"Grandmother, what do you think?" Margaery asked, observing the crowd of commoners gathered in the ruins of the Dragonpit.
"What else could it be but a conspiracy by the king and the mage against the church?" Olenna took a sip of wine and spoke in a sarcastic tone. Although she didn't know what the Faith of the Seven had done to make Rhaegar risk a religious war at such a delicate moment, she knew it was something terribly serious.
At the same time, she had to admit that the king and the mage were astute, treacherous, and incredibly dangerous; this conspiracy would simply shatter the image of the church as a whole. Although it might not be as damaging elsewhere, at least in the Crownlands, the power of the Faith of the Seven would be reduced to its lowest level for a generation or two.
Seeing her granddaughter looking around, searching for something, or rather, a handsome mage with dark green eyes, Olenna said casually, "I heard from a few butterflies that you were seen entering the mage's room."
Margaery showed no panic; there was no reason for it, not when it was Olenna who had always taught her to be proactive. Hesitation was for the indecisive, and neither she nor Olenna were indecisive, especially Margaery, who dreamed of being queen.
"What can I say? Those beautiful green eyes drew me in," Margaery commented in a whisper while maintaining her elegant and graceful demeanor.
"This is a dangerous game, my dear granddaughter," Olenna looked at Margaery's confident expression and said calmly. "That mage is not a man who thinks with his lower head; that much is clear from how he practically destroyed the Faith of the Seven in this city."
"I know. If he were that mediocre, I would have manipulated him long ago." Margaery certainly wasn't arrogant enough to think she could manipulate a being who could burn an entire city with blue flames. From the side conversations she had overheard between Cadmus and Rhaegar, mages were scholars, and not the kind of scholars like the Maesters.
While maintaining her graceful smile, she looked at her grandmother with a shrewd gaze and whispered in a gentle tone, "I want a layer of protection for myself in this city, especially since I've seen that the king doesn't value Aegon as much as I imagined."
Olenna narrowed her eyes and had noticed that too; the king didn't value Aegon as much as she had expected. "It seems Aegon is a sword-swallower."
"Loras can confirm that better than I can," Margaery said with a slight hint of jealousy and sarcasm. Being less attractive to her own fiancé was a blow to her self-confidence, especially losing out to a man.
Olenna frowned at Margaery's words; she hadn't paid much attention to Loras and hadn't expected her grandson to already be sharing a bed with Prince Aegon. "I'll speak with Loras. If the king finds out about this, things could get complicated."
Although she didn't fear Rhaegar would cancel the betrothal because of it, after all, House Targaryen needed House Tyrell, having a healthy cooperative relationship was better than earning the king's hostility in times of civil war.
"You think he doesn't know? He's simply too busy to care about his own son's love life," Margaery commented in a calm tone. Although it stung to lose her fiancé to her own brother, she wasn't truly angry.
"Besides, it's not all bad. Aegon is easier to manipulate, especially with the jealousy and anger he feels toward Prince Maekar," Margaery whispered with a smile, showing an amused look.
Olenna looked at her granddaughter with satisfaction; if Aegon was so easily manipulated, she wasn't worried about Margaery at court, the girl could protect herself with intelligence and wit.
"Just be careful with the mage. He's not like Aegon; don't let yourself give in to him completely," Olenna warned one last time before noticing the king had arrived in a gray steel carriage pulled by two majestic black horses.
Inside the carriage, Cadmus, Rhaegar, Rhaella, and Daenerys could be seen sitting in pairs on each seat.
"Your dress is fireproof, so you don't have to worry about being naked in front of everyone in King's Landing," Cadmus said to Daenerys, who looked nervous. This was not surprising, given that the girl was about to be thrown into a burning pyre.
"Are you sure it will work?" Rhaella asked, frowning, still finding the plan to hatch dragons somewhat risky. The memory of Summerhall was still fresh in her mind. If such a thing worked, dragons would have hatched then.
"Jaehaerys II used Wildfire. How could science hatch magical dragons? If they had used normal flames, House Targaryen would have recovered the dragons long ago," Cadmus said in a calm and confident tone.
