Daemon's Advice

"Roar~"

A piercing shriek echoed through the mountains and plains as a blood-red dragon descended from the sky. Its long, serpentine neck turned in midair, and its elongated body circled King's Landing once before slowly landing on the edge of the castle's third wall.

The Blood Wyrm, Caraxes, Prince Daemon Targaryen's dragon. The dragon, shaped like a giant serpent, landed steadily atop the black wall and crouched down. Prince Daemon, dressed in fitted black clothes and covered in travel dust, leapt down from its back.

Waiting for the prince in the courtyard was Vansen Kaon, chief steward of the Valaerys family. This elderly man of Valyrian blood stood tall, with deep blue eyes and a neatly trimmed beard that reached his chest. He had remained in the rear, overseeing the construction and development of the entire family.

Daemon looked the old man over from head to toe, then said with a smile, "I am Daemon Targaryen."

"I know your name, Prince." Vansen stepped aside. "My lord is waiting in the main hall. They were dining just now and were not properly dressed, so it was inconvenient for them to welcome you."

Daemon waved a hand. "We're all family. There's no need for such formalities. Is there still food in the kitchen? I came straight from Dragonstone. My dragon and I are both starving."

"It has already been prepared for you, Prince," Vansen said. "Later, the Dragonpit's Silver Guard will bring food for your dragon."

Daemon nodded in satisfaction and, led by Vansen, pushed open the doors of the Silver Blood Tower. The castle servants hurriedly cleared away the scraps left by the boys and replaced them with fresh food.

"Father." Jacaerys rose and greeted Daemon, who returned a warm smile. Then he looked toward Lonzell, seated upon the Dragonglass Throne. His gaze was unconsciously drawn to it. The entire seat had been made of obsidian scorched by dragonfire. Its backrest depicted dragons bursting from a shattered moon and flying toward a city of countless towers. The armrests were carved into crouching dragons, broad and imposing.

"Greetings, Cousin Daemon." Lonzell dipped his head slightly in respect, and Daemon gave a small bow in return. "Thank you for taking care of Little Jace and Little Luke."

"It is what I should do." Lonzell gestured for Daemon to eat as they spoke. "You came all this way. Surely you did not come merely to visit Little Jace and Little Luke?"

Daemon cut open a lamb chop and did not speak until he had chewed and swallowed. "I came for the royal family."

Lonzell placed the long letter before Daemon. "I have read the royal family's letter. To be honest, Valar and I are only sixteen."

"Though I cannot treat you as a sixteen-year-old child. After all, you already possess courage, wisdom, and ability that put us to shame." Daemon spoke bluntly. "But the kingdom does not wish for the current favorable situation to be ruined by a tangled marriage arrangement, so I came myself."

"By age, you are my elder." Lonzell moved to sit beside Daemon. Seeing that this was not a suitable place for him, Jacaerys obediently slipped out through the side door with Valar. Valar did not want a headache over such matters either.

His brother would handle everything.

"I should hear your opinion." Lonzell unfolded the letter completely. It was actually quite complicated. In extremely concise terms, the royal family had described the general circumstances of every girl. There were girls from the Riverlands and the Vale as well, though far fewer than from elsewhere. The most eye-catching was Alysanne of the Blackwood family, a nine-year-old girl.

"If Duchess Jannie of the Vale were younger, perhaps they would have included her as well." Daemon scanned the letter and let out a derisive laugh. "The Vale, hmph." He picked up a piece of bread, dipped it in sauce, and seemed about to wipe out all the girls from the Crownlands listed on the letter. After thinking better of it, he tossed the bread into his mouth and ran a finger over the Crownlands girls instead.

"Most of the Crownlands nobles' daughters are merely there to make up the numbers. If you do not want to muddle through this, there is no need to consider them. The only family here with any value is the Velaryon family, but they have no daughters of suitable age. The Celtigar family does have a very suitable girl, but the Celtigar family is too weak."

Daemon looked at the thoughtful Lonzell. "As descendants of Valyrian Dragonlords, we naturally prioritize marriages with Valyrians. That is also the Celtigar family's advantage."

