Ice and Fire: Reign of the Dragon.

Chapter 125 The Iron Throne Rejected Him, But the People Accepted Him

The Red Sea Monster is still waiting for the Iron Fleet to gather, and several captains' longship fleets have not arrived yet. Although the Kingdom of the Three Daughters was slaughtered by Longzel's Silver Fleet, it still has some naval power, and King Dalton never fights unprepared wars.

While the Red Sea Monster was anxiously waiting for the late captains and sharpening his knife to attack the three daughters, Longzel and Jacaerys had already flown to every castle in the Westerlands. Jacaerys held royal courts in the lord's hall, under the big trees in the countryside, and in the pits of the gold mines to listen to the petitions of the people and the lords. He presided over justice for the young lords who went to the Wall for their fathers or brothers, and upheld the rights of the people. Under Jacaerys's persuasion, the lords willingly opened the vaults and paid the fines with their own money instead of raising taxes in a way that exhausted all resources. In Lannisport, Jacaerys personally held Jason Lannister's only son, Lorien Lannister, on the throne of King Casterly Rock, accepted the loyalty of all the lords of the Westerlands, and helped Lady Johanna consolidate her rule. After resolving the affairs of the Westerlands, Jacaerys flew back to the Riverlands almost without stopping to welcome the supplies coming from the south.

Under the supervision of Womax and Womiso, the supplies, including food and medicine, were smoothly distributed to the people. Jacaerys flew to the villages and castles in the King's Territory that were deeply affected by the plague, bringing them the wisdom accumulated by the Citadel for thousands of years.

Although the scholars could not treat the Tremor and Dragon Pox, combined with the medical knowledge of the Citadel and some contents in the Varese family's collection, people learned that the Tremor was suspected to be related to rats, and Dragon Pox was actually close to extinction - because of its strong lethality, it was actually difficult to spread on a large scale. Even the Citadel's medical doctor, Kerron, did not know that the Citadel's ice cellar had preserved the Dragon Pox specimen before the specimen was lost.

So Jaccarys specifically asked Longzel to act as a go-between and purchased a large number of mousecats from the East Continent, and ordered Joffrey, Daemon and Earl Collys who stayed in King's Landing to hire a large number of mousecatchers.

During the King's Landing riots, Queen Rhaenyra's intelligence chief, Messalia the White Maggot, had her brothel burned down by angry mobs. She didn't want to be killed by the mob, so she jumped into the fire that burned down the brothel. The only reason Lord Bartimos Celtigar survived was that he had to stay in the Red Keep to settle the accounts.

Under the strong governance of the Sea Serpents and Daemon, King's Landing quickly restored basic order. The old prince returned to his old job as a member of the city garrison, and with the large amount of supplies sent by Jacaerys, the plague in King's Landing was finally stabilized.

But just when things were getting better, Jakaris fell ill.

He had just flown back to the mainland from Whispering Castle on Crab Claw Peninsula when he suddenly developed a high fever. At this time, he was not even near any castle. There were only Longzel and the dragons around him, as well as the villages destroyed by the war, the farmland turned into a scorched earth, and the corpses hanging on the trees beside the road.

"Do you regret it, Xiaojie?"

Womax formed a circle with his body and let Jakaris lie on it. Although dragons cannot speak and do not have complicated emotions, Longzel could feel the worry and distress in Womax's eyes as he stared at Jakaris. If it were not for the dragon's tongue being as hot as fire, Longzel was sure that Womax would lick Jakaris a few times. Womisoer used his dragon wings to build a huge space for the little dragon and the young king. The old dragon also looked at the people and dragons under his wings and conveyed to his companions the message that the boy would not live long.

Longzel was very clear about this. Although he was not a scholar specializing in medicine, he had read the vast collection of books in his family when he was young, which naturally contained medical content. Jakaris did not simply catch a cold. His symptoms were actually those of dragon pox. It was just that the blood of the Dragon King in his body and the vitality fed back by Womax played a role, so that he did not die from the bursting of abscesses all over his body like Amos Fezer.

