Alyssa! Alyssa! Alyssa!
Alyssa Velaryon could feel the bedsheet being removed from her and within an instant she had almost thrown herself into a sitting position breathing heavily and searching for the one that had removed the bedsheet from her.
“It is only me Alyssa”
“What are you doing in my bedchamber Daemon?”
Alyssa was pleased that the one who roused her from her sleep was only her brother and not one of her handmaid's or one of the servants for while she held no ill will towards the girls anyone of them could be informants for Maegor or even worse they might be giving information to the pentoshi witch Tyanna of the tower who had somehow convinced Maegor to take her to wife even though he already had two other wives in the persons of Alys Harroway and his true wife Ceryse Hightower. Poor Ceryse Alyssa thought to herself Ceryse Hightower had been married to Maegor for nearly twenty years but as they had failed to produce a child together though mayhaps this was a blessing in disguise for though Alyssa knew Ceryse to be a very kind and gentle woman Maegor was nothing of the sort and would be a terrible father wholly unlike his brother Aenys. Aenys had been a kind and loving father but sometimes thought that they might have had a better life if Aenys had been the second or third son of Aegon the conqueror that would have suited him much more than being the eldest and therefore next in line to the iron throne of the seven kingdoms. Suddenly Alyssa heard Daemon cough and remembered that she was not alone.
“You did not answer my question what are you doing here Daemon”
“I have summoned the loyal lords of Blackwater bay to Dragonstone and they will soon be waiting for us in the chamber of the painted table”
“Why?”
“Why Alyssa you ask me why if you hadn't noticed we are at war and we could be defeated any minute all it takes is for Maegor to mount Balerion or Visenya Vhagar and fly to Dragonstone and make it another Harrenhal and burn us along with the fortress to the ground”
“They wouldn't do that to their own home”
“How do you know that?”
“I know them i lived with them for years”
“You lived with Aenys for years not them aye you may have lived close to them and seen them every day but then you had your safety in Aenys who at first was the heir apparent to Aegon the conquerors throne and then he was the king but now Alyssa Maegor sits the iron throne and you and your children are little more than potential threats to his throne according to Visenya and Maegor”
Alyssa did not want to ask the question nor admit that her brother might be right but she had to ask.
“Do you really think they would kill children that are of their own blood?”
“They might do but you forget that your children are not even fully the blood of Maegor or Visenya and no i am not talking about the blood that you and i share with them but i think that you might have forgotten that Aegon the conqueror took both of his sisters to wives and that your beloved Aenys was the son of Rhaenys whilst Maegor is Visenya's son”
“That i have not forgotten that my children are of the blood of Rhaenys but neither have i forgotten that we have a council to attend”
“That we have and we will need to be there therefore suggest that you dress yourself and then join me on the way to the council i will be waiting for you outside of your room”
After Alyssa Velaryon had dressed herself she found her brother outside her bedchamber waiting for her as he had said he would.
“What took you so long” Daemon jokingly said
“I understand that such womanly matters may seem complicated to men but sometimes beauty takes time but come Daemon let us walk to the chamber of the painted table together”
Alyssa answered with a smile on her face and just for a moment she thought she was back on Driftmark and that she once again was a little girl the daughter of the mighty lord Aethan Velaryon lord admiral and master of ships to Aegon the conqueror. Alyssa also remembered how overprotective her brothers had been of her she had been their precious little sister and besides the youngest of all her siblings. However Alyssa was no longer a little girl but the widow of a king and Daemon was no longer just an overprotective brother as he had inherited their father's titles when he died several years back so instead of just being Daemon Velaryon her brother now styled himself lord of the tides and Master of Driftmark just as their father and their fathers father had done before him and as future Velaryons would do after him.
Suddenly a little girl appeared from a corner looking backwards and screaming.
“Catch me if you can!”
Just as the girl turned her head towards Alyssa and Daemon she ran into Daemon. But instead of humbly apologizing to their faces as a girl of common birth would this girl simply mumbled something along the lines of.
“Excuse me or could you move”
As hard as she tried Alyssa could not keep herself from smiling she was glad that the girl did not even care to look on their faces.
“Is that how you would apologize to your own uncle” Alyssa said in the sternest voice she could muster.
“Mother?”
Alysanne's voice suddenly changed but instead of the nonchalant and confident young girl that had stood before them only seconds earlier now they saw a nervous little girl who seemed to be ashamed of herself with a shaky voice and almost close to tears Alysanne said
“Please forgive me”
Suddenly Alyssa bent her knees so that her and Alysanne's eyes were on the same level hugged her daughter and said.
“There is nothing to forgive after all it's not like you hurt uncle Daemon but why were you running?”
