At that moment, lying on the sickbed, Aegon the Second's brow furrowed.
He opened his eyes.
His violet eyes were somewhat vacant, and it took a moment for them to focus on Aemond's face.
"Aemond..." His voice was hoarse as sandpaper. "You've come..."
Aemond did not speak.
Aegon tried to move, but as soon as he shifted, he began to cough.
"Khh... khh..."
He coughed up blood, which ran down the corners of his mouth. The maester quickly stepped forward to wipe it away. Aegon waved his hand, indicating no.
He caught his breath and looked at Aemond.
"Where is Sunfyre?" he asked.
"Alive," Aemond said.
Aegon's eyes lit up. "He... how is he?"
"Worse than you. His wings are broken, his belly nearly torn open, and he has lost an eye."
Aegon was stunned. "Blind..."
"He has become a one-eyed dragon," Aemond said. "But he lives."
Aegon was silent a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"I did this to myself," Aegon sighed. "I take responsibility."
Aegon raised his eyes to look at his brother.
"This is your fault too..."
Aemond looked at him.
"Who asked you to come?"
Aegon shook his head. "I wanted to come myself. I am the king. I cannot hide behind..."
Aemond did not believe it.
"I know you," he said. "If no one persuaded you, you would not have come."
Aegon was silent.
In the tent, it was so quiet you could hear your own breathing.
Aemond waited.
After a while, Aegon finally spoke.
"It was the Faith... and the Citadel."
Aemond's eyes narrowed.
"High Septon Owen?"
"Yes," Aegon said. "And that Grand Maester Norren."
"They said... they said I should lead the expedition myself, prove my worth, show the lords that I am not useless..."
An ironic smile appeared on his face.
"They said that if I led and won this war, my prestige would rise higher and higher. If I did not stand up, no one would remember me as king in the future."
Aemond did not speak.
"They were right," Aegon smiled bitterly. "I am indeed useless. But I don't want to be useless. I want... I want to be a good king too."
Aemond was silent a moment.
"I will avenge you," he said, looking seriously at Aegon.
Aegon was stunned. "What?"
"The Faith. The Citadel," Aemond said. "If they dared to use you, they will pay the price."
Aegon looked at his brother.
"Am I going to die?"
Aemond shook his head. "Not far from death."
Aegon's face grew even paler.
"If you die," Aemond said, "I will send all the senior officials of the Citadel and the Faith to accompany you."
Aegon was stunned.
He looked at Aemond, looked at that indifferent face, and suddenly felt a slight heat in his eyes. His voice trembled. "Are you comforting me?"
Aemond was expressionless and did not answer.
But Aegon knew—yes.
This cold-blooded brother, this cruel brother, this brother who never took anyone seriously, had just comforted him.
"Don't worry," Aemond said. "Take care of yourself. Sunfyre saved you desperately. Do not let him down."
Aegon nodded.
But he remembered something else and asked urgently, "Can Sunfyre truly survive?"
Aemond nodded.
"I fed him my blood."
Aegon was stunned. "Your blood..."
"He can be saved," Aemond said. "You can live."
Aegon's eyes grew even redder.
He looked at Aemond and suddenly reached out to take his hand.
He said, "Thank you for saving Sunfyre..."
Aemond did not speak. But he did not pull his hand away from his foolish brother.
---
At that moment, a commotion rose outside the tent.
Aemond frowned and turned to leave.
Outside the tent stood a crowd.
Galwyn Hightower was at the front. Behind him stood a group of officers, and behind them, a dense mass of soldiers. At some point, they had surrounded the tent.
"Prince," Commander Galwyn spoke.
Aemond looked at them calmly.
"What is it?"
Galwyn was silent a moment, then knelt on one knee.
"Now that His Grace is grievously wounded and unable to govern," he said, "I beg the prince to become Regent."
The officers behind him also knelt on one knee.
"We beg the prince to become Regent!"
The soldiers exchanged glances, then knelt one by one.
"We beg the prince to become Regent!"
"We beg the prince to become Regent!"
"We beg the prince to become Regent!"
The sound grew louder and more unified, finally merging into a single chorus echoing through the camp.
Aemond stood, saying nothing.
---
Inside the tent, Aegon heard these voices.
He lay on the bed, listening to the officers' and soldiers' cries outside like a tsunami, his expression complex.
Regent. Aemond as Regent.
He truly was an incompetent man... Aemond could do anything. Aside from being the eldest son... what did he have to compete with Aemond? Why should he not let Aemond be Regent?
Aegon reluctantly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
"Help me sit up," he said to the maester.
The maester was surprised. "Your Grace, you need to rest."
"Help me sit up first."
The maester had no choice but to help him rise and lean against the headboard.
Aegon drew a deep breath and called out from inside the tent:
"Aemond."
Aemond entered. He looked at Aegon leaning against the headboard and said nothing.
Aegon looked at him.
The two brothers looked at each other.
"The men outside," Aegon said, "are asking you to be Regent."
He paused.
"What do you think?"
Aemond was silent a moment.
"What do you think?" Aemond asked rhetorically.
Aegon the Second smiled bitterly. "What can I think?" he said. "I cannot even move now. How can I be king?"
Aemond did not speak.
Aegon the Second continued.
"I know... I know you have always been better than me. It has always been this way. What you can do, I cannot do. What you can do, I cannot."
He paused.
"But I never hated you, brother. I only hate myself."
Silence fell between the two brothers.
"Hating yourself is useless," Aegon the Second spoke again. "Hating myself for being useless. Hating myself for wanting to be a good king, but not doing anything well."
Aegon the Second coughed twice, bringing up blood.
Aemond personally stepped forward and handed him a piece of silk.
Aegon the Second took it from Aemond and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Aemond," Aegon the Second looked at his brother and said.
"Yes?"
"If I die," Aegon said, "you will be king."
Aemond was stunned for a moment.
"You are better than me. More useful than me."
Aemond was silent a moment.
"You will not die," Aemond said.
Aegon the Second smiled bitterly. "How do you know?"
"Because I also do not want this foolish brother to die," Aemond said.
Aegon was stunned.
He looked at Aemond, at that eternally indifferent face, and suddenly felt that beneath that face, there was something hidden. Was it care? Was it... or something else? He did not know.
He only knew that hearing this made him feel much better.
"Aemond." He reached out.
Aemond held his hand.
"My brother," Aegon looked at his brother with difficulty and patted the back of his hand. "Be Regent..."
At this moment, Aegon the Second had a complex expression. He had always feared that this brother would usurp him, but now it seemed he did not intend to kill him. This made him feel much better. The question of whether his younger brother would usurp the throne in the future was a matter for another day.
For now, he was glad that Aemond still cared about brotherhood...
---
Outside the tent, Galwyn and the officers knelt on one knee with serious expressions, waiting.
The curtain of the royal tent was lifted.
Prince Aemond emerged.
All looked at him.
"His Grace has given his verbal consent," Aemond said.
All pricked up their ears.
"From this day forward, I will be Regent."
A moment of silence.
Then applause erupted.
"Regent!"
"Regent!"
"Regent!"
Aemond stood expressionless.
But in his heart, there was a trace of complexity.
He had finally gone this far.
But the price was that his brother lay on a sickbed, nearly dead.
He had thought many times that if Aegon died, he could legitimately inherit the throne. But in the end, he could not do it.
He had never considered Rhaenyra, Rhaenys, or Daemon his kin.
But Helaena, Alicent, Aegon, Daeron...
And that weak Viserys...
These people were his family.
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