House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

About half a day later, a long, low sound was heard in the sky. Countless nobles, soldiers, and commoners raised their heads and looked toward the sky. Dragons were not uncommon to them, but instead of a dragon they knew, a beautiful silver dragon was seen crossing the sky like a silver arrow.

Some of the older men recognized the dragon and cried out.

"Silverwing!!!"

"Silverwing, the Good Queen Alysanne’s dragon!"

With the dragon’s arrival, three pairs of eyes opened at once. Caraxes, Maelys, and Dreamfyre raised their long necks and looked toward the silver dragon landing softly at the entrance of Harrenhal.

Caraxes, being the troublemaker he was, bared his teeth threateningly. Meleys simply let out an arrogant, regal rumble before closing his eyes; Dreamfyre merely looked at Silverwing with a cold gaze and closed her eyes.

Alysanne, in the saddle, touched her spine and let out a pained sound. She was truly too old to fly for so long on a dragon and feel pain in her back.

"I used to ride for two hours with Jaehaerys and never felt back pain; now my whole body aches." Alysanne murmured, touching her back with a dissatisfied tone.

Suddenly, she heard the gates of Harrenhal’s walls open, and she saw two middle-aged men accompanied by a dozen soldiers approaching.

Looking at the sigils on both their chests, she quickly knew they were the heads of House Blackwood and House Darry, respectively.

With her hands folded one over the other, Alysanne looked at the faces of the men hesitant to approach and spoke in a gentle tone.

"My dear lords, it would be gracious of you to fetch a ladder and help me down; I am not young enough to slide down my scaly sister’s wing."

Roderick and Darnold quickly left and went to fetch the ladder themselves. Soon an amusing scene could be seen at Harrenhal, Lord Blackwood and Lord Darry helping the queen down from the dragon with every possible care.

"I am not made of glass, and be careful, my husband does not like other men touching me. I have seen a few unlucky souls thrown into Vermithor’s mouth for daring to covet me." Seeing their serious, solemn expressions, Alysanne couldn’t help but tease them in an amused, playful tone.

Roderick and Darnold exchanged a glance and saw the helpless look in each other’s eyes. They wiped the sweat running down their foreheads and let out a dry laugh.

The queen’s joke did not seem funny to them at all, since they had no doubt the king was capable of something like that, especially toward them, who were supporting Maekar, someone he deeply despised.

"Please follow me; Princess Gael is waiting for the queen in her chambers in Kingspyre Tower." Roderick said in a respectful tone.

How could he not be respectful, she was considered the finest queen to have walked this continent in over ten thousand years. Setting aside Nymeria, who was a warrior queen like Visenya and Rhaenys, Alysanne was truly known as the Good Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

Every woman in the realm might forget the king, but none would ever forget Alysanne, the woman who had done so much for them.

"You were young when I visited Raventree Hall with Daella. Unfortunately, my daughter didn’t want to marry Royce; he was a good boy." Alysanne said with a sorrowful smile. She had truly liked Royce Blackwood.

Tall, Royce was graceful and courteous. Besides being skilled with a bow and sword, Royce was also an excellent singer who composed his own ballads.

From the first time she saw him, her daughter had been enchanted by Royce, but her feelings never blossomed when she discovered that Royce followed the Faith of the Old Gods.

"A shame the marriage never came to be." Roderick couldn’t help but think of Royce, his uncle’s son. He truly was a beautiful young man, but he died of illness four years later.

Alysanne nodded; she truly felt it was a pity the marriage had not happened over something like two people’s faith.

"I remember your mother, Lord Darry; she was a remarkable woman. Your father suffered a little at her hands." Alysanne looked at Darnold and said with a smile.

The Lord and Lady of Castle Darry were one of the most interesting couples she had ever seen in her life. The woman was as fierce as a lioness, just as her husband was a lion. Both had such strong personalities that they even quarreled over a simple look.

Yet she had never seen a love so strong.

Darnold, at forty-one, couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at the queen’s words. The image of his parents’ fierce quarrels appeared in his mind, making him twist his lips.

Perhaps because of some kind of trauma, Darnold had never gone near a woman with a strong personality; he preferred a delicate and gentle woman, not one who might stab him in the back over some perceived betrayal.

Roderick wanted to laugh but suppressed the feeling and looked at Darnold with a teasing gaze.

The fame of the Old Farmer and Old Farmeress was well known throughout the Riverlands. There were rumors that when Lord Darry died, Lady Darry spat on the coffin and cursed her husband for going to the seven hells before her, before breaking into tears.

Ignoring Roderick’s gaze, Darnold and all the knights escorted the queen inside Harrenhal. Silverwing chose a corner to rest in front of the walls and simply lay down, closing her eyes.

"My Queen."

"My Queen."

"My Queen."

Inside Harrenhal, every time a noble or servant saw Alysanne, they gave a slight bow and greeted her with admiration.

Alysanne returned every greeting with a gentle and elegant smile, as the queen she was. She never showed herself to be anything less than respectful and warm, regardless of a person’s background.

However, when she was about to climb the long staircase to Kingspyre Tower, everyone stopped and looked at the queen with concern.

"I hope some knight is ready to carry me up there." Alysanne said with a smile. She was old and climbing such a long staircase was impossible.

Roderick stepped forward and bowed before Alysanne, with his back turned to the queen. Alysanne didn’t hesitate and settled onto Lord Blackwood’s back.

"I hope I am not too heavy, my dear lord." Alysanne said in an amused tone; she felt like a child on her father Aenys’s back. "By the way, I was serious when I said my husband is possessive."

"The queen is as light as a swan feather." Roderick said with a smiling face, though his expression didn’t look very pleasant. He could even picture Vermithor arriving and devouring him in one bite.

"Please don’t make that kind of joke, my queen; my poor heart can’t take it." Climbing the stairs with every possible care, with a dozen men following behind in case the queen fell, Roderick spoke in a tone full of distress.

Alysanne let out a hearty laugh and thought she should have left much sooner to visit the Seven Kingdoms again. She had forgotten that life was still enjoyable, even in her old age.

Finally, after some effort on Roderick’s part, he let the queen down from his back, and, without a word needing to be said, Alysanne entered the room while all the men remained outside, including Roderick and Darnold.

It was not proper for a man to enter an unmarried woman’s chambers, especially a princess’s.

Inside the room, Gael saw her mother and ran toward her, hugging her tightly.

"Mother!!!"

"I’m here for you, dear." Stroking her daughter’s hair tenderly, Alysanne spoke in a gentle, sweet tone.

Gael nodded repeatedly and hugged her mother tighter. "I missed you so much."

"Look at you, you are becoming a remarkable woman." Looking at her daughter’s tear-streaked face, Alysanne spoke in a gentle tone. She could see that Gael was more mature than a month ago.

Apparently, her daughter had grown a great deal while managing Harrenhal. She wondered if she shouldn’t have done it sooner, giving Gael a castle to run.

"I will always be the girl who ran to your bed in the middle of a storm." Gael said in a spoiled tone, which made Alysanne laugh.

"Come, tell me everything Maester Victorio said." Alysanne brought Gael to the bed and asked in a gentle tone.

A long conversation began at that moment.

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/GOTSW

Read my other books:

House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos

Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.

Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard