first borros shouldnt be the lord yet, but rather his father boremund, who is more likely to side with rhaenys and corlys than us
and even if the show somehow made borros lord earlier he was a mysogynistic pig that used the explanation of aemond offering a marriage as an excuse to do what he wanted anyway
I do think we should detour a little bit in the Reach, we can pass it off as giving attention to the Reach after Viserys either marries Victaria or rejects her (either is a good excuse). One of the major strengths of the Blacks was that so many of the Reach houses rose for Rhaenyra, and we should plant some seeds for that.
On the other hand I agree that there is little point in visiting any place in the Westerlands other than Lannisport and Casterly Rock. The Lannisters have their bannermen tightly bound to themselves.
thats attributed, efore tywin the westerlands werent as unified as one might think and while during the dance many followed their lord its a question if rhaenyra cant split some of them off to support her directly be it the stereotypical reynes or some of the more important houses like lefford, marbrand or those close to the reach like brax and crakehall
there are plenty more that would be worth a visit like belmore, redfort, waynwood or corbray
also runestone and gulltown are rather close together so going from one directly to the eyrie and then back seems neglectfull as we just go quickly in-out and have no interest in the region
better to do both on the way to the eyrie and then circle around and go north from another port
also the point of a royal progress is to see as many lords as possible along the route and not just those that can afford the trip to us especially since asking everyone to meet us as designated castles would only put more strain on the treasury of the lord we visit (due to all the guests also wanting to meet us)
Honestly, I dunno if we wanna hit Runestone. I guess we could commiserate with Daemon's wife about what a dick he is, but I doubt she'd be super welcoming.
first borros shouldnt be the lord yet, but rather his father boremund, who is more likely to side with rhaenys and corlys than us
and even if the show somehow made borros lord earlier he was a mysogynistic pig that used the explanation of aemond offering a marriage as an excuse to do what he wanted anyway
In the show version at least he cared enough to ask whether Lucerys could offer him a marriage to counter Aemond's offer of one. Most Westerosi lords are probably going to be very sexist to some extent or another, but those may range a spectrum from opportunists like Otto who had preferred the female Rhaenyra as heir over the male Daemon only to backflip as hard as possible once the potential male heir became his grandson, to people like Jasper Wylde who was insisting that a man should inherit before a woman even during his own execution.
The latter are a lost cause, but the former might be possible to flip if we could offer them something better then any would be opposition, and Borros doesn't strike me as necessarily being more like Wylde then he is Otto.
at that point in time joffrey was still unbetrothed, or atleast lucerys didnt know that his dumbass little brother promised his own hand to manderlys daugther/granddaughter, and joff was just as high in the line of succession as aemond if not higher (depending on if the green would have accepted niece before uncle)
Black inheritance would be 1.jacaerys->2.lucerys->3.joffrey
while the green would have been 1.jaehaerys->2.maelor->(3.Jaehaera)->3.(4.)aemond
also during otl ance rhaenyra had the majority of the kingdoms behind her (vale, north, iron islands, riverlands, narrow sea, and half the reach
compared to the greens that got the other half of the reach and the westerlands and stormlands
the big reason rhaenyra lost is that george put the thumb on the scales and handed her side repeatedly the idiot ball because by the numbers (both, men, kingdoms and dragons) the blacks had the absolute advantage over the greens
BTW here's an image of Forrest Frey from official artwork in the books:
Which looks considerably different then how he does in the show:
Pretty sure the artwork from the book is meant to be from the same time when the Freys are mustering for the dance, so same age as well. One of those cases where whether Teen Spirit chooses to go with the show or the book version might be of some plot significance in case we hope a Frey might be able to sweep us off our feet
Forrest Frey along with his wife are one of the very few insistances where I will lean towards the book rather than the show since the show leans too much towards how the Freys were around the time of the War of Five Kings. Which is not how Freys are overall, hell a lot of Freys at the time weren't as evil as Walder.
Adhoc vote count started by Teen Spirit on Aug 15, 2024 at 5:37 PM, finished with 292 posts and 67 votes.
[X] Plan Don't Do Everything Alone - Simple Version
-[X] Plainly tell your father about the discussions you had with Otto and Corlys, and the other possible matches you found.
-[X] Also discuss the persistent fears he might marry Alicent you keep having.
