Chapter 224 - Conspiracies and Murders (I)
"Change can seem scary and uncertain on the first day, but those feelings fade away and you become more mature to face the challenges ahead." Aenar Targaryen.
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The death of Hoster Tully did not cause much of a stir; after all, he was a high-ranking traitor, but the next thing decided at the trial was what really mattered to the nobles.
The title of Lord Paramount of the Trident!
After the bodies of Hoster and Edmure Tully were removed from the room and the area was cleared, the Great Council began again.
"Your Grace." Tytos, Lord of House Blackwood and former kings of the Riverlands, stood up and spoke in a calm tone. "The Riverlands cannot be without a Lord Paramount."
The eyes of many Riverlands lords looked at Tytos with hostility, some even hiding their murderous intent. If there was anyone more suitable to be Lord Paramount, it was House Blackwood.
"I agree, Your Grace." The speaker was a middle-aged man with brown eyes, thick brown hair (even on his back), broad shoulders, and thick arms. He was tall and had a naturally fierce expression.
He was Jonos Bracken, Lord of Stone Hedge and Lord of House Bracken.
But unlike Tytos, who was closer to Aenar, the Lord of Stone Hedge did not even greet Aenar. Another thing was that the man was a staunch hater of House Lannister.
Especially after the Burning of Stone Hedge and the rape of one of his three daughters by the Mountain, the hatred intensified even more.
Aenar looked at the feudal lords of the Riverlands with a calm expression and was not surprised by what was happening. But unfortunately for these nobles, he had no plans to give the Riverlands to anyone.
The entire Riverlands region will be integrated into the Crownlands, the first step towards the definitive unification of the Seven Kingdoms into an Imperium.
However, Aenar would not say that now, as he wanted to weaken these Riverlands lords even further. The reason for this? Aenar would let the nobles fight among themselves while he coldly watched them kill each other.
Only when all parties were weakened would Aenar take over the Riverlands with greater ease and almost no resistance from the noble houses.
With a thoughtful expression, Aenar looked first at Tytos, then at Jonos, and then at William Moonton of Maiden's Pond and Jason Mallister of Saegard.
The king's gaze did not escape the watchful and nervous eyes of the Lords of the Riverlands. The eyes of many minor lords stared at the four possible Lords Paramount of the Trident with thoughtful looks.
Many had already taken sides in an instant, as these noble houses already had strong ties to the respective noble houses.
Tytos, Jonos, William, and Jason were soon surrounded by several nobles, which made Aenar's eyes shine with a touch of amusement and cruelty. Now, he only had to show hesitation and let the nobles kill each other.
That was what Aenar did in the next second. He looked at everyone present and said in a calm, deep tone. "The Council will go into recess for a week."
With that said, Aenar rose from the throne and left with Visenya by his side, accompanied by the entire Royal Guard, who protected the king from all directions.
Aenar's departure did not surprise the nobles. It was quite normal for Aenar to hesitate in choosing a Lord Paramount with the previous betrayal of House Tully, but they did not care about Aenar's departure.
Just as ten thousand years ago, they would resolve matters in the same way their ancestors would have done, with rumors, poisoning, and assassinations.
Tytos, Jonos, William, and Jason looked at each other and saw the cruelty in each other's eyes. Especially between Tytos and Jonos, both of them practically wanted to devour each other's flesh at the slightest sign of weakness.
"You are very cruel, husband," Visenya said in a helpless tone. "They are clearly going to kill each other."
Aenar looked at Visenya with an innocent expression and spoke in a genuinely confused tone. "I didn't do anything, I'm just undecided between choosing the new Lord Paramount, after all, I don't want to be betrayed like Aerys was."
Visenya just rolled her eyes at her husband's masterful performance, but did not pursue the matter. Instead of worrying about the deaths of the potential lords of the Riverlands, she was more concerned about her own marriage.
Noticing the joy in her expression, Aenar spoke in a gentle tone. "We will announce our marriage and wed before we attack Casterly Rock."
