"I suddenly understand why Aegon refused to join us in Volantis during the Century of Blood! He would rather rule a remote place like Westeros than share his glory with others, let alone let his descendants participate in this boring game of elections. And yet I am forced to put on a fake show in Volantis every year, just to please and bribe the voters," Malaho said agitatedly.
In Volantis, there was once a Triarch named Horonno, who was re-elected forty times. Tiring of elections, he declared himself Triarch for Life, but the populace immediately lost their love for the war hero, overthrew his rule, and eventually had him torn to pieces by elephants. In Volantis, no one dared challenge the rules of election.
"We may wield power differently, but power always brings bloodshed and brutality, Lord Malaho." Rhaegar was right; how many times had House Targaryen fought amongst themselves for that Iron Chair?
Rhaegar and Malaho's conversation was very pleasant. Malaho was older than Rhaegar, but both were seen as rising stars in politics, full of ambition and passion for power. The young "Tiger" and the "Dragon" hit it off immediately.
Afterward, Rhaegar had Serrin of the Burned Men escort Malaho out of the camp.
"Your Highness, this guard you've chosen is truly unusual," Malaho remarked. The one-eyed, one-armed guard before him, draped in shadowcat fur, looked like a thin, broken sword—truly grotesque.
"Serrin of the Burned Men is loyal to the Prince. Do you want to duel me?" Serrin glared, ready to draw his sword, killing intent surging.
Serrin was useless at pleasing voters or making speeches. But when it came to brutal killing, Malaho couldn't compare to Serrin. The nature of the mountain clans was unruly and bloodthirsty; if you provoked them, they would even ambush and kill the Lord of the Vale.
Malaho was surprised. This one-armed swordsman looked ordinary, but once he moved, he exuded a savage aura tempered by war. Malaho had only seen such murderous ruthlessness in elite veterans. It seemed Prince Rhaegar indeed had many talents under his command.
Rhaegar soothed Serrin, reminding him not to scare the distinguished guest. Serrin then escorted Malaho away.
Rhaegar watched Malaho's retreating figure. This man, like his disguise, was hard to see through. Malaho was young and bold, daring to guard the foundation of the Tiger Party. He had extensive connections in the military and among the old nobility, a truly talented man.
Rhaegar considered allying with distant states to attack neighboring ones. Volantis and Westeros were far apart and rarely interacted, but the power of the Tiger Party was still formidable. With Volantis itself and several major vassal towns with populations rivaling Westeros cities, they could still organize a powerful standing army and navy, maintaining their world-class status.
More importantly, compared to other Free Cities, only Volantis held a relatively ambiguous emotional attitude toward House Targaryen.
There was little bad blood between the Volantenes and House Targaryen; in fact, they held a strong mutual respect, longing for the prosperous era of Valyria. The lineage of all their Triarchs had to be traceable to Old Valyria. Even when Aegon the Conqueror rejected Volantis's goodwill and fought them on dragonback, the Volantenes rarely held a grudge. At the time, almost the whole world was fighting Volantis's hegemony, and they were burdened with heavy debts, having no time to worry about anything else.
In contrast, the Kingdom of the Daughters (Triarchy) hated dragons and Dragonlords to the bone. It was said that during the Doom, some Dragonlords were in Tyrosh and Lys, but the survivors and their dragons were quickly slaughtered by the people of the Free Cities in a coup. By the time of the Targaryen dynasty, the Kingdom of the Daughters had accumulated a huge blood debt against House Targaryen.
In terms of allies and enemies, Rhaegar naturally favored Malaho. Rhaegar needed Malaho's intelligence, and Malaho needed his support. "There is only a personal friendship between us; I have not yet established a friendship with all of Volantis."
The Tiger Party's situation was far less optimistic than Malaho described. The Elephant Party had been suppressing the Tigers, and Malaho himself was just a minority. Getting the three Triarchs of Volantis to agree on anything was harder than climbing to the sky. Moreover, Volantis faced the risk of having too many slaves and the threat of Dothraki Khal invasions.
