"This is impossible!"
Earl Clinton of Griffin's Roost immediately drew his sword and stepped in front of Aemond to protect him.
"Prince Daemon, is this some kind of joke?"
"Only House Targaryen can ride dragons. How could young Borros possibly..."
He knew he could not finish even as he spoke. House Baratheon had been founded by a bastard of House Targaryen, after all, and the two houses had intermarried many times throughout history. Borros's own grandmother had been a pure-blooded Targaryen.
"Then which dragon is he riding? And why would he burn down Riverrun? Prince Daemon, what you are telling us is simply too horrifying to believe."
Daemon pointed Dark Night straight at Earl Clinton and said casually,
"You will soon receive reliable news of what happened, I imagine. I am not trying to persuade you. I am giving you a chance to make the right choice."
Lord Swann of Stonehelm exchanged glances with several earls of the Dornish Marches, then spoke first.
"I believe Prince Daemon would not deceive us about something like this. Whatever happened, the truth will come out eventually, will it not?"
House Swann was ancient and powerful, the strongest of the great noble houses in the Dornish Marches. They had always been proud and cautious. After Danyla occupied Eyriehold, they had personally escorted supplies there to pay their respects to her. This was the first time in decades that the Targaryen royal house had taken military action against Dorne and achieved substantial results.
Stonehelm, the seat of House Swann, stood beside a great river in the Stormlands that flowed into the Dornish Sea. The fertile lands on both banks had brought House Swann considerable wealth and power, making them one of the most influential noble houses in the Stormlands beneath House Baratheon.
As one of