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

Dozens of women, all dressed in red, walked along the long staircase leading up to the castle. Some of them carried banners with the symbol of the Red Faith. Seen from afar, it looked like a wave of flames over the walls.

The banners fluttered in the sea wind, swaying not only the fabric of their dresses but also their long hair.

"They’re pretty," Maekar heard Roland behind him commenting, and rolled his eyes. However, he did not deny his words. Whoever chose the girls to be Red Priestesses had done a good job picking only the prettiest ones.

Something Maekar could understand. Women of religion give the impression of being pure, chaste, and sacred. This was an excellent weapon for converting believers.

However, the Faith of the Seven was far inferior to the Christianity of his past life. His messiah was just a madman wielding a flaming sword. There were no stories of miracles or even a heaven and hell as explicit as those.

Not to mention the lack of Christianity’s greatest weapon of conversion, the Bible.

For this reason, the Red Faith and the Faith of the Seven were quite flawed in Maekar’s eyes. Neither of them could truly gain enough power to build a kingdom based on the god in question.

Huh?

Maekar sensed something and looked back; he saw an enormous figure emerge from behind the rock and saw it was Bahamut. The enormous platinum dragon walked over the rock and looked down, like a judge looking at the defendants.

The dragon’s arrival drew everyone’s attention, including the lords present. It was the first time they had seen the dragon so up close. He was enormous and gave off an oppressive feeling. Those golden eyes and teeth larger than daggers made some of them even shudder.

The prince made no comment on Bahamut’s arrival; he simply found it natural for the dragon to worry about his safety. Maekar just leaned on Blackfyre while looking curiously at the commotion of red women approaching.

Seeing that the retinue stopped two meters away, Maekar stepped forward and greeted the women’s leader with a smile. "I am Maekar Targaryen, Lord of Harrenhal. Welcome to Dragonstone, dear messengers."

"Melisandre of Asshai, Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis." Melisandre spoke with a smile; an enigmatic and solemn look was reflected on her beautiful face. Aside from the woman’s pale skin, everything else was red, be it her hair or her eyes.

"May the flames of the Lord of Light light your way, my prince." Melisandre added with a smile on her tempting red lips.

Maekar narrowed his eyes at those words. It might have seemed like a normal greeting from a priestess, but he saw it differently. A sign that something very interesting was about to happen.

"I truly hope to find a path in this troubled world." Maekar said with a seemingly casual laugh and gestured with his hand. "Although I haven’t prepared a banquet to receive you and your priestesses, Lady Melisandre, I can arrange accommodations until the banquet is ready."

"I will accept your offer, my prince. It was a long journey." Melisandre’s smile grew; she looked at Maekar with a more fervent gaze. She did not fear Maekar’s greed, but rather his refusal without even dictating her own terms.

So, the more Maekar showed interest in her words, the more it showed that he was open to reaching agreements with her. This was great news for someone who had already thought she would be refused from the start.

Corlys already knew what was happening and was not happy about it. The Red Faith was dangerous; the woman before him was even more dangerous. A fanatic of the highest degree and completely mad for her god, capable of doing anything to achieve her own goals.

This kind of woman was the most dangerous, especially to someone as ambitious as Maekar. However, he had no right to say anything about it. It was Maekar’s choice and no one else’s. At most, he could advise the boy to be more discreet when it came to matters of faith.

The Sea Snake had no doubts about what would happen if the Red Faith allied itself with Maekar. After all, there was only one reason for a foreign religion to arrive in Westeros.

However, if there was one thing he knew, it was that a War of Faith was often far crueler than a normal battle. At least normal wars did not involve the common people in large-scale events, but a War of Faith was different. It would involve the entire realm in a terrible war. Even more terrible than what was already happening.

The Lord of Driftmark felt a chill remembering the accounts of the Faith Militant of the Faith of the Seven during the reigns of Aegon, Aenys, Maegor, and Jaehaerys. That fanatical army had not even blinked in the face of dragons.

Aside from Aegon, every Targaryen king had suffered at the hands of the Faith of the Seven.

Looking at Maekar, who walked beside Melisandre, Corlys showed a helpless expression. The boy truly was Baelon the Brave’s son. This boldness in doing things was insane.

Back at the castle, Maekar asked Ollyr and Roland to prepare the rooms for the red priestesses and walked alone beside Melisandre to his room. This was a private conversation that should not take place under everyone’s eyes.

"Sit down." Pointing to the sofa, Maekar said as he poured two cups of wine, one for himself and the other for Melisandre.

He handed the cup to Melisandre and sat down on the sofa across from where the red priestess was seated.

Maekar observed the woman. Melisandre was beautiful. She had long hair the color of deep polished copper, unsettling red eyes, and pale, flawless skin. The priestess was slender, graceful, and taller than most knights. Melisandre had full breasts, a narrow waist, and a heart-shaped face.

She truly was a work of art made by the gods. At least, by comparison, only Gael, his wife, and Jocelyn Baratheon could compare to the woman before him.

"Your arrival was a surprise, Priestess." Maekar brought the cup to his lips and spoke with a smile, his gaze running over the woman with a touch of interest and curiosity.

"The Lord of Light guided me to you, my prince." Melisandre answered with a seductive smile on her red, plump, sensual lips.

Maekar just laughed and did not deny the truth in her words. If the woman could bring back the dead, what was seeing the future through flames?

Melisandre was surprised by Maekar’s acceptance. She had thought it would take a long time to make Maekar believe her words but had not expected it to be so easy. Of course, she simply thought R’hllor was making things easier for her.

"Let’s not waste breath on an intellectual quarrel, my dear priestess. You have something I want, and I have something you want." Maekar finished drinking his cup of wine and spoke with a smile. He set the empty cup down on the table and looked at Melisandre.

"My prince is a very determined and direct man, which is very attractive." Melisandre said, and her smile only grew.

Maekar laughed at the compliment but could not help speaking with a touch of provocation. "Spare me the compliments, Lady Melisandre; my wife is quite jealous and possessive."

Melisandre was not frightened. Being a woman who had lived for a long time, she had seen many things. A jealous girl was not really something dangerous, though a jealous girl with a giant dragon was very dangerous.

"If the prince is going to be direct, forgive my frankness." Melisandre sat up straight on the sofa and continued speaking. "Just as the prince said, you have something the Red Faith wants, and the Red Faith has something the prince needs."

"Our terms are simple, just one and nothing more."

"In exchange for money, weapons, or even forbidden knowledge, we want only free and unrestricted permission to spread my faith across the continent of Westeros."

Maekar had to admit, the Red Faith knew how to make someone happy.

------

Read the advanced Chapters on my Patreon!

/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