Accusation

At that moment, Viserys I spoke gravely from the Iron Throne. "Ser Vaemond, you are accusing the heir to the Iron Throne!"

"Precisely because she is the heir to the Iron Throne, Your Majesty!" Vaemond did not back down.

"Her actions are all the more unforgivable!

"If even the Crown Prince can trample a vassal's bloodline at will, if even a Targaryen can use bastards to usurp another family's inheritance, then where is the law of succession in the Seven Kingdoms?

"Where is the dignity of the nobility?

"Your Majesty, where is the justice under your rule?!"

"Evidence!" Viserys shouted, striking the arm of the throne, but a blade cut his finger. Blood welled up.

"If you're making such a grave accusation, you'd better produce evidence!"

"Evidence?" Vaemond let out a bitter, cold laugh.

He turned and spread his arms toward the people on either side.

"My lords! My knights! Open your eyes and look!"

He pointed at the three boys again, his finger trembling with anger. "Silver hair and purple eyes: the clearest mark of Targaryen blood!"

"House Velaryon may also have Valyrian blood, but its members have silver hair and blue or purple eyes!"

"I have to ask: the Crown Prince has silver hair and purple eyes, and her husband, Laenor, has silver hair and blue eyes."

"But these three boys!"

He paused, then his fury erupted. Pointing at Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey, he cried:

"Brown hair! Brown eyes! A flat nose!"

"How do they have even the slightest trace of Velaryon or Targaryen features?!"

"Blood does not lie!"

"They are the very image of House Strong!"

Whispers spread like a plague.

The nobles' gazes shifted between Rhaenyra and the three boys, and Larys Strong, the master of whisperers.

Larys Strong, the master of whisperers, stood in the shadows in a corner, watching it all with an expressionless face.

His brother Harwin and their father had died in a fire two years ago.

"I accuse her!" Vaemond's voice rang out like thunder breaking through the clouds. "Princess Rhaenyra committed adultery with her sworn knight, Ser Harwin Strong!"

"This is what the Strong family of Harrenhal looks like: brown hair, brown eyes, flat noses!"

An even louder commotion broke out. Some nobles couldn't help looking at Larys. Indeed, he had brown hair, brown eyes, and a flat nose...

Viserys struck the armrest again. "Enough! You dare slander the Crown Prince based on nothing but a resemblance?!"

"Then what evidence would satisfy you, Your Majesty?!" Vaemond had gone too far to turn back. He took a step forward.

"Whenever the Crown Prince did these things, someone was always there to clean up after her, cover her tracks, and preserve her name as the 'Realm's Delight.'"

"Am I supposed to catch them in bed?"

"Or should I make these three bastards admit that their names are Jacaerys Strong, Lucerys Strong, and Joffrey Strong?!"

Daemon Targaryen moved.

His face was murderous.

"Old man,"

He spoke, and the entire hall fell silent.

"If you dare say one more slanderous word against the royal family, I'll cut out your tongue."

"Daemon!" Viserys barked.

Vaemond threw back his head and laughed. "Go on, Prince Daemon! Kill me with your Dark Sister!"

"Kill this old man who fought for his family's bloodline, right in front of His Majesty and the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms!"

He turned back toward the Iron Throne.

"Your Majesty! You want evidence? Fine! I'll give you evidence!"

"Laenor Velaryon—the only son of my brother, Lord Corlys, and the rightful heir to Tidepool Island—likes men!"

"That's common knowledge on Tidepool Island! He hasn't shared a bed with Princess Rhaenyra since their wedding night!"

"There has never been a true marriage between them!"

"The dates of these three boys' births coincide exactly with the time Harwin Strong served as Rhaenyra's personal guard!"

"And after Harwin Strong died under suspicious circumstances in the fire at Harrenhal, Rhaenyra never had another child!"

"Your Majesty, if you don't believe me, summon the maids, guards, and maesters from Tidepool Island and question them!"

"Examine Laenor's medical records! Ask anyone who knows the truth!"

Vaemond's voice had gone hoarse, and his eyes were red, but he continued shouting:

"My brother Corlys was wise all his life, but he grew muddled in his old age."

"To preserve his ties to the Iron Throne, he chose to look the other way. He chose to cover it up!"

"But I cannot! I, Vaemond Velaryon, cannot stand by and watch the thousand-year legacy of House Velaryon fall into the hands of these bastards of uncertain birth!"

His knees buckled, and he fell straight to the floor.

Vaemond looked up at the king on the Iron Throne, tears rolling from his aged eyes.

"Your Majesty! I came here today for no other reason than to speak the truth!"

"I know what will happen to me for saying this! But I'd rather die in the Red Keep than live to see Velaryon blood defiled and the seahorse banner seized by bastards!"

"If you believe defending my family's bloodline is a crime!"

"Then punish me! Let my blood stain the floor of the Throne Room!"

"Let everyone in the Seven Kingdoms see what happens to those who speak the truth under Targaryen rule!"

Silence.

A long, suffocating silence.

The crackle of the torches, the nobles' whispers, someone's stifled cough.

Every faint sound seemed magnified in that moment.

Hundreds of eyes focused on the Iron Throne. Viserys I sat frozen in place.

At last, the king spoke.

"Ser Vaemond Velaryon... you're old. Grief and paranoia have clouded your judgment."

He swallowed with difficulty.

"Jacaerys, Lucerys, Joffrey... I personally confirmed their identities."

"Your accusations today... are based on rumor and speculation. They are a grave slander against the Crown Prince's reputation."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the nobles on either side in warning.

"Considering your age and confusion, and that you acted rashly for your family's honor because you believed rumors..."

"If you withdraw your accusations and return to Tidepool Island, I can show you leniency."

"Your Majesty!" Vaemond jerked his head up. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes went out, replaced by blazing fury and despair.

"You... How much longer will you protect her?!

"Can't you see?! Can you really not see?!

"Or have you always seen it, but chosen to pretend you're blind?!"

"You..." Viserys, seated on the Iron Throne, was enraged by Vaemond's outburst.

"Rhaenyra! Your precious daughter!! She's a whore!"

"She's a shameless slut!!!"

"She trampled on her marriage vows!"

"She trampled on the law!"

"She trampled on the dignity of the nobility!"

Rhaenyra's expression finally changed. She stood up, her pregnant belly clearly bulging beneath her dress, anger appearing on her face for the first time.

Queen Alicent's lips curled up; she was secretly delighted.

Aegon sat up straight, his eyes filled with respect.

He had never seen anyone this reckless in his life.

Helaena turned her head toward Aemond, who had already risen to his feet.

His attention was now entirely fixed on Daemon. The prince's hand rested on his sword hilt, his body leaning slightly forward—the stance of a predator about to pounce.