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

Chapter 127: Chapter 126 – Repercussions (I)

While Maekar waited, he noticed Bahamut looking up at the sky and followed the dragon’s gaze. He quickly spotted a black dot approaching him. Soon an adult dragon with sky blue scales flew overhead before landing with a heavy thud.

Maekar looked at Gael and saw that his wife looked different. If before she had been a delicate princess, preserving the innocence and naivety that Alysanne and Jaehaerys had done everything to protect, she no longer had any of that.

Just like him, she was now a killer, someone who had killed not only those who deserved to be killed but innocents as well.

Gael dismounted from the saddle and stroked Dreamfyre’s long neck. Dragon and Rider seemed more in tune after a battle. Giving the blue scales a soft kiss, she stepped back and walked toward her husband.

Looking at his calm, cold, indifferent face, entirely different from his usual smiling, warm, gentle face, Gael realized she didn’t know her husband’s other faces. But she didn’t dwell on it much and moved closer to Maekar, taking his hand.

After a brief silence, Gael leaned against Maekar’s chest and spoke in a soft tone. “House Bracken no longer exists.”

She had personally watched as the members of House Bracken were reduced to ashes beneath Dreamfyre’s blue flames. She had seen Loreon Lannister killed by Vermithor’s flames, but it was a different feeling when you’re the one giving the order.

“Thank you for your hard work.” Maekar stroked his wife’s back and spoke gently; the look on his face softened, showing a smile. “As you can see, House Frey no longer exists.”

Gael certainly didn’t need Maekar’s confirmation; she looked at the two blackened, twisted castles with an emotional look. Aegon, riding Balerion, had done something similar; now her husband had done it too.

“My father will be furious.” Looking at the blackened, twisted, deformed ruins before her, Gael spoke in a calm, hard, surprisingly indifferent tone. Looking at her husband, she added with a touch of coldness. “Maybe he’ll use it to disqualify you from the throne.”

“He won’t,” Maekar answered in an indifferent tone. “He knows that if he does, I’ll usurp the throne from Viserys.”

At this point, Maekar no longer cared whether he would be a legitimate king or a usurper. Either way, he would be king, whether by chaos or by order. Although usurping the throne would bring instability and constant rebellions, Maekar could accept being the villain so that his son would carry the reputation of being a sacred king in the eyes of the people and the world.

Of course, he would only usurp the throne as his last resort, though he hadn’t worried much about the repercussions. As seen in the future conflict between Aegon II and Rhaenyra I, the consequences of usurping the throne hadn’t been so great for Aegon.

If the boy hadn’t been a drunk, irresponsible, and terrible king, Aegon could have kept the throne without much difficulty. Unfortunately, the boy was handed everything without doing absolutely anything. Aegon’s only redeeming quality was that he had the self-awareness to know he wasn’t fit to be king.

This could be seen when he tried to flee King’s Landing upon learning he would usurp the throne and be crowned Aegon II.

Gael heard Maekar’s words and felt she had chosen the right man to stand beside her. Only Maekar could show himself so indifferent toward Jaehaerys, the greatest monarch this continent had ever seen.

Suddenly, Maekar showed a solemn look and spoke in a calm tone, “Gael, I’ve found out who our enemies are…”

Gael’s face changed; the tenderness in her expression vanished in an instant. Her eyes turned so cold they could freeze the sun.

“The Red Faith of Volantis came to me and bent the knee before me,” Maekar explained in a calm tone. “Because of this, the Faith of the Seven decided to send a warning so I wouldn’t cross certain lines and wouldn’t allow the Red Faith to spread through Westeros.”

At this point, Gael understood the implications behind her husband’s words. Her son had died because of this. These people had treated her son as if he were nothing. She had suffered the pain; she suffered because of these animals.

Looking at Gael, who wore an icy, murderous expression, Maekar spoke in a solemn tone.

“I will burn Oldtown; I will kill the High Septon.”

“When?” Gael asked, hoarse and chilling; her voice could terrify even the bravest of men.

