The Rogue Prince and the Direwolf's daughter

Chapter 20 - wedding plans

Grand maester Mellos sits with the king and queen, reading a letter to them from dowager queen Aemma at Dragonstone.

"What does the dowager queen say?" Queen Daena asks.

"She writes us to offer her daughter, princess Visenya as bride for your son prince Aemond", grand maester Mellos says, reading the letter.

"Write the dowager queen back and say we accept the offer to marry our son to her daughter when the girl has flowered", king Daemon says.

"Yes, my king", grand maester Mellos says, gesturing to his chamberlain. "Bring me ink, quill, parchment and the royal seal".

"Yes, grand maester", the man says.

The youth goes to get ink, quill, parchment and then royal seal for the grand maester. He returns quickly and puts the things down on the table next to the grand maester.

Grand maester Mellos starts writing the letter to the dowager queen to accept the offer to wed 10 year old prince Aemond to the dowager queen's youngest daughter, 6 year old princess Visenya when the princess has flowered.

When grand maester Mellos leaves to send off the letter, king Daemon asks to have the young prince sent to them. After a couple minutes, prince Aemond shows up.

"You wished to speak to me, father", prince Aemond says.

"Yes, it has been decided that you will wed your cousin, princess Visenya when she's of age", king Daemon says.

"As you command, father", prince Aemond says.

"I don't necessarily command you, my boy, but I'm telling you what we plan for you", king Daemon tells his son.

"Do you wish me to marry my cousin when she comes of age, father?" Prince Aemond asks.

"I do, unless you happen to find someone that you'd rather marry, before your cousin has come of age", king Daemon says.

"I will marry my cousin when she comes of age", prince Aemond says simply.

"Good", king Daemon says with a proud smile.

"So, should I write to the dowager queen to say the king and queen accept the proposal?" Grand maester Mellos asks.

"Yes, write the dowager queen to say the king and queen accept the proposal", king Daemon says.

Grand maester Mellos gets to work writing the letter to the dowager queen to accept the offer to marry princess Visenya to prince Aemond, fourth in line for the Iron Throne, after his father, older brother and nephew.
"We, king Daemon I of house Targaryen and his wife, queen Daena I of house Stark accept the offer to wed our son prince Aemond of houses Targaryen and Stark to his cousin, princess Visenya of house Targaryen, when the princess has come of age/king Daemon I of house Targaryen, first of his name, king of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the first men, lord of the Seven kingdoms and protector of the realm"

Grand maester Mellos finishes the letter and marks it with the royal seal. He excuses himself and goes to send off the letter to Dragonstone with one of the castle's swiftest bird.

The next morning, grand maester Mellos hands king Daemon a letter marked with the dowager queen's own seal while the king and queen are breaking the fast with their children.
"What does the dowager queen say?" Daena ask, noticing the seal.
"The dowager queen accepts the offer to wed her daughter to her cousin prince Aemond when the princess is of age", Daemon says, reading the letter.
"When can the princess be expected to flower?" Prince Jaehaerys asks.
"Your cousin is expected to flower when she is 10 or 12 years old", Daena says.
"So I won't wed my cousin for another four or six years?" Aemond asks.
"That's right", Daemon says. "You will be a man grown when you wed her, like I was when I married your mother"
"She will likely be told that she won't have to lay with you until she's 15", Daena says.
"Why would she be told that?" Aemond asks.
"To not scare her, although it scared Jaehaera even more than the prospect of marrying me", Jaehaerys says.
"It really did, but it turned out fine, I'm sure it will for you and Visenya too, little brother", Jaehera says sweetly.
"But the age difference", Aemond says.
"When she is 15, you will be 21, the same ages your father and I were when we were wed, it's not so bad", Daena says.
"What age were you when you became queen?" Jaehaera asks.
"I was 26, your father was 32 when we became king and queen", Daena says.
"I see, that's not so bad", Jaehaera says.
"Definitely not", Daena says.
"Sometimes the heirs are much older than we were when we took over the throne", Daemon says.
"Your father had expected not to take the throne until he was much older than 32 years old", Daena says.
"Your uncle had been so healthy that I definitely didn't that I would have had to take over for many years", Daemon says.

The next morning, Jaehaera hears her mother arguing loudly with a servant girl. When the servant girl storms out of the room, Jaehaera stands to the side to let the woman pass.
"Why was she so upset?" Jaehaera asks.
"She has tried to bed your father, and your brothers", Daena says.
"I knew already that she's tried to bed Jaehaerys, and I suspected that she tried bedding Aemond, but I had no idea that she tried to bed father as well", Jaehaera says.
"Oh yes, she tried bedding your father while we were grieving the loss of your little brother", Daena says.
"Foolish woman, what was she thinking?" Jaehaera says, annoyed.
"She clearly thought that I wouldn't, for some reason, be able to lay with him, but she is definitely mistaken there", Daena says.
"Because you lay with him every night", Jaehaera says simply.
"Exactly, I lay with your father every night, the only thing that has kept me from lying with him is when I hadn't healed properly after childbirth", Daena says.
"Do you think that the servant girls expect father, Jaehaerys and Aemond to lay with them?", Jaehaera asks.
"I do, but I know your father never would, and that Jaehaerys never would, neither will Aemond once he is wed", Daena says lightly.