Hugh Hammer (ASOIF/SI)

 Jacaerys sat in the Small Council meeting, watching for now and

 saying very little, more observing with a horrid fascination what was

 happening. His mother, his good-father and his grandfather seemed

 to be constantly at odds with each other, and it appeared to him that

 only by the miracle of them being at war was anything done, and that

 the differences between them were bridged.

 If he was honest with himself all he wished to do was climb back

 upon Vermax and fly to Dragonstone and spend his time with Baela,

 free of the stress and intrigue of the court in Kings Landing.

 The war had initially been between the so-called Blacks and the

 Greens, now there were whispers around the Red Keep other

 factions were edging towards entering the war. The Silvers who were

 the supporters of Corlys Velaryon, and the Reds, who were the

 supporters of Prince Daemon, the Lord Protector.

 But he was not sure that the so-called Silvers were even a faction as

 such, his grandfather was more often spending his time as a

 moderating influence upon his mother and her husband and trying to

 keep them from destroying each other.

 And because he had to, he totted up the dragons in his head 

Daemon had Caraxes of course, maybe Moondancer also, and that

 wrenched at his gut something fierce. Add to that Silverwing and

 possibly Sheepstealer and Daemon had a reasonable force of

 dragons, plus the City Watch and an unknown number of

 Crownlander lords, and assorted sell swords and the hangers on that

 his good father seemed to have collected to his cause.

 His mother had Syrax, he had Vermax, Addam had Seasmoke, and

 Hugh had Vermithor, he did not count either Stormcloud because the

dragon was too small, nor Tyraxes, as his brother Joffrey was

 currently in the Vale at the Eyrie. The troops available to them were

 the large Vale contingent, though Jacaerys was wary about some of

 these, suspecting that they had been subverted by Prince Daemon,

 and again, and unknown number of Crownlands forces.

 On paper he had maybe an advantage due to the dragons, but he

 was more worried about the men that he could call upon if required.

 Kings Landing had fallen to them via the machinations of Prince

 Daemon, the city could likely 'fall' to him again if so required.

 Jacaerys felt his frustration and rage rise like bile in his throat, at the

 sheer stupidity of it all, the Greens, though down, were definitely not

 out, and here they were bickering among themselves pointlessly.

 And when the Greens were finally defeated for good, then what?

 Another civil war to see Daemon's get atop the throne before him or

 Joffrey?

 And thus, the dragons would dance again. And the realm would burn

 once more. And would more of his blood be spilled senselessly, for

 the pride, arrogance and hubris of the people in this room? Or for the

 pride, arrogance and hubris of one particular occupant of this

 room….

 Would he ever sit atop the Iron Throne, would the Seven Kingdoms

 even exist for him to rule, and would he even live to see himself

 crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms?

 His mother only had eyes for the Iron Throne and ending the war

 with as much speed and apparently bloodshed as possible, she had

 no mercy in her for the pretenders, wishing to crush all of them

 without pity. Norms of leniency offered to defeated foes were not to

 be observed, and all sense of forgiveness was to be abandoned.

 And his mother seemed to be uncaring of the stigma of being

 branded a kinslayer, she had dismissed all such concerns from her

 mind. His mother had even gone so far as to propose attaining

Alicent and her get on the grounds of their treason, thereby

 technically removing the taint of kinslaying from their executions.

 His good father only lusted for power, power to be used, power to be

 abused, power to be concentrated in his hands and his hands alone.

 His plans to remake the realm into a bastardised version of its former

 self were the dream of one drunk on the excesses of power, plain in

 simple. The Lords of Westeros would never stand for it, never! Oh,

 they might not rebel right away, but trouble would bubble, and brew

 and it was sure to erupt in the future, of that he was certain. To

 replace a whole swathe of the realm's nobility with a crop of newly

 minted Lords, all of whom would owe their allegiance to Daemon

 Targaryen? A recipe for disaster and usurpation, a course of action

 that all but guaranteed that he would never sit atop the Iron Throne.

