The Winter Queen

Chapter 19

The day after King Viserys, Queen Alicent and their retinue departed Winterfell, Lords Rickon and Cregan met with Lady Jeyne and Princess Rhaenyra to discuss allying the Vale and North.

“The Queen and Lord Hand grow bold,” Lady Jeyne began.

“Ser Otto has always been bold," replied the Princess, “he’s only just grown significantly more so since he managed to stick his daughter in my father’s bed and convince him to give her a crown. Her pregnancy has only increased their desire to see me gone for good just as they still hope my uncle will die in the Stepstones."

"I believe we are all in agreement that,  should House Hightower or its allies attack our houses, our vassals or our lands that we work in tandem in order to destroy them,” Lord Rickon stated.

“We should also get the Velaryon's on board once the Stepstones war is over and I know my uncle will be willing to do anything to protect me and make me happy. I can draft a letter for my aunt in Valyrian informing her of everything they have done and she will ensure that her husband gets on board. That way we will have all of the realm’s dragonriders on our side."

"That sounds good my dear,” Cregan responded.

“Lord Rickon, I know that enough of your bannermen, and multiple of mine, were present at the trial of that despicable man who conspired against our houses. I say that we should request that they, once they’ve returned to their lands and keeps, to draft messages and send them throughout the realm detailing the conspiracy that was discovered. I will also draft my own messages and send them out so that all of the Houses know what kind of vipers Queen Alicent and Ser Otto truly are. If they are bold enough to directly target two Paramount Houses, who’s to say which House or Houses they will target next? Perhaps the Tyrells who are their overlords and who only gained that appointment after the Conquest when House Gardener was destroyed and after Harlan Tyrell surrendered Highgarden to Aegon the Conqueror? House Tully, having also been appointed as the Liege Lord of the Riverlands, might learn that their House had lost favor with the Hightowers since they never were River Kings and its well known that the Baratheons have close, ties with House Targaryen through Orys Baratheon and how, through Princess Rhaenys.  House Greyjoy might find themselves in the crosshairs due to them not following the Faith and their practices or taking multiple salt wives.”

“You are very wise, Lady Jeyne! That is a splendid idea! They came to the North specifically for the marriage they had great input in arranging only to, less than a day after arriving, attempt to sabotage everything and to severely undermine two powerful and old, former Royal Houses who’ve held their seats for many generations.”

“You might also be interested to know that one of my spies, whom I only brought with me as I do not trust Otto Hightower or his kin, so no offense to House Stark, found out that the Queen had special plans for Lord Cregan."

"I hate to ask, but what plans did the Queen have for me?” Cregan asked.

“Queen Alicent planned to seduce you. She figured once you have bedded her, you’d dread having to go back to your young wife and would spend the rest of your lives hating that she wasn’t your wife instead of the Princess. As she is pregnant, she also figured her infidelity to the King would go unnoticed. She also absolutely hates that you are so attractive and her stepdaughter gets to call herself your wife.”

“As if I would ever even consider sleeping with another man’s wife especially now that I am again wed. The Queen isn’t even a beautiful woman with her only stand out feature being her vibrant red hair."

"I will be telling our bannermen that as well. I don’t care if she’s pregnant or not, she is a married woman and so should respect her marriage vows. Actually, along with this tidbit, which I thank you Lady Jeyne for sharing, I will also add about the great insult she showed at the wedding feast by arriving after the Bride and Bridegroom wearing emerald green decorated solely with symbols of the Faith and the Hightower emblem. It was a clear call to war and the King did nothing about it just like he did not insist that his wife wear Targaryen colors when they arrived at Winterfell earlier that day of even to his daughter’s wedding.”

“I almost forgot about that! The Queen literally called for war and then the Lord Hand proceeded to insist that your House stop practicing its religion in favor of the Faith and that both of our Houses follow ‘the proper order of things’ whatever that means."

This time it was Rhaenyra who spoke up, "The proper order of things  that he spoke of is that no woman should ever rule in her own right, no matter her birth order or how distant her nearest living male kin might be. The rights of a male heir always supersede that of a female even if he’s a fourth or fifth cousin or beyond that of the previous male Head. He sees you, cousin, as an abomination who should never have been eligible for your titles as they should have gone to one of our more distant male Arryn cousins. He also meant that I, as my father’s currently only living child, should immediately surrender my titles as heir and Princess of Dragonstone, to the son Alicent is supposedly currently carrying once he is born. Ironically, it was only due to him that I even got the titles in the first place as after my mother’s butcher and youngest brother’s death, Otto convinced Father to make me his heir to prevent Uncle Daemon, “Maegor Come Again," from possibly inheriting the Throne.”

“Daemon may be a lot of things but he is not Maegor. A whoremonger and warrior yes, but it would take something akin to an act of the Gods to make him become a kinslayer and everyone knows that his greatest weakness is the Princess."

"Indeed, my Uncle has always loved spoiling me and I almost dread what he plans to bring me when the Stepstones war is over.”

Cregan then spoke again, “Well, I look forward to meeting your Uncle as he seems like he has a far greater backbone than your Father does."

Lord Rickon then continued, "So we are in agreement, Houses Stark and Arryn and our bannermen will send out ravens throughout the Seven Kingdoms informing them all that Princess Rhaenyra’s marriage to my son was largely orchestrated by Queen Alicent and Ser Otto Hightower. Queen Alicent arrived at Winterfell in emerald green and proceeded to also wear it to the wedding. She and her father insisted on immediate consummation following the wedding and the Queen Alicent arrived late to the Wedding Feast wearing war to which the King refused to do anything. Ser Otto also insulted our religion. We will then also tell everyone about their minion and the plot they had planned against both of our Houses and the plot to murder my grandson. They will learn that again, the King refused to do anything and that I was the one who delivered Justice for both of us and how the other Great Houses might end up as targets as well. At the end, we can address how the Queen planned to violate her marriage vows and commit adultery with my son in order to undermine his marriage with the Princess.”

“We are in agreement," replied Lady Jeyne, “as we are in aligning our Houses in an alliance."

Soon, an official alliance was drawn up and was signed by all four individuals. Before the split up, Lord Rickon and Lady Jeyne also wrote messages about the Hightower treachery and the King’s lack of proper response to share with their vassals and to spread throughout the Realm.