Aegon Snow

-Chapter 178-

-POV MC-

Once I explained the reason for my reluctance, everyone understood why I hadn't taken Daenerys as my wife. If no child were born from the Empress's womb upon my death, the Empire would face the greatest and most deadly succession war.

Syrax recently laid 4 eggs, so in 5 to 10 years, House Targaryen could see its dragonriders increase from 4 to 8, or even more.

The losses would be counted in millions of the Empire's citizens.

I don't think I'll die in a few years, and I'm confident enough that I can stop the White Walkers with the Wall of dragons and Magic, so my reign will last a long time. But I'm not foolish enough to ignore what my death could bring about.

'I am not immortal, I am not eternal, no one is. The higher the rise, the more painful the fall.'

"You already have heirs, Your Majesty..." Monford Velaryon tried to say, but I interrupted: "Heirs, not an heir."

I fixed my gaze on Viserys and said:

"Will you kneel before my son Maegor if you are still alive?"

Viserys lowered his eyes and said nothing, well aware of my ability to detect lies.

He did not dare utter one while looking me in the eyes and preferred to remain silent.

I narrowed my eyes in his direction, and after a few seconds of reflection, I said, switching from the common tongue to High Valyrian:

"I removed Aemon from the succession because of his mother, but that doesn't mean I don't love him. He is my son, and I will always give him the best. But I do it for the good and sustainability of my empire, just as I do not have your head cut off for your treasonous thoughts, Viserys."

He lifted his head, and I continued:

"I know you won't kneel for what you consider a lion hidden under a dragon's skin. But if I marry Daenerys and we have no offspring, the last thing I will do before dying is to name Maegor as my heir and clear the path so he can peacefully sit on the Iron Throne."

The eyes of all who understood our conversation widened as they grasped the hidden implication in my words.

I concluded by saying:

"If you are ready to accept this, then I will have no problem accepting your sister as my Empress."

Viserys thought for a few seconds before saying, also in High Valyrian:

"I dreamed recently that you would have sons. I trust that you will soon be the father of beautiful children and that my nephew will ascend to the Iron Throne."

I nodded and sat back on my throne, letting Missandei fall to the ground.

Daenerys immediately went to comfort her.

I signaled Benjen to continue.

I had only one desire: for this circus to end so I could return to Dragonstone and see my children.

Since the assassination attempt, I constantly thought about them. Whenever I was away from them, I couldn't help but think something might happen. Only my rational thought helped me maintain control without falling into paranoia.

'And I have Connor who watches everyone for me. Without all these little birds, I surely wouldn't be able to sleep properly,' I thought, completely distracted by Benjen and Tyrion's small talk.

Looking at the dwarf, I suddenly remembered that he hadn't done a good job as the crown's spy, given that Daenerys was preparing her assault on the imperial fleet I was going to send to conquer the Summer Islands.

I didn't understand why this little gnome was trying to betray me when we had agreed that I would overlook his crime once his role as a double agent was finished.

Had someone turned him against me?

Did he think I wouldn't honor my commitments?

Or perhaps he simply fell in love with Daenerys and thought that the Lord of Casterly Rock would be a good match once I was out of the picture?

'What a joke, the gnome king consort,' I thought with a slight smile.

One thing is certain: I can no longer trust his word.

'I will have to clear all this up over time.'

---

-POV Daenerys Targaryen-

The illusion of grandeur and authority that my nephew's appearance had given me was brutally crushed by reality.

He was not a dragon knight from tales and legends, but a living dragonrider, a man as ordinary as could be, vindictive, quick to anger, and extremely authoritarian.

Seeing Missandei escape the foreigner's clutches awakened me from the illusion I was in.

For now, I was not a member of the House of the Dragon.

I might wear the colors, but they did not accept me as such.

Seeing the lords' eyes turn to me, I understood that they did not yet recognize me as a true member of House Targaryen.

I was nothing more than a prize for their emperor, nothing more.

And let's not even talk about Olenna Tyrell, who considered me no better than a whore from Lys.

'I would like to see if she keeps the same expression in front of Drogon,' I thought.

As I listened to the lords on my side and those of my nephew arguing about everything and nothing, I looked up at the latter, who seemed no more interested in these quarrels than I was and appeared elsewhere.

"We cannot leave all of Her Majesty the Queen's forces in Yunkai."

"We will not accept any foreign invasion."

"These are the elite troops of the Queen and your future Empress."

"Who can rise against the Emperor at any moment."

They argued as if we were not present, as if we were nothing more than puppets and banners they raised to fight for their own interests.

"They will be loyal to both."

"The Unsullied are only loyal to their masters."

"We... no longer be... slaves."

"In any case, we will not have foreign troops on imperial soil."

