25. Maegor XIV / Shiera IX (Patreon)

Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter. I am a little uncertain of it myself.

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Maegor XIV

29AC

“The walls of our great city are the natural option! To face Khal Temmo in the field would be suicide!” one magister I did not know the name of shouted and I merely sighed at the infighting. 

I had deliberately been avoiding these meetings for the last moon, more focused on the safety of my wife, and clearly it had not helped. The city was not unified in the slightest, the background needs of the campaign had long since been squared away, and now the gritty details needed to be ironed out. 

Where to fight was the first question. Qohor met the Dothraki at the walls of her city and she perished. Norvos meanwhile met them on the field of battle and met the same fate. This was the question. Meet the Dothraki in the field or face them at the walls of Pentos. 

“Fighting from the walls would only scupper our efforts. We have gone to great lengths to prepare an army. To hide behind our walls would merely waste it!” Magister Illyrio shouted this time and I merely nodded along. Dragons were worth little on the defending side of a siege. Terrax would be far more capable of fighting out in the flatlands. 

“To fight a siege would only put our great city at risk. We have much territory to utilize. We should meet the Dothraki at the Rhoyne!” 

“The Dragonroad crosses the little Rhoyne at Ghoyan Drohe! Attempting to halt their crossing is folly!” 

Debate continued and I merely wished to be elsewhere. This was the issue with politicians and merchants debating war policy, they knew nothing of war or how to wage it. 

“Are you not going to interject?” Magister Gessio whispered to me from my right and I sincerely did not want to. I was certain many a magister would take it poorly. 

“Perhaps you should, my dictating policy would only make me look worse,” I said with some dissatisfaction coloring my tone. More and more magisters were quietly growing concerned about my presence in the city. Magister Illyrio and Gessio had informed me readily of the faction developing around Thorello Obizos. They were quiet for now, no doubt wishing to use my dragon in this fight, what remained in question was after we won the war. 

“Hmm, what is your idea then?” Magister Gessio asked quietly, debate still exploding across the large hall the conclave had met in this morning.

“Ideally, fighting them in the velvet hills would be the best. The hills would favor our majority infantry army, but I assume the Dothraki are too smart for that.” I thanked my past memories for this. Dealing with nomadic horse archers was a complicated business. Thankfully, I had some prior knowledge to work on. 

“Hmm, they faced Norvos outside their city,” Magister Gessio continued.

“Did they face them in the hills or on the banks of the Noyne?” I queried. If the Dothraki were capable of dislodging a large force from the hills of Norvos… I might need to think of an entirely new strategy. 

“If I recall correctly, I believe they faced them just outside the walls of Norvos. On the Dragonroad which crossed the Noyne,” Magister Gessio answered and I resolved to go and purchase some books later. I needed to know more about this world. I was coasting off my prior knowledge but enough changed as to where I needed both a refresher and to see just how much was different. 

“Then… if we can lure them to the Velvet hills, that would be ideal. Even then, that would leave both Ghoyan Drohe and Pentos dangerously exposed. Not to mention the Flatlands.” This was the issue with defending Pentos. Facing a nomadic army hardened by a century of conquest. On nearly entirely flat lands with little in terms of defensive positioning. 

“We spent many hundreds of thousands of pounds of gold building up Ghoyan Drohe for battle. Battlements that could no doubt rival every castle in Westeros. Perhaps we should fight them there?” Magister Gessio offered and while I nearly scoffed at his ignorance, I was thankful I found such a man in Pentos. 

Magister Gessio of house Brenyl was no warrior. He was not even a general. His wealth came from trading, much like Magister Illyrio Narratys. Both were proud but still wise enough to defer to others when it came to military planning in most instances. Truth be told, it only made me like them more, even if he had not the faintest idea about Westeros. 

“Hmm, settling down for a siege in a city other than Pentos is risky. Because that is their ultimate goal no? We need to be placed in between Pentos and the Dothraki horde.” Ghoyan Drohe could be a wonderful place to fight. Siege warfare was hellish and would deftly negate the mobility advantage of the Dothraki. Yet getting trapped behind walls would not only limit Terrax’s usefulness, it would also dangerously expose Pentos proper. 

“Hmm… I am afraid I have nothing else,” Magister Gessio said once more and I could not fault him. For a merchant, he had some decent ideas for this campaign. It would just not be sufficient to face a threat like the Dothraki. 