Jacaerys leaned against Womax's body and shook his head weakly. "Only after seeing them did I know what my mother did wrong, sir." He looked at Longzel. "And the true situation of the kingdom. What the people need is peace and a king who doesn't make trouble. What they need is a king who can keep them alive through the winter. What they need is bread, salt and ale, preferably meat. Not honor without a trace. My mother thought her rights were inviolable, but she didn't hold on to them. My lord, I think I understand. The crown of a true king is not made of gold or Valyrian steel, but made by them." Jacaerys raised his hand and pointed outside the range covered by the dragon's wings.

The people nearby saw the dragon landing. They had just received relief from the south and presented their demands to the king at the royal court convened by Jacaerys. The patient young king resolved the people's demands one by one. When he learned that the dragon had landed in the wilderness, the young king who solved their problems did not convene a court as before, but lay beside the dragon and became seriously ill. People gathered spontaneously. There were soldiers who were dismissed and sent home, as well as the elderly, children, and women who were raped by the soldiers. Jacaerys gave them respect and defended their legal rights. There were also ascetics traveling through the countryside. A few nobles also came, but they could not squeeze into the front row because it was filled with ragged civilians.

The young king smiled and raised his hand, touching the head of Womax that came forward: "It's a pity that I can't continue to accompany you, my friend. I hope your next partner will be brave and just and can accompany you for more years." The dragon whimpered and rubbed Jacaerys' hand.

Longzel could already see small, bluish-white pus-filled pimples growing on Jakaris' exposed skin, which was a sign of dragon pox.

"Lord Longzel, please save His Majesty." A skinny monk knelt outside the dragon wing and shouted loudly. "We know that you have the gift of the Seven Gods and can perform miracles that are unknowable to mortals. Please save His Majesty."

Longzel smiled bitterly as he looked at the ascetics outside and the people who were silently praying for Jakaris. Some of them had questioned Jakaris's bloodline, some had even accepted the crazy teachings of the shepherd, and quite a few of them had denounced their blood magic as "the devil's witchcraft" in the countryside.

But now, they hope that this "bastard" they once called can survive and continue to serve as their king. Wormisol gently stretched out his dragon wings to prevent the people from getting close to Jakaris.

"Resurrection is the power of the gods." Longzel said, "And I am just a mortal. Dragon pox is contagious, so please don't get close to Dragon Wing." He looked at Jacaerys. Jacaerys smiled and asked, "My lord, how much time do I have left?"

"When the pimples on your body burst," Longzel sighed as he looked at the pimples that were gradually growing, "the ancestors will come and take your life."

Jacaerys looked at the pus on his body. "It seems I still have some time." He struggled to sit up, but was pushed back by Longzel. "You are still alive now, all thanks to Womax. Don't leave its body, otherwise, you won't have enough time."

"Well, my lord. I command you now, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms."

Longzel half-knelt before the dying young king and looked at Jacaerys gently.

"Please continue to serve as the Hand of the King of the Kingdom." Jacaerys felt that his consciousness was beginning to blur. Some of the pus on his body had begun to burst, but the pus had just flowed out when it was directly evaporated into nothingness by the heat emitted between the scales of Vermax. "After I die, Baelor can remarry at will. My brother Joffrey Velaryon will become the next Earl of Tidehead and the Lord of Tides. For this, he gave up his right to inherit the Iron Throne. Therefore, I appoint my brother Aegon Targaryen as the Prince of Dragonstone and the heir to the Iron Throne. After my death, he will succeed the king, and my stepfather, Prince Daemon Targaryen, will continue to serve as regent. If my stepfather unfortunately passes away and Aegon is not yet an adult, please serve as Aegon's adoptive father and regent until Aegon comes of age."