[X] Plan Don't Do Everything Alone
-[X] Tell him that you tried to help him as much as you could and what was said between Otto, Corlys and yourself, including noting that Corlys cast doubt on the value of House Targaryens word.
-[X] Lay out that you quietly looked for other possible matches for him to avoid the Sea Snakes offer without instead having half the realm try to force their daughters on him.
-[X] Lastly close that you have fears that Otto might try to present Alicent as an alternative, though you can't name where that dread comes from.
-[X] You did all this out of a desire for him to be happy and the house strong, hoping that there will be no more fighting about succession and that he would have time to grieve and heal.
[X] Plan: Be Our Father's Support
-[X] List the three matches we have as alternatives to Laena: Victaria Tyrell, Deria Martell, and Johanna Westerling. Discuss the relative benefits of each. If some levity is needed, jokingly offer to fly to Volantis and see if you can find some of his wayward cousins to bring back. Mostly however, focus on being a support for your father, so that he knows he is not alone in this decision, and that you will fight for him if need be.
[X] Plan: The Spicy Option
-[X] A Dornish match would be beneficial for several reasons. One, the heirs would be very incapable of acting as usurpers. Like it or not, the ruling of having a daughter as heir is tenouous, and an ambitious family could use Viserys' son as a rallying point. Two, Viserys would go down in the history books as the King who both conquered the Step-Stones and the one who began to bring the last Kingdom into Westeros. It would also silence those who may see this as Cotlys Velaryon's war. And three...more personally... the wisdom of the Dornish and their female rulers might be availed to his struggling daughter.
-[X] If the marriage is paid in blood on the Stepstones, fighting with the rest of Westeros, it will silence at least some of the dissatisfied whispers. And if unrest grows too much then I can be the one who brings stability with marriage next time. You don't deserve to be the only one suffering father.
-[X] PLEASE, don't marry Alicent. She's my best friend. And I know you and Otto are friends, but you know how ambitious he is. He can be almost as bad as Corlys. If his grandson had the chance to sit on the throne over me it might get...messy.
You sat down on a chair next to your father, basking in the warmth of the fire for a moment. For a brief moment you had name on your lips but it vanished like a puff of smoke, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. You couldn't do this, you couldn't bring yourself to push your father towards some woman.
"Father, I have a confession," you said quietly as you stared into the fire. "Since word spread of Lord Corlys' proposal, I have both been talking with various members of your council about the match and looking to see if there were more suitable options out there."
"That is quite the surprise, I must admit," your father confessed. "Why did you do such things?"
"Because as Laena is too young, and I worried what remarrying so soon would do to you," you explained. "And I have concerns over what will become of my position should the daughter of Lord Corlys become the new queen."
"Princess, I hardly think such matters concern yo-" The Grand Maester began before a withering stare from your father silenced him.
"The lords of the realm have sworn oaths acknowledging you as heir," he declared. "Lord Corlys among them. You know this."
"Yes, but Lord Corlys has a wife and son who are dragon riders. Oaths and power don't always mix." These are words you would never say in public, but your father needed to hear them and Maesters were supposed to be largely above politics.
The look your father gave you made it clear he did not like what you said, but neither could he easily dismiss it out of hand.
"Who did you speak to?" He inquired, wincing slightly from the horrors currently being done to save his finger.
"Hightower and Lord Corlys himself," you said wearily. "I thought that Lord Corlys would be inclined towards helping my political interests, if I agreed to support the marriage, and I had hoped we could agree to a long betrothal. Wait until Laena was an adult. Better for the both of you in my opinion."
"That would be a lot easier to endure," your father agreed with a sigh.
"The Hand said the Master of Ships would never agree to such a plan and the Sea Snake proved him correct," you explained. "Lord Valeryon has no patience for delaying the wedding. Apparently he has grown mistrustful of deals with our family after the death of Rhaenys' father and insisted the wedding must be sooner rather than later."
Your father bristled, his expression turning sour.
"Disgraceful," you heard the Grand Maester mutter under his breath.
"The Master of Ships forgets himself," your father grumbled as the Maesters attended to him. "Corlys may be one of the richest men in the Seven Kingdoms, but he has no right to dictate terms to us in such a manner."
Your father grumbled for a minute or so before his expression shift, a curious look suddenly appearing in his eye.
