Within Dragonstone.
In the castle's long corridors, a series of dragon claw-shaped torch holders extended from the walls. Flames burned fiercely, radiating light and heat.
Dragonstone's main keep was entirely constructed of black stone, creating a somber and oppressive atmosphere. Those with a cautious nature might even feel uneasy walking through it.
The corridor was silent, a stark contrast to the fierce battle raging on the sea outside.
Rhaenys, clutching a doll, walked timidly through the silent Stone Drum Tower corridor. She swallowed nervously and then called out softly, tentatively.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Only her echo answered, along with the faint sound of the wind.
The silence remained.
Although she had been living on Dragonstone for half a year, the little girl with brown hair was only four years old.
Moreover, the castle on Dragonstone was built on a hilly terrain, with winding roads and complex internal facilities, including many hidden passages.
Therefore,
Rhaenys was lost.
She had woken up in the middle of the night, intending to find Viserys. Their rooms were not far apart. However, after Rhaenys went to his bedroom, she found the bed a mess, but he wasn't there.
Even the queen's handmaid, who usually took care of them both, was nowhere to be found.
Unsupervised, Rhaenys was free.
And then, the brave little girl, clutching her doll, ran out in the middle of the night by herself, wanting to find the missing Viserys.
But she wandered around the castle for a long time, clutching her doll, and didn't find Viserys and Queen Rhaella, who were in the Sea Dragon Tower at the time.
Maester Daniel was suddenly critically ill, and they were seeing the old maester off.
However, just then.
Boom——
In the distance.
The lighthouse on Dragonstone sounded the alarm, and the low, distant tolling of the bell spread throughout the entire island, striking fear into everyone's hearts.
And the little girl with brown hair had been wandering around the castle alone for half a day, and she couldn't help but feel a little scared. Then she heard the bell, and her small body shivered slightly, and this fear lurking in her heart was greatly amplified.
The little girl bit her lip tightly, not daring to make a sound, and then ran all the way back to her bedroom, wanting to hide under the covers.
Then, she got tragically lost.
The castle at night was immersed in darkness except for the areas lit by lamps, offering a far more limited view than during the day.
And because Rhaenys was so young, she was usually kept under strict supervision, rarely having the opportunity to be out at night. Now, she felt as if she had come to an unfamiliar place.
Fortunately, the little girl with brown hair was braver than others her age. She didn't burst into tears immediately, though her eyes were slightly red, and tears were welling up.
One small hand held onto the cold wall, her body curled up, clutching the cloth doll in her arms. She listened to the wind that constantly blew past her ears and then groped her way forward.
Whoosh.
The flames above her head swayed gently with the eerie wind that came from somewhere unknown, and the girl's shadow cast on the opposite wall also twisted slightly.
"Ah!"
Rhaenys was startled by her own shadow, her scalp prickling.
She instinctively edged closer to the wall, her hand clutching at her skirt.
And then…
Clang—
A faint sound drifted from the end of the dark corridor, as if something had fallen to the ground.
"Huh?"
The little girl's ears twitched. She'd heard the sound. Leaning against the wall, she turned her head to look into the darkness.
"Viserys?"
Rhaenys whispered, thinking it was Viserys responding to her.
But the next second, she heard the sound of metal scraping.
Clang.
A grappling hook had been thrown in from the stone window not far away, landing on the ground before being pulled back slightly, until it snagged on a crack in the wall.
Crack—
The grappling hook adjusted its position, the metal scraping against the uneven stonework, producing a teeth-grinding sound. Someone outside seemed to be pulling on the rope to secure the hook.
In the torchlight, the grappling hook gleamed coldly. At the same time, a strange man's deliberately low, rough voice could be heard from outside.
"Ready... now."
They seemed to be whispering, but the wind carried the words away.
Rhaenys's hair stood on end.
"Who is it?"
The little girl's face was a little pale, her lips trembled, and one hand clutched her skirt tightly. The doll in her other hand fell to the ground, but she didn't notice, instinctively pressing herself against the cold black stone wall behind her.
She didn't know... what to do at this moment.
But.
Even though Rhaenys was young, she understood that someone sneaking into the castle in this way was certainly not a good person.
And she had also witnessed the battle on the main road before, the flesh and blood flying everywhere as the two sides fought, which had become a nightmare that woke her from sleep countless times.
She also understood the dangers of this world.
Rhaenys certainly didn't want to die.
However, she immediately heard the sound of people outside pulling ropes, trying to climb up, and it seemed to be getting closer.
"What…do I do?"
The girl was terrified, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on her forehead, her brown hair sticking to her skin. She looked around, glancing left and right.
Then, in a moment of inspiration, the young girl tiptoed and pulled at the doorknob, trying to open the door to a nearby room and hide inside.
However, it seemed something was blocking the door from the inside, and Rhaenys couldn't open it.
But the faint sounds from outside were getting closer and closer.
Rhaenys's inner panic reached its peak, and her legs felt weak.
She then gave up on the door, turned, and ran.
Splash—
Waves crashed against the rocks.
A longship, without any lights, sailed across the dark sea and silently approached Dragonstone. Then, everyone readied their weapons and disembarked.
They were a group of mercenaries from the southwestern coast of Essos, from the disputed territory between Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys, hired by the Iron Throne.
Lord Redwyne knew nothing about this.
Robert Baratheon hated the Targaryens to his core, vowing to wipe out these 'spawn of evil dragons'.
However, he didn't fully trust Paxter alone. He also split his forces, hiring a team of mercenaries from a small mercenary group on the eastern continent.
They were tasked with finding an opportunity to sneak onto Dragonstone and kill Viserys and Queen Rhaella.
And now.
The mercenaries, after receiving a hefty deposit from King Robert, finally seized their opportunity. They landed on Dragonstone's shores while the Targaryen fleet was entirely engaged in battling the Greenstone fleet.
Crack!
Claws scraped shallow white lines across the uneven stone wall, the moonlight outside a pale white.
The next second.
A burly figure appeared at the stone window, a sharp battle-axe strapped to his back, glinting coldly in the moonlight.
....
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