Kapitel 74: Chapter 74 - END
- King's Landing - Year Later -
She was brought into the throne room. Unsullied on either side dragging her into the room. She tried to fight back against them. Claw, bite, and kick her way to freedom. But it was all for not. She knew why they had come for her and had tried to flee. The woman even considered ending her life. To spite the King and his Queen from taking her back to King's Landing alive. But they had come to quickly, bound her hands, feet, and a bag over her head. The people around the woman shocked these people on the command of the King had come to take her to King's Landing to face justice for a crime they knew not had been performed by this one person.
After the woman was thrown to the floor in the middle of the throne room, one of the Unsullied guards removed the bag from the head of the prisoner, who was now glaring at the Iron Throne where Aegon and Margery Targaryen sat. Her eyes were burning with hatred for the two of them. One being the King and other for marrying said King despite what she thought of him.
"You just couldn't let things go. Could you Catelyn Tully," said Aegon with the woman now identified as Catelyn Tully snarl slightly at him.
"How could I let it go? My brother is dead. My sister is dead. My Father is dead. Only my Uncle is alive, and he has abandoned me. How can you expect me to let it go when the source of it all is sitting on that ghastly chair?" said Catelyn angrily at the King.
"Considering the crimes your family committed, you expect me to let them go with a slap on the wrist? Your brother went to the Wall and died there when I was within my right to end his life in this very room with the other traitors that day. Your Father died for breaking his oath to my House all so he could rise higher from those who usurped it. Your House's words are Family Duty Honor, correct? Where is the honor of breaking your oaths to my House? You betrayed your own family, your own children, when you attempted to conspire with the Freys and the Boltons to kill me at a wedding. You chose to hate me over your duty to supporting your husband's decision when raising me alongside Robb and the others. Even when the truth was revealed, you still hated me for being alive, and not for being a supposed bastard," said Aegon with Catelyn looking away, but the rage in her eyes did not lessen.
For the past few years since her exile to Dorne to raise bastard children in an orphanage, Catelyn had been in her own (or what she perceived to be) Hell in being around so many motherless children. They were all well behaved children while under her care. She would give them all that much. But in her heart, she hated them for being what the Seven told her was evil, deceitful, and sinful children who coveted what true born children had in life. They all acted innocent and honest now while under her watchful eyes, but Catelyn knew it was only a matter of time before their vile nature manifested itself.
She had tried to get them blessed in the eyes of the Seven. A Sept, not even a big one, just a small one, was requested by her when writing a letter to Prince Doran about it. It wasn't an unreasonable request in her mind. She had stated such religious guidance for the children would make sure they stayed on the honest a true path of light the Gods of the Seven Faith preached.
Prince Doran's response back in his letter had not been pleasant given it was a definitive one-worded response that clearly left no room for argument on her part.
"No."
She had tried to get a Septon or Septa to visit as much as possible in order to gain some kind of foothold with her faith in Dorne. But it was next to impossible. Doran had anticipated her actions after his one-word answer and made sure all Septons and Septas were sent back to the Sept they had left from unless they had written permission from the Prince of Dorne himself.
With her plan to push for the Seven Faith to have a foothold in Dorne, Catelyn refocused on her children in the hopes of reconciling with them, as well as convince them rebel against the King in the future. Or if not in their lifetime, their own children could do it in their place. For a time, she had played the part of accepting her punishment for some time, but eventually the letters sent to each of them had spoken of not trusting the King. How the former bastard would one day be consumed with madness his House was known for and drown in the trapping of power. How the King would betray hem. Take everything from them. How they should prepare for war against the King and his allies with allies of their own.
The replies from her children had been immediate. Telling her they would not and to stop such talk since it was treason to even write such things in her letters. Not only that, but Cat's children had basically replied back stating they could not and would not defend her for writing such things. She had ignored their pleas to stop writing such things and continued to convince them with each new letter on how to act with future allies, who to reach when at parties or tourneys, and who their children should marry to further reinforce alliances made between Houses.