“I and Jaehaerys are playing a game”
“And what are the rules of this game” Daemon asked
“I am supposed to run away from him and i win if i can our bedchambers before him and he wins if he catches me”
“Then where is your brother?”
Alyssa asked but then she heard a voice behind them that said.
“Ah there you are”
With a laugh and a smile Alysanne ran back the way she had come and both Daemon and Alyssa moved aside so that Jaehaerys could easily run after his sister.
“It seems like Jaehaerys took a shortcut” Daemon said.
“That he must have done he has always been a clever boy” Alyssa answered.
“They remind me of Rhaena and Aegon when they where their age” Daemons suddenly said as they were making their way to the chamber of the painted table.
“No doubt most children with the blood of old valyria running in their veins remind you of your own or my children mayhaps they look alike but Rhaena and Alysanne is as different as night is to day and Jaehaerys is much smarter than Aegon were at his age” Alyssa replied with a sad look on her face.
“But you miss them nonetheless” Daemon said
“That i do and i fear for their lives every day”
“You do not need to be afraid for them they are adults now Alyssa and besides both have a dragon to defend them”
“They may be fully grown but i fear that Aegon is still the little boy that loved to listen to the stories of his grandfathers conquest or Serwyn of the mirror shield. After all what chance do he have against Maegor and Visenya”
“He may not be able to defeat Maegor or Visenya in single combat but he does not need to met them on the field of battle he has many supporters who would gladly give their lives to defend him”
“Who are these supporters that you speak of brother?”
“Among those that have declared themselves openly are the lords Piper,Vance,Farman,Corbray,Tarbeck,Frey and Westerling”
Alyssa sighed and said.
“But those are all little more than petty lords have any of the great houses offered Aegon any support whatsoever?”
“House lannister have given Aegon five hundred men from Lannisport and Lord Lyman's own bastard has decided to fight for Aegon”
“That is good Alyssa” answered
“But i wish he had more”
“Could you perhaps stop talking we are approaching the chamber of the painted table and our leal lords must not even suspect that you or i do not think that we truly stand a chance else they might even abandon us and join Maegor”
“As you wish dear brother” Alyssa answered
“When they entered the chamber of the painted table Alyssa could see that her and Daemon were the last to arrive among those who had been gathered were lord Edwell Celtigar and old lord Sunglass and even lord Bar Emmon of Sharp point she even noticed the master-at-arms of Dragonstone ser Elyas Scales and all of them seemed to talk with each other.
It was only when they herald noticed them and introduced them as
“Alyssa of the house Velaryon dowager queen to king Aenys Targaryen the first of his name and mother to his grace Aegon the second of his name the true lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm and her brother Daemon of the house Velaryon lord of the tides and master of Driftmark”
Suddenly old lord Sunglass rose from the only seat in the room where one could look over the entire map of Westeros from the location of where Dragonstone was supposed to be Sunglass then turned towards Alyssa and said.
“Forgive me your grace my legs are not what they used to be but it would be most improper of me if i was the one to sit in the seat of the conqueror himself whilst a member of the royal family was in our midst”
“Thank you lord Aegon” Alyssa said as she moved towards the chair.
When Alyssa had reached the chair Daemon moved so that he stood right by her side and then said.
“Thank you my lords for coming as you will know i have summoned all of you to Dragonstone in order to prepare for war for as you well know the pretender Maegor Targaryen has taken the iron throne without right and in this very moment my nephew our rightful king is mustering forces in the riverlands”
“It is folly to try and fight the whole of westeros along with both Maegor and Visenya who will bring Balerion the black dread and Vhagar with them. I remind you that it is those very beasts that less than half a century ago brought almost the whole of westeros to its knees. I say let us lay down our arms and surrender and not only hope for mercy but mayhaps even just rewards for helping him bring down our pretender” Lord Edwelll Celtigar said.
Suddenly ser Elyas Scales drew his sword and pointed it at lord Celtigar and said.
“Are you a craven or traitor celtigar do you truly think Maegor would spare us we who have rebelled against him whilst he only put the entire garrison of the eyrie to death for the crime of rebelling against his half brother even after they had yielded the fortress”
“Sheath your sword at once ser Elyas” Daemon commanded before saying.
“Lord Celtigar for those words i would arrest you were we not in such a dangerous situation were we need every man we can get. But as i was about to say we should send reinforcements to our king at once”
“Do we even know where he is?” old lord Sunglass asked
“ We have had reports that he is mustering forces close to Harrenhal” Alyssa answered
“Let me lead our forces” ser Elyas suddenly said.
“Forgive me ser Elyas but you do not have my permission to lead our reinforcements to our king for i will lead them myself but if that is indeed you wish you shall accompany me when we depart early in the morning tomorrow.
