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

Chapter 123: Chapter 122 – The Princess’s Tears (IV)

Gael wanted vengeance, even more than Maekar. As a mother, only she knew the despair and horror she felt seeing and feeling her own child’s death still in her womb. The feeling of something precious and beloved slipping away in her arms was the worst pain she had ever felt in her life.

Maekar just held Gael’s hand tightly, but he didn’t deny Gael’s words. Even knowing this would disrupt his plans at the Great Council in King’s Landing, he would still do it. He wasn’t Jaehaerys, who hadn’t taken revenge for the assassination attempt orchestrated by the Faith of the Seven.

“We have to be careful; we can’t be used as a weapon by others and fall into a conspiracy.” Maekar said in a calm tone.

“Do you think there’s someone behind all of this?” Gael asked in a cold tone, her lilac eyes overflowing with chilling, icy feelings.

Maekar was silent for a moment but still spoke gently. “I probably killed Baelor. If I had done things in a gentler way, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You didn’t kill our son; he was killed by the murderers who think they can use these houses as shields to protect themselves.” Gael bit her lips, shook her head, and said in a determined tone.

She knew Maekar’s actions had offended a great many people, and because of that, they had conspired against her and, consequently, used magic to kill their child. However, she would never place the blame for Baelor’s death on Maekar.

The blame belonged to the people who killed Baelor, not Maekar.

“I’ll go to House Frey; they’re the most suspicious.” Maekar said in a calm tone, his violet eyes thoughtful and cold.

“I’ll stay with House Bracken.” Gael said, right after Maekar’s words. As for whether that would cause anything, she didn’t care. The fury in her heart could never be soothed, even after the death of the conspirators who killed her son.

However, his fury couldn’t be soothed, but it could be put to rest once he knew the murderers had died.

“Just burn the castle; don’t get close.” Maekar advised his wife in a calm tone. Unlike him, Gael had not a trace of martial skill; she didn’t even know how to hold a sword.

Gael, hearing the concern in his tone, felt the anger inside her ease. Looking at their dead son in Maekar’s arms, she said in a gentle tone. “Before we go, let’s cremate Baelor; he needs to sleep his eternal sleep.”

Maekar nodded; it was already time.

Taking their dead son from Maekar’s arms, Gael laid him on the bed and removed the white cloths. She took a black blanket with red details and wrapped her son tenderly.

After that, Gael took black clothes and helped Maekar get dressed. Neither of them said anything, but they helped each other get dressed.

–

Being the largest lake on the continent, it was naturally large. Since the wind was weak, it looked like a smooth, beautiful mirror, reflecting the sky. When warm, the water of the God’s Eye is blue and green, shining under the sunlight.

At this moment, two dragons could be seen near the waters of the lake; they were Bahamut and Dreamfyre. Both dragons were calmer than they usually were.

Bahamut blinked his double eyelids and looked at his rider, who held the human hatchling in his arms. The dragon didn’t understand why he felt sad over the death of the offspring, but he could sense Maekar’s overwhelming sorrow.

Coming closer, the dragon brought his face near Maekar and gently brushed his scales against Maekar’s dead child. He sniffed and noticed that Maekar’s child had a scent similar to a dragon’s, even more so than the rider himself.

Maekar, seeing Bahamut’s movements, brought the baby closer to the dragon’s enormous face and let the dragon smell him. Seemingly satisfied, the dragon pulled back and stood beside Dreamfyre.

Gael arranged the flowers around a flat stone, as if performing a sacred, solemn ritual. After seeing that everything was in order, she showed a sad look and stood up.

“Maekar, let’s begin.” Gael, dressed in black, spoke in a gentle tone.

Maekar, who was also dressed in black, stepped forward and placed their son on the stone. He touched his head tenderly and stood up.

Returning to stand beside Gael, Maekar wrapped his wife in his arms and drew her into the comfort of his embrace.

In Maekar’s arms, Gael seemed to feel safer than ever, especially at this moment. His scent seemed to calm her so much that she almost wanted to close her eyes and sleep.

Looking at his wife, Maekar touched Bahamut’s face and spoke in a calm tone.

“Dracarys, Bahamut.”

Bahamut looked at Maekar and then at Maekar’s child on the stone and seemed to understand, at least in part, what was happening.

The dragon opened his jaws, revealing teeth the size of daggers. Deep in his throat, a golden platinum flame began to build. And, with a motion of his neck, flames poured from the dragon’s mouth.

The flames engulfed the stone and everything around it. Beneath the dragon’s flames, even the stone melted; the small bundle of black cloth vanished almost instantly.

Maekar and Gael watched with sorrowful looks as their son was reduced to ashes by the dragon’s flames. The princess could no longer bear to look at that scene and began crying against the prince’s chest.

