Below the rocky hill on Bloodstone, the head of the King of the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones lay severed, resting alone on the ground.
The pirate had become a king for a day; he would rather die than give up that honor.
Bronze Yohn led the search party into the caves of the rocky hill on Bloodstone to investigate. Finding nothing alive but starved corpses, the search party brought out the bodies, pirate flags, remnants, and weapons, placing them at the cave entrance.
Rhaegar said nothing; instead, he held up the golden crown, its scent of blood still fresh, and displayed it before the gathered army.
The King of the Narrow Sea had been beheaded; Bloodstone was completely pacified!
Rhaegar drew his Longsword. "The King of the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones has been slain. The false king is dead, and the Stepstones are razed. Bloodstone shall no longer be a den of pirates, but territory of the Iron Throne! And so, we shall do this! Dragonflame!" Rhaegar pointed his sword at the rocky hill.
The dragon circled in the air, spewing fire, and the rocky hill turned into a wave of flame.
The tattered pirate and Lysene flags on the hill, along with the corpses of the starved, were all consumed by the fire.
The fire raged, and the dragon circled.
There was no King of the Narrow Sea, only a pirate who had died.
[Title: Crown Breaker. Crowns are not unbreakable; blood and fire can shatter them. Only a true king is worthy of a crown.]
"I have already shattered two crowns," Rhaegar thought, "the mountain clansman's, and the Narrow Sea pirate's."
"However, these were all false kings. Perhaps the next step is to deal with those 'free kings' of the Free Cities!"
The massive army formation began to part, and amidst the crowd, Aerys, Tywin, and Steffon rode forward. To show respect for the commander, they dismounted a short distance away and walked toward Rhaegar.
Rhaegar saw their magnificent armor; it was all opulent and luxurious.
Aerys's black armor was inlaid with rubies in the shape of a three-headed dragon, and he wore a red cloak, like a flowing flame.
Lord Tywin wore a red robe, dark red enameled plate armor, and a lion helm, but the armor, the gold-threaded cloak, and the lion on the helm were all made of solid gold.
And Ser Steffon looked like a Stag; his silver armor was engraved with gold ornaments, the antlers on his helm were made of gold, and his yellow cloak depicted a running Stag.
Rhaegar presented the crown and the head of the King of the Narrow Sea, packed in a box, to Crown Prince Aerys and the trio.
"This honor belongs to you, child," Crown Prince Aerys said, raising Rhaegar's hand.
The men were the commanders of the war, yet Rhaegar had reaped the greatest share of the glory.
Even if the three of them had arrayed the forces, they could not have done better than Rhaegar.
Aerys, Rhaegar, Tywin, and Steffon stood together, their armor and helms dazzling and striking, shimmering in the sunlight.
"Long live King's Landing!" "Long live King Jaehaerys!" "Long live the Targaryen Family!" The soldiers shouted fervently, raising their fists, Longswords, or spears! War horns and drums sounded in response.
The river of steel roared, a sound loud enough to reach the heavens.
Bloodstone had been thoroughly swept, but there was still cleanup to be done.
The magnificent tents of Crown Prince Aerys, Lord Tywin, and Ser Steffon appeared on Bloodstone. The trio's military tents were set up on a rocky hill, with those of the vassal knights, Lords, and soldiers below.
As the front-line commander, Rhaegar held command authority.
Rhaegar's tent was closer to the sea than the trio's, situated with his soldiers.
In Rhaegar's tent, Lords and knights gathered around a table displaying the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones, a gathering of heroes.
Rhaegar removed his black helm; the silver-haired, purple-eyed prince was handsome, his eyes filled with determination.
Everyone was a sharp sword, but Rhaegar was the brightest fire and the sharpest blade.
The Lords and knights looked up at him as if he were a god; Prince Rhaegar's courage and fearlessness in the fires of war were enough to sway any soldier.
The inner circle of the map table consisted of the sons of great Lords and famous knights, such as Ser Barristan the Bold, Ser Brynden of the Riverlands, Bronze Yohn and Lyn Corbray of the Vale, Ser Mace of The Reach, Prince Lewyn of Dorne, Larys Velaryon of Driftmark, the Count of Duskendale of the Crownlands, and other noblemen, as well as some Lords from the Stormlands and the Westerlands.
The victor could claim all praise and fear; Rhaegar was the youngest, but no one dared to defy the Prince's authority.
The Battle of the Valley Road, the victory at Duskendale, the three victories in one day at the Stepstones, and the slaying of the King of the Narrow Sea—the victories the Prince had won were more dazzling than what many had achieved in decades of military service.
"Ser Lucerys, Ser Mace. I heard my father ordered you to increase the tax standards for passing ships?" Rhaegar's first question was not about politics, but taxes, and he named the two men.
