The Bloody Prince: HOTD SI

Chapter 25

VISERYS TARGARYEN

Today was supposed to be a joyous day, one where two of the realm's strongest houses were going to ally with one another. A day where decades of animosity were to be buried with a single marriage between Alicent Hightower and Aegon Targaryen.

Daemon's actions from that night had damaged the honor of Otto's daughter, and despite the truth of that night, maybe the rumors had begun already and would chase after the girl forever. And as the King and Daemon's brother, it was his duty to sort out this mess, and this match between Aegon and Alicent was set to do just that.

It would both protect Lady Alicent and bridge the animosity between Daemon and Otto's factions at court. Rhaenyra had told him that both Aegon and Alicent were close, and so the match would not be entirely loveless, and though a part of him would have preferred to wed Aegon to Rhaenyra, the thought of the match always unsettled him for some reason.

And so, he called them both to his solar and made the declaration. Otto had already approved of this, and both of them seemed surprised by the announcement, and he had expected them to rejoice and be happy, and yet both had reacted strangely and had refused the match initially.

Something that would not stand.

For Alicent Otto had said that it was just the surprise and suddenness of it all, and that she would comply with the King's decision, and for Aegon, there was no option of refusal, something which eh made clear to the boy before he let him go.

He had expected that to be the end of the days' courtly matters only to be proven wrong, as a few hours later they would learn of the abduction of Otto's daughter, a news which was being kept secret even now to protect the girl's honor.

"This is preposterous," Otto raged as the few people who knew of the abduction gathered in the council room.

"It has been hours since she went missing, and you are telling me that you still have not found a single trace of her," Otto raged. This was only the second time Viserys had seen his friend like this.

Otto's hair was disheveled, and his eyes were swollen. The man lacked much of the stoicism and calmness that he was well known for. And why wouldn't he? After all, his own daughter had been abducted, and Viserys could scarcely imagine what he was feeling.

"I am trying. I have all of the Gold Cloaks and the guards I could spare searching every nook and cranny of the city, but without declaring a curfew and shutting down the city, it is impossible to search for her," Aego replied helplessly. The boy was in not much better condition with dishevelled hair, and sunken eyes showing his worry.

He had just taken charge as the Lord Commander today and was faced with this ordeal. Viserys did not envy the boy.

"The Gold Claoks!" Otto scoffed, enraged as he pointed his finger at the boy.

"It was those very people that took her away! How the hell do you hope to find her with the help of the very people who kidnapped my daughter!" He screamed, and that was the troubling news. From the servants, they had managed to find out that the last time anyone had seen her was leaving the castle with two gold cloaks.

"We are still not certain if it was really a gold cloak or someone simply pretending to be one. I can only use the assets that are available to me," Aegon retaliated, and at least Daemon's son had the patience his father never had.

He could scarcely imagine Daemon standing there and answering so calmly as Otto screamed at him.

"We all know the Gold Cloaks are Daemon's creatures! This is just him trying to get revenge against my daughter for speaking out against him," Otto added as he looked towards him.

"This is all a ploy from Daemon," he continued as he pointed towards the young Prince Aegon.

"One that may even involve him; perhaps this is all a ruse to get rid of her so that he could besmirch her honor and refuse the marriage you have set for him. Or how is it that the day he is made the Commander of the City Watch, my daughter and his betroth go missing..."

"Otto!" he ordered, and the man closed his mouth. This was a serious allegation, one which he wished to deny. One which even his heart did not believe, but what if it was true? Daemon's actions from that night could be chalked upto a drunken stupor, inexcusable still but something not out of the ordinary.

But this. If this was Daemon's doing, what would he do? And yet they will have their answer, but what matters most is rescuing the girl. As for Aegon, he knew that the boy had no reason for doing this. Rhaenyra herself had told her that he and Alicent were rather good friends, and he doubted the boy would do something like this to her.

It was a grave accusation, one that demanded punishment, but he let it go for he understood Otto's pain at the loss of his daughter.

"What do you need, Aegon?" he questioned, and the boy looked him in the eye.

"Curfew! Let me close down the city, and I will search..."

"NO!" Otto's voice cut in.

"Shutting down the city would mean announcing her abduction to the city. Do you know what it would do to her? She would be considered a spoilt and spent girl, whose honor and virtue will be tarnished," Otto advocated, and yet there seemed to be no other option.

"If we do..."

"What will it matter?" Rhaenyra finally spoke up, looking at Otto with swollen eyes.

"Princess, you are a girl yourself. You must understand just how important honor and virtue are for a g..."

"But she is gone!" Rhaenyra raged as tears spilled from her eyes.

"It will not matter," suddenly Aegon's voice cut across the room as he stepped forward, as he looked at Otto.

"What do you mean it does not matter? If word of this gets out, no one will marry her, and her future will be ruined. She would be as good as dea....

"I will marry her," Aegon cut in sharply as Otto's eyes widened, and the boy looked him in the eye.

"Regardless of the consequences and circumstances. I will marry her," he announced before he turned to look him in the eye.

"So let me search for her. Let me find her. Please, before it's too late," he pleaded, and Viserys closed his eyes as he nodded.

"Do it. Find her," and the boy nodded and walked out of the council chambers as Viserys leaned back into the seat, tired of all this. And at that moment, he felt a hand approach his hand, one that sent a jolt running through him at the familiarity of it.

"Aem..." he nearly gasped as he opened his eyes and found Rhaenyra standing there holding his hand, looking at him with a complicated expression.

"Rhaenyra," he spoke softly as she approached and hugged him. He then gently wrapped his arm around his daughter.

"She will be fine, right?" she questioned through small sobs. He nodded and reassured her.

