Chapter 185: The Maiden Who Came Riding a Dragon

Unlike the ordinary silver plate armor Arthur had worn before, this set of armor was far more exquisite.

The iron helm was a standard pig-faced visor, only the sharp point was crafted into the shape of a dragon's snout, with spikes added to the top and sides; viewed from afar, the iron helm actually bore a slight resemblance to a dragon's head.

The breastplate, along with the vambraces, greaves, and iron boots, were embossed with large patterns; besides the three-headed dragon emblem of House Targaryen, there were also various patterns of giant dragons.

"I truly love this set of golden armor," Arthur announced loudly, while giving his wife Margaery a deep kiss.

Previously, a Lord Tanderly had promised to forge him a set of golden plate armor to match the golden armor of Arthur's red giant horse, but that Lord Beric had already passed away.

The King's mood set the tone for the wedding feast, and many raised their glasses in celebration.

"My dear, as long as you like it, that is all that matters."

The bright and moving Margaery gave her husband a charming smile, as if the two shared a deep affection.

What followed was the standard gift-giving process; the Riverlanders, the northern lords of the Stormlands, and the Dornish delegation presented their respective gifts one after another, ranging from rare books and gorgeous clothing to aged fine wines and pure gold ornaments. Among them, the most noteworthy was the gift from Sunspear: they presented a gold-plated spear.

Prince Oberyn, dressed in a yellow silk robe, brought the spear before the high seat. "Your Grace, we originally intended to make the entire spear out of gold, but a gift for a King should not be a mere ornament, so we made it gold-plated. This spear can be used as a normal weapon."

This Dornish Prince had a melancholy and affectionate look on his face; one could tell at a glance that he was a man of deep feelings.

Princess Arianne of Dorne followed behind him, and seeing Arthur conversing with her own uncle, she winked at her lover.

Arthur ignored this voluptuous beauty who ran to his room every night for a midnight snack, instead rising and walking down from the high seat to personally receive the spear.

"The friendship between the Iron Throne and Dorne is just like the gift you have presented to me..."

Arthur had just wanted to make a point with this spear, but realized that using a weapon as a metaphor for friendship was not very auspicious, and unable to think of a better phrase, he fumbled for a long time before changing the subject with another matter.

"You have come at just the right time; most of the seats on the Small Council have been determined, and I have managed to save one seat for you Dornishmen with great difficulty."

Prince Oberyn, nicknamed the Red Viper, nodded. "I wonder what Your Grace would like me to do for you?"

Ever since the marriage alliance between House Targaryen and House Martell, Dorne had always been a loyal supporter of the Iron Throne, and there was always a place for them among the courtiers.

"Master of Coin; I would like the Prince to handle our accounts."

Arthur's true thought was to have the calculating Tyrion serve as Master of Coin, which was also one of the ways to win over the hearts of the lords of the Westerlands.

Therefore, the only position left for the Dornish Prince was Master of Whisperers, but this office had a poor reputation, so it could not be stated directly.

"As everyone knows, under the influence of the wicked Maesters, the vast majority of the nobility are not skilled at calculation; the only difference between them and the commoners is that they can barely count the number of Gold Dragons. I heard that you once forged several Maester's Chain links at the Citadel, so I trust you will be capable of this office."

Arthur explained with a smile.

This was the truth; the entire noble class was unwilling to calculate accounts, as they believed this was work for Maesters and servants.

The former Master of Coin, Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, was only appointed as a courtier because he was good at accounting and was recommended by Duke Jon Arryn.

Otherwise, given Littlefinger's background, even being a customs officer in Gulltown would have been a difficult task.

"Asking me to calculate accounts is not as good as letting me oversee the King's Landing City Watch; at the very least, I would be very happy to manage Littlefinger's properties. I heard that his brothels cost one hundred Gold Dragons per visit, and I just want to see if the women there are inlaid with diamonds or if their backsides are plated with gold."

The Red Viper took the wine cup handed to him by a servant, took a sip, and replied.

This man was also someone who could not live without wine and frequented brothels whenever he had nothing to do; he should have many common topics with Tyrion Lannister.

As for Petyr Baelish's properties, they encompassed most of the brothels in King's Landing, although nominally only one brothel named Shataya belonged to House Baelish.

"But there is already a candidate for Commander of the King's Landing City Watch. Lord Tristan Lygge of Willow Wood is very willing to manage that group of First Men soldiers; I assume you are not familiar with them?"

Arthur I feigned a look of difficulty.

The Red Viper gave a wicked smile. "Your Grace, just tell me what other seats are left that don't require calculating accounts. Even Grand Maester, I believe I could do it, provided the Conclave of the Citadel agrees."

Seeing him like this, the King replied: "Then it is Master of Whisperers, although this office has a poor reputation."

