Chapter 20
Meereen was in turmoil. The crown Jewel of Slavers Bay was filled with tension as the ruling families of Meereen suffered their greatest loss in years. The Wise Masters had ruled over Meereen for centuries now, cementing their rule through their wealth, cruelty and influence, yet now someone had arisen against their rule, someone bold enough to ignore their wealth and influence and given what they had dolled onto them, they were not scared of them as well.
It had all begun with the attack on the manse of Furhaw Zhaq, the young master of the Zhaq had been celebrating with like-minded individuals from the elites of Meereen until the whole manse had been burnt down, with everyone inside it being burnt to a crisp.
Their bodies had been burnt to a husk, rendering the question of whether it was an accident or a deliberate attack much more difficult to answer. Yet the answer would come, for weeks later. Another family would be attacked in the same way, the manse burnt to a husk with everyone dead.
And now there had been a third attack, done in a similar fashion, showing that this was not a coincidence. No, this was a deliberate attack.
"Galare, has there been any lead into who is responsible for this?" he asked, and Galare nodded.
"The bodies were all burnt to a husk. It took us days to simply sort through the death. But yesterday, we found something in one of the attacks," he began as he had a servant bring forward an object wrapped in cloth.
"They found this on one of the bodies," he remarked as he removed the cloth, and he frowned as he looked at the charred husk. It was a mask, a broken mask, yet for some reason, it seemed familiar in its design and shape.
"The Liberator.." he gasped out once he recognized it, and his anger burst forth.
"But he was claimed to be dead..." he asked, and Enias Galare shrugged.
"We do not know whether this was his doing or someone is following in his footsteps, but yes I believe this all is linked to him," Enias words made him furious as he crushed the mask in his hands.
"FIND HIM ENIAS! HAVE THE GUARDS DO A CITY-WIDE SEARCH! KILL ALL THOSE WHO REFUSE! I WANT WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ROOTED OUT!"
"It's already being done, we have begun the search from the manses he owned, and all those who survived the burning. But there was one more thing," Enias hesitated.
"What?" he asked, angry for his own blood had been spilled. His niece and nephew were dead by the hands of these heathens, dead because he had spared one of these louts. He would not make the same mistake again.
"The bodies, we counted them. And ever with the slaves the number of people inside the manse was greater," and he frowned.
"What do you mean by that?" he questioned not getting the point, and Galare hesitated before he answered.
"It is only speculation, but we believe that whoever these people are. They are sacrificing their own to make sure that everyone in the manse burns to death." And it took him a second to make sense of what he had heard.
And then he heard it happen, suddenly as he heard shouts and screams of men, making him look at the guards.
"What is going on?" he asked, as dread filled him. Suddenly, the doors to the room were blown off their hinges, and guards surrounded him to protect him. He felt a shiver run down his spine as two amethyst orbs glinted in the darkness. A far too familiar figure stepped out of the shadows.
"It has been quite some time, Drius Pehl..."
"...I do hope you have not forgotten about me."
"YOUUUU!" he snarled as he realized just who this was.
0000
EDDARD STARK
There was a sense of relief as he sat there on his knees, hands bound loosely in chains as the King announced their sentencing. They had lost the war, and the rebellion's cause was destroyed by the very Warhammer who had promised them a glorious victory.
Robert Baratheon, the flagbearer of their cause, their named heir, the Demon of the Trident, had failed to fall down the burnt Dragon; the duel between him and Daemon Targaryen had been too one-sided.
He had called Robert a brother and was not blind to his faults, more so after he had read Lyanna's letter detailing them all. Yet they had loved together, grown up together, and killed together, and that meant something to him.
The King had been harsh in his rulings, harsher than they had imagined, though they should have expected it. He had warned them, he had given them a way out, one they had not taken and as he sat there and saw the Lord of the Trident and his brother rave and rage about the ruling dolled onto them and their lands, he knew such a fate awaited him as well.
