Aemon Targaryen

-Chapter 165-

-POV Alicent Targaryen-

Upon hearing Lord Borros's urgent call, I stopped, but I did not turn around, for I could no longer suppress the disgust I felt at the 'intimate' and 'warm' glances he kept sending me.

"I did not mean to disrespect you, Your Majesty," said the Lord of House Baratheon quickly, before adding just as hastily:

"I will speak with my wife and daughters about it."

I nodded, still facing away, and left without saying anything, because if I felt his hands on my arm one more time, I feared I would no longer be able to suppress the nausea rising in my throat.

'Let's hope he took the bait' I thought while nodding at my brother, who was approaching with a face full of expectation.

"Well?" he asked once we had left the gardens and entered the halls of the Red Keep.

"He didn't agree to anything, but..."

"But..." he asked in an annoyed tone, eyebrows furrowed.

'He's trying to take Father's place' I thought, watching him wait for my 'report'.

'Since Father is dead and Viserys will never do anything for me, I can't keep waiting and placing my hopes in one man alone' I thought.

'I will never again let any man control my life'

'I am the only one who can ensure my children's well-being, so I will be the only one to lead' I thought, shooting a dark look at my brother.

"I am not some common whore. I am the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, is that clear?" I said, putting him back in his place, because now that Father was dead, he was nothing more than a knight and the queen's brother—nothing more.

'And Aegon made that perfectly clear to him last time' I thought, recalling how Aegon had lunged at his uncle, almost trying to tear him apart over the punishment Prince Aemon had delivered.

It had almost created a rift between us, but I had skillfully managed to win back his forgiveness.

It wasn't hard to regain my son's favor by using Bryndon as a scapegoat, but the hardest part was regaining his trust.

For entire moons, he hadn't confided in me, and now that his pagan friend had arrived at court, he had once again grown distant from me.

Unlike what many ladies at court would have done, I didn't try to separate the two of them.

In fact, I did everything I could to encourage their bond, because the North was vast, wild, untamable—but above all, fiercely loyal.

You only had to see how firmly they had opposed Prince Aemon to support Viserys.

'Though some among them may still be snakes hidden in the frosted grass' I thought, remembering Bennard Stark, the man my father had manipulated to avenge Gwayne's death.

"Alicent," said Bryndon, pulling me from my thoughts.

I turned to him, raising an eyebrow, and he repeated:

"I said I was sorry."

"It's nothing," I said, deciding to brush off the trifle. We needed to remain united now more than ever.

I added, "I haven't been myself lately."

Bryndon nodded and said, "It's the same for me. I want revenge so badly that the thought alone haunts my mind."

"Don't seek revenge—it's pointless," I said, knowing full well my brother's temperament.

"Why not?" he asked, unhappy.

"Because to eliminate Prince Aemon, we would have to eliminate everyone who supports him. Otherwise, we'd face an unprecedented backlash, and I'm not willing to endanger my children for a useless vendetta. Neither Father nor Gwayne would have wanted that."

Bryndon furrowed his brow, saying nothing for a long while, simply walking at my side, before finally speaking:

"You're right… but I don't think you understand what you're asking of me."

"I'm not asking anything more than what I'm willing to endure. They were also my brother and my father," I said, giving him a hard stare.

Bryndon looked away, but still nodded. So I said:

"If we ever have the chance to strike a fatal blow at the Prince, we will take it. But if not, let's just remain discreet. I get the feeling Rhaenyra might provoke the Prince's wrath before we do."

"Very well," said my brother, though I could still see the vengeful fire burning in his eyes.

'I hope it doesn't consume you'

---

-POV Ulf White-

'I don't understand what came over him' I thought as I walked through the massive corridors of the Royal Palace.

Ever since I'd left Hugh's forge, I couldn't stop replaying the moment he lunged at me to strangle me.

There had been something beastly, something wild in his gaze—something I had never seen before—that made me fear it would be the last thing I ever saw before dying.

"Ser Ulf," said a young lady, calling out to me and pulling me from my thoughts at the same time.

I forced myself to push thoughts of Hugh aside, and I smiled faintly upon seeing the young lady before me, accompanied by several other extremely pretty ladies and a few young men.

"M'lady," I said, bowing slightly, not knowing what to do in this kind of situation.

Until now, I had only attended the welcoming feast, and no one had spoken to me.

"Will you take part in the Hand's Tourney?" she asked.

I frowned, not knowing what to answer, as I had never held a weapon before and didn't know the first thing about using one.

I was about to deny it when another lady said:

"What a question! No true knight would refuse to join the tourney—especially not one personally chosen by His Highness Prince Aemon."

"It's true that a coward wouldn't be worthy of claiming a territory in the Vale," said a third lady, making me feel embarrassed, as I desperately searched for an excuse not to participate.

"Don't speak nonsense, Leonette. Ser Ulf is no coward," said the first lady, untying a green ribbon and carefully fastening it around my arm. Then she said, cheeks flushed with embarrassment:

"This is my favor. I hope you'll honor me during the tourney."

She was about to leave, and before she could, I caught her arm and said:

"What is your name?"

"Elyna Costayne, Ser," she said quickly, before gently pulling free and walking off with her friends.

"You haven't actually accepted to represent this lady in the tourney, have you?" asked a young man in armor whose name I didn't know, but based on his attire, I could tell he was part of the Prince's retinue.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" I asked, raising my chin slightly.

The guard smiled and said, "We'll see what the Prince has to say about that."