章 683: Chapter 683: Soul Connection
Upon the Emperor's return, much to the disappointment of those who relished in the drama, he exhibited no wrathful retaliation against Dorne's defiance.
He neither dismissed his Dornish queen nor doubted the loyalty of Oberyn, who had been by his side since their humble beginnings. The return of Viserys to King's Landing brought with him the body of the Hand of the King, Jon Clinton, sequestering both within the confines of the Red Keep. Such was the respect for Jon that not even the council members were permitted to view his remains.
Rumors initially questioned the authenticity of Jon's death. Still, testimonies soon emerged from the palace, confirming the tragedy. Servants claimed to have witnessed Jon's body, its surface layered with frost, appearing as if he were merely asleep.
Many spectators, initially disappointed, assumed that Emperor Viserys had become weak, fearing a conflict reminiscent of Aegon's failed invasion of Dorne. However, these assumptions were shattered when news reached King's Landing of dragons burning Sunspear, obliterating the honorable houses of Fowler, Uller, and Cogar from existence. This act silenced the rumors and sent a chill down many spines.
Rumor had it that Viserys, instead of marching to Sunspear, sent a raven to the Water Gardens, demanding Prince Doran to explain himself before the Iron Throne. Stricken with gout and having not left the Water Gardens for years, Doran hesitated upon receiving the summons. Eventually, he decided to heed the Emperor's command and set sail for Blackwater Bay from Sunspear.
Deep within the dungeons of the Red Keep, an eerie silence prevailed. Once a resting place for dragon bones during the Baratheon reign, now Viserys secluded himself here, alongside Jon Clinton's coffin. A servant, during a rare food delivery, claimed to have glimpsed this scene. Although Viserys now required minimal sustenance, he maintained human habits.
In the dimly lit chamber, Viserys, silver hair illuminated by flickering torchlight, held a fluctuating black mist in his hand. Before him lay Jon's coffin, flanked by a faceless stone statue.
"Melisandre, what must I do?" Viserys inquired, glancing at the nebulous mist, then tilting his head slightly.
With no one else in the dungeon, his voice echoed hauntingly. To an onlooker, it would seem as though the Emperor conversed with thin air, perhaps solidifying rumors of the Targaryen madness gene.
However, the outsiders were oblivious to the mist in Viserys' palm and the voice emanating from the statue. Melisandre's calm voice instructed, "Use your spiritual power to connect with this soul, and envelop it with the fire of faith."
"Be gentle."
Viserys' spiritual power, having absorbed the power of the Old Gods, was now god-like. Jon's spirit trembled at its immense presence, akin to an ant beholding a giant elephant. Melisandre's caution was meant to prevent Jon's soul from shattering upon contact.
Viserys, relieved he had resisted his earlier curiosities, cautiously greeted the restless soul, "Jon?"
The black mist shuddered further, its hue darkening before a flabbergasted response emerged, "Your Grace?!"
Jon's soul had been in a daze, his last memory being his heroic charge into Sunspear, only to be felled by an unsuspecting arrow. Filled with regret, he had departed the mortal realm, leaving behind his newlywed wife, Beth Bracken, and their unborn child. The union of the Clinton and Bracken families had been sanctioned by Emperor Viserys, who even attended their wedding. Now, Beth, pregnant with the heir to Castle Clinton, resided in King's Landing.
Jon's soul had been naturally drawn to Viserys due to some mystical trait, only to be reawakened by him.
"At the moment, you're merely a soul," Viserys assured him. "Jon, what did you see on the other side?"
Viserys' question rendered Jon silent.
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