The Conqueror's Brother

Chapter 7

Much like Visenya, there were many that took an issue with Aenys sitting on the Iron Throne. They found him weak of will and lacking in what a King should be like. But not many voiced it out loud, knowing full well that the king had the backing of two of the still alive Targaryen siblings, kept their mouths shut. But Visenya was not content with Aenys' approach to how to rule, to pander to the Lords, Ladies and small folk. She saw in him more of Rhaenys, who was a sweet woman with a gentle heart. But the gentle heart was even more gentle in Aenys who only ever looked brave when on the back of his dragon, but even that was a rare occurrence. Maelor saw it too, and like Visenya, he believed that Maegor would have been the better choice. But he didn't voice it, not to Visenya, nor to his wife Alayne who was his closest confidant. He kept that to himself. There was no need to sow seeds of discontent in these matters.

But Aenys' was not the only one that worried Maelor. Maegor had grown to slowly resent his lady wife. Years of trying to get a male heir and failing to do so had made him bitter towards the woman that he once loved. Vaena herself had become withdrawn, choosing to spend time in either the sept or the godswood. She was no godly woman, the silence helped her. Or maybe it was an escape where she could pour out her emotions and regain them before coming back. Unlike her brother, she had inherited the mettle of their father, the result of which was her not showing unnecessary emotions in public. Maelor and Alayne kept her close to them at every possible moment, but there was only so much they could do. Family problems though were not the only problem that plagued Maelor at the moment.

"Four uprisings in four different parts of the Kingdoms" Aenys muttered, biting on the nail of his thumb. "How has this happened? The smallfolk love me. I don't understand, why would they feel the need to rebel against me. Let us send ravens and talk it out with them. I'm sure we can come to some conclusion of peace."

"Respectfully, your Grace" Alyn Stokeworth, the hand of the king, spoke, "I don't think words will do us any good here."

"I agree with him on this, your Grace" Maelor Targaryen spoke, "these men do not intend to sit for peace. They are men who were boys when your father conquered their lands. They are out for independence and for your blood. Your father united the kingdom through sheer dominance and by the fear of dragons. Your father burned Harrenhal and all those inside it, now his 'son' is here to claim his father's lands and avenge him. This Lodos is a fanatic that is slighted by our beliefs triumphing his own and wants to assert dominance. The Dornish are bitter about what your father, your mother, your aunt and I had done to them. They were once a thriving power, but now all they have left is Sunspear and bits and pieces of drabble for castles. They want us all dead. And this Jonos Arryn wants power and nothing else."

"But why now? Why wait so long?" Aenys asked in genuine confusion.

"At the risk of sounding rude and unfiltered" Maelor sighed, "they think you to be weak. They think you will let them do whatever they wish and not punish them for it. This is your chance to put them in their place. Your father conquered the lands but never mistake it for uniting. They are very much living with the idea of kings of their domain. They need a stern reminder."

Aenys leaned back into his chair, pulling at the skin of his finger. "What will you have me do? To stop them."

"Dispatch your council" Maelor leaned forward and so did the rest of the council. After Aegon, it was Maelor whose ideas who they listened to, the King of Green Flames. "Aenor will take the royal fleet and join The Ironborn to lend support against this man. You will take less than half since The Ironborn will want this dealt with and will give you the men for it. Lord Stokeworth, take a few hundred men with you and join forces with the RIverlanders to tackle this Red Harren. Jonos Arryn seems to be taken control of by the Vale lords. I will have Maegor go there to put an end to this man."

"And Dorne?" asked Aenys.

"Dorne is mine. It's time I remind them how Dorne got to where it is now" Maelor smirked.

----

The ravens were sent, and the armies were ready to depart. Maelor was armoured, his dragon growling slowly as if anticipating a battle coming. It had been years since the great dragon had laid waste to anything. Maelor shared his sentiments, feeling a sense of adrenaline coursing through him at the thought of flying into battle. His wife on the other hand did not share his sentiments. She'd prefer if he did not join the battle.

"Dragon inbound!" a man shouted and Maelor looked up with a frown. A dragon was approaching, and when it landed, it was revealed to be Meraxes. It confused him to see the she-dragon here. Though the entrance of Vaena in armour wiped his confusion. Vaena had bonded with Meraxes after the death of her mother, two grieving souls finding comfort in each other it was almost like.

"And where are you going?" Maelor questioned his niece.

"With you, of course. I heard you were going to Dorne. I always wanted to visit the once great desert nation" Vaena answered as if it were obvious. It was not.

"Absolutely not" Maelor stepped in front of his niece. "I am about to go to Dorne and burn it all to the ground. It is not the time to go sightseeing."

"I know uncle. And I intend on helping you" she answered smoothly, walking around him to mount Meraxes. "I need this, please."

Maelor's frown did not fall but he did melt a little at her look. "You listen to what I say and question nothing. Understood?"

"As you will, my Lord" she grinned and mounted her dragon. Maelor shook his head with a soft smile and mounted Cannibal. With a roar, both dragons took to the sky for Dorne.

----

The flight to Dorne took them two days of non-stop flying. Maelor had given his niece only one word of warning, to look out for scorpion bolts. Dorne had been reduced to glass and sand thanks to the Targaryens during the First Dornish War. The lands that were once populated were nothing but ruins now, no place people could live in. It only left Sunspear, where men had gathered under Deria Martell, who had inherited her grandmother's will and pride. Unlike her father, she had no qualms in calling for a rebellion. Dorne had hired sellsword companies from across the sea to bolster their negligible numbers. But even those were not enough when two dragons descended on them. The fields of Sunspear were reduced to fire and death, bodies burning and building collapsing. Much like the rest of Dorne, Sunspear met its end in flames, its people burned to nothing. And with that the last noble house falling, Dorne lost the last of its nobility. Now it was nothing but desert and glass.

"These lands are ripe for the taking now. Maybe I can convince your brother to have these places resettled or something" Maelor smirked. "You did well today. It felt like I was with your mother up in the skies again" he said with a smile.

"Thank you uncle" Vaena smiled shyly ducking her head. Maelor approached her, lifting her head with his fingers on her chin.

"I'm proud of you, you know that right? Even if you did not bond with Meraxes and were here with me right now. You've done enough to make me feel proud of you. No matter who says what" he said.

Vaena's mouth opened and closed before her bottom lip wobbled. She hugged her uncle tightly, burying her face in his chest. Maelor returned the hug with equal vigour. "I'm sorry" she mumbled softly. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for" Maelor whispered, rubbing her back and letting her vent out her frustrations. As strong as Vaena showed herself to be, Maelor knew that even she needed comfort. Especially with how her life was going now. He knew there wouldn't be too many people she could open herself to or even think about doing it at the cost of making her husband seem worse than he already was. He'd have to talk to Maegor about this, and make sure things between them did not spiral out of control.