House Tully had been stripped off of much the Lord and his brother would be forced to take the Black, and the Riverrun would essentially be ruled by the Crown until young Edmure grew up. The two daughters would be forced into the Silent Sisters, any child born to them carrying Stark or Arryn's name given to the Sept. And the Riverlands of the castle of Harrenhall and the lands leading up to it. It was the first time since Aegon the Conqueror that the very borders of the continent were being redrawn, and yet none were in a position to speak against the King.
Those who had allied themselves with the Royal cause would be apprehensive about this as well, yet none of them would dare to speak against the King lest they fall out of favor with him, and so they found themselves without any allies at Court as the King dolled out harsh terms upon them for the actions they had undertaken.
Land had been stripped away from House Baratheon as well and the Crownlands had expanded greatly, with a spear pointed at the hearts of the Riverlands and the Stormlands through Harrenhall and Haystack Hall.
House Arryn had lost much as well, with Jon being compelled to name an heir from the various Arryn cousins as the direct line stood to end with him, for he would remain childless as he, much like Lord Houster, shall take the Black. The heir would again squire for a House loyal to the Crown, hence giving the King control over the Vale lands.
And so forth, the rulings were harsh, and many had complained as such. Yet they had none who would speak up for them, and so all the lords would be dragged away until it was his own turn to be given his sentencing.
The King sat regally in his chair, looking down at him as he began.
"Lord Stark, do you have anything you would wish to say on your behalf," and he shook his head, tired of all this, yet an unlikely voice cut through the silence sparking murmurs as the Queen Rhaella stood up, pale and weak from the childbirth, yet her voice powerful enough to cut across the Hall.
"I would like to speak on behalf of Lord Stark," and the court was surprised by this, as murmurs broke out. The King nodded at the Queen who continued.
"House Stark rose up against the Crown, a crime of grave nature yet of all the Houses they did so to defend the honor of one of their own. They believed their daughter to be kidnapped by your brother and marched to the capital in hopes of finding and liberating her," she began weakly as she looked down.
"They had their lord and heir burnt at the hands of Aerys after a sham trial. And they rose against the Crown after that, breaking the oaths they have kept for three hundred years, angered, and misguided of the truth about their daughter."
"They declared Baratheon as King," the King pointed out.
"Had they sought merely justice and risen up against the Mad King, their cause would have been just. Yet they chose to bend the knee to a Baratheon. I cannot let t...."
"But they did so because they were unaware of the truth," The Queen cut in, and Eddard felt it all too rehearsed. The Queen, looked at him, their eyes met as she gave him a nod.
"Tell me, Lord Stark," the King began as he looked at him.
"Did you know that when you rode against my brother, you were riding against the very person who had saved your sister," the King's question shook the entire throne room, and he could see Lady Elia biting into her lip.
The Queen shook her head, and he followed her lead as he did the same.
"I did not..."
"Well then, let me tell you all the truth of just how this rebellion began," the King began as he stood up.
"After the tourney of Harrenhall, a mystery knight incurred the King's wrath for humiliating his men. A knight we all know as the Knight of the Laughing Trees, yet few know that the person who rode underneath that armor was not a man...."
"..It was none other than Lyanna Stark, the daughter of Lord Stark." The King announced as murmurs broke out in the Hall.
"May, at the gathering, had been humiliated by the knight, and so they sought revenge against him, and my brother saw that. And so Prince Rhaegar, who knew the truth of her identity, would name her the Queen of love and beauty as he would put the crown of flowers atop her head, trying to subvert suspicion. Yet, it would fail, and he would be forced to flee with the young Lady to save her from incurring the wrath of the King and all the other lords who felt humiliated."
"They would flee to protect her, and in that time, a letter would be sent to inform the Lord Stark of what had happened, yet no such letter would reach the Lord Stark, hence starting the turn of events that have led us to this day," the Kinge began as he stood up.
"And in that perilous journey, they were attacked by bandits, and though the Prince of the realm would remain unscathed, the same could be not be said of the Lady Stark..." and he knew this to be a lie, for he knew the real reason.
They had married, and Lyanna was with the Prince's child.
And suddenly, he felt the doors to the throne room open as everyone, including him, turned their heads and stared at the form of the one person at the center of this all for the first time in more than a year.
