[Chapter Size: 3200 Words.]
Third Person POV.
King's Lading.
...
...
Daemon arrived at the Small Council chamber with Barristan Selmy and found everyone else already gathered. They had waited for him—not because he was late, but because they had all arrived early, as they always did. Daemon was pleased that he had managed to spend a little more time in the gardens with his family, enjoying the company of his children.
All the members of the council immediately stood up out of respect.
"Greetings, my lords," Daemon said, taking his place at the head of the table.
"Your Majesty," they all replied in unison.
Ser Barristan Selmy sat in the chair closest to the king. As Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, he held a seat on the Small Council.
Marwyn, the Grand Maester of the Red Keep, was already preparing several documents.
Bran Stark, now a young man of just over twenty-one namedays, was also present.
Beside him sat Mance Rayder, the Master of Laws, who had served faithfully over the past five years.
The Master of Coin was Rago Nestoris, who also carried several documents and his ledger. He had always demonstrated great competence in his position. Together with Daemon, he had implemented the newest and most modern financial and tax collection system that now governed Westeros, introduced over the past few years.
On the other side of the table sat...
The Master of Ships was Stannis Baratheon, wearing the same stoic expression as always while proving himself exceptionally capable in his position.
Davos Seaworth had also earned a place on the council. Following Stannis's advice to keep a loyal man by his side, and after the many conversations they had shared since Lord Baratheon had knelt before Daemon and sworn himself to his cause during the wars, Daemon had chosen to bring him to court.
Davos Seaworth had lost all three of his sons in the Battle of the Blackwater and had seemed more interested in spending time with his three surviving sons—Devan Seaworth, Stannis Seaworth, and Steffon Seaworth—but he ultimately became deeply involved in court affairs.
He proved himself to be a loyal and capable servant in his duties, beginning by assisting Stannis in the creation of the new royal fleet. After all, all the ships they had used years ago had merely been borrowed. Daemon had never truly possessed a great fleet of his own.
Davos also carried out several assignments alongside the king and helped greatly reduce crime and dismantle several fraudulent schemes in Flea Bottom, where the man admitted he had been born and spent much of his life in poverty. He understood what it was like to be a child growing up in those streets.
He had also supervised all the common folk sent to work on Dragonstone and had been responsible for overseeing the extraction of dragonglass at the time.
In any case, Daemon gradually brought him closer, until he eventually chose him to serve as his Hand, despite the horrified looks from many people within the court. But Daemon knew his worth, and the position of Hand was no longer meant to remain vacant—it was time to appoint someone.
Davos might not have been the most intelligent man in every field, but Daemon had chosen a team competent enough to assist him whenever he had to deal with matters beyond his abilities or outside his area of expertise.
After all, simply having a loyal man was, in fact, what he needed most for the position. Daemon did not regret his choice. The elderly man had proven himself to be highly capable over the years, always grumbling that he should never have been given the highest office in the realm, yet Daemon kept him in the position despite his humble complaints...
In any case, Daemon turned his attention to everyone. "We may begin."
At the king's command, everyone took their seats.
Everything began with Bran reporting the information he had gathered through his other eyes. No one there found that ability to gather intelligence strange anymore. Although Bran had men scattered throughout the realm, he was able to obtain information in real time through his ravens.
Magic was no longer something particularly unusual in this era. After what Daemon had done during the wars, the northern wargs almost seemed harmless.
"The North remains stable. A portion of the free folk who stayed in the south and bent the knee continue tending the lands of the Gift. The Night's Watch continues to function normally, although there are still one or two deserters every moon."
Even so, Bran was able to track virtually all of them. "As soon as they are found, we send their locations to the hunters and the nearest lords so they can be captured and executed. Although some still manage to flee to Essos. At least four have escaped to Essos over the past few years, but around two hundred fugitives have been executed."
"It seems the Night's Watch still has plenty of work dealing with its own men running away now that there are no enemies left beyond the Wall..." Mance grumbled with an ironic smile.
The man had grown completely accustomed to life at court over those five years. He lived in King's Landing, overseeing the city's laws alongside Davos. He had a good talent for organizing crowds. Dalla lived there with him at court, despite having their new lands in the former Bolton territory. Their son was also growing up there alongside his cousin, Brandon Targaryen, the son of Daemon and Val, a member of the royal family.
Daemon merely sighed. "Keep assigning some of the animals to follow them. Send ravens with their locations to the hunters and the nearest lords," he ordered.
"..." Bran nodded.
"And how is Winterfell?" Daemon asked.
"Robb's daughter was born last night. A girl. They named her Lyarra after our grandmother..." Bran replied.
Jon smiled. "Excellent. I'm glad House Stark is increasing its brood."
There was no sarcasm in his words. He was genuinely happy to see his mother's family prosper. Catelyn would certainly have wanted that for her brother's children.
And although his relationship with Robb had never truly been that of real brothers, since Lord and Lady Stark had influenced that from the beginning, it had eventually become normal. There was no warmth between them, but neither were there any lingering resentments.