Visenya nodded and let Aenar choose the wedding date he thought most appropriate. After all, they were at war and couldn't delay too long.
"Don't worry, everything will be settled in a week." Aenar said with a laugh. He just had to be seen talking in private by someone and everything would be complete chaos.
-
"The king is insidious," Tyrion commented to Oberyn, who was staring out the window with a distracted look.
Tyrion and Oberyn knew exactly what Aenar wanted. The king never planned to give the title of Lord Paramount to another noble house, but he still pretended to be undecided in order to weaken the noble houses, which would kill each other to win the title of Lord Paramount.
"I've been thinking, do you think the king will stop at the Riverlands?" Tyrion spoke again, causing Oberyn's body to stiffen. The Prince of Dorne took a deep breath at the absurd idea that the king wanted the entire continent of Westeros.
"That's impossible, right?" Oberyn said with an indecisive tone, but remembering the king's personality, he believed that it could actually be true.
"It doesn't matter, he probably wants to take away the nobles' control over their fiefdoms." Drinking some wine, he continued. "We'll only be responsible for managing our castles and we'll lose our rights to make laws."
"That will start a civil war."
Oberyn spoke in a deep tone. The nobles would never let that happen. What was the difference between the nobles and the commoners? Besides the army, they had the power to create and judge laws.
"Do you think the king really cares about the opinions of the nobles?" Tyrion said with a sarcastic smile. "We are just leeches in the eyes of the king, feeding off the kingdom."
Oberyn's face was uncertain and gloomy, but the possibility of something like that happening was quite high in his eyes. Any fool could see that the king had a great thirst for power.
"And you, aren't you bothered by that?" Oberyn looked at the dwarf and asked curiously. "You will be Lord of Casterly Rock and lose your powers, aren't you angry about that?"
"You are mistaken, my dear friend." Tyrion said with a smile. "Instead of worrying about that, I am satisfied, for it means that as long as the nobles do nothing serious, we will still have privileges above the commoners."
"Robert's Rebellion showed that the nobles are not loyal and are very powerful. It is normal for the king to limit the power of the nobles, especially over the laws and armies." Tyrion said, still smiling.
"The wheel is finally turning!" said the dwarf, raising his wine glass. "The society that has been stagnant for tens of thousands of years is finally moving forward."
Oberyn looked at Tyrion and sighed, but his expression was still grim. He felt admiration for the dwarf; fear of the future was very real in him.
Especially knowing the personality of his brother, Doran Martell.
Seeing Oberyn's expression, Tyrion thought he was still worried about the future and said comfortingly to his friend. "I know you're afraid, change to something unknown causes fear, it's normal, but we must accept change instead of preventing it, for anyone who goes against the king will be killed without hesitation."
"I know, I'm not against it, but knowing my brother, he won't accept it under any circumstances," Oberyn said with a sigh.
"It doesn't matter, with Arianne being the king's lover, she will be Princess of Dorne," Tyrion said with an expression of admiration. The king, though young, was indeed astute.
Conquering the Heiress of Dorne was a masterstroke, as it will make it even easier for Dorne to accept the changes in the future. Oberyn's mood improved with Tyrion's words. After seeing Hoster Tully dead and House Tully destroyed, he thought that House Martell might be next with his brother's stubbornness.
Oberyn couldn't help but show an expression of relief when he thought of Arianne and the King. Perhaps his brother would be furious with Arianne's actions, but because of that, House Martell was safe with the changes in the future.
"That you and I will die in soft beds surrounded by countless whores."
Tyrion toasted with an amused tone, something that made Oberyn laugh and toast with him
-
With the closing of the Council of Harrenhal on the new Lord Paramount, the political struggle began an hour later.
A nobleman died during a disagreement. This nobleman had friends, who were furious and cried out for justice before the king.
Aenar, who didn't even have time to take a bath with Visenya, was once again on the Iron Throne, listening to the cries of the nobles. The Hall of a Hundred Hearths looked like a fair, where voices could be heard from all sides.
