Yeah, this honestly sounds much more realistic, fun and believable. Some Team Black fics just go a little too overboard with the idea that the Greens don’t know how to rule at all, despite doing just that for several years, don’t know a lick about politics, despite living in the Red Keep for most of their lives, and basically just want to burn the whole world down via pure stupidity and arrogance. Like, just let these two families go their separate ways once and for all with the Blacks ignoring the Greens and just doing their own thing overseas and achieving their own greatness, while the Greens proceed to look on in jealousy. Now, THAT sounds much more realistic.
By all means, say what you will about him, but Otto Hightower seemed to be a pretty decent Hand of the King during his time in office, personal ambitions aside. I mean, he may have been more than a little ambitious, but honestly, who isn’t? Just look at Tywin Lannister, Olenna Tyrell, Renly Baratheon, etc etc, and almost every single noble member of the South there ever was in ASOIAF, or anyone who ever tried to throw their daughter at a King at one point or another. He also seemed to take a lot of personal pride in his work as Hand, worked hard and seemed to enjoy it. So, I don’t think he would just suddenly ruin the realm after the Blacks left Westeros, and suddenly cast Westeros into darkness and let it suddenly just descend into complete and utter chaos and anarchy. Especially since the Greens have essentially been ruling in Viserys’ name and in his stead for almost a solid decade at this point and nothing too terrible has happened in that time period. Like, they could have done almost anything, but they didn’t and they honestly didn’t seem to be doing too terrible of a job looking after the realm. Alicent seems to also have a pretty decent head on her shoulders and she was essentially Queen Regent for a time. Again, she ruled in Viserys’ name and the realm didn’t fall apart under her watch. And, if anything, Aegon II is just as likely to be another Viserys in the making (albeit a lustful, lecherous, and drunken one) in that he’ll probably just have his Small-Council govern and rule for him and in his stead while he mostly just coasts through life on the basis of being the first-born son, basks in their praises, and enjoys the pleasures of being a King.
Like, they’re not gonna be great, you know, but they’re probably not going to be absolutely terrible at it either?
The Greens are religious, yes, but Jaehaerys and Alysanne seemed to be quite religious too, or at least made a show of it, as well as many other Targaryens in the (once?) future Targaryen dynasty, but they still didn’t try and convert the North. Aegon the Conquer had an agreement with both the followers of the Seven and the Old gods, and the Targaryens stuck to it, even if they sometimes looked down on them for their religion. Starting a war over religion for no reason except just to do so, especially so early on in Aegon’s reign, would be pretty pointless. And Otto and Aegon seem pretty relaxed and more laidback about their Faith than, say, Aemond and Alicent.
Otto might very well soon be removed from his post though if Aegon grows a backbone. He replaced him as Hand with Criston Cole in canon during the war.
Comment on Destiny of the Dragons: A Dream of Restoration
hiraeth_fernweh02 on Chapter 1 Sun 10 Mar 2024 05:47PM UTC
Last Edited Sun 10 Mar 2024 08:22PM UTC
Comment Actions