House of The Dragon: The blind warrior

I was sitting in one of the many balconies on Dragonstone that overlooked the sea, feeling the calm breeze hit my maskless face, enjoying the respite from these hectic days.

Strumming the lute in my hands, I played in tandem with the wind and the singing of the birds, just enjoying the time I had for myself.

I had been patiently waiting for news to reach me from Harrenhal since Ezio had informed me that Arrow had delivered the message to Jaceerys, but my patience was running thin, considering it's been around a week since he had received his orders.

I'm confident in his abilities, knowing how competent he has made himself after my so-called demise.

Yet, I cannot help but worry for him.

Hearing the approaching footsteps of Yue, I paid no mind to him, instead focusing on the tune I was crafting from the sounds of nature.

"My lord," Yue spoke up from where he was now standing as I continued with my playing.

"Yue?" I said in a questioning manner. He knew I didn't like being interrupted when I played the lute, so if he was interrupting me, he had something of note to say.

Yue, knowing his mistake, swallowed audibly before speaking words that were almost a song to my ear. "A raven, my lord, from Harrenhal," he said, extending the missive as my fingers stopped plucking the strings on the lute.

Putting the instrument aside, I took the missive from his extended hand before unfurling the parchment and placing it on my lap so I could read the contents with my fingers.

Feeling the rough texture of the parchment, I pressed my fingers on the writing as I slowly moved through it, every word I felt coming together in my mind to form a coherent sentence.

Finishing through the parchment, I sat there for a moment to let the information sink in before I let the smile I had been holding back come to my face.

"He did it, Yue," I said softly, hearing Yue shift in his place, a smile on his face as well. "He did well," I continued, standing up and approaching the stone railing on the balcony before sighing audibly.

"Now we can move our plans forward," I said, feeling Yue approach to stand next to me. "Do you really think they'll start targeting the Crownlands, my lord?" Yue spoke from where he stood next to me as I grinned.

I nodded in confirmation. "I know it, Yue," I said, with conviction.

How could I not? That's where my grandmother would lose her life... or would have lost her life in another life had I not been here.

Yue, who shifted next to me, had a questioning gaze as he asked, "But my lord, do you have to be the one to do it?" he asked me, worry in his voice, knowing what I was planning.

I hummed in agreement as I tapped my finger on the stone railing rhythmically before answering vocally. "If I don't do it, someone will lose their life," I said, an image of a dead Meleys and a charred corpse next to her invading my mind.

Shaking my head to clear the thought, I turned my nonexistent gaze to Yue before saying, "Besides, we both know it will be an unfair fight," I said, a smile gracing my lips.

"For them."

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King's Landing (The Red Keep)

Criston Cole had a heavy heart as he washed his face with the basin full of water. He did not know how things had gone so awry as they were now.

He had done many deeds while he was a Kingsguard, some good, but he knew most were a stain on his cloak. Yet, as he looked at his reflection through the water, he could not help but stare at the gleaming, ornate hands made of silver lining his armor.

The hands symbol.

Somehow, through all of the chaos, he had risen to the station of Hand, and he should have been happy—no, ecstatic.

Yet, all he felt was his heavy heart, stained by all the bad deeds he had committed and the ones he would be committing soon.

Splashing his face one last time, he took the cloth hanging from the chair before wiping his face off of the sweat and grime from his training, steeling himself for the council meeting he knew would change the course of this war.

Walking out of his chambers, he descended the tower to the main staircase that led to the Small Council chamber, but before he could even take the first step down the stairs, he saw two white-cloaked individuals sitting idle at the base of the stairs.

They were wearing Kingsguard armor, he observed, as he started slowly descending the stairs, making sure to stop and look at them with a pointed gaze. He noticed the familiar faces of Aegon's lickspittles as he glared at them.

The two men, who saw the Lord Commander giving them a pointed look, looked at each other, not feeling the weight of the situation at all, before they stood up and made themselves attentive.

Cole could only scoff internally before making his way to the council room, where he was once again greeted by a familiar face wearing Kingsguard armor, leaning on the chamber doors.

Ignoring the man, Cole continued through the chamber doors and into the room that was fuller than usual.

He stepped into the room that had already been filled with the council members, knowing that he was tardy, considering he had taken his time before he officially started his day as the King's Hand.

"Good morrow, your graces, my lords," he spoke, approaching the table to grab the marble stone that was in the center, not missing the box that was in front of Lord Larys, which had a foul odor coming from it.

