"House Brune has a feud with our house."
Old Crabb explained to Viserys, "Although we all unite against outside enemies, our two houses are the strongest on Crackclaw Point, and resources on the peninsula are scarce. That means we often quarrel over resources."
"But in recent years, the losses we suffered in the War of the Usurper have made us avoid disputes as much as possible. Still, a few minor clashes are unavoidable, so I suspect old Brune thought I was plotting against him."
Viserys said nothing. He glanced at old Crabb, then said, "All right. Tomorrow morning, we'll go take a look at Dyre Den."
Early the next morning, Viserys mounted King Ghidorah alone and flew toward Dyre Den.
Dyre Den stood on a cliff at the northeastern corner of the peninsula. True to its name, the castle was really a cave, with nothing more than a wall built across its entrance. It looked even more rudimentary than The Whispers.
When King Ghidorah appeared in the sky above the wall, the people inside began to panic. Some young soldiers raised their bows, but those beside them stopped them before they could loose their arrows.
Seeing that the time was right, Viserys had King Ghidorah land before the castle gates.
The lord of House Brune, a frail man in his fifties, emerged with his two sons supporting him. His face was pale and his legs trembled, but he still tried to straighten his back. Even so, he fared far worse than old Crabb had.
"House Brune is willing to bend the knee to the True Dragon," he managed, his expression strained.
He had never intended to oppose Viserys. After all, House Brune had sent men to follow Rhaegar back then. It was just that the message old Crabb had sent