Chapter 125: The Three Kings Gathered, the Centenarian King Passed Away
King Jaehaerys the Conciliator, King Jaehaerys the Conciliator, had been bedridden for the past few months, his face gaunt and his eyes sunken. The previously listless King Jaehaerys the Conciliator immediately brightened upon hearing of Daemon's return.
The King Jaehaerys, still weak from illness, forced himself to sit up, "Daemon has returned? I must go meet him personally."
Alicent Hightower, standing by, supported the King Jaehaerys's thin, withered arm, "Your Grace, Grand Maester Runciter instructed you to rest well. You really shouldn't get out of bed."
The King Jaehaerys weakly shook his head, "No, Daemon conquered the Three Daughters and Dorne. He accomplished a feat as great as Aegon the Conqueror. I must greet him personally."
Daemon, Gael, and Princess Rhaenys soared on their dragons above King's Landing for three rounds, accepting the cheers of the populace and the Kingsguard. Finally, the beloved dragons Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, and Silverwing also appeared in the skies above King's Landing, respectfully flying alongside Daemon, astonishing the people of King's Landing.
In Flea Bottom, a butcher looked up at the dragons, "The King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne's dragons followed Prince Daemon to war. They say Daemon controls dragons with sorcery; it seems to be true."
A maester said, "Impossible. No one can control dragons with sorcery. It must be the Dragon Guard helping Daemon, giving orders to the King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne's dragons."
A young girl clasped her hands over her chest, gazing up at Daemon and Gael in the sky, "Prince Daemon and Princess Gael are just like King Jaehaerys the Conciliator and Queen Alysanne of old! They are as beautiful and powerful as in the songs."
Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, and Silverwing were the first to land in the Godswood of the Red Keep, followed by Caraxes, Dreamfyre, and the Red Queen. Daemon, Gael, Princess Rhaenys, and the other Dragon Knights jumped down from the huge saddles on their dragons' backs.
King Jaehaerys the Conciliator, King Jaehaerys the Conciliator, supported by Prince Viserys and his handmaiden Alicent, welcomed Daemon. Beside them, Hand of the King Otto Hightower instinctively stroked the pure gold Hand of the King emblem on the chest of his brocade robe, looking at Daemon with a resentful gaze.
Lord Lyonel Strong, Master of Laws, Lord Lyman Beesbury, Master of Coin, Ser Ryam Redwyne, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and others, all welcomed Daemon with beaming smiles.
Under the gaze of the human face on the Weirwood Heart Tree, Daemon knelt on one knee, raising a crown, and presented it to the King Jaehaerys.
"Your Grace, in the name of House Targaryen, I have conquered Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr. Now the Three Daughters have been incorporated into the Dragon Kingdom. This is the crown of the Three Daughters."
The crown was forged from steel, gold, and silver, engraved with three beautiful women: the three-headed beauty of Tyrosh made of steel, symbolizing the Three-Headed God; the goddess of love and lust of Lys made of silver; and the craftsman's daughter of Myr holding a hammer, forged from gold. The three beauties nestled in the embrace of three dragons, carved from sapphire, emerald, and garnet respectively, symbolizing the blood and fire of House Targaryen, ruling the Three Daughters.
The King Jaehaerys excitedly patted Daemon's shoulder and helped him up, "Daemon, you have accomplished an unprecedented conquest. You not only conquered the Three Daughters but also forced Dorne to submit. You are a hero of House Targaryen. Your brother Viserys and I are both proud of your achievements."
Prince Viserys embraced Daemon, "Brother, our parents in heaven will surely be proud to see the great achievements you have made."
During Daemon's expedition, Prince Viserys had gained a lot of weight. He had become increasingly plump and rosy-faced.
Otto Hightower showed a gentle smile. Daemon noticed that a smile played on Otto Hightower's lips, but his eyes did not smile. Otto Hightower said, "Prince Daemon conquered Dorne and the Three Daughters for our Iron Throne. He achieved astonishing results. However, military conquest is only the beginning. I believe the Small Council should immediately select governors to go to Lys, Tyrosh, and Myr to assist Prince Daemon in governing the kingdom."
Daemon conquered the Three Daughters, and Otto Hightower had always coveted this lucrative territory. Daemon certainly wouldn't allow a vulture like Otto Hightower to snatch his cake. Daemon smiled slightly, "When I was in the Three Daughters, the liberated slaves there, to honor me, have already supported my children as city princes." Otto Hightower had clearly miscalculated if he thought he could snatch food from Daemon's tiger's mouth.
Gael gathered her three sons together with her hand. She said, "Little Aegon is the Prince and Governor of Tyrosh, Little Jaehaerys is the Prince and Governor of Myr, and Little Baelon is the Prince and Governor of Lys."
Otto Hightower still wouldn't give up. He said, "These children are only nominal rulers. Children a few years old cannot truly rule. We should still send governors personally appointed by the King Jaehaerys the Conciliator and the Iron Throne."
King Jaehaerys the Conciliator had ruled Westeros for half a century and had seen many such power games. The King Jaehaerys naturally understood Otto Hightower's intentions. Otto Hightower hoped that other Westerosi nobles would share Daemon's interests in the Three Daughters. Unfortunately, the shrewd King Jaehaerys would never allow Otto Hightower to have his way.
The King Jaehaerys said calmly, "Daemon's sons, Little Aegon, Little Jaehaerys, and Little Baelon, are the governors and princes I have appointed. The customs of the Three Daughters are vastly different from those of Westeros. To rule there, we must follow the will of the people. Daemon is deeply loved by the liberated slaves there; they call him the Father of Dragons. Who else is more suitable to rule the three major cities of the Three Daughters than Daemon's children?"
