In the second volume of the [New Covenant], Aenys entered the [Dream of the Gods].
The solemn voice of the Seven echoed in his consciousness:
"If mankind wishes to ensure that the Long Night never returns, humanity must adhere to a seven-tiered order of labor and hierarchy. Only through this structure can wicked thoughts be purged from mortal hearts."
The first tier: [Regalus], the unshakable pillars of world order, whose foremost duty is to preserve stability and suppress all chaos.
The second tier: officials and nobles, loyal arms of the [Regalus], entrusted with governance and the support of his rule.
The third tier: septons, the heralds of the [Regalus], tasked with delivering his will across the land.
The fourth tier: citizens—laborers and faithful executors of commands—who sustain the world's prosperity through their toil.
The fifth tier: commoners, regarded as penitents, who seek redemption through labor in place of citizens.
The sixth tier: slaves, also penitents, who may earn their freedom and rise to the rank of commoners through tireless work.
The seventh tier: criminals, punished for their transgressions, who either reform through forced labor or meet death as the end of their sins.
Aegon carefully wrote down this seven-tiered hierarchy.
Yet a troubling question soon arose: while the order clearly dictated that the people of Westeros must obey the [Regalus], what should be done about those who stubbornly defied him?
So Aegon continued writing in the second volume of the [New Covenant]:
The Seven once again spoke to the savior Aenys: every mortal life is but a severe trial.
After death, all mortals must descend into the seven hells for judgment.
If they pass, their souls ascend to paradise, granted the glory of eternal life.
If they fail, they will suffer endlessly in the seven hells until their souls are utterly annihilated.
In this covenant, Aegon decisively rejected concepts such as reincarnation.
Those who pass the judgment will enter heaven and enjoy immortality.
Those who fail will be tormented in hell until they are reduced to nothing.
Thus, judgment became a matter of utmost importance.
But who would bear the weight of such divine judgment?
Aegon calmly continued writing:
The Seven solemnly declared to Aenys that every Regalus of the Targaryen dynasty is, in life, the divine incarnation of the Father—entrusted with the sacred mission of preserving world order. And when the Regalus dies, his soul becomes the Stranger, the awe-inspiring Lord of the Dead.
And what is the duty of the Lord of the Dead?
His foremost and most sacred duty is judgment.
With this meticulously crafted belief system, the people of Westeros would come to understand deep within their hearts:
Only by working diligently, faithfully executing the [Regalus]'s commands, and upholding the seven-tiered order, could they earn divine favor—accumulating merit and greatly increasing their chances of attaining eternal life at judgment.
The brilliance of Aegon's design lay in this: no one dared gamble against the supreme authority of the Regalus.
In this structure, there was no escape, no reincarnation, no second chance.
For the common folk—especially those at the bottom of society, burdened by hardship—the Regalus became their sole path to redemption, the only hope for release from worldly suffering.
Even in a future age of capitalism, should a wealthy magnate dare to scoff at House Targaryen and ask:
"All men are born alike, with one nose and two eyes. What makes your Targaryen blood worthy of being the Father's incarnation and ruler over us?"
Then the Targaryens could reply without hesitation:
"It is not that I wish to rule you. It is that you were born to be ruled by me.
And because you were born to be ruled, I—reluctantly—do so."
What might sound absurd on its own, becomes coherent when paired with the second volume of Aegon's [New Covenant].
For the covenant promises the people of Westeros the chance at eternal life.
To reach paradise, one must submit to the Father's chosen vessel—the [Regalus]—making the Targaryens not tyrants, but rulers invited by the faithful.
Aegon set down his pen and exhaled deeply. With the second volume complete, the final hidden vulnerability in House Targaryen's doctrine was now sealed.
He carefully rolled up the manuscript and stored it away. It was not yet time to publicly disseminate this holy text on a large scale.
The people of Westeros were no fools. To introduce such a doctrine, the timing had to be right.
Still, a few copies could be discreetly spread among the populace to test their reaction—and allow for any necessary revisions.
Aegon was reshaping Westeros in every aspect.
From culture and faith to economics, governance, ideology, and society—his quiet revolution spread outward from King's Landing to the Crownlands, gently transforming the foundation of the Targaryen realm.
He longed for the day when quantity would turn into qualitative change.
The sooner, the better. After all, at thirty-eight, Aegon was no longer young by medieval standards.
Aegon hoped that in this lifetime, he could lay a solid foundation for House Targaryen. Only as the founding monarch of the Targaryen dynasty could he truly drive forward sweeping reforms.
He had begun to feel his body gradually decline. The years between thirty-five and fifty marked the transition from a man's prime into old age.
As the cold winds howled, the twenty-fourth year since the Conquest came to a close, and the twenty-fifth began.
At the start of the new year, Aegon returned to Dragonstone with members of the royal family and several of his bastards. Together, they soaked in the hot springs of Dragonmont, enjoying the natural warmth amid the winter chill.
