Early next day, Robb Stark found himself walking towards the Great Hall of the Red Keep along with his family and the major Lords of the North. They had been summoned to attend the Royal court today, and from the number of people around, it was clear that other realms had been summoned too. Inside the hall, they were directed to move ahead and stand near the Iron Throne. A quick glance around the hall showed a large number of armed Targaryen guards standing all around. Soon after, the place opposite to them was filled by Stannis Baratheon and other storm lords, while House Martell came to stand beside him and others. It was interesting for him to note that Westerlands and the Riverlanders were the ones who stood at last, with a large number of guards standing beside them. Soon after, a herald announced the King and the Queen as they entered the room, but they were not alone.
Muttering broke out in the room on seeing the large Direwolf that was accompanying them. Ghost sniffed around the throne as the King walked up to it before lying down in front of it. Once the Queen was seated, the Herald announced all Prince and Princess and their Grandmother. Another two Direwolfs accompanied them, one sitting down in front of Prince Viserys while the other near Rhaella Targaryen. Robb had to snap at the Lords of the North to quit their mutterings, which was getting the attention of most of the court as the King started speaking.
"Welcome to the Red Keep, My Lords, and My Ladies. You all have been summoned here to learn the final decisions the Crown has made for the events in the past, and regarding the war that is coming. Now, I know some of you suspect that the things you all saw the day before were some sort of mockery, but I assure you, they were real. The stories we heard about Other and Wights are now more than that, and they are coming for us."
The King's eyes were focused on the Reach Houses as he spoke the later part.
"With that, I have decided to forego the tax that the North pays to the Crown."
A growl ripped through the room, silencing all the mutterings that had started after the King's announcement. Robb had to stifle his laugh after seeing the Lords of Stromland inch back from Ghost, who had been the one to growl. The King continued on after sparing an amused glance at the Direwolf.
"This is not a boon for House Stark, My Lords, My ladies. House Stark has accepted that they rose in the Rebellion based on false information..."
Robb took a deep breath before looking up. He knew that the following few words from the King were going to damage House Stark's reputation, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"... about a plot against them by House Targaryen. As such, bearing the responsibility, Eddard Stark had been removed from his position of the Lord Paramount of the North and has been sentenced to join the Night's Watch. Due to her involvement in the plot against House Targaryen, Catelyn Tully has been stripped of her name, and her marriage to Eddard Stark has been declared void. All the children from their marriage except Arya Stark have been removed from the line of succession and would be known as Sansa Snow, Brandon Snow, and Rickon Snow. Robb Stark, the legitimate son of Brandon Stark and Catelyn Tully, would be the new Lord of Winterfell, with Arya Stark as his heir. The North would now pay their taxes to the Night's watch.
While his eyes remained fixed on the Iron throne, he could feel all the glares and the curious glances that the rest of the court was directing towards him. Fortunately, it remained so only for a few moments as the King continued speaking.
"House Tully has been found guilty of breaking their oaths to House Targaryen once again. I had been lenient with them the last time, but it is clear that the trouts can never be trusted to keep to their words."
Even though he had never paid much attention to the decorum lessons, he knew what the King just said broke every rule out there. The reigning monarch was making fun of one of its vassals openly in front of others, taunting their name and their House colors. The Riverlands looked quite angry, but none of them said anything.
"For their crimes against the Crown, Hoster Tully, Brynden Tully, and Edmure Tully are sentenced to the Wall. The castle of Riverrun will be demolished, and its resources will be used to rebuild the home of the next Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, my son, Aemon Targaryen."
This time the uproar was much louder. The implication of what the King had just said was setting a dangerous precedent. That the Crown could dissolve a major house like House Tully and appropriate its position was something that had never been done before. There was also the fact that doing so would give House Targaryen the control of the central position of the Kingdom along with a lot of men.
Edmure Tully, who had been blaming his father and sister for the situation they were in, despite being an active participant, grinned at hearing the outrage. Ever since they had been informed about their fate, his father had lost his mind, ranting at the Targaryens and the Starks, but not him. He knew that the other houses were not going to let it happen and was fairly confident that he might be able to get off by blaming his father and sister. Just as he was getting ready to speak, a hair curdling and quickly becoming familiar sound cut across the room, shaking even the giant pillars. The loud roar told everyone that the Dragon was near, and the outrage quieted down immediately. The King was openly smiling and continued on, as if nothing had happened.
"The resources gathered from destroying Riverrun would be used to rebuild Harrenhal, which would be the seat of Aemon Targaryen from here on. Prince Viserys Targaryen would resign from the position of the Hand and would act as Prince Aemon's regent for the time being. The betrothal agreement with Princess Arrianne of House Martell has been broken with mutual agreement."
Most people in the room noticed the anger on Prince Doran's face, but only some of them seemed to share that emotion.
"For the help that House Baratheon has provided in the times of need, House Targaryen has decided to grant it one of the world's most coveted secrets. My Lords, My Ladies, very soon, Storm's end would be the only place in the known world to know and produce the weapons made of Valyrian Steel."
