The dragon Balerion hung on Gendry's shoulder, a tiny bundle like a scarf. Balerion roared, pale smoke puffing from his nostrils, his eyes deep red like coals.
"old gods and new gods, I never thought I'd see a true dragon," The Handsome Man's eyes widened as he looked at the Black Dragon Balerion before him. "The red comet appeared, and then a dragon was born."
Dragons were enough to challenge anyone's faith. Since the last dragon, there had been no news of a dragon hatching for hundreds of years.
"Not just a dragon, but a lively, strong dragon," Qyburn emphasized. "And Princess Daenerys has two more dragons."
"This is truly news that will shake the known world," The Handsome Man mused. "King Aegon 'the Dragonbane' hatched the last small dragon, completely different from this one. 'The last dragon' was a green female dragon. She was sickly, very small, deformed and stunted, with withered wings."
"Dragons shaped Westeros," The Handsome Man continued. "The dragons have recognized the Commander-in-Chief. I don't think we need the King's approval; with just the Commander-in-Chief's army, Princess Daenerys's claim, and the dragons' boost, our return to Westeros will be much easier."
How many claims did Aegon the Conqueror have? He achieved his conquest with dragons and warrior charisma, uniting the kingdoms. This was The Conqueror's contribution, making him famous in history.
"Dragons certainly help our cause, but they also attract a lot of greed and aversion. And our dragon is too small; it needs good protection," Qyburn said worriedly. "Even if we are to advance into Westeros, it needs proper planning."
"The information is temporarily confidential, but I'm afraid it won't be hidden for long," Gendry said, understanding Qyburn's concerns. Gendry wasn't worried about ordinary people trying to snatch the dragon, but rather about strange magic, such as the Shadowbinders of Asshai, the Warlocks of Qarth, and so on.
"Indeed," Qyburn said, looking at the Red Comet hanging in the sky, so bright.
"Dragons bring us great benefits, but also many troubles. Setting dragons aside, what we can still rely on now are soldiers and swords. We will invade Westeros sooner or later, but there's no need to rush; instead, we should quietly wait for the right moment," Gendry said. "We should try to avoid fighting on two fronts and prolonged wars."
"Your Highness, are you worried about Lys and Volantis?" The Handsome Man asked.
"Not just Lys and Volantis," Gendry said. "If the Braavosi knew that dragons had been born, their attitude might change. Our liberation of slaves aligns with Braavos's interests, but if a nation spanning Westeros, the Stepstones, the Three Daughters, and the Dothraki Sea emerges, Braavos would shift from friendly to fearful and hostile."
"That's also my concern. Before the enemy encirclement appears, we need to secure another rear base," Qyburn said.
"According to the map, the North, the Vale, the Crownlands, the Stormlands, and Dorne are all close to the sea, and our fleet is capable of landing at any of them," The Handsome Man said, looking at the map. "Dorne and the Stormlands are the closest to the Two Cities. King's Landing and Pentos are roughly on a line. Seagull Town is closest to Braavos. As for White Harbor in the North, it's just too far north."
"The North is too cold, and Dorne is too hot; these two regions should be excluded first. Moreover, Prince Oberyn of Dorne has offered us help, and Eddard has always been known for his old-fashioned ways. House Stark and House Martell can both be won over. As for the Vale, Seagull Town is also relatively far," Qyburn said.
After their analysis, the answer was already obvious. The main direction for the fleet's attack was the Crownlands and the Stormlands. It was merely a choice of several key strongholds: the Isle of Tarth, Storms End, Dragonstone, and King's Landing.
"King's Landing isn't that important," Gendry said. For a city of that size, the defensive pressure is actually very high, especially when it comes to feeding a volatile and hungry populace.
"Then only Dragonstone, the Isle of Tarth, and Storms End remain," The Handsome Man said. Except for the Isle of Tarth, the other two places would be difficult to capture.
"Dragonstone, what I want most right now is Dragonstone," Gendry said. Dragonstone defends the outer ring of King's Landing, is the old stronghold of the Targaryen family, and its castle is strong. Taking Dragonstone would allow us to quickly connect with the old King's party in the Claw Peninsula and other areas.
"Dragonstone. Dragons prefer volcanic terrain, and Dragonstone has ancient Dragonmont and caves," Qyburn analyzed the necessity of capturing Dragonstone from a magical perspective.
"But Dragonstone is garrisoned by the Royal Fleet; this will be a bloody battle," The Handsome Man said.
"There will be a battle, but it might not necessarily be a bloody one."
...Late at night, outside King's Landing, in a large tent in The Kingswood.
The King was furious about not hunting the white stag. He hadn't seen the white stag, only the remains of some wolves killed by it. Those remains stuck in Eddard's throat, feeling like an ominous premonition.
"Damn it," the King complained to Eddard. "This white stag is too cunning; not only can it escape the Wolf Pack, but it also escaped human hunters."
"Perhaps this is a good thing," Eddard said to the King. "The stag is the totem of House Baratheon; a white stag is an auspicious sign."
"Alright, alright, I didn't expect you to comfort me like this, Eddard," the King laughed heartily. "But it doesn't matter if there's no white stag; legend says there's a bear in the woods, and it would be good if I hunted it."
