As soon as the question was raised, Aegor's heart sank considerably.
Daenerys's phrasing when describing Aegon was not "false king," but "this nephew of mine"!
Such details could reveal a lot, one clear point being that even if she did not fully believe it, she at least suspected that the young silver-haired prince might truly be her nephew.
Perhaps the war had ended too quickly and smoothly, so much so that this false king had been suppressed before he could cause her significant trouble or material damage, and that subconscious "blood kinship" had not been completely worn away by hostile emotions.
Given this premise, her hesitation and indecision, her not knowing how to deal with the other party, were understandable.
In Westeros, rebellion had not yet become a high-voltage wire that meant instant death.
Damn it, I should have known not to push so hard in the western campaign.
If the war had gone on for three or five years, and the kingdom had been divided for dozens of months and ravaged... when Daenerys's own rule became shaky, she would definitely want to kill Aegon more than anyone, and it would be impossible for her to come to him mysteriously to discuss "how to deal with this nephew of mine."
Although he was muttering inwardly, Aegor wore the gentle expression of a close friend on his face. He nodded slowly and seriously, giving the rolling ball a gentle kick.
"What are Your Grace's own thoughts?"
"Don't play dumb," Daenerys chided with some displeasure. "I came to ask for your opinion precisely because I can't sort out my thoughts!"
"Understood." Aegor expressed doubt, but since Daenerys was sincerely asking, he naturally could not be polite. "Your Grace must already know the answer to this question. If Aegon is not killed, he will be a huge threat to the stability of your rule. He can be manipulated and incited by his own desires and by people with ulterior motives at any time, causing him to do foolish things again." He sighed with genuine emotion. "It is regrettable that I could not kill him cleanly on the battlefield, putting Your Grace in a dilemma. So now I must ask, are you afraid of bearing the infamous name of 'kinslayer,' or do you truly harbor kindness and kinship toward this person? If it is the former, I am willing to dirty my hands for Your Grace, and if it is the latter..."
He did not continue speaking and frowned, making a troubled expression.
Daenerys also sighed, and her steps slowed as she walked beside him.
Aegor did not kick the ball back to satisfy her, but he still failed to grasp her intention, which also made her a little annoyed.
"Is there a way to solve this problem, joining the Faith and converting to the Seven... the red god, or taking the black and becoming a Night's Watchman? In short, if he permanently renounces the line of succession, wouldn't that mean he doesn't have to die?"
Daenerys did not answer the question, but Aegor still got his answer. Daenerys was not afraid of the reputation of "kinslayer," but was afraid of truly killing her last remaining relative.
(The real Aegon Targaryen was tricked by me into guarding the Wall. As for this impostor, who knows what he is!)
This thought, however, could not be spoken, because he had no evidence.
Aegor secretly took a deep breath, his throat bobbing up and down.
Having multiple identities sometimes brought strange troubles, such as the situation he was facing at this moment.
He had to go through some probing and feigning ignorance to figure out which "self" Daenerys was looking for.
And now, the worst-case scenario had appeared.
Daenerys had called him out of his tent tonight for a talk...
It was not to discuss with the [Number One Supporter] or the [Hand of the Queen] how to deal with the enemy leader.
Instead, she had come to the [Lord Commander of the Night's Watch] to request political asylum for her rebellious nephew.
If he only had the latter identity, then facing Daenerys's personal request, he would certainly not hesitate. He would agree immediately and even personally arrange, handle, and even pick up the person, just as he had done with Jaime.
But now he was not only the leader of the Night's Watch, but also the representative of the interests of the Gift-North faction, and the kingdom's second-in-command!
The two methods Daenerys thought of, converting to religion and taking the black, were theoretically feasible, but she ignored or deliberately disregarded the fact that the effectiveness of these two restrictive curses, religion and honor, actually came from the combination of inner morality, worldly opinion, and the deterrence of a higher authority.
And among these three, the first two were actually intangible. Only the last one, the bottom line, was reliable and solid.
