The House Of Dragons Must Stand United

Queen of the Seven Kingdoms

In the castle, Lord Ormund Hightower and the rest of the Reach lords were captured. The dragons had made short work of many of the Reachmen soldiers and the land forces crushed the rest. In the end, only a few hundred of the tens of thousands survived once they surrendered.

Daemon immediately went after Daeron but Helaena hid her brother behind her. I also landed close to them and tried to push Daemon back. He had Dark Sister unsheathed and yelled curses at Daeron, claiming he would take the boy's head. Daeron on the other hand was rambling on about what Helaena and I were doing here, why were we here and why were we with Rhaenyra. Caraxes felt Daemon's anger and stood behind him, eyeing us. Dreamfyre stood behind Helaena and Sunfyre a little to the side, both staring down the Blood Wyrm. 

It was only a shrill from Syrax followed by a cry for help from Rhaenyra that made Daemon reconsider. As if he forgot all about Daeron, the King Consort rushed to his Queen's side. Syrax was in pain but she still stood on her legs. Rhaenyra had tried to pull the bolt from her dragon but the shrill of her dragon and the seeping blood from her would stop the Queen. 

 It was clear that the bolt needed to be pulled out but that would mean Syrax would bleed to death. Suddenly I got an idea. It felt like a memory of my old life but it was hard to say because everything relating to it was too hazy. I suggested that we pull out the bolt and then use dragon fire to close the would. Syrax could be treated further by the Dragon Keepers in Kings Landing but this was a better option than having her travel with the bolts still stuck in. Rhaenyra was skeptical of the idea but Rhaenys seconded my suggestion. She too thought it would work and offered Meleys to provide the fire. I told them that it should be Vermax instead whose fire would be strong enough but also small and precise. 

Luckily my idea worked. Daemon pulled out the bolt and a concentrated flame from Vermax cauterized her wound. 

We rested that day in Summer Hall and left for Kings Landing the next. 

Daeron and Lord Ormund along with the other Reach lords were captured and brought to Kings Landing. Lord Roderick Dustin and his Winter Wolves arrived days later with Ser Adrian Tarbeck and two other Western lords as captives of his own. Rhaenyra had sent for Lady Alicent to be arrested but was surprised when Daeron told us that Mother had arrived in Oldtown sick and other than a short conversation with Lord Ormund on her second day, she had been mostly delirious or unconscious. She had told Lord Ormund that Rhaenyra had taken the crown by force and held her grandchildren hostage to make Helaena, Aemond, and I fake our support of her while in reality, we were her prisoners in the Red Keep. I told Daeron that Aemond had left with Mother for Oldtown but he told us that Aemond never arrived. Only then did it occur to Helaena that Aemond had once expressed interest in visiting Old Valyria. We never found out for sure where Aemond went because we never saw or heard from him again but years later a few tradesmen from Essos told us tales of a flying beast whose shadow would darken entire cities.

A trial was held two weeks later for the rebellious lords. Daemon did not see the point of a trial. He thought all of the rebellious lords should be handed over to him and Dark Sister while Caraxes leveled their castles but I urged the Queen not to listen to him. I told her about justice and due process and that she wanted to be remembered as a just Queen. Once again the Lady Hand seconded my suggestion. The lords had been captured in open rebellion but we would spell out their crimes in court among all the other lords before sentencing them. 

All the lords were found guilty with accounts from soldiers fighting them presented as evidence. Lady Alicent also came back from Oldtown and testified that she did not remember telling Ormund what he claimed. She had been slightly unwell when she reached and had told Ormund the truth but then suddenly became bedridden and rarely conscious. Grand Maester Gerardys examined her and found out that she had been taking a concoction of milk of poppy which had kept her in that condition.