Domeric could hardly believe his eyes.
He had thought he was simply seeing things.
Yet there was not the slightest trace of the bloodthirstiness of a beast in the dragon's pupils. Instead, there was a distinctly human intelligence in its gaze.
Still, this little incident was insignificant.
Once the dragon joined the battle, the situation at the scorpion battery immediately became one-sided.
The one controlling Balerion was Viserys himself. His dragonflame always struck the enemy with terrifying precision.
The commotion at the fortress soon spread outward like ripples.
Some of the troops stationed farther away had no idea what was happening.
They had gone nearly ten days without a proper night's sleep, leaving their minds foggy and sluggish.
Even the commanders were slow to react.
But once they realized that the dragons were attacking, they hurried toward the scorpion battery.
The fighting at the fortress also caught the attention of the Targaryen camp in the distance.
Arthur, serving as the vanguard, made the decision immediately.
"Attack!"
The deep sound of horns awakened the camp.
By the time the dragons' roars reached the Targaryen camp, they had already been greatly diminished by the distance.
Most of the Targaryen soldiers had been able to get a proper night's sleep.
When the soldiers, still groggy from sleep, finished putting on their armor and pushed their siege weapons toward the fortress, the dragon riders had already begun suppressing the walls with longbows.
The scorpions were powerful, but there were simply too few of them at the other positions to establish effective suppression.
The faster-firing longbows, on the other hand, kept the defenders constantly occupied.
When the battering rams began striking the fortress walls, the defenders' morale started to collapse.
What made matters worse was that many of the attacking soldiers had originally come from Westeros themselves.
There could hardly have been a better excuse for surrender.
The more than twenty thousand Westerosi soldiers inside the fortress turned their weapons against the Braavosi soldiers with almost no hesitation.
Before long, the fortress suffered its first fall.
The dragon settled atop one of the fortress towers and looked down over the surrounding land.
The black three-headed dragon banner fluttered over ground where the blood had not yet dried, welcoming the first rays of sunlight.
Viserys received Domeric and Raymond, the two men who had sparked the uprising, in the fortress's command hall.
"We were able to capture this fortress at such a small cost because of your efforts. I will not forget your contributions."
As he spoke, Viserys looked toward Domeric and Raymond, who stood at the front.
"Ser Domeric, I give you my word here and now. The lands east of the White Knife will belong to House Bolton.
The lords east of the White Knife will answer to House Bolton, and Karhold and the surrounding lands will also be incorporated into your family's domain."
Viserys had personally made the promise in front of so many people. That meant it would certainly be fulfilled.
Domeric immediately dropped to one knee before him.
"House Bolton will remain loyal to House Targaryen forever!"
Viserys smiled and motioned for him to rise.
Then, in front of everyone else, he produced a sword.
"This is a Valyrian steel sword. In the name of the king, I grant it to House Bolton!"
Domeric stared at the Valyrian steel sword in Viserys's hand, his heart pounding with excitement.
In Westeros, a noble family without an ancestral Valyrian steel sword could hardly hold its head high among the great houses.
House Lannister, for example, had once possessed a Valyrian steel sword called Brightroar.
But it had been lost during one of the family's expeditions.
Ever since then, Tywin had desperately wanted to purchase another Valyrian steel sword for House Lannister.
Yet even nobles whose fortunes had declined were unwilling to part with theirs.
Viserys's grant of lands was already generous enough.
Domeric had never expected an additional reward.
"Ser Domeric, this sword will become the ancestral sword of House Bolton. You will be its first owner. Give it a name."
Domeric looked at the two-handed Valyrian steel sword and thought for a moment before answering.
"Your Majesty, I would like to call this sword 'Icebreaker.' What do you think?"
"Icebreaker? Not bad."
House Stark possessed a Valyrian steel sword called Ice.
Domeric understood that House Bolton's future role would be to counterbalance House Stark.
So he had chosen this name accordingly.
Viserys then turned toward Raymond.
"Lord Raymond."
After seeing how generously Viserys had rewarded House Bolton, everyone was even more curious about what House Darry would receive.
After all, House Darry had been loyal to the Targaryens through some of the royal family's darkest days.
Many were even wondering whether Viserys would grant House Darry a Valyrian steel sword as well.
"House Darry stood firmly beside House Targaryen even when the royal family was at its most vulnerable.
And you have now rendered such great service once again.
I fear that merely granting additional lands would not be enough to match House Darry's loyalty."
Viserys deliberately paused, making everyone even more curious.
"Your Majesty, we merely did what we should have done."
Raymond spoke sincerely.
He did not want to use the deaths of his three elder brothers to claim glory for himself.
After a moment, Viserys finally spoke.
"I have decided to move House Darry's seat and lands to Riverrun. From this day onward, House Darry will be the lord of Riverrun."
Viserys's reward once again left the others envious.
Was House Darry about to become the new Lords Paramount of the Riverlands?
However, Viserys stopped there.
He had merely transferred their lands and seat to Riverrun without granting them any greater authority.
Then another Valyrian steel sword was brought forward.
"Here. Give this one a name as well."
Raymond looked down at the Valyrian steel sword in his hands and thought for a long time.
"Your Majesty, I shall call it..."
Raymond wanted to follow Domeric's example.
But the sigil of House Tully was a trout.
This was a prestigious ancestral sword personally bestowed by Viserys. Calling it something like Fish Spear or Fishcutter would simply sound terrible.
Seeing Raymond struggling to come up with a name, Viserys spoke for him.
"If you cannot decide, Ser Raymond, then I will name it for you. It shall be called Rivercleaver."
House Tully sometimes used the ever-flowing river as a symbol of its identity.
Naming the sword Rivercleaver therefore carried a subtle implication that the river itself had been severed.
After expressing his gratitude, Raymond stood beside Domeric with Rivercleaver in hand.
The two exchanged a glance and smiled at one another.
In truth, House Darry now possessed two Valyrian steel swords.
Willem was still serving in the Kingsguard, and he too possessed a Valyrian steel sword bestowed upon him by Viserys.
But when the day came for him to retire, that sword would certainly return to House Darry.
Viserys then turned toward the other Westerosi nobles who had once again sworn allegiance to him.
"As for the rewards for the rest of you, I will have my Hand, Clinton, inform you of the arrangements.
Whether it is land or castles, we can discuss everything in detail after we capture Braavos."
"Yes, Your Majesty! Long live the king!"
Viserys looked at the jubilant nobles and smiled before nodding.
News of the fortress's fall soon reached Braavos.
Once one fortress had fallen, there was little reason to continue holding the others.
Under Freygo's orders, the soldiers and scorpions stationed at the remaining fortresses were hastily withdrawn.
The war that would determine the fate of Braavos was about to begin.
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