"You said you looked into other options. Did you find any?"
"A few, yes," you admitted. "There's a Tyrell named Victaria, somewhat distantly related to the Lord of Highgarden but wealthy in her own right. Then there is the Lord Commander's cousin Johanna Westerling, her family is very well respected in the Westerlands. And a woman in the Riverlands named Sabitha Vypren."
"Sabitha," you father muttered quietly. "Yes I recall hearing Lord Tully complain of her behavior at the tourney. A fierce lady for sure, but the Vyprens are much too minor a house for us to even consider. "
You had suspected as much.
"The Princess of Dorne also has an unmarried younger sister," you pointed out. "A marriage with her could mean an alliance with Dorne and aid in the Stepstones. That would help with Lord Corlys' troubles."
You could feel the eyes of every Maester upon you once you mentioned the Dornish woman. Your father simply scratched his beard contemplatively with his good hand.
"There are several good options there I must admit," he conceded, still clearly dreading the prospect of getting married but not to the same extent as with Laena. "I will need time to think this over."
"Of course," you nodded.
"Your diligence is to be commended, Rhaenyra," he praised you.
"Thank you," you nodded. "I must confess I was worried you would find my actions deceitful."
"No, of course not," he waved his hand dismissively. "I have a duty here but I am not blind to how much this decision will effect you. I am grateful you came to me though. Better I hear it from you then from Otto."
A familiar fear found it's way into the back of your mind, slithering through your thoughts like some manner of snake in a garden.
"Father, if we are being honest," your voice was becoming awkward as you spoke. "I must confess I have had concerns since I first heard of your engagement. I have no reason for these fears but I cannot shake them, no matter how hard I try."
"What is it?" He asked with cautious voice.
"Whoever you marry, for whatever reason, I will support you father," you assured him, "but please do not marry Alicent Hightower."
You saw the Grand Maester's eyes snap to you suddenly before quickly glancing away.
"Alicent?" Viserys stared at you in surprise. "What brought this on?"
"She is nearly an adult and the daughter of your Hand," you explained uneasily. "I have no proof, but the fear would not leave me."
You reach out to your father, grabbing his good hand.
"Please she is the only friend I truly have at court and we have only just recently begun to patch things up. If you married her, everything would change and not for the better. So, please," you outright begged him, "anyone but her."
Your father stared at you for a moment, concern filling his gaze.
"I have a confession of my own to make," he said. "Since your mother died, Alicent has provided quite a bit of comfort for me in my time of need."
"What!?" You blurted out in horror and confusion as you recoiled, startling a nearby Maester causing him to spill some of the leftover maggots onto the floor.
"A poor choice of words," Viserys defended himself. "We have simply been talking a fair bit since your mother died. I asked her to keep it secret so as not to bother you. You must understand, she understands our grief better than most. She was most kind in a time I needed it dearly."
You stared at your father in shock, having had not the slightest idea this was happening. The fear began to curdle into terror, fed by the thought of Alicent and your father sharing such private topics.
"I had considered.. maybe," he said haltingly before waving away the thought. "It's not important. You have have been a source of both comfort and strength for me these past few months, Rhaenyra. If this is important to you-"
"It is," the words rushed from your mouth.
"Then I will cease all thoughts on the matter," your father assured you. "You will not have to call Alicent your step-mother. I promise."
The moment he spoke the words, the the fear finally beginning to abate and you breathed a sigh of relief.
Relationship with King Viserys Improved.
Roughly a fortnight after your conversation with your father, he announced to the Small Council that he had decided to take a new wife. The room watched eagerly, most of all Lord Corlys Velaryon, who had straightened up, a look of eagerness and satisfaction etched across face. After some hesitation, your father explained that he had been exchanging Ravens with Lady Johanna Westerling and that he had made an offer of marriage which she had just that morning accepted.
The news left the Small Council in a state of confusion. Judging by their faces, no one had expected this news. Not even Otto Hightower.
Lord Corlys, of course, was outraged. He declared the whole thing an absurdity, reminding your father that his house was of Valyrian blood and was the most powerful in the realm. Your father quickly put the Sea Snake in his place, reminding Corlys that he wasn't the one on this council who wore the crown. Corlys stormed off after that and within a day, he, Rhaenys and their children had all sailed or flown back to Driftmark.
