-Chapter 199-

-Chapter 199-

-21st day of the 1st moon of the year 301 AC-

"No, that's not an option," I said firmly.

'Has he lost his mind? This fool thinks I would actually send my pregnant wife to fight against White Walkers,' I thought, looking at Connor as if he had lost his senses.

"You don’t have a choice," Connor said in the neutral tone he used with me when he was annoyed by my attitude.

"I am the Emperor; I have all the damn choices," I said, confronting him, locking eyes.

For a few moments, we stared at each other without breaking eye contact, and it was Willas who spoke to defuse the tension in the Council:

"Your Majesty."

I broke eye contact with Connor's icy blue gaze and turned to look at my new Hand of the King, who said:

"Samwell Tarly's message is quite clear and has been confirmed by your spy. High Priest Benerro predicted the fall of Pentos and warned the leaders of Volantis in time for them to send troops. We may only have one adult dragon capable of facing the scorpions head-on, but the Empress’s dragon is just as dangerous."

'Are they all doing this on purpose? They're all asking me to send her into battle as if there's no risk of a crossbow bolt taking her down, let alone a scorpion bolt,' I thought.

I frowned, displeased with the direction of this discussion, but I still let Willas continue his advice:

"We have too many fronts to defend at the same time without enough dragons or men. If we forgo using all the dragons we possess, we won’t be able to defend the Empire's borders."

"I have 4 dragons and an army of more than 200,000 legionnaires," I told Willas, reminding him that I wasn't defenseless like the former rulers who preceded me.

'As if those were the only forces I could deploy,' I thought.

"True, but even that’s not enough to conquer Essos," he replied.

"That's not my goal," I said to clarify.

'And it never has been. All I need is an entry point into Essos, a constant threat that will keep all of Essos' superpowers in check,' I thought.

Willas nodded but continued, saying:

"You will be forced to do so at the pace this war is growing because let’s face it, we are at war. For the sake of peace throughout the Empire, you chose to have your legions patrol your territories, nearly eradicating crime. No one can deny that since you implemented this measure, the Empire is safer, but it’s a fragile peace because the moment you withdraw your soldiers…"

"Legionnaires, not soldiers. The men who fight for me have earned that title. They are legionnaires," I said, emphasizing the importance of that title.

"My apologies. I was saying that the moment you withdraw your legionnaires, the fragile peace you have worked so hard to establish will be threatened by all sorts of dishonest people seeking personal gain from this conflict. That’s a certainty," Willas said, and as I scanned the room, I saw several others nodding in agreement.

'He’s becoming far too confident since he’s about to become my... cousin,' I thought, watching the young man who exuded a calm confidence and strength.

"Ensuring the safety of his people is one of the primary duties of the nobility, and I include myself in that as well," I said, staring at Willas Tyrell, as he had failed to mention the soldiers sworn to the various houses.

"I would be personally delighted to assist you, but I, like the rest of the nobility, understand that you do not hold us in high regard," said Willas.

'How could I appreciate you when I know half of you would try to replace me at the first sign of weakness with a more accommodating ruler?' I thought.

"Be very careful with your next words. I’d hate to see Sansa wear black before she even wears white," I said, piercing him with my gaze.

"I’m only speaking the truth, Your Majesty. The nobility feels excluded from the imperial hierarchy, and they won’t fight until you’ve clearly asked for their help."

"They expect me to beg for their help so they can do their duty and enforce imperial justice?" I said, laughing lightly at such a ridiculous request.

"Without you even giving us the order, rest assured that House Tarly will do its duty and be ready to die for the Emperor if necessary," Randyll Tarly quickly chimed in.

'Ever since Samwell took Pentos, it feels like he’s trying to position himself as the leader of the dissenting voices of the Reach. Maybe he’s aiming for the title of Governor of the Reach,' I thought, nodding in Samwell’s father's direction.

Willas glanced slightly in his direction but said nothing, and then I said:

"Very well, I’ll take the risk. If the nobles of the Empire don’t want to follow me in my war, so be it. But if I win it, I hope you won’t weep, because there will be…"

"I am not among the dissenters, Your Majesty, nor is House Tyrell. We simply don’t have many soldiers left to deploy, as most of ours have gone to assist Prince Viserys in his conquest of the Summer Isles," said Willas.

'Oh, please. You still have tens of thousands of peasants just waiting for a word from you to take up arms in your name and in the name of your leeching family.'

"I’ve heard enough," I said, irritated, rising from my seat, ready to leave the room.

I had heard enough. Between Connor, who wanted me to order Daenerys to defend the Wall, and Willas, who wanted me to send her to Essos to fight while kissing up to the nobles so they would give their all in this conflict, I was reaching my breaking point.

"Aegon," said Daenerys, still seated, unlike all my courtiers who had stood out of respect when they saw me leaving.

'What now?' I thought, turning to my wife.

I raised an eyebrow, and then she said, "I agree with Connor and Willas. To win this war, we need allies and Drogon. You can’t be everywhere at once. You can’t stop the coalition of all the Free Cities of Essos while keeping an eye on the Wall."

