Chapter 193: Crown Harvester
The wings of the Dragons sliced through the sky, resembling streams of flowing fire illuminating the skies above Dragonstone. The Dragons roared, their voices echoing across the heavens like exploding thunderbolts.
The Silver Dragon, the purple Dragon, and the black Dragon.
It was no secret that the Silver Dragon brought the other two Dragons to Dragonstone. The names and appearances of these three Dragons had spread across both sides of the Narrow Sea. However, the closer the location—such as the Eastern Continent's Lys and Myr and Pentos, which had witnessed, heard of, or fought against the dragons—the more accurate the information was. In remote places like Qarth and Asshai, the news of the Dragons and Rhaegar might be nothing but a wild tale, akin to the blind men touching the elephant.
The assassination attempt on Rhaegar was similar; words spread like the wind. The news that Rhaegar Targaryen was assassinated by a disguised killer in Rosby spread throughout Westeros, from the icy North to the scorching Dorne, and from the mountainous Vale of Arryn to the flat Riverlands and the fertile Reach. Everyone learned of the terrible event that occurred in Rosby: Rhaegar Targaryen, the second heir to the Iron Throne, Temporary Guardian of the Narrow Sea and Stepstones, City Steward and Highways of King's Landing, and Three-Headed Dragonrider, was assassinated by an unknown killer during the welcoming ceremony following the paving of the Blackstone Boulevard. The assassin was ruthless, even using the highly poisonous Manticore.
The streets and alleys of King's Landing were in an uproar, with people discussing the event everywhere. The Iron Throne officially announced that the Prince was safe and sound, and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen had temporarily gone to Dragonstone to recuperate. However, citizens speculated wildly, and public sentiment was difficult to calm. They did not believe the royal explanation because the Dragon had already flown to Dragonstone, and the Prince had not appeared publicly since leaving Rosby. The only confirmed information was that Rhaegar Targaryen had ridden the Dragon to Dragonstone and had since remained unseen within the gloomy Dragonstone castle.
The news of Rhaegar's assassination caused a huge sensation, plunging the people of the Seven Kingdoms into grief and anger. Although Prince Rhaegar was young, he had already created many miracles and glories. On the battlefield, Prince Rhaegar was an invincible commander and a peerless swordsman; off the battlefield, he was a versatile harp player and the benevolent Smiling Dragon. From the lords and princes above to the common folk below, many who had met him were supporters of Prince Rhaegar. People could not believe that such a handsome prince, the victorious one, the Sword of the Realm, was tormented by such a tragic fate. The people of Westeros recalled the past many years ago, when House Targaryen had already suffered two such tragedies. The first time, the first heir to the Iron Throne, Prince Aemon, the father-in-law of the Sea Snake, was assassinated by a Myrish crossbow. The second time, the heir to the Iron Throne, Baelor Breakspear, was accidentally killed by his younger brother Prince Maekar during the Trial of Seven. No words could describe that sorrow.
The nobles of King's Landing wanted to discern the truth behind the grief from the faces of the King, Queen, Crown Prince, and Crown Princess in the Red Keep, but the truth was like a black hole; no one knew what was happening on Dragonstone. Dragonstone was heavily blockaded, and outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering Dragonstone Castle. The Dragonlord family rarely interacted with foreign officials after the Rosby assassination attempt, mechanically repeating only one message: Prince Rhaegar was safe and recuperating on Dragonstone. Now, everyone truly couldn't guess the truth. Only letters flew like snowflakes to King's Landing, and ravens traveled back and forth, but King Jaehaerys remained silent and ordered other royal family members to do the same. King Jaehaerys even skipped some trivial matters, ordering the Small Council to handle them instead.
Time flowed by, minute by minute—a day, two days, half a month, a month. Rumors and gossip flew wildly everywhere. Now, there were all sorts of stories: some said Prince Rhaegar had succumbed to the Manticore poison and died; others claimed Prince Rhaegar was severely wounded in Rosby and was currently resting on Dragonstone, with only the Dragon left to wail day and night on the island. A bolder guess was that Prince Rhaegar was hiding on Dragonstone to study magic and had gone mad, making him unsuitable for contact with outsiders.
