Renigar should have seen it all clearly by now.
The Elephant Party wanted to use this catastrophic defeat to force a humiliating peace treaty on the Targaryens. Abandon Lys. Surrender every hard-won gain in the Disputed Lands. That would strip the so-called invincible Triarch of every shred of prestige and popular support.
Once the war ended and the treasury ran dry, he would have no choice but to disband the army. Before long he would face re-election. At that point the Targaryens might be lucky to keep their status as ordinary Old Blood nobles—more likely they would be quietly eliminated.
The Old Blood had always been ruthless toward usurpers, especially foreign ones.
Menyx had known exactly what he was stepping into when he accepted Viserys's invitation to become co-ruler. Under the old rules of Volantis, a man like him could never have dreamed of sitting on the Black Stone Throne. He also understood that every noble who had lost family or power now hated him with a passion.
The moment Viserys showed the slightest weakness, they would settle old scores without hesitation.
When Renigar finally spoke, his tone told Daenerys he had already read the entire situation.
Worse, he was still standing with the red dragon, even though the ship was already taking on water through a fatal breach.
"Remember every face in this hall, Princess. Given the chance, they will kill you, me, your brother—every last one of us without a second thought."
Renigar kept his voice low, his eyes sweeping the chamber of enemies. "They know the city guard answers to your brother. Open violence is impossible right now."
"So they're trying to force negotiations instead. They want to remove us through legal means."
"Exactly. But that's pure fantasy." Daenerys felt her chest tighten, yet she forced a steady, defiant smile. "I will never betray my husband. I will never betray the Volantene soldiers who died for us."
To everyone else it looked like nothing more than a young girl whispering strategy with a co-conspirator.
Daenerys couldn't even explain why the Elephant Party and their allies suddenly fell silent.
The moment she returned to her seat, Jaehaerys Qatigar struck again.
"Lady Daenerys, we implore you to write to your brother and convey the Council's strong recommendation. Begin immediate peace talks with the Three Daughters on the terms Lord Menys Tarlyar has proposed. The Council believes these conditions are reasonable and should be accepted."
"Don't speak for everyone," Hilra snapped coldly. Several voices echoed her.
"Until every member of this Council objects, you have no right to speak for the entire Council, Jaehaerys," the Keeper of the Foundation said sharply. According to Eleonora, these two old men had been bitter enemies for years. "And right now, the objectors are far from few."
"Those words are far too mild!"
"Cowards and traitors!"
"Bastards!"
At that moment Daenerys rose slowly from her seat.
Every voice in the hall died at once.
Elephant lords, fence-sitters, and open supporters of the Targaryens alike understood that the future now hung on her next words.
Qatigar had dared call his proposal a "strong recommendation." He clearly believed he had already won.
He was counting on the Elephant Party's unity to pressure this inexperienced girl and the reluctant Renigar into folding. Pass the Council's resolution and strike at the very root of Targaryen power.
They wanted to break her with fear.
She would answer with unbreakable resolve—not the stubborn tantrum of a spoiled girl, but the cold, considered iron command of a ruler who had already made up her mind.
"I will write to my husband," Daenerys said, speaking slowly and deliberately, repeating every lesson her brother and Eleonora had drilled into her.
Her gaze swept the hall of nobles holding their breath. "In that letter I will order him to return at once and take command of the new Volantene army we are about to raise. The city's protector will avenge the fallen and win a victory worthy of the First Daughter's name.
A total victory over the Three Daughters. Only then can we honor the dead. Only then can we satisfy the living.
I will never sign a shameful peace treaty behind my husband's back. I will never negotiate with those monsters until final victory is ours!"
The words provoked two very different reactions.
Hilra, the hot-blooded young nobles, the fanatical Tiger Party, and the Dragon faction erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
The wavering neutrals glanced at one another, frantically calculating who would win today and which side they should back.
The Elephant lords barely contained their fury and hatred. Only when Qatigar raised a hand did they manage to keep the uproar in check.
"Lady Daenerys, I'm afraid that path is closed to us," Jaehaerys said, clearly unprepared for her answer. "Total victory is no longer possible. Volantis has never won a decisive war against the Three Daughters. Past victories were only small ones. Sometimes the wisest course is to accept a smaller gain rather than lose everything."
"But the men who ruled Volantis before were never my husband," Daenerys reminded them all, "and Volantis has never before possessed dragons." She let the word hang in the air. "My ancestor Aegon Targaryen conquered six kingdoms with only three dragons. Are three dragons truly not enough to bring two city-states to their knees?"
"His dragons were massive and terrifying," Qatigar countered coldly. "How many years will it take before yours grow that large?"
