(121-07-28) Two Old Dragons in a Garden
Two Old Dragons in a Garden
Summary: Prince Jaehaerys gives Prince Dhraegon marital advise.
Date: Date of play (28/07/121)
Related: None
Players:
Jaehaerys..Dhraegon..

Dhraegon is clearly rather under the weather. He has a hammock set up in the shadiest part of the garden and honeyed lemonade close to hand. he is sitting up and speaking quietly to his younger kinsman. his voice is a base rumble, "Sooner better than later, I hope. I will do what I can here."

You know what's good when you're sick? Soup. Soup such as one might find in the bowl being held by one Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen as he steps out into the garden. He spoons a mouthful to his lips as he listens to Tommis, his gentleman's gentleman, explaining some element of the minutae of household running. "And that is why stewards have to be both trustworthy, and conniving."

Jae nods slowly as he sips from his spoon and he purses his lips, "How would one find trust in a person best qualified for such a position then? If they're to be conniving, that's hardly someone that engenders trust…" The two walk into the garden proper, having been so engrossed in their conversation to have not even noticed where they are.

Dhraegon was about to put his compress back over his eyes, when he spots… What looks to him to be the dead King, differences in beard aside. he shrieks and drops his lemonade. His attempt to jump off the hammock ends in a rather ungraceful prat fall. Dhraegon stares at the new arrival open mouuthed. Finally, he rasps, "Jaehaerys?"

The duo pause to watch Dhraegon's rather amusing faceplant and Jae raises his eyebrow, as he raises another spoonful of the soup to his lips. Setting the spoon back into the bowl, the elder gentleman scans the younger with his piercing purple eyes and nods slowly, "I am Jaehaerys, yes." He narrows his eyes, as if trying to place the individual before him, and finally he nods with a small smile, "You are… Raegar? No. Draego.. Dhregon! The late King's little…" He chuckles softly, though mirthlessly, "project."

Dhraegon peers up at him, still clearly confused by the whole thing. His mouth opens and closes like a fishes. Dhraegon, though younger than Jaehaerys is no youth and it takes him rather a while to get his legs properly under him. He nods, "I am Dhraegon… Jaehaerys?" His voice is deep, befitting his size, but the delivery is rather childlike.

Sipping some more soup from his spoon, Jae nods again, "Yes, yes. I am Jaehaerys." He moves to sit on a nearby garden chair, whilst Tommis has moved off to tend to some flowers near his master. "And you are Dhaegon the Simple, no? I haven't seen, nor heard of really, you since you were…" He sets his spoon in his bowl, and his bowl on the table near his chair. He then raises his hand to just above his knee and sighs, "since you were that tall."

Dhraegon rubs his forehead, the pain in his head just that worse. "You…" The light dawns, "You look like him." he doesn't seem to mind being called simple. "I thought you were him for a moment… I know he's dead, really I do." Innocent lavander eyes tear up, "I miss him. We used to have cakes in the garden sometimes…"

"We all look a little alike," Jae says slowly, "Traditions being what they are and all." The tradition he speaks of is, naturally, that cousins and siblings boink like rabbits. "He's been dead a long time now." Jae shrugs slowly and settles an old, somewhat knarled hand on the younger man's arm, "I don't know about cakes, but I do like spending time in this garden." He gestures with his free hand to a small plot of land graced with saplings, "Do you garden, much?"

The tears roll down unashamedly as he sits by the older man, and leans against the arm of his chair, "I love the garden. Did you know you can make traps for slugs with cups and beer? I've been setting them. I… I have boats? For the fountains? This is my favoarate place here… They let me see the Gardens at the hightower when I went to see Ser..Ser Osmund? Ormund? He was nice, but I am scared about the wedding. Why can't I just stay here?"

Shrugging slightly, Jae sighs, "We all have to do things we don't want to." He chuckles a little and shrugs again, "I'm not a fan of big social outings either. Far too many people trying to impress people that either don't care, or are trying to impress other people too hard to notice." He shakes his head, "Waste of time, effort and money. And it's never really about the married couple anyway."

Dhraegon sighs, "It's not the party that's scary, it's the marriage. I don't have a sister so I thought… The people in the picture they showed me were smiling and they say it won';t hurt, but I… It's really scary and I don't know what she will be like. What if she isn't nice and yells and… and expects things."

