The Winter Queen

Chapter 41

Daemon

He had no idea on what to expect when it came to Winterfell. Yes, he had his grandmother’s accounts of her trip there but he could honestly say he expected to travel to Dorne before he traveled to the North and he never planned to visit Dorne. Yet, here he was, on Caraxes keeping a close eye of the barred wagons containing Otto Hightower and his daughter which trailed behind his brother’s wheelhouse heading for the North.

Yes, he could not wait to get to Winterfell to see his little dragon, meet her husband and children and see Otto Hightower’s fall. He had even been asked to serve as one of the judges and Daemon knew that he had zero intention of being merciful to the man who had worked so hard for so long to bring down his family and to destroy him. Now it was finally Daemon’s turn to ensure that the man fell and fell hard. As for the man’s daughter, well, she had never been a suitable bride for his brother. The daughter of a second son of a minor house was not a smart move by his brother but then again, Viserys had never been particularly bright. If he had been, Laena would have been his first choice of bride and if not her than the daughter or sister of a Lord Paramount would have been far more suitable.

Viserys

He was making his first trip to see his baby and her babies. Oh, how he missed her and how he wished he hadn’t listened to Alicent and Otto and had her marry so far away. Rhaenyra was his little girl and four years was four years too long for him to have been denied her presence. What did his precious little grandchildren know about him and his relationship with their mother? Did his little girl miss him like he missed her? How was she enjoying married life? Was Rickon and Cregan treating her well? How had she adjusted to having so many ladies-in-waiting after not having had any? How was Syrax handling the cold? When did she and Cregan plan to further expand their family? Was she ready to seize her destiny?

As for Otto’s upcoming trial, he had mixed feelings. It was truly the right thing, but it was hard for him to face that his best friend was a traitor and that he had worked hard to destroy his family. How had he been so blind over the years? Surely, if he had been so vile and such a severe traitor then he would have noticed something? No matter, he had already given his word that Otto would stand trial before a council of nobles from the North and Vale as well as his brother and they would provide the final judgement, regardless of his feelings on the matter.

Despite his dreams of Aemma, he still was not fully convinced that he was in fact cursed and he still believed that Otto had something to do with all of the beasts and monsters that he had sired. Yes, he could believe that Alicent was a whore and he wasn’t even completely sure that Dracara was from his seed. Hells! Perhaps Alicent had given him some kind of sexual disease like the one that Corlys Velaryon had acquired from a bed slave in the Stepstones. Yes, that must be it and he would have healers sent for from all over the world. As such, perhaps sending her off to the Night’s Watch would not be the best thing. He would have to consult with Lord Rickon about this and his ex-wife’s potentially lethal sexual disease. Maybe he would also consult with Lord Rickon about an alternative punishment for her?

Alicent

Here she was, the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, sitting in chains and a roughspun dress in a metal cage on wheels heading towards Winterfell and then onwards to Castle Black where she would be expected to spread her legs for the criminals there. It wasn’t fair! She was supposed to save the Realm from the heretics and ensure that only the true Gods were followed! She was meant to bring on a new golden age! The Glorious Hightower Golden Age where the Light of the Seven shone from the farthest reaches of the North all the way down to the furthest reaches of Dorne. Yes, because her son or her grandson was meant to conquer Dorne. 

How was it that a worthless little girl managed to get everything while she, a good and God fearing woman was cursed? That girl should have died in childbirth years ago and then Viserys should have been absolutely livid and declared war upon those wicked heathen Northerners. This would have then opened the door for them to be taken over by the one true Faith and have them fully do away with their tree worship. Besides, how could anyone be so foolish as to actually worship trees? Everyone knew that trees could not be Gods! The true Gods also had no faces unlike those eerie Heart Trees. Hopefully, soon, despite the influx of religions throughout the realm, the Godswoods would soon be completely destroyed.

Otto

He sat in roughspun robes, gagged, heavily injured, missing a hand, a foot, two other fingers and an ear inside of a metal cage that trailed behind the metal cage containing his worthless daughter. If she had not failed in her duty, her responsibility to their house, to their Gods and to the realm then neither of them would be in this situation. Yes, he had faced torture under the hands of that vile Prince Daemon and had lost fingers, a hand, foot and an ear to him and he still could not understand how all the money he had spent to get Daemon killed had not worked. Now, he was heading towards a trial at Winterfell where he would be tried by Daemon, that abomination Jeyne Arryn and her supporters, Lord Rickon and his heathen supporters. He already knew that the verdict would not be in his favor unless by some miracle he could get the King to reconsider or pardon him.

As for his daughter’s fate of being forced to whore herself out to the entirety of the Black Watch, well, she deserved it. She failed in her duties and failures could not be tolerated! She could not blame him for her mistakes. He had done everything he could to lift her up. He had gotten her trained in seduction and sex. He had drugged the King to make him even more  than usual to make it easier for her to seduce. He had made his daughter Queen. He had even managed to anger Daemon enough that he left for a war that he, Otto Hightower, had convinced the King to not support. Then, he helped his worthless daughter encourage Viserys to marry off Aemma’s spawn to a Northern Lord more than twice her age, have the marriage immediately be consummated publicly and insist that the brat be bred right away. All his child had to do was birth Viserys, a silver haired son. She failed him.