JONQUIL POV
"Things have been quite quiet since the King and Rhaenyra's departure." Aurelius commented. He was bored, he'd been full of boredom since his return half a month ago now that his friend was gone.
"Except for the Princess Helaena's constant crying."
"Yes, why is she always crying?" His brow furrowed and all I could do was shrug, as if I'd know all the answers. Well I did have a theory that it was due to Alicent's complete lack of comfort when it came to the fact that she had children, she wasn't ready; yes she loved them but I think a part of her saw them as something that sealed her fate, Aegon in particular. I shook the thought from my mind and turned the page of the book, twisting a lock of Faune's red hair as her head rested comfortably in my lap. I was reading aloud and making Faune follow along with me because she had made a comment about wanting to read and write. I honestly think she was falling asleep though instead of learning anything.
Aurelius stood abruptly. "Alright where's Maexes, I want to take him down to the Dragonpit. Maybe he'll finally find a dragon, get over his fears."
"Um," I looked up and tried to remember where he'd told me he was going, not trying very hard though, we'd been over this a thousand times about how Maex just wasn't interested but Aurelius didn't care. "I think he said he was going to the library? Maybe the Sept, I'm not sure. Besides, you know he hates it in there." I chided, reminding for the two thousandth time. Like always he didn't care.
"Gods he spends most of his time there, you'd think him a Maester. Maybe it's time I start taking his training to be Lord of Camelot more seriously." He contemplated outloud to himself.
"Well, he does want to be a maester." I said none chalantly.
"What?" It wasn't a question it was a seriousness, a sound of disapproval. I thought I'd told him already, maybe he'd been drunk or to tired to remember, both where highly possible.
"What's the problem with that?" Faune questioned as she paused her attempts at sounding out the words on the page.
"The problem is that he is my heir, my only son. I will go find him and bring the boy to his senses." He stalked towards the door with a purpose.
"Aurelius!" Faune sat up and both she and I turned around to see him stop at the doorway. He turned back to face us with an angry look.
"He is my only heir! I have one son, and three daughter, two of those daughters are bastards might I remind you." He spoke frustratedly. Faune and I looked over to Lyrra and she took the cue and led Lilibet and Visenyra from the room, Aelthea was with Aegon having a playdate.
"For now. I have missed my course this month and have been meaning to see the Maester about it, I'm sure I am with child."
"Another girl I'm sure, I do have a knack for producing those."
Faune scoffed behind me. "Do you not love your daughters."
He rubbed his hands over his face and huffed out in frustration. "Of course I do, that's not what I meant."
"Then explain it to me." I could hear the hurt in her voice at the thought of his lack of love for any of his children sue to their sex. I was constantly having to remind myself that she was still new to this world.
"As a Lord and a man I need heirs! Without them our family would be ruined, would be extinct, and while I hate the standard that a woman is meant to produce heirs it does hold some truth to it." I could tell she was still frustrated and I felt a pang of my own hurt at the thought of failing him in not producing enough sons. Felt a guilt at not having done so already so that my Maex might be able to pursue his passions.
Aurelius wanted to come up to us and I saw him take half a step before mumbling something about a walk and leaving the room with no further comment, the door slamming behind him and his heavy footsteps slowly fading.
AURELIUS POV
I walked around the halls of the Red Keep and was going to pass through the Godswood when I spotted Alicent standing infront of the Weirwood tree by herself. I smirked and snuck up behind her.
I got closer and closer before wrapping my arms around her waist, pulling her against me and lifting her slightly up into the air. "Being a traitor to your Gods and worshiping my own?" I jested. She let out a squeal and turned in my arms, laughing in relief when she saw it was only me. I offered her a smile and let her go.
"Lord Aurelius. You mustn't- you can't- if anyone had seen such impropriety they might suspect...something unseemly."
"Who would see?" I looked around the empty space. "There's no one here."
"Still." She scolded.
