Chapter Text
Imagine the following scenario: You’re the king’s Hand, the second most powerful man in the realm, and your daughter is well on the way of become the next queen. Your grandson will one day be king.
But right now you’re standing on a bridge facing the king’s wayward rebellious little brother who has been a thorn in your side for as long as you’ve known each other. He has stolen a dragon egg and declared his intention to marry a whore and gift it to their son – an insult to the king that you have come to punish.
You have more than a dozen armed men and several knights of the Kingsguard with you, not to mention the king’s direct and explicit order. Any lord would not think twice before yielding to you. The arrogant bastard in front of you, though, has more than triple your manpower – all armed and well-trained, no matter how much you want to deny that fact – a dragon and more impertinence than any lord from Dorne to the Wall.
So you are faced with a wildcard that’s not above playing dirty and commanding his unnatural beast to burn you all alive just because he can. He is a prince openly declaring himself to a whore and her bastard, after all. What’s stopping him from sending your charred remains back to King’s Landing and starting a war?
A little girl, apparently. And isn’t this just pathetic? The man would no doubt kill them all for being his brother’s envoys, but that slip of a girl has him wrapped around his finger even now. He was supplanted as the king’s heir by her, yet she can walk up to him and dare him to kill her and he does not so much as strike her for her insolence!
The brat has shown all of you up and yet she gets away with it. You can only hope the king will punish his daughter accordingly when you return.
And then, as she holds the dragon egg you should have secured, smiling and turning towards you to bask in her triumph, it happens. The princess shrieks and every man in your party draws his sword. But there’s nothing you can really do and you’re unsure whether to be mad or happy about that.
The Rogue Prince seems to have changed his mind. His hand is closed to a tight fist around his niece’s arm and he starts dragging her with him, completely unbothered by the all the men ready to fight him. He only barks an order in High Valyrian to his beast and the damned Blood Wyrm descends upon the bridge right in front of you.
Where is the princess’s dragon when you actually need it?!
Your hear its roar and turn towards the golden monster, but instead of attacking the red beast between you and its mistress, the golden creature jumps up and takes flight. Even dogs are more loyal to their masters than these twisted animals.
In the end you are very obviously forced to retreat. Back at the boat you came with, your thoughts are spinning. Had the prince lost his mind? Had the princess? This should please you. They’re both a danger to you grandson and would surely contest his ascension to the throne. After the events of today the king will never forgive his brother and he might just disown his daughter too.
might
Because although the king is a fool, he loves that girl.
The girl you just lost to his deprived brother.
And despite the fact that your daughter is very likely to wed the king and give him a son soon. They aren’t wed yet. And they don’t have a son yet either.
Which means the only heirs your king has are currently staying in that blasted dark old castle.
The king sent you to put his brother back in his place and reclaim the stolen egg. Instead you have been humiliated twice – first by the treacherous prince himself and then by that little girl playing at being heir – and have not succeeded in your original purpose of retrieving the dragon egg either.
Not only that, but you have managed to let the king’s only child, his named heir, be abducted right in front of your eyes.
Can you understand why Otto Hightower is a little hesitant to return to King’s Landing and report all this to King Viserys?