Fire and Blood

Chapter 37: Negotiations at High Tide

Red Keep ― Maegor's Holdfast...

Late at night, Rhaenyra was reading in her chambers. Her head slung down with her eyes skimming across the pages, the princess found herself entangled in the game of political intrigue by her father and brother. King Viserys, wanting to avoid scandal, ordered her to marry Ser Laenor Velaryon of Driftmark. Aeonar, having had enough of his sister's disregard for duty and their family's traditions, was still disappointed in her after encroaching on the Cannibal's lair on Dragonstone. Her father, she could manage. But Aeonar – her older brother – there was a look in his eyes. The way he looked at her... it's as though he didn't trust or believe a word she said. But in the end, it didn't matter. Rhaenyra was being married off to House Velaryon as a gesture of reconciliation to House Targaryen's fellow Valyrian clansmen. Before she could turn the next page, Rhaenyra heard knocking at her door.

"Come."

When the doors opened, Grand Maester Mellos entered the room carrying a pan with a round and ceramic-sealed jar containing liquid. "I hope you can forgive the late hour, princess," he apologized. "I took great care in its preparation. If not brewed properly, it can either prove ineffective or else bear unpleasant―"

"'Brewed properly'?" Rhaenyra raised a brow. She glanced down at the jar and then back at Mellos. "I'm sorry, but what is that?" she asked.

"A tea, princess. From the king. It will rid you of any unwanted consequences."

Rhaenyra watched Mellos as he bowed his head and left her room. For a while, the princess kept her eyes glued to the jar of moon tea. She knew what it was meant for. Moon tea was a medicinal herbal tea made with tansy, mint, wormwood, a spoon of honey, and a drop of pennyroyal used to prevent and abort unwanted pregnancies – meaning that her father either didn't believe her or wasn't sure to believe her when she insisted that she didn't have premarital sex with her uncle Daemon. But her brother, however, suspected there was something she was not telling him. Rhaenyra continued staring at the moon tea before reaching over to grab it. Once the cover was removed, the princess hesitantly began to drink. The taste was so bitter and vile that Rhaenyra struggled not to gag. She forced herself to swallow and shuddered.

For the rest of the night, Rhaenyra felt nauseous and went to bed earlier than she planned to sleep the discomfort away.

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The following morning, Beatrice had packed her necessary belongings for the inevitable trip to Driftmark. Ever since Viserys announced that Rhaenyra would be betrothed to Lord Corlys's son and heir, the queen was asking her benefactor to investigate anything incriminating. Though Larys had promised to be discreet, Beatrice couldn't help but occasionally look over her shoulders to ensure her actions wouldn't be seen or heard by suspected parties. When she saw the Clubfoot enter her room, the queen straightened her posture. "What did you find?" she inquired.

Larys nodded. "When one is never invited to speak, one learns instead to, um... observe. But my spies did manage to learn something interesting about Princess Rhaenyra last night that might pique your interest."

"Oh? Tell me."

"Uh... I wondered if she could be relied upon for anything now that she is... unwell."

"How unwell and how does that benefit me?"

"Begging your pardon, Your Grace, I may be mistaken. It's just that the Grand Maester delivered a special tea to the princess's chambers. At the direction of the King, as I understand it."

"What kind of tea?"

"Moon tea, Your Grace."

Beatrice knew what moon tea was – what the ingredients were, how to brew it, what it was meant for, and why. Moon tea... so, if it was given to her almost immediately after the Summer Festival ended, then... Oh, Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra, Rhaenyra. You are a very, very naughty little girl. "Interesting. That will be all for now, Larys. Be sure to keep your people ever searching for useful information and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams," she instructed. Still, even with Viserys and his children gone, I can't operate freely with another's gaze watching me. "But there is one more thing you could do for me. Concerning the Hand..."