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

Chapter 128: Chapter 127 – Repercussions (II)

King’s Landing, the Red Keep.

Jaehaerys had received a great deal of news recently; much of it was good, especially coming from Dragonstone. The destruction of the Triarchy had been the best news he’d received in decades. So, the king was in a good mood and knew nothing that happened could spoil it.

Unfortunately, Jaehaerys had no idea trouble was already on its way.

Looking at the war map, Jaehaerys showed a smile. With the destruction of the Triarchy, Tyrosh was no longer a problem. Meaning, Stepstones was safe, and he no longer needed to worry about a sudden attack.

However, there was something the king was worried about. This problem had a name: Maekar Targaryen.

Whether it was the conquest of Dorne or the destruction of the Triarchy, each of these events alone was enough to make Maekar go down in history as a great man, not to mention he had accomplished both feats while still a teenager.

Maekar already had the prestige to be king. Meanwhile, his grandson, Viserys, had simply done nothing so far. While Maekar was destroying a foreign kingdom, Viserys was throwing parties. Honestly, even Jaehaerys felt comparing Maekar to Viserys was an insult to Maekar himself.

If Viserys had a dragon, he could have helped with the destruction of the Triarchy and Maekar wouldn’t have won all the prestige alone. Unfortunately, Viserys had no dragon. He had taken nearly a month just to reach Stepstones.

Thinking of his grandson, Jaehaerys felt anger bubbling in his chest, but he soon calmed that anger and sat down on the sofa, seemingly drained of strength. Truth be told, Jaehaerys was already too tired; he felt Viserys had no way of beating Maekar.

And, even if he won, Maekar would be just like Maegor, he would usurp the throne at the smallest opportunity.

Some might say Jaehaerys hated Maekar for no reason, but Jaehaerys knew he hated him for what Maekar represented. A man thirsty for power and full of greed for the throne.

Because of this, ever since the day Maekar had arrived at the Red Keep, he had come to dislike this rebellious grandson. Maekar’s mere presence reminded him of Maegor. The same look, the same power, the same mighty dragon.

It was like a ghost coming to haunt him after decades.

Jaehaerys knew it was irrational to direct the fury he felt for Maegor onto Maekar, but the two resembled each other so much it made his hatred for Maegor flare up like never before.

And if there was anyone Jaehaerys hated, it was Maegor, the one who had forced Jaehaerys to choose between fleeing or remaining a hostage. The result of Jaehaerys’s flight had been the death of his brother, Viserys.

Jaehaerys never forgave Maegor for killing Viserys and then exposing his body under the sun, without even giving him a proper, dignified funeral.

Letting out a long, complicated sigh, Jaehaerys rubbed his forehead and let out another sigh, though lighter this time. Suddenly, while resting, the king heard the voice of his Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ryam Redwyne, knocking on the door.

“My king, dozens of letters have arrived from the Riverlands.”

Hearing Ryam’s voice, Jaehaerys straightened up on the sofa and, for some reason, felt a bad premonition, as if something very wrong had happened.

“Bring me the letters.” At Jaehaerys’s voice, the room’s door opened and Ryam entered, holding a dozen letters, all sealed. The Kingsguard approached and handed the letters to Jaehaerys; then he stepped back and stood behind the king, keeping silent.

Jaehaerys paid no attention to Ryam and picked up the first letter. He broke the wax seal and read the letter’s contents. The king’s face changed drastically at the letter’s contents. He picked up another letter and began reading, but the contents were similar to the first letter.

The king read all the letters before looking up at the ceiling with a dead fish stare. Jaehaerys had only one thought in his mind.

I want to retire.

“Has something happened, my king?” Ryam, seeing the king’s expression, couldn’t help but show a curious expression. In all the years he had served the king, this was the first time he had seen such an expression on his face.

“Maekar and Gael burned Stone Hedge and the Twins; House Bracken and House Frey have been destroyed.” Jaehaerys spoke in a calm tone, but his hands trembled with the anger he was feeling.

Rhaenys hadn’t been enough; now Maekar and Gael had also created major problems for him. Jaehaerys wondered if something was wrong with the world, since it didn’t seem possible he could have so many foolish relatives.

Ryam took a deep breath at the king’s words. The Kingsguard’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“The Riverlands are in complete chaos; the noble houses are anxious and afraid of being the next to be destroyed.” Jaehaerys kept speaking in an expressionless tone, just like Ryam; he was still processing the information he had read.

“But why? Prince Maekar isn’t a bloodthirsty man, not to mention Princess Gael; I’ve never seen a young woman as sweet and gentle as she is.” Ryam snapped out of his shock and asked, still in disbelief at hearing such insane news.

