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Barth's Whisper: HOTD SI Ch.13
🕑 Added 2025-08-05 18:36:22 +0000 UTCChapter 13
GALEN
It was considered lucky for a commoner if they were allowed to step into the Halls of the Red Keep even once, but the castle had now become a regular part of his life.
He saw the stark contrast between the nobles living in opulence and the commoners barely eking out an existence. It was a world of great divide, one that he detested. Yet as a man, he could do little to change this unequal world.
In the end, he was summoned by the heir to the throne, who was joined by a new face as Galen sat in front of him.
“This is my son,” and Galen had realised it, as he gave a slight nod to the rather plump and jovial Viserys Targaryen.
“Greetings, my Prince,” and the man smiled.
“Greetings to you as well, healer. I have heard much about you, and how you helped save our family from a tragedy,” and Galen nodded.
“I did what I could,” he answered humbly, as the Spring Prince cut in.
“As you may have heard, his wife, the Lady Aemma, is with child, and they are both rather nervous about the whole affair, given what transpired last time,” and he knew of it, how her last child had been a stillbirth, much like the one before it.
The whole city had mourned for the Royal family, though the truth was that, beyond these walls, nearly a thousand women suffered the same fate, but had no one mourn their tragedies.
“How may I be of service?” he began, and it was the young Prince who intervened.
“They say you claim to be the best healer in the city,” and Galen nodded.
“I am,” and he spoke those words with pride and devotion.
“Then I wish for you to care for my wife and make sure that she does not suffer as she did last time,” and Galen nodded.
“Of course, I would be happy to help the Princess,” and the man smiled.
“Then I shall take you to her,” and thankfully, he now had a servant to carry his tools and equipment for him, and so he did not have to make a journey back to his simple abode.
“Of course,” and just as he rose, the heir to the Iron Throne called out to him.
“Healer Galen,” he spoke as Galen turned to face him.
“Yes, my Prince,” he answered.
“There is to be a council Meeting tomorrow,” and the King had taken ill, and so the Small Council had not gathered for some days now. Though he had a suspicion that it was more because of his rather bold proposal, which had caused this delay.
But he could be wrong.
“I will be there,” he said, and with that, Balon Targaryen turned to his work again, as Viserys Targaryen led him through the Halls of the castle, and a tall, plump man was one of the more approachable people he had met.
His demeanor was soft and welcoming as he probed him about his life.
“So, you heal the people and ask no money of them, like a Septa,” and he shook his head.
“I am not connected to the faith in any way,” he answered, for he was not much fond of the Gods or the faith.
“I heal people, indeed, but I have not taken the vows of the Faith,” and the man frowned, surprised by his choice just like many others.
“Why?” and the answer was hard to explain.
“Because I think myself a man of reason,” and as he had thought, it was not easy to explain.
“The faith believes that illnesses and ailments are a test from the Seven, that the cure for it depends on the will of the Gods,” and the man nodded, and he must have learned these facts in his studies as a Prince.
“I believe that there is an actual reason behind these illnesses, that there is a science to it all on why we fall ill and how the cures that we use work,” and the Prince rubbed his chin as they came upon the chambers, and he nodded.
“Interesting,” and with that, the guards moved aside, as the Prince pushed open the doors, and Galen found himself staring at the Prince’s quarters, and they were nearly as lavish as the room of Princess Gael.
At the far side of the room was a massive bed with a woman sitting beside it, with a swollen belly, and as he looked at her face, the most apt word that came into his mind was—fraility.
Aemma Arryn was young, and frail and little more. She was older than the Winter Princess, but was just as thin, even though her belly bulged forward because of the child growing in her womb.
Though despite it all, the smile on her face oozed innocence and care as the young Prince Viserys galloped the room.
“Aemma, my love,” he called out as Galen slowly followed after him.
“Viserys,” she greeted warmly, as the Prince reached for his wife’s hand.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, with concern and love.
“Tired,” she answered, and that was not a good answer, medically speaking.
“And rather lonely without my daughter,” and their love for their daughter was obvious in how their faces lit up at the mention of the young Princess, and he was yet to meet her as well.
Rhaenyra Targaryen, the future Maegor with tits. But right now she was a child, a small, carefree, and innocent child whose life would one day be filled with death and treason.
‘You could stop it all,’ a thought crossed his mind.
