Queen Rhaella's Chambers

Rhaella summons her son, Prince Aegon, to her chambers for a private conference. This occurs the night before the feast.

Rhaella smiled as she beckoned to her only son. "Come sit down," she said. "Have a drink with me."

She patted a cushioned chair opposite her own, indicating the flagon of wine on the table. "You look well, my sweet."

"It has to be done," Rhaella said. "I don't like it either, but we hired their mercenaries. They will want their payment. And we've spent so money on this wretched war."

Rhaella picked up her cup. "We cannot placate them forever, my son. The Tyroshi will be the easy one. It will be harder to deal with the Braavosi. I wish your grandsire had never taken out a loan with the Iron Bank. It always gets its due, they say. That is... a worry, I do not deny it."

Rhaella sighed. She misliked the need to kill their own people but sometimes it was necessary. The realm could not be at peace until the Faith Militant was brought to its knees.

"I wanted to talk about you, Aegon. I know you do not always see eye to eye with your father, but it's important that you find favour in his eyes. If not...I do not want to think what may happen in the future. So, we must think about your future."

Rhaella frowned, fingers clenching hard around her cup. "But you are Prince of Dragonstone, my dear. You will be king some day. You cannot live your life without your father's love and respect. You know I think your father can be a little harsh,but he is that way with all you children. I cannot force him to change his opinions. I used to try, when you were younger, but there is so much even I can do. Your father is even more stubborn than you."

She smiled a little but soon her expression was sober again. "It would be best if you forgot about those foolish Andal gods. We are fighting against men who claim to fight in the name of the Seven false gods. Do you not think it looks bad if you worship those same gods?"

"I see no need to do such a thing. Your father would not be best pleased if I started worshipping false gods," Rhaella sighed. "The Faith Militant killed your grandsire, and his brother. And they almost killed me, too. Had you forgotten?"

She sipped her wine as she looked upon her only son with a sad expression.

Rhaella sighed. She really didn't understand why Aegon was so stubborn about his false gods. "You may speak of the Mother and the Crone all you life, but you do not convince me. When I was almost killed fighting in Oldtown, it was your uncle who saved my life, not some silly mother in the skies. Besides, if there were gods in the skies, do you not think we would have seen them for ourselves? My sweet, the Faith Militant serves the Faith. They would not exist at all if some High Septon or other had not allowed them to. I do not wish to fight with you about this, but if you would at least pretend to honour the true gods of Valyria, it would go a long way towards appeasing your father."

"We must all pretend sometimes, Aegon. It is sometimes the wisest course of action. Sometimes being honest is not always the best thing to be. We have a duty to one another and to this realm."

"Maybe he ddi and maybe he didn't. But Balerion, Vhagar and Meraxes were named for the gods of Valyria. I have always thought Aegon did mere lip service to the Seven, in order to avoid conflict with the Andals. My grandfather was a prouder man than that, and your father is too. He will not do as Aegon and his sisters did."

She leaned close. "Aegon, listen. You are meant to be king after your father. But I fear what he will do if you persist in worshipping the Andal gods. I do not wish to see you dispossessed. You are my only son, and I fear your father would put Maekar in your place if you cannot win his love."

"You know your father's opinions on Andal laws. It would not surprise me - at all - if he were to declare himself above the law. You'd be a fool to ignore the possiblity, my dear. I would do all I could to discourage him, of course, but it is a worry."

Rhaella sometimes wondered if Maegor would ever be satisfied by his sons, but she kept that to herself, simply nodding at Aegon's comment.

"I know you have done much for the realm," she said. "It is not me you must convince. It might help if you had an heir of your own."

Rhaella finished her wine and then refilled her cup.

"It is your marriage. I am of the opinion that you should have a say in the matter. You have three sisters. My grandfather had several wives, and Aegon the Conqueror married both his sisters, so you could, possibly, marry all three. Yet I think that is for you to decide. I'd have scratched the eyes out of any woman who dared marry your father. One wife is sufficient, I think. Besides, it is possible that one of your cousins may wish to marry one of your sisters, and there is the matter of alliances to consider as well. So...you should start to think about it, my dear."