House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

In the Red Keep, inside Daemon’s room.

Amidst the smell of milk of the poppy and medicinal herbs, a furious roar could be heard even from the other side of the castle.

"REVENGE!!!!"

"I WANT REVENGE!!!!"

"REVENGE!!!!"

The maesters shuddered but did not stop their care for Daemon even for a moment. Grand Maester Allar stepped away from the bed and walked towards the king with a worried expression.

"My king, the bleeding in the arm will not stop and, if it continues, Prince Daemon... will die," the Grand Maester said, looking at the king.

"What do you recommend?" Jaehaerys’s expression was calm and impassive.

"Using a hot iron to cauterize the wound," Allar said with a hesitant tone. "This method is very painful and could cause trauma to Prince Daemon. I have seen men go mad after suffering such pain."

"Then do it," Jaehaerys said in a terrifyingly calm and chilling tone. "He cannot die, not after I have paid so much to Maekar."

Allar wanted to say something, but seeing the king’s eyes, he closed his mouth and sighed. He quickly began the preparations.

A few minutes later, the iron used for branding horses was so hot it had turned a golden hue. Holding the iron with the extremely hot tip, Allar looked at the other Maesters and spoke in a calm tone. "Hold Prince Daemon firmly."

The maesters did so. Soon, the sound of Daemon’s screams intensified, and the foul smell of burning human flesh hung in the air.

Outside the room, Viserys, Aemma, Rhaenyra, Rhaenys, and Corlys turned pale. Especially little Rhaenyra; she might never forget those bestial screams for the rest of her life. The little princess turned pale and hid in her mother’s dress.

Viserys looked at his daughter with pity and pulled her into his arms. He looked at the door with a complex gaze full of helplessness. He didn’t understand why things had come to this point. Although Maekar was a bastard, he was still his brother. He didn’t understand why Daemon would make such drastic decisions.

And if it weren’t for their grandfather, Daemon would be dead right now; now, without an arm and with a scar on his handsome face.

With a bang, the door opened and Jaehaerys, accompanied by Ser Ryam Redwyne, emerged from the room. He looked at everyone there, but before he could say anything, he caught a glimpse at the end of the corridor of a guard wearing a gold cloak running towards him.

"My king, Prince Baelon..." The Gold Cloak spoke with an expression of pain and mourning. "The Maesters said the prince does not have much time and is calling everyone to say goodbye to him."

When the Gold Cloak finished speaking, a suffocating silence hung in the air; no one dared to breathe, only the king’s slightly faster breathing could be heard.

"Go call Alysanne, Maekar, and Gael," Jaehaerys said after a brief moment of silence. He seemed calm, his body more upright than ever. He had already lost too many sons and daughters, and although his heart was torn by the pain of losing yet another son, his expression was calm and cold.

Without even looking at the rest of his family, he left with Ryam, who accompanied the king in complete silence.

"Let’s go to my father’s room..." Viserys said with a heavy tone and a trembling voice. He had already lost a son and countless stillbirths in the early years of his marriage to Aemma. He understood the pain of losing a child.

So he understood the pain his father was going through at that moment.

(Note: Viserys married Aemma when she was eleven and consummated the marriage two years later, when Aemma was thirteen and had come of age. In the following years of the marriage, Aemma lost many children still in the womb and only one was born; it was a boy, but he was stillborn.)

Maekar, Gael, and Alysanne also received the news quickly.

"Let’s go," Maekar said in a calm tone, but inside, he was surprised by the news. Baelon shouldn’t have died this year, but the next. However, thinking about what happened, Maekar presumed that he had indirectly caused his own father’s death.

Maekar walked to his father’s room, with Gael and Alysanne each holding one of his arms. Both were visibly sad and shaken. Alysanne did not have her husband’s coldness and indifference; she had lost many sons and daughters and only wanted to grieve in peace.

The three quickly reached the bedroom door and, ignoring the Kingsguard, entered the room. The smell of poppy was in the air, mixed with a touch of medicinal herbs.