"I think," a young noble with a red dragon embroidered on his chest cut in, "we won't even live to see them grow. We need Viserys. We need a new army—"
"You going to pay for it? I didn't know your house was that rich!"
At that moment Renigar finally spoke.
For the first time that day his voice carried the weight of real authority.
"I fully support Lady Daenerys's decision," he said clearly, fully aware of the consequences. "As for the cost of the army, Jaehaerys, we will all share it. Every last one of us. Nothing worth winning comes without sacrifice."
Angry shouts immediately filled the Hall of Power.
But Daenerys cut them off before they could grow.
She raised her voice and, following ancient Valyrian custom, lifted her right hand high.
"There is more," she said, her eyes locking on Qatigar. The old man's face flushed deep red. "I am prepared to swear an oath before this entire Council, witnessed by the Keeper of the Foundation… in the name of blood and fire."
"What… what kind of oath is this?"
Excitement, surprise, and age had not dulled the Keeper's sense of duty.
Daenerys did not answer immediately. She paused, choosing every word with care.
Once spoken, there would be no taking it back.
These words had to be sharp, severe, and thunderous—otherwise they would never cow the Old Blood.
She snapped her fingers. The scribes recording the minutes stopped at once. Only the Keeper of the Foundation had the authority to enter so grave an oath into Volantis's official history.
The thin, inconspicuous clerks bowed to the Triarch's wife and slipped quietly from the hall.
"I know many of you here bear no love for my husband or my family," Daenerys began, her voice steady and cold. The Council sat in perfect silence. "Viserys broke many of the First Daughter's old traditions and stripped power from many hands. Some of you even lost kin and friends."
Her tone remained calm, almost gentle.
"If every one of you truly supported him, that would be strange. Your feelings are understandable. But the words you spoke today, the proposal you made today… I can only see it as a knife aimed at my husband's back."
The girl rose and began to pace slowly along the long table where the stunned Old Blood nobles sat.
"Do not misunderstand me, my lords and ladies. We are gathered here for Volantis—for this city of Valyrian exiles and heirs. We all share the same worries."
"I give you my word: any sincere suggestion offered in the name of restoring the First Daughter's former glory will receive my full respect and attention."
"But everything I have heard today… is nothing but unacceptable cowardice, weakness, and outright betrayal."
"I understand that some of you truly believe making peace with the Three Daughters is the best option right now."
"But others… they do not care about the cost. They only want to drag Viserys down from the Black Stone Throne."
Daenerys circled the table and came to a stop directly in front of Qatigar.
The old man stared at her with suddenly cold, expressionless eyes, his face a perfect mask hiding the storm inside.
Many nobles copied his posture. Some hid their feelings well. Others failed completely.
Tarlyar looked ready to explode, his face bright red like an overripe tomato.
Aside from the fence-sitters who had already withdrawn, nearly half the Council still showed open hostility in one form or another.
That resistance and hatred only gave the girl strength. She continued her declaration with new authority.
"Noble lords and ladies who bring glory to Volantis, I swear by blood and fire!
I will never allow anyone to harm my husband or the three Triarchs of the Black Stone Throne from the shadows.
Viserys has shed both his own blood and the blood of our enemies for this city, for this realm, for a reborn Valyria.
Every one of us must stand united beneath his banner.
If anyone dares turn these treasonous words into action…"
Daenerys deliberately paused, her gaze like a blade sweeping across every face.
"…then the matter becomes simple. I will order your heads struck off, set with jewels, and sent to my husband.
The heads of every traitor's kin will hang from the Black Wall as a warning to all."
"I swear this oath and will never take it back."
The Keeper of the Foundation wrote quickly, then spoke in a grave voice. "The oath has been heard and recorded."
Daenerys looked around the table once more.
Those loyal to the Targaryens—those who understood the threat was not aimed at them—watched her with genuine relief and excitement.
They were glad the Triarch's wife had not fallen into the trap. She had not yielded.
Her threat had been heard and understood.
Many of them could see the absurdity of the situation: the sister of a beggar sellsword who had seized power by force was now calling for unity inside the First Daughter's own hall.
But there was nothing they could do.
The army answered to Viserys. Red Dragon supporters filled the city inside and outside the Black Wall. Open rebellion was impossible.
The only weapons left were poison and daggers.
The palace guard would have plenty of work ahead.
But once Viserys returned, everything would be set right.
Her task was to buy him enough time.
"So then," Daenerys said after a short silence, her voice solemn and final, "since no one has raised any further objection… I thank you all for your support. I hereby declare this meeting of the Council adjourned."
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