Daemon, who always prided himself on being unrestrained and free-spirited, repeatedly suffered setbacks in front of Princess Daniella, which he had already grown somewhat accustomed to. Moreover, he had been taking things from Holy Flame Island, and his IOUs had piled up.
This always made him feel less confident in front of Princess Daniella. So, Prince Daemon, who was a dangerous fire-breathing dragon in front of others, was very "obedient" when facing Princess Daniella.
This is precisely what is meant by:
He who accepts favors is beholden!
Of course, from Princess Daniella's perspective, it was:
Even the wildest horse fears training!
As long as the method is right,
The wilder the horse, the more obedient it becomes after training!
"What's given to me is mine, and no one can take it away!"
Daemon, holding dark sister, couldn't help but show off a few moves directly below the high platform, drawing cheers from the onlookers.
"Great-grandfather, aren't you giving that Valyrian Steel armor to uncle as well?!"
Seeing that King Jaehaerys had only bestowed dark sister, Daenerys curiously asked him in his ear.
"blackflame has a special symbolic meaning in House Targaryen; only the head of the family and the heir can possess it. blackflame and black sister just make a pair, which is a perfect match."
"I would have liked to bestow dark sister upon you, but unfortunately, you already have Dawn."
Daenerys naturally knew the symbolic meaning of dark sister in House Targaryen.
If blackflame symbolized the authority of the head of House Targaryen, then dark sister represented the military command of House Targaryen. It was always bestowed upon the bravest family guardian.
"Then bestow dark sister upon Rhaenyra! After all, she is father's eldest daughter and has successfully ridden Syrax."
King Jaehaerys didn't expect Daenerys to say that, so he reconfirmed,
"Do you really think so?"
Daenerys, holding King Jaehaerys's arm, said jokingly yet half-seriously,
"Great-grandfather, since I can forge new Valyrian Steel swords, why can't I open up my own kingdom?"
"It seems I'm better at that!"
King Jaehaerys looked at Daenerys deeply for a while before saying earnestly,
"Relying on the royal family, your skills have indeed been put to good use. However, the path of expansion is not so easy. Are you truly mentally prepared?"
"Yes! The path trodden by predecessors is indeed easier, but forging one's own path, though risky, offers a more rare joy of harvest, isn't it?!"
King Jaehaerys, knowing that Daenerys had already made up her mind, said no more.
"I heard that the Children of the Forest under your command, named Herbalist, has developed many good medicines. Are there any suitable for an old man like me? If it's truly effective, I can live a few more years, and continue to be your support!"
"Great-grandfather..."
King Jaehaerys's words naturally moved Daenerys greatly. And it was indeed true; as long as he, the stabilizing force, was there, House Targaryen seemed to be able to smoothly resolve any major storms they faced.
"All those sea dragon livers and gallbladders I brought back earlier were taken by her to concoct potions. I believe there should be results soon."
"At that time, it will certainly be of great help to your body. And you are still young, even without these potions, you still have many years to live!"
King Jaehaerys greatly enjoyed Daenerys's manner of cuddling up to his arm and acting spoiled. Although he had many daughters, none had ever been so affectionate with him.
Therefore, for King Jaehaerys, Daenerys indeed held an irreplaceable place in his heart.
After chatting with Daenerys for a while, King Jaehaerys ordered dark sister to be brought and also called Rhaenyra over,
"Rhaenyra, I now bestow dark sister upon you. I hope you can become a female general no less capable than any man, like Queen Visenya."
"Your Majesty... I... can I do it?!"
Influenced by Daenerys, Rhaenyra, unlike in the original history, began practicing swordsmanship and archery from a young age, and her skills were quite good. However, there was still a significant difference compared to the legendary Queen Visenya.
After all, Queen Visenya's martial prowess was even stronger than that of her brother Aegon. Like her siblings, Queen Visenya had the distinctive silver-gold hair and purple eyes of Valyria.
She loved to display dragon and fire motifs on her luxurious clothes. It is said that she was more sensual than her sister Rhaenys and loved to dress as a warrior. She usually braided her silver-gold hair or coiled it into rings so as not to hinder her martial performance.
Visenya was a fiery and ill-tempered woman, demanding but emotional, with a dark and ruthless side to her temper. Some even said she practiced poisons and dark magic.
Visenya was both a dragonrider and a warrior; she wore armor as easily as silk and silver. As a warrior, she wielded "dark sister" and was virtually unmatched.
After the Conqueror's War, it was Queen Visenya who repeatedly fended off open and hidden attacks for Aegon, and the Kingsguard was established to protect Aegon in her stead.