At the core of the storm, across the ocean from King's Landing.
Rhaegar Targaryen, with silver hair and purple eyes, wearing a round-necked Rhaegar shirt, sat alone in a chair in the Painted Table Chamber of Dragonstone's Stone Drum keep. The Painted Table Chamber was empty. Recently, Rhaegar had been residing in the Stone Drum of Dragonstone Castle and had not appeared in public. Dragonstone Castle was heavily guarded, strictly forbidding outsiders, and Rhaegar's necessities were all delivered by the Castellan of Dragonstone.
The Painted Table Chamber was a spacious circular room with walls constructed of black stone, devoid of decoration. The chamber had four tall, narrow windows facing the four cardinal directions: east, west, north, and south. The entire hall contained only one chair, meticulously designed to correspond precisely to Dragonstone's location off the coast of Westeros, and situated upon a raised dais, offering a complete view of the table.
Rhaegar looked at the beautiful map. In the center of the hall was a large table carved from giant wooden planks. Aegon the Conqueror Targaryen had ordered it built before the Conquest, which is how the Painted Table Chamber got its name. This was a legacy of Aegon the Conqueror, but the table was so old it had developed a rich patina. The table shone with the polished luster accumulated over nearly three hundred years.
Rhaegar looked out. The map table was over fifty feet long, about half that width at its widest point, and less than four feet at its narrowest. Aegon the Conqueror's carpenters had sawed out bays and peninsulas according to the shape of the continent of Westeros; there was not a single straight edge on the entire table. The tabletop depicted the Seven Kingdoms of Aegon's era, showing all the rivers, mountains, fortresses, cities, lakes, and forests in meticulous detail. "A table like this is still not enough," he thought. "I need another table. I need a map of the Eastern Continent."
Rhaegar stood up and placed the three wooden Dragon carvings on the location of King's Landing. The Dragons were lying in wait, and so was he—a Hidden Dragon in the Abyss, waiting to see if he would soar high into the heavens again.
At that instant, sunlight struck Rhaegar's body, making him appear partially silver. The Castellan of Dragonstone respectfully walked in at that moment, as if seeing Aegon the Conqueror, two hundred years ago, command legions and possess the ambition to swallow the world whole.
The Castellan of Dragonstone spoke, feeling that serving such a great man was his fortune. "Prince, as you instructed, there are indeed many spies and agents on Dragonstone recently."
"Don't make things difficult for these spies; just ensure they don't gain access to Dragonstone Castle or any information about me!" Rhaegar looked at the Castellan of Dragonstone across the map table. This man was an old official and always reliable. "Loose outside, tight inside." The more nervous these spies were, the more it indicated their strategic uncertainty. With a window of opportunity hard to obtain, their inability to confirm Rhaegar's safety was a major obstacle to their plans. "Take good care of my Young Dragons, and Dragonmont also needs to be heavily guarded." The main keep had been sealed off, but the tunnels and hidden ladders from the dungeon cells beneath the main keep could reach the center of Dragonmont, allowing Rhaegar to still visit and care for his dragons. A high arched stone bridge connected the Stone Drum and the Dungeon Tower in the air.
"Your command, Prince!" The Castellan of Dragonstone remained highly respectful and then left the Painted Table Chamber.
Waiting was the most agonizing thing in the world, but Rhaegar had to wait. He was using this assassination attempt to see if he could lure the snake out of its hole.
Rhaegar Targaryen could certainly ride the Three-Headed Dragon to Lys and Myr, extort a fortune, and fly back swaggering. But that wasn't enough. Rhaegar's expectation was to completely crush the Two Daughters in the short term. Just as Braavos heavily defeated Pentos, he wanted to completely destroy the war potential of Lys and Myr, forcing the two great city-states to sign an appeasement treaty, limiting their garrisons and fleet sizes.
