GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 621 623: The Iron Throne (Part 2)

Aegor had already arrived before Daenerys. As Daenerys rode Drogon down from the sky and landed in the western courtyard of the Red Keep, he was already there.

He did not hurry forward to claim credit. Instead, he slowed his pace, using the crowd filling the courtyard and the commotion caused by the Black Dragon's landing as cover, successfully avoiding drawing Daenerys's attention. He waited until she finished speaking with Grey Worm and walked toward the Throne Room before finally letting out a sigh of relief and following behind her.

The reason was simple. He had once again misjudged the course of events.

Just moments earlier, as he hurried across King's Landing with Soldier toward the Red Keep, taking the direct road up Aegon's High Hill, Aegor saw siege engines that had arrived but had not been assembled, allied troops who had long since reached the city yet were resting in small groups by the roadside, and the light pink walls of the Red Keep, untouched by bombardment or battle, not engulfed in raging flames.

The greatest prize Daenerys desired had already been secured intact before he even arrived.

How was that possible?

After brief consideration, Aegor felt relieved.

This was only a civil war, an ordinary, at least in recent years, change of power. It was not a foreign invasion bent on destroying the realm and slaughtering its people.

Since Stannis had already accepted his own death and entrusted him with protecting his wife and daughter, he would not issue the foolish command to burn the Red Keep or King's Landing to the ground.

As for the remaining Gold Cloaks abandoned by their former master, expecting men who served for coin to risk their lives and fight Daenerys's army to the death without orders was clearly unrealistic.

Seen in this light, the outcome before him was unexpected, yet reasonable.

The good news was that since the enemy had surrendered so readily, Daenerys's resentment toward Stannis's surviving family might be lessened. The bad news was that Selyse and Shireen had played no role in persuading the garrison to yield, which meant he had one fewer reason to convince Daenerys to spare their lives.

It was precisely because he was uncertain how she would react to his decision to protect Stannis's wife and daughter that Aegor deliberately allowed her to enter the Throne Room first. He thought that after she had seen the Iron Throne she had longed for over a decade and fully savored the joy of victory and the satisfaction of her wish fulfilled, presenting his proposal might achieve a better result.

Carrying a faint unease, Aegor stepped into the Throne Room, a place that felt both familiar and strange.

He still remembered the last time he entered this hall. It had been the trial of Janos Slynt, King Robert's Lord Commander of the City Watch. That day, the hall had been filled with judges, witnesses, criminals, and spectators. There had even been a scene in which the Night's Watch Chief Logistics refused to allow a scoundrel to join the order. Only the most important object, the Iron Throne, had been concealed behind a massive curtain, preventing him from seeing it for the first time.

Today, everything was reversed. The vast hall was empty and in disarray, with no one inside except Daenerys and the Unsullied who had entered with her. Amid the boundless silence and scattered debris, the legendary Iron Throne stood at the far end of the hall, as if it had existed since time immemorial and would continue to stand there until the end of days.

The Unsullied guarding the entrance recognized him and stepped aside, allowing him to pass alone. Closely following Daenerys, Aegor walked into the Throne Room.

Unlike Daenerys, whose heart was filled with complicated emotions and countless thoughts, Aegor glanced only briefly at the Iron Throne before shifting his focus back to the person. No matter how imposing and awe inspiring it appeared, it was merely an object. The woman ascending the steps one by one was the true matter that required all his attention.

After three decisive victories, Daenerys, with her bloodright and formidable military strength, had reclaimed the Seven Kingdoms and the Red Keep. She had gained another crucial piece, actual control of the Crownlands and the legitimacy that came with it, moving one step closer to complete victory.

Yet as the dust settled from this important battle, a series of new problems emerged.

The matter of the false king's wife and daughter was only one of the troubles Aegor had stirred up. In addition, he had not forgotten that he bore another, heavier burden, investigating the true culprit behind the poisoning at Winterfell.

If disagreement arose over the former issue, at most it would lead to a quarrel and affect his personal relationship with Daenerys to some extent. But if he could not provide her with an explanation for the deaths of the two important ministers, Petyr and Varys, being judged incompetent would be the least of his concerns. If she grew impatient and handed the matter to someone else, that would bring endless trouble and leave him constantly uneasy.

Following the path Daenerys had taken to the foot of the Iron Throne, Aegor exchanged a brief greeting with Grey Worm and stood beside him. As he looked up at Daenerys seated upon the Iron Throne, her face radiant with relief and pride, he calculated silently how he should report Stannis's death and his decision to protect the surviving members of his family, and how he should answer if questioned about the progress of the poisoning investigation.

His thoughts raced. Under his gaze, Daenerys sat down.

"Oh."

A short, sharp cry pulled the Night's Watch brother back from his thoughts. Daenerys parted her lips slightly and raised her left hand, staring at her palm with a pained expression. It was a cut.

Grey Worm was still momentarily stunned, but Aegor had already moved. He dashed forward, taking the steps two at a time, and quickly reached her side.

Daenerys had already risen from the throne and stood upon the narrow steel platform, clutching her left hand with her right. She stared at the bleeding wound, her face pale and blank, her body trembling faintly.

The wound was not large, and she was not so delicate that she could not endure a minor injury or a little blood. Compared to the slight physical pain, the true blow was spiritual, the possible meaning behind the injury.

There had long been rumors among the smallfolk that the Iron Throne rejected an unworthy ruler. Her father, the Mad King, had often been cut by it. Maegor the Cruel had even died upon it. She had sat upon the throne for the first time and was immediately cut. Did it mean she would not be a worthy queen?

While she was lost in thought, a dark figure suddenly approached. It was Aegor, rushing up from below. His speed was so swift that, despite his good intentions, he startled her. The space at the top of the steps was narrow. She instinctively stepped back half a step, her heel striking an obstacle. She nearly fell back onto the throne and risked further cuts, but a strong arm wrapped around her waist, and her injured left hand was seized, the wound covered by something warm and moist.

She widened her eyes and looked up, only to realize that he was sucking the blood from her wound.

(To be continued.)

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