Chapter 204: A Request for Battle
"I accept your surrender," Daenerys said after a brief pause. "You will not be set free, but you will be treated with the dignity owed to a former king."
Tommen nodded calmly.
Without another word, he stepped aside.
"House Tyrell pledges its loyalty."
Following immediately after Tommen, the Queen of Thorns gently pushed away her granddaughter's supporting hand and stepped forward herself.
"Very well, Lady Olenna. We shall speak further later."
After addressing Olenna, Daenerys turned her attention to the remaining nobles.
"House Redwyne submits."
"House Merryweather submits."
"House Rosby submits."
...
With both King Tommen and House Tyrell having already surrendered, the crowd erupted into renewed murmurs.
The remaining nobles no longer hesitated.
One after another, they stepped forward to swear fealty.
Several minutes later, only two men remained standing in the center of the hall without having spoken.
Daenerys frowned slightly as she looked at the pair—an older man and a younger one.
It wasn't their silence that bothered her.
What she couldn't understand was why they still resisted when even King Tommen had accepted defeat.
If their king had laid down his crown, why were they, his subjects, still standing firm?
Daenerys wasn't the only one surprised.
The nobles of King's Landing, including Tommen himself, stared at the two men in confusion.
Barristan, however, seemed far less shocked.
He approached the Iron Throne and quietly whispered a few words into Daenerys's ear.
[So they're Sam's father and brother.]
The moment Drogon heard the explanation, realization dawned on him.
These were Randyll Tarly and his younger son, Dickon Tarly.
In the original timeline, they had refused to bend the knee after being captured by Daenerys and had been burned alive by dragonfire.
And now history seemed determined to repeat itself.
The Tarlys?
Daenerys initially found the family name familiar, but after Drogon's reminder, she immediately remembered.
Looking at the two stubborn men still standing there, she thought for a moment before speaking.
"Lord Tarly, your eldest son, Samwell, is studying at the Citadel and is on the path to becoming a maester."
Her voice remained calm.
"I doubt he would wish to return from Oldtown one day only to learn that his father, his brother, and his house met a tragic end."
Samwell had remained at the Citadel, tirelessly studying medical texts in hopes of curing Shireen.
Daenerys knew Drogon held a favorable opinion of Sam.
And she had no desire to execute the father and brother of the man who had devoted himself to helping Shireen.
Randyll Tarly looked genuinely surprised.
He had never expected the Dragon Queen to know anything about his disappointing eldest son.
House Tarly prided itself on martial excellence.
Its words were First in Battle.
To Randyll, Samwell had always been an embarrassment.
Determined that such a son would never inherit Horn Hill, Randyll had effectively disowned him and sent him to the Night's Watch, clearing the way for Dickon to become his heir.
The reason Randyll hesitated now was not simple stubbornness.
He had been defeated.
Worse, he had violated the commands of House Tyrell, the family to whom he had sworn fealty.
Although he had ceased defending the city when ordered, he had refused to turn his sword against King's Landing's own soldiers.
That decision left him ashamed to face House Tyrell.
As one of House Tyrell's most prominent bannermen in the Reach, Randyll's temperament was well known to Olenna.
And she was far from pleased.
The fact that he had refused to aid the Tyrell forces during the city's fall had angered her greatly.
In truth, she had already decided that once this crisis was over, Lord Tarly would receive a very stern conversation indeed.
Yet to Olenna's surprise, Randyll Tarly had proven so stubborn that he still refused to bend the knee to Daenerys.
What surprised her even more was that Daenerys seemed familiar with the Tarly family's eldest son—the black sheep who had joined the Night's Watch—and had personally tried to persuade Randyll. It forced Olenna to reevaluate her future relationship with House Tarly.
Seeing that Randyll was still hesitating, she feared his pride would get the better of him and that he might utter the fatal words of refusal. If that happened, Daenerys, as a queen before her court, would have little choice but to make an example of him.
So Olenna spoke up.
"Lord Tarly, this defeat was not your fault. There is no need to blame yourself so harshly. Or do you intend for House Tarly to die with you?"
The words struck Randyll like a hammer.