Otto and Lord Strong spent most of the day trying to convince your father to reconsider, but he would hear none of it. The Westerlings were a very respected house with connections to the riches of the Westerlands. He was confident she would make a fine bride. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was naturally quite pleased to hear his cousin would soon become the new Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Alicent on the other hand was noticeably relieved once news of the engagement spread throughout the Red Keep. Everything from her smile to her posture made it seem like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Though she didn't say anything, part of you suspected Alicent dreaded the thought of your father marrying her almost as much as you did.
As for you personally, your father's announcement was a very mixed moment for you. On the one hand, this meant your father wouldn't be pressured into marrying a child, nor would he marry Alicent, and you were more than glad he had made this decision himself without you telling him to make it. But your father was still getting married. No matter how much he insisted otherwise, it still felt like your mother was being replaced with a woman barely older than you. There would be a stranger in your home now.
Bells rang throughout Kings Landing when Johanna's carriage arrived a couple of weeks later, people lining the streets hoping to catch a glimpse as the procession made it's way to the Red Keep.
Standing with your father and the Lord Commander as the carriage approached, your put on a brave face despite your stomach threatening to revolt from pure unease. You would be having to deal with this woman for a long time to come, perhaps the rest of your life. They could be your friend, a rival, or a sworn enemy depending on how things turned out.
The woman that stepped out of the carriage was roughly the same age as Alicent. Her curly red-brown hair was covered in pearls, and she was wearing a golden dress embroidered with seashells, the sigil of her house. She was a thin woman, not starved, but there was little hint of any muscles in her. Despite that, there was a fierce look in those deep brown eyes of hers.
Johanna greeted all three of you with a warm and friendly tone, no hint of malice in her voice as she spoke. Behind her was her father, Lord Roland Westerling. A tall man with dark brown hair and a thin mustache, he was dressed richly, more comparable to a Lannister than one of their bannermen.
Introductions were friendly, though awkward. You could tell the Westerlings had never expected to find themselves in such a position and were struggling to adjust to the royal court.
After some conversations with the Small Council, it was agreed the wedding would be held in two months time. Lord Roland had strongly pushed for a sufficiently lavish ceremony so as not to create the perception that Johanna was any lesser as Queen then your mother. Your father agreed, though insisted on there being no tourney. That wound had not quite healed just yet.
With the next few months being largely focused on organizing the wedding, your fifteenth name-day came and went with little fanfare. Something your father promised to make up to you when he had the time.
As part of the agreement with the Westerlings, Johanna's father joined the Small Council, though only as and advisor and not in a formal position. The now vacant post of Master of Ships went to the somewhat meek Tyland Lannister, twin brother to Lord Jason Lannister. Your father's upcoming marriage had given the Westerlands quite a voice on the Small Council.
As for the former Master of Ships, several weeks passed with little word from Driftmark. Most were convinced Lord Corlys was just going to sulk and brood for a while. This was soon proven false as the Sea Snake sent the majority of his fleet towards the Stepstones, waging his own private war against the Triarchy and the pirates aligned with them. Your uncle's Dragon, Caraxes, was spotted flying close to the Velaryon Fleet. Daemon apparently had aligned with Lord Corlys.
You couldn't held but find yourself vaguely amused that your plans with Otto for Daemon had come to pass, seemingly with little effort from either of you.
While Daemon and Corlys' war with the Triarchy raised some concerns in the Small Council, for most, it was viewed as two birds being dealt with by one stone. Pushing the Triarchy out of the Stepstones would help trade considerably and distract an angered prince and disgruntled lord.
For the most part, news of the Stepstones was barely noticed by the kingdoms. Most attention was focused on your father's impending Wedding
Rhaenyra is now 15
Achievement Unlocked: Canon Avoided
-The canonical events of the Dance of Dragons and the years that came before it are no longer possible. Rhaenyra has weaved a new fate for the whole Realm.
2nd Season, 113 AC
Each turn is 3 months, though this may change as the quest goes on. You can pick either from the options below for your tasks or use write-in actions after QM approval. Please use plan voting for turn votes.
Conversations (Pick Two)
[] Speak with Viserys
Between the upcoming Wedding, his promises to make up for your subdued name-day, his talks with Alicent, and his ongoing illness, there is quite a bit you could discuss with your father.
