Of Bastards & Dragons || Aenar Targaryen

05 • THE SMALL COUNCIL

Lights protruded into the large room, casting shadows on the table as the most powerful men in the realm sat discussing matters of statecraft.

The council chamber was richly furnished. Myrish carpets covered the floor instead of rushes, and in one corner a hundred fabulous beasts cavorted in bright paints on a carved screen from the Summer Isles.

The walls were hung with tapestries from Norvos and Qohor and Lys, and a pair of Valyrian sphinxes and Targaryen tapestries flanked the door, eyes of polished garnet smoldering in black marble faces.

The King sat at the head of the table of the small council table, the sigil of the Targaryen embroidered in red, black with a little daint of gold thread on its pillows as well as the rest seats.

Enthroned, Viserys is presently scooping egg and sausage into his mouth while laughing at some joke.

He is already in his 40s yet still aigle, strong and wise. Viserys reign has brought nothing but peace and prosperity in the realm, and he means to keep it together, sane.

Seated at his right is his most trusted advisor, Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower, a man in his mid 40s, strong, proud and haughty. He wears the brooch of his office with pride. Yet Otto is an astute, a high functioning political creature in the realm.

But on King Viserys's left and across from the Hand of the King, sits a conspicuously empty seat and beside it was seated Aenar Targaryen, the Master of Whispers.

Beside him was seated Lord Lyonel Strong, a man in his early 50s, the Master of laws, a big man, stout and muscular. He's slow to speak but does not miss anything.

Beside him was seated a man in his early 70s, the Grand Maester Mellos, His collar was no simple metal choker, but two dozen heavy chains wound together into a ponderous metal necklace that covered him from throat to breast.

The links were forged of every metal known to man: black iron and red gold, bright copper and dull lead, steel and tin and pale silver, brass and bronze and platinum. Garnets and amethysts and black pearls adorned the metal-work, and here and there an emerald or ruby and has served the realm for decades.

Next was the legendary knight of the Kings Guard. Lord Commander Ryam Redwyne.
he was once Hand of the King to King Jaehaerys, but he was bad politician, so Jaehaerys fired him to return to the King's Guard making his late son Baelon Targaryen Hand of the King before he passed.

Lord Ryam has been on the King's Guard for fifty years, The man is in mid 70s, though he appears old and frail in his pure white raiment, as if he's wearing a larger man's clothes.

However he stood five steps adjacent to the King while holding the hilt of his sword.

And at the end of the table, facing the King was seated Corlys Velaryon, the famed nautical adventurer known as The Sea Snake, the dark skinned man is in his 50s, and he serves as the king's Master of Ships.

Unlike the members of this council who have lived only at court, the Sea Snake is a well-salted sailor and warrior, he's built his wealth from his voyages and earned his place in the realm, yet Lord Corlys is still wrath his wife is known as the 'Queen Who Never Was' and not the 'Queen of the Seven Kingdoms'.

The Master of Coin, Lord Lyman Beesbury, a man in his 60s was also an advisor to the late King Jaehaerys Targaryen, he is the longest serving member of the small council, yet he is penurious to a fault.

Aenar just keeps rolling his ball in the dish, staring at Otto Hightower with a sumgly grin, the Hand simply ignored the Prince, his visage was evident to be proud, brusque, and haughty and had no idea, of his daughter's sexual entanglement with the King's younger brother.