章節 31: Chapter 31
Aegon casually walked through the Red Keep. The people within the structure running to hide deep within its walls. Away from all of the windows and open areas where his two dragons could possibly get them. The Lannister forces tried to get in his way, but they were cut down easily. Those he didn't kill with the sword had their necks snapped using the Force or had them thrown hard against the stone wall or ceiling.
Honestly, who trained these idiot how to fight?
Ignoring that for now, Aegon made his way to the doors, which were shut, locked, and led to the throne room where his targets were waiting. After killing the five men standing in his way, the Prince stopped in front of the thick doors designed to keep people from entering when shut unless you had a battering ram on hand. Touching the door, Aegon had reached out to the Force, sensing all the lives inside of it, and all ready to kill him the moment the doors were opened. Many of them already had arrows ready to fire, thinking they could get him with projectiles over blades.
Perhaps they weren't so stupid after all. Of course, if they understood who or what they were facing right now, these idiots would have fled or bent the knee. Sadly, not even the heavy bags of gold given by Lannisters could pay for descent levels of intelligence.
Glancing back at the dead Lannister men at his feet, a clever idea came to mind on how to get around the arrows waiting to be fired at his person.
- The Throne Room -
Cersei was usually never worried. Her scheme to put her pure lion's blooded son on the Iron Throne was practically perfect. Perfect! Robert was dead. Ned Stark was arrested for treason against the Crown. Which is precisely what his action were against her son. Who cared if her fat drunken oaf of a husband had made the honorable fool Regent? No one did! Power was power. She had all of it and Ned Stark had none. Only his honor. And they were so close to destroying that too. How she hated people like that. Doing what was right. What was honorable. It made her sick. She didn't care about doing what was right or what was honorable. She only cared about power and wielding it from her position as Queen, if not Queen Regent.
And what better way to do it then through her son. Jamie was out making the lions he led into battle roar while she stayed here in the trappings of power. All to guide their lovely son to greatness. He would be a great King. A King worthy of the Iron Throne and one the people would and should love above all.
Or else they would face the wrath of the lions!
Unfortunately, it seemed someone decided to choose the latter option of "or else" because someone had ruined Ned Stark's confession and execution. Granted the latter event was not what she wanted or expected since the North would go into frenzy over the death of their Warden. Never believing the man would betray King Robert and would see this as a repeated event from the past with the Mad King killing two Starks who came to this city the last time.
Which was true in a sense, but Cersei would never admit that. No. She was the Queen. The Queen Regent. She was beyond the judgment of others or the actual truth. The truth was only what she herself called the truth. She made what she wanted to be considered the truth to exist. Everything else was a lie. Everyone around her were liars and schemers. She was one too, but as Queen, it was her right without having to face the judgment of everyone lower then herself.
Including the supposed Targaryen at the door.
"The moment he comes through that door, I want that masked fool dead. Do you hear me? Kill him! I want his head on a spike!" demanded Joffrey from his position on the Iron Throne before jumping when he heard the roaring of the dragons outside flying all around the Red Keep.
When the doors slowly opened at first, making the archers in the room ready themselves to fire before the doors suddenly flew open with a loud "BANG!" that echoed throughout the room. The noise made the archers fire there arrows at the opening, the sound of each projectile hitting their target with armor being pierced along with the flesh behind it.
Joffrey had cheered in the belief his men had done such a deed, but naturally he would take the credit for it per his Mother's instructions in molding the truth to his purposes. All the men here would either be sworn to silence, killed, or sent to the Wall to ensure no one could claim otherwise.
Of course, the happiness the supposed King felt was soon replaced with horror when the enemy he thought was killed had not been killed at all. Instead, all of the bodies of dead Lannister men that were guarding the door had been thrown into the room, all the arrows covering their bodies, showing they were the ones hit. Not the intended target.
"To fire on your own people. That is low even for a Lannister," commented Aegon after walking into the throne room and making multiple tsk like noises.
"Who the fuck do you think you are coming into my city? Do you know who I am? What I am?" demanded Joffrey angrily.