Taking his seat before placing the ball on the holding ring, he noticed how the Queen and everyone else seemed to be bothered by the box, which Lord Larys seemed to stare at in a haunting manner.

"Forgive my tardiness," Cole spoke. Aegon didn't pay attention to his apology, too busy playing with a dagger.

"You've appointed new knights to the Kingsguard?" Cole asked, knowing he wasn't going to get a reply to his earlier apology.

Aegon, who heard the question that sounded more like an accusation, turned to look at him before answering, "Yes, to replace those we have lost," he said shortly before Lord Jasper commented, "The last one, needlessly, some might say," which infuriated Criston Cole.

"Ser Arryk was given the great duty of slaying Rhaenyra, and he failed," he said, putting the blame on the man who was only following orders, and who many thought dead, not knowing his fate.

Alicent, who heard the excuse, turned to look at Cole before saying, "He failed because the scheme was rash." Cole wanted to ignore her, but not having the guts to do so, he turned to face her before saying, "Alas, your grace, we cannot all wait in our castles for war to come to us," shortly, locking eyes with her.

"As now, it surely will," Rheala said from where she sat next to Aegon. Larys, who up to this point had been silently staring at the box, spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "As now, it surely has, your graces, my lords," he said, sliding the box many were curious about to the center.

There was a silence in the room before Cole asked the question many had in their minds. "What are we looking at, my lord?" knowing the smell emanating from the box well from his days as a foot soldier.

Larys, who heard the question, only extended his hand before saying, "Why don't you see for yourself?" in a cryptic manner that many didn't like, coming from the Master of Whispers.

No one moved to inspect the box, even Aemon, who many knew as a fearless individual, seemed content with observing the spectacle.

Criston Cole, seeing no one moving to inspect the box, took it upon himself. He slowly stood up before reaching for the smelling box, bringing it to himself.

As he stared at the box and placed his hands on either side of it, he hesitated and looked at each person in the council room. All showed varying faces, but everyone had a tinge of curiosity, except for Larys, who seemed to just close his eyes.

Steeling himself, Criston Cole slowly opened the lid, waiting for what awaited him, and as the box fully opened, a foul smell greeted everyone in the room, while Cole took the brunt of it as he turned away from the box to keep himself from gagging.

"By the gods," he heard Maester Orwyle say, as he slowly turned to look at the hand neatly placed on the box, which held a letter stamped with an unknown sigil.

"What is it?" the King asked, looking at Criston Cole, who had his hand on his nose, the same way the King did, before Criston slowly turned the box around for the King to see the hand.

Aegon, who saw the severed hand, flinched a little, but nonetheless kept his composure. His wife, who was sitting next to him, couldn't say the same as she stared at the severed and decaying hand that had maggots crawling in it. She was horrified.

"Wh… whose is it?" she asked, stammering, as she looked at Criston Cole, who shook his head, having the same question but no answer.

Aegon, who kept staring at the hand which held the letter, slowly inched forward, reaching for the letter but was stopped by his wife. "What are you doing!?" she asked in panic as she held him back.

Aegon calmly looked at her, though the annoyance on his face was not missed by anyone. "There's a letter, which I'm sure has the answers to the questions we all seem to be thinking of," he said, in a pointed manner, locking his eyes with Rheala, who hesitated before letting go of her husband.

Aegon, who was free to reach for the letter, slowly grabbed it before prying it from the hand, then sitting back down.

"A dragon sigil," he said, showing it around the room before turning it back. It was an unfamiliar dragon sigil to him, yet some people, like Maester Orwyle and Larys, knew of that sigil.

It was an infamous one, more known across the Narrow Sea.

Aegon, who observed the wax seal for longer than needed, pried the letter open before slowly taking out the parchment inside and unfurling it. He started reading the contents silently, getting many curious stares as he made a frowning face.

There was a pin-drop silence as the council members waited in anticipation.

Aegon finally looked up from the parchment before saying, "It's in High Valyrian," which wasn't much to go on considering they wanted the contents read to them.

"And what does it say?" It was Alicent, the Queen Regent, who asked the question, having been patient for as long as she could, and as she looked at the embarrassed look that came over Aegon, she knew it was hopeless. She had forgotten one crucial thing.

Aegon, in all his kingly might, did not know how to speak or read High Valyrian for the life of him.

So, as the room once again descended into silence, and Aegon sat there helpless, it was his wife, the Queen Rheala, who took the parchment from his hand and started reading the contents aloud while translating it roughly and as accurately as she could.

