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Post by Marie on Aug 16, 2009 9:08:03 GMT -5
Aegon continued to twirl the goblet between his fingers. "I understand why you made Lord Dayne your Hand, but it was bound to excite jealousy amongst the great lords. Lord Dayne is a landless knight and granted, he is a very good knight, but he is young and socially inferior to them by title and blood. That would stick in their craw." "I know that," Rhaenys said. "But I weigh it against the fact that Euric is loyal and brave and clever, besides which his children will have my own blood through my sister Alysanne. Besides, I mean to grant them land of their own so no man may call Euric landless again. Maybe I can even get them Starfall now that Prince Horas is dead." She shrugged. "Jealousy is no excuse for the conduct of Lord Lannister and his friends. He claimed it was Lord Euric's appointment that troubled him but that is not the main point of concern, to be honest. The real issue for them is that, had I appointed one of them, they would seek to control me, which is much hard for them to attempt if they are not in my close councils. So yes, they claim I insulted them by not giving them the positions they feel they deserve, but the problem is that I will not be their pawn. Bastards. I fear that unpleasant times are upon us, Aegon.. Lannister has too much pride to bow to me as he ought." |
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Post by Aerys on Aug 16, 2009 16:49:39 GMT -5
"Well naturally you shall have my support in case of any trouble. I had hoped to be in a position to bring more men to your cause, but of course that won't happen until I take a wife."'
Aegon glanced across to where his nephew and the Princess Ariadne were conversing
"However my nephew is in a better position than I to bring more men to your cause, especially if you were to formally grant him all the lands that his father held. I'm sure the Dornish princesses would be impressed and anything you can do to garner their support will be useful to counter Lannister."
"It would make a nice wedding present too." he said wryly.
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Post by Marie on Aug 16, 2009 17:07:21 GMT -5
"It would, though I thought Lord Velaryon had yet to actually claim some of those lands for himself? if that is so, he can hardly bring me those men with the necessary speed," she said. "It is a consideration though. Come with Kings Landing to me. It may be that with the lords causing trouble there will be new opportunities to offer you that we have not yet comsidered. I'm not sure yet."
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Post by Aerys on Aug 16, 2009 17:15:30 GMT -5
"I am happy to come to Kings Landing if you request it, but I'm not sure what use I can be, especially with only one hundred of my men permitted to enter. Other men such as the Hand will command your other forces I assume. Other Lords will command their own men."
"A formal granting of those lands to my nephew means he may not have to assault those fortresses - small though they are - as he had to with Driftmark to remove Thatcher's crony. He will be able to summon those men as their formally recognised lord by the Crown. Any who refuse his summons will be declared traitors."
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Post by Marie on Aug 16, 2009 18:33:10 GMT -5
"Naturally you would have permission to enter the city with your three hundred since you would becoming at my command," Rhaenys said. "The situation is different from the last one. As to your nephew, I asked once for proof that he has a claim to those other castles. I would still like to see it, ff such a thing exists."
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Post by Aerys on Aug 16, 2009 19:12:01 GMT -5
Aegon shrugged.
"There's nothing that I know of that is set in writing here in Driftmark. My sister's husband took the lands from a rebellious traitor in King Rodrick's time and then ruled them for over fifteen years until his murder. That is widely known. I visited my goodbrother Monterys Velaryon many times during his years at the helm. Indeed it was lucky I was present the night the Cult made their move and murdered my sister and her husband. I was able to get their children out. Aurane is their eldest son and was widely regarded as the heir to those lands, until the Cult took control.
"Unless you have other plans for these lands I see no good reason to deny him possession of his father's lands. It's not as if they are rich and powerful holdings either. There are no other claimants that I'm aware of."
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Post by Marie on Aug 16, 2009 19:21:56 GMT -5
"It would still be useful to have proof of King Rodrik's decrees. There must be something in the records at Kings Landing. Maesters tend to keep note of such things. It may be that I will have need of those lands," she said. "I am sorry, but it is better for the realm to have more lords with less power than fewer with more power."
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Post by Aerys on Aug 16, 2009 19:39:48 GMT -5
"Very well" Aegon said icily. "It appears that my nephew is preparing a campaign to re-take his other lands unnecessarily. I shall inform him that he no longer has your support in this matter. That is...if he ever did."
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Post by Marie on Aug 17, 2009 1:28:13 GMT -5
She gave him a troubled glance.
"Do you not understand that there are few enough men with land of their own that most men would be glad of one castle, let alone four? I am sure too that it would be better for Lord Velaryon to focus his attention on just two of those castles?"
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Post by Aerys on Aug 17, 2009 6:12:08 GMT -5
"My nephew's rightful lands have only two castles...one of them here at Driftmark and quite small in themselves. The Royces possess the strongholds of The Eyrie, Runestone, Duskendale and Horn Hill with your blessing and yet they still only grudgingly accept your rule. Any of those places are far more powerful in strength and larger in size than anything my nephew will ever own."
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Post by Marie on Aug 17, 2009 6:38:56 GMT -5
"Yes," said Rhaenys. "I am not best pleased that House Royce has so many castles but there is the fact that they do not all belong to the same branch of the family. Perhaps you will remember that I did not initially give my blessing to Ser Aaron's marriage to Eleanor Tarly. I recall that I originally agreed to your own suggestion that Lord Aurane wed her. However, once the girl was already married, there was nothing to do but make the best of it. She seems happy, and I have insisted in the strongest terms that her heir shall be a Tarly and not a Royce. The connection between the 2 may possibly give us cause for concern now but, in time, I believe that the Tarlys of Horn Hill will look to their own and not to their distant kinfolk in the Vale."
Seh sighed.
"Perhaps I have been misled. I had thought your nephew laid claim to four castles, not two. Two is acceptable, four is not."
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Post by Aerys on Aug 17, 2009 8:49:44 GMT -5
"Two castles only I believe." replied Aegon.
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Post by Marie on Aug 17, 2009 16:35:19 GMT -5
"Oh yes," she said, thinking. "Well then, he may have the lands upon which the castles stand. Not the others. I will give the others to you and you may raise such castles up on them as you see fit."
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Post by Aerys on Aug 18, 2009 1:37:27 GMT -5
Aegon thought for a moment. His nephew wouldn't be pleased with the Queen's proposal, but the alternative was not to gain any of his father's lands other than Driftmark. He could only hope to make Aurane see sense.
"That may be acceptable to my nephew. I would hope he would accept that he gains at least some of his father's lands, rather than just a small portion of them." he said carefully.
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Post by Marie on Aug 18, 2009 2:25:29 GMT -5
"I am sure he will understand," Rhaenys commented. "Especially if he weds the Dornish princess and they learn to make one another happy. Lands are keep are not everything, cousin. Besidse, I am sure the two of you will work well together to promote peace upon my eastern coast."
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Hope you all are well and happy.