“What about facing them outside of Ghoyan Drohe? Like with what Norvos did?” I asked this time. My logic led me here. 

“Would that not waste our fortifications?” Magister Gessio answered and I shook my head. 

“Ghoyan Drohe would merely be a mental aid to our soldiers. I intend to defeat the Dothraki in the field. But knowing that there are strong walls to fall back behind if need be would be a comforting feeling for the soldiers. Should, by some unfortunate circumstance, we lose the first bout, we can fall back behind the walls of the fortress city and prepare for a siege. Should the Dothraki be stupid enough to ignore us we will rebuild and regain strength in the city before deploying again,” I laid out my quickly developing plan. 

This plan would require more workshopping, namely because being so close to safety could have a negative impact on our soldiers too. It was a delicate game that needed to be played. 

“That… I do not know how that would work,” Magister Gessio confessed his lack of understanding and I could empathize with him. Being tasked to debate a subject you had little idea about for the safety of your home could not be easy. 

“Ask the conclave, there are some military minds here, we merely need to float this idea. Get some people thinking about it while I work out some of the troubles with it,” I reassured him. I was not part of the conclave. Merely a guest, so my suggestions would just be detrimental to the skeptics. Magister Gessio meanwhile could ask to his heart's content. Being from a wealthy and influential family like he was. 

As magister Gessio stood to speak, I noticed the door to the ornate chamber we were currently in open again out of the corner of my eye. It had opened a few times in the last few hours. Letting in servants with refreshments and messengers. Yet this time was troubling as one of the guards from Dragonstone entered. 

‘What?’ I thought, tuning out Magister Gessio’s speech. I had brought a few guards with me but as a sign of goodwill and safety. All guards were to remain outside of the conclave meeting. 

Moving past Magister Gessio. I made my way toward the pathway that led to our row of seats. All the while spotting the soldiers scan the room looking for me. 

Before long I caught his eye and he practically sprinted towards me. ‘Fuck…’ I thought. I knew something was wrong. 

Before long we met in the center of the pathway and he whispered into my ear. 

“My Prince, there has been an atta-” he began before I shoved him out of the way and bolted for the door. 

‘OF FUCKING COURSE!’ I thought, rage coloring every inch of my being. 

…

‘TO ME!’ I thought, energy coursing through my thoughts as I summoned Terrax to me. I did not have the time to waste on a carriage or a regular horse. Terrax could ferry me across the city in mere moments. 

I felt him stir across our bond and respond to my frenzied state. Quickly rousing from his slumber outside of my manse and hoisting himself into the air to meet me. I was near the center of the city so landing spots were scarce but I did not care. My wife and child were in danger. 

By the time I actually left the large, ornate temple the conclave met in today. Terrax was already in view. Having moved here with great haste in response to my rage. 

Signaling him to land, he chose a convenient fountain situated just in front of the palace. 

A sickening crunch and crack rang out as the stunning work of art was crushed beneath his great weight. The stone popped and broke apart under the strain of my dragon’s weight. 

Wading into the water, I practically hauled myself into Terrax’s saddle, not even strapping myself in before snapping the reins and yelling out the word. “Soves!” 

Terrax listened to my command, like the good dragon he was, and departed for our new home. He had taken readily to the large clearing he now had for himself. I had been intending to craft a stable for him at some point but it was an issue for later. 

Before long, we were right back where he started, a clearing around the manse I resided in for the time being. 

With a haste, I had never witnessed before, I vaulted off my dragon and made my way to the doors of my manse. The guards readily let me in as they spotted my quick advance. 

Sprinting down the halls of my manse. I realized I had no idea where the attack had taken place. 

‘The healer!’ I thought after not even a moment of thinking. He had a small room for himself in this manse and it was obvious anyone who suffered from an attack would be there. 

I practically kicked the door in as I finally made it there and what met me was a sickening sight.

Three women lying on makeshift beds and much to my relief, the distinctive form of my wife overlooking the three. 

“Shiera!” I called out in an instant, finishing my running and pulling her into a deep hug, unwilling to break it off. 

Shiera did not respond to me then, merely returning the hug and remaining quiet as a mouse. After a few moments, I heard some quiet sobs and released her to get a better look. 

“Are you alright?” I asked with worry coloring my thoughts. I cupped her face in my hands and I spotted the steady stream of tears leaving her eyes. 

