"Tell me, what makes you so confident?" Dany said calmly.
Jaime glanced around. Seeing the two handmaidens beside the queen, as well as Mormont, Garth, old Barristan, and several other White Knights, and even four guards stationed at the door, he could not help but frown.
"Your Grace, could you have the others leave?" he suggested.
The Big Bear and the others looked displeased, their gazes toward Jaime growing increasingly hostile.
"You are a White Knight yourself, aren't you? How can you say something so brainless?" Dany sneered.
Jaime fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Since you trust them, I will speak plainly.
After the Battle of the Bells, His Majesty Aerys began to worry that Robert might win the final victory.
So while Prince Rhaegar was busy reorganizing the army, he summoned the pyromancers of the Alchemists' Guild to produce thousands upon thousands of jars of wildfire.
From beneath the Great Sept of Baelor to the hovels of Flea Bottom, from stables and warehouses throughout King's Landing to the seven city gates, the Dragonpit, and even the cellars of the Red Keep, large quantities of wildfire were buried."
"He intended to perish together with the hundreds of thousands of citizens of King's Landing, along with any rebel army that dared to enter the city."
As he spoke, Jaime kept a careful eye on the Dragon Queen's face, not missing even the slightest change in her expression.
If the Dragon Queen had flown into a rage and cursed him, or simply summoned a dragon to devour him on the spot, he would not have been surprised. But her reaction seemed far too calm.
Instead, it was her White Knights whose expressions changed drastically. They looked at him with fury and killing intent, as if the one he had "slandered" was not the Mad King, but their own queen.
Just as he was feeling puzzled, he heard the Dragon Queen ask in confusion, "Such a major matter—why have I never heard anyone mention it? Even Ser Barristan did not know."
"Your Grace, you should be aware of the relationship between my father and King Aerys. At first they were good friends, but later your father grew dissatisfied with the fame and power of his Hand of the King, and my father was not an easy man to deal with either.
Former friends eventually became resentful enemies. So His Majesty Aerys kept me by his side as a hostage to threaten my father.
The other Kingsguard either followed Prince Rhaegar out of King's Landing, went to fight at the Battle of the Trident, or guarded his lover at the Tower of Joy in Dorne, that is, Lyanna Stark."
"Burning King's Landing was sheer madness. His Majesty Aerys was not a fool. Aside from the three alchemists Rossart, Garigus, and Belis, and myself, no one knew the entirety of his plan.
Even within the Alchemists' Guild, only a few knew where the wildfire was hidden.
After I slew the king, I killed everyone involved in the 'wildfire burning of the city' plan. That is why no one ever learned of it."
"If you are not lying, why did you not tell me? Why not explain it to others?" old Barristan asked suspiciously.
The White Knight's question echoed the doubt in Dany's heart.
She knew Jaime was not lying, yet the reality was that such a colossal matter as burning King's Landing had never become known to outsiders.
If Jaime had explained himself before, even if no one believed him, at least rumors of the Mad King planning to burn the city would have spread.
Jaime looked deeply at old Barristan, then swept a complicated gaze over the doubtful or disdainful faces of the Big Bear, Garth, and the other White Knights. He said softly, "I thought you would all understand."
"Understand what? Speak clearly," the Big Bear frowned.
"What are the third and fifth tenets of the White Knight's code? Did Ser Barristan teach you?" Jaime asked calmly.
"Ah!" At these words, old Barristan was the first to turn pale and cry out. The other White Knights widened their eyes, staring at the one-handed, crippled Kingslayer as if he were some kind of monster.
The third tenet of the White Knight's code: Guard the king's secrets strictly.
The fifth tenet: Defend the king's honor unto death.
Aerys was called the "Mad King" among the nobility, yet among the common folk, though his reputation was poor, it was not utterly ruined.
In recent years, disasters and misfortunes had been frequent. Many elderly people over forty still nostalgically spoke of the prosperous "golden age" under the Mad King, which was in truth the era of peace crafted by Tywin.
Even among the nobles, some continued to sympathize with the Mad King's fate.
This could be seen from Robert's nickname.
Just as Jaime was called the "Kingslayer," Robert bore titles such as "Usurper" and "Whoremonger King."
The title "Usurper" was enough to reveal the general public's basic perception of the Baratheon dynasty.
But if the truth that the Mad King had intended to burn five hundred thousand citizens of King's Landing were to spread and be confirmed, he would become the most infamous tyrant in history, surpassing even Maegor the Cruel.
All in all, Jaime's choice to conceal the Mad King's crime of burning the city, bearing a lifetime of infamy alone, was truly shocking.
The truth was so shocking that many found it impossible to accept at once.
"You are a Kingslayer! The first tenet of the White Knight's code is to protect the king with your life, yet you took the king's life!" Gerold Dayne growled.
"You were simply afraid of death, afraid that Her Majesty would punish you, so you fabricated this monstrous lie!" the Big Bear shouted angrily, his face flushed red.
Jaime did not retort in agitation. He only revealed a bitter, nostalgic smile and said softly, "When I was young, I always believed that legendary knights lived as they did in stories, surrounded by flowers and bathed in sunlight.
But when I became the sworn brother of those legendary knights, they taught me to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the harshness of reality."
"When King Aerys abused his queen, I felt that even an ordinary knight, let alone a Kingsguard who represented the chivalry of the Seven Kingdoms, should step forward to stop such cruelty against women and the defenseless.
Jon Darry stopped me and warned me that we swore to protect the weak from harm, but the king was the exception.
When Rickard Stark and his son were executed in a brutal manner, I was frightened and disgusted. I wanted to persuade the king, but Gerold Hightower quietly reminded me that we swore to guard the king, not to judge him."
