[Chapter Size: 2200 Words.]
Third Person POV.
Riverlands.
...
...
They walked before the bridge over the famous Green Branch River of the Trident, heading toward the next tower, while an overwhelming silence seemed to take hold of the group.
Daemon was silent, observing the river with curiosity and ignoring the Frey ahead of him, along with his guards, who from time to time looked in his direction with sidelong, uneasy glances. There was fear and even caution in their eyes. They had the urge to finish the threat right there, but they were also afraid — perhaps hesitating because of the stories they had heard, stories that made any man create the seven hells in his own mind.
""I heard you brought down the Mountain and made him disappear. How did you kill the bastard?"" Black Walder, the bastard, finally commented, breaking the silence after hesitating a little, while Daemon finally turned his gaze to him.
Daemon seemed to be merely studying the man. ""Yes. I wanted to put an end to him… in a very painful way…"" Daemon said calmly, which made his southern listeners a bit uncomfortable.
""Yes… but we wanted to know… did you feed him to your dragon?"" another Frey man asked, shrinking back. He truly believed it. The great Mountain, killer of Targaryen children, in the end being eaten by a dragon seemed like a good song. However, Daemon would never be satisfied with nothing more than the man's screams as he was torn apart by Winter's teeth.
""No. I took him beyond the Wall without one of his legs the entire way. I placed him on a tree and quartered him. I burned his face, then sliced his back open and swung an axe into his raw flesh several times until the bastard died. When he was dead, I hung him up, with his ribs looking like wings. After that, I burned his body. Perhaps Winter ate him after my men threw the body outside the camp."" Daemon said clearly.
Upon hearing that, all the men shuddered.
""He performed the Blood Eagle,"" said one of the free folk behind, laughing. ""It was funny to see the bastard scream. To think a man that size would scream like a little girl at the moment of his death…"" he added.
That did not make the Freys any more comfortable.
""Well… he killed my little brother. And he was just a baby. After raping his mother, my good-mother, he even made her watch him smash her own child against the wall. I think it was still too little. But the wretch couldn't survive a more… bloody kind of death."" Daemon finished.
They remained silent as they entered the second tower. The men had very uneasy eyes on the areas above them as they listened to the newly proclaimed High King of Westeros. They were entering the Twins with only twenty men, nothing more than Wildlings from beyond the Wall as his guard, and that after threatening the Freys.
They advanced calmly through the open gate and followed the corridors of the fortress to where the old carcass lay in the family's great hall, a place full of Freys — at least most of the family was there. Sons and grandsons.
Daemon entered as if he owned the place, moving forward while his men came right behind him. He analyzed each of the faces staring at him, especially the tense eyes, until his gaze fixed on the center of the table, where Lord Frey sat, examining him twice over with a slight tremor.
Daemon showed no intimidation before the eyes of those fools; he seemed quite relaxed, as if he had no intention of killing them, simply calm. Even among the Freys, there were malicious glances, even toward Daemon's spearwives behind him, as if they saw easy prey in a wolf's den. Daemon still appeared relaxed, but soon he would turn those glances into something closer to faces filled with terror.
The Frey bastard had brought them, separated from the group, and returned near the table while Daemon still stared at Walder Frey behind the main table.
'A man reaps what he sows…' That thought did not fail to surface in his mind when his eyes stopped on that despicable creature.
""So you're Walder Frey?"" Breaking the silence, Daemon said openly with a playful tone.
The man seemed to spend a few seconds thinking of an answer, remaining paralyzed as he stared at the Targaryen before him.
To Walder Frey, he saw Daemon with a hint of fear. The man in front of him seemed to have no fear of them at all; his piercing eyes appeared to have control over everything. Walder tried to calm himself — after all, he could pretend courage with an army of 150,000 men outside the Twins… but now they were under his dominion.
Daemon did not know the old man's detailed thoughts, but he had an idea that he was boasting. With just one glance, through his magical eyes, he could see the place was full of soldiers ready to act — even above them, where there was a supposed hidden floor with archers prepared to attack, as they had done at the Red Wedding.
""You are the one they call Daemon Targaryen, a true son of Rhaegar… the one who claims to be the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms?"" Walder said, surprisingly flattering.
""Well, my men knelt before me, so I believe so,"" Daemon mocked.
""I've heard you intend to exterminate my entire family because of what happened to those Northern fools,"" Walder said, cornering him in an enemy stronghold and studying Daemon.
""Well… truthfully, after the Red Wedding, no one in Westeros will trust House Frey. So there is no reason for it to exist anymore,"" Daemon replied, studying the old carcass as well, who lost his composure and trembled with a bit of rage, now looking quite furious.
""Is that why you didn't accept the bread and salt?"" Walder asked, with hidden intent in his voice.
""You could say so. Tell me, does House Frey still have any shred of trust left or not, after what happened?"" Daemon challenged.
""Robb Stark didn't keep his promise either! Why should we?"" the old carcass snarled, his voice faltering.
Daemon showed no expression of discomfort; he simply stared at him as if he were an idiot. ""It is true that Robb Stark made his mistakes. However, you resolve such matters in other ways — gold, perhaps other marriage pacts… but not murder. After all, murdering guests in your own home is far more serious than failing to keep marriage and alliance promises. Don't you agree?"" Daemon asked.