She should have known they would come for her after the last letter she sent to Robb about removing his Targaryen for a wife and replace her for one that was from a powerful House. One that was capable of challenging Aegon when the war she envisioned came to pass. Catelyn stopped getting letters from any of her children regarding her life in Dorne and everything else. When a group of Dornish men came to orphanage, Catelyn tried to flee. But her time in Dorne was limited in terms of knowledge of terrain since she didn't venture far from the building per Prince Doran's command.
After fleeing from Dornish soldiers failed, she quickly threatened to kill herself with the knife hidden in her sleeve to prevent herself from being taken alive to the bastard who called himself a King. The men didn't care though. They told her as such. Dead or alive, they would bring her to the King. If she died, it didn't matter, as they would let Aegon decide what to do with her corpse. They had basically told the woman that nothing she did mattered when it came to her own life. Whether she took it or not was of no issue to them or the King. Only that she be brought to the King to decide what to do with the woman when in his presence.
At that point, all Catelyn could do was cry, drop the knife, and be taken away to be transported to King's Landing to face final judgement from the Seven damned King.
"You have taken everything from me with your actions," said Catelyn with Aegon glaring down at the woman with right hand drumming on the arm rest of the Iron Throne.
"It is true my actions have resulted in your House falling far. However, my actions were a result of the consequences born from your House. From your father. From your brother. From your sister. From you. You say I have taken everything from you. Yet, if that were true, I could have banned your children, my cousins, from writing you letters to see how you were doing in your position at the Dornish orphanage. I did not. I could have been even crueler and sent you into exile all the way to Essos. I did not. I could have even gone so far as to use your own faith against you and have you performing the infamous Walk of Atonement. I did not. If anything, I have become too merciful in my actions with you and this is the result of it," said Aegon with his anger showing with each passing moment.
And with each passing moment when he spoke those words, they made Catelyn flinch.
"My husband has been merciful to you my Lady. But the time for mercy is over. You tried to insight your children to rise against their cousin in secret. To seek out allies to stir another rebellion. Each letter written to your children regarding this treason was given to the King shortly after being received by them. Each time, your children begged my husband for mercy and to let them handle this stupidity. Since you are their Mother, it wasn't difficult to understand and we let them handle it. But when you send a letter to your eldest son to cast down my husband's Aunt, who he married, and replace her with a wife from another powerful House capable of challenging the dragon. Do you think after such a letter or any letters written in the future, we would allow this to continue?" added Margery since she knew her husband had been infuriated at the woman in front of them after reading the letter.
At first, they tolerated the treasonous words this woman wrote to her children. They held no weight and Robb, Sansa, Arya, Brandon, and Rickon would never listen. But they wanted to handle this on their own and Aegon agreed to let them since this was between them and their Mother. But when the letter Robb had sent him with Catelyn's suggestion to him that Daenerys should be disposed of silently and remarry to a Southern House with the military and political means of fighting the dragon, it was too much. Since it was clear that all five Stark children now adults of this stupid woman, who they called a Mother, could not reach her in getting such hate filled and treasonous thoughts on paper to stop, the King and Queen felt this had to be dealt with.
Both quickly and decisively.
"Nothing to say? You were so vocal with my Hand about your hatred for me the last time you were here in King's Landing and faced judgment for your future crimes against us. Surely you have something to say now," commented Aegon with Catelyn keeping her mouth shut.
"It appears she has nothing to say on the issue your Grace," said Varys calmly while looking sadly at the woman who held such a hatred for a single person, even after knowing the truth.
"Apparently not Lord Varys. Not that I would expect this woman to have anything to say considering the evidence against her. There is no defense. There is no excuse. As such, there can be no mercy. Not this time," replied Aegon with Catelyn now looking desperate to escape her impending death.
"I demand a Trial by Combat!" exclaimed Catelyn quickly and hoping to escape her end.
