After the shock came clarity, and a sense of unprecedented opportunity.
As for the old nobility being stripped of their privileges, what did that have to do with them?
They had possessed nothing to begin with, or had long since been cast aside by that class.
The Ashen Company and the Blood Oath Band, the core of Aegon's forces, remained especially composed. They were already accustomed to their lord's habit of breaking every convention and establishing entirely new rules, and firmly believed that only by following such a lord could they usher in an age of their own.
Taking in every reaction below, Aegon knew that the foundations of his reforms had quietly taken root in the hearts of these people, who had no ties to the old world and saw new hope in him.
He stopped discussing the details of his reforms and changed the subject for a third time.
This time, his voice rose sharply, ringing with the force of steel striking stone, instantly igniting the heat already building in the hall:
"Before we crossed the sea on this Western Expedition, I made you a promise..."
His gaze flashed like lightning as it swept over every face holding its breath:
"Rewards according to merit!"
Those words were sparks falling into a pool of oil.
"The swords in your hands and the new scars on your bodies are the fairest measures of your future lands!"
"Your courage on the battlefield and your loyalty to House Targaryen are the surest deeds by which you may win wealth and honor for your houses!"
"Brave warriors shall receive castles and become lords! Stalwart soldiers may receive land and become knights!"
"I, Aegon Targaryen, reaffirm today, before this Iron Throne..."
He leaned forward slightly, his resolute voice echoing between every stone pillar:
**"I