Chương 2228: 22
The Lord of Winterfell
Ned sat opposite Robert in his rooms, they had just finished speaking to the Greyjoys. They had agreed to return Theon to his father in return for the support of the Iron born in the upcoming war. Ned really did not see the point in sending the Iron fleet to Dragonstone, it just seemed like sending more men to unnecessary deaths. However, he wasn't going to tell the King that, he was already about to have a very difficult conversation with him.
For a brief moment he considered lying about this whole situation but then he realised that Jon would likely tell all the Lords the truth anyway and then this secret would be exposed regardless. If Robert found out at the council, there would be no telling how badly he would react. Ned hoped that by telling him now, the King would show some form of mercy and kindness to him and his family.
"What has happened to you? I have not seen you this angry ever," the King said and Ned sighed. He did not even know where to start. He looked into Robert's blue eyes, over the past few months serving as his Hand, the boy that he had known growing up in the Vale had returned. He only hoped that boy was still listening to this conversation. That boy would remember their shared childhood and that would hopefully be enough to grant him mercy.
"I need to talk to you about Lyanna," Ned said firmly, he decided to get this over with quickly, there was no point slowly building up to it. "I found Lyanna in that tower in Dorne. I told you that she was dying of a fever, but it was also due to complications in childbirth,"
"Lyanna had a child. He put a child in her?" Robert whispered as he leant forward. "I'll kill the bastard myself. He raped her and that's what killed her," he seethed and Ned saw him stand up and angrily start to pace around the room. Ned saw him reach for his sword.
"He did not rape her. They ran away together," Ned said quietly, so quietly he was sure that the King did not hear him. However, he quickly realised that he was mistaken. Robert stopped his angry pace and stood still, perfectly still like a statue. He slowly turned towards Ned. His face was as red as a tomato and his blue eyes were piercing into him. Ned's hands grew incredibly sweaty as he forced himself to hold his gaze
"You are lying. He kidnapped her and he raped her. You are fucking lying," he whispered and Ned shook his head slowly.
"I thought so too, but I was there as she died. She wanted me to protect him. Her child, she loved him,"
He saw Robert shake his head. "No," he whispered as he started to clench and open his fist. "NO!" he yelled and this time he picked up his chair and threw it across the room and into a stone wall. He started to throw more and more furniture around the room, Ned watched him in his rage and he was stunned at this reaction, he was going to destroy half the room in his rage. Ned slowly rose to his feet and watched the King warily almost as if he was a wounded animal. Robert had not fully understood what he had said, perhaps this was his chance to leave. He slowly moved towards the door, he did not want to make too much noise in case Robert noticed him. He had nearly reached the door when he heard Robert call out.
"Wait!" and Ned slowly, regretfully turned around to face him. "Protect him, her child," he said slowly and Ned knew that he was close. "It's true isn't it? That boy out there really is her child," and Ned gave a small nod of his head.
"And you protected him? You hid Lyanna's child from me? You hid the dragonspawn from me? Why would you do that?" he asked and Ned thought of Aegon and of Rhaenys. That was why he hid Jon.
"She made me promise. I promised to protect him," he whispered and this was true, but Ned wondered if he had failed in that promise. He had protected Jon for his entire life until that day he had told him the truth. He had stopped protecting Jon that day and it had all gone wrong. It had spiraled out of control and Ned knew that on that day he had broken his promise. Lyanna would be ashamed of him, he had let her down. He failed to protect Jon from his father.
"This is all your fault," Robert said to him angrily. "These Dragons are coming for MY crown and it's all your fucking fault!" he yelled as he turned towards him. Ned could not answer him, if he had not told Jon then he would not be in this situation.
"Where did you hide him? In Essos? Did you pay for his protection?" and Ned shook his head slowly.
Robert's eyes widened in understanding.
"Your bastard. You disguised him as your fucking bastard. I asked you about the boy's mother and you lied to me. You lied to my fucking face," he spat every word at him.
"I bet you're going to fucking betray me aren't you. Yes, you are a traitor, you are probably working with him to overthrow me," Robert spat and Ned shook his head,
"We argued earlier and that is why I was angry. He has changed, Rhaegar has changed him, he is not the boy that I raised," Ned said but Robert interrupted him.
"I don't care about your lies anymore," he said as he reached for his sword. "I should kill you right now. I really should smash your fucking head in for this," Ned eyed him warily and he started to slowly back towards the door. Robert was much stronger than him and they both knew it, he would not stand a chance in a fight. He felt his breath quicken and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Robert drew his sword from its sheath and Ned stared at Robert not trusting himself to look at the blade that would take his life. Robert raised the sword over his head and Ned closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.
"Go," he said quietly and Ned didn't move, he was not sure he heard him properly. He opened his eyes and looked up at Robert, who had lowered his sword. "Go. Run back to Winterfell!" he shouted and Ned quickly scurried out of the room. He ignored the questioning looks that the Kingsguard gave him and he quickly walked away, determined to put as much distance as he could between him and Robert.
