WILOW-Ch.448: Gifts for Kings

Red Keep, King’s Landing

POV of Domeric Pendragon

Domeric turned and saw King Eddard, now having risen from his throne, conveying his congratulations to King Aegon.

Aegon seemed a little uncomfortable that someone he considered a father figure was now on the same level as him, but he did his best to hide his discomfort.

Domeric was not as surprised as the other people when King Eddard took out a one-handed Valyrian Sword and gave it as a gift for the coronation of King Aegon.

Mostly because he was the one who asked Tobho Mott to reforge Ice into two swords in the first place.

But judging by the pin drop silence in the room, everyone else was certainly surprised that King Eddard gave half the Valyrian Steel of House Stark to a member of House Targaryen.

What they didn’t know was that the reason why King Eddard gave King Aegon the sword was that he wouldn’t be defenseless against the White Walkers or the wights in the future if he chose to fight against them at the Wall.

King Aegon Jon Targaryen took a few steps forward from the Iron Throne and accepted the sword from the man who had raised him since he was a babe.

"I... thank you, King Eddard. For this gift." King Aegon said.

As King Eddard was reinstated to his throne, King Aegon looked at the rest of the court and said, "Every good sword needs a good name. Rhaegar Targaryen may have sired me, but King Eddard is the only father I’ve ever known. And one of the most important things I’d learned from him was to live with honour. For that, I name this sword ’Honour’."

Cheers erupted in the hall, and the other Northern Lords, Lords from the Kingdom of Honour, went after King Eddard.

Normally, the northern lords would only have offered their congratulations. They weren’t required to present gifts to King Aegon.

But it seemed they regarded Aegon as one of their own, and so each of them had tried to prepare the best gift they could.

But still, despite his roads, his cheaper food, and cheaper weapons, the Northerners’ houses were still not as rich when compared to the houses of the Reach.

This was becoming increasingly evident from the gifts the lords and ladies gave to King Aegon.

Lady Maege Mormont gave him a war axe. It was a nice axe made from Frost Steel with a sharp edge, and he was sure that King Aegon appreciated the gesture. But it was a mere axe, nonetheless.

Lord Galbart Glover gave him 1000 animal hides and 1000 timber.

Ser Wylis Manderly gave him a chest filled with silver coins. So on and so forth.

Finally, after the Northern Lords had offered their congratulations and presented their gifts, all the lords in the Great Hall had fulfilled their duties.

And now the moment many had awaited had arrived. It was time for Emperor Domeric Pendragon to present his gifts to the kings.

When he walked up his glass throne again, everyone else in the room became silent. He could feel their gazes burning on him.

Then he looked at King Aegon with a serious expression.

"Kingship is a heavy burden. For you, King Aegon Jon of House Targaryen, sixth of his name, this burden will be heavier than most. Soon, we’ll all go back to our own lands to rule our kingdom and empire. Although the Great Empire of Midgard will assist in governing the Kingdom of Ashborn, that doesn’t change the fact that you’ll remain here, bearing the brunt of the burden. So, before I leave King’s Landing, I would like to help you by decreasing some of that burden to the best of my capabilities." He said.

Then, after glancing at everyone in the Great Hall, he looked at King Eddard and said. "For this reason, I have prepared several gifts for these two kings who have sworn allegiance to the Empire here today."

"Firstly..." he said, clapping his hands.

Then Varko and Brianne approached King Aegon and King Eddard with swords resting on a cushion.

"...Valyrian Steel Swords," Domeric finished his words.

And as soon as he said this, the sounds of the gasps echoed through the Great Hall.

After all, there were only 19 known Valyrian Swords in total, and now that Ice had been split into two, that number had risen to 20.

But the sudden appearance of two Valyrian swords as a gift was like a miracle to many. After all, the Lannisters, the wealthiest house in Westeros, had long been searching for a Valyrian sword but hadn’t found one.

Until Domeric sold them one.

"I have named the sword I gifted to King Eddard, Wolf-Fang. It could only be fate, King Eddard, that on the day House Stark lost one Valyrian sword, another arrived at the house. I hope this sword will serve your Royal Family well."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty," said King Eddard, and he picked up the sword from the cushion that Varko was holding.

Domeric probably thought King Eddard would give this sword to Prince Robb. If he weren’t worried about Aegon, the second half of Ice would most likely already be in Robb’s hands.

"And I have named the sword I gifted to King Aegon, Dragon-Claw. The fact that House Targaryen acquired two Valyrian Swords on the same day could only be an indication that the Targaryens’ fortunes were rising again, King Aegon. I hope this sword will also serve your Royal Family well."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty," said King Aegon, and he picked up the sword from the cushion that Brianne was holding. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Secondly... Royal Fleets." Domeric said, and the murmurs started once again.

He raised his hand, and the murmurs died down. "The Royal Fleet of Seven Kingdoms, which was taken by King Stannis and used by him to assault King’s Landing. The Fleet returned to Storm’s End once they were cut off from King Stannis by the Tyrells. Two weeks earlier, the Fleet Admiral of my Imperial Fleet captured the Royal Fleet with minimum damage and would return to King’s Landing in a fortnight. This is my second gift for King Aegon."

King Aegon nodded and thanked him again for his generosity.

Then Domeric continued. "As for King Eddard’s second gift, House Pendragon will build 100 warships within a year and present them to the Kingdom of Honour. This will form the backbone of the newly established kingdom’s Royal Fleet."

King Eddard also nodded and thanked him again for his generosity.

"The third gift." He said and clapped his hands.

A second later, the doors of the Throne Room opened up, and his soldiers entered the room with dozens of chests along with a man whose hands were tied behind his back and whose head was hidden with a sack.

He continued, "I present to you Petyr Baelish as my third gift, King Aegon, King Eddard."

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Next Chapters’ Name:

Ch.449: A Personal Matter

Ch.450: The Trial Begins

Ch.451: Petyr Baelish’s Crimes Are Being Revealed