The Exiled King.

Part 19

Aegon's Pov, 

Walking through the mostly empty halls of Dragon stone I don't know how to feel in all my honesty, much has changed since I left....... Alicent wedding my father and then giving birth to his children, Rhaenyra having children of her own and she's now truly a woman grown. Opening the heavy wooden doors I step into the large chamber and see mother there with Rhaenyra. 

"The ships should be ready for us to sail back to King's Landing in the morrow." I speak and it makes both women turn in my direction while mother gives me a soft smile. "I think Otto would be gladdened by your return." 

"After you called Alicent Hightower's children bastards." Rhaenyra ads while I step closer to them and respond with a simple shrug of my shoulders. "They are bastards, are they not? Our mother is still alive, Viserys his first wife is still alive, and the marriage was never annulled.... by all the laws in the realms they are bastards. He cannot be angry at me for telling the truth." I counter as the corner of my lips move up into a small grin. 

"Are we speaking of the same Otto who waited mere hours after he announced you both where dead before speaking about father wedding again, to secure his line?" Rhaenyra says and of course he would have done it, just like he was the one who said we were killed. We never went to Vaes Dothrak....... who wishes to go there?! Going there would have been indeed asking to be killed. 

"King's Landin may be a pit filled with snakes, it always has been..... but with you gone Otto can once again truly try to put a claim forward for Alicent's son when your father dies." Mother starts and Rhaenyra is quick to follow up with a frown and a small bite to her tone. 

"What about me? All those years ago all the lords swore to me............ you think they would all turn away from their vows? From their oaths?" 

"Rhaenyra.... there are enough men out there who would rather burn the realm down that see a woman sit on the Iron Throne.... your father is many things, and many times foolish but he made you both wed... because he knew that if he passed there was a real possibility of a war breaking out. That people would put Aegon on the Throne, and they would have all advised him to put you.... your children, and your siblings to the sword to secure his succession." Mother speaks and she's right, father is many things but me wedding Rhaenyra is the safest thing he did for her. I would have never put Rhaenrya or her children to the sword.... but there would have always been those who would have wished it from me, those who might have even taken the matter into their own hands.

"I would have never harmed you, or your children." I softly say to Rhaenyra who shakes her head before walking out of the chamber. "I think she's less and less happy with us coming back." 

"She loves you Aegon, even all those years ago. But times change, she was promised the Iron Throne for many years.... that it would after her pass to her children. Now you will inherit the Iron Throne as was set in stone the day you where born, your blood will rule after your death.... she knows this, but it's not a easy thing to accept.... not even if the person who takes those things from you is someone you hold dearly in your heart." Mother says as she walks over to me with a soft smile on her lips, feeling her lay her hand on my cheek I have to keep my sigh at bay. 

"I'm proud of you, don't ever forget that. The man standing right now in front of me is the man I always knew you would become one day." 

"You're getting more sentimental with the years." I counter with a playfulness to my words, but they do mean something, after everything that made us lead up to leaving King's Landing for quite some time I thought I had failed.... that I would be a failure and that my name would go down in the history books like that.