Ned kept walking for several minutes before he finally stopped in a dark alcove and tried to catch his breath. His hands were shaking and he sunk to the floor and closed his eyes and he forced himself to breath. In and out in and out in and out until eventually his heartbeat returned to normal. His lies had finally caught up with him and he had been mere moments from losing his life. He had not tried to pick a side and truthfully he cared for both Robert and Jon, but his indecision had backfired. He had lost them both, there was a war coming and neither King had any love for him. Robert had been moments away from killing him and that made Ned wonder if he was foolish to care for him in the first place.
He was an impossible situation, no matter which side he chose he would be breaking one vow or another. The Targaryens seemed to have a particular dislike of House Tully. Jon and his wife held no love for each other and that was something that he could only blame himself for. Had he told Catelyn the truth or told her to treat him better then perhaps this animosity would not have grown to this level.
Ned realised that if he sided with Jon he would be forsaking his vows to Catelyn, what kind of husband would he be if he did not defend his wife and her family? How could he ever look at his children or the other Lords of the realm if he allowed this to happen? However, he promised Lyanna that he would protect her son and he could not take up arms against Jon, he still had to keep his promise. He would have to be neutral and stay out of it.
Where had it all gone wrong for him? Since when did keeping his promises become so difficult? Where was his mistake? If he had never told Jon then this would all have been avoided, perhaps the Targaryens would not have their dragons and they would not have invaded.
As he sat there in the dark alcove, Ned Stark realised that he was truly alone.
The Mother of Dragons
Daenerys and Tyrion walked through the stone corridors of Harrenhall towards the main courtyard. As they walked, Dany could not stop her thoughts from turning towards Jon and Lord Stark. She knew that Jon hated the fact that they might be going to war against his friends and family in the North but she did not see a way around it.
She did not have a good impression of Lady Catelyn, she found that she was rude and disrespectful, she had no right to call Jon a bastard. No right at all. Worse still she had shown no remorse for how she treated him and that was unforgivable. Jon had asked how she would feel if someone had treated Daeron that way and she felt unbelievably angry at that thought. How could she call herself a mother and treat Jon like that. The Tullys would have to be punished, that she was certain of.
Dany knew that by punishing the Tullys they would have to fight the North but she did not see a way around it. She would not let Lady Catelyn get away with her treatment of Jon and she would not let the Tullys get away with their overambitious scheming.
As they walked through the hallways her thoughts turned to Daeron. She did not like being so far away from him. She trusted Irri and Doreah with him but she missed her baby boy dearly. Going to war and leaving him on Dragonstone would be tough, but she did not want to take him with them. Dragonstone was an island and the Usurper did not have a navy to attack it, he would be safest there and if needs be she could fly back to see him, twice a day if she had too, she was a Queen and she could do as she pleases. She wondered what he was doing now, was he asleep? Perhaps he was, he usually slept around this time of day.
They walked through a corridor and Daenerys heard low voices whispering to one another, she slowed her pace slightly and Tyrion did the same. They turned a corner and saw Ser Loras walking closely with the man she thought was Renly Baratheon.
"Your grace," Ser Loras said immediately.
"Ser Loras," she said with a smile and then she turned towards his friend.
"Forgive me, but we haven't been introduced?" she said politely.
"I am Lord Renly Baratheon," the man said in a sweet voice.
"Ser Loras, is this the man that knighted you?"
"Yes he is," Loras said quietly. Daenerys found this odd, during their conversation on Dragonstone, he was also very quiet and guarded when it came to Renly, yet they seemed to be close together today. Perhaps he was hiding something, she would not be surprised if he was. Nearly, everyone had something to hide.
"Ser Loras, do you know where we can find Lady Olenna?" Tyrion asked and he nodded.
"Could you escort us please? We would like to speak with her,"
She saw him share a quick glance with Renly before he nodded and turned around to guide them towards Lady Olenna. He walked a few paces in front of them and she turned to Tyrion to give him a curious glance.
"I will explain later," he said quietly and she nodded. Ser Loras led a quick pace through the castle and soon, they arrived outside the rooms where the Tyrells were staying. It seemed that Lord Mace had brought his entire family to the council. She saw Margaery sitting with a group of ladies by the window.
"Queen Daenerys," he said in greeting. "It is kind of you to grace us with your presence. How can we be of service?"
Daenerys watched as everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to stare at her and she decided that she would need a more private audience.
"Lady Olenna, could we speak privately please?" she said with a smile. The old lady gave her a sharp look before looking to her family.
"You heard the Queen, leave us you useless hens," she said with a wave of her hands and Dany stood to the side as everyone in the room quickly filed out of the door. Only Tyrion, Lord Mace Tyrell, Daenerys and Lady Olenna remained in the room.
Once the room was empty, Daenerys took a seat opposite Lady Olenna.
"Lady Olenna," she said politely.
"Queen Daenerys," she said with a smile. "I overheard your discussion with the Starks earlier," and she gave her a pointed look, she knew that it was an argument not a discussion.
"I have come here to discuss your terms," she continued and Olenna looked at her expectantly.
"We do not accept your offer. Lady Margaery will not marry my husband, she will not be Queen," Dany said adamantly as she stared at the old woman. Her brown eyes were shining brightly and her mouth started to twist upwards into a smile.
"Very well. It seems to be your loss," she said in a casual tone.
