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

Chapter 155: Chapter 154 – Before the Great Council of King’s Landing (XI)

King’s Landing.

Two weeks later, two days before the Great Council.

With the Great Council’s approach now imminent, the city had turned into a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. In these two weeks, there had been deaths from brawls, and the arguments only grew more heated with each passing day.

In Maekar’s past life, he had always wondered how anyone could idolize a politician, but, in this life, standing in a privileged position, he knew the answer. People simply placed their faith in someone who shared their worldview, even if only minimally.

This ideological struggle split families apart, caused pain, and, at times, even deaths. And yet, people still went on idolizing politicians, even when they did something wrong. Their reasoning was simple. “At least he’s better than the rival.”

Maekar found himself in exactly that situation; the lower classes saw Maekar as someone who had lived the same life they had, who had risen from the bottom to heights no one else had ever reached.

People overlooked the fact that Maekar had been raised in a castle and that his mother had been a woman of Westeros’s high nobility. Or rather, they knew it, but simply chose to ignore it, since it better suited the argument they wanted to make.

Combined with the reputation built up over the preceding months, Maekar satisfied every standard these people held.

But, on this day, King’s Landing stopped, or rather, its people stopped and flooded into the streets.

The High Septon of the Faith of the Seven had arrived in King’s Landing.

As the white litter with gold trim paraded through the streets, people shouted as loudly as they could. Some knelt and began praying right there. Others began throwing flowers along the litter’s path.

From atop the Red Keep, Maekar watched it all with a cold, murderous gaze. It was almost ironic to see his son’s murderer worshipped like a living god. Still, the High Septon believed himself safe, but the man would not leave the city alive. Of that, Maekar made certain.

“Miria, is our gift ready?” Maekar asked, looking at the dwarf woman before him. Knowing the High Septon was coming, how could he not prepare a grand gift for him?

“Yes, all fourteen septons have been arrested, and a platform has been erected in the city square. At the same time, the weapon the prince asked the smiths to build has already been set up on the wooden platform.”

Maekar showed a trace of satisfaction on his face. As for the weapon Miria spoke of, it was naturally one of the cruelest weapons ever invented. It had been created to give a person a quick, dignified death, but, in France, that weapon had beheaded the “enemies of the revolution.”

During the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution, fifteen thousand people had died by that weapon. Mountains of skulls had been piled up in the catacombs of Paris.

The guillotine.

It was the gift Maekar had so painstakingly prepared so the High Septon could watch from his box seat as his own septons were beheaded. The Church’s sacred image, stained and ruined. The holy men who were not nearly as holy as the people imagined.

Of course, the main reason Maekar felt confident he could kill the High Septon without causing too much chaos was the example of the Fat High Septon, nearly two hundred years later. That man would be killed by the smallfolk, his crown melted down by thieves. It showed that the common people were not nearly as naive as one might think when it came to powerful figures.

“My prince, the king’s spies are already watching our operations closely. This Yandel is a coward, but he has a talent for winning over many eyes.” Miria said in a worried tone. “If this keeps up, they’ll uncover our gift for the High Septon.”

“It’s fine; since it’s a public execution, there’s no way to keep it hidden anyway, not to mention I want everyone to watch heads roll, especially the heads of the church.” Maekar did not care whether Jaehaerys tried to stop him or not. If the man dared, he would threaten to kill the High Septon then and there.

“Yes, my prince.” Miria sighed in relief. She had been under a great deal of stress trying to handle the Master of Whisperers’s spies. That cowardly bastard was truly a skilled spymaster. It felt as though he had a hundred eyes, always watching from a different angle.

“You may go,” Maekar said, dismissing Miria, who obeyed and vanished from the room.

Watching the white and gold litter make its way through the streets, Maekar’s lips curved into a smile, but there was no warmth in that smile, only the purest malice.

Originally, there had been nothing he could do about the High Septon, since it would only make the man a martyr, one that could be used to spark countless rebellions. But now, in the most arrogant act he had ever witnessed from anyone, the High Septon had left Oldtown and come to King’s Landing, where he believed himself safe.

At this moment, Maekar would not pass up the chance to strike a great blow against the church and, ultimately, to kill the High Septon right in King’s Landing. As for the consequences of that act, Maekar did not care in the slightest. They had killed his son; if he could, he would kill hundreds of thousands to build a funeral procession worthy of his son.

It was a cruel thing to do, but the world had been cruel to his son; he was merely playing his part in the endless cycle of hatred and blood that ran through the Great Wheel of Fate governing this world. Maekar was no Daenerys, wishing to break the Wheel. He was no saint who would forgive his son’s murderer.

On the other side, inside the litter, sat a fat man in white robes with a colored seven-pointed star on his chest, wearing a great crown of spun gold and crystal.

Justin, also known as the High Septon, popped a grape into his flabby mouth and ate it with an expression of pleasure. Hearing voices full of reverence, respect, and even fanatical devotion, a smile spread across his fat, fleshy lips.

He loved that feeling of being worshipped like a living god; it was the most intoxicating sensation a person could feel. Justin felt that even a thousand whores sucking his cock would not be enough to describe the pleasure he felt at being revered.

“High Septon, I think we should head back to Oldtown.” A septon of about fifty spoke in a worried tone. “Staying in King’s Landing isn’t wise, especially with the princes fighting so fiercely for votes.”

“You worry too much, Septon Martin; this is one of the safest cities there is.” Justin remarked in a casual tone. “Look at these people, one word from me and they’d try to storm the Red Keep and kill those incestuous abominations.”

Martin felt a chill run through his body at the Faith of the Seven’s leader’s reckless words. Even if that were true, if they ever dared do such a thing, a dragon would appear over Oldtown days later and reduce the city to ashes.

That would not be war; it would be mutual destruction, something even a fool would know brought no real advantage to either side.

Martin did not believe the Faith of the Seven was right to be so arrogant, especially with House Targaryen at the height of its power. Five grown dragons, not to mention other dragons that had no riders yet but would in the future.

Martin did not believe the Faith of the Seven had survived out of luck but rather out of the mercy of Aegon, Aenys, and Jaehaerys. Had those men wished to rule over ashes, Oldtown would already have vanished from the face of the earth, and with it, its entire retinue of clergy.

Fortunately, those kings had not wished to rule over ashes, so they had never truly pushed very far against the Faith of the Seven. Only Maegor had been the cruelest of them, so much so that he burned down the Septo of King’s Landing and built the Dragonpit in its place.

Still, looking at the High Septon’s face full of pleasure, the words of counsel stuck in Septon Martin’s throat.

There was no way to counsel someone who would not listen to counsel.

Martin only hoped to return to Oldtown alive. Surely that was not asking too much, was it?

—–

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