Vezhvenka va morghūljagon se rhaevirī.

Nyke ēdruta korys Larys Strong, ēdruta ūndegon, renēbagon, ziry, jorrāelza, ēdruta Valyron se Targaryen. Vezhven, se vāedar. Se vestri sīr. Vezho gaomagon lēdron, pāsagon ābra rhaevir, se hōrālis sīr ēdruta vāedar, se ūndegon sīr ēdruta amāzā.

Vezho, "Nay." Nay, iā ōrvae Se Ābra Rhaevir, Nay, iā Otto Hightower, Nay, iā ēdruta rhaemās iksan vāedar—Aegon, Rhaella, Aemond, se Vezhvenka Alicent. Vezhven ōrbarā līr sīr. Rhaevirā, līr rhaevir, se tōvārdagon līr. Vezho hoshūn, vestri horraze rhaēje Vezhven, se vāeōrīs rhaevirā lēdron.

//Translation//

( To the usurper and his council,

You may have heard of the words from one Larys Strong, but allow me to make this clear: I, Vealor of House Vealryon and Targaryen, live. Yes, it is true, and I live with an ire that burns Hot. After years of wandering in foreign lands, I return home, only to be met with the cold and unyielding truth of my grandfather's passing, and his throne now occupied by a debauched imposter—a stain upon House Targaryen.

To this, I say Nay. Nay to the Green Council. Nay to Otto Hightower. Nay to those I once called family—Aegon, Rhaella, Aemond, and Grandmother Alicent. You have stolen something precious from my mother. No, you have stolen my grandfather's legacy, and I swear, I will right this wrong with Fire and Blood.)

There was a pin-drop silence in the room as everyone sat in their seats, digesting the words the queen had read to them, the very person herself barely keeping her cool as her legs shook under the table.

Suddenly, laughter was heard coming from the opposite end of the council room.

Aemond, who had been quietly observing everything, could not help it. He was excited. The warning he had just heard was strong. The way the words were written, the way it revealed that the writer already knew of their knowledge of him, meaning he most likely knew of the spies Larys Strong had placed. It was a well-crafted message that showed power and opposition, and it made Aemond's blood boil hot.

So he laughed.

"So, it is war then?" he spoke with a face-splitting grin after calming down from his fit of laughter, which, from the way some had recoiled, was disturbing.

"Let's not jump to haste, my prince. This is only a tactic to scare us, clearly," Lord Jason spoke, stammering in nervousness, while Aegon, who sat silently fidgeting with his dagger, glanced at his queen, who seemed to be frozen in place.

"But nonetheless, my lord, it is clear that Vealor poses a greater threat than Rhaenyra and Daemon combined. He has an army of trained soldiers at his beck and call," Lord Jasper said, turning to the kings. "Surely you see that this is a call to war, your grace?" he finished.

"I have also gotten news from the Riverlands that the Brackens have laid down their arms against the Blackwoods in support of the pretender," Aemon spoke, glancing at Larys, who seemed to show no indication that he knew of the news.

"The word will spread, and soon all the Riverlands will be supporting the pretender. We need a way to suppress them," Aemon spoke pointedly, while Lord Jason grew increasingly more nervous, realizing that the time for planning was passing, and the time for action was finally closing in.

"Why don't we call on Lord Tully? These are his bannermen; send him to deal with them," Maester Orwyle spoke.

"That old fool could not control his cock in a cunt, let alone his vassals," Lord Jasper spoke as he scoffed, before realizing what he had said was inappropriate to the ears of the two women who sat in the council room. "I apologize, my queens," he said, inclining his head.

"What about your uncle Ormund, your grace? He rides from Oldtown as the head of great hosts?" Lord Jasper shared his half-baked idea. "And if I'm not mistaken, your brother Dearon's dragon is at fighting age. Why don't you call on them to suppress the Riverlands?" he finished, getting a scoff from Queen Alicent.

"It would take them months to arrive in the Riverlands, my lord," she said, revealing the hole in his plan.

"How about my brother, your grace?" Lord Jasper spoke, getting Aegon's attention, whose patience was clearly running thin. "He is raising a great army in Casterly Rock as we speak. In a matter of a week, he will be able to harass both the Brackens, the Blackwoods, and any other lord who decides to side with them from the West," he suggested, which wasn't a bad idea. Many in the council agreed, except for Maester Orwyle.

"Should we not aim to unite these forces to form one large army?" he asked, turning to Lord Jasper, who seemed offended.

