We Bleed Silver(GOT/ASOIAF Fanfic)

Draezell nodded in satisfaction after listening to his sons.

It seemed his education of Rhaegor had been effective, and Rhaegor had indeed passed that knowledge down to his younger siblings.

At the very least, they weren't foolish enough to think total and absolute victory could be achieved on the battlefield alone.

"His Majesty the King hadn't originally intended to give Shariss such a high position," Dan recalled carefully the moment when Daeron had met with Fogen. Say what you would, but Daeron's instincts in war were scarily accurate. Although he hadn't known Shariss's true intentions, he had shown little interest in meeting Fogen from the very beginning.

After all, with seven dragons at his command, he could utterly crush any ground force. Even Braavos and Volantis—these seven dragons could easily bring both cities to their knees.

Though only the gods could say whether that kneeling would be genuine submission—or mere pretense.

"Viserys wrote a letter to His Majesty, didn't he?" The intelligence network in Dragon's Nest had already received highly accurate information: Daeron had indeed kept Fogen waiting for quite some time, focused instead on pursuing Robert's defeated forces.

It was only after Viserys learned of this that he personally sent out a raven, urging the king to accept Shariss's offer of peace. Reportedly, the king had been baffled by his uncle's actions.

Drunk and irritable, he had even childishly complained to Dan about his uncle's excessive caution. Daeron felt Viserys's caution offered no help in solving the problems they faced—and that rashly accepting surrender from a powerful usurper, one of the upper echelons of the anti-Iron Throne alliance, or calling it mere "cooperation," would bring no advantage to their war effort.

Dan still remembered the drunken words Daeron had likely already forgotten:

"I'd rather cut down every rebel bastard on the battlefield with real steel and fire. I have dragons—dragonfire will teach them who their true king is. Better that than sit in court watching them stab us with knives we can't see."

Of course, those weren't Daeron's exact words—Dan had refined them into a more elegant form.

Seems my grandson's instincts are still quite sharp.

Draezell leaned slightly against the comfortable backrest of his throne. He was getting old—comfort was something he no longer took for granted.

According to his intelligence—much of it coming through the remaining assets the Vaelarys family still held on the eastern continent—Tigarro and Hegon Dargaleon had long devoted themselves to maintaining the family's intelligence network. With an increasing number of dragons backing them, their businesses—so-called workshops, banks, taverns, warehouses—even when their true nature was clear to the rulers of the city-states where they operated, no one dared touch them.

Nor could they defend against the intelligence leaks from these multi-layered fronts.

And Shariss's intentions were indeed impure.

Behind him were the Braavosi bankers, greedy for dragons, and certain figures from Volantis shrouded in countless disguises. Though Braavos publicly condemned Volantis's slaveholding ways, in truth, the two most powerful Free Cities never lacked for backroom dealings.

"Father…" Jacaerys hesitated. "Should we warn the king?"

"Jace," said Rey, who was seated beside him, shaking his head gently. "There's no need. As you described, the king already senses something is wrong. If we say more, it'll only do harm. Your participation in the campaign gave the king six powerful adult dragons. That's more than enough to show the family's commitment to its vassal duties. Enough. Dan, please continue."

"When we left, the king was preparing to go to Hossaru. It's not as large as Lykar Laclen, but it's still one of the major cities in the Disputed Lands. Shariss plans to crown the king there, adding titles like: Lord Paramount of the Conquered Lands, High Lord of the Mountains, Prince of the Cities of the Rhoynar, Ny Sar, Lykar Laclen, Hossaru, and so on."

Dan's brow furrowed for a moment, then relaxed.

Lord Loras Tarly caught the flash of emotion on Dan's face. As the local noble closest to House Vaelarys, even the Dondarion couldn't compare. If not for the fact that most second-generation daughters of House Vaelarys had already been married within the family, he might have hoped to marry a daughter of the dragons himself.

"Dan, are you worried about His Majesty?"

"No, Loras, I'm not worried about the king. With Lord Joffrey, Prince Aemon, and Prince Illyon by his side, no one can hurt him. Even Hornstorm can enter the great hall if need be." Dan bit his finger. Something gnawed at him—a sense that he'd forgotten something important.

"Dan," Draezell said calmly, "the king didn't share his future plans with you, did he?"

Realization dawned on Dan. "You're right, Father. The king didn't tell Jace or me what he intends to do next."

Draezell nodded. "And that, my lords, is exactly why I advised against joining the expedition." His gaze swept over the gathered nobles, his tone soft, yet every child raised in the Purple Palace broke into a cold sweat beneath his look.

"The king may win everything on the battlefield, but beneath it, rulership will remind him what true lessons are. All we need to do is wait patiently," Draezell continued. "Time will reveal everything, and it will also bring compensation. Now, you may all leave. Seryna, you stay. Rhaegor, you too."

Rhaegor glanced at his father, who was suddenly sending everyone away, and gestured silently to his wife Daenyra to take the children and leave.

Of course, he knew full well that Aegon and Daenerys would definitely hide nearby and eavesdrop.

They were even more familiar with the structure of the Silverblood Tower than he was.

No one dared to question Draezell's authority. Soon, the hall was empty save for Rhaegor and Seryna.

Well, not quite empty—two children had slipped back after leaving and were now hiding in the ventilation shaft.

Nothing escaped Draezell's eyes. He noticed the little ones hidden in the vent almost instantly, but he merely smiled and pretended they weren't there.

"Seryna, tell me about the situation at Harrenhal."

Draezell watched as his daughter took a deep breath, stepped to the side, picked up a cup of wine, and downed it in one gulp.

"Seems someone upset my good daughter," Draezell said as he noticed her flushed face. He immediately realized she was suppressing her anger and sighed. Clearly, her time in Harrenhal hadn't been pleasant.

"Aegon is a bastard," Seryna said bitterly. "He ought to be grateful Rhaenya is such a good girl—gentle, kind, tolerant. If it were me, I would've already cut off his little brother."

"Seryna, don't let your emotions cloud your judgment," Rhaegor said calmly.

"Brother, you're the last person qualified to say that," Seryna shot back without mercy. As his sister, she knew exactly what kind of man Rhaegor was. She suddenly exhaled. "No, I need another drink." She picked a cup of cold wine, downed it, then finally said, "Melissa wasn't the only girl to give birth in Harrenhal. That damned Aegon sent three pregnant girls to that damned pimp. Melissa's child is a…"

She paused. "A strange boy. He didn't cry at birth, but he's healthy. This child… if I'm not mistaken, he might be born with albinism. Father, I've never seen a baby so pale. And he has one red eye and a red, raven-shaped birthmark."

"It's that child."

"Huh?" Seryna paused before realizing what her father meant. "Yeah, I figured."

"Anything else?"

Seryna nodded firmly. "Of course. The other two girls also gave birth to boys, but one had red hair—no Valyrian features. When Aegon came back from Braavos and saw him, he was so disappointed he just sent the girl away… If that bastard hadn't paid, I honestly would've let my Zarafax teach him a lesson. Syrax can't beat Zarafax anyway."

"Seryna, go on," Rhaegor interrupted again. He knew most of her words came from anger, but the rage couldn't be hidden.

What exactly had Aegon done?

"Rhaenya's pregnant," Seryna said, struggling to suppress her fury. "That bastard couldn't go whoring around after he returned, so he finally bedded the wife he never cared for. And now that she's pregnant, he refuses to admit it!"

Now Rhaegor couldn't keep his composure either.

"He claims he took moon tea and the effects hadn't worn off yet, so Rhaenya must have been unfaithful!" Seryna was nearly laughing in disbelief.

Even Draezell looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.