All You Need Is Guts Chapter 6 (ASOIAF x Berserk)

Alicent Hightower

The gods hated ambition and hubris, they punished those that had both so it didn’t surprise her that something like this had happened. Her husband had a son, a bastard older than even Rhaenrya. A man that could kill a dragon and who had tamed one of the most dangerous dragons alive, a dragon that looked a lot like the Conqueror’s dragon, someone who could contend for her son’s throne.

Was this her punishment for coveting a crown for her son? Wasn’t it bad enough that she had to satiate her husband who she wasn’t particularly attracted to? The gods were cruel but she knew the moment she married the king that she would never lead a happy life as long as the question of who would sit on the Iron Throne remained.

Alicent knew that her husband didn’t love her, not like he had loved Aemma but she had thought that they had built a strong relationship, it didn’t seem like it when he could so easily leave her behind along with her children to go see his bastard. The son of Viserys’ first love if rumors were to be believed.

With a sigh she rose from her seat and looked over where her children lay sleeping, all of them had strong Valyrian features sometimes it was hard for her to look at them since they looked more like Viserys or Rhaenrya than her, it was as if an invisible barrier separated her from her family at ñeat her girl shared some of her features, her father often said that this was a good thing that the last thing they needed was to have a brown haired Targaryen as claims of infidelity could be brought forward.

Alicent had bristled at those kinds of comments but her father needed only to remind her about what happened with Dameon to silence her, she had made a mistake believing that man and had paid the price for it. Daemon had stolen something most precious from her all to spite her father while Alicent had been ready to give her heart to him.

It sounded so simple then, the prince didn’t like his wife and he was the heir to the throne, surely with the help of her father they could have broken off the marriage he had and then everything would have worked out well, with the backing of her house and his dragon the Velaryons wouldn’t have dared to say anything and if they had married and had children as quickly as she did with Viserys then one could have married a Velaryon bringing all the dragons under one family again but no, her father and Daemon had been enemies even then making that dream an impossible one.

Instead, Daemon seduced her and threw her away before telling her father all about it. Alicent knew that despite it all Daemon certainly had felt something for her then but his hate of her father had blinded him too much, he was a foolish man. Viserys knew of it but didn’t care and that inspired in Alicent a measure of respect and affection towards him but his casual disregard for her after she had children made that go away.

Viserys spoke of loving her but only gave her gifts when it was proper and shared her company only when he wanted to satiate his lusts on her body, sometimes it felt like she was not the one Viserys was looking at when they lay together in bed.

Alicent touched Aegon’s rosy cheek and received a giggle in return, it made her heart soar and she knew that no matter what happened or what stood in her path she would fight for his right to the throne. Her children were the reason she had strength to rise in the morning, they were what made the world bearable.

“My queen…sister” the voice of Gwayne reached her ears and brought her out of her thoughts, a comforting hand was placed upon her shoulder and forced her to look to her brother “would you like to send a message to father, I know he isn’t the most…approachable figure but surely he could do something about this”

Her youngest brother still didn’t know how the world worked and whatever power their father had was all because of Viserys and the king would never do anything against one of his blood, trying to get rid of the bastard would only complicate things and voicing anything other than a desire to know the bastard would be stupid.

“It’s fine Gwayne, there is no offense at this. If anything the one who should be most offended is the princess, not me.” the words sounded hollow even to her ears but that didn’t make them any less true “More importantly have you finished what father asked of you?”

Her brother frowned in response to her question but answered nonetheless “I’ve rooted out what I believe are all the men sympathetic to Daemon but it’s difficult to ascertain who is loyal to him and who is not, our father can say what he wants about the man but Daemon knows how to keep the loyalty of those he deems worthy or useful” her brother finished the sentence sardonically.

“You need to be thorough, Daemon’s exile has ended, and by the rumors hanging around Viserys will soon move the might of the Seven Kingdoms to secure the Stepstones for Daemon. His alliance with the Sea Snake has borne fruit, the trade route leading east will make them both rich or richer in the case of the Velaryons”

A rich Daemon would spell disaster for their cause as a poor Daemon still retained popularity and immense influence across the land, a rich one would make it easy for him to buy the allegiance of many houses that for now remained neutral or ambivalent to his ambitions.

Viserys couldn’t see the lust Daemon had for power, for the throne (and for his niece a part of her brain reminded her). Her husband would die thinking them all a happy family but once he breathed no more his brother would descend atop his dragon to burn them all.