He stared blankly at Olenna.
In an instant, she had pulled him out of the dead end into which he had trapped himself.
Even if he did not care about his own life—or even Dickon's—he had a duty to think of his house.
Dickon was the heir he had personally raised and groomed. Without both himself and Dickon, House Tarly would almost certainly decline.
As for Samwell...
Although Daenerys's interest in his eldest son puzzled him, Randyll still could not imagine Sam carrying House Tarly into the future.
Besides, Sam had already taken the black.
With that thought, Randyll finally made his decision.
"House Tarly submits."
The moment the words left his mouth, Daenerys, Olenna, and even Drogon all breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
With her objective achieved, Daenerys did not immediately dismiss the assembled nobles. They would remain in King's Landing until the city had fully stabilized.
As for Tommen, there was no possibility of simply allowing him to leave.
He would be placed under guard in the dungeons for the time being.
Fortunately, that outcome was exactly what Tommen had expected.
After receiving permission to depart the throne room, Tommen turned to leave.
Before he could take more than a few steps, Tyrion walked up to him.
"You should go see her."
Tommen paused.
After becoming king, he had spent most of his reign as Cersei's puppet.
Tyrion knew better than anyone how much resentment Tommen carried toward his mother.
Even so, Tommen was Cersei's only son still in King's Landing.
He deserved the chance to say goodbye.
Tommen already knew that Cersei had taken poison.
Part of him wanted to see her one final time.
Another part still clung to the bitterness he felt toward her.
Hearing the advice of his uncle—the Queen's Hand—he finally nodded.
Then he quietly left the throne room.
Only Olenna and Margaery remained.
Daenerys looked toward them.
"Lady Olenna, I would like Daario to accompany your people back to the Reach. There shouldn't be any problems there, should there?"
"Your Grace," Olenna replied with a slight bow, "the Reach stands ready to obey your commands."
After Olenna and Margaery departed, Daenerys immediately turned to Jorah.
"Jorah, send word to Yara. Have her coordinate with you and Grey Worm to attack Casterly Rock."
She continued issuing orders.
"Tell Robb and Khal Jhaqo to hold their positions and allow Jaime to return from the North."
"With Highgarden now on our side, the Reach and Oldtown should remain secure. Daario, accompany the delegation heading to Highgarden and establish a garrison there."
At this point, only Casterly Rock remained unconquered among the Seven Kingdoms.
Now was the time to strike while momentum remained firmly on their side.
"Your Grace, I request permission to lead the assault on Casterly Rock."
Before the meeting could conclude, Oberyn Martell stepped forward and formally requested the command.
Daenerys immediately understood his reason.
Revenge.
Revenge for his sister Elia.
Her gaze drifted briefly toward Tyrion.
He stood with his eyes lowered and offered no objection.
Taking that as agreement, Daenerys granted Oberyn's request.
The meeting finally came to an end.
The nobles dispersed.
Jorah, however, remained behind.
Daenerys looked at him curiously.
She wasn't sure what he wanted.
The others noticed that Jorah seemed to have something private to discuss with the queen and quickly exited the throne room.
Once everyone had left, Jorah dropped to one knee.
Lowering his head, he spoke quietly.
"Your Grace... I ask for your forgiveness."
Daenerys froze for a moment.
Then her expression hardened.
She remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"I... betrayed you once."
His voice was heavy with shame.
"I served as Varys's informant. I reported your movements while you were with the Dothraki."
Daenerys's eyes narrowed.
"So it was you who informed Varys of my pregnancy?"
"The information that nearly led to me drinking poisoned wine?"
"Yes..." Jorah replied without lifting his head.
"It was me."
"What else did you tell him?"
Daenerys clenched her fist.
"Everything."
"Speak."
Jorah swallowed.
"I reported your marriage to Khal Drogo."
"And information concerning your brother, Viserys."
Daenerys stared down at him.
Then her voice grew colder.
"And what about after I hatched the dragons?"
"What about Qarth?"
"You haven't mentioned those yet."
(Next Chapter: Chapter 205: Loose Tongue)
(KEEP SUPPORTING OUR DROGON)
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