"I gave you a chance, but you chose to die. So be it. Die while I watch the light in your eyes go out." Daenerys Targaryen spoke, looking at the nobles who refused to bend the knee.
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Looking at the nobles without fiefdoms and the wandering knights, Daenerys spoke with a calm tone, "Kneel or die. There is no third option."
Her lilac eyes regarded those men with indifference. While the people were dying, these people just locked themselves in their mansions and ignored everything that was happening in King's Landing.
In her eyes, these people were leeches, parasites of King's Landing, always enjoying the benefits of the city, but giving nothing back in return. In short, a bunch of ungrateful and petty people, greedy for money and political power at court.
Hearing Daenerys' words, most of them didn't hesitate to kneel. They had no choice, or they would die.
Daenerys' eyes focused not on the people who knelt, but on those who remained standing.
There were five men of different ages. The oldest didn't look a day over thirty. The others were younger, though equally resolute in their actions.
Karl looked at the Mad King's daughter and smiled mockingly.
"Your father killed mine, burning him alive just to satisfy his sick pleasure. I'd rather die than kneel to the daughter of my father's murderer."
The other men had similar backgrounds. Each of them had lost relatives burned alive by order of the Mad King. How could they kneel before Daenerys?
Daenerys narrowed her eyes, but did not immediately order the execution of these men.
"I don't like my father any more than you five do. What he did is unforgivable and never will be, but I'm not my father and I definitely don't like burning people."
'I don't like burning potential allies to be exact.' Daenerys added this phrase in her mind, but obviously didn't say it out loud. Perhaps, being a Targaryen, seeing people die under the flames of dragons was especially beautiful and satisfying.
"Will you put the sins of the father on the children?" Daenerys asked in a calm, cold tone, looking at those men who had lost loved ones on her father's orders.
Karl opened his mouth, but no words came from his lips. In the end, he shook his head and spoke with a calm but resentful tone:
"It doesn't matter. You are the daughter of the Mad King, perhaps you inherited his madness. As the daughter of my father's murderer, no matter what you say, you are just as guilty for having such a mad and sinful bloodline."
Daenerys' eyes were completely devoid of emotion as she heard the slanderous words of the man before her. She felt an unconscionable fury bubbling up in her chest, ready to explode at any moment.
If there was one thing she was proud of, it was her lineage, her noble Valyrian lineage, which had created one of the most powerful empires the world had ever seen. Although she didn't agree with slavery, she still admired the civilization from which House Targaryen originated.
Honestly, Daenerys wanted to order them to build a funeral pyre and burn those people alive so that they would learn never to dare say such words again. But she couldn't. If she did, she would be showing everyone that she was just as mad as her father. She could imagine the goodwill she had just won from the people of King's Landing disappearing overnight.
Taking a deep breath to calm her murderous tendencies, Daenerys spoke with a tone devoid of warmth:
"Merik, capture these men and then hang them in front of the people. Let them tell what happens to those who dare slander House Targaryen."
As he said this, his eyes focused on the wandering nobles and knights, causing those men to shudder. They couldn't imagine that such a young girl was capable of deciding someone's death with such ease.
How could they know that Daenerys grew up with a constant sense of danger, living a childhood locked in rooms, not daring to go out because of assassination attempts? Even so, the girl experienced one assassination attempt after another.
This made Daenerys unlike any other girl her age. If there was anyone more determined among Rhaella, Visenya and Daenerys, it was Daenerys herself. She had learned that hesitation leads to death, and if you die, you lose everything.
Letting out a sigh, Karl looked at Daenerys with a calm gaze as the guards in golden masks grabbed him and his companions, dragging them out of the throne room. None of them begged for their lives. There was only resentment in their gazes, as if they hated the fate they were about to face.
Turning her gaze to those present, Daenerys spoke with a cold tone:
"I don't care how, but you're going to distribute food until the supplies from the Reach arrive. If I hear you've raised prices, you'll become dragon food."
She needed to warn those greedy people, or the price of food would skyrocket to absurd levels, making it impossible for commoners to buy food. If that happened, the blame would fall not on those merchants, but on herself.
And once that happened, riots would break out and her image and that of House Targaryen would be further tarnished. This was completely unacceptable, so Daenerys felt she had to warn and threaten those people severely.
Fortunately, the greediest merchants had already been killed by hungry people and thieves the previous nights, which saved her a lot of trouble.
"You may leave and remember my words: Balerion has been especially hungry recently."
Daenerys spoke with a menacing tone, without hiding the threat in her words.
Those nobles, who weren't even considered Minor Houses, nodded quickly, without any hesitation. They were greedy for gold and political power, but they valued their lives above all else.
When everyone left, Daenerys' eyes focused on Monford and Aurane.
"Lord Velaryon and Lord Waters, I have a mission for you two."
Both men straightened up and looked at Daenerys, sitting on the Iron Throne, with respect and fear. They had heard what the queen had said to these men earlier and knew that the young woman was especially decisive when it came to killing.
"We will probably be attacked by the Militant Faith and the fanatics of the Sparrows. I want you to wait for the right moment to surround and kill these people."
A cold smile outlined Daenerys' beautiful lips.
Monford swallowed hard at the queen's words. They weren't just attacking some noble house or organization, but the largest religion in Westeros!
For more than six thousand years, the Faith of the Seven had remained strong and intact while entire kingdoms disappeared into the river of time. The only time it suffered significant losses was with the arrival of House Targaryen in Westeros. Before that, no matter how arrogant a king was or how large his army, no one had ever dared to even think about taking on the Faith of the Seven.
Now, knowing that they would attack the Faith inside King's Landing sent a shiver through Monford's body. He could imagine the chaos that would spread across the continent. The people would be furious, and the Faith of the Seven would gather a veritable army of believers to march on the capital.
Just as Monford was about to try to persuade Daenerys, Aurane, beside him, knelt down and spoke with a firm, confident tone:
"Don't worry, My Queen. I will kill your enemies and make sure they die in the most painful way possible."
Daenerys looked at Aurane with satisfaction. Having a loyal dog who would do her dirty work without hesitation was truly gratifying. She knew the consequences of her actions, but she also had Aenar's permission to continue the purge.
Aware that she had to reward and punish appropriately, Daenerys spoke in a gentler, more encouraging tone:
"If you complete the mission well, I will legitimize you and give you a fiefdom."
Aurane felt his body tremble at the queen's words.
Fiefdom!!! Fiefdom!!! Fiefdom!!! Fiefdom!!! Fiefdom!!!
He screamed uncontrollably in his mind. How could his brother understand his obsession? Only by being a noble would he have the opportunity to ascend. His brother would never know what it was like to be at the bottom of the food chain, he had already been born a noble and heir to a powerful House.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Aurane replied with a tone full of motivation.
The consequences of facing the Faith of the Seven? He didn't care. In fact, he wished those fanatics were even stronger, so that he could win more fiefdoms and receive an even greater fiefdom. Aurane didn't fear the fight, he feared not being able to fulfill his ambitions.
Monford looked at his half-brother as if he were mad. However, feeling Daenerys' steely eyes on him, the leader of House Velaryon didn't dare express what he was thinking at that very moment.
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