He had brought the most gifted of his bastards from Highgarden and King's Landing to Dragonstone. These talented children would interact with members of the royal household, deepen their understanding of one another, and build emotional bonds.
Aegon hoped they might form close ties with the future kings of House Targaryen—just as Orys once had.
He adored hot springs and was more than happy to play and relax with the children in the water.
This time, he had brought around twenty of his bastards. There were only four boys, but sixteen girls.
For some reason, most of Aegon's bastards were daughters, and these girls tended to be more intelligent and outstanding than the boys.
Visenya slowly swam over to him in the spring, picked up a cloth, and began gently wiping his body. In a soft voice, she asked, "Among these girls, which one is the most fertile?"
Eyes closed in contentment, Aegon leaned back against her and replied, "Her name is Denise. Her mother comes from the main Florrys line descended from the Green Hand—the Fox-Florys family. I've already spoken to Maegor and Denise about it."
"Oh?" Visenya followed his gaze toward a corner of the springs. Sure enough, Maegor was chatting happily with a young maiden.
The girl looked incredibly gentle, her doll-like face lit by a sweet and constant smile.
"I hope they can have a child. Being without an heir has weighed heavily on Maegor's heart. I don't want him to live in gloom like Aenys," Visenya said with concern.
Aegon's expression remained calm. "Even if he has no heir, he can adopt one of Aenys's children. Don't dwell on it. You, me, Rhaenys, and these children—we all carry Targaryen blood. That's what matters."
"Still..." Visenya sighed, eyes full of thought. She couldn't help but wonder—could infertility be the price of that foreign demonic elixir...?
...
Aegon gathered the twenty-some bastards together, intending to open a small school on Dragonstone to educate them in earnest.
He also hoped that some of them might find affection among each other and marry. After all, the Valyrian Dragonlords had practiced close-kin marriages for thousands of years and had never produced malformed heirs.
When it came to spreading Targaryen blood, Aegon led by example.
He didn't believe a few dozen children were enough. He continued to take new lovers, casting a wide net, sowing seeds generously, and taking joy in watching his offspring come into the world, one after another.
Moreover, all of Aegon's children were born safely, with only rare cases of infant death.
This only deepened the reverence surrounding his name as the Holy Father.
In an era where childbirth was often a life-and-death ordeal for women, Aegon's lovers all gave birth safely—it felt almost like a miracle.
The truth, however, was simple. Aegon had invented obstetric forceps. While some of the children occasionally suffered from minor ailments, they all grew up strong under his attentive care.
Many in Westeros believed he truly was the reincarnation of the Father.
His method of raising children was straightforward—based on basic knowledge from his previous life: no drinking raw water, no eating uncooked food, always washing hands before meals and after using the chamber pot. These small habits significantly improved their survival rates.
Aegon's knowledge from his past life ensured that his children grew up healthy and strong.
He not only practiced these principles himself but also worked tirelessly to promote basic hygiene and safety knowledge among both nobles and commoners throughout the Targaryen dynasty. He was genuinely trying to transform this backward era, and little by little, the quality of life and average lifespan among some Westerosi began to improve.
After soaking in the hot springs, Aegon took his children to the training grounds on Dragonstone.
He taught swordsmanship to all of them—boys and girls alike.
Even though the girls weren't expected to wield blades in battle, regular sword practice helped strengthen their bodies and boost their immune systems. It was beneficial and harmless.
Once they had finished warming up, Aegon picked up a training sword and began sparring with Maegor. The children looked on in awe as the two powerful warriors clashed, their swords moving so fast that the eye could barely follow their strikes and counters.
In the end, Maegor fell slightly short, and Aegon knocked the training sword from his hand.
Aegon smiled knowingly, realizing Maegor had learned how to feign defeat—a skill clearly honed through his years navigating the political arena.
The children stared at their father with admiration.
Aegon relished the moment. He tossed two training swords to his other sons and called out,
"Ricardo, Duff—come at me together! I'll show you what real Valyrian royal swordsmanship looks like!"
Duff had a naturally honest and good-natured look.
He picked up a longsword and exchanged a glance with his brother Ricardo. The two teenagers gathered their courage and charged at Aegon.
Visenya stood on the balcony of the loft beside the training field, watching Aegon interact with his bastards. Her gaze drifted toward Denise, who was currently sparring with Maegor. To her surprise, Denise was holding her ground.
"No wonder Aegon speaks so highly of her... I hope they can conceive a son," Visenya murmured softly.
...
Time slipped by like a white horse darting through a narrow gap.
Despite Aegon and Visenya's hopes, Maegor and Denise became lovers but still failed to have a child.
Visenya grew increasingly desperate. She had even tried giving Lady Ceryse—Maegor's wife—a magical potion gifted by the Outer Gods, but the problem lay with Maegor himself, not with his wife.
Unwilling to accept this reality, Visenya once again performed the resonance technique to commune with the Outer Gods of the stars.
