The tourney grounds outside King's Landing were already awash with colorful banners and crowds. In a few days, the tournament celebrating the fifth wedding anniversary of King Viserys I and Queen Alicent Hightower would officially begin.
The red dragon on black of House Targaryen, the royal house; the roaring lion of House Lannister of the Westerlands; the crowned stag of House Baratheon of the Stormlands; Red, Blue, and Silver Trout of House Tully of the Riverlands...
Beyond those, nearly a hundred banners belonging to noble houses great and small snapped in the early summer breeze.
The stands were packed with lords and nobles in splendid clothes. Outside the wooden fences surrounding the grounds, thousands upon thousands of commoners crowded together, waving strips of cloth and shouting the names of the knights they supported. The din was deafening.
Aegon lounged on his side in Rhaenyra's lap, his head resting on her soft thighs, nibbling idly at a piece of honey cake. The warm sunshine fell over him, making him drowsy.
Since Rhaenyra's return, Viserys had indeed kept his word. Not only had he immediately lifted Aegon's "confinement," allowing him to enter and leave the Red Keep "freely" with guards accompanying him, but he had also mercifully reduced Aegon's tedious daily lessons from eight hours to four.
That decision had also brought relief to Rhaenyra, who had witnessed Aegon's miserable life of studying a few days earlier, and to Alicent, who had been aching for him all along.
Seeing the dark shadows beneath Aegon's eyes and how much thinner his little face had become, Rhaenyra had been so distressed that tears streamed down her cheeks.
Remembering the cold distance Aegon had shown when he met her at the city gate, she had launched an all-out offensive.
Every day, she waited outside Aegon's