 He was not stupid, he knew that Daemon lusted after one thing and

 one thing only, power, and power was invested in the Iron Throne.

 Though Daemon lusted after the Iron Throne with a fierce, all

consuming desire, Jacaerys believed that even Daemon was not

 stupid enough to try and claim it directly. This thought brought a wry

 internal laugh to Jacaerys, his good father was stupid enough, the

 Rogue Prince was capable of literally anything, and one should

 never forget that!

 No, he believed that the most likely outcome was that Daemon

 wanted to seat his son Aegon the younger on the Iron Throne, with

 the lad being betrothed to Jaehaera Targaryen, daughter of Aegon,

 2nd of his name and his sister wife Helaena. This would unite the

 two claims on the Iron Throne and effectively end any lingering

 potential for conflict between the two factions. The lad was as yet too

 young to rule and there would be a long Regency, to be filled by

 Prince Daemon Targaryen as Regent.

 Of course, for this to happen he and his younger brother Joffrey

 would have to be disposed of beforehand, and he did not think that

 his good father would bother much with any taint of kinslaying. But

 he would in all likelihood have him and Joffrey murdered by proxies

 that could not be tied to him directly, - poison, a fatal fall down a flight

of stairs, a knife in the back during a drunken brawl….the potential

 ways his good father could murder them was endless.

 Unless he struck first, unless he removed the threat of Daemon from

 the Game of Thrones, a delightful name that Hugh had given all of

 this nonsense a few days ago. Jacaerys had been conversing with

 the dragonrider of an evening, the two of them sharing a bottle of

 wine in jovial companionship atop the walls of the Red Keep, he had

 come across Hugh enjoying the bottle on his own, watching the

 sunset over the city.

 He had somewhat unburdened himself to Hugh, telling him of the

 machinations swirling around the Red Keep and the various factions

 that were forming.

 He had heard Hugh mutter under his breath '

 that fuckin family'

 before he had handed Jacaerys the bottle of wine, which he had

 taken a large swig from.

 "If you want to lose your dragons, this is how you lose your dragons"

 Hugh had remarked as he finished drinking from the neck of the

 bottle, handing it back to Hugh.

 "It's, it's….it's all just so frustrating…." He had muttered, his anger

 and exasperation evident in his voice.

 "That is the 'Game of Thrones' for you your Grace, it never ceases, it

 just waxes and wanes, but it never ends."

 "That, that is….depressing Hugh… though 'Game of Thrones', I, I

 like it, it's as good a name as any."

 "And you can use it in polite company your Grace" quipped Hugh in

 response, a wry smile crossing Hugh's face.

 He gave a little laugh at that, glad for any opportunity, however

 small, for mirth.

"Well, it's as good a description as any of how power is played for

 here in the Seven Kingdoms, and you better get used to it. Men, and

 women, are prepared to kill to sit atop that great pile of dragonfire

 fused swords my Prince, it's the price of power and many are willing

 to pay it. Many more are absolutely willing to sacrifice honour, family,

 duty, everything, to grasp at the power that flows from the Iron

 Throne, to elevate themselves even a tiny bit off the back of the

 power that the Iron Throne bestows."

 "Huh…..maybe, maybe I don't want it, to, to sit atop it, to be king."

 "You don't get a choice I'm afraid Jace, for when you play the Game

 of Thrones, you either win or you die!" came a harsh, guttural bark

 from Hugh. "You know how this works, you are not stupid, you, and

 your younger brother, are in the way of certain peoples plans…."

 "Daemon!" he hissed, his anger finally getting the better of him.

 "Only the first and currently the most dangerous, in a long line of

 many…"

 "How, how do you mean Hugh?" Jacaerys gasped, shocked by this

 revelation from Hugh.

 "The Great Lords of Westeros, do you think they enjoy being under

 the thumb of the dragons?"

 "I, uhhh, we have given them peace, prosperity, privileges….why

 would they not be at least satisfied with our rule?"