After glancing at old Barristan, whose expression had grown somewhat unnatural, Jaime smiled faintly. "Ser Barristan also instructed me.
Several times, when King Aerys went mad, you told me that we swore loyalty to the king. We were to be the sword in his hand, not the shield that blocks the sword he swings."
Barristan's blue eyes shone sharp and bright. Without blinking or evading, he met the Kingslayer's gaze and said in a ringing voice, "If a knight does not keep his vows, he not only loses his honor, but also the very meaning of his existence.
From the day you donned the white cloak, you should have understood that as long as our will endures, our lives and souls belong to the monarch we serve!"
This was truly old Barristan's heartfelt conviction.
He practiced what he preached.
All the people of the Seven Kingdoms knew that "Barristan the Bold" could not exist without a king.
"Sigh, you are all legendary knights I admired since childhood. Of course I will listen to your lessons.
But that day, when His Grace Aerys ordered me to kill my father and planned to burn King's Landing, I truly could not endure it. I wanted to do it my own way just once, and bear all the consequences myself.
I did it, and I have been the Kingslayer for nearly twenty years. I can tell you responsibly that I do not regret it."
Jaime's gaze shifted from old Barristan to the Dragon Queen. "Whatever the final consequences may be, I can accept them."
Dany did not give him any "final consequences." Instead, with the curious expression of someone listening to a story, she asked, "Why did you not let someone else kill him? Why did you have to do it yourself? And afterward, why did you sit on the Iron Throne?"
"You are not angry?" Jaime was bewildered by her calmness.
"Wait until you finish speaking. Then I will be angry," Dany replied, raising an eyebrow.
Jaime was dumbfounded. It was precisely because she was the Mad King's daughter and held his daughter's life in her hands that he was being so sincere and laying his heart bare. Could she not give him at least a little emotion in return? Even if her thoughts were unfathomable, she should not look as though she were listening to gossip.
But circumstances left him no choice.
The corners of Jaime's mouth twitched before he said dully, "I was a white knight sworn to protect the king. If His Grace Aerys truly had to die, then it could only be done by me.
I do not care about other people's opinions. When I decide someone must die, I do it myself.
As for the Iron Throne…
The War of the Usurper was raging fiercely. Everyone wanted to claim the Iron Throne.
To protect his throne, His Grace Aerys would rather have taken that iron chair to hell with him than let anyone else have it.
So I was curious what kind of power the Iron Throne held.
Then I sat on it. Unfortunately, apart from stabbing my backside, it gave me no special feeling at all."
"I originally intended to deal with this matter at the Great Council. Since it has already been brought into the open…"
Dany rested her chin on her right hand and pondered for a moment before saying, "I can declare you not guilty. During the War of the Usurper, you and the other six white knights who remained faithful to your duty fulfilled your oath to House Targaryen and upheld the honor expected of knights of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Your Grace, do not be deceived by him. The Kingslayer is lying," the Great Bear said urgently.
"He is not lying," Dany shook her head.
"Your Grace, this precedent must not be set. If you forgive the Kingslayer today, tomorrow there will be a second and a third white knight who believes he has sufficient reason to slay his king," Garth said solemnly.
"What use is believing one's reasons are sufficient? He must convince everyone. At the very least, like Jaime Lannister, he must convince me and convince the future king."
Gerold Dayne cast a complicated glance at the stunned Jaime and said gravely, "Your Grace, please reconsider. No matter how eloquent the Kingslayer may be, he cannot change the fact that he killed your father. Between you lies the hatred of patricide and the ruin of your house."
Dany fell silent.
She wanted to say that she felt nothing at all for the Mad King.
On the contrary, she now found herself rather admiring Jaime.
But such words could not come from a daughter's mouth.
Barristan's expression changed several times before he finally sighed and earnestly advised, "Your Grace, you may choose not to punish him, but you cannot declare him innocent, nor can you acknowledge that he fulfilled a white knight's oath.
Regicide is the greatest crime in the history of the realm. To commit regicide as a white knight is the greatest betrayal of one's vows."
Belwas looked at his sworn brothers, somewhat at a loss.
He did not know what to say, yet in such a setting he felt he had to express a stance.
"Your Grace, if this dead cripple is not lying, then your father truly did not die unjustly. But however deserving of death he was, he was still your father.
This puts Belwas in a difficult position. Why not have a trial by combat between you and him, and let the Seven decide your final fate?"
At these words, his sworn brothers, the Dothraki handmaidens, the Unsullied at the door, and even the Dragon Queen rolled their eyes.
Having a one-handed cripple fight the Dragon Queen in trial by combat was practically insisting on his death.
(P.S. The Mad King's madness was also reflected in his marital relations. Before each time he lay with his wife, he would burn one or a batch of prisoners with wildfire, because watching people burn aroused him like a stimulant.
After burning them, he became especially frenzied, subjecting his wife Rhaella to brutal abuse.
In other words, sadistic torment.
When Jaime served in the Kingsguard, he often heard Rhaella's cries from behind the door as she was abused. The next day, servants would see the red welts, bite marks, and scratches on the queen's body.
Interestingly, Robert also treated Cersei in much the same way.
However, what stimulated Robert's desire was not wildfire but strong wine.
Cersei was often tormented to tears by him, while Jaime stood guard outside the door. Robert particularly liked arranging for Jaime to stand guard while he abused Cersei.
More than once, Jaime nearly could not restrain himself and almost became a "Kingslayer" a second time.
Personally, I suspect that if Jaime had truly rushed in, he would have faced Robert's great warhammer.
If the two had fought, Jaime might not necessarily have won.
Robert's stamina was immense. Even after being drugged, he managed to kill a boar that had gored him. If Jaime had stabbed him, he might still have turned the tables in a desperate counterattack.)
(End of chapter)
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