Dragonstone.
An old man and a young man were conversing.
The old maester had soothed Viserys's inner anxieties, advising him to maintain inner peace regardless of future circumstances, whether joyous or sorrowful. Only by remaining calm could he make the most correct judgments.
Time flew by.
More than two months had passed since Viserys had arrived on Dragonstone.
Life on the island was very peaceful and tranquil, with no war and no power struggles. It was so comfortable that one might be tempted to abandon all ambition, wishing only to live out their days in quiet simplicity.
However, although Viserys's anxieties had vanished, a sense of urgency still lingered.
Because he knew the Baratheons on the other side of the sea wouldn't just let them go.
During this time, Viserys was learning swordsmanship from Ser William while also expanding his knowledge with the old maester.
Through the old maester's patient guidance, Viserys gradually deepened his understanding of this world.
Previously, he had viewed the world from a detached perspective, a bit like looking at flowers through a fog. Now, he was slowly integrating into it.
The old maester told him that the most important thing for a noble to learn wasn't how to govern their lands, develop the economy, or improve agriculture.
Because they could always ask the maesters in the castle or write to the Citadel for advice.
The old maester only made him study the family histories of various nobles, remember the lessons of history, and memorize their sigils and words…
So that in the future, he wouldn't be rude by not recognizing them.
That was the most important thing for the noble lords, even for the king.
Viserys was a bit dazed by these principles. He didn't understand why things were this way, but he knew he couldn't fight against it.
His mother, Queen Rhaella, was now personally supervising Viserys's studies because all her hopes and expectations rested on this young son.
Viserys carried numerous expectations and endured a great deal of pressure.
And before leaving King's Landing, Queen Rhaella, already pregnant, was now three months along, and her belly was gradually showing.
These past few months, away from war and panic, Queen Rhaella could rest easy and focus on her pregnancy, without having to worry daily about her husband's abuse or the failure of the war.
Now, what Queen Rhaella most hoped for was that the child in her womb would be a girl.
Because apart from the children who had died young, she had only raised Rhaegar and Viserys. Queen Rhaella hoped to have a daughter to fill her void.
Life on Dragonstone was peaceful, the last Targaryen fleet guarding the sea, blocking the exit of Blackwater Bay.
The Baratheon family, lacking warships, had naturally slowed their advance.
On the continent of Westeros, however…
With no sea to hinder them, the rebel forces that had entered King's Landing had transformed into the legitimate rulers, and the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse, with the loyalist armies suffering defeat after defeat.
Two months after the fall of King's Landing, the Duke of House Tyrell of the Reach finally reached a reconciliation agreement with the Usurper.
The siege of Storm's End was lifted.
Toot—
Accompanied by the mournful and drawn-out sound of a horn, the southern army, which had been besieging Storm's End for a year, finally broke camp and prepared to retreat home.
Following the Tyrell army were the knights from the North.
Rumble—
The direwolf banner fluttered, appearing on the horizon first, followed by a howling mass of people.
Countless warhorses thundered across the grassland, and a forest of raised spears reflected a chilling light in the sun.
Leading the northern army was Duke Eddard Stark, the man who had quarreled with Robert and left King's Landing. He carried his family's ancestral sword, Ice, and sat atop a tall warhorse.
The northerners lifted the siege of Storm's End without losing a single soldier or fighting a single battle.
Rumble—
And the gates of Storm's End, which had been blocked for a year, finally opened again.
Stannis Baratheon, who had been trapped inside Storm's End and stubbornly resisted, tying down the main force of the southern army, had even been forced to eat rat meat.
However, after the siege of Storm's End was lifted, he received a new mission.
His elder brother, Robert, ordered him to build warships at Storm's End and train the royal navy.
He was to cooperate with the newly surrendered Lord Redwyne and the Greenstone fleet, which had been blockading Storm's End from the sea.
They were to unite and attack Dragonstone, capturing the fleeing Queen Rhaella and Viserys Targaryen.
Robert, who deeply hated the Targaryen family, swore to eradicate them, not wanting any silver-haired, purple-eyed individuals to survive in this world. He vowed to pursue them to the ends of the earth.
However, Stannis, who had been trapped within Storm's End and even forced to eat rats, was not a magnanimous person. He was taciturn and stubborn, like a stone in a privy.
That he hadn't drawn his sword and killed that damned fat man, Mace Tyrell, and Lord Redwyne at the victory celebration for the Storm's End battle was already a sign of his extreme composure.
Stannis could not possibly cooperate with the Greenstone fleet, but he also understood the importance of capturing Dragonstone and eradicating the Targaryens.
So, the man, stubborn as a rock, wasted almost no time. After the siege of Storm's End was lifted and supplies began to pour in, he immediately began building the Baratheon family's fleet and training the navy.
But the Duke Eddard, who had broken the siege of Storm's End, wore no smile. His face was tight with seriousness, making him seem distant. He didn't even crack a smile at the victory banquet.
Because he still had a more important knot in his heart to untangle. The starting point of this Usurper's War, his sister, Lyanna Stark, who had been abducted by Rhaegar Targaryen and was also Robert's betrothed, was still missing.
After a quarrel with Robert in King's Landing, Eddard led his army south to finish the remaining battles, while simultaneously searching for his sister.
Now that the war was over, Eddard had received a clue. Rhaegar had once arranged for Ser Arthur Dayne, the "Sword of the Morning," Ser Oswell Whent, and the Captain of the Kingsguard, Ser Gerold Hightower, to escort Lyanna to Dorne.
However, Dorne denied any knowledge of Lyanna Stark arriving there. For them, Lyanna was not a welcome guest.
Eddard suspected that the three Kingsguard knights might have hidden his sister somewhere in the border region between Dorne and the Reach.
However, Eddard didn't want to start a war with the powerful Dorne. After all, even Aegon the Conqueror had encountered trouble there.
The Duke of Winterfell was currently troubled by this matter.
....
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