Lyanna carried with her the scent of leather, as though she hoped to use it to conceal the natural fragrance of a woman's body.
"Why are you here? Where is Aemon?" Viserys tilted his head slightly. Lyanna was half a head taller than he was now.
"Aemon is being looked after by Queen Rhaella and Elia. I came to help you," Lyanna said softly.
Her riding skills were excellent. Called the "She-Wolf," she had grown up receiving almost the same education as Brandon and Eddard.
Eddard even used to say she was "half human, half horse."
She practiced swordsmanship and martial combat and even had her own views about leading troops into battle.
However, Viserys did not lack generals now—Arthur, Oswell, Ock, and even those noblemen he had spirited away from the Wall.
And he could guess that what Lyanna most wanted was to command troops in battle.
"If you're here because you want to lead my armies, I'm afraid that won't be possible—"
"It's fine. Just tell me what you need. As long as it helps you," Lyanna replied quickly and without hesitation.
"I want you to go to the recently submitted Rhoynar settlements and select some intelligent children to send to the Academy to study," Viserys said.
Considering his finances were currently stable, Viserys intended to expand the Academy's capacity.
It would also help bind more of the Rhoynar people to his 'restoration cause' through mutual interest.
"Alright, I understand," Lyanna said.
"I'm not done.
When you recruit these children, make sure to tell their families that if they graduate successfully, they will become officers, even governors in the future.
Only then will they willingly hand their children over to us."
"They can become officers too?" Lyanna was surprised. She had always believed that only nobles could serve as military officers, but Viserys clearly did things differently.
And this was only the beginning. Viserys even planned to select officials through examinations in the future.
But for now, being able to read and write already made someone a rare and valuable talent.
As for the nobles, Viserys had a plan for them too—when the time was right, he would issue a decree banning private possession of armor.
From a material standpoint, he would reduce the chance of rebellion.
As a transmigrant, Viserys detested the feudal lords' system of this world.
The ideal system should be centralized rule.
Behind them, Oberyn—who had seen countless women in his life—immediately noticed that among the welcoming party was a woman standing very close to Viserys.
As soon as the distance between Viserys and Lyanna widened a little, Oberyn quickened his pace to catch up.
When he caught the scent coming from Lyanna, he became even more certain.
Despite the strong leather smell, Oberyn was a master of poisons and extremely sensitive to scents.
Because Lyanna had trained in martial arts since childhood, she sensed him approaching before he even spoke.
"Hey—" Oberyn began with his mouth slightly open, but when Lyanna turned to face him, the rest of his words died in his throat.
Sharp features, brown hair, grey eyes—based on appearance alone, she was beautiful.
But what stunned Oberyn was her bearing—an aura so striking that even among noblewomen she would stand out without question.
"Prince Oberyn," Lyanna greeted first, pulling the dazed prince back to reality.
"I saw you speaking with our king. I don't believe we've met before," Oberyn said.
Lyanna did not bother to hide her identity. She believed there was nothing shameful in her feelings for Rhaegar.
But when she spoke with Viserys earlier, she promised that until the transfer of Dragonstone was complete, she would use a false name to avoid unnecessary attention.
"Just a nobody. You may call me Aelia," she said.
This was the alias Lyanna had prepared in advance.
"Aelia. A beautiful name. You remind me of Princess Aelia, the one who once rode Balerion," Oberyn said, beginning his usual line of charm.
But Lyanna seemed sensitive to his tone—perhaps because he faintly reminded her of Robert.
"You flatter me," Lyanna replied calmly, though she suppressed her irritation.
Oberyn, who had made even septas willing to bear his children, clearly sensed her coldness.
But that only intrigued him more.
He could tell Lyanna had already given birth—she was no maiden.
A woman like that, unmoved even after learning of his identity, must have higher pursuits and stricter standards.
"Our king is wise, isn't he? Do you know why we're here this time?" Oberyn asked. If a woman wasn't interested in him, he would talk of other things first—slowly drawing her in.
Lyanna had no desire to associate with this notorious prince, but walking away too coldly would seem suspicious.
So she forced her expression to remain composed and said:
"I heard you and His Majesty went to Nasar."
"Yes, Nasar. We even encountered a group of pirates on the way."
"Pirates?!"
Seeing he had finally caught her interest, Oberyn launched into a description of the savage longbows they carried.
"His Majesty wasn't hurt, was he?"
"No—" he began, but the moment Lyanna confirmed Viserys was safe, her interest vanished completely. She cared nothing for his tale if the king was uninvolved.
Realizing he was not the main character in the story, Oberyn cut himself off. There was no point continuing.
"Did you see the garden under construction? I'm building it for my sister Elia. Would you like to walk there with me?"
Lyanna's eyelids twitched. She continued to politely refuse, "Thank you for your kindness, but I am here to serve His Majesty. If I have time, I'll go look."
With that, she gave a slight bow and quickened her pace to leave.
Watching her walk away, Oberyn rubbed his lips. Wherever he traveled, he left seeds behind—and Gohor would be no exception.
He had a habit: though he loved freely, he always brought his children back to Dorne.
It seemed he might not be able to take the Prince's Spear—but taking a child instead wasn't such a bad idea.
Soon, the group arrived at the grand hall Old Crab had built for Viserys. For now, it was only a stone structure, unadorned, and in Viserys's eyes, looked more like a vast cattle shed.
But the inside was decent—stone floors, chandeliers above, bright with torchlight.
Due to limited time, only the Targaryen three-headed dragon banners hung within.
Viserys planned to announce to his closest retainers the good news of obtaining the Prince's Spear—and his plans to come.
___________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/BloodAncestor