Chapter 118: Otto's Obstruction and the Decision of the Centenarian King
In the Council Chamber of the Red Keep, Ser Otto Hightower, the acting Hand of the King, surveyed the royal councilors and Prince Viserys, heir to the Iron Throne.
"Daemon conquered Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, plundering vast amounts of wealth.
He should immediately withdraw to Westeros while the going is good, otherwise, the slave masters, slaves, surrounding city-states, and Stepstones pirates will all rise up in droves against Daemon's rule."
Ser Ryam Redwyne, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, frowned. "Daemon fought bloody battles with the Westeros army, suffering heavy losses, just to conquer the Three Daughters.
Are you asking for a withdrawal just because of the enemy's counterattack?
Where is your courage?"
Ser Otto Hightower stroked the golden hand necklace on his chest, revealing a profound smile, and pulled out a crest from his sleeve.
"Ser Ryam Redwyne, do you recognize this crest?"
Ser Ryam Redwyne intently examined the unfamiliar crest before him.
The crest was divided into four equal parts by a crossed silver chain, containing a golden longship on a black background, a black raven, a cluster of grapes, and a pine tree.
Ser Ryam Redwyne fell into thought. "I think I've seen this crest somewhere before, but I can't recall where."
Ser Otto Hightower, being learned, always loved to show off his knowledge.
"This is the crest of House Hoare of Oakmont Island, Iron Islands.
The Hoare family's crest tells the glorious history of their house: the longship represents the Ironborn of the Iron Islands, the grapes represent the Arbor, the pine tree represents Bear Island and Kraken Isle, and the black raven represents Raventree Hall in the Riverlands.
If Aegon the Conqueror had not ridden the Black Dread and burned Harrenhal, ending Harren the Black's bloodline, I suspect Harren would have added a giant castle to the Hoare family's crest."
At the mention of Harrenhal, Lord Lyonel Strong shifted uneasily in his seat.
The curse of Harrenhal was ancient, and as the current Lord of Harrenhal, Lyonel Strong felt uncomfortable whenever Ser Otto Hightower spoke of it.
Lord Lyonel Strong was pragmatic, capable, and learned.
He had studied at the Citadel in Oldtown when he was young, even forging several links.
It was in Oldtown that Lyonel Strong first met Ser Otto Hightower.
Lyonel Strong had seen many pedants like Ser Otto Hightower.
Lord Lyonel said, "Thank you, Ser Otto Hightower, for giving us a vivid history lesson.
If you hadn't mentioned it, none of us would have known this history.
What does this have to do with Prince Daemon's great conquest?" The sarcasm in his words was evident.
Ser Otto Hightower ignored the sarcasm in Lord Lyonel's words and continued, "Let us scour the history books; when invaders linger in places that do not belong to them, the outcome ultimately ends in tragedy.
The Hoare family is the best example.
The Hoare family once occupied the Riverlands and parts of the North and the Reach.
If they had quickly withdrawn to the Iron Islands after plundering the wealth of these places, then the Hoare family might still be Kings of the Iron Islands, and chiefs of raiders, to this day."
"What was the result?
The Hoare family levied exorbitant taxes in the Riverlands, built Harrenhal, and ultimately met their demise under dragonfire.
If Daemon does not withdraw in time from the Three Daughters, a land full of vipers and scorpions, foreign gods, and foreign accents, Daemon's fate will likely be the same as Harren the Black."
Lyman Beesbury, Master of Coin, was a vassal of Oldtown Hightower, yet he was an upright man.
Not only did he not echo Ser Otto Hightower's words, but he instead said, "Ser Otto Hightower, you have missed the most crucial point.
Harren the Black perished under dragonfire, while Daemon conquered the Three Daughters with the help of dragons.
In Daemon's great conquest, the governors, grandees, and princes of the Three Daughters are the true Harren the Black."
Ser Otto Hightower sighed. "My lords, I am entirely considering the kingdom.
If Prince Daemon continues his conquest, who will pay for Daemon's conquest?
It will be the royal treasury, the nobles and commoners of Westeros.
Are we to pay with gold and silver, and mountains of corpses and seas of blood, for Prince Daemon's selfish desires?"
Prince Viserys fiddled with his quill.
"The war began because the Three Daughters encroached upon the Stepstones, which rightfully belonged to Westeros.
Daemon led the Westeros army to war, not only reclaiming the islands and restoring the sea lanes but also expanding the Iron Throne's territory.