Longzel nodded, indicating that he accepted the appointment. "My lord, I authorize you to organize Aegon's Council and Kingsguard, and, if you allow, I hope that Aegon can stay in Dragon's Nest and be taught by you until he is fourteen years old."

Longzel understood what Jaecaerys meant. The political situation in King's Landing was much more complicated than that in Dragon's Roost. Daemon could handle it well, but Aegon was too young and it was basically impossible for him to handle the complicated political situation. He should follow the example of King Jaehaerys and have the Royal Council serve as regent for a period of time to handle the affairs of King's Landing, while Aegon would stay in the safer Dragon's Roost to learn how to handle state affairs. This would be a better choice than ascending the throne directly in King's Landing.

This also means that Aegon's closeness with the Vareses family will reach a terrifying level, even far higher than the closeness between the Targaryen family and the Velaryon family.

This is also what Longzel hopes to see.

Jakaris felt that his brain had begun to rust, and his whole body was slowly losing consciousness. He seemed to hear the prayers of the people outside Dragon Wing.

But he could hardly hear any sound anymore, and abscesses gradually grew in his ear canals. A mixture of red and yellow pus and blood flowed down the young king's ears and body little by little, and was finally evaporated by the dragon's heat.

Womacks uttered a low whimper.

"Sir, as your squire, I beg you." Jacaerys suddenly forced a childish smile. "Appoint me as a knight. I don't want to have the same regrets as Xiaolu."

Longzel stood up, his eyes were red. He had not cried since he was very young. Although his father had told him many times that he should cry, Longzel knew that his subordinates often needed a boss who was not a crybaby, but a steely leader who could lead them at all times. Longzel could only show his youthful side in front of his brothers, and the Jacaris brothers, to be honest, had been with Longzel for more than six years. For Longzel, he had watched them grow from children to heroic teenagers, and he had also watched them wither.

This feeling was actually very uncomfortable, but Longzel knew that he couldn't cry.

Longzel drew out the Silver Blood Sword, patted the young king gently on the shoulder seven times, and completed the knighthood ceremony for him.

Jacaerys smiled contentedly.

The young king slowly closed his eyes, Womax suddenly let out a series of wails, and even Womisoer looked up at the sky and let out a distant but not harsh dragon roar.

People seemed to realize something, and the ascetic who asked Longzel to save Jakaris knelt down, took off his rosary, and slowly recited the Stranger's scriptures.

Then came the people. The voices of people mourning merged into waves of distant sounds, like the ringing of bells.

Longzier silently watched the passing of Jacaerys. This brown-haired Targaryen, a handsome 15-year-old boy, left the land he had traveled to most corners of two months after his coronation at Harrenhal.

During his short reign, Jacaerys I of House Targaryen never returned to King's Landing to sit on the Iron Throne, which symbolizes royal power. His rule was based on the courts of rural civilians and the halls of noble castles. The young king, who was known as a bastard, won the love of the people with his actions. When he died in the wilderness, thousands of people came spontaneously, including his mother's opponents and the ascetics who had once fiercely criticized them.

"Little Jie, the Iron Throne has rejected you." Longzier silently picked up the young king and placed him on the open ground. He was protected by blood magic and was not afraid of almost all infectious diseases. Womacks understood Jacaerys's wishes. If he could not be cremated on the spot, the people would definitely send his body back to King's Landing on their own initiative. In fact, some people had already done so, including the nobles. In just half a day, the people had brought more than 20 coffins of various shapes, and everyone wanted to carry the king's coffin.

The terrible thing about dragon pox is that even if the infected person has died, his body is still contagious for a period of time. Jacaerys doesn't want people to be infected because of him.

Womax slowly crawled around the young king's body several times, and his wails echoed across the wasteland, as if he wanted everyone to experience the pain of a giant dragon.

In the end, Womax breathed out a breath of dragon fire and cremated Jakaris.

"But the people accepted you." Longzier looked at the weeping people and murmured. "You are the true king, Jacaerys Targaryen."

Second update, 4000 words



(End of this chapter)