The wedding was a half-serious, half-playful affair, with guests all in high spirits. Soon, cheerful music began to play, and the noblemen started looking for their dancing partners.
"Rhaegar, where's my wedding gift?" Aegon called out, pushing his way over, his chest puffed out and lipstick smudges all over his face.
Rhaegar, who was chatting with his father, Viserys, clapped his hands and said disdainfully, "Wipe your face. It looks like you just came back from a brothel."
Aegon, with a smug expression, sighed deeply, "These noble ladies are much hotter than prostitutes."
It was a pity his little chase was almost thwarted by an unscrupulous woman.
"Your Grace," two Dragonkeepers slowly approached, carrying an incubator that looked like a furnace. In front of Aegon, Rhaegar opened the lid, revealing a dark purple dragon egg in the thick white smoke. He smiled lightly and said, "Happy wedding, brother."
"This dragon egg is quite beautiful," Aegon said, his eyes burning with desire as he reached out to touch the egg. He yanked his hand away in pain. "Is it the egg of Dreamfyre or Silverwing?" he asked. Such a beautiful dragon egg will surely hatch without a hitch. 'When the time comes, it will be a contest between it and Sunfyre to see who is more majestic and handsome', he thought.
Rhaegar put down the lid and smiled without saying a word. Viserys, leaning on his crutch, watched his two sons get along harmoniously and breathed a sigh of relief. "This is the egg of Vhagar, which Rhaegar found in Dragonmont."
"That old dragon's egg?" Aegon was taken aback and asked the servant to carry the incubator back to the bridal chamber. Vhagar had stopped laying eggs many years ago, and every egg from it was precious.
Rhaegar still smiled, his head tilted in a mysterious way. Aegon was left to fill in the blanks. It wasn't that the eggs of Dreamfyre and Silverwing weren't good, but there was another reason. Vhagar's eggs had been stored in Dragonmont for many years and were about to expire. Just like this traditional wedding in Westeros.
As a good brother, Aegon had to take on the burden of showing goodwill to the nobles and hatching the eggs. The three of them had a great time together, and Aegon performed a ton of drinking on the spot.
After finishing a bottle of sweet fruit wine, Aegon's cheeks were flushed, and he leaned on Rhaegar, muttering, "Rhaegar, when will you find Sunfyre a medicine?" Sunfyre was so badly injured that he was still in Meereen. Without his dragon companion, Aegon felt like a cat scratching itself.
Rhaegar's eyes flashed, and he replied, "Don't worry, it won't be long." Before exploring the Smoking Sea, he had planned to make a round trip to the continent of Sothoryos. The last time he encountered a wild dragon in the Sea of Dorne, he will never be at ease until he had found out the truth.
"Okay, you're the one who said it." Aegon's eyes widened, and he smiled foolishly.
Just then, a figure barged in.
"Viserys."
Alicent, in a green dress, entered with her fingers clasped together. She spoke in a formal tone, "Are you okay?"
Aegon looked up at her and said blankly, "Mother~"
"Aegon, you've grown up," Alicent said, glancing at her husband before looking back at her drunk eldest son. She reminisced, "In the blink of an eye, you're already married."
"Mmm," Aegon nodded forcefully, complaining, "But I don't like that Hightower's woman."
Alicent's expression froze, and she accidentally broke a fingernail. "Aegon, you've had too much to drink. Go and rest for a while."
Viserys patted his second son on the back to save his wife. Aegon looked around, muttering in dissatisfaction, "Fine, I'll go find Daena. I'm marrying her next month."
After he left, Alicent's expression softened. Viserys said nothing, gesturing to a nearby seat and whispering, "Sit."
"Thank you." Alicent smiled awkwardly and then sat down, fiddling with the hem of her skirt. She had not returned to King's Landing for many years, living in seclusion at Harrenhal and serving the Seven. Now that she was suddenly back in the public eye, she felt uncertain about her role as Queen Mother.
The atmosphere at the table had become dull since her arrival. Alicent looked around, her eyes settling on Rhaegar. She hesitated and asked, "Helaena wrote to me. She's pregnant."
"Yes," Rhaegar said, taking a sip of wine and appearing calm and collected. "You're going to be a grandmother."
'Hmm... It's hard to distinguish between a grandmother and a great-grandmother in this house,' she thought. Alicent lowered her head in disappointment, unable to accept it. Her thumb bled from where she had been picking at it. After fighting Rhaenyra for half her life, she found herself in this situation.
After a long time, Alicent reluctantly accepted the reality and several times wanted to speak but stopped. She wanted to stay in the Red Keep. Harrenhal was a good place, but it was not a place for humans. Being confined in the chapel all day and watched by holy sisters every moment was almost driving her crazy.
"That..." Alicent gritted her teeth, swallowing her pride.
"You can stay at the Red Keep," Rhaegar interrupted her. "Helaena needs someone to look after her. She wants you to stay."
"Really?" Alicent was stunned, unable to believe what she had heard.
Rhaegar nodded, calmly saying, "Stay. Rhaenyra is not in King's Landing. The Red Keep needs a capable woman to run it." Helaena was a little scatterbrained and could not be expected to manage the court. Jeyne had the ability and ideas, but she would eventually return to the Vale.
"Okay, I will definitely take good care of everyone," Alicent said, smiling, slightly freeing herself from her humble position.
Rhaegar didn't care either. House Hightower was temporarily managed by Lyonel Hightower, who was only twelve years old. Otto was exiled, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive. Alicent could not stir up any trouble in the court.
