Chapter 35: Chapter 34: Bold Ideas
"Your Majesty."
The old knight with white hair and beard spoke in a somewhat coarse voice, then slightly nodded his head, indicating that he had said all he needed to.
Queen Rhaella still sat in the central seat, her pregnant belly protruding and her face somewhat pale. After taking a deep breath, she nodded.
"Thank you, Ser Joffrey."
The old man did not say anything else but stood up, bowed slightly, and the armor he wore made a sound.
He then prepared to leave the council chamber to return to the fleet docked at the harbor.
At that moment,
Viserys, who had been listening for a long time, raised his hand as he looked at Ser Joffrey, much like an obedient child in a classroom.
"Ser, I have a question."
"Can our fleet sail across the Narrow Sea?"
The young king sat in a side chair, one hand supporting himself on the table, and the other hand raised, abruptly asking the question.
"Hmm?"
The old knight, upon hearing Viserys' words, paused briefly and then stopped walking.
He lowered his head to look at the map of Westeros in the council chamber. Dragonstone was situated at the entrance to the Blackwater Bay, and beyond the bay was the Narrow Sea, wedged between two continents.
On the other side of the Narrow Sea, people of Westeros referred to it as the 'East Continent' or 'Western Coast,' and its formal name was Essos, the location of the nine Free Cities.
Viserys suddenly asked this question, and though he was only seven years old, it forced the old knight to fall into deep thought.
"Your Highness means..."
Ser Joffrey paused for a moment, then raised his white-haired head and asked in return.
"Dragonstone is too barren."
"It has no resources and no population."
Viserys' small hands were hidden in his blue velvet sleeves, clenching into fists. On the surface, he appeared very composed, but the boy was actually quite nervous inside.
Even more so than when he had killed three mercenaries the night before.
This was the first time he had actively expressed his opinion. He knew what would happen in the future, so he wanted to seek change.
The Dragonstone fleet, a powerful force still loyal to House Targaryen, could not be wasted in a storm for no reason.
In three months, his sister would be born into this world, and with her arrival would come the greatest storm in centuries, if not the largest in history.
This storm would destroy the last fleet of House Targaryen, causing them to be buried in the harbor and forcing Dragonstone to surrender without a fight.
Young Viserys would be forced to flee with his newborn sister to the Eastern Continent, living as wanderers in the houses of various nobles.
If Viserys wanted to change his future, he had to keep this fleet loyal to House Targaryen firmly in his grasp and not allow them to be destroyed by the storm.
So, at this moment, Viserys changed his previous low-key and silent attitude, seized the opportunity, and bravely stepped forward to express his opinion.
Even though he was very young and his words could be dismissed as childish nonsense, he still wanted to try.
He hoped to persuade his mother and Ser Joffrey to listen to his opinion.
Even if only a little bit.
Ser Joffrey remained silent after hearing Viserys' words, his hand resting on the map, and it was impossible to tell what the old man was thinking.
Viserys, seeing that the other party did not directly oppose him, felt slightly relieved. What he feared most was that they would dismiss his words as a child's nonsense because of his age.
He then spoke again, this time with even more assertive phrasing.
"Mother, and Ser Joffrey."
.
The young king, only seven years old, sat in his chair, gathering his courage as he looked at Queen Rhaella and the commander of the Dragonstone fleet.
"If we continue to be trapped on Dragonstone, without seeking to change the current situation, our defeat might just be a matter of time."
Viserys's words this time were straightforward, with no hint of subtlety.
Upon hearing her son's words, Queen Rhaella's expression changed slightly, as she disliked hearing such ominous words from Viserys.
The frequent shocks and accidents she had experienced recently had made the queen somewhat neurotic, and the word 'defeat' was especially upsetting.
"Viserys!"
Queen Rhaella's voice was sharp, and she immediately prepared to scold her unrestrained son.
"However..."
She was suddenly interrupted by the long-silent fleet commander.
Ser Joffrey, with one hand on the map, looked up and met Viserys's gaze with his keen gray-brown eyes.
"Your Highness, what do you propose?"
He hadn't expected the young boy to speak such bold words, which required not only courage but also determination.
Moreover, he had heard the news last night that the young prince had killed three mercenaries through some cunning methods.
Ser Joffrey suddenly became interested in Viserys.
Could it be that Viserys had the potential to grow into the next Prince Rhaegar?
The former 'Silver Prince' had an unimaginable influence within the Targaryen family.
Everyone believed that once Rhaegar ascended the Iron Throne, he would be the greatest king in the history of the Targaryen dynasty.
Even now, with Rhaegar dead for over half a year, people still held this belief.
Viserys, too, looked at his opponent with unwavering eyes.
But he didn't know that once again, he was being compared to his nearly perfect older brother in the hearts of others.
Receiving Ser Joffrey's response, Viserys felt even more confident and boldly spoke his thoughts once again.
"Ser, we could abandon Dragonstone and seize a city on the eastern continent as our new dwelling."
"Abandon Dragonstone?"
The white-haired old man narrowed his eyes at Viserys's bold proposal.
Dragonstone, as the Targaryen family's birthplace of their conquest of Westeros, held both historical and practical significance.
Moreover, if the Targaryens were to abandon Dragonstone now, it would be tantamount to giving up their claim to the Iron Throne, indirectly acknowledging the legitimacy of the usurpers.
Dragonstone's geographical location was also crucial, acting as the gateway to the waters around King's Landing. The Dragonstone fleet was currently blockading the entrance to Blackwater Bay.
Although House Baratheon was furious, without a powerful navy to challenge the royal fleet, they still had to take the long way around.
Ser Joffrey hadn't expected Viserys to lose his courage and propose abandoning Dragonstone while the situation hadn't deteriorated to that extent.
Giving up their claim to the Iron Throne and fleeing like a homeless dog to the eastern continent.
Could it be that the events of last night had frightened the young prince?
But this would be understandable.
After all, Prince Viserys was just a seven-year-old child, and it was unrealistic to expect everyone to be as exceptional as Prince Rhaegar.
The old knight was very understanding, but also slightly disappointed.
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