-Chapter 152-
-POV Rhaenyra Targaryen-
Seated in the front rows, I quietly observed as Aemon entered the Dragonpit, followed by a hundred knights of the Order of the Bronze Shields, accompanied by a crowd of prisoners.
'There are far more than he initially captured,' I noted, still spotting, among the crowd, Harwin's brother, Larys, who was struggling even more than usual to walk.
"They are dragging him like a common criminal," murmured Ser Harwin to his father behind me.
Even though I wanted to turn around to comfort him, I refrained, as we did not need yet another scandal that could tarnish my reputation among the lords of the realm.
Silence fell over the hall as Aemon reached the top of the steps leading to the platform where the trial would take place, under the gaze of my father, the King, as well as his brother Daemon and the judges who had come from all corners of the realm to dispense justice.
'But it is impossible for this trial to be anything other than a mere farce he wants us to partake in,' I thought, waiting to see what would become of all the accused.
Aemon raised his hand and then spoke aloud, without even seeming to shout, yet his voice echoed like a thunderclap through the hall:
"LORDS AND LADIES OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS, I THANK YOU FOR COMING TO ATTEND THE TRIAL OF 173 TRAITORS TO THE REALM."
He quickly scanned the hall with his icy gaze before finally declaring, unsheathing his sword:
"AMONG THE 173 TRAITORS YOU SEE CHAINED HERE, THERE ARE MEN, BUT ALSO WOMEN, FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS IMAGINABLE. THERE ARE HARLOTS AS WELL AS KNIGHTS, AND ALL HAVE ACTED WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF WEAKENING THE HOUSE OF THE DRAGON."
"OF THESE 173 TRAITORS, 89 HAVE ALREADY BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF DELIBERATE TREASON, WHILE THE REST HAVE BEEN MANIPULATED BY THE TRAITORS TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS, EXPLOITING THE GREED AND CUPIDITY OF THESE FOOLS." Aemon said, glancing at the prisoners before concluding:
"THESE INDIVIDUALS CERTAINLY DESERVE DEATH, BUT IN ITS GREAT MERCY, HOUSE TARGARYEN HAS DECIDED TO SPARE THEIR LIVES. THE WOMEN SHALL BE CONDEMNED TO THE WALK OF ATONEMENT, WHILE THE MEN SHALL SERVE THE NIGHT'S WATCH UNTIL THEIR LAST BREATH."
I frowned at the harshness of the punishment, but I said nothing, as I clearly no longer had a say in the matter.
'Just like my father, for that matter,' I thought, observing him seated on a throne even higher than those of the High Judges, who overlooked everything and everyone from the platform.
'That arrogant cousin I have the misfortune of having no longer even bothers to hide, at least outwardly, that he is the one making all the decisions,' I told myself, having noticed, like everyone else in the room, that he had not said, "The Crown has decided to spare their lives," but rather "House Targaryen," implying that the highest authority in the realm had shifted and was no longer the King.
'It is sad to have come to this,' I thought, watching my father, who, in his old age, no longer had the fire of youth to do whatever it took to regain control over Aemon.
'His children are in the capital… In his place, I would have surely found a way to pressure him if I had Vermithor,' I mused, thinking of Alysanne, who had still not bonded with a dragon or hatched an egg.
'With the Bronze Fury in the prime of its strength and Vhagar growing ever older, we might have a card to play in a few years,' I thought, before being abruptly pulled from my thoughts by the sound of a wooden block being placed before Aemon.
"OF THE REMAINING 89, ONLY 4 HAVE NOBLE ENOUGH ROOTS TO BE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO PLEAD THEIR CASE BY PRESENTING A SATISFACTORY DEFENSE BEFORE THE KING AND HIS COURT, AS WELL AS THE HIGH JUDGES AND MYSELF."
I shook my head, as he had once again implicitly placed himself above the King in the phrasing of his statement, even if he had done so in a reversed manner—but I was not fooled.
"ALL OTHER GUILTY PARTIES SHALL BE EXECUTED WITHOUT DELAY." he said, motioning to his knights to bring forth the first guilty man.