Jaehaerys was equally confused. He could accept Maekar being a tyrant, but his own daughter? If Gael had that much nerve, he would have known about it long before. What had happened to make his sweet, innocent daughter burn a castle and kill an entire noble house?

“Send a letter to Harrenhal and summon Prince Maekar and Princess Gael to explain themselves before the Iron Throne.” Jaehaerys looked at Ryam and spoke in a hard, cold tone.

“Yes, my king.” Ryam bowed and left the room with quick steps.

Jaehaerys felt all his good mood vanish at such shocking news. At the same time, he was already planning how to calm the Riverlands. If this group of nobles banded together into a group with shared interests, it would be a major problem, since House Tully, which already had little control over its own fief, would practically have no power left at all.

Fortunately, although Maekar and Gael’s actions had frightened these nobles, they had also made them hesitant to offend the Crown. That was exactly why these letters had reached him. They wanted to use Jaehaerys to protect themselves from Maekar and Gael.

“What happened?” Jaehaerys murmured, still confused about what had occurred.

Letting out his third sigh, Jaehaerys felt an enormous headache coming on. They were at war with another continent, and now he had to deal with internal problems while the Seven Kingdoms defended itself from one of the most powerful powers in Essos.

Riverlands, Harrenhal.

Maekar looked at the letter in his hand with a calm expression. This letter had arrived before the previous events. In the letter, the king asked Princess Gael to go to White Harbor to protect the port from any enemies.

However, it wasn’t an order but a request that could be accepted or not. Apparently, Jaehaerys still had a heart and felt ashamed ordering a pregnant woman to go to the battlefield.

Maekar wanted to go to White Harbor in Gael’s place but stayed at the castle together with his wife. The reason for this was that he was certain he would be summoned to King’s Landing to explain himself before the king.

After all, Maekar could imagine he had caused widespread panic in the Riverlands and perhaps throughout the entire realm. It was only a matter of time before he was branded with other titles, like “The Cruel” or “The Monster.” His enemies would use this to undermine his supporters and demonize his image in the eyes of the people.

However, Maekar felt no regret at all. If he could go back in time, he would still burn the Twins and would still ask Gael to burn Stone Hedge.

——-

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

While Maekar seemed lost in thought, he heard the door open and saw Gael, wearing a black dress, entering the room. Just like her mother, she wore an elegant bun to hold her hair back. She looked more mature and solemn, with the aura of a strong queen.

“Maekar, a letter has arrived from King’s Landing.” Gael said in a gentle tone. She knew this letter would eventually come. After all, what she and Maekar had done was simply something Westeros hadn’t seen in decades.

Gael could even imagine how many letters her father had received in these past few days.

“Come, let’s not waste time.” Maekar didn’t even need to open the letter to know that he and Gael had been ordered to appear at the Red Keep for questioning before the Iron Throne.

“And White Harbor?” Gael asked in a worried tone. She too knew about the letter she had received, but, since she had been in mourning, she had only learned its contents recently. The city could be attacked by Braavos at any moment.

Maekar was also worried about this. The Starks were nearly allied with him; he didn’t want the North to suffer any attack at this moment. Especially knowing he could win over the North simply by returning the Gift to House Stark.

“We’ll reach King’s Landing in a day; we can reach White Harbor in four or five days.” Maekar said, calculating the distance between King’s Landing and White Harbor. By land, it would take nearly a month, but, since they had dragons, that number was much smaller.

Gael nodded; she just thought Braavos could attack White Harbor at any moment. Fortunately, the fear Maekar and Bahamut had instilled along the Braavosi coastline was enough to delay any military operation.

No one wanted to die under flames at sea, and, even if the Sealord of Braavos paid far more gold than usual, there would still be a great deal of hesitation. After all, you need to be alive to enjoy the gold you’ve earned.

“Come, my father must be confused and maybe a little furious.” Gael said, linking her arm with her husband’s, who just let out an amused laugh. He gently kissed her lips and looked at his wife with a teasing look.

“For some reason, seeing Jaehaerys angry fills me with joy.” Maekar remarked, walking toward the door. Gael just rolled her eyes but showed a gentle smile on her lips. She felt the sadness inside her chest ease. Maekar could still make her laugh even after everything that had happened.

“I love you, Maekar.” Gael said with a smile, catching Maekar by surprise, but then he smiled and answered back in a gentle tone. “I love you too, my sweet princess.”

Gael laughed but didn’t think the word “sweet” was quite the right way to describe her anymore. She was a killer and wasn’t worthy of such praise.

Maekar didn’t know what Gael was thinking, or he certainly would have started scolding his wife for overcomplicating things.

–

About a day later.

In the sky, two gigantic dragons glided through the air. The larger dragon was covered in platinum scales; the smaller one had sky blue scales. They were Bahamut and Dreamfyre, respectively. Both dragons flew side by side, keeping a distance of ten meters.

