(Tides and Canvas) Chapter 16: Knights and Honour (Patreon)

Chapter 16: Knights and Honour

108 AC, Driftmark

Otto Hightower sat in the stands of this ridiculous tourney, a testament to the Sea Snake’s vanity, reeling at the failure that was the previous day’s event. Perhaps, this entire trip had been a great failure so far, as its main goal was to darken Lord Corlys’s rising star, for House Velaryon was growing far stronger than any lord had a right to become, enough to threaten the sovereignty of the King and the authority of the crown.

It did not matter that House Velaryon held two large dragons, as opposed to the single young one that was under Princess Rhaenyra’s control; it did not matter how much wealth and renown the Sea Snake had accumulated during his great journeys; he was a subject of the realm and should bow to the crown.

There was a reason why King Jaehaerys had done everything to curtail the Sea Snake’s grasping hands and stop him from taking the Iron Throne in everything but name, and he was witnessing it during this useless tourney.

Otto had almost succeeded with the War in the Stepstones. He had ensured that the crown would not help with the tolls, hoping that House Velaryon would focus their attention on maintaining their trading routes, and perhaps lose much of their political influence and wealth. Oldtown had suffered for it, though not nearly as much as Driftmark, whose main trade routes were in the Summer Sea, where access to the Stepstones was paramount. His brother, Hobert, the Lord of the Hightower, had been working on drafting a trade agreement between Oldtown and the Triarchy, in the hopes of turning Oldtown into the hub of trade in the West.

Alas, it wasn’t to be, as the Sea Snake had maddeningly decided to go to war, alongside Daemon Targaryen as well. Truthfully, Otto had first been overjoyed with the news, first as the Stepstones were treacherous and very difficult to conquer and hold, and any competent commander would make any campaign very costly and bloody, far more than any single house, even House Velaryon, would bear. Otto had been perfectly prepared to let the Sea Snake drain his coffers dry before getting the Crown to get involved, and ‘save’ Corlys Velaryon.

Yet, who would have expected the man to succeed where he should have failed, to somehow conquer the Stepstones in less than two years and show himself as a great warrior despite his age, something that was becoming rare as there hadn’t been a proper war in some time. From the reports from the Citadel, the man had designed new ships out of nowhere, creating what was most likely the strongest fleet in the Known World.

And yet, the King, instead of working to undermine the success of the Velaryons, seemed to focus on the tourney events and feasts rather than trying to stop it. He hadn’t even had the strength to use his own son’s nameday to reduce some of the Velaryons’ influence, or even declare Aegon as his heir, which would have all but usurped the cause celebrated in the tourney in the first place.

Viserys generally avoided the topic of succession and the prospect of finally declaring Aegon as his heir. A part of Otto thought that it was some lingering memories of Baelon, the last child of Aemma Arryn, and the heir for a day. Perhaps it was guilt for ordering his wife’s death, trying to save the babe, or perhaps it was just a fear that Aegon would die as his half-brother had, should he be declared his heir. These fears were unfounded, of course, but fears seldom were.

The Court was growing more restless every day the King's silence persisted, especially given that Princess Rhaenyra was quickly becoming of marriageable age, and an ambitious lord could use the excuse of marrying the current ‘heir’ to pursue a claim on the throne in the future, and Otto sincerely wished to avoid a succession crisis so quickly after the Great Council.

A part of Otto had hoped that Viserys would feel pressured enough in the feast, especially with the Sea Snake's boastings, to just go through with it and declare Aegon as his heir to the throne. And yet, instead of any of this, the King spent his time staring at a painting of all things.

He would admit that it was a splendid painting, a masterpiece unlike anything Otto had ever seen before. The brushstrokes, the command of colour, the way the black dragon was subtly shown as if the creature was made of living flames, and there was a presence in the beast’s eyes, a weight that should not have existed in cloth and dye…

But that did not explain why Viserys would focus more on it than on his own son on the boy's nameday.

Otto had to admire it; through this singular gift, the Sea Snake turned the tables on them and made Laenor Velaryon the talk of the realm. Every lord with some gold in his coffers would crave something like this painting in their home.

Otto would admit that he hadn’t thought much of the Sea Snake’s son at first. The information that he had received had been of an intelligent boy who was… odd, but that was hardly something unique for someone with the blood of House Targaryen; they were a queer sort. And as the boy was not a Dragonrider, he was not exactly a threat, at least not compared to his sister, who was unmarried and rode the largest dragon alive.