Ser Otto Hightower, how can Daemon's efforts be twisted into selfish desires in your words?"
Grand Maester Runciter chuckled. "Ser Otto Hightower, Prince Daemon defeated the kingdom's enemies for us.
Even if Prince Daemon had selfish motives, he still struck a blow against our enemies for the kingdom."
Ser Otto Hightower realized he couldn't win this argument, so he could only say helplessly, "The kingdom will be dragged into a quagmire of war because of Daemon's ambition.
Daemon's conquest has already provoked collective resentment from Braavos, Volantis, Pentos, and the Khals.
Why?
Because the Three Daughters has never belonged to the Iron Throne, nor to any dynasty of Westeros."
"Dorne is where we should conquer.
On Aegon the Conqueror's map table, the Seven Kingdoms are a single entity.
The titles of the Targaryen kings include King of the Seven Kingdoms and King of the Rhoynar, and Dorne is included there, but not the Three Daughters."
Viserys laughed wryly. "To abandon the rich and fertile Three Daughters for the land of vipers, scorpions, and deserts, Dorne?
According to your logic, when the First Men crossed the land bridge to Westeros, they defeated the Children of the Forest and should have withdrawn to the other side of the Narrow Sea; the Dragonlords of Old Valyria defeated the Ghiscari Empire and the Rhoynar coalition, and should have abandoned the fertile lands and retreated to the Valyrian Freehold; the Andals defeated the First Men and the Children of the Forest, and should have withdrawn to Andalos; Nymeria's thousand ships crossed the sea and conquered Dorne, and she should have withdrawn to the ruins of Naath."
Lord Lyonel Strong, Ser Ryam Redwyne, and Grand Maester Runciter were all amused by Viserys's remarks.
Ser Otto Hightower suppressed his anger, fiddling with a letter.
"Daemon claims in his letter that the Lyseni, Tyroshi, Myrmen, as well as his Dragon's Servants Army, Westeros Knights, Ironborn, Sistermen, and Winter Wolves, want him to wear the crown of the Three Daughters.
Daemon's ambition is evident.
He led the Westeros army to war, but now he wants to be crowned King.
This is clearly treason."
Viserys slowly rose.
"My brother Daemon conquered the Three Daughters: Lys, Tyrosh, and Myr.
Any one of these cities is larger than Oldtown and King's Landing.
Daemon has completed a great conquest, and in my opinion, he deserves a crown.
I will personally consult King Jaehaerys."
Viserys nodded to each of the royal councilors, signifying the end of the meeting, and the councilors departed.
Ser Otto Hightower did not leave; only Ser Otto Hightower and Viserys remained in the Council Chamber.
Ser Otto Hightower earnestly said, "Your Royal Highness, I know you have always deeply loved your brother Daemon, but if Daemon wears the crown of the Three Daughters and becomes King of the Three Daughters, he might covet the Iron Throne in the future."
Viserys calmly said, "Daemon is my flesh and blood; he is my right-hand man.
During the Great Council, even the bastards of House Targaryen came forward to claim inheritance and contend for the Iron Throne, but Daemon did not; he steadfastly supported me.
The Great Council has already determined that I am King Jaehaerys's heir.
If Daemon becomes King of the Three Daughters, he will remain in the Three Daughters, far from the Iron Throne.
How could he covet the Iron Throne?"
Ser Otto Hightower forced a smile.
He knew that what he was about to say might anger Viserys, but to persuade Viserys, Ser Otto Hightower could only choose to take a risk.
"Your Highness, at the Great Council on Dragonstone, you defeated Princess Rhaenys and became Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.
The Great Council established a consensus: the Iron Throne passes to males, not females, nor to the descendants of female heirs.
Although you have a lovely daughter like Princess Rhaenyra, unfortunately, you have no sons.
In the eyes of many, Daemon is the second in line to the Iron Throne after you; his claim to succession is above that of Princess Rhaenyra."
"The most crucial point is that Daemon has many sons, while you only have Princess Rhaenyra, a daughter.
Daemon has built dragon pits in the Stepstones, Tyrosh, and other places, and he has more and more dragon eggs in his possession.
How many dragonriders will Daemon's descendants have in the future?
Even if Daemon is loyal to you, his sons, who will grow up across the Narrow Sea, might convert to strange and unusual gods like R'hllor, the Trios, or the God of Love.
