-Chapter 144-
-2 hours later-
-POV Aemon Targaryen-
I watched as the Cargyll twins, whom I had assigned to my 'security,' closed the council doors once Rhaenyra and her little pet had entered.
"Finally," I said, as I had been waiting for more than fifteen minutes for madam to deign to honor us with her presence.
"I was…"
"Sit down, you've already wasted enough of our time. No need to waste more with false excuses," I said, knowing her well enough to understand that she had simply done her best to show me, through this small gesture, that she still had 'control.'
'It's so tedious to deal with people who have yet to outgrow their teenage rebellion' I thought, motioning for her to take a seat.
"May I know why you are sitting in Father's place?" she asked, interrupting me without the slightest hesitation.
"I am the Hand of the King; I represent him in his absence," I said before continuing without giving her any further attention, as I knew this meeting was going to be heated anyway:
"As you have undoubtedly noticed, I have decided to make some changes in the King's court and, of course, with his approval. I have chosen to dismiss certain unqualified individuals from their positions to ensure better governance of the kingdom by this esteemed council."
No one said a word, waiting to see what I had planned, so I did not hesitate.
I signaled for the Cargyll twins to open the doors, and behind them stood Robar Hawkeye.
"I present to you the person who will, from today onward, replace Larys Fort, who is accused of endangering the security of the King and several princes of House Targaryen. The new Master of Whispers, Robar Hawkeye."
"But that's not all," I added, nodding toward Gunthor, who was standing behind the doors at a distance. He gestured to someone at the end of the hallway, out of sight, before I continued:
"Due to the turmoil caused by Otto Hightower and Larys Fort, I can no longer trust any members of their Houses. For this reason, I have decided, effective immediately, to send all members of these Houses back to their respective lands for the duration of the investigation and to strip them of all their functions at the royal court."
Alicent Hightower gave me such a panicked look that I thought she might have a heart attack.
Unlike her, Rhaenyra wanted to lash out, but I silenced her by announcing:
"My father, Prince Daemon, has always shown unwavering loyalty to his brother and, by extension, to the realm. It is only natural to reward such loyalty by granting him a position he will hold with diligence and integrity. From this moment forward, he will replace Lyonel Fort as Master of Laws."
Daemon appeared at the end of the hallway, walking confidently into the room and scanning everyone with an impassive gaze.
Unlike his former self, he no longer carried that arrogance or thirst for revenge.
He simply sat on the seat that Lyonel Fort had vacated without discussion.
'Lyonel is intelligent, far more than his son' I thought, as he was the same type of schemer, but he possessed two qualities Larys lacked.
'He knows how to be loyal to his master' I thought.
Larys had far too often forgotten what he truly was, blinded by small gains of power.
'But more importantly, Lyonel Fort knows when he is outmatched' I thought.
"Since Bryndon Hightower and Ser Harwin are also dismissed, I took the liberty of appointing individuals I fully trust to the positions of Captain of the Main Gate and Commander of the Gold Cloaks," I said, signaling everyone to shift their attention to the hallway, where Aegon and my cousin William Royce were walking side by side.
"This is complete nonsense," Rhaenyra muttered, shaking her head, hands buried in her face, while laughing nervously.
I motioned for Aegon to take his seat and for William to stand behind my cousin and wait patiently.
"Do you have anything to say against my choices?" I asked calmly.
Rhaenyra didn't even bother to answer and stood up, intent on leaving the council chamber.
But I signaled Gunthor to position himself between her and the door, which he did, resting his hand on his sword hilt.
I felt everyone's eyes turn to me, waiting nervously to see what I would do next.
"You are overstepping, Aemon. I remind you that I am the Crown Princess—you owe me obedience," she shouted, furious at my audacity.
"I owe obedience only to my sovereign," I replied, looking at her calmly.
'And even he struggles to make me obey, so…'
Harwin Fort took a step forward, and I said, "Gunthor, if the rat's brother takes another step forward, kill him."
"What are you going to do, Rhaenyra?" I asked.
"You cannot keep me prisoner," Rhaenyra said before adding, "I will inform my father, the King, of your schemes, and we'll see if he agrees with you dismissing half of his Small Council simply because you suspect they have ties to so-called traitors you imprisoned without any proof."
I nodded and then signaled Gunthor to step aside before saying:
"The king is resting, Rhaenyra. No need to disturb him with our petty disputes. But if you truly want to talk about treason—treason that I can actually prove, no less—I won't stop you from leaving. We shall see how the children of House Fort survive the dragon's wrath."
Rhaenyra and Harwin, who had just passed Gunthor, froze for a moment, and I added:
"I think we can have a discussion first before dragging the king and the entire realm into this matter, don't you agree?"
Rhaenyra remained still for a long moment, but I could clearly see her digging her nails into her palms to restrain herself from exploding, just like Ser Harwin, who was powerless to act without worsening the situation for himself, Rhaenyra, her children, and their entire House.
"Come on, dear cousin, sit back down. I have another little surprise for you," I said, urging her to return to her seat, as I had better things to do with my day.
Rhaenyra was forced to swallow her resentment and sit back down as I had asked. Then I said:
"Lord Lyman, you have done excellent work, but given your House's close ties to House Hightower, I must question your impartiality."
Lord Lyman looked at me, outraged, and I said:
"The Crown thanks you for your many years of service and will call upon you again should the opportunity arise."
Lord Lyman looked at me for a few moments before sighing and rising from his seat.
I then signaled to Gunthor, who had already returned to the end of the hallway and was now bringing in a veiled woman.
"Here is the person who will assume the role of Mistress of Coin. She has excelled in Lys, where she amassed a fortune nearing a million gold dragons. They call her the Black Swan of Lys, Johanna Swann," I said, introducing Johanna, who had greatly aided me over the years in expanding my influence over Lys.
'But I no longer need her there. She is starting to become an obstacle to my authority over the Magisters' I thought, giving her a nod, as I had fulfilled my promise to secure her a seat at the council, allowing her to leave Lys and all she had built there.
'A seat at the council table' I thought.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Daemon frown, but he said nothing and remained silently in his seat.
I gestured for Johanna to take her place and quickly continued as I saw Rhaenys arriving:
"I have also decided to make the position of Master of Dragons a permanent seat on this council and to grant this role to the Lady of Driftmark, Rhaenys Velaryon."
At each new appointment, I saw Rhaenyra frown or shake her head in frustration, as I was replacing the entire council, especially those most loyal to her, with people I fully trusted or those I had firm control over, unlike her.
'And it's starting to break her mentally' I noticed, as she was on the verge of cracking.
"Given the prolonged absence of Lord Corlys Velaryon, you are hereby officially appointed as his successor," I said, addressing Tyland Lannister, who looked at me in surprise before turning to Alicent. She, too, seemed surprised, though not as much as him, as she understood the opportunity I was offering him.
'If I want to completely neuter Viserys's power, I will need his help' I thought, looking at her.
'She has his pillow, and I hold him by the balls with Urrax' I mused, realizing that to tame Viserys, I would have to discipline him with the stick, but I also needed to find his carrot.
'This will help make the pill easier to swallow' I thought.
"The Queen and the Heiress will also each have a permanent seat on this council from now on. Here is the new composition of His Majesty's Small Council. I give you a week to familiarize yourselves with your new duties, and we will reconvene at the same time next week. You may leave," I said, dismissing them with a wave of my hand.
And they did not hesitate to leave, as everyone needed time to digest the completely insane changes I had just imposed on an institution that had remained unchanged for over a decade.