Chapter 10.5- The Seadragon's Roar

“There is no chance that Tyrosh is working against us on their own. Where they go, so do the other bastard daughters. They also would not have dared to make a move against a Westerosi effort without substantial support.”

“Support….or assurance” I said, fielding the thought that had been nagging my head since Quentin had made his confession. Tyrosh had known exactly where we would be. They had known we would have a dragon. That meant they had a spy. Of course, the spy could be someone on mny father’s council but I was confident that he was too competent for something so blatant. And nearly all these men had grown up on Driftmark, beneath the banner and under the watchful eye of House Velaryon. They would not betray us. Especially for not something as crude as gold which was the best the triarchy could offer being honest.

So that brought the other possibility. The crown. Otto could have done it, I realised. He probably still saw House Velaryon as a threat to Viserys’ rule. Especially now that Viserys had taken his daughter to wife and knocked her up.

“Hightower” Corlys said the name first with a look on his face.

“I think so as well.”

“But would he do something so treasonous?”

“Only the King can work against the realm, as you taught me” I said, referencing one of his earlier lessons. It had been a lesson about how the greatest threat to a fiefdom was almost always its Lord rather than neighbors or foreign powers.

“I agree. But even so, for Hightower to move against us like this. He must know there would be consequences”

“Only if he fails, and we somehow manage to prove it. I doubt the King is going to move against his hand on our word alone. Even if we had a good standing with the crown, that would have been a tall task. Besides, should the Mastr of Whispers not have received some notice that this was happening. There as no way he did not notice the Triarchy of all people building up forces and hiring pirates in these numbers. And if he did, then why did he not inform us?” I asked the logical question even as I was still internally reeling. The truth was that I had expected Otto Hightower to come on side especially since there was no guarantee that we were going to support Rhaenyra’s claim against Aegon’s.

But then that had been shortsighted. What if he had just seen a chance to get us off the table as a threat entirely instead of having to worry about negotiating with us to back Aegon when the time came. The arrogant bastard probably even still thought he could get Viserys to change his ming before the fool croaked.

“Call your Uncle Vaemond in for me.”

“Father?” My question need not be vocalized.

“If we can not trust the crown to report to us what they learn then we must make attempts to have spies of our own. This war will be more complicated than either of us anticipated, Laenor. Prepare yourself” I nodded, and then left the room to do as I’d been bid.