Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon

"People will fall in the sea, and those who fall will fall up. I know, I know. Oh, oh, oh!"

When they were brought to Dragonstone Castle, where it seemed that there were not even a few guards left at the castle gate, King Viserys was by Aegon's garden, concentrating on a jester wearing a horned helmet singing a bizarre ballad.

The jester was fat and soft, with a wide face and strange tattoos. He shuffled and hopped, stood on one foot, and walked strangely. He sang a weird song, and the bells on his helmet rang: "Storms rise in broken ships, salt water enters the White Tower, and mermaids disappear from the sea. I know, I know. Oh, oh, oh!"

The king didn't even have a guard around him, only the young and beautiful queen accompanied him. There was also a giant dragon, which hovered in the empty castle, and finally the king waved his hand and called it to Aegon's garden.

"Nightfire." The king shouted.

The dragon fell to the ground. It was about the size of an adult horse. Its scales were black and red, like a smoldering flame in the dark night.

Compared to the legendary behemoth, this dragon was not big enough, but it had already shocked Willas and Marwyn. When the dragon flew over their heads, an unsettling smell of a beast came to their faces, and the human instinctive perception of danger made them stop for a moment.

The little dragon was equipped with a saddle like a horse for a rider. But the young dragon seemed to be afraid of the young and solemn human king. It was nervous and afraid and dared not approach. It only looked at the king from a distance when it landed, as if it wanted to approach but did not dare.

Then they saw the king.

They found that the king was young and handsome as rumored, with a firm face and looked quite kind. The queen was beautiful and noble, with an extraordinary demeanor, and they dared not look directly at her.

However, when they saw the king's right hand, they both held their breath for a while.

At first, Willas thought it was a special glove or arm armor decoration, because the king was wearing half armor, as if he was going to war.

However, it was not a decoration. The king's right hand was indeed the claw of some beast, a dragon.

But the king's left hand was a normal human hand.

Dr. Marwyn was more excited to see the king's right hand than to see the dragon. His eyes were shining and his bull-like neck was panting.

The guard who led them here walked to the king's side and stood solemnly, as if everything was normal, and he didn't care about the king's inhuman right hand.

The king spoke: "Introduce yourselves?"

The Citadel Doctor, who looked more like a villain than a maester, eagerly introduced himself: "I am Marwyn of the Citadel, studying magic and mysticism, and I am a certified doctor of the Citadel."

Villas swallowed his saliva and introduced himself: "I am Willas of the Tyrell family, the heir of Highgarden, and I greet you. It is a great honor to meet you, Your Majesty."

Viserys asked coldly: "A Citadel Doctor of Magic and Mysticism, an heir of Highgarden, came to Dragonstone on the same ship?"

"I heard about your dragon in Oldtown, Your Majesty, I came for your dragon. I must meet you before the other old guys in the Citadel, I have important secrets about dragons to tell you." Marwyn was very excited, "But depending on the situation, Your Majesty, I may be self-indulgent, you are more powerful than I thought. You know the witchcraft and magic of Valyria's blood and fire, and you are a true dragon king."

Villas didn't know how to start for a while.

The king skipped Willas and directly answered Marwyn's words: "The secret of the dragon? Let's put it aside for now. You said you study magic and mysticism?" Viserys looked at Marwyn, "Then you must have heard the jester's weird ballads, Dr. Marwyn?"

Marwyn didn't know why the king mentioned this. He turned his head and looked at the weird jester in the garden. The jester was still singing the two weird ballads over and over again, and the bells on his head kept ringing.

"People will fall in the sea, and those who fall will fall up."

The jester sang.

Marwyn frowned when he heard it. This weird song was about people who fell into the sea and drowned, and the posture of the body floating up from the sea.

"The broken ship caused a storm, salt water entered the white tower, and the mermaids in the sea disappeared without a trace."

This song was really weird, with a weird tune. According to the jester's standards, this jester was undoubtedly a failed character. The song he sang was weird and terrifying, and it was impossible to make others laugh.

But Marwyn frowned: "May I ask who this jester is?"