To put it simply, under normal circumstances, when a person who had converted to religion or taken the black decided to go back on their word and break their vows, even if they themselves were not ashamed of it, and even if they were not afraid of worldly gossip, the higher ruler, such as the king, would also take action for the stability of the ruling order, pursuing and punishing such acts of oath-breaking that violated public order and good customs.
It was obvious that once this restriction was placed on a potential heir to the throne... or to put it another way, when the benefit of breaking the vow might be the throne, the highest power itself, its restraining power would become so weak as to be almost nonexistent.
Because the gain and the cost were completely disproportionate, and once one held the throne, one could even rewrite or create history to whitewash the past!
The black could make someone like Aemon Targaryen wear it peacefully for a lifetime, and the only reason was that he truly did not want to be king!
Aegor had no certainty whether Aegon had the same realization and detached attitude as Maester Aemon, and he could not afford to gamble.
The Hand of the Queen's silence made Daenerys feel an invisible pressure. Of course, she was not truly unaware of how naive and ridiculous her proposal was, and could only nervously and eagerly try to patch it up. "If that really doesn't work, we can also announce to the outside world that Aegon Targaryen died in battle, and privately exile him, ordering him to change his name and never set foot on the land of Westeros again..."
"Your Grace." Aegor interrupted Daenerys's rambling, not hiding his helplessness and opposition in the slightest. "Most of Your Grace's followers, including myself, fought under the banner of 'upholding the legitimacy of the true dragon dynasty.' If you spare that false king's life after this battle, it is tantamount to announcing to the world that this was a tender family internal struggle, giving official endorsement to the authenticity of Aegon's bloodline! Is this fair to the soldiers who died in the process of suppressing the rebellion for you? Everyone was originally unsure whether that Aegon was real or fake, but after you do this, no matter whether he wears white robes, red robes, black clothes, or is even exiled far outside Westeros, he will always be one of the potential strong contenders for the dynasty's legal bloodline!"
Aegor did not fully spell out his lines. This point, for him, was absolutely unacceptable, whether from a public perspective, as Hand of the Queen considering the stability of the country, or from a private perspective, as the representative of a faction considering his own interests and those of the group behind him.
Yes, absolutely not!
Aegon's Targaryen surname was the reason for Daenerys's soft heart, but for everyone else besides Daenerys, it was precisely the reason he had to die!
...
Daenerys was a little disappointed.
Aegor's reaction was reasonable, and she had already expected him to object... but even though she was mentally prepared, when she truly found that the little bit of softness deep in her heart did not receive support or agreement from anyone around her, and even this man whom she regarded as a confidant and comrade and had always viewed with special favor was no exception, a strong sense of helplessness, disappointment, and grievance still uncontrollably surfaced.
Following a string of negative emotions was a sense of rebellion that surged from her bones.
She felt the true dragon's wrath buried within her body being ignited.
This could be the son of the brother she revered, her last living blood relative of the same surname!
Those obviously correct suggestions, brilliant plans, and even criticisms, she would naturally listen to patiently and humbly accept, but how to deal with the false king suspected to be her nephew, how could there be a clear distinction between right and wrong?
It's not your blood flowing in his bones, of course you don't feel the pain!
The two dragons had been placed in an open area a hundred meters away from the center of the camp, and the surrounding Reach Army tents had already been dismantled. When Daenerys and her Hand walked side by side to this spot and paused briefly, they were burying their heads and gnawing on the cattle and sheep Daenerys had sent people to feed them. Sensing the true dragon aura on Aegor, they raised their heads curiously.
"I hope to have your support, Aegor." In front of the open Dragon House, Daenerys slightly raised her neck, hiding the grievance and choked emotion in her tone. "But if you insist on opposing me out of reason, I will have to order you here in the name of Daenerys. You must capture Aegon Targaryen alive, and his fate will be handed over to me for judgment and decision!"
A familiar sense of displeasure immediately wrapped around Aegor's heart. It took him several seconds to figure out where this familiar feeling came from. In his original world, this kind of annoyance would arise in his stomach whenever his girlfriend was being unreasonable. However, annoyance was annoyance, and in most cases, as long as the man did not want to break up, he would mostly suppress his displeasure and try to coax and comfort her.
