King's Judgement

"..."

The world was silent.

'Father… you've been avenged.' Aerion looked high into the sky.

'But I did not fight for you. I fought for myself.'

He closed his eyes and focused on healing his wounds. After a few seconds, they had closed and fully healed as he channelled more magic vitality. Then, he opened his eyes and looked to the crowd, drawing his sword from Robert's chest.

"Let it be known that I, Aerion of House Targaryen, have no equal in battle!"

The crowd cheered the victor of the duel, only stopping when he stabbed his blade into the ground.

"But more importantly than that, with the defeat of the Usurper, the Seven Kingdoms only knows one King... as it should. For years on end, all that ever came from the Seven Kingdoms in regards to House Targaryen and myself was ridicule, laughter, contempt… and distaste."

"The sand dragon who forever rests in Dorne... it wouldn't have been so amusing if I had thought 'fuck the Realm' and joined hands with the Greyjoys, now would it?"

The cheers from before grew to a halt, replaced by silence.

"No? That's precisely the reaction that I had in mind." Aerion smiled. "I know that there are some true loyalists in this crowd... and I thank you for your dedication. Through all those terrible years, you kept your faith in House Targaryen which, in turn, kept my faith for the Seven Kingdoms. For that, you will be rewarded with a prosperous reign."

"Well... I don't really have anything more to say. You may all leave." Aerion withdrew his sword from the ground. "Except for the rebels."

The Soul Knights amongst the crowd sprang into action, grabbing hold of the visitors that had come with Robert Baratheon and bringing them before Aerion. Edmure Tully, Eddard Stark, Jon Arryn and their two guards were forced onto their knees by the Soul Knights behind them while Aerion silently observed.

"Where is 'His Grace' now, Lord Edmure?"

He did not speak in Aerion's presence... even if he wanted to, he didn't know what to say.

"I have a better question for you; Who do you acknowledge as your King now?"

"I..."

'This fool tests my patience...'

Aerion's hand itched with an impulse to set Edmure on fire but he kept it under control. Instead, he spent his magic vitality on resurrecting Robert. Emerald flames left his palm and engulfed Robert's corpse. Seconds after, the flames dispersed and revealed his new body.

Robert was just as tall yet his frame was more well-defined and muscular than before. His fat double-chin from the first time Aerion had faced Robert was completely gone, replaced with an iron jaw. He also, as per tradition, shared the emerald eyes of Aerion's undead. The rest was more or less the same. Long black hair, a slightly thinner beard... overall, Robert did look more handsome than before.

In his time, Rhaegar was arguably the most beautiful man in the Seven Kingdoms but Robert certainly had his own appeal.

Aerion observed the changes.

'I wonder how strong he is now...'

"Welcome back to the world of the living, courtesy of my magic." Aerion offered his hand. "Come, you will make your oath beneath the Iron Throne."

Robert grabbed it and helped himself up, almost taking Aerion's arm with him.

'Seven hells... why can't I have the strength of a Soul Knight?'

"What will you do with them?" Robert inquired, looking at the three lords who more or less represented three Great Houses.

"Oh, that will come after."

~

After the duel, two acquaintances had a little talk.

"Did you see how His Grace raised Robert from the dead?"

"So, the stories are true..."

"This dark magic should not be praised nor permitted. He is a man, not a God..." A man of great faith interrupted them.

"What if the 'Gods' blessed him with this divine power?"

"No, he only uses his magic to further himself. How could the Seven choose him, of all people? It's absurd... the more accurate theory would be that he is the devil's spawn."

"The devil's spawn...? That's a little much, I'd say. Such a person would mean chaos for the world but the Free Cities are quite well off after his conquest."

~

Aerion sat down on the Iron Throne and made himself comfortable... at least, as much as the throne allowed him. Aegon hadn't intended the throne for comfort, after all. Robert Baratheon his knee before Aerion and the Iron Throne with the entire court as witnesses. In front of the Iron Throne stood all of Aerion's Kingsguard in an arrow-like formation. Ser Jaime was at the very head with Ser Barristan and Whent to his sides. Meanwhile, Ser Arthur Dayne stood at the foot of the first step of the Iron Throne.

"Your Grace, are you certain about admitting the Usurper into the ranks of the Kingsguard?" Jaime questioned.

Aerion nodded. "Need I repeat myself?"

"Very well." Jaime turned back to Robert with some doubt. "Can you recite the oath from memory?"

"No. Would His Grace enlighten me?"

Aerion laughed. "Jaime, recite it for him."

"I, Ser Jaime of House Lannister, hereby swear on my honour and my allegiance to protect and serve the King and his family. I will do my duties until death, and through that time, keep all secrets of the King safe from being spread. I will not speak unless spoken to, and I will defend the King's land or pay the price. I will wed no wife, father no children and hold no land unless the King wishes otherwise. I will master the gate, pluck the bow, handle the blade and serve my realm: for now and forever."

"Did you get all that, Lord Robert?"

"Hmm... I, King... Lord Robert of House Baratheon, hereby swear on my honour and my allegiance to protect the King and his family. I will do my duties until death..."

