-Chapter 95-
-POV Yohn Royce-
"Ser Harrold has arrived with the savages," said Ser Cedric Coldwater, my right hand, a cadet branch member.
I thought for a few seconds before finally deciding and drawing my sword from its sheath.
'For Daman,' I thought, heading toward the castle courtyard, determined to kill the first savage who crossed the threshold of my ancestors' stronghold.
"Grand-uncle," came a voice that chilled my blood, a voice I would recognize among thousands.
'My great-nephew's voice,' I thought, turning slowly in his direction.
"Going somewhere?" my great-nephew asked with a slight, mocking smile.
I didn't reply because we both knew where I was going and what I intended to do: "Daman's killer is among them, and you know it perfectly well."
"We can't know exactly how Daman died," Aemon said, playing with words, as we didn't know who had killed him, though we knew he belonged to the clan of the Stone Crows.
I lost my temper instantly and said through gritted teeth, "Don't lie to me, boy. Daman considered you a brother..."
"...and he was the same to me, but he's dead, and a senseless act of revenge won't bring him back."
'He has no heart, just a block of ice filling that void,' I thought, staring at my great-nephew, unable to detect the slightest emotion.
We stared at each other for a moment before he broke the silence and said:
"What our House needs to advance are mad dogs without an apparent leash who can strike deep at our enemies, dogs we can sacrifice at will."
"We don't need them; we could find others. These ones must die," I said, convinced I was right.
'We could hire mercenaries without spending much gold or even form groups of bandits in their lands from discontented subjects living on our enemies' territories.'
'One thing's for sure: Yorbert would never have tolerated these savages.'
"Our House will need them for what I plan," Aemon said, not even believing his own lies.
"Don't try to speak on behalf of the Royces. Everything you've ever done has been in your own interest, Aemon, and you know it perfectly well," I said, frustrated that Aemon insisted on this path.
"You might have trouble remembering it due to your advanced age, grand-uncle, but even though I bear a different family name, I am your lord; I am the Lord of this House. The House of Royce is me," he said coldly, and I found his tone subtly menacing.
I said and did nothing to reply to his disrespectful words, but he continued:
"Do I need to remind you what I've done for our House? Thanks to whom is this House on the verge of becoming a Great House? Thanks to whom is it close to surpassing all the Great Houses to become a Princely House?"
'With two damned dragons, anyone could have done better than you,' I thought inwardly without saying anything to my great-nephew, whose hands rested on the pommel of his Valyrian steel sword.
'Not Lamentation, no, but his new sword, taken from the corpse of the heir to Heart's Home,' I thought, briefly glancing at the sword before returning my gaze to my nephew, who had stopped a short distance from me.
'A short enough distance for him to decapitate me if he wished,' I thought, knowing my late brother's grandson's skill with a sword.
"Do you think you would have done better without me?" he asked me, in a slightly contemptuous tone, looking me up and down, noting that I still wasn't reacting to his poor attempts to provoke me.
'He'd love that; he'd have a perfect excuse to maim me and decapitate my personal guard,' I thought, beginning to understand him better.
'It took losing almost all authority in this House to finally see who he really is,' I thought, recalling all the underhanded moves this young man had made to gradually strip me of all control over the knights loyal to our House as well as our vassals.
"Do you think that without me, your granddaughter Perra would be on the verge of becoming the queen's sister-in-law and the daughter-in-law of the Hand of the King?" he asked as he approached, still in a soft tone, though his expression grew colder as he moved closer.
His last phrase piqued my interest, and I looked at him, frowning, waiting for an explanation.
"I tolerate your presence in my fief, dear grand-uncle; it's not the other way around. Are we clear on that?" he said, not seeking to explain himself in the slightest.
I clenched my fists tightly, took a deep breath, then said as I sheathed my sword:
"I know perfectly well that you cared deeply for Daman. I don't know what you're waiting for to avenge his death, but don't delay too long—I won't have the patience to wait forever."
'There's no point in risking my life, or the lives of all my descendants, for revenge. I have no doubt he'd be capable of eliminating them one by one if they strayed from the path he's laid out for them.'
Aemon smiled and said, "I'll take the time it takes."
'Once Gunthor returns, we'll need to have a serious conversation. Rhea has no more influence over this little monster.'
