Aegon Snow

-Chapter 170-

-POV Cersei Lannister-

As soon as I heard the approaching roars of dragons, I took Maegor to go see his father.

I was smart enough to see that even if he would probably never grant me the title of queen, he could grant his son the title of Imperial Crown Prince if the boy proved himself worthy.

'And if he loves his son enough, I must make him his favorite son.'

"Let go of me."

"You swore loyalty to me."

"You cannot treat me this way."

"I order you to release me."

"That's an order, I am your Empress."

I watched as Gerold Dayne and Sandor Clegane dragged Arianne, who was fuming at the royal guards, and then I said, entering the Painted Chamber:

"What is happening here?"

"What's happening is that my nephew is losing his mind."

I raised an eyebrow, seeing that Benjen Stark didn't want to elaborate.

'Surely because he knows I would agree with anything that could push Arianne out of Aegon's favor,' I thought with a smug smile.

"I have just stripped Arianne of her title of Empress and sentenced her to spend the rest of her days as a Silent Sister."

I struggled to contain my surprise and even more to contain the smile that threatened to bloom on my face. Aegon noticed and rolled his eyes, saying:

"I don't know why, but I was certain you'd be happy about this news."

I smiled and then said, seeing I was discovered: "Beyond my personal satisfaction, I think you did the right thing. I imagine you did this because she freed Tyene, who, I remind you, put us all in danger by exposing our weaknesses to our enemies. She overstepped her rights, and she did so knowingly. She deserves her punishment."

"Dorne will not remain silent. Doran will not remain silent. Maybe he said nothing when Oberyn died, but by sending his daughter away and disinheriting his grandsons, it's a direct attack and insult to the throne of Sunspear and House Martell as a whole," said Benjen Stark, sitting to the right of Aegon's throne.

"There is no more throne of Sunspear," said Aegon, sitting on his throne, looking at the Painted Table of Westeros, a true marvel if I must say so myself.

"What do you mean?" asked Benjen Stark.

Aegon looked at his uncle seriously and said: "I want this to serve as an example to anyone who would dare or wish to challenge me, so here are the measures I have taken. House Nymeros Martell is stripped of its princely title and is now relegated to a ducal house. All commercial transactions with the Imperial House are suspended, no Dornish-flagged ships will be allowed to pass through the Stepstones, and I have sent Bellegere to fetch all of Oberyn's bastards."

"You're starting a war with the Dornish, that's all you're doing," said Benjen Stark with a long, exasperated sigh.

"I have three dragons," said Aegon confidently.

'One thing I love about him is this confidence that he is better than everyone else, one of the few qualities his late father didn't possess,' I thought.

"Aegon the Conqueror also had three dragons, and much bigger than yours," retorted Benjen.

'That's true, the Dornish are the only ones who know how to fight against dragons thanks to their barren lands.'

"Daeron the Young Dragon had none," said Aegon.

'Also true. Dorne is not invincible. A good commander with a strong army could subdue them, no matter what they think.'

"And he died!" said Benjen, in a tone expressing the anger he was harboring.

"I am better than all of them and I have assets that even you do not know about," said Aegon.

"What kind of assets?" asked Benjen, frowning.

"Assets I was keeping for a day when I would need to get rid of Doran or Arianne," said Aegon, motioning for me to come to his side so he could take Maegor in his arms.

---

-2 days later-

-POV Bellegere Targaryen-

"So, have you considered the Emperor's proposal?" I said, looking at Prince Doran, who seemed to have aged ten years.

"No conditions can be negotiated, can they?" asked Prince Doran, sighing.

"I would have preferred it otherwise, but I am not the emperor, and he has been very clear. He wants all of Oberyn's daughters and is punishing House Martell for the disloyalty of its members," I said, running a finger around the rim of the wine glass Prince Doran had served me himself.

"They are not Martells."

"I am just the messenger."

"Very well, I have prepared all the girls. They will be ready to sail tonight."

"You are making the right choice."

"I doubt it, but it's the only one I can make."

I was extremely surprised by his reaction, but I said nothing more and simply took my leave. It was time for me to return to the capital.

---

-POV Doran Martell-

Watching Bellegere Targaryen's back, the queen of Emperor Aegon, I gripped the armrest of my throne with all my strength.

I could have her beheaded, drawn and quartered, and have her dragon killed with the scorpions I had constructed as soon as the news of the dragons' return came, but in the end, I did nothing.

The emperor's message was far too important for me to do anything.

---

Quentyn Martell is alive, in good health, and in my custody.

I will return him to you once you have sent that whore Ellaria's daughters to the capital.

You know what you have to do.

Aegon Targaryen I, Emperor of Westeros

---

"You want me to…" said Areo, running a finger over his long axe without finishing his sentence.

I shook my head and then said: "My brother is dead, I warned Ellaria, and she went ahead anyway. This is where vengeance leads. Aegon is not like his ancestor. If I had killed his queen, he would have destroyed Dorne or died trying. Whether Dorne won or lost this war, it would be the greatest loser."

Areo said nothing, but I continued to speak: "I should have had her imprisoned under tight guard."