[] Speak with Alicent Hightower
While you're not exactly mad Alicent was talking with your father without you knowing, it was your father that asked her to keep it a secret after all, you are surprised and have some things you wish to say on the matter. Plus it would be good to talk with someone about your worries for the upcoming Wedding.
[] Speak with Otto Hightower
The Hand of the King must have some thoughts on your father's choice of bride, and Daemon's war in the Stepstones.
[] Speak with Gwayne Hightower
Alicent's brother is in the city for your Father's wedding, perhaps you could take this chance to get to known the man better.
[] Speak with Lord Commander Harrold Westerling
The Lord Commander must have some thoughts about his kin marrying your family, perhaps he has some insight on your future step-mother as well.
[] Speak With Lady Johanna Westerling
It would do you well to get to know your father's bride better.
[] Speak with Ser Raylon Tarly
The two of you have been training a lot in recent months, and while the results have been quite effective, there's always room for improvement. Perhaps a good conversation would allow you to refine and improve your training even further.
[] Speak with Lord Corlys Velaryon.
He has sailed off to the Stepstones
[] Speak with Rhaenys Targaryen.
Your Cousin holds court in Driftmark while her husband wages war.
[] Speak with Lord Lyonel Strong
The Master of Laws and Lord of Harrenhal. A stalwart voice on the council and man you know generally strives to do what is best for the Kingdom. He could provide much needed insight in your efforts to earn a seat on the Small Council.
[] Speak with Lord Lyman Beesbury
The Master of Coin. Beesbury is loyal, perhaps not as sharp as Lord Strong, but he is quiet loyal to your father. Perhaps he could be of some help in your quest to gain a seat on the Small Council.
[] Speak with Grand Maester Mellos
While your father assures you that he will make a full recovery in time, you must admit you find yourself rather worried by what you saw that night. Perhaps the Grand Maester could help you better understand the situation and lay your worries to rest.
[] Write-in
Subject to QM approval, has to have a reasonable chance of being in King's Landing.
Actions (Pick Two)
[] Relax
With the upcoming wedding, things have become quite frantic as of late . Perhaps you should take some time to yourself, read in the godswood, fly around with Syrax for fun, and just enjoy yourself for a while.
[] Investigate the Death of King Aenys
Most Maesters and other writers agree that Queen Visenya had poisoned her nephew, King Aenys, to allow her own son to take the throne. But you have already seen how much those same authors were willing to ignore Visenya's contributions and slander her already. Perhaps this is simply another case of slander. If you could prove that, it could improve Queen Visenya's reputation considerably and make a stronger argument for your own eventual rule.
[] Study Valyrian History with your Father.
While you had never taken much interest in Valyrian history before despite your father's passion for it, your recent interests in scholarly matters has caused you to reconsider. Perhaps some time studying the history of your ancestors and helping your father build his grand model could provide some interesting insight. IF nothing else it would give you some quality time with him.
[] Help with Wedding Preperations
Weddings are grand affairs, none more so then the wedding of a king. Your Father's wedding requires weeks of preparation and work by hundreds of people. You're not exactly sure how you could help but surely a princess must be of some use with organizing a wedding. If nothing else it will help improve your image with your father's soon to be wife and her family.
[] Train
While Ser Raylon Tarly has been understanding with your reasons for why you have neglected your training as of late, he has started to drop some not so subtle hints that you need to get back to it sooner rather than later.
[] Train with Syrax
While you have both adjusted to Syrax's new size, more training could only help the both of you.
[] Sneak out and Explore the City
When your father and uncle were your age, they regularly went out of the King's Landing at night for all kinds of things. Naturally such things were forbidden to you as they were "unbefitting a princess" but as heir to the throne, shouldn't you have a chance to let loose and explore the city you'll one day rule? And if nothing else it will be great practice if you ever need to sneak for more adventurous pursuits.
[] Push to become involved in the Stepstones
While a Dragon and the largest fleet in Westeros should be enough to secure victory in the Stepstones, having another Dragonrider would speed things along. This could be a rare opportunity to earn real glory for yourself and prove you capabilites as warrior. You could also use the chance to check up on your uncle and the Sea Snake, ensure this war of theirs isn't a cover for something far more sinister.
