The Great Sept of Baelor rang with the toll of its bells, echoing across the streets of King's Landing where thousands of smallfolk had gathered. Inside, lords great and small had assembled beneath the painted glass dome to bear witness to a moment not seen in two decades: the crowning of a king.
King Aegon of House Targaryen, Fifth of His Name, fourth son of the late King Maekar I, known to some as Egg, knelt before the High Septon. When he rose, his head was adorned not with the jagged rubies of Aegon the Conqueror's crown, but with the plain golden circlet once worn by Aegon III the Dragonbane and Viserys II. Simple, unadorned, and austere — it was a crown fit not for a conqueror, but for a king of the people.
The lords cheered. Queen Betha Blackwood wept softly at his side. Young Prince Duncan stood tall, gazing with awe upon his father. Even dour old knights could be seen smiling.
But joy is a fragile thing in Westeros, and no moment is safe from shadow.
When the cheering faded and silence returned, King Aegon V stepped forth.
"As your King," Aegon began, "it is my duty to uphold the law — not only the laws written by hand and sealed by wax, but the older, higher law that binds us all: justice."
Murmurs spread among the court. Brynden Rivers, clad in black and red, watched the king with his lone pale eye, unmoving.
"Lord Brynden Rivers," Aegon said, turning to face his Hand, "you served this realm long and well. Through three kings, you shielded the realm with blade and blood. But now you must answer for your deeds."
A ripple of tension ran through the hall. The Lords of Hightower, Lannister, and Tully leaned forward in their seats. Some wore satisfied smirks; others hid their triumph poorly. Ser Duncan the Tall, now sworn brother of the Kingsguard, shifted uneasily in his white cloak.
"You gave safe conduct to Aenys Blackfyre in the name of the Crown," Aegon said. "He came in peace to present his claim. You answered with steel. A lawful prince executed under false terms is a crime against gods and men. And that crime was yours."
The hall gasped. Lords looked to one another in disbelief, and a silence fell heavy as winter snow.
Aegon's voice rang out again. "By the ancient laws of Westeros, dating back to the Conquest, no man may be killed while under the Crown's protection. For this breach of law and honor, Lord Brynden Rivers is hereby sentenced to death."
Still, Brynden did not move. His pale red eye flickered, not with fear, but with cold clarity. He gazed about the hall, and saw in every corner the faces of those who had long yearned for his fall.
He did not flinch.
"Seize him," Aegon commanded.
Ser Duncan stepped forward. For a moment, the two men locked eyes — the tall hedge knight turned lord, and the half-blood Hand who once ruled the realm from the shadows.
Brynden raised a hand to halt Duncan. "Spare me the shackles, Ser Duncan. I will go with you. But let the realm remember this—"
He turned to the Iron Throne, and then to the king.
"I did what I must. I bled in silence for this realm. I broke the law so it might survive. I sacrificed honor so that others would not bleed. I have no regrets."
"The law is the law," Aegon said, firm and sorrowful. "But I am not without gratitude. For your service to House Targaryen, to the realm, to the memories of my father and grandsire… I will not take your head. I offer you one last honor: take the black. Go to the Wall, and serve the realm in shadow one final time. Live… if you choose."
The court buzzed again, louder now — a sentence unexpected, a mercy some would call weakness, others wisdom.
Brynden Rivers, called Bloodraven, was silent for a long time.
At last, he nodded.
"The Wall it is, then," he said. "Where broken men are sent… and monsters are made."
He turned and walked, flanked by Ser Duncan and two white-cloaked guards, the last of his power trailing behind him like a fading shadow. The doors of the Great Sept boomed shut behind them.
And so ended the reign of the most feared Hand the realm had known — not in fire, not in battle, but in silence and cold judgment.