"You did what you thought was right," said Areo.

"Yes, what I thought was right, but not what was necessary," I said before adding: "And now what is necessary for peace is to sell my nieces in exchange for my nephew."

"Your daughter could…"

"My daughter is a fool. She compromised herself for her cousin, and she is no longer Empress," I said furiously because that girl never understood the importance of duty, and that is likely to lead her to her grave.

"The Emperor repudiated her?" asked Areo, incredulous.

"No, he did more than that. He also disinherited his own children," I said.

"Why?" asked my loyal guard.

"To condemn House Martell. I have no doubt that he is inclined to separate the noble houses of Dorne or negotiate with Houses Yronwood and Dayne to isolate us in our own territory," I said, knowing that was Aegon's favorite way of operating.

'Divide and conquer.'

---

-POV Aurane Waters-

"So, what did he say?" I asked, seeing Queen Bellegere approach to mount her dragon.

"He said you can take the late Prince Oberyn's daughters tonight," said the queen, climbing onto her dragon Syrax, which she had named in honor of Queen Rhaenyra's dragon.

I nodded, then watched her fly away.

'Since I was appointed Grand Admiral of the Stepstones, this is the first time he has called for the fleet's mobilization. I must not fail in my task,' I thought, watching the imperial fleet encircle the port, ready to land at any moment.

---

-2 days later-

-POV Eddard Stark-

"What are you going to do today?" I asked my children.

"I plan to oversee the training of Winterfell's guards," said Robb immediately, a task he was doing more and more these days.

"You seem worried," I said, trying to understand why he was spending so much time preparing for war.

Robb said immediately: "I am. Aegon has allowed the wildlings to cross the wall, which leaves us exposed to hundreds of thousands of lawless savages."

"He didn't let them cross the wall exactly," said Bran with a small smile, happy with the news, unlike his brother.

"The fact is that we will have to deal with these wildlings. They have been killing, pillaging, and raping for thousands of years. These practices are so deeply ingrained in this people that there will inevitably be conflicts between us."

"I agree, we must continue to strengthen our Guard and be prepared to suppress the barbaric practices of these savages," said Cat.

I nodded in agreement because I didn't want the wildlings to settle in the North and do whatever they wanted, but I added: "You don't have to worry about the wildlings. Aegon has left his two new legions to ensure the security of his lands."

"Ensure the security of his lands," Robb repeated, frowning.

"Yes, of his lands," I repeated, frowning at my son's insinuation.

Everyone stopped eating to look at us, and it was Robb who broke the silence by saying: "I'm sorry."

"Aegon is the undisputed emperor of Wester

os and has three dragons, but above all, he is your brother. We have failed in our duty to him at one point or another, and that must not happen again," I said.

Everyone nodded, and just as I was about to resume my dinner where I had left off, Maester Luwin arrived quickly and said:

"Your Grace, the Duke, here is a letter from your brother, the Hand of the King."

I opened my brother's letter in front of everyone and then took a deep breath when I saw the first words.

---

My brother,

I write you this letter hoping it is not too late. The hour is grave, and I need your wise counsel.

Aegon does not listen to me; he is completely deaf to my words, and it is surely because of what happened two weeks ago.

Aegon forbade me from telling you, but I think it is only fair that you know now since practically the whole kingdom does.

Aegon faced an assassination attempt, and although you may think it is not serious given his skills, let me disabuse you. According to Sandor, this time it was close, very close; they almost got him.

They took his son hostage and nearly forced him to commit suicide after poisoning him. He found himself practically defenseless, but since then he has entered into a mad rage… mad enough that he mounted his dragon that very evening to go destroy the city of Meereen.

I don't yet know the exact number of victims, but according to Bellegere and Viserys, in his quest for vengeance, he killed hundreds of thousands of people.

I do not doubt his mental state but his lucidity.

Upon his return, he discovered that his wife had spared and granted an imperial pardon to his cousin. This enraged him, and he decided to repudiate his wife and disinherit his first son.

Cersei Lannister, of course happy with this news, did nothing to help by openly showing her support and congratulating him for having "rightly rendered justice."

I don't know by what miracle, but Queen Bellegere managed to convince Prince Doran to hand over the Sand Snakes to the imperial crown.

I don't know what else he might do for revenge, so I hope you can get to Dragonstone as soon as possible.

Even if he doesn't show it, I know your opinion matters a lot to him.

If not as a father, then come and advise him as his uncle. Maybe together we can prevent the kingdom from going to war. Because of their shared history, the Dornish are the most likely to start a rebellion, and if they were to ally with Daenerys Targaryen, then…

Come, my brother, and come quickly; you are the only one who can stop him.

Your brother.

---

I took a few moments to think properly, and then I said:

"Robb, I want you to make sure 200 guards are ready to leave within the hour. We are going to Dragonstone."

"Why?" asked Cat.

I handed her the letter, and once she finished reading it, she said:

"You must go and advise him well. Take Arya and Sansa with you."

I frowned and then nodded. Having his sisters with him might make him think twice about inflicting torture on little girls for revenge.