"Yes. I do who and what you are boy. You are whiny brat who thinks himself better then everyone else simply because he sits his ass down on an ugly throne while calling himself a King. But you are not a King. You are far from being a King. You are a true bastard in every sense of the word," replied Aegon calmly knowing it would enrage the foolish man child in front of him.
And he wasn't disappointed.
"How dare you say that to me! You lowly dragonspawn! I am the King! I rule this city along with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms! I will not be disrespected. I will have your head on a spike!" exclaimed Joffrey in anger while standing up from his chair.
"You want my head? Do it yourself! Don't send your pawns to die in your place," replied Aegon while Joffrey backed down slightly.
"I don't have to do anything. I am the King. I can choose how you are going to die and I say you die at the hands of my men. I sit on the Iron Throne and I wield all the power!" countered Joffrey before sitting on the Iron Throne once more.
"Power? You sit on that ugly thing and claim you have power? You stupid boy. You don't even know what real power looks like, even if it were slap you in the face. But I think its only fair you see what true power is when compared to your own," replied Aegon while his free hand flexed and was sparking with lightning around the fingertips.
"I will not be bullied by some lowly dragonspawn. My Father killed your House off to become King. I will finish off your filthy bloodline once and for all!" exclaimed Joffrey from his seat on the Iron Throne.
"Says the whiny child hiding behind a small army and his Mother's skirt. As for me? I am an army!" said Aegon darkly before he charged forward at incredible speed.
The screams of the men who died in the middle of the throne room would haunt Joffrey, his Mother, and their supporters in the room. Grand Maester Pycelle, who had been in the room at the time looked on in horror at the brutality of Aegon wielding his sword at the Lannister men. Cersei's looked on in horror and went pale in the face while her son's face went green and nearly lost his lunch from earlier that day. Lord Baelish had decided that leaving was for the best and tried to run when Aegon was finished with well over half of the Lannister men.
Only for Varys to discreetly bring his foot out and trip the Master of Coin. This in turn caused Littlefinger to stumble into a nearby pillar with his head hitting it first. The man slump onto the ground clutching his head, finding it was bleeding, and struggled to stand up.
"Oh I'm sorry my friend. Sometimes my feet have minds of their own," remarked Varys casually while holding a sword that one of the dead Lannister men had dropped and now pointing it at Lord Baelish's throat.
"Traitor! I always knew you would betray us!" accused Baelish while Varys gave him a "really?" type look that made the Master of Coin.
"Says the man who betrayed Lord Stark in this room with a dagger to his throat. I believe it was you who paid the City Watch to not only side with the Queen, but also kill all the Stark bannermen when the trap was sprung," remarked Varys with Petyr snarling.
"Lord Stark was a fool. He tipped his hand too soon. So what if he was Regent. Joffrey was King!" countered Baelish with Varys shaking his head.
"While he did tip his hand, Lord Stark was Regent until the Heir was considered ready to be King. Does Joffrey look ready to you?" asked Varys while Petyr look at the trembling boy sitting on the Iron Throne while Aegon had killed the last Lannister man that stood in his way with Force Lightning.
"I don't care about Regents or Kings being ready to rule over the Seven Kingdoms you fool. All I care about is power. Wielding it. Controlling it. Using it. Backing Joffrey as King, regardless if he was ready, would have put me in a position of power I could have exploited without end. The boy is a dimwit. A puppet others can use with mere flattery and occasional show of 'loyalty' when called upon," said Petyr angrily while Varys did not look moved in the slightest.
"True on all counts. But the new King, our true King is not. And unlike the others you have fooled in the past to get your way Lord Baelish, this one will not allow your actions to go unpunished. And no amount of coin or whores you throw at his feet will change his mind about how to deal with you," replied Varys before turning his head slightly to see Ser Barristan enter the throne room from behind one of the main secret passages that the Spider knew existed.
"Ser Barristan! This man has threatened your King. Kill him!" commanded Joffrey after seeing Ser Barristan approach.
