-Chapter 103-
-POV Alynne Connington-
Sound of the Orchestra
I did my best to clear my mind of the thorny conversation I had just had with my brother, listening to the sound of drums and trumpets.
"Did you talk?" Ronald asked me without looking.
"I had to."
"I don't…"
"It's fine, Ronald. He's your father, I understand," I said, suppressing the anger I felt toward him because I had practically been his mother.
'During the time when Ronnet had fled his responsibilities,' I thought, still unable to digest the conversation we had earlier.
'Nor even manage to calm down,' I reflected.
"Lord Aurane of House Velaryon of Dragonstone and Regent of Driftmark!" the herald announced as Aurane stopped his horse in the castle courtyard, just a few steps from the stairs leading up to it, where Ronald and I were waiting.
"Lord Bronn of House Greyjoy and his Lady Asha Greyjoy, Lord and Lady of Pyke and Wardens of the Iron Islands!" the herald cried, continuing to announce our guests and the allies without whom we would not have been able to win against the Tyrell-Lannister-Greyjoy alliance.
'At least, not in such a spectacular way,' I thought.
"Prince Oberyn Martell, accompanied by his nephew, the Heir Prince of Dorne, Trystane Martell, his companion Ellaria Sand, his daughters the Sand Snakes, as well as his niece, Princess Arianne Martell, and her daughter."
I watched as the two carriages came to a halt before their doors opened, allowing the Dornish to step out and join Oberyn and Trystane Martell, who had also dismounted.
I furrowed my brows, observing the little girl in Arianne's arms, because I knew perfectly well why she had brought this child here, and whatever she might have had in mind...
'Crossing the sea with a child that age is not a good idea.'
Her gaze met mine, and for a second, an unspoken challenge took place, each daring the other to look away first.
I couldn't tell how long it lasted—it felt brief, but judging by the attention we had drawn, it had been long enough for others to notice what was happening.
'Never again another Cersei,' I thought, ready to do whatever it took to ensure our House never again found itself entangled in a catastrophic situation because of a woman.
The herald was about to list all the other lords and ladies who had accompanied them, but it wasn't necessary.
'We are not weak. We bent the kingdom to our will, not the other way around. It's time to show everyone how House Connington will rule the realm,' I thought.
'Under our House's reign, the lords will obey the king, not the other way around,' I told myself.
We had suffered through a string of weak kings. It was time for a new conqueror to unite the continent.
For good, this time.
I lifted my chin slightly and then said to them:
"The king is occupied. He will receive you when he can, but for now—"
Some lords immediately knelt before me, as did the knights and soldiers in the courtyard, before quickly rising to resume their duties.
Then, I heard the herald, tasked with announcing our guests, cry out:
"KNEEL BEFORE HIS MAJESTY, KING RONNET CONNINGTON, FIRST OF HIS NAME, KING OF THE ANDALS, THE RHOYNAR, AND THE FIRST MEN!"
I abruptly turned around, surprised to see Ronnet arriving behind me, and slightly nervous, for unlike the devastated and vulnerable image he had shown me earlier, he was changed.
He looked like an entirely different person.
'He looks like a king,' I thought, lowering my head slightly as my brother passed by without saying a word, not even glancing in my direction.
"Welcome to the capital of my new kingdom. I imagine this is not the first time you've been here, but I hope that in the near future, we can all breathe freely," he said with a slight smile, which significantly eased the tense expressions facing us.
He gestured for everyone to follow him, saying:
"Come with us."
Still silent, I obeyed, not daring to say anything for fear of provoking his anger, for I was certain he was boiling with rage but forcing himself not to display it in front of everyone.
'We must leave a strong first impression, that of a united House, not one of lucky opportunists,' I thought, slightly concerned that this would be the prevailing perception once the memory of the war had faded.
'And once Daenerys Targaryen's dragons have matured,' I mused.
---
-POV Ronnet Connington-
Once we arrived before the throne room, the doors opened, pushed by the knights guarding them.
As I stepped inside, I spoke loudly enough for those following me to hear:
"It has now been more than three whole centuries since the Seven Kingdoms were formed, nearly two since the fall of the dragons and the end of House Targaryen's influence in those distant times, more than a century since Dorne joined the realm, bringing the true number of kingdoms to eight—nine if we count the Crownlands as one."
"But throughout all this time, with so much power, with so many mistakes made, what have they accomplished?"
"Building a throne out of… iron?"
