Aegon was continuing the patrol with two City Watch guards, their boots echoing against the damp cobblestone streets as they moved through the quiet alleys of Kings Landing. The hour was late, the torches flickered low, and a thin mist clung to the ground. At first, nothing seed unusual, but gradually, Aegon began to notice sothing strange.
People were avoiding him.
Not the way they usually did when gold cloaks passed by, no muttered curses, no annoyed glances, no quick steps to simply avoid trouble. This was different. They were moving away in fear.
n lowered their heads, won pulled children behind them, and no one t his eyes. The expressions they wore were not of contempt or indifference, but anxiety and dread.
A strange feeling crept over Aegon. A subtle pressure in his chest, a tightening sense that sothing was deeply wrong. He stopped walking, eyes scanning the street ahead.
Then he saw him, a man in a tattered brown cloak who had just turned the corner, saw Aegon, and imdiately turned back, quickening his pace in the opposite direction.
Aegon didn't hesitate.
"You two, co with ," he ordered the guards. Without waiting for a response, he darted after the man, weaving through the narrow, twisting alleys of the district. His quarry moved fast, but not fast enough.
After a short chase, Aegon caught up and shoved the man roughly against a damp brick wall, pinning him in place with his forearm. With a swift motion, he drew a dagger and pressed it coldly against the man's neck.
The man froze in terror, eyes wide.
"Don't let anyone enter," Aegon commanded the guards behind him, not looking back.
Then, facing the terrified man, Aegon said calmly, "Shh… answer my questions truthfully, and I will let you go… of course, you may lie… but I've asked the sa questions to others already, so if your answer doesn't match theirs…" He smiled coldly.
The man nodded fearfully.
Expressionless, Aegon asked, "First question, why are people avoiding ?"
The man looked up in fear. "It's rumors, my lord… rumors… about…" His voice faltered, unwilling to continue.
"Rumors about what?" Aegon asked, pressing the dagger harder against his neck.
"Rumors about your cruelty," the man blurted out.
Aegon let go of him. The man ran off in terror. Aegon stood still, thinking. While Daemon and his actions did include violence, it had only ever been directed against criminals.
Such actions didn't justify these kinds of rumors, unless soone was deliberately spreading them.
He imdiately sought out Daemon, finding him still on patrol. Without giving much detail, he pulled him aside and insisted they needed to go to the Red Keep, now.
Daemon was irritated at the suddenness of it, but the look in Aegon's eyes silenced his protests. Together, they made their way to the castle, their steps quick and quiet.
Before they entered the royal chambers, Aegon turned to Daemon and explained what he needed him to say to the king. Daemon's face twisted with confusion, then irritation.
"You want to what?" he asked, barely keeping his voice down. "You dragged here to quit the Watch? After all the effort?"
Aegon held his gaze firmly. "I'll tell you the real reason afterward. But I need you to trust . Just this once."
Daemon's jaw clenched, clearly struggling with the demand. He had never liked being kept in the dark, least of all by his own brother.
But the intensity in Aegon's eyes wasn't sothing he could ignore. It wasn't just stubbornness, it was caution, purpose… and fear.
After a long pause, Daemon exhaled and gave a single nod. "Fine. I'll follow your lead. But you better explain everything after."
"I will," Aegon said quietly. Seeing the seriousness in Aegon's eyes, Daemon nodded.
During the audience with King Jaehaerys I, Aegon and Daemon stood before the Iron Throne, their faces composed, though tension simred beneath.
Aegon stepped forward and spoke calmly, "Your Grace, we've spent the past week in the City Watch. It has been… illuminating."
Daemon added, following the script Aegon had urged him to morize, "We've learned a great deal, about the city, its people, and what it takes to maintain order."
Jaehaerys leaned forward slightly on the throne, observing them closely. "And now?"
"It is ti we stepped away from the City Watch," Aegon said. "We believe we've seen enough."
The old king raised a brow, lips pressing together in mild disappointnt. "A few weeks," he said, voice even but laced with weary amusent. "Just a few weeks, and already you wish to quit?"
Aegon remained calm.
"We are grateful for the opportunity, Your Grace," Aegon replied, his voice steady. "But we believe our ti would now be better spent elsewhere."
Jaehaerys exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "Still boys," he muttered to himself. "So eager to begin, and just as eager to be done."
There was a long pause. Then the king gave a slight nod.
"Very well," he said. "If that is your decision, I will not keep you shackled to it. But I hope you carry with you what you've learned."
"We will," Aegon said respectfully. "Thank you, Your Grace."
The king waved a hand, dismissing them. As they turned to leave, Jaehaerys' gaze lingered on them a mont longer.
Back in his chamber, Daemon slamd the door shut behind him and turned to Aegon with narrowed eyes. "You better have a good reason for this… or soone's getting a broken nose."
Aegon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Did you notice the smallfolk avoiding you?"
Daemon frowned, thinking. "Yes… now that you ntion it."
Aegon nodded. "We used violence, yes, but only against criminals. Our actions weren't severe enough to justify the kind of rumors spreading about us… unless soone is spreading them deliberately."
Realization struck Daemon like a bolt. His expression twisted in fury. "Then we find whoever it is and make them talk, with knives if we must."
But Aegon stepped forward and grabbed his arm, his voice loud and forceful. "Your outburst is exactly what the enemy wants. Think!"
Daemon stared at him, tense and breathing hard.
Aegon continued, "Whoever is behind this wants to destroy our reputation. Ask yourself, why? What purpose could that serve? And to do it so boldly, to act against Targaryens, they must be soone powerful… soone influential. Soone in court, or on the small council."
Daemon's face paled slightly. A chill ran down his back. He slowly sat down, absorbing the weight of Aegon's words. "Then why not tell the king?"
"Even if we do," Aegon said, "we have no evidence. We don't even know who it is. The king can't move against his court or council based on suspicion alone. Worse, it might alert the culprit."
"But," he added, eyes narrowing with purpose, "this works to our advantage. The enemy doesn't know that we know."
Daemon asked, "What should we do then?"
"For now nothing," Aegon replied. "Us quitting the City Watch early has already disrupted his plans. So he will probably act again. We have to be cautious… and most importantly, we must keep this a secret for now."
Daemon sat quietly, processing everything. Finally, he looked up and gave a small nod. "It'll be a secret, then. For now. Let know if you find anything."
Aegon nodded in return. "I will."
A raven flew through the night sky, its wings cutting silently through the cold air as it approached a distant castle. It circled once, then descended, gliding directly toward a specific window.
Inside, a servant was already waiting. As the raven landed, he swiftly untied the sealed letter from its leg and hurried through the stone corridors. Reaching a dimly lit chamber, he approached the man seated in a high-backed chair by the fireplace.
"My lord… from King's Landing," the servant said, bowing slightly as he handed over the letter.
The lord took it without a word, broke the seal, and unfolded the parchnt. There was only a single sentence written on it:
"The plan failed."
His eyes lingered on the words for a mont. Then, without expression, he held the parchnt over a candle, watching as the flas licked it away into ash.
Outside, high atop the castle's tallest tower, a flag fluttered in the wind, its coat of arms clear in the moonlight: a tower with flas rising from its top.
User Comments
0 comments from readers