Pfft—
An arrow shot from the darkness pierced through a Guard's throat without resistance.
The sharp tip emerged from the back of the Guard's neck, glinting coldly, and blood sprayed onto the wall.
The Guard's eyes widened; he seemed utterly unprepared for death to arrive so suddenly.
"Guh...guh...guh—"
He wanted to say something, but his trachea was filled with gushing blood, producing only unintelligible sounds. He reached out to pull out the arrow embedded in his neck, but before his hand could even touch it, he lost all strength.
Thud—
The corpse's knees buckled, and it collapsed to the ground.
Viserys stood not far from the guard. Due to the angle, he was hidden from view around the corner.
Yet, he was very close to the slain guard. They had even been chatting just moments before, the guard's face wreathed in a smile.
But in an instant, the hot blood had splattered onto the silver-haired boy's clean face.
It all happened so fast, so unexpectedly, that neither Viserys nor the other guard reacted, both frozen in place, seemingly stunned.
However, the remaining guard reacted faster than Viserys.
He seemed to glimpse a pair of eyes filled with a cruel light emerging from the darkness.
"Enemy attack!"
The Guard suddenly drew his longsword from his waist, pulling Viserys, who had just reacted and wiped the blood from his face, backward.
"Your Highness, run!"
The young Guard stood in front of Viserys, covering the young king's retreat, and the silver-haired boy, covered in blood, didn't hesitate or refuse.
He turned and ran.
Bong—
In the darkness, the taut bowstring snapped again.
Another crossbow bolt shot out from the shadows, and this time its target was Viserys, who had finally appeared in its sights.
Unfortunately, Viserys was running fast, and the bolt missed. Moving targets were much harder than stationary ones.
An arrow brushed past the boy's hairline, taking a strand of his silver-gold hair with it before embedding itself in the wall.
Thunk!
Flying debris and dust filled the air. The arrow's fletching still trembled slightly, a testament to its power.
"That was close!"
Viserys first felt a chill at his ear, followed by a burning pain.
However, Viserys had no time to dwell on the pain on his face; his heart pounded in his chest as panic seized him.
He just wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
"Damn it!"
"We screwed up!"
In the darkness not far away.
The mercenary who had ambushed with a crossbow saw that the second arrow had missed, allowing the Targaryen boy to escape. His expression darkened slightly.
Even worse, the Guard's shout seemed to have alerted the entire Stone Drum Tower garrison.
Their exposure here could even affect the plan of their leader and the other brothers to intercept Queen Rhaella on the other side.
"Chase him!"
The burly man named Landon, who carried a battle-axe on his back, also looked grim, his red and black war paint making him appear quite ferocious.
Then he suddenly stood up from the darkness and strode after Viserys.
The seven people executing this mission were all top-notch members of the mercenary group. After all, this was a very important commission, and the people they brought had to be few but elite.
Otherwise, if they were discovered by the Dragonstone fleet at sea, even if they brought the entire mercenary group, they would all have to jump into the sea and feed the fish.
After entering the Dragonstone castle, the seven people split into two groups. One group of three went to kill Viserys, while the leader led the remaining three to attack Queen Rhaella, whose defenses were more substantial.
They believed that three people were more than enough to kill a child, and the main target was Viserys Targaryen's guards.
Landon strode after Viserys, but the loyal Dragonstone Guard would not let them pass so easily.
"Stop!"
The Guard held a shield in one hand and a longsword in the other, blocking their path in the corridor.
Although his voice was loud and resonant, a slight tremor could still be heard.
"Who are you people!"
However, he still didn't turn and flee, instead trying to buy Viserys time to escape.
Dragonstone had once been Rhaegar Targaryen's fiefdom, so these Guards were once Rhaegar's men, and fiercely loyal to the Targaryen family.
Viserys didn't understand how his almost perfect brother could have such charisma, that everyone who had ever met him spoke so highly of him.
But in his memories, his elder brother was indeed very talented and also handsome.
He remembered when his elder brother took the boy to the Royal Forest for an outing, they were attacked by an adult wild boar. Rhaegar, holding Viserys, used only one hand and a sword to skillfully and elegantly take down the wild boar.
But Rhaegar didn't chase after it to kill it, instead letting the wounded boar escape.
In short, the deceased prince had become a synonym for perfection.
The loyal Guards of Dragonstone didn't flee. Instead, they bravely charged forward, buying Viserys time to escape.
Clang!
The Guards, skilled from rigorous training, clashed with the mercenaries who had tasted blood daily. Three against one in the confined corridor.
Clang, clang!
The Guard's longsword deflected attacks from the other two. Sparks flew in the darkness as steel met steel.
But then, a battle axe descended. Forced to react quickly, the Targaryen soldier could only raise the round shield in his left hand to defend.
The next moment.
BOOM!
Wood chips flew as the burly mercenary swung his battle-axe, striking the Guard's shield with immense force. The blow was so powerful it nearly cleaved the shield in two.
The Guard from Dragonstone hadn't anticipated such strength, and his expression shifted dramatically.
He stumbled slightly, almost losing his balance and falling to the ground.
But the mercenary, accustomed to a life of violence, showed no mercy.
The big man swung his axe again, taking the Guard's head in a single blow, without a cry.
Plop—
The Guard's head rolled across the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain.
The headless body slumped against the wall and then collapsed.
Viserys had just fled all the way to the spiral staircase on the third floor of the Stone Drum Tower.
He was gasping for breath, and then, as he turned his head, he saw the scene unfold before him.
The brave Guard had used his life to buy him enough time, but was killed by the brutal enemy in only a few moves.
Viserys watched as the enemy took another stride towards him, and felt his scalp tingle slightly.
"Damn it."
The silver-haired boy clenched his teeth slightly, then turned and fled again.
....
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