"Apologies, your Grace." I bowed deeply and looked up at her through my lashes. Then an idea came in my mind and I got on my knees, taking her hands in my own. "Please forgive me Queen Alicent, the shame, the shame, I cannot bear it. The audacity of me to even gaze upon your royal figure." I jested and she burst out into uncontrollable laughter and found difficulty in speaking as she told me to stand.
"Not until you forgive me, your holy highness."
"Forgiven, you're fogiven." She struggled to get out through continued laughter.
I finally stood and smiled cockily. "Well that was all I wanted. Now if her Grace would honor me so with her presence on my walk I might forever be grateful." She smacked my arm playfully before looping her own arm though mine, letting me lead her from the courtyard.
"An outsider among the natives." A new voice said. I looked to my right and saw the Clubfoot looking at some flowers.
"Lord Larys." Alicent said as way the greeting, always so polite, it made me want to roll my eyes.
"Malvales." He motion towards the flowers he was talking about, they were Jonquil's favorite. "Rare bloom. Indigenous to Braavos. By all rights they shouldn't be thriving here. Nature, such mystery." I scoffed, knowing that he was talking about the young Queen and not the flowers at all.
She commented on the weather as explanation for their growth and he agreed before bringing up her father's dismissal. I was really starting to get annoyed at stopping everytime we went to leave but I wouldn't leave her alone with him, not him.
"Your father was a good man." I held back a scoff for her sake. Otto Hightower was a snake, always scheming and ploting, trying to stretch himself and weasel his blood into places where it didn't belong; like the throne, I'd heard.
"As is yours who took his place." Alicent responded politely, turning to face him.
Clubfoot told her how it felt injust for his manner of departure. I didn't see how, what did you expect to happen when you spy on the named heir and spin webs for your own ambition? Seemed Larys was yet another weasel, but why was the important question.
"What do you know of the manner of his leaving?" There was an edge to her voice now, something that caught me off-guard.
"When one is never invited to speak, one learns instead to, um, observe." Spy.
He asked if she needed an ally, to which see said she had no shortage of. "Me for example, Lord Larys."
He smiled tightly and bowed his head to me for a moment. "Of course, Lord Aurelius. She has you and your wife, and Princess Rhaenyra for example."
Alicent grew tired with his riddles and demanded he state his purpose clearly.
"Uh, I did wonder if she could be relied upon now that she's...unwell."
"Unwell?" I took a step forward but Alicent placed an arm infront of me to block my path.
"I haven't heard anything." She told the man with a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Begging your pardon, your Grace, I may be mistaken. It's just on the very same night your father was dismissed, and you reinstated," he looked to me before quickly returning his gaze back onto the Queen. "the Grand Maester delivered a tea to the Princesses chambers."
A tea. With all the rumors and speculation it could only have been moon tea and when I glaced over to the side I could see the pieces clicking together in the Queens mind as well.
"I do hope she's not unwell." I glared as the words full of fake sympathy left his mouth. I felt a strong urge to hit him but settled for clenching and unclenching my fists instead.
Alicent informed Lary of Rhaenyra's departure with the King to Driftmark yesterday morning.
"Ah, well good news. I must have been in error." Alicent turned back to the Weirwood tree, abandoning my arm. "Oh, a relief. See I thought from Mellos himself, her condition must be something very serious." The Clubfoot made his way to stand beside her and I saw the way he looked at her, the way he looked at her as if he knew just what to tell her, but for what purpose I was still at a loss. "What happiness it is to have been wrong."
She turned away from him and I thought she might take my arm again but instead she walked right past me. "I will not be accompanying you on your walk anymore, Lord Aurelius. When you see your wife tell her I request her presence in my chambers immediately."
Oh shit.
3RD PERSON
It was quiet except for the sound of their footsteps as Edmeynda and her grandson walked the isles of the library.
"What are you looking for?" The old Baratheon woman finally broke down and asked.
"For something that catches my eye." His response was wistful as if he was only half there and the other half was somewhere far away. She hummed in response.