"....unable to sustain the injuries she had suffered, Lady Stark would go into a coma and would wake a moon later, weak, tired, and helpless to stop the war that had begun in her name."
Lyanna was here; she had become thin and frail, and her eyes had sunken in. As their eyes met, she saw them tear up before she evaded his gaze and looked down at the ground as she was led to the center of the throne room.
"Lords and Ladies of Westeros, I give you the knight of the Laughing Tree, Lady Lyanna Stark." The King announced as she came and stood right by him, and the whole court broke into pandemonium at her presence.
"Lady Stark, do you dispute any of what I have said today?" the King questioned, and he saw her fists ball up as she shook her head.
"I do not, your grace. You have told the truth, and I beg you..." and she dropped to her knees.
"...I know that the sins of my House are great, that my own actions were unthoughtful and regretful, yet I beg you to show mercy, and if you seek a Stark to share the blame, lay it all on me, yet spare my family," she spoke as she sobbed.
"Punish me as harshly as you may wish, yet spare my kin, for they have suffered enough for my foolishness!"
0000
RHAELLA TARGARYEN
The sentencing was a somber affair, yet now it had all been sorted out. Many in the court were apprehensive about the punishments dolled onto the rebelling houses, yet few had the courage to speak out as they wished to gain the King's favor.
"You were too lenient with the North," Elia spoke as they sat in King's solar as the day came to an end.
"And what of your promise to protect my honor, you told the whole co..."
"A half-truth," Daemon cut in sharply, stopping Elia in her tirade.
If the truth of Rhaegar's marriage with Elia had come out, it would have humiliated the Dornish Princess.
"The truth would have come out one day. It is better to pollute the world with half-truths than to try and obscure truth," Daemon cut in as he pushed a missive towards Elia.
"All traces of Rhaegar's marriage with Lyana Stark have been handled, and all written records of it have been wiped clean off. The Septon who carried out the ceremony, dead. None shall ever know the truth, and even so, few would be inclined to believe such a thing gave the story I have built up," Daemon spoke as he leaned forward.
"And what of the Stark girl? What if she decided to..."
"She will not," and this time, she had spoken up and saw Elia turn to face her.
"She has sworn on her life that she would never ever repeat the truth to anyone, and I am inclined to believe her. The Starks will keep their word. They understand the favor the Crown has done to them by showing them mercy when they expected none,."
Of the four Houses that had rebelled, only House Stark would emerge with its lands and Lords intact. Eddard Stark would still rule over the North, and his brother Benjen would come to the capital to be a hostage for a few years, just as Lyanna Stark would for a few years, though the reasons for the latter's stay were not so simple as the first.
Eddard Stark's marriage would be annulled, and he would marry a Northern woman with the Crown's approval, and with that, the North would be shown mercy. Many would question the leniency shown by the throne. However, most would be inclined to believe Aerys's actions of burning Lord Stark and his heir.
"But that child..."
"Is blameless," Daemon cut in angrily, and Elia seemed to realize his anger.
"There has been enough bloodshed. He will have no honors, no legitimacy, and shall never be a threat to your children."
"But you are keeping him in the capital just like that harlot," Elia thundered as she burst to her feet.
"Because I will not create another Blackfyre. It is better for us that he grows up infront of our eyes rather than thousands of miles away in the North where our enemies may try and make use of him," yet Elia was not satisfied, and she could understand her. She was a Princess, and her pride had been wounded by Lyanna Stark, and seeing the girl responsible for everything she had suffered so close to herself would not be easy.
"I can understand your anger and frustration, but this is a small sacrifice to make to secure the future of this family," Daemon spoke tiredly, and Elia gritted her teeth before shaking her head.
"Do as you wish, your grace," she spoke curtly and then, with a small bow, walked out of the room, leaving her alone with Daemon once more.
"You are tired," she added after minutes of silence, and he did not respond.
"I have been tired for a long time," he replied.
"Elia was right about one thing. You are rushing things," she added, noticing the brisk pace at which he was sorting out the courtly matters.
"Because there is somewhere I need to be..." he answered as he looked her in the eye.
..."Because someone has been waiting for me all these years."
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