This time, she acquired forbidden knowledge—a twisted method of cultivating offspring by implanting living flesh into the womb. However, the sorcery was both highly dangerous and exceedingly cruel, forcing her to first experiment on commoners.
From then on, Visenya began distancing herself from her husband, locking herself away in the underground chambers of Visenya's Tower to study the forbidden art. Rumors of black magic being practiced by her spread quickly throughout the Red Keep.
Aegon soon noticed the change in his sister and confronted her, demanding to know why she had taken such inhumane steps.
Eventually, Visenya confessed everything—including how she had conceived Maegor in the first place.
Aegon struggled to accept the truth: the birth of his most prized son had ties to an Outer God.
He destroyed all materials in Visenya's laboratory and strictly forbade her from ever dabbling in such forbidden practices again.
Then, Aegon summoned Rhaenys and instructed her never to pass on the resonance technique to Aenys or any of the other children. He repeatedly warned her never to use resonance toward the stars.
...
As time passed, by the twenty-fifth year of the Conquest, the Targaryen dynasty had entered a golden age of prosperity.
However, a troubling rumor spread across Westeros: a pirate fleet had launched a daring raid on the Summer Isles, sacking Tall Trees Town. They looted countless treasures and abducted a thousand women and children to sell into slavery.
The leader of this pirate fleet was named Sargoso Saan, and he boldly declared that his next target would be the Stepstones.
When Aegon heard the news, he was enraged. He dispatched his heir, Prince Maegor, to eliminate the pirates.
Maegor twice joined campaigns led by Osmund Strong and Corlys Velaryon to the Stepstones, sweeping through the forces of the Lyseni pirate king, Sargoso Saan. He fought in numerous bloody battles and proved his fearlessness and might.
...
In the twenty-sixth year of the Conquest, a grand tournament was held in King's Landing. Maegor once again entered the fray.
During the group melee, he was unstoppable and emerged victorious. After the contest, he was knighted on the spot by his father, Aegon, wielding the ancestral sword "Blackfyre." At just sixteen years old, Maegor became the youngest knight in the Seven Kingdoms.
...
In the twenty-seventh year of the Conquest, the king's eldest son, Aenys, and his wife Alyssa welcomed their third child. Aenys joyfully named his second son Viserys. Unfortunately, just like his older brother, Viserys was unable to hatch his own dragon from the cradle.
Seeing his older brother's growing family, Maegor grew resentful toward his wife, Ceryse. Their marriage became strained, and cracks began to form in their relationship.
...
Later that same year, Aenys and Alyssa had a third son, whom they named Jaehaerys. His sister, Rhaena, placed a dragon egg in his cradle, and from it hatched a bronze-colored hatchling.
Their grandmother, Rhaenys, named the young dragon after the ancient Valyrian deity, Vermithor.
The birth of another dragonrider brought joy across the realm, and House Targaryen celebrated their growing strength.
But the joy didn't extend to Prince Maegor and Queen Visenya. Maegor still had no children, and Lady Ceryse had failed to conceive even after many years of marriage.
The flourishing family of Aenys only made the isolation and loneliness of the heir prince Maegor more apparent.
...
By the thirty-fourth year of the Conquest, Aenys and Alyssa's second daughter was born. Aenys named her Alysanne. Once again, Rhaena placed a dragon egg in her sibling's cradle. This silver egg, originally from House Aurélion, hatched in Alysanne's arms.
Their grandfather, Aegon, named the young dragon Silverwing.
That year, Maegor still had no children.
Over the past decade, Aegon had focused on royal tours but felt increasingly powerless to keep peace within his family.
The rivalry between his two sons, rooted in the dispute over succession, had only grown harder to reconcile.
At a royal feast, Viserys—Aenys' second son—publicly mocked his uncle, calling him the "King Without Heirs." In response, Prince Maegor swore before everyone that he would never pass the throne to his brother's children. He would rather name one of his father Aegon's bastards as his heir.
Maegor's declaration deepened the rift between Aegon's sons. Even young Aegon, who had once admired his uncle, began to harbor resentment.
All Aegon could do was continue to elevate Maegor's prestige within the realm to ensure he wouldn't lose control after the king's death.
He also noticed his health deteriorating. Nearing fifty, his body was no longer what it used to be. Perhaps the reckless indulgence of his youth had left lasting damage.
Now at the threshold of old age, Aegon had little left to pursue. The dreams of conquest he once held had long faded. The generator he commissioned from the Citadel remained a failure, as though the world of ice and fire was shackled against technological progress.
...
In religious matters, however, Aegon had made more headway.
The New Covenant he authored had spread widely among the common folk, though it remained unpopular with the nobility.
...
In the thirty-sixth year of the Conquest, Aegon turned fifty. He convened a Great Council in King's Landing to announce to all of Westeros that he would henceforth bear the title—Regalus.
...
In the thirty-seventh year of the Conquest, Regalus Aegon suddenly suffered a stroke on Dragonstone. He collapsed and lost consciousness, and the emperor of Westeros now lay at death's door.
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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