"You quite enjoy it here don't you?" He nodded his head silently. "Somewhere to get away from your father I suppose, considering he's never stepped foot in a library in his life I don't think."
He paused and turned to look at her with wide eyes before casting them back down to the ground. "No, I want to be a Maester." Then he quickly added onto that statement saying that he was prepared to do his duty to his house instead.
"Why?" He looked perplexed at her question, as if he didnt understand the meaning of the word.
"Why?" He echoed back.
"Yes, why? Why should you have to give up your dream of being a Maester for an absentee father's legacy. Your sister doesn't even know who he is, you said."
He twisted his lips and bowed his head in shame. "You heard that, huh?"
"Oh yes, I think everyone on the hall heard it." She lifted up his chin with the tip her cane. "Do not feel ashamed for telling him the truth, not matter if it hurt him. I think he deserved it a little bit don't you?" She placed her arm around his shoulder and continued walking down the isle, smiling at the sound of his chuckle.
"I support your wish to not be the Lord of this house, I wouldn't want it either, though I did end up having to be regent for my son, and rule for him behind the scenes even when he did come of age. As much as I loved him there was no denying that he was weak when it came to the political aspect of the job, don't tell your grandmother I said that." Edmeynda rushed out. "Besides, you are your mothers child through and through. Her red hair, same nose, mouth, same smile, the only thing Pendragon about you is that one gold jewel that you call eyes." He looked up at her with that same eye now, the other his mother's blue-green, filled with tears as she finished her words. "And you are afraid of dragons, which there is nothing wrong with. There is nothing wrong with you."
He scoffed at that and walked past her to dance his fingers on the spin of a book. "Tell that to my father. He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you, he just doesn't understand you. He wants you to be just like him but what he seems to have forgotten is that he can have more sons." Maexes grabbed a book and flicked through the pages. Wanting him to hear her words she turned his face her and held it so that he looked deep into her eyes. "You will be a Maester one day if that is what you truly want, I swear it to you on the old Gods and the new."
He smile was so big and held so much gratitude that she simply had to pull him into a tight embrace. When they pulled away she picked up the book he dropped and handed it to him. "Now tell me, what's this one about."
"Well-" He immediately stopped and looked at an approaching shadow coming around the corner, the shadow was accompanied by the boys name being called in his father's voice.
Edmeynda stood quickly. "You may tell me later, run along now. Go, go!" She ushered and then pretended to be browsing the shelves as Aurelius joined his shadow.
"Maex - Great Dowager Lady Pendragon." She ignored him and so he stood beside her to look at the book she had her finger resting on. "Do you have any idea where my son might be, I was told he was here and now I assume it was with you." He spoke tightly.
"Hm, must be wrong because I see no red haired boy only a dark haired one who is standing right beside me."
He rolled his eyes and went off to continue looking for Maexes when her sharp voice stopped him in his path.
"You should try harder." He retraced his steps back to stand at her side once more.
"I am trying."
"You're trying by doing things that you like, not things that he likes. My dear Aurelius no matter how hard you try you cannot make him what you want, you cannot make him like you, he's not you." She turned to face her grandson. "And why would you want him to be if you are so miserable?"
He didn't have an answer for that, nothing came to mind at all. Edmeynda saw the wheels turning and laughed when he came up empty handed. "See?"
"Then what should I be doing, huh? Riding with him, praying to his Gods that I don't believe in?" She glared at him and he became for serious. "It was easier when he was younger, he wasn't afraid of anything and was always getting into trouble, now he quiet and reserved and freezes up anytime he gets near a dragon. What Pendragon has been afraid of dragons before?" Edmeynda smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"
"He's actually not as quiet as you think, he can go on for hours about a topic he's interested in. And the reason he's afraid is because he read a book on dragons and all of the awful things they can do, he was to young and had nightmares for a month. But of course you didn't know that, because what effort have you actually made, when have you actually been around?"