'Just this month, I’ve flown over it four times to make sure Rhaegal’s presence keeps the White Walkers at bay.'

I shook my head and said to Daenerys, "You still don’t understand. Now is not the time for dragons to fly over the Wall like I do."

"But you do it," she said.

"It’s not the same, and you know it. I can fly much higher than you and for much longer. More importantly, I don’t stay; I make sure to be noticed. It’s a calculated risk because I can fight, but you can’t," I said in justification.

"I can fight too," Daenerys said, determined.

'Not in your condition,' I thought inwardly, as I hadn’t yet told her about the beginning of her pregnancy.

"Believe me when I say you can’t, Dany," I said, looking my wife straight in the eyes.

'If the Night King truly exists, he would make short work of Drogon,' I thought.

"So we leave our soldiers to face death and pray that when the White Walkers attack—because they will—they spare them?" said Connor.

I said nothing, but I stared at Connor for a long time, unable to comprehend what was going through his mind to oppose me so openly.

"Leave us," I said, determined to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the man I considered my brother.

Once everyone had left, I asked Connor, "Are you going to explain yourself?"

"I feel like you’re not taking the situation we’re in seriously enough," said Connor.

"And that gives you the right to question my word in front of all my advisors?"

"I simply…" he tried to say, but I didn’t want to hear excuses.

"I know your new responsibilities weigh heavily on you, but I’d like to remind you that I’m the one who told you about the threat. I’m the one who opened the doors of power and the decision-making world to you. I’m also the one who taught you how to use your gift, while being your Emperor… This is the last time you speak to me like that in front of others. Is that clear?"

Connor nodded, and I gestured for him to leave my sight.

I took a few deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down, while repeating to myself:

'Panicking at the top is the beginning of your downfall.'

I felt Dany’s hand take mine, and I opened my eyes, perfectly calm.

"I’m going to have to speed up some of my plans."

"Which ones?"

"You’ll see," I said, kissing her gently on the forehead before leaving the room, taking Jaime and Sandor with me.

---

-POV Cersei Lannister-

"So, most of his advisors are against an all-out war with Essos and are trying to make him back down?" I asked, gently rocking Maegor.

"Yes, Aegon doesn’t want to involve his Empress in the war, and for some reason, he doesn’t want to rely on the Empress’s troops either. It’s possible he’ll call on the nobility, but without bothering to promise them anything," said my cousin Lancel, standing as rigid as a post.

'It feels like it’s been so long since I asked him to drug Robert, like it was another lifetime,' I thought.

"That will allow him to separate the wheat from the chaff," I said.

"It’s a possibility," Lancel said, nodding in agreement.

I smiled slightly and said:

"It’s not a possibility, it’s a certainty. I’m beginning to understand Aegon. He constantly tests the people around him. In this case, it’s the nobility he’s testing. We must not lose the special position we’ve carved out for ourselves. After the royal family massacre in 281, we were positioned as enemies of House Targaryen, but ever since Aegon came to power, father, Jaime, and I have done everything we could to rehabilitate our house, and we’ve mostly succeeded, but we’re still vulnerable."

"What do you want me to do? Father ordered me to obey you in everything," Lancel said, with a faint glimmer in his eye.

'Does he really think I’m going to sleep with him, like I hinted when I ordered him to drug that pig Robert?' I thought, smiling disdainfully.

"The Emperor doesn’t like to share. He’s killed for much less than that," I said, looking my cousin straight in the eyes.

Realizing his mistake, Lancel quickly lowered his gaze and said, "I’m sorry."

"Don’t worry. I understand, you’re young. It’s normal to have unattainable dreams," I said, placing Maegor, who had finally fallen asleep, into his cradle.

Once he was settled, I turned to my cousin and said:

"I’m entrusting you with the mission of returning to Casterly Rock to gather all of our forces and lend support to the Emperor in the war against the Free Cities of Essos."

Lancel’s fake smile froze and slowly turned into a grimace as he repeated:

"All of our forces?"

"And on top of that, rally all the Houses of the Westerlands to lend support to the Emperor."

"Father wouldn’t agree. I talked to him, and he thinks we should wait to gain the most…"

"Lancel, your father isn’t the Lord of Casterly Rock. My son is, and I am the regent until he reaches his imperial majority at the age of 18," I said, fixing my cousin with a stare as he froze, as still as a statue, not knowing what to say.

I raised an eyebrow at his silence and asked:

"Are you going to obey me, or will I have to rely on someone more reliable than you, dear Lancel?"

"I’ll leave for Casterly Rock immediately. Allow me to inform my…"

"Ser Vylarr," I called softly towards the doors of my chambers.

The doors opened instantly, and what I saw left me speechless. The former captain of Cersei’s guard was dressed in armor usually only worn by members of our family.

"Ser Vylarr married our cousin Redalla Lannister, making him almost a member of our house. He will accompany and escort you safely. I don’t want you to waste time on the road, so I expect my army to be ready as soon as possible," I said in a stern, authoritative tone, maintaining a smile that, of course, did not reach my eyes.