The patented Jaehaerys' Own Oh Crap Alert sounds in Jae's mind as he stares at the younger gentleman and he nods slowly, almost knowingly. "You're still…" He pauses and searches around for Tommis, who is conspicuously on the other side of the garden, having made his escape as the conversation progressed, "Damn… You're uhm. You haven't?" He glances back at the child-like man and tilts his head, "You've not bedded, yet?"

Dhraegon peers up at him, and explains carefully, "I haven't a sister. I… a friend suggested I practice kissing. It's _weird_ though. Maester garth said it would be bad if babies grew on trees because of the worms and the ravens, which is sensible but… but they don't look like us and I've never been surrounded by people who aren't _us_ before…"

"I… see." The elder gentleman leans back in his seat and moves his bowl from the table to the lap, the soup still enjoyably warm, he sups at a spooned mouthful. He sighs and nods slightly, "Who is your betrothed? Do you know her name?"

Dhraegon's brow furrows with the effort of remembering, "Lady Alais.. Adalais Hightower? Something like that. I haven't meant her yet. She is in the country. They showed me the gardens and my room though."

"I see," Jae says again, much more resolutely this time. "She certainly sounds like the kind of person you should be marrying, given your lack of a sister." He taps his spoon to his pursed lips and nods, "We should teach you, however, the necessary things to… ensure a happy household, at the very least."

Dhraegon looks at Jaehaerys with frank alarm, "What… what are you wanting me to do? Um… will there be mead first?" He looks absolutely terrified by whatever he immagines might come next.

Apparently not dissuaded by the expression on his kinsman's face, Jae nods slowly, "Mead is traditionally supplied, yes." He grins a little and sups more from his spoon, "I shall have to find the right girl, of course. And these things take time." He turns to Dhraegon, "How long do we have? Before your wedding, I mean."

Dhraegon is staring open mouthed at his older kinsman, "M-Months. I think. We are still ordering drink to be brewed… What? How?"

"Hmm, yes. Noble, but not too high birth as to cause a scandal of course." Jae taps his spoon to his lips again and nods to himself, "Someone that would be discreet, and yet capable of the kind of education we require…" Grinning, again to himself, Jae beams, "Visenya! She'd know somebody perfect for the uh… position. For lack of a better term. Or one funnier." He chuckles at his little joke and nods, "Draegon, my friend. We are going to make a man out of you at last."

"Hmm, yes. Noble, but not too high birth as to cause a scandal of course." Jae taps his spoon to his lips again and nods to himself, "Someone that would be discreet, and yet capable of the kind of education we require…" Grinning, again to himself, Jae beams, "Visenya! She'd know somebody perfect for the uh… position. For lack of a better term. Or one funnier." He chuckles at his little joke and nods, "Draegon, my friend. We are going to make a man out of you at last."

Dhraegon keeps staring like a startled rabbit, "Visenya is young enough to be my daughter or grand daughter…. I… you promise there will be lots of mead? And cakes?"

"Not Visenya, you dolt." Jae says, still distracted from the conversation with his own thoughts, "She'd know somebody suitable." He scratches his cheek and nods to himself, "Most definitely. Probably her age though… that shouldn't be too bad. It's expected." He sighs softly and frowns, "I expect we can get cakes…"

Dhraegon draws his knees up to rest his chin on them, "You promise it won't hurt? I… It's all so scary. I don't want to fail the new king though. He said it was an important alliance."

While Jaehaerys doubts that an alliance of any actual import would be left to the feeble-minded Dhraegon, he doesn't voice this opinion. Instead, the bearded oldy guy that looks as though he could take over from God when Morgan Freeman retires, shrugs his shoulders, "It won't hurt. You, at least."

Dhraegon looks relieved, "I.. They did explain I was meant to till her with my trowel and put the seeds inside her furrow, but I'm not sure how that is meant to work. It's all so complicated!"

"Till her wi…" Jae pauses mid-spoonful and nods gravely, "Instinct, my lad. Instinct. When confronted with the problem at hand, you will know what to do." He finishes his spoonful and smiles, "As the pigs rut in their sty, and the cows and the bulls in their fields, so shall you in your marriage bed."

Dhraegon rubs his aching forehead, "What if… what if I have no instincts? What if she… laughs."

