Two Ironborn left, but the Red Priest Moqorro, a newcomer like them, stayed, taking the empty seat left by Daario Naharis's absence. Together with important officials such as the Queen's Hand Petyr, the Unsullied commander Grey Worm, Daenerys's favored little scribe Missandei, and Daenerys herself, they formed a table like the original small council.
"The Ironborn coming to find you proactively clearly have impure motives, but when it comes down to it, anyone who does something must have a purpose, either for external gain or inner satisfaction. Pure motive is simply a nonsensical concept. We do not need to overly criticize or be hostile toward them. Whether experienced sailors or ocean-going ships, they are the help we need right now." Petyr shrugged. "I do not know that Euron, and do not understand much about him. His claim of weakening both Stannis and Aegon to clear the way for you is obviously nonsense, but at least the point that he is indeed taking action is not a lie. With the ports blockaded, the information we can get about the situation in Westeros is limited, but there is still some. After screening and analysis, I have picked out the parts that should be true."
"Speak," Daenerys nodded.
"That Aegon Targaryen, who claims to be your nephew, is being steadily defeated by Stannis Baratheon. The large territories he took in the Stormlands earlier have now all been recaptured except for Storm's End and the offshore islands. Among his two important allies, the Riverlands have gradually lost ambition after repeated defeats, and if Stannis had not insisted on refusing to back down and negotiate peace with them, they would probably have ceased hostilities long ago. And Dorne, for unknown reasons, has not sent troops on a large scale to fight for him. Coincidentally, we already know what House Martell is thinking. Prince Doran secretly sent Prince Quentyn to try to arrange a marriage with you. They do not want to put an Aegon of unknown origin on the throne, but hope that Prince Quentyn's descendants will sit the Iron Throne."
"And the usurper family on the other side. Stannis is not as sure of victory as he seems. After the Starks returned to save their home due to the Ironborn invasion of the North, although he can still gain the upper hand against Aegon's Golden Company by relying on the armies of the Stormlands, Crownlands, Riverlands, and the Vale, he does not have an overwhelming advantage. The obligation of each house's army to fight for the king is time-limited, and now the duration of the war has long exceeded this limit. With winter approaching, House Baratheon will also face double difficulties with food and finances," Petyr analyzed clearly. "Plus the Iron Islands are muddying the waters, harassing whichever side has the advantage. Ultimately, the two kings still fighting will definitely stop the war, not because they want to, but because they have to stop. And this is not good news for you."
"Why is that not good news?" Missandei asked doubtfully. "If I am not mistaken, there can only be one king in Westeros, and different claimants cannot coexist peacefully. A truce can only be a truce, it will never turn into peaceful coexistence. When the Queen counterattacks Westeros, even if that Aegon does not proactively submit, at least he will not move against us before crushing Stannis, right?"
That a girl several years younger than Daenerys could attend the small council meeting had greatly surprised and irked Petyr at first. But as time went on, and he gradually witnessed the girl's maturity and wisdom far exceeding her age, Littlefinger began to adapt to her presence and tried his best to treat her as an equal.
"That is right, Stannis and Aegon will never coexist peacefully, but this is still extremely disadvantageous to Your Grace." Littlefinger spread his hands. "Whether that Aegon is real or false, at least on the surface he shares the Queen's surname. But Stannis, as the usurper's brother and heir, is irreconcilably opposed to us. And he now controls most of Westeros. Once winter comes and there is a truce, tell me, whose strength will recover faster, his or the rootless Golden Company's?"
Daenerys understood what Petyr meant. "Now is the time when the usurper family is most vulnerable and helpless. I should seize the opportunity."
"Exactly."
Through analyzing a large number of clues from various channels, Petyr was almost certain that this so-called Aegon currently confronting Stannis on the battlefield in Westeros was being supported by Varys from behind. This eunuch had always spoken of loyalty and the common people for decades, but in reality, all his schemes and plans were ultimately aimed at putting this child of unknown origin on the throne. What made Petyr quite gleeful was that various signs showed, because of the surprisingly rapid changes in the situation in the Seven Kingdoms after he was forced to flee due to the note incident, the fat man's plan did not proceed entirely as anticipated, but deviated. The most serious deviation was that the true dragonblood and the Golden Company, who were supposed to make their final appearance to clean up the mess, were forced to appear prematurely, so they now had to directly confront a master of the Iron Throne acknowledged by at least most people in the Seven Kingdoms.
Emotionally speaking, Petyr really wanted to ignore the pressure from all sides, sit back in Slaver's Bay, and watch Varys's overall plan collapse and fail little by little.
But he could not do that, because he was the Queen's Hand, and he had to rationally consider Daenerys's, and ultimately his own, interests. If he stood by and watched Stannis eliminate Aegon, when the Queen's army set foot in Westeros, she would face a unified Seven Kingdoms. And Aegon the Conqueror never faced such an opponent. The difference in strength would be too great for the Three Dragons and the Unsullied to bridge.
