✶|𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺|✶ 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘐𝘐 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘦𝘯

✶𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 31✶

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Violet Eyes

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✯Aegon's Pov ✯

Year 133 A.C

Westeros

Red Keep, King's Landing

As Aegon sat there, at the head of the council table, he couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of uselessness that clung to him.

The room buzzed with the voices of seasoned lords. They all spoke of alliances, tactics, and strategies, pushing their agendas as if their words had weight, their opinions the true essence of power. 

Garrett Tyrell's pleas for military help against the pirates had dominated much of the conversation. The young king was little more than a spectator, forced to listen, to nod, to agree, only to provide the final word, a mere formality in the endless cycle of discussion.

It was suffocating.

He found himself wishing, almost desperately, that he could be anywhere else. He imagined sitting alongside Gaemon in the royal library, listening to his annoying friend ramble on about stupid things, while Aegon tried to read a book in peace.

At least there, he didn't feel like a puppet...

"These raids are causing severe losses, Your Grace. The instability in my borders is growing. I need military support." Garrett Tyrell's voice cut through the noise, his tone sharp with frustration.

Aegon glanced around the room, trying to keep his composure. Lord Torrhen Manderly, the Master of Coin, raised an eyebrow as he considered the request. 

"Sending aid would be financially taxing on the Crown." He said slowly, his words measured, but his tone suggesting that some action must be taken. "But we could look into possible options."

The Grand Maester, Munkun, who had been poring over the reports, interjected, his calm voice carrying the weight of reason. 

"Your Grace, from what I can see in these reports, these pirate raids are driven by a search for easy profit, mainly from the wealth transported by House Tyrell, and the scarcity of food in the aftermath of the Dance. There are too few stable sources of production at the moment, and that fuels their attacks."

"Exactly, Your Grace!" Garrett Tyrell exclaimed, his face darkening. "I'm being constantly attacked and plundered by these fu-... bandits. And I'm not able to recover enough to provide for the people of Highgarden!"

At that moment, Uwin Peake spoke up, his tone dismissive, clearly uninterested in offering support. 

"It's too risky. We could lose too many troops in an effort to combat these pirates. Lord Tyrell should focus on strengthening his own defenses. That would be the wisest course of action."

Aegon clenched his fists under the table, suppressing a sigh. 

He knew why Peake was so against naval support, if it meant using the Velaryons, Aegon would have to give more influence to House Velaryon, a family whose prominence had been steadily declining in recent years. That was the last thing Lord Peake wanted.