Visenya was one to two years older than Aegon. One of the three hills of King's Landing is named after Visenya. She and her sister Rhaenys married Aegon, and the two would compete for Aegon in different ways. Compared to Rhaenys's feminine wiles, Visenya was more like Aegon's best comrade and protector.
It was precisely because of Queen Visenya that the symbolic meaning of dark sister as a guardian became even more apparent.
"Sister, you are both a dragonrider and father's eldest daughter, now the eldest princess of the royal family. And over the years, you have never neglected your practice of swordsmanship and archery. No one is more suitable than you to hold dark sister."
Hearing Daenerys also say this, Rhaenyra immediately gained confidence, and so she graciously accepted dark sister. At the same time, she cast a grateful smile at Daenerys,
"Thank you, Your Majesty, Rhaenyra will surely become a steadfast guardian of the royal family, wielding dark sister!"
Seeing this, everyone offered congratulations and praise to Rhaenyra.
"Rhaenys, it seems His Majesty the King has made his decision! You and Laenor seem to be completely out of his consideration, which is truly unfair!"
Sea Snake Corlys, seeing this, complained with a gloomy expression in Princess Rhaenys's ear.
Although Princess Rhaenys felt a touch of bitterness in her heart, after taking a deep gulp of dragonflame wine, she immediately cast that feeling of depression aside,
"In fact, ever since His Majesty passed the position of Crown Prince to Uncle Baelon, he has already given up on us, hasn't he?"
"Just like the position of Lord of the Tides for House Velaryon, when has it ever been passed to a daughter?"
"Corliss, I am very satisfied with my current life! dark sister and Winter have made me understand many things, and the precious time with my family is the most valuable. The Iron Throne, or the Seven Kingdoms, have never been the dream of Rhaenys Targaryen."
"Perhaps you should also let go of that delusion! With Daenerys around, you no longer have a single chance of winning! Even if you fight for equal inheritance rights for women and men, it will likely be Daenerys who has a better chance of seizing victory!"
Sea Snake Corlys clearly did not take Princess Rhaenys's words to heart, and so he spoke with deep meaning,
"Is that so? But the Seven Kingdoms have never been peaceful. Do you really think that with the decline of House Hightower, the Faith and the Citadel have already been brought under the control of the royal family?"
"A calm sea is often a sign of an brewing storm!"
"Weasel~"
"It seems your Frey Family has truly managed to cling to Princess Daenerys's leg this time."
"But, your manners are truly unsightly. However, this is understandable, after all, it's just a small family with a history of only a few hundred years!"
The one who dared to speak so presumptuously in such an occasion was Count Brecken from Stone Fence City.
The Blinken Family is one of the ancient families of the Riverlands, with the blood of the First Men flowing in their veins. After the Conqueror's War, they pledged allegiance to House Tully. Their family sigil is a scarlet warhorse in a golden shield on a brown background.
It is said that they possess the bloodline of the legendary Red Horse God. Even now, the Blinken Family's red warhorses are considered top-tier warhorses in the Seven Kingdoms.
The Brecken Family has the blood of the First Men flowing in their veins and were once rulers of the Riverlands during the Age of Heroes. However, their throne was later usurped by their former subordinates, the Blackwood Family.
However, the version told by the Blackwood Family is exactly the opposite, and as for the exact truth, it has long been impossible to verify.
But the hatred between the two families has indeed continued for a thousand years. Even now, they still occasionally break out into large-scale conflicts.
The Brecken Family and the Blackwood Family once united to resist the invasion of the Andals but were ultimately defeated. Later, the Brecken Family intermarried with the Andals and converted to the Faith of the Seven. This made the feud between the two families even more intense.
Later, one of the Blackwood Family's Weirwood trees suddenly withered, and they firmly believed that the Brecken Family had poisoned the Weirwood tree at Raven Tree City, which became the Blackwood Family's excuse for almost every war they waged.
During the War of the Seven Kingdoms, when Harren Hoare, King of the Iron Islands, took the opportunity to invade the Riverlands, Lady Agnes Blackwood rose in resistance, but Lord Roso Brecken ambushed Agnes's forces from behind. This also became one of the reasons why the Blackwood Family would always participate in battles.
When Harren the Black was building Harrenhal, the Blackwood Family and the Brecken Family were at war, and thus both were punished by Harren the Black, who believed they were disrupting the construction of Harrenhal.
Decades before the Conquest, conflicts between the Brecken Family and the Blackwood Family led to the weakening of both sides, and eventually, Aegon I granted the new title of Lord Paramount of the Trident River to Edmyn Tully of Riverrun.
This became their two families' biggest concern, as both felt that the other had dragged them down and caused them to lose the status of Duke of the Riverlands.
During the reign of King Jaehaerys I, their hatred subsided for fifty years, but now there seem to be signs of rekindling.
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