Template:Lore "The Red Keep" is part of the Histories & Lore, a special feature in the Blu-ray of Season 3 of Game of Thrones. It is narrated by Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon.
Synopsis
Joffrey Baratheon describes the Red Keep and the various methods of torture that it has housed throughout its history.
Summary
"Mine" is what Joffrey calls the Red Keep. The smallfolk say that it's color comes from the blood Aegon spilt to win his crown. Joffrey chuckles and call them fools. Blood doesn't soak into stone, no matter how hard he tries.
Aegon built the castle of red rock to remind people of the fires he had roasted his enemies in, so whenever King's Landing looked up, they would see the price of defiance. He knew the first rule of kings: only fear keeps men in line. Fear and punishment, a lesson he taught his son Maegor. When the builders finally finished the Red Keep, Maegor executed them all to keep it's secrets safe. Rumor has it miles of hidden passageways run behind the walls and under the floors. One day Joffrey will have to find them.
Traitors and women work in shadows. A king has no need for secrecy. Now people name Maegor "the Cruel", but Joffrey doubts any did in his day. His strength was all too rare in the degenerate Targaryen blood. The simpering Baelor "the Blessed" created the Maidenvault to imprison his own sisters and save himself from carnal thoughts. Joffrey finds this disgusting, though he admits a Princevault could be amusing when Tommen bores him.
Joffrey's favorite place in the Red Keep? There are so many. The Traitors' Walk where he mounts the heads of his enemies comes to mind. He laments that flesh rots so slowly, as he has almost run out of spikes. The dungeons are also quite nice once you get past the first two levels, which are a stable for common criminals and private cells for useful highborns. How boring, he knows. But then you comes to the Black Cells. No windows, no torches, just darkness and whatever you hear in there with you. Here they keep the greatest traitors until the king is ready for them, and with these he often likes to take his time.
But he has heard rumors of an even lower hidden level, Maegor's favorite. Once a man was taken there, he never saw the sun again nor heard a human voice, nor breathed a breath free of agonising pain. Varys must know the way, but that overgrown girl pretends not to. Maybe he fears Joffrey will make him a victim. Maybe he will...
Then again, torture chambers are just so...private. Better to punish your enemies where everyone can see and remember. Like that Targaryen who forced his nephew to watch as he fed the boy's traitor mother to a dragon. Oh, what Joffrey could do with a dragon...
Even Aerys, fool as he was, knew to burn men alive with an audience to spread the terror far and wide across his kingdoms. Of course, Joffrey knows his favorite place now! When he sits on the Iron Throne high in the Red Keep. All of Westeros scuttles below him like insects waiting for his heel to land.
Appearances
Characters
- King Aegon I Targaryen, the "Conquerer" (mentioned)
- King Maegor Targaryen, the "Cruel"
- King Baelor Targaryen, the "Blessed" (mentioned)
- Queen Daena Targaryen (not mentioned by name)
- Princess Rhaena Targaryen (not mentioned by name)
- Princess Elaena Targaryen (not mentioned by name)
- Prince Tommen Baratheon
- King Aegon II Targaryen (not mentioned by name)
- Prince Aegon Targaryen, the "the Younger" (not mentioned by name)
- Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (not mentioned by name)
- Ser Marston Waters (not mentioned)
- Ser Gyles Belgrave (not mentioned)
- Ser Willis Fell (not mentioned)
- Sunfyre, the "Golden" (not mentioned by name)
- Lord Varys
- King Aerys II Targaryen, the "Mad King"
- Lord Rickard Karstark (not mentioned by name)
- Brandon Stark (not mentioned by name)
Locations
Institutions
Events
- Dance of the Dragons (not mentioned by name)
Miscellaneous
Notes
The only known Kingsguard present during the execution of Rhaenyra Targaryen is Ser Marston Waters. However, it is known that Ser Gyles Belgrave and Ser Willis Fell survived the war.