"No—don't—"
Elbert shook his head in a daze, his spirit on the verge of collapse.
He had only come to stop Brynden from going south; why was he being treated like this?
"Untie him."
Suddenly, a voice rang out, and then the numbing bindings on his wrists behind his back were loosened.
Elbert looked up in surprise and saw Daeron looking down at him.
Smiling would be a bit heartless, so Daeron said flatly, "Ser Elbert, we meet again."
"Prince?"
A glimmer of hope appeared in Elbert's eyes, and he tried to stand up by pushing off the ground with his hands.
Daeron knelt down and pressed him back down, saying face-to-face, "Lord Rickard's death is not to be pitied, but his fighting will to seek life for his eldest son commands my admiration."
Elbert, just like Brandon, was bewildered.
Daeron spoke more bluntly, "To rescue Brandon, Lord Rickard risked coming south."
""
Elbert suddenly realized: having been imprisoned for so long, was his uncle Jon Arryn going to rescue him?
The answer was: no.
Daeron said with a mix of truth and lies, "I sent a letter to Lord Arryn, hoping he would prove your innocence, but Lord Arryn hasn't even sent a person or a raven to King's Landing, let alone come himself."
Translated, it meant: you have been abandoned.
Elbert was shocked and hurriedly argued, "No, my uncle designated me as his heir; he won't give up on me."
"Then why hasn't he found a way to save you?"
Daeron's single question stumped him.
Elbert stammered, opening his mouth several times but unable to think of any words to excuse his uncle.
Daeron said "kindly," "You may not know, but to protect Robert and Eddard Stark, Lord Arryn has remained silent and brought a distant cousin, Denys Arryn, back to the The Eyrie."
This was something he had made up.
He wasn't even at the The Eyrie; how could he know the private affairs of House Arryn?
But he happened to hit the mark.
Elbert's pupils shrank suddenly, the name Denys Arryn echoing in his mind. He trembled violently, falling into an inescapable pit of painful doubt.
His uncle wanted to change heirs; he really didn't want to save him.
Daeron whispered in his ear, "Ser, your uncle... wants you dead."
Boom—
These words were like a thunderclap. Elbert's eyes rolled back, unable to withstand the blow, and he fainted on the spot.
"When a nephew is the heir, there's a lack of trust on both sides."
Daeron shook his head and gestured for Elbert to be carried out and settled properly.
Once he woke up, he would be sent back to the The Eyrie.
He didn't want Lord Jon Arryn to suffer the grief of losing an heir at his age.
Aerys hadn't been idle either.
Watching the Stark father and son die with his own eyes, an unimaginable sense of satisfaction filled his heart; he had become arrogant!
He immediately ordered Maester Aemon to write a letter, demanding that Lord Arryn send the heads of Robert and Eddard Stark to King's Landing, in exchange for which he would overlook the fact that Arryn had taken them in as wards.
This time it wasn't a sudden fit of madness, but an accusation based on evidence.
Since Lord Rickard intended to rebel, his in-laws were accomplices.
Robert was betrothed to Lyanna, and Eddard was his Second Son; both deserved to die.
As for Lord Hoster of Riverrun, he was forgotten.
A small Tully family, who even married their daughter into House Stark.
They weren't worth a major mobilization.
Maester Aemon and Daeron had already come to a conclusion; they wrote the letter according to the King's demands but cleverly omitted Robert Baratheon's name.
The content of the letter was changed to demand that Lord Arryn send his ward Eddard Stark to King's Landing.
This was a manipulation of human nature, forcing Lord Arryn to start a rebellion for his ward Eddard, thereby dragging Robert—who was entirely a victim—into the war.
Robert's stance was unclear, but with the grudge of his betrothed being taken, he was likely to be a hawk.
The three would raise the banner of rebellion with shared hatred.
Thus, in the eyes of the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, especially those of Stormlands, Robert would not be rebelling due to a life-and-death threat, but for a woman.
Seeking revenge against Crown Prince Rhaegar through war.
The difference between the two was immense.
"Take them away as well."
Taking advantage of his father Aerys's madness, Daeron alone decided the fate of the noble youths who had accompanied Brandon.
There were three in total.
Ethan Glover, a Northman.
Kyle Royce, from Runestone in the Vale.
Jeffory Mallister, from Seaguard in the Riverlands.
Ethan Glover, originally the only surviving messenger, would remain imprisoned until the war ended.
Kyle and Jeffory Mallister were taken to be cleaned up, and letters were sent to "Bronze Yohn" and Lord Mallister, informing them that their kinsmen would soon be released.
House Mallister of Seaguard and House Royce of Runestone were of noble birth and held high status.
