Chapter 131: Feelings (I)
Chapter 131: Chapter 130 – Feelings (I)
Great hall.
Maekar and Gael returned to the cavernous hall but soon heard King Jaehaerys’s furious roar. The king’s voice was tinged with the purest fury; one could even hear his labored breathing.
“You brought war to this continent and you tell me you don’t care?”
As soon as Maekar entered, he saw Rhaenys kneeling before the Iron Throne and Jaehaerys, seated on the throne. The king’s face was no longer indifferent but showed anger and disbelief at what he had just heard from Rhaenys.
Rhaenys raised her head and looked at the Old King. She once felt admiration for this man, but now she felt nothing but anger and deep disgust. “I didn’t cause this; you did, my king. When you tried to kill my son over a dragon.”
Jaehaerys’s chest rose and fell rapidly; he could not believe Rhaenys’s audacity. He looked furiously at his granddaughter and spoke in a cold tone. “I didn’t order your son killed; I ordered his damned dragon killed and Laenor’s ear cut off!”
Rhaenys’s eyelashes trembled softly; she only felt even more disgust upon hearing something so cruel done to a seven-year-old child. The same could be said of Gael. For a mother who had just lost a child, she felt an anger she had never felt toward her father.
“Valyria had forty houses of dragonlords; they never tried to kill one another over a mere dragon. ” Rhaenys spoke in a cold tone, her voice tinged with sarcasm and irony about the king’s desire for control.
“They had laws, besides the fact that they never entrusted dragons to insignificant houses of little relevance, like House Velaryon.” Jaehaerys replied with the same sarcasm, finding Rhaenys’s words utter foolishness.
“You gave our enemies a weapon that could bring us down, and for what? For the sweet words of your ambitious and proud husband? If he had the chance, he would kill us to sit on this throne, you foolish and manipulated woman!” Jaehaerys did not hide the contempt, anger, and resentment he felt for Rhaenys.
“If you weren’t Aemon’s daughter, I would have had your head cut off for your tremendous stupidity!!!” Jaehaerys shouted in a tone full of rage.
Rhaenys showed a trace of pain on her face, for there was truth in Jaehaerys’s words. She accepted Corlys’s request, even knowing she should not have given a dragon egg to Laenor. She accepted, even knowing her husband’s ambition.
She hoped Corlys’s ambition would settle because of the dragon, but it only grew stronger, and with the opportunity that arose at the Great Council, Corlys fought tooth and nail to win allies, whether in the Crownlands or the Stormlands.
“If you had asked me, I would have killed the dragon. ” Rhaenys spoke at that moment; she looked into Jaehaerys’s eyes and spoke in a determined tone. “I would have done it, even if it meant being hated by my own son. Now, he will never be able to walk again, he will receive the scorn of others because of it, and he will never be able to be a true man.”
Jaehaerys narrowed his eyes, hearing the aftermath of the attack he had ordered. In the end, the boy lost far more than just an ear. Though he felt pity for the boy, the king’s expression only grew colder at Rhaenys’s words.
“You would have done it?” Jaehaerys showed a smile full of scorn. “You would be destroying your husband’s dream; would he even still be married to you after that?”
“Don’t be naive, Rhaenys.”
Maekar could not help but click his tongue in admiration at the argument before him. No matter what Rhaenys said, Jaehaerys was a thousand times the better speaker.
“Now, our continent has gone to war with Braavos because of your actions.” Jaehaerys said in a cold, almost indifferent tone.
“Don’t pretend that this hasn’t also been good for House Targaryen,” Rhaenys said coldly. “Your Grace must have noticed that the realm is more united than ever. The people call out names like yours, Maekar’s, and Daemon’s. This war showed that House Targaryen alone could be superior to the free cities of Essos.”
This time, Jaehaerys could not refute Rhaenys’s words. Just as she had said, his orders were being followed more easily. Even the realm’s cohesion had increased, especially with the conquest of Dorne and the destruction of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters.
If Maekar had known Jaehaerys’s thoughts, he would have said this was the beginning of the birth of the nationalist movement. It might not seem like anything extraordinary, but for a country, it was something indispensable.
Even if the nation falls, the people will still fight for the nation, for it was their home. That was nationalism. The people were finally recognizing that the Seven Kingdoms would not be just another realm, like those before it.
After all, the Age of the Hundred Kingdoms was no joke. Kingdoms fell by the day, and others rose. So it was almost inevitable that the people would not feel a sense of belonging, even after nine decades of House Targaryen’s rule. However, when a people feel pride in their own nation, that is the beginning of nationalism. That was exactly what was happening.
(Note: according to George R. R. Martin, the Age of Dawn > the Age of Heroes and the Age of the Hundred Kingdoms.)
“You’re right, Rhaenys.” Jaehaerys did not deny Rhaenys’s words, but the king’s expression was icy. “But there are rules. When those rules are broken, there are consequences. You started a war and you must deal with the consequences of your actions.”
Hearing the king’s words, Maekar knew it was his moment and stepped forward, quickly arriving before the Iron Throne.
“My king, allow me to speak.” He said with a calm look.
The king’s violet eyes fixed on Maekar, a flame burning in them. Seeing the boy’s expression, Jaehaerys’s mood grew even worse. “What do you wish to say, Prince Maekar?”
“Meleys is a dragon known for a fierce and untamable temperament. Even after thirteen years together, the princess may not have full control of the dragon.” Maekar spoke in a calm tone, his lips curving into a smile.
Gael, Rhaenys, and Jaehaerys looked at Maekar in surprise, as if they could not believe what they had just heard. Not to mention that Meleys was a rather calm dragon, never attacking anyone without her rider’s command.
Thirteen years of bond between Rhaenys and Meleys were more than enough for the dragon to obey all of Rhaenys’s commands, so Maekar’s words were nothing but a lie.
“Isn’t it normal for a dragon to enter a state of fury after sensing its rider’s chaotic emotions?” Maekar spoke with a smile, ignoring the looks from Rhaenys and Jaehaerys.
Honestly, Maekar’s words could have been true, if that had been the case. However, that was not the case. Meleys, in a state of fury, chased and attacked in three places so distant and different from one another in such a short time? Any fool knew that Rhaenys was controlling Meleys to attack.
Jaehaerys’s face was dark. Did Maekar think he was a fool and ignorant? It was true that a dragon would enter a state of fury if its rider’s emotions grew agitated, but that state would not last long.
As the oldest living dragonrider, Jaehaerys had the pride of saying there was no one better than him at understanding dragons.
“Everything that happened was just a terrible misunderstanding, but that is the best way to explain what happened to the common people.” Maekar concluded, looking at Jaehaerys with an amused expression.
Rhaenys’s eyes lit up at Maekar’s words; she understood what he was hinting at. Looking at Jaehaerys, the princess’s gaze showed a look of provocation.
If Jaehaerys did not accept, she would not mind tarnishing Jaehaerys’s reputation, honor, and power. After all, she was a mother feeling the pain of nearly losing her son, and Jaehaerys was the one to blame behind the assassination attempt.
Looking at the two people before him, Jaehaerys calmed down and understood what was happening. He was being blackmailed!
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I’m glad you guys found the idea for the Harry Potter fanfic interesting, but I wrote that back in 2021. I won’t be writing that fanfic again; besides, I’m already having a hard time keeping up with this one. I won’t start another one until I finish this one, which will happen sometime between 200 and 250 chapters,maybe even more.
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