This time the murmurs were one of excitement as the crowd looked at the Baratheon Lord. Stannis faced it all with a stern-faced visage, but Shireen blushed as the attention was focused on her. A lot of people who had rejected or declined the marriage proposals for her, started regretting it. Plans were being made already to get their sons, brothers, or other relatives to marry the young woman, but it was all for naught. While the King didn't announce it, Shireen was already betrothed to her cousin, Gendry Water. Stannis had met up the young man the day before, and after both Gendry and Shireen had agreed to the proposal late evening, he had formalized the betrothal with House Targaryen acting as Gendry's family.
"House Arryn had risen against the Crown twice in the past twenty years. Last time, I showed leniency, for they had risen to protect their wards. While I can forgive him once again for rising on the base of a plot against the Crown unknowingly, no longer can I trust Lord Jon Arryn as my Lord Paramount. He is sentenced to the Wall to join the Night's watch. His wife, Lysa Arryn, is stripped of her name due to her involvement in the plot against the Crown and would be brought to Kingslanding to face the punishment for her action. Lord Royce would act as the Regent of Vale until Robin Arryn comes to the age and ascends to the position of the Lord Paramount of Vale."
Rhaegar had decided not to remove Robin as of now, for he was banking on the fact that Lysa Arryn would take care of the problem herself after listening to the news of her fate. In case it did not happen so, he would have more than enough time to find proof from Littlefinger, for whom the hunt was already on. It would also lessen the anger of Vale Lords for the Crown, seeing as he was not punishing Vale much.
"The Reach had declared itself neutral in the last conflict. While I respect them not to raise arms against us, they also did not move to support the Crown, despite being oath-bound to do so. Considering all this, I am imposing a double tax payment rate for the next ten years on the Reach and complete restructuring of the food prices that they have been offering. Being the one to command them to do, I am holding House Tyrell responsible. To compensate for their actions, Loras Tyrell would be traveling to the Wall to join the Night's watch, while Margaery Tyrell would be betrothed to Prince Viserys, with the marriage set to happen a year from now. Lord Tyrell would also no longer be known as the Warden of the South; rather, I am bestowing that title upon Lord Randyll Tarly from henceforth. House Tyrell will continue to hold the position of the Lord Paramount of the Reach."
This time, there was not much disturbance, as even the most oblivious players of the Game of Thrones realized what was happening. House Targaryen was neutralizing or dismantling the powers that could oppose them while expanding their area of influence by binding different regions directly to them. King Rhaegar had dissolved a great house, the damaged reputation of one other, made another deeply indebted to House Targaryen, and finally, put the future of one in question by setting grounds for a member of House Targaryen to take it over. Before the Rebellion, House Targaryen would have never dared to do so, but the arrival of the Dragons had given them the power that once brought six of the seven Kingdoms to knees, and now they were using that power to change things to their advantage. The Leaders of the Rebellion, both who organized and who had remained hidden, were all regretting their actions, but the threat by Prince Aemon to go after their families had bound their hands. None of them could risk thinking that it was a bluff, for the payment for the wrong decision would be too high.
Rhaegar, who had been enjoying a lot on his seat on the Iron Throne, let everyone in the court realize the meaning of his actions. For too long he had to compromise and sacrifice things, allowing the Great Houses to bully him for whatever they wanted. His father's actions had left him in a weakened place, but now, with the arrival of Aemon's dragons, for the first time, he was able to do as he wished.
"For being the one that planned and initiated the plot against House Stark and the Rebellion against House Targaryen, Tywin Lannister is hereby sentenced to Death by Execution. His youngest son, Tyrion Lannister, will travel to Harrenhal as House Targaryen's ward, while Ser Jaime Lannister will become House Lannister's regent. Ser Jaime would still be a Kingsgaurd and would only hold the position till the end of the Great War. Afterward, Tyrion Lannister will step up to his birthright and become Lord of House Lannister."
Rhaegar couldn't control the grin that appeared on his face as he looked at the rage-filled face of Tywin Lannister. He still remembered the times when the Lion Lord had walked out of his solar with a smug face after basically demanding whatever he had wanted. If not for Ser Jaime's own insistence, he would have even got his heir back a long ago. Now, looking down, he forced the one thing the Tywin Lannister would have never let happen; he felt like getting up and dancing. Noting to do so later in his own chambers, he continued on.
"Cersei Tully, for her part in the plot against House Targaryen, is stripped of the name of her husband and would be once again known as Cersei Lannister. She will face her punishments in the Bear Islands, where she and her daughter, Myrcella Rivers, would reside till the end of their time. Should Cersei Lannister ever step back on the mainland, she would be charged with treason and punished accordingly. Her eldest son, Joffrey Rivers, will be sent to the Wall to join the Night's watch, while Tommen Rivers will join the Citadel."