She did not say anything but did lightly nod in my grasp. Pulling her into another hug, I dreaded what I was about to say but it needed to happen. 

“Please go to our room Shiera,” I whispered out. 

“What!?” Shiera quietly exclaimed, shock and anger coloring her tone. 

“You should not be here, I will handle this, you surely just went through a lot. I will deal with the aftermath of this attack and find the attacker,” I said, sending a glance towards Tyanna, who was one of the ladies injured and receiving treatment. 

“I should be here, these are my handmaidens, and they were attacked under my watch!” Shiera exclaimed again but I put my foot down. 

“The families of these ladies will no doubt be here soon and I do not need you dealing with their wrath. I will figure this out. Go and rest,” I said with a stern voice but Shiera finally relented. 

She left the healer’s quarters with two guards and thus I was alone with the healer and several ill women. 

“What happened?” I asked unceremoniously once Shiera left the room. I would ask her myself later. But for now, I needed the healer’s consensus. 

“My Prince, the tea the three ladies were drinking was poisoned,” the old man croaked out and my eyes drifted to Tyanna once more.

‘This was your plot wasn’t it?’ I asked myself more than her and I already knew the answer. Tyanna would die today, for the attempted assassination of my wife and child. 

…

“This is an outrage!” Prince Nevio roared and I agreed wholeheartedly. Tyanna’s transgression would not go unanswered. 

“What happened?!” Magister Gessio cried out next and I sucked in a breath before beginning. 

The three fathers of the women poisoned in the attack arrived and in the meantime, I had gotten the testimony from my wife and the guards. 

“While my wife and her handmaidens were enjoying tea in the garden. They suddenly fell ill and collapsed. No doubt poisoned from the tea they were drinking. The healer is working hard to figure out exactly which one,” I gave them the rundown. 

“Such a blatant attack on our families cannot go unanswered!” Moredo Seltra exclaimed this time and again, I was in full agreement. 

“Have you interrogated the guards and servers yet?” The Prince turned to me then. He was the one I was the most worried about. As the father of Tyanna, doing away with her would carry consequences for our budding friendship. 

“The server yielded nothing. He merely moved the tea from one spot to another. The cooks gave the same testimony. They are under further interrogation as we speak,” I said with a cold voice. ‘If only I did not need to prove what I know, I could just stick a knife into Tyanna’s neck and be done with this,’ I thought through gnashed teeth. 

“You, healer. Will they survive?” Magister Gessio said this time, worry coloring his tone. 

“I am uncertain of Lady Fereah and Narha, though Lady Tyanna is in a much better situation,” the old man croaked out again and I fought to keep the look of rage off my face. 

‘This bitch,’ I thought with another poisonous glare sent Tyanna’s way. Surely this was all a ploy. Get Shiera poisoned and give herself an alibi. 

“The health of the ladies is best left for the healers. We must figure out just who did this,” I brought the topic back on course.

“Indeed, who would have the motivation to attack our fair ladies?” Magister Gessio said this time and I mentally hit myself. 

This would be a perfect opportunity to deal a blow to the faction actively working against me in the conclave. Framing them would not be the most difficult thing and even if this was not a death blow. It would surely weaken them. 

Yet Tyanna was a threat like no other. A threat which could be in my own home at damn near any time. ‘The immediate problem, or the future one,’ I thought, racking my head to figure out what to do. 

“If only the other women were awake. Perhaps they saw something that Lady Shiera did not,” Prince Nevio put out a thought and I dreaded losing him as a friend. I knew it was bound to happen. Tyanna was his daughter after all and I would settle for nothing less than her death. 

“Indeed, the guards and cooks and servants are untrustworthy. But the ladies could give us clues,” Moredo Seltra said this time, and a thought clicked in my mind. 

“I… I might have an idea,” I chanced. Though this would surely not be easy. 

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Shiera IX 

29AC 

Shiera fought back quiet sobs sitting on her bed. ‘Why did this happen?’ she kept thinking. Over and over and over again. The thoughts never left her mind. 

She assumed she would be safe in her own manse, at least for now. Pentos still needed her husband for the safety of their city. What fool would try to kill their protector or alienate him while staring down death? 

Yet here she was. Her handmaidens were poisoned right in front of her. Even she was nearly poisoned herself. Worst of all was her child… 

Had she taken even a sip of that tea. She could have easily lost her child. The little prince or princess growing in her womb. Poisoned by some devious, evil cretin. Stolen from her before she even got to stare into their little purple eyes. 

