House of The Dragon-For The Queen, Not The Prince:What Could Have Been

(Third Person POV)

"Now, give it up for the first bout of the third round!" The announcer said as the crowd cheered, "Ser Gwayne Hightower goes up against Lord Aerion Targaryen!!" 

It was the third round, Ser Gwayne and Aerion had both won their previous bouts and advanced to the semi-finals. Daemon defeated Alan Beesbury and advanced as well, going on to face Ser Harwin Strong in the next bout after this one. 

As Gwayne rode his chestnut horse into position, there was a loud cheer for the gallant Hightower knight. The son of the Lord-Hand was a well-respected knight of House Hightower and was rather expected to advance this far in the Tourney. It was a shame for the Hightowers that Ormund, the heir to the Seat, that he was unable to do the same. 

Gwayne held the lance in his hand as he sat there, watching as the black steed came into view. Aerion's flowing cape was visible as the Bronze Dragonlord held his lance up vertically as he sat up straight, riding into position. 

In the stands, Queen Alicent Hightower let out a sigh, "For my brother to go against Aerion...." She said, "Ormund was unseated rather easily, don't you think, Father?" 

"Hm, Gwayne is a better jouster than Ormund." Otto said, "I don't doubt that he will prove a hefty challenge for His Grace's nephew....and favorite in this Tourney....." 

Viserys chuckled, "Don't take it personally, Otto." He said, "This is a bout between Targaryen and Hightower.....again....." 

"I do not take it personally, Your Grace. Aerion is but a loyal vassal to the Crown, as is Gwayne." Otto said, "This is just mere competition, there is nothing else to it. But my son's experience in these types of festivities does give him the edge." 

"Oh, do you want to make a friendly wager?" Viserys said, "How about.....100 gold?" 

"Your Grace?" Otto asked, "Is that a jest?"

"Viserys....." Alicent warned, "Do not gamble in front of your sons." 

Viserys chuckled even more, "Come on, 100 gold would not hurt." 

"I do not think it is appropriate." Otto said as he straightened up

"What, do you think you will make easy coin?" Viserys leaned back, "You are quite arrogant, Otto, haha!" 

"That is not the point." Otto said

"You can go ahead and make the wager, Ser Otto." Rhaenyra spoke up

Otto looked up, "Princess?" 

Rhaenyra had her hands on her lap, Visenya was in the arms of Elinda who was sitting next to her. She was looking at the Hand of the King, a serious look on her face. 

"You are very confident." Rhaenyra said, "I think you truly believe your son can defeat my husband. While it is true that Aerion is inexperienced when it comes to Jousting, he is not someone who would be easily dismounted on a Horse. He is a Dragonrider, after all." 

"Well....." Otto said, "Princess, Dragonriders have straps on their saddles." 

"Aerion has the habit of almost never wearing them." Rhaenyra said, "When diving down from the sky on dragonback, the wind hitting your chest is far harder than a lance wielded by ten knights." 

"Hm....." Otto said

"Alright, it's about to start." Viserys said, "100 gold or no?" 

"No." Alicent said firmly

"The Queen has spoken." Otto said

Back in the arena, the official signaled the start of the bout, and the moment the flags went down, both horses burst into a gallop. 

As the horses got closer to each other, both Gwayne and Aerion readied their lances, pointing forward at each other as they were about to clash. 

Then, in a swift moment, both of them struck each other hard on their shields. The tips of both lances shattered, and while Gwayne recoiled hard, Aerion did not budge one bit. Both horses were galloping at the same speed but it appears that Aerion was far sturdier than Gwayne. 

Both of them got into position yet again, replacing their lances as they immediately took off into the second tilt. The crowd watched with nothing but tension as the two of them met in the middle and clashed yet again. 

This time, Gwayne was able to strike Aerion in the helm, hitting him hard and causing his head to jerk back only a little. Aerion's lance struck Gwayne on the chest as well and shattered once again. Gwayne recoiled hard again, nearly being toppled but the Knight was able to be composed. 

The entire crowd had gasped in surprise and cheered as they both got into position once again, preparing for the third tilt. The cheers were that of excitement since both Knights were being resilient against each other. Up until this point, both of them had defeated their opponents by the second tilt, and now they were about to go for the third. 

Aerion replaced his lance and kicked his horse, taking off into a gallop as Gwayne did the same. The crowd got quiet once again, tension in the air as only the sounds of the horses' hooves were heard. 

Then, a loud shattering crash was heard as Gwayne Hightower was struck in the chest once again and flew off his horse, splinters flying everywhere in the air as he hit the ground hard, his head bouncing off the dirt. 

The moment this happened, the crowd erupted into a cheer, Aerion riding his broken lance towards the end of the lane. 

Otto Hightower stood up, seeing that his son laid on the ground motionless, a serious look on his face. 

"That was a hard hit...." Viserys said

Alicent stood up, "Someone get him!" 

Squires ran rapidly to get Gwayne off the ground. the sounds of his groaning gave both Otto and Alicent a sense of relief as Gwayne was dragged away. 

"And the winner!!" The announcer bellowed, "Aerion Targaryen!!" 

There was nothing but cheers and applause for Aerion who simply dismounted his horse and slowly walked over to the stalls where he simply took his helm off and leaned on the railings, as if patiently waiting for the next round. 

Rhaenyra looked at Aerion from afar, locking eyes with her husband for a few seconds. 

She gave him a smile, which prompted Aerion to give her an approving nod. 

The Princess felt something inside of her, some mixed feeling of excitement and admiration for her husband. She was watching something incredible; total domination of the sport that Aerion was indifferent off. 

"Seems I would have won the gold." Viserys said, "Well, I cannot complain." 

"Yes, Your Grace." Otto sat back down, "I apologize for not taking the wager." 

"Worry not, it is all well." Viserys chuckled, "My sweet daughter, what are your thoughts so far?" 

Rhaenyra smiled at him, "I suppose you can be ready to call me the Queen of Love and Beauty." She said with a joyous tone, 

"I know my husband will win it all."