Exceeding Expectations
Throughout the journey, Robert was clearly restless, taking breaks often to get out of the carriage and stretch his legs. He grumbled about the tedium of travel, but he also seemed inclined to spend more time outside with the guards than stuck in the carriage with Cersei.
Cersei, on the other hand, remained quietly composed for most parts. She occasionally got out to talk with Ariadne and inquire more about the Imperial City. She was particularly interested in the daily activities of its citizens, the grandeur of the Emperor's castle, and the magic that she had heard so many rumors about.
Conversations between Ariadne and Cersei took place mostly at night, under a sky filled with bright stars. During these quiet moments, Ariadne would share stories of the Imperial Union, painting vivid pictures of bustling marketplaces, lavish balls, and citizens from multiple realms living under one rule.
"There is a unique beauty in diversity," Ariadne said one evening as she poured Cersei another cup of wine. "Heaven's Reach has become home to so many different cultures and races. There are tensions at times, yes, but there's also a sense of unity."
Cersei sipped on her wine slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. She found it hard to imagine such unity. Westeros was divided amongst houses seeking power and influence, each with their own agendas. Peace among these houses seemed as elusive as dragon's eggs in present day Westeros.
Meanwhile, Robert relished his time with the guards and knights. He tested their mettle with friendly sparring matches and his tales of hunting and war. The Imperial Knights themselves only needed to wait a few more days before they could be relieved of this annoyance.
Once they reached Heaven's Reach, the capital, they were in awe. Entering from the Eastern gate of the city, known as The Gate of Thousand Summers, Ariadne began to point out and explain things as they went by them.
"This gate is known as The Gate of Thousand Summers to reference that this gate and the city will stand for a thousand summers." explained Ariadne. Her finger pointing to the massive gate which had intricate carvings, telling the story of the city, was established by hundreds of thousands of workers.
Beyond the gate, stretched out before them, was Heaven's Reach in all its glory. Houses of all sizes and shapes sprawled out as far as the eye could see. Towers reached high into the sky; dragons flew high above in formations patrolling the city from the skies. While normal city guards who were a mix of Roman legionaries, Spartan hoplites, and regular trained guards.
Robert and Cersei, who had been silent, now had expressions of astonishment. In Kingslanding, the city guard consisted of the gold cloaks while the King and other members of the Royal family were protected by the Kingsguard.
Here, however, the city guards were a little different than they had in Kingslanding.
"As you can see, the city guard are well trained soldiers who have been given the training and weapons needed to enforce law and order throughout the city by order of his excellency," Ariadne explained.
"Pretty much the same as the gold cloaks," Robert added from his understanding. Listening to and looking at the city guard, they may look and dress differently than the gold cloaks, but they still receive the training and necessary tools needed to enforce the law.
"Actually," Ariadne started, "The City guard is different from the gold cloaks of Kingslanding as the gold cloaks are merely men who were chosen for their loyalty rather than their combat abilities. Our city guards, however, are selected based on their martial skills and undergo intensive training under the guidance of the Imperial Knights."
Ariadne had more to say regarding how corrupt the gold cloaks were, but she kept that part to herself.
They continued through Heaven's Reach, passing by the grand fountains and monuments that celebrated Maximus's victories against slavery. One statue had a slave Master lying dead at Maximus's feet.
Each thing they saw was more impressive than the last, leaving Cersei and Robert in a constant state of awe. Even Jaime managed to keep his critical retort to himself as they passed a fountain made entirely of precious gemstones.
After riding for nearly half an hour, the convoy finally arrived at the gate leading to the palace. This is when Robert and Cersei almost freaked out over what they saw.
A giant standing as tall as the gate itself had grabbed their attention. Jaime, who was riding on his horse, was stunned, unable to believe that the figure standing in front of him was real.
The Royal Guards guarding the gate, after confirming the identity of the convoy, opened the gate, allowing the convoy to enter the Palace grounds.
Riding through the Palace grounds, the convoy finally came to a stop near the entrance of the actual Palace where Maximus resided. Disembarking from the carriages, the royal entourage was escorted into the palace with the Kingsguard being able to keep their weapons.
