"What is the meaning of this!?" Jaehaerys slammed his fist on the Iron Throne, enraged, his eyes deep and burning with life as they locked onto the children in front of him.
"Father, he isn't to blame for this, Lord Byrch simply requested a good-natured duel but that bloodthirsty boy..." Viserra was shaking, her lips trembling as she pleaded to her father, tears flowing from her eyes, sobbing like a terrified girl.
Well, well, well... What a performance. Zalarys thought, chewing something in his mouth and standing tall, his hands behind his back.
Viserra glanced back at him, bristling with displeasure, her beautiful face twisted with irritation, but the moment she turned around again she returned to being a frightened maiden.
Yeah, fuck you too, aunt. Zalarys rolled his eyes in annoyance, wanting to yawn from boredom, but that would count as great disrespect and he wasn't keen on getting his ass beaten to a pulp.
"My Prince..." Hihkran whispered in his ear from behind.
"Hmm? What is it, Master?" Zalarys blinked, looking back with a faint motion while Jaehaerys was speaking.
"Put your hands in your pockets." Hihkran spoke seriously, nodding at him as a sign to trust him on this.
"But why?"
"Because intimidating prey with confidence is essential for a hunter."
"Understood, Master." Zalarys nodded, letting his hands fall and sliding them into his pockets, acting nonchalant. "Like this?"
"Much better. You did nothing wrong, remember that." Hihkran spoke, his voice full of satisfaction, his lips twitching with amusement. He himself stood tall, broad-shouldered, his face expressionless and appearing a bit unsettling.
That was the moment Zalarys's respect for his master grew. He wasn't only teaching him how to fight, but also how to carry himself like a true hunter. Where else could he find a master like this? He almost cried from joy right then and there.
However, his expression soon turned sober. I'm definitely getting punished... Would Master be punished too? I'm a Prince, they can't do anything too harsh to me, but he's just a foreigner so... Dammit...
Realising that his master didn't have the same privileges as him, Zalarys grew more nervous. He wasn't heartless, and he loved his master like an older brother. After all, Hihkran wasn't only teaching him everything he knew in earnest, but also playing along with every stupid idea Zalarys came up with, protecting him and covering for him whenever he screwed up.
"My King." The Byrch family's heir, Arnold, began speaking, holding his left cheek and ear, his body shaking and expression vacant. "I-I... I had no intention of..."
"Boy, explain what happened clearly!" Jaehaerys spoke, silencing him instantly. The boy looked down in terror, afraid of the old King. Jaehaerys was generally calm, truly, but the children had been getting on his nerves lately, one incident after another without pause. He couldn't understand why Viserra and Zalarys couldn't get along, nor why they disliked each other so much.
At first it had been petty pranks. But this had gone too far.
Jaehaerys took a deep breath, covering his face from exhaustion, while Alysanne sighed and began to speak in his stead. "Viserra... Speak."
Viserra swallowed, noticing her mother wasn't in a good mood either. However, she continued acting innocent, as if she hadn't been the one to instigate the fight and manipulate the boy enamored with her allure in order to have Zalarys beaten.
"Mother, his intentions weren't bad, truly. He just wanted a light spar, b-but..." She pursed her lips, looking back at Zalarys and pointing her finger at him with a sneer. "That crazy child assaulted him! He bit off his cheek and ear! Look!"
Arnold let go of his head, his eyes fixed to the floor as he revealed his wounds. His flesh was visible, blood still leaking from his ripped cheek, and half of his ear had been bitten off as well, the blood already dried there.
Alysanne covered her mouth in horror, swallowing hard as she looked away, while Jaehaerys remained calm, staring at the boy with an unreadable face.
"Father, perhaps we can-"
"Baelon... You always protect your children. Stay out of this today." Jaehaerys gave him a cold look while Baelon let out a sigh, giving Zalarys a helpless look that said you reap what you sow. It wasn't that Baelon didn't want to protect him. It was simply that he already had, too many times, and he too was tired of the bitterness between aunt and nephew, trusting his father to resolve it this time.
Alyssa wasn't present, flying with Meleys, and Viserys was in the library, likely being notified of the incident right now.
Alysanne took a deep breath, turning her attention back to Viserra with a stern look. "Is what you said the truth?"
"Yes, Mother. No lie left my lips." Viserra nodded, holding her skirt.
Alysanne hummed, suspicious, almost certain that Viserra had done something to bring this about, perhaps instigated the fight herself. That was quite possible. Besides, she had been spending too much time with those boys. The old Queen worried that she might end up like Saera if she continued down this path. Of course she knew her two daughters were vastly different and that Viserra was far more cunning and manipulative. But that still wasn't something the old Queen favoured.
"What about you, boy? Did she speak the truth? Choose your words carefully. Lie, and the consequences will be quite dire." Alysanne asked Arnold, who nodded stiffly.
"Yes, my Queen... I had no bad intentions, just a light spar... But he..." His expression twisted with desperation and hatred as he spat with venom. "He has no grace! He threw his sword at me and caught me by surprise, lunging at me like a beast and biting at my face, ripping my flesh like a feral animal!"
"Phui." Zalarys spat what he had been chewing, lost in thought and worrying about his master, having forgotten that what he was chewing wasn't fruit or meat but the boy's ear.
