"The king is a distant shadow in King's Landing. Family is an iron law that runs through our blood. Protecting my family and preserving the Tully bloodline is the duty I was born to bear. That has never changed."
He paused, then added one final sentence, his tone flat but carrying the resolve of a declaration:
"As for the Targaryens... when you lost the right to rule, you naturally lost the right to demand your vassals' loyalty."
He casually reduced what Aegon called betrayal to the laws of troubled times and the primacy of family, even implying that the Targaryens' own failings had driven everyone away.
There was no defense, no repentance.
Only the composure of a man who, after countless battles and choices, believed his own reasoning unassailable.
"Family. Bloodline. The duty you were born to bear."
Aegon softly repeated the words. The faint curve of his lips seemed to deepen, yet it still held none of a smile's warmth. If anything, it grew colder.
"An interesting line of reasoning. So, in your eyes, loyalty has a price. It can be weighed and bargained away."
"Loyalty to the king cannot outweigh the interests of your family. Ancient oaths can give way to the so-called laws of troubled times."
"In the end, family is the measure of everything you do. For its sake, you can betray anyone, break any oath."
Brynden remained silent, straightening his shackled back.
He neither admitted nor denied it.
But his silence and his unwavering gaze were the clearest answer of all. That was precisely what he believed, and how he acted.
"I understand."
Aegon nodded, his tone suddenly becoming bored, as though their exchange had merely confirmed something he had already expected and found utterly uninteresting.
"A typical knight of the old age. You carve