Chapter 105: Chapter 104 - Loyalty (II)
Chapter 105: Chapter 104 - Loyalty (II)
"Come, let's go eat." Maekar extended his arm to Melisandre and said with a smile. The witch looked at the prince in surprise and looped her arm through his.
As they walked to the door of the room, Maekar whispered to Melisandre in a calm tone. "You may hear some unpleasant things, but let me deal with the consequences."
Melisandre merely nodded her head. She was not the least bit surprised by the prejudice, caution, and distrust from all the inhabitants of Westeros. She was already used to such things.
Maekar and Melisandre walked with their arms linked while they spoke calmly about some exotic customs of Essos. Especially some curious places extremely far from the Known World.
"Is Sothoryos truly a continent as big as Essos, or is it smaller?" Maekar asked in a curious tone. Just imagining an entire continent full of unexplored riches made his heart beat faster. Perhaps this was how the English felt upon seeing a new land.
And, when it came time to think about colonization, Maekar did not seem the least bit resistant to such a thing. Of course, he also did not think it would be something easy. After all, even the Valyrian Empire faced defeat at the hands of the native peoples, let alone House Targaryen.
The Valyrian Dominion established three colonies on Basilisk Point. The first was destroyed by the Spotted Men, the second was lost to plague, and the third was abandoned when the dragonlords took Zamettar during the Fourth Ghiscari War. This showed that colonizing this continent was extremely difficult, not to mention the scorching heat, animals, and unknown diseases. Colonizing a new place was extremely dangerous and costly, not just in money, but in human lives. "It truly is big," Melisandre said in an amused tone. It was the first time Maekar had shown himself as a normal teenager, full of curiosity. "What we know came especially from Jaenera Belaerys."
"She flew with her dragon, Terrax, further south into Sothoryos than anyone had ever gone. She returned to the Valyrian Empire after three years, having found only jungles, deserts, and endless mountains. She said the continent was as big as Essos, a land without end."
Maekar could not help but show a look of envy. Unraveling the world seemed fun; perhaps that was why Dragonlords traveled the world on their dragons. Unfortunately, he could not do the same, for he had ambitions and
responsibilities. He could not be like a child and abandon everything, especially Gael, pregnant with his child.
Suddenly, while Maekar and Melisandre were talking, they arrived at the Chamber of the Painted Table and saw all the lords speaking in low voices. With Maekar's entrance, the whispers fell silent. Looking at the intimate gesture between the prince and the witch, everyone glanced at each other and saw the caution in each other's eyes.
No one was foolish; there was only one reason for the Red Faith to come to Dragonstone. And, seeing how Maekar was treating Melisandre, they were certain the prince had accepted the red witch's loyalty. This left them cautious and full of distrust.
"My prince, we were talking about the attack on Myr." Corlys looked deeply at Melisandre and spoke, looking at Maekar.
The prince nodded his head and separated from Melisandre. He walked to the
table and sat in the main seat. The red witch stood behind the chair, looking at everyone with a smile while keeping her hands over her belly.
"You may continue speaking," Maekar said in a calm tone. He stroked his hand, which had burned skin, and looked at everyone with a calm gaze.
However, aside from Corlys, no one seemed willing to say anything. The distrust and caution in their gazes toward Melisandre were plain for anyone to notice. They did not want to speak military secrets in front of a witch from Essos.
This made Maekar realize the difficult situation the Red Faith was in in Westeros. No one seemed to like them and rejected them forcefully. Faced with the lords' attitudes, Maekar was surprised the Red Faith had not been barred from entering the continent.
Looking at everyone present, Maekar spoke slowly. "I know you are cautious, but Melisandre has already sworn loyalty to me. The Red Faith is supporting me at this moment."
The lords' faces changed drastically; some even rose from their respective chairs.
"Will she swear loyalty to the king or to the prince?" The one who had said this was Duram Bar Emmon, lord of Sharp Point. His voice was impatient and even aggressive. The ones who had risen were the lords of House Stokeworth and Lord Rosby.
"Watch your tone, Lord Duram," Maekar rose and said in a cold tone. "What are you implying?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Duram did not seem intimidated and spoke in a harsh tone. "My prince may seem more like a king, but do not forget you are a lord. And a lord cannot hold the loyalty of someone who is not his vassal within his fief."
"I don't recall Harrenhal having a pact with the Red Faith." He added, looking at Melisandre with disgust.
"Then go speak with the king and see what he thinks," Maekar said in a sarcastic tone. Then, he looked coldly at the Lord of Sharp Point and spoke in a cold tone,
"We are at war, and the king appointed me the highest authority in this war. If you dare question my authority again, I will cut off your head and put it on a spear."
Lord Duram grew furious at the threat; he threw the chair he was sitting in aside and spoke in a furious tone. "I will not be threatened by a boy who has no hair on his face. What you are doing is conspiring with foreigners to interfere in Westeros!!!"
Maekar rose from the table. He walked over to Duram Bar Emmon and stood facing him, then spoke in a cold tone. "Kneel."
Duram's face was red with all the fury he was feeling at that moment. He merely spat on the floor and looked at Maekar with arrogance. He did not believe Maekar would dare kill him, a noble under the king's own fief.
With the sword cutting through the air, Duram only felt his world begin to spin. Then, he saw a familiar body, and his eyes widened. But this was the last thing he saw before darkness swallowed his mind.
Duram Bar Emmon's head rolled a few times before stopping. The expression on his face still showed disbelief. The headless body fell to the ground, and blood poured from the wound, forming a pool of blood.
Looking at the lords present, Maekar spoke in a cold tone. "Lord Bar Emmon was condemned to death for the false accusation of calling me a traitor to the crown and conspiring with foreigners to influence the Seven Kingdoms."
Having said this, Maekar did not concern himself with the lords' reaction and sat back down in the chair where Aegon the Conqueror had once sat. He set
Blackfyre, stained with blood, down on the table and looked coldly at everyone present.
When Roland, Maekar's unofficial cupbearer, was about to remove the body, he heard the prince's voice.
"Don't touch anything, Roland."
Roland did not dare respond and merely stepped back, trying to appear as invisible as possible at that moment.
"Let's start again," Maekar said in a calm tone. He looked at Corlys, as if asking him to keep speaking.
Corlys looked at Maekar with a touch of admiration and spoke again. "Just as I said before, the fleet will be divided in two. The first will remain at the mouth of the Sea of Myrth, ready to block Tyrosh's path, and the second will advance to Myr with Prince Maekar riding Bahamut."
While Corlys explained his plans, Melisandre approached Maekar and whispered gently. "Let me clean your sword, Your Grace."
Maekar rolled his eyes at such an ambiguous request but still nodded his head and watched Melisandre clean Blackfyre with a white handkerchief. The delicate, immaculately white fabric became stained with the color red.
The prince looked at the scene for a while and then focused back on the plans Corlys was discussing.
Note: Sorry about the mistake. I forgot to click on the right chapter in Google Docs.
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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