Chapter 86: The Queen
Arrax landed first, followed by Vermax. The two boys hastily dismounted their dragons and hurried towards the castle, Lucerys even almost tripping over his black cloak. Vermithor, being too large, couldn't fly as fast as the two smaller dragons and had to land on Dragonstone's beach.
As Dragonzel climbed down from his dragon, Vermithor suddenly turned his head, looking at the small boat slowly approaching the shore. The people on the boat immediately raised a black flag with a red dragon and a personal standard of Princess Rhaenyra.
This was the Targaryen family's flag, and one of the flags honored by the Black faction. The other was Princess Rhaenyra's quartered standard, which depicted her personal coat of arms: two red dragons on a black field, Queen Aemma Arryn's crescent moon and falcon sigil, and Laenor Velaryon's seahorse sigil.
Dragonzel squinted at the people disembarking from the small boat, especially the old man in a black cloak with white armor and a white cloak underneath.
"Prince Dragonzel," Ser Steffon Darklyn recognized Dragonzel, as he hadn't changed much in six years, though the childishness in his brows and eyes had completely disappeared. His face had also become much firmer. When they had arrived in King's Landing back then, Steffon Darklyn happened to be on duty at the Red Keep. He had witnessed the moment the Dragonzel brothers arrived.
Dozens of massive ships with purple sails and silver dragons majestically sailed into King's Landing's harbor. The silver dragon and laurel leaf patterns on each ship's sails were sewn with silver thread, shimmering in the sunlight. Hundreds of tall, silver-haired warriors, clad in silver plate chainmail and purple cloaks, rode armored warhorses with tiger stripes, parading through the city. The entirety of King's Landing erupted, especially when they saw giant Sothoryos forest elephants carrying chests of gold and jewels.
Long journeys and unfamiliar environments caused the giant elephants to walk unsteadily, and the jewels originally embedded in their coverings and tusks, along with those in the chests, scattered across the ground with the elephants' swaying steps. In fact, the Varezes family's elephants all died on the way back, never making it to the Red Mountains. However, this didn't prevent them from giving the citizens of King's Landing a huge shock.
So, Flea Bottom was brightly lit that night—no, not just that night, but for several consecutive nights, Flea Bottom and various streets and alleys were brightly lit.
Ser Steffon still remembered the shocked expressions of himself and his sworn brothers, and the silent throne room, when two giant dragons descended from the sky and two handsome young men, with only slight differences in hair length and height, dismounted from the dragons.
Even the king on the Iron Throne remained silent for a long time, until Dragonzel's attendant, the black-haired, golden-eyed boy, and the barbarian boy who dared to stand shirtless before the king, announced the brothers' names. Only then did the king break free from his silence.
His thoughts returned, and Ser Steffon Darklyn's heart immediately filled with joy. If Dragonzel was willing to stand with Rhaenyra, then the Black faction would surely win.
"I am Steffon Darklyn, Kingsguard to the former king, and now, by the former king's last will, I defend the true queen," Steffon Darklyn explained why he was on Dragonstone.
Dragonzel nodded, "The princess will welcome your arrival." With that, he walked towards the castle.
"Your Highness, it should be Queen now," Steffon Darklyn insisted, tightening his bundle and following closely behind Dragonzel.
"Princess has not yet been crowned," Dragonzel said with a smile, "but that 'legitimate king' in King's Landing was crowned with Aegon the Conqueror's crown by the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in front of the people. This alone, coupled with Aegon being male, is enough for most lords in the realm to favor him."
"Oathbreaker," Steffon Darklyn spat, "Criston Cole has defiled his white cloak. The Kingsguard's duty is to protect the king, not to participate in the succession of the throne. He is gambling with the future of the Kingsguard."
Dragonzel shrugged slightly, indicating that he rarely participated in court intrigues, preferring his own territory to the quagmire of King's Landing.
As they spoke, the group had reached the courtyard of Dragonstone Castle, where Rhaenyra, still weak, emerged with the members of the Black faction council. Jacaerys and Lucerys clung to their mother, clearly having been talking for a while.
"Prince Dragonzel, thank you for your support." Though Rhaenyra was still very weak, the smile on her face was visible to almost everyone. "My small council has reserved a seat for you. As long as the usurper is dealt with, whatever you want, I will give you!"
