The Winter Queen

Chapter 33

Corlys

He left the Stepstones in a victorious high. He had conquered the Stepstones without any aid from the Crown and now he had the power to ensure that his blood would sit upon the Iron Throne with the next generation. If his son could manage to get it up for the girl, then it would be Laenor’s son and the Velaryon name that would one day hold the Throne. If he couldn’t, the blame would be placed at the feet of Aemma’s daughter rather than his son and so his house would never face the shame of his son’s passions. At that point, it would not be hard to eliminate the childless heiress, especially once his Laena gave Daemon a son and then place his grandson on the Iron Throne. Everything he ever wanted was right within reach.

Little did he know how wrong he was and his willful ignorance of what was going on in the realm, insisting that all communication was burned so that he could easily claim that he never heard anything that he did not like, would lead him to extreme disappointment.

Rhaenys

When she first saw her son’s dragon, Seasmoke, flying over the horizon, Rhaenys had to breathe a sigh of relief. Her son was finally coming home and soon, with any luck, she would be able to convince him that Jeyne Arryn was a good match for him and so both of her children would be married into Paramount houses.

A few hours later, her husband’s ship was also spotted on the horizon and she was more than just a little irritated with him. It had been five years since he had abandoned her with their unmarried 21 year old daughter and he had not sent her a single message in all that time nor had he ever responded to her own Ravens. She knew he would not be happy that he had not been consulted about their daughter’s match but how could she have consulted with him? Ultimately, she just had to make the best choice for her daughter on her own.

As for the man himself, she was furious with him. In five years, she had not received even a single message saying that he was alive or anything else. Hells! She was his wife for Gods Sake! Common decency declared that he should at least have sent her a Raven every few months letting her know how he and their son faired but no, the man was far too proud.

Corlys

 The first thing he noticed upon arriving at his Island was the lack of Vhagar in the skies or on the beaches. While this was not too much of a concern, he did wonder where his daughter was as he could not wait to tell her about his grand plans. She might not become Queen like she should have been if Viserys wasn’t a complete idiot and rejected her, but her son could easily become King if her brother failed to do his duty or her daughter Queen if her brother actually managed to perform. The Iron Throne would at long last belong to the Velaryon family. Just as it always should have.

Corlys knew his son was home and so he went to meet them in the Hall of Nine.

“Where is Laena at?” he inquired without even even offering his wife a proper greeting, much to her annoyance. “I have the most joyous news to share with her, Laenor and you.”

“My daughter is exactly where she should be, at home, at least that’s as far as I know. I have not heard anything from her about potentially traveling to Winterfell or the Eyrie.”

“I did not see Vhagar so where is she and why would she even consider traveling to Winterfell or the Eyrie?”

“Laena no longer lives at Driftmark and, as for why she might want to travel to Winterfell is to visit her cousin and have their children get to meet each other. I also know that Lady Jeyne Arryn has been interested in getting to know Laena since Laena may one day soon become her sister.”

“Laena has children? Please, tell me your worthless cousin wisened up and decided to marry her! I cannot believe it! My daughter is Queen and my grandson is heir!”