Otto Hightower was disheartened, retreating to the side like a defeated dog.
That evening, a grand banquet was held at the Red Keep to welcome the triumphant return of Daemon, the Sea Snake, Rhaenys, Gael, and others. Maids served roasted wild ox with shaman cinnamon and spices, roasted peacock, barley venison stew, garlic snails, amber mead, roasted larks, silver wine from Moo Castle, golden wine from Arbor, and Dornish red wine.
Princess Rhaenyra joyfully chased and played with the jester Mushroom with her cousins Little Aegon and Little Jaehaerys.
Singers from Tyrosh, Myr, Lys, and Dorne successively performed songs before the King Jaehaerys and Prince Viserys, Regent. Pedro of Tyrosh sang the song "Father of Dragons," Dunster of Lys sang the song "God Bless Daemon," and Recor of Dorne sang the song "Daemon's New Era."
After the banquet, under the gaze of the court and important members of the Small Council, the King Jaehaerys placed a crown on Daemon's head, "Daemon, your and Gael's descendants will forever rule the vast lands of Tyrosh, Lys, Myr, the Stepstones, and the Disputed Lands in the name of House Targaryen."
Prince Viserys, Lord Lyonel Strong, the Sea Snake, Princess Rhaenys, and others cheered for Daemon. Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra looked at Daemon with admiration.
After the banquet, King Jaehaerys the Conciliator and Prince Viserys, Regent, held a Small Council meeting in the Council Chamber. Due to health reasons, the King Jaehaerys the Conciliator had not attended a Small Council meeting for a long time, but he did not want to miss the first Small Council meeting after Daemon's return, so he forced himself to attend despite his illness.
The King Jaehaerys said, "Daemon, now you need to rule the vast territories of the Three Daughters, so you cannot remain in the Small Council. In the future, if you wish to return, there will always be a place for you on the Small Council. You are one of the most excellent Hands of the King I have ever seen, almost as good as Maester Barth."
Ser Otto Hightower, standing by, was a bit embarrassed. Otto Hightower only became acting Hand of the King after Daemon's expedition. After Daemon conquered the Three Daughters, Prince Viserys, Regent, officially appointed Otto Hightower as Hand of the King. The King Jaehaerys, in front of the important members of the Small Council, declared Daemon one of the most excellent Hands of the King, which deeply disheartened Otto Hightower, but he concealed his emotions well.
Daemon said, "The achievements I made during my time as Hand of the King were the result of every important member of the Small Council working together. I believe Ser Otto Hightower can perfectly fulfill the duties of Hand of the King."
This was, of course, a polite remark. In Daemon's heart, Lord Lyonel Strong of Harrenhal was more suitable for the position of Hand of the King than Otto Hightower. Lyonel Strong was an upright man, far superior to Otto Hightower in both ability and character.
Ser Otto Hightower displayed his signature polite smile for public occasions, "Becoming Prince Daemon's successor is a huge challenge for me personally, but fortunately, Prince Viserys and His Grace trust me deeply."
"Prince Daemon, you conquered Dorne, but you took all the hostages to Tyrosh. Why didn't you bring them directly to King's Landing?"
Daemon said in a flat tone, "These children are youths aged eight to twelve. It is winter in Westeros now, and King's Landing is relatively cold, while the climate of the Three Daughters is similar to Dorne, very warm, which is a good place to settle the hostages."
Otto Hightower persisted, "Prince Daemon, your performance on the battlefield can be called that of a renowned general, but you handled the hostage matter too carelessly.successfully rule Westeros and the Three Daughters."
"Now is the time when House Targaryen possesses the most dragons. However, too many dragons are as dangerous as too few. The dragonlords of Old Valyria often fought amongst themselves. In the future, the Targaryens must try to maintain intermarriage within the family to preserve the purity of the Valyrian blood. To appease those ambitious nobles, you can consider marrying their daughters, but the daughters of House Targaryen must try to marry within the family. Otherwise, if dragon blood flows out, future dragon civil wars will weaken the rule of House Targaryen."
Daemon and Viserys nodded. King Jaehaerys continued, "Braavos, Pentos, and Volantis are eyeing the Three Daughters, and Dorne is also a potential threat. Vhagar is missing, and Aemma has not yet given birth to a male heir for the Iron Throne. These problems are left for you brothers to solve."
A few days later, Alicent, as usual, was reading Maester Barth's "Unnatural History" to King Jaehaerys. Suddenly, the dragons began to roar. First, Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, roared outside the window, then Silverwing joined in, followed by the Red Queen, Dreamfyre, and Caraxes. Alicent walked to the window, confused. When she returned to the window, she noticed that King Jaehaerys had stopped breathing. King Jaehaerys, who had ruled Westeros for over fifty years, had passed away.
As the news spread, the people of Westeros were plunged into grief. Septs across the land rang their bells for the passing of King Jaehaerys. Even the people of Dorne and the Three Daughters mourned the passing of King Jaehaerys.
At King Jaehaerys's funeral, the Bronze Fury breathed flames, igniting the pyre. King Jaehaerys's ashes were mixed with Queen Alysanne's ashes and interred in the crypts beneath the Red Keep.
After the funeral, Ser Otto Hightower approached Viserys.
"Your Highness, the old king has passed away, and a new king is to be crowned. Your coronation ceremony is in three days. Nobles will gather, and many will believe Daemon is the heir to the Iron Throne. Daemon has become King of the Three Daughters, and no one can guarantee he has no ambition for the Iron Throne. You can take this opportunity to declare Princess Rhaenyra as the heir to the Iron Throne.""
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