𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 | 𝗮𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗲𝗻

Chapter 21: under the tree

119 d. C

King's Landing

As it was planned by Daemon and Rhaenyra, Laenor's death was fast and without loose ends.
They had talked with the Velaryons and Laenor, and had planned to make his death a passion murder. Ser Qarl, Laenor's lover, in a fit of jealousy for his lover, was supposed to kill him, throwing him in the fire.

Obviously, the agreed deal stated that the heir to the driftwood throne would be Luke if Corlys was reinstated as Lord of the Tides. This would ensure that Corlys and Rhaenys maintained their political power and their support of Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne.

The murder was carried out during the early morning of the third month after his return to King's Landing.

The body chosen to play Laenor belonged to a criminal who had been sentenced to death as he had tried to rape a woman near the street of looms.
Thanks to the authority that Daemon still held with the gold cloaks, they had made everything run smoothly.

Once they were prepared with the body of the criminal and with the ship that would take Laenor and Qarl to Essos ready to sail, all it took was a little staging.

An innocent servant was chosen to witness the fight between the lovers. He had been at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Finding himself unable to stop this fight on his own, he had no choice but to go in search of help. Unfortunately for him it wasn't fast enough. By the time he appeared with the nearest guards, the body of the rapist was engulfed in flames.

After they alerted the rest of the keep of the murder the guards were tasked to search throughout King's Landing for the swearsword guilty of the murder.

The king and queen had been awakened and informed of what had happened and were the first to appear in the chamber where the event had taken place.
While they decided what to do with Laenor, Rhaenyra decided to make her appearance.

Her performance was perfect, not too indifferent or dramatic to make sure not to arouse suspicion. She received the king's condolences with gratitud. And while the queen's stare was a little more judgemental than necessary it didn't mean that she was sure of her involvement with the crime.

In the end between the three of them they decided that a raven informing Laenor's parents would be the fastest and easiest way of dealing with it. They invited the Velaryons to King's Landing with the intention of offering their condolences and a pire funeral for their last remaining child.

This would allow Rhaenyra to take it upon herself to comfort the children over the loss of their father.

Jace and Luke were the most affected by the news. If it is true that they were too young to understand the meaning of death, being informed that they would not be able to see Laenor again was a great blow to them. Joffrey, thank the gods, was too young to really know what had happened.

Shiera on the other hand had known better. As it usually happened she had been informed in her dreams of what would happen to her father. The news of his death arrived a little later than she had expected. Obviously his departure was a huge loss for her and she believed that a part of her would go with him.

As the day continued and the keep was engulfed in chaos, the youngest of the royal family could do no more than be mere spectators.

Aegon and Daeron took it upon themselves to assure their sister of her safety with them. The news had affected Helaena the most and only her brothers had been able to calm her down a bit. For his part, Aemond preferred to seek answers from Shiera about what had happened.

It is true that Shiera had been murmuring for quite some time about how the absence of a father would be one of the next tragedies that would plague their family. And it was not a mere coincidence that Laenor died after said predictions.