The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 272 Extra Chapter: Appendix "The Division Act" and Epilogue (The End)
In the name of the Seven Gods, Hugo Toller I, King of all the lands and King of all peoples, Ruler of Westeros, Essos and Thorthros, Protector of the whole realm, Lord and Supreme Ruler recognized by the Allied and Subordinate States, Peacemaker of the Two Sides, Duke of Andas to the Royal House, the Holy Church and the Kingdom's loyal subjects and peoples, now and in the future.

I believe that you all know why the Kingdom prospered, and none of you would ignore the crises it faced. Through divine mercy and divine permission, the Kingdom overcame these crises and flourished even more. But just as human life is mortal and magic ebbs and flows, the Kingdom cannot remain strong forever, nor can I rule it forever. If it is in accordance with the Lord's will, I also hope that the Kingdom will continue to be protected and maintained by the Seven Gods after my departure, and that it will be passed down as my legacy through generations. However, if the Kingdom faces a crisis in the future, or if a king and his court are overwhelmed by the situation, I will need to enact laws to prevent such chaos and disorder as that that followed the death of Robert Baratheon, the "Conqueror King," so that the Kingdom may be consolidated and its reputation preserved, and that the believers of the Seven Gods and the valiant free people may live in peace and happiness under the Lord's mercy and blessing.

Therefore, I allow the Royal House and the Great Council to divide the entire kingdom into three parts under special circumstances, and I record and mark the share that each king should rule and care for. In this clear manner, each of them must be content with the part I have allocated, defending the long borders of their kingdom with God's help, and maintaining peace and fraternity among the royal domains.

I. My Kingdom, protected and maintained by the Seven, is to be divided as it is necessary: ​​the entire Dornish territory, excluding Sunspear and Straddleshire and their respective domains, and the Dornish Frontiers, which are disputed with other Great Territories to the north and west of this territory; the Reach, stretching from Oldtown to the south of the Golden Road, along the River Mande, the River Mead, and the Rose Road; the Westerlands under the jurisdiction of Casterly Rock; the Stormlands under the jurisdiction of Storm's End; the Iron Islands under the jurisdiction of Kingsport; the isolated Isle of Greenbeard; the Western Direct Territory, which includes the former Riverlands and Royal Territories; and the royal estates, garrisons, naval fleets, autonomous villages and towns, officials and offices in the aforementioned territories, as well as the allied territories of the Summer Isles, etc. I decree that the jurisdiction and corresponding system of administration over this part shall be assigned to a King, and this region shall be called the Western Territory of the Kingdom.

II. The territory of Mildred, Lys, and Tyros, known as the “Three Daughters Kingdom,” and the disputed lands among them where the borders are being resurveyed, extending north from Valantis to the main stream of the Lorne River in Boulder south of Na'Sastar and the Gathering Places; the Desleto Wilds and Pravialis east of Dagger Lake; the Great Swamp and Limescolonia east of Sehol, Valissa; Valantiscolonia and Caldaricesia east of Valantis to the cities of Mataris; Sunspear, Slats, and their territories within the territory of Dorne; and the royal estates, garrisons, naval fleets, allied confederations, autonomous villages and towns, officials and offices within the aforementioned territories; and all dependent states beyond the eastern border of the Kingdom—I hereby decree that the jurisdiction and corresponding system of administration over this part shall be assigned to a King, and this region shall be called the Eastern Territory of the Kingdom.

III. Beyond these territories, my kingdom, including the North of Westeros, the Vale and the Three Sisters, Andas, Pentos, Braavos of Essos, and the undetermined Braavos Valley, as well as the royal estates, garrisons, naval fleets, affiliated allies, autonomous villages and towns, officials and offices in these territories, I decree that the jurisdiction over this part, the corresponding system of administration, and the title of overlord of the kingdom over the three autonomous city-states of Norfos, Corhol, and Loras, shall be assigned to one king, and this region shall be called the Northern Realm of the Kingdom.

