-Chapter 67-

-On the 20th day of the 3rd moon of the year 299 AC-

-3rd POV-

King Aegon VI stepped forward and looked over all the people filling the new Coliseum that had been built on the ruins of Dragonpit, the former lair… it would be more accurate to call it the ancient prison of dragons.

From his perfectly located box in the middle of the arena, he could see the tens of thousands of people crammed into the royal boxes, simply coming with the hope of seeing the royal family as well as the dragons that had hatched at the beginning of the year.

The royal box, huge and richly decorated, everything was done to ensure that the impression the King would leave on the people who came to see him in this arena would not see him as a king but as a demi-god, a god walking among mortals.

He raised his hands so that the deafening cheers would cease, and once he had the desired silence, he began by saying:

"Today, we are all gathered here to officially celebrate the return of the House of the Dragon to power, we are here to turn the page on a chaotic century that was complicated mainly for you, my people whom I love so much, a century that was also difficult for the House Targaryen, which suffered so much betrayal by corrupt nobles who had sworn never to betray them but did everything to push us off a cliff."

He paused, looking at his people who were also silent, and then he began to speak again, saying:

"BUT AS SOON AS I SOUGHT YOUR SUPPORT, YOU LOYAL PEOPLE OF THE CAPITAL, YOU HEROES OF THIS REALM, YOU ALL RESPONDED, YOU DID YOUR DUTY WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THROUGH ALL THE YEARS WHEN THE STAG GORGED ITSELF TO THE POINT OF TURNING INTO A MERE PIG THAT THE HOUSE OF THE DRAGON WOULD RETURN TO FREE YOU."

The soldiers on duty and in civilian clothes hidden around or simply coming to attend the opening ceremony of the coliseum all shouted at the top of their lungs to express their support for their king, and the people did the same by clapping and shouting out loud.

"BY THE OLD GODS AND THE NEW, YOU HAVE JUDGED THAT I WAS WORTHY OF MY ANCESTORS' THRONE AND I THANK YOU FOR THIS INCREDIBLE DEMONSTRATION OF LOYALTY AND I SWEAR TO YOU I WILL WORK FOR THE REST OF MY DAYS FOR THE EXPANSION AND WELL-BEING OF MY PEOPLE."

The people, who had lost their voice and had begun to calm the cheers made in honor of their sovereign, redoubled their intensity, and this time everyone stood up to ovate the king who shouted, even if his cry was lost in the sea of screams:

"YOU WILL NEVER REGRET THE DECISION YOU MADE IN PLACING YOUR TRUST IN ME."

-POV Viserys-

I stood up and smiled, saying to my nephew, "They would all be ready to die for you just for a useless speech."

"It's not just a useless speech, Viserys, look at them, really look at them, see the joy I've brought to an entire people with these few words, if someone told them that I'm forcibly enrolling beggars from all over as future cannon fodder in the construction of my future empire, no one would believe it because I am their savior, their king, and even their fucking God," he said with a smug smile.

For some time, the beggars who "disturbed the public order" had been forcefully removed from the streets to be brought to the black cells of the Red Keep, after the stagnation of army recruitment, Aegon had decided to use this method to further swell his personal army with more soldiers loyal to his cause, for a purpose that was still unclear.

Seeing him acclaimed by this crowd left a particularly bitter taste in my mouth as I realized that I could never be adored by such a crowd with such fervor.

I felt someone's gaze on me and turned around only to catch Bronn nodding at me, although he was a rat, he had opened my eyes to many subtleties at court, and thanks to him, I understood that I was an undesirable and that the only one who supported me was my nephew.

'But soon all this will change, whether they like it or not, everyone will be forced to respect and fear me,' I thought as I watched my dragon Viserion flying with Rhaegal, Aegon's dragon.