He felt guilty as the truth struck him deep and asked if he should just talk with him, read with him, listen for once to his son.
"You should let him be who he wants, a choice you were never given and I am sorry for that."
"He is my only heir, Edmeynda." She almost corrected him but she knew how vulnerable and honest he was being right now and so she let it slide.
"Is he? Not from what I've seen, you have three other children."
He looked at her as if she had grown two head, or he was afraid that in her old age her mind had finally snapped.
"They are girl-"
"Yes they are girls, two are bastards who you could petition to have legitimized, you know Viserys would. Do you not support Rhaenyra's claim to the Iron Throne, do you not recognize her as heir?"
"Yes of course, but-"
"Then why do you blanch at the idea of your own daughter ruling when you support the Targaryen girl becoming Queen?" Once again he faltered. "Is Jonquil not still producing children, is she not with child right now? Do you not also have a paramour who could bare you a son that might be legitimized if you are so set in your ways of male precedent?" When he didn't reply she asked him again, sharper this time.
"Yes." He finally admitted looking down at his feet just has his son had mere minutes ago. She raised his head by cupping his cheeks. "Then promise me you will let him leave to the citadel so that he might form a Maesters chain, do not condemn him to such unhappiness as you have experienced in being forced to take on this title."
His nod was slight but she could still see it. "I promise."
⚔⚔⚔
After his talk with Edmeynda he stopped his search and decided to wait for the boy at home, and there he might apologize to his wife and paramour for his outburst in the meantime.
Unfortunately, only Faune was there. He let out a sigh, he supposed he'd work them one at a time them. He came up and hugged her from behind and began kissing her shoulder. She huffed out her annoyance at the interruption from her letters but he didn't stop.
She told him to stop and when he ignored her request she shrugged him off violently. "Let me go." She demanded.
He let out a scoff. "Are you truly that upset with me?"
"Upset over what? The fact that you dismissed our girls and called them bastards, or over the fact that you cannot be content with the peace we have found?"
His eyes were wide in shock at her sass and he had to attempt to hide his smile. "They are bastards though."
"Yes, I'm aware of that thank you very much."
"And what's this about my malcontent?"
She was silent for a moment and she attempted to return to her practice. He said her name to show that he wasn't dropping the conversation. "I saw you attempting to...couple with Lyrra. I do not blame her because I saw her refuse before scampering off, I blame you. Are we not enough for you, are you truly so bored that you would find anyone new to stick your prick into just for some excitement?"
He paused and remembered that day. He had been drunk and seeing her ass sticking up in the air as she bent over to play with the children...well the sight had made him hard and he'd quickly dragged her into some random corridor. He vaguely remembered kissing her rather forcefully, bunching up her skirt, and then she'd slapped him and ran.
"I was drunk."
She quickly turned on him with a mock smile. "Oh, and that is an excuse."
He got down on his knees and rested his head in her lap, begging for her forgiveness as she turned her face and refused to look or touch him. "Please forgive me. It was a one time thing and will never happen again. I'll let you and Jonny control my cups from now on if that's what it takes."
She signed heavily through her nose. "You know, Jon once told me that you quickly forget things when they are out of sight. Out of sight out of mind, she said." He remembered Daemon telling him the same thing. "I know what I am, I know-"
"What you were, your not a whore anymore."
"Aren't I though, aren't I just your pet whore who you descided to bring home one day." Tears pricked her eyes.
"You know that's not true." It hurt him that she thought of herself this way. "I will do better. For you, for Jonny, for the King, for our House, and for our children."
"The children." She sighed. "Because you are so good with them." She replied sarcastically.
"I am trying to better. Have you seen me drunk since that day with Lyrra?" She shook her head no. "Have I not been in bed with my two beautiful red haired women every night." She nodded. "I know that I have not been the best of father's, Edmeynda knocked that into me quite literally, but I am ready to make the effort, real effort. Once this wedding business is over I want us to all go out into the fields outside Kings Landing, Maexes can bring a book and you can work on your reading, and I will help you and listen to him. I want to bond with him," he took a deep breath. "And I want to petition the King to legitimized our daughters."
