Better Than Revenge// Otto Hightower (1)

15. Envy

Out of the woods // Ned Stark out now!

'Your Grace.' Corlys said as he approached Viserys and Gaena.

'I'm glad we could meet. I know tempers ran hot today, and I wanted to assure you how much I value the bond between our houses. Rhaenys is my favorite cousin after all.' Viserys told him.

"I wish to apologize for the tenor at the Small Council today, Your Grace. It was not my intent to make offense." Corlys assured. Gaena withheld the urge to roll her eyes.

"Your fleet is one of the realm's most important assets, Lord Corlys. But you must understand, as King, it is my obligation to avoid war until such time it is unavoidable." Viserys reminded him.

'None among us desire open war." Corlys agreed. "Might I speak plainly, Your Grace?" Corlys questioned hesitantly as he looked to Gaena.

"I always welcome the unfettered thoughts of my council." Viserys agreed.

"Yes. Always." Gaena agreed.

"I fear that the eyes of our enemies are presently fixed on the Red Keep. The Queen has passed. A girl has been named heir to the Iron Throne, the first in its history. The King's brother, so disinherited, has claimed the Targaryen seat on Dragonstone without challenge. And now, a foreign power has established a colony in our most critical shipping lane." Corlys remarked.

"You paint such an aspirant portrait of my reign, Lord Corlys." Viserys said trying to keep his tone light and not bitter. Gaena held to his hand as Viserys let out a hot breath.

"It is an honest one, cousin. At the moment, The Crown is perceived as being vulnerable." Corlys told him.

"Vulnerable? Viserys is young and strong." Gaena corrected. "The crown is not vulnerable and Targaryen name is not vulnerable." Gaena spat.

"And a blind incursion in the Stepstones is the only way to demonstrate that we are not?" Viserys countered.

"To elude a storm, you can either sail into it or around it. But you must never await its coming." Corlys told him.

"What is coming?" Gaena spat.

"Do you have a specific course of action to propose, my lord?" Viserys questioned stiffly.

"Join our families. Wed our daughter, Laena." Corlys told him and Viserys face pinched as Gaena laughed out, Corlys ignored Gaena's amusement. "Unite the two great surviving Valyrian houses. With the Targaryen dragons and the Velaryon fleet bound in blood, you can show the realm that The Crown's strongest days are ahead... not behind." Viserys couldn't look at him he turned the room, trying to maintain his composure.

"Laena is a baby."

"She is 12." Corlys corrected.

"And you want your daughter to be fucking a man of almost 40?" Gaena spat. "What kind of father are you? To want that for your child?" Viserys had to agree with his sister. It was strange but Corlys always coveted his wife's would have been crown.

"I must admit... I haven't given marriage much thought. It hasn't even been half a year since Aemma passed." Viserys reminded him.

" The realm expects you to take a new wife soon or late, Your Grace, to strengthen your line and produce more heirs. You could not ask for a stronger match than Laena." Corlys reminded him. Or a younger match, Viserys thought.

"Dragon shit." Gaena declared. "You are not marrying into that awful family."

+

"We haven't spoken much... since. A regret of mine. We should be free to speak our minds to one another."

"You can say whatever you'd like. You are the King." Rhaenyra reminded him and Viserys chuckled, yes he was, but he didn't feel like it at times with every single person he seemed to have to answer to.

'I loved your mother... very much.'

'As did I.' Rhaenyra assured her fingers tap, tap, tapping on table. 'Ser Harrold provided a fine field of tourney knights.'

'Oh?' Viserys questioned

'But in questioning them, I discovered that Ser Criston was the only man among them with true battle experience." Rhaenyra told him.

"He'll make a fine knight of the Kingsguard." Viserys agreed he found it hard to look at his daughter. "Today at Small Council..."

"Pay it no mind. I, I thought I might have had some insight, but..." Rhaenyra began.

"You're young. You will learn." Viserys told her confidently.

+

"This is our best chance to save the digit, Your Grace." Mellos remarked. ' The maggots will remove the dead flesh and hopefully stop the advance of the rot.'

"Will it though?" Gaena countered. "In the end?"

"Gaena love." Viserys whispered.

"Is saving the finger so important to you?" Gaena asked. "We could save the finger now but what of the repercussions of not handling this right now? What infections could grow?" Gaena snapped.

"Gaena love." Viserys whispered grabbing her hand.

"You want Rhaenyra to lose another parent?" Gaena countered.
"No, of course not." Viserys agreed.

"I want to know the risks of this. All of this." Gaena demanded.

'I held an audience earlier today with Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys.' Viserys remarked needing to change the subject. Gaena stared down at him.

"That was most charitable of you, Your Grace. I'm sure Lord Corlys appreciated the spirit of it." Mellos told him glancing back at Gaena her arms were crossed over her chest annoyed.

"He proposed a marriage." Viserys disclosed.

"To whom, Your Grace?" Mellos pondered.

"The Lady Laena." Viserys told him and Mellos stopped examining his hand. Viserys nodded, he had the same reaction. "To combine the strength of our houses, and demonstrate my reign's strongest days are ahead, not behind." He repeated.

"A shit match." Gaena declared.

"Lord Corlys has overreached, Your Grace." Otto told him 'Such matters must be discussed with the Small Council." Otto reminded him biting back the edge to his voice.

"That is what I'm doing, presently. So... what is your advice, dear Otto." Viserys told him.

"The Lady Laena... is young, Your Grace." Otto told him trying to think of a reason to void this immediately.

"A child." Gaena agreed.

"Indeed, but the wounds made by the Great Council still linger, my King. A match with their daughter would go a long way towards sealing the breach and uniting the two great Valyrian houses would certainly signal unity throughout the realm and beyond." Mellos reminded Otto.

"The Grand Maester's reasoning is sound." Otto agreed stiffly.

"Corlys is envious of the crown. He wants his daughter on the throne and whats to say that when you have a child with her. Think about that for a moment Vis." Gaena begged. "You. Fucking a 12 year old." A shiver went up Gaena's spine. "One, she can't have children now, what child bleeds this young?" Gaena went on and Otto nodded in agreement. "Two, if they are worried for heirs you need to find someone of age. And Three! Three Viserys, if you give her a son Corlys will find a way to kill you, rule in your stead, in Laena's stead and then we would have to deal with those water fuckers. We are fire. Fire and water don't mix." Gaena told him and Viserys sighed.

"I agree with the princess completely." Otto agreed and Gaena smiled back at him.

"I do fear what Rhaenyra might think." Viserys added softly.

"What does it matter, Your Grace? Her mother has passed. Her father must propagate the royal line." Mellos reminded him.

"I, uh, dearly loved my own lady wife." Otto began he glanced to Gaena. "The pain of her passing still haunts me. And to be compelled to... replace her for duty's sake." Otto said offering his own wisdom to the situation. "You are the King. But I do not envy you."