There seemed to be whispers that Vaemond Velaryon disliked being supplanted as Corlys’s heir, with many witnesses having heard him mutter that the boy was too bookish and weak to lead House Velaryon. Unfortunately for him, the boy would become quite popular in the future if he guessed correctly, which would make attempting to sow chaos for the inheritance of the Driftwood Throne much harder than it could have been.

Otto’s musings were interrupted as the crowd in the stands erupted in cheers, as another pass turned clear. The Hand of the King looked at the joust occurring before him, where Princess Rhaenyra’s sworn shield was battling the infamous Knight of the Tree and Stars.

The Mystery Knight was a novelty, likely some peasant with some skill with a lance, and Otto would have been entertained had his son not underestimated him, ending up being unhorsed by him. To make things worse, his daughter’s favour was taken as ransom. It was a humiliating experience, especially the many lords’ barbs, which made them feel cleverer than they were, but he gritted his teeth and ensured that he would remember their names.

And yet, as the Mystery Knight jousted against Ser Criston, the difference in skill became quite clear, especially as, in the fifth pass, Ser Criston managed to break a lance against the Mystery Knight, striking his chest plate quite directly. For a moment, it almost looked as if it would have been aimed at the throat, but the knight had shown no sign of injury. In fact, the Knight of the Tree and Stars held on, nonetheless, earning him cheers from the crowd.

Finally, in the sixth pass, both seemed to have committed themselves fully, as both lances struck spectacularly, with both knights lurching violently in their saddles. For a moment, it seemed as if they would have both unhorsed one another, which would have been a great shame, though thankfully, Ser Criston managed to haul himself atop the saddle, despite almost losing.

Thankfully, the Mystery Knight was unhorsed and fell to the ground with a thud. Unfortunately, the knight rose up later, completely unharmed, which was a great shame. Still, this was likely the most exciting joust in the tourney so far, though it was surprising that it had even been this close, given the clear difference in skill.

The crowd erupted in cheers, especially as the Mystery Knight bowed like some sort of mummer despite his loss, before nodding to his opponent in respect. It was only when the Princess stood up that everyone fell silent, anticipating what would come next: “That was certainly a great bout, Ser Knight, for it is not often that I have seen Ser Criston earn a victory with such effort.”

Otto did not know why Princess Rhaenyra had been interested in the man. Perhaps it was due to her spat with Alicent after she married the King. Had she hoped to bring the knight back with them to King’s Landing, likely as an additional knight in her service that would compete in the tourneys that Viserys liked to set up occasionally?

“I have never faced a greater opponent in a joust, Your Grace,” was the Mystery Knight’s reply, who spoke out loudly for the first time since riding in the tourney.

The princess nodded, “Yet your display has earned you a seat at my table tonight, Ser Knight. Take off your helm, ser, and show the world your face.”

With a nod, the Mystery Knight did as the princess bid him and removed his helmet, revealing the familiar face of Laenor Velaryon, who was smiling, though it looked somewhat like a grimace to him. Then again, he had not interacted with the boy much to know of his oddities.

As the crowd gasped and cheered, as the identity of the mystery knight was being recognised, Otto came to a cold realisation, mainly that the Sea Snake’s son, who was not even a man grown, or even a knight, had unseated Gwayne in a joust, and had taken his daughter’s favour as ransom, humiliating him, likely at his father’s behest. A cold fury swept him at this, and despite it all, he couldn’t help but wonder just how incompetent his spies in Driftmark were if they thought that he was not martially inclined. The boy had not won the tourney, but he had unhorsed very well-respected knights, nonetheless.

It was Corlys Velaryon who rose first.

The Sea Snake did not wait for the herald or for the King’s leave. He stood from his seat and quickly made his way down toward the lists. The murmur in the stands softened as he entered the field, cloak stirring behind him.

Corlys regarded his son for a long moment before speaking up, “You rode well. You held your ground against seasoned knights and faced a Kingsguard without faltering. And yet, you are not a knight. That cannot stand, for denying you that would be an insult to every knight who has ridden against you.”

He turned towards the King, and Viserys gave him a nod, completely taken by the spectacle, which was obviously rehearsed in Otto’s opinion. Then, the Sea Snake drew his sword, his son kneeling, knowing what would come, “In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father, to be just. In the name of the mother, to defend the weak. Rise, Ser Laenor Velaryon.”

