"Lord! Lord!" cried Young Sihtric as he entered his Lord's Hall with his siblings.
When Uhtred woke to the sound of the boy's frantic cry, he quickly came down to greet the children of his warrior and friend.
"What has happened, Young Sihtric? Are your parents well?" he inquired.
"The Whore of Westeros has just set my family's home ablaze while we slept. She intended to kill all of us and accused our mother of dark sorcery."
Uhtred quickly counted heads, fearful that not all of Sihtric's children had made it out alive. Upon seeing all ten children, Uhtred replied. "I am glad all of you are alive. I suppose your parents are dealing with the Whore?"
"Yes Lord!" responded Hilda. "They sent us here while they, Uncle Finan and some of our neighbors deal with Her. I believe they should be coming along before too long."
"Well then, come, let's find you all a place to rest for the night. I shall then fetch Corlys and his wife so that the Whore can definitely not escape justice."
Uhtred then took his friend's children to a place in his Hall where they could get some sleep. After that, he went to the Inn and woke Corlys and Rhaenys and told them what he'd been told. They decided that Viserys needed to be involved so that he could see exactly what kind of woman he was married to and what she had attempted to do to his only child and her family. Viserys was not thrilled to be woken up but upon hearing that his wife "allegedly" tried to kill his child and her family, he agreed to join the group at the Lord's Hall and wait for his wife, daughter and good son to join them.
Shortly thereafter, Finan walked in with the bound and gagged Queen, carried like a sack over his shoulder.
"Lord, this Wretch here has openly admitted to attempting to kill Sihtric and his family. She claims that they were a necessary sacrifice so that she could bear a Hightower King. She also tried to kill Nyra."
"Tried? We've already been told Alicent set Rhaenyra's home on fire. Did she do something else?" inquire Corlys.
"This piece of shit, in her fury managed to break free of the arms holding her, grabbed a blade and made to stab Nyra in the heart. Nyra managed to block it with her arm but now she has a long cut on her arm which Sihtric is stitching and bandaging. They will be along soon," Finan replied.
Then Viserys spoke up. "Unhand my wife! I know Alicent bears great love for my daughter and would never harm her or her children. I'm sure someone is trying to frame my wife for setting the fire."
"Enough Viserys!" yelled Rhaenys. "Your Wife bears absolutely no love for your daughter. Otherwise Rhaenyra would still be living in Westeros. She and her father are the reason why your daughter was ruined, why your brother will never again return to you and why my own family avoid spending time at court. One day, I pray that you will waken to their plots and do so before its too late."
Following Rhaenys' outburst, Uhtred stormed over to Viserys and looked him straight in the eye. "I do not care if this woman is your wife. I do not care that you are a King. I do not care that you are Nyra's father. Your woman will stay bound until I say so. MY people, people I TRUST, have told me that your woman set the home of one of my greatest warriors and friend's home on fire in an attempt to kill him and his family and then proceeded to attempt to stab his wife. She will be punished. I will let her leave here with her life THIS TIME! However, should she EVER RETURN, SHE WILL IMMEDIATELY BE PUT TO DEATH! Perhaps, since she seems to love fire, she can be burned alive."
"Lord, I have heard old stories of cages being made of wicker by the Druids of old where they would offer sacrifices to their gods," spoke Sihtric after walking in to the last of Uhtred's words along with his wife. "I believe that since the Whore tried to sacrifice my family to her gods for fertility that this would be a fitting punishment for her."
Viserys grew pale at the image Sihtric gave, then he noticed the bandage on his daughter's arm.
"My dear daughter! Has your husband wounded you? I knew he was a savage brute! You see, you aren't safe here and I will take you home where you can be safe from him and I will ensure you have a far gentler husband!"
Nyra gave her father a look of pure disgust. "My husband did not cause my injury. He has NEVER HURT ME OR OUR CHILDREN! He is NOT a violent man to us. He was the one who sewed my arm together and bandaged it. If you want to know who hurt me, look no farther than your wife. She tried to kill me! I would never be safe in Westeros where she and her father have allies everywhere. In fact, I'm far safer here as it is far outside of their scope of power and I'm the one with friends and allies here. I WILL NEVER return to Westeros, especially not while the Hightower stands, the Starry Sept exists and Otto and Alicent live. Wipe out the Maesters, the Faith, the Hightowers and Lannisters first then bring back Daemon and make him your Hand, give places of highest honor in your court to the Arryn's, Starks and Velaryon's and perhaps I may one day visit you. Until then, NO!"
