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

"Be careful, he’ll want your head." Rhaenys said with a solemn tone. "He can find any reason to feed you to Caraxes."

"That sounds extremely painful." Touching his own face, Matthos remarked with a touch of helplessness. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to declare who he would vote for. Yet Daemon and Rhaenys had forced him to choose right from the start.

"I’ll lock myself away until the end of the Council; I’d like to see him drag me out of my chambers at Harrenhal." Matthos said with a sad smile. He truly wanted to return to Highgarden; at least there he didn’t have to deal with the Targaryens.

Rhaenys said nothing and simply nodded. She herself could not protect Matthos, not if Daemon found a reason to kill the Lord of Highgarden. In the end, the best thing was to keep her distance until Jaehaerys arrived and brought Daemon to heel.

Rhaenys rose and, before leaving, turned and spoke in a calm tone. "Do that, but keep in mind that if you betray me, I’ll be the one feeding you to Maelys."

It’s just as my father said: the only good Targaryen is a dead Targaryen. Matthos drank his wine and thought with cold detachment. This feeling of being controlled and threatened at every turn was truly unbearable.

Of course, he didn’t dare say that aloud. If he did and some treacherous lord reported it to the king, he could already picture himself committing suicide with seven knives in his back.

"Are you all right, my lord?" Robert Redwyne asked in a concerned tone.

Matthos didn’t answer; he looked at Princess Gael, seated on the black stone throne, then turned to Robert with a smile. "I was thinking about how we are mere mortals before gods; we have no choice but to feel powerless before House Targaryen."

"That is how the people of Essos lived for five thousand years. Wherever the Valyrians went, people offered their wives, offered mountains of gold and silver, and knelt like mortals before gods." Robert said calmly.

Lucky them, to have freed themselves from the Valyrian Empire. Matthos thought bitterly. He truly wished House Targaryen weren’t so powerful and that they had no dragons; that would be the ideal world, one where no king could ever be strong enough to reshape it.

As things stood, if the king wished to change the laws and centralize power, Jaehaerys truly could and no one could stop him. Something Maekar had never quite understood. Maegor had done all the dirty work; Jaehaerys only needed to consolidate power, but never did.

"Drink, my lord, only drink can truly give you a good night’s sleep." Robert said with a smile and filled Matthos’s cup to the brim.

"I think you want me to wake up with a hangover." Matthos rolled his eyes but drained the wine in one go, drawing laughter and cheers from the men around him.

That same night, in the chambers prepared for Matthos, the Lord of Highgarden could be found alongside Boremund Baratheon.

"I never imagined you would actually support Princess Rhaenys." Matthos remarked, looking at the tall, muscular man.

"My nephew would have been the finest king this continent has ever known, but the gods grew envious of us poor mortals and took him from us." Boremund spoke in a somber tone; he couldn’t help but think of Aemon, the perfect prince whom Jaehaerys had taught everything he could.

Matthos shook his head; Boremund was supporting Rhaenys out of sentiment alone, not self-interest, which didn’t surprise him. Boremund had loved Aemon like a son.

"Boremund, are you sure about this? I’ve just made myself an enemy of Daemon." Matthos said with a bitter edge.

"Don’t worry, Rhaenys will protect you, not to mention we’re in Harrenhal; Princess Gael won’t let Daemon do as he pleases." Boremund reassured his friend with a confident smile. "It’s two dragons against one."

Matthos was not as optimistic as Boremund. He had seen Daemon’s gaze; that was not the look of a man who was easily intimidated. Still, as Boremund had said, it wasn’t so simple for Daemon to act against him.

As long as Caraxes could be kept out of the equation, defending himself against Daemon within Harrenhal was manageable. That brought Matthos some comfort, at least a little. Daemon wasn’t mad, was he?

On the other side, Gael looked out at the empty hall and then at Lords Blackwood and Darry. These two men had helped her enormously, especially with the cleaning of the castle. She herself didn’t feel safe, even with Lord Lyonel Strong’s help.

"Princess, everyone saw that Rhaenys won the support of Lord Matthos; this is an opportunity for us." Rederick smiled and looked at Gael with a respectful air. His eyes seemed cold and deep.

"What opportunity?" Gael asked, puzzled. To her eyes, this was terrible news; how could such a thing be considered an opportunity?

"We can use Prince Daemon’s actions to implicate Prince Viserys." Roderick said with a cold smile. "Everyone witnessed the conflict between Daemon and Matthos. If he were to die, we could lay all the blame on Prince Daemon and then spread rumors that it was Prince Viserys who ordered the killing, to keep his enemies from growing stronger."

(Note: I am not casually conspiring against Matthos; he does in fact die in the year 101, though it is not specified whether before or after the Great Council.)

Darnold looked at his friend and couldn’t help but think that he was truly a gifted politician and schemer. It was no wonder Maekar had once said Roderick was well-suited for the post of Master of Whisperers on the Small Council.

Gael hesitated; she looked at Roderick and voiced her concerns. "If we have him killed, could that damage Maekar’s reputation? After all, if Matthos dies in the castle, people will think us incompetent for failing to ensure our guests’ safety."

"You are right, Princess." Roderick looked at Gael with a gentle air, as though regarding a daughter. "But we have two advantages on our side. First, House Targaryen’s occupation of Harrenhal is still very recent; it is only natural that the castle would not be entirely secure, especially given the number of people within its walls."

"Forgive the indelicacy of my next words, but as a woman, everyone will find it perfectly natural for you to fall short in your duties." Roderick replied calmly to Gael’s concerns.

Gael showed no sign of displeasure at the words of Maekar’s great-uncle. She knew better than anyone that this might well be true, at least in the eyes of the lords. Unexpectedly, something as ugly as prejudice had become useful in this moment.

The princess looked at Roderick and admired the man’s shrewdness. Using the assumptions in people’s minds as a political weapon was something she had never even considered before. It showed her how much she still had to learn, especially if she wanted to be the wife Maekar needed.

After a moment’s hesitation, Gael clenched her fists, then let a look of resolve settle over her face. Looking at Roderick, she said: "Don’t kill him on the first day, let him stay alive for a few more days. We’ll let the rumors about their quarrel grow."

"Yes, my princess." Roderick bowed and replied in a respectful tone.

He was growing more and more pleased with Gael; the girl’s growth was plain to see. This was very welcome in his eyes, for he knew that only a great woman could help Maekar carry out his nephew’s plans.

Suddenly, Gael’s face went pale and a wave of nausea hit her hard. She braced herself on the arm of the black stone throne and doubled over to the side. A moment later, she began to vomit, the sounds of retching escaping her.

The faces of her ladies-in-waiting, Roderick, and Darnold changed drastically. They all drew close to the princess with anxious, worried looks.

"I’m fine, just nauseous; I had a little too much to drink." Gael wiped her mouth with her arm and spoke in a voice still weak and drained.

Roderick and Darnold, however, exchanged a glance. Both read the expression on the other’s face and nodded.

"I’ll send for Harrenhal’s maester." Roderick said with a calm look, his eyes dropping briefly to Gael’s stomach with a glint of quiet hope.

Though Gael felt it was unnecessary, she caught Roderick’s concerned expression and nodded. Either way, there was nothing wrong with her, and it wouldn’t hurt to spare a little time.

-------

Note: A report appeared in my country.A flight instructor was teaching a woman how to fly a small plane. Suddenly, the man turns and says to the woman, "You know what to do."Then he simply jumps out of the plane without a parachute.

Take care of your mental health.

Read the advanced Chapters on my Patreon!

/GOTSW

Read my other books:

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

Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos

Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.

Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard