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HOTD: The Rogue's Son-SI Ch.59
🕑 Added 2025-03-20 08:55:54 +0000 UTCChapter 59
JEYNE ARRYN
The walls of the Red Keep only brought her sorrow as she found herself in the place that had been the cause of her grief. For a time, Jeyne Arryn had thought herself the luckiest woman alive.
She had everything: power, agency, riches, and much to her disgrace. She had been blessed with much of it because of one singular person. Aegon had been friend since before she could remember.
From her memories, he had always been by her side, and she had no shame in admitting that if that was not for him, she would not be alive today. He had always protected her, whether it was against enemy blades, taunts, or political plots. He had acted as a shield to her, protecting her reputation and influence even as she defied the norms and fell in love with her dear Jessamyn.
He was her blade, her friend, her knight in shining armor. And yet she had repaid all that kindness with nothing but betrayal. A lapse of judgment that had destroyed the bond she had held most sacred.
She had come to the capital with a small hope of forgiveness from him. Forgiveness that she could not even grant to herself, and yet she had prayed, hoped, cried, and repented as much as she could, hoping that the Seven would soften his heart just for once.
And yet, it was not meant to be. Aegon had left for the war long before she had arrived, and now she found herself back in these treacherous Halls, troubled by what was to come.
Her feet were heavy, as she moved through the familiar halls, which led her to a very familiar room. The doors of which brought back only regret and anger as the servant made to knock at the door.
“Bring her in,” that familiar voice cut through the air, and Jeyne had done all she could to defy and delay this. Yet one could hardly defy a Princess for much longer while staying in her own keep.
The doors opened, and those massive walls and those familiar tapestries did nothing but fuel her guilt as she slid into the Princess’ solar. And once, this room had brought her so many joyful memories, and yet now it brought only regret and pain.
Yet still, she walked in with heavy steps, and there she sat. Time had changed her, transforming her once girly features into the complex and sophisticated beauty of womanhood.
There was a reason that she was called the ‘Realm’s Delight’, and yet even her beauty could not conquer the guild, and remorse as Jeyne gave her a bow.
“Good morn, Princess,” she said, and she was dressed in a fine gown of red and black. Probably for the tourney that was set to take place today in the honor of her child.
“It is good to see you in good health,” and it was perfectly formal, lacking any sense of familiarity and closeness. Rhaenyra’s expression shifted at her words as she turned towards the servants.
“Leave us,” and her heart thrummed at those words as she cut in.
“There is no need for that,” she added softly as Rhaenyra.
“We can talk in their presence,” but she was the Princess.
“Leave, but let the doors remain open,” she added after a second of hesitation, and that seemed to be compromise enough as the servants left the room.
Rhaenyra stood up and sat down on a chair, beckoning her to sit down.
“Sit, or do you hate me so much that you cannot bear even my presence?” She did not hate her—not truly. She hated herself and the choices she had made, but it was futile to hate her.
Still, she sat down as Rhaenyra continued to look at her, her own eyes rooted to the ground.
“You do hate me,” she whispered, and Jeyne shook her head.
“I don’t hate you,” she said, finally looking up as she saw her broken expression.
“I just hate what you made me. Made us,” and Rhaenyra nodded.
“You say that, yet you do not look into my eyes. Defy my summons,” and she had no answer for that.
“What we did was heinous and cruel? And I promised myself that I would never let it happen again,” she replied after a few seconds.
“Is that so?” Rhaenyra scoffed as she took a deep breath.
“You need not worry, though. It won’t,” and she could not be so certain.
“I am not proud of what we became either. But I will not lie that I missed you, not as that,” she slowed down.
“But as a friend. As a cousin, and I can only hope that you would be willing to be that once more,” and it was a plea, one that she could not agree to.
“I am afraid I am not worthy of your friendship, Princess,” she denied her as softly as she could.
“You are the Princess, and the future Queen and I am the Lady of the Vale. You are my liege, and I am but your humble servant. And that is all I wish to be,” and the Princess’s face soured at her words, those eyes losing their luster at her answer.
“You were my only friend,” she could say. After Jessamyn, she had been her only friend apart from Aegon, and because of her mistake, she had lost them both now.
And though her offer was very pleasing, she could not take it. That was her penance. Her punishment for the crime she had committed.
“Is that so?” Rhaenyra sighed as suddenly they were interrupted by the loud cries of a babe, and she turned back and saw a maid walking into the room, holding a small crying bundle in her arms.
“Princess, the Prince refuses to stop crying,” the maid pleaded worriedly. This was the young Prince.
Daeron Targaryen and the babe was crying loudly as Rhaenyra beckoned the maid to come closer.
“Bring him here,” and the maid rushed to her side as she passed on the bundle to her, and the crying lessened as soon as Rhaenyra gripped the child and began to soothe it.
She had come late, and so this was her first time seeing the young Prince Daeron. She saw that he had his mother’s hair, but as the child squinted its eyes, it took her but a second to notice their familiarity.
“He has his father’s eyes,” Rhaenyra added, and indeed they were not the pure amethyst of the House Targaryen, but a rather a dull grey marred by specks of amethyst similar to Aegon’s own eyes.
The babe was soothed in her arms. Its cries lessened as she smiled and made to stand.
“I believe I must not disturb you an...”
“You will join us in the Royal Box, my lady,” Rhaenyra's voice cut through the air, as she stilled for a second.
“There is no need for th....”
“I command it as your Princess and future Queen,” she added as she glanced at her face.
“Friends, we may not be, but we are still kin. And would you defy your liege for this?” she had no desire to attend the tourney, but she was left with no choice, and so she lowered her head in acceptance.
“I will be there, Princess,” she finished formally as she gave her a slight bow.
“Good. Then I shall wait for you....”
0000
MYSARIA-The Lady Mysery
The capital was quiet in a way, or at least parts of it were quiet. Half the City had gone to the newly built Colloseums to watch the tourney arranged in the celebration of their new Prince.
She would have gone as well, for the tournies had become somewhat of a rarity in the past few years, and this one promised to be one grander than any tourney seen in years.
But she could not go, for she had been given a monumental task by the Princess. And it did surprise her that despite what had transpired, Aegon trusted her enough to speak to his wife about herself.
It was obvious to her that the Princess knew only a gist of what she had done for the Prince, but that was enough. It was all she needed to know, and now that she had been given a command, she had no choice but to do her bidding.
She could have tried to deny it, but even she felt it imperative that they root out this source of corruption and treachery as quickly as they could lest it turn into a behemoth they would soon come to regret.
The Prince had two operators, herself and Larys Strong, though he used each for different purposes. Her utility lay in her influence, which stretched beyond the Seven Kingdoms and expanded through investments, loans, brothels, and so forth, allowing her to have eyes and ears in nearly all cities across the Narrow Sea.
Larys Strong, on the other hand, used to control the more domestic affairs, and even then, the Prince had hardly forgiven the man for his actions yeas ago. Larys’s network was old, and reliable, and the Prince had slowly been injecting his own men into it, trying to make the ‘Club-foot’ redundant so he could be rid of him.
But it seems as if their efforts had been noticed by the man, who had chosen to betray their cause as he allowed the likes of Otto Hightower to gain proximity to the King.
Otto Hightower was a man hated by Prince Aegon, he was amongst the few men he truly detested and had punished hi and his family greatly for their crimes. But one would be fool to deny that the man was a political animal, one whose old friendship with the King made him a threat to Aegon’s influence.
There were strict instructions to never let the man near the capital, and yet they had been denied, and now Otto Hightower had nestled himself in the Red Keep once more, sinking his claws into their soft hearted King.
It was treason. And she would not let it fester.
So, as the city celebrated, a war ensued in the shadows as she had her men slowly take out Larys’s men, much to the man’s surprise, and within the night, she had his men killed, while her own guards dragged the man’s body into her solar.