"Patchface. An interesting person. I'm sure you've all heard of King's Landing's slanderous remarks against Stannis." King's Landing once sent people to spread the word that Shireen was the illegitimate daughter of Patchface and Lady Selyse in order to fight back against Stannis by saying that Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella were illegitimate children. "But in fact, for more than a decade, everyone who knew Patchface regarded him as a retard. He was a jester slave brought back from Volantis by Duke Stephen. He was the only survivor of the shipwreck in Shipwreck Bay where Duke Stephen was killed. The Duke and Duchess, hundreds of soldiers, and sailors all died. Only Patchface was washed ashore and survived by coughing up seawater. From then on, he often sang some strange songs. Does this remind you of something, Dr. Marwyn?"

Marwyn looked at the jester in the garden with a serious expression, and then looked at the king. He realized that this was a test question. Dr. Marwyn gave the answer: "A sacrificial ceremony that inexplicably reached the conditions, or perhaps a conspiracy."

Sacrificial ceremony.

Conspiracy

Willas could not understand the conversation between the king and Marwyn, but he felt vaguely uneasy.

Viserys narrowed his eyes: "So, what do you think of his strange song?"

Marwyn realized that this was the second question.

"I don't believe in any prophecies, nor do I believe that this jester's strange song can predict the future, your majesty. These things are all based on speculation. But if you want me to explain it to you. The broken ship may be Shipbreaking Bay, and he is talking about the storm raging there, It will cause seawater to pour into a certain white tower. As for the mermaids on the bottom of the sea, it is said that the Gray Sea King of the Iron Islands married a mermaid; as for the mermaid king, he is the god of sea death worshiped by the sailors of Essos; sailors rumored that the trembling sea has There are pale-skinned mermaids, and gentle mermaids live in the southern sea, but no one has ever confirmed it; there is also a small island on Qingting Island opposite the old town called the Mermaid Palace; there is also a legend that in the water hall of the Drowned God, mermaids take care of the housework. , Prophecy is cunning and a trap, and it can be explained in any way. Regarding prophecies, I believe in the words of ancient sages. The danger of prophecy itself is not terrible, but the most terrible thing is when you fall into it.”

Viserys took a deep look at the occult doctor of the city and was slightly disappointed. This doctor may not be as capable as he thought.

Viserys originally thought that when the doctor came, he might be able to put the matter in Oldtown aside for now.

Viserys had another explanation for Patchface's song.

Salt water enters the white tower.

From Viserys's understanding, there might be someone else eyeing Oldtown with him.

Salt water represents the Iron Islands - Jojen, who is beside Bran, used salt water to flood Winterfell to predict Theon Greyjoy's invasion of Winterfell.

To Viserys, the White Tower represented Hightower and the Oldtown. Because of the towering tower of the Hightower family, their family emblem is a stepped white tower with a beacon burning on the top on a soot background.

Although Viserys was reluctant to believe it, Patchface's prophecy had a proven success rate.

Viserys couldn't understand only the last sentence. "The mermaid disappeared without a trace under the sea."

But Viserys only needs to make a rough guess, and he will not be trapped by the prophecies. He just regards these things as a source of intelligence that needs to be decrypted. It doesn't matter if you don't guess correctly.

Viserys's assessment of Marwen ended here. He turned to look at Willas in Highgarden: "This doctor from the city came here for the dragon. What about you, Willas Tyrell?"

Seeing that the Dragon King, who might have truly inherited Valyria's magic and witchcraft, stopped asking questions, Dr. Marwen was not sure whether he had answered it well or not, and began to worry about gain and loss.

Willas of Highgarden tried to maintain a polite demeanor, even though he had been disturbed by the dragon, the king's right hand dragon claw, and the previous question, and felt inexplicably guilty. His heart skipped a beat, and he knelt down neatly on one knee and answered seriously: "Your Majesty, ever since Willas heard the news of your return to Dragonstone, he has never dared to forget that the Tyrell ancestors were a gift from King Targaryen. Only today. This time I come to swear allegiance to you on behalf of the Tyrell family of Highgarden. Please allow me to serve under your command. Please drive me to advance for you, just as His Majesty Aegon the Conqueror drove me. Like his ancestor Harlan Tyrell."

