Red // Otto Hightower (1)

8. Victory

Otto did know Aelsa was there. She added a second desk. A better chair.

'Lumbar support I got you one.' Aelsa had told him. The chair was better but he could never admit that. She changed the curtains but those did need to be changed he was sure they hadnt been touched since before aegons ruling.

She had Lannister red and gold littering the room.

Otto looked around and it looked brighter in here, bolder, worthy of a ruler. He had been hand for ages and never once thought of changing things. He just didnt care to. He had other things to deal with but clearly Aelsa was making it a priority. 

"Hand of the king. The first woman hand!" Tyland and jason cheers to her.

"Well done Aelsa!" Jason agreed.

"Im impressed dearie." Tyland added. "Hand of the king is a better role than queen. You were right."

"Thank you. Thank you." Aelsa agreed giving a bow. "I usually am."

"How did you talk him into it?"

"I told him they needed new eyes. Fresh look on the capital and he agreed. We all know that the queen is a baby maker. It put aemma into an early grave. The hand however holds the power." Aelsa declared.

"The king shits. The hand wipes." Jason cackled.

"It is a damn honor." Aelsa agreed clinking glasses with her cousins.

Otto found his workload lighter, Aelsa was actually very useful in council meetings, he was surprised at how much the council seemed to enjoy her, not just looking at her pretty face but what she had to say. Otto found what she had to say quite refreshing no one dared change a thing, it wasnt broken. Aelsa reminded them just because it wasnt broken didnt mean it was working smoothly. 

Aelsa caught Otto watching her often. She smirked back at him as she finished up her stack or assignments, thats what she liked to call them. Assignments or tasks. She sorted them from easier to why the fuck is this on my desk. 

While they were preparing for Alicent's wedding Aelsa assured Otto that she had everything under control. He was Alicent's father after all, surely he wanted to be with his daughter for this transition. 

"You can temporarily step down. I dont mind stepping up even more. I'm young, I have all the energy in the world." Aelsa assured. 

"That won't be necessary." Otto corrected, he wouldnt step down, he couldnt. Never, he would work harder, faster, be more efficient, have more ideas, better ideas for the council, for the king, he would show he was not becoming obsolete. 

Aelsa liked her little cat and mouse game with Otto. She was clearly the cat, the lion, Otto didnt realize he was falling right into her trap. He wasnt her type usually but the more tome she spent with him the more she found she did enjoy him. The way his eyes moved to her when they were in the same room, he always found her first she noticed. She liked it. She liked the way he scratched along the scruff of his jaw when he was in deep concentration. The way his grey green eyes found hers and held her gaze. She liked how he was meticulous, liked that he was organized, liked that he didnt treat her like a woman in a mans world. Liked that Otto respected her, even if he wouldnt admit it out loud, she knew he did and that was a great gift. 

Aelsa set out a chessboard the day of the kings wedding. She played a match against the king that morning and then the hand that night while Alicent was bedded. 

"I'm impressed with you, Lady Aelsa." Otto remarked moving a rook across the board. Aelsa's fingers drifted over a knight. 

"High praise." Aelsa answered capturing his pawn. 

"I thought you were after the queendom." Otto remarked, taking a sip of his wine.

"Why would I want to be queen?" Aelsa countered and Otto swallowed the lump in his throat. "Everyone knows the queen holds no power. Aemma certainly didnt. Rhaenyra is already heir, no matter if Alicent gives the king a son or not, Viserys loves his daughter. I gathered that from one conversation with him. I knew that, right away, Queen was useless. I wanted a position of power." 

"And you got it." Otto agreed. 

"You know I always called these little towers, as a child, when I was learning to play." She held up the rook before him. "Not a high... tower." She smirked putting it back down, he sighed looking around at his options, he moved his queen but he fell right into her trap. "Taken down by a rook Otto..." she clucked her tongue, tsking back at him. "You should have known better..." She didnt even have to say it, Otto was already tipping his queen. But she loved to say it, it was victory in a single word. "Checkmate."