"Raising a city that reeks of shit?"
"Destroying Aegon the Conqueror's dream of a united kingdom?"
"Losing fucking dragons to peasants armed with sticks, hahahaha… Ahhh," I finished, laughing before exhaling a long sigh of weariness and continuing:
"To be perfectly honest, I might not have done any better in their place. Not today, and certainly not yesterday, because for as long as I can remember, I have fought only for my own interests and those of my House. And that will never change."
I paused briefly, piercing my sister with my gaze before adding:
"Becoming king was never a real option for me, because I could not feast or squander fortunes on celebrations and tournaments knowing that part of my people starve."
"I could not allow pirates to roam freely along our coasts if I have the means to make them taste the salt of the sea in the depths of their lungs."
"I could never permit children… to beg in the streets just to experience the grim horror of a bowl of brown."
'Of which no one, except the one who cooked it, knows the origin of the meat in that stew,' I thought, still remembering some of the stories Rodrik and other knights had told me from our days as mercenaries for lords wealthier than us.
"But whether I want it or not, it will happen, because I cannot control over forty million people," I said before adding with a laugh, in a tone both disdainful and somewhat absent:
"Even the gods cannot. And while I may not always resemble the common folk, I am one, through and through. To the point that I couldn't even control my own family."
I took a moment to observe the light filtering through the stained glass, reflecting off certain blades of the throne, then I said:
"The power I have gained is heavy, but I fear the task ahead is even heavier. And I no longer trust anyone to carry it out properly."
'I can no longer afford to be indecisive, because if I do not choose, others will choose for me,' I thought, recalling the heated argument my sister and I had earlier.
I took a few seconds before moving forward and ascending the steps leading to my seat, one by one, slowly but surely, until I turned and sat upon the Iron Throne.
As everyone prepared to kneel once more, I raised my hand to stop them before saying:
"Trystane Martell, step forward."
He advanced, and I could see in his eyes that even though he had prepared himself, even though he had accepted his fate, he still held onto hope.
But most of all…
'He is afraid,' I told myself, having seen that look so many times that I could recognize it at a glance.
"I have been informed that you have committed treason," I said calmly.
"I did not betray Your Majesty," he responded at first before adding, "I only helped a friend."
'A friend,' I sniffed, finding it almost amusing, though I wasn't in the mood for laughter.
I shook my head slightly before saying:
"What you did, regardless of the reason, is a crime…"
"How is it a crime to want to help the weak and the oppressed? You just said so yourself!"
"Helping the weak and the oppressed is not a crime in itself. However, what is a crime is interrupting your sovereign," I said evenly.
Judging by the growing nervousness in him, I knew it had struck like a bolt of thunder.
"Your Majesty…" Oberyn began, attempting to intervene, but I raised my hand to silence him.
"I understand why you did it, and honestly, I respect you for it. You likely wanted to save her from execution, which will very likely be the fate of most Lannisters involved in all of this. But what you could not foresee is that I was only searching for her to ensure her well-being."
He looked at me, stunned, at a loss for words. Then I declared:
"You sacrificed everything you could have been… for absolutely nothing."
"Ronnet…"
"Address His Majesty properly when he grants you the right to speak, Prince Oberyn," Rodrik said from the foot of my throne, his tone sincerely irritated, as it was disrespectful to address me so informally now that I was king.
'Though it does not bother me much, considering we have always spoken to each other by name since we became "friends,"' I thought as I listened to what he had to say.
"I know you have chosen to punish him, but as a gesture of friendship to Dorne and House Martell, who supported you when all others turned their backs on you, I ask that you spare him," Oberyn said.
I remained silent for a few seconds before nodding and saying:
"Very well."
Oberyn thanked me and gestured for Trystane, relieved, to return to him.
The young prince complied, but before he could fully turn his back on me, I added:
"On the condition that he takes the Black and departs for Castle Black without delay."
Oberyn's eyes snapped back to me, aghast at my declaration. He muttered a few unintelligible words before exclaiming:
"That's exactly the same thing!!"
I looked at Oberyn coldly, betraying no emotion, then said:
"The difference seems quite clear to me."
Oberyn's chest rose and fell violently several times.
But before he could say or do anything that might cost him dearly, Trystane Martell spoke in a resigned but determined voice:
"I will go."
Oberyn turned sharply toward his nephew, but the young prince silenced any protest by repeating firmly:
"I will go."