When Daemon's sons grow up, according to the custom of the Great Council, Daemon and his children will certainly believe that their claim to succession takes precedence over Princess Rhaenyra's."
The most painful thing for Prince Viserys was that he never had a son, while Daemon had many sons. Ser Otto Hightower's words reopened the deep wound in Viserys's heart, and Viserys's anger flared, a hint of fury seeping into his voice. "I am still young, and Lady Aemma is pregnant. This time she will surely bear me a son. I will have a son sooner or later; I have dreamed of him many times."
Ser Otto Hightower's incessant chatter finally awakened the Bronze Fury. When the Bronze Fury roared, his subjects could only retreat. Otto humbly bowed his head and said sadly, "Yes, may the Gods bless Lady Aemma."
However, Lady Aemma had miscarried too many times. Both Ser Otto Hightower and Grand Maester Runciter felt that it would be difficult for Lady Aemma to bear Prince Viserys a child, let alone a son.
Prince Viserys, under the escort of Ser Criston Cole of the Kingsguard, arrived at the royal chambers.
In King Jaehaerys's bedroom, the smells of urine, perfume, and medicine intertwined. When King Jaehaerys was young, he was an incredibly proud man. He rode Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, visiting hundreds of castles in Westeros, but now he was bedridden. Alicent Hightower and other maids, servants, and maesters cared for him. He was now exhausted and emaciated by old age and illness, his eye sockets sunken.
King Jaehaerys forced himself to speak, "Just now, Grand Maester Runciter changed my ointment. He said a raven arrived with good news, and only you can tell me this news. Prince Viserys, what is this good news? Has Daemon won another victory?"
Prince Viserys slowly nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, Daemon has captured Myr, the last stronghold of the Three Daughters. Now, Myr, Tyrosh, Lys, and the Myr Sea, the vast and fertile Disputed Lands, have all been brought into the Kingdom's territory by Daemon."
Hearing this good news, King Jaehaerys immediately brightened. He coughed a few times excitedly, "I spent half a century governing the Kingdom, yet I couldn't expand its territory by even an inch. Daemon has achieved it. He truly is a man for war."
"The Lysene, Tyroshi, and Myrish people are very cunning. Daemon's Kingdom is still young. We must continue to send troops and supplies to the Three Daughters to help Daemon hold onto his conquests. If we treat the Three Daughters as a colony and appoint governors, then the slave masters of Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh will certainly use the power of Volantis, Pentos, and Braavos to make a comeback. The best way is to crown Daemon as the King of the Three Daughters, so that the Three Daughters become a vassal state of the Iron Throne."
Prince Viserys said, "Rhaenys and the Sea Snake, Lord Roderick Dustin, the Wolf of the Barrows, Raven Greyjoy, Son of the Wind, the Marquis of Sunderland, the commander of the Dragon's Servants Army, as well as the Myr Craftsmen's Guild, the Red Priestess of the R'hllor Temple in Lys, the wise men of the Alchemists' Guild, and others, have all sent letters to Red Keep, requesting Your Majesty to crown Daemon as the King of the Three Daughters."
King Jaehaerys the Conciliator smiled, "At least Daemon has won the support of many. Daemon's coronation as King is the first step in consolidating the Three Daughters. My granddaughter Rhaenys and grandson Daemon have joined forces to conquer the Three Daughters. The daughter of Aemon and the son of Baelon, is there anything more perfect than this?"
The conquest of the Three Daughters not only expanded the territory of the Iron Throne but also, through the alliance of the Sea Snake, Rhaenys, and Daemon, healed the rift between the Aemon and Baelon lines at the Great Council of Dragonstone. The Valyrian Fleet of the Sea Snake, and the dragons of Rhaenys, Daemon, and Gael, were key to the conquest of the Three Daughters.
King Jaehaerys the Conciliator lay on his sickbed. His body was weak, but his mind was clear and decisive. He said, "The Three Daughters will become a vassal state of the Iron Throne. Where should the capital be chosen? Myr and Lys are too far from Red Keep. Tyrosh is the closest to Red Keep, and Tyrosh itself is a military fortress, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Let Daemon establish his capital in Tyrosh, and the Stepstones will also be under Daemon's rule."
Prince Viserys nodded slightly, "Should Daemon come to Red Keep to be crowned in the Great Sept of Baelor or the Red Keep?" Prince Viserys felt that this would bring Daemon immense glory, and he also did not want to miss Daemon's coronation ceremony.
