Chương 22: The Welcoming ceremony
Kingslanding; Crownlands; Sixth Moon of 98 AC
Ragnar PoV
Ragnar and Benjen Stark walked with King Jaehaerys' entourage back to the Great Hall; if the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms was troubled by the day's event, he didn't show it; they, however, decided to diverge from their small group and didn't enter the Great Hall with Ragnar and the other Lords; claiming they needed be somewhere else.
Arriving at the Great Hall through one of its side doors, Ragnar's eyes immediately went to check the well-being of his eldest daughter, who was standing with Dacey, the twins, and most of the Northern Lords close to the steps leading to the Iron Throne.
Prince Viserys, who seemed to be in his element as he entertained the lords, talked with Lord Dustin and welcomed the same to Kingslanding, jesting with the Lord of the Borrows about the melee that would take place in the tournament.
"That is very true, my Lord; northern steel is strong, but I learned a long time ago that, when it comes to arms, one should never bet against Daemon." Prince Viserys said, and Lord Dustin nodded with a smile.
"Aye... unlike the andals, you Valyrians certainly know how to fight." Lord Dustin said, "Like us of The North, you Valyrians never lost a war..." Lord Dustin continued, "It makes sense one such as Prince Daemon would find little trouble beating these summer knights to a pulp." Lord Dustin said
"Very little trouble," Prince Daemon said, and the lords of the North laughed.
"But our meat is bloody and cold, as winter demands... the melee will be northern this time." Lord Dustin declared, and Prince Daemon laughed
"You forgot the northerners were defeated by House Targaryen before. It shall be as it was with Aegon e Torhen," Prince Daemon said, and as opposed to what many would believe, the Northerners didn't feel slit.
"Aye... Lord Dovahkiin was right about you. Your bite is as strong as a Direwolf's, a summer knight you might be, but you indeed are ready for all seasons, from winter to summer and winter again." Lord Dustin said after he laughed at Prince Daemon's words
"So a wager then?" Prince Viserys proposed." Two hundred gold dragons say my brother shall win the melee." Prince Viserys said.
"Four hundred gold dragons say Lord Umber will win the melee," Lord Dustin said.
Ragnar and Benjen Stark chose that moment to really walk into the Great Hall, making their presence known. Dacey's eyes met Ragnar's, and without conveying any message or waiting for Prince Viserys to acknowledge her or them, she spoke.
"A thousand gold dragons say my husband will win the melee, and our foster son Theon Stane will win the joust," Dacey's proclamation made all eyes rest on her, but she didn't budge; there she stood tall and proud.
"It's a bet then, my lady." Prince Viserys said. "Lord Stark, Lord Dovahkin... I hope all is well and good. Where is the King and my lord father?" Prince Viserys inquired, making all attention leave Dacey and rest on them
"His grace and Prince Baelon decided to leave us halfway through our way here; we chose not to question his grace." Lord Stark spoke, to which Ragnar nodded.
"And the Faceless man?" Queen Alyssane spoke, beating her grandson to it.
"Gone from this city, my queen." Lord Stark said, to which the Queen nodded.
"Well, good." Prince Viserys said, "Where was I? Oh, the melee. Will you take the bet, Lord Dustin?" Prince Viserys asked
"AYE..! HA! Who shall win the melee? The chained giant, The Fire Dragon, or The Ice Dragon?" Lord Dustin said, "That could be the title of a song, could it not?" Lord Dustin japed.
"Aye.." Lord Stark said, his epithet of "The Silent Wolf" once again proving its veracity to all northerners.
"Now, I should move; there are many more Lords for my prince to welcome, and I fear I'm making this small ceremony take too long... Umber is getting restless; simple-minded as he is, I fear he will blame me." Lord Dustin japed.
"You will not live to leave the melee grounds, Dustin." Lord Umber grumbled, and Lord Dustin laughed.
Prince Viserys laughed with Lord Dustin and then continued to welcome the other lords.
Ragnar slowly approached his family as Prince Viserys called the lords; his wife gave him a bright smile making him involuntarily smile back, making his growing anger fade slightly, but not by much.