‘You could help them. You promised her, Galen. You promised,’ and as he was reeling from those thoughts, the eyes turned towards him.
“Are you the healer who saved Gael’s life?” asked the Princess, and he nodded.
“Yes, indeed, I am Galen, a humble healer,” and the Prince scoffed.
“Humble,” he said as he rose up once more.
“He claims to be the best healer on the continent,” and those amethyst eyes narrowed as he nodded.
“And he is here to help you,” he added so as to reassure her, and Galen stepped forward.
“Well, before I examine you, I must ask you a rather extensive list of questions, would that be fine?” and he had no idea how the Maesters did their work, but this was how he worked.
“Of course,” she answered, and so began a detailed enquiry into her medical history.
After a few minutes, he could tell that they were a bit surprised by this approach, but he continued, trying to gain a basic understanding of her condition.
“Well, now we will move on to an examination,” and with that, the doors were closed, and the curtains of her bed were drawn as he began to examine her belly, and as he had feared, not everything was fine.
And his worries must have shown on his face, for it was the kind Princess who sought an answer.
“What is wrong, Healer Galen?” she asked softly as he backed.
“Was the Princess born early?” he questioned, and the two of them looked at each other before nodding.
“Yes, a whole moon earlier. She was also rather small as a babe, and the Maesters had doubt...” but she did not finish as she took a deep breath.
“But the Seven were merciful,” and he doubted that very much in her case.
“Your babe is too big, and your pelvis is not large enough to accommodate the large size of the babe,” and she went even paler at his words.
“But the Maesters said that everything was fine,” and it was the Prince who spoke, but he shrugged.
“I have yet to examine the fetus, and everything could be fine, but I can say with certainty that the child is bigger than average,” and rather than her husband, it was his wife who added.
“Then what do I do?” and he sighed.
“Nothing much, but you will need to be a bit mindful of what you eat. There are techniques that I can use to aid in the birthing process, so take heart, everything will be fine,” and with that, he asked her to show him her belly as he reached into his little cloth bag, and took out his newly acquired instrument.
“What is that?” questioned the Prince as he saw him put the fetoscope to her belly.
“It is a way for me to hear the child’s heart,” and that was a surprise to him, as Galen nodded.
“You can hear his heartbeat,” and he nodded.
“Yes, his and any other man's or woman's,” he answered, and the Prince was doubting him as he stepped forward.
“How?” he asked as Galen backed away, and asked him to put his ear to the end.
“Put your hand here,” he said, guiding one of the Prince’s hands to his wife’s pulse.
“The sounds that do not coincide with the beat are from the babe’s heart,” and as the room grew silent, he saw the Prince’s eyes widen slowly as his expression shifted from awe to joy.
“I can hear it,” he whispered, looking at his wife.
“I can hear our child’s heartbeat,” and the woman smiled as she eyed him.
“I want to hear it as well,” she pleaded, and he had to shake his head.
“I am afraid it won’t be possible for you to hear it for now. But hopefully in the future...” but before he could finish, the door to the room sprang open as the Prince began to scream.
“The doors were to rem...” but he stopped as he glanced out of the curtains, as a small, shrill voice roared through the room.
“Muna! Muna!” and it was the young princess who ran towards her mother, dragging a familiar face behind her.
“Look, I brought you a friend,” and it was the Princess Gael that had come with her, and as their eyes met, the Princess gave him a small nod, as the young Rhaenyra Targaryen hugged her mother.
“Now you can play with her, like I do with Alicent,” and Prince Viserys chuckled at those words as Aemma Arryn caressed her face.
“Is that so?” she asked with all the love a mother could have, and those eyes in that moment reminded him of another pair of eyes, one that had gazed at him just like that.
“Yes, we can even play together. You, me, Aunt Gael, and Alicent! All four of us,” and the future lady of Dragonstone finally addressed the newcomer.
“How have you been, Gael?” she asked, and the Princess answered as well as she could.
“Well,” she answered before asking softly.
“What about you?” Gael added, as those eyes moved towards her exposed, swollen abdomen, as she gazed at her with a longing gaze.
“Tired,” she answered again, as Rhaenyra finally noticed her father.
“What are you doing, Kepa?” she asked, and the man smiled wildly.
“Come here, Rhaenyra,” he said, summoning her to his side, as the Princess followed after his words with an inquisitive frown.