Wildfire was scientific; how could it hatch something related to magic? If Jaehaerys II had used normal flames, he would have survived because the blood magic during the ritual would have protected him, just as it did for Daenerys in another universe.
Rhaella's expression was sad as she remembered that her relatives had died because of a small detail; it had depressed her for many years.
"Of the eight dragon eggs used on the day of the tragedy, we managed to recover four; the rest were broken in the rubble," Rhaegar said in a calm tone. He had long ago ordered the ruins of Summerhall to be cleared, and among the debris, the four dragon eggs were found.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the iron chest inside the carriage. The lid was open, so everyone inside could see the four dragon eggs.
The first egg was golden, as if plated in gold; the second was a mixture of red and orange; the third was blue-green; and the fourth and last was entirely black. The eggs were larger than any egg in the world, looking like perfect works of art from nature.
Ever since she had seen the dragon eggs, Daenerys's eyes had been fixed on them. If everything went right, she would be the mother of four small and adorable baby dragons. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous; her hands were sweating while her lilac eyes stared at the eggs with surprising tenderness.
Feeling the carriage stop, Cadmus looked at Rhaegar and said with a smile, "I'll bring our prisoner."
Winking at Rhaella, remembering her request to have someone else pose as Roland—he apparated with a loud crack. As for reporting this to Rhaegar, he didn't think it necessary; it was a secret between him and Rhaella, his future mother-in-law.
Rhaegar, unaware that his own mother and court mage were lying behind his back, stepped out of the carriage and helped his mother and sister down. He naturally hadn't brought his sons or daughters, nor even his two queens. He was going to burn a man alive; naturally, he didn't want his family to witness such a shocking scene.
Looking at the stands, Rhaegar saw all the Great Noble Houses, as well as the minor ones. He looked especially at the members of House Lannister, focusing on the Dwarf; he felt that aside from Tywin, the most dangerous person within House Lannister was the dwarf.
Hiding the coldness in his gaze, he climbed the stands, taking the seats prepared for House Targaryen. Although the Dragonpit was merely a ruin, the stands were intact and could accommodate eighty thousand people.
As soon as Rhaegar reached his seat, along with the members of House Targaryen, he remained standing and raised his hand. The murmurs, whispers, and shouts fell silent, showing that Rhaegar held great prestige in King's Landing.
"I think everyone knows what happened yesterday," Rhaegar's voice echoed in the ruins of the dome covering the Dragonpit. "As a faithful and staunch worshiper of the Seven-Faced God, it saddened me deeply that my mother and sister were attacked in public while helping those in need."
"They have tarnished the church's reputation! They are not servants of God, but servants of demons!!!" someone shouted, and everyone else joined in.
"I saw demonic tattoos!!!"
"They fired into the crowd! A friend's daughter was injured!!!"
Rumors generally transformed into something entirely different the more they spread. People loved to gossip; consequently, they exaggerated the facts to make things even more impressive.
Rhaegar raised his hand again, and everyone fell silent, though the atmosphere was already lively and full of tension.
"In the previous riot, the church killed five thousand innocents, five thousand families who lost their fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. I have never felt such pain in my life thinking of those families," Rhaegar said with an expression full of sadness and indignation. He clearly lied about the death toll and attributed all the deaths to the church.
When this news spread, it wouldn't be just five thousand, but ten thousand or even a hundred thousand. Never underestimate people's capacity to exaggerate rumors.
"But do not worry; those people will be avenged!!!" Rhaegar said in a tone full of emotion and anger, making the audience crave blood. However, he didn't stop and continued speaking with fervor. "For the families who lost their loved ones, all will be rewarded for their bravery and will receive aid from House Targaryen."
"Rhaegar I, the Just!!!"
"Rhaegar I, the Just!!!"
"Rhaegar I, the Just!!!"
The crowd chanted Rhaegar's name, making everything around them tremble. A smile appeared on Rhaegar's lips. He had not only placed all the blame for the deaths on the Church but also managed to increase his own reputation, hitting two targets with one spear!!!
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (400,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.