"It does not matter I already spoke to," Mace Tyrell began,
"Shut up you blundering idiot," Olenna said as she interrupted her son.
"Renly Baratheon? Lord Stark? Both?" Daenerys asked and she saw a flicker of surprise in Lady Olenna's eyes. "You didn't think I knew that you were you looking for other options?"
"I expected you to find out and I would be a fool if I wasn't," Olenna replied.
"We have new terms for you," Tyrion said from his seat but Olenna's eyes remained firmly on her.
"You will support House Targaryen in this upcoming war. You will provide all of your troops and you will share your harvest with us. In return, we will name Loras Tyrell to our Kingsguard and grant you a Valyrian steel sword that your family will keep throughout eternity," Tyrion told them.
"I don't understand. You offered those terms before and we did not accept. Now you have taken away a council position!" Mace stuttered,
"Shut up and listen. There is more," Olenna said and Daenerys smiled at her.
"If you do not accept these terms. House Tyrell will no longer be Wardens of the South," Daenerys said in a clear voice. She glared at Lady Olenna and for a few moments and no one spoke.
"You can't replace us," Mace said quickly.
"Why can't I?" Daenerys said as she turned to him. "It was Aegon the Conqueror who raised your house to the status of Lord Paramount of the Reach, he was the one who gave you the position as Warden of the South. Why can't my husband and I take that away? You already showed us your weakness. I am sure there are plenty of Reach houses that would jump at the chance to replace you. I could speak to the Tarlys or the Rowans, I know that they are currently in attendance,"
"You can't hold the Reach without us. We have allies, the Redwynes and the Hightowers will stand with us," Mace stammered.
"Do you think I care about the Redwynes or the Hightowers? Do you think my dragon cares about these small houses?" she asked scornfully and she saw Mace Tyrell meekly shake his head. "House Tyrell, House Redwyne, House Hightower and any other house in the realm is more than welcome to stand against the power of House Targaryen. I will warn you that when I am finished with you, there will be nothing left of those houses. Not a father, mother, son, daughter brother or sister, not even a keep. They will all be gone,"
"That it is a bit of an overreaction," he said quietly.
"You tried to interfere with my marriage. You are lucky I am offering you another chance at all," Daenerys snapped at him. "I am sure you have heard rumors of what happened in Volantis, don't think we won't do the same here,"
Then she turned her eyes to Lady Olenna, she knew that she was the real power in this family. The two women glared at each other before Olenna broke into a small toothless smile.
"So the dragon does know how to roar," she said with a smile which caused Daenerys to scowl. "I was curious to see what you were made of," then Dany understood.
"So this was a test?" she asked but Olenna did not respond and this angered Daenerys. She leaned forward and spoke sharply to her. "Do not presume to play these games with me again. The next time you do this, you will see just how much of a dragon I am,"
Daenerys continued to glare at the woman until her smile faltered. "Very well Queen Daenerys. You have our full support,"
"What about Margaery?" Mace complained,
"Lady Margaery can have a place at court. She can be one of the ladies in waiting to the Queen of the seven Kingdoms," Tyrion offered. "When the war is over I am sure we will be able to find your daughter a suitable match,"
"With who?" Olenna said to Tyrion "I am not an idiot. You and the Starks are clearly at each other's throats, so the Stark boy is probably not long for this world. The Tullys will go with them so that rules out Edmure too,"
"Perhaps you should let Margaery choose who she wants to marry instead of shopping her around like a brood mare," Daenerys snapped, she did not understand their insistence to marry off Margaery, she should have a say in who she married.
"Lord Tyrell. We will be in touch to coordinate troop movements. Feel free to start sending shipments of food to Dragonstone. Our armies will need it," Daenerys stood as she rose to her feet. "The council will start shortly, I wouldn't want you all to be late,"
The Dragon King
It was the middle of the afternoon and Jon stood gazing out of the window, with Ghost by his side. Whilst Daenerys had been away, he had gone out into their camp to find Ghost and he found that his presence helped to calm him. They had sent men to inform the lords that they were ready begin the council and they knew that they would nearly all be congregated in the great hall awaiting their arrival. Daenerys had returned earlier informing him of her success in bringing the Tyrells to their side. That was one victory but it would not be enough, they would need more Lords on their side, as many as possible.
They would let the Lords know of their plans for the new Westeros that they would build, some of the Lords might not like it, but they would have to deal with it.
"Are you ready, my love?" he heard Daenerys ask and he turned towards her. She was now wearing a grey dress with a silver chain stretching over her shoulder. When he stepped closer, he saw that it had three dragon heads on it, it was a sign of their house. She had also changed her hair, it was now braided in a style he had not seen her in before. The ends of her long silver hair was now tied into two braids near the bottom.
"New outfit?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes. Do you like it?" she asked as she did a little twirl for him. When she was finished he quickly caught her in his arms.
"I love it," and then he gave a kiss. His hands roamed over her body, greedily feeling her lovely curves.
"Stop that. We don't have time," she whispered as she pulled away from him. He saw that her lips were parted slightly and lilac eyes were dilated, he gave her another quick kiss before he pulled away. He turned around and reached for their crowns. He gently placed her crown on her head before she did the same to him.
