Chapter 121: The Great Judgment
Helaena, holding Maelor and leading Princess Jaehaera by the hand, walked with her head bowed to the center of the Hall of a Hundred Hearths. Vermithor slowly lowered his head, his dragon eyes coldly staring at the silver-haired Princess.
"Helaena Targaryen, Princess of the Realm, due to the treasonous acts of her husband, the Usurper King Aegon II Targaryen, and the crimes of her mother, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, in altering the will of King Viserys I Targaryen, should have been sentenced to death. However, His Grace the King and the late Queen, recognizing the Princess's refusal to participate in the rebellion and her righteous protection of the royal bloodline, have decided to preserve Princess Helaena Targaryen's royal status. Yet, though her merits are great, they do not erase her faults. Princess Helaena, you shall go to the Seven Dragons Sept of Summerhall and take vows as a septa, praying for your husband, your mother, and your deceased son, begging the Seven to forgive their sins."
Draezel's eyes held pity, but his voice remained cold as he delivered the judgment.
The nobles below began whispering among themselves. People were very satisfied with such a judgment. Even Aegon's wife and children being spared proved that this brown-haired Targaryen and his young King's Hand were willing to follow the rules of noble conduct, rather than use their overwhelming military power—the Dragons—to inflict upon traitors the same fate that had befallen "Black Harren," the former master of this immense castle.
Only Lord Borros Baratheon felt somewhat sorrowful. He loved his four daughters dearly. Unfortunately, his eldest daughter had encountered Queen Rhaenyra's dragon, Syrax, while on the road to King's Landing. Syrax destroyed six thousand of his men and half of his daughter's body. Though Cassandra Baratheon and Ser Desmond Caron had escaped Syrax's first attack, no one had expected the Queen's fury to be so terrifying. She mounted Syrax and burned the entire forest. In the end, Cassandra Baratheon failed to escape. Ser Desmond Caron was burned alive while protecting her, and Cassandra herself, suffering terrible burns, died in agony.
Borros, consumed by fear and fury, had personally cut off the head of his second daughter, Maris. Borros still remembered Maris's tearful expression when she saw him enter her chamber with armed men and heard her desperate plea:
"Father, I won't speak recklessly again! Please spare me, Father!"
Yet in the end, Borros had shed tears while ordering her execution. Her cries changed from pleading to cursing as her head was severed. He afterward instructed the maester to record her death as a sudden illness. After all, only the people of Storm's End knew Lucerys's death was deeply tied to his outspoken daughter.
Now he only hoped that Jacaerys and Draezel were unaware of this matter and would let House Baratheon—whose crimes were comparatively minor—escape disaster. But even if they knew, it no longer mattered. At worst, he could use his daughter's death to shift responsibility.
Let his daughter pay for her own foolishness.
"As for your children, Princess Jaehaera must relinquish her surname. You will oversee her upbringing until she reaches adulthood. Afterward, she shall serve under Septa Selena at the Seven Dragons Sept. It is hoped she will become the most devout servant of the Seven, helping her mother complete these prayers of atonement."
Draezel gestured for Jacaerys to announce Maelor's judgment. This was, after all, the most important matter regarding the Green faction.
"Princess Helaena." Jacaerys straightened his back and looked toward the child in the Princess's arms.
Maelor was only two years old and understood nothing. He could not comprehend what was happening. Before entering the Hall of a Hundred Hearths, the gloomy Harrenhal had frightened him to tears. Helaena had only just managed to soothe him to sleep. Even the assembled nobles intentionally kept their voices low, unwilling to wake the sleeping child.
"My mother originally intended to wipe out the Usurper's bloodline, but I persuaded her otherwise," Jacaerys said softly. "What I desire is a Realm healed from the wounds inflicted by Hightower ambition—not a sinful abyss consumed by endless hatred. Innocent children bear no guilt. I cannot harm a child who has done no wrong. Yet neither can I allow him to threaten the sacred order of succession. My grandfather named my mother his heir; this was a sacred royal decree, above tradition itself. To violate that decree and undermine the sanctity of kingship—this was Hightower's folly."
Jacaerys slowly explained.
This had also been Draezel's teaching. Standing beside him, Draezel gave a faint nod.
On the night before the coronation, Draezel and Jacaerys had spoken at length. During that discussion, Draezel had explained succession law. The male-preference primogeniture accepted by Westerosi nobles did not actually forbid women from inheriting. The normal succession order was eldest son, eldest son's descendants, younger sons, brothers, and then daughters, though the order often shifted.