Dragonzel smiled, "Your Highness, I am Jacaerys's knight, and his affairs are my affairs. However, I also have my own territory to look after. The Stormlands and the Reach are adjacent to my territory. If negotiations break down and war erupts, I must first consider my territory."
"As long as you stand by my side, I am confident that I can make the usurper pay the price." Rhaenyra didn't care if Dragonzel fought by her side; she cared more about whether this frontier lord could fight for her.
"Queen," Ser Steffon Darklyn seized the opportunity to take out the crown from his bundle. "I have brought the crown of the Conqueror and that of the former king." The white-haired knight glanced at his nephew, Gwayne Darklyn, and knelt before Rhaenyra.
"Queen, this is your legitimate right." The white knight respectfully placed the crown in his palm.
"Long live the Queen!" Lord Bartimos Celtigar was the first to raise his hand, and then all the Black faction nobles and the Dragonstone soldiers in the courtyard began to shout, "Long live the Queen! Long live the Light of the Realm! Long live the True Queen!"
Daemon took the crown and carefully placed it on his wife's head. "Hail Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm!"
Dragonzel smiled as he watched the joyous crowd. Princess Rhaenys also applauded, the old princess's eyes complex, with both relief and a sense of loss. Rhaenyra tried to straighten her back, slowly bestowing the title of Protector of the Realm upon her husband, and then appointing Prince Jacaerys as Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.
"My lords, Queen, Prince," Lord Bartimos Celtigar again stepped into the center of the crowd, "Prince Dragonzel's Vermithor has arrived at Dragonstone. Now we have three battle-hardened dragons that can immediately enter battle. The two princes' dragons can also fly and fight. The usurper Daeron's dragon is far away in Oldtown, and King's Landing only has three dragons. Five against three, the advantage is ours, Queen. I suggest we immediately dispatch dragons to let the usurper in King's Landing experience the dragons' wrath."
"Lord Bartimos," Daemon said softly, "I understand your defense of my wife's authority, but the situation is different. Dragons are not everything in war, especially in wars of the dragonlord families. Westeros has a history of Valyria, and there are records of King Maegor riding Balerion and killing Silverwing. Dragon combat is not foolproof. Unless absolutely necessary, we will not directly confront the usurper with our dragons." Daemon then looked at Dragonzel. "Dragons are a deterrent. It's like my Dark Sister; kept in its sheath, ready to strike, it inspires more awe in enemies than when it's drawn and ready to cut."
He and Rhaenys had also held this idea. So, even though they were prepared for dragon combat, when they saw the two dragons strengthened by the mysterious energy of Valyrian ruins, Daemon decisively abandoned the idea of dragon combat. Now, with only two dragonlord families left that possess dragons, every dragon is precious. It doesn't matter how many mortal soldiers die, but every dragon lost is a wound upon these two ancient families.
"Before drawing swords, fight with words," Daemon continued.
Dragonzel nodded slightly, then continued Daemon's words, "Aegon has the support of a large number of minor and middle lords. His base is House Hightower in the south and House Lannister in the west. The entire west and more than half of the south are at his disposal." Dragonzel said, "Lord Loras dares not offend House Hightower, but as governor of the Reach, Lord Loras still has considerable influence. If he can contend with House Hightower, that would be best. If not, I will need to be stationed in the south. Dorne is broken, but they have promised to fight for the Queen. Prince Qoren has sent 1,500 men to support your cause." Dragonzel stood in the center of the courtyard, analyzing the situation in the south. "And the Stormlands."
"Storm's End will stand by my side," Queen Rhaenyra said.
Rhaenys nodded, "My mother, Jocelyn Baratheon, is a blood relative of the late lord Borros. Lord Borros has always firmly supported my and Rhaenyra's rights."
"The Vale and the North will also likely stand with us, but the North is too vast and far," Daemon chuckled. "If we wait for Lord Stark of the North to march south, I might have already impaled the usurper's head on a spear."
"Daemon, do not underestimate Lord Stark of the North," Dragonzel smiled. "Although I am in the borderlands, I have heard of the great achievements of Lord Cregan Stark. His decisiveness in dealing with Ser Bennard Stark earned my admiration. As long as he stands with us, I can guarantee he will bring us a surprise."