"Oh..." Zalarys grimaced, scratching the back of his head and looked at his father awkwardly. "I'm not a cannibal. He tastes like shi-"
"Boy!" Baelon's eyes widened, stern and harsh as he cut him off.
The hall fell into silence, everyone staring at the bloody ear with terrified faces. Ladies covered their mouths after letting out faint screams, avoiding looking at it, while the lords looked grim, not liking it in the slightest.
Septon Barth, watching this, swallowed his saliva, feeling his heart beating wildly in his chest, the cold fingers of dread gripping it tightly upon witnessing such cruelty from a child so young, acting casual as if he hadn't done something unspeakable.
What a monstrous boy... How could he do and say such cold-blooded things with a straight face? Is there any sense of remorse or kindness in his heart?
At the same time, Zalarys felt chills crawling up his spine, shuddering as he thought, My ass won't survive today... I'm definitely getting spanked, I can feel it. I screwed up big...
"So it is true..." Alysanne was saddened, not knowing what to say at this point.
"This is going too far. We are family, for the Seven's sake..." Jaehaerys exhaled softly, his eyes half-lidded and tired, leaning back on the Iron Throne. "My boy... Why would you do that?"
Because my master told me it was the best chance at victory. It would surprise my opponent and plant a seed of fear, make him sloppy and hesitant. The only way to overcome the weight and height difference... He rubbed his eyes. Even if that were true, he would never say it aloud.
"I wanted to win..."
"I see... But it is just a spar, not a tourney or a war. Why resort to something so barbaric?" Alysanne spoke, trying to understand her youngest grandchild.
"Why am I to blame when a boy twice my size and weight wants to fight me? I'm not an idiot, grandmother. I can see that all they wanted was to humiliate and beat me. It's not as if it hasn't happened before." Zalarys shrugged, looking down with a bitter expression, not even bothering to defend himself at this point.
"Haaa..." Alysanne said no more, sinking into her own thoughts, while Jaehaerys did the same, leaning heavy on the Iron Throne.
Viserra was staring at the ear, genuinely frightened this time, and then at Zalarys as he wiped blood from his mouth. A sudden sense of disgust rose in her heart as she shook her head stubbornly, refusing to show that he had truly scared her.
This wretched brat... She thought, feeling shivers all across her body. Who would have thought he would truly...
"Enough... I've heard enough." Jaehaerys interrupted her thoughts, leaning forward sternly. "Viserra..."
"Yes, father." She answered, relief flooding her veins. There's enough proof now. It wasn't such a bad gamble. If that fool Arnold had won and beaten Zalarys, I could have slipped away easily. Though he lost... But this isn't so bad either. I'm the victim here, and he showed so much barbarity that he will be punished. Whether Arnold won or lost, I would have come out the winner anyway.
"You're dismissed. Don't leave your chambers for two weeks. Don't you dare step out, understand?"
"Y-yes... Pardon?" Viserra's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to believe her ears. What? Is he serious? Why am I being punished? I did nothing at all.
Bitterness burned deep inside her heart like immolating flames, twisting her fine features. They're always like this. No matter what I do, I always end up blamed and punished. Why can't I have what I want... Why!?
"Father, surely you jest..." She gulped, still holding onto the hope that Jaehaerys was joking and wouldn't truly punish her.
"Dismissed. Don't make me repeat myself..." Jaehaerys uttered only those words and turned to Zalarys.
"And you..."
"My apologies, my King." Hihkran stepped forward, standing in front of Zalarys defensively, his face still flat and eyes cold, speaking calmly. "The young Prince isn't to blame. It was my idea to strike that way."
"Is that true?" Jaehaerys asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Indeed. I told him to fight, and I instructed him." Hihkran spoke without hesitation.
What are you doing... Zalarys blinked, his mouth opening and closing, unable to find words.
"Do you understand what you have done then? You have scarred that boy for life." Jaehaerys let out a sigh.
"I do. However, I will not teach my student to cower in fear. It is clear as the cloudless skies over the Summer Sea that they wanted to humiliate my pupil, as he already stated. My apologies, but he is a Prince, not some punching bag for the amusement of princesses and nobles. I am responsible for my student's actions, and thus, if he is to be punished, I will take it in his stead." Hihkran replied bleakly, his eyes chilling and indifferent.
"That was a lesson for my Prince as well. So I took the opportunity." He added thoughtfully, touching his chin.
"What lesson?" Jaehaerys frowned, intrigued by the man's perspective.
"That fear is as much a weapon as the sword in his hand."
Wow... Master, you're so cool. You'd be even cooler if you spoke less though. I don't want to see your head departing from your neck. That would leave the neck heartbroken... Zalarys thought, his eyes sparkling.
Jaehaerys stared at him for some time, then shook his head. "You're not completely wrong. And I admire your courage to stand against me in order to protect my grandsire. However, he will still face punishment. I need to teach him that his actions will have consequences."
"If the punishment is to serve as a lesson, my advice would be to choose something painful, my King. Painful lessons are taken to heart far more often than painless ones." Hihkran nodded in agreement.
Right, right... Wait, what...
It could be said that the King put Master Hihkran in charge of the Prince's punishment, allowing him to choose whatever he saw fit. And for an entire week, the dungeons were filled with screams.
Of course, nothing life-threatening happened since Prince Daemon remained with them throughout.
However, the lesson was learned in blood.