The penitence of the wolf - The start of the reformation

Aerys Targaryen, on Red Keep – King's Landing

Rhaella and him were flying above the clouds, the fertile and cultivated fields of the Crownlands were shining like gold, the monarch's crops and actions had borne fruit, just as autumn was beginning, while thousands of peasants were preparing for the substantial fruits of their hard work

Everyone looked up, shouting with joy and waving their arms with happiness, at the sight of Rhaegal and Aeranax, the abundance of food and the constant patrols of men-at-arms had caused a large number of towns to appear around the Crown Lands, many of them totally unknown to the monarch

He had to talk to Rhaegar and send people to map the new villages, these people were vassals of the Iron Throne, so ensuring their well-being and giving them the ideal environment to grow was his responsibility

Although that was secondary, both Rhaella and his priority was to get to King's Landing as quickly as possible

They had to celebrate, after all

His granddaughter, Rhaenys Targaryen, had been born after a long but relatively quiet birth for Elia, and both the city and the kingdom had celebrated for seven days

Their first granddaughter and future queen had been born, both Aerys and the increasingly fuzzy part of him that was once Jon were really excited, though for different reasons

Aerys' part saw it as the birth of a new princess; House Targaryen was getting stronger and that was always good

However... Jon, Aegon, Rhaegar's son, saw it as an opportunity for redemption, to be able to give the sister he never knew, a dignified life, with a family full of love and support

Something that was so cruelly denied to her

Which reminded Aerys that he had to get rid of Armory Loch as soon as possible

Perhaps having Tywin send him to patrol the coasts during a raid by the iron dogs, he has a lot to thing about

A roar from Rhaegal brought him back to the present, followed by Aeranax, who was not far behind, his beloved dragon announcing to the whole city that the king and queen were back

Aerys looked at the capital with pride, the ruins of the Dragon's Pit were gone, and the Dragon Tower was beginning to appear, the city looked cleaner, Flea Bottom had been demolished as planned and divided into smaller neighborhoods, full of families of fishermen, lumberjacks, and farmers, tasked with working the farmlands at the foot of the walls

The city's drainage system was being reconditioned and expanded, but at Marwin's suggestion, the shitty water wasn't being dumped into the ocean, but into huge bronze cauldrons in what he called, treatment center, the process was unkown to him and frankly he doesn’t really care about it, but according to the old man, the result was quite useful for the fields, making the resulting crops substantial

And seeing the results on the farms near King's Landing, the old man was right, Aerys thought

Calmly, Rhaegal began to descend to the outskirts of the city, being followed by Rhaella and Aeranax, both dragons landing with a powerful rumble, shaking the earth, just in front of the escort that Rhaegar had sent to pick them up

After the King and Queen descends, both dragons took flight again, to where? He ignored it, Rhaegal and Aeranax values their privacy too, after all

Tywin was waiting for them with a carriage, as well as a suitable escort, knights and men-at-arms in black armor and red cloaks, proudly demonstrating his loyalty to the House of the Dragon, and upon seeing them descend, all present knelt before the king and queen

"Your grace, welcome home," Tywin said simply, waiting for an answer

Aerys smiled softly, and spoke

"Stand Tywin, we have a lot to talk about," said the king calmly, causing Lord Hand to stand up with curiosity on his face

"The carriage for the queen is ready, Prince Rhaegar wanted to come and meet you, but his responsibilities prevented it, he is waiting for you in the castle," said the old lion

Aerys nodded, and as Rhaella climbed into the comfortable carriage, the king took one of the offered horses, proceeding to lead the procession back to the Red Keep by the long way, he would take the opportunity to inspect his son's work at King's Landing, though from what little he observed in flight, Rhaegar had done a stupendous job

The narrow and frankly useless streets and alleys of King's Landing were slowly disappearing, in their place, wide avenues appeared, mud huts and straw homes were not to be found, now sturdy buildings of great size took their place, at least five stores, if the woody windows were any indicator.

Seeing his face, Lord Tywin intervened

"Inventions of the young prince together with Maester Marwin, a peculiar way to save space within the city, the smallfolks call it condominium, two families per floor, ten families per building, built with a large basement capable of storing a large amount of food for the winter, as well as a communal kitchen on the roof, a lot of medicinal plants are grow up there too" said Tywin, and Aerys nodded, really impressed with the wit of Marwin and his son

There weren't many yet, but they were a great omen for the future of the capital, all around he could see that at least a dozen were being built, and there were foundations for two dozen more

“What is that?” asked the king curiously, seeing how the chimneys of the condominiums exhaled a red smoke, scenting the place with a soft essence of cinnamon and pine

Tywin looked at the top of the building and answered

"A creation of the alchemists' guild, I don't know the details, but it allows you to burn even the wettest wood, in the cruelest environment, a single bottle is capable of heating the entire building for a Moon," said Lord Hand, not really knowing how the substance worked, but having a general knowledge about it