""I will not regret what happened at the Red Wedding! And I will not allow you or anyone else to insult House Frey!"" he snarled, while Daemon curled his lips into a more amused smile.
""You speak as if you could erase everyone's memory of what happened here, Lord Frey. You will never erase the events that marked this place. Your house will be stained in the history books forever. House Frey breaks guest rights and kills many nobles in its own hall after welcoming them. Did you not see that not even your allies — as powerful as they may be — could help with that? It is a stain placed upon your house that will never be removed."" Daemon said, wanting to understand how these Freys could be so foolish as to accept such a thing. He saw Walder Frey's face turning red — Daemon was clearly making him look like the greatest fool in the world. Then he continued, before anyone could interrupt him.
""You should have analyzed the political landscape better… but you acted like a fool. After all, I was already in the game from the moment I appeared in Winterfell; from the moment I brought down my uncle and declared my name and intentions; from the moment I went to King's Landing and created chaos, killed, stole, and even slew the king and then wounded the queen's bastard, destroyed castles in the West, robbed House Tully, House Lannister, and even the Citadel itself before killing some archmaesters.
I was already in the game long before I went to Braavos or brought down the Night's Watch and took the Wall. You should have foreseen this, and somehow you thought I would be a Lannister who would accept that a noble house of Westeros could massacre its guests after a sacred rite? No. I could never accept such a thing. And you clung to the Lannisters, believing that allied with the Tyrells and Boltons you would have a powerful alliance and no one would dare oppose it."" He paused before continuing.
""Well… I regret to inform you, Lord Frey, but you have condemned your own house."" Daemon left each word hanging in the air, making the atmosphere grow heavier.
""You came in here and keep despising us, threatening my house… you're spreading lies!"" he snarled, while Daemon wanted to laugh at the fool trying to defend himself as if he had been the righteous one after what he had done.
He would have continued, but Daemon interrupted him: ""I came to hear your proposals. To know what your excuse was. You probably wouldn't even give passage through the bridge without charging for it, believing we would accept that — as if more than one hundred and fifty thousand men outside would need your permission to enter the Twins through the river."" He taunted.
Despite many there looking with anger, hatred, and malice among the ranks of Walder Frey's sons and grandsons, there were also those deeply unsettled and afraid — but none surpassed the leader of House Frey, red and trembling with rage; in other words, this seemed to be reaching its limit for Walder Frey.
""You are under my domain, and if you think I'm a fool for letting you come here and threaten me, you're mistaken,"" he said with hatred.
""Let me guess… you're going to try to capture me right here, kill my men, and then use that as an excuse to hold back my army outside. Or attempt to strike a deal. But remember: Westeros will no longer see the Freys as trustworthy people for agreements. You condemned your own house, and it ends here."" Daemon replied mockingly.
""Men!"" Frey shouted behind the table, as movement began to erupt throughout the hall. Men entered with crossbows; others appeared in the higher levels, preparing their weapons. Frey sons and grandsons began to draw their swords.
""You did not accept bread and salt, so I need no excuses. You will be used as a hostage the moment you stepped into this hall!"" Frey snarled.
Daemon, however, was extremely calm. His men faced each of the threats with concerned and analytical eyes, but for the most part kept an indifferent expression.
Daemon raised his brows. He did not look away from Lord Frey for a single moment. He saw the bastard sons around, some excited, others nervous… and others simply unable to face Daemon's smile, which seemed to show he was enjoying himself.
""You know, Lord Frey… I wonder: do you really think you can handle me? After what happened in King's Landing? After everything you've heard about me? Do you really think I would simply be captured here and watch my men be killed in front of me as if nothing had happened? Do you really think that could stop me? I'm not the one trapped with you here — you're the ones trapped with me…"" Daemon said in an amused tone.
That seemed to affect Walder Frey, who now looked somewhat thoughtful, hesitant. However, Daemon did not stop showing enthusiasm for the possible fight.
""You know what I like to remember? That a man always reaps what he sows. And you, Lord Frey… sowed chaos. It is time to pay your debt before all of Westeros. And your family will be destroyed."" Daemon said simply, shifting suddenly from a playful tone to something more serious and dark.
Daemon made his hand glow and cast a spell from the School of Alteration, and a field began to appear around Daemon's group. Upon seeing this, Lord Frey panicked, stunned at witnessing real magic. ""Shoot! Kill him!"" he shouted, as the first arrows were fired in the next moment, followed by others that did not hesitate to attack.
But as soon as the bolts reached them, they were stopped by the shield Daemon had created, protecting him and his companions while chaos consumed the entire hall.
Daemon looked at the men trying to push through the shield and displayed a sinister smile. ""Let us begin. Prepare yourselves, all of you. Because winter has just arrived for House Frey."" he declared, and all the men behind him readied themselves.
Daemon gave one more glance from inside the magical shield toward Walder Frey at the table, staring at him with eyes full of fear.
He simply took in enough air and then launched his attack.
""KRAH SUUM QOR!!""
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