Blood of Old Valryia (Aemond Targaryen FF)

Chapter Fifty Five

Aesira stood nervously to the side of the Painted Table, trying to blend in with the shadows.

She was aware that Lord Corlys Velaryon had just returned from Driftmark and was about to address the black council. It had been seven days since Princess Rhaenys Targaryen had been killed, and Lord Corlys had taken her charred remains back to Driftmark for a proper Velaryon funeral.

Aesira feared that if she drew too much attention to herself, Lord Corlys would lash out at her. She had initially wanted to hide in her chambers, but Jace had urged her to attend every council meeting so that the Hightower spy would believe she was still in good faith with Rhaenyra and her cause. They needed to present Aesira as valuable if she was to be of any use to them in the ongoing political struggles.

As Lord Corlys stormed into the council chamber, the members present rose to their feet in respect. He made his way towards the Painted Table, his eyes scanning the room until they came to rest on Aesira. She could see the anger and grief etched in his eyes, and she knew that he held her and her family responsible for what had happened to Princess Rhaenys.

"My lords and ladies," Lord Corlys began, his voice firm but tinged with sorrow. "Rook's Rest was an ambush, carefully planned and executed by Prince Aemond Targaryen and the False King Aegon Targaryen. It was a trap intended for either Prince Daemon or her grace, Queen Rhaenyra."

The council members began to murmur amongst themselves, their expressions a mixture of shock and anger. Aesira could feel their eyes turning towards her, and she knew that they were thinking of her and Aemond.

"The letter that accompanied my wife's body was a missive from Prince Aemond," Lord Corlys continued, his voice filled with a mixture of rage and sorrow. "He is demanding the release of his wife, or he threatens that our allies will suffer a similar fate. He has made it clear that he will not rest until he has achieved his goal, and that he will stop at nothing to achieve it."

Aesira could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she heard these words.

"Your mother could have prevented this," Lord Corlys spat, turning to Jace. "She allowed this to happen to my wife, and now Lord Staunton has been brutally murdered, his head mounted on a spike and paraded through King's Landing. Meleys' head was brought before the masses as a warning and some twisted idea of a trophy."

Jace stood, his face a mask of stoicism, but Aesira could see the pain and sadness in his eyes. She knew that he was thinking of his mother and the guilt and responsibility he felt for her actions. Despite Lord Corlys' harsh words, Jace understood that he was grieving and was not taking the insults personally. He knew that Lord Corlys had a right to his anger, and that he was seeking someone to blame for the loss of his wife.

As Lord Corlys continued to yell, Aesira could feel her heart sinking. She knew that he was right, that seven days had passed since the ambush and Rhaenyra had not spoken out. Aesira also knew that they had lost more allies than they had gained, and that Aemond's threat to fly over the Riverlands, burning entire cities and villages to the ground, was causing even more problems.

Maester Gerardys cleared his throat, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "My lords and ladies," he said, his voice steady and calm. "We must deal with Prince Aemond's threat. It needs to be our first priority, even before trying to sway any lords back into our fold."

The room was silent as Lord Corlys stood at the Painted Table, his fists clenched at his sides. He glared at Jace, who stood across from him, looking increasingly uncomfortable.

"Our allies are burning, Jace," Lord Corlys hissed and his eyes narrowed into slits. "My wife is a pile of charred bones, while the Queen we pledged our forces to cowers under bedsheets for a son who is no longer alive to be fought for."