Six moons later
103 AC
A letter came one fine morning that King Jaehaerys had taken his last breath. There was a slight tension on Dragonstone, but nothing we couldn't handle. Prince Viserys sent letters to all lords and lord paramounts to come to King's Landing in two moons to swear their fealty and for his crowning. He also announced a joust, because what's a coronation without some bloodshed for entertainment?
POV: Aemon Targaryen
The capital is mourning. The 55 years of reign that King Jaehaerys gave the realm was peaceful, I'll give him that. He left my father a united realm and coffers overflowing with gold. The entire capital was sad and prayed for him. His funeral was done in King's Landing and everyone came, even Rhaenys despite him being the reason for her removal from the line of succession. That took guts. His pyre was lit by me, or rather by Zalriazar breathing dragonfire at my command.
What followed was a flurry of customs and condolences. But everyone was excited about what came next - a new king and new regime. Father and Uncle Daemon acted fast and quickly consolidated their power. The lords of the Crownlands quickly swore their fealty, the most important one being Corlys and Aunt Rhaenys. Smart move on their part.
In three moons, lords and paramounts from all over the realm came to swear their fealty. One by one they came and made their oaths, bending the knee like good little vassals. Father also took this moment to declare me his heir and made me the crown prince. The High Septon crowned him with all the proper Westerosi customs - seven oils, the crown of Aegon the Conqueror, the whole ceremony that makes it official in the eyes of gods and men.
Now it's time to ask Father for some responsibility. Time to see if being crown prince actually means anything.
POV: Viserys Targaryen
These past few moons have been quite tense, but with everyone's support, mostly my family's, I could smoothly take my place as king. Much of this goes to Daemon and Aemon. I rewarded Daemon by making him Master of Coin, relieving Lord Lyman of his duties. The man was getting old anyway. Because of the loyalty of Ser Otto and his earlier services to our house, I kept his title as Hand.
There was dissatisfaction with that from both Daemon and Aemon, but they didn't make things too difficult for me. Though Aemon has asked for a favor in return. And that's why I'm waiting for him to discuss it.
The gates to the chamber opened and in came Aemon with a smile on his face, which brought one to mine as well.
"Well would you look at that, King of the Seven Kingdoms now. Quite an advancement from being Rhaenyra's punching bag," he said with that cheeky grin.
I couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Ha! Well it's hard to argue with that. She is quite willful. And you are now the crown prince - I'd say that's quite an advancement as well."
"Well what can I say, I'm just that special. But Father, there's something I want to talk about, and I'd like you to listen to what I have to say." His tone shifted, becoming more serious. "First and foremost, I will not marry Rhaenyra. I understand that it's a custom of our family, and you yourself didn't have a choice when marrying Mother as it was beneficial for our house, but I want some time to think about my marriage. And I promise I will marry someone that will benefit the house and will be a worthy match."
That's... quite a statement he's making. "Any particular reason why you don't want to marry her?" I asked, already having an idea why.
He rolled his eyes. "Only in our family will a father ask why his son doesn't want to marry his sister. Father, I see Rhaenyra as my sister and I would like it to remain that way. And I don't want to discuss this any further."
"Alright, I understand, but you've put me in quite a dilemma. Rhaenyra has a dragon, and females with dragons in our house... well, let's say their marriages are quite a problem. I don't want another Rhaenys situation."
"I've thought about it and it's time some changes need to be made in the family, but not now. We'll face it when we get there," he said, looking me in the eyes with an intensity that made me uncomfortable.
"Well, I'd like to know what you've thought about, but seeing as you don't want to talk about it, I'll wait..." I gave him the look that said 'you better have a damn good idea.'
"Father, there's something else I want to let you know. It's about my company. I'm going to expand it aggressively now, especially now that I'm crown prince. So I would like you to grant me some liberties."
"Yes, your company. It's been annoying me for quite a while now and I don't even understand why you want to keep it independent. You are the crown prince, the future heir - you'll have everything I do in time. So why do you keep coming to me for favors? If you just let the council oversee it, you wouldn't need any of these favors." I let my displeasure be known.
"Well I can't do that, Father, for reasons I can't explain. But I just want you to understand that all of this is for our house and its future. You'll understand with time. The favor I need is as a prince, not as someone who owns a company. I want Flea Bottom to be given to my company. It's Crown-owned land, but I want it transferred to my company."
"No. I cannot do that. Flea Bottom is just as important as the rest of the city. I cannot let you run wild there, not without informing the council. And you have duties as crown prince - any mistake you make in reckless action without thinking of consequences will destabilize my reign."
"Father, I want you to trust me on this. I will turn King's Landing into something the lords will awe and envy. You've already seen what my handpumps did for the city. I will change it for the better."
"Son, I want you to understand - you are eight namedays old. I know you're competent, but I cannot in good conscience give you such responsibility. You are a child I'm blessed to have, but I cannot give you such a heavy burden. I would be ashamed as a father. So let your father do the hard work. I want you to enjoy your childhood, son. I want you to have memories with me, your mother, Rhaenyra. We won't always be around. Rhaenyra won't always be six namedays old. She doesn't show it, but she misses you every time you leave for some business. Your mother and I worry about you, about the speed at which you're going. My son, for the sake of your mother, enjoy your childhood."
I saw guilt and sadness flash in his eyes. "I apologize, Father. I know I have been reckless and made you and Mother worry. Alright, I will wait until I'm old enough to bear such responsibility."
I pulled him into a hug. "Just take care of yourself. I'm proud of you. Be patient."
"Yes Father, I promise you that I will not push myself and spend time with you all..."
He paused, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.
"But I can at least rent some part of Flea Bottom, right?"
(* ￣︿￣)
(●'◡'●) ???
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A/N: Hey guys, I wanted to clear up some stuff. Aemon has the power to increase his lifespan (LP) if he kills someone. What that means is that he won't die of old age or sickness during that extra time, but he can still die if he's fatally wounded or poisoned.