While Nyra was shouting at her father, Uhtred, Finan, Sihtric, Osfeth, Corlys and Rhaenys were conferring about a suitable punishment for Alicent after Finan passed the still bound and gagged Alicent off to a couple of Uhtred's household guards.
"If the woman was not your King's wife, I would just kill her already," said Uhtred.
"Indeed!" replied Corlys, "and all the better we'd all be for it. However, we can't."
"I say that she should lose her hands so that she can never use them to harm another again," continued Osfeth. "Even should she actually conceive a child, she wouldn't need hands to conceive nor to carry it. As a Queen, I'm sure others would have the primary responsibility of raising the child anyway so again, she wouldn't actually need hands."
"That might somewhat suit one of her crimes, but, while we're out of Westeros and its laws, I think that she should face even more for her previous crimes against my cousin," whispered Rhaenys.
"I concur," Sihtric replied. "It's clear her husband will not do anything so we must. Let her and her allies know that we should not be trifled with."
"She attempted to burn an entire family alive in their home, why not burn her?" Finan asked.
"I do not wish to kill her yet, Finan," said Uhtred.
"Not kill her. BURN her. Burn her skin black such as on her face and breast. Burn out her eyes. Then cut off her hands. If we're also going to provide her with punishment for prior crimes as well, why not have her publicly whipped as well? Back in Ireland, whores who don't work in an establishment can be publicly stripped and whipped for daring to sell themselves without license."
"I may be a Man of God, but I agree that burning her flesh,taking her hands and publicly whipping her are fine punishments for this unrepentant woman," replied Osfeth.
"Then it is settled The Whore of Westeros will first face public humiliation of stripping and whipping, face and chest burned, eyes burned out and lastly her hands will be chopped off," declared Uhtred, "after that and after her wounds have been tended to, she and her husband will leave here to never return. If your King attempts to prevent it, he can share in her punishment."
With the punishment decided upon, they rejoined Nyra who was still arguing with her father.
"The punishment here for attempted murder is death," Uhtred began facing directly at Viserys and speaking loudly but slowly. "However, since she is your Queen, she will only face that should she ever return to my lands."
"My dear wife is innocent of this vile crime that you are accusing her of which is the real reason why you are not executing her and you know it," replied Viserys hottily.
"Your wife is guilty and you are the only one in denial of that fact. She will stay under watch of my guards bound and gagged tonight and tomorrow she will face punishment for her crimes,"
"That is unacceptable! She is my WIFE! You will free her at once!"
"And risk the lives of your child and her children? I think naught. She will remain as she is until the morning. In the morning, before she faces her punishment, she will be ungagged so she may speak her piece and then face her fate. Now GET OUT OF MY HALL!"
"NO! I wish to speak to my wife first!" Viserys argued.
"You can speak to her tomorrow in the village center and not before then. If you do not get out now and return to your bed at the inn, perhaps I can find a suitable punishment for you as well."
The plump King, finding himself surrounded by well muscled warriors who were all armed, knew he was beaten and so he slunk off to the Inn.
"I want that man watched until he's sailed out of sight of the village," Uhtred ordered and quickly his orders were carried out.
As for the rest of the group, they soon dispersed to find beds so they could be well rested for the morning's events.
The Next Morning
That next day, the entire village was buzzing rather early with the news that the foreign Queen had tried to kill one of their entire families while they slept and that she was the likely culprit for all of the knocked over bazaars throughout the village. Some wondered if the woman would be allowed to get away with her crimes due to her status as a Queen but, upon learning that the blacksmith had been called upon by their Lord to publicly perform a task for him, they soon, joyfully realized that she wouldn't. During Alicent's stay in the village, she had frequently mocked and belittled the villagers for their clothing, simple lives, their belief systems, simple homes and just about anything and everything she could possibly find to mock them for. She had not made any friends or made herself in any way, shape or form accepted by the village people.
Then, before the villagers were really able to get into their daily tasks, a procession started from the Lord's Hall to the Village Center. First came Lord Uhtred, then Sihtric and his family, Finan, Ingrith, Osfeth, Corlys, Rhaenys, a few guards, Viserys, more guards and lastly the guards holding the still bound and gagged Queen Alicent who was still wearing the exact thing she had on the previous night.