Faune took a deep intake of breath and the tears finally overflowed at the relief and pure joy at the thought that her children would not be looked down on anymore because of the manner of their birth. "Do you mean it, do you truly mean it?" He nodded and she fell to her knees so that they were face to face and latched onto him tighter than he thought she possibly could.
"I love you, I love you, I love you."
He laughed loudly and told her that he loved her too as she planted kisses all over his face.
"Oh thank the Gods for Edmeynda, what else did she tell you?" She didn't really mean it as a questioned but he answered all the same.
"She told me to let Meaxes go off to be a Maester." She pulled back and her tear stained face was serious as she looked back and forth between his two eyes, hoping to see the answer in them. "I told her yes." Faune face once more broke out into smile almost to large for her face and all she could do was nodded her approval before wrapping her arms around him once more.
⚔⚔⚔
"I know that I have not been the best of father's..." Yeah, that was an understatement, Maexes thought as he listened outside the door. "Edmeynda knocked that into me quite literally, but I am ready to make the effort, real effort. Once this wedding business is over I want us to all go out into the fields outside Kings Landing, Maexes can bring a book and you can work on your reading, and I will help you and listen to him. I want to bond with him. And I want to petition the King to legitimized our daughters." That's he needed to hear to make him scoff and walk off. Hopefully by the time he got home father would have been asleep or the trio would be to ingaged in 'activities' to notice him. He knew they might worry but at that moment he didn't give a fuck.
He hadn't taken to kindly to the two new additions to their family, seeing them as an insult no matter what his mother might say. To him they were the reason that his father had abandoned him for a year, the reason the rift was so great. He wished Aelthea wasn't with Aegon, she was the only sibling he actually liked, the only one he could talk to even if he knew she didn't completely understand.
"Bring a book." He mumbled to himself at the thought. "Wants me to teach his mistress to read. If he really wanted to make an effort he might try talking to me first before just deciding." Like every young child Maexes Pendragon felt as if the world revolved around him and wasn't thinking clearly in his state of anger.
He hoped that maybe he'd run into Edmeynda or his mother, they would understand him, they always did. He would have hoped for Lyrra but now knowing that his father tried to ruin her, even though it wasn't her fault and she had rejected him, he didn't want to see her right now. He continued on his path mumbling more angry words to himself about his father when suddenly a serving boy ran into him.
"Watch it!" He felt bad for snapping at him, he wasn't the one he was angry at. The boy quickly apologized and his eyes darted around the hall and other passage ways. "What are you doing?"
"Um, forgive me m'lord, but the Queen has tasked me with finding Ser Criston Cole." Maex thought for a moment, did he really want to, well it would give him something to do, maybe even give him answers about all the strange conversation going on in his household recently.
"I can do it, find him for you I mean."
"Very kind of you m'lord, but the Queen tasked me-"
"And my mother, Lady Pendragon, is her best friend." He thought of begging but he could hear his father voice scolding him in his head already, he hated that. "I will tell her that I took it upon myself, you will not be in any trouble I promise you that."
Reluctantly the boy nodded and Maexes went about castle, looking down all the nooks and crannies. He was feeling pity for all the servants who had to do this as he realized just how tiring this actually was. Finally, he found the Kingsguard knight walking up one of the winding spiral stair cases.
"Ser Criston." He folded his hands behind his back. When the older man turned to look at him he could see a sadness and an anger that matched his own in the man's eyes.
"Hello Maexes, my apologies but I'm not in to mood for sparing today."
"No, forgive me but you are mistaken. You've been summoned."
"I left the Princess just minutes ago."
"Not the Princess Ser," I took a step up towards him. "The Queen." Maex grew confused as he saw a look of foreboding cross Ser Criston's face, as if he had done something terrible wrong and had now been caught. The young boy waited for the knight, boucing on his toes as he waited for the man to come to terms with whatever he thought was about to happen.