"Are you ready my Queen?" he asked and she quickly nodded. She grabbed hold of his arm and together they left their room and started to walk towards the great hall. Tyrion, Ser Barristan, Rhaegar and Missandei were waiting outside with a few Unsullied guardsmen.
The castle was quieter now and it seemed like nearly all the Lords were already in the great hall waiting for them. As they got closer to the great hall they could begin to hear voices from the Lords.
"Here we are," Rhaegar said once they got to a set of large wooden doors which had the sigil of House Whent carved into the wood. Jon took a deep breath, gave Daenerys a reassuring squeeze of the hand and then nodded towards Unsullied who pushed open the doors.
A wall of noise quickly rushed out of the hall and into the hallway, however their voices quickly faded away as one by one they all turned around to look into the doors. Jon saw several lords looking at them curiously, perhaps this was their first good look at them.
Jon took a deep breath and then led them all into the hall. He kept his eyes glued on the dais in front of him, there were two seats on the right side for him and Daenerys. He looked to the left and he saw the Usurper sitting in his seat with his son and a two Kingsguard knights standing behind him. Jon would have thought that as his Hand, Lord Stark would stand next to the King but clearly that was not the case.
Eventually, they reached the front of the dais and then they turned around to look at all the Lords that had been packed into the hall. Jon could not even begin to count the number of people in this hall, there were hundreds of people here and as Jon looked up, he saw more people packed onto the balconies above. Jon noticed every single Lord and Lady was looking at them, it was as if they were trying to unsettle him. Jon felt Ghost by his side and this reassured him. The walls on one side of the room was draped with Targaryen banners, the other side had the crowned stag of House Baratheon. The room was warm, probably on account of the many fires he heard roaring in the hearths.
"You stand in the presence of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen. Emperor and Empress of the Bay of dragons and the Dragon cities of the east. Khal and Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, The Breakers of Chains and the rightful King and Queen of Westeros," Missandei called out into the silence.
None of the Lords or Ladies made any sounds of acknowledgement at their titles, they all continued to stare back at them. Jon began to see a few familiar faces in the crowd. He saw Theon Greyjoy who still looked as cocky as ever. He saw Robb standing next to his mother and father and in a crowd of other Northern Lords, they were standing to his right. He saw the Tyrell party standing to his left near the wall.
"Foreign invaders with foreign titles," he heard Robert announce and that brought a few mutters of agreement. Then, he turned towards Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime and Jon was pleased to see his face grow red with rage, he stood up in anger as he began to address them.
"Ser Barristan Selmy is a traitor. I should never have pardoned you, you have always been loyal to the Targaryens!"
"Ser Barristan is doing what is right, he is serving the true rulers of Westeros. What does it say if the Lord Commander of King Robert's own Kingsguard no longer wishes to serve him? What does it say about your legitimacy?" Daenerys asked and Jon saw the King angrily grip his chair. Jon smiled at this, clearly the King was fighting hard to control his anger.
"What about the Kingslayer eh? He killed your father in case you were too stupid to forget that," he spat venomously.
"I know what Ser Jaime did and I know why he did it. My father was an evil man and on behalf of House Targaryen we apologize for his actions," Daenerys said as she spoke to the crowd. Jon saw a few lords look at her suspiciously whilst a few nodded their heads.
"Lords and Ladies, We thank you all for travelling here for this council. I am Aegon of House Targaryen, trueborn son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and his wife Lyanna Stark,"
"Liar," he heard a voice call out from somewhere to his right. Jon did not see who spoke but it was not a voice that he knew.
"Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped and raped Lyanna Stark," he heard a northern voice shout and several others made noises of agreement.
"You may not know of my son but many of you know me. I am Rhaegar Targaryen but I did not rape or kidnap Lyanna. I married Lyanna Stark a few miles from here at the Isle of faces and we had a child, Aegon," he said as he gestured towards him. Jon nodded in thanks for the endorsement before he turned back to the lords.
"Many of you will be wondering how this is possible, so I will tell you the truth. I was born here in Westeros towards the end of the war. I was found by Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell who took me with him to Winterfell. He disguised me as his bastard when in reality I was his sister's son,"
Jon turned towards the Usurper after he finished speaking, wanting to see his reaction. To his surprise, and perhaps disappointment. He was not frothing with rage like Jon thought he would be. Instead he just glared back at him, his blue eyes shining brightly like the blue sapphires in his crown.
"How does it feel Usurper? That my mother loved another?" Jon whispered and thankfully this angered him. Jon smiled before turning back to the crowd.
"That's a lie," he heard a familiar voice call. "The bastard's name was Jon Snow and he looks nothing like you. Jon Snow could barely talk to a serving girl, there is no way he could get a woman as beautiful as the Queen," Jon glanced at Theon who was smiling arrogantly as he shook his head.
"I am surprised you don't recognize me, Greyjoy. Perhaps, I did some permanent damage to your small brain after beating into the ground all those times sparring back in Winterfell. If you don't believe me. Watch this," Jon said as he turned his eyes and his hair back to its normal color. He watched with a smirk as Theon's cocky smile disappeared. He felt Ghost rise to stand briefly on his hind legs behind him.