For his own benefit, Aegon must die.
Never mind that he was likely fake, even if he were real, it would not matter.
Not even the gods could save him. I said it!
Aegor's killing intent was decided, but at this moment, he remembered another troublesome matter he had encountered before crossing over.
There had once been a neighbor who insisted on decorating outside legal hours, waking the neighbors upstairs and downstairs from their dreams countless times early in the morning. Good advice was useless, and after many arguments, complaints, and even calling the police, he only slightly curbed his behavior. Finally, the wicked got their comeuppance. Not only was his glass broken, but his tires were also deflated...
The matter up to this point was quite satisfying, but then this person insisted that Aegor was the one who had done those things, because he had the most interactions regarding the noise, making a big fuss and demanding that he admit fault and compensate. Although the matter was eventually dropped due to lack of evidence, it still successfully disgusted and troubled him for a long time.
This matter was not big, but the "true culprit" who was hidden in the dark and never exposed made Aegor realize a truth, which was this: if you are determined to take hostile action, it is best not to say any extra words or do any extra things besides the actual action.
With Aegor's current power and position within the faction, he could very well stick to his guns, speak frankly and remonstrate, and argue or even have a big fight with Daenerys.
But if he did that, it would be fine if he finally succeeded in persuading Daenerys to back down. If not, and Daenerys went her own way, she could completely use her superior status to forcibly halt the pursuit of Aegon, and replace the troops with loyal subordinates to complete the easy second half of the war... Then, no matter what clever means he used to make Aegon "accidentally die," Daenerys would suspect him.
And looking at Daenerys's stiff expression and changing tone, Aegor truly had no confidence in persuading her.
He dared not forget for a moment that the person before him was a noble, intelligent, beautiful, but potentially mentally ill person with the Mad King's blood.
After a series of thoughts, Aegor made up his mind.
"Your Grace." He sighed in a firm but unwilling tone. "Reason and a sense of responsibility compel me to maintain my opposition. But at the same time, I also clearly remember that it was you who cut your wrist and bled to cure the severe poison I suffered at Winterfell. This life of mine belongs to Your Grace, and I would not hesitate to go through fire and water for you. You are making a dangerous and wrong decision, but if you have fully thought through the pros and cons, and ultimately still decide to bear the consequences and accept the risks of doing so... then I am willing to stand behind Your Grace from beginning to end, accompanying you and sharing your worries, fighting against any difficulties, dangers, and enemies with you until my last breath."
????
This was too heartwarming.
Daenerys was caught off guard by this sudden change in attitude.
She was a strong and iron-blooded Dragon Queen, but she was still a woman, and for a woman, what could be more comforting than having her occasional willfulness and recklessness accepted and indulged by the man she trusted?
Not to mention, this tenderness came from a Night's Watchman known for being even tougher and more ruthless than she was!
Say thank you? It did not fit her status, and it was too formal.
Show no reaction or even take it for granted? She was not that foolish either.
She had only saved Aegor's life once, and it had been under circumstances with almost no risk.
But what he had done for her had already far exceeded equivalence, reaching a level where she felt unable to repay him!
The spring night wind was still cold, but Daenerys's face inexplicably felt warm. Sniffling her nose, which had become wet for some reason, she was actually a little flustered for a moment, like a pure girl facing a confession, not knowing what to say.
Sensing his mother's change in mood, Rhaegal, who was closer to the two, stretched his long neck and brought his head closer. While blowing on Daenerys's face with his breath, he looked sideways at Aegor again, trying to figure out why he had that strange, powerful aura.
Daenerys raised her hand, which had nowhere to rest, and scratched Rhaegal's nose, but still could not ease the awkwardness of her mind being blank and not knowing what to say. Thinking of the two dragons' inexplicable closeness and friendly attitude toward Aegor, she suddenly had an idea.
"Aegor, have you ever thought about riding a dragon?"
(To be continued.)