Robb already had an heir, young Cregan Stark, and his wife had become pregnant again and had now given birth to a daughter.
"The rest of the North remains peaceful... but something happened," Bran said with a hint of hesitation.
Daemon turned his gaze toward him, raising an eyebrow at the news that seemed somewhat difficult to speak of.
"Lord Reed died this morning. He passed away in his sleep last night..."
"A life is brought into the world while another is taken away on the same night..." Marwyn commented.
"It's not as if that's some sort of omen. It happens all the time..." Stannis said in his dry tone.
Daemon sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "I imagine Lady Meera is mourning."
"Yes. She hasn't even left her room since I told her this morning..." Bran replied.
Daemon sighed once more. "When will the funeral be?"
He had never shared a particularly close friendship with Lord Reed, but the man had always supported him from the day they first met in Winterfell after his return. He had left Greywater Watch just to meet him after Jojen had seen a vision of him killing the Three-Eyed Raven.
He had also been one of the first lords to declare his support for Daemon when he gathered the North, remaining by his side and speaking in favor of both him and his mother. Lyanna, in her ghostly form, had once spoken with Howland, who had wept upon seeing her as well.
"It will be tomorrow," Bran informed him.
"Then I will go to Greywater Watch myself."
Several of those present discreetly raised their eyes.
"Ask your wife to write a letter to her mother and her brother. I'll probably take my family with me to the Reeds' seat on the dragons. It's time to visit the North again—it's already been a year..."
Rhaella had shown that morning that she wanted to fly on a dragon. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity.
"I'll do that," Bran replied gratefully. He would speak with his wife. At the very least, Meera would have her sister's words during the funeral, since she could not travel to the North and did not have a dragon to make such a swift journey.
Some members of the council were surprised to see a king decide to attend the funeral of a northern lord. Others, however, understood the decision perfectly.
Howland Reed had played a fundamental role even in Jon's very existence. His mother, Lyanna Stark, had protected him from the squires during the Tourney at Harrenhal, later taking on the identity of the Knight of the Laughing Tree. Without those events, she might never have met Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Daemon's future father. But the man had also been deeply loyal to Lyanna. Despite her mistakes, she had helped him as well.
The meeting continued.
Throughout the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, the situation remained quite peaceful. There were minor conflicts here and there, and a few lords continued to be watched closely, always trying to gain some political advantage.
Then Bran spoke again.
"There have also been new movements by Aurane Waters."
"So he has gathered even more men over these past few years?" Daemon asked. "Hasn't he learned his lesson yet?"
"He is no longer advancing against Westeros," Stannis replied. "He knows that would only earn him a swift death beneath the dragons..."
Even so, the former Velaryon bastard continued encouraging pirates to attack Westerosi ships sailing through the southern seas.
"And there are also some connections with Dorne. There are still people seeking revenge."
"You're talking about Darkstar, aren't you? He stole the sword Dawn from Starfall a year ago and fled to sea..." Daemon asked, his gaze narrowing.
That man continued to be a thorn in his side. It was not as though Daemon needed to deal personally with every problem in the realm, but Gerold Dayne had become an interesting case. Besides stealing the sword Dawn, he had now joined a band of pirates under Aurane Waters' command.
Daemon noticed the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard's expression change immediately. Barristan Selmy understood better than anyone the importance of that sword. He also held great respect for his former companion, Arthur Dayne, the greatest swordsman Westeros had ever seen after Daemon.
"That dishonorable man... How does he think himself worthy of wielding it...?" Barristan muttered.
"He is probably planning to attack our fleet alongside the pirates when the opportunity arises. It seems they want to gather everyone who still holds a grudge against us, especially in Dorne," Daemon replied.
He was not surprised.
The extermination of House Martell had been an act of extreme cruelty, something Dorne would never forget easily. At the same time, however, it had spread fear. Daemon had done what no other king had ever dared to do.
Throughout those years, he continued flying to Dorne on his dragon to eliminate any sign of rebellion. Even the construction of scorpions was dealt with by a dragon arriving unexpectedly, with Daemon dragging their lord out of his castle before destroying the scorpions. It did not matter how much they tried to prepare. Whenever they plotted, Daemon uncovered their plans and appeared to destroy them.
Little by little, fear began to take hold of the Dornish people.
No one was capable of standing against the Dragon King. Even the most carefully planned conspiracies were eventually uncovered. Entire groups of lords and knights were executed, and their sons took their places after receiving their fathers' bodies from the king's own hands.
It was not something easily endured.
The uprisings never ceased completely, but fear was beginning to have its effect. The resistance in Dorne diminished with each passing year. Many men had already become cautious, knowing all too well what happened to those who built scorpions to face the dragons—it always ended the same way: Daemon arrived riding Winter and reduced entire strongholds to ashes.
It did not matter how carefully they tried to hide their actions. He always appeared. And every single time, another group of conspirators died.
In the end, those schemes of revenge and conspiracy were beginning to seem pointless. Many Dornishmen had already abandoned the resistance, although some still appeared encouraged by the new pirate organization.
