The sun rose as usual, but Baelon slept until it was already high in the sky because of Daemon’s late-night visit.
When he finally opened his eyes, Ser Criston Cole helped him dress, washed his face, and settled him into the wheelchair.
Other servants had tried to ease Cole’s workload by offering to assist with Baelon’s care, but Cole had refused every one of them.
He was the honored hands and feet of Prince Baelon.
How could he allow anyone else to take his place?
Wearing the white cloak of the Kingsguard was already the highest honor a knight could receive.
Becoming the personal hands and feet of a member of the royal family was something greater still.
Cole looked down at the neatly dressed and clean Baelon and bent slightly.
“Your Grace, what would you like to do today?”
Baelon leaned back in the chair, looking relaxed and content.
“Otto has been driven from King’s Landing. My sister sits as heir. The only people who know what I’ve done are Uncle Daemon and my sister. No one is paying attention to me anymore.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve never once left the Red Keep. The weather is beautiful today. Let’s go walk the streets of King’s Landing.”
Cole hesitated.
“Your Grace, if you wish to leave the Red Keep, I should inform His Grace and the Princess.”
“Ser Cole, please. I’m a free man. Now that I have you as my strong right hand, I have every right to come and go as I please.”
“Remember — you answer only to me. You do what I tell you to do.”
Cole lowered his head respectfully.
“I understand, Your Grace. I was only thinking of your safety.”
“Safety? The Red Keep isn’t necessarily safer than the streets.”
Baelon smiled.
“I should get some sun and breathe fresh air. Maybe it will help me recover and finally stand.”
“Besides, I’m carrying our secret weapon. No one can get close to me.” He patted the shape of the repeating crossbow hidden beneath the blanket on his lap.
Cole couldn’t argue with that.
He pushed the wheelchair outside.
Ignir had been moved out of Baelon’s rooms after the Great Council.
He now spent his days lying in a corner of the courtyard, waiting for his new home to be built.
The moment he saw Baelon, the dragon leapt up and rushed over, rubbing his head affectionately against Baelon’s legs.
Baelon stroked the relatively smooth scales on Ignir’s forehead. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Ignir, I’m going out for a walk. Do you want to come?”
Ignir straightened up and tilted his head at Baelon with a curious, almost silly expression.
Baelon clearly understood what the dragon meant and laughed.
“You can fly above and watch over me from the sky.”
“When you’re bigger, I’ll sit on your back and we’ll see the world together.”
Ignir gave an excited cry, walked a short distance away, and launched himself into the air with wings that looked far too large for his body.
He circled high above, keeping watch.
Baelon glanced back at Cole.
“Let’s go, Ser Cole. The entire Red Keep already knows I’m leaving.”
Cole looked up at Ignir circling overhead, then at the Red Keep behind them, and pushed the wheelchair toward the gates.
Inside the castle, people startled by Ignir’s roar hurried to the windows to watch the prince depart.
Viserys turned to Ser Harrold beside him.
“Send some guards after Baelon. Make sure he’s protected.”
From another window, Daemon watched with a small smile.
“The young dragon of House Targaryen has left the nest. Even if he isn’t very strong yet.”
Rhaenyra, still in her rooms, immediately changed into suitable clothes and rushed out of the Red Keep to catch up with her brother.
All along the way, Rhaenyra walked beside the wheelchair, scolding him nonstop.
“Brother, you should stay inside the Red Keep. The streets aren’t suitable for you. Let’s go back.”
As she spoke, she kept glancing around at the smallfolk and the strange looks they were giving them.
People whispered to one another, words like “sick dragon,” “weak prince,” and “cursed heir” drifting through the air.
Baelon paid them little mind.
He looked up at Ignir circling above, then at his sister, breathing in the city air that was far from fresh and carried more than a few unpleasant smells.
A genuinely happy smile stayed on his face.
“Sister, if I stay shut up in my rooms in the Red Keep all the time, I’ll die.”
“Every dragon deserves freedom. Every dragon belongs to the sky. As long as they don’t cause trouble, they shouldn’t be caged.”
“I’m the same. I deserve freedom too. And as for what the smallfolk think… it doesn’t matter that much, Sister.”
“I won’t let their words hurt me. In fact, I feel stronger already just from being outside.” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Rhaenyra’s attempts to persuade him failed.
She also noticed the discreet guards who had begun appearing around them — clearly sent to protect both of them — and finally gave up, allowing Baelon to continue wandering the city.
When Rhaenyra finally stopped talking, Baelon asked, “Sister, don’t you think the air in the city is terrible?”
Rhaenyra answered absently, “King’s Landing has always been like this. If you want fresh air, you could ask Father to take you to the Kingswood.”
“Sister, have you ever thought about changing it?”
Rhaenyra laughed and ruffled his silver-gold hair.
“Silly brother, no one has solved this problem in a hundred years. I certainly can’t.”
“Actually, it’s quite simple for the royal family. Very easy to fix. Under the supervision of the Gold Cloaks, we simply ban people from dumping garbage in the streets.”
“At the same time, we set up proper collection points along every street. The waste gets taken outside the city and burned in designated areas.”
“As for sewage and night soil, we can organize the unemployed smallfolk to collect it every day. It can be taken outside the city, fermented, and used as fertilizer for the farms.”
“This way we create jobs, improve the city’s environment, and the crown only has to supervise and provide a little grain as payment.”
“What ‘hundred-year problem’? It’s just that no one has bothered to think about it.”
“Everyone’s staring at power and forgetting where power actually comes from.”
Rhaenyra stared at him, stunned.
After a long moment she said, “Brother… aren’t your ideas a little too naive?”
“You really think something this simple could fix King’s Landing’s problems?”
Baelon glanced casually at the people around them.
“Sister, when we get back, find me a detailed map of King’s Landing.”
“After that I’ll draw up a full plan for you. Give it to Father and Uncle Daemon. They’ll be impressed.”
“When the plan is successfully carried out, the smallfolk of King’s Landing — and even the lords across the realm — will be amazed by your ability. Your reputation will become your strongest weapon when you take the Iron Throne. You’ll be a queen in truth.”
Rhaenyra looked at him in a daze, then suddenly turned and ran off.
When she returned, she was holding a rolled-up piece of parchment.
“My good brother, here’s a map of King’s Landing. I looked at it — it’s very detailed. Let’s go back now!”
Baelon looked from his sister to the map in her hands.
“Wait… are you Doraemon? Where did you even get that so fast?”
“Dora-what? I bought it from a shop up ahead. King’s Landing has map sellers everywhere because so many people from outside the city visit every day.”
Baelon took the map but didn’t unroll it.
“Sister, let’s keep walking a little longer. We might find other problems we can solve while we’re at it. Wouldn’t that be even better?”
“We’ll head back before lunch. The food the smallfolk eat in King’s Landing is honestly terrible.”