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-Chapter 96-
-POV Harrold Shett-
"Bloody hell, we're finally here. We can finally eat and screw the women of this castle properly," grumbled one of the barbarian chiefs, provoking laughter from a few others who seemed particularly close to him.
"Don't listen to him; he's the chief of the Blind Serpents tribe. He doesn't speak for all of us," said the chief of the Selenite tribe.
Galfr, the chief of the Stone Crows, nodded, but just as he was about to say something, I smiled at the sound of Urrax's roar echoing from the sky.
URRAX'S ROAR
All the chiefs' proud and arrogant expressions faded instantly, and even more so when Vhagar, even larger than Urrax, appeared from behind, roaring as she tried unsuccessfully to catch up with her companion, who flew much faster.
VHAGAR'S ROAR
'I hope they don't kill each other,' I thought, concerned that the two dragons might fight to the death.
"They look like gods," said a man whose name and tribe I didn't know.
'In any case, if what I think Aemon plans to do is right, they won't need all these clan stories much longer,' I thought, trying to contain my frustration at the thought of having to fight alongside them.
'But it's the Prince's order.'
"Let's go; Prince Aemon awaits you," I said, urging them to follow me quickly.
I had barely taken two steps toward the entrance of the main building when the doors opened, revealing the Prince, accompanied by about twenty knights.
Though surprised to see him, I reacted instantly, setting an example for my men by kneeling and saying in a loud voice so all could hear:
"Bow before His Highness, Prince Aemon Targaryen, Lord of Runestone and Dragon Rider of Urrax."
I didn't turn to check if my men followed suit; the sound of armor clinking as the knights knelt before the Prince was a sufficient indicator. The Prince himself stared straight ahead, his gaze fixed on the barbarians.
"Ser Harrold," said the Prince, lowering his eyes to meet mine.
"Yes, my Prince," I said, meeting his gaze and waiting for his instructions.
"Rise," he said, and I did so without question.
"How are you?" Prince Aemon asked.
"Perfectly well," I replied, though I was exhausted from the long journey.
"Really?! You're not so young anymore," joked the Prince.
"I wouldn't say no to a little rest, but overall, I'm perfectly fine," I said, managing a slight smile despite my fatigue.
"You've done me a great service," said Aemon before signaling everyone to rise and leave the area.
I turned just in time to see a massive shadow covering the entire castle. I had a fair idea of what the Prince was planning.
'Thankfully, the Prince expanded the outer courtyard and the castle walls, or Urrax would have caused considerable damage.'
URRAX'S ROAR
'For a moment, I thought Vhagar would follow Urrax down, but she didn't, perhaps not wanting to endanger her rider,' I thought, observing Princess Laena, a few steps behind her husband.
One of the chiefs turned his head to look at Urrax, feeling his breath on his neck, and that was all it took for the Prince's dragon to seize him in his jaws, toss him into the air, burn him, and then swallow him whole.
The Prince stepped forward and said, looking at the mountain clan chiefs now surrounded by knights in front and Urrax at their backs:
"Do not look at my dragon. He does not like it when insects meet his gaze. Most of the time, he takes it as a challenge."
Prince Aemon suddenly smiled and added, extending a hand toward Urrax, who stretched his neck to meet his rider's hand, "I am quite similar in that regard."
Immediately, all the shocked and terrified gazes turned to the ground, and the arrogance that had characterized all the mountain clan chiefs vanished at once.
From where I stood, I could feel the hot breath of my lord's dragon, and though I knew he wouldn't harm me without the Prince's order, I was petrified, unable to move a muscle.
Princess Laena stepped forward calmly and said:
"Urrax is still a child; he loves to play with his food."
'A child? My ass! That beast could burn entire armies,' I thought, avoiding all eye contact with Prince Aemon's dragon.
The Prince smiled and said to his wife:
"That's true, but in the future, he'll have to stick to sheep, as the mountain clan chiefs are here to submit to my authority."
I allowed myself a slight smile, listening to the exchange between Prince Aemon and Princess Laena, well aware that it was a carefully orchestrated act to shock, terrify, but most importantly, secure the allegiance of the barbarians.
'Through fear or force, it seems,' I thought.
'After all, it's the only language they understand,' I told myself.
None of them dared say anything, and as the couple turned to lead the way for the barbarians, one of them asked, fear clear in his voice:
"Are we protected by guest right?"
'Does he want to die?' I thought, not understanding where he found the courage to question the Prince.
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