Jaehaerys had left his castle the day before. At that moment, he was flying over King's Landing. He was assessing the damage from atop his dragon. Chaos and anarchy seemed to reign, and even from above, his nose wrinkled at the smell of shit from the city.
From above, Jaehaerys recognized the structure that made up the Dragonpit, and his dragon headed in that direction. Moonlight landed. There were men nearby, soldiers. He had already warned Aegon how he would reach the capital. It had taken him about two days in Argentstone, so he had probably arrived in King's Landing even before the king.
When the prince's feet touched the ground, the dragon rose and flew away, going elsewhere to rest. Jaehaerys did not trust leaving it in the Dragonpit.
The soldiers were speechless when they saw it. Jaehaerys did not blame them; it had been over a hundred years since a dragon had been seen in the capital.
"I need a horse and an escort to the Red Keep," he said as he walked toward the men.
"Yes, My Ki-prince," the man stammered to Prince Jaehaerys.
The prince kept his ears open, needing to react to the slightest sign of danger. He looked up at the sky. Moonlight continued to circle the area, perhaps out of curiosity or a desire to show off. Or maybe she wanted to protect the prince in case something happened.
Whatever the case, Jaehaerys was the object of the people's admiring glances.
The capital was quite chaotic, but not so damaged. The Ironborn attacked, but the main fighting took place outside the city. Only a few Ironborn, compared to the total number who attacked, managed to enter successfully. The damage was most visible in the areas near the city gates.
Jaehaerys rode down the Street of Sisters and then took the King's Way towards the Red Keep. He could have taken a more direct route through Flea Bottom, but he didn't want to take any chances. His entrance had been too conspicuous, and he didn't feel like hiding.
The main streets were by far the most heavily guarded as well. That's why they were also the safest. There was corruption, as in any government, but the Gold Cloaks weren't completely useless. Probably more thanks to Aegon than to Rhaegar.
When he finally climbed Aegon's Hill, he met his older brother, Viserys. At his side was a woman. She was short, with curves in all the right places, olive skin, and deep black eyes and hair. She had a mischievous smile as she looked at Prince Jaehaerys.
"Brother!" Viserys greeted him enthusiastically. "I'm so glad you're here, even though Aegon hasn't arrived yet. Was it a good trip?" he asked, looking quite happy.
"It was a fairly short trip," Prince Jaehaerys said as he hugged Viserys. "Although the views were spectacular," he added, referring to how everything looks from the back of a dragon.
"Oh, I enjoyed the best views in King's Landing," Viserys said in a lustful tone, making Jae feel a little uncomfortable as he hugged him. He separated almost immediately. "This is Princess Arianne Martell, heir to Dorne," Viserys said as he took the woman's hand.
Jaehaerys took her hand and kissed it, as protocol dictated. He quickly realized why Viserys seemed so happy. This woman had probably emptied his balls so many times that he could barely speak properly. There were rumors that the two were having a romance, and Jaehaerys would approve the marriage when it was proposed.
He found it curious how the Martells always wanted more power, even though they were already as close to the king as they could be. Queen Elia was Dornish, the sister of the Prince of Dorne.
"A pleasure to meet you, Princess," Jaehaerys said, greeting her.
"I must say you are truly charming. I'm not surprised Viserys speaks of you so fondly," she said politely to the prince.
Jaehaerys might have expected her to try to seduce him. But she seemed pretty content to stay by Viserys' side. That was good; he didn't want another nuisance to deal with in the capital. He wondered whether the princess was good at playing her role or had fallen in love with his older brother.
"I'm sure Jaehaerys wishes to rest," Viserys cut Arianne off before she could say anything else. "A room has been prepared for you in the Tower of the Hand. I must say, congratulations on the position. I'm sure you'll be excellent at it," he said as he turned his back on her. There was a strange tone in his voice.
Jaehaerys didn't know if Viserys somehow coveted the position, perhaps as a way to prove he was worthy of being a Targaryen, or because Arianne encouraged him. He didn't care; he would only be Hand temporarily. He didn't need a brooch to prove anything; he just wanted to get his hands dirty in the war.
As he was led to their chambers, both Arianne and Viserys bombarded him with questions about the dragons. The princess asked when the eggs had hatched, and frowned suspiciously at him when he answered. It was apparent she didn't believe they could grow so large in so short a time.
The idea of bringing the dragons to war had not been random. It had not been an impulse. He had thought about it and meditated on it for days. It was the way to end the war as quickly as possible. It was also a way to remind the world who they should fear.
He was afraid of Euron taking control of Moonlight, but he had taken countermeasures for that. He patted his own chest, the scar in the shape of the Algiz rune ᛉ. It was that rune that had saved him from R'hllor's control.
So he had been planning measures to put that same rune on his dragon. At first, he thought of something the dragon could wear, like armor, but he couldn't have it ready in time. And considering its growth rate, it could render it useless in a short time, perhaps even from the moment he began making it until he finished it, the dragon would have grown enough to be unable to use it.
His best option at that moment was to inscribe it directly onto the dragon. There were two methods: one was to engrave it superficially, and the second was to inscribe it onto its skin. The second option was the most invasive, and Jaehaerys feared ending up burned alive. Despite their bond, he didn't know how Moonlight would react to having his flesh cut open by him.
Jaehaerys said goodbye to his brother at the door of his designated chambers. He almost expected the council to meet impromptu. But he heard no call. As soon as he entered his room, he searched among the rats in the castle for one with a will weak enough to immediately join his head.
Suddenly, the floor was too close, and his sense of smell became too acute. He looked at his body sitting on the bed; it seemed to be resting. Jaehaerys could still feel and hear from his body, so if anyone approached his room, he would notice immediately.
He directed the rat through the castle, taking the secret passages he knew and going through the corridors where he encountered armed men on patrol. Just because Viserys was kept happy under the sheets did not mean he had not been a good ruler in the king's absence.
He made his way through the castle until he reached his desired location. A room near the council area and even closer to the passageways Varys usually used. He slipped into the room. It was silent. Jaehaerys looked in all directions, but there was no sign of the eunuch. He didn't ask Viserys about the man; he didn't want to risk arousing suspicion.
The Lord of Whispers was out of his chambers. He might even be out of the castle, out of the continent. "Would he have suspected something?" the prince suddenly wondered.
The assassination attempt on the eunuch could well have put him on guard, and even though he made sure not to get caught, Varys might have found him guilty.
"I need to make sure he's not in King's Landing," the prince said as he returned to his body. If Varys were in the Red Keep, Jaehaerys would enjoy tearing off each of his legs.
"I need to summon the council," the prince said, even though there were hardly any members in the capital at that moment.