"Except for Braavos, everyone else seems to be competing to see who is worst off," Rhaegar thought.
After sending Malaho away, a new guest arrived: Lysandro Rogare, "Quickfingers" of Lys.
Rhaegar looked at Lysandro, who seemed a bit more mature, his face weathered. His curly golden hair and blue eyes reminded Rhaegar of the ancient House Rogare. The fight with the "Gantos" gang must have cost him a lot of effort.
"How is your business going?" Rhaegar asked Lysandro. Although he called it business, it was actually an underground gang Lysandro had formed in Lys, living off theft and intelligence trading.
"Thanks to the Prince's guidance, I have taken over the entire Quickfinger Gang. I personally led my men to kill several of Gantos's henchmen," Lysandro replied respectfully. He had eliminated Gantos and was now the boss of the Quickfinger Gang.
Lysandro didn't tell Rhaegar the hardships involved, but turf wars between underground gangs were always brutal and difficult.
"You need to look at a broader field, look further ahead. Once you have start-up capital, you should consider entering higher-level industries. For example, investing in sea ships, brothels, and dock warehouses, or investing in banking. What Lysenes love most are bankers and navigators. Think of your ancestor, Lysandro the Magnificent, who owned the Rogare Bank, dock warehouses, and Perfume Gardens—that is the source of true profit," Rhaegar told Lysandro. There was no shame in humble beginnings.
Rhaegar appreciated this young man. He was skilled, loyal, and reliable, and relatively kind to his subordinates, relying on selling intelligence rather than selling people to the Pleasure Gardens.
"What happened to your hands?" Rhaegar saw Lysandro's hands, which had several deep cuts. Although the blood had dried, the wounds hadn't healed, clearly inflicted by someone else.
"It was the Meereenese. We recently encountered a brutal opponent in Lys. Their leader is a gladiator from Meereen, extremely fierce in battle. I am faster than him, but I can't match his strength," Lysandro said, eyes full of hatred. Meereenese gladiators were famous, and Lysenes didn't reject slaves, so some Meereenese came here to make a living.
Azure flames rose in the tent, flying from Rhaegar's hands, and sparks landed on Lysandro's palms.
Lysandro hesitated for a moment but did not refuse. The sparks didn't have the scorching heat of fire but brought a gentle warmth like water.
"Your wounds will heal quickly. If you run into trouble and need weapons or money, tell Sessa immediately," Rhaegar said.
Competition in Lys was fierce; they liked to use poison and conspiracy, but occasionally resorted to violence.
"Understood, Your Highness. But I'm sorry, I still have no news about that sword," Lysandro said helplessly.
Blackfyre, the lost sword.
In the heart of House Targaryen, the importance of this sword was unparalleled. Even in the eyes of the subjects, this sword symbolized royal power.
Rhaegar wanted to find this sword and possess it. As a relic of the ancient Valyrian Dragonlords, this sword was worthy of him.
However, the last known holder was Bittersteel (acting for the Blackfyre heir), and it last appeared during the First Blackfyre Rebellion (and kept by Bittersteel). It had disappeared since.
Most likely it was lost, and there were no reports of anyone in the Golden Company possessing it.
"The Prince, the Blackfyre family, and the sword Blackfyre all seem to have sunk into the sea. I contacted people in Myr and Tyrosh, but heard nothing," Lysandro said.
Lysandro paused and added, "But I have a guess: the last holder was Bittersteel (Aegor Rivers). During the Second Blackfyre Rebellion, Bittersteel did not support the Fiddler, Daemon II—he was too weak and too close to men. Bittersteel would never have allowed the Fiddler to use the sword. However, in the Third and Fourth Rebellions supported by Bittersteel, the sword was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps one of the Fiddler's associates stole the sword beforehand. Daemon Blackfyre had many children; maybe someone still cared about their weak brother, or maybe someone wanted to set themselves up as King."
The sword Blackfyre. To get this sword, Rhaegar might need to go to Essos personally.
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