"You represent the Tyrell family? What about your father? I remember that the current Duke of Highgarden is your father, the Duke of Mace, right? Where is he now?"

Vilas swallowed secretly: "My father is in King's Landing now. But Your Majesty, please let me write a letter to my father. He must-"

"Definitely?" Viserys interrupted, "How long did it take you to get here by boat from Highgarden?"

Vilas's heart felt cold and he answered seriously: "65 days, Your Majesty."

"How long does it take to get to Dragonstone by boat from King's Landing?"

Villas sweated on his forehead: "About 3 or 4 days."

"Why doesn't your father come?"

Willas also didn't understand what his father and the princes of the Reach were thinking. They were obviously so close to Dragonstone, and they should have better news than him: "Your Majesty, my father received Baratheon and Lan in King's Landing. However, no matter what, my father made a big mistake when he learned that you were on Dragonstone and did not come to see King Qin. Please allow me to correct the mistake my father made. Loyal, let me fight for you, give you the Tyrell army still in Highgarden, and persuade you to surrender the Reach army. Afterwards, whether you let the wrongdoers of House Tyrell be clothed in black, or you will take them away. The Tyrell family has no complaints about their title. Tyrell's honor was given by His Majesty Targaryen, and Tyrell's fate is at His Majesty's discretion."

Vilas tried his best to express his loyalty, but he was panicking in his heart. Even he was planning other ideas at first. Compared with the envoy sent by Dorne, which completely turned to Targaryen, Willas came alone. In contrast, the performance of the Tyrell family seemed inconsistent.

"How many princes from the Reach will you bring with you this time?"

Willas regretted not taking the land route and not communicating with his father first: "Your Majesty, I came alone, but I guarantee that the 30,000 people from the river bend in Highgarden will obey my orders."

Viserys was noncommittal: "You only have a little more time, Willas Tyrell. I will send people to rush you back to Highgarden so that you can preside over the surrender. But for the sake of the confidentiality of military operations, You won't get any messenger crows until you reach Highgarden, and don't try to send information by other means."

Surrender to Highgarden

Vilas' scalp was numb: "Your Majesty, I."

Viserys only said: "You don't have much time, Willas. Sir Arthur, take him to Grolai, and ask Grolai to personally escort him to chase the guards. Tell Grolai to wait for us in Summer Hall." I want to see this person present when we meet.”

Now the garrison troops put together by Earl Gunther and the Narrow Sea lords are responsible for guarding Dragonstone Castle. Except for the navy, Dragonstone is now more empty than ever before.

Viserys flew around the Crab Claw Peninsula a few days ago and summoned some peninsula people from the Crab Claw Peninsula lords' families to guard Dragonstone. He planned to put them in the vacant military camp outside the town at the foot of Dragonstone Mountain to prepare for any eventuality, but these people have not yet been transported. The garrison troops put together by the Narrow Sea lords for Viserys are now acting as decoys in the military camp outside the town.

Viserys is not sure whether it is necessary, but when he plans to go to the southern border to fight when all the castle garrisons are sent out, he still pretends to be a disguise.

The original Unsullied army on Dragonstone was Viserys' most trusted guards. For this battle, Viserys had to split them into two, one was sent to Storm's End to guard, and the other went to the front with the Dorne delegation.

Viserys planned to take time to deal with the cult problem in the Stormlands while the Dorne army was gathering, so a group of guards would be responsible for protecting the king at Storm's End, mainly because the king had secrets that needed their protection.

When the Dorne army was assembled, Viserys planned to fly over to join the Dorne army, and the other half of the guards would protect him in the Dorne camp.

Viserys wanted Willas to chase the other half of the guards. They and the free rider scouts recruited by Viserys had already rushed to the front line, and Viserys agreed to meet with them at Summerhall.

He planned to go to Summerhall to add some Stormland knights and knights of the Florent family to the guard force, forming an honorary knight force of about 600 people, and then go to Nightsong in the borderlands to join the Dorne troops.

After the troops were gathered together, the army set out from Nightsong to attack Highgarden.

