The stag was charging forward, and the Vale, the Riverlands, and the North were not about to be outdone. All sides were feverishly raising troops now, each preparing for a final struggle to the death.
In the council hall of Gulltown, Queen Rhaenyra, Princess Rhaena, Prince Aegon, and Lady Jeyne were gathered, discussing their next move.
The man believed dead, Aegon II, had indeed gone into hiding on Dragonstone. Now he had begun sending out ravens, proclaiming himself the rightful king and calling upon the lords of the realm to support him.
The contents of Aegon II's letters perfectly confirmed young Aegon's dragon dream. He truly was hiding on Dragonstone, with Sunfyre at his side, watching like a predator. Dragonstone, once the Blacks' stronghold, had become the perfect hiding place under the very lamp, turned into Aegon II's refuge.
In his letters, Aegon II brazenly claimed that a storm at sea had killed his sister and nephew. He declared Lady Jeyne's "queen" an impostor, and announced himself as the sole legitimate ruler, demanding the loyalty of the Seven Kingdoms.
Young Aegon almost laughed. He was very much alive, yet had already been pronounced dead. Absurd.
"My son's foresight was real," Queen Rhaenyra said coldly, reading the letter with lingering dread. "Had it not been for his warning, had we insisted on sailing to Dragonstonem both of us would have ended up in a dragon's jaws."
Her ladies and the Queen's Guard had gone pale. Their lives truly had hung by a single thread. Had Prince Aegon not persuaded them to change course at the last moment, they would already be corpses.
"It was that cursed Larys," Rhaenyra snarled, hatred sharpening her voice. "A viper of a man. Only he knew the Red Keep's secret passages so well, and only he could have devised a plan to smuggle a wounded king to Dragonstone."
If there was anyone she loathed beyond Alicent and her sons, it was Larys Strong.
"Larys must die," Aegon said quietly. He hated the man just as deeply. Aegon II lacked the wit for such schemes, this was Larys indulging his king's worst impulses. In madness and cruelty, uncle and nephew were strangely alike.
Larys was a singular creature. No one could deny his role in driving the Dance of the Dragons. Like all masters of whisperers, he was unfathomable, deceitful, and elusive. He walked alone, answered to no one, and acted without consistency. When needed, he could appear warm and persuasive, but he had few, if any, true allies.
"My little brother really is a fortunate Targaryen," Princess Rhaena said softly. She could feel how close the danger had come, how the sea itself had carried death toward them.
"The Seven truly watch over the prince," someone murmured.
Aegon looked around the hall. Many eyes were fixed on him, some admiring, some grateful, some openly impressed. Fortune, too, was a form of strength, perhaps the greatest of all. This was destiny.
[Major Event: Gained Persona-"Lucky Aegon."In the game of power, a persona is indispensable.Fortune will follow you. Gain one attribute enhancement.]
Aegon felt a surge of delight. Another enhancement. This time, he invested it in Charisma (Maiden), beginning to reinforce it. One could not survive the world without charm. A charismatic constitution would be invaluable to his cause.
In the past, he had carried an aura of gloom.
People sensed his distance, his inner coldness. He had none of Prince Daemon's dazzling magnetism, none of that natural pull. But to play the game of the Seven Kingdoms, to truly rise, charisma was essential.
"But Baela… she's still on Dragonstone," Rhaena said, worry returning to her face.
"Baela will be all right," Aegon reassured her. "The false king must still reckon with House Velaryon's influence, he won't act rashly. And Lord Alyn's fleet is patrolling the seas."
Even so, Rhaena remained uneasy. Aegon II had clearly lost his reason, he was terrifying.
"My brother said Sunfyre still lives," the queen said. "Rhaena, how are your dragon eggs?"
"Sunfyre can't possibly fly anymore," Lady Jeyne said calmly. "He's as broken as the pretender himself. Otherwise, he'd have already made a show of it. At present, no one has a dragon fit for battle."
"I pray over my eggs every day," Rhaena said softly. "I can feel it, one of them is alive. It beats."
Aegon knew the truth. One dragon would indeed hatch, but a hatchling held little power. It would take years to grow, years lost to the ebb of magic.
What he needed was the Cannibal, a full-grown monster. Perhaps such a dragon could even endure the waning of magic itself.
"May the hatchling come soon," Rhaenyra prayed. "Even one dragon would restore the people's faith."
"Even if a hatchling is born, it won't fight," Lady Jeyne said. "This war will be decided by men. I've mobilized the Vale, we can field fifteen hundred knights and eight thousand foot. I've also sent envoys to Braavos to secure ships. We'll strike King's Landing from the sea."
With dragons gone, the Vale and the North were overwhelming forces.
"The riverlords are eager as well," Rhaenyra said. "The tide is turning."
"Ships," Aegon said firmly. "As many as possiblem and quickly. But winning over Ser Alyn won't be easy."
"Rhaena," he added, turning to his sister, "write to Ser Alyn for me. Ask him where he stands now."
Who wrote the letter mattered. From Rhaena, it would carry weight.
On Driftmark, Ser Alyn summoned his bannermen. Two kings' ravens had arrived. The Sea Snake's heir had reached his moment of choice.
Alyn and his brother Addam shared silver hair and violet eyes like their mother, Marilda, slender, quick, unmistakably Valyrian.
When Alyn had failed to tame Sheepstealer, dragonfire scarred his back and legs for life. Yet he considered himself fortunate, others who failed had been eaten. He had lived.
"Our lord sits in King's Landing. Princess Rhaena is in the Vale with the queen. But Princess Baela is held by King Aegon," one counselor said bluntly. "We cannot afford to offend either side, not when Velaryon blood is held hostage."
"Still," another said, "the Blacks are close to victory. The North and the Vale remain strong. Once they march, the Greens will crumble. A few thousand stormlanders won't stop them."
"Wait," Alyn said quietly. "The wolf and the eagle move slowly. The first clash will be between stag and trout. We watch. Everyone needs our fleet. And I will not gamble with a single Velaryon life."
He was a bastard, after all. Reputation and blood both demanded caution, especially where the twins were concerned.
And there was Corlys to consider. The Sea Snake was as slippery as ever. After Rhaenyra fled King's Landing, he had once again become the guest of the so-called true king, backed, as always, by Velaryon warships.
"For my cousin's life," Alyn concluded at last, "we may need to send King Aegon, that walking plague, away first. After that, we'll see. And on one condition: my grandsire must be honored and trusted in King's Landing. I'll await his word."
They turned silent.
"And there is another letter," the steward added. "From Princess Rhaena."
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A/N:
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