Viserys was in a foul mood. He was King and so should be at the front of the procession and yet he was stuck near the rear surrounded by guards. Why couldn't these people understand that his wife was innocent of the vile accusations that were placed on her? He also couldn't believe that his precious child refused to defend her friend when he, Viserys knew that they were all lying since his girl and her family had not a single burn upon their flesh. If they had truly been within their home when it accidentally caught fire, they'd all at least be somewhat burned. As for his little darling's cut arm, well, Viserys knew that it had to have been done by that Pagan husband of hers. In all truth, it was very likely he was forcing her to blame her friend to cover up HIS crime.
As the procession neared the Village Center, more and more villagers gathered there to watch events unfold. Then once the full procession arrived, Uhtred called things to order.
"This past night, the Worm King's Whore tried to kill our Sihtric and the Worm King's daughter's family by setting their home ablaze. When Young Sihtric emerged from the home unharmed, she began to screech and many heard her confession of guilt. She claims that this family was supposed to die as a sacrifice to Her God's so that she could bear a Hightower King. Later, she managed to snag a blade and attempted to use it to stab Nyra, who sustained a long cut on her arm instead."
Uhtred then had Nyra lift her wounded arm for the masses.
"You may wonder if this family had been trapped in their burning home, how are they still with us and I will let Nyra tell you how."
Corlys and Rhaenys who had been wondering about this were excited to hear the story for themselves and to pass along to Daemon who they knew would be very interested about this.
"You all know my coloring is strange. Silver hair and violet eyes are not common in your lands. However, I am a daughter of a long lost empire of Valyria, home of the Dragon Lords and am a Sion of the last surviving house of Dragon Lords. When I was but a newborn babe, a dragon egg was placed in my cradle and soon hatched. The cradle egg is a tradition that dates back to the Empire though its extremely rare for an egg to hatch. Most people of my blood claim hatchlings or adult dragons later in life. The bond between dragon and rider is sacred to the Dragon Gods of Valyria. When my father, the Worm King, banished me from his lands shortly after wedding his Whore, he also locked away my beloved golden lady dragon in a deep and dark pit. It took my beautiful Lady four years to starve to death back in Westeros. I felt her death as such is the bond we shared. With her passing, she let me know that the Gods of Valyria had decided to give me, Sihtric and all of our descendants that stay loyal to our blood a gift not seen since the days of Valyria itself. The gift is known as the unburnt. Fire cannot touch us." Nyra then put her unharmed hand in the flame of a torch. "Sihtric and I saved the life of Lady Thyra, Lord Uhtred's sister and Father Beocca's wife through this gift. I am a Dragon Lord and carry the blood of dragons in my veins and dragons do not burn unlike Towers!"
The villagers who had been fully unaware of this, were not really surprised by the news. No, they'd never known the full story but they'd also seen how Nyra, Sihtric and their children would pick things straight off of and out of burning hot locations without harming themselves. If anything, they viewed themselves as being blessed to have them.
Uhtred then spoke again. "The Whore is here to face punishment. First we will let her speak. Then she will be stripped and whipped for her crime as an unregistered, unrepentant whore. Third, we will see if she burns as flame is held to her breast, face and eyes for her crime of setting a house on fire in an attempt to commit murder and lastly, she will lose both of her hands so that she can never use them to harm another again."
Uhtred then motioned for the men holding Alicent to bring her into the center area and to remove her gag.
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO ANYTHING TO ME YOU SAVAGE! I AM THE RIGHTFUL QUEEN OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS! VISERYS! DO SOMETHING! DON'T LET THEM HURT ME!"
The King tried to get to his wife but was held back.
"My wife is innocent! My daughter is her best friend so she'd never try to harm her! Don't call my wife a WHORE!"
Nyra who was beyond sick of her father's denials turned to face him directly.
"Your beloved wife keeps insisting that I'm a whore. Well, it takes one to know one. She's the one who snuck into your bed only hours after you butchered my poor, beloved mother. You do have to wonder though, if she was actually a maiden that night since you would not be able to tell the difference between my own mother's lifeblood and her maidenblood, if she actually bled when you first took her. She slept with a barely widowed man willingly like a whore. My maidenhood was robbed from me as a child unwillingly and by force and yet while the actual Whore was given a crown, I was branded a whore and lost everything. She has not been my best friend or anything but a WHORE to me since you announced your engagement. She and her father arranged my ruin but you are as blind as your BITCH will soon be. She did try to kill me and my family and now she has to face the consequences."
Alicent hearing Nyra's words then screamed. "YES, MY FATHER AND I DID ARRANGE YOUR RUIN. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GUARANTEE I HAD MANY SONS BUT SOMEHOW YOU RUINED IT! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE A WHORE AND FAILED TO DO THAT! YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO MARRY OR HAVE CHILDREN, UNLESS YOUR CHILDREN WERE BASTARDS. IN NEARLY 20 YEARS I'VE ONLY GOTTEN PREGNANT FOUR TIMES AND NONE HAVE SURPASSED MID TERM AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULT. FATHER TOLD ME THAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MUST ALL DIE SO THAT I CAN FINALLY HAVE MY ROYAL SONS! THAT WAY HOUSE HIGHTOWER CAN FINALLY GAIN FULL CONTROL OF THE REALM! I DID NOT BED AND WED A FAT OLD MAN TO LOOSE EVERYTHING WHILE YOU, THE SPOILED ROTTEN, NO GOOD, FALSE GOD WORSHIPING WHORE GETS EVERYTHING!"
Before she could continue her rant, Uhtred tore off her cloak and dress, leaving her in only her shift. This made her shriek in indignation. Uhtred turned to Sihtric and nodded. Sihtric then approached her and tore off her shift as well, leaving her in only her shoes and stockings. Alicent kept shrieking while Viserys had to be forcibly restrained.
"If you try to stop your woman's punishment, then you will share it. I wonder, will the Worm burn unlike his child?" Uhtred whispered to Viserys who then stopped struggling.
The ropes binding Alicent's hands then got four, longer ropes tied to it so that four different men could stand along the edge of the center circle and yet Alicent would not be able to escape. Her hands had been separated and two long ropes had been tied to each wrist. Osfeth then entered the center area.
"Oh Lord above. You know why we have all gathered here this morning. Please bless and grant strength to all of those who are aiding in delivering this poor wretch's lawful punishment. Also, bless the poor wretch and her husband that they may see the light of truth to their actions. Amen."
He then stepped to the circle's edge and Finan entered with a board in hand.
"Lord, how many times should I swat this one?"
Uhtred looked at Nyra with a smile, "I saw give her twelve good spankings and then she can have twenty times under Sihtric's whip."
Finan grinned at his friends before turning and asking Alicent, "Arse, tits or thighs?"
Alicent was outraged! Here she was standing almost entirely nude in front of an entire village and was being asked where she wanted to be spanked. It was humiliating!
"You will NOT TOUCH ME!" she screamed.
"Four times to each then!" Finan then declared. "I'll start with your tits first. Make them nice and red for everyone to see."
Finan then walked in front of Alicent and groped her, "They aren't much are they but they'll do."
Alicent looked at Finan in fear when he drew back his arm holding the board.
"Viserys! Corlys! Rhaenys! Please! SAVE ME!" Alicent cried even as the board impacted her chest for the first time.
Corlys and Rhaenys looked at her with indifference even as Finan smacked her breast three more times.
Alicent began to cry as Finan spanked her thighs four times and was sobbing by the time he finished spanking her bare arse its four times. Finan then stood aside so that Sihtric could take his place with a braided, three strand, arms length whip.
Before he used it though, he leaned in to whisper in Alicent's ear. "This is for the HELL you put my wife through."
Then he slowly delivered 15 whippings to Alicent's backside, breaking her skin in several places along her back and arse. He then delivered the last five, very deliberately to Alicent's torso. Alicent was still sobbing. When Sihtric was done, he bowed to her and moved to stand beside his wife.
Uhtred then took a torch and offered it to Nyra.
"I will let you burn the Whore."
Nyra took the torch with a smile.
"Thank you Lord!"
She then approached her former maid while playing with the fire of the torch, even going so far as to make it seem like she was using the flame to bathe, yet neither she nor her apparel burned.
"Let's see if Tower's burn, shall we? Or are you secretly an actual Dragon?"
"You have no right, you filthy whore to touch me! You will burn in the seven hells for your wickedness!"
"I'm a DRAGON. I LOVE fire. I don't burn. You may end up in Niefelheim for YOUR crimes though."
Nyra then gave Alicent a huge smile, pulled a candle from her pocket, lit it and then held it to Alicent's face. Alicent began to scream as her skin began to blister under the flame. Nyra moved the candle flame from one cheek to the other, letting Alicent's nose blacken before moving down to Alicent's chin and lips which stopped Alicent's screams, up to Alicent's eyebrows, burning both off completely and finally to her forehead. The last part of Alicent's face Nyra let the candle touch was Alicent's hairline, blackening her scalp and moving her hairline back an entire palm's width.
Nyra then whispered to her former friend, "Such a pretty face you have Your Grace."
Nyra then moved to complete her task. First, she used the candle to burn off both nipples before snuffing the candle and using the torch to blister, burn and blacken random parts of Alicent's chest. Then she turned to her Lord and returned the torch to him.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Viserys then roared. "You've become a MONSTER my daughter. You could have been kind to your Queen if you absolutely had to carry out such a task and let the flame barely pass over her flesh so that it scarcely reddened. Yet you choose to disfigure her? Have you no mercy?"
"Mercy? I was supposed to grant her Mercy? If she had her way, my family and I would all be ash this morning rather than burned and disfigured. Was Mercy shown to me as a maiden? Did you show me Mercy when you caused the death of my Dragon or cast me out? No. NO! She does not deserve my Mercy."
While Viserys yelled at his daughter, his wife was being tied to a pole. After she was secure, Uhtred called forth the blacksmith.
"Burn out her eyes!"
Hearing this, Viserys turned away from Nyra and towards his wife.
"NO! YOU CANNOT DO THIS!" he yelled.
Uhtred turned to him.
"Do you wish to have your eyes burned out as well? I think you will burn like your woman. Either she will have both eyes burned out alone or you both will. Your choice."
"You really are a heathen aren't you? Fine! Take her eyes as well."
"No! Viserys! Don't let them do this!" Alicent cried with her damaged voice from her burnt lips.
However, her Lord Husband had turned away from her.
The blacksmith then took a thin rod of red hot metal and drove it into Alicent's right eye which made Alicent scream. After he withdrew the rod and returned it to the fire, he took a second rod and repeated the action with her left eye. Then, before Alicent could even recover momentarily, Uhtred swung his blade and Alicent's right hand was severed. He then quickly swung it again and severed her left hand. Alicent fell forward in pain and shock.
"Cauterize the stumps, pickle the hands and bandage her wounds before settling her in the inn with a cooled, weak broth and a watered down cup of ale. I will send her hands back home with her." Uhtred ordered. "Justice has been served."
The villagers quickly moved to follow their Lord's orders while Viserys got sick and Corlys and Rhaenys moved to a quiet spot to speak.
"Daemon will be amazed to know his niece is among the legendary unburnt and that the gift has been bestowed on one not of the blood," Rhaenys whispered.
"I know! I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with mine own eyes but its incredible! Nyra is truly better off here than anywhere else," replied her husband.
They then walked hand in hand to begin packing their vessel for their return trip a few days later.
As for Uhtred, Nyra, Sihtric, Ingrith, Finan and Osfeth, they returned to Uhtred's Hall.
"I think I can safely say that my father will no longer want anything to do with me!" stated Nyra cheerfully.
"That is a good thing!" replied Finan. "Hopefully he'll never return."
"If he does return, hopefully by then we will have finally retaken Bebbunberg and we will just deny him entry there," stated their Lord.
"Do you think he'll remain in denial despite hearing his wife's confessions to her crimes?" asked Osfeth.
"I do. He's always been blind to anything the Hightowers have done. Plus, now he'll likely think that anything she did, that I provoked," responded the King's daughter.
"Later, I will go and tell the Worm King that, in my Mercy, I will let them stay a few days so that his Whore can recover a bit before they journey home and I will remind him that, should she ever return here, I will kill her."
"Sounds good enough to me!" replied Sihtric. "Hopefully he will stay away from my family though."
"You know, I do wonder if the King will still try to breed his disfigured and handless bride?" asked Osfeth.
"Absolutely! Especially since I'm definitely a lost cause for heirship. He called me a monster after all! He'll use her until he can't anymore and then will try again with another, younger woman. She'll never be a mother though! Thank the Gods!"