Chapter 36
Maenera woke up in the middle of the night angry. Beyond angry, she was enraged. They hurt her brother. She was going to burn them. She played nice until then, trying to maintain the peace, trying to appease commoners and Lords alike, no more, the gloves were off. Fuck them and their titles and their castles. Her brother may not want to rule over a Kingdom of ash but she had no problem with it as long as all those she cared for were safe and happy. Viserys was one of hers and they have the audacity to try to control his fate? No. They hurt her brother and they are going to pay dearly for it.
She run from her bed not caring that she was still in her night clothes. She took her dagger and ran for Harwin's room. She slammed the door,the poor man jumping from his bed completely nude reaching for his sword. He looked around dazzled trying to find the danger and not finding one. Well she was a danger but not to him. It wasn't until he realized who it was that he began blushing and tried to cover up. She didn't quite understand what he was doing, he tried cover up with his sword. The sword was big but the man was bigger. The sword didn't hide anything. If the situation was different she may be impressed with the specimen in front of her, but as of right now she couldn't care less about the man's body.
"M-m-my Princess. Did something happened?" He asked and she looked around the room trying to spot a pair of trousers. She quickly found them and threw it to him.
"Yes, get dressed, my brother was hurt. We need to get to Kingslanding." She said and his expression changed. At once he became focused and serious. He got dressed quickly, took his sword and followed her down the corridors. She was walking fast, almost running through the silent castle.
"We need to get there fast. My brother is being hurt as we speak. I will land on Rhaenys Hill, Vhagar will be angry and trying to get to Viserys. I need to stop her. While I do that you will run as fast as you can to the City Watch. Find Ser Wilhelm and tell him what happened. You are to quietly enter the Red Keep, do not create a disturbance, do not wake up the Keep. Take a hundred men with you and go for the King's chambers, if you arrive before me there do not enter the rooms. The rest of the City Watch are to spread through the city and close the gates. Nobody gets in nobody gets out. Do you understand?" She instructed and he nodded. "Are you sure you got all that? Once we land I will not have time to give you more instructions, as I said, I need to calm Vhagar."
"Yes, Princess, you can count on me."
"Good."
They made their way to Shrykos. The she dragon seemed as restless as Maenera. Thankfully both Shrykos and Harwin got used to each other after three years. Shrykos liked to tease Harwin, she would lightly push him with her tail making him fall to his face. The feelings Maenera got from Shrykos in those moments was pure amusement. If dragons could laugh, her dragon would be in hysterics. Shrykos barely waited for them to strap in before she took off feeling her rider's need to move fast.
They arrived in record time in the Capital. The sun was barely up. As planned as soon as they touched down Harwin began running in the City Watch direction and she began going to Vhagar. The old she dragon was moving form place to place batting her wings smoke coming out of her nostrils. She seemed angry but unsure. Years of commands contradicting her need to find Viserys.
"Gīda ilagon" (Calm down). She said getting in front of the beast. She didn't seemed to be in the mood of talking commands.
"Iksan kesīr sir, daor jorrāelagon syt vēdros dombo" (I am her now, no need for anger anymore). Vhagar started to growl.
"Ȳdra daor sagon hae bona. Īlē jorrāelatan mōrī bantis. Sir iksan kesīr" (Don't be like that. You were needed last night. Now I am here.) Maenera said. The old beast clearly didn't like that. She opened her maw and shout balls of flame into the air trying to intimidate her. That got Maenera angry. She switched to common.
"You were needed last night, you stupid beast. When you felt Viserys distress you should have raised the alarm. Land on a fucking tower, who cares. Now is too late. I am here and you need to calm down so I can go and check on my brother." She screamed. Maybe Vhagar didn't understand what she said but she get the gist of it by the guilty look she had on her face.
"You will wait here. When I come back you and I are going to burn those responsible." Well she seemed to understand that perfectly. She lowered herself to the ground with a huff still growling.
