The five towers of Harrenhal looked like five gravestones.
They were badly weathered and long neglected, yet still remarkably sturdy.
Meraxes and Vhagar had respectively landed atop Widow's Tower and Wailing Tower, their enormous wings spreading out until they completely covered the tops of the towers.
At first glance, it looked as though the towering structures had been given enormous hats.
The other three towers were called Terror Tower, Tower of Tears, and the infamous Kingspyre Tower.
Harrenhal really did need a renaming.
Viserys rode his black dragon to the open ground before Harrenhal's main gate and waited for Lord Mace of Highgarden to come and pay his respects.
He noticed that Mace had acted quickly. The black banner bearing the three-headed dragon of House Targaryen was already flying from the battlements.
Before long, Mace Tyrell arrived with his second son, Garlan, and several knights.
Normally, they would only have needed to dismount when they came before Viserys.
But their horses were terrified of the draconic presence radiating from the black dragon.
More than a hundred meters away, the horses had already refused to take another step.
The group had no choice but to dismount and approach on foot.
Mace had put on a fair amount of weight, and the walk of more than a hundred meters had left his face slightly flushed.
"Lord of Highgarden, Mace Tyrell, pays his respects to Your Grace!"
Wearing a green robe embroidered with golden flowers, Mace knelt before Viserys and the dragons.
Viserys patted Balerion's neck.
The black dragon slowly lowered his head.
Viserys leaped down from his back, then stepped forward and helped the Tyrell lord to his feet.
Because of their difference in height, Tyrell had to look up at the young silver-haired king standing before him.
Seeing the smile at the corners of Viserys's mouth, Mace felt a surge of nervousness.
House Targaryen should have been finished ten years ago.
He simply could not understand how Viserys had managed to accomplish all this.
Now, the Targaryen family had once again obtained dragons and had become a true family of dragonlords.
'But I am no slouch either. I took Harrenhal!'
Harrenhal, the castle that had changed hands repeatedly during the War of the Five Kings, had become the place where Mace could prove his own military talents.
He had apparently forgotten that he had once besieged Storm's End for nearly a year without accomplishing anything.
Perhaps the formidable castle behind him gave him confidence. At any rate, he managed to calm himself somewhat.
"Your Grace, Harrenhal now belongs to you!"
"It would have been impossible without Your Grace's great reputation."
The two men exchanged a few words of mutual praise before Mace introduced several of the noble knights behind him.
The first was his son, Garlan, who stood nearly six feet tall and was a strong, well-built young man.
Next came Mace's trusted chief retainer, Randyll Tarly, who was also the most formidable warrior among Highgarden's bannermen.
He had once defeated Robert at the Battle of Ashford.
Randyll had deep-set features and a stern expression. With not a single hair on the top of his head, he looked even more imposing.
Compared with him, the little fat boy standing behind Randyll was rather difficult to look at.
That little fat boy was none other than Jon's good friend, Sam.
In Westeros, noble boys around the age of ten were generally sent to the households of other nobles to serve as squires.
But because Sam had never managed to lose weight and possessed a timid personality, Randyll had always feared that his son would bring shame upon the family.
He had therefore never given Sam the opportunity to become a squire.
Taking advantage of this campaign against Harrenhal, Randyll had decided to put his fat son through some practical military training.
Viserys wanted to win Randyll over, so he pointed toward the somewhat cowering Sam behind him.
"I believe this young man is your son?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
Randyll was quick to place a hand on Sam's shoulder, preventing him from shrinking behind his father's back and making an even greater breach of etiquette.
When Sam realized that Viserys, the master of dragons, had noticed him, both of his legs began to tremble.
His round face was filled with unconcealed terror.
Viserys smiled at him.
"I heard you like to read?"
Sam knew he should answer the king's question immediately.
But his tongue seemed to have tied itself into a knot. No matter how hard he tried, he could not open his mouth.
Garlan looked at Sam with some envy.
He could not understand why this timid little fat boy had managed to win the king's attention.
Beside him, Randyll's eyes were filled with anger.
This boy was making a fool of him!
The king was willing to speak to Sam personally. That was an incredible stroke of luck.
Yet when that luck had practically been handed to him, he could not even seize it.
What a useless son!
For a moment, Sam could practically feel the anger radiating from his father.
And his father's reaction only made him more nervous. His entire body stiffened like a statue.
Even Viserys felt somewhat awkward looking at him.
If the boy refused to say anything, there was really nothing he could do.
Fortunately, Sam finally gave up trying to speak and instead nodded with all his strength.
That was certainly not enough to satisfy Randyll, but there was nothing he could say about it now.
"I apologize, Your Grace. The boy has a weak and timid disposition. Please forgive him."
Randyll hurriedly stepped forward.
He had already decided that once Sam came of age, he would send him to the Wall.
At least then the boy would not remain at home embarrassing the family.
"Heh, I think he's fine."
Viserys smiled.
"Sam, there's nothing wrong with enjoying books. It's a good thing. But you should also remember to control your weight.
You will surely become a learned man someday.
When it comes to ruling a kingdom, a good mind is more important than a sword."
Viserys's encouragement was like sunlight breaking through the clouds, bringing new life back into Sam's body.
"Th-th-thank you, Your Grace!"
Using almost all the strength in his body, Sam finally managed to thank Viserys.
Even Randyll was surprised by the king's tolerance and encouragement.
Wait.
I'd heard this king has never had a woman by his side. Could it be—
Randyll glanced sideways at his fat son.
There had certainly been homosexuals throughout the history of the Seven Kingdoms, but most of them had been handsome men.
His son clearly did not belong to that category.
Viserys's reason for using Sam to draw Randyll closer was primarily because, although he had arrived with three dragons, he was ultimately alone in Westeros.
Mace's attack on Harrenhal had already amounted to openly breaking with Robert. There was little possibility of him repeatedly changing sides.
Even so, Viserys believed it was better to remain cautious.
After all, a king's authority was thousands of miles away, not merely five steps away.
There was no one in Harrenhal who could possibly kill him.
But that was no reason to abandon his vigilance.
Viserys praised Sam and Garlan a few more times before suddenly looking toward the two dragons crouched atop the towers.
Everyone followed his gaze.
The two enormous dragons left the towers and flew down to take up positions on either side of the main gate.
He could command dragons with nothing more than a glance!
Mace, Randyll, Sam, and Garlan all realized how terrifying that ability was.
In truth, it was also a subtle demonstration of power from Viserys.
The king might have arrived alone, but his dragons were certainly not harmless.
It would be best not to entertain any thoughts they should not have.
After all, Viserys was no Aerys, the Mad King who had lost everything during the Defiance of Duskendale.
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