The Perks

Aegon and Varys sat In Silence for Several Minutes, This was How they began in discussions when the rest of the small council was arguing like they were before. Finally Aegon Spoke Up. ''In Less Than A Year, I Have Rebound Houses To House Targaryen by Marriage of Myself, My Sister, and My Aunt. Now I Have the Opportunity to Break the Curse of Blood Unleashed by Aegon Targaryen The Fourth of His Name. But At What Cost?'' Asks Aegon. ''It's A Fickle Thing, Choice and Chance. One Can Make or Break a Houses Fortunes, the Other Can Counteract the Others Effect or Increase it Tenfold.'' Says Varys. ''I'm Already Set to Marry Margaery Tyrell, Daughter of One of My Most Powerful Banner, and My Cousin Arianne Martell, to keep the Alliance Strong. Daenerys is To marry Edmure Tully and Rhaenys Robin Arryn, A Fine Political Move For Sure, But Now I'm Deprived the Option of Marrying one of them to The Magisters Son.'' Says Aegon With Some Regret.

''Apart from Honoring Your Father's Wishes, You Must Ask yourself, Is It Wise to Slight Magister Mopatis? When We are So Near to The Coming of Winter?'' Asks Varys. ''The Magister would Allow Us to Bring in More Food for Winter. But I Did Vow To Stop the Threat of Mance Rayder beyond The Wall, So I Must Also Consider What Military Boon could be Granted by Such An Alliance.'' Says Aegon. ''Perhaps We Could Negotiate That If We Agree to the Marriage, We Purchase Unsullied Through The Magister. The Unsullied Are Great Warriors who Fear Nothing, and Obey without Question.'' Says Varys. ''**** Warriors. Hmm, Perhaps. But I Would Have them Given the Choice of Whether they Serve us, and that we offer them Freedom regardless of their choice.'' Says Aegon Thoughtfully.

Varys Looks Thoughtful For A Moment. ''Your Grace, Magister Illyrio Has Bought Unsullied Himself in The Past, and Could be used as A Way to Size up the Masters of Astapor receptivity to An Offer.'' Says The Spider. ''I Know, But The Idea of Using Warriors Who have Been Trained and Raised As Slaves could Divide the Realm as Much as Strengthen it.'' Says Aegon. ''I Need An Hour to Compose my Thoughts Lord Varys. You May Go, But Please Send For Lady Margaery and Princess Arianne. I will need to Speak to them regardless of My Mental State.'' Says Aegon as He Takes A Sip from His Wine Glass.

Aegon Sat In Silence, His Two Would-Be-Queens uncertain how to Proceed Responded in Silence in Kind. ''We are at the Precipice of Change My Loves. The Two of You Are My First Queen's, But I Tell You Now, That I Must Marry Two More Suitors, But I Swear that will be the end of it.'' Says Aegon In an Empty tone. ''Egg, What's Wrong?'' Asks Arianne Concerned by the Lack of Emotion in Her Cousins Tone. ''House Blackfyre, Has Returned.'' Says Aegon to the stunned faces of Arianne and Margaery.

This News was Important For Arianne and House Martell, More so than for anyone else in Kingslanding or Westeros. When King Aegon IV Targaryen Died, He Legitimised Every Bastard He Ever Sired on his Deathbed. When Aegon's Heir, King Daereon II Targaryen Succeeded Him, He Married the Princess of Dorne of Dorne , Bringing it into the Seven Kingdoms through Marriage and Diplomacy Rather than through The Sword and Blood as his Namesake Had. But the true significance was that One of those Bastards crowned himself Ser Daemon Blackfyre, Rightful King of Westeros, in Direct Opposition To King Daereon The Good and His Dornish Wife.

''How Can you Be Certain?'' Asks Margaery Delicately. ''See for Yourself.'' Says Aegon As he Removes Blackfyre from His Scabbard and Places it Upon the Small Council Table. ''It Can't Be.'' Says Arianne. ''It Is, Believe Me. I Got that from Magister Illyrio Mopatis as A Gift, And as a means to undoubtedly Strengthen the attractiveness of His and My Father's Marriage Pact.'' Says Aegon as He Takes it Back and Sheathes It. ''So, What Will You Do?'' Asks Arianne.''The Sad Truth is I Can't Afford to slight The Magister with Winter So Near and An Army Rising North of the Wall, Especially When My Own Kinsmen are At The Wall. I Must Heal the Wounds Created by Robert Baratheon's Rebellion. At This Point in Time I Have The Backing of Houses Tyrell, Martell, Tully and Arryn Through Marriage. But If Our Children are Ever To be Truly Free from House Blackfyre's Rebels I Must Marry The Magister's Daughter." Says Aegon. "Whatever Happens I Will Never leave You Aegon." Says Margaery. "The Same Goes For Me." Says Arianne. "Good, But I Must Also Marry Sansa Stark. Robert Will Never Agree to A Marriage Pact with House Targaryen, but By Marrying the Strongest of those who Supported his Rebellion, I Prevent his Line From Trying Again." Says Aegon as He Holds the Two Ladies in his Arms.

