We Bleed Silver(GOT/ASOIAF Fanfic)

"There is something I think you should know," Maester Visari added.

Draezell thought for a moment. "I believe I understand what you're going to add. Evens, your homeland is still independent, right?"

Evens Dayne puffed out his chest with a hint of pride. "Indeed, my lord. Dorne has never knelt to any northern lord since the great Nymeria crossed the seas with the great fleet, and the marriage alliance with Mors Martell. Even after Conqueror Aegon Targaryen's dragons destroyed our castles, we still proudly stand in the desert and rivers south of the Red Mountains. My ancestor, King Dorian Dayne, once ruled the region of the Torrentine, and after being defeated by the Warrior Queen, he bent the knee to her. Another ancestor, Ser Davos Dayne, became her king consort after the Warrior Queen became a widow."

"I heard you even downed a dragon?" Draezell asked. His handsome face betrayed no expression.

"Yes," Evens Dayne nodded. "The remains of Meraxes still rest at the Uller family's Gatehouse."

"Although I don't like to bring it up," Lynn Valtaken interrupted with a chuckle, "the ancestor of the one sitting before you participated in the war that destroyed Rhoynar. They killed dragons and nearly Drying up the entire Rhoynar River."

"My lord, that happened nearly a thousand years ago," Evens Dayne explained. "While we take pride in our Rhoynar bloodline, it does not mean we inherit our ancestors' hatred. And you—"

"My surname is Vaelarys, and we were once the dragonlords of Valyria. The last emperor of Valyria, Aurelian Vaelarys, is my direct ancestor," Draezell clarified, answering the confusion. "Of course, we are no longer the dragonlords, as we lost all our dragons."

The young man glanced at those around him and sighed. "It's not hard for you to understand. My mother was Princess Saera Targaryen, so do you see why I'm asking you about the current state of Westeros?"

Evens froze for a moment.

His mind had to catch up.

The offspring of Princess Saera and King Viserys I were of the same generation.

He wants to go back to Westeros? To claim a right to the throne? That's why he's asking about the current situation?

But Saera's descendants were disinherited during the Great Council of 101 AC.

No, wait.

Evens suddenly realized what the current issue facing Westeros was, and a chill ran through his mind.

"Relax," Draezell reassured him. "I'm just asking out of curiosity. While I am the legitimate son of Princess Saera, I am well aware that I have no claim to the throne. I only wish to understand more about my mother's homeland, especially since she always spoke of it before her death."

He paused for a moment.

In fact, before Princess Saera passed away, she often mentioned two names.

King Jaehaerys, who she cursed.

And Alyssanne, who se longed.

Evens knew this was just an excuse Draezell had made up, but he still had to provide as complete an answer as possible.

"Let's start with the state of the Seven Kingdoms," Draezell said, raising his hand. Maester Visari pulled out an old map from his robes and spread it across the floor.

It was a complete map of Westeros.

"As you can see, the rulers of the six kingdoms of Westeros are the Targaryens, led by King Viserys I, your—"

"My cousin," Evens interrupted, shaking off his nerves. "Please, continue."

"We begin from the north and move south. The North is the largest of the Seven Kingdoms, divided from the southern six by the Neck. It remains cold year-round, even during the long summer, and often sees snowfall. It is also the poorest of the Seven, ruled by the Warden of the North, Lord Rickon Stark of Winterfell. By the time I was captured by pirates, Lord Rickon had been bedridden for quite some time, and his son, Lord Cregan Stark, will be the future ruler of the North."

"I've heard there's a wall in the north of Westeros, built to fend off the mythical creatures of death and the wildlings," Draezell pointed north, toward Winterfell.

"Yes, it's one of the grandest structures in all the Seven Kingdoms. It's said that Brandon Stark, the 'Builder,' with the help of giants and the Children of the Forest, built the Wall," Evens said thoughtfully. "However, the Maesters at the Citadel believe that the so-called 'Others' are merely part of legend and are not to be taken seriously. Instead, the Wall was likely constructed by the early rulers of the North to keep the wildlings at bay."

"Citadel still rejects the mysterious, hmph," Maester Visari muttered with some discontent. "They forget that the foundation of the Citadel was built on the study of the arcane."

Evens did not dare to continue the conversation and proceeded with his report. "South of the Neck is the region of the Trident. The land here is fertile, the terrain flat, and the Frey family, who control the crossing of the river, have become a wealthy new family by charging tolls. However, the other noble families in the region look down upon them. The house blackwood of raventree hall and the house Bracken of Stone Hedge once ruled the Riverlands, and their enmity has lasted for over a thousand years."

Evens went on, introducing the great noble families one by one.

"The Tully family of Riverrun rules the Trident region as the Lords Paramount, guarding the Riverlands for the king. However, the authority of Lord Tully is not particularly strong. The Riverlords tend to resolve their own issues, and at the lake of God's Eye, Harrenhal, the largest castle in the Seven Kingdoms, is ruled by House Strong. They lost their lord and heir two years ago, and the current Lord of Harrenhal is a cripple."

"This is also a contested area," Draezell confirmed, reflecting on what he had learned. The Riverlands were prosperous and densely populated but lacked strong leadership and were caught in the middle of four wars. If conflict broke out, this region would become the main battlefield in Westeros.