It took her more than an hour to calm the old beast down, but she finally managed. After an immense amount of assurances that Viserys will be fine and with quite a few promises of bloodshed the dragon didn't looked ready to burn Kingslanding in her quest to find Viserys. If she was honest Maenera was genuinely surprised that the old beast waited till morning. If Shrykos was in her place, Maenera knew that she would began burning down cities as soon as she was hurt. Maybe the old age tempered the old beast a little. Or maybe the years of constant commands for not destroying shit unnecessary reared their head.
She got back on Shrykos and flew to the Red Keep. She landed in one of the gardens not caring about the destruction left in their wake. She begun running for Viserys chambers. As instructed the men with Harwin and Ser Wilhelm at their front were lining along the corridors awaiting orders.
"My Princess." Ser Wilhelm said.
"Ser Wilhelm, it's the City closed?"
"Yes, as soon as Ser Harwin came with the orders the men spread out and closed the gates. Nobody in, nobody out."
"Good. I need you to send your men to inform the small Council of an emergency meeting. One of the men need to bring Maester Vaegon to the King's chambers. No less than four men guarding Princess Rhaenyra another six patrolling the corridor that leads to her room. Six guards in front of the Kings door, eight patrolling the coridor. Nobody enteres their room. The only exceptions are if the King wants to see his daughter, Master Vaegon is here to check the condition of the King or if Prince Daemon and I come back. The rest of the men are to spread out in the Red Keep. Is that understood?"
"Are you planning on going somewhere Princess?" Maenera didn't respond.
"Anyone else that tries to force their way in their chambers are to be cut down. Anyone."
"Understood."
"Good. Ser Harwin come with me." She said and entered her brother's rooms.
***
Harwin didn't know what to expect when he entered the King's chambers. The princess seemed furious yes, but not panicked or in mourning. So while he understood that the King was hurt it was not life treating. At least he hoped so. It was hard to tell with the Princess. The rooms were quiet. The courtains were drawn and the rooms were absent of the sun's light. The princess quietly opened the door to the bedchambers and stopped in the threshold. Being right behind her and being quite a bit taller he could see the clearly above her head. On the bed naked, asleep next to the King was Lady Allicent Hightower, or better yet Septa Allicent.
The princess seemed to came to her senses, or better said take a leave of her senses. In an instant she flew to the side of the bed and dragged the naked woman out of the bed by her hair. The woman woke up screaming but it did not deter the princess. She began raining down slaps, punches and kicks on the woman that was on the floor. Lady Allicent should consider herself lucky that the Princess seemed to have forgotten she had a dagger. He didn't know what to do. Should he stop her? Could he?
The King was unresponsive throughout the screams. He stared motionless on the bed. It was then that Harwin understood what actually happened. The woman drugged or poisoned the King and spent the night with him. He heard that happening with women. Women taking advantage of by men, being drugged or drunk enough not to realize what is happening. He never heard of happening to a man. He took a decision then. He crossed the room and ripped the Princess from the bleeding woman and kept her in his arms while she struggled trying to make her calm down.
"Let me go. I'm going to kill her!" The princess screamed.
"Princess I beg of you. Calm down." He said.
"I will not calm down, I'm going to kill her!"
"Princess, your brother is unresponsive on the bed!" That seemed to do the trick. She relaxed into his arms, the fight leaving her. Cautiously he let go of her, careful not to make her way to the woman again.
She approached the bed and began to lightly tap the King's cheek. He didn't respond, didn't wake up or react in any way. She began stroking his cheek and hair. She looked at his body probably looking for some kind of wounds. She found nothing. Thankfully the door opened again and Maester Vaegon made his way into the rooms. He looked around, his eyes taking in the bleeding woman huddled on the ground. Then the Princess and lastly the unresponsive King.
"What happened, Maenera?" Maester Vaegon asked.
"They gave him something last night. She raped him while he was drugged." The princess replied.
"Do you know what and how much they gave him?" He asked and began inspecting the King. He forces the King's eyelids open and opened his mouth. Harwin didn't really understand why, but the man was a Maester he must know what he was doing.
"A white powder, they mixed just a bit in his pitcher of wine. He had quite a bit of it last night."
"Physically he should be fine. A little out of it for a day or so. Probably in and out of consciousness throughout the day. I am assuming he had been like that since he ingested it. A state of semi-conciousness. He seemed asleep now however."