The famous knight and Lord Commander of the Kingsguard stopped just a few feet from Aegon and Joffrey with a neutral expression on his face. Joffrey was smiling now. A cruel confident smile. His safety and victory now in the hands of the Kingsguard sworn to protect the King. Him!
"Is there a problem your Grace?" asked Ser Barristan calmly while staring at Aegon.
"Of course there is a fucking problem you twit. This man here is threatening your King and must be dealt with!" commanded Joffrey while shocked the knight would ask such a question.
"Is this true?" asked Ser Barristan calmly to Aegon.
Far too calmly for the Queen Regent's liking. It was also making Joffrey confused as well as worried since the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard had not drawn his sword.
"Yes. Though Joffrey is not so much a man as more of a boy trying to be a man while he is pretending to be a King. And yes, he did threaten your King. Something about having my head on a spike I believe," answered Aegon while Ser Barristan before drawing his sword and pointing it at Joffrey's neck.
"Ser Barristan! You fucking traitor! My Father will have your head for this!" exclaimed Cersei angrily knowing the wrath of her Father would make this man regret cross House Lannister.
"The time of invoking your Father's name to make people shake in fear and bend the knee are about to come to an end former Queen. Soon your Father will know what it is to face the wrath of an angry dragon," said Aegon casually while Cersei glared at him.
"You only have two dragons, this traitorous Kingsguard, and one crippled Warden of the North. That isn't enough to hold this city," countered Cersei confidently.
"You're right. But you're forgetting, I have the people within King's Landing supporting me too. I also have the remaining City Watch members you could not bribe in my corner. The people no longer support the Stag nor the Lion. They see you for the vile creature you and your son truly are in life," replied Aegon with Cersei snarling at him.
"And you think this support from them will last? Once word of my Father coming here to sack the city reaches the people, they will all turn on you in an instant to prevent another repeat of what happened last time," remarked Cersei confidently.
"That would be true. Provided I wasn't holding you and your children hostage at this very moment. Not to mention Robb Stark and the North are holding Jamie Lannister as their prisoner too," replied Aegon having sensed it earlier just when he was moving to prevent his Uncle from losing his head.
"You lie! Jamie would not be captured so easily by a mere boy and Northern barbarians," Cersei shot back while members of the City Watch entered the room.
"It doesn't matter. Ser Barristan, take some men and have them take these two, plus Lord Baelish to the Black Cells. One room each. No visitors," said Aegon with Ser Barristan nodding before grabbing Joffrey and easily removing him from the chair.
"You can't do this! I am the King! You must obey me!" exclaimed Joffrey while being taken away along with his Mother and Lord Baelish to the Black Cells.
"Shall I send for Ned Stark, his family, and Sandor Clegane to come here your Grace?" asked Varys curiously.
"Yes. Also, one more thing needs to be done," answered Aegon before reaching out with his hand and the Force to grab a surprised, if not fearful Grand Maester trying to sneak away from them.
"P-Please your Grace. Show mercy! Mercy!" pleaded Grand Maester Pycelle while floating in midair.
"And why should I show a weak fool like yourself any mercy? You who betrayed my Grandfather. Betrayed Rheagar," replied Aegon with Pycelle looking even more fearful.
"I don't know what you mean your Grace," said Pycelle before feeling the grip on his throat increasing.
"You betrayed my Grandfather by poisoning him. The madness didn't happen naturally like people believed. You poisoned his food and his drink in secret with herbs using the knowledge obtained in the Citadel. You used this knowledge to make him hallucinate and see things born from the dark corners of his mind. You used this all for the sake of trying to make my Grandfather appear mad. And when you couldn't do it to Rheagar, you were secretly poisoning Elia Martell so she would be too sick to leave with her children for Dorne," remarked Aegon with Varys looking surprised since he didn't know that piece of information.
"You can't prove anything," protested Pycelle with Aegon gripping his throat tighter.
