Blood of Dragons

hough the wedding feast of Princess Elaena Targaryen and Lord Ossifer Plumm ended in grief and scandal, the days that followed brought no quiet. Lord Ossifer’s death in the bridal bed cast a long shadow over the Red Keep, one that deepened when Ser Alfryn Plumm, brother to the deceased, stepped forward to claim lordship in his stead. But the King, unmoved by grief or urgency, has withheld judgment. The matter, he declared, shall wait upon nature—for it must be known whether the Princess carries a trueborn heir.

In the corridors and chambers of court, the delay has not stilled the tongues of the curious nor the ambitions of those who see opportunity. Whispers follow the Plumms wherever they walk, and a supper in the third floor apartments has been spoken of, where Alfryn and his son Oswyn shall play hosts to those who would call themselves friends of the late lord. It is said no courtiers of consequence have been forbidden attendance. What shall be said across the roast and wine remains to be seen, but already some speak of factions taking shape.

Nor has the royal family remained untouched by disquiet. What began as a quiet difference of opinion swiftly grew to shouting behind closed doors and, later still, through them. Prince Daeron, the King’s heir, is said to have spoken out in strong terms against the public humiliation of his cousin at the bedding, and against the decision to delay succession when the Plumms were an old family of great wealth who were a lynchpin in the West. Prince Aemon, for his part, added his voice in support, only to find himself the object of the King’s ire. None know the fullness of what was said, but servants have spoken of a goblet hurled against the wall, and of silence falling in the royal apartments like a dropped curtain.

Then, just as swiftly as it rose, the storm shifted direction. Word spread the next morning that the King would not sail for White Harbor, and that in his stead, it would be Prince Daeron who would lead the royal party to the wedding of Ser Waymar Manderly and Lady Dancy Royce. Prince Aemon would go as well, to greater honor the occasion, and many others besides—knights, ladies, and courtiers whose company will lend splendor to the occasion, or who hope to find advantage in the journey.

At the royal docks of King’s Landing, the galley and its escorts are being provisioned. The banners have been seen—those of House Targaryen foremost, but others as well. It is said that the course will take them first to Gulltown, then to Sisterton, and lastly north to White Harbor, where the hosts of House Manderly will receive them in strength.

At court, there is already talk of who goes and who remains. Those left behind are likely to find themselves drawn more tightly into the affairs that stir within the Red Keep. The Hand of the King, Lord Bracken, has brought his youngest daughter Bethany to court on a whim, seeking to place her with one of the royal princesses or perhaps even the queen; girl of tender years, but whose presence has already sparked speculation. Others maneuver quietly, waiting to see what fruit the northbound voyage bears, and what storms may yet break closer to home.

For now, the tide rises in the harbor, and the wind stirs the banners. The sea road lies open, and the King’s eye turns elsewhere.