"You seem upset father," Daemon was breaking his fast with Baelon and his son was once again showing how observant he was.
"That would be because I am upset, my son," Daemon responded, "The King has insulted us."
When Daemon had brought Baelon to King's Landing with him he had sworn to his son that he would be named Hand of the King. Now less than two years later, that had not only not happened but Daemon had been removed from both his post as the Master of Coin and Laws.
"I am Viserys' only brother, the last adult Targaryen still living besides him," Daemon raged, "And not only does he refuse to name me his Hand but he removes me from what little position he could be bothered to give."
"I'm sure you have misunderstood things, father," Baelon insisted.
"There is nothing to misunderstand. The Watch is a corrupt group of underpaid and under equipped criminals. The people of the city hate them, they are more than happy to let a rapist go unpunished for a few copper stars."
"Then change them," Baelon interrupted, "His Grace has left you your seat on the Small Council has he not? That proves he still values you."
"And yet he still won't make me his Hand," Daemon groused.
"Ser Otto has served well and the Hightowers are an important family in the Reach," Daemon scowled at the mention of the man, "But do not think of what you haven't been given, think of what you have. What strength did you truly have as the Master of Coin or Laws?"
"Little," Daemon admitted.
"And now Viserys has given you an army 3,000 strong inside of the capital," His son said, "An army which, as its Commander, you are expected to arm as you see fit as well as place those who you trust in charge of. He has made you the strongest man in the Capital."
Daemon considered his son's words for a moment before a small smile spread across his face and he laughed and stood, "Along with being a great swordsman you give such sage wisdom, my son," He said ruffling his hair, "You will make a great… ruler some day."
Daemon didn't think it was possible for him to be more proud of his son. Already it was said he had the makings of a great warrior and he had been brave enough to claim the largest dragon in the world at four.
He surrounded himself with knights fiercely loyal to him and made friends with anyone he spoke to. The people of the keep whispered that he was a genius not seen since Jaehaerys.
"I'm sure you would have realized it yourself, father," Baelon said, wrapping him in a hug, "You just couldn't look past your anger in the moment," Daemon's smile threatened to split his face as he lifted his son up before pressing a kiss to his brow. At least one of his children didn't resent him.
Alyssa still refused to write and only responded to Baelon's letters. When Daemon had separated the two it had not been out of any malice as his daughter seemed to think. Viserys often spoke of how lonely Rhaenyra seemed in the Red Keep and he had known that Baelon and her shared letters, though it was more them telling servants what to write than writing themselves.
So, Daemon had decided to bring Baelon but, he didn't want to leave Rhea with neither of their children and knew that Alyssa had made good friends with Jeyne so had left her.
He had perhaps underestimated just how attached the twins were, or rather just how attached Alyssa was. Perhaps it was a sister thing, Daemon knew his mother had been the same with his father but he himself had never been that close to Viserys.
Sure he had played with his brother when they were young and hung around him as they got older but when they were separated neither cried or threw fits. Alyssa however, was a terror. She had threatened to set her clothes along with other things on fire and it was only thanks to Baelon talking with her and swearing to visit that she had calmed down at all. Though, she still hadn't stopped pouting when they left.
Of course once they had reached the capital Aemma had put forth the idea that Baelon and Rhaenyra might be betrothed and in an effort to keep the two close, and perhaps keep Baelon and Alyssa from getting any closer, he had forbidden Baelon from flying to Runestone and only allowed him to go riding with Rhaenyra.
He knew Alyssa would be less than happy when she found out but she was a child, she'd get over it. Though from what he'd heard from Rhea she had made good on her promise of setting fire to anything she could get her hands on. The twins' name day would be arriving in two moons, so maybe then Daemon could take Baelon back to visit.
_
"I have plans for the City Watch," Daemon announced as he entered the Small Council meeting late and it seemed he had interrupted something Otto was trying to say, the thought made him smile.
"And what would those plans be, my Prince?" Lyonel Strong was a big and balding man who was Daemon's replacement as Master of Laws. When Daemon had first met the man he had expected him to be brash but instead he found that Lyonel stayed quiet for the most part and thought for a long time before he spoke.
"My men currently number 2,800. I will arm each of them with a spear, dirk, and cudgel along with a shirt of mail, helm, and cloak dyed gold to identify them as members," Daemon took his seat and kicked his feet up onto the table, "And for my officers I will need 28 horses, swords, and full plate sets."
The Council seemed stunned for a moment before Otto, a tall and ambitious man with greying brown hair, scoffed, "And what would you need all that for, my Prince," He added Daemon's title almost as an afterthought.
