Although Casterly Rock was now nominally Alliser's domain, he could not simply fly House Thorne's silver flail banner until everything was firmly settled. After all, House Thorne had little influence in Westeros.
Alliser even thought that, if possible, once he had finished his work at Casterly Rock and Viserys had rewarded him with lands, he would fly only the Three-Headed Dragon Banner. That would make it easier to intimidate the other houses. His own house's banner need only fly over his own castle.
Several members of the port's City Watch stood on either side of Lannisport's gates. When they saw Viserys and his party approaching on horseback beneath the banner of the Targaryen Royal House, they hurriedly straightened and saluted.
Although Lannisport was only a port, its exposed location and lack of a direct connection to Casterly Rock meant that outlaws from the Westerlands and the Ironborn often raided it. A restored stretch of wall therefore stood along its outer edge, setting it apart from the other major ports in Westeros.
Then, once Viserys and his party drew closer, the guards stole a glance at his appearance. Though they did not recognize his face, his silver hair and purple eyes told them who he was.
Lannisport was larger than Viserys had expected. Nearly a hundred ships of varying sizes lay along the waterfront, their masts packed together like a forest. Their hulls rocked gently with the tide, and whenever their mooring ropes drew taut, they gave off tooth-grating creaks.
Ordinary dockworkers carried sacks and wooden crates back and forth between the gangplanks and piles of cargo, sweat soaking their coarse tunics.
Farther out, several merchant ships flying different flags were slowly entering or leaving the port, their sterns trailing white wakes across the gray sea.
A dozen or so fishing