The cheer that followed was louder than any that day, which Otto felt was almost deafening. And yet, Corlys Velaryon was not finished, waiting for the noise to end, and speaking up loudly, on purpose, “In my work to create a great home, I have built High Tide to become the pinnacle of what it meant to be a Velaryon, and yet it was not there that our house set its roots upon this beautiful isle, but Castle Driftmark, and a fortress with a great history, requires a worthy lord, something that you have proven yourself to be. Do you accept this burden, my son?”

“I do, Father,” the young Velaryon answered, and the cheers returned soon after.

And so, the day continued, just as the previous night had, with Laenor Velaryon’s name being echoed more than the prince’s own. Of course, Otto found the idea of giving a child, not even a man grown, an entire castle to do with it what he wished, to be an extremely foolish one. He had raised many children, and he could barely trust them not to embarrass their house, let alone run a keep. Yet, everyone seemed impressed by the young Velaryon, nonetheless, claiming that he would be a fearsome warrior just like the Sea Snake.

No, this was proof that House Velaryon had grown too strong, far too strong, and it was something that he could not allow to happen. And if the King did not care for the threat to his own authority, then it would be his Hand that would deal with this issue for him. Otto would ensure that House Velaryon would fall, for it was for the good of the realm, and he had already set a plan in motion for it to occur.

A few days later, just before their departure from Driftmark, when Otto received a message of Daemon Targaryen burning ships that held a few magisters from Lys that came to Bloodstone seeking a treaty with the new King of the Stepstones in the Narrow Sea, he suppressed a smile and repeated the news to King Viserys with a tone that was as solemn as he could make it.

After all, he had only aimed to increase tensions in the Rogue Prince’s little fiefdom and to spread some doubt as to how absolute the Sea Snake’s victory was, when he faked the letter which he sent to this triarchy, but for Daemon to be this reckless…

Truly, he had done the realm a great service when he convinced the King to pass his brother as his heir, for he shuddered at the thought of Daemon Targaryen atop the Iron Throne. Still, this situation, though not quite what he had planned for, was one that provided him with an opportunity. This time, the Triarchy was seemingly prepared to invest much more than they had before in a victory against the Rogue Prince, a war that they refused to lose, a war that would likely last years, a war that he would urge the King not to intervene in, as it would label him a warmonger.

They would be hard years on many, but they would be worth it, for the Sea Snake would be weakened greatly. Otto could even speak to his brother, Hobert, to expand their ventures to Qarth and Volantis, all but usurping the trade lines that would have made their way to Driftmark and strengthening Oldtown instead.

It was truly a gift from the gods when Otto’s enemies did most of the work for him. For Corlys Velaryon’s empire would shatter; he could make sure of it himself. It would also serve as an example for the rest of the noble houses, a lesson not to rise too high, not to think that they were superior to the Crown.

AN: This story is still relatively new, so if you'd like me to continue it, please let me know in the comments what you think of the rewrite so far.

Well, that should pick things up a bit. Things should be a bit more eventful from here on out, with Laenor getting Castle Driftmark, while also under the pressure of a potential other war in the Stepstones. Don't worry, I have a plan for it; House Velaryon will generally try to avoid this war, but its conclusion will be pretty interesting, and as you guessed, Laenor would likely be involved in some way.

Anyway, this chapter was meant to show a bit of Otto Hightower's thought process, where he considers the Velaryons to be a real threat, and growing far more influential as he can. He doesn't really think of Rhaenyra as a threat, since he is sure that Viserys will name Aegon his heir, as the king generally avoided the topic, but never denied it.

In other news, some of you may know that I mentioned a poll about the next story in EM, specifically the next world that Harry and Daphne will explore. That poll will be tomorrow and will have a few story prospects for you to choose from. Sorry that it took so long. It took a bit more time than I expected to come up with storylines that I liked to show you guys. Anyway, feel free to leave a comment in this chapter as well for any world you would like me to consider, since some of you might not have had the chance to do so.

Also, I am planning on uploading more of this story starting next week (outside of normal uploads). I have a bit of a backlog of chapter drafts for this story that I’ll try to go through when I can. As usual, I don’t mind rewriting this chapter depending on your feedback, so please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.