Inside the richly decorated chamber, the lingering scent of passion still hung in the air, though the atmosphere between the two had grown somewhat stiff.
Even while holding an affectionate posture, both of them slowed their breathing.
Arianne in particular hardly dared to breathe heavily after revealing the matter.
"The Triarchy also joined the war against the Targaryens.
My father says he will assist you in attacking them.
As for his compensation, he hopes to receive the Stepstones and Tyrosh."
Doran's original words were far more tactful than this, but Arianne had distilled them to convey the core meaning.
The Triarchy had suffered heavy losses during the campaign against Drogo.
The Battle of the Rhoyne further consumed most of what little military strength they had left.
Under Viserys's propaganda offensive, the wave of slave rebellions had rendered The Triarchy like a dilapidated house, needing only a single kick to collapse completely.
And there was certainly no grand brute coming out of that ruined house to seek revenge.
Doran hoped to use his daughter to whisper in Viserys's ear, seizing the chance to expand the Martell family's power into the Narrow Sea.
Furthermore, he actually had the audacity to demand Tyrosh.
If the Sun-and-Spear banner of House Martell were to fly over Tyrosh, the chain of Sunspear, the Stepstones, and Tyrosh would form a maritime blockade across the Narrow Sea.
That old gout-ridden man was trying to reap a bargain right at his expense.
Viserys made no immediate commitment to Arianne's message.
Instead, he looked at her rounded toes, curled tightly from nervousness, and asked, "And what about you? What do you think?"
Arianne slowly lifted her head, her slightly wavy black hair falling around her, and looked into Viserys's face, speaking firmly.
"Although Dorne pinned down Robert's forces at the Prince's Pass, that was merely our duty as vassals.
Your Majesty only needs to grant some gold as a reward.
Besides, Sunspear made a great deal of money from the book trade in recent years, so even if Your Majesty offers no reward at all, it would not matter.
As for placing Tyrosh under the rule of House Martell, that reward would be far too heavy."
Viserys was exceedingly pleased with Arianne's answer, and the tension between them rapidly dissolved.
After all, no man could completely avoid pillow talk.
As long as his bedmate shared the same heart as him, it was no great concern.
"Your Majesty?"
Arianne pressed her lips with a slender finger, looking up at Viserys with dark, glittering eyes, appearing utterly pitiable.
"Your Majesty!"
"Ah... Your Majesty! I truly have no strength left!"
The Dragon Lord launched his attack.
That fierce encounter left Arianne's legs weak for days.
Yet ever since they shared such intimacy, Arianne felt a subtle psychological advantage when facing Rhaenys and Daenerys.
Though she knew her future children would hold no inheritance rights, it did not stop her from going about each day in high spirits.
However, Rhaenys and Daenerys soon reclaimed the lead.
Their dragon eggs hatched.
Not only theirs, but the eggs belonging to Aemon and Aegon hatched as well.
The purple dragon egg belonging to Daenerys naturally hatched a purple hatchling, and the same held true for the others.
The number of dragons jumped from three to seven, seemingly herald of a second spring for House Targaryen.
If dragons could grow up alongside their dragonriders, a natural bond of shared minds would form between them.
In another seven or eight years, the family would gain four more dragonriders.
However, their young dragons needed time to grow step by step.
While it was wonderful news, it could not provide immediate strength to the family in the short term.
For now, it served merely as a morale-boosting piece of glad tidings.
It could only be considered a small interlude before the campaign against Braavos.
Inside the study, Clinton was reporting to Viserys regarding war preparations.
Among the topics was an unavoidable problem: insufficient troop strength.
Indeed, a shortage of men.
It had only been half a month since that grand battle.
Though the Volantenes inclined toward seeking peace, no concrete terms had been settled.
The Triarchy was overwhelmed with its own troubles.
Norvos was leaning on its favorable terrain, combined with the fact that others had not yet declared their stance, so it showed no intention of bowing down.
If Viserys wished to march on Braavos, he would need to assemble an army of at least two hundred thousand.
Even with dragons, he would still require a minimum of one hundred thousand soldiers to even consider an invasion.
Yet garrisoning Pentos and Gohor alone required fifty to sixty thousand men.
Guarding against Norvos and Qohor required over twenty thousand more.
Without the barrier of Chroyane, no one could guarantee that the Volantenes would not attempt a comeback.
"What about those Westerosi soldiers? How is the screening process going?"
"We have already separated the nobles from the commoners," Clinton replied.
"Ser Climbing, I intend to settle these men in the Golden Fields. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty means to grant them land and let them make their homes here?"
"Yes. 2 hectares of land for each man, and we shall absorb them into our army to strike Braavos!"
Viserys's proposal plunged Clinton into deep thought.
In history, it was rare to directly seize an enemy's army and integrate it straight into one's own ranks.
Even if it happened, it was usually done through the soldiers' original lords after accepting their fealty, commanding the troops via those lords.
Yet upon careful reflection, Viserys's plan seemed entirely feasible.
Back in their homeland, these soldiers were essentially farmers in peacetime and soldiers in wartime.
They possessed no assets or land of their own.
Staying in Westeros or remaining in Essos made no real difference to them.
Viserys held vast expanses of land waiting to be developed, and these men represented the finest labor force.
Furthermore, only a small fraction of these soldiers were married; most were bachelors.
As for finding wives, the internal male-to-female ratio among the Dothraki had already become severely unbalanced due to the war.
With a little matchmaking, these men would instantly transform into the self-sufficient farmers Viserys favored most.
It would also accelerate the integration between different cultures.
Looking back, the Andals had originally migrated from the continent of Essos anyway.
At most, this could be considered coming home.
"Your Majesty, I believe it is worth trying. However, I suggest you meet these Westerosi soldiers in person. It will help establish royal authority."
As expected of the Hand, he was thorough in his considerations.
"Mm. Go and arrange it."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Shortly after Clinton departed, Viserys received another unexpected piece of news.
A man claiming to be a northern noble was requesting an audience.
His name was Roose Bolton.
___________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/BloodAncestor