Rhaegar looked at the map, contemplating the grievances and conflicts between the Iron Throne of Westeros and the Third Daughter. Rhaegar believed the Iron Throne actually had one or two chances for conquest during the golden age between Jaehaerys I and the Dance of the Dragons. During this period, there were many Dragonriders and dragons, and the rise of the Sea Snake also strengthened the kingdom's naval power.
"Before the Dragon Disaster, conquering the Eastern Continent while we still had dragons faced many difficulties," Rhaegar thought, beginning to analyze the challenges of attacking the Third Daughter. Those unfavorable external factors were certainly the notorious reputation left by the Valyrian Dragonlords after their rampant oppression on the Eastern Continent. After the fall of Valyria, no city-state was willing to take in these Lords; some even wanted to seize the opportunity to cause trouble. Perhaps only Volantis had a slightly better attitude towards the Dragonlords, but Aegon disdained having to bow and flatter the elected magistrates.
Rhaegar mainly considered the difficulty of physically eliminating the Two Daughters. While lenient governance was the norm, he first considered military force. "The biggest problem is definitely the coordination between man and dragon, and the quality of the Dragonriders and dragons. The Dragonriders of House Targaryen did not master the core technologies of Old Valyria—Blood Magic, Fire Magic, Dragon-Taming Sigils, the Black Wall, the Great Road—they knew none of it. The Dragonlords of House Targaryen were not sorcerers and did not know strange magic; they were, at best, slightly enhanced high-level warriors, enhanced, but not significantly. Even though House Targaryen's dragons were trained against spear and arrow attacks from a young age, without magic, they were truly blank-slate Dragonlords, operating on crude technical skill. Therefore, Dragonriders and dragons often encountered accidents because they had not escaped the realm of normal people. For example, Prince Aemon was killed by a Myrish crossbow, and Prince Jaehaerys died riding a Young Dragon in the Battle of the Gullet."
"The second problem is funding. The Iron Throne's treasury always feels insufficient and cannot support such large-scale wars; the navy is particularly expensive. King Jaehaerys undertook many major infrastructure projects, and the national treasury simply cannot support several more large-scale wars, which is why King Jaehaerys favored quick resolutions. And King Viserys, who succeeded King Jaehaerys, faced inheritance issues and had no interest in conquering the East."
Regarding the conquest of the Third Daughter, Rhaegar thought of two solutions. For the coordination between man and dragon, Rhaegar was now a unique sorcerer, so even though the Dragons were small, the power they exerted could not be underestimated. Rhaegar wanted to strike unexpectedly, allowing the Dragons to play a greater role. Regarding funding, Rhaegar believed customs and taxation were the best methods. If stabilized, expanding the military and collecting taxes would naturally lead to increasing profits from the war. Only wars that weren't costly could rally the hearts of Westeros.
This time, Rhaegar was lying low on Dragonstone, waiting and anticipating. With the Dragonguards, the Narrow Sea Fleet, House Redwyne's fleet, and the possibility of rallying the Crackclaw men, he had prepared so much. He just needed to see if Lys and Myr would choose recklessness or hesitation.
Fish, fish, would they take the bait as he hoped? Rhaegar wasn't sure.
Rhaegar picked up Orphan-Maker. The black sword was silent; only its ripples were beautiful like cloud smoke. "Ten Years Sharpening a Sword, the Frost Blade Untested. This time, whose crowns should we shatter and whose orphans should we create?"
How could such a fine sword unleash its true power while long held by scoundrels like the humanoid beast Jon Roxton and the scheming Hand of the King, Unwin Peake? Wait for the new storm, and I will let you achieve true glory.
"Come with me, and let us harvest and shatter more crowns!" Rhaegar quietly polished the black sword Orphan-Maker, and Orphan-Maker seemed to cheer. The crowns of the Wildling, the King of the Narrow Sea, and the Khal—he wouldn't mind shattering the crowns of the Governors of Myr and Lys again.
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