Prince Oberyn nodded. "As Master of Whisperers, it is quite normal for me to go to brothels to gather intelligence, isn't it?"

He made a self-deprecating remark, and the Dornishmen's seat was thus settled.

Then the Red Viper turned behind him and introduced his beautiful niece to Arthur I. "Although I think you two are already very familiar with each other, I must still make an introduction. This is the first heir to the Princess of Dorne, Arianne Nymeros Martell."

The Princess of Dorne cooperated with her uncle, pretending to meet the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms for the first time.

"May you live long, Your Grace! I am Arianne."

Only then did the Red Viper continue: "As everyone knows, House Targaryen has always had a close relationship with us Martells. Since you have already taken two wives, I assume you wouldn't mind taking another; if my niece is willing, you can proceed with the next wedding."

Arthur looked back, confirmed that the Little Rose was not too close, and then whispered: "Although I am willing, Arianne once told me she wanted to inherit Dorne. If Prince Doran Martell is willing to let Arianne, upon becoming my wife, also inherit as Princess of Dorne, then I will actively cooperate with you."

Among the three women Arthur currently possessed, Sansa was the most loyal to him, Margaery was there because of status, and Arianne was with him purely because it was pleasurable.

Moreover, Arianne often drank the contraceptive Moon Tea and had a strong sense of self-management, making her much easier to deal with than Sansa and Margaery.

Therefore, Arthur still had some feelings of intimacy for her.

If the Dornishmen could acknowledge her status as heir, Arthur would not mind marrying her.

But if House Martell felt that a woman who married out could not inherit, the King would not delay Arianne's affairs.

At most, he would sleep with her for a few years and then let go; perhaps they could continue to be lovers in the future.

Prince Oberyn looked at his niece and asked: "Is this also your intention?"

The Princess of Dorne, dressed in a pale yellow long dress, nodded gently. "That is correct. I am first the future Princess of Dorne, and only then a marriage tool for House Martell."

Her interest in being Queen ranked behind inheriting as Princess of Dorne.

The Red Viper nodded. "I understand. This matter must be decided by my brother; wait for his command."

After preliminarily finalizing the Small Council seats and Arianne's marriage, the Red Viper left with his niece.

Of course, before Arianne left, she performed the cheek-kissing ritual with the King and pressed her own "cafeteria" tightly against the King's chest.

"Your new bride probably won't last long; I'll still come to find you tonight to share the burden for Queen Margaery."

The Princess of Dorne said as much.

Next were Melisandre and the representative of House Baratheon, Ser Axell Florent.

Because the King did not want to deal with House Baratheon and Storm's End in such a formal occasion as the Small Council, he only met this pair during the gift-receiving segment of the wedding feast.

Melisandre was a middle-aged beauty who still retained her charm, with a heart-shaped face, red eyes, and a head of copper-red hair; a searing heat radiated from within her body.

This red priestess did not need to eat like a mortal, relying solely on the Lord of Light to satisfy her energy needs. She claimed to have spent "countless" years honing her abilities, so it was highly likely she was much older than she appeared.

"I would like to know how the current Lady Selyse views the Iron Throne and House Baratheon; does she still believe her late husband Stannis is the King?"

Arthur I asked the two of them.

Axell Florent, representing House Baratheon, had already indicated the stance of his faction on his banner.

The surcoats worn by the soldiers he brought had been changed back from the banner of the crowned stag on a field of flames to the banner of the leaping stag.

The House Durrandon of the Storm Kingdom once used the banner of the crowned stag; later, Orys Baratheon inherited Storm's End and that house's sigil, meaning House Baratheon used the crowned stag banner.

But the crown carried a very strong implication; during the Targaryen Dynasty, House Baratheon was the most powerful Dragon Party house and was close to the Iron Throne, so using it this way was naturally fine, but after experiencing the Usurper's War, it became problematic for the stag family to continue using the crowned stag.

Therefore, Axell, who came representing Storm's End, changed the banner to the leaping stag, with the position where that crown had been replaced by two large antlers.

"Your Majesty, under my persuasion, Lady Selyse no longer believes Stannis is the king; the Lord of Light reminded me in the flames that the king with black eyes is the true king, and he will weaken most of the gods and strengthen the power of the Lord of Light."

The Lord of Light, R'hllor, often grants prophecies to believers in the flames, and the prophecies become clearer as the items burned are more precious.

The flames that revealed the black-eyed king to be the blood of the gods were obtained by burning a weirwood.

And the weirwood at Storm's End had survived for over eight thousand years, having been planted in the castle's Godswood when Brandon the Builder built Storm's End.

The weirwood is the source of power for the Old Gods; such an eight-thousand-year-old weirwood might bring the Lord of Light power comparable to burning the blood of a king.