Shiera let out another involuntary shudder at the thought. She felt like throwing up just sitting in bed. Her friends were dying in the healer’s room, assailed by an unknown attacker. A rage filled her heart, a rage mixed with fear. This attacker not only tried to kill her. But they tried to kill her child too. 

Suddenly the door to the room opened and Maegor entered alone. Quickly moving over to her before kneeling on the ground to meet her at eye level. 

“Shiera, I think I may have found a way to smoke out this culprit,” Maegor said, a deathly serious tone in his voice. 

“Tell me,” Shiera said in an instant. She needed to find this attacker. For her to feel safe in her own home again. 

“We need more testimony. Another set of eyes on what happened. The guards were too far away and we did not have the time to interrogate the chefs,” Maegor started and Shiera could feel a sense of foreboding build within her. 

“My handmaidens all fell ill, they are in no state to give testimony,” Shiera started but Maegor shook his head.

“I need you to use your glass candle and peer into Tyanna’s mind,” Maegor said with a sense of trepidation in his voice and he was right to be wary of her response. 

“Seriously Maegor?! Do you genuinely think Tyanna had something to do with this? Even still? She got poisoned too!” Shiera still fought hard for her friend. ‘What motivations could she even have?’ Shiera thought with a sense of disbelief. 

“Please Shiera! I need you to trust me here. I know it is her. I just need proof,” Maegor said, sincerity emanating from her voice. It made it hard to refute him. 

“Why? Why do you doubt her?” Shiera asked again.

“It does not add up Shiera, the weird looks she gives me, the chilling feeling I get around her, even the events you told me do not add up. Something is off here. Why did she drink so little tea compared to the other two ladies? Why was she so insistent on you drinking it too?” Maegor continued and for the first time, Shiera was starting to see things from his perspective. 

“You do realize the risks of this right? I am barely trained, any mess up could not only harm me but effectively render her a husk of a person,” Shiera was rather fearful of this usage of a glass candle. 

Queen Visenya had instructed her on this. She even peered into the mind of a few children during her stay on Dragonstone for practice. But peering into the mind of an adult was a wholly different game. 

Any number of complications could occur. She could be pushed out by a particularly strong mind, she could have her own mind rattled in the attempt if she was not careful, her very being could change if she slipped up in the process. Using a glass candle to peer into the mind of another was a wildly dangerous art. One she needed far more practice in. 

“I understand, and I dread the possibility of you getting hurt. But I dread the possibility of this assassin targeting you again. I trust you Shiera, I know you can do this,” Maegor said again, taking her hands into his own and Shiera sighed to herself. 

When had she stopped trusting her husband? When had she started taking his genuine concern as nothing but foolish fear-mongering? She would be cautious, but Maegor was right. She needed to find this assassin. She was entering the mind of an unconscious person anyway. The risks should be minimized. 

…

“Are you certain this is safe? Will this do any harm to my daughter?” Prince Nevio nervously asked Shiera as she took a seat behind the bed Tyanna was currently resting on. 

“I will be extra careful, Prince Nevio. Tyanna is my friend. We just need answers before this assassin potentially slips away,” Shiera said with a half-lie. Neither she nor Maegor let him know that Maegor suspected Tyanna was at fault. 

Opening the ornate box carrying the priceless artifact. The coal-black glass candle was gingerly placed in front of her and Shiera braced herself. The last time she had done this was with the active support of Queen Visenya. It was also on a child just five days old. Thus her mind was significantly stronger. 

This would be different. Tyanna was strong-willed and deeply intelligent. Even peering into her unconscious mind would be difficult. Not to mention her own less-than-perfect mental state. Yet she had to do this all the same. If Maegor was right, she would not get a chance again. 

‘Open…’ Shiera thought, with her eyes closed and she could feel the glass candle respond. A subtle warmth spread throughout the room as the light appeared to shine through her eyelids. 

“If I do not come out at a reasonable time, pull me out,” she told her husband. He had done astral projection with her before. He knew the process and how long she could use the candle without risking temporary blindness. 

As she heard her husband respond with affirmation, Shiera opened her eyes and stared deeply into the pitch-black flames of the candle. 