[] Request a Role in the City Watch
You know you are years away from your father even entertaining the idea of you leading the City Watch, but Daemon's recent actions have shown the who order to have dangerous flaws. Perhaps you could request some sort of role in it's rebuilding, overseeing the training or something like that as a way to ensure the next Goldcloaks are loyal. The role would probably be small and it wouldn't get you a seat on the Small Council but it could be a good first step on the way towards one.
[] Study
There is always room to improve your education.
[] Scout out Tourneys
There are few better ways to test one's skill in combat than a tourney. While you are quite aware that no tourney, however small, would allow you to openly compete, there was always the option of entering as a mystery knight. Your own grandfather was knighted after he entered a tourney as a mystery knight. While it was unlikely there would be a tourney as big as the one King's Landing had the day your mother died for quite some time, there was always some lord getting married or some heir having an important nameday. If you could find one close enough you might be able to sneak off and enter as a mystery knight. Of course, entering one and winning are two different things, and a quick defeat may hamper your efforts to become a knight.
[] Write-in
Subject to QM approval QM's Note: Rhaenyra seeing her father on the first turn, combined with her romantic trait and her actions allowing some bonding over history, really did a lot to disrupt the effect Alicent had on Viserys. Because of that, Alicent's talks with Viserys where a source of comfort for him, but they were not basically the only emotional outlet he had for six months like he had in canon. So, good work on that.
I should note I very nearly made this write-in lead to Viserys marrying the Martell option but I realized that didn't exactly make sense for someone he would purposefully choose more or less on his own.
Might be a tough match for us to sell to Viserys in that case. Though assuming Teen Spirit goes with the book version a handsome, romantic, young knight for whom warrior women are his type, judging by his canonical marriage to Sabitha Vypren, seems like someone we could relatively easily want to marry in character given our traits.
My current list of possible candidates for marriage (a lot depends on who our father decides to marry):
1: Laenor: Dragons, the Velaryons, possible beard, canonically a friendly relationship if lacking in romance. Heck, for all we know a warrior manly woman will be able to attract his romantic attention in a way that canon Rhaenyra could not.
2: Borros Baratheon: We do not know if he's married yet, he might not be. The earliest Cassandra Baratheon could be born would be 111 AC, and Borros likely impregnated his wife quickly, so he is likely not married yet (though possibly betrothed). A martial man, the Baratheons seems iopen to us at the oath swearing. We have little to no idea of how he would react to us, but marriage to him would greatly decrease the risk of the Velaryons opposing us (as Rhaenys is half Baratheon herself). Plus, of course, the Stormlands being united behind us means that the Crownlands are very secure.
3: Tyland Lannister: Intelligent, rich house, the entire Westerlands would fight for us instead of the Greens. On the other hand Lannisters can be arrogant and prideful, might not be able to handle a warrior woman.
4: Harwin Strong: Father on the small council, strong warrior, canonically attracted to Rhaenyra, but who knows if he'll like Visenya Reborn. Powerful and strategically positioned castle in the Riverlands, and to strangle Kings Landing's food supply.
5: Forrest Frey: Canonically romantically interested in Rhaenyra, likely to control a wealthy and powerful house in the Riverlands, the Twins has some strategic importance, especially if we are counting on the Starks. Probably okay with a warrior woman as a wife.
6: Cregan Stark: He's a bit young for us. In love with Arry Norrey. Ensures the North will fight for us. Potential Stark/Targaryen blood combination effects on magic?
7: A Tyrell: If our father does not marry a Tyrell, perhaps we should. Gives us connections in the Reach to ensure more of them rise for us.
8: An Arryn: Would give a son of ours a strong claim on the Vale in the event Jeyne dies childless. We are a granddaughter of Rodrik Arryn, same as Jeyne. Alternatively a daughter/son of ours marries an Arryn. Seems a less useful choice to me.