"To the east lies the Vale, a relatively isolated area. The Bloodgate in the east controls the only passage into the Vale, while Gulltown in the west dominates the Vale's maritime trade. The ruler of the Vale is Lady Jeyne Arryn of Eagle's Nest. Under her rule, the Vale has prospered and remained stable, though it rarely participates in the politics of Westerosi courts."

"The Westerlands are ruled by the Warden of the West, Lord Jason Lannister of Casterly Rock. The Westerlands are rich in gold, making them one of the wealthiest regions despite the many mountains. Lord Jason's brother, Ser Tyland Lannister, had already been serving at King Viserys I's court before I was captured. He's very close with Lord Otto Hightower of the Reach."

"To the south, the Reach faces similar problems to the Riverlands," Evens continued, showing more familiarity when discussing his homeland. "The Reach is the oldest and richest of the Seven Kingdoms. It's said that Garth, the Greenhand, founded it and worked tirelessly to cultivate it. Of course, the scholars at the Citadel believe Garth was merely a tribal leader from the First Men era. In any case, the current ruler of the Reach is House Tyrell of Highgarden, descendants of the Gardeners Kings. But despite their rule, the old noble houses—like the Hightowers of Oldtown, the house Rowan of the Goldengrove, the Florents of Brightwater Keep, the Peakes of Starpike, the Redwyne family of the Arbor, and the Tarlys of Horn Hill—these ancient families, with their vast lands and armies, still trace their lineage back to the legendary Greenhand and show little regard for the Tyrells' rule. Especially the Hightowers of Oldtown, who, after King Viserys I wed Queen Alicent Hightower, have subtly risen to become the de facto leaders of the Reach."

"It seems there's no shortage of internal conflict in Westeros," Draezell mused, his eyes shifting to the other side of the map.

"The Stormlands are ruled by Lord Boremund Baratheon of Storm's End. The Stormlords are often in conflict with us Dornishmen, but the Dornish respect Boremund as a true man of honor, valuing vows, responsibility, and duty. However, his son, Royce Baratheon, is a rogue and a chameleon," Evens said, becoming more animated as he spoke of their old rivals.

"Please continue," said Lynn Valtaken, who had been listening intently, gently steering Evens back on track.

"Dorne is ruled by Prince Qoren Martel. He is a cautious leader." Evens didn't want to comment too much on his lord's lord and turned to the corner of the map. "This area here is the Iron Islands, where the Ironborn, who worship the Drowned God, have thrived. The Greyjoy rules these rocky islands and is known for their piracy, adhering to ancient ways of raiding and plundering. Despite multiple decrees from the Iron Throne to cease, nothing has changed."

"This was inevitable," Draezell remarked as he saw the geography and size of the Iron Islands. It was clear that the Ironborn's path to raiding was almost a natural consequence.

"Finally, there is the King of the Iron Throne," Evens added.

"But not of the Dornish people."

"Undoubtedly, King Viserys is a good king," Evens continued. "He continued the policies of King Jaehaerys I, maintaining general peace within the realm, and Dorne has enjoyed relative stability. However, recent events have caused unrest across the kingdom." Evens traced the timeline of these events, then continued.

"King Viserys' first queen died in childbirth, taking with her the king's only male heir. After that, the king had some conflicts with his brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen, eventually deciding to name Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the 'Realm's Delight,' as his heir. She is the Princess of Dragonstone and the rider of the dragon Syrax. But the king soon remarried Queen Alicent Hightower, who bore him three sons: Prince Aegon, Prince Aemond, and Prince Daeron. This led many nobles to secretly oppose Rhaenyra's claim to the throne."

"This is to be expected," Draezell thought, remembering his own encounter with that unfortunate man who lost his head. "After all, Viserys's right of succession was obtained by King Jaehaerys using the 'will of the people' to deny the inheritance rights of his eldest granddaughter and daughter. Now, if you disrupt the traditional system of primogeniture, what do you think the nobles will think?"

"But the king remained ambiguous, and the princess had some issues. Her three sons, born from her first marriage to Lord Corlys Velaryon's son, Ser Laenor Velaryon, lacked the characteristic features of Valyrians."

Draezell perked up, curiosity taking over his thoughts—there was some gossip here!

"It is rumored that these three boys are actually the bastards of Princess Rhaenyra and her knight, Ser Harwin Strong. However, all three of the boys hatched dragons, and after the king's severe punishment, no one speaks of this anymore."

"After all, their mother has the blood of a Dragonlord," Draezell said, understanding. "It matters little who their father is."

"After the deaths of Ser Laenor and his sister, Princess Laena Velaryon, two years ago, Princess Rhaenyra married Prince Daemon Targaryen, who had lost his wife, Laena. The royal family dynamic grew even more complicated," Evens continued, summarizing the royal family's tangled relationships. "But during this time, Prince Aemond, the second son of Queen Alicent, and Prince Lucerys Velaryon, the second son of Princess Rhaenyra, clashed. Prince Lucerys blinded Prince Aemond in one eye, and Aemond mounted Laena's dragon, Vhagar."

"One eye for a dragon," Draezell mused, thinking this was not too bad a trade, and in fact, the Targaryens might have welcomed such an outcome. After all, no matter how close they were with the Velaryons, they were still Velaryons, not Targaryens.

"This deepened the divide between the princess and the queen. In the two years following the incident, the princess and Prince Daemon lived on Dragonstone, while the queen stayed in King's Landing to assist the king with court matters. Things were relatively peaceful."

Peaceful, wasn't?