Entering another person’s mind was like jumping into a pool of absolutely frigid water. Actually moving through said mind was like wading neck deep through that same frigid water all the while feeling sluggish beyond belief. It was a thoroughly draining experience, for both parties. As any slip-up could cause unimaginable pain and suffering upon the one having their thoughts read. 

Shiera trudged through her friend’s mind then. Moving precariously and cautiously to avoid harming her as much as she could manage. Each step felt like it took hours as Shiera passed the pain and suffering Tyanna was currently feeling. Trying her damndest to get back just a few hours. To see exactly what her friend saw before they drank that tea. 

As Shiera made it into a concrete memory. Her mobility opened up more. Peering through Tyanna’s very eyes in the memory she wished to reach. She hoped beyond hope that Tyanna was not screaming in agony right now.

Blinking her eyes to orient herself, Shiera was back in the garden, this time staring at her own form through the eyes of her black-haired friend. Emotions that were not her own and thoughts she struggled to hear rang out in her head and Shiera focused on her very being. She was where she needed to be, she just had to focus. 

Suddenly, the emotions her friend was feeling were opened to her. Though her thoughts remained unintelligible and her vision remained blurred. The emotions made Shiera sick to her stomach.

Jealousy was the first word that came to mind. A level of jealousy and envy that beggared belief. It coated Tyanna’s entire person and the sheer scale of it stunned Sheira. Just her emotions were one thing but the feelings of contempt and annoyance towards her other two friends only made it hurt worse. 

‘Are we even friends?’ Shiera asked herself. With this level of envy and apathy towards herself and her friends. It made Shiera wonder if she was even in Tyanna’s mind. The same kind and pleasant Tyanna that Shiera had known for almost four moons now. She shared dozens of conversations with her and spent countless days together. Yet all Tyanna felt toward her was envy. 

Then the thoughts became clear. The sickening, polluting thoughts Tyanna secretly held of Shiera became clear in her view and Shiera felt like throwing up, as a sharp pain rattled her mind.

Tyanna had aspirations that much Shiera knew. She could never properly get Tyanna to spill them but she knew Tyanna desired more than what she had in life. Yet what Shiera was hearing was sickening. 

Tyanna of Pentos was obsessed with Maegor. He was in nearly every single thought Tyanna had. How to get to him. How to marry him. How to spend the rest of her life with him. How to get his children. It all sickened Shiera. Yet nothing else came even close to Tyanna’s thoughts on her. 

Tyanna wanted her gone. Whether that be by death or just sidelining Tyanna cared not but hearing these words. From her own friend’s voice. It felt like Shiera’s whole world fell apart, with pain readily appearing in her mind.

The final nail in this woman’s coffin was Shiera’s rapidly clearing vision. She watched as her own form retreated from the tea arriving and the rest of the ladies and a guard moved too. Unceremoniously, yet with a speed and quietness that mirrored an alley cat. Tyann pulled out a small bottle from within her dress and poured it into the teapot. Thinking of her own plot all the while. 

Poisoning herself with a smaller, non-lethal dose to ensure her survival and give her plausible deniability. 

Shiera wanted to break down at the sight. A betrayal even worse than Alyssa’s all those years ago. Far closer to home and far more dangerous to her person and life. Tyanna tried to not only kill her but to kill her child and take her place. She wanted Shiera’s whole life, her very being and existence were an insult in Tyanna’s eyes. 

Yet Shiera did not break down. She was not the same little girl who retreated into her shell when the wicked seahorse spat on her. She was a woman grown now, married to a dragon, with another dragon in her womb. She did not feel defeated, she felt enraged. 

The only other emotion she had besides rage was regret. She had failed in her duties. She had doubted her husband, which was not in and of itself wrong but she had done so irrationally, without taking into consideration his point of view or gut feeling. She offered him no aid here. She had merely been a liability.

Her eyes were opened now, however. She had been a fool. Still clinging to the girlish idea of acting on her own, dictating her life by herself for herself. That was not her situation anymore though. She was married, and her life was shared now. She had acted selfishly and foolishly. 

All the while her husband had done his best to defend her, to provide for her safety and comfort. Meanwhile, all she did was snub him at every opportunity. The realization made her violently angry at herself. Though she remained lucid enough to notice Tyanna toss the bottle from the balcony after she and the rest of her ladies had turned away and moved toward the table once more. 

Shiera would make Tyanna pay. Maegor had been correct. They were in grave danger in this city. Not just from the rapidly growing faction within the conclave but also from madmen and madwomen alike. 

