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

A few days after Corlys’s arrival at Dragonstone.

Maekar was eating, still dressed in his riding clothes. Corlys and many other lords accompanied them both. The atmosphere was quite pleasant. Everyone ate casually, and there was a strong feeling of camaraderie.

"The explosion was incredible; the entire ship exploded, and waves pushed away the nearby ships, creating a spectacular scene." Those were the words of the Lord of Claw Isle and Head of House Celtigar, Bartimos Celtigar.

Bartimos was a young man of seventeen; aside from Maekar, he was the youngest of the lords present. He had blond hair and lilac eyes, traits of his Valyrian bloodline. He was very handsome, with a touch of impulsive youth in his face.

"It must have been incredible," Maekar dipped his bread in the fish soup and said with a smile. Bartimos did not carry House Celtigar’s Valyrian steel battle axe, which, given his short height, one could understand the reason for.

Maekar had heard that the axe was larger, the size of a man. Whoever wielded such a weapon would have to be at least two meters tall. The ancestor of House Celtigar must have truly been huge to wield a weapon of that size.

"How did you feel about the strength of both forces?" Maekar asked, looking at the lords present.

The lords glanced at each other, and all of them looked to Corlys, the only one who could answer the prince’s question without too many mistakes. No one wanted to look foolish in front of the prince.

"They had a skilled commander, willing to risk bringing so much oil aboard the ships." Corlys swallowed a piece of fish and answered in a calm tone. "In terms of fleet strength, House Velaryon has more than the fleet of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, not to mention the ships of the houses of the Crownlands."

"If we can create a blockade preventing an attack from behind, I can cross the Sea of Myrth and attack Myr directly." Corlys said, looking at Maekar with a piercing gaze.

Maekar understood Corlys’s intentions and smiled. He liked initiative, not to mention that he had to set an example to make Lys understand that they stood no chance whatsoever in this war, especially being one of the weaker Free Cities.

"I will assist you in the battle; I would burn part of the city." Maekar swallowed the broth of the soup and said, wiping his mouth with his hand.

Corlys let out a sigh hearing Maekar’s words. After learning of the conquest of Lys, he had spent these days devising a plan to destroy the Kingdom of the Three Daughters together with Maekar.

As long as Lys bent the knee to Maekar and Myr lost the ability to restore its own strength for a while, Tyrosh would be left defenseless, and the Kingdom of the Three Daughters would collapse.

Attacking Myr was essential for his plan to come to fruition. Maekar having agreed and not just that, personally taking part in the battle, meant the chances of victory would be much greater.

Listening to the conversation between Maekar and Corlys, the lords present glanced at each other and saw the excitement in one another’s eyes. This was the fall of a kingdom, not a mere city. Taking part in such a battle meant being remembered in history.

After all, how many lords could boast of destroying a foreign kingdom?

Seeing the morale rise to its peak, Maekar showed a satisfied look. Fame, glory, riches, and women had always been the greatest factor driving people to go to dangerous places and carry out even more dangerous deeds.

"Do we need the king’s permission?" Corlys asked, glancing discreetly at Maekar. It was not indecision speaking on his part, but with age, the Old King had become more patient than ever. He might not accept his requests, not to mention the tense relationship between the king and him.

"We don’t need to inform anyone of anything; he gave me the authority to act first and report afterward," Maekar said in a calm tone. He drank a bit of water and looked at Corlys with a piercing gaze. "However, we cannot fail."

If it worked out, Jaehaerys would not complain, but if something went wrong, he and Corlys would bear the responsibility for the failure of the entire operation.

Corlys understood this and nodded. "The nearest problem is Tyrosh, which is extremely close to the Sea of Myrth. However, we have to worry about Pentos and Braavos."

The Sea Snake was not afraid of Braavos or Pentos; information traveled very slowly. By the time these two Free Cities received news of the battle in Myr, they would already have retreated back to Dragonstone. However, there was the so-called uncertainty of fate.

What if Pentos and Braavos moved their troops on the same day?

Attacking Myr while Pentos and Braavos negotiated over the Narrow Sea was extremely dangerous. Even if Braavos’s fleet would not dare go all the way to King’s Landing because of the king and his dragon, they could still attack the ports, paralyzing the war’s supply route.

Maekar blinked and showed a cold smile. "We could ask Queen Alysanne to take my place at Dragonstone."

Corlys’s eyes lit up hearing Maekar’s proposal, but then he asked in a worried tone. "Can the queen ride Silverwing?"

It was common knowledge that the queen was too old to ride. It had already been a shock to see the queen riding Silverwing at Harrenhal, let alone in a possible battle.

Maekar also hesitated, remembering this. Riding to Harrenhal and riding onto a battlefield were two different things. The physical and mental strain was truly great. He did not know if Alysanne’s aged body would be able to withstand so much pressure.

"I will send a raven to the Red Keep; let the queen decide." In the end, Maekar left the decision to Alysanne herself.

Either way, Dragonstone is close to King’s Landing, and it would not take long to get a response, or even for Alysanne herself to come in person.

Suddenly, Roland Tarly, Lord Tarly’s brother, approached. The young man had become Maekar’s cupbearer and nearly acted as his squire, even though Maekar had never actually been named a knight.

Roland wore a slightly frightened expression, which drew the attention of everyone present, including Maekar, who looked at the man with curiosity.

The young man approached Maekar and whispered a few words in his ear. Hearing his words, Maekar’s eyes widened, surprised by what he was hearing at that moment.

Turning to look at Corlys, Maekar showed a mysterious smile. "We have unusual guests, my dear lord."

Corlys raised an eyebrow and showed a curious expression.

"Come, we must receive the messengers with due respect." Maekar stood up and said, looking at all the lords. No one questioned Maekar.

All of them recognized Maekar’s skills and strength, and so they respected their prince, who was fighting alongside them at that moment. One could say they respected Maekar more than Viserys himself, who was still on his way to Stepstones.

Maekar walked down the hallway; behind him, everyone followed with calm and solemn expressions.

As soon as they left the castle, the salty sea breeze hit their faces, but they did not mind and looked out at the sea. Seeing the red ship with red sails, some of their expressions changed drastically.

There was caution, disgust, and distrust. The Red Faith’s reputation was not really good, especially in Westeros, where people had been indoctrinated for over six thousand years. The religious dogmas of the Faith of the Seven were deeply rooted in the daily life and reasoning of the common people and even the nobles.

"What are these witches doing here?" Corlys asked, furrowing his brow. There was a touch of disgust in the Sea Snake’s voice. As one of the men who had sailed this world the most, he had naturally seen and heard many things.

He had personally seen a red priestess burn a child without any scruple. Empathy was something natural among humans, especially for children and women. As long as you were not a block of ice, you would feel sad seeing a scene of such cruelty.

"Probably shared interests." Maekar answered in a calm tone. If there was one thing he never underestimated, it was the power of interests. This thing, often invisible, was the foundation of any alliance.

Corlys looked at Maekar and narrowed his eyes; there was a thoughtful look on his face.

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Note: Guys, I’m torn: Sekiro or Bloodborne?

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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