"What is wrong, my love," Dacey asked, her eyes quickly seeing through Ragnar's anger.
"Many things... many things," Ragnar said as he looked at Prince Viserys and the other Targaryen, specifically the kind Princess Aemma, who held her daughter in her arms and cooed at the little bundle of joy. Ragnar's eyes then looked down and saw his daughter, who liked to walk close to him, liked to spend time with him, liked to hug him, and tried her best to emulate his very being, and the mere thought of any harm befalling on her brought back the anger he was trying to hold back multiplied by a thousand.
" Zu'u fen kriivah pah do niin. Dii fen grind hahkun ko nun ruus"
(I'll murder all of them, my axe will meet their throat)
Ragnar growled, his words unintentionally changing to dovahzul, giving an invisible power to them. In response to his Thuri's anger and silent power, Midstinul let out a mighty roar which was heard throughout Kingslanding and the Red Keep; a few seconds later, Vermithor, Vhagar, and Snowstorm matched the Dovah's roar. Ragnar assumed the Valyrian dragons were already feeling their rider's anger, and Midstinul's roar was like a fuse of some kind.
The Great Hall once again went silent, simply listening as both Fire and frost-breathing dragons promised retribution to those who earned their rider's wrath.
The silence in the Great Hall was broken by Queen Alyssane, however, who laughed good-heartedly at the Lords in the hall.
"The dragons are singing, my lords, for they know that the time of Dragons is upon us. Never since the Doom have so many dragons banded together in one place." Queen Alyssane said, and life returned to the Red Keep. Prince Viserys then continued on his arduous task of welcoming the Northern lords.
As he allowed his anger to stir, Ragnar felt a pair of arms embrace him from behind, and his wife's sweet scent hit his nose, causing most of his anger to fade instantaneously.
Dacey said nothing, just stood there, glued to his back; their children were, fortunately, oblivious to their father's anger and were enchanted by the Targaryen royals and how queer they looked.
Prince Viserys welcomed and talked to four more lords before Ser Redwyne's voice was heard.
"King Jaehaerys of House Targaryen, First of his name, King of the Andals, The Roynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm." Ser Redwyne announced as Jaehaerys walked in through the main doors. The neutral expression on the King's face gave out not even a glimpse of the King's mind.
King Jaehaerys walked up the steps of the Iron Throne and sat, and all in the hall with no Targaryen blood knelt.
"You may all rise," King Jaehaerys said, his eyes roaming over the hall three times before they rested on Lord Manderly, the current first on the northern lords' list. "It seems my leave was as short as I thought it would be, and the topics discussed and agreements made were favorable to House Targaryen… which means Braavos will not cease to exist in the next fortnight," King Jaehaerys japed, and most lords laughed "Which is good as Braavos is one of the leading trade partners of House Manderly… Be Welcome to Kingslanding, my Lord. The Merman is always welcome in my court." King Jaehaerys said, and Lord Manderly puffed his chest and bowed with a massive smile on his face.
" Thank you, Your Grace! It is an honor to be here to witness the greatest tournament Westeros has ever seen," Lord Manderlyn said, his smile showing he was genuine.
King Jaehaerys simply nodded at Lord Manderly and seamlessly took over from Prince Viserys. The King then continued to welcome the Lords, and sooner than Ragnar thought, it was his and his family's time to be "welcomed" by the King.
" Ah, Lord and Lady Dovahkiin, it has not been very long since you graced my keep with your presence." King Jaehaerys spoke.
" Indeed, it has not, Your Grace; as much as I try to keep away from the South, it appears to have liked us very much," Ragnar spoke; his tone was neutral, similar to the King's, much due to the fact Ragnar wasn't operating with very positive emotions inside him.
" Is that so? I cannot say anything about the South, but I myself enjoy your presence very much." King Jaehaerys said, "And how could I not? You are a powerful mage; you must have the knowledge to fill the Citadel twice over." King Jaehaerys concluded
" Not that much knowledge... just a Citadel and a half, Your Grace," Ragnar japed, and King Jaehaerys laughed. The Protector of The Real then turned to Dacey.