Looking around, all members of House Targaryen and their descendants were present. Including the son and daughter of Rhaenys and Corlys, Laena and Laenor.

Maekar looked at Jaehaerys, who was beside the bed, and then looked at Baelon in the bed. He seemed relaxed from the milk of the poppy, but there was a wax-like pallor on his face. The eyes full of strength that Maekar had seen on his last visit were now cloudy in the dim light.

Baelon was dying.

"Viserys and Maekar." Baelon’s weak voice sounded, and Viserys approached quickly, followed immediately by Maekar.

With his vision clearer than ever, Baelon looked at both his sons and showed a trace of guilt, especially looking at Maekar. At that moment, he could see his cold eyes staring at him like a stranger.

Baelon coughed violently but forced himself to speak. "You are brothers; I hope you unite, *cough*... and make House Targaryen stronger... *cough*... *cough*..."

"You don’t need to speak, Father; Maekar and I understand. When he has a son, I will marry Rhaenyra to him so we can be a united family." Viserys held his father’s hand tightly and spoke with a tone full of sadness.

A trace of relief appeared on Baelon’s face; he looked at Maekar with a pleading gaze.

Faced with that look, the anger and indifference Maekar had felt earlier seemed to disappear for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded, which made Baelon show a smile.

Baelon looked back at his father and said with a smiling tone, even in death. "Father, Gael loves Maekar; let them both marry."

Jaehaerys contorted his lips, about to refuse, but looking into his son’s eyes, the words of refusal could not be spoken, and he nodded with a touch of reluctance.

Baelon’s smile grew; it was the first time he had convinced his father of anything, and it made him smile more than ever. Turning his gaze to Gael and Alysanne, his look softened.

"Gael, be a good wife and make a beautiful family with Maekar; only come to meet me when you are old and ugly." Baelon spoke with a smile, and Gael, with tears streaming from her eyes, nodded frantically.

"Mother, forgive me for causing you more pain. When I see my brothers and sisters again, I will tell them that you missed everyone." Baelon said in a gentle tone and a look full of nostalgia. He looked at his mother and added with a joking tone. "And remember, don’t come to meet me too soon; I still want to spend a few years alone with Alyssa."

Alysanne did not speak; she only wiped the tears that flowed incessantly. She tried to smile, to show a strong image for her son even at the end, but she found she could not be like Jaehaerys. She loved him too much to seem so calm at a moment like this.

Seeing his mother crying, just as in the deaths of his brothers and sisters, Baelon felt his throat go dry and his face showed sadness, but before he could say anything, he began to cough uncontrollably and doubled over in bed with an expression of pain.

Under the shocked eyes of everyone, blood stained the bed as Baelon did not stop coughing violently.

"Quick, do something!!!!" Jaehaerys shouted, and Grand Maester Allar, despite being too old, ran faster than anyone and served a bowl of milk of the poppy to the prince.

Baelon’s pain finally subsided, but the expression of pain was still present on his face. When Baelon thought he was dying, he discovered that the last face he wanted to see was not his mother’s or his father’s, but Maekar’s, the son he had only ignored.

Turning his body, despite his body’s protest, he reached out his hand towards Maekar, but his strength ran out before reaching Maekar, and his hand fell towards the bed.

At the same moment, his vision began to darken, and when he was about to completely lose the battle against death, he felt his hand being held tightly and smiled. In the last moment of his life, his son had still forgiven him.

’Forgive me for being such a bad father... Maekar... I wanted to see you marrying Gael and having beautiful children...’ With the light fading from his eyes, the eyes of the Spring Prince still stared at Maekar with a look of guilt and pain.

Baelon of House Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone, The Brave, The Spring Prince, had died in his room in the Red Keep.

At the same time, the succession crisis officially began.

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Note: Sorry for the delay today; I was in another city resolving issues for a company.

Read the advanced Chapters on my Patreon!

/GOTSW

Read my other books:

House of The Dragon: The Pale Prince

Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos

Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.

Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard