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

Chapter 106: Chapter 105 – Loyalty (III)

After the meeting in the Chamber of the Painted Table, the nobles split up and formed three different groups. Those loyal to Maekar, the neutral ones, and those hostile to Maekar. Even Duram’s death did not shake this group’s resolve.

Some people simply could not be bought or would not submit in the face of death. This kind of person made the best allies but also the worst enemies for someone.

“That witch will influence the prince’s mind and will interfere in the Seven Kingdoms,” Guncer Sunglass, Lord of Sweetport Sound, spoke in an irritated tone. House Sunglass’s sigil was seven stars on a white field. One could say they were second only to House Hightower in terms of closeness to the Faith of the Seven.

“There is nothing we can do, but the king can.” Lord Jon Rosby of Rosby said, looking at the other two men.

“Yes, if we try to interfere, we’ll be accused of treason and killed, just like Duram.” The one who spoke was Lord Alyn Stokeworth, of Stokeworth.

The three men were loyal to the king and also loyal to their own convictions. They could never accept a Red Witch fighting alongside them, much less advising on anything else. In their eyes, anything that came out of Melisandre’s mouth was 90% lies and 10% brainwashing.

“Let’s send a raven to the king and then withdraw to King’s Landing.” Guncer said in a firm tone. “I don’t believe that bastard would dare kill us in front of the king.”

Alyn and Jon glanced at each other, saw the hesitation in one another’s eyes, but still nodded their heads. They truly could not allow the red witch to enter Westeros with her legions of fire-worshiping heretics.

Elsewhere, in the Chamber of the Painted Table, Maekar, Corlys, and Melisandre could be seen sitting side by side. Roland poured wine for the three of them and stepped back with a focused expression. Everyone ignored the headless corpse, not far away.

“They won’t stop,” Corlys, pragmatic as always, spoke in a calm tone. He brought his cup to his lips and looked at Maekar with a touch of admiration. He had seen how Viserys acted. If that man were in Maekar’s place, he would simply have been swayed by the lords present and would even have expelled Melisandre.

This was the difference between a king and a prince regent. A king could be advised, but trying to impose one’s own will on the king was the same as asking to lose one’s head.

“I know.” Maekar certainly knew these nobles would not stop, but he was not worried. Nobles who did not know how to recognize their own place did not deserve so much as a discussion to solve the problem. It was not that Maekar was overly cruel, but he simply could not allow anyone to truly undermine his authority.

“Your Grace, I can make them disappear or suffer some mysterious accident.” Melisandre spoke with a calm gaze and a gentle smile on her lips. She had already done the dirty work for Kinvara; she would not mind doing the same for Maekar, whom she recognized as the Chosen One to indoctrinate the Seven Kingdoms.

(Note: chosen to indoctrinate, not to fight a certain blue ice cream.)

“No need; tonight there will be a storm at sea, and unfortunately they will sink in the sea.” Maekar did not like leaving certain things to his subordinates. He knew very well that fate was mischievous and would want problems to arise because he let some noble slip through.

He was not like those stupid villains in cultivation novels, where they let the protagonist kill their underlings one after another, only to then finally send a powerful elder and fail miserably.

Instead of doing that, Maekar preferred to use Bahamut and burn any fool who did not know his own place.

Corlys and Melisandre looked at Maekar and said nothing. As for the reason his ships had sunk in the storm, only a fool would believe it. Although the Narrow Sea was chaotic, they were in the time of year when the sea was calmest. So, a storm of this size at this time was rare.

If Corlys had known that the Velaryon fleet would be destroyed centuries later, after the destruction of House Targaryen, because of a storm on the Narrow Sea, perhaps he would not have found it so unreal.

Melisandre only smiled and made no comment on Maekar’s words. She would not even blink in shock, even if Maekar killed everyone in the castle.

“My prince, just avoid destroying too many ships.” Corlys said nothing about Maekar’s words; he merely subtly warned the prince that he needed every possible ship for the next battle.

Maekar drank his wine and nodded his head, agreeing with Corlys. Then, he rose and walked to the door. Before leaving, he looked at his unofficial cupbearer and said it in a calm tone. “Put his head on a spear, then send Lord Duram’s body back to Sharp Point.”

Despite killing the man personally, he was not like Maegor, who left his own nephew’s body under the hot sun just to lure Queen Alyssa out of hiding.

Fear and respect were essential for any ruler; Maekar did not plan to build a kingdom of fear and terror. People simply needed to know that he could be cruel when necessary and also just when it was necessary.

Just like Daemon, he was neither a villain nor a hero; he was someone gray who could be either when needed.

Roland bowed to Maekar and answered in a respectful tone. “Yes, Your Grace.”

Maekar did not answer and left the Chamber of the Painted Table, leaving Roland, Corlys, and Melisandre still seated.

“He has a very strong personality.” Melisandre commented, looking at the Sea Snake with a smile.

“If he didn’t, he would not have dared to aim for the throne.” Corlys answered in an indifferent tone while looking at Melisandre with a cold gaze. “But that’s good; good people die early, bad people die late.”

Melisandre understood the subtlety in the Lord of Driftmark’s words but did not deny that she was a bad person. Or rather, she never presented herself as a good person. For her faith, she had truly done many bad things, but none that she regretted.

Perhaps, when she felt her faith could no longer make up for her guilt, she would take the necklace off her neck and die like anyone else.

The red witch was about to rise when she heard the Lord of Driftmark’s voice again.

“Witch, don’t think you can do as you please.” Corlys spoke and continued in a still cold tone. “We are in Westeros, not in Essos. This beautiful continent has its rules, and it does not like those who break them.”

Melisandre let out a low laugh; she looked at Corlys and answered gently. “The Conqueror broke the rules, and look at his fate; he conquered almost an entire continent. I don’t see how breaking the rules is so bad, Lord Corlys.”

Having said that, she walked to the exit and, before leaving, looked at Corlys again and said it with a smile. “Have a good day, my dear lord.”

Corlys snorted coldly; he looked at Roland, who was still staring at the door, as if he were seeing the beautiful woman once more.

“Tarly, don’t let yourself be used by that woman; she will devour you alive and then discard you like garbage.” Corlys spoke in a harsh tone to Lord Tarly’s younger brother. He did not want to see the boy used and then killed in some alley.

After all, faced with a witch whose age no one knew, Corlys had no doubt that Roland Tarly was a little white rabbit trying to approach an extremely venomous spider.

Hearing Corlys’s words, Roland showed a bit of panic and nodded his head. If the famous Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, said the woman was dangerous, who was he to try to get close to someone so dangerous?

At the same time, he realized that the chance to climb the hierarchy his brother had arranged for him was not free of danger. He had personally seen the prince cut off a man’s head in a mere instant. This job was not as safe as his brother had said.

Seeing that the boy seemed genuinely frightened, Corlys showed a satisfied look.

“Do as Maekar ordered; you have probably earned the position of the prince’s cupbearer.” Corlys said, looking at Roland with a smile. Since he had decided to support Maekar, he could not afford to be left uninformed of the prince’s movements and news, and he was already trying to win Roland over to spy on Maekar.

The boy, who thought Corlys was a good man, did not know he was already under Corlys’s watchful eye.

——

Note: I almost got arrested because of a cat. My neighbor called the police, claiming that I was abusing animals.

Of course, this was revenge because my dogs killed her cat. But it wasn’t my fault,her cat trespassed onto my property, and my dogs,hunting dogs that my grandfather raised, tore the cat to pieces.

The woman blamed me and called the police.

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