Aegon Sat in His Personal Solar with Lord Varys, Lord Tyrion, and The Magister and His Daughter. Aegon Refused To Make Eye Contact with The Girl. "Lord Varys, You May Begin." Says Aegon At Last. "Illyrio My Old Friend, you chose a Favorable Time to Come Bearing The Late King's Seal, His Grace King Aegon, is Willing to Accept Your Daughter as His Wife, But Requires Three Things From You to Go Forward with it." Says Varys to the Delight of The Magister. "You've But to Name them and I Will Se It Done Varys." Says Illyrio Happily. "Perhaps The King Would Be Better Suited To Explain the Price to Be Paid?" Suggest Tyrion. "Winter is Upon Us Soon, We Have had A Summer for Ten Years, and I Think it will be safe to say that When Winter Comes for True, It Will Unlike Anything Seen or Heard of Before. I Made A Vow in Front the Lords of The North to Supply Them and The Other Seven Kingdoms with Enough Food To Last A Dozen Ten Year Winters. With Wealth Gained from My Voyage to Old Valyria we have the Coin to Finance it, but Not the Connections and Influence to bring it in on Time and in the Sizes Required." Says Aegon. "That's Were You Come In My Lord. The Other Small Councillors and I Compiled A List of what is Most needed and Can Survive the Best and The Longest. If You Agree to Use your Influence and Connections on Our Behalf, We Will Match The Dowry for Your Daughter and will Award Your Son Lands of His Own to Rule." Says Tyrion as He Hands Over A Parchment.

Illyrio Takes the Offered Parchment and after Looking it Over, Finds it agreeable enough. "Easy Enough To Perform. What Else?" Asks Illyrio. "There is A Barbarian Army in the Lands of Always Winter, Preparing to March on The Wall Blocking their Path, Since We Don't Know The True Size of it, We Would Like To Commission You to Purchase Hundreds of Thousands of Unsullied Eunuch Warriors in Rapid Succession. These Warriors Will Then Be Brought To Westeros and Freed, at Which Point they Will Be Asked to Choose Whether or Not They Wish To Serve Us." Says Aegon. "You Will Not Reveal The Source of This Offer, Instead You Will inform The Masters of Astapor That Should They Refuse, Your Benefactor Has The Coin To Hire A Hundred Faceless Men To Kill Them In A Single Night and Make it Look accidental." Says Varys.

"Upon Receiving The First Lot Of Unsullied, Your Daughter's Marriage To Me Will Be Formally Declared and Agreed." Says Aegon. "What Else Do You Require From Me?" Asks Illyrio. "When You Begin the Task of Acquiring Food for Our Seven Kingdoms You Must Make it Look Like Several Different Buyers Have Bought Them, Not One Man." Says Lord Tyrion. "So If The Master's Try to See if Any One Has Made Large Offers For Grain and the Like, They Don't Realise that You've Commissioned me for the Unsullied as Well and Name You As My Benefactor." Concludes Mopatis. "Correct." Says Varys. "I Ride For Harrenhal in Two Days Time to Sign the Pact of Alliance Between House Targaryen and House Stark, Tyrell, Martell, Arryn, Tully, and Now Blackfyre. Following This, There Will Be A Great Tourney Held in Honor of This Pact." Says Aegon. "There Will Be Many Young Ladies yet to Have Married There Hoping To Catch the Eye of A Handsome Young Lord or Knight. So Your Children will Be There, Your Son Should Take the Opportunity to Find Himself A Suitable Westerosi Bride to Bring Legitimacy Back To House Blackfyre." Says Varys. "Lord Mopatis, In Spite of the Urgency of The Price We Want for your Daughters Hand, You Will Be Allowed to Stay In Westeros Long Enough To Attend this Gathering, after the Tourney you will be required to leave and begin the Tasks We've Set For You. After Completed, You May Come and Go to Westeros as You Please." Says Aegon as He Finally Looks at The Magister's Daughter.

She Looks at Him, but not with the Lust in Her Eyes He'd been Expecting, but with What He Is Certain Looks Like Hope. But As To What That Hope is? That Remains Uncertain.

Aegon Had Been making Small Talk With Illyrio's Daughter, Whom He'd Learned Was Named Visenya. Oh The Irony of it all. Aegon Had Sent Word to the Stars That He Would Be Taking Four Queens and No More, He Aimed to Make Sansa His Queen Winter, Arianne his Queen of Summer, and Margaery His Queen of Spring. But His Queen of Autumn Would Remain Hidden until the Signing of the Pact. The Starks Had Agreed to the Pact, Just as The Tully's and Arryns Had agreed to their own offered Ones. All The Major Houses Would Be Their, Even House Greyjoy. Aegon Would Keep Visneya Hidden From Prying Eyes, Same As Her Brother. None Would Know of their Presence Until Aegon Desired it. Sansa Had Meanwhile formed A Bond with Margaery and Arianne. Aegon Promised Her That Once Every Year He Would Take Her To The North if She Desired it. Tyene and Nymeria Meanwhile were undeniably Pregnant and Since They'd been Practically Chained to His Cock For Their Time Together He Was Assuredly The Only Possible Father of their Growing Bellies.

Aegon Was Now Accompanied from Kingslanding By All Of Dorne's and The Reach and The Crownlands Major Noble Families and their Retinues. Aegon Rode His Horse, but Wore His Newly Acquired Valyrian Steel Armor, and Carried Blackfyre at His Hip. His Dragons Rode With Him. Behind Him Rode Ser Barristan, Ser Greysteel, Ser Dayne, and Ser Lewyn of The Kingsguard. They Were Likewise Followed By Ser Loras Tyrell Who had A Half-A-Hundred Tyrell Knights Behind Him Guarding The Royal Carriage that Carried Rhaenys, Margaery, Dany, Sansa, Arianne, and Tye and Nym, Alongside Aegon's Mother's. Visenya and Her Brother had A Separate Carriage That Was Even More Guarded and Secured. Beside Aegon was Lord Tyrell, Lord Mopatis, Lord Connington, Lord Tyrion, and Even Lord Varys. Only The Grand Maester and Lord Stannis Would Remain in Kingslanding to Oversee the City.

Harrenhal was Now Within Sight The Blackened Stone Walls Built By House Hoare and Burned By House Targaryen in its Conquest of The Riverlands. Aegon Rode Forward at a more hurried pace, the rest of the Houses following Close Behind Him and His Kingsguard..............................