Things were not easy for Queen Rhaenyra to the east of Blackwater Bay. The woman who suffered from pregnancy, childbirth and stillbirth was hit hard by the tragic death of her son Louis Reese. When word of Princess Rheanys ' death reached Dragonstone, Queen Rhaenyra and Lord Velaryon, Hand of the Queen, had a heated argument, with the latter blaming the queen's decision for his wife's death entirely. "Only I can comfort the Queen's heart," declared the Queen's jester Mushroom. "I was the Queen's only adviser during that dark period, and laying down the scepter of the fiddler, and taking off the pointed hat of the jester, I devote all my sympathy and wisdom to my Queen. Many aristocrats are kept in the dark, unaware that their master is actually a jester, an invisible king in colorful clothes"
—Blood and Fire by Maester George Martin
Although the sea was stormy and lightning appeared frequently in the sky, the reefs of Dragonstone could still be seen on the sea level in the distance. At the same time, the sorcerer felt a tide of magic. "Well, Sir Vilgefortz, we will soon arrive at Dragonstone, where we will meet the queen and her small council after dressing." "I am looking forward to talking to the queen, My lord"
Soon after, Vilgefortz at the bow could clearly see Dragonstone. The castle of Dragonstone Island was made of black stone, its towers were carved in the shape of dragons, and many gargoyles of various shapes along the walls served as battlements. Most of the castle's design is related to dragons. Smaller dragons adorn the doorway frames, claws protruding from the walls serve as torch stands, huge stone wings contain the smithy and armory, and dragon tails form arches, bridges, and outdoor staircases. After landing, the sorcerer walked into the hall of the Stone Drum Tower under the guidance of Earl Velaryon. "The Stone Drum Tower is the main castle of Dragonstone Island. Whenever a storm comes, its ancient wall will boom and echo, just like the sound you hear now." Seasnake beside him introduced to him. The sorcerer nodded and agreed, "And the hall is a dragon lying on the ground, and people enter through its huge mouth." Sorcerer thought so. Such a Velaryon-style design and hidden blood magic power made him feel very chilling, even though he had seen countless situations more dangerous than this in his life in the past hundred years. Although he was a little uneasy, he remained calm and walked towards the small dressing room prepared for him with a smile on his face. And Lord Velaryon went straight upstairs.
The Picture Table Hall is located at the top of the Stone Drum Tower. It is a circular room with four tall and narrow windows facing east, west, north, south, and four directions. Behind a huge wooden table in the hall, the table is carved with a detailed map of Westeros, which was used by Aegon the Conqueror to formulate battle plans during the war of conquest. The "map table" was over fifty feet long, about half that length at its widest point, and less than four feet at its narrowest point. The position corresponding to Dragonstone Island has been carefully designed to correspond to a seat on a high platform, so that you can have a panoramic view of the desktop. And sitting on this chair right now is Queen Rheanyra, the daughter of Viserys I, and the people around the table are her small council: hand of Queen Corlys Velaryon, Master of laws Jacaerys Velaryon, Master of coin Bartimos Celtigar , Mistress of Whisperers Mysaria , Master of Ships Torrhen Manderly , Great Maester Gerardys and Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Steffon Darklyn .
The queen has been looking out the window at the storm, turning the ring on her finger in a circle: she does it whenever she is anxious . Her silver hair was braided in long braids in the style of Aegon I 's warrior-queen Visenya, though she was no warrior herself. She was dressed in black-dyed velvet and intricate gold Myr lace, her bodice sparkled with pearls and gemstones, and on her head was the crown that had been passed down from her great-grandfather. She had the inhuman beauty of House Targaryen , but multiple pregnancies had wrecked her figure, and in her twenties her pregnancy weight, bucket waist, and large breasts had never waned. The queen has been immersed in her own reverie: her second son was killed in such a storm, and the guest to be interviewed today can actually summon such a storm. And according to the hand of queen, this sorcerer came from another world. Could he be the messenger sent by the seven to help him win the war?
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, interrupting the Queen's meditation. She turned her eyes to the opened door, and Lorent Marbrand , a member of Kingsguard , reported that the sorcerer was coming. The Hand of Queen on the side also put her hand back on the table, no longer playing with her golden hand brooch.
A moment later, Vilgefortz walked in. He looked about thirty years old, tall and strong, wearing a knight-style jacket——no emblem on arms, of course. And he was strikingly handsome, with curly blond hair, deep blue eyes, and a sharp-edged face. His demeanor is cold and noble, giving people a feeling of inviolability. " I heard that half of his face was exposed before , and it is obvious that he has healed himself with magic, " the queen thought.