“That will make it easier for our father to secure the help of the other merchant families and he can also get help from abroad, wasn’t father the one sending information about Daemon to the Triarchy? They could help-“ Alicent closed the distance between them and slapped her brother.

“Be silent! Should the king hear of what our father has done then he would relieve father’s shoulders from the burden that is his head. Don’t eve repeat those words inside the city” Alicent took her brother’s hand into her own and squeezed “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I’m sorry”

They remained silent for a few seconds before her brother decided to leave and Alicent went back to watching her children. For all intents and purposes, it was as if that conversation had never happened at all.

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Racallio Ryndoon

“What do you mean the invasion is off?! My men are ready and so are the ships, do you know how hard it is to herd around a dozen different captains when they’re all idiots? I’ll answer that, it’s very fucking difficult.”

The fat Magisters that ruled over the ‘eternal alliance’ grimaced at his crass words but they knew what he was like and Racallion knew that they couldn’t replace him, he was so sure of it that he made a bet with the captains he commanded. Racallio had bet them all that the magisters wouldn’t get rid of him even if he went around the city ‘disguised’ as a whore and lo and behold, Racallio went and did it! he got the reputation of an eccentric man (half-mad some said), and the magisters did nothing.

His fellow captains would have been angrier about the whole deal but he made them a party with whores brought from the best pillow houses in Lys and they forgot all about it, some said he was too free with coin but it was better to be like that if one didn’t one to have a dagger buried on your back.

“We understand the difficulties you face but we have received a message from the Seven Kingdoms, the king has decided that his brother’s hold on the Stepstones are secure enough that he can now back him without consequence and he is not entirely wrong” the leading magister from Myr spoke softly but his voice carried across the room and despite some grumbling, it looked like the other thirty-two men agreed.

“My esteemed colleague from Myr is right, fighting one Dragon backed by sellswords was possible, costly but possible. Fighting the Seven Kingdoms in full when there are more dragon riders by the day is just asking for a repeat of what happened to Volantis a hundred years ago” the Leading magister of Lys spoke his piece and the small grumbling that remained from before disappeared completely.

Racallio knew what they meant, it took Volantis years to recover from the damage the vaunted Black Dread did, it was partly thanks to that they had been able to be so successful against Volantis.

“The fact is that if we focus on the Narrow sea Pentos and Volantis could use the opportunity to attack our cities or even worse take the fertile lands that we secured to our north” The magister from Tyrosh tactfully refrained from calling the former Disputed Lands their name, it was a sore spot for many here even after their alliance.

“What about my men and me? this is no threat, but do you think it wise for so many men to be suddenly out of jobs? Surely you can see the problems that would bring” Racallio said as he moved forward, it was a gesture of confidence and pleading that he had learned from a mummer but it had served him well in the past when negotiating or asking for something “Not to mention our desert-dwelling friends that won’t take kindly to our sudden refusal to fight”

“What those Rhoynish barbarians think is of no importance, their help would have been minimal anyway, not to mention that their intervention could have drawn the attention of the rest of Westeros” The magister from Tyrosh dismissed his concerns and Racallio was tempted to ask why they had even entertained the idea of an alliance if any of what they said was true but knew better than and remained silent. “Your other concerns are valid and we think we have a solution, Volantis is suddenly facing a wave of attacks by the Dothraki and we can use their distraction to take some of the flatlands from Pentos while they’re distracted. Your men will still be busy and you all still get paid”

Racallio didn’t know why the Triarchy would like that land since there were always frequent attacks from Dothraki there but he couldn’t deny that there was wealth to be had from the fertile soil there. After all the Triarchy had once fought for a smaller piece of land that was just as fertile for generations.

“Then I have nothing more to say to you” Racallio turned to his guards who had been falling asleep as he talked “You bunch of fuckers start making way to our camp! I don’t pay you to stand around like idiots and get me someone from Pentos. I need to know what the seas around there are like in-depth and if there are sandbanks or other obstacles! Hurry you animals!”

From the corner of his eye, he looked at the shocked magisters and smiled, they were so easily bothered by words but didn’t balk at ordering him to kill men. The magisters thought there was something wrong with Racallio but he thought that it was them that were messed up. They put money above everything even the gods! Which reminded him that he should throw some bones to see which deity was gonna get a fresh sacrifice.