'He wouldn't dare…'
"No, no, no, no, wait, wait, please, my prince, I was forced by the…"
SLASH
A head rolled.
"Next." he said, giving a kick to the corpse, which tumbled down the stairs, coming to rest at my feet, its severed neck still gushing blood.
I held back a scream, swallowing hard, focusing on anything else.
His order had been nearly whispered, yet the silence was so complete that I could hear it perfectly.
SLASH
"No, please, I have children…"
SLASH
"Mercy, ple—"
SLASH
No matter how much the guilty pleaded, Aemon remained entirely unmoved and deaf to their supplications.
He listened to none of them and continued his task with a cold expression.
Not aggressive.
Not hostile.
Simply closed off.
Devoid of all emotion.
He was solely focused on carrying out his task.
Head after head.
SLASH… SLASH… SLASH… SLASH…
---
-POV Aemon Targaryen-
SLASH
Once the 85th head was severed, I gently placed my sword on the ground, without looking at the blood trickling down toward its tip, now pointing at the floor.
I could clearly see, in the eyes of everyone watching me, that this had instilled a deep sense of unease. Waging war and coldly executing this many people were two entirely different things.
'As Lord of Runestone, you will have to make difficult choices. If you condemn a man, you must be able to wield the sword yourself, because otherwise, it would mean the sentence was not justified,' I thought, recalling my grandfather's words.
It was one of the few lessons he had taught me that I had always taken to heart because I never wanted to let power control me and turn me into a bloodthirsty monster.
'For traitors, it's different,' I thought, exhaling slightly, feeling no burden for what had just been done.
They were words similar to those of Ned Stark, and I finally understood how such an honorable man never hesitated to wage war for his family and his oaths.
'Unfortunately for them, I am not that kind of person,' I thought, watching Harlon Greyjoy, who was staring at me harshly. But deep within that stern gaze, I could sense the terror burning in his heart.
"Harlon Greyjoy, stand and kneel before me to answer for your crimes," I commanded the Lord of the Iron Islands.
He looked at me for a moment, and I could feel his hesitation.
But before he could refuse, Urrax, outside the Dragonpit, roared at full strength while flying low to the ground, causing the entire nobility to cower in fear.
ROAR OF URRAX
I struck the tip of my sword against the ground, and my knights did the same with their weapons before I shouted:
"SILENCE!"
Reducing all the terrified ladies to silence.
"Harlon Greyjoy, kneel or accept the fate reserved for traitors," I told the Lord of the Iron Islands, who finally quickened his pace, his gaze turning more 'humble,' despite the rebellious flame I could feel in the bones of every Ironborn.
'The flame of madness,' I thought, for only such a flame could drive a people to drown themselves just to prove their greatness.
Once before me, Harlon Greyjoy, who bore no resemblance to his weak and feeble descendants, lowered himself onto one knee and cast his gaze downward.
"You are accused of burning ships bearing the royal banner, as well as the ships of the corsair Saabhos Saan. What do you have to say in your defense?" I asked Harlon Greyjoy.
"We only followed the orders of the Crown," he replied in a measured tone.
"Why would the Crown sabotage its own ships?" I asked, feigning disbelief.
"I do not know," Harlon Greyjoy said before turning to Otto Hightower, who was watching us, surrounded by several knights, his gaze lost in the void, almost desperate, yet still holding onto a glimmer of hope:
"But the former Hand of the King ordered us to do it."
I raised an eyebrow before saying:
"Do you have any proof of this?"
"Letters signed in his own hand, along with his personal seal, the royal seal, and the seal of the Hand of the King," Harlon Greyjoy said, handing me a stack of letters, which I pretended to inspect before passing them to a knight, who then handed them to the judges. One by one, they began reading them in silence.
As the judges examined the letters, I briefly turned my gaze toward Otto Hightower, who was staring at me, eyes wide in shock.
'I come from the modern world, my dear Otto. If there is no proof, it doesn't matter... I can always create it,' I thought, locking eyes with him, ensuring he understood that this was my doing.
'I wanted them all to know.'
'To know exactly what it costs to stand in my way.'