"Cousin, we need your Silver Fleet," Rhaenys said. "House Velaryon will blockade the Gullet, which requires a large number of ships. House Velaryon alone might be stretched thin."
Dragonzel nodded, "I have already sent Ser Myles north with thirty warships. The Silver Fleet also needs to patrol the Dorne Sea, as pirates in the Stepstones have been restless recently."
Thirty ships. Lord Corlys knew these ships were not enough, but some reinforcement was better than none. "Prince, on behalf of House Velaryon, I thank you for your support."
Dragonzel nodded, "So, what we need to do is probably win over the lords of the Vale, Stormlands, and North, and then secure the support of the Riverlands."
"We have no shortage of friends in the Riverlands," Daemon smiled. "But we need a stronghold where they can boldly display their black banners."
"Harrenhal," Dragonzel said.
Daemon nodded, "Queen, I will go to Harrenhal to secure the Riverlands' army for you."
"I will guard Dragon Nest City," Dragonzel said. "If the Stormlands changes, I will immediately suppress them. As for the Reach, I will let House Hightower know the consequences of betrayal."
"House Velaryon will blockade the Gullet," Lord Corlys said. "Once the south is in chaos, King's Landing, without food support from the Reach and without sea supplies, will be destroyed by hunger, along with the usurper."
Rhaenyra nodded, acknowledging these strategies. She would stay on Dragonstone to recuperate.
"We will send troops to assist in defending Dragonstone," Lord Bartimos Celtigar said. Their forces were limited, but more than enough to protect a castle. And Princess Rhaenys would patrol the Gullet and Blackwater Bay on Meleys, protecting the fleet and preventing enemy dragons from attacking. Dragonstone had a complete system of tunnels and was not particularly afraid of dragon air raids; it feared mortal armies more. After all, dragonfire could hardly burn people hiding deep underground and in the mountains, but mortal armies would truly dig three feet deep.
"Queen," Maester Gerardys changed his address, "I will send ravens to the lords just mentioned."
"No need for ravens, mother," Prince Jacaerys stood in the center of the courtyard, openly displaying his brown-black hair before everyone. "We have dragons. Dragons are more convincing than ravens. Let Lucerys and me be the messengers."
"Exactly!" Lucerys jumped up. "We are also Targaryens, and we will fight for your authority!"
"And me!" eleven-year-old Joffrey also jumped out. "Tyraxes can carry people now, so can I!"
Lord Corlys couldn't help but laugh at Lucerys's words: "You rascals, you're still Velaryons for now." But anyone could hear the pride and amusement in the Sea Snake's tone.
"Joffrey! Stop it!" Rhaenyra pulled Joffrey back, tapping the boy's forehead in annoyance. But she couldn't refuse Jacaerys and Lucerys's requests.
As a mother, she could only leave a kiss on each of her sons' foreheads.
"Remember, you are only messengers, not knights," she said seriously. "Absolutely no fighting, and you must adhere to guest right."
"Don't worry, my queen," Dragonzel's satisfied smile never faded. "They are not knights yet."
"Hehe, my lord, so after this war is over, can I be knighted?" Jacaerys chuckled upon hearing this.
"Haha," Dragonzel laughed heartily, "we'll talk about it after the war."
"Jacaerys, you go to the Vale and the North. You are the elder brother, you must—"
"I understand, mother," Jacaerys understood his mother's meaning. The North and the Vale were further, more dangerous, and more likely to be intercepted by the Greens' dragons or lords loyal to them. Storm's End, however, was close to Dragonstone and even closer to Dragon Nest City. Lucerys could fly directly to Dragon Nest City at any time, and Silverwing was still guarding Dragon Nest City. Even Vhagar couldn't escape unscathed from an attack by several dragons.
"Lucerys, don't worry, you will receive a warm welcome at Storm's End," Rhaenyra embraced her son. Lucerys was almost as tall as her now. These years with Valarr had transformed this adorable boy into a dashing young man.
"Princess Rhaenys has Baratheon blood, and they will surely uphold their oaths and defend their rightful queen."
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