One was a powerful lord of the Riverlands, the other the second-in-command of the Vale.
Daeron had a dragon and was the legitimate heir.
He needed to learn how to express his stance.
Eliminate only the chief culprits, the Starks, without harming the innocent.
Whether it was "Bronze Yohn," Lord Mallister, or the other lords of the Seven Kingdoms, he wanted them to see that there was still a sane person in the House Targaryen, someone worthy of their trust and loyalty.
Half a month later.
Elbert and Kyle Royce supported each other, making the arduous journey back to the The Eyrie.
The moment they saw Lord Arryn, they handed him the King's letter.
"Child, you're alright!"
Lord Arryn was first surprised, then realized his words were inappropriate and quickly corrected himself: "It's good that you're back safely. I was just trying to find news of you. Your return is the greatest blessing."
Hearing the first half of the sentence, Elbert's heart went cold.
He ignored the second half as nonsense and hung his head: "Uncle, I am exhausted and need to rest for a while."
Kyle, having personally witnessed the tragedy in the Throne Room, added, "Yes, my lord. I must return to Runestone, so I won't disturb you further."
Lord Arryn merely thought they were unwell and sent someone to lead them to wash and change.
After reading the letter, his kind old face instantly tightened, revealing gravity and ferocity.
The Starks were dead.
In a Trial by Combat, they died by the sword of the Dragon Prince Daeron Targaryen.
The King also demanded that he send his ward Eddard to King's Landing.
If he really sent Eddard to King's Landing, would the House Targaryen spare House Arryn?
Lord Jon Arryn closed his eyes, and after a long silence, he said, "Someone, call Robert and Eddard here!"
Lord Rickard was dead, and the matter of the The Alliance of the Four Regions was exposed.
The Mad King would not let them go.
While the House Targaryen was in decline and Dragon Prince Daeron's dragon had not yet grown into a giant, they had to raise the banner of righteousness and start a rebellion immediately.
Only if the Targaryen rule was overthrown could the four Great Houses be truly safe.
Longtable.
Daeron arrived on his dragon and received a warm welcome from Count Owen.
"Prince, look, this is the cow from my house that produces special milk."
Count Owen was also very happy to be home after a long absence.
He pointed to the conservatory in Longtable, where a large and a small black-and-white cow were leisurely wandering, occasionally bowing their heads to munch on rice seedlings and fruits.
Daeron watched for a while and found that the two cows were similar to the cows on the farm.
If there was a difference, it was that the diet couldn't keep up.
The cows on the farm ate Blue Grass every day and hay on rainy days. Coupled with Daeron's diligent petting to increase their mood, they had long been able to produce large bottles of gold-star quality fresh milk.
The two cows at Count Owen's were not eating well; not only was the calf growing slowly, but the mother cow's milk quality was also mediocre.
—
"Hehe, House Merryweather is lucky; the big cow gave birth to a small one."
Count Owen was satisfied and fed the cow a handful of hay.
This kind of reusable special animal was unique in the The Reach; who knows how many noble lords were drooling with envy.
"Take good care of them. When you have time, send someone specifically to pet them. Special animals have high intelligence and need to maintain a good mood."
Daeron gave some advice.
"Don't worry, tomorrow I'll select the maid with the best temperament to specifically pet the cows."
Count Owen immediately promised.
Before long.
A raven flew to Longtable, bringing news from King's Landing.
Lord Jon Arryn had raised his banner in rebellion.
Robert Baratheon led a charge, captured Gulltown, slew several knights, and was now sailing south to Stormlands.
"The War of the Usurper has finally arrived."
3
Daeron did not panic; he only felt an impatience to reorganize the Seven Kingdoms.
Some time had passed since the killing of the Starks.
To prepare for the war, he had two things to do.
First, inform Lord Grafton of Gulltown in advance not to resist Lord Jon Arryn's rebel army with force; surrender when necessary and let Robert return to Stormlands.
Second, go south to the The Reach to win over the The Reach lords led by the Tyrells of Highgarden.
Here is a brief account of the "Aegon's Conquest" and Aegon the Conqueror's plan for the Seven Kingdoms.
During the Conquest, only three of the seven kings of Westeros died, along with the extinction of their houses.
Harren the Black, the Gardener King, and the last Storm King, Argilac.
The fall of House Gardener was particularly strange.
The Gardener King and the Lannister King gathered an army of a hundred thousand to face the Conqueror's army in the Mander basin.
Aegon the Conqueror, riding Balerion and accompanied by his two sisters, fought the "Field of Fire," which became famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
But the Lannister King was unharmed; after the defeat, he knelt and surrendered, retaining the title of Warden of the West.
