During the high council meeting, a strategic decision had already been made.
The longbowmen would be deployed in the north, while the elite troops from the regular army and the reserve legions would be placed in the south.
No one outside the council could guess what terrible weapon Viserys truly relied upon in this war.
To lure Drogo into terrain suitable for the longbowmen, Viserys deployed seventy warships, twenty thousand heavy infantry, eight thousand heavy cavalry, and ten thousand auxiliary troops in the south.
On the surface, this was more than half of Gohor's total strength.
It also matched what most observers believed—Viserys would fight the Dothraki in a decisive battle on the southern plains.
"The question now," Clinton said, "is how to convince the Dothraki and the Volantenes that the army stationed on the Golden Plains truly is our main force."
He had raised the most critical problem.
No matter how impressive the army looked, if King Viserys himself was not present, the enemy would still grow suspicious.
Viserys was no longer the inexperienced young leader he had once been.
People had begun to notice his tendency to lead from the front in battle.
Although the longbowmen were a devastating weapon, ninety percent of them had never seen a real battlefield.
There was no better way to steady morale than having the king present with the army.
But that created a dilemma.
Both battlefronts required Viserys. Yet he could not be in two places at once.
The generals and ministers thought carefully, but none of them could offer a satisfactory solution.
"Mother," Viserys finally said, "if we want them to believe the army in the south is truly our elite force, then let Monford go in my place."
Monford was the son of the traitor Viserys had personally executed on Dragonstone years ago.
Originally, Viserys had intended to execute both sons along with their father.
But Rhaella had taken the two boys under her protection and raised them personally.
Monford Velaryon shared many of the same features as the Targaryens.
Silver hair. Purple eyes.
At a glance, most people would mistake him for Viserys himself.
Yet to Viserys's surprise, Rhaella immediately rejected the idea.
"No," she said firmly. "That would be inappropriate."
In her view, the name of a king could never be used as a trick.
Such deception might fool the enemy, but it could bring unforeseen consequences later.
"Viserys," she continued, "I cannot sit safely inside a castle while my son rides to war. I am a Targaryen as well."
Her tone was unwavering.
Viserys found himself at a loss.
"But Mother," he protested, "there has never been a queen mother leading troops into battle in the history of House Targaryen."
"Has there never been a woman of House Targaryen who fought in battle?" she replied sharply.
Mother and son refused to yield.
In the end, Viserys gave in.
But only on the condition that Arthur would remain at her side as her protector.
"Everyone," Viserys said to the council, rising to address them.
"Only by defeating the horse lords can the Rhoynar and the Andals live freely along the banks of the Rhoyne."
"Only by defeating them can we one day reclaim the Iron Throne from the usurper and bring order and peace back to Westeros."
"I do not care who stands in our path. Their fate will be the same."
"They will be crushed."
"Victory!"
"Victory! Victory! Victory!"
After delivering his final speech to mobilize the army, the great host marched out of Gohor.
One army marched south under the command of Rhaella.
In truth, the forces were directed by Jon Connington and Jorel.
The other army marched north.
On paper it was commanded by Ock. But in reality, the one directing it was Viserys himself.
Meanwhile, the city of Gohor remained under the protection of Oswell.
From atop Vhagar's Wall, Daenerys, Rhaenys, and Arianne watched as the army split into two columns, marching north and south.
Aemon and Aegon had asked to join the campaign.
Both requests were firmly rejected.
The two boys were the final insurance of House Targaryen.
Viserys had no heir. If anything happened to him, young Aegon would inherit both his will and his crown.
"Let's go," Aegon said quietly, gesturing to Aemon.
Aemon nodded.
They were about to leave when they suddenly heard an argument nearby.
"Mother, I'm not leaving! I want to stay in Gohor!" Arianne complained angrily to Lady Mellario.
Because of the coming war, Mellario intended to leave Gohor and return to Norvos to stay with her family for a while.
Viserys did not force them to remain.
He had even assigned a guard escort to accompany them.
"There will soon be war here," Mellario said, trying to persuade her daughter.
But her words sounded weak.
She knew perfectly well how Arianne felt about Viserys.
She also knew Viserys had deliberately kept a careful distance from her daughter.
The two had never been alone together.
There was always a third person present.
"I believe in Viserys!" Arianne insisted stubbornly. "He will win!"
At that moment Rhaenys stepped forward. "Cousin, Gohor now belongs entirely to the Targaryens. This is a Targaryen war."
"We cannot allow you to remain here in danger. There is no reason for you to be involved."
"When you reach Norvos, you can travel to Braavos, then cross the Narrow Sea to White Harbor. You'll be completely safe."
"Come on, hurry. Be good."
But her attempt backfired.
Tears filled Arianne's eyes.
"No. One day I will be a Targaryen too. I cannot leave. I want to stay with you."
She suddenly wrapped her arms around Rhaenys's neck and began to cry.
Although Rhaenys was younger, she was slightly taller. With Arianne nearly hanging from her shoulders, she had no idea what to do.
Daenerys, who had been watching with amusement nearby, suddenly noticed Rhaenys glaring at her.
She quickly put down her snacks and stepped forward.
"Don't worry, Arianne," Daenerys said gently.
"Maybe when you reach Norvos you can help us find reinforcements. If you stay here, you'll only worry and won't be able to help anyway."
Arianne slowly stopped crying.
"You're right, Dany," she said softly. "If I stay here, I can't do anything."
She turned to her mother.
"Mother, let's go to Norvos. We'll bring back reinforcements for Gohor."
"Very well," Mellario replied. "But we must leave quickly. Things change very fast during wartime."
"Yes."
Relieved that Arianne had finally agreed to leave, Mellario sighed with relief.
As for actually recruiting troops in Norvos, no one took the idea seriously. Once they arrived there, simply keeping Arianne inside would solve everything.
Soon Rhaenys and Daenerys escorted the mother and daughter out of the city.
As the carriage decorated with sun-bright spears rolled away into the distance, both girls felt a sense of relief.
But once Arianne was gone, worry quickly returned.
Only in the past two years had they truly learned how House Targaryen had lost the Iron Throne.
They had also learned how Viserys had carried them through those dangerous years of uncertainty.
Previous wars had always felt like distant legends.
Now the smell of smoke and steel was drifting toward them.
"If House Targaryen could hatch dragons again," Daenerys said quietly, "then we could fight in the war too."
She thought about the dragon eggs locked inside the treasury and sighed with regret.
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