About half a year earlier, the plague in Pentos had arrived right on schedule.
Illyrio's wife fell ill as well.
Viserys sent Maester Faelor, bearing Valyrian steel instruments and medicines, and pulled her back from death's door.
From that day forward, Illyrio secretly swore allegiance to Viserys.
He had only one goal now—find a way for his son to marry Daenerys.
Some men truly had bold ambitions.
Viserys did not trust him. Nor did he intend to ever place him in the open.
A man who once plotted to overturn a dynasty could not be fully tolerated. If such a person were indulged, greater chaos would follow.
When Pentos finally fell into his hands, Illyrio's life would end.
Audro, for his part, did not hesitate over Viserys's proposal of annual relief funds. He even thanked him on behalf of the smallfolk of Pentos.
Business concluded, the two men turned to idle conversation.
They commented on the buildings lining the road.
The scale was respectable, though not refined or grand. Most were brick and stone structures, resembling the estates of wealthy landowners more than noble palaces.
When townsfolk saw the three-headed dragon banner, they stepped aside respectfully.
Carriages from foreign lands crowded the streets.
Compared to ordinary days, Gohor was unusually dense with visitors.
After roughly twenty minutes of travel, thicker and taller stone walls rose before them.
This was the Balerion Wall, the strongest of the three.
White-cloaked Ser Willem Darry personally oversaw patrols atop the ramparts.
Today was Viserys's coronation. Security had been raised to its highest level.
Braavos and Pentos, longtime rivals, had sent envoys. Even Norvos, usually cordial, had come. Qohor from afar, and the Three Daughters as well, all dispatched representatives.
Where envoys went, retinues followed.
And where retinues gathered, merchants, servants, and courtesans flocked close behind.
And behind them came thieves and cutthrots.
To ensure order within the city, Willem led patrols personally. Anyone who dared cause trouble received two swift strikes.
The first to the legs, to prevent escape.
The second to the mouth, to silence pleas. And then six more in rapid succession, until the offender howled.
When Willem saw Viserys's carriage, he ordered the gates opened and came forward himself.
"Your Grace. Prince Audro."
Audro inclined his head politely.
"How many have arrived?"
"The Archon of Tyrosh sent representatives yesterday. Of the Nine Free Cities, eight have dispatched envoys. Only Volantis has not."
"I see."
Six months earlier, Viserys's fleet had annihilated a Volantene slaver expedition.
Combined with his earlier passage under the guise of selling ships, relations had sunk to their lowest point.
War had not erupted only because of the Chroyane ruins and the deterrence of his fleet.
Volantis's absence was no surprise.
"Prince Audro, we shall part here. I will see you at the coronation."
"Until then."
Audro watched Viserys depart, envy stirring within him.
So young, yet commanding such loyalty.
He had met all four of Viserys's Kingsguard—Gerold Hightower, Arthur Dayne, Oswell Whent, and Willem Darry.
If he possessed even one such knight, he would rejoice.
'If only I had Kingsguard of my own.'
He dismissed the thought quickly.
The day of coronation soon arrived.
At dawn, golden light pierced the night.
Viserys rose early and allowed his attendants to prepare him.
His servants came from among the Rhoynar and Andals of Gohor, as well as Westerosi brought from Dragonstone.
Nearly four hundred thousand people in total now formed the core of Targaryen power.
They had endured the siege by Braavos and Pentos together. After the war, Viserys had granted them lands, fostering a class of freeholding farmers.
Most palace servants and guards came from these families.
Their interests aligned with the crown.
As long as Viserys did not lose his senses, no palace intrigue would strangle him in his sleep.
He was slender, clad in a black dragon robe.
On one shoulder was embroidered the seven-pointed star of the Faith of the Seven.
On the other, the sunburst of the Rhoynar.
Across his back blazed the red three-headed dragon. Beneath the robe lay finely crafted armor.
When he finished dressing, Rhaella was already waiting.
He now stood half a head taller than his mother. Moisture shimmered at the corner of her eyes.
Viserys gently brushed it away.
"Mother," he said softly, "crown me."
She nodded.
Even the coronation ceremony itself had been a battlefield between Elder Lothan and Maester Faelor.
Tradition dictated that a High Septon crown a Targaryen king.
But none could be found.
Compromise prevailed.
Both factions presented the crown to Rhaella, who would perform the act.
Escorted by his four Kingsguard, Viserys entered the throne hall.
It was already packed.
The architecture reflected the fusion of Andal and Rhoynar culture. Overhead skylights formed the shapes of the seven-pointed star and the sunburst.
Polished stone floors gleamed beneath a red carpet. Three-headed dragon banners hung on every wall.
At the far end stood the throne.
Its base was white marble.
The high-backed chair bore the carving of a three-headed dragon. Seven colored gemstones adorned its face, encircling a sunburst.
The hall was nearly overcrowded.
Though few rulers had come in person, envoys represented nearly half the known world.
Audro conversed animatedly with his in-law, Davos.
"I saw many smallfolk gathered outside the palace," Audro remarked. "It seems our king is beloved."
"Indeed," Davos replied. "His Grace halved the taxes again this year."
Viserys's taxes were already low, and he often granted remissions. He was, by all accounts, a merciful king.
Yet Davos knew the state of the treasury.
Three million golden dragons remained.
But city walls, palaces, armories, and the academy all demanded immense funding.
He would have to advise Viserys to increase revenue and cut expenses. Even dragons could not spend endlessly.
Suddenly, a sharp trumpet blast echoed from outside.
Conversations ceased at once. Every head turned toward the doors.
The coronation had begun.
___________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/BloodAncestor