The king showed no impatience and looked at everything with a calm but cold and indifferent gaze. He did not care about the death of a nobleman; a hundred noblemen could die before him and he would not care, he would even be happy about it, because he could take all the possessions of these noblemen.
Although he was extraordinarily rich, who would complain about becoming richer?
"My king, Ser Carlys' death must be avenged, he was a good man with a family and a son." Jason Mallister said with a grim expression. The nobleman who had died was from his faction, how could he not be furious?
"Carlys insulted me and my house, he deserves to die." The nobleman who had killed Carlys stood up and defended himself.
His defense was widely accepted by the nobles; after all, they valued the reputation of their houses above all else.
"Did anyone hear him insulting your noble house, Ser Marlo?" Jason asked in a cold tone. From what he knew, Carlys' body had been found in a corner of the castle where there was no one else. He had obviously been lured there and then killed.
Marlo wore an arrogant expression and spoke loudly so that everyone could hear. "The castle servants heard everything and told me. I don't need anyone's permission to defend the honor of my house."
"Son of a bitch!" Jason was furious at Ser Marlo's response and drew his sword. "You killed a nobleman because of rumors from servants!?"
The fight began in front of Aenar, who finally spoke up, calming things down, which were already heading toward a real war between the nobles.
"Enough!" The king's powerful and regal voice made everyone stop and look at Aenar in fear.
Marlo felt a chill as the king's eyes fell on him. "Ser Marlo, there are laws, and private executions of nobles are strictly prohibited, regardless of whether he slandered you."
"According to the law, you must pay compensation to the victim's family, lose a hand, and go to the Wall to join the Night's Watch." Aenar's words made Marlo's face turn pale.
The man knelt down and spoke in a trembling voice. "I am innocent, Your Grace!"
"I was just following orders!!!!" Marlo's words made the already tense atmosphere heavy and terrifying.
Then Marlo finally understood the consequences of his words. Especially after feeling William Moonton's cold stare.
He knew that the moment he said William's name, his family would be finished, so he looked at Jonos Bracken and pointed at the man.
"I was ordered by Lord Bracken to kill Carlys!!!"
Jonos, who was watching what was happening with amusement, looked stunned. Realizing what was happening, Jonos' face turned red with anger.
The man drew his sword and advanced toward Marlo while shouting. "Filthy, lying bastard, I'll cut out your tongue for your words."
To Marlo's delight, Jonos was held back by the nobles of his faction and was unable to reach Marlo.
Aenar watched everything and regretted not having popcorn. The scene before him was more exciting than any conspiracy movie.
Unfortunately, he had to end the scene or the hall of Harrenhal would be stained with blood.
"Enough!" Aenar shouted for the second time and silenced the people. "I will not allow anyone to die before me!"
"Ser Marlo, you will be found guilty regardless of who ordered the assassination." Aenar said, looking at Marlo, who was terribly pale.
Turning to Jonos, Aenar said in a calm, deep tone. "Lord Bracken, I am warning you not to cross the line, or I will personally cut off one of your hands and send you to the Night's Watch."
Jonos did not dare to get angry at the king. He looked at William with a furious gaze and left the hall with quick, heavy steps.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of your son and wife," William whispered to Morlo with a calm look.
What could Morlo say in this situation? He simply nodded his head while his face showed an expression of despair.
-
Returning to the bedroom, Aenar saw Visenya in the bathtub while Leda cleaned the queen's hair with a bitter and helpless expression.
"How was it?" Visenya asked, her eyes still closed.
"Incredibly entertaining, there were lies and murders," Aenar said as he took off his clothes and joined Visenya in the bath.
"Now I understand why watching court intrigues is the favorite pastime of many nobles," Aenar said with a smile as Visenya wet Aenar's chest and began to help him bathe.
"I'll go with you next time," Visenya said with a curious look after hearing Aenar's words.
The king nodded and whispered, "It's getting rather amusing to play with these arrogant nobles."
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