Honestly, the first three are very strong choices. If we could actually get a son from Laenor that would change things massively.
first borros shouldnt be the lord yet, but rather his father boremund, who is more likely to side with rhaenys and corlys than us
and even if the show somehow made borros lord earlier he was a mysogynistic pig that used the explanation of aemond offering a marriage as an excuse to do what he wanted anyway
We don't know that at all. We know Boremund was alive in 101 AC, and we know he was dead by 129 AC, we do not know what happened in the middle. But right now is around 105 to 106 AC? If we are using book canon as to Aemma's death. 109 AC if we add on the years to let Rhaenyra be older. We do know Boremund was born in 52 AC, so if he is still alive he is in his sixties. Furthermore, I do not think we ought to set ourselves up in opposition to Corlys and Rhaenys. We are the next generation and need to heal the breech between us and our cousins. We should invite Laena and Laenor along with us when we visit Storms End.
@Teen Spirit What is the current status of the Baratheon family? I assume that Rhaenyra would know this at least from her actions last turn in looking at possible marriage candidates.
Finally, Borros Baratheon was primarily angry about the way the Targaryen's ignored him, and the way he felt Rhaenys and Rhaenyra just assumed that he would follow his father's policy and support them. He was taken for granted, and that chafed at him. By visiting him now, we cut that issue off at the knees and we of course get a better understanding of how he will react to us.
The Beesburys were pro-Rhaenyra, or to be more exact, they took their oaths that Viserys got from them very seriously. This probably also explains the northern Reach houses loyalty. The Tarlys probably were more motivated by hate of the Hightowers? But now that we chose a Tarly as our sworn sword they will very likely be motivated by loyalty to us.
thats attributed, efore tywin the westerlands werent as unified as one might think and while during the dance many followed their lord its a question if rhaenyra cant split some of them off to support her directly be it the stereotypical reynes or some of the more important houses like lefford, marbrand or those close to the reach like brax and crakehall
Well, with a Westerling Queen, the situation has changed. Will the Lannisters be grateful to have a greater voice on the Council, or will they be worried about the Westerlings gaining power? We also should probably add the Craig to any visit to the Westerlands.
there are plenty more that would be worth a visit like belmore, redfort, waynwood or corbray
also runestone and gulltown are rather close together so going from one directly to the eyrie and then back seems neglectfull as we just go quickly in-out and have no interest in the region
better to do both on the way to the eyrie and then circle around and go north from another port
Honestly, I dunno if we wanna hit Runestone. I guess we could commiserate with Daemon's wife about what a dick he is, but I doubt she'd be super welcoming.
I feel like we ought to reach out to Rhae, it would probably be interrupted as a subtle rebuke of Daemon. I also thought that perhaps we ought to ask her if she wants an annulment of her marriage. That would be another less subtle rebuke, that Rhea got an annulment by asking, when Daemon did not.
"The Hand said the Master of Ships would never agree to such a plan and the Sea Snake proved him correct," you explained. "Lord Valeryon has no patience for delaying the wedding. Apparently he has grown mistrustful of deals with our family after the death of Rhaenys' father and insisted the wedding must be sooner rather than later."
Your father bristled, his expression turning sour.
"Disgraceful," you heard the Grand Maester mutter under his breath.
"The Master of Ships forgets himself," your father grumbled as the Maesters attended to him. "Corlys may be one of the richest men in the Seven Kingdoms, but he has no right to dictate terms to us in such a manner."
As for the former Master of Ships, several weeks passed with little word from Driftmark. Most were convinced Lord Corlys was just going to sulk and brood for a while. This was soon proven false as the Sea Snake sent the majority of his fleet towards the Stepstones, waging his own private war against the Triarchy and the pirates aligned with them. Your uncle's Dragon, Caraxes, was spotted flying close to the Velaryon Fleet. Daemon apparently had aligned with Lord Corlys.
Unfortunately, that too went about as expected. We need to drive a wedge between them or find other ways to contest Corlys severe dragon advantage.
[X] Plan What Matters Most
-[X] Speak with Viserys
-[X] Speak with Alicent
-[X] Help with Wedding Preparations
-[X] Train
Speaking with our father once more will help us with the road trip, since he already said he wants to do something nice for us, so we can ask him to support that. It will also help us to stay abreast of how the political landscape is shifting. The westerlanders gaining increased prominence at court is a severe shift from canon and invalidates pretty much all foreknowledge of the Dance, so we need to keep tabs on what is happening around us instead of trying to rely on faulty preconceptions.
Speaking with Alicent feels rather necessary to deal with the revelation of her talks with dad, and we want to invite her on the road trip. Maybe a good moment to ask her to become our lady in waiting.