Fourth, the Sothros Great Territory in the south of the Summer Sea is isolated overseas and has the foundation to establish a kingdom, but lacks the population and income to support its operation. If the situation in the southern land remains unchanged when the kingdom is divided, it will be incorporated into the administration of the eastern territory of the kingdom. If the Great Territory reaches a suitable size, a grand council will be convened again to discuss the need to establish the southern territory of the kingdom. The king of the southern territory will be jointly appointed by the existing two or three kings after reaching a consensus.

Fifth, I have established enclaves in Westeros for the Kings of the East and the Kings of the North, so that, when needed, the Kings who rule the North and the East will have access to the south of Westeros to aid their co-rulers. The Kings of the East will land in Dorne via Sunspear and Strangleshire, while the Kings of the North will travel south through the Vale and the ports of the North to the Riverlands; similarly, when the Wall or the eastern frontier is in crisis, the Kings of the West will be able to support the Wall by land via the northern border and by sea via the coastal ports to the east to support the frontier.

VI. The Great Council, formerly used to determine the successor to the Kingdom, shall be permanent and convene every ten years. Kings and every local lord shall preferably attend in person, or, if this is not permitted by special circumstances, must appoint a plenipotentiary representative. Each autonomous city or town, and each vassal ally, shall also send a representative. The Church of the Seven and the Kingdom’s army and navy shall send a reasonable number of representatives in proportion to their numbers. Representatives of the Night's Watch may observe the meetings and, in accordance with the law, raise the Legion’s needs, but shall have no right to speak or vote on any other matter.

The task of the Great Council is to assist the kings in governing the kingdom and to bring the kingdom to a consensus on important issues, such as electing a successor, establishing laws, and conducting final arbitration of affairs and disputes.

For the sake of the unity of the kingdom, even if the kingdom has been divided into separate states, the Grand Council shall not be split or added. The kingdom can only have one Grand Council. In order to facilitate the handling of internal affairs of the royal domain, the divided kings may establish a Royal Domain Council, but it shall be subordinate to the Grand Council and its meeting cycle shall be shorter than that of the Grand Council.

VII. The Night's Watch, which guards the Wall, and its territories are part of the Kingdom, but by tradition and out of duty to defend the Kingdom, the Legion will not be under the direct control of any King. All the produce of the Legion's territories will be used to maintain the Wall and support the Legion's operations. No royal domain may levy taxes on the Legion, provided that its source and expenditure are not found to be abnormal.

8. The leader of the Night's Watch is the Lord Commander, who is elected by all the Night's Watch under the supervision of representatives of the Kingslands and the Great Council, and serves for life. Every member of the Night's Watch is eligible to be nominated as Lord Commander, regardless of origin, place of origin, nationality, or country.

9. The Night's Watch has the obligation to protect the Kingdom and its people. In exchange, the Legion has the right to send a representative to the Great Council held every ten years to make a request. If the request is reasonable and approved by the Kings and the representatives of the Great Council, the Kingdom shall grant the Night's Watch's request for support.

10. I have decided that if one of the two or three kings dies without an heir, his portion of the kingdom will be taken over by the other kings: if it is one king, he will take over the entire portion of the kingdom; if it is two kings, the portion of the kingdom will be divided reasonably between them, based on local customary boundaries and topography.

11. If two or three kings have children before their death, and the people of the royal domain are willing to elect one of them as heir, then with the permission of the other kings and the Great Council, that child may inherit his father's royal domain.

12. After I have implemented this arrangement of the kingdom, the kings shall preach and teach the idea of ​​maintaining peace within the kingdom forever, so that no king shall dare to cross the border and invade another kingdom. The kings shall help each other to the best of their ability and in a reasonable manner to jointly resist enemies from within and outside the kingdom.

13. No king shall, for any reason, promise or fault, accept any servant of another king who comes to him for refuge, nor plead for such persons; for I hope that no sinner or unworthy of sympathy shall try to escape punishment by means of the division of the kingdom, and if he needs refuge or to file a complaint, he shall seek these in the holy places or in the famous people of his own kingdom, and try to obtain appropriate sympathy there.

14. Similarly, I stipulate that if any nobleman or knight illegally breaks his contract with his lord and flees from one kingdom to another, the king of that kingdom himself cannot and must not allow his men to harbor such a person and his family members for just or unjust reasons.