The King was determined to hunt that monstrous giant bear, and no one could stop him.
By this time, some people had already returned to King's Landing, including Prince Joffrey, members of House Royce, Balon Swann, and others. The rest were still accompanying the King on the hunt.
Eddard looked at the laughing King, pondering whether those truths needed to be revealed. At this moment, although the Lannister forces were much reduced, his own strength was also very weak. If he rashly spoke the truth, it would turn the world upside down.
There was also a distant letter; Lady Lysa was actually demanding that he release Littlefinger, otherwise she would keep Catelyn imprisoned. These terrible truths made Eddard's heart truly unable to be happy.
"If it's a big bear, killing it would be even better. Bear meat can be tasted, and bear skin can be made into a cloak, nothing more suitable," the King said to Eddard.
"Yes. A cloak to face winter, that would be perfect," Eddard looked at the King, unsure whether to call him carefree or heartless.
"winter, winter, look, there you go again," the King laughed heartily. "People say the old gods and new gods celebrated my coronation by making summer last forever."
"Summer won't last forever. winter is coming, Your Grace," Eddard gave the King a sad expression.
"Damn it, I should have butchered you! Can't even enjoy a hunt properly. First you tell me to chop off Gregor's head, then it's about winter coming, making me uncomfortable just hearing it." The King's yawn carried a strong scent of wine, making Eddard unable to open his eyes. Gods above, how much wine had the King drunk?
"You have a drink too," the King said to Eddard, then shouted at the tent entrance, "Where are my Attendants? Bring wine!"
Then the Lannister-looking Attendants appeared, serving wine to the King and the Hand. Eddard had already drunk quite a bit, only knowing that the wine was truly potent.
Fueled by the wine, the King and Eddard continued to chat.
"Speaking of which, I haven't taken good care of those Child, so they naturally won't love me," the King suddenly said with a touch of melancholy.
Eddard looked at the King, and suddenly understood something. "You've heard some things?"
The King nodded, his expression conflicted. "I hear the sound of war, war ignited Across the Narrow Sea, between the horse people and the people of the Two Cities. If that Child wins, I will have to face my own destiny, fighting him, and I will become a laughingstock of history."
The King touched his black hair again, "Speaking of which, it's damned, I was also a hero once. But thinking of a Child like Joffrey becoming King, with Cersei chattering beside him, my head starts to ache."
"Your Grace, you must not think like that, everything will be fine," Eddard said. He felt his throat was very dry, and he really wanted to speak the facts and the truth, but the matter was too important. Eddard was more afraid that the King, in his rage, would kill Cersei's innocent Child, just as he killed the Targaryen family's Child.
"Enough, Eddard, stop trying to comfort me. People's talents and temperaments are different. Joffrey is absolutely no match for that 'traitors', so I need to resolve these matters as quickly as possible. You must assist me well; we cannot leave this mess for later."
"Yes," Eddard felt as if his throat was blocked by a lead weight, wondering if only the King was kept in the dark?
"Let me give you some advice, Eddard. A great war is about to begin. You cannot continue to quarrel with House Lannister. Let the past be the past."
"Your Grace, I am not quarreling. The Kingslayer killed my people, and Tywin allowed his men to burn, kill, and plunder in the Riverlands. Your Grace, by the grace of the old gods and new gods, you should punish them. This is the justice and authority of a king."
"Enough, Eddard, no more arguing!" the King suddenly roared furiously. "Being King is no easy position. I can only do this: unite and win first."
The sound of their argument was so loud, the King's voice like thunder.
Eddard drank with the King again until the King saw that he truly couldn't drink anymore, and then let him leave. For some reason, Eddard felt that the wine tonight was exceptionally strong.
"My Lord, what happened?" Jon asked softly.
"Nothing, just a small argument between the King and me," Eddard said. "I've had too much to drink and need a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, I'll accompany the King to hunt for bears."
The next day, Eddard felt muddled from drinking, unable to get up, until he heard the chaotic sounds outside the tent, shrill and noisy, waking him repeatedly.
The voices calling his name outside the tent grew louder and louder. Eddard woke with a start from his sleep. Eddard even dreamed of the corpses of the Wolf Pack, scattered everywhere, blood flowing like rivers, very terrifying. Eddard then forced himself to regain some consciousness, his heart pounding. Eddard dressed and walked out of the tent.
"It's bad, My Lord," Jon paced frantically outside the tent, accompanied by the Old Knight Barristan.
"What is it?" Eddard's head finally cleared a little as he saw Jon's and the Old Knight's incredibly panicked expressions.
"The King, the King was gored by a wild boar during the hunt."
"What?" Eddard felt as if he was startled awake by a cold wind, feeling a biting chill.
"Is it serious?" Eddard asked anxiously.
Ser Barristan's face twitched. "It was a demon. Please come with me, Lord Eddard."
Eddard's heart was filled with sorrow as he hurried with Barristan and Jon to the King's tent.
"What is that?" Eddard looked up and saw the blood-red comet in the sky. It was entirely red, its long tail almost illuminating half the sky.
"The red comet. Some say it's the King's messenger. But look, My Lord, this is an ominous sign," Ser Barristan sighed.
Eddard looked at that Red Comet; the red comet first brought him bad news.
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