c11: Sailing
"Never mind."
The silver-haired boy scratched his head slightly, deciding to stop thinking about it.
He had not forgotten that even escaping to Duskendale was not truly escaping danger. Only by leaving Westeros and crossing the Narrow Sea could he possibly breathe a sigh of relief.
Now he had not slept for a full day and night. Even though his spiritual strength, strengthened by the strange fusion of two souls, made him far more resilient than ordinary children, he was still reaching his limit.
He desperately needed rest. After Sir William awoke, he would seek him out together with his mother to discuss their route from Duskendale to Dragonstone.
He did not know every detail about this turbulent period of history, but he still remembered that for the next several years the crowned stag banner of Robert Baratheon would fly across Westeros.
This outcome was almost inevitable.
The rule of House Targaryen, which had lasted for nearly three centuries since Aegon I Targaryen conquered the Seven Kingdoms, was already collapsing.
Its downfall would come during the great rebellion later remembered as Robert's Rebellion, when the armies of the crown were shattered at the Battle of the Trident and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen fell beneath Robert's warhammer.
And he himself was only a seven-year-old child. There was nothing he could do, much less change the course of such a vast storm.
For Viserys Targaryen, both now and for many years to come, there was only one task.
To survive.
…
A day and a night passed.
Morning arrived quietly.
Sir William Darry, gravely wounded with a deep sword cut along his ribs received while escorting the royal family from King's Landing, finally awoke from unconsciousness.
The middle-aged knight looked pale and exhausted, but thanks to the careful treatment of the castle maester and a night of uninterrupted rest, his condition had improved somewhat. With help, he could already stand and slowly walk a few steps.
Outside,
a raven
fluttered down from the pale morning sky, settling on a wooden perch. It tilted its head slightly, its dark eyes shining with alert intelligence.
A letter was tied carefully to its leg.
The maester responsible for tending the ravens hurried forward. After soothing the bird and feeding it a small scrap of meat as reward, he removed the letter tied to its leg.
Footsteps
soon faded down the corridor.
Meanwhile, in the banquet hall of Brown Castle, Earl Riverley Lake sat cautiously to one side beside Queen Rhaella Targaryen.
He himself had seized the opportunity to take control of Duskendale and Brown Keep years earlier after the ruling House Darklyn had been completely destroyed during the Defiance of Duskendale, when Lord Denys Darklyn captured Aerys II Targaryen and was later executed after the king was rescued by Barristan Selmy.
Riverley's rise had been a mixture of fortune, timing, and ambition.
Now, in the midst of the rebellion shaking the Seven Kingdoms, Earl Lake had carefully weighed his options and chosen to support the royal family.
He believed that House Targaryen might still suppress the uprising, and if that happened, it would be another chance for his house to climb higher among the nobility of Westeros.
"Your Majesty,"
Earl Lake, slightly overweight and with a round belly pressing against his belt, shifted in a chair that creaked loudly beneath his weight.
He then handed a letter sent from King's Landing to the silver-haired queen.
Duskendale was not far from the capital, but ever since the defeat of the royal host at the Battle of the Trident, its position had become increasingly dangerous.
However, the rebel armies were currently too busy destroying the remaining lords still loyal to the Iron Throne. Their main forces were marching directly toward King's Landing.
Meanwhile,
Storm's End, the ancient seat of House Baratheon, was under siege by the army of Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden.
The fortress had already endured the siege for nearly a year.
Robert's younger brothers, Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon, were trapped inside the castle, their fate uncertain as famine tightened its grip.
If not for the urgent plan to seize King's Landing, Robert Baratheon might have already marched south himself to break the siege and relieve his brothers.
Although Riverley had risked remaining loyal to the crown even as the situation worsened day by day, that did not mean he intended to cling blindly to that loyalty forever.
He constantly sent agents and riders to gather intelligence from the capital, adjusting his plans according to the shifting winds of war. The message he now delivered to the queen contained the latest information from the capital.
At least on the surface, matters had not yet reached their darkest moment.
The powerful Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, together with the vast armies of the Westerlands, had apparently arrived outside King's Landing.
However, for some reason, His Majesty Aerys II Targaryen did not immediately open the gates of King's Landing to allow the army of the House Lannister to enter, but instead kept the massive city gates firmly shut and ordered the Gold Cloaks to hold the walls.