"Denied! First, this is not a trial. Second, your crimes here this day have been known to everyone in the Seven Kingdoms so a trial would be pointless. Third, if we allowed it, you would name my Uncle and Hand as your Champion. And as such, I would have to name someone else to win the Trial by Combat to prevent you from going free. The end result would be my champion killing my Uncle just to get to you, which would make me look petty in the eyes of the people. Not only that, but the loss of my Uncle is something that would hurt me deeply. Something you intended as a form of revenge against myself and my Uncle for protecting me all those years ago. I will not allow a shallow, hypocritical woman like you to take control of things here. Your end is now. Your death is now," said Aegon firmly while he rose from his throne and walked down the steps with his sword drawn.
"Wait! Please your Grace! I am sorry! For everything! Please don't kill me! Please! I beg of you! MERCY!" exclaimed Catelyn in fear since the ramifications and had her head brought down by the two Unsullied guards.
"The mercy I gave you is spent. I gave you mercy years ago when I sent you to Dorne in order to learn how to properly take care of children who were not your own. To learn how to love motherless children who wished to be loved above all else. Yet you would spit on my mercy. Spit on the life I gave you over the fact I could have taken your life and not be in the wrong! You wrote of treason. You wrote of having my Aunt removed through nefarious means. You spoke of trying get your children, my cousins, involved in rebelling against me. There can be no mercy here, except for the fact my Uncle is not here to witness this moment given how much it will hurt him to witness your end. Though such mercy is more for him instead of you," said Aegon while the woman in front of him began crying all the while whispering for him to show her mercy one more time.
But he could not. There was to be no mercy here. This woman had been given a way-out years ago at the request of her husband. A husband who was the King's Uncle by blood while trying to be a Father to him despite everything surrounding Aegon's life at the time. The King had granted the mercy and it had been repaid with the woman trying to insight rebellion, treason, and using his own cousins no less.
Such crimes warranted only one true punishment. Death. And in this woman's case, it was to be done by the King himself. As was the way of the North. As it was the old way as Lord Stark had long since told his children.
The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.
"If you have anything to say Lady Catelyn, now is the time," said Aegon with his sword at the ready with Catelyn crying tears down her face before looking up at the King with defeat eyes.
Eyes finally showing acceptance of who was on the Iron Throne.
"Long live…the King," whispered Catelyn with Aegon nodding at her acceptance and tightening his grip on the sword in his hands.
Before he brought it up high and brought it down on the woman who was once Catelyn Tully Stark.
"May you find peace among the Seven when facing their judgement," said Aegon before he took a cloth and cleaned the blade.
"It had to be done husband. No matter how much we wish it weren't," commented Margery with Aegon sighing since it had to be done for the sake of everyone.
"I know. But she was the Mother to my cousins. How can I look at them or they look at me knowing she died by my hands?" asked Aegon while Margery held his hand in comfort.
"She wrote words of treason my love. She wrote the words and sent them to her children in hopes they would speak them. To destroy what you helped create once you were crowned King. The people here and throughout the Seven Kingdoms are healthy, happy, and sing your praises from the North to the South. From the Westernlands of Casterly Rock to the East in the Vale and into Essos itself. She wanted to destroy all that you helped create out of some petty need for revenge despite it was here actions that caused it," replied Margery with Aegon nodding since he had said as much in the throne room.
"I know. I also know every action has consequences. I just want to make sure my actions here was the right one," said Aegon with Margery smiling and began to lead him out of the throne room.
"Your actions were correct my love. Everything you have ever done leading to and after becoming King has been the right choice," said Margery while leading Aegon through the halls to the gardens where there two sons were playing Brienne of Tarth standing watch over them.
The first woman to ever become a member of the Kingsguard at the request of Margery to Aegon in order to give woman a purpose she thought was lost to her. Aegon agreed since Brienne had proven herself capable of fighting when at the Wall and wasn't about to let such potential slip away. So, when the offer was made to the woman, Brienne accepted it and became a member of the Kingsguard with pride swelling within her body. She wrote to her Father, who had been proud of his daughter, knowing she had fought at the Wall against the army of the undead, returned home alive, and was rewarded for it despite the previous actions prior to it.
