Waiting to be cannibalized step by step by the Otto and Hai Tarth families? Or, like you said, stay neutral and watch the storm swallow us up?"
Rhaenys closed his eyes and opened them after a moment. A trace of determination flashed in his eyes. "Stay neutral, accumulate strength, and wait and see what happens."
Viserys may not last long, and it is unknown whether Alicent's child will be a boy or a girl and whether it will grow up smoothly.
Daemon is nothing to be afraid of, Redd and Rhaenyra... they first need to deal with the king and the sea Tarth family.
We shrink the defense line, consolidate Driftmark, strengthen the fleet, and at the same time... we can try to establish more secret connections with certain forces,
For example...the North, or Vale, or even Dorne, leaving a way out for possible changes in the future.
But we must not clearly tie the family flag to any party's chariot now.
Especially Rhaenyra and Redd, which look gorgeous but may drive into the abyss!"
She looked at her husband, her tone slowed but became firmer. "Corlys, we are Velaryon, we are 'House Targaryen'.
Our strength is in the sea, in our fleets and dragons.
As long as the sea is still there and Driftmark is still there, no one can easily destroy us.
It is the most dangerous choice to rashly get involved in the battle for the throne on land, especially such a complicated and multi-party betting game.
Stay stable, what we need most now is to stay stable."
Corlys opened his mouth and wanted to refute, but seeing the undoubted determination and foresight in his wife's eyes, the anger in his chest was gradually replaced by a deeper sense of powerlessness and confusion.
What Rhaenys said makes sense, very calm and reasonable.
But the sense of crisis in his heart did not dissipate, but became even heavier.
He felt that the ground under his feet was cracking, and Rhaenys's suggestion was more like walking carefully on the edge of the crack, praying that the crack would not suddenly expand.
The study fell into silence again, with only the crackling of candlelight.
The two husband and wife, one radical and desperate, the other conservative and worried, had fundamental differences at the crossroads of the family's destiny.
The storm outside will not stop at all because of their argument.
House Velaryon In the increasingly turbulent undercurrent of this large ship, the two people at the helm looked in different directions.
Time flew by, and a few days passed by in an instant, and finally the day came to go on an expedition against pirates.
Redd knew that this operation was full of dangers and variables, so he safely escorted his pregnant wife Rhaenyra back to Dragonstone in advance to wait for delivery.
After all, Rhaenyra, who is a mother and still carries the fruit of their love in her belly, is really not suitable to participate in such a cruel and fierce battle.
The main force in destroying pirates this time is undoubtedly the famous Driftmark fleet under Corlys.
In contrast, the Dragon King fleet urgently dispatched by Redd can only play a minor role as an assisting force.
As for Daemon, he came purely as a military supervisor to supervise and cheer for the battle.
Although King Viserys once ordered him to start building the Blackwater Bay fleet, you must know that it is not easy to quickly build a powerful maritime force in a short period of time?
What's more, Corlys was always wary of him and monitored him as closely as if he were on guard against thieves, making it impossible for Daemon to recruit talents and tap into his potential.
Although Daemon is currently responsible for this matter in name, he actually has no soldiers at his disposal. At best, he is just an empty commander in name only!
Outside the Narrow Sea, Stepstones, the clouds hang low, and the sea breeze carries a salty and uneasy atmosphere.
The huge combined fleet assembled here, with flags standing everywhere, the scene was spectacular, but there was a strange sense of stagnation.
Corlys Velaryon stood on the bridge of the flagship "Sea Snake", his expression as serious as iron.
His Driftmark fleet is the absolute main force, with hundreds of large and small ships in a neat array, and well-trained sailors and soldiers performing their duties, showing the House Velaryon's history of dominating the seas for hundreds of years.
However, Corlys's heart is like this gloomy sea, with turbulent undercurrents.
The king's suspicion, Daemon's greed, his wife's opposition, and the younger brother Tormund who is hiding in the dark and may be watching behind a reef somewhere at the moment... all the pressure is accumulated in his heart.
On one side of his fleet is the much smaller, but equally important "Dragon King fleet" that cannot be ignored.
About a hundred battleships, the style is different from the common Westeros, more like the Braavos or Pentos style.
The hull pays more attention to speed and flexibility, and some larger warships are even equipped with strange-looking ballistae.
This is the force Redd mobilized from the east, commanded by generals he trusts.
This fleet is highly disciplined and a little too silent, like a group of lurking sharks.
And above the fleet, it was a sight that made all sailors look up involuntarily and feel suffocated.
King Ghidorah The three ferocious heads were swinging slowly under the clouds, and the golden scales still reflected the cold luster under the dim skylight.
The six eyes were like burning coals, looking down indifferently at the toy-like ship below.
Its mere existence brings an indescribable, almost god-like sense of oppression.
What is even more eye-catching is the dragon of Daemon.
It did not hang directly above the fleet like King Ghidorah, but hovered at a lower altitude on the flanks of the Driftmark fleet in a slightly provocative attitude.
Its body is much smaller than King Ghidorah, but its proportions are extremely slender, and its streamlined body is full of power.
The most eye-catching thing is its appearance - the dark gray scales are rough and thick, covered with large and small rock-like bumps and bumps.
Especially on the back, joints and end of the long tail, there are clusters of sharp, hook-like bone spurs, which shine with a dark cold light during flight.
The edges of its wings are also irregular, with jagged bony protrusions.
This dragon gives people a primitive, ferocious, and aggressive feeling, which is very different from the relatively "standard" dragon appearance of Caraxes.
More like some kind of monster crawling out of the depths of ancient legends or nightmares.
Redd stood on the bow of a fast sailing ship belonging to the Dragon King fleet, looking at Daemon's dragon with great interest.
He remembered that the dragon Daemon in the original book was Caraxes, a blood-red adult male dragon, but it was already dead, and even its ashes were blown away by him.
The one in front of him... Although the color was different, the ferocious aura and vaguely similar slender figure made him have a suspicion in his mind.
Maybe it's some kind of mutation in this world? Or maybe Daemon changed to a new dragon later? Or maybe there's some unknown change?
"That's the 'new Wild Dragons'." A voice sounded next to it, it was Mysaria.
She put on a sailor's outfit that made it easier to move around, but she still couldn't hide her slim figure.