Guys, I don't know what's got into me but I've decided to celebrate the fact that we've passed 1k collections with a new bonus chapter.
I guess I'll post the next one tomorrow between 2 and 4 am Belgian time.
(I've managed to finish chapter 54 and I'm in the process of correcting the next 50 chapters of my already-finished story, which has about 60,000 words in French. I've already posted 3 free chapters of my next story on Patreon, so check it out and give me a little support by becoming a member of my community for free.)
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-The Next Day-
-298 AC-
-30th day of the 6th moon-
-3rd Person POV-
"I don't understand why we have to do this," Sansa said, complaining.
Aegon had decided to parade through the city with his family to present a united front to the public, and for that, he had decided to take his sister with him, the perfect stereotype of a Southern Lady, to greet the populace.
"Because I'm telling you, you have to do it," Aegon said in an authoritative tone.
"You're not my father!!" she retorted to the king who was no longer her bastard half-brother but her cousin, pouting annoyed to follow his orders.
"But unfortunately for you, I am your big brother and your king so you have to listen to me, smile, and keep quiet," he said.
After a cold glance from her "big brother," Sansa fell silent, and Aegon continued to move forward through the narrow streets of the capital perched on Ghost.
Everyone followed the royal procession escorted by the new Royal Guard of 500 men, all armed with black steel armor, a halberd, a shield carved with the shape of a dragon, and other personal weapons.
20 minutes later, the royal procession stopped its advance in the capital once at the top of Visenya's Hill.
Behind the procession, a long horde of peasants was gathered because the king had said that a royal speech would be pronounced, nobody really knew what a royal speech was because it had never happened before but many people went there to have the chance to glimpse the royal family, in all, a horde of more than 100,000 people was gathered at the foot of the Baelor Sept.
-Jaime Lannister POV-
Since I've been released, the new king, to my great surprise, treated me well like an old friend it was against all expectations someone quite simple in everyday life, he reintegrated me into the royal guard, but I had no illusions I wasn't the young Jaime of 16 years I knew very well that he had done it to keep me within reach at all times like his grandfather.
It was as if I had no value other than being a hostage, he didn't care whether I was alive or dead, I didn't scare him and with his magic, I could easily understand this lack of fear when he was capable of twisting my neck with a flick of his wrist.
Father ordered me to obey him blindly and not to attempt anything stupid, I guess the magic of the white wolf must have made him reconsider his decision to kill him and hang his entrails from the top of Casterly Rock.
I had time to observe him and I could notice that like in the legends written about the Dragon Lords of Old Valyria, he wasn't afraid of fire and his flesh does not burn on contact with fire, he also has control over the element of fire in a certain way it's as if he could manipulate it with his mind, he has another kind of magic that allows him to move objects and humans without touching them.
If I had to be totally honest, he scared me a bit...no, I admit it, facing him on a battlefield I would probably piss and shit myself before dying, he would be a weapon of mass destruction and in one on one he was practically invincible.
What I couldn't understand, however, was his character.
He had extremely intense strange and incomprehensible reactions varying from one person to another even though he didn't know them that much.
I saw him with Pycelle Littlefinger who has disappeared but not his riches and Varys who was outright dismembered while we not.
I killed his grandfather and my father…My father was beyond redemption for what he had ordered Lorch and Clegane to do to his brothers and sisters, but yet he granted him his pardon without even feeling the slightest hate towards him…in fact, if I really had to go further I think he even had some sort of admiration for my father deep down.
I had a lot of theories but the only thing I could think of was that he could see our memories and enter our head to rummage through the most secret corners of our mind.
I wonder if he knows about Tysha, he was aware of Aerys's plan to burn the capital as well as the wildfire caches even though I killed all the people present and aware of that years ago.
I looked bored at the flock of sheep he had gathered and even if I didn't understand and was annoyed to be there I didn't say anything and simply followed orders, like what I had done all my life.
The king stepped forward and said loud enough for a large part of them to hear:
"PEOPLE OF THE CAPITAL, YOU HAVE SURELY HEARD ABOUT THE DEATH OF THE USURPER, AND YOU HAVE SURELY ALSO HEARD ABOUT THE RETURN OF HOUSE TARGARYEN TO THE THRONE, I WANT TO TELL YOU MYSELF IT'S THE PURE TRUTH THANKS TO MY UNCLE EDDARD OF HOUSE STARK WARDEN OF THE NORTH AND MY HAND, I WAS ABLE TO LIVE AWAY FROM DANGER HE HID ME SO I COULD COME BACK AND DELIVER YOU FROM THE YOKE OF THE USURPER AND HIS UNGRATEFUL LINEAGE OF HOUSE BARATHEON WHO BETRAYED ONCE MORE THE HOUSE TARGARYEN I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE SILENT SUPPORT YOU HAVE PROVIDED FOR 15 LONG YEARS TO MY HOUSE"
Once his little speech was over the little sheep all clapped and cheered the new king and once the cheers died down he continued screaming:
"I IMAGINE YOU DON'T CARE MUCH ABOUT WHO SITS ON THE THRONE BUT FROM TODAY ON I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ENJOY LIVING UNDER MY REIGN I PROMISE YOU AND TO START I WANT TO GIVE YOU A GIFT COME FORWARD ONE BY ONE TO RECEIVE YOUR REWARD LOYAL PEOPLE OF KING'S LANDING, YOU WHO HAVE COME TO WELCOME YOUR LEGITIMATE KING"
I don't know by what miracle but all the people as far away as they were heard what he said and he spent the rest of the day giving a gold dragon to all the people who came to listen to his speech.
He spent 4 hours with his brother and his two sisters and the two brothers of his mistress handing out coins to all the people who came to listen to him.
I smiled when a man tried to go through a second time but the king barred his way explaining that fraud was punished by a hand less or the night's watch and the young man apologized under the boos of the others also waiting for their rewards
On the way back the king looked at me and he said with a small smile while making hand signs to the crowd cheering him as if he was the incarnation of the seven gods:
"Say what it is that's troubling your mind Ser Jaime"