If I wanted to marry a Valyrian, I brought plenty of them with me. Lonzell understood clearly that his and Valar's marriages were no longer simple matters of marriage. They were complicated issues tied to whether they could truly integrate into Westerosi society.

"Besides that, for the public good, the Lannister family, Baratheon family, Manderly family, Florent family, Rowan family, and Tarly family are all excellent marriage prospects."

Daemon lowered his voice. "But for personal reasons, I recommend the Celtigar family, Manderly family, and Tarly family more."

Lonzell tilted his head as he looked at Daemon. He understood that Daemon was right. For the public good, marriage alliances with any of these great noble families would be mutually beneficial for himself and the Iron Throne. For personal reasons, although the Lannister family and Baratheon family were both good choices, the Lannister family had always been ambiguous regarding the kingdom's succession, and Tyland Lannister held an important post for a long time. The old duke of the Baratheon family valued his oaths, but only the Seven knew how much longer he would live. Moreover, marriage with the Baratheon family would inevitably draw the entire Stormlands directly into the conflict with Dorne, which would be unfavorable to the currently stable situation.

The Manderly family was wealthy and powerful. Though located in the remote North, they possessed White Harbor and had outstanding maritime trade capabilities, maintaining close dealings with both the south and Essos. Lonzell remembered that his family's goods had also been sold in White Harbor. Garth Greenhand's blood likewise ran through the Manderly family. They had once been great lords of the Reach, but after threatening the rule of the Gardener Kings, they were defeated and driven out by the Reach's nobles, until the King of the North took them in.

To this day, they remained one of the Stark family's most loyal and prosperous vassals.

The Tarly family, meanwhile, was key to Lonzell's consolidation of the borderlands. After the Dondarrion family declared its loyalty, the Selmy family had also begun preparing to change their allegiance, while the other families of the eastern borderlands were still watching and waiting. If he could bring the Tarly family under his banner through marriage, it would be an excellent choice for expanding Lonzell's power.

"Of course, a marriage alliance for a Dragonlord family cannot be so simple." Daemon took a royal decree from his robes. It bore the seal of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen of Dragonstone, heir to the kingdom. "This is the princess's royal decree. With it, you may travel to any castle in the kingdom without observing any further formalities."

"This is the right of royal family members."

"You are a member of the royal family as well," Daemon said. "Rest assured, those lords would be delighted if you and Valar rode dragons into their lands. You can see those girls for yourselves, and you can also build good relations with the kingdom's nobles."

"Please convey my thanks to Her Highness the Princess, Cousin Daemon."

Daemon waved a hand. "We should all thank you for caring for Little Jace and Little Luke, as well as for your contributions to the kingdom. Once Little Joffrey and Aegon are a bit older, I will send them to serve you as well."

Lonzell merely smiled without speaking.

At that moment, at the Dragonglass Tower.

This crystal-clear tower was the residence of the Valaerys family's close retainers, and the open ground before it was where everyone usually practiced martial skills.

Lucerys gripped his wooden sword nervously. A circle of boys stood around him, led by Aslan Longdell, with his silver hair and purple eyes, and Lynn Valtaken.

"Little squirrel, I didn't lie to you, did I?" Rey said with a smile, holding Lucerys by the shoulder. "Everyone is here. Defeat them, and they will respect you and treat you like a true brother." Valar and Jacaerys happened to see this scene as they walked in.

"What is this?"

Jacaerys frowned at the group. Valar's eyes lit up as he said quietly, "It is a tradition of my family. My brother's guards prove their ability through sparring. The more people they defeat, the higher their standing among us."

"Prince Valar, stop teasing us." Adams Lawkeeper, who always wore a smile, said with a grin, "You used to chase us around and beat us."

Valar scratched his head and whispered into Jacaerys's ear, "To earn these guys' respect, you need to defeat them for real. Go on. Don't let Little Luke fight alone."

With that, he shoved Jacaerys into the center of the field.

Aslan also held a wooden sword. He lowered his eyes at the two brown-black-haired princes.

"Show me what you can do." He raised his wooden sword. "You black-haired squirrels."

First update check-in. Today I sketched King's Landing and several dragons. Once I refine them a little more, I'll post them. They're hand-drawn and uncolored. It has been many years since I last drew, so I'm rusty.