"Yes, Prince. This war against the Stepstones cost us quite a bit; we provided troops and effort, so it is normal to collect some tax from these merchant ships," said Mace Tyrell.
The "Fat Flower" was now brimming with pride; happy events bring a refreshed spirit.
"After Bloodstone was pacified, the Iron Throne controlled the Stepstones and the shipping lanes. We have no rivals, and this war cost a great deal of Gold Dragons; we can't tax the air. Originally, Crown Prince Aerys wanted to set the taxes as high as possible, but it was Lord Tywin who persuaded him to keep the taxes at a reasonable level," added Larys Velaryon, who also had a stake since part of the fleet was under his command.
Rhaegar was silent. In this era, increasing taxes was a symbol of tyranny; the Iron Throne had received much criticism in the past for raising taxes, and the Prince could not have been unaware of that.
He guessed that Aerys thought if he dared not go back to Westeros to collect taxes, he could at least deal with these merchant ships on the ocean.
However, once maritime trade taxes were raised, the backlash from the Free Cities would be even greater; they were commercial cities with powerful merchant influences.
Rhaegar had once privately advised against this matter, but that was all he could do.
With two masters in one army, publicly protesting the Prince's opinion would damage the authority of both sides.
Crown Prince Aerys had handed him the front-line command, allowed him to manage the rewards and punishments of the army, and had Tywin and Steffon cooperate; it was already minimal interference—he was playing the role of the hands-off manager.
In matters like raising taxes, let Tywin be the one to play the villain and dissuade him.
Moreover, the people of Westeros were indeed very resentful of the Free Cities, practically equating them with heretics and pirates.
"Everyone, the flames of war in the Stepstones have only temporarily subsided; our war is not over yet. I order you to continue to prepare; the soldiers are not allowed to be too lax!" Rhaegar said.
He understood the nature of soldiers; many units became decadent once they won, putting away their swords and spears.
But now was not the time to rest.
Everyone looked at each other, but all agreed with the Prince's decision.
This was the authority of the victor.
They had roughly guessed the Prince's hypothetical enemies: Lys and Myr of the Free Cities.
Rhaegar ordered the fleet, the longbowmen, and the spearmen to train without pause, remaining vigilant against the reappearance of enemies at sea.
After everything was arranged, Rhaegar rode his dragon into the air and began to fly around the Stepstones.
Blue flames began to burn on both of Rhaegar's hands. Amidst the flames, only merchant ships passed through the Stepstones without obstruction. The pirates were now terrified at the mere sight of him, and the people of Lys and Myr were hesitant; Rhaegar was unsure if they would dare to provoke him again.
After flying the dragon for a while, Rhaegar landed on a small, secluded, uninhabited reef island not far from Tyrosh.
Rhaegar watched the tranquil seawater flowing endlessly eastward.
Tyrosh was also located in the Stepstones and could be said to be the closest Free City among the Third Daughter.
After a while, a Tyroshi merchant ship sailed over and docked near the reef.
The beautiful daughter of the Archon of Tyrosh, Rhaegar's ally, Lady Shireen, disembarked to meet with Rhaegar.
The two beautiful young people were both brimming with enthusiasm, like fire, like a dazzling sun.
The silver-haired, purple-eyed young warrior and the girl with long blue-green hair looked like a princess.
"Everyone now says you are the Butcher of the Narrow Sea, but with your slaughter, the pirates have vanished. And there is no other butcher as handsome as you," Shireen said with a smile. Her charming blue-green hair and eyes, graceful body lines, the golden ribbons decorating her hair, and her blue dress made her shine.
The girl's flirtatious demeanor and affectionate smile were enough to captivate any man.
The intoxicating scent of perfume reminded Rhaegar of Tyroshi pear brandy.
"I am not like you, Princess Shireen; I am a warrior, and what I reap is mostly fear or curses. Many people call me a tyrant or a butcher, while they praise you as the Pearl of Tyrosh," Rhaegar replied with a smile. He was not wearing his black scale armor, but simply wore a silver circlet to hold back his silver hair—the typical attire of the Valyrian Dragonlords.
Rhaegar's black clothes were embroidered with symmetrical symbols of a Silver Dragon and a Red Dragon; he did not look like a warrior, but a dashing nobleman.
"The Prince is always handsome and knows how to tease me; Tyrosh has no charming boys like you. Your battle record makes me forget your age. Although your family always produces precocious geniuses and warriors, I feel you are more dazzling than them all. Even in Tyrosh, there are many girls who dream of becoming a queen..." The closer Shireen got to Rhaegar, the more Rhaegar felt his heart race. But the two returned to the main topic.
"Lys and Myr have joined forces and dispatched fifty warships, preparing to head toward the Stepstones," Shireen answered seriously.