Aemon Targaryen

-Chapter 117-

-POV Aemon Targaryen-

'Finally, it took her a week to react,' I thought, satisfied to see the little dove fall into the trap I had set for her from the moment I personally informed her of the marriage between Jessamyn Redfort and Arnold.

"I can't do that, and you know it perfectly well," I said, deciding to pretend reluctance to see how far she would go for it.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, I already have everything I dream of," I said, refusing to answer her question, which irritated her.

"I will give you the Vale. It's all you've ever wanted. If you help me, I will acknowledge in writing and before the king's court your overlordship over the entire Vale," she said frantically, annoyed by my refusal to help.

"I don't need your recognition," I said.

'Especially since it's worthless now that you're no longer Lady of the Vale, even if Arnold were to die,' I thought.

Jeyne wasn't stupid.

I was sure she knew it too. In her current position, unless someone from royalty helped her, she had no value anymore.

"Even if you're the unofficial ruler of the Vale, officially, your lord remains Arnold. And he doesn't seem ready to relinquish his little power, judging by the fact that he chose Jessamyn to be his wife," said Jeyne, deciding to change tactics and become more aggressive.

I smiled as I spun her around, then said, pulling her close:

"It's just a passing infatuation. Once he satisfies his desire for domination and humiliation towards you, she'll have an accident. I'm not worried."

"And if she gives him sons? Heirs who would be recognized by the Iron Throne as heirs of House Arryn and Lords Paramount of the Vale?" she asked, thinking she had found the flaw in my schemes.

'By then, Viserys and everyone else fighting for the throne would need to still be alive,' I thought.

'Controlling the Vale from the shadows suited me perfectly for now. What changes things is Arnold and Jessamyn's marriage. It undermines the trust I had in him,' I thought, while adding internally: 'I don't want a snake in my garden.'

"That would be troublesome, but, at the risk of repeating myself, accidents happen every day. Be it Jessamyn, Arnold, or even the future parasites you speak of, it doesn't shake me in the slightest," I said, completely calm.

'Not to mention that I have many cards I haven't yet played, such as the Gulltown Arryn branch, Arnold's bastard Eldric, whom I've carefully hidden and am secretly raising in case his father tries to outsmart me,' I thought, recalling all the alternatives I still had to either bend Arnold or replace him.

'But that would take time, far too much time. Time that would delay all my other plans, and that I have no desire to waste on him.'

'I gave him everything he ever dreamed of, and he messed it up. Too bad for him.'

'I need an immediate solution that won't turn me, in the eyes of the rest of Westeros' sheep-like populace led by Oldtown, into the second coming of Maegor the Cruel,' I told myself.

'I must not forget the fate of the Targaryens and the original dragons. Angering the masses without reason is not only dangerous but also foolish,' I thought, remembering even in my former world excellent examples like the French Revolution of 1789.

"What could possibly frighten the rider of Urrax?" Jeyne asked, powerless, in a sarcastic tone, restraining herself from reacting when I mentioned the possibility of causing an accident to Jessamyn.

I smiled and said, in a tone bordering on arrogance, "Very few things, I assure you."

She gave a joyless smile, then said, "I will do everything in my power to make sure Jessamyn doesn't have to walk that path… name your price."

"You wouldn't pay it," I said, persisting in my refusal and relishing seeing her grovel to offer me the perfect justification for something I already wanted to do.

'It'll be easier to explain this to old Yohn. He loves Arnold more than his own children since he's his sister's only child,' I thought.

"What do you know about it?" Jeyne asked me, defiantly.

"You don't have what it takes for what I have in mind. It's too… final for you," I said condescendingly while looking down at her.

"You want to make me your mistress?" said Jeyne, her expression changing almost instantly, becoming increasingly contemptuous.

'Almost,' I thought, as she had almost guessed my intentions.

"You also want to humiliate me," she said, certain she had seen through my game, in an almost disgusted tone.

'I don't care about your feelings. All I've ever wanted is the Vale,' I thought, finding it almost cute how she always made everything about herself.

I smiled and said, "You give yourself too much importance as always. From the start, your mistake has been believing that between us, it was… personal. Yet, you saw at the tournament how I handle my personal problems."

"So, what do you want from me?" she asked, furiously whispering in my ear.

"I want you to become my second wife," I said, deciding to put an end to this charade since the music had stopped and our dance was over.

"What's the difference?" she asked thoughtlessly, as we had to switch partners or leave the floor.

"Think. You're not stupid; you've already figured it out," I said before slightly bowing as she gave me a perfect curtsy.

"My claim to the Eyrie and the title of Lord Paramount," she said.

I nodded, then she quickly added, shaking her head:

"The king will never restore my title to me."

"The king will do what I want, just like last time," I said, unhurried, even though the music had resumed, as this was my domain. No one would speak ill of me for fear of waking up in Urrax's jaws.

'Unlike her, who seemed increasingly uncomfortable under the gazes fixed on us second after second,' I thought, amused by her reaction.

"I agree, on one condition," she said quickly.

"What condition?" I asked, curious to know what it was.

"Arnold," she said.

I frowned, confused, as we had already discussed this, and she added: "I want his head."

"He'll have an accident," I said, assuring her of our cousin's death.

"I want his head," she repeated, making it clear her demand wasn't a metaphor but that she genuinely wanted her cousin's decapitated head.

I hesitated for a few seconds. I wasn't comfortable with the idea of giving her Arnold's head. Despite his betrayal, he was my cousin.

'Too bad,' I finally thought, because after all, he was the one who had messed up.

"However, in return, I want one thing," I demanded.

She raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what I would ask for, then I said:

"Your loyalty."

I noticed she was about to reply, so I placed a finger on her lips and said:

"I don't want an immediate answer because I can already see the wheels turning in your mind. Becoming Princess of the Eyrie, for that will be your title, won't free you from this prison. Your status will simply shift from prisoner to jailer. So think carefully about what you truly want, because if you ever betray me in any way, you will receive a punishment worse than Arnold's. And you won't be the only one… no matter how many children you will have borne me by then."