As Robert stopped, Aerion snapped his fingers and Robert continued onwards; finishing the rest of the oath perfectly.

".... I will master the gate, pluck the bow, handle the blade and serve my realm: for now and forever."

He couldn't believe that he had remembered all of it. It seemed as if the oath had been engraved into his memory (which it had been).

"How did father manage to remember all that in one attempt?" Jocelyn wondered.

Jaime gifted the white cloak in his hands to Robert... well it was more like Robert stripped it from his hand, more or less.

"I have a feeling that we're going to get along very well," Jaime stated with a clear tone of sarcasm.

"Some wine and you might just be right."

"Hmph."

"Now, Lord Edmure Tully, Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn... step forward and kneel." Aerion commanded with a cold tone.

"Lord Eddard, despite fighting against House Targaryen, you had a valid reason to do so. It was my father who went on a little trip with Lyanna Stark. It was also my grandfather who had lost his mind and burned both your brother and father. To add to that, you kept your word to me... and that is something that I greatly appreciate."

"You will remain as the Lord Paramount and Warden of the North."

"Thank you, Your Grace." Eddard Stark bowed his head.

"Lord Jon of House Arryn." Aerion chuckled... eventually bursting into laughter. "The state of your House... oh, it's rather unfortunate..."

"A sickly son who is bound to die in a couple of years. Could you even call that an heir? Now, if you had my good graces, I might have considered attempting to heal the boy... but you don't. Hmph, I have yet to mention your consistent defiance against House Targaryen and organised attempts on my life... which will not be forgiven, unfortunately for you."

"Lord Jon of Arryn, you are hereby stripped of all lands, titles and claims. Your child Robert Arryn will not be inheriting anything... not that he'd live long enough to do so anyway."

"His Grace is not afraid of making some drastic changes, it seems." One lord from the crownlands stated.

"I remember when Robert gave away most of my lands in favour of his rebels. Now look... the very opposite is happening, only that His Grace is not afraid of directly replacing even the most prestigious of lords."

"The lords of the Vale won't be pleased..."

Aerion could see that Robert wished to protest but he wasn't given the honour. Instead, he was forced into staying silent as a Kingsguard should be.

Tywin looked at the poor lord who had his pride and honour stripped away like it was nothing by his King. It was unfortunate, but he didn't have many emotions regarding Jon. More so, he was glad that Aerion hadn't done the same with House Lannister.

"That is not all." Aerion added, silencing the court.

"You are to serve the rest of your living days in the dungeons."

Two Soul Knight guards moved upwards and grabbed Jon by each arm, dragging him up and out of the throne room. Jon's expression was that of gloom as he was forced to the very lowest level of the dungeons. It was dark and without light, though that may have been a good thing as what was inside would faze even the most daring of men.

"To fill the open seat of Lord of the Eyrie, I have decided to grant the title to Lord Monford of House Velaryon. House Velaryon has faithfully stood beside House Targaryen from the very beginning, even after the Iron Throne had been lost. The capture of Stannis Baratheon was very well organised and a true display of loyalty... something that few men would be willing to do in the same circumstance. Although Monford Velaryon is not present to receive this honour due to being part of my navy, he is to be acknowledged as the ruling Lord of the Eyrie and the Vale from today onwards. His children, grandchildren and even future generations of House Velaryon will enjoy all the benefits; incomes, lands and everything else that may come with holding this prestigious title. Also, House Velaryon may keep their ancestral island; Driftmark... if Lord Monford so wishes."

"Lastly, Lord Edmure of House Tully, step forward." Aerion paused until Edmure bent his knee. "There are two traits that I value most in subjects; loyalty and competence."

"Frankly, you have neither. The Riverlands, out of all other Kingdoms, by far suffered the most from Ironborn attacks as you failed to lead your own men against them. When you asked for assistance from your less loyal Riverland lords, they rejected and focused on protecting their own lands. Even Robert had to march over there and drag you from the mud."

"How embarrassing is that? Your first opportunity to prove yourself as a capable leader and you topple over like a tower with foundations made of straw."

"Your men don't respect you, your lords don't respect you… is this the man who will be Lord Paramount of the Trident?"

"..."

"Let's not even speak of your loyalty. You hesitated even after Robert had fallen… in addition to all that, you have no capable heir to speak of. Don't even think to mention your ancestral roots as if you and the rest of the Usurper's lords cared for mine."

Viserys chuckled. 'Truly, Aerion doesn't require a sword to be ruthless. His words are more than enough to crush a man.'

"With the bleak future of House Tully along with its defiant nature of recent years, all of its titles and lands will be passed onto a more worthy person soon enough. For your own remarks, Edmure, you are to be chained and taught a lesson in the lands of Essos. Whether or not you manage to earn your freedom... well, that we will have to see."

"Enslaved...? Slavery is-"

Aerion laughed at Edmure's reply. "Slavery goes against the law... right, of course. But I ask you this, who is it that passes down these laws?"

"... The King..."

"Correct. Now get out of my sight."

