Chapter 113: Sorry, I Am a Police Officer

"His Majesty, King Robert, must ensure that Prince Viserys and you have no illegitimate children."

Daenerys' face turned red and pale in succession—shocked, humiliated, and deeply confused. How did the two siblings survive?

With this thought in mind, she voiced her question aloud.

"My dear cousin didn't send people to kill us? I clearly remember that for over a decade, Viserys would often yank me out of bed in the dead of night to escape assassins—either fleeing the city overnight or hiding for days in the slums' sewers. Was he just being paranoid?"

"Sigh, I should have seen through Robert's facade long ago—pretending to be a hero when he was nothing more than a scoundrel." The old man let out a pained sigh, his voice filled with self-reproach. "For years, I refused to believe a widely circulated rumor—that when Tywin Lannister presented Rhaegar's two children before Robert, he laughed joyfully."

Has this old man lost his mind?

We were discussing assassins, and now he's talking about Rhaegar's children?

"As a usurper—one who took the throne despite being only distantly related to the Targaryens—why wouldn't he be happy when someone got rid of his potential threats?" Daenerys said, her face impassive.

"In Westeros, murdering children is a disgraceful act. Robert Baratheon had many supporters because of his reputation—bold, honorable, fearless, and passionate.

During the Rebellion, even captured loyalist nobles were swayed by his charisma. How should I put it? Before he became king, Robert had an aura that made people admire him, respect him, and willingly fight for him.

But if it were proven that he had those children killed, his halo would shatter. Many would despise him, abandon him, and even turn against him.

Tywin Lannister did what Robert wanted but couldn't do himself, and he was handsomely rewarded for it. By joining Robert's side at the last moment, Tywin became the king's father-in-law."

After a brief pause, the old man continued, "At first, I didn't fully grasp this. I placed all my anger on Duke Tywin. Had I witnessed him laughing at Rhaegar's children's corpses, no one in this world could have stopped me from killing him.

But I was gravely wounded at the time, not even in King's Landing.

By the time I swore allegiance to Robert, I began to hear whispers of that rumor. At first, I refused to believe he was that kind of man. Robert might have secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling guilty, but his knightly upbringing would never allow him to laugh at the shattered bodies of infants."

"The moment someone ascends the throne, they become a different person," Daenerys said calmly.

"Some become better," the old man replied, his gaze intense as he looked at her.

"Because beyond the supreme glory, I see only responsibility—a heavy responsibility," she said.

"That is why you are the true king, and he is not." The old man smiled, a mix of bitterness and relief in his expression. "Compared to a stubborn old fool like me, Robert preferred to have Jaime by his side.

Perhaps, as a usurper, he felt more at ease around a kingslayer.

But I personally witnessed Robert secretly ordering Varys to arrange assassins to eliminate you and Prince Viserys multiple times.

That was when I began to realize that he was far less righteous than he appeared to be… that rumor—sigh."

Righteous? After usurping a throne?

Daenerys couldn't even be bothered to mock the notion.

"You said he acted in secret?"

"Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King at the time, was an honorable man. He did not approve of slaughtering children. Robert didn't want to openly defy him. After all, aside from being Hand of the King, Arryn was also his foster father."

During the Rebellion that overthrew the Targaryen dynasty, Jon Arryn was the first to raise the banner of rebellion, but not for his own sake.

Because Prince Rhaegar had 'abducted' Lyanna Stark, the Mad King Aerys demanded that Jon Arryn hand over Eddard Stark and Robert. Prior to this, Aerys had already burned Lyanna's father and eldest brother alive (truly insane).

Eddard and Robert were Jon Arryn's wards. The old man, having no sons of his own, had raised them as if they were his own children.

Seeing that the Mad King wanted them dead, he immediately rebelled—earning him the title of the greatest foster father in the world of Ice and Fire.

"If Robert truly sent assassins after Viserys and me multiple times, why did they always fail? Viserys certainly didn't have any skill in avoiding assassination."

In fact, after years of being hunted, Viserys, who had once been relatively normal, was driven to madness.

"Perhaps… someone was secretly protecting you," Barristan mused.

"Who?"

"Illyrio? I don't know." The old man shook his head with a bitter smile.

Daenerys' eyes flickered. She asked, "Earlier, you mentioned that it was always Varys who reported Viserys and me to Robert?"

"Varys, known as the 'Spider,' served as the Master of Whisperers on the Small Council. His intelligence network was unparalleled—no information in the Seven Kingdoms or across the Narrow Sea escaped him. Robert relied on him greatly.

Oh, and Varys also served your father for many years.

He was born in Lys and started as an intelligence broker in Pentos. His reputation for espionage caught the attention of King Aerys."

Daenerys nodded and asked again, "Among the people around me, who is a spy?"

Barristan hesitated before answering, "Jorah Mormont.

Even before you married Drogo, Varys had warned Robert—Viserys planned to use you to trade for ten thousand Dothraki screamers or have the Khal personally help him reclaim the throne.

On the day of your wedding, Jorah Mormont, who had already accepted his mission as a spy, approached Viserys and swore allegiance to him.

That man is a dishonorable and shameless informant. He sold slaves, made empty vows, and is entirely untrustworthy."

"Khaleesi, let me kill him!" Aggo roared in fury.

Dany sighed and said to the Bloodrider, "Aggo, have Grey Worm bring Ser Jorah here. Some things are better discussed face to face."