"Did I not say so when I came in?" Daemon asked without wanting an answer, "I'm the Lord Commander of the City Watch, it's my job to outfit them."
"Quite a costly job, Lord Commander," A small smirk crossed Otto's face as he seemed to realize he no longer had to call Daemon Prince.
"The people of King's Landing have no respect for the Watch," Daemon responded, "They think of them as a corrupt group who they can pay off. Mostly because they are corrupt and they dress like it too."
"The Prince speaks the truth, Your Grace," Lyonel admitted.
"Even so, to outfit these men will be extremely costly, my King," Otto leaned back in his seat and folded his hands over his stomach before sighing and shaking his head, "Unfortunately I don't think it can be done."
"The treasury is full and overflowing, brother," Daemon leaned forward and laid his hands on the table, "There hasn't been war in years, now is the time to invest in the city. Criminals have had their run of the city since Jaehaerys grew weak. If you do what I ask, brother, then I swear the criminals of King's Landing will feel fear like they haven't since our father was Hand of the King."
Viserys' eyes softened at his little brother, "Then let this be the first major change I have enacted in my reign. Your men will have their equipment, Daemon," He proclaimed.
"Thank you, brother," Daemon leaned back with a smirk on his face while Otto looked as though he had swallowed something sour.
"Well, back onto what we were discussing moments ago, Your Grace," Lyonel began, "The Crabfeeder has grown ever more bold from his place in the Stepstones. He demands outrageous tolls from our ships and if they cannot be paid he takes those on them as slaves or whores to be used in the Triarchy. Lord Corlys has written in an attempt to make peace between your houses and proposes to invade the Stepstones and drive the men out."
Daemon didn't pay attention to Viserys response as he let his brain stray to plans of what to do with his new army.
-
"Why must I always be the wife?" Daemon's eyebrow raised as he heard his son speak from within his chambers.
"Because I am my father's heir," Rhaenyra proclaimed, "I'm going to rule the Seven Kingdoms."
"You'd rule them as a Queen," Baelon said, "Not as a King."
"Yes but Visenya did not rule and neither did Alysanne," Daemon couldn't help but chuckle at the young Princess' logic, "Now be quiet so we can get back to the game, Bael."
"I don't see how this can be considered a game," Baelon said, "All we have done is get married and have our knights threaten each other."
"We are playing Jaehaerys and Alysanne!" Rhaenyra stomped her foot, "We have to start with the start of their reign and go on."
"Why don't we just play Aegon and Rhaena again?"
"That wasn't even a game, you just wanted to go flying!" Protested Rhaenyra, "And it wasn't even accurate, we should have flown on Dreamfyre not Vhagar."
"Well I'm sorry," Baelon said, not sounding very sorry at all, "But I thought since I had been the girl every other time I would be the girl then as well."
"Aegon was never King," Rhaenyra said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Baelon rolled his eyes, "I think you just want to be the one in charge," He said disdainfully but Rhaenyra immediately brightened.
"Exactly!"
"I see you two are having fun," Daemon interrupted the children.
"Yes!" Rhaenyra responded immediately, "Bael is really fun! Even if he doesn't always play the games correctly. He's been teaching me how to use a sword!" Daemon raised an eyebrow and from the way she immediately turned to Baelon with an apologetic expression that was meant to be a secret.
"She started forcing me after finding out Alys learns too," Baelon defended himself.
Rhaenyra's expression turned hopeful, "I hope my brother will be like him, everyone says mother will give birth soon."
Daemon gave Rhaenyra a sad smile, she probably didn't remember Aemma's other pregnancies or had even heard of them, "Not so soon yet, she still has a moon left. And what's this about a brother, so sure you won't have a sister?"
Rhaenyra made a face, "Boys are better than girls," She insisted, "Bael is much better than Alyssa after all."
"Hey," Baelon interrupted her, offended on his twin's behalf.
"Sorry," Rhaenyra apologized through her grin, "But father says that it will be a boy."
"I'm sure he does, but it's impossible to predict these things," Daemon said, "Though I haven't come to speak of Aemma's pregnancy. Tonight is the night my Goldcloacks clean out the city," Daemon had spent the last two fortnights retraining his men and finding which among them were deserving of being made officers.
He had barracks built at every gate and beyond that had worked with the Master of Whispers to find who in the capital was a criminal.
The way Daemon had organized his Watch was simple. For every 100 men there was an officer and for every gate there was a captain who himself had command of 100 men and overall command of three other groups. The city was split between seven sections falling under the Captains of the Gates and tonight the 2,800 men of the watch would descend upon their sections and dispense the King's Justice to the criminals found there.
