#aegon threads

the halls began to fill and aegon would be lying if he said he wasn't more interested in certain people than others. friends and family who had not seen for many months. since losing the dragons, aegon also lost his ability to travel the realm quickly to visit different corners of the realm. one group of those people he was most excited to see were that of his aunts and uncles of the vale. with the mystery of what was going on with his father and mother, aegon wished he could give the arryns answers, instead he just had guilt sitting like a rock in his stomach. though lady lysara was in the north these days, she was still his aunt and her sister was being hidden away a way from their family. "aunt lysara," aegon greeted before pressing a polite kiss to each of her cheeks. "welcome, welcome. how was your travels? well, i hope?"

the halls of the red keep were filled with great lords and ladies from all of the the realm, welcomed by the king's (strange) words, food and drink passed around among the guests. aegon himself could not bring himself to eat as much as he wished, between his anxieties and the greetings he needed to give to the guests, he knew he would be visiting the kitchens late tonight after the scraps were packed away and begging the cooks to make him a bowl of his favor stew. familiar faces filtered into the hall, upon seeing the brother of his good-sister, avan stark, aegon grabbed a couple cups of wine and made his way over. "lord stark," aegon greeted, offering one of the goblets. "welcome to king's landing, i hope the travel south was not too harsh for you."

walking through the pavilion, watching the cyvasse boards as pieces moved about, aegon was always grateful for a change from the traditional tournaments that were put on. a game of strategy rather than strength and brute force. he stopped before a table that held annaya manderly and calanthe hightower, the master of laws against the ruling lady of old town. aegon stopped, his interest piqued. either outcome would say a lot about the two ladies and he was curious to see who would be victorious. in the end, annaya won the match and aegon found himself impressed. as the crowd moves on and the table is cleaned, aegon moved towards the winner. it was important to be polite and friendly with the small council members, especially at a time like this. "congratulations, my lady, that was quite the match," he said with a bow of his head. "was never the best at cyvasse so i always find it impressive when others win."

since a young lad, aegon always loved singers and plays, he had a soft spot for the arts and the stories they could tell. he had looked forward to the performances that were to be put on today, a small reprieve after all the tournaments from the previous two days. that is until his father stood before the crowd and made yet another horrible speech. his stomach turned as his father's words settled upon everyone, he was going to be sick, whispers flitting between the guests. could he not have one day where he could enjoy himself? was that too much to ask of the gods? aegon slouched the smallest of a centimeter in his seat, the only small allowance he would give himself as the crowned prince. as the music began, he released a small sign. perhaps with the performance, everyone would forget his father basically threatening his aunts and uncles over the whereabouts of their sister. leaning to his seat partner, he wondered if the lady hightower was thinking of the king or cared for the plays. finding a lull between two acts, aegon took it upon himself speak. as the ruling lady of a great house, it would be nice to be friendly with her, allies were important for a future king. "my lady," he greeted with a polite smile. "how are you liking the performances? are there many singers in old town? i only remember the books on my visits to the citadel, truthfully."

there were days when aegon would have entered his names in the lists, the few moments when he could be just like everyone else and to let off a little steam through the blows of lance or blade, but with everything that has been happening with his parents, he knew now was not the time to allow himself those small moments of entertainment. instead, he found himself in the targaryen viewing box, watching with only slight jealousy as the single combat lists began. pouring himself a cup of wine, he took one of the seats next his family, ready to see who might come out on top. "good morrow, sister," aegon greeted. "have you given your favor to someone? who are we rooting for today?"