"It's my duty, my God-given birthright and my crown."
- Mary, Queen of Scots
In which Valyria Targaryen returns to the Red Keep and becomes a key player in the game for the Iron Throne.
....or....
In which there isn't a person in the Se...
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117 AC, Driftmark
Despite all the chaos Rhaenyra and Daemon's stunt had brought House Targaryen, something good did come out of it: Rhaenyra convinced Viserys to dismiss Otto Hightower as Hand of the King.
For too long, the son of Oldtown had managed to push his own agendas and better his own family's standing. Now Queen Alicent had lost her most valuable ally - although Valyria was not naive enough to believe that Otto leaving King's Landing meant that the hold he had on his daughter loosened. The timing of the Hand's dismissal could not have been better since everyone's attention turned to how the Queen's own father had fallen out of favour.
That did, however, not mean Valyria was unaware of what truly had transpired that night after Daemon and Rhaenyra went their separate ways. Serra's informants had told her about how Ser Criston Cole strangely had not been at his post - outside the princess's bedchambers - and that less than innocent noises had been heard from the inside.
The moon tea Viserys sent to Rhaenyra's chambers had served its purpose after all - just not to rid of any 'unwanted consequences' from another man. Over the years, Valyria had come to see Ser Criston as a friend at court. The two would often spar together which made her wonder if there was something she had missed all along.
Now Viserys was eager to marry off his daughter to quiet down any rumours that might spread about her little adventure with her uncle. Therefore, he immediately planned a trip to Driftmark where he would propose a match between Princess Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor to strengthen the crown's ties to the richest house in the realm.
Valyria had never been fond of boats and therefore she opted for riding there on Ānogara. The decision that she would come along had been made by Viserys who hoped her presence would sway Rhaenys who had always been very fond of Valyria since the two had a lot in common.
Valyria landed Ānogara just as the royal ship docked. She slid down the red dragon's wing with grace and gently ran her hand over her head as she waited for Viserys and Rhaenyra to join her on land. Ānogara flew away and Valyria approached the carriage that would take them to High Tide.
"You look absolutely dreadful," Valyria said with worry, noticing Viserys' pale and hollow cheeks. He had not been in the picture of health for years but this was worse than usual. "I know you wanted to show Lord Corlys some respect by coming here, but travelling is not good for your health."
"You needn't worry for me, Lyria," Viserys forced a smile
"Somebody has to," Valyria retorted, assisting Viserys in climbing into the carriage. Soon Rhaenyra and Lord Lyonel Strong, the new Hand of the King, joined them inside. Rhaenyra refused to even look at her father and instead she opted for glaring down at her hands.