" Your Majesty, it is an honor to be summoned by you. I, Vilgefortz of Roggeveen , offer you my allegiance. " Sorcerer bowed deeply first. Sir Darklyn on the side showed dissatisfaction: "Facing the orthodox queen of Iron Throne, why don't you kneel down?" Sir Vilgefortz said lightly, "In my world, according to the agreement made by the great Novigradan Union , Sorcerers and Kings shouldn't interfere with each other. Sorcerers won't use the power in their hands to seek the throne for themselves, and Kings can't use the political power in their hands to dictate to Sorcerers. That's the reason I don't kneel, my allegiance to the Queen is just a trade off, not an innate obligation as you might think"" Hearing this, Gerardys and Bartimos Celtigar all cast angry glances at Vilgefortz , and Vilgefortz just met their eyes without fear. "Enough! I did not expect such a conflict between my Small council and my esteemed guest. I am the Queen of all Andals and first Men, but Sir Vilgefortz is none of them. Instead of discussing whether it's his duty to kneel , why don't we discuss the deal he said?" The queen's words eased the tense atmosphere in the venue a little, and this was in Vilgefortz's favor . He has used mind reading since he entered the door, and found that the queen is like a drowning man trying to grab a life-saving straw. So she values his own strength very much. He can definitely attach some conditions to his loyalty, such as providing help for himself in finding elder blood. Jacaerys Velaryon , Master of coins and first in line to the Iron Throne, interjected in good time, " So, Sir Vilgefortz , what would you like us to offer you in exchange? During that battle you fought, Earls of Stokeworth and Rosby have paid with their lives for their mutiny, and neither has left a son, and you can marry one of their daughters to obtain the status of Earl." Looking at this brown-haired and snub-nosed young prince who looked nothing like his mother, Vilgefortz just smiled and shook his head slightly. "If you are not satisfied, when I sit on the Iron Throne, you can choose one of Lannisport , Old Town and Harrenhal as your fief." The Queen said after thinking for a while while resting her chin. "My queen, such a brutal deprivation of the territories of three ancient and noble families will definitely shake the loyalty of other lords, and even make them turn to the usurper." Torrhen Manderly hastily advised the queen. Corlys Velaryon, who was sitting on the sidelines, also nodded in agreement with his remarks. Although the other members of the small council did not publicly express their views on this, Vilgefortz has already read the dissatisfaction in their hearts, " These lands are not what I want, all I want is a small council seat. And Iron Throne promises to spare no effort to find my daughter in Westeros, Essos, and Sothoryos after the war is over , until I am reunited with her. " This sentence caused whispers among the seven again. "This is definitely a good deal. I can swear to you now in the name of the orthodox Queen of the Iron Throne. But the current situation of the war is not optimistic for me. Regarding the details, I hope that after I destroy the usurper Discuss, can we discuss the war first? " " Of course, my queen. As long as you keep your promise, I am willing to serve you wherever you want to use my power. " At this moment, the young Prince Jacaerys Coughed lightly, " Ms. Mysaria , about the movement of Greens' army, could you please briefly summarize the information your spies have obtained?" The slender woman with white skin like milk stood up at the table, " Of course Yes, my prince. " She first pointed her left finger at the Trident on the map table, " After Prince Deamon captured StoneHedge , Lannsiter was ready to attack Riverland, and we can't be sure that the Ironborns of the Red Kraken will stand on which side, if he is on the side of the usurper, the Riverlanders may be attacked from both the river and the land. The only good news is that reinforcements from the north have begun to assemble at Barrowton , and will be led by Lord Roderick Dustin south to support the Riverland. " Tight Then she pointed to the banks of the Honeywine River, " Ormund Hightower is raising an army in his domain and preparing to march north. Although Costayne , Rowan and Beesbury will fight them to the end, please note that Prince Dearon is also in Old Town, we all know The power of dragon flames. " Finally, the woman pointed to King's Landing, "It is reported that the kinslayer has become the regent, replacing his seriously injured brother to exercise the power of the king, and he plans to cooperate with the westlanders to occupy Harrenhal " After all the information, she took a deep bow and sat down again. " Then my good sir, you have three choices, go north to support my husband's army, go south to deal with House Hightower, or stay here and wait until Vhager leaves and join me in conquering King's Landing. Which do you want? " "I Decided to fight in Riverland, my Queen"