With a newfound energy and determination. Shiera dug deeper and harder into Tyanna’s mind. She no longer cared for her pain or discomfort as she unceremoniously moved through memory after memory. Searching for when Tyanna crafted or purchased the poison. She knew it was Tyanna without a doubt. But she would need to prove it to the rest of Pentos. 

…

Before she could pull every scrap of information from Tyanna’s mind. She was suddenly pulled out by a strong hand gently clasping over her eyes. Suddenly being back in the real world. Shiera did her usual routine, deep breaths and a clear mind. 

There were mumblings and questions filling her ears but she did not listen. She would not put her own mind at risk. She had taken in a lot of information and she did not particularly want any adverse effects. 

It was not that long before she was coherent in her thoughts once more. She committed the merchant Tyanna purchased the supplies from and the location of the bottle to her memory before gently moving her husband’s hand from her eyes. 

Giving him a knowing look, Maegor sent one of relief back to her. Though her own thoughts were filled with an intense desire to take Dark Sister from her husband’s waist and stick it into Tyanna’s head. 

“What did you find, Lady Shiera?” Prince Nevio asked and Shiera dreaded what came next. He would surely fight them on this. 

“Tyanna was the one who tried to poison me and poisoned Fereah and Narha,” Shiera said unceremoniously, though she spotted the look of validation appear on Maegor’s face. 

“What?!” the prince and two magisters called out. A look of rage and indignation appeared on their faces. 

“What are these baseless claims, Lady Shiera!” Prince Nevio roared and every guard in the room, including Maegor, placed a hand on their sheathed swords. 

“They are not baseless, there is a shattered bottle on the ground outside of the manse. Just beneath the balcony, it was filled with poison and carried inside the sleeve of Tyanna’s dress,” Shiera began her explanation. She had gathered as much evidence as she could. 

“That is all you have to go on? Witch?” Prince Nevio continued his enraged rant before Maegor placed himself in between her and the prince. 

“My wife will not lie to me, she is telling the truth,” Maegor came to her defense and Shiera nodded along. She would not lie to her husband, even if it would be a kind lie. 

“This will not stand! I do not believe you!” the prince roared again before Magister’s Brenyl and Seltra intervened. 

“What if we took this to the conclave, they can decide on the truth with all the evidence mustered,” Magister Gessio Brenyl offered, he was clearly skeptical but much less so than the Prince. Which was understandable. 

“Very well, you will watch these baseless claims disappear in court! Guards let us go, take my daughter with us!” the prince said in a huff before storming out of the room. 

After he was gone, with his guards and unconscious daughter in tow, it was Magister Moredo Seltra’s turn to speak. “My lady, are you being completely truthful?” he asked, trepidation still in his tone. 

“I am, I have further evidence to back it up. I know the merchant she purchased the materials from and the room she made the poison in,” Shiera continued. She was prepared to back up her claims with the best evidence available, though Tyanna had covered her tracks rather well by not buying the poison and poisoning herself. 

“Then we will support you,” Magister Gessio said then, still cautious but it seemed he was at least humoring that her words were the truth.

“Thank you magisters, Tyanna will pay for her transgressions,” Maegor promised but both still looked apprehensive. 

“We will have to see how the conclave takes this news,” Magister Gessio Brenyl said once more before Maegor got up to leave the room and took her along. 

“We will leave you with your daughters. If you wish to bring your own healers here, I welcome you to do so,” he said with a friendliness that was entirely absent from his tone with the prince. 

“Very well, thank you, Prince Maegor,” the two magisters said as she and her husband left the room. 

As they walked the halls, Shiera felt a nagging feeling appear at the back of her mind. 

“I am sorry Maegor, sorry for doubting you,” Shiera suddenly blurted out. She had put not only herself but also their child in grievous danger. It would take time for her to truly come to terms with that, the last four moons of her life had just been put under a new light for her. 

He brought her into a hug then. “It is alright Shiera, I should have been more forceful, more convincing, and less irrational too,” Maegor gave his own confession but Shiera still blamed herself more. 

“Yet this will have consequences right? Prince Nevio was your close ally,” Shiera stated the obvious. They had alienated an influential and trusted ally with this move. Surely that would have consequences. 

“To hell with the consequences, your safety matters more to me than alliances with old men,” Maegor said with a certainty that brought a sense of calm to Shiera. She needed to think like him, and put their family first.