A Soul Knight grabbed Edmure and dragged him out of the throne room.

"That will be all." Aerion stood up from the Iron Throne and stepped down. "The lord paramounts present, on me. Viserys... you may tag along as well."

~

Aerion sat down on the head of the small council table, where to his left sat Oberyn Martell (who filled in for Doran), Mace Tyrell and Tywin Lannister. While to his right sat Viserys and Eddard Stark. Outside of the seats stood every current member of the Kingsguard, including Robert Baratheon.

"Please, do not be afraid to lay back a little." Aerion grabbed his golden goblet of wine and sipped some of its contents. "Hmm... Dornish. Anyway, we might not be the closest of friends but we are all united under one purpose. That one purpose is, of course, making the Realm as a whole greater."

"Speaking of making the Realm greater, the Greyjoys along with the tradition of reaving has been in the way of that goal in recent years." Aerion grasped a letter that Balon Greyjoy had sent him. A letter discussing an alliance of sorts. "Wouldn't we all agree?"

Everyone nodded, even Robert who had spent a year constantly fending them off.

"Might I suggest a course of action, Your Grace?" Viserys inquired.

"Go ahead."

"Crush them once and for all. Every last one of them so that no Greyjoy Rebellion can ever happen again. Then, under a strong and capable leader, they should change from their current ways into something more beneficial for the Seven Kingdoms. Such as trading."

"Hmm." Aerion nodded.

"A change of tradition, culture and even faith would be necessary for that to be possible." Tywin Lannister added. "That would be no easy task."

"Tywin, I will leave that duty mostly to you." Aerion stated. "Are you capable of handling it, however, is the question?"

"I will spare no effort, Your Grace. However, the Ironborn are known to be a stubborn people."

"Then I will make them docile."

Aerion replied, his eyes glowing a shade of emerald.

~

After the meeting had been concluded, Aerion had Tywin stay behind alone.

"Come, sit next to me with your wine."

Tywin hesitated slightly but he followed the order in the end. Once his hands laid on the table, Aerion withdraw Instinct and pierced his hand straight through.

"AHHH!"

He screamed in agony, unable to move his hand from the knife that had been embedded into the table.

"It is said that Rhaenys had been stabbed dozens of times by the pile of ash that was once Amory Loch." Aerion coldly yet calmly stated. "How do you feel about enduring a thousand or so of my own stabs?"

Aerion withdrew Instinct from Tywin's hand before swiftly stabbing it into his left eye... with a spice of fire. Tywin shrieked in pain once more, this time falling off his chair and rolling on the ground. Aerion looked down for half a minute, watching Tywin suffer. Then, once he was satisfied, Aerion removed the dagger and healed all of Tywin's wounds completely... except for the eye.

"You are now dismissed, Tywin of House Lannister. We still have a long way towards your redemption but this is a good step forward."

"..." Tywin did not say a word. Instead, he swiftly walked away before Aerion had decided to stab him once more.

~

After the meeting concluded, Aerion walked with Robert to the fourth level of the Red Keep dungeon where Jon had been chained. They had walked not walked in darkness as Aerion's fire lighted the way forward and displayed some of the horrors of the lowermost cells along the way. It was their first time in this level of the dungeons... and both were quite shaken by it. Though, Aerion, who had seen more atrocities was less so affected.

"There he is." Aerion said, looking at the fire a few metres ahead that had shined Jon's body with a brilliant scarlet light. "Unconcious... it seems that my guards had a go at him, heh."

A few missing nails, torn hair, a purple eye... indeed, Aerion's Soul Knights had not been kind.

"Robert... I want you to do something for me. A true display of your loyalty, if you will." Aerion forged a warhammer of flame and firmly placed it into Robert's hands.

"Slay Jon of House Arryn."

"I cannot do that, Your Grace." Robert replied. "He was like a father to me... if you want him dead, do it yourself."

"No, that would be pointless." Aerion countered, shaking his head. "It simply wouldn't do. Let me put it in this way, if you don't kill him now then who knows for how long he will rot in this terrible place? How many times my guards will crush him, bone by bone... they are not the kindest of men, as you can see. Only you can release him from this pain as I do not care for him."

"You... if you release him, I will not disobey another order."

"You've already promised your loyalty, Robert Baratheon. Now I want you to display the strength of it."

"I cannot."

"Do it... this is not a request but an order. An order that you will follow."

Robert Baratheon reluctantly took the first step forward. It took some time but step by step he made his way until he was within striking distance of Jon Arryn. Suddenly, Jon's blue eyes slowly began to open...

"Rob..."

He muttered, his voice full of pain. Robert could not bear to see him like this any longer...

With tears rolling down from his eyes, Robert raised his warhammer and smashed Jon's head. Immediately, Jon's body lighted on fire and turned into ash.

Afterwards, Robert tossed aside the warhammer.

"... Are you convinced... dragonspawn?"

Aerion nodded. "Very well done. You could have been faster and addressed me properly but I am satisfied nonetheless."

He gathered Jon's soul before turning to the exit of the fourth floor.

"Now then, let us leave this dark place."

~