"These are not foreign troops since the empire will encompass the current Kingdom of the Dragon Bay."

"And they will stay there to protect the imperial soil from the threat of the Ghiscari masters, just like you and the lords who follow..."

"This is just a disguised exile."

"…"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted, tired of hearing them squabble endlessly.

Everyone fell silent and looked at me. I gathered all the courage I could and said:

"Leave us alone."

"Your Majesty..."

"Withdraw. I would like to speak with the emperor alone. I don't want to repeat myself," I said, this time more sharply to Tyrion, who nodded.

My companions quickly left while I walked towards my nephew, who nodded for his companions to do the same and move away so we could talk in peace.

"Mother of Dragons," he said sarcastically.

"Father of Dragons," I replied in the same tone.

He raised his eyebrows and then said:

"If I remember correctly, I hatched two while you only hatched one."

"Two eggs that you stole from me," I retorted, annoyed by the memory.

He shrugged, and I continued, "And if I remember correctly, one of them hatched for my brother."

He rolled his eyes and then said, "We both know that the Viserys of that time couldn't have hatched an egg even if it were still alive and not petrified like yours. It was my magic that made it possible."

"Maybe so, or maybe not. The fact remains that we both hold these titles and that we only managed to hatch one dragon. Every child must have a father and a mother, just as a kingdom must have a king and a queen," I said before he interrupted, almost contemptuously:

"And I suppose an Empire needs an emperor and an empress."

I said nothing to his accusatory tone, preferring to remain silent. Then he finally said:

"I understand what you're saying, and I agree with it. But Daenerys, you went too far."

"I didn't send assassins to kill you, nor you nor any member of our House," I said, tired of justifying myself for something I didn't do.

"I know. That's not what I reproach you for, because you did worse," he said.

I frowned, confused, and he said, narrowing his eyes in anger but still in a calm tone:

"You raised the banner of the traitors, you opposed my reign, and on whose advice? Jorah Mormont's."

I furrowed my brows, curious to know how he knew it was Jorah who advised me to declare myself Queen, then he said:

"Jorah Mormont was a traitor, and he died as he lived."

"He was always loyal to me."

"He may have obeyed you, but he fled Westeros because he was the same scum you nail to crosses. He could have brought you back to Westeros as soon as I took my throne. He could have advised you correctly, but no, he pushed you to become the queen, and queen of what? Astapor, a foreign land where you have no ties and whose inhabitants don't want you today, nor the slavers you freed them from."

"It's because of you. You put obstacles in my way every time, you pushed me here. It's because of you that I haven't had peace. If you hadn't attacked me, I wouldn't have done it either. I just wanted to be free to choose how to live, not fall into the hands of Viserys, yours, or another man who would decide for me the rest of my days."

"Hilarious. You are stupid, naive, and so hilarious. You seriously thought I would let you quietly found an empire with dragons that could become a threat to me or my future descendants simply because we bear the same name and YOU want to live in peace?"

I stood there, speechless, not knowing what to answer, and he continued:

"You think I would let the power to ride a dragon fall to A FUCKING DOTHRAKI BASTARD YOU OPENED YOUR LEGS FOR?"

Furious, I lunged at him and tried to slap him.

He smiled and then sat back on his throne, until I realized I couldn't even take a step, paralyzed by a force that held me completely still.

I struggled for a few seconds before giving in.

Only when I stopped fighting could I move again.

I lowered my eyes, full of sadness, and said:

"I've been cursed. I can't have children."

"I know," he said.

I was sure he was going to continue talking, but he preferred to remain silent. Then I asked with a glimmer of hope:

"You said I could have them."

"Curses can be broken. I'm sure a Maegi could break this curse," he said nonchalantly.

"You can do it."

"Who knows?" he said before adding, "I'm still a novice in all things magical. What I manage to do comes naturally after many hypotheses and luck. I don't yet know if others like me could do the same, but anyway, that's not the point."

"Yes, we are talking about our respective conditions to merge our crowns peacefully," I said, regaining control of the conversation.

Unlike other times, Aegon did not interrupt me and patiently waited for me to finish talking, which surprised me.

So I said, "I would like us to merge our crowns and our claims on the territories we respectively hold."

"How could that work?" he asked calmly.

"Lift the exile of all my vassals. That's all I ask of you," I said.

"That's all you ask?" he said.

"Yes," I said.

He said suspiciously, "No reintegration, no restitution of lands and other things?"

"None of that. I know you will do what is right. I simply ask you to lift the exile of my vassals so they can return to their homes," I said.

He looked surprised and even admiring for a few seconds, then he said:

"Very well. If that's all you ask and I decide the rest as I see fit, the exile of all your vassals is hereby lifted."