King Jaehaerys II said loudly from the iron throne, "The matter of Prince Rhaegar riding a dragon into battle will not be considered for now. We will first consider the candidates for the army and its generals. Dragons are not omnipotent, and the current pirate situation is still controllable."
Seeing the King's decision, the Lords and nobles stopped arguing.
They also considered that the appearance of a dragon would bring a huge psychological shock to the Stepstones pirates, accelerating the victory of the war. Moreover, Prince Rhaegar's martial prowess was exceptional, and he had great talent for combat. War cannot be watered down, and Rhaegar might even be more ferocious than Maegor. The only comparison was the cruel Maegor, who at twelve years old could continuously defeat youths four or five years older than himself in jousting tournaments and mercilessly discipline experienced veterans on the training grounds.
But the ministers also knew that King Jaehaerys II had his own difficulties; among three generations, there were currently no backup warriors. King Jaehaerys II was not born with the talents of a warrior, and his brothers had all died or were severely injured. Prince Daeron died in battle in his twenties, and the short Prince Duncan, a famous general, died in the Summer Hall fire. Crown Prince Aerys had no brothers, and currently, the only usable grandson, Prince Rhaegar, was the sole Dragonrider, so he absolutely could not take too many risks.
King Jaehaerys II's eyes revealed his determination. In the Stepstones war, he dared not let Rhaegar take risks. Rhaegar and his dragon were both young and represented the future of the Targaryen Family. The people of Lys and Myr had both shed Targaryen blood; they were a group of vicious assassins, killers, and poison masters, with no regard for the Dragon King's bloodline.
Seeing his grandfather like this, Rhaegar did not insist on a spot to go to war. Naval warfare was too dangerous, and the shadow left by the Third Daughter on the Targaryen Family was profound. Prince Aemon was ambushed and shot dead by a Myr crossbow, and Prince Jacaerys and his dragon were killed in the Battle of the Gullet.
Before the war, Rhaegar also needed to practice dodging the Scorpion Crossbow with his young dragons. The tides of war were turning fiercely, and Rhaegar felt he would have a chance to act. He had the Rune of the Shield and the Dragon-Human Pact, so he wasn't necessarily afraid of the Scorpion Crossbow.
"The Baratheon family is willing to clear out those pirates and rats in the gutters for the iron throne!"
"House Lannister is also willing to fight for the iron throne!"
With the declarations from Duke Mond of the Stormlands and Lord Tywin of the Westerlands, the composition of the army was easily determined: the Crownlands, Stormlands, and Westerlands would remain the main force, but the Iron Islands would absolutely not contribute any men or resources this time.
Other Lords, such as the minor nobles of the Crownlands, also echoed their support. The Rosby Family and House Lykke of Maidenpool were all loyal to the iron throne. House Lykke, in particular, had successfully taken over Maidenpool and was in high spirits.
"First, I must tell you all about the disadvantages of our expedition. The Old Kraken will no longer help us. He is too old, and his sons are constantly urging him to return to the Old Way. Even if the Old Kraken loves peace, he will no longer provide us with ships," said Duke Mond.
"As long as the Old Kraken doesn't raid, that's enough. We still have the Royal Fleet, all of them elite warriors," Crown Prince Aerys immediately declared loudly. He had a good opinion of himself, often overly confident or boastful.
Rhaegar felt quite helpless, sensing that Crown Prince Aerys's insight and vision would remain limited throughout his life—fond of grand achievements, pretentious, and fickle. However, it was already benevolent of Old Kraken King Corwyn not to raid the Westerlands and Riverlands. Old Kraken's changes to the Ironborn's raiding Old Way had also caused much dissatisfaction and resentment over the years.
Rhaegar knew that the kingdom's naval forces were currently divided into several factions. Since the decline of House Velaryon, the strongest were the three great fleets: the Redwyne Fleet of The Reach, the Royal Fleet of King's Landing and Dragonstone, and the Ironborn Fleet of the Iron Islands. The Ironborn might be slightly less equipped, but they lived off the sea their entire lives. The Ironborn were fierce and cunning, inspiring dread at sea. The Redwyne Fleet was diverse; they had over two hundred warships, and five times that number in merchant ships, wine ships, trade galleys, and whaling ships.
In the North and Dorne, there had been two enthusiasts for burning ships—one out of kinship, one out of love. Rhaegar knew they had little naval power. The Vale and the Westerlands still possessed their own naval forces, which, though not as strong as the three great fleets, were not to be underestimated.
This was a naval battle, and it was necessary to try to win over House Redwyne. Rhaegar remembered House Redwyne's grape banner; they sold wine and had a fleet of warships. House Redwyne was very powerful, and marrying into the Redwynes had also strengthened House Tyrell's power. If House Velaryon were still strong, or if Ser Brynden Blackfish had married a House Redwyne girl on behalf of House Tully back then, this naval battle would have been much easier.
"Duke Corwyn's love for peace is a good thing for the kingdom. We need to send the Duke some gifts, to tell Corwyn that we still remember the friendship forged when Corwyn fought alongside the iron throne in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, and that we have not forgotten an old friend. Before this war, this matter will be discussed by Duke Mond, Lord Tywin, and you, Aerys," King Jaehaerys II said.
Rhaegar found the words "loves peace" a bit abrupt, and many Lords also suppressed their laughter, as the Ironborn were hardly associated with loving peace. Fortunately, King Corwyn was old and no longer enjoyed raiding the Green Lands.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the ministers said in unison.
"Send letters to the Princess of Dorne, Duke Jon of the Vale, and Duke Hoster of the Riverlands, to see if they can send troops to assist," King Jaehaerys II continued to order. As for the North, he felt a symbolic inquiry would suffice.
Rhaegar believed this campaign was a reenactment of the War of the Ninepenny Kings, with largely the same main participants—the Dragon, Lion, and Stag forces as the core. As for supporting forces, they would be sought out as much as possible.
"Gentlemen, we must strive for a swift victory. If it drags on, the treasury cannot bear the burden. The country has only just recovered a little vitality since the end of the War of the Ninepenny Kings," King Jaehaerys concluded.
Rhaegar saw his grandfather King Jaehaerys II's depressed expression; they were still short on money. The debt to the Iron Bank had just been repaid, and now another war had begun. They absolutely could not let it drag into a quagmire.
After the meeting, King Jaehaerys II called Prince Rhaegar to stay behind alone.
In the vast Throne Room, only the grandfather and grandson and a few guards remained.
"Come forward, child!" King Jaehaerys II descended from the iron throne and beckoned Rhaegar to also ascend the high platform.
Rhaegar looked closely at the huge metal throne, radiating an ugly and terrifying light. The iron throne was forged from the melted, twisted, bent, and broken swords of Aegon the Conqueror's defeated enemies, representing The Conqueror's glorious military achievements and power.
"I hope that one day you can safely sit on the iron throne and then have children," King Jaehaerys II said.
"Promise your grandfather to minimize your adventures and wildness. Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. I still prefer to see you grow up safely."
Rhaegar nodded. This was the affection between grandfather and grandson. His grandfather would protect him, care for him, even if he could stand on his own.
"In the past, you protected me. Now, let me protect you and this iron chair," Rhaegar thought.
"Can I touch this chair, Grandfather?" Rhaegar suddenly asked. Rhaegar looked at the iron throne, this hideous marvel, which he had never carefully touched before.
Jaehaerys II hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Be careful, this is the hardest chair to sit on."
Jaehaerys II watched for a while, then turned and entered the council chamber, being advanced in years.
Rhaegar carefully stroked the iron throne. With rune protection, he naturally wasn't afraid. But seeing the hideous spikes and sharp edges on the iron throne still made him a little uncomfortable.
Legend said it was a cursed object, also capable of choosing its master. Maegor died on it, and Queen Rhaenyra suffered many cuts.
The iron throne was born after the Field of Fire, already steeped in blood, sorrow, fire, and pain. Aegon the Conqueror displayed great divine power in the Field of Fire; over four thousand people were burned to death, and another thousand died from swords, spears, and arrows. Tens of thousands were burned, many of whom would carry ugly scars for life.
Rhaegar slowly stroked the iron throne until he felt a slight warmth on his fingertips.
Suddenly, he noticed some black light spots emerging from various parts of the chair; those sharp corners, those thorns, all began to appear.
The faint black light spots slowly condensed, forming a viscous, glowing black flame. Ordinary flames would feel warm and hot, but this flame felt chilling and terrifying.
Rhaegar's fingertip gently ignited a blue flame, and the black flame, as if seeing light, frantically swirled over, clashing with the blue flame. The black flame also sensed the surging life and freshness of the blue flame.
The iron throne's black flame was viscous and ferocious, representing pain, fear, and steel.
The black flame was like a maggot in the bone, continuously eroding vitality and being extremely difficult to heal, bringing immense pain.
"So powerful? Comes with a severe injury effect?" Rhaegar's fingertip flame grew denser. Golden, blue, and black flames merged into a single mass, then wildly seized the black flame on the iron throne. The viscous black flame struggled left and right until it was depleted of strength, and Rhaegar carefully contained it.
Explorer: Congratulations on discovering the mysterious curse of the iron throne: steel, fire, and fear forged the iron throne. Only the fire of a true king can gain the iron throne's recognition. The iron throne's curse is no small matter; be extremely careful.
Rhaegar understood in his heart that a true king seemed to possess powerful fire, otherwise it would be difficult to suppress the iron throne's curse. King Viserys was injured by the iron throne in his later years, directly losing two fingers.
Rhaegar's eyes lit up. Once the iron throne's cursed black flame was unleashed, it was comparable to the poisons of Lys. The injuries would be more severe and intense, and difficult to heal.
Rhaegar carefully collected the black light spots, fiercely suppressing the viscous flames, and also preventing his grandfather from being harmed.
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