"Oh, and is that what the great military mind of the Citadel thinks? Tell me, Maester Orwyle," he said, leaning in to touch his links. "Do remind me which link in your chain…" Jason started speaking as Maester Orwyle also spoke in tandem.

Aegon, who couldn't take it anymore, grabbed the dagger he was fidgeting with and slammed it onto the table, startling Rheala from her tense state and silencing the rising commotion.

"Does anyone in this fucking council have good ideas!?" he shouted, looking around to make eye contact with everyone in the room.

"The Riverlands are the key to this war," Criston Cole spoke, getting the attention of both the king and the council. "And Harrenhal is key to the Riverlands. I will take with me those who I can muster—men I know, men I've trained," he said, looking at everyone before his eyes stopped at Alicent.

"You need time to muster these men," she spoke, locking her eyes with Cole, who was her lover in secret. "To raise a host that could rival the Rivermen takes time." But Criston shook his head, briefly sharing a glance with Aemond, with whom he had devised this plan.

"Speed is my ally," he said before turning to face the king. "I will turn the Crownland houses who declared for Rhaenyra to our cause. We will add their numbers to ours before turning west to once again turn the Brackens to our side and subdue the Riverlands before taking Harrenhal," he explained his plan briefly, which to everyone's ears sounded mad on all accounts.

Alicent, who couldn't hold herself back, spoke her mind. "You are so impatient to ride with few men, to most likely be destroyed by the first stronghold you meet," she said, looking at the man she thought she knew.

"A bold scheme," she whispered in disbelief, Criston locking his eyes with hers.

"The gods favor the bold," he said confidently, forgetting about the severed hand that was in front of him.

Alicent hearing this only shook her head before looking at the box, where she knew Ser Arryk's hand was. "Look what that did to Ser Arryk," she said lightly.

Criston frowned at the comment, before ignoring her and turning to the king instead.

"What say you, your grace?" he asked. Aegon, who was completely sold on the idea of slowly taking over the Crownlands before moving to the Riverlands, smiled menacingly.

"And you will take Aemond and Vhagar with you?" he asked, looking at Aemond, before Criston clarified.

"No, your grace. Vhagar will stay here, to protect the city," Criston said. Aemond, hearing this, turned to look at Criston Cole with a very small frown.

Aegon, hearing the plan, smiled again. "Good, to war then," before adding, "I'll come too, with Sunfyre." This had varying reactions from all around. Rheala was the first to react.

"Aegon, are you crazy?" she said, grabbing him from where she sat next to him, before there was a chorus of "Your grace" in the council room.

"Your grace, my plan is not to draw attention, and a dragon would do that," Criston explained in a very simple manner so Aegon would understand.

"And what if you do, God forbid, meet a dragon?" Aegon asked, shrugging Rheala off of himself. "What then, Cole?" he pushed on, Criston shaking his head before saying, "It would be unlikely, your grace. If anything, we would be more likely to encounter one if we took one of our own," he said with confidence, not realizing that his whole plan would come crumbling down if they met even one dragon in the sky.

"That is why you must stay, brother," Aemond spoke from where he was sitting, getting Aegon's attention. "It's a brave thought, but we cannot risk your loss." And then silence, no one speaking for a moment, all surprised that Aemond would show such care. Yet he knew it was only for show and that he and Criston had a plan.

"It seems you are forgetting something, my lord Hand," Larys spoke for the first time since going silent at the start of the council meeting, everyone forgetting he was even in the room.

Criston Cole, who heard him being addressed, turned to Larys in confusion before asking, "And what am I forgetting?" he asked, oblivious to what Larys was trying to point out.

Larys pointed his finger at the box near the king and Criston Cole. "Vealor, as you well know, has an army of sellswords who are used to moving quickly. How do you think they will respond the moment they hear you have started this campaign?" And it was a valid question. Everyone who was in the council knew it, even Criston himself.

"When you start, as you say, turning the cloaks of the lords in the Crownlands, how fast do you think the Sons of Dragons will be on you?" he asked once again, finally turning to look at Criston Cole, who was making a hard face.

"Well then, I'm just going to have to be faster, won't I?" Criston said, turning to the king, who nodded in agreement before saying, "Well then, my Hand, you have your task." And just like that, he was given leave to carry out his suicide mission, which Larys knew would not go as he was planning. No, he was positive that it would go completely awry.

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Hey everyone, another writing session is complete, and as promised, here's a new chapter for you this week!

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