“Come here, this,” and he put her ear to the instrument just as he had done for her.
“There is sound coming out of it,” the Princess nearly gasped in surprise.
“That is your brother’s heart!” he answered, and he stood by the bed, as the Prince played with his daughter, the Winter Princess spoke to him.
“Is it true?” she asked.
“Is she really the child’s heart?” she asked, and he nodded.
“Yes,” and so after a second’s silence, she looked towards both him and Aemma as she spoke up.
“Can I hear it as well?” she asked her voice barely a whisper, and he turned towards the future Lady of Dragonstone, who smiled at the young Princess.
“Of course....”
0000
JAEHAERYS TARGARYEN
In his youth, Jaehaerys could hold a dozen councils in a day, ride on Vermithor with Alysanne, and fight a dozen knights in the yard, but now just holding one Council Meeting forced him to rest for days.
The burdens which he had once shouldered without a single bend, now threatened to break his back. But thankfully, he was not alone.
While his loyal and loving wife had been his ideal in his youth, now in his old age, their son was ready to take on that mantle. And after giving it much thought, he had reached the decision to make Balon his new Hand.
“Are you certain of this, Father?” questioned his son, as they strode towards the Council Chambers once more.
“Yes,” Jaehaerys, for who better to watch over the realm, than the future King himself.
“There is no one more suited for this task than you, my son,” and for a King as old as himself, the Hand was the King, and Jaehaerys was not a trusting man. He could entrust so much power into foreign hands.
No. It had to be Balon, and thankfully, his son was both dutiful and capable enough to serve as his hand.
“Still, we will need to find a new Master of Laws,” and he had quite a few names in his mind already.
“I know, but being a Hand is far greater a burden and duty than being the Master of Laws. You are the only one I can trust to implement my will and safeguard the interests of this family,” and that was even more true today with the Crown starting a shadow war with the Hightowers and the Citadel.
“Thank you, father,” and then there was the matter of High Tide and the Velaryons, but he put that out of his mind just as quickly as it had appeared. He had enough to focus on as it was.
“Speaking of that, I heard that Viserys took Galen to see his wife,” and Balon nodded.
“Yes, and he has not stopped speaking of it since,” and in his mind, this was a test for Galen, and he believed that the Healer was smart enough to understand it as well.
“Why?” he questioned, for he was no magician.
“In his words, the young boy performed a miracle. He helped him hear his son’s heart,” and that was strange.
“Is that so?” Balon nodded.
“Yes, though he did raise some concerns as well,” and that did not sit well with him, for Jaehaerys had seen enough dead Targaryen babes.
Still, to impress Viserys in a single visit. And he was reminded of himself and Barth, and how they had met and befriended one another in the library, as he had simply sought to clear his thoughts about a tome.
Galen seemed to have inherited Barth’s penchant for being impressive, and so he smiled.
“Well, then it is time,” and they reached the doors of the Council room, and just as the guards were about to push it open, Balon whispered from the side.
“Your dream,” he began, as the doors opened and his counsellors all rose and bowed as King Jaehaerys Targaryen strode into the room, as everyone in the room stood except for his lady wife, who sat at the seat beside his own.
“He just might be able to fulfill it...”
.
.
.
In another corner of the castle, in a room not so lavish and grand as that of the Princess’s, a woman sat on the bed with a belly barely protruding, slowly caressing the head of a young Alicent, who entertained her with her stories of playing with her best friend, the young Princess Rhaenyra.
Amidst all that, Otto Hightower sat on a table a bit far from the bed as he skimmed through records and tomes, as his daughter spoke of her day.
“And today Rhaenyra told me that she heard her brother’s heart,” and the man stopped at those words, and even the kind woman frowned.
“What?” as the lush brown-haired girl nodded her head enthusiastically.
“Yes. She told me that the new Healer, the one who saved Princess Gael, was the one who brought this little thing,” and she tried to make it out with her small hands.
“And with that, she and her father listened to her brother’s heart,” and at that, she turned up and looked into her mother’s loving gaze as she asked desperately.
“Can I bring him so that he can help me hear my brother’s heart....”
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Comments
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
FallenMetalGod
Thank you, and let's hope Galen can do a miracle for the royal family. Great job as always, and I am curious to see Otto's reaction to what Alicent told him about Galen's new invention. I can't wait to see what happens next.
