Chapter 68 - The Coronation (III)
"Don't underestimate people's faith, their self-centeredness can make real empires collapse under the weight of religion." Aenar Targaryen thinking about the Bible on his lap.
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The news of the attempted assassination of the Son of Light, the messiah of these people, the one who transformed their lives, brought freedom to the slaves and hope to the oppressed, aroused an overwhelming fury in the heart of every devout believer. For them, this was more than a crime: it was an unforgivable blasphemy against their faith.
What followed was absolute chaos. Everything related to the Old Blood behind the Black Walls was stoned, destroyed and vandalized. Popular anger took on such frightening proportions that even the most powerful trembled before it.
Under the influence of Aenar's manipulative doctrine, spread by his fanatical interpretation of the sacred scriptures, the people stopped acting like individuals: they became a sharp blade, ready to obey him without question.
Under Benerro's orders, twenty thousand of the Red Legion's forty thousand soldiers took to the streets, marching towards the imposing Black Walls.
The gates, apparently impenetrable, proved useless in the face of internal treachery. Spies, disguised as slaves in the service of Valyria's descendants, turned against their masters without hesitation, seduced by the irresistible promise of sweet freedom.
(Note: I'll change the name of the Red Army to the Red Legion).
Twenty thousand men stormed the Black Walls, entering a place reserved only for the Descendants of Valyria and their slaves.
What followed over the next few hours was a display of pure brutality, as cruel as it was ruthless. There was no looting or rape, just methodical extermination without discrimination.
Men, women, the elderly and children all met a quick and painless death, the only form of mercy that Aenar granted them, as he wished to eliminate any potential threat to his power in the future.