maegor’s Holdfast. Aerea spoke, having enough of the silence, “You still have not told me why you decided to go to Dorne.”

Rhaegar gave his sister a quick look before facing forward, “I wanted to see Sunspear and meet the Martells. Dorne is important to Westeros, it is a crime that the Crown has continued to ignore it.”

“And yet you did not get me a gift from any of the places you went.” Aerea said cheekily.

Rhaegar snorted, “You’re impossible.”

Aerea only grinned and Rhaella let out a small chuckle as she watched her son and daughter. Her children were truly the light of her life, allowing her to smile for the first time since Jaehaerys’ funeral.

“Wait!” Aerea exclaimed, “You said you met the Martells? That means you met Princess Elia, what was she like?”

Ever since she found out about Jaime’s betrothal, Aerea had been curious about what Elia was like. But Jaime had not given her much in his letters besides her being smart and kind.

When she told her mother this, Rhaella laughed harder than she had ever heard her before. Rhaella’s smile remained as she explained to Aerea that Jaime was still a young boy, that he had not reached the age where he would take much notice of women that he was not related to.

This was not helped by the fact that Elia lived in Dorne, which was hundreds of miles away from the Westerlands, and Elia would not come to visit Jaime until he was a bit older.

“She was kind and pretty. We did not interact much, although her older brother, Prince Doran, would have wanted to change that.” Rhaegar answered.

“So, Prince Doran is still adamant that Elia should not marry Jaime?” Rhaella asked rhetorically.

She knew from her weekly correspondence with Myria that her eldest son had been a constant thorn at her side, telling her that she had made the wrong decision in betrothing Elia to Jaime, and that the better option would be to try and get the Crown Prince as Elia's husband.

I already know that Myria would never seek Rhaegar’s hand for Elia, especially as Elia had once been sickly. She would not want her daughter in... in my position. Rhaella thought, becoming solemn again as she thought about Jaehaerys.

The position that she had been in since she married Aerys and her father ascended to the throne as Jaehaerys II, had been a taxing and lonely one. It was her duty to provide an heir and then as many spares as possible to sure up the Targaryen succession.

But she saw the looks she had been given, heard the whispers behind her back, everyone around her and all throughout the realm, knew of her failure. There was even a small minority of people that thought Aerys should set her aside and take another wife.

A way to further push my family apart...

While Rhaegar was the the uncontested heir apparent, Aerea’s position was more complicated in the eyes of Westeros.

Immediately after her birth, many assumed that Aerea would either die or be disinherited by Aerys because of her condition, so it was a shock to many that Aerea had continued to live and that she was seen favorably in Aerys’ eyes, even more so than her older brother.

As the second living child of the King, Aerea had been seen as second in line to the throne, and even with the birth of brothers after her, none had been healthy or lived long enough to truly supplant Aerea from this position.

But once Jaehaerys had been born and was seemingly healthy, Rhaella heard whispers that Jaehaerys would be officially recognized as Rhaegar’s heir should anything happen to him before he can have trueborn children of his own.

These whispers always came to a halt whenever Aerys was near, all who spoke them being smart enough to know that their words would be taken treacherously by the King.

“He was, Prince Doran often spoke of his sister quite suggestively, speaking about how she would love to visit King’s Landing, and how she enjoyed music and history.” Rhaegar once again answered.

“Ah, he mentioned the only things you love in this life.” Aerea japed, letting out a hiss when her brother purposely stepped on her foot in response.

“It is not as if it mattered if Doran convinced me that I should marry Elia; at the end of the day father will pick who I marry.” Rhaegar said matter-of-factly.

The prince was under no illusions that he would one day marry for love, like most nobles, he knew that his future marriage would be a transactional one born out of duty to his house and the realm. And like many before him, it would be his parents, specifically his father, that would choose who he believed was the best choice of wife for him.

If things had gone the way that his father had hoped, then Aerys would have betrothed Rhaegar to his sister, allowing him to have a Valyrian bride just as he had.

Some of our foolish ancestors had attempted to ruin our family by marrying outside of it, but they failed. We will ensure that our blood stays pure, not muddied by that of the Andals and First Men. Rhaegar remembered his father saying to him a few moons before Aerea was born, after telling him that he planned to betroth him and his unborn sister once they were old enough.

He remembered being so relieved when it was revealed that Aerea had two sets of genitals, not because he did not agree with their family’s belief of intermarriage and blood purity, but because Rhaegar loathed the thought of having a similar relationship with his sister that Aerys had with his own.

I wonder who this lady will be? Father has always looked down on everyone around us for their lack of Valyrian blood, but no other houses besides the Baratheons have recently been married into our family. It could be possible that our cousins may have more children, a daughter is possible, but I am sure that Stannis is over ten summers old, so that is unlikely.

If father remains firm on this then he will have to look beyond the Narrow Sea...

Rhaegar then started to think more about Aerys, wondering if his earlier words would hold true and that this rare moment of repentance and humility would be just that; a moment, and Aerys would return to his pervious ways.

Maybe father will take the loss of children as a sign from the Gods to stop forcing children upon mother and be content with the children he already has...

~X~

Hours later, when Aerys returned to the Red Keep, a carriage was sent to bring him back after he spent time praying with the High Septon.

His son’s private hope had quickly been squashed when Aerys immediately called for his family upon his return.

Once Aerys had seen his wife, he grabbed his hand and held it within his own, staring deep into Rhaella’s eyes. “I have seen the truth of it all, wife.”

“The truth of what, my King?” Rhaella asked, confused and slightly paranoid with this strange behavior, her anxiety was not helped by the audience that was forming around them.

“The loss of our children, they have been caused by my unfaithfulness. I realized this after speaking to the High Septon. So, I swear to you that from this moment on I shall remain faithful to you and my marital vows.” Aerys replied, his eyes still digging into her own, his grip on her hand tightening.

“I....” Rhaella’s eyes widened; the woman speechless at the promise.

Rhaella had always known about her brother’s healthy appetite for women, his affairs and dalliances staring early in his life and continuing even after they were betrothed, wed, and bedded.

Whether they were whores, commoners, nobles, foreigners, or even her ladies in waiting, Aerys would sleep with them all, having a constantly changing rotation of favorites.

So, hearing that Aerys was planning to give all of that up shocked Rhaella to her core. It also terrified her as she feared that Aerys would turn his lust towards her permanently.

Aerea too had this thought, she may have been young, but she knew the truth of her parents' marriage, how they were wed because their own parents had forced them to. She had seen many of her father’s lovers around the Keep, and she had seen them shamelessly flirt with him while Aerys returned these flirtations in kind.

Rhaegar meanwhile, did not believe that his father would keep his word, he figured that Aerys would remain loyal to Rhaella for a short time before eventually seeking pleasure elsewhere.

But he figured that this was par for the course, as King Aerys would make decisions, and it mattered not if they were sound ones, everyone would be a slave to these whims.