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

In the air, a scarlet dragon tore through the sky like an arrow in a straight line. The dragon was extremely fast and agile in the air; it looked like a fish moving in the sea but was the size of a building. Rhaenys could be seen with a cold and deadly expression.

The sun had already risen on the horizon and gradually climbed into the sky. At that moment, the Narrow Sea was coming alive with gentler waves. Rhaenys’s sharp eyes located six vessels in different places.

Two were heading north, toward White Harbor; the other two were heading toward Gulltown, and the remaining two were heading toward Driftmark. Although she could not see the symbols on the ships’ sails, by their shapes, they were merchant ships.

Showing a murderous look, Rhaenys gripped the reins tightly and made Meleys change direction, heading toward the two nearest merchant ships. She could not fight Jaehaerys, but she could take revenge in a different way.

In a short time, Meleys quickly approached the ships. The crests on the ships’ sails could be clearly seen; they were merchant ships from Braavos.

"Dracarys." Getting close enough, Rhaenys uttered with a cold, murderous tone. But, unlike the cold nature of her words, what poured from Meleys’s mouth were flames as scarlet as blood.

Being an adult dragon, Meleys’s flames were far beyond comparison to those of a young dragon. The scarlet flames struck the ship, setting it ablaze in a mere instant. The men who were bathed by the flames did not even have time to scream in pain before their bodies were reduced to ashes, leaving only their feet still intact.

Meleys seemed to be enjoying what was happening and, even without Rhaenys’s orders, spun in the air, changed direction, and flew to the second merchant ship, which was trying to turn around and flee. However, how could a ship flee from the fastest dragon in Westeros?

Rhaenys ignored the screams in bastard High Valyrian coming from the Braavosi ship and gave the order in a tone even colder than before.

"Dracarys, Meleys."

Meleys opened her mouth, and a cone of scarlet flames submerged the entire ship. The sailors died, reduced to ashes, and the ship itself slowly sank into the sea, still burning even submerged under the seawater.

Looking at the four merchant ships in the distance, Rhaenys showed a look of fury and made Meleys chase the two farthest away, leaving the merchant ships heading toward King’s Landing for last.

She would burn those ships in full view of King’s Landing.

Rhaenys would make Jaehaerys feel at least a bit of the pain she felt upon learning the news about her son. As for whether she would be accused, the princess did not care at all. She was burning pirate ships disguised as merchant ships and nothing more.

If her son died, Rhaenys would make a procession of dead souls to protect him all the way to hell.

If Jaehaerys knew what Rhaenys was doing, he would have been completely furious. Burning those ships was not just an act of revenge but an international act of war between Braavos and the other Free Cities.

What happened to Laenor was not merely a matter for the Seven Kingdoms but an extremely serious international incident.

-

Riverlands, Harrenhal.

The news of Rhaenys’s actions had not yet arrived and would take a few hours to arrive, but an important event was taking place in the castle.

It was the meeting between Laenor’s supporters.

Boremund stood beside a man wearing a black doublet and, over his shoulders, a wolf fur cloak. He had black hair, a long face, and eyes gray as steel.

He was none other than Ellard Stark, current Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Ellard appeared to be fifty years old, with a hard, slightly plump, and sagging face. However, his gray eyes were sharper than Boremund’s own.

Also in the room was Corlys, who seemed perfectly calm and cold. It did not seem like his marriage was hanging by a thread.

"Your son can no longer be king." Ellard, being a man of the North, spoke his mind directly. His voice was hoarse and strong, but somewhat indifferent to Laenor’s situation. "Even if he recovers, he might not even be able to walk."

Corlys narrowed his eyes and looked at Ellard with a furious look.

"My son will recover!" he snapped, in a tone full of rage.

As Lord of the North, Ellard certainly did not have a calm temperament; he was violent and aggressive, like all the men and women of the North.

He took hold of a great sword, as wide as a man’s hand and six feet in length. The steel of the sword was dark and smoky, with deep ripples. It was Valyrian steel.

It was the legendary sword of House Stark, Ice.

"Watch the tone of your words, sea snake, or I will cut out your tongue for such insolence." Perhaps another lord would have backed down before the powerful Corlys Velaryon, but Ellard was not among such men.

Ellard even felt he was being kind to Corlys, warning him. If it had been in the North, he would have already cut off the hand of the bold bastard who spoke to him in that tone. That was how the North was; men did not respect kindness or courtesy, only a strong and decisive lord.

"Corlys, do you really think this is the time to antagonize your allies?" Boremund spoke up at this moment. He looked at Ellard and Corlys with a calm gaze. "We have to decide what to do right now."

"Though Lord Ellard’s words were harsh, they are not lies. Laenor’s fate is uncertain, and the Great Council will take two months to begin, at the start of next year." Boremund spoke in a calm tone as he brought a cup of wine to his lips.

Corlys wanted to say that his son would recover, but, seeing Boremund and Ellard indifferent, he understood that these two men did not care about his son but about their own interests. This left him melancholy and feeling somewhat hypocritical, for, if he were in their place, he would make the same choice.

"I will not vote for Jaehaerys’s chosen one." Ellard was direct in his words. "Besides being a weak man, he is an ally of the old king."

The only reason House Stark was taking part in the Great Council was to get revenge on the old king because they still held resentment against Jaehaerys over the matter of the creation of the Gift for the Night’s Watch, lands that had previously belonged to Stark vassals.

The Starks believed they could manage the lands better, since the Night’s Watch’s focus would always be on the Wall and not on the holdings south of it. Later, it was proven that the Starks were right, since the Gift ended up falling into disuse and was practically abandoned.

Ellard wanted only revenge and nothing more, but he would not rebel; he was not foolish enough to think that the wood and stone castles of the North could withstand the flames of House Targaryen’s dragons, but he could disrupt Jaehaerys’s plans, which was a method of revenge.

"I will vote for Prince Maekar." Ellard said with a cold smile. Compared to Laenor, Ellard had found that the king and Prince Maekar had been fighting fiercely over the past months. This left the Warden of the North impressed and full of admiration for Maekar.

Furthermore, Prince Maekar was a great warrior, having even defeated Daemon, who was famous for being a great duelist.

So, compared to Laenor, who was just a child, Ellard came to like Maekar. However, since he had already said he would vote for Laenor, he could not change his vote. But this incident solved his problem.

The incident with Laenor was the perfect reason for him to switch sides without losing his own reputation.

Corlys was livid with rage; he wanted to shout and call Ellard a traitor and a liar, but, when the words were about to leave his lips, reason stopped him from uttering those insults that would make House Stark his enemy.

Boremund was not surprised by Ellard’s change of sides. In the first place, that alliance was never truly a solid one. The lords of the Stormlands themselves had betrayed Rhaenys to vote for Laenor, let alone House Stark, which wanted only revenge.

"I will wait to see if the boy recovers." Boremund said, looking at Corlys with a calm gaze. "But, if he cannot recover, I will follow the same path as Lord Ellard."

Corlys looked at Boremund gratefully. At least the lord of Storm’s End had not betrayed him at this moment.

"I will not forget this favor, Boremund." Corlys said in a sincere tone.

Boremund merely nodded and drank his wine in silence. His eyes were deep, as if he were thinking of something else.

Ellard looked at the scene and curled his lips into a mocking smile.

The South was not truly suited for the Starks.

His allies were snakes who could lie without showing even the slightest remorse.

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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