Then he turned towards the Usurper, giving him a good look at his face. He watched as Robert just stared at him muttering words under his breath that Jon could not hear.
He heard the hushed whispers from the crowd that gradually got louder.
'Sorcerer' was a word he heard frequently and Jon wondered if he should have kept this trick a secret.
"My Lords," he called but the crowd would not quieten down. So he closed in eyes and called for Vedros, a few seconds later he heard a loud roar over the castle and he thanked her for her help.
"Aye he's looks like Lyanna," he heard one Northern Lord shout and this warmed his heart.
"Lords of Westeros, King Aegon speaks the truth. He is who he says he is," he heard Lord Stark call. Jon looked at him briefly before he continued onwards.
"We are here to discuss the issue of the Iron Throne,"
"The Iron Throne belongs to House Targaryen by rights and we intend to take it back," Daenerys continued.
"I will not give you back your throne. If you think that then you are a fool," Robert said angrily as he rose to his feet again
"We are offering you a choice. Surrender your crown now and we will allow you to live out the rest of your days at the wall. Decline this offer and we will defeat you on the battlefield" Daenerys said as she turned to him.
"The wall? You think that is a fair choice? I would rather die," Robert shouted and he heard several of the lords mutter noises of agreement. They had expected him to reject their offer of a peaceful solution and frankly they would have trusted him less if he had accepted. Their focus was on the other lords.
"Where is Lord Tywin Lannister?" Jon called and he saw a man step forward. "Lord Tywin. For your role in the sack of Kings Landing and for the brutal murder and rape of Elia Martell and for the murders of the royal children, Rhaenys and Aegon, we will strip you of your position as Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the west. We will execute you for your role in those horrific crimes," He saw Lord Tywin glare at him for a few moments before Daenerys spoke again.
"What of the North?" Daenerys called and Jon looked at her curiously, they did not plan for this. "Will the North stand and fight for Lyanna Stark's son?"
The northern section was quiet for a few moments before he heard a few voices shout "Aye," this brought a smile to Jon's face. Lord Stark may not like him, but he could not go against his bannermen. Daenerys turned to him and beamed at him and he returned her smile. Gods he wanted to kiss her then.
"Enough of this nonsense," he heard Robert call.
"Why do you want these children to rule? They know nothing of Westeros. Nothing. The bitch has spent her entire life in Essos and the boy was disguised as a bastard, what do they know about ruling? Nothing!" he shouted and Jon heard a few voices agree with him.
"We know plenty enough about ruling. We have our advisors who will help us rule," Jon began,
"Advisors?" Robert interrupted and then he laughed loudly and cruelly. "These children will not be your rulers they will be puppets listening to their advisors. They don't have the spine to rule," he bellowed and Jon scowled to him.
"Their Hand is my dwarf of an uncle," he heard the prince call. "Lords of Westeros, are you going to be taking orders from a dwarf?" he called and he saw some of Lords nodding in agreement. Jon looked at the prince who was smiling cruelly at Tyrion and Jon wanted to punch him in the face. He quickly looked towards Tyrion who gave him a warning look and Jon bit his tongue.
"No. We will be ruling," Daenerys said firmly. "We have a vision for Westeros and we will improve this country,"
"It is impossible to improve Westeros if you do not know what it is like currently. What improvements could you possibly have?"
"We will start with the smallfolk. We will start by building schools for all the children. First in Kings Landing, Oldtown and Lannisport and then eventually all throughout Westeros,"
"Where will you find the money to build these schools?" one Lord asked
"We have the support of the Iron Bank and we have several of the Dragon cities in our empire. Braavos, Pentos and Volantis are all cities that we can trade with in order to fund these schools,"
"What do we have to trade with the Dragon cities?" another Lord asked,
"The Reach in particular produces an abundance of wines, especially the famous Arbor Gold. Under our rule and with our connections in the free cities, we will be able to help the Reach Lords export their wine to the Dragon cities. This is an extra source of income that the Reach Lords will use to build schools for the smallfolk," Daenerys told them.
"Meereen, one of the cities in the bay of Dragons, exports tin and other metals from the ground. I am sure there are several mountain ranges that have precious metals and minerals in them that have yet to be discovered," Daenerys began but she was interrupted by Robert's cruel laugh.
"The foolish girl does not even know what she is even looking for! If you follow her your men will spend all of their time digging up useless dirt!" the Usurper called and Jon turned to him and scowled.
"She is doing more than you have ever done to improve Westeros," he said firmly as he glared at the Usurper. "It's amazing that you mock our ideas and reforms, when you have not done anything other than drink, hunt and whore around during your reign."
"My lords, I do not dispute the fact that my grandfather was mad, cruel and evil but even he managed to keep the realm's financial state afloat. The royal treasuries were overflowing with gold at the end of my family's reign but now over 18 years later, the crown is 7 million gold dragons in debt to the Iron bank. The Usurper did not use this gold to better your lives or the state of Westeros but spent it all on tourneys, feasts and whores for his own pleasure. Are these the actions of a good ruler?"
"If you choose to support the Usurper and by some miracle he defeats us, then what? He will go back to spending gold that he does not have to quench his desires while you and the people of Westeros will shoulder the burden of increased taxes to pay his debts." Daenerys said and Jon saw a few of the reach lords nod their heads
"The city of Braavos has a severe shortage of wood to use for their fires. Several regions of Westeros, particularly the North, has an abundance of trees in their forests. There are large forests surrounding Karhold, there is the Hornwood and there is of course the Wolfswood. We will cut down trees in those forests and export them to Braavos," Jon said firmly.
"No. Leave the North out of these southern plans. We will not sell our trees to fund your greedy plans," he heard one northern lord say and this was followed by several grunts of agreement which caused Jon to frown.
"My Lords, I have grown up in the North,"
"Then you should understand that we are Northerners and we do not get involved in these southern games. We are not greedy and we have survived for hundreds of years without the need to sell our wood. We will be fine without it," and then Jon heard several more noises of agreement. Jon frowned, how can they be so silly?
"The North has been stagnant for countless years. The south is much more developed, the North needs to move forward to keep up with the times," Jon said,
"You are no true Northerner, otherwise you would understand," he heard a different voice shout.
"My Lords. This is not up for debate, these are the reforms I will be pushing through and these reforms will improve the North in the long run. I am doing to help your children,"
"So do you not care if the Lords do not want these changes?"
"If so he is no better than the Mad King, a good King will listen to his people," he heard another voice shout and Jon could not believe what he was hearing. Were they really comparing him to the Mad King? All because he wanted to chop down some fucking trees?
He turned towards Daenerys and saw that she too had a frown on her face.
"My Lords. You have to trust us. We are acting in your best interests. This is an additional source of income that will help to improve the North in the long run."
"Lords of the North. They do not know what they are talking about, they do not know what is best for you. If you support them they will push through these reforms regardless of what you think. They are not fair rulers, they are tyrants," Tywin Lannister called out and several of the Lords nodded and voiced their agreement.
"They even come with foreign savages! Horselords and their eunuchs! These are the type of scum that your King and Queen have working for them! These savages will come to rape your women and slave your children! They will burn down your homes and steal your crops. Lords of the North, they do not care about your best interests!" Robert yelled and Jon saw several of the Lords nod in agreement. He heard several of the lords shout the words 'savages' and 'Dothraki' in his direction and Jon could not believe it.
Surely the Lords were not so foolish. Did they not see their dragons, did they not realize that they would win this war regardless? Jon realised that he could not tell them this. Telling the Lords that he would enforce his rule with his dragons would only serve to antagonize them further. He would need another approach.
"My Lords," Robb said as he stepped forward, "We should trust King Aegon. If he says these changes could improve the North then I believe him. We should not be afraid of change,"
"Be quiet boy, what do you know about ruling?" he heard one voice call.
"I am Robb Stark, son of Lord Eddard Stark and the heir to Winterfell. I know that we should ally with King Aegon. One day I will rule the north and you will all answer to me" he said firmly and his eyes met Jon's as he said the words. Jon gave him a quick nod in thanks.
"One day, but not today," he heard one voice shout.
"He's soft, he is,"
"It's his friendship clouding his judgment, best not to listen to him,"
"The North rode south for justice after what happened to Lady Lyanna. You are her son, but you have forgotten your roots. You want to change the North, but the North will not change. The North will not support you," One Lord called and he heard several loud shouts of agreement.
"I have not forgotten my roots," Jon told them.
"Yes you have. Look at you! Targaryen wife, you have your dragons you have even taken the Targaryen name!" a lord shouted "The first chance you got you turned your back on the North!" and the Northern Lords started to rise up in agreement
"I have a direwolf, a symbol of the North. I am sure you have seen him when he entered the hall with me," Jon shouted but it seemed like the Lords did not hear him.
"They even have a criminal in their ranks," he heard a lady shout. "Jorah Mormont brought shame and dishonor to our house and I see him here with the Targaryens! They have no honor!" which caused more northern lords to chime in.
"Honor? They do not know the meaning of the word! They are mad! Just like the Mad King!" Robert shouted "They burned down Volantis and they will do the same here! They must be stopped!" and Jon heard an even loud chorus of Lords agreeing with him and Jon felt his blood go cold. They would have to explain this and it would not go well.
"That is not the full story, what we did was justified," Daenerys protested. "All we did was use our dragons to execute the slavers in Volantis,"
"Then why do people say the city burned?"
"The slavers refused to surrender peacefully," Jon began but he was interrupted by Tywin Lannister
"They refused to surrender so you burnt down their city," he said,
"That is not true," Jon lied. There was no good way to answer this, none at all
"You are one to talk, especially after what you did to the Reynes and the Castameres," Tyrion pointed out, thankfully coming to their aide. "Every child in the Westerlands knows the Rains of Castamere and every lord in the realm knows about the brutal murder of Princess Elia and her children. Those are crimes committed by Tywin Lannister and condoned by King Robert Baratheon, crimes they are too coward to admit to," Tyrion spoke to the crowd and he heard several of the Lords nod their heads in agreement.
"The Dwarf speaks the truth," he saw a bald Reach lord say.