By then, Dorne will also add manpower to Viserys's honor guard. Eventually, the honor guard responsible for protecting the king in the war will reach 1,000. This guard will be composed entirely of the king's most trusted guards and well-known knights and retainers from all over the country. Its complete form will be an invincible heavy cavalry unit.

In the expectation, the direction of the king's attack on the battlefield on a dragon is the direction in which the guards will ride on horseback. Wherever the king charges, they will follow.

The reason why Viserys is still on Dragonstone is that he is waiting for the army to arrive at the designated area. It will take at least ten days to half a month to gather in the Nightsong area. Viserys still has to wait. He has to wait until the army is assembled before flying over to command the battle.

This sounds a bit like Chang Kai-shek, who flies across the country to command on a private plane, but Viserys is not going to the battlefield to micromanage. Viserys has never commanded a war of 10,000 people, so he will listen to the commander's opinions and will not be self-willed.

And he himself is the most powerful combat power and reassurance of this army.

The strategic targets of this military operation are Highgarden and Oldtown. The best outcome is to force Highgarden to surrender, and the southern lords all obey Viserys's raven call to surrender to Highgarden. The next best outcome is that Highgarden refuses to surrender, and Viserys takes his troops to capture Highgarden as soon as possible, and then sees Oldtown's attitude.

If Oldtown also refuses to surrender, then he will take his troops to attack Oldtown.

If Oldtown surrenders, then he will take his troops to Oldtown to show off his power.

Anyway, whether Oldtown surrenders or not, Viserys will take his troops to Oldtown.

In name, Viserys will ask the Citadel of Oldtown to disclose the knowledge and intelligence of the White Walkers to the world, but in reality, of course, he will ask the Citadel of Oldtown and the Hightower family to hand over the knowledge and books about magic.

It can be said that Marwyn and Willas are lucky. Viserys plans to set off for Storm's End with Daenerys today.

If they come later, they will not be able to find the king on Dragonstone.

Viserys had planned to go to Storm's End a long time ago, but he was delayed for two days because he accidentally touched the cursed item brought back from Braavos.

Speaking of the terrain on the back slope of Dragon Mountain, there is a wet and cold wasteland far away from the volcano, surrounded by storms and bad water all year round, and the volcano is covered by smoke and shadows blown away by the wind, which looks gloomy and terrifying, and almost no living things survive there.

Viserys hid the cursed item brought back from Braavos with the magic of the God of Cold there, in a cave dug by himself in a steep place, and flew over every day to spray a breath of cold air to freeze it tightly. After all, it was still too arrogant. Viserys didn't expect that the cold curse would gradually penetrate the magic ice he spit out. The two magic powers seemed to have a tendency to devour and blend each other on his magic creation ice.

Viserys just accidentally touched the ice. Then he was possessed by this curse that combined the magic of the God of Cold and part of his own magic. The magic confrontation has been going on for two days, and his hand has not recovered yet.

Nightfire was so scared of the curse on Viserys's hand that he didn't dare to get close to him.

These curses of the God of Cold contained the ice elemental magic that Viserys needed, and it could be absorbed. The absorbable part of this power was higher than the special weapons of the Faceless, but it was very slow and difficult to digest.

Viserys was both grateful and puzzled when he found this.

He was grateful because he seemed to have found a way to obtain the ice elemental magic.

He was puzzled because when he realized that the ice dragons in this world did not exist in reality but were the creation of ritual magic, Viserys did not know how to obtain the ice dragon's corpse to obtain the dragon soul magic.

But now that he has obtained the ice elemental magic that can be absorbed from the curse of the remnants of the White Walkers and humans, doesn't this mean that this pile of residues can be regarded as dragon soul magic in a sense?

So can it be understood that the dragon soul of the ice dragon is the remnant curse of the White Walkers that can cast ritual magic to summon the ice dragon?

Thinking from another angle, doesn't it mean that the system that issues tasks in Viserys' mind determines that these White Walkers who can cast ritual magic to summon ice dragons are the ice dragons themselves?

Viserys thought strangely, so the essence of "ice dragon" is not a giant dragon, but actually a special magic possessed by the White Walkers?