71. Three Towers

*Daeranyx’s POV*


"It seems your memory is as sharp as your tongue, Lord Otto." A slight clenching of the jaw was Otto's only reaction, but the younger boy beside him could not hide his anger. I chose to ignore that and continued, "Though I should have expected it, since Prince Daemon didn't fail to mention cun—" I cleared my throat. "Forgive my manners. A man yes that was the word he used who doesn't think highly of him in the small council and the tongue he has. Nonetheless, whatever conflicts you may have with Prince Daemon, that does not mean we have to be in conflict as well, am I right?" I asked with a smile, feigning interest in becoming allies with them, which was far from the truth.

The atmosphere grew tense after that, and Otto tightly gripped the hand of the younger boy beside him to prevent any rash actions. "Yes, you are," he replied, his tone strained. I smiled more broadly, noticing his fist curling tighter as he spoke those words. "With that in mind, let me introduce you to my brother—the ruling lord of Oldtown, Lord Hobert Hightower." He gestured to the older man on his right, who bowed his head slightly. "This here is my son, Gwayne Hightower." The boy begrudgingly bowed to me after receiving a glare from his father. "And brother, this is King Daeranyx Drakonar, Lord of Skagos." There was a distinct edge of mockery in Otto's voice as he introduced me to his brother.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, King," said Hobert Hightower in a measured tone, his expression judging. "I have heard many rumors about you in recent moons. The most notorious being that you are a witch who practiced blood magic right before everyone’s eyes in the court, resulting in quite an uproar from the Faith. I had to work tirelessly with King Viserys to appease them before they acted in ways that could lead to irreversible damage." His judging expression remained as he awaited my response.

"Ah! The Faith. The religion the Targaryens have adopted since they established their rule in the Seven Kingdoms. If what you say is true, I owe you my gratitude for cleaning up the mess I caused. But you must also consider my perspective: I thought the Targaryens, being dragonlords, would not accept a faith that stands entirely opposed to magic. When I heard that the Targaryens were ruling over the Andals, I thought the Faith of the Seven would have been abolished by them. Not that I approve of such acts, of course," I replied to Hobert, whose expression remained unchanged as I expected. The other two, however, were distinctly different.

"I wouldn’t say that the royal family and their dragons are weak, but the Faith of the Seven is resilient. How should I put it? Imagine it like a tree with roots so deep that it cannot be easily uprooted," Hobert said with such conviction that it sparked my curiosity about uncovering more about their Faith than what was apparent.

"Well, we should stop here, I think, because King Viserys has been waiting for quite some time. I’m sure we will meet again at the tourney. Until then," I said, standing aside to let them pass so I could enter the chambers.


"I would personally like to meet with you again, as I have been asked to present a proposal to you from the Order of the Citadel. However, this is neither the time nor the place for me to elaborate. When you find a moment free from your duties, please send word to Lord Hand, and he will guide you to me. Until then." With that, Hobert departed, followed by Otto, who left with a grunt. Gwayne shot me a death glare, which I met with a smug smirk.

The King's guard, having watched and overheard the entire exchange, stepped aside to grant me entry. The clanking of their armor pulled my gaze away from the retreating figures of the Hightowers. I entered the chamber, my thoughts swirling with plans to spy on the Hightowers, the Order of the Citadel, and the Faith. Though there was little they could do against me, one can never truly trust those wielding power and driven by ambition. With the support of the Faith and the accumulated knowledge of the Citadel, their threat was even greater.

Viserys sat in his chair, a goblet of wine in hand, staring distantly out of the chamber window. The sound of my boots and the door closing behind me broke his trance, prompting him to stand and place his glass on a nearby table to greet me. I extended my hand for a handshake, but he surprised me with a warm hug, which I gladly returned.

"We're familiar enough to hug, not just shake hands," Viserys remarked as he released me, gesturing for me to take a seat. "And if what I've heard during your weeks-long leave is accurate, we may even soon be bonded by family ties." Confused, I looked at him, but he merely chuckled and added, "You’ll find out soon enough. Now, how are things on Skagos? Did you accomplish what you set out to do there?"

"Oh, I achieved much more than that," I replied, giving him a mysterious smile. He looked eager to hear more, so I began recounting my adventures after leaving the Red Keep. As time passed, we chatted, shared drinks, and laughed at some of my embarrassing moments with Lord Stane and Magnar during the feast that followed the construction of the keeps.

"With each feat you accomplish during your stay here, the thrill and shock I feel at witnessing the results of your magic have somewhat lessened. But if what you say is true, then I, along with the entire Targaryen family, would love to visit Skagos after the tourney and all its related affairs are over. I’m sure Rhaenyra and Aemma would be delighted to see a keep made of the same black stone as Dragonstone amid the white expanse of snow in Skagos. I can’t wait to see it myself," Viserys said, his eyes filled with wonder and happiness.

"Of course, you’re all welcome in Skagos. However, I recommend traveling by dragon, as I haven't cleared all the dangers that plague the seas around the area, and I want to ensure your safety during the journey," I cautioned, sipping wine from a goblet made of glass and gold. Viserys nodded in understanding, reassured that he would heed my advice. "Now that I've shared my experiences from Skagos, it’s your turn to tell me about the preparations for the upcoming tourney and whether Baelon is giving you enough trouble or not?"

Viserys erupted in jovial laughter as he began to recount a scene: Daemon was playing with Baelon when the little one accidentally urinated on Daemon's neck, narrowly missing his uncle's face. Thankfully, it happened in a private setting, with only family present; otherwise, who knows how Daemon might have reacted?

I know the last few chapters are very short but with this, it will end and I will be writing long chapters after this.