"There is blood on both of their hands. Both Kings have committed terrible acts," Another Lord said and then the crowd fell silent. Jon decided to turn his attentions back to the North.
"Lord Tywin, we both have committed horrendous acts but there is vast difference in our motives. We performed them to rid to world of the evil of slavery while you murdered women and children simply to increase your fear and power."
"Do not think that we are the same. You needed a song to remind everyone of your power but neither me nor my ancestors ever needed a bard to prove their might. All you have is fear built upon the bodies of women and children, we have power that can destroy entire armies and kingdoms. The mewling of a hundred lions cannot match the roar of single dragon," Jon said to the old lion who seemed to be fuming with anger.
Jon frowned and he turned towards Lord Stark, surely he would speak up and stop this nonsense. He found him and his grey eyes looked empty.
"Lord Stark you are the Warden of the North, what is your decision?" Jon asked as he looked at the man. He stared into his grey eyes and then his eyes looked down, towards his father.
"What are your plans for the Riverlands?" Lord Stark asked in a loud clear voice.
"House Tully will lose their status as Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, and they will lose their lands and incomes from those lands. They will be replaced by a loyal house in the future. This punishment is for their role in the rebellion where Hoster Tully betrayed his rightful King for no good and justifiable reason," Jon said firmly with a glance towards Lady Catelyn and he heard a few outraged gasps from the crowd.
"You have no right to depose my family. We will not stand for this," she spat out angrily.
"We have every right. House Targaryen elevated your family to this position and we can take it away," Daenerys said fiercely. "Your father did not join the rebellion till his daughters were wed to Lord Stark and Lord Arryn. He used the grief and turmoil in the realm to increase his influence while forsaking his duty to the crown solely out of ambition and greed. Lady Catelyn, you are no better than him. You should be ashamed of yourself, your treatment of a motherless child is reprehensible and you have shown no remorse. You will be punished,"
Jon turned towards Lord Stark who was not even looking at him, he was still looking at his father. Then he looked back at Jon and he had a sad look in his eyes
"You have put me in a difficult situation. I can't stand by idly as you threaten my wifes family," Lord Stark finally spoke,
Jon looked at him and then he shook his head slowly. Once again he had chosen Lady Catelyn over him.
"If the Dragon's wrath is what you want, then you shall have it," he did not turn towards Robb, knowing his conviction would falter if he did. He did not know what happened to Lord Stark but he had lost all faith in him
"Jon wait," he heard Robb call. "I think we need some time to think about your offer further," and Jon saw a few of the Lords nod their heads.
"Very well. I will give you this opportunity to discuss this in more detail, until then we will not attack the North. You have my word," Jon said firmly and he saw Robb return nod in agreement.
"You cannot win this war," he heard the King say with a laugh. "The Westerlands, the Stormlands, the Reach and the Vale are all allied against you,"
"You don't have the Reach," Daenerys said simply and he saw Robert give her a confused look.
"House Royce and the Vale will stand behind King Robert," he heard one voice shout and several others followed. Jon was confused, did these Lords forget that they had Dragons? Did they not see the size of Anogar and Vedros? Were they forgetting that they had a third dragon?
"Not all of the Vale. House Egen will not support King Robert,"
"Neither will House Corbray,"
"House Waynwood will stand with House Royce and King Robert,"
"You are all fools. Did you not see the size of their dragons? House Mooton will support the Targaryens,"
"As will House Darry!"
"So too will House Whent!"
"As will House Frey!"
"You are all disloyal. The Targaryens are trying to depose your rightful liege lords. House Mallister will stand behind House Tully," and Jon heard several ayes of agreement.
"Have you all forgotten the power of the dragons? Look around us we are in Harrenhall. Aegon the Conqueror destroyed this castle with one dragon and the Targaryens have three. My loyalty lies with the Dragons,"
"Three Dragons? You must be blind I only saw two!" he heard another voice shout.
"What is your point? Two is more than enough!"
"The Dragons can be killed! That is why the third is not here!"
"My brother Stannis must have slain one!" Robert shouted.
"Stannis Baratheon the Dragonslayer!" he heard the Prince shout and then several others Lords followed. Jon looked towards Daenerys and nodded towards her. They closed their eyes and when they opened them, both Anogar and Vedros roared loudly, one after the other and this caused the hall to quickly fall silent once again. Several of the Lords and Ladies looked up at them fearfully but Dany continued anyway.
"I will put an end to your curiosity. We have three large dragons and Stannis Baratheon is probably lying dead at the bottom of the sea for his foolish attempt of trying to fight them. It seems some of you all do not wish for us to be your new King and Queen. Some of you foolishly wish to fight and die for the Usurper," Daenerys said to the crowd in a clear voice.
"Those of you who wish to declare for us, we invite you all to send a representative from your house to our wing on the third floor of the eastern tower," Jon said.
"Those of you who wish to fight for the Usurper. We will see you on the battlefield," Daenerys said. "We wish you good fortune, you will need it,"
She turned to him and reached out for his hand. Together, they walked off the dais, through the crowd and back to their rooms and not once did they turn back to look at the Lords. As they walked, Jon's thoughts turned to Lord Stark and the North.