Ravens had already been sent to the loyal forces in Riverlands to imprison Cersei and her children, or should they fail to enter Riverrun, to besiege the castle until further notice.
"And finally, the Iron Islands have declared themself independent, and Balon Greyjoy has crowned himself the King, once again."
The atmosphere became a little light as most of the people in the room smiled.
"Negotiation will start soon to bring them back in the fold, but should it fail, forces would be assembled to assault the Islands, as we cannot let them plunder our lands and attack our people while our men would be fighting in the North."
Rhaegar stood up from his throne and walked to the first step.
"I would once again like to be frank. Once the court ends and the sentences are carried out, everyone is free to return to their homes. In a few years, all of us would be fighting a war of survival, a war that would decide whether our family would live or die. Go back, and start preparing. Learn everything you can about the Others and the age of Heroes. Should anyone find something important, there is an open invitation to share it with the Crown. Most of us have stories of ancestors that fought and defeated the monsters that are coming for us. Very soon, we would be needing that information. It could be anything, weapons, tactics, weakness, strengths, anything, that seems important or relevant. These dead men, they are coming to kill every one of us, they cannot be reasoned with, negotiated with, or allied with, well until you are dead. I have learned that they do not eat, do not drink, do not tire, do not drown, and cannot be destroyed with standard steel weapons. In a few weeks, shipments of Dragonglass, which along with Valyrian Steel can kill these dead men, will start leaving Dragonstone. While the majority of the mined stone would go to the Wall and the North, every Great House in the realm would get what we can spare. I request you all to look for any possible place in your realms where such stone could be found. House Targaryen would bear all the costs of mining and shipping, should something be found."
After a few more serious requests, Rhaegar declared the court closed. Once everyone but his family had left, he turned towards them to inquire about their thoughts. Daenerys still felt that they had been too hard on the Houses that rose in Rebellion, which Aemon countered with something he had probably learned in his old world.
"The one who achieves the victory will always have the right to dictate terms to who lost, Aunt, because the reverse of that is unnatural. Should it be allowed to happen, the conflict will happen again as you never truly won the one proceeding it."
Rhaegar shook his head after hearing another of his son's difficult-to-understand sayings, while Aegon, on the other hand, seemed to be memorizing it. They were still discussing about the day's court when the guards at the door announced the arrival of Lord Varys. Rhaegar frowned as he signaled the Kingsgaurd to step closer before allowing the Spider to enter. He became more concerned after seeing Varys, who looked a little disturbed.
"Lord Varys, you have been missing for quite a time."
"I apologize, Your Grace. I left the Red Keep once it became apparent that House Targaryen would lose and had started arranging men to evacuate the Royal family when Prince Aemon arrived."
"So you ran away like a rat leaving a sinking ship, huh. That's a bold thing to admit for a person your position, Varys." Rhaneys observed in a stern tone.
"I am not a fighter, Princess. By leaving early, I was in a far better position to help House Targaryen than staying behind."
He then turned to look at Aemon, who was rubbing Ghost's fur.
"My prince, I apologize for not paying more attention to everything that had happened at the Tower of Joy..."
Aemon raised his hands, stopping the bald man.
"It's not your fault, Lord Varys. Nobody expected Lord Stark to make such decisions. Everyone fell for the image they had of the man in their mind, so you don't need to apologize."
When Varys visibly relaxed, Rhaegar became curious about it. He had never seen the spymaster apologize to anyone, even when his mistakes had lead to the death of others.
"You seem quite affected by Aemon's past, Lord Varys."
"I am, Your Grace. A year before Robert Baratheon's Rebellion, I learned that one of my family members was still alive, my sister. By the time I was able to find her location, she had already passed away. It took me another a few months to find out that she had died in childbirth, as her husband's manse was attacked a few days after it, killing him and all others. I was unable to find any information about the twins that had been born that day for a long time. It took seven years of continuous search by my men to locate them, but it was too late. When the sellswords I had sent to retrieve them arrived at the manse in Lys where they were known to be, my nephew was already dead. The conditions of his death were near similar to the one that Prince Aemon faced, but unlike him, my nephew did not survive through it. The sellswords rescued my niece before burning the manse to the ground along with its other inhabitants."
"And where is your niece now, Varys?" Rhaella enquired, her voice soft in ways that told how shaken she was.
"With the people who would protect her at all cost, Your Grace."
Silence spread in the room for a few moments as the King stared at his spymaster.
"Why are you telling us all this, Lord Varys?"
The spymaster took a deep breath before answering.
"Because the Crown would need men to fight the war that is coming, Your Grace, and my niece and I can provide you with a lot of them. After all, we are kin, even if its a little distant."
All three dire wolves rumbled as they moved forward to stand in front of the Royal family. While Aemon had guessed what the spymaster could be insulating, others hadn't.
"Kin? What are you talking about, Varys?"
Varys hesitated for a moment but answered when Aemon nodded at him.
"My niece is with the Golden Company, your grace. They are protecting her for her name, Sera Blackfyre."