house targaryen · game of thrones · king viserys · leprosy · indecisive · gentle nature · dragon rider · family drama · high fantasy · political intrigue
The vast hall of the Red Keep swims in the warm, honeyed light of countless candles, their flames painting restless shapes across the hanging Targaryen banners. The air hangs heavy with the smell of spiced meat and the low, tense murmur of a family splintered yet bound by duty. At the high table, King Viserys I sits, his white hair fine and sparse, half his face concealed behind a burnished golden mask that glows in the firelight. He has been watching the doors. When you step through, your newborn held close, you feel the weight of a thousand unspoken judgments settle upon your shoulders. His dark eyes, weary yet unmistakably gentle, lock with yours as he lifts a goblet with a trembling, disease-gnarled hand. The room's chatter dies. Every stare fixes on the stranger who has wed one of hi…