Black ravens filled the skies of Westeros, beating their wings back and forth without cease.
King's Landing. Oldtown. Gulltown. Casterly Rock. Winterfell.
"The winds have shifted."
Ever since the Green king Aegon reclaimed King's Landing, every lord in the realm had felt it. The war's long shadow was drawing in at last. The battle that would decide the fate of Westeros was close at hand.
So few Targaryens remained now, and dragons fit for war were all but gone. This final reckoning would not be decided in fire and sky, but by older means. Cavalry against cavalry. Shield walls breaking. Steel meeting steel.
From Riverrun, the new Lord Paramount sent ravens across the realm, calling the riverlords to rise together against the usurper Aegon II and Borros Baratheon, who ruled in the king's shadow.
House Stark answered as well, demanding Aegon II's surrender and declaring that the black cloak was his only path to life.
Yet the most shocking tidings came from the Vale.
Queen Rhaenyra and Lady Jeyne had announced that they possessed a dragon.
Princess Rhaena now held a hatchling named Dawn, and with tens of thousands of Vale soldiers at her back, she would march the moment Braavosi ships arrived to bear them across the narrow sea.
*
King's Landing, The Green Council
The birth of the little dragon Dawn struck the Green council like a thunderbolt.
Like their shattered king, his councillors were a broken lot. Old, sick, maimed, and exhausted.
Worse still, the Greens stood upon the brink of ruin, yet the men gathered in that chamber shared no single vision. Suspicion festered. Hesitation ruled. It was a reckless council led by a crippled king.
Borros Baratheon and Tyland Lannister clamored for war. Corlys Velaryon urged reconciliation. Larys Strong remained, as ever, unreadable.
"Those filthy whores in the Vale think a hatchling lets them overturn my kingdom?" Aegon II roared from his cushioned chair, flinging the letter onto the floor. "I am the rightful king. I will tear their tongues out with pliers, just as I did the Shepherd."
He was no longer handsome. His face was bloated and half-burned, his body ruined beyond repair.
The fall from the sky had shattered and left everything beyond mending. He could not climb the Iron Throne. He ruled from a chair, borne everywhere like cargo.
Corlys bent, retrieved the letter, and read it calmly. "It is not only two women, Your Grace. There are nearly ten thousand Vale soldiers with them."
"What does it say?" Borros demanded loudly. He could not read.
"Two matters," Larys said smoothly. "First, the dragon Dawn has hatched. Lady Rhaena now has a mount. Second, the Blacks have announced an intended betrothal between young Aegon and Lady Rhaena, with a grand engagement soon to follow."
The words struck Alicent and her son like a hammer blow.
The king had no dragon.
His only surviving child was a gentle, fragile daughter.
His eldest son had died to Blood and Cheese. His second had been torn apart by mobs at Bitterbridge.
"It is only a hatchling," Larys said lightly. "A dragon needs at least five years before it can be ridden to war."
"But they have a dragon, and we do not," Alicent snapped. "The smallfolk follow power."
"I need a dragon," Aegon II rasped. "One more splendid than Sunfyre ever was."
"We could attempt to tame Silverwing," Borros suggested. "Queen Alysanne's old dragon. She is gentle and has accepted more than one rider. She lairs in the Reach, and our allies hold those lands. With a dragon, Your Grace, your throne is secure."
No one spoke of the Cannibal or Sheepstealer. The Cannibal butchered dragonseeds by the dozen. Sheepstealer was little better. In the king's condition, Dragonstone would be a death sentence.
"Red Lake is too far," Aegon muttered. "I will wait for my eggs."
"And I do not want another man's dragon," he added. "I want a new Sunfyre. Stronger. Prouder."
The truth lay unspoken beneath his words. He could barely stand. How could he mount a dragon?
Corlys seized the moment. "There is a way to end this without further bloodshed. Your sister has an heir. Young Aegon is the last male Targaryen of her line, and they have dragons."
Aegon II narrowed his eyes. "Speak, Lord Velaryon."
"Peace. Amnesty. Reconciliation," Corlys said earnestly. "War brings only death, famine, and disease. The North already lies beneath snow. The realm is weary. Westeros needs peace."
"Go on," the king growled.
"Recognize your sister as Queen of Dragonstone. Name young Aegon your heir. Wed him to your daughter at once. Forgive the Blacks. Unite the house. Let the young lead us forward."
Alicent cut in sharply. "And what of your granddaughter's betrothal to that same boy? Would you have us set her aside?"
"Betrothals are not vows," Corlys replied. "And Aegon the Conqueror had two wives. Such details are nothing beside peace."
Aegon II exploded. "You slither like a true Sea Snake, with friends on both sides. You will smile no matter who wins."
Borros snorted. "Nonsense. The king will wed my daughter and sire new heirs. Your plan is madness."
"This house is burning," Corlys said coldly, "and none of you can put out the fire."
Borros had courage, but no sense. Larys was a snake. Tyland burned with hatred. Alicent and her son had nothing left but fear and rage.
"The North, the Vale, and the Riverlands are marching," Corlys pressed. "How do we stop them?"
Faces darkened.
"You have grown soft, old man," Borros sneered. "Those armies are led by widows and children. My Stormlanders will crush them. Once I break the Tullys, I will bring victory to King's Landing."
"You mistake arrogance for strength," Corlys shot back. "Cregan Stark seized power at eighteen. Lady Jeyne holds the Vale with iron resolve. The riverlords are united for once. Suffering sharpens steel."
Borros erupted. "You are seventy and half in the grave. My men are the finest warriors alive."
Corlys fell silent. One could not save a man determined to die.
At last Tyland spoke. "I will sail east and hire sellswords from Lys or Tyrosh."
"Too slow," Corlys replied. "And the best companies are bound to the Triarchy. By the time you return, King's Landing may already be lost."
He made one final plea. "Peace and reconciliation. This is the only way."
To the others, it sounded like surrender.
"I will not yield my crown to my sister," Aegon II snarled. "I will marry Cassandra. I will have sons. And when I catch that boy, I will geld him or send him to the Wall."
"The Blacks must die," Tyland hissed. "Only then will the realm be safe."
Borros nodded eagerly.
Only Larys said nothing.
"If the realm falls," Corlys said at last, "it will be because of you. Fools, liars, oathbreakers, cruel women, and broken men."
He turned and left the chamber without another word.
-------
A/N:
Read ahead on Patreon, 23 advance chapters available, with the first 2 free.
patreon.com/Captain_Lag