In contrast, the Gardener King and his many children and cousins all died, causing the once-flourishing House Gardener to be wiped out in a single battle.
Why?
Daeron had read history and knew this was Aegon the Conqueror's intention.
He specifically targeted the banners of House Gardener with fire.
From this starting point, looking at Orys Baratheon capturing Storms End, marrying the only daughter of the last Storm King Argilac, and replacing House Durrandon to become the youngest Great House in the Seven Kingdoms.
A conclusion can be drawn from this.
The condition for the House Targaryen to rule from King's Landing was to be wary of the Vale, the Westerlands, Dorne, and the North in the four directions, while winning over the interlaced Riverlands, the The Reach, and Stormlands.
After destroying House Hoare of "Harren the Black," Harrenhal was not granted to the newly promoted Tully family, but to Aegon the Conqueror's trusted allies.
Another conclusion can be drawn.
Harrenhal could only be held by royal loyalists, as it sat on the invasion routes to King's Landing from the Westerlands, the North, and the Vale.
It was precisely because of Harrenhal's existence that if enemies from the south attacked King's Landing, one could rely on Harrenhal for logistics and supplies when advancing, or retreat to its defenses.
This was Aegon the Conqueror's original strategic plan.
Times had changed; Dorne, which originally needed to be guarded against, had become a royal in-law, and the Westerlands, under his teacher Tywin, leaned towards the crown.
Instead, it was Tully family of the Riverlands and House Baratheon of Stormlands who became the main force against the crown.
It must be said, it was very interesting.
Facts proved that Aegon the Conqueror's hasty conquest and his set of plans were no longer applicable to the current situation.
Daeron re-planned a set of policies.
First, targeting the The Reach, the Riverlands, and Stormlands to ensure the security of the Crownlands.
The The Reach supported the crown and could not be touched.
The Riverlands and Stormlands were the main rebels and had already been included in Daeron's plan to expand the Crownlands.
That's right, he wanted to swallow up most of the Riverlands and Stormlands to expand the scope of the Crownlands.
Westeros was a typical feudal system.
The essence of feudalism was the granting of land to establish states.
That is, the "vassal of my vassal is not my vassal" and "lord of my lord is not my lord" system.
Daeron wanted to push Westeros one step further toward centralization.
Many people confuse the concepts of feudalism and centralization, thinking they are just ancient feudal dynasties.
In fact, they are not; the internal differences are huge.
Centralization brings local power back to the center, allowing the monarch's orders to The Reach the local level directly, breaking the defect of "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal," and unifying government orders.
This method greatly promotes social productivity and consolidates social resources.
Daeron's ambition was not small, and he saw the situation clearly.
He did not seek to conquer the Seven Kingdoms in one go and push the entire continent of Westeros toward a centralized social system.
As long as he could control the Riverlands and Stormlands with the Crownlands as the center, and radiate influence to the The Reach.
Then the power of the Iron Throne would skyrocket like never before.
Let alone the noble lords fighting their own battles on the continent, he wouldn't even fear the nine Free Cities of the Essos.
Note: "The Free Cities follow a system of slavery, which is a more backward social system than the feudal system of Westeros."
The Free Cities were strong, indeed.
But their strength lay in the fact that there were nine of them, where the powerful possessed trade economies and saved countless man-hours and financial resources through slavery, heartlessly exploiting the common people at the bottom.
This was the essence of their strength.
If slavery were abolished, they wouldn't even be able to maintain the most basic balance between productivity and the distribution of production gains.
For example:
A person produces five loaves of bread a day and needs to eat three.
The emergence of slavery allows a slave to produce five loaves of bread a day but only eat half a loaf, maintaining a state of not starving to death.
The slave owner, who controls the means of production, can then squeeze out an extra two and a half loaves on top of the two loaves normally harvested each day.
Anyone who does this will become rich.
Daeron couldn't change the Essos, but he could change Westeros.
To ensure the smooth progress of the War of the Usurper, he would lure out all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms who supported the four Great Houses to ensure a subsequent bloody purge.
He also instructed Lord Grafton of Gulltown not to resist stubbornly and to allow the rebel army to enter Gulltown.
Otherwise, if he sat on Caraxes and blocked Gulltown, a single breath of Dragonfire could burn Robert to death.
But that would be meaningless.
The prerequisite for a purge is to distinguish who is a loyal subject and who is a rebel.
If Robert died too early, the rebel army would collapse on its own.
How then would he expand the Crownlands and strengthen his house?
Therefore, Robert, like Rhaegar, was but a pawn.
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