Viserys’s face grew darker by the second.
He looked around the courtyard and beckoned a nearby servant forward.
“You. Did you see what just happened here?”
The servant stood trembling before the king, glancing nervously between Viserys, Alicent, and Baelon.
He didn’t dare speak.
Viserys already knew Aegon had been in the wrong.
He roared, “Your king is ordering you to tell the truth!”
The servant dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Your Grace, I was standing farther back. I only heard words like ‘crawler,’ ‘cripple,’ and ‘dragonlord.’ I couldn’t make out anything else clearly.”
Alicent’s face twisted with rage.
“Aegon is just a child!”
“Even if he said those things, he only heard them from someone else. That’s no reason for you to hurt him! And if the people of King’s Landing and the entire realm say the same things about Baelon without anyone being punished, why should Prince Aegon be threatened for repeating it?!”
Baelon gave her a thin, cold smile and turned to his father.
“Father, let me correct one thing. I never harmed Aegon. I simply kept him by my side while waiting for you to deliver justice.”
“As for what Queen Alicent said about Aegon being just a child… I’m not that much older than he is.”
“If Aegon is going to escape any consequences because of his age, then…”
Baelon didn’t finish the sentence.
Instead he continued, “Queen Alicent also mentioned that the people of the Seven Kingdoms speak of me this way. I’ve never heard it myself. Perhaps Queen Alicent should round up everyone who has said such things and bring them here.”
Alicent realized she had spoken too freely.
The anger on her face remained, but she pressed her lips shut.
Viserys looked at his eldest son and felt his temples throbbing.
He knew he had wronged Baelon again—pouring salt into a wound that had never truly healed.
His voice dropped.
“Baelon… I was wrong to accuse you. You did nothing wrong.”
“What’s done is done. You can handle this however you see fit. Aegon must answer for his behavior. But he is still your brother, and he’s far from as clever as you. Don’t punish him too harshly.”
Baelon didn’t press his advantage.
Instead he answered with quiet humility.
“Father, Queen Alicent wasn’t entirely wrong. Aegon is still young. He doesn’t yet know right from wrong. These words certainly didn’t come from him.”
“The one who should be punished isn’t my brother. It’s the vile person trying to poison the relationship between members of the royal family.”
Alicent nodded quickly, all traces of anger gone from her face.
“Baelon, your father is right. You’re a sensible child. I apologize for my earlier rudeness.” The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Baelon gave her the same thin smile.
“I accept your apology, Queen Alicent.”
“Then please bring everyone Aegon normally interacts with here so he can point out exactly who that vile person is.”
Alicent’s expression changed in an instant.
She had thought the matter was settled.
She hadn’t expected Baelon to push it further.
Viserys, however, found the decision perfectly reasonable.
He even felt a quiet sense of relief.
He knew how sharp his eldest son was.
If Baelon had simply let it go, Viserys would have been the one worrying.
He turned to the Captain of the Kingsguard behind him.
“Ser Ryam Redwyne, do as Prince Baelon said. Summon everyone who has regular contact with Aegon.”
Ser Ryam Redwyne bowed and left at once, sending guards rushing through the Red Keep.
The sudden commotion drew Daemon and Rhaenyra.
They followed the growing crowd into the courtyard.
The moment Rhaenyra saw Baelon sitting alone in the middle of the courtyard with the entire world seemingly against him, she exploded.
She rushed to his side in a few quick strides and seized his cold hand.
“Brother, what happened?!”
Daemon walked over to Viserys and asked quietly what was going on.
Viserys rubbed his temples and gave a brief account.
Daemon’s gaze then shifted to Baelon’s small figure.
“What is that boy playing at? Causing this kind of scene out of nowhere isn’t like him at all.”
Baelon acted as if he didn’t feel Daemon’s stare.
The warmth of Rhaenyra’s hand on his made something inside him crack.
People were like that.
When no one comforted them they stayed strong, but the moment real care arrived, all the buried hurt came rushing out at once.
He had lost his mother the day he was born into this world.
He still couldn’t walk on his own.
For five years he had schemed and fought for survival and recognition, only to be accused by his own father without even being asked what had happened.
Even though this entire situation was part of his plan, the moment Rhaenyra showed concern, a wild, nameless rage ignited in his chest.
The madness in Targaryen blood began to stir violently inside him. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Thin red lines slowly crept across the whites of his eyes.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and dry.
“Sister, I’m fine. Don’t worry. Go stand with Father. Don’t say anything.”
At that moment Baelon decided to alter his plan slightly.
He was going to let the rage out.
He watched the twenty-odd men and women slowly gathering in the courtyard.
For a brief second a flicker of pity and hesitation crossed his face, but it was instantly buried beneath cold ruthlessness.
“This dogshit world only respects the cruel. If you want people to fear you, you have to make them understand the consequences of pissing you off. One hard punch now saves you from a hundred later.”
“Compared to letting the conflict stay hidden, a complete display of madness will make it far more likely that I can leave King’s Landing without suspicion.”
Viserys didn’t see the look in his son’s eyes.
He pointed at the gathered servants and said to Aegon, “Go on. Point out who taught you those words. I want to see exactly who has been trying to poison my family.”
Aegon was terrified.
He refused to step forward, shrinking behind Alicent instead.
Alicent patted his back and whispered in his ear, “Just point at someone you don’t know well, sweetheart.”
No one noticed Ignir silently approaching the group from behind, his head rising high above them.
Ignir and Baelon shared a bond so deep that words were rarely needed.
A simple mental command was usually enough.
But this time Baelon’s lips curved into a bloodthirsty smile.
He deliberately shouted at the top of his lungs, “Ignir—dragonfire!”
The gathered people jerked around in shock, staring at Baelon in disbelief.
Ignir opened his jaws without hesitation.
A torrent of dragonfire poured down over the servants, engulfing every single one of them.
Ignir was still young; his flames weren’t strong enough to kill instantly.
The servants screamed and rolled on the ground, burning alive.
Viserys’s face turned ashen.
Daemon watched with an intrigued smile.
Rhaenyra covered her mouth in horror.
Alicent’s face went bloodless in the firelight.
Aegon collapsed to the ground, a dark stain spreading across the front of his breeches.