Maekar just gently stroked Gael’s back while staring fixedly at the place where his son’s body had been seconds before.

“Shed no more tears; we must comfort our son by bringing fire and blood to our enemies.” Lifting Gael’s face, Maekar spoke while wiping the tears from his wife’s face.

Gael sniffled and nodded, but her eyes were still red from crying so much.

If anyone had been present at this moment, they might have thought Maekar wasn’t showing enough grief, but Gael didn’t think Maekar wasn’t suffering, since people grieve in different ways.

Every time a brother or sister of hers died, her father wouldn’t show any reaction at all, but Gael knew Jaehaerys grieved just as her mother did, who cried.

“Remember, don’t risk your safety for some pleasure in vengeance, and finish everything quickly,” Maekar said in a gentle tone. He didn’t want Gael landing at the castle under any circumstances.

She just kissed Maekar deeply and climbed into her saddle on Dreamfyre. The beautiful sky-blue dragon took flight and quickly gained altitude, nearly vanishing into the sky because of her similarly colored scales.

Maekar stood still, watching the dragon disappear from his field of view. He touched Blackfyre at his waist and felt as though he embodied Maegor at that exact moment. Just like that man, what he and Gael were about to do would be written in the annals of history.

However, unlike Maegor, Maekar wouldn’t stop until everyone was dead. Woman, man, elder, or child, everyone even remotely involved with the conspirators would die.

The prince didn’t care about earning the title of “Cruel,” because what he was about to do to his enemies, he was going to enjoy very much.

Maekar gripped the iron chains that held the saddle to the dragon and began to climb up with a cold expression. He climbed up the iron chains and settled into the padded leather seat. Fastening the belt around his waist, the prince took hold of the reins and spoke in a calm tone.

“Sovegon, Bahamut.”

The dragon rose from the ground like a giant. Bahamut began to run and, after a few steps, took flight. The dragon’s golden eyes were fixed on the horizon, where Maekar wanted to go.

——–

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

The Twins were two castles located on either side of the Green Fork River, at the Trident. It is the only crossing point over the Green Fork for hundreds of kilometers in both directions, from the north down to the western Riverlands. It sits directly across the main route from Winterfell to Riverrun.

Because of this, the Freys, besides being wealthy, had an army much larger than that of their Lord Paramount, House Tully. Though everyone had more soldiers than House Tully.

At this moment, Addam Frey, the Lord of the Twins and Head of House Frey, sat on the Crossing Throne. He was in his sixties. He had thin hair on both sides of his head and was bald in the middle. His skin was dry and sagging, with small eyes that gave him a rather sarcastic look.

Beside him sat a beautiful fifteen-year-old woman; sitting on her lap was their son, Forrest Frey, heir to House Frey, a boy a little over a year old. Unlike his father, who looked like an ugly, wrinkled weasel, the boy had delicate skin and pretty green eyes. He had clearly inherited only his mother’s looks.

Addam looked at his son with an affectionate look; the boy hadn’t inherited the ugly Frey looks, something Addam appreciated. Picking up the silver goblet, he drank some wine to wet his dry throat and looked at his youngest wife with an even more satisfied look.

He didn’t hesitate to reach out and grope one of her breasts, to the girl’s disgust. Addam naturally noticed the disgust in her look but didn’t care and was pleased by her resistance. He liked this cat-and-mouse game.

Though his young wife perhaps didn’t share his tastes, Addam didn’t care. Who cared what a wife thought? Was there such a foolish man in this world?

Suddenly, an ugly man, resembling a weasel, approached quickly and reached Addam’s side.

Addam narrowed his eyes and showed an unpleasant look on his face, but he suppressed his thoughts and asked in an impatient tone. “What happened, Franklyn?”

“My lord, the witch has fled…” Franklyn whispered in a worried tone. Remembering the skeletal, frightening figure that had fled. His expression showed fear and horror.

Addam’s face darkened; he let go of his wife’s breast and threw the goblet he’d been drinking from at his nephew’s head. “YOU FOOL, HOW COULD YOU LET AN OLD WOMAN ESCAPE!?”

Addam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The witch was the only thing that could incriminate him, but his stupid nephew had let her escape. Just thinking about it made Addam’s blood boil with fury; he was surrounded by incompetents.

However, the Lord of the Crossing soon calmed down. So what if the witch had escaped? The prince was competing for the Iron Throne. If the prince attacked over mere rumors, he could forget about controlling the Riverlands, since, without House Frey, the passage to the north could be cut off.

At this moment, Addam could be considered brave, but he had very good reasons to be brave, since he believed there was no living dragon capable of doing what had happened to Harrenhal. However, Addam forgot something very important, or rather, he was arrogant enough to assume it.

