Chapter 66 - The Coronation (I)

“There are two things humans have no limits for, arrogance and stupidity.” Tyrion Lannister, Lord of the West and Hand of the King.

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Seeing Rhaenys hugging Rhaella, Aenar smiled and looked at Moonfyre, the dragon was bigger than the last time he had seen her. However, the dragon's beauty was truly breathtaking.

After hugging Rhaella and listening to her whispers of longing and maternal love, Rhaenys looked at her aunts, both incredibly beautiful women. Honestly, she felt a little inferior to them, the two women in front of her really did look like goddesses in a mortal world.

“Welcome to Volantis, Niece.” Visenya greeted her niece with a sweet, warm smile, Syrax was on her shoulder looking at the surroundings with a curious gaze, like any seven-month-old baby.

“We've waited a long time to meet, niece.” Daenerys also greeted Rhaenys with a happy look, nothing could be happier than a family reunited in her eyes.

The atmosphere was a little awkward given that they were meeting for the first time, but after their words, Rhaenys became more comfortable and started talking to her two aunts with a smile on her face.

“Your dragon is beautiful.” Visenya commented looking at Moonfyre next to Caraxes, the silver dragon with purple stripes was truly a sight to behold.

Rhaenys smiled proudly upon hearing this and looked at the three baby dragons with a bright gaze. “They're adorable.” She said with a gentle tone.

Suddenly, Rhaenys felt a blow to her head and looked at Aenar with a watery gaze, who stared back at her with a scolding look. “That hurt!”

“That's for you to learn to respect my words. You shouldn't have come riding Moonfyre, she's too small and what would happen if you rode into a storm?”

Aenar didn't hesitate to scold Rhaenys with a strong and powerful tone. Moonfyre was a little bigger than a car. In the face of a storm, such a small dragon was no different from a tiny ant.

Seeing Aenar fiercely disciplining Rhaenys. Rhaella, Visenya and Daenerys watched with some laughter, they found it funny to see their younger brother disciplining their older sister.

“But I'm glad you arrived safely.” Aenar spoke in a softer tone. “My coronation will begin in three days, I'm glad you made it in time.”

Rhaenys also had a smile on her face. “I could never miss something so important.”

Aenar nodded, he really wasn't angry about Rhaenys' arrival in Moonfyre, but he had to control her temper or she might well go to King's Landing and burn down the entire Red Keep. Something that couldn't happen, given the hundreds of barrels of Wildfire under the city at the moment.

His grandfather was truly insane for wanting to burn down the most important city in Westeros and House Targaryen.

Just as Aenar was about to invite Rhaenys to lunch, he saw Kinvara approaching and “Your Grace.”

“Something important, Kinvara?” Aenar asked, even though he knew the answer would come at that moment.

“The ancient Triarchs request an audience with Your Grace.” Kinvara replied with a cold tone, something quite rare, given that she was someone who was naturally warm.

But Aenar understood very well the reason for Kinvara's cold tone, the Triarchs were the biggest stumbling blocks in the domination of Volantis and have not yet been resolved by hiding behind the Black Walls.

These three men set up the resistance of the Red Faith's enemies, causing a battle that was supposed to be resolved in a month to stretch on for a whole year, causing countless casualties.

“Come on, I'm going to meet the Triarchs.” Aenar said to Kinvara, who bowed in acceptance of his words.

The four remaining members of House Targaryen were curious about the Triarchs' arrival, they had the ear of the Triarchs, the former rulers of Volantis, men who hadn't touched the ground with their feet during their entire tenure.

...

In the Great Throne Hall, Aenar was on his throne while other seats were placed beside him.

Rhaenys looked at Visenya and Daenerys sitting on the left and right sides respectively of Aenar's throne and felt a pang of pain in her heart. She could see that the three of them seemed close, too close, but nothing out of the ordinary when al thought that the three of them were from House Targaryen.

It wasn't just members of House Targaryen who were present, House Martell too, along with Benerro, Kinvara and Moqorro.