Aegon went even further to alter the rules of the Kingsguard since it seemed unfair that such loyal men and women who were given the title be denied inheriting or having any children. They were asked to be unquestionably loyal to the Crown, to the King and Queen and the royal children sired. By denying them one or two important things did not sit right with Aegon since such loyalty should be rewarded. As such, he stated the Kingsguard could marry, keep their family titles, and have children should they wish it.
"They get stronger with each passing day. What does the future hold for them, I can't help but wonder," said Margery with a smile while seeing both Aemon and Jaehaerys playing and laughing.
Aegon kept quiet while looking into the future with the Force. Seeing Yara Greyjoy sailing the seas with her remaining Iron Born, never truly settling down any one place. It was a harsh life, but she made it work and was surprisingly happy with it until the end. The end coming for the fleet of Iron Born ships eventually being consumed in various storms throughout the seas and brought to her Drowned God. Even when Yara met her end, the smile that was on it told Aegon she had died happy due to dying at sea was what she wanted most. The only thing Yara left behind was a child, a son, which she had left at an orphanage in some distant land. The boy would never know about his Father, Mother, or his heritage as a descendant of an Iron Born woman, but would grow up to be a good man, find and marry that special someone to keep her line going for years to come.
Tyrion would live a long life with Shae. Aegon saw a total of four children with Shae. None of them being dwarfs in terms of physical stature like their Father. But they did inherit his sharp wit and tongue with a hint of Tywin in them when it came to being serious. Fortunately, the last part wasn't enough to bring about one of them being Tywin Lannister reborn. The "Imp of House Lannister" would go on to be one of the greatest Lannisters within his House. Beloved and respected by all during his time. Living to an impressive old age of 90, yet still kept his wits and humor about him like he was a young man. Shae had passed away 10 years from the world prior to his own death, but their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren kept Tyrion centered during those remaining years into his life.
He died a happy man and with a smile on his face showing it. His final days involved telling a joke about a honeycomb and jackass being brought into a brothel.
Robb would live a happy life with Daenerys. Ordinarily, the Northern Lords would be hesitant to accept a woman not born of the North into the fold. Even more so after what happened with Eddard Stark's wife and what she tried to do during her time as Lady Stark of Winterfell. Fortunately, Daenerys was not one of those Southern Ladies who did not except sew, pray, and make babies with their husband. She was a Targaryen first and foremost meaning the woman was not weak willed either. Robb found the woman was quite helpful in helping run the North and despite some arguments on some things (and they would have them), the two would be happily married with a surprising number of six children as proof of it.
The same could be said for the other members of House Stark with Sansa, Arya, Brandon, Rickon, and all the major Houses who took part in the Game of Thrones with this generation. Each one he helped was happy and content with their lives while growing stronger, wiser, and better as time went by. The story of the White Walkers return would be told from generation to generation. The story about the corrupt Maesters, the bleeding of the Seven Faith, the fall of the treacherous House Frey and House Bolton, and Robert's Rebellion covering for what would be called the Falcon's Conspiracy.
Aegon would ensure history would tell the stories correctly, accurately, and make sure the realms of men knew of the players responsible for protecting it while playing the Game of Thrones.
"Indeed. The future is always in motion. There are many possibilities. Many outcomes. All we can do is try our best and see what happens in the end. But I know one thing above all else regarding the future of our children," said Aegon with a smile on his face.
"And what is that my love?" asked Margery curiously with Aegon looking at her and kissed the woman passionately.
"They will be loved by their parents. Loved and guided by us to help make sure the future is a bright one and continues to be bright long after we are gone from this world," said Aegon with Margery smiling.
"A bright future to be sure," commented Margery while watching their children play.
"Long may it reign," said Aegon with a smile on his face.
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