Aerys nodded calmly, but he was really proud of Rhaegar's sharp mind

The progression continues through the renovated streets of the city, and as the monarch walked, men, women and children stopped doing their activities, to cheer and shout thanks to the dragon king

 The Smallfolks don't look dirty as they used to, the clothes they wear are no longer the old rags that Aerys had seen on his return from Duskendale, their faces are no longer empty looks of resignation and numb acceptance, but of real happiness, something really curious, considering that summer was over and preparations for winter had begun

That reminded him that he had to talk to Olenna, Aerys thought, about regulating grain prices

The screams were deafening, and the obvious devotion to the house of the Dragon was a feeling that dominated the entire city

Well, almost all of it, thought the monarch

Aerys noticed something peculiar, the sporadic Septons and septas looked at him in the same way

With a frown and veiled contempt, although he notice something even stranger

Interestingly, the members of the Faith seemed ... repudiated, the people of the city viewed them with veiled contempt or distrust

A lot had happened in the city, and although he did constant check-ins with Lorkan and Arwen, it was evident that something was going on at a deeper level

He had to talk to Rhaegar and Cersei

The dragon king continued his ascent towards the Red Keep, and as he moved away from the walls, the richer and more prosperous the streets looked, the smallfolks gave way to scholars in robes who moved gracefully, the vast majority carrying a large number of scrolls and books, though all took the time to stop and bow to Aerys

These should be the servants of Rhaegar, people who specialized in a certain kind of knowledge, from agriculture to metallurgy, and sponsored by the crown, the vast majority were former rejects from the citadel, acquaintances of Marwin

"The prince's pets, useful men, to a certain extent," Tywin said, causing Aerys to nod calmly and continue his ascent

When they reached the gates of the castle, the monarch got off his horse and walked towards his queen's carriage, helping her to get out, as was proper

Although Rhaella only rolled her eyes, she accepted protocol elegantly

"Your grace," said a familiar voice, calling the attention of both, and causing Rhaella to smile radiantly, as she walked towards Dalla, who was holding a smiling Prince Viserys

"Oh, my love, who is the most beautiful prince in the whole kingdom? You are!!" said the queen in a childish voice, as she showered Viserys with cuddles and love

Aerys arrived at the emotional scene, his son stretching his hands towards Rhaella's hair, with a look of total concentration, trying to reach her beautiful hair

Shaking his head, the monarch walked and took his son from the arms of his smiling wife, who, for some strange reason, was surprised by such an insignificant gesture

"Hello little dragon," Aerys said with a soft smile, which the prince replied with meaningless babbling and a toothless smile

For Aerys, or Jon, it was impossible to assimilate that this smiling and mischievous prince would ever become the monster that Daenerys once mentioned after one of their many nights of passion

  Although Aerys couldn't judge him, a life of terror, escaping assassins, while taking care of your younger sister, and literally having to beg to survive could break any soul, no matter how pure it once was

Although this time he would see to it that none of that happened, the plans were simple, Viserys would be prince of Summerhall, and he would probably marry one of the daughters he had to Cersei or Genna

Or perhaps both, the king thought amusedly, that would be very Targaryen on his part

"Is everything ready, my love? It's time to meet our granddaughter," said the king, making Rhaella look at him with obvious emotion, nodding with a smile, as she took the king's arm, but not before saying

"Dalla, be a sweetheart and prepare the royal apartments, make sure there is enough wine and food, inform the servants that you will be indisposed tomorrow, wait in our rooms with the clothes I assign for you to celebrate the return of our king" said the queen with total naturalness, making the aforementioned Dalla blush completely,  As she lowered her gaze, the young maid was embarrassed, but the happiness and eagerness were more than evident

"As you command your grace," he said, bowing his head and running to carry out the queen's orders

"I want you to destroy her my love, she has been a good pet all this time, she deserves an incentive for good behavior," said her wicked queen, making Aerys laugh under his breath

"As my queen commanded," she said, as they began to walk towards Rhaegar and Elia's chambers, with every intention of meeting their granddaughter

The king, queen and young prince began to walk around the castle, escorted by the King's Guard present in the fortress, the corridors were full of life, servants, scholars and knights walked in controlled chaos, all bowing with reverence and respect to the royal family

There were many new faces, more than Aerys was comfortable with, he would have to research the new members to prove loyalty

The last thing he would allow was treason in his own home

After a long walk, Aerys and Rhaella reached the gate of Rhaegar’s tower, where Arthur stood, guarding the entrance with his usual elegant demeanor

"Ser Arthur," said the king with a smile, as he nodded his head

The young knight looked at him, kneeling down and saying

"Your grace, Maester Marwin is examining the princess," said the young knight, causing Aerys and Rhaella to nod calmly, ready to wait