 "Because they were once king's lad, petty king's aye, but king's,

 nonetheless. They had power in their lands, great power, power that

 could be exercised, power that could be abused, all gone now, shorn

 by Aegon the Conqueror. You think they give a damm about

 'prosperity'? or a system of codified laws? A goodly proportion of the

 Lords of Westeros cannot even read lad! They care nothing for that,

 only for what advantage they can extract, usually by force of arms

 and usually at the smallfolk's expense!"

"I, ummm, erh…" Jacaerys mumbled, stunned by Hugh's sudden,

 passionate outpouring.

 "I would bet you my last groat that a majority of your 'Lords', high and

 low, would not shed a tear at the passing of the Seven Kingdoms.

 Maybe in one hundred, two hundred years' time, when the idea of

 the Seven Kingdoms has become so ingrained, so normal, would the

 Lords strive to keep the realms united, but now?"

 "How many Lords foreswore their oaths to your Grandfather King

 Viserys to uphold your mother as his heir? The Lord Commander of

 the fucking Kingsguard murdered Lord Beesbury, the Master of Coin,

 for daring to suggest that Alicent and Lord Otto could not put Aegon

 forwards as King as your mother was King Viserys rightful heir.

 Oaths are words and words are wind your Grace, only power

 matters. Might makes Right my Prince…

 Jacaerys pondered Hugh's word for a long while, before responding

 "can I, can I trust you, Hugh?"

 "Trust me? You can trust no one in this place lad, you know that! But

 you are asking me the wrong question Prince Jacaerys Targaryen."

 "And what question should I be asking you Hugh?" he replied,

 knowing in his heart of hearts what the question would be.

 "You should ask me what my price is for supporting you" came

 Hugh's reply, the ex-Blacksmiths face looked melancholy and sad as

 he delivered these words.

 "Well then Ser Hugh, what is your price for supporting your Prince?"

 And so, Hugh told him.

 "Prince Jacaerys?" the question dragging his mind back to the

 present.

 "Yes, ummm, I'm sorry, what was the question?"

"Not a question your Grace" came Daemon Targaryen's smooth

 reply, your mother asked you for your opinion."

 "Erh, thank you, sorry your Grace, could you, could you repeat your

 question?"

 "Your mind was wandering my son, see to it that it does not wander

 too much, would you?" asked his mother, her face sour and annoyed

 looking, the most common look on his mother's face since they had

 regained the capital. Before Jacaerys would have thought that the

 capture of Kings Landing would have brightened his mother's mood,

 but the opposite was in fact true. But then again, of the atmosphere

 of this meeting was anything to go by, no wonder his mother looked

 bitter the whole time.

 "I asked of your opinion regarding bringing your cousin Rhaena back

 to Kings Landing from the vale, along with your brother Joffrey."

 "Ummm, maybe…"

 "Maybe? Is that all you have to say boy?" chuckled Prince Daemon,

 irony and sarcasm dripping from his words.

 He thought furiously on this, on what Hugh had said to him, on what

 adding Rhaena and Joffrey into the mix in Kings Landing would

 entail, the advantages and disadvantages for him and his position.

 "I don't think that the time is as yet right for this, and it would

 concentrate all of the family in one place, vulnerable to a

 'decapitation strike'."

 "Hah! A 'decapitation strike', you've been talking to Hugh haven't

 you!" laughed Prince Daemon, but his mirth never reached his eyes,

 as was usual for the man.

 "I am inclined to agree with the Prince your Grace" Corlys Velaryon

 interjected, rather grim faced and stern, and looking like he wanted

 to be somewhere else at short notice.

After a few minutes of silence his mother finally made her decision

 "very well, for the time being Princess Rhaena and Prince Joffrey will

 remain at the Eyrie."

 Jacaerys coolly noted the reaction of Lord Corlys and Prince

 Daemon, the first looked relieved, the later looked angry, furious

 even, but the Lord Protector hid it well he had to admit. And Jacaerys

 knew that once was the time that Daemon would have responded

 with an angry outburst at not getting his way, remonstrating openly

 with his mother.

 But now the man hid his emotions better, and that scared Jacaerys

 to the bone.