Chapter 25.4- The Seadragon's Roar

“I trust him enough to know that he won’t risk his life for a lie that silly. If he betrays us, then it will come in the form of the attacks coming much earlier than expected to give us a false sense of security and then take advantage of that seeming complacency. That is why, even now, we have men patrolling, watching. That is why we have Bernard training ravens to find their way back to Bloodstone no matter what so we can have our own rookery and get warning of an attack faster than we wold from a ship being sent to warn us. We are being careful, Laeana. Just as I will be careful when I face the Triarchy, or the Dornish. They’ll be too busy burning tov use whatever weapon they think will be enough to down a dragon.” I said.

“Then you will swear it to me. That you will return when the time comes. To me— to us.”

“Of course, I will. I have too much I’m looking forward to for me to even think about dying to some up jumped merchants or the Dornish. Sister, I will turn this Kingdom of barren rocks into an Empire greater than Valyria ever could be” I said, and for the first time ever, I laid my ambitions bare. I wanted the Stepstones. Somehow, I had come to care for these islands more than I cared about the Seven Kingdoms. Even now I wrestled with the part of my mind that told me to leave that mess to the Targaryens while I focused on creating my empire here.

The Seven Kingdoms would always be in Aegon’s image— it mattered little that he had done little to make them a unified kingdom beyond his royal progresses, and that Jaehaerys had forged them more solidly than he ever had. They would always be Aegon’s kingdoms. These islands, I could make in my own image. I could decide what got developed where. I could choose the kind of people that came in here. I could do all that while securing enough wealth to make every one of my ancestors— Corlys included— green with envy.

“I said call me by my name, Laenor”

“Laena then.” I nodded.

“As for your ambitions, I have only one issue.”

“I will hear it from you now”

“You said ‘I’”

“What?”

“You said ‘I will turn these Kingdom of barren rocks into an empire greater than Valyria”

“Yes.”

“No, we will. You, me, mother. The three of us. We’re more than a team— we’re family. We’re with you in everything you do, Laenor, you know this. You and I have been together since all those years ago when you toddled after me like a lost puppy”

“Once again, that was only because you were my only route out of the cribs” I said even as she laughed against my chest. It felt good, her laughter.