“Is everything in order with Elia? Does she have any complications?” asked the queen with concern, which was transformed into relief when she saw the knight's refusal

"No your grace, it's just that it's been more than a month and... Well, let's just say the princess and prince are eager to... you know," said the embarrassed knight, causing Aerys to roll his eyes and Rhaella to snort

"To fuck Arthur, Rhaegar and Elia want to fuck again, although I doubt that my good daughter wants to get pregnant again so quickly, I will make sure that the girls have a large supply of moon tea" said the queen with amusement, seeing how the knight's face became even redder for some strange reason and began to stutter

The monarch laughed loudly at the comical image, making the young prince laugh with his father as well, although he did not understand the reason for such an action

However, the fun came to an end too soon for both of their liking, the doors of the room opened, showing Marwin, accompanied by his pupils, among whom were, to Aerys's surprise, a pair of commoner women

Seeing the king and queen, the maester stopped in his tracks, before bowing towards the monarchs, while his pupils bowed

"Your graces, welcome, I suppose you wish to meet the young princess," said the old man

Aerys and Rhaella nodded

"That's right, Marwin, is everything in order with my good daughter?" asked the monarch, who sighed calmly at the moment the man nodded

"Everything is in order, the prince and princess were desperate to resume their carnal activities apparently, the princess is healthy and strong, although I recommended her not to get pregnant again for at least a year, we must let her regain strength," Marwin said

Aerys nodded and spoke

"Arrange an urgent meeting with the council for tonight, I'll spend the afternoon with my son and granddaughter, but we must discuss the future, Quellon Greyjoy is dead," Aerys said, causing both Arthur and Marwin to be completely paralyzed

“Shit, war then?” asked the scholar with a tone of resignation, although there was not a hint of cowardice in his voice

"Most likely, Balon is doing stupid things, I will report to the council tonight, send a letter to Lord Leyton as soon as possible, that the defenses of Oldtown are on the alert, send a raven to Paxter Redwyne, let the fleet of the Arbor begin to prepare to leave as soon as possible, if Balon does not comes to King's Landing to kneel, we will do what my ancestors must have done long ago,  burn those damn islands to the ground," ordered the monarch

Marwin nodded, bowed, and continued on his way, followed by his students like little ducklings, carrying heavy books and a huge number of scrolls, in the direction of the Tower of Knowledge, formerly the Tower of the Maester

A more than apt change in his opinion

Without saying another word, Aerys entered the room, being followed by Rhaella and Arthur, to find Rhaegar sitting on the bed with Elia, who was holding a small bundle wrapped in a red blanket

"Father!" Mother! you are back," said the young prince, as he stood up and took the little princess very carefully from her mother's arms, and began to walk with a lot of care towards the king

Aerys left Viserys on the floor, who quickly began to walk awkwardly around, exploring the quarters, while Arthur followed closely, taking care that the young prince did not get hurt in any way

"Father, your grace, I present to you your granddaughter, and the future queen of Westeros, Rhaenys Targaryen," said her son firmly and determinedly, as if he expected some kind of rejection towards the small ray of sunshine that now rested in his hands

With cinnamon skin and black hair, with an elegant silver lock and large, beautiful violet eyes, Rhaenys was the perfect mix between Rhaegar and Elia

"Hello little one, I'm your grandfather," Aerys said softly and with a huge smile, an act that reassured Elia and Rhaegar, while Rhaella looked at him with eyes full of desire, as if holding the young princess had stoked the desire inside her

"I have something for you," said the monarch, at the same time as Arwena and Lorkan entered through the window, both carrying an oval object wrapped in cloth, and although it seemed heavy, the birds showed no discomfort or difficulty in flying with it

Both birds left the curious object in the monarch's hand, unveiling the image of one of the dragon eggs that Rhaegar had recovered from Summerhall

At this action, Rhaegar and Elia were shocked, stunned at the king's statement, both knowing the symbolic meaning of what was about to happen, while Rhaella watched with a smile

"The bond already exists, magic returns to the world, a worthy companion of the future sovereign of Westeros," he said with a smile, without taking his gaze off his granddaughter's eyes, who responded with babbling and yawning

"Let the bells ring with the appointment of Rhaenys Targaryen, second in line to the Iron Throne, organize a tournament to celebrate the appointment and birth of my first granddaughter, let all the Lords from Last Hearth to Sunspear show up to celebrate the birth of the princess," Aerys ordered, raising the joy of all those present

Rhaegar nodded and said

“It shall be done your grace, where will the tournament be held?” asked the prince, as he lifted up his little brother, to his evident pleasure

Aerys said a single word, one that would begin a series of events that would change the political structure of Westeros forever

A seemingly simple place

“Harrenhall”