The journey to the Queens chambers was silent for the most part, until Criston realized how strange it was that the little lordling had brought the summons instead of some servant.
"Father." Was all the Pendragon had to say for a look of understanding to cross the mans face.
"Father's can be a tough thing I know, but I have seen how he looks at you, how much he loves you. Give him time, and at least try to meet him halfway, huh? Can you do that for me?"
Maexes twisted his lips and glanced up at the knight before making a bold admission. "I sometimes wish that you were my father. Your much more understanding and I can always do things with you that I can't with him." Criston paused and looked at the boy with glassy eyes before pulling him against him.
"I want you to try sparing with your father for me, he's a warrior so he'd enjoy that I think." He whispered out.
Maex was confused because that was something he only ever did with the man infront of and he said as much. "I won't always be here though. Try, for yourself if not for your mother and me."
He nodded at the man as they stood outside the door to the Queens rooms. "But where would you be going?"
Ser Criston ruffled the boys red curls and smiled sadly. "That's nothing you need to worry about, your a good boy Maex."
Meaxes felt strange as he announced that he had brought the knight and reflected on the words spoken between them, it's almost felt as if Ser Criston was saying goodbye.
He snapped out of it when he heard the Queens voice. "Thank you, Maexes." She was looking at him with confusion and she was clearly wondering what had happend to the serving boy. "I was bored." He answered the unasked question.
"Ah, well once again thank you, and I told your father to tell your mother that I requested her presence, I assume he hasn't because I have not seen her, so I ask you the same, if you see her tell her to come here immediately." Then she dismissed him, Cole smiled at him as he walked past.
Maex didn't leave though, no, instead he propped himself up beside the door and listened to what was being spoken on the other side, now more curious then ever before.
The conversation started out polite enough, with the Queen saying she needed to question him about the Princess Rhaenyra, though her voice held a wavering nervousness to it that had Maexes itching for information. He smiled politely and pretended to be picking at his nails and offering a polite smile as a serving girl walked past him with a furrowed brow. As soon as she was out of sight his ear was once more against the door.
"In light of Daemon's return" He heard what could only be the Queens footsteps begin pacing. "There has been a rumor." Maex's smile grew wide as he figured he would learn the truth of what'd had his parents so worried, so frustrated. What he heard had him stepping back from the door in shock and sweat begin to coat his palms.
The Queen began starting sentences and never finishing them, drawing some statements out, speaking vaguely about the topic of which she spoke. "It happened your Grace, the sin you allude to. I have commited it. At her instigation it is true, but that should- it is no excuse." Maex thought about bolting right then and there, to rush to tell his mother, but he knew he needed to hear how the rest of this played out. So, he closed his gaping mouth, slowed his breathing, and placed his ear once more against the door.
Ser Criston asked for death. Maex felt tears pricking his eyes and his lip beginning to quiver as he finally realized why. This man who had been like an uncle or a second father to him, had infact been saying his goodbyes.
A long, pregnant silence passed in the room and once more Maexes twitched to run. "Thank you, Ser Criston." Please don't kill him, please don't fucking kill him, Maex begged the Seven in a quiet whisper. "You may go." He heard her finally say. He sent up silent thank you before darting off as fast as he could to his families apartments.
So now we've got 3rd Person POV, I thought about giving Maex is own POV but descided against it for now, maybe kept season though bc I'm pretty sure his part will be bigger then. Also do we really think Aurleius will legitimize the Lili and Vis? How about what happened with Lyrra? Do we really think he's gonna get better 🤔
Also yea Maex is really close with Crispy Creme (for now) like they hang out all the time so this, ser criston breaking his vows, hits Maex really hard and makes him see the knight as kinda like Aurelius a bit now which sucks. Well see what happens next with this family, at Rhaenyra's wedding👀 on Friday