Ronnet Connington SI

-Chapter 76-

-POV Ronald Connington-

Like every other day, I was sitting in my place, a bit further from the central position at this kind of gathering.

'Because I'm a bastard,' I thought, fully understanding why I wasn't allowed to sit…

'In the position I should have had if I had been born legitimate,' I told myself, sighing inwardly.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and was surprised to see Rodrik behind me.

He smiled at me and said in an unusually joyful tone, contrasting with the tense atmosphere of the past moon:

"Today is a great day for you."

I frowned, not really understanding what he meant, and as I was about to ask him to clarify my confusion, he winked at me before joining his place beside his wife.

This dinner made me a little uneasy, as I knew something was brewing. The black knights were all present, the knights of the Blood Griffon Order too, as well as all the important people of our House and our most loyal vassals.

Once the last guests had arrived in the Great Hall, Father stood up and said in a loud voice:

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin."

The last people who were whispering or distracted fell silent and waited patiently for my father to speak again.

"As you all know, I've had an incredibly hard time pulling this family out of the abyss my uncle Jon Connington plunged it into during Robert Baratheon's rebellion. I had to fight, shed a lot of sweat and even more blood, but I finally succeeded… we finally succeeded," he said, taking his time to make sure his words had the desired impact.

Rodrik banged his gold cup against the table, and some of the men who had fought alongside my father did the same.

Father smiled at his best friend, then said in a solemn tone:

"We all made enormous sacrifices to make House Connington our House, the ruling House of the Stormlands, and I almost threw it all away."

I frowned, surprised he was saying this, just like most people in the room, and I was even more surprised by the words that followed:

"I exposed us all to the swords of our enemies, and why? Because I allowed myself to forget that I was married to a scorpion."

"I even thought, for a moment, that we truly loved each other," he finished, mockingly.

He took a few moments to observe us all, one by one, then said:

"It's a mistake I made, and for that, I ask you all to forgive me."

'It's very rare for him to apologize. This mistake must have eaten him up inside,' I thought.

"The Lannisters had a chance to stab us in the back, and they took it, but unfortunately for them, I wasn't completely blinded by the love I had for my new family. Thanks to three particular people, we weathered this storm without much difficulty," he said, his tone shifting from dark and tragic to sunny and joyous.

"First, I'd like you to applaud my brother Raymund. Without him, without his courage, his composure, and his sense of duty, we wouldn't have been able to capture Kevan Lannister alive."

Everyone applauded for Uncle Raymund's bravery, though I noticed that some clapped with little enthusiasm.

"Next, I'd like you to warmly applaud his wife, Sansa, born of House Stark, the last heir of House Tully, who offered us the sovereignty of the Riverlands."

Everyone applauded again, and then Father finished by saying:

"The third person I'd like you to applaud isn't of my blood, nor a noble, but he knew how to give me the right information at the right time and was a key player in completely turning the Lannister plot on its head… Ser Bronn Blackwater, who will take the name of his fiancée once they are properly married."

'So that's why this mercenary is with us and has such an important place beside Father.'

Once everyone had finished applauding, Father raised his hand and said, "I will reward each of them once this war is over, but I want you all to witness this: I never forget any of your sacrifices, nor your efforts for my cause."

'Uncle Raymund doesn't seem to agree.'

"After so many events, and especially after enduring such a betrayal, I've spent a long time questioning my position, both the one I currently hold and the one I could hold if I wanted to. That's why I'm announcing that the Stormlands and the Riverlands will now be part of my kingdom."

"I've made many other changes that I haven't spoken to anyone about yet, but they are not up for debate, and today, I want you all to know what I have planned for us. But before that, I need to say that I know full well some people won't be happy about this, but I'm counting on you not to disappoint me," he said, casting a glance at Uncle Raymund.

'What's going on between those two?' I wondered.

"First of all, I've decided to put my line of succession in order. Since Raymund will be the Warden of the Trident, he will have less time to devote to the Stormlands, so I've decided to change my heir."

'He's going to name Rodrik,' I thought, not understanding why he would name the son he had with Tommen's mother.

'That would only strengthen the opposing side,' I thought, confused.

"The question doesn't even arise because the one who should have been heir from the beginning is none other than my firstborn son, Ronald."

Everyone turned toward me, and as I turned my head, confused, I locked eyes with Ser Rodrik.

'So that's what he was talking about,' I realized before standing up.

"Father, I'm not ready," I managed to say under the pressure of all those familiar gazes filled with envy and expectation.

"You're ready if I say you are, Ronald. As of today, as King of the Riverlands and the Stormlands, I legitimize you and make you my one and only heir," he said, confident and unwilling to reverse his decision.

So I nodded, and then he said:

"The reason I'm updating my succession is because I've decided to change tactics. I've shared too much with Cersei for her not to know how I usually think. With my full army, high-ranking hostages, and my territories intact, I would have simply holed up in the Stormlands, fanning the flames among my enemies. But now, I feel that if I were to do that, it could backfire on me."

"That's why I'm now declaring war on the Lannisters and all their allies."