Gold Rush // Harwin Strong

1. Proposal

'I held an audience earlier today with Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys.' Viserys remarked stiffly.

"That was most charitable of you, Your Grace. I'm sure Lord Corlys appreciated the spirit of it." Mellos told him.

"He proposed a marriage." Viserys disclosed.

"To whom, Your Grace?" Mellos pondered.

"The Lady Laena." Viserys told him and Mellos stopped examining his hand. Viserys nodded, he had the same reaction. "To combine the strength of our houses, and demonstrate my reign's strongest days are ahead, not behind." He repeated.

"Lord Corlys has overreached, Your Grace." Otto told him 'Such matters must be discussed with the Small Council." Otto reminded him biting back the edge to his voice.

"That is what I'm doing, presently. So... what is your advice, dear Otto." Viserys told him.

"The Lady Laena... is young, Your Grace." Otto told him trying to think of a reason to void this immediately.

"Indeed, but the wounds made by the Great Council still linger, my King. A match with their daughter would go a long way towards sealing the breach and uniting the two great Valyrian houses would certainly signal unity throughout the realm and beyond." Mellos reminded Otto.

"The Grand Maester's reasoning is sound." Otto agreed stiffly.

"I do fear what Rhaenyra might think." Viserys added softly.

"What does it matter, Your Grace? Her mother has passed. Her father must propagate the royal line." Mellos reminded him.

"I, uh, dearly loved my own lady wife. The pain of her passing still haunts me. And to be compelled to... replace her for duty's sake." Otto said offering his own wisdom to the situation. "You are the King. But I do not envy you."

"I heard the Lannister's are visiting, they have a daughter, older than Rhaenyra, the Lannister's are good people to have stronger connections with." Mellos offered.

"Lannisters." Otto said with a huff. "I don't think that wise."

"Why not?" Viserys countered.

"Well..." Otto couldn't think of anything that wasn't a lie.

"The Lannister's could be a fine match but who is to say they even have their sights on the crown. Or on you." Mellos offered innocently.

+

"What was it like flying the Black Dread? You were Balerion's last rider."

"Only for a short time before he died. With Balerion died the last memory of Valyria of Old. But Vhagar still lives... somewhere." Viserys said with a sigh.

"Bit too large for the Dragon pit. Some would say too large for our world. Do you know where she nests?" Laena questioned.

"I'm sorry?" Viserys had too much on his mind to be talking dragons with a child, a child he was never going to marry, ever. He knew that for a fact, he didn't know why he was bothering entertaining the idea. He didn't want to marry, he wasn't going to marry a child and he certainly wasn't going to marry this child. Perhaps the Lannister's would have a better alternative to save him from this catastrophe.

"Do you know where Vhagar is now?" Laena questioned kindly.

"Um, the Dragon keepers believe she made home somewhere on the coast of the Narrow Sea. The workers at Spicetown report hearing her song at times." Viserys told her. "They say it is a sad thing." Viserys added.

"I imagine even dragons get lonely. Your Grace... it would be a great honor to join our houses as they were in Old Valyria. I would give you many children of pure Valyrian blood so that we might strengthen the royal line and the realm." Laena told him, as rehearsed.

"Is that what your father told you to say?" Viserys questioned and she nodded sheepishly.  "What did your mother tell you?" Viserys countered.

"That I wouldn't have to bed you until I turned 14." Laena told him honestly and Viserys sighed.

+

"It bothers you, does it not?"

"My father is a king. It is his duty to take a new wife and strengthen his line." Rhaenyra told Rhaenys.

"I did not ask for a lesson in politics. I asked whether this bothers you." Rhaenys repeated.

"Laena is your daughter, Princess. Does it bother you?' Rhaenyra countered.

"Of course, it does. But I understand the order of things.' Rhaenys told her pompously.

"I'm not sure you do. If you mean to elicit some anger from me, you should know that you're failing, Princess." Rhaenyra warned smugly.

"Quite the opposite. Whether it's to my daughter or to someone else's, your father will remarry sooner than late. His new wife will produce new heirs, and chances are better than not that one of those will be male. And when that boy comes of age and your father has passed, the men of the realm will expect him to be heir, not you." Rhaenys told her. "Because that is the order of things."

"When I'm Queen, I will create a new order." Rhaenyra told her confidently and the Princess Rhaenys chuckled knowingly.

"How I wish that could be, Rhaenyra. But the men of the realm already had their opportunity to appoint a ruling queen at the Great Council and they denied it." Rhaenys reminded her.

"They denied you, Princess Rhaenys. The Queen Who Never Was." Rhaenyra recalled. "But they bent the knee to me and called me heir to the throne."

"Do you remind your father's men of that as you carry their cups? Here is the hard truth, which no one else has the heart to tell you. Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne." Rhaenys told her stubbornly. She had never got to be queen she wasn't going to sit by while Viserys daughter got everything she ever wanted. 'And your father is no fool.'

+

"Aelsa... be welcome-"

"We don't need to do the pleasantries you know why I'm here. I know why I'm here. Let's get the damn crown."