Fifteenth, from the formal division of the kingdom, I hope that the subjects of each king will only be granted lands within the domain of their lord, and not simultaneously possess other lands within the domains of other kings. The kingdom should avoid this situation, partly to prevent administrative and taxation chaos, and partly to prevent such a situation from embroiling those involved in potential scandals. Furthermore, every subject of a king shall legally enjoy an undisputed right of succession within the kingdom, unaffected by the division of domains. In the event of unavoidable special circumstances, such matters shall be discussed and decided by the Grand Council.

16. Any free man has the right to serve any kingdom at his own discretion, either in the absence of a contract or after the contract has ended. Similarly, he does not have to serve another kingdom.

17. Regarding the transfer and sale of property between the kingdoms, I decree that none of the kings shall accept from any other kingdom any immovable property transferred or sold; this includes land, manors, vineyards, and forests, as well as property belonging to subjects or other ancestral estates under contracts with such lands. However, gold, silver, jewels, weapons, armor, and other items deemed permissible for sale are exceptions. The status of free men shall be as unaffected as possible by such transactions.

18. By custom, women may legally seek spouses in the royal domains and other states, and their legitimate requests shall not be refused. Marriage between commoners and marriage between men are permitted. Women have the right to dispose of property owned in the royal domain of their natal home, even though they may reside in another royal domain or even another state due to marriage.

19. As for hostages provided for the purpose of gaining trust, and those sent to various places for safekeeping, the king of the land to which they reside shall not allow them to return to their respective domain without the consent of the king, lord, or patriarch to whom they belong. If in the future there is a reasonable proposal among the kings to promote mutual cooperation, they shall also send hostages to each other. I order that those exiled for crimes or dispatched for official duties shall be treated in the same manner.

20. If disputes arise intentionally or unintentionally between the kingdoms over border issues, and cannot be resolved, adjudicated, or concluded through mediation, judgment, or legal proceedings by the parties involved, the kingdom council, or the kingdom judges, then I stipulate that such difficult issues should be adjudicated by a national grand council to prevent any conflict arising from this matter. If the situation is relatively peaceful, the parties involved should wait for the grand council, which is held regularly every ten years. If the situation is urgent, the grand council should be convened urgently under the auspices of a third party, and some delegates may be allowed to remain vacant. 21. I order and instruct that the kingdoms of the realms should jointly accept the care and protection of the Church of the Seven, just as I have done. Similarly, regarding other churches under their control, I instruct that they possess their rights and honors, and that the pastors and leaders of each place of worship enjoy property rights belonging to that holy place, regardless of which kingdom their property is located in.

22. I do not wish for these regulations and consensuses to be violated in the future, either for any reason or out of ignorance. I instruct the kings and the Great Council to strive to remedy any damage to them as quickly as possible, in accordance with the principles of justice, so as to avoid increasing guilt through delay and making the situation even more serious.

23. Regarding the affiliation of the royal women and branch families upon the division of the kingdom, I decree that they have the right to choose any king as their caretaker, protector, and patron. If any royal woman chooses a monastic life, she shall live honorably within the domain of the king she has chosen. If any royal woman desires conjugal life and a legitimate marriage to a man of equal standing, the king who rules over her shall not refuse, provided the man's proposal and the woman's consent are sincere and reasonable.

24. Finally, in my opinion, as with all decrees concerning rights and interests promulgated for the perfection and benefit of the Kingdom, I also wish to add this provision to the existing laws and decrees of the Kingdom, so that future generations may abide by and protect it, just as I have previously ordered to protect and abide by those laws and decrees that have been promulgated and recorded.

25. As long as God's will permits, while I am still alive, I will continue to have the authority to dispose of and regulate all aspects of the kingdom's governance, including all that I have done to maintain order and to protect this kingdom under the protection of the Seven Gods. After my departure, the King and the Great Council will share this responsibility.

The Grand Council passed a resolution.