The Twins wasn’t Harrenhal. No castle was like Harrenhal. Addam thinking the Twins were as powerful as Harrenhal was something only he believed.

While tightly squeezing one of his wife’s soft breasts, Addam heard a sound resembling a bird flapping its wings.

Before he could reason out what was happening, he began hearing screams throughout the castle.

Addam showed a confused expression, not understanding what was happening. Suddenly, the doors of the hall burst open and a soldier shouted.

“MY LORD, PRINCE MAEKAR IS BURNING THE TWINS!” The soldier shouted in a tone full of fear and horror. He had personally seen all the soldiers on the battlements being burned by the dragon’s flames.

Lord Frey finally reacted. The first thing he thought was that Maekar was mad. The second thing was how to get out of this dangerous situation.

Unlike those, Scorpions weren’t a priority in the castles of Westeros. After all, when your lord has a dragon, it isn’t looked upon kindly to have weapons capable of killing dragons. So, aside from Dorne, Oldtown, Highgarden, and Casterly, there weren’t many Scorpions in Westeros.

Which meant that most castles, which were the peak of human engineering and warfare, had become an easy target for dragon riders.

Showing a determined, cold look, Addam said to the soldier. “Raise the white flag and invite the prince to enter the Twins.”

The soldier, who was terrified, seemed to hear the voice of the gods. He immediately turned around and ran out of the hall.

Addam looked at his nephew, Franklyn, and spoke in a tone full of malice and fury. “Have the soldiers position themselves with crossbows; we’ll kill the prince here. We’ll blame the witch.”

Franklyn’s knees weakened hearing those words. Kill a Targaryen prince!? He couldn’t believe he was hearing such things.

“House Targaryen may look strong, but it isn’t. Prince Viserys is a weak fool; the king is old, and the queen is old. This is the moment House Targaryen is at its weakest since the Conquest. As for blame, like I said before, we’ll pin it on the witch either way.” Seeing his nephew was terrified at the idea of killing the incestuous brat, Addam spoke in a cold tone.

Addam’s words gave Franklyn the idea that House Targaryen was weak and House Frey was very powerful. Honestly, the Freys weren’t known for being very intelligent. Even Addam was prideful and ignored many things.

–

Maekar, who had just finished burning a dozen soldiers on the castle’s battlements, made Bahamut land on the castle on the left side of the Green Fork. The dragon walked across the castle like a lizard crawling on a wall.

Pieces of the castle broke away and fell into the river or onto the bridge.

Suddenly, Maekar saw a white flag rising to the top of the castle on the other bank of the Green Fork. A cold smile appeared on the prince’s lips.

Peace?

Even though he didn’t know for certain whether House Frey had truly ordered the assassination of his son, Maekar didn’t care. As he had said before, he would rather kill a thousand than let one escape.

Besides, he didn’t believe House Frey would dare such a thing without backing. In the future, Walder Frey had carried out the Red Wedding at Tywin Lannister’s order. Addam Frey certainly wouldn’t have had the nerve to kill his son without having someone to trust in.

Maekar could even guess who it was; after all, the news that he had accepted the Red Faith had already spread among the Noble Houses, especially reaching the Faith of the Seven.

Yes, Maekar suspected the main conspirators were the Faith of the Seven.

Thinking of this possibility, Maekar showed an icy, murderous look. In this sense, Maekar was like his great grandfather, Aegon I, and Maegor I. All three didn’t hesitate to use their dragons to burn those who dared to harm their family or stood in their way.

Once he destroyed House Frey, Maekar would join with Gael and Alysanne to burn all of Oldtown. To reduce that fanatical city to nothing more than ashes.

As for the consequences of this act, Maekar didn’t care. Since deciding to be king, he had already been prepared to change the future. As for losing the advantage of knowing the future, it truly didn’t matter. The world was no longer the same; besides, relying on the future was something illusory.

This was the real world, with real people, not the pages of a book. People change, choices change; it was perfectly normal for there to be deviations from the original history.

Seeing the white flag, Maekar narrowed his eyes and smiled, a smile full of malice. If Addam Frey thought he could escape by surrendering, he was sorely mistaken.

As for entering the castle, Maekar was no fool. Trust that House Frey wouldn’t harm its guests and would respect the Sacred Right of the Guest?

The word “honor” couldn’t be uttered alongside House Frey, since there was no house more treacherous, more traitorous, and more unworthy of that word than House Frey.

——–

Note: Surprisingly, I thought there would be a lot of backlash over the death of the protagonist’s son, and even a lot of negative reviews. However, it was very well received. I’m happy about that; I wanted to give the impression of a true Game of Thrones, where anyone can die.

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