Daemon was sure that by the morning the crime in the capital would have fallen to almost nothing.
"Well good luck then, father," Baelon said, wrapping his arms around Daemon's waist.
"I do not need it Baelon but thank you," He said while patting his son's head, "After tonight give me one more fortnight to finish everything here and we will go visit your sister and mother."
"I would like that," Baelon said with a large smile.
"As would I," Daemon admitted.
_
Around Daemon there was much drinking and laughter from the men of his Watch. They were in one of Willam or Steffon or Cole's taverns, he wasn't sure which.
When Daemon's Goldcloacks had gone through the city many taverns and brothels along with other businesses had been left ownerless for a time due to their owner's criminal acts. Daemon wasn't sure which of his son's knights had come up with the idea to buy up the businesses but all of them had caught on eventually. Now much of the land in King's Landing was held by them.
He never had managed to visit Alyssa. He had gotten held up in the capital planning for the tourney celebrating the birth of Viserys' latest son, but he still allowed Baelon to go and his son hadn't gotten back yet.
Perhaps that was for the best with what had happened. Though Rhaenyra could have used his comfort, he was sure.
Aegon, the boy that Aemma had given birth to, died not a day after being born and the child took the Queen with him.
Daemon couldn't imagine it, there was no love between him and Rhea but, the thought of holding his son in his arms only for him to be dead within hours was a terrifying one.
He felt bad for his brother, he truly did, but at the same time the death of this Aegon, this child who Daemon had not known, left him and his children in a better position.
I would trade a thousand Aegons for my son to have a slightly better life, the thought rose to Daemon's mind and he didn't try to stop it.
Next to him sat Mysaria, his favorite 'companion', she was as beautiful as any woman in the world could be, tall and skinny with perfect silver hair and purple eyes. Daemon found himself wondering, not for the first time, why his grandmother had married him to Rhea when at every other turn she was focused on purity and tradition. Though with what he had gotten from the match he didn't think to complain too much.
All around him sat the officers of his watch along with a few of the rank and file soldiers and the tavern seemed as though a Prince had just been born. The room ignored the fact that the same Prince had just died as well.
These were the people he was closest to in the capital. Not his brother who refused to name him Hand and dishonored him at every turn and certainly not the Lords who laughed behind his back and called him Lord Fleabottom.
Daemon downed his drink, he had long since stopped counting what number he was on, and stood on shaky legs to get another wondering what his own children were doing at that moment. But as he did the people surrounding him, his Captains, turned to look.
Someone placed a drink in his hand and he was speaking before he considered the words that would come out, "I am sorry to interrupt the merriment you all are engaging in but, there is something I need to say."
Shouting broke out from his Captains as they quieted the rest of his men and in a moment all eyes were on him, he took a breath and opened his mouth.
AN
This didn't come out too late but I think I just need to accept that I'm never going to be able to post on time. I have no intention of quitting this story though, I just can't be bothered to write or can't find the words until right when the chapter is about to come out and then the words just flow.
The urge to start a new story has been growing in me but if I did that then both would be on 1 update a week because let's be honest we all know I'm not dropping 4 a week anytime soon.
But I just have all these ideas I want to do. Maybe one day when this one gets to a good stopping point I'll start working on My Life As An SI In King Daeron's Court but that's far in the future like 80k words in, which with my pace would take like 4 months.
That's kinda crazy to think about, by the time I'd get around to a new one all the good ideas would be gone, though it's not like a Bronze Prince story never was done before I posted it. I'm ranting but give me a break it's really late(early?) for me.
If I knew how to make a poll I'd definitely do that but since I don't I'll just have to ask the question. Does Daemon get dad of the year?
He does love his children and doesn't go out of his way to hurt them but he's also pretty out of touch, expected for this time if we're being honest.
On another note I wonder what Daemon was going to say at the end there? Probably something super cool since he's such a cool guy.
Maybe we'll find out next chapter, also it was really smart of those knights to buy up that land, wonder where they got the money though? Eh it's probably nothing.
Please point out any mistakes.
I'm writing a few more words here because I want this chapter to be 3k words(does it still count as 3k words when like 300 of them are authors' notes?). Fight me if you don't like it.
I'm an NBA fan which you all probably didn't know because why would you and I like the Hawks and Clippers because they have my favorite players but my hometown team is the Pacers. It's pretty much the only sport I follow.
I play Smite which is a MOBA that not many people play even though it's really fun and my favorite color is purple.
And there's 3k words. So see you Monday(probably Tuesday let's be honest).