“A few years after the start of my reign.” Maekar answered in a calm tone. Although burning Oldtown could satisfy his thirst for revenge, he knew destroying a religion six thousand years old wasn’t something simple.

Gael was surprised; she had thought it would happen immediately. Though surprised, she waited for her husband’s explanation before offering any opinion.

“Destroying Oldtown now would only make the High Septon a legendary martyr, one who could be used to stir up anger and fury in common people.” Maekar spoke in a calm tone. “So we can’t take our revenge immediately.”

“The High Septon fears the Red Faith because of a possible war over faith and also fears the Faith of the Seven having its foundations shaken by another religion.”

“You want to weaken the Faith of the Seven before destroying it completely.” Gael understood Maekar’s intentions. But she was reluctant to accept that her son’s killer would remain alive for a few more years.

“I know you’re reluctant; so am I.” Maekar looked at Gael and said in a calm tone. “But, if we kill him now, a million problems will come our way.”

Honestly, even Maekar didn’t feel confident fighting against a million faithful should such a large war break out. Of course, not to mention that wouldn’t be the real number; this world didn’t have the productivity for the logistics of an army of millions.

But even without that logistics, there was a great number of faithful who could be replenished with just a few words from the Faith of the Seven.

Because of this, weakening this giant was Maekar’s top priority after sitting on the throne. As a king and a father wanting revenge, he couldn’t leave such a powerful organization on the continent.

“I will obey you, Maekar.” Gael, understanding Maekar’s concern, spoke in a gentle tone; the murderous expression on her face vanished, showing a trace of exhaustion. She also knew that, to get her revenge, she would have to wait a while longer.

Maekar smiled and spoke in an affectionate tone. “Thank you, you’re the best wife.”

Gael nestled against Maekar and breathed in the scent that calmed her so much, even though the scent was mixed with a smell of flames and ashes.

Suddenly, the sound of horses reached Maekar and Gael’s ears; both turned to look to the right and saw an army approaching.

“It’s Lords Charlton, Erenford, and Haigh.” Maekar whispered to Gael. “I asked them to search for the witch, but apparently they couldn’t find her.”

He wasn’t surprised. If the witch had even a bit of intelligence, she would have hidden in the forest and perhaps fled once the searches stopped.

At the mention of the witch, Gael showed a dangerous look. If there was anyone she wanted to kill, the witch and the High Septon were certainly first and second, respectively. Although the High Septon had given the order, it was the witch who had carried out the act. She’d had the choice, and she’d chosen to kill her son.

Lords Charlton, Erenford, and Haigh approached cautiously; their horses seemed restless and full of fear. Which, looking at two gigantic dragons nearby, was only natural for these poor horses to be frightened.

“My prince, we searched the back roads, and the search turned up nothing.” Lord Charlton spoke as he dismounted from his horse and knelt before Maekar. He appeared as humble as possible, without showing any dissatisfaction or anger.

“Spread the news.” Maekar spoke in a calm tone. “Whoever brings the witch to me alive will be rewarded with a fief and a noble title. Write a letter with the witch’s description and send it to Harrenhal.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Lord Charlton said in a calm, solemn tone.

Although he didn’t know what was going on, he didn’t dare ask the prince directly. However, he knew something had gone very wrong for the prince to have burned the Twins.

Maekar nodded and turned to look at Gael. “Let’s go back to Harrenhal.”

Gael didn’t hesitate and climbed onto Dreamfyre. The blue dragon took flight and quickly gained altitude. Maekar, riding Bahamut, followed close behind, leaving Lords Charlton, Erenford, and Haigh behind in complete silence.

“House Frey is finished.” Lord Erenford said with a sigh. Such a powerful house, simply gone in a matter of hours.

“But that’s good; our houses can expand our borders.” Lord Haigh said with a smile.

Lord Charlton wasn’t as optimistic as Lord Haigh. As minor noble houses, they were nothing compared to the other powerful houses in the Riverlands, not to mention the prince supported House Darry and House Blackwood.

—–

Note: Guys, I’m totally hooked on watching BATTLEBOTS, it’s every guy’s dream to control robot cars that battle to the death in an arena.

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