That day, the capital wasn't celebrating... it was breathing.
From the crack of dawn, crowds surged toward Dragon Pit, men, women, and children, until the stands became a sea of faces awaiting the moment that would change the history of the Seven Kingdoms. Green and black banners billowed in the wind, while the city bells tolled, heralding the birth of a new era.
The air was heavy with the scent of candles and incense, and the whispers of the nobles mingled with the clamor of the common people, until it was impossible to distinguish prayer from rumor, loyalty from fear.
The royal procession moved slowly, led by the knights of the Kingsguard in their gleaming white armor, followed by the clergy, before the prince who would soon be king appeared.
His face bore no victor's smile, nor the features of a man who had dreamt of the throne since childhood. Instead, it seemed as though the weight of the crown had already settled upon his shoulders before it touched his head. He stood before them all, thousands staring, waiting for a word... a sign... or even a breath to break the heavy silence.
The High Priest raised the vial of holy oils and, according to ancient rites, anointed his forehead, shoulders, and palms. Then Ser Criston Cole stepped forward, bearing the conqueror's own crown—the black, ruby-encrusted crown that had once rested upon the head of the king who united the Seven Kingdoms.
As the crown touched Aegon's hair... the kingdom trembled.
The cheers rose first from the ranks of the soldiers, then the nobles, and in moments the whole place erupted with the sound of thousands of voices.
"Hail the king of the Andals, the Roenar, and the first men!"
The cries echoed between the walls of the Dragon Pit until it seemed to those present that the stones themselves were shouting with them.
Aegon then took Blackfire, the conqueror's sword, and raised it high above his head.
At that moment... the hesitation vanished from his eyes. For the first time, he felt a different kind of weight—not the weight of duty, but the weight of thousands of eyes that had pledged their allegiance to him.
The roof of Dragon Pit opened.
A mighty roar tore through the sky before the golden dragon, Sanfire, appeared, his scales shimmering in the sunlight as if made of molten gold. He circled the capital once, then again, then a third time, as the entire city craned its neck to look up, mesmerized by the majestic beauty of the royal beast.
The earth trembled beneath the people's feet with every flap of his wings, and the cheers grew louder and louder, until it seemed that even King's Landing itself bowed to its new king.
From many kingdoms and kings came precious gifts specially prepared for this solemn celebration: swords, gold jewelry, and everything valuable befitting a king.
Meanwhile, Aemond and Helena watched him from afar, while his mother, Alysette, looked on with pride after handing him the throne, unaware that being king would be a nightmare that would haunt him for the rest of his life. When the ceremonies and celebrations ended, he returned to his suite, utterly exhausted. He even ordered the guards watching over him to leave and not disturb him. The guards obeyed as he entered his room. There, on his bed, he was met with a sight: a relatively large box covered in black cloth.
At first, he hesitated to open it, fearing it might contain something dangerous, but his curiosity was too strong. He reached out to touch the box and slowly opened it. When he did, he was shocked.
A white lace wedding dress. It was beautiful, but to aegon gon, it seemed strange. Even stranger, the dress appeared to fit him perfectly.
"Ha! This is definitely a joke!"
He searched the box again, hoping to find something else. He found an envelope sealed with royal black wax, but it had no address, no name, no signature.
When he opened the letter and read its contents, the words pierced his heart like arrows.
"My beautiful darling, congratulations on your coronation as king. I hope you like my gift. I will come to take you soon, my beautiful bridegroom."
Aegon remained rooted to the spot, the letter in his hand, unable to comprehend the shock and the words he had just heard. Who was this person to send him something like this? And who had let him into his room?
He put the dress and the letter back in the box and closed it tightly. Tomorrow he would find out for himself, and who this person was. He thought it was someone from inside the palace, but he was mistaken.
He stared out the window at the moon high in the sky as he removed his crown, followed by his clothes, piece by piece, until he was completely naked. As the room was plunged into darkness, he felt hot breath on his neck and heard a quiet, cold, and terrifying whisper:
"Do you like the size? It's..." "For our wedding, my beautiful bride!"
He turned around quickly, thinking someone was behind him, but he saw nothing. He was alone in the room, but he felt the atmosphere change, as if it had become suffocating.
He put on his pajamas to sleep, hoping this sudden fear would lift from his chest.
... When morning came, Aymond was in his brother Aegon's room, witnessing this strange and unsettling event after Aegon had told him about it.
"You're telling me that someone entered your room and placed this box inside. Inside was a wedding dress and a letter threatening to come and take you soon?"
"What do I do now? I don't understand. This isn't a threat or anything. My mind can't explain it!" "
"Alright, calm down. We'll find a solution. But did you search thoroughly? Perhaps you'll find something else?"
Aigon went back to searching inside the box again.
He found another box, but it was much, much smaller. When he opened it, he immediately dropped it, gasping at what he saw.
Aemond bent down to pick up the box. Inside was a black ring with a strange, blood-red stone in the center. He turned the ring over in his hands. It wasn't like the rings made here; its texture was strange,
not to mention its deep black color. What caught his attention were the words written on the inside edge of the ring. He tried to decipher them, but he couldn't.
For a moment, the room was plunged into an eerie, pitch-black darkness. Aymond felt the ring being snatched from his hand without his hand even touching it.
Aigon cried out, wanting to know if his brother was alright, but all he felt was a cold, strong hand grasping his fingers and placing the ring on them.
A few seconds later... The lights came back on, and they both looked around, trying to figure out what had just happened. But what terrified Aegon most was the ring on his ring finger. It had been in Aemond's hands; how had it gotten there?
"No one touches our wedding ring while it's mine, especially not your brother!"
Aegon froze as Aemond gripped his sword, but there was no one else. They were the only two in the room, and no one else outside. Where had that voice come from? Or rather, who was it?
Aegon felt the room spin around him, and an immense pressure on his chest caused him pain. He didn't know why, but he was terrified.
He collapsed, unconscious. But before his body hit the floor, Aemond moved, clutching his brother's lying body. He thought Aegon had fainted from what had happened, but he didn't know that Aemond had fallen into a deep sleep, into another world and consciousness, in the arms of that other person...
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