"They want to repeat that conflict in the Stepstones before the Dance of the Dragons. The War for the Stepstones," Marwyn muttered.
That had been a war that even his ancestor, Daemon Targaryen, alongside House Velaryon, had taken years to win against the Crabfeeder. The forces of Westeros had managed to conquer the Stepstones, although they later lost part of their control over the region.
"Well... It seems things are never going to settle down. At least we're still only talking about pirates at sea and not a civil war..." Daemon laughed, while the others merely looked at him, wondering who would be foolish enough to challenge the dragons at this point.
Everyone knew the king would have no true enemies in his era, despite Dorne's hatred and the Reach's resentment.
Daemon turned his attention to Stannis. "Our fleet has one hundred and twenty ships, but we can increase that number, can't we?"
"Yes," Stannis replied with a nod. "We can assemble around six hundred ships by combining the fleets of the western lords, Your Majesty."
The controlled logging of Skagos for the construction of the great harbor had provided an enormous amount of timber for the shipyards. Combined with the partnership with House Manderly, Westeros had managed to expand its naval fleet rapidly.
In any case, Daemon ended the meeting and headed to his office, where he began reading the reports concerning the Reach.
Late that afternoon, he found Lord Velaryon approaching. The king asked the guards to give them a moment of privacy.
"My king, we have to do something. My uncle cannot remain free..." he began.
"I understand your concern perfectly, Lord Velaryon. Do not worry. We have already discussed this matter in the Small Council. Dorne has begun moving again, and we will deal with it after tracking down several contacts that Bran and I are investigating in Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh."
There were men financing those who opposed the rule of House Targaryen. Daemon could not help but appreciate the advantage of having a greenseer like Bran. Through his gifts, it was possible to track people, observe meetings, and investigate events from even the distant past.
He simply would not do that today. First, he needed to comfort Meera's wife.
Daemon continued speaking with Lord Velaryon, who expressed concern about his merchant ships being raided while passing through the Stepstones.
"For the time being, conduct your trade from Pentos to Braavos, or through Westeros by land if you want access to the Reach or the Westerlands. I would also recommend continuing to sell to Volantis and the other cities. Lower the prices of your goods a little and arrange for the transportation of your merchandise to be handled directly by your buyers," Daemon suggested.
The young man nodded. He was already becoming a great merchant magnate, conducting business throughout Westeros and Essos.
After concluding the meeting, Daemon returned to his family.
Everyone was gathered together. Besides Daenerys, Aegon, and Rhaella, Val was also there with their four-nameday-old son, Brandon.
The boy had Daemon's black hair, as well as his eyes. He was the child who resembled Daemon the most. He had also inherited the strong jawline of the Stark bloodline, along with the delicate features of the Valyrian lineage.
He was an extremely energetic child. He and Aegon had become an almost inseparable pair within the castle.
Daemon would never allow his children to develop a rivalry among themselves. He had always made each of their places in the line of succession perfectly clear, but as a family, they were to remain united and help one another.
Separating them, as many tried to whisper into his ears, would only create resentment and envy.
Daemon also showed no favoritism toward any of the children. He did not care for those political games and the foolish notion that children not born to the queen should be treated differently. That would never happen, and he would make sure they all had a healthy childhood alongside their parents.
And it was not as though they had not all lived together since the days beyond the Wall. Now they simply had more servants to help them and more children to care for. Because of that, such a household no longer seemed unusual to anyone in the family, even with so many women.
Ygritte also had a daughter with Daemon, Lyanna. She had been born in 303 A.C.
The three-year-old girl had inherited her mother's red hair and her father's purple eyes. She possessed a beauty that would certainly draw attention in the future.
Lucis had a son, Aenar. He had Daemon's black hair and her blue eyes, but had inherited his mother's shyness. He was three namedays old. Lucis was pregnant with their second child, who was expected to be a girl.
At that moment, the king, the queen, and, as they would say in other lands, his concubines, together with the king's five children, had dinner while talking about their day.
During the meal, Daemon revealed his plans. "Tomorrow, I'm going to the North."
Daenerys immediately nodded. "Then I'm going with you." She also had a dragon and wanted to fly a long distance with her husband to get away from the court for a while.
Daemon had already expected that answer, and as soon as the children heard the conversation, they all became excited.
"Take us with you!"
"I want to go too!"
"Let's go to the North!" they all began saying at once.
Daemon could not help but smile. "We can take all five." The saddles had already been modified to carry passengers, and the children would be secure in their harnesses.
Daenerys nodded in agreement. She wanted to go regardless, and turning the journey into a little outing for the children seemed like a good idea.
"Just promise me they won't fall..." Ygritte murmured.
"Just because you're afraid of flying on dragons doesn't mean your daughter doesn't still have their blood running through her veins," Daenerys said teasingly.
They talked for a while longer, with Val and Lucis joining the conversation as well. Daemon also agreed to take Val with them so she could help with the children instead of leaving everything to Daenerys.
After dinner, the family began preparing for the journey the following day.
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