Unlike other Red Priests with prophetic abilities, Melisandre completely trusts her own interpretation of prophecies; she has always firmly believed that the images R'hllor shows her are about to happen.

And among recent kings, only Arthur I has black eyes, so the Red Priestess naturally assumes the Lord of Light is reminding her that Arthur is the reincarnation of Azor Ahai.

Coincidentally, the master of the Iron Throne happens to have a dragon, which corresponds to Azor Ahai waking a dragon from stone.

Axell Florent on the side chimed in: "That is so, our Duchess has already realized the mistakes of her late husband and sent us to submit to the Iron Throne."

Arthur, who had returned to the main seat, shook his right index finger, "Sending people to express submission is not enough; House Baratheon and House Lannister performed the worst during the Usurper's War, and you must accept the punishment of the Iron Throne."

The king pondered for a moment; he had not yet decided how to punish Storm's End, but he did need to take a stance now.

The sudden news eased Arthur I's dilemma.

Lord Randyll Tarly and the commander of the King's Landing City Watch, Lord Tristan Lygge, walked quickly to the front of the main seat, and the latter whispered to the king:

"House Peake has launched a rebellion; given your wise decision, they were unable to act near the Red Keep and could only go to attack the Dragonpit, looking as if they intend to capture or kill Prince Alduin."

Arthur I stood up abruptly and said loudly: "I knew the wedding would have issues; gather the soldiers and go crush the rebellious house."

What was meant to come would come; the king was satisfied as long as nothing happened inside the Red Keep.

House Peake only had fifteen hundred soldiers and could not stir up any big waves.

Although the nobles attending the wedding banquet were surprised by this explosive news, a large number of adult males expressed one after another that they were willing to put on iron armor and fight for the king.

Whether they were willing to put in the effort to fight was one thing, but expressing it before the king and courtiers was another.

The nobles, who were skilled at performing, naturally would not miss an opportunity to let their superiors remember them just by moving their lips.

So the nobles present and the soldiers inside and outside the Red Keep began to take action.

Arthur also put on the golden plate armor gifted by Margaery on the spot, and he ordered his personal servant Meidan to fetch the golden cloak once gifted by Sansa, adding the golden Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Dadao to form a set of imperial attire, preparing to quell the rebellion.

South of Essos, Volantis East City.

The East City is surrounded and enclosed by a two-hundred-foot-tall oval city wall. When Volantis was merely an outpost of the Freehold, the Black Wall was built by the Valyrians and is also a type of Valyrian black stone architecture.

The city wall is extremely thick, enough for six carriages pulled by four horses each to travel side by side.

The residents inside the Black Wall call themselves "Old Blood" because their ancestors can be traced back to the ancient Valyrian era. Unless invited by residents living inside, outsiders, free men, or foreigners are not allowed to enter within the Black Wall.

At this moment, hundreds of white-haired Volantis nobles are gathering on the square in front of the administrative building, and at least three times as many slaves are carrying the nobles; it is a tradition of Volantis that nobles must not let their feet touch the ground.

In the sky above this group of people, three dragons are circling.

"Gods, the glory of Valyria can finally be reproduced."

"The reappearance of dragons not seen for over a hundred years means our Freehold will rise again."

"These should be the three dragons of the Dragon Mother Daenerys Targaryen, right? I heard she abolishes slavery, but she is not one of us."

"As long as the dragons are in hand, who cares about her stance? Besides, wouldn't a beautiful female Dragon Queen be even better? She is an excellent marriage candidate."

After hearing that dragons had appeared in the sky, this group of people took various carriages out to watch, while also exchanging views with each other.

Finally, in the expectant eyes of these ignorant harbor nobles, the three dragons began to land on the ground one by one, and then, a purple-eyed, silver-haired beauty climbed down from the back of the largest dragon.

The woman's face was so beautiful that the Volantis nobles ignored her slightly dusty face and the bundle in her hand.

"I am Stormborn, the Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Breaker of Chains... Liberator of Slaves, Queen of the Andals, the First Men, and the Rhoynar, Daenerys Targaryen."

Without a handmaiden, Daenerys had to announce this long list of titles herself.

Then she saw the slaves carrying the nobles and ordered: "I command you to provide me with some food and fresh water immediately."

She had wanted to order the nobles to release the slaves right then, but thinking that she did not have many soldiers with her, she forcibly held back.

A few minutes later, a noble carried by ten slaves stepped out from the crowd and introduced himself to Daenerys:

"I am Dophas Panymion, one of the Magisters here; welcome, Dragon Queen, to the greatest city-state in the world, Volantis."

He waved his hand lightly, and four servants following behind him offered large bags of food and cowhide water skins.

"Although I do not know why the Dragon Queen came here, we have generously satisfied your request. I wonder if the Dragon Queen could do me the honor of going to our administrative building to meet the rulers of Volantis?"

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