Wedding Preparations are useful to us since it involves talking with a lot of important people at court and especially guests. If we want to go on a trip, then having some in with various lords of the realm would be very useful, and it explicitly helps with our relationship to our step mom without costing us a Talk slot.
Training is mandatory. Tarly said so and I fully agree.
Weddings are grand affairs, none more so then the wedding of a king. Your Father's wedding requires weeks of preparation and work by hundreds of people. You're not exactly sure how you could help but surely a princess must be of some use with organizing a wedding. If nothing else it will help improve your image with your father's soon to be wife and her family.
So the turn posted, and it worked out okay I think. I wasn't really expecting Johanna, this means a lot of butterflies will happen.
EDIT: Ninja'd, replacing my plan with Annater's because they are the same:
[X] Plan Good First Impressions
-[X] Speak with Johanna Westerling
-[X] Speak with Alicent
-[X] Help with Wedding Preparations
-[X] Train
It's really hard with only 2 conversations every two months to handle everything. But I think getting off on the right foot is the most important thing to do this turn. After that the question is between Viserys, Alicent, and the Grand Maester. I'd like to know more about the illness out father has. Viserys I think we can wait on a bit this turn, as we just spoke with him both of the previous turns, and he is likely busy with the wedding.
I think we speak to him about the royal progress idea next turn, after the wedding is over.
EDIT: Approval voting of the other plan that is exactly the same as First Impressions
[X] Plan New Acquitances and Pumping Iron -[X] Speak with Ser Raylon Tarly
-[X] Speak With Lady Johanna Westerling
-[X] Help with Wedding Preperations
-[X] Train
[X] Plan Hand in Hand with the Hand
-[X] Speak with Ser Raylon Tarly
-[X] Speak with Otto Hightower
-[X] Help with Wedding Preperations
-[X] Train
Explaining my positions, both plans have us training. Tarly has the right of it and personally I'd hope we could manage to be fit for tournies by the time we go our progress.
With regards to the two other options, I do think it seems somewhat prudent to spend at least some time on our new in laws, either via helping in the wedding preparations, talking with Johanna or even both. If anything I'd expect even fiercer opposition from Johanna to our inheritance then we dealt with in canon given her personality, but, it seems only fair to at least try to start our relationship with an olive branch, and only act accordingly if we see it turned aside.
However! I think we have a great opportunity with Otto right now. Now that he has failed to wed his daughter to the king he doesn't have an immediate dog in any would be succession, either for the Westerlings or for us. It may behoove us to try to throw an action at him from time to time to try to get him inside our camp. As Hand of the King and a very astute politician he would be a good ally to have and a bad enemy to have in case the Westerlings win him over.
I suppose training ourselves gets priority over training Syrax because the best thing we could possibly do on dragonback against Daemon's and the Velaryons' dragons is fly the hell away as swiftly as possible?
[X] Plan What Matters Most
[X] Plan Good First Impressions
Approval voting the first of the plans that swap Viserys to Johanna. I'm ambivalent on who of the two we talk to, though I'd speak with dad again next turn if we don't do it this turn.
I suppose training ourselves gets priority over training Syrax because the best thing we could possibly do on dragonback against Daemon's and the Velaryons' dragons is fly the hell away as swiftly as possible?
Given that Syrax seems to get stronger the stronger we get due to mystical mumbo jumbo, I don't think you can entirely decouple those two actions. But yeah. For the time being, I think training ourselves is more important since we intend to enter tourneys soon, while the Dance is still way off.
@Teen Spirit What is the current status of the Baratheon family? I assume that Rhaenyra would know this at least from her actions last turn in looking at possible marriage candidates.
I was hoping we'd get the Tyrell match in case it could compel the Hightowers to support us in the succession to stop their overlords from getting overmighty. Now that Viserys has chosen the Westerling match I don't think Otto has much of a dog in the succession one way or another. In such a case, it may be prudent to try to start winning him to our side now, while Johanna doesn't have a son yet and hasn't had the time to establish her roots in the capitol. As is I'm sure that the Hand of the King would be one of the main figures in the capitol she'd want on her side at some point, so best to prempt her in that regard.
Plus, again, having Otto inside the tent pissing out then outside it pissing in this time around would be very nice.
