-Chapter 158-
-5 days later-
-6th day of the 7th moon of the year 121 AC-
-POV Jason Lannister-
I smoothed my doublet for the 14th time since I had left the chambers assigned to me by the crown, then took a deep breath before deciding to knock on the door.
Before my fist could strike the door, I heard the Prince's voice from inside say:
"Enter, Lord Jason."
I was surprised, but I obeyed and turned the handle, finding myself in a very large room where he was sitting on a divan with his family, while his children played together a little further away with wooden toys.
The Prince gestured for me to sit on a chair to the right of the divan, where he was seated with his two wives.
'They're incredibly beautiful,' I thought, observing them from up close.
I forced myself to look away from his two stunning wives so as not to anger or offend him, since I wasn't in the best position.
Contrary to what I had imagined, he didn't immediately start questioning me but simply watched his children play, completely ignoring me.
We remained silent for a few moments, the silence growing heavier as time passed.
Only the children running and jumping around, playing knights and princesses, made noise, completely ignoring my presence.
'My father would've had me beaten if I had behaved like this in front of an important guest,' I thought before snapping back to reality.
'But to him, I'm just another lord.'
'I'm nothing to him,' I thought, watching him smile as he looked at his children, occasionally kissing his daughters who were complaining about their brothers.
After a while, a servant brought me some tea from Yi-Ti and a few bits of hard, brown paste.
'Looks like shit,' I thought, staring at it weirdly.
I looked up, and that's when I saw the Prince's eyes piercing into mine, surprising me and sending a shiver through my entire being.
"Your Highness," I said, realizing he had finally decided to give me some time.
"I'm sorry for making you wait, but seeing my children play around me is pure joy," he said before adding with a sigh:
"I wish all the children in the realm could enjoy such innocence."
"It's our duty as fathers," I said, forcing a smile to start a conversation.
"I agree," said the Prince, turning to glance again before looking back at me and asking:
"You yourself are the father of five daughters, if I'm not mistaken?"
'How does he know that?' I wondered, feeling another shiver down my spine as I watched the predator in front of me, waiting for a word to pounce.
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-POV Aemon Targaryen-
"Yes, we share that as fathers, though my wife and I have had only three daughters. She's pregnant with our fourth child, and I hope she'll give me an heir," said the Lord of Casterly Rock, dodging the question.
'Yes, and two bastard daughters you're hiding,' I thought, having done thorough research on all the background of the lord seated to my right.
I smiled, then said in a tone completely opposite to my words:
"I heard from some that you had children with your mistress, though perhaps they were mistaken."
The smile on Jason Lannister's face froze in place.
Then he relaxed his expression as much as possible, though anyone could see how tense he was.
"I… I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's true that I have a mistress," he said, lowering his eyes slightly before adding:
"Since my wife failed to give me an heir, I sought a solution. And since I lack your talent, all I could manage was to take a mistress."
Sensing the tension from Laena and Jeyne upon hearing how Jason Lannister spoke about women, I decided to stop him before either of them decided to make a… joke.
"No need to explain in detail. I completely understand your position. Even though I don't have that particular problem, succession is at the heart of every Great House," I said, then continued, looking at my sons:
"My sons will inherit Driftmark and the Vale, so I too have had to make difficult but necessary decisions."
Jason Lannister nodded and cast a thoughtful glance at my sons.
'3… 2… 1…'
At the very moment I finished counting in my head, the blond lord widened his eyes and quickly turned his head toward me.
He hesitated for a second before finally asking the question that burned his lips.
"Maybe my hearing is failing me, but it sounded like you said your sons would inherit both the Vale and Driftmark?"
"That's exactly what I said," I confirmed aloud while nodding.
He had trouble digesting the information, and I could see the question forming in his eyes.
"No," I said, cutting him off, already knowing what he was going to ask next.
"I didn't ask anything," he said, confused.
"You don't need to speak to ask a question," I replied, then added:
"I don't want to be king."
"I didn't…" he began, slightly panicking.
I raised a hand to interrupt him and then said:
"Relax. We're among ourselves. If you have a question, why not just ask it directly?"
He hesitated for a few moments, then took a deep breath and asked seriously:
"What do you want?"
I thought for a few seconds, and while doing a small introspection on my life, I realized I had been moving forward on autopilot with a constantly evolving goal.
I was hungry for power and didn't even know why I had such an insatiable hunger.
'Well, I do know,' I thought, remembering how I died in my previous life.
'But that motivation faded long ago and has simply become part of who I am,' I said to myself, realizing that today, I was fully satisfied with my status.
Not only was I satisfied with my status, but also with my strength, my wealth.
I was confident I would survive the Dance of the Dragons if it ever took place.
'And even emerge as its grand victor,' I added inwardly, narrowing my eyes.
"Deep down, I don't want much anymore," I said, letting a small silence fill the air.
I tilted my head slightly in thought before saying:
"I could be king… but I don't want to be."
"All I want is to ensure a secure future for my family. I don't want them to live like this," I said, twirling my finger to indicate the castle we were in.
"I want them all to live completely free and unbound," I added, before continuing in a fully determined tone:
"And for that… I must be Almighty"
'With or without a crown.'