The entire Court of Aenar was present, including Leda Dayne, Lady Commander of the Kingsguard and the other members of her order.

Aenar's eyes were fixed on the three men being carried by slaves in palanquins. Even though they had been stripped of their power and positions, they still thought they were the true rulers of Volantis.

Seeing Aenar in silence, with no intention of greeting them, one of the men, the eldest, called Malaquo Maegyr, had lilac eyes and thinning whitish hair. He no longer had teeth and spoke in a funny way. “Your Grace, Volantis is happy to welcome such a noble character.”

The old man's lilac eyes fell on the three dragon children in the arms of the three Targaryen women and he couldn't help but feel his heart pound with excitement and greed. If House Maegyr had dragons, they would conquer Volantis in just a few years.

Aenar's eyes turned cold, sensing the unscrupulous greed emanating from the arrogant old man in front of them. Using his other ability, called Voice, Aenar spoke with a powerful, high-pitched tone. “Come down and kneel before me.”

Under everyone's shocked eyes, the three men climbed down from the Palanquins and knelt below the steps, each showing an incredulous expression full of anger and reluctance.

“Now you're in the right place to talk to me.” Aenar commented with a cold, regal tone.

He really didn't understand how these people thought they were powerful and influential even at this moment. Hadn't he shown enough strength? How many did he have to kill to be respected? Hundreds of thousands? Millions of people? Burn entire civilizations?

“Damned witch!!!” Nyessos Vhassar, screamed as he felt he couldn't control his body and to get up. He raised his head and looked angrily at Aenar, sitting on the throne above the steps.

“Leda.” Aenar spoke calmly.

“Your orders, my king.” Leda, wearing white armor and a white cloak over her shoulders, positioned herself while holding Dawn's fist.

“Cut off his head if he speaks again.” Aenar didn't mind the surprised looks on everyone's faces and ordered coldly.

“Yes, my king.” Leda replied with a cold tone, her cold gray eyes falling on the Triarch kneeling on the ground.

“How do you get through, you damned exiled Targaryen!!!” Nyessos screamed even louder hearing Aenar's threat against his life. He didn't think Aenar would dare kill him, he was patriarch of House Vhassar, one of the richest in Volantis. He could hire entire armies with the money accumulated over millennia.

“I swear that when I return, I will hire an army of mercenaries to overthrow you from this false throne-” Nyessos tried to finish his speech, but his words stopped abruptly and under the eyes of the two other Triarchs, his head fell to the ground and rolled a few times before stopping, leaving a trail of blood across the marble floor.

His expression was one of rage, he died without knowing he was dead, until the moment of his death, he never thought that Aenar would actually be able to kill him.

The slaves of House Vhassar couldn't help but show a sick pleasure at seeing their master die in such a banal and insignificant way.

Malaquo and Doniphos swallowed; they had never thought that Aenar would actually order the death of a Triarch of House Vhassar. Wouldn't he know that he had practically created a blood feud incapable of being resolved by anything other than the destruction of the other enemy side?

Leda returned Dawn to its sheath and looked coldly at the other two Triarchs, waiting for any word from them.

A deafening silence hung over the room, of all of them, only Aenar seemed truly comfortable in this stifling atmosphere.

Five minutes passed and nothing but silence, the two remaining Triarchs sweating more than pigs on an extremely hot day. How long had they not felt this sense of oppression? It was as if the boy sitting on the throne was a mountain weighing them down.

He could do nothing but lower his head without daring to look up and see Aenar's face.

Kinvara took great pleasure in seeing how humiliated the Triarchs were being, only she knew how many nights she had dreamt of the deaths of these old pigs. She had lost so many men and women to these filthy vermin.

“You have permission to speak, dear Malaquo Triarch.” Aenar finally gave the man permission to speak without being killed by Leda. “Don't be afraid to speak your mind dear Triarchs, I am someone who is very understanding.”

Malaquo and Doniphos looked at each other and saw the skepticism in each other's eyes after hearing Aenar's words. Understanding? If Aenar was understanding, they were wise men endowed with patience and wisdom.