"Isn't His Majesty being a little too cautious?"
Earl Lake, sitting beside Queen Leila, cautiously probed.
"Should you write a letter to persuade His Majesty…"
Queen Leila remained expressionless, her fingernails gripping the intelligence report until the parchment began to crease slightly, as she listened to Earl Lake's words.
Finally, she took a deep breath and shook her head.
"No need."
"I trust the King's judgment."
She had originally intended to use the ravens of Brown Keep to write a letter warning her husband to be wary of Tywin Lannister and the sudden arrival of the Westerlands army.
However, now that she had received news that the Western host had already reached the gates of King's Landing, she knew it was already too late.
Because of the long journey across the Crownlands, the information had clearly been delayed for many days. Knowing her husband as a wife stubborn, increasingly unstable, deeply suspicious of betrayal, prone to sudden rage, yet sometimes strangely trusting of old allies
she believed the Lannisters might have already convinced the city to open its gates and entered the capital under the guise of loyalty.
Once inside the walls of King's Landing, the consequences could become impossible to control.
The House Targaryen dynasty was already collapsing, but even if the capital fell, it would not yet be the absolute end. Queen Leila understood that she had to remain strong, for the sake of her surviving children and the fragile future of their bloodline.
Even before leaving King's Landing, she had been told by the royal maester that she was once again with child.
It was still unknown whether the child growing within her womb would be a boy or a girl.
The discovery had filled Queen Leila with quiet joy, for she had endured many pregnancies during her marriage to Aerys II Targaryen, yet only Rhaegar Targaryen and Viserys Targaryen had survived infancy; several others had died shortly after birth or had been stillborn.
She hoped with all her heart that this child would live.
"It's been quite a while since we've been guests at Brown Castle,"
the silver-haired woman said after a brief silence. She gently placed the intelligence report upon the wooden table, sat upright in the main seat, and lifted her eyes toward Earl Lake, forcing her voice to remain calm and dignified.
"Lord River Lake."
"I believe the ships sailing for Dragonstone should already be prepared."
Hearing Queen Leila's words, Earl Lake quickly stood from his chair.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the ships are ready. You may depart whenever you wish."
Although he had secretly hoped to keep Queen Leila and Prince Viserys Targaryen in Brown Castle longer so that he might gain greater advantage if the Targaryens somehow regained power, the rebel armies were advancing rapidly across the realm.
Earl Lake did not dare to detain the queen too long.
If the forces of Robert Baratheon reached Duskendale, the soldiers stationed at Brown Castle would never be able to resist them.
…
Another half day passed.
Viserys finally stepped onto the sea he had long dreamed of reaching.
Splash!
The waves gently struck against the wooden hull of the ship as it moved across the waters of the Narrow Sea, the endless sky and ocean blending together in the distance until they met at the far horizon.
Viserys sat quietly at the bow of the ship, the sea wind stirring his pale silver-gold hair while his jewel-like purple eyes blinked slowly.
It was not as though he had never seen the sea before, yet every time he looked upon it he felt the same sense of wonder.
He loved the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of the open sea, which allowed him, if only briefly, to forget the chaos and danger spreading across Westeros.
Today the sea resembled a vast mirror. Apart from the two-masted merchant vessel cutting through the calm surface and leaving ripples behind it, the waters remained quiet and undisturbed.
Under the warm golden sunlight, the light scattered across the distant horizon like fragments of molten gold.
Behind Viserys, many sailors and passengers moved about the deck wearing different clothing and speaking in unfamiliar accents.
This vessel belonged to a merchant guild from the Free Cities, and according to its captain, its owner was a wealthy trader from Braavos.
The ship had originally sailed west to trade along the coasts of the Crownlands, stopping near Duskendale to replenish supplies before beginning the long voyage back across the Narrow Sea.
Its final destination would be Pentos on the continent of Essos.
During the journey east, the merchant ship would naturally pass the volcanic island fortress of Dragonstone.
Therefore, when Duke Lake contacted the captain earlier, the merchant readily agreed to carry Queen Leila and Prince Viserys Targaryen to Dragonstone.
He only requested a modest payment in gold dragons, the golden coin of the Seven Kingdoms, in exchange for ensuring their safe passage.
…
—