The firewood in the bonfire crackled under the flames, the flickering light casting a glow that made the disguised Rhaegor appear rather delicate.
The young man recalled everything he had seen since entering the Stormlands. After leaving Fawntown, they quickly crossed the mountain range that separated the Border Princes from the Stormlands. There, Rhaegor caught a glimpse of Vermax hunting for food outside, though, of course, Vermax did not notice him. They passed safely through the mountain pass and entered the domain of the stag.
Among the Seven Kingdoms, the Stormlands were not particularly large. Before the Conquest, House Durrandon ruled over this land of perpetual storms and dense rainforests. Legend held that the sky over Shipbreaker Bay was eternally both dark and bright—dark with the storm clouds that loomed over the bay and much of the Stormlands, yet bright with the ceaseless rolling thunder.
The Storm Kings of House Durrandon had long held four firm beliefs:
The Riverlands were like a naked whore, ever waiting for the Stormlands, the Westerlands, the Vale, or the Reach to take their pleasure.
The Reach was a wealthy but weak-willed neighbor that required constant chastisement, for its people were rich but lacked the bravery of the Stormlanders.
The Dornish were enemies to the death—if possible, tearing off the skullcaps of the Martells, Wyls, Yronwoods, or Fowlers to use as drinking bowls was a duty of every Storm King. Storm Kings of the past had delighted in this practice.
Lastly, and most importantly, the wealth of the Stormlands lay in the north and east, but its strongest warriors came from the southern border. The Border Lords, who had fought the Dornish and the men of the Reach in endless bloodshed, provided the elite warriors that made the Stormlands famous.
It was with these battle-hardened men that the Storm Kings defeated House Teague, the self-proclaimed Kings of the Trident, before House Hoare ever crossed the sea. King Arlan III ultimately annexed the Riverlands in a series of fortunate missteps, marking the height of Stormlander power. From the Narrow Sea to the Sunset Sea, from the Red Mountains of the Borderlands to the Neck, House Durrandon ruled one of the largest territories in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.
But in the end, House Durrandon could not hold its vast kingdom. Long before Aegon and his dragons conquered the Six Kingdoms, the Stormlands had already lost the Riverlands to Dornish and Reachman incursions and the Hoare's invasion, shrinking back to their ancestral lands.
Yet even in decline, the Storm Kingdom was stronger than the Stormlands of today.
The reason was simple: the lands that once provided its soldiers had been taken by Draezell. The Stormlands had lost nearly a third of their territory, along with many of their most war-hardened vassals.
Borros Baratheon owed a great debt to House Swann of Stonehelm, House Grandison of Grandview, and House Connington of Griffin's Roost, for they had not sworn loyalty to Draezell as many other Border Lords had. After all, these three houses were also, in a sense, military aristocrats of the Borderlands.
Rhaegor took note of the differences in lands between the Stormlands and the Border. The villages in the Stormlands retained their traditional appearance; even after years of peace, little had changed.
Still, he could feel the value of that peace.
In the villages, they managed to procure relatively decent black bread—without pebbles or sand mixed in—and even found a clean and pleasant village where they bought beer that, while not great, was at least not comparable to piss.
Perhaps it was their age, their looks, or Rhaegon's silver tongue, but their journey had been smoother than that of a nearby trio of travelers.
Their heavier coin purses might have played a part as well.
Rhaegor admitted that much. But he also noticed something more—timber from the rainforests was being transported north along the coastal road built during Draezell's rule, and not just a few hedge knights, mercenaries, and vagrants were gathering near several castles close to Storm's End.
"Is Lord Borros gathering an army?" Rhaegor mused. "Perhaps I should visit Griffin's Roost and see for myself."
---
Dragon's Nest, Five Finger Hall
Draezell sat at the head of the hall, his gaze shifting between his five sworn brothers and his younger brother, Valar. His blood-sworn knight, Revyl Haydon, still served as his attendant, standing beside Lord Quentyn Manwoody in the hall. However, the task of pouring wine had fallen to Valar's daughter, Daenyra.
The young girl skillfully filled each cup, standing quietly to the side, saying nothing—not that she would have had the opportunity to speak.
"Rhaegor should be in the Stormlands by now," Hoffa said softly. "If their journey went smoothly."
"Rest assured, Hoffa, their journey has been going quite well," Tigarro said with a reassuring tone. "Rhaegon Kaon and Elarion Hoeth have assumed the names Haggo and Roger and are traveling with Prince Rhaegor."
The Shadow Finger, now sporting a long beard, sighed and said, "Your Highness, if Prince Rhaegor has not sent those two fools back, then he has realized his mistake."
"Letting him travel is good for him," Rey said with a smile. "After all, our elder brother went through the same. He is the heir to House Vaelarys—he must be the best he can be."
"Tigarro, tell us what you have learned," Draezell said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. Tigarro turned his ring a few times before reporting Rhaegor's movements in full detail.
"After Rhaegon fell ill with fever, Prince Rhaegor took care of him for several days. During that time, they encountered various hedge knights and travelers—including some of our own agents. At the right moment, our man will teach Prince Rhaegor a lesson he will never forget."
Draezell nodded silently.
Daenyra, standing to the side, froze for a moment, looking at the others in disbelief. She hid it well, but Rey caught the fleeting flash of anxiety and unease on his niece's face.
Rey suddenly had a mischievous idea. He quietly leaned over to Tigarro's ear and whispered a few words. Tigarro first looked at Rey in shock, then at Draezell.
"Rey, you bastard... Rhaegor, you should count yourself lucky to have an uncle like this."
Draezell knew his brothers so well that he could practically read their minds. The moment Rey started plotting, even before he shared his idea with Tigarro, his expression had already given him away.
But this worked in Draezell's favor.
He gave Tigarro a slight nod, signaling his approval. Only then did Tigarro relax, resuming his formal posture and sitting upright. Meanwhile, Valar kept glancing between Rey and Tigarro, clueless about what had just transpired.
"Your Highness, regarding the situation in the Stormlands—"
Aslan Rondell, known as the Blood Finger, saw that the previous topic had concluded and took the opportunity to introduce a new one.
The Stormlands gathering troops was no secret to the other lords. However, everyone knew that the kingdom was stronger than ever—King's Landing may have seemed passive, but the king had maintained Draezell's policies. Meanwhile, though no longer Hand of the King, everyone understood that if the king flew to Dragon's Nest in person, the dragons there would rise to defend the realm. Because of this, no one suspected the Stormlands of planning rebellion.
All of these were logical assumptions.
The real reason Lord Borros was gathering troops was simple—the Stormlands needed land. He had already sent ravens to both King's Landing and Dragon's Nest regarding this matter. While King's Landing had yet to give him a direct response, it had tacitly allowed him to raise his forces.
Dragon's Nest had also remained silent, but the fact that the Silverblood Army had not mobilized was enough of an answer—House Vaelarys had no interest in interfering.
As long as Borros didn't take things too far, no one would stop him.
And his goal was perfectly reasonable.
The Stepstones.
That cluster of barren rocks in the Narrow Sea was of immense strategic importance. For House Baratheon, however, the most critical aspect was that no matter how small, those "rocks" represented new territory.
The Stormlands needed new lands.
"I'm aware," Draezell said. He understood Borros's intentions well. But the Stepstones weren't only important to House Baratheon—both Sunspear and House Vaelarys had vested interests there. The Silver Fleet needed a suitable transit port, and the Stepstones fit the bill perfectly. Sunspear, too, sought a share of the profits from the Summer Sea-Narrow Sea trade route. In fact, historically, the Stepstones Wars had often been influenced by the Martells.
Recently, the Stepstones had been experiencing a resurgence due to peace and prosperity. The collapse of the Three Daughters had driven many displaced individuals to become pirates in the region, especially those from Tyrosh.
Dalton Greyjoy had utterly destroyed the once-wealthy Free City, and though Tyrosh had since recovered, it was no longer a city of free trade.
It had become a pirate haven.
The Stepstones were now a chaotic battleground, divided among nine pirate kings. Each of them commanded at least fifty warships with two hundred oars or more. They constantly fought among themselves, raided merchant ships, and dispersed whenever the Silver Fleet launched a hunt.
Though often pursued like stray dogs by the Silver Fleet and Sunspear's growing Solar Fleet, their infamy had spread from Westeros to Qarth.
Each of these pirate kings ruled their own domain, bore their own titles, and claimed grandiose names.
Three of them were especially powerful.
First, there was "High Lord of Tyrosh" and "King of the Narrow Sea", Will Sparrow, who had once been a member of the magister ruling council. When the kingdom collapsed, he returned to his roots, ultimately seizing Tyrosh and crowning himself "King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea" thanks to his vast wealth.
Then, on Bloodstone Island, there was the infamous Pirate Queen Racallio Ryndoon, an old acquaintance. He now commanded the second-largest fleet after Will Sparrow, boasting 120 large warships—far surpassing her forces at their peak.
And finally, in the Bonetide Islands, there was the "Golden Kraken", Fell Greyjoy. Though only distantly related to Dalton, when Dalton led the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands, Fell chose to remain behind with his own longships and loyal captains. Now, he called himself "High King of the Bonetides Islands", as if daring the "Red Kraken" to challenge his claim.
The other six pirate kings held smaller territories. Some, like the Pirate Lady of Grey Gallows, controlled only a few islands. Others had no permanent bases, surviving on uninhabited isles or pledging fealty to the three dominant pirate lords.
They had little to fear.
"Borros will get what he wants," Draezell stated plainly. "And so will I."