"Then you show her that you are worthy of respect and obedience," Jae says simply, "With the back of your hand if you have to." He continues eating, as if telling a man to beat his wife were the normal way of things.

Dhraegon is staring at him with open mouthed horror again. "That's mean. Hitting. Especially when they are smaller."

"Laughing is mean too, isn't it?" Jae says, without turning to observe his kinsman, instead downing another spoonful of soup, "Sometimes people have to be shown force to get them to do their duty." He points at Dhraegon with his spoon and nods, "It is her duty to be your wife, and it is your duty to help her see that duty through."

Dhraegon sighs and looks downcast, though his tone is childishly ernest, "I swore I would do my best to make her a good husband so we might be better friends with the Hightowers. I really will try. I just.. wish things didn't have to change so much."

Jaehaerys smiles magnanimously to his slightly younger kinsman and nods, "Not all change is bad, you know. Every man deserves the chance to have a wife, and children." He leans back slowly and settles his empty bowl and spoon on the table again, "They are our legacy. Forged through strife to progress our great civilisation, et cetera, et cetera."

Dhraegon sighs again, "Did you hear Visenya's dragon toasted a knight and flew away? It is a shame you missed our birthday party."

"I did hear that," Jae says with a slight smirk, "That news reached all the way to Kings Landing, I might add." He chuckles softly and sighs contentedly, "I'm not very good at parties. All of *my* friends are too old for them, else they're dead already."

Dhraegon looks up, clearly distressed, "I am sorry for that. It's certainly lonely for me since the Old King died. Flox takes good care of me, but it's not the same.

Jae grins and shakes his head, "Don't be sorry. Most of us old folks are too tired for parties anyway. And couldn't be having with celebrating our birthdays, far too many days since birth and not enough to death for us."

Dhraegon smiles whistfully, "Everyone here at the manse seems so young. I was a man grown when they were born…"

Nodding slowly, Jaehaerys chuckles, "Oh don't I know it? I've got grandchildren their age. And I had a son when you were still in swaddling clothes."

Dhraegon stares up at him, "You did? What is he like? Does he live here to?" He asks like a child hoping for a playmate.

"Alas no," Jae says softly, "He serves in the household guard. Not the Kingsguard, mind, we aren't a powerful enough branch of the family to warrant that attention. But he serves."

Dhraegon says my route, "We all serve when we are called." In a wistful tone, "I'm not allowed to play with swords. Someone could get hurt. he must be very strong and clever."

"That is true," Jae says with a nod, "And this marriage is your calling, isn't it?" He smiles warmly and leans forward slightly, clasping his hands in his lap as the slight breeze wafts around them, "He's quite talented at what he does. Though he doesn't know how to float little boats in fountains."

Dhraegon giggles, "The boats are fun. Sometimes we have raqces with reeds to make the wind. We used wax to make them float better." He nods, "I want to do a good job for the king…. I'm not from an important branch either. I think. My parents had an accident, you know."

"I was born on a boat," Jae says with a grin, "A long time ago, we have more boats now." He leans an elbow on the arm of his chair and nods as Dhaegon explains the mechanics of boat floatation. "What do you make the boats out of? Is it a special kind of material?"

Dhraegon warms to his subject, "The ones Flox got for me were oak like real boats, but I made the houseboat out of twigs and sticks I found in the garden. Flox had to make the planks for me because I'm not allowed knives, but I made the house part all by myself! It's got a little space to put the slugs in and the wax makes it float!"

Jaehaerys nods, clearly interested (or faking it exceptionally well), "Oak, and twigs! Quite a combination of boat materials." The beard nods again and he smiles, "Have you thought about designing a boat? A real one? I'm sure the King would like to hear of it."

Dhraegon nods his head, "I talked to a shipwright yesterday about one." He winces, "I may have had too much stout. He seemed nice though."

Grinning a little, Jae nods understandingly, "Sailors do like to drink… among many other things." He chuckles softly and stands from his seat, collecting up his bowl and spoon, "I must be off. Messages to reply to, ravens to send. You keep relaxing, work off that headache." He grins again and moves towards the Manse, his items well in hand.

Dhraegon says, "It was nice meeting you. Sorry I… was upset earlier."

"Think nothing of it," Jae says before he disappears back inside the Manse, with Tommis following soon after.

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