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

Chapter 148: Chapter 147 – Before the Great Council of King’s Landing (IV)

King’s Landing, Flea Bottom.

The whole city was abuzz with the approach of the Great Council, especially in Flea Bottom, where people argued over who their king would be. In this poor, filthy, crime-ridden place, few truly wanted Viserys to be king.

The reason for this was that Maekar was a bastard. Even if legitimized, he would always be a bastard in the eyes of the world. Even though Maekar had never gone hungry like them or ever stolen to survive, Prince Maekar was far closer to them than Viserys.

In a dirty tavern, with the smell of sweat and other suspicious things in the air, men were arguing fiercely.

“Of course Prince Maekar will win; he is far better than the fat prince.” A decent-looking young man spoke in a fierce tone as he looked at the old man before him.

The old man spat on the floor when he heard Maekar’s name mentioned and bared his rotten, yellowed teeth. “The bastard prince will not be king; the light of the God of the Seven Faces does not shine upon him. He will never be anointed by the High Septon and will never shine with the sacred light of the Seven!!!”

“Shove the light of the seven up your ass, you filthy pig.” The young man immediately grew furious at the old man’s words. Like most young people in King’s Landing, he admired Maekar more than the King himself. He had personally seen the prince fight the legendary faceless assassin at the Fish Market.

Hearing that his idol had been insulted, the young man naturally grew angry.

The old man, hearing his words, did not hesitate to punch the boy, who was no more than sixteen, in the face. The young man who took the punch was no novice. No one survives long in Flea Bottom without knowing how to fight.

“You old piece of shit!” After taking the punch, the young man regained his balance and did not hesitate to start the fight. He first kicked the old man in the stomach, sat on his belly, and began punching him as if there were no tomorrow.

In the tavern, others also began arguing, and, even though there were few supporters of Viserys, it was a significant number.

This kind of conflict was not only in taverns and homes but was also being debated in public before large crowds of commoners.

“Maekar is a bastard; he is the fruit of sin. He will be influenced by the demon and bring ruin!!!”

“They say he sold his own soul to gain such skill with the sword!!!”

“He will be the second Maegor!!!”

The fat man shouted to the crowd of commoners, who applauded his words. Seeing this, his smile widened. He took out a cloth sack and readied it before the crowd. “Now, ladies and gentlemen, please donate a little to support my elderly mother and my eight children.”

Some people paid, others looked at him with disdain and walked away without looking back, and others just stood watching with indifference.

Suddenly, dozens of men appeared in the fat man’s field of vision. They wore thick wool cloaks dyed gold. Their armor, boots, and gloves were black.

The City Watch of King’s Landing!

The fat man went pale and quickly ran. He ran faster than anyone. His enormous size did not stop his body from moving extremely fast, vanishing into the crowd.

Faced with the City Watch’s intimidating presence, the crowd quickly scattered. No one dared say a word.

“Bunch of filthy commoners.” The City Watch officer snorted coldly and spoke in a sarcastic tone, watching the people scatter like dogs running with their tails between their legs.

“Keep at it, Princess. Gael has ordered that any fool who dares slander Prince Maekar will have his tongue cut out.” The officer spoke in a cold tone as he looked at his subordinates.

The City Watch quickly brought the city under control, as it had been growing more and more chaotic. Murders and brawls were happening all over the city. Fortunately, the City Watch acted swiftly under Gael’s orders and brought the situation under control.

Of course, Gael also took the chance to keep the rumors about Maekar from being stopped from spreading.

–

Red Keep.

“Princess Regent, the rumors haven’t stopped, but they’re growing bigger and bigger.” Kneeling on the floor was a middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes.

“Do you already know who is spreading these rumors, Master of Whisperers?” Gael stopped reading the book in her hands and asked in a calm, graceful tone.

The successor to the former Master of Whisperers, Yandel, raised his head and looked at the princess with a deep gaze. “It’s a religious group; they’re called the White Flowers. A group of beggars and the sick. Their leader calls himself White, an envoy of the Light of the Seven sent to help the people rid themselves of all evil.”

“I presume House Targaryen is the evil he speaks of. ” Gael said with a sarcastic laugh, her gaze growing even colder. She had no doubt the Faith of the Seven was behind this religious group.

The Faith Militant could not be used, or House Targaryen would have grounds to call its vassals to march on Oldtown. Of course, if House Targaryen broke its oath first, the Faith Militant could rise again at any moment.

However, until then, the Faith of the Seven had to use these petty tricks to control the course of things in King’s Landing.

Yandel did not answer, but his silence was the answer to Gael’s question.

Setting the book aside, Gael looked at the Master of Whisperers, someone she thought had not existed since Maegor’s time, and said in a calm tone, “Stay in the shadows and locate the leaders of this religious organization. Once you find them, do nothing and wait. We will capture these men all at once and not let them flee into hiding.”

Gael did not let her murderous feelings control her; she knew the priority was to locate them first and only then arrest them. If she ordered a direct crackdown, these cultists would scatter and go into hiding. That would make things ten times harder to deal with.

“Yes, my princess.” Yandel showed a look of admiration and spoke in a respectful tone. He seemed even more respectful than an ordinary vassal.

However, knowing the fate of his predecessor, Yandel was certainly more submissive than usual. He did not want to be forced to commit suicide if he failed his mission.

“Princess, I have something important to report.” Remembering the second important matter he had come to report, Yandel spoke in a solemn tone.

“Our spies in Oldtown have detected large quantities of food being stockpiled. This includes strategic resources like steel and water. Not only in Oldtown, the Vale and the Westerlands are doing the same.” Yandel reported in a calm, deep tone.

Gael looked at him and showed a thoughtful expression.

“It seems some people are quite shrewd and are preparing for any war to come,” Gael murmured. She had no doubt that, if Maekar became king, the Faith of the Seven would rebel. Of that, she had no doubt.

There was no way the High Septon would crown Maekar, not when Maekar was a bastard. Crowning Maekar would mean dragging the entire doctrine of the Seven through the mud.

And once the High Septon refused to crown Maekar, only war would remain.

As Maekar’s wife, Gael had access to many of Maekar’s plans. In the future, even if they could not destroy the Faith of the Seven, the right to appoint the High Septon of the Faith of the Seven and the High Priestess of the Red Faith would fall to the king.

The supreme religious leader would be the king himself, at last centralizing secular and divine power in the Targaryen Crown.

“Yandel, have House Tyrell begin stockpiling grain; do it discreetly; don’t let others find out.” Gael said, looking at the Master of Whisperers.

“By the way, I want a list of the City Watch officers.” Thinking of something, Gael said in a calm tone.

“It will be delivered by the end of the day.” Yandel showed a confused look at the second order but only nodded and did not dare ask. People who know too much usually do not live very long.

“You may go,” Gael ordered and turned her attention back to the book she had been reading before.

Yandel rose, bowed, and left the room in complete silence.

Gael, who had gone back to reading, murmured in a calm tone.

“We need to replace these officers and put trusted men in their place.”

Gael had not forgotten that, if Viserys won, she would help Maekar usurp the throne. For that to happen, the City Watch would need to be in her and Maekar’s hands.

——–

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