As they entered the Throne room, there was already a gathering of people, as a major criminal was just arrested for some very serious crimes. Robert, Cersei, and the rest of the royal entourage were led to some seats while the proceeding began.
"Today, his excellency, Maximus Invictus, will pass judgement upon Jaerano Sanel for his crimes, which include, leading a criminal organization within Imperial territory, the kidnapping and raping of more than 20 victims between the ages of 11-17…" The list went on until the announcer finished the last crime.
Not even sitting on his throne but sitting on one of the stairs leading up to the throne, Maximus had an apple in one hand and a knife in the other as he began to cut pieces of the apple for himself to eat. Instead of his normal calm demeanor, he was extremely frustrated and angry at the person in front of him.
In addition to King Robert and his royal entourage, the families of the victims were also present within the throne room, sitting down along the sides in their seats. They've been quiet, holding back their tears for the things that the Emperor has done for them.
After finding all the victims who were kidnapped, the families received support from the Imperial Union with compensation and counseling. A few of the victims have started to recover, but some still carried haunted looks in their eyes.
The court was silent as the announcer finished reading the charges. Maximus tossed the apple core aside, his eyes now resting coldly on Jaerano Sanel, who was knelt before him, hands bound in chains, and mouth gagged.
Jaerano was from Myr, and had traveled to Heaven's Reach after Myr was captured some years ago. After seeing how prosperous and free Heaven's Reach was, he wanted to exploit the city.
"Heaven's Reach," Maximus began, his voice echoing through the grand hall, "Does not tolerate the exploitation of its people! I do not tolerate the exploitation of my people! It's people like you who ruin it for others." Maximus rose from his stairs and approached Jaerano, whose eyes widened as he saw the tall figure standing over him.
Turning towards a guard standing at a door, Maximus nodded. The guard opened the door as two of the Witch elves had come out with big smiles on their face. They already knew what was about to happen.
"Jaerano is hereby sentenced to death, however, his death will not be peaceful, nor will it be in any way humane. He will come to regret his actions as he basks in the cost of his sins. Witch Elves, you may proceed," Maximus declared, stepping back.
He motioned for the guards to escort Robert and his entourage to another room. However, Jaime wanted to stay and see what was going to happen to the man.
In another room, Robert and Cersei had sat across from Maximus as their first official face to face meeting. Maximus leaned back in his chair as a maid poured a glass of red wine for each of them.
"I trust your journey here was uneventful," Maximus said as a formality from one ruler to another. No matter how much he disliked Robert's character or the things he has done, he has a certain type of outlook to uphold.
Robert, still recovering from the number of things that he has seen in the past few hours, straightened up in his seat, "Uneventful, yes," he said gruffly, "though your city is… impressive." His words were genuine, yet he still had the pride of a king struggling to acknowledge something greater than Kingslanding.
In her head Cersei wondered what she did wrong to get married to somebody like Robert. Their relationship had been deteriorating ever since Robert called her 'Lyanna' on their wedding night. "Heaven's Reach is unlike anything we've ever seen." She gave Maximus a smile, one which Robert didn't see. "It speaks volumes of your abilities, Your Excellency."
Maximus returned the smile with a nod. "Thank you, Queen Cersei. A lot has been invested in it. You should see the Academy district tomorrow. I think you will find it as impressive as even the Citadel in Oldtown."
"I'm sure I will," replied Cersei.
From there the conversation was mainly about how King Robert could strengthen the ties between Westeros and the Imperial Union. He believed that Westeros had a lot to offer the Imperial Union and vice versa.
Though some time during the conversion Robert also brought up the Targaryen's who were being kept safe by Maximus. It was a touchy topic where Robert lets his emotions out a little, whenever he's talking about it. Maximus knew this was coming as Robert had a strong hate for the Targaryen's which had only amplified due to how many he let get away.
Fortunately, he didn't allow his emotions to completely take over and recognized that he was not in Kingslanding before things made a turn for the worse. After their talk, Robert and Cersei were escorted to where they would be staying during their week's visit.
The criminal Jaerano on the other hand would be tortured and brought to the brink of death before being healed only for the process to restart again. This would happen for 20 long days until the final day when he would be publicly executed.