"Oh, I just saw Daeron. Why isn't Aemond here?" Alicent hesitated slightly and asked, "Aemond should also be getting married soon." Harrenhal was cut off from the rest of the world, and she had not yet heard of Cassandra's death.
Rhaegar's eyes flickered slightly, uncertain. The Kingsguard, Cole Criston, had left for overseas half a month ago. There should be news by now.
...
Essos, Qohor.
"Roar!" A shrill roar echoed through the clouds as the ugly, brownish-black dragon soared through the sky.
"Dragon!..."
"Hide in the caves!"
Suddenly, the Free City, nestled in the mountains, erupted into chaos and confusion.
Aemond laughed heartily, his lips curling into a cruel smile as he watched the terrified civilians below flee. "Dracarys, Sheepstealer!"
"Roar!" Sheepstealer scanned the area with bloodshot eyes, roared, and swooped down, spitting dragonfire at a tall black goat statue in the center of the city.
Boom!
Dragonfire rained down like molten mud, burning holes in the statue and causing it to collapse.
"Run!"
"Ah..."
The civilians screamed in agony, their bodies wrapped in the earthy brown dragonfire, which gradually consumed them.
Qohor revered the "Black Goat" as their deity. The destruction of the Black Goat statue severely damaged their faith.
"Roar!" Sheepstealer sniffed the air, locked onto a direction, and pounced like a cat on a mouse.
Boom! The dragonfire destroyed the wooden fence at the back of the mountain.
"Baa-baa~~" The sheep pen was destroyed, and the goats fled, bleating and running from the dragonfire.
"Roar!" Sheepstealer, full of excitement, destroyed more sheep pens, driving hundreds of goats out of the pasture.
"Well, let's have a feast," Aemond said, his one eye glinting as he looked back at the Forest of Qohor. He did not stop the Mud Dragon from acting on its own. He awaited reinforcements to completely capture the Free City.
"Roar!" Sheepstealer roared ferociously, burning one goat after another, and landed to feast on them. The surrounding herdsmen and guards saw this and slowly backed away in panic, not daring to interfere.
...
Forest of Qohor
Clop, clop, clop...
"All troops, speed up! Prepare siege equipment!"
Cole, clad in silver armor and a white robe, rode a heavily armored war horse, energetically commanding the troops. In the lush primeval forest, the army, a motley mix of people numbering no less than 10,000, advanced. Two flags were particularly conspicuous in the front row.
Otto, looking solemnly at the Free Cities of Greystone visible in the distance, said, "Aemond has started!"
Behind him, dozens of guards, all wearing armor with the green-on-white Hightower emblem, stood ready. "That kid is too impulsive. We have to hurry and clean up the mess for him."
Bartimos Celtigar followed closely behind, leading a hundred-man guard. The old man, with sparse silver hair and green eyes that flashed with brilliance, rode a white war horse. Unfortunately, his hand had been cut off, so he could only use his feet to step on the stirrups. "Let's go!"
Cole, supported by the two old foxes, shouted out the military order. Behind the main force, a 3,000-strong mercenary army and a 5,000-strong Dothraki cavalry followed closely.
After a long time. Qohor, the city gates.
The 3,000 Sellswords lined up in perfect formation, pushing out siege engines and catapults. "Ooh-la-la~~" The Dothraki cavalry surrounded the city on horseback, brandishing their curved swords and squealing.
Cole, with his usual righteousness, asked, "Do we wait for the Prince's orders or attack the city?"
"Not yet." Otto, with deep eyes and wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, thought for a moment and said, "Qohor has a weak defense and only the standing army of the Unsullied."
Bartimos looked at the black-armored soldiers on the city walls and made up his mind: "We'll burn the city with the dragon, then claim we'll spare their lives if they surrender, and trick the commoners into opening the city gates."
Cole frowned and hesitated, saying, "This goes against the honor of knights."
"Haha, but this is war." Bartimos smiled slyly and said proudly, "The purpose of our trip is to achieve the greatest reward with the least sacrifice."
He had married his daughter to the one-eyed Aemond. For this, he almost fell out with the Sea Snake. For the sake of a dragon, he used all his financial resources to support his one-eyed son-in-law and establish an exclusive territory.
Qohor, one of the Free Cities, not only has the most complete smithing techniques in the world, but also boasts wool, silk, lace, and other expensive fabrics, which are cheaper than those in Myr. Taking down Qohor will bring a steady stream of wealth.
...
Back Mountain Ranch
"Roar!" Sheepstealer lay on the ground, surrounded by scorched earth and the charred bones of goats.
Swish! An army of 800 Unsullied, armed with spears and round shields, slowly approached.
"Attack!" The commander, whose helmet had two spikes, shouted loudly and threw his spear first. The Unsullied followed suit, hurling their spears in a dense formation.
From a distance, Aemond watched, laughing mockingly. "You're digging your own grave."
Boom! Sheepstealer spread its wings and stood up, its massive body shaking the ground.
Clang! The spears rained down on its thick, muddy scales.
Flap!
Sheepstealer raised its eyes in mockery and, with a flap of its wings, knocked away a large number of spears. For a dragon in its prime, human attacks were like tickling—nothing more than a joke.
"Burn them all, Sheepstealer!" Aemond's one eye darkened as he gave the order coldly.
"Roar!"
Without giving the Unsullied army a chance to react, Sheepstealer took off with a running start, and mud-like dragonfire spread across the sky.
"Ahhh!"
"Retreat, counterattack!" The Unsullied army suffered heavy losses from the dragonfire. The terrified commander, still not daring to retreat, drew a second spear from his back.
(Word count: 1,987)