" And you, my lady? You left the city atop your dragon last time with such haste I had thought we might have offended you; I even thought my lady would not grace us with her refreshing presence." King Jaehaerys said, and Dacey had the decency to blush.
" No, Your Grace. Your Grace has not offended me or my House by any means... I was feeling the absence of my children heavily, and as such, I convinced my husband to let me fly North in haste." Dacey said as she smiled at the Old King, who graciously nodded at her and offered a sad smile to Dacey.
" Ah, yes. I understand... Such a terrible feeling, the one of missing one's child. I live with this predicament every day, and unlike your dragon, my lady, Vermithor cannot take me where the children I'm missing are." King Jaehaerys said, and Dacey smiled kindly at him
" No, Vermithor cannot; but time will eventually. However, if the gods are merciful, it will take a long time. The Realm is not ready to lose the most remarkable King in recorded history just yet." Ragnar said, and King Jaehaerys nodded with a thankful smile on his face; he then looked at Ragnar's children.
" Welcome, little ones; I hope the Red Keep is of your liking," King Jaehaerys said
" Aye, Your Grace." Lynara and Bjorn said at the same time; Lyanna nodded quietly but said nothing
" Well, you are all welcome to my keep, now and ever." King Jaehaerys said as he looked over Ragnar and his family.
" Thank you, Your Grace," Ragnar said; he then looked at the King and offered a smile, the same smile a father would give to a foolish son. " You know, Your Grace, Forgiveness is not approving of what happened; it's simply rising above it," Ragnar concluded, and he could see that Jaehaerys immediately understood of whom Ragnar was speaking. Ragnar then walked to where Lord Manderly and Umber were. The ceremony continued, and once done, most Lords of The North chose to return to their ships. Ragnar and his family, however, were made to stay behind by Queen Alyssane no less.
" My Lord," Queen Alyssane greeted him, and Ragnar smiled at the Queen, who offered her hand; Ragnar took it and kissed the back of the Queen's hand.
" My Queen," Ragnar said with a surprised tone, as he wasn't expecting to talk to the Queen " You look radiant, my Queen; I'm sure that if Corlys Velarion were to rank the most beautiful things he's ever seen during his Voyages and his life, your grace would head the list... but only because Lord Velarion has not seen my own Lady wife." Ragnar japed as he kissed Dacey's cheek, and the Queen laughed, a melodic laugh that made Ragnar instantaneously understand how Alyssane got The Stark of Winterfell to give up the New Gift.
" Oh, of all the things I've heard, that was surely the sweetest in a long time..." The Queen commented, her demeanor a lot less stiff than previously. " Lady Dovahkiin must be a lucky one if you can say such sweet things all the time," The Queen said as she eyed Ragnar and Dacey.
" How can I be of assistance, my Queen?" Ragnar asked, his voice calm but firm.
" Hum, blunt as hammers." The Queen commented, and Ragnar nodded with a smile " You see, my Lord, My daughter Gael seems to have acquired a particular curiosity in your lands, and the tales told about it, tales which were confirmed by yourself." Queen Alyssane said, and Ragnar nodded, confirming the Queen's words " Well, my daughter has asked us, the King and me, that is, to let her go North with you, so she could lay eyes in your magnificent city and the magical creatures that there live." The Queen commented, and Ragnar nodded; the Queen, however, refused to elaborate further.
" So, Your Grace is warning us that Princess Gael will come North with my family?" Dacey asked, unknowingly saving Ragnar from getting even more confused as the Queen simply went quiet after saying her piece.
" Well, I was expecting an invite to your Keep, to be honest," Queen Alyssane said with a slight frown on her face.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but I had already invited Princess Gael to Skagos before, during the supper we shared last year, in fact," Ragnar said, and Queen Alyssane looked confused for a moment.
" You did?" The Queen asked, and Ragnar nodded, which made the Queen smile apologetically
" Oh, I am sorry, my Lord, my daughter failed to inform me of your invite when she expressed her wish to go to Skagos," The Queen said, and Ragnar laughed.
" Ah, these children... always getting us in difficult situations," Ragnar said after he laughed.
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A/N: I'll post another chapter tomorrow… a more fast paced one… more important to the story than this one
Thank you for your support and may god bless you all 🙏
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