would've could've should've | the dance of the dragons

the abdication

"Open the door.", a voice called behind the door.

"Ser Criston we can't-"

"Open the door, it is the queen's orders. She wishes for her son.", Criston pressed and when the guards didn't open the door he pushed it and entered it.

Aegon was sitting on the bed, clearly hungover from the morning and just woke up, and there was a girl next to him, half-naked, covered in blankets and also obviously just woke up.

Criston bowed and Aegon asked while rubbing his eyes. "Ser Criston?"

He looked at the woman next to him. "You can leave.", the girl looked to Aegon and when he nodded she quickly got up and left. "Come on, got up and get dressed. You are being late.", even in this state, Aegon could tell that Criston was furious.

"You can't give orders to me."

"I can if it's necessary, my king. Do you know why? Because I have sworn to your mother that I will protect you, even from yourself."

"You are overreacting.", Aegon huffed and lay down again. "It's just a stupid dinner, mother wouldn't even realize my absence."

"Do you think this is only about a dinner, Aegon?", Criston frowned. "It is about you. Everybody around you are worried about you. We all try to make you feel better in your position, and we all try to support you. And you do what? Cheat on your wife repeatedly, humiliate her in front of the court and in public, have outbursts in council meetings and ignore your mother. This is not how a king behaves."

"And you know a lot about that?", he put his arm to his eyes. "How a king behaves?"

"I had witnessed your father's rule for 14 years. I know exactly how a king shouldn't behave.", Criston snapped.

"Kings before me had mistresses."

"No king had a mistress. Not Aegon, not Aenys or Maegor and definitely not Jaehaerys or your father. Also having a ...commoner girl in your bed is not making her your mistress. Do you really think this low of your sister?"

"My sister, my wife, my business.", Aegon opened his arms. "Now go Cole, I'll sleep."

"No, you won't."

Aegon opened one eye. "You are getting bold, Cole. Be careful to not to cross a boundary, I am your king."

"Yes you are, but you are also my stepson.", he raised his eyebrows and opened his arms. "And right now I am talking to my stepson."

"Your stepson is 29.", Aegon mocked. "Still not under your jurisdiction."

Criston smiled and took the clothes from the side and throw it to Aegon. "Now, wear these and let us go."

Aegon changed his position to sit down, looked at the clothes and then at Criston and laughed. "Get out Cole, I am not coming."

"You are coming, Aegon.", he hissed.

"Cole-"

"I told you to get up!", Criston approached him and pulled him to his feet much to Aegon's surprise. "You may spend your gold to lickspittles and to your whores, you can mistreat servants and squires, you can have public quarrels with Rhaenyra and tease Aemond as much as you want but there is one thing you will not do, one thing I will not let you; disrespecting your mother!", he said all these while holding his head between his hands. "You are not a child anymore just like you said, every action you make has consequences."

"It is just one stupid dinner that mother throws to remember a man who never loved her or cared about her or did you forget all these Cole?", Aegon pushed Criston. "He was too busy with Rhaenyra and her bastards, never had time for her or for us. Everybody knows that no one wants to go to that dinner and not even mother. She only does that to not feel guilty. Why am I the only one who gets harsh responses when I stated the truths that everybody knows?"