The Bloodriders and the Queen's Guard were both her trusted arms. Three Bloodriders took turns guarding her personally, while the other two helped train the Screaming Warriors.

After taking Astapor, aside from the Unsullied, almost all of the Dothraki slaves were absorbed into Dany's khalasar.

Back in the Red Waste, she had studied the Manchu military system and attempted to implement a rough version of the Eight Banners system. It wasn't an exact replica—Dany didn't fully understand Qing Dynasty military structures. She had merely renamed the existing military hierarchy of commanders, regiments, battalions, and companies.

With a relatively complete sergeant system in place, the newly integrated horsemen only needed to fall into line.

The former slaves had long since had their rebellious spirit beaten out of them—how could they not obey?

Her small khalasar now numbered over 1,500 people. Excluding the elderly, there were about 800 adult men—many of whom were former slave soldiers who had joined after the uprising.

Outside the city, the Bloodriders had designated grazing lands and set up a camp. In addition to their daily training, they also patrolled outside the estates of the former slave masters.

As for Jorah, he was helping Dany train the militia.

In theory, Jorah Mormont held the position of Dany's "Grand Marshal," and even Grey Worm, commander of the Unsullied, was under his command.

Whitebeard advised, "Your Grace, it would be best to have the Unsullied bind him first, strip him of his armor, and then bring him before you."

"No need," Dany waved her hand dismissively. "If he wanted to kill me, hasn't he had plenty of chances before?"

A ruler should always be cautious, but as a person, if one never gives even a shred of trust, wouldn't that be a miserable way to live?

About forty minutes later, Jorah arrived at the top level of the Great Pyramid, led by Grey Worm and still clad in armor.

The moment he stepped out of the stairwell, the knight sensed something was off. That fake squire, who had never liked him, had an entirely different presence today—his gaze now burned with a righteous intensity.

It was like the moment on the rooftop when Chan Wing-Yan stared at Lau Kin-Ming.

Jorah had long suspected Whitebeard's true identity but hadn't dared expose him to Dany. He knew that if Whitebeard had recognized him, then the old man must also know about his own past—his status as a spy.

"Ser Jorah, this is Ser Barristan Selmy, Barristan the Bold. Do you know him?" Dany stated directly.

Jorah's heart sank. Damn that cunning old fox! What happened to our unspoken understanding?

As if seeing through his thoughts, Barristan coldly declared, "I will not allow anyone to secretly endanger Her Grace's safety."

For a moment, Dany had a strange illusion—Barristan standing there, looking at Jorah's bitter expression, coldly saying: I'm sorry. I'm a cop.

The once-formidable knight seemed to crumble, both physically and mentally. With a bitter expression, he said to Dany, "Your Grace, I'm deeply sorry. I've always wanted to confess to you."

"And now, at this moment, you suddenly decide to be honest?" Barristan sneered.

"You, a traitor, have no right to accuse me!" Jorah shot him a glare and turned to Dany. "Your Grace, you mustn't trust this man. He betrayed the king and prince he swore to serve and defected to the usurper.

"Of the seven Kingsguard sworn to King Aerys, only he and Jaime Lannister survived. The White Bull, the Sword of the Morning, and Prince Martell all died fighting for their king. Clearly, Whitebeard and Jaime are cut from the same cloth."

That was an insult too far.

Jaime Lannister was widely regarded as the most dishonorable knight in the Seven Kingdoms, utterly devoid of chivalry.

Barristan, on the other hand, prided himself on his honor—especially the honor of being a Kingsguard.

"You dare slander me!" Barristan's old face flushed red. "At the Trident, I fought alongside Prince Martell and Ser Darry, standing by Prince Rhaegar's side. They fought valiantly and perished, while I was gravely wounded and left unconscious on the battlefield. It took me months to recover enough to even hold a sword again.

"And you?

"While I bled for Prince Rhaegar, you were fighting for the rebels!" Barristan roared, pointing at Jorah.

"Your Grace, Jorah Mormont has been selling your secrets. When you followed Drogo back to Vaes Dothrak, when you were pregnant, everything you did and said—this despicable spy reported it all to the Spider.

"Each piece of information was exchanged for a hefty sum of gold dragons. Once you and your brother were dead, Robert would have cleansed his record and welcomed him back to Westeros with open arms."

Dany pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, "Ser Jorah, you fought alongside Eddard Stark to overthrow House Targaryen, and Ser Barristan later swore fealty to Robert after the war. Both of you had your reasons. I understand that, and I won't hold it against you. We are only discussing the present."

Barristan glanced at Jorah's ashen face and sighed, "Your Grace, your generosity, wisdom, and kindness surpass those of any ruler in history. Unfortunately, some people do not deserve your mercy."

Jorah knew that as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Barristan had access to every report he had sent to King's Landing.

There was no use denying it. Might as well confess and hope for a lighter sentence.

"Yes, I worked for King's Landing," Jorah admitted. "Two years ago, when I was a mercenary in Myr, Varys's little birds found me—"

(PS: Lyanna Stark was the daughter of the Stark lord, Eddard's younger sister, and Robert's betrothed. Rhaegar abducted her. Her brother and father went to King Aerys, the Mad King, to demand justice. In response, Aerys burned Lord Stark alive and forced Brandon to strangle himself with a noose as he watched his father die in the flames.)

(End of Chapter)

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