"I know enough from the thoughts running around in your head. I know you have made a record of your attempts locked away in a secret journal hidden underneath a compartment behind the third row bookshelf. You were once a loyal agent of the Falcon. Not the Lion. He sent you messages, told you what to do, how to do it. You provided him with updates and information related to your progress on making Aerys lose his mind. Your progress in poisoning Elia Martell before and after birthing young Aegon. But when the Stag was going to be the victor of the rebellion when Rheagar died, you knew Tywin Lannister would be the true power behind the Iron Throne one way or another. So you turned your cloak in secret to be a loyal Lannister man over an Arryn. The old Falcon never knew you had changed sides until it was too late. You were the one who told Cersei that Lord Arryn was onto the truth about her children not being the Usurper's. The moment Lord Arryn came to you and asked about the book on the lineages of ancient Houses, you knew the man would find out the truth about Cersei's children not being Robert's in any sense of the word," countered Aegon with Grand Maester Pycelle struggling while hovering in midair.
"I had no choice but to help them. The Queen knew too much of my past actions and she would have gone to her Father or Robert regarding them. Once I told Cersei about Lord Arryn's investigation, she told me to deal with it so I went to Lord Baelish knowing the man was ambitious. He was already planning to remove Lord Arryn and quickly saw a means of gaining favor with the Queen through this!" exclaimed Pycelle with Aegon frowning.
"And like a good little puppet, you agreed to dance to the Lannister tune in order to keep your own favor strong for when Joffrey eventually became King," added Aegon coldly knowing this fool had long overstayed his welcome.
"Please your Grace. I know I wronged you and your House, but I can still be of service to you. Spare me and I will devout my remaining life to House Targaryen and their return to power," begged Pycelle with Aegon frowning with his fury growing.
"Your services are no longer required as Grand Maester. Consider yourself...retired from service!" replied Aegon before making a fist and crushing Pycelle's throat with the body falling to the ground moments later.
"It will take some time to calm the people your Grace. Even with word of you now sitting on the Iron Throne," remarked Varys, who put the sword that was in his hand against a nearby pillar.
"Spread the word throughout the city that Aegon Targaryen now sits on the Iron Throne and will ensure their voices are heard. I also want the City Watch deployed all throughout King's Landing to keep the peace," replied Aegon with Varys bowing slightly.
"Yes your Grace.
"Also, send ravens to all the Lords throughout the Seven Kingdoms about the return of the dragon. Even the Wall. I will not allow any area be made unaware of my return," said Aegon with Varys nodding.
"What of Stannis or Renly your Grace? No doubt they will see you as the Usurper to their claim of being King this time and wish to claim the Iron Throne for their House," offered Varys with Aegon looking surprisingly calm.
Well...as calm as one can be when wearing such a mask.
"If either have an issue with me sitting on the Iron Throne, they are welcome to try and challenge me. Though I doubt they will when I am done with Tywin Lannister. I take it his army is still engaging against Robb Stark in the Riverlands?" asked Aegon with Varys nodding.
"Yes. Though it is only half of the army. Lord Stannis and Renly, plus the Brotherhood Without Banners has forced him to divide his entire army in multiple directions. His part of the army is planning to be move into a defensive position near Harrenhal and use it as a base of operations given its fortified position. The capture of his son and repeated losses have caused the old Lion to reconsider his position in this growing war. The Lord who is in command of the army at Riverrun following Ser Jamie's capture has not been equipped to repel the might of the North," replied Varys with Aegon letting a noise underneath his mask.
"There will be no war. I'm going to end this stupidity before it can spin even further out of control. Varys, please send some of your little birds to the Tower of the Hand along with the late Grand Maester's office and residence. I want them to go looking for proof of Lord Arryn's crimes and those of Pycelle's. Make sure they look in all the usual and usual places someone like Lord Arryn would want to hide incriminating evidence. You already know where Pycelle's hidden his crimes, but have them look for anything else that might be useful," said Aegon before turning his head slightly to the right toward the window.
And soon heard Vaderon roar before taking off to his intended destination.
It was time for the Lion to start paying his debts. Paid with fire and blood.
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