Take House Royce as an example: Lady Rhea Royce's inheritance rights exceeded those of her uncles and cousins. Yet in many cases—especially wartime—lords preferred an adult male heir rather than younger sons or daughters. Even widows without children could temporarily govern lands, and in rare circumstances directly inherit them.
Bound by oaths, interests, and blood ties, many nobles had supported Queen Rhaenyra's claim. But this did not mean they accepted absolute equal inheritance between men and women. Such customs belonged to the Rhoynar, not the Andals.
The Targaryens had already pushed Westerosi tolerance to its limits with sibling marriage. The Realm could no longer endure further turmoil, especially with winter approaching and plague spreading.
Thus Draezel advised Jacaerys to shift focus away from female succession and instead emphasize the supreme authority of a king's decree. Succession was not about gender—it was about the King's sacred command.
This strengthened royal authority while weakening the notion that nobles could interfere in royal succession because of the Great Council of 101 AC.
At the same time, it indirectly strengthened the legal standing of daughters while preserving male preference.
Jacaerys's words indeed reassured many nobles below, especially those who had joined the Blacks out of sworn duty. In truth, many still preferred traditional succession law. It was precisely because they valued tradition that they upheld their oaths.
"Maelor shall remain under Princess Helaena's care until he reaches fifteen years of age. Afterward, he shall be placed under Prince Draezel's guardianship. Prince Draezel will grant him lands suitable for his station and provide for Princess Helaena and Princess Jaehaera. He too must relinquish the Targaryen name and swear eternal loyalty, never betraying the throne. Princess, swear in his name before gods and ancestors."
Princess Helaena looked gently toward Jaehaera. Understanding, the little Princess released her mother's hand and obediently stood beside her.
"I, Helaena Targaryen, and on behalf of my son Maelor and daughter Jaehaera, swear before the old gods and the new gods, and before the ancestors and Dragons of House Targaryen, that I and my son's descendants shall forever remain loyal to the bloodline of Queen Rhaenyra and her descendants, never betraying their rule or succession rights. My son's line shall relinquish all claims to the Iron Throne, all rights to Dragons and Dragon eggs, and surrender the Targaryen name. Upon reaching fifteen, my son shall swear this oath himself."
"Princess Helaena, I make the same promise," Jacaerys replied. "As long as Maelor's descendants uphold this oath, I and my descendants will guarantee their safety."
He looked at the sleeping Maelor.
"I grant him the name of his father's fallen dragon: Sunfyre. Maelor Sunfyre—I hope he grows healthy and spends his life atoning for the follies of his father and uncles."
"Praise your mercy, Your Grace," Helaena said gratefully.
After dealing with Helaena and her children, it was time to punish those who sought redemption through service.
The most typical case was Unwin Peake. He was stripped of all lands and titles. He willingly chose the black, exchanging his life for his son's future.
As a reward for surrendering in the end, Titus Peake was spared the Wall. Whitegrove, one of the three Peake castles, was regranted to Titus as a reward, though with much of its lands removed.
Then came the Citadel.
The maesters and scholars involved in the conspiracy had already been executed in Oldtown. Their students were stripped of their chains and ordered to study again under other masters before earning them anew.
According to plan, the Citadel itself would be thoroughly reorganized. The Silver Fleet had already dispatched ships to Oldtown, preparing to receive the Citadel's wealth and knowledge.
Then came the most anticipated segment.
As everyone knew, where there was punishment, there would also be reward.
As the greatest contributor to the war, Draezel received everything promised before the war: vast territories from Unwin Peake, half of House Hightower's southern lands, and all the lands of Nightsong. The Varezys family also received appointment rights over Summerhall and Silver Crown City's ports, control of the Royal Mint, guardianship over Aegon and Viserys, fifty years of tax exemption, and a reward of nine hundred thousand gold dragons.
Draezel also suggested to Cregan Stark that he accept the thirty thousand Northmen he had brought south.
Cregan declared Draezel a friend forever of House Stark.
The Riverlands and Vale lords likewise received tax reductions and gold rewards. Jacaerys promised free grain transport northward, helping his Northern allies survive winter.
Just as rewards were being distributed—
Ser Simon Strong, castellan of Harrenhal, cautiously stepped forward.
His reward had originally been gold and reduced taxes.
But he wanted something more.
"Your Grace… please hear my request."
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