-Chapter 141-
-POV Rhaenyra Targaryen-
I frowned as I observed all the people gathered in the courtyard, then I softly asked Laenor:
"What is happening?"
Laenor shrugged and then said:
"Laena didn't want to tell me anything, but it's Aemon."
I frowned again and looked down to observe my cousin, who was waiting for the last servants to gather in the courtyard of the Red Keep, where a mass of servants of all kinds was already assembled.
'What are you trying to do?' I thought, confused, as I watched Aemon gesture to his knights, who had 'invaded' the castle by the hundreds this morning to take full control.
'The consequences of making him the new Hand of the King,' I thought, shooting a glare at my father.
He stood about ten meters away, surrounded by Alicent and his other children, also watching, just as unaware as the rest of us of what was about to happen.
'Handing Aemon the keys to the kingdom was the last thing to do, even though I despise that viper,' I thought, glancing at Otto Hightower, who was watching me from afar, alone and stripped of his pin.
'That thing that made him believe he was the most powerful in this castle, when I could literally burn to ashes everything he cared about,' I thought, turning away from the viper who had exhausted all his venom and had no fangs left to bite.
Aemon suddenly stepped forward and spoke in a powerful voice that echoed throughout the entire courtyard of the castle:
"THOSE WHOSE NAMES I CALL WILL STEP FORWARD AND LINE UP."
No one said anything, confused by the sudden order, but Aemon did not wait for everyone's attention and simply began calling names:
"Mary the servant, Ernest the stable boy, Basil the kitchen apprentice, Ceryse the servant…"
After listing names for nearly fifteen minutes, almost half of the servants in the courtyard had been separated, standing anxiously, waiting to hear what they were being accused of.
The fact that Aemon had mobilized several hundred knights and demanded that all the nobility present in the capital attend, including us, the royal family, was a show of force.
It was almost a way of telling everyone: I have won, and from now on, you will all obey quietly and without protest.
Aemon folded the paper on which all the names he had just called were written, then said in a tone that contained neither positive nor negative emotion, a flat and perfectly neutral tone:
"All the servants whose names I just mentioned are suspected of conspiring against the Crown and will therefore be detained in the capital's dungeons until full clarity is brought to this matter. Bronze Shields, arrest them all."
"Your Highness, please, I had no choice! They threatened my family!" said a man, throwing himself at Aemon's feet.
Aemon did not react and coldly watched as the man was roughly pulled up by two knights from his personal order and pushed into the line of people who had just gone from being servants to prisoners.
'This is absurd,' I thought, holding back with all my might from saying anything, as I was beginning to realize what Aemon was doing.
'He is taking control of the castle in broad daylight, in front of everyone,' I thought.
Among those being arrested, several servants acted as informants for me, as well as for Alicent and Larys.
'He wants to control us by making us afraid,' I thought.
"What a bastard," I muttered under my breath before turning away to leave.
"NOW THAT WE HAVE DEALT WITH THE SERVANTS, LET US MOVE ON TO THE NOBLES!" he shouted this time, his voice spreading everywhere like thunder, striking each of us and leaving us in shock.
"AS HAND OF THE KING, I ACCUSE THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS OF TREASON AGAINST THE CROWN, AND I ORDER THEM TO SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY, UNDER PENALTY OF SEEING THEIR ENTIRE HOUSES DESTROYED BY THE UNITED DEVASTATING BREATH OF THE DRAGON!"
After a brief pause, he continued, leaving me utterly stunned by what was happening before everyone's eyes.
I turned to Father, who looked completely overwhelmed by the entire situation.
Just as he was about to speak, an immense shadow loomed over us, casting the Red Keep into brief but total darkness.
'Bastard,' I thought, realizing that he was using his dragon trick again.
'I had almost forgotten why he was so dangerous, apart from the size of that beast,' I thought as I watched the largest living dragon hover for a few moments, casting an icy silence over the entire capital before letting out a deafening roar.
URRAX'S ROAR
"LARYS STRONG!"
From the first name, I understood that he was striking hard, aiming to destabilize all the Houses that thought they had any power in this kingdom and were not loyal to him.
I turned to Harwin, who was looking at his brother from afar, worried for him as knights advanced toward him to take him to the black cells.
Before I could say anything to comfort him, Aemon continued:
"BENNARD STARK!"
Hearing the name of the current Regent of the North—a region we did not control as well as we wished due to its vast size, its faith, and the image they had of us after our House had taken both the Gift and the New Gift from them to feed the Night's Watch—sent a chill down my spine.
Because this could lead to a rebellion.
'A revolt that would plunge the kingdom into chaos.'
'Dragons are not invincible,' I thought.
Father had taught me a lot over the past years, and while I still believed that dragonfire united the Seven Kingdoms, it was not infallible.
'If we find ourselves on the wrong end of every spear in this continent, we won't last long…'
"HARLON GREYJOY!"
'Why the Lord of House Greyjoy?!' I wondered, not understanding why he was suddenly targeting House Greyjoy as well.
"AND FINALLY, TO CONCLUDE THE LIST OF TRAITORS, OTTO HIGHTOWER! IN THREE MOONS, THE HAND'S TOURNEY WILL BE HELD TO CELEBRATE MY APPOINTMENT. ALL THE NAMED INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO A PROPER DEFENSE. FOURTEEN DAYS BEFORE THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN, SEVEN DAYS BEFORE, THE EXECUTION OF ALL THOSE FOUND GUILTY OF TREASON WILL TAKE PLACE AT DRAGONPIT!" Aemon declared.
'He has lost his mind,' I thought, not understanding what was happening.
---
-POV Aemon Targaryen-
As I walked away from the crowd that was now furiously whispering, I joined Gunthor, who looked a bit worried but maintained a composed demeanor.
'Even after all these years, he hasn't changed,' I thought, watching my right-hand man observe all the people approaching us to speak, even though I ignored everyone, not wanting to explain my actions.
'I no longer need to,' I thought, because the small pin I wore over my heart was the symbol that had changed everything.
The reason why a second son, full of himself, terrified all the lords of the realm was not because he had a dragon, because he was a good fighter, or even because he was a man known for his cruelty, although I knew he was.
No, the reason why someone who should have remained unknown could insult a prince without trembling, despite his ability to command the actions of a damn dragon, was because of this small pin.
The pin that signified he acted in the name of the king.
And now, from today onward, I was the voice of the king.
'Everything I did was justified by this small pin, the greatest power in the kingdom that can exist in times of peace,' I thought, smiling slightly as I prepared for the conversation ahead.
"His Grace, King Viserys, demands your presence in the throne room… immediately," he said, glaring at me with a look that would have terrified most people.
"Lead the way," I said calmly, smiling, because nothing could ruin my mood after finally doing what I had wanted for years.