-Chapter 154-
-POV Aemon Targaryen-
"Even if this heinous cri were true, it does not fall under the..."
I kicked the maester in the mouth, shutting him up since he was talking a bit too much for my liking, then I said:
"Everything that happens in the Seven Kingdoms falls under His Majesty's authority. Denying it is a cri. Denying it is already an act of treason."
The maester, stunned by the blow, staggered back to his feet and tried to speak, stamring:
"I... I... do not deny..."
I swung my sword coldly, decapitating the Maester of Winterfell in a single, clean stroke, silencing everyone present, who had been murmuring among themselves.
I gestured for my n to place Bennard Stark onto the chopping block so I could decapitate him properly, but he struggled relentlessly.
He struggled so much that so of his hair detached from his scalp.
"Please, Your Highness..."
I ignored his pleas and prepared to sever the head of this viper, but then he caught Otto's gaze and seized the opportunity, screaming:
"IT WAS OTTO HIGHTOWER'S PLAN! I ONLY OBEYED THE HAND OF THE KING, WHO WAS ACTING UNDER THE KING'S AUTHORITY!"
I halted my movent and relaxed, resting the tip of my sword on the ground before asking more calmly:
"Explain yourself."
"I did not want to..."
"Speak louder so that everyone can hear you!" I commanded harshly, raising my voice.
Bennard Stark swallowed hard, then scread, fearing that he wasn't loud enough:
"OTTO HIGHTOWER DEVISED A PLAN TO PIT THE KING AND YOUR HIGHNESS AGAINST EACH OTHER!"
"Do you have proof of this?" I asked, because without evidence, no one would believe the words of a man monts away from death. Everyone would assu it was a desperate lie to save his own life.
"YES!" he almost shouted in relief before attempting to pull sothing from his clothing.
He stopped when he felt two swords at his throat, but I raised my hand for the knights to let him continue.
The fear on his face was so intense, it was impossible to fake.
'He's on the verge of crying,' I noted, disgusted by such an expression on a man's face.
'Or at least on the face of a piece of filth who thought himself a man,' I added.
Slowly, he pulled out a hidden letter from his garnts and handed it to , then said:
"In this letter, you will find a ssage signed by your father and stamped with the royal seal. But both the King and your father can attest that they never wrote such a letter, no matter what disputes you may have had."
I skimd through the letter quickly, then smiled at Bennard, finally understanding how he had so easily convinced his brother to change his stance.
I shook my head and said with a slight smirk:
"You're a true viper. Even now, you can't help yourself, can you?"
Bennard Stark swallowed again but remained silent, waiting for my verdict, caring little whether everyone else perished as long as he survived.
I shrugged, then turned to one of my knights and handed him the letter so he could deliver it to the Grand Judges.
Then, I turned back to Bennard Stark, awaiting their verdict.
"Since Regent Bennard acted under Otto Hightower's orders, believing he was serving the Crown, to remain consistent with our previous ruling, I vote to exempt him from the charges against him," Jeyne finally said, speaking first.
Bennard Stark, who had been anxiously awaiting his judgnt, head lowered and eyes shut, suddenly snapped his head up, eyes wide in shock at my wife's words.
Then, he turned sharply toward , searching for my reaction, but I remained impassive.
"I agree," Harlon Greyjoy quickly said, aligning with Jeyne without even taking the ti to think.
Jason Lannister hesitated before saying:
"I defer to Princess Jeyne's judgnt."
Which tacitly ant he was aligning with my wife, who was, in many ways, my spokesperson.
I said nothing, my back still turned to the Grand Judges, simply staring coldly at Bennard Stark while I saw hope rekindle in his eyes.
"I also agree," all the other Grand Judges quickly declared, but Daemon alone remained silent. That letter had truly sparked the war.
'It was because of that letter that I was backed against the Wall in the Vale and was forced to throw myself into the Stepstones,' I thought.
'Without it, I likely would have managed to turn the tide without resorting to an open war.'
'Without it, he wouldn't have lost Bloodstone.'
'And maybe, without it, his wife would still be alive.'
"Traitors deserve only death," Daemon simply said.
But even though he was the Chief Judge, his voice did not outweigh the combined votes of all the other judges, so Bennard Stark collapsed into tears, which surprised .
He tried to stand, but before he could fully rise, I signaled my guards, who forced him back to his knees and violently slamd his head onto the chopping block.
"THE GRAND JUDGES HAVE ALREADY GIVEN THEIR VERDICT!" he scread, panicked at the thought of dying.
But contrary to what he thought, I did not rush to decapitate him.
On the contrary, I stepped aside, positioning myself so that I could see both the audience and the Grand Judges.
"The Grand Judges have already given their verdict, Lord Hand. Are you going to go against this judgnt in front of our King?" my wife asked sharply.
I glanced at her briefly before shifting my gaze toward Cregan and saying:
"I have retrieved the poison, the poisoner, and the order given by him, proving that he was hired by Bennard Stark to poison your mother, just as you suspected, Warden of the North. If you want to deliver justice for her, now is the ti."
Bennard Stark, upon seeing his nephew's cold, gray eyes, began to scream:
"I AM THE REGENT AND THE WARDEN OF THE NORTH! IT IS MY RIGHT TO DELIVER JUSTICE!"
Cregan rose without a word, while a sound at the bottom of the stairs briefly caught my attention.
I smirked upon seeing Gawen Glover carrying Ice, the ancestral greatsword of House Stark.
I gestured for my knights to let him pass, and Cregan's maternal grandfather ascended the stairs with surprising speed for his age, arriving just in ti to hand Ice to his grandson.
Bennard, who had been t with only silence in response to his cries, finally resorted to pleading for his life:
"I would never have done such a thing!"
"You're lying. I know it was you," Cregan said, not bothering to listen to the feeble excuses his uncle was fabricating.
Once again, Bennard scread:
"The Hightowers forced ! They threatened my children's lives! I was afraid, you must believe !"
"You're still lying," Cregan said coldly, drawing Ice.
"If you kill , you will be known as Cregan the Kinslayer," Bennard declared, finally shedding his serpent's mask in front of everyone.
To my surprise, Cregan showed no reaction.
He rely looked at Yoren, who was awaiting his response, as if reprimanding him for even thinking that he might hesitate.
Yoren grabbed Bennard's hair once more, holding it firmly, awaiting the final stroke from Cregan.
"Cre—"
Before Bennard could finish his sentence, Ice had already severed his head, which rolled smoothly across the floor before stopping at my feet.
'You had no escape, filthy viper,' I thought as I observed Bennard Stark's wide, terrified eyes, forever frozen in his final expression of fear.
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