On the first Father's Day of spring in the 336th year after the Conquest, Lords of the Throne, Corronoth and Myrcella Baratheon, consulted the Great Council of the Kingdom at the Dragon Tomb Arena. Rocus Mopatis drafted the report. Regarding the Order of the Many-Faced God, the Great Council of the Kingdom resolved to issue the following resolution to all the great territories, allied vassals, the Great Wall, and the common city-states:

No one may own a place dedicated to the Many-Faced God; if anyone claims the necessity of such a place, he must personally travel to King's Landing and appear before the Archon. After he has presented his reasons, the Great Council shall decide, with at least half of its members present. No one may join the Order of the Many-Faced God, whether a citizen of the Kingdom, a ally of a city-state, or otherwise allied with us, unless he has previously met with the Archon and a resolution is passed with at least three hundred Great Council representatives present. —Passed.

No one may serve as a priest to the Thousand-Faced God; nor may any man or woman hold any administrative position in his service; no public treasury may be established; and no one may be appointed as a leader or acting leader. From this day forward, no Thousand-Faced God ceremony may be held, whether in public, private, or outside the city, unless prior audience with the Chief Minister is held and a resolution is passed by a meeting of no fewer than three hundred delegates of the Great Council. —Passed.

No group of more than five people (including men and women) may hold any religious ceremony concerning the Thousand-Faced God together, unless as above agreed by the Sikyong and the Kingdom Council.

Officials, lords, and allies throughout the land must proclaim this matter in appropriate settings, for no less than three market days, so that you may clearly understand the will of the throne. Their decree is as follows: Anyone who violates the above provisions shall, in the opinion of the Royal Council, be subject to a death sentence. The Royal Council justly decrees that this document shall be engraved on bronze tablets and placed in a place most easily accessible to the public. It must be ensured that, in the event of any gathering of the Many-Faced God, unless the aforementioned special circumstances apply, all such gatherings shall be dissolved within ten days of receiving this document.

Published in the Kingdom Council of King's Landing.

End of book

As the last sentence of the book fell to the page, a cool breeze blew in from the window. Although I had resolved to record the stories of others since leaving my hometown, it had been a long time since I had recorded the great deeds of Robert, Hugo, and others with such detail and care as in this book. The brief account of the throne and the Sea Kingdom at the end of the book alone took me almost half a year to complete, involving research, interviews with eyewitnesses, and on-site investigations. As for the money spent on the journey, it was even more difficult to calculate.

Looking back from today's perspective, the known world has never come so close to "lasting peace." Countless battles have destroyed and ravaged much prosperity and happiness, but new orders have subsequently been established. However, "the only constant is change," and nothing is permanent. When King Aegon Targaryen rode his dragons through the Six Kingdoms, could he have imagined that his family's fate, ravaged by generations of unworthy descendants, would be revived in the far east? When King Robert Baratheon basked in the cheers of his kingdom's people in the arena, how could he have foreseen the swift decay of his empire behind him? Therefore, how can we be certain that the monarchy established by Hugo Ttolet, and the Rebel Alliance he created, will last forever?
Of course, as long as the generations of Tallet understand the intentions of the chosen ones and earnestly fulfill their duties as the Lord Commander's family, they will continue a dynasty far surpassing that of the Targaryens and Baratheons—for the essence of dynastic continuity is not high morality or noble blood, but rather the observance and reverence for rules and obligations. As Stannis Baratheon said, "To save a nation by winning the throne is to put the cart before the horse; a king should first save the nation, and then win the throne."

Those favored by the gods accomplished this.

Dear reader, as you close this book, please savor the peaceful world you have now! Fate is unpredictable and painful, so beauty and prosperity should be enjoyed to the fullest; do not carry them into the future, for the future is unknowable and chaotic; pursue what you pursue, and accomplish what you want to achieve. Like myself, long ago, I did some simple acts of kindness, for which I received the gratitude of a king and was granted free access to the royal archives and libraries; and it is because of this that I have been eagerly learning everything from books, which is why you have finally read this far—is this not a living example?

May the world enter a path of peace, and may the tragedies of the past never be repeated.

This book is dedicated to my beloved Katya.

Herme Botterdam

Written in the spring of the 370th year after the conquest, at the ancient battlefield of the War of the Dragonfall, in front of Daenerys Targaryen's tomb.

(End of this chapter)