Embers in the Sand || Book I

v. dreams and visions

——————-——————-"How could you?!" Visenya's voice tore through the room as she advanced on Aegon, her fury unrestrained. Her silver hair whipped behind her as she moved, eyes blazing with an anger that seemed almost untamable.

"Maegor deserves a pure Valyrian bride!" she snarled, stopping inches from Aegon, her chest heaving. "You dishonor him with this decision!"

Aegon, seated on the throne-like chair in their private chambers, looked up at her, his expression calm but cold. "I will not have Maegor marry Rhaena, Visenya. You know as well as I that such a match would tear this family apart."

"Rhaena is of our blood!" Visenya spat, incredulous. "She has the blood of Old Valyria in her veins. No Andal could ever be her equal, let alone Maegor's!"

"I am king, Visenya," Aegon said, his tone sharper now, the weight of his authority pressing down on her defiance. "If it is my will for Maegor to marry Ceryse Hightower, then it shall happen. It is his duty as a prince of the realm, and my duty as king to secure the realm's future."

"Duty?!" Visenya's voice rose with scorn, her lip curling. "You wish to dirty our blood with those Andals?"

"Ceryse Hightower is no common Andal," Aegon countered, standing to meet her fury head-on. "She is a lady of a powerful house, a house that holds sway over the Faith, over Oldtown, over the maesters who advise us. This marriage strengthens our reign, Visenya. It benefits the crown."

"Benefits the crown?" Visenya's voice dripped with venom. "You mean it benefits you and that weak son of yours!"

"Do not call Aenys weak," Aegon growled, stepping closer, his voice hard and unyielding. "He is as much yours as he is mine and Rhaenys's. He is the heir to the Iron Throne, and you will not undermine him with your poisonous words."

Visenya's laugh was bitter, a cold sound that reverberated in the space between them. "No child of mine could be as feeble as Aenys. He is nothing but a stain on our house, a fragile mockery of what our bloodline should be. He will destroy everything we've built, Aegon. Everything." Her voice dropped, filled with an almost desperate urgency. "Why can't you see it?"

Aegon's jaw tightened, but he kept his voice even. "You underestimate him, just as you underestimate the strength of alliances. Fire and blood are not enough, Visenya. Not anymore. We must have the support of the great houses, the Faith—"

"Fire and blood are all we need!" Visenya cut him off, her voice fierce, unrelenting. "It is how we conquered these lands, how we forged this kingdom. You think these alliances with weak men and weaker houses will preserve what we've built? You are blind, Aegon. Blind to the rot creeping into our family, into our future!"

Aegon met her gaze, his voice low but filled with warning. "And you are blinded by your thirst for power. You seek to elevate Maegor, but you forget that a kingdom cannot be ruled by brute force alone. Some things must be dealt with in diplomacy. Balance must be kept."

Visenya's hands trembled with the force of her anger. "Maegor is the balance. He is the strength our house needs, the true heir to our future."

"Maegor is dangerous," Aegon said, voice heavy with the burden of truth. "You love him, but that love blinds you to the chaos he would bring. I will not see this realm torn apart by your ambition."

Visenya's eyes darkened, her face set in stone. "Then you will see it torn apart by your weakness."

Aegon exhaled sharply, his patience wearing thin. "The decision is made. Maegor will marry Lady Ceryse, and Aenys will be king. That is the path we will follow. You may rage, but you will not sway me."