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THE WIND WHISTLED a tune of despair. Oldtown was much larger than she had imagined it would be. Only accompanied by her brother, Viserra did not belong so far away from her mother's grasps.
"You want to be powerful, and you don't lack ambition—but you don't have the nastiness required to truly go for it," the Lord Hightower said plainly. "Tell me, granddaughter — do you wish to see the realm at war?"
Viserra shook her head, afraid.
Lord Hightower nodded, satisfied with her response. "Good. Then you understand that Aegon must take his seat on the throne, do you?"
Viserra took a deep breath, releasing it with a shaky kind of sigh. "But, Aegon does not wish to rule. He's told me countless times that the throne does not —"
" — He may sit on the throne, but he will never truly rule. Kings listen to the words of their hand and perhaps more to the whispers of their wives if it suits them. Do you understand, Viserra?"
Her stomach felt uneasy at the true meaning of his words. She was only ten and one years of age, but she had already understood the duties of a wife. It was only a matter of time before she wed Aegon.
"Your mother claims she knows the truth about the situation at hand, but she's a fool. Hear my words, Rhaenyra will not answer to your requests for mercy," He explained. His words sunk into her heart. "Your mother may give into the words of Rhaenyra — you will not, understood?"
"Yes, grandsire," She muttered. It wasn't long before wet tears began streaming down her pale cheeks. "Would you come to visit after the ceremony? I'm afraid Oldtown doesn't suit me anymore."
"Of course." I would not miss the chance to see you begin to ascend to your true potential.
The Lord Hightower's true words were masked by a gentle and meaningful embrace. One that he had never given to Alicent in the years she's lived.
"You must not let your mother fully know of our plans. I fear that her words of false narratives will bring you more hesitation," He sighed, looking down at the daughter he wished Alicent was. "Be an innocent flower, but a serpent under it."