He had been caught trying to secure a passage out of the city, yet they had already infiltrated his networks, so it was much easier to dismantle them all and capture him than he had realised.
They put him in a chair opposite to her and bound his legs, not that there was much need for it, and the second son of the Hand did not struggle much as the men backed away and tore off the cloth covering his face.
There was no surprise on his face as he saw her. None at all.
The Sun had risen now, and the Sunlight cut through the windows as it hit his face, illuminating it.
“Why?” she asked, and he scoffed.’
“You know the answer to that already,” he did not deny the allegations of treason, as he scoffed.
“I served him loyally for years, and yet I realized it but some time ago that the Prince could be very unforgiving,” and that was partly true.
“I knew my demise were near, and so I did what I had to do.” And so, he had allied himself with the Hightowers, or at least he had helped them.
“You betrayed him. You must know what will happen now,” she added, and the man smirked.
“My death was imminent, though I did not think that it would come at your hands,” and it should not have. No, it should have come at Aegon’s hand, and yet he was away at war.
“You will regret this,” she warned him, and suddenly, the man burst out laughing.
“Oh, my dear. If only you knew how wrong you are?” and he continued to laugh as she gave the man behind him a nod.
“It will not be I who will regret this. No, you shall regre....” but he could say no more, as his head was cut clean off, as blood splattered across the room, reaching even her own face and dress as the white cloth was dyed in the red hue of his blood.
CLUNK!
His head rolled on the floor as his body fell forwards, gushing out blood and meat as she looked down imperiously.
“Kill all the men loyal to him, and dismantle his entire network. And I want to know just what exactly are the Hightowers planning...”
0000
Miles and miles away at the shore of the Highwatch, the Royal Army of the Seven Kingdoms celebrated as the Stepstones lay conquered at their feet. The men danced and drank, each of them now richer than they had ever been.
And the battle had ended swiftly after the death of Cragas Drahar, as mutiny, infighting and fear ate away at the pirates occupying these isles. Without his unifying presence, Aegon’s forces had torn through one isle after another.
Many of the pirates had even abandoned their isles even before their arrival as they tried to make away with what riches they had gathered, and he even let a few of them go away as he made an example out of those who stayed back.
It was brutal and gruesome, but he had done in a few moons what even the Sea Snake had failed to do so in years.
He had tamed the unruly Stepstones, and now as he stood at the heel of the mighty Triarchy, his forces remained ready to attack.
But doing so would be a mistake. Momentum and courage were a great thing for an army to have, yet a foundation was even better. The Stepstones were theirs, and the treaty he had signed with Braavos years ago gave the Crown control of all the isles he had conquered, and so it was time for them to consolidate.
The campaign against the Triarchy would not be so simple or quick. They would need robust supply lines and a solid fortress at their backs to crush them, and that would mean they needed to hold and develop the isles he had conquered.
“The men say that we can conquer the Three Sisters in but a year,” added Harwin as Aegon shook his head.
“Maybe, but I would much rather be sure than hopeful,” and so he turned away to look at his right-hand man.
“With this done, we have finished a half of our war. Let the men feast for a few days, but after that, we begin consolidating our gains,” the man nodded at his command and followed after him as Aegon headed towards his dragon.
“I will have the supplies, builders, and masons sent as soon as I reach the capital. Establish strongholds, build fortresses, and clear out what little infestation have managed to evade our eyes,” and that was his plan.
“I will do as you command, my Prince,” and with that, they shook hands as Silverwing stepped forward. his dragon looked much more docile and soothed without its bulky armor as Aegon slid up its saddle.
“Soves,” he ordered as the dragon took to the skies. If only he knew what tragedy awaited him back home.
0000
Comments
Jarod lane
Tragedy? Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh the hightowers should’ve been killed long ago
FallenMetalGod
Thank you, and I genuinely enjoy how Aegon knows what the war will cost and what is needed to finish the war correctly. The interaction between Jeyne and Rhaenyra was interesting. Great job as always, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