"She will be fine. She will be just fine."

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DAEMON TARGARYEN

Daemon's rage simmered as he settled on Dragonstone, thinking of that damned cunt that had forced Viserys to exile him. He raged at everyone, at his brother, at that cunt, at his son, at life itself for dealing him this hand.

And yet, there was only one thing that could satiate his boiling rage.

War.

And thankfully, Viserys had given him full leave on how to do that, and so as soon as he had come to Dragonstone, he had written to Velaryons, the Crabs, and the other coastal houses with navies to make preparations. He would sink his teeth into the Stepstones and root out that damned crab-feeder, and then he would leverage his victory to have Viserys grant him two of his eternal desires.

Getting Otto removed as Hand, and annulment of his marriage.

Of all the houses he had written to, one had replied in earnest as he had expected. Corlys Velaryon was a man hungry for power, and in many ways, he was much like him, having clawed everything they possessed with their own hands.

And with the armies nearly ready, the man had come to Dragonstone to discuss the war plans and to inform him about his rather consequential meeting with the Magister in Lys.

"So, do we have his support?" Daemon questioned and the man nodded, as he sipped his wine.

"We do. But Lysandro Rogare is a cautious man. He will not make his move until we have entered the fray in the Stepstones and have drawn first blood. We need to show him a powerful hand, a swift strike at the heart of Crabfeeder's stronghold that would show our seriousness," Corlys added, and it loathed him to make this alliance with outsiders.

And yet, this was the plan the council had drawn up.

"And what will this cost us?" he asked.

"Half the loot, and in return, he will have the Crabfeeder's support cut off by inciting infighting in the Triarchy," and that was a steep cost, but that would do.

"That is a steep cost. Let us hope that this Lysandro Rogare is as capable as he claims to be," and with that, he drowned his cup.

"And are the ships ready?" he asked.

"They are, as are the men and the supplies. I am awaiting the Crown's approval..."

"There is no need for that," Daemon cut in sharply as he looked the man in the eye and rose from his chair.

"I am the one overseeing this war, not the Iron Throne. I make the decisions," he declared as he looked the man in the eye.

"And I say if everything is ready, then there is no time to waste. We launch the attack immediately," he ordered, and Corlys Vealryon nodded.

"Then s be, it I will have everything prepared for this..." and then suddenly Daemon stopped as he heard the massive roar of a dragon, one louder than any he had yet heard.

"What was that?" it was well known that Dragonstone was home to many of the riderless dragons, and as he rushed towards the balcony, he saw the source of the roar and watched a gigantic beast taking to the skies.

It was the largest dragon alive today, the dragon of Visenya Targaryen—Vhagar.

The giant beast had been thought asleep for years and would only come out of its cave to hunt, and yet now it was flying in the skies.

"That is Vhagar," Corlys added. His eyes narrowed as he felt an ominous feeling in his gut. Suddenly, the door to his solar opened up, and a servant rushed in.

"My Prince! My Prince! I bring grave news," the servant spoke as Daemon raised a brow.

"Vhagar! Vhagar, my Prince, it has been claimed!" and he could not believe his ears as he screamed.

"How! And more importantly, who?" he asked as he rounded off, glancing once more at the giant beast circling around the castle as the servant opened his mouth.

"By Princess Laena Velaryon. She slid past the guards and entered its cave," and this time, it was Corlys who reacted as he looked at the servant and nearly screamed.

"WHAT!"

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And as an hour passed since the establishment of a curfew, still Aegon Targaryen found no trace of Alicent Hightower and as he saw the Sun begin to set he knew he needed to act soon enough, that he could wait no more.

"Sir, there is nothing. It is as if she vanished into thin air," the captain of the guards informed him.

"What about the tunnels?" he asked, his suspicion had continuously been going to those tunnels.

"We are still searching for them, but there are simply not enough men, and the tunnel network is simply too vast and complicated," he excused, and he did not even know how much he could trust these guys. And so, he had to take matters into his own hands.

"Get out of the tunnels and focus all your attention on the city. I want every nook and cranny searched. If she is in the city, I want her found," he ordered.

"And what of the tunnels?" he asked.

"Leave them to me," and with that, he sighed as he left the office, joined on the side by the lord commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Harrold, as he climbed up the stairs of the Maester's tower.

"Where are you going, my Prince?" the man questioned, seemingly puzzled by this as Aegon walked into the rookery and shouted out.

"Everyone out!" he ordered, and all the acolytes and apprentices looked at him, perplexed, but he had little patience now, and so he shouted a bit more powerfully.

"I said everyone OUT!" he ordered, and they all finally scampered away, leaving him all alone with nearly three dozen well-trained crows.

He began to unlock them as he turned towards the Lord Commander.

"You should leave as well. Stand outside the door, and no matter what happens do not let anyone enter the rookery," he commanded.

"And I do mean anyone, Ser Harrold! He confirmed, and the man nodded, but he was a Kingsgaurd and knew not to ask questions he did not wish to know the answer to.

And so, as the door closed, Aegon walked to the center of the room and sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes and confined himself to using the greatest taboo of warging.

And so, as he closed his eyes, he felt the pain hit him as all the crows settled down animatedly before they all flew out of the rookery, many taking to the skies as Aegon's eyes turned white.

And so, an hour would pass until the door to the rookery would open up, and Ser Harrold would turn and still in horror as the young Prince would stumble out of the door, as blood dripped down his eyes.

"Seven above!" the man would curse, looking at the haggard state of the Prince rushing forward to support him as the Prince would mouth the ominous words, his voice raspy and broken.

"I have found her. Get me a horse!"

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