"That's good. I'll leave him in your care. The guards have instructions to cut down anyone that tries to enter the King's rooms. I will send the Strong girls to act as your helpers."
"What are you going to do?" The Maester asked.
"I am going to attend a council meeting, then I am leaving to bring Daemon home."
"And?"
"And then I am going to burn them alive."
"Good" he replied.
The princess walked out of the rooms and left instructions to the guards outside to bring his sisters and to detain lady Allicent in one of the rooms. They made their way to the council chambers and were greeted by a handful of grumpy men that seemed to be disgruntled by the fact that they were woken up too early. As soon as his father saw his expression, his whole demeanor changed. He bowed to the Princess and quickly sat down. No one could accuse his father of not being perceptive.
The princess sat down in her brother's chair at the head of the table and began playing with a coin completely ignoring the questions the men asked. They were full of indignation. "Where was the King?" "Why were they woken up?" "Why was she sitting in her brother's chair?" When it finally began to be clear that the Princess will not talk they began to silence themselves and sit down. The princess threw the coin in the air and fell with a bang in the middle of the table.
"Now, that you are all fucking quiet, we can begin. Last night the King was hurt. His picher of wine drugged, and while the kingsguard that was supposed to be in front of his door was missing, somebody sneaked into his chambers. What I truly want to know is how the fuck did that happen?"
"Is the King alive Princess?" Lord Lannister asked.
"Do not trouble yourself my lord. My brother is fine he is tended as we speak by Maester Vaegon. "
"And why may I ask was I not informed of this? Why was I not asked to tend to the King?" The Grand Maester bristled. The princess slapped the table wit her hands and got to her feet. He saw his father and the Lord Commander flinching. It seemed that they were the only ones who understood the danger.
"I am not in the fucking mood to stroke your male egos. I asked a question and I am expecting a fucking answer. Why. Was. The. King. Hurt.?" She almost screamed." Why there was no kingsguard at his door?! Why was his wine tempered with?!" She asked and the men remained silent.
"It may not occured to you my Lords but we are dragon riders. When a dragon rider is hurt the dragon he or she is bonded with will do anything in their power to find and save the dragon rider." Understanding befall the Lord Commander." Maybe I am not clear enough. The only thing that stayed between Vhagar and your certain deaths it's me. At dawn Vhagar was preparing herself to tear down and burn down Kingslanding in her search for my brother. His distress called out to her. Do you understand that? The oldest and largest dragon, a relic that we have since conquest felt Viserys' distress. Some of you may not remember what Vhagar did to those that killed Prince Aemon and made my father mourn for his brother. She burned them alive. Now imagine that Vhagar at the moment is not in the proximity of her rider, nobody to give her commands, nobody to steer her in the right way, what do you think it will happen if I let her do what she wants?" Harwin saw how quickly the faces of the men in the room began to whiten.
"And did she calmed down, princess?" Prince Qyle asked. The princess ignored him.
"Now, I am going to leave for a few days and when I get back I want the answers to my questions. I want the men responsible to be apprehended. If not, well Vhagar is still angry."
"You cannot kill us all if we do not find the culprits." Luther Tyrell exclaimed. "You would start a war!"
"MY BROTHER, THE KING, WAS HURT!" She screamed." If you think for one moment that I care about your lives when my brother was basically poisoned you are sorely mistaken. You have until I get back."
"If I may ask, princess, where are you going?" His father asked.
"I am going to take my other brother and burn the Hightower to the ground." And with that she exited the council rooms. Harwin threw his father a look and followed after her.
"Harwin?"
"Yes, your Grace."
"As Hand your father is obviously in charge of the kingdoms, your sisters as stated will help my brother. I need your brother to find the accomplices the Hightowers had."
"Do you not trust the council."
"I would've if they were not a bunch of incompetents. That's why I need your brother to do a thorough job."
"I will let him know."
"You will also stay here. You will go and stand guard inside the King's chambers. The same rules apply. If somebody tries to force their way in, cut them down. We will deal with the consequences later."
"I understand."