"They're just fucking trees," he said to Dany as they walked. "I knew the Northern Lords were stubborn but they're just fucking trees, Dany and had it not been for Robb asking for more time they would have gone to war with me over them and they still might,""
"Perhaps, you should not have mentioned your plans to change their lands," Tyrion suggested.
"In hindsight you're right but the whole point of this council was to give the people a chance to see us and form a good impression of us. I thought honesty was the best approach,"
"I agree but it seems to have backfired," Tyrion pointed out and Jon didn't answer him. "Let's just say that this is a learning experience. It's a mistake that we won't make again in the future,"
It was a mistake that could have turned the North against him for good. It was a mistake that could mean he would now have to take up arms against the Northern Lords.
"Jon we will think of a plan, don't worry. You won't have to fight against Robb," Daenerys said as she gave him a reassuring squeeze of his hand. He gave her a thankful smile and they continued their walk towards their rooms. Once they were inside Jon issued an order.
"Tyrion, father and Missandei. We will need you to make notes on which houses have come to declare for us. Then we can work out which houses will declare for the Usurper and this will help us plan our war," they all nodded and moved around the room to collect paper to carry out these instructions. Jon and Daenerys sat down on a plush couch and readied themselves to receive the Lords.
The Stag King
Robert Baratheon was walking in his room in Harrenhall. The dragonspawn had called their council and they had failed, they had expected the realm to kneel before their dragons and just depose him but they were wrong. The realm still wanted him to be their King and that meant he had a fighting chance.
They couldn't even win the support of the North. Even that traitor, Stark, would not support them, and the spawn was claiming to be his sister's son. The pain of his betrayal was still raw, and thinking about it caused him to reach for his cup of wine. He had long since finished the first bottle of Arbor Gold and he was now well into the second of his bottle of Dornish red. However even the sour taste could not dull the pain that he felt.
Lyanna betrayed him for the greasy haired cunt Rhaegar. That silver haired bastard had stolen his betrothed and he had a child with her. Rhaegar took everything from him, he took his wife, he took his family and even a crown could not make up for this loss.
"Fuck the Starks," he muttered to himself. Traitorous bastards, I'll kill the Dragonspawn and then I'll march my army up to Winterfell and slay the lot of them, then I'll burn down that shit hole once and for all.
"We need them," he heard the tired voice of Tywin Lannister say. He was sitting in a chair facing the desk.
"I don't give a fuck if we need them. I will never trust that bastard again," Robert slurred.
"We need his men. We need every man we can get and he brings the North and the Riverlands,"
"You think I don't fucking know how many men he has?"
"I think you don't know that together, we will have the North, the Westerlands and the Stormlands. We will also have parts of the Vale and parts of the Riverlands. Who do they have? The Reach?" he said and Robert grunted in agreement.
"I don't care," he repeated as he continued to pace around the room. "I want him dead. I want the Starks gone, every last one of them,"
"Then you shall have it. Use them to win this war and when it is finished, slaughter them all where they stand. Every last man woman and child. When we are finished, House Stark will be nothing,"
Robert looked at him and smiled, this was what he wanted.
"Befriend him, let him lower his guard. Let him think that you have forgiven him for his betrayal,"
"I should have named you my hand. Fuck Ned Stark," he muttered.
"We need to destroy the Reach first," Tywin said. "They need the Reach for food and without food they can't feed their armies,"
"The Greyjoys," he said immediately. "I'll tell Balon to send his fleet to attack the Redwyne fleet. I'll let him reave and rape and do whatever he wants in the Reach. Those bastards will pay for opposing me,"
Renly had failed him, all he had to do was marry the Tyrell girl. Perhaps, he was wrong to give Renly Storms End, Stannis was the only useful brother that he had.
"I do not trust the Greyjoys. I would not give them that much freedom," Tywin countered. "Once they start reaving and raping they will not stop,"
"I've destroyed Balon Greyjoy once before and I'll do it again if I have to!" Robert shouted and he saw Tywin purse his lips.
He continued his angry pacing throughout the room and then he filled his cup with more wine. As he stomped around the room his thoughts turned to the boy.
"Where the fuck did he learn that?" he asked. "How could he change the color of his hair and eyes?" but Tywin did not answer. Did he look like her? Did he look like Lyanna? Robert found that he could not remember her face. He could remember Rhaegar, with his long nose and his greasy hair. He would kill him again, he'd rip out his throat and gouge his eyes out with his fingers. He'd make sure he was dead this time. He'd make damn sure of it.
Notes:
1) So no Arya at the council. I did not forget her, but she hasn't left Winterfell yet. She plays a role in the next part of the story and she couldn't sneak out of Winterfell until we reached that stage
2) Storms End. Whatever happens with Storms End will happen on screen. Orginally, this entire Harrenhal sequence was meant to be one chapter, but its actually three. Chapter 20-22 really all takes place on the same day.
3) Speaking of chapter length. This is the longest I'll ever give you guys, it's sitting at 17k words. I was contemplating splitting this one but I decided not to. The council has already been split twice
4) The next chapter is called The Griffins Ruse
5) I'm probably forgetting something else - It's the chapter date. Let's say 8, Friday the 9th
Thanks for all the comments, I read them all and appreciate every single one of you.
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