King Jaehaerys the Conciliator shook his head, "No, this coronation is actually for the Lysene, Tyroshi, and Myrish people. The coronation ceremony should take place in the Three Daughters. If a newly conquered kingdom's newly crowned king chooses to cross mountains and seas to be crowned on another continent, how can the residents there love and support their new king? Daemon's enemies, Volantis, Braavos, and Pentos, will use this to incite the residents of the Three Daughters to resist Daemon."
"Daemon's coronation ceremony can only take place within the Three Daughters. Once the situation stabilizes, Daemon can naturally return to Westeros."
Prince Viserys said, "Daemon's Kingdom is very close to Dorne. Crossing the Stepstones, he can launch a lightning attack on Dorne. Ser Otto Hightower suggested immediately attacking Dorne to complete the unfinished work of Aegon the Conqueror."
King Jaehaerys smiled, "Daemon has just completed the great conquest of the Three Daughters. Let Daemon put a perfect end to Aegon the Conqueror's great conquest! Give the order: after Daemon is crowned King in Tyrosh, he will immediately lead the Westeros army and fleet to attack Dorne. Command Duke Beaumont Baratheon and Duke Marthos Tyrell, who are stationed in the Borderlands, to cooperate with Daemon's advance. The moment of revenge that the The Reach and Stormlands people have been waiting for has arrived."
In Myr, across the Narrow Sea, Daemon mounted Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm, and patrolled Myr. On the ground, the Kingsguard escorted boxes of gold, silver coins, and jewels onto ships.
Money changers had little business at the port. Myr Port was originally a busy port, but now, due to the war, merchant ships were nowhere to be seen, and the sea was full of shipwrecks and floating wood. Fortunately, people had gradually cleared the swollen bodies from the beach, which were all the remains of victims of the Myr Sea battle, swallowed by the sea and then spat out.
After Daemon conquered Myr, assassinations silently descended in the dead of night. Myrish people, armed with daggers or slender assassin's swords, attacked Dragon's Servants Army or Kingsguard taxi soldiers in the brothels, alleys, and taverns of Myr. More than a dozen soldiers died on the first night.
In troubled times, severe measures are needed. Daemon immediately ordered the Kingsguard and Dragon's Servants Army to implement a curfew and spent a lot of money to buy intelligence. Finally, with the help of the Myr Red Priest, the first group of culprits was identified. Under torture, more and more names were revealed. Without exception, these people were all slave masters, wealthy merchants, and nobles. Daemon crucified all of them by the sea and fed them to the crabs.
"Craghas, the Crabfeeder, was a Myrish scoundrel. That's how he tortured Westeros people. He died a terrible death, personally executed by me in the Stepstones and fed to the crabs. You dare to imitate him and oppose the dragons, this is your fate."
Assassinations gradually decreased but did not completely disappear. Rumor had it that the Sea Lord of Braavos had sent the Faceless Men, preparing to assassinate Daemon. Qabac fled to Volantis, where he was requesting the Archon of Volantis to send troops to help him retake Myr and recruiting mercenaries.
Daemon confiscated the property of over forty fleeing slave masters and nobles in Myr. To prevent the Myrish people from using this money to recruit mercenaries, win allies, and resist Daemon's rule, Daemon decided to transport all this money to Tyrosh. After the enemies' money was severely confiscated, the assassinations completely disappeared in Myr.
Some heinous slave masters were reduced to forced labor, and some former slaves became overseers. They wielded whips, flogging these once pampered Myr nobles, driving them towards the Myr River. Daemon had already ordered the construction of a military fortress at the mouth of the Myr River. To the south, the Three Daughters River flowed into the Summer Sea, and Daemon also ordered the construction of a military fortress there to block potential future naval attacks.
The Myr River Fortress and the Three Daughters River Fortress could strengthen the defense of Daemon's Kingdom, but they were far from enough. Daemon ordered the construction of Dragon's Manors in the Disputed Lands, Myr, Lys, Tyrosh, and other places, relying on existing estates, to organize the liberated slaves to farm. Each manor had the scale of a small castle, protected by the Dragon's Servants Army and the Kingsguard.
One day, the Sea Snake and Rhaenys, accompanied by the Iron Throne's envoy, came before Daemon.
"Prince Daemon, King Jaehaerys has crowned you King of the Three Daughters. Please prepare for your coronation ceremony."
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