The One True Heir

Chapter 22

Much like the first wedding, Edric's second marriage was celebrated by a tourney that lasted four days. Gwyneth Yronwood, Edric's new wife and the Realm's new Queen was a clever girl, with brown hair and dark eyes that set her apart from the rest of her blonde hair and blue-eyed family. She was quick with her words and quick with her hands, something Edric learned firsthand on the night they consummated their marriage. He enjoyed her company and her presence on the council was considered a boon rather than the other members being respectfully silent about her presence since she was Queen. But the biggest relief for Edric was that Gwyneth and Joanna got along well. The princess was only two and the first time she had seen met her stepmother, she had been shy and stuck to her father. But the Queen embraced the role of mother readily and slowly worked on her relationship with the Princess. In a few weeks, the Princess had warmed up to the woman. A year after their union, Queen Gwyneth announced that she was pregnant. Sadly the time for celebration was not on them just yet.

But that had not been the only good news to reach the King's ears. From across the narrow seas came another one. Daenerys Targaryen, mother of slaves, Queen of the former Slave Cities, and Mother of Dragons had received a devastating blow. Her three dragons had contracted a sort of sickness and one after the other they had died. It was not just some sickness though. Almost three years ago Edric had tasked Qyburn with writing to the Citadel about ways to deal with Dragons. The Citadel had sent Archmaester Perestan, the historian of the Citadel. And with the Archmaester came a very valuable secret. Perestan was installed as the Grandmaester and immediately was tasked with preparing this 'weapon' to deal with Daenerys' Children. Qyburn was tasked with assisting the man, having experience with substances already. The new Grandmaester did not take to Qyburn well, but with assurances from the King worked with the man.

This 'weapon' was a concoction of the strongest poisons known to the Citadel, brewed at precise temperatures and with precise stirs and precise amounts added. The Dance of The Dragons had killed out major dragons, but those that survived were killed with this concoction. But those dragons were considerably smaller than Daenerys' ones to the dosage needed to be higher, and the concoction needed to be prepared in bulk. They called it Dragonsbane, a pretentious name in Edric's opinion. Once the poison was made it was shipped away to Meereen. Months it had taken until a report was received. The poison had been administered. And then a few months later words came that the dragons had perished.

The death of the dragons had a domino effect on Daenerys. First, the Sons of Harpy, a resistance group of Ghiscari noblemen from Meereen had opened rebellion against the woman, their numbers bolstered when the hired sellsword companies added to them. The Masters had won, killed all the men loyal to Daenerys and then enslaved the Queen for themselves. Last Edric heard she was a whore for the masters, who had re-established the slavery system in the Slave Cities.

Edric felt bad for the woman. In an ideal world, he would have welcomed her back if she had bent the knee, given her Dragonstone since it was her ancestral land and let her live out the remainder of her life in peace here. But she was not someone that would bend the knee to him and peacefully return to Westeros, and her Dragons were a threat. He had to take them all out and he did, for his Kingdom and for his family.

But when good news was abundant, there was always bad news to follow. A dark cloud on an otherwise clear sky. It came in the form of a Northern entourage and a former brother of the Night's Watch.

The King awaited the entry of Lord Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. The man had sent him a raven in advance, informing him of their arrival. He also mentioned something that Edric did not believe in the slightest, but they claimed they had proof. So Now the King waited.

The doors to the Throne Room opened and in walked Lord Stark first, followed by men that Edric did not see before. They were all Lords of the North, that much he was certain of. The last to enter was another familiar face.