Although very reluctant, Petyr finally presented to the Queen the result of his rational analysis. Now was the best time to counterattack Westeros. Once Stannis defeated Aegon and subdued the Iron Islands, it would be too late.
Daenerys thought seriously for a moment, then shook her head. "If he recovers his strength, then let him recover. I have Three Dragons."
This was a judgment made after taking the Three Dragons into account, oh my Queen. Petyr did not know whether to laugh or cry. His mind turned slightly, and he spoke indirectly to salvage the situation. "Your Grace, do you know cyvasse?"
"Would you ask someone if they know what one plus one is?" Daenerys gave her Hand a reproachful look. "I am not good at it, but I know how to play."
"What piece can kill a dragon?"
"Catapults."
Petyr spread his hands. "You see, people from hundreds of years ago already knew that dragons are not invincible. I am very confident that you learned complete dragonriding on this trip east. The first and second times you ride a dragon into battle, you will definitely kill greatly and shock the world. But the third and fourth times, you will find the enemy has begun to figure out how to deal with dragons, or you riding on the dragon's back. By the fifth or sixth time, perhaps later, someone will eventually invent a reliable way to deal with dragons."
"I still have the Unsullied, and the Free Company."
Littlefinger frowned, gave a wry smile, and shook his head. "Grey Worm, report to the Queen on the status of the Unsullied, and the training progress of the Free Company."
"In the recent defense of Meereen, seven hundred and twenty-four Unsullied died, and over nine hundred were wounded. But because the Yunkai army brought the pale mare when they marched from Astapor, after it unfortunately spread into the city, it also affected the Unsullied. Although we implemented isolation as quickly as possible, several hundred were still infected, and dozens have already been lost, and a large number of the sick have begun to pass bloody stools. The healers and Blue Graces are trying their best to treat them, but not many can be saved." The Unsullied commander nodded, his face solemn and meticulous, and said, "Due to concerns about the spread of the plague, plus insufficient food, the training of the Free Company has been conducted in small, dispersed groups. So far, only drill formations and basic command signals have been practiced. Weapons and equipment are still lacking, and only the first of the three spear methods is being taught and practiced."
"You see, Your Grace, out of eight thousand Unsullied, you have only six thousand left, and the Free Company still has who knows how far to go before being invincible in battle. Even if completed, you will have fewer than twenty thousand soldiers. With so few, if the enemy hears about it early and prepares means to deal with dragons, you will not even be able to take King's Landing, let alone conquer the Seven Kingdoms," Petyr persuaded patiently. "Therefore, the safest way is to return to Westeros as soon as possible while Stannis's army is still fighting Aegon, and before the news that dragons can already be put into battle has spread, and unexpectedly begin the war to retake the Seven Kingdoms, creating enough advantage before the enemy reacts and gathering as many supporters as possible under your banner."
"Your Grace, you allowed me to stay here, so I take it as your permission to speak." The Red Priest Moqorro, who had been silent since driving away the Ironborn with a few words, suddenly spoke. "The Lord of Light warns in the flames. The ancient alien god that mortals cannot speak of has completed the accumulation of power in the far North where He resides, and is preparing to instigate the final war. If you do not immediately hurry to where you should be, but insist on completing the full practice of ruling in Slaver's Bay, and insist on freeing all the slaves in Essos before taking responsibility, then by the time you are finally ready, the land across the Narrow Sea will have turned into scorched earth and a forbidden land for life, becoming a dangerous place like the Valyrian peninsula that everyone avoids, with no meaning left to contend for."
Petyr did not believe in ghostly things like prophecies in flames, but seeing that this Red Priest was on the same side as him, he held back from arguing. Daenerys was exactly the opposite. After her trip to Asshai, she had personally experienced that what existed in this world beyond ordinary imagination was absolutely not limited to her Three Dragons. That someone could see things that had happened in the past or were happening now from the flames was absolutely not nonsense.
However, if someone relied on this to peddle their views, satisfy private interests, attribute everything to "the Lord of Light warns in the flames," exaggerate to increase persuasiveness, and try to fool her, then they would have to be made to understand what the wrath of a sleeping dragon was.
"Does the Lord of Light say so in the flames?" Daenerys smiled slightly, deciding to argue while also testing whether this Red Priest before her was just a mouthpiece with a false appearance, or a truly capable extraordinary person.
If it was the latter, then she would allow him to stay by her side.
The trip to Asshai had a great impact on the Queen's understanding. She began to realize that extraordinary power was actually one of the indispensable components of this world. Instead of being passively affected by it, it was better to place it within her own camp and use it correctly. "Very well, did the Lord of Light tell you in the flames what stories happened on my trip east?"
Moqorro's pitch-black face revealed an unfathomable smile. Because the change in expression caused the white visible in his eye sockets to shrink, his face looked even darker for a moment.
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)