Maekar looked to the side and saw Gael, arms spread wide, eyes closed, enjoying the breeze of the wind. He could tell that the sorrow of losing their son was gradually easing. It would take a long time, a very long time, for his wife to escape the shadow of depression, but he was trying to make her feel safe and comfortable.

Honestly, Maekar felt that another child would be enough to help Gael out of her depression, but he felt it was still too soon for Gael to get pregnant again. Even without knowing anything about medical knowledge, the common sense cultivated from his past life told him a woman should rest for some time before trying again.

Because of this, even with Gael wanting to sleep with him these past few days, Maekar made a point of always finishing outside, never inside Gael. Though he felt Gael was doing everything she could to get pregnant again.

Letting out a sigh, Maekar looked ahead and saw the gigantic city coming into view. The Red Keep gleamed under the sun with its pale red color. The seven massive, crowned cylindrical towers rose along the wall that surrounded the enormous castle.

Maekar had to admit the castle was a beautiful, majestic castle. It didn’t have the solemnity of Storm’s End or the sense of invincibility of Harrenhal, but it was a great castle worthy of a royal family.

As soon as the two dragons flew over the city, shouts of exclamation and excitement could be heard below, which pleased Maekar. His deeds were already known among the common people, which was a very good thing.

People felt proud of their own rulers, especially if it was someone who had accomplished great deeds; that was natural to the human race.

Bahamut and Dreamfyre flew to the outer entrance of the Dragonpit and landed in the open space. Though Dreamfyre was visibly displeased to be coming near the place where she had been imprisoned for decades.

Maekar dismounted from Bahamut and removed his gloves, revealing a hand scarred by burns. Gael, who had also dismounted, looked at her husband’s hand and showed a fierce look.

Maekar had explained what happened, which left Gael upset at not having been told sooner and furious upon learning Maekar had nearly died.

After recent events, Gael felt she was becoming more and more protective of her husband. The idea of living in a world without Maekar was more agonizing than any nightmare. So, she was overprotective when it came to Maekar’s safety.

Gael wondered if this was how Visenya had felt, worrying about Aegon’s safety. She had created the Order of the Kingsguard, recruiting the seven best knights in the realm to protect the king from every danger.

“Come, your father is waiting.” Maekar offered his arm to Gael, who linked her arm with his, and the couple walked toward the metal carriage that had just arrived.

–

Great Hall.

Jaehaerys could be seen sitting on the Iron Throne, but, besides him, there was only Ryam in the Great Hall. Clearly the king didn’t want to hold a public trial. After all, what Maekar and Gael had done wasn’t exactly something noble.

Watching his daughter and grandson enter with arms linked, Jaehaerys showed a thoughtful look. He could see that both looked far more mature than before. Maekar had grown more mature because of the war, and his daughter had grown more mature because of recent events, though he didn’t know exactly what had happened.

Since they were alone, with only Ryam as a witness, Jaehaerys was quite direct in his questions. “What happened? Why did you burn the Twins and Stone Hedge?”

Just as Maekar was about to answer, Gael took the lead. She touched her belly and bit her lips. “They took my child from me, Father. They used magic to kill Baelor.”

As soon as Gael spoke, a frightening silence hung in the air.

Jaehaerys clenched his fists and suppressed the fury in his chest. His grandson was dead. Dead, apparently, by magic.

“He was born small and deformed, Father.” Gael said in a sorrowful tone. “His body was covered in dragon scales; there was even a wing and a tail.”

“Was it House Frey and Bracken?” Jaehaerys asked in a terrifyingly cold tone. He could kill the lords of other noble houses, but those noble houses could never be allowed to kill a Targaryen prince or princess. It was hypocritical, but that was the truth.

“There were three suspects, but we only destroyed two, House Bracken and House Frey,” Maekar answered Jaehaerys’s question. “But I found out it was House Frey who used the witch to kill Baelor.”

Jaehaerys breathed deeply; it was the first time in a long while he had felt such anger. But there was one recurring question in his mind.

“Why did House Frey want my grandson dead?” Jaehaerys asked in a cold tone. He didn’t understand what House Frey stood to gain from killing Maekar and Gael’s child.

Maekar looked at Ryam and remained silent. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the old Kingsguard knight, but this was a very delicate matter.

The king noticed this and waved Ryam off, who understood the signal and left the Great Hall, leaving only the three of them in the room.

“I accepted the loyalty of the Red Faith, and the Faith of the Seven killed my son as a warning.” With Ryam’s departure, Maekar spoke in a calm tone, but murderous intent simmered beneath that calm.

——-

Note: The trailer for the Harry Potter series got me more excited than ever.

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