Chapter 614: City Expansion

In the original plan, today's royal council meeting was to discuss the population and sanitary issues of King's Landing.

The Night's Watch army had begun its expedition to reclaim the North, and it was only natural for the scattered northerners across the Seven Kingdoms, including those in King's Landing, to return to their homelands. However, some had grown accustomed to the warm and comfortable life in the South and were reluctant to return home, as going back to the North meant rebuilding their homes from scratch.

Of course, it wasn't a problem for these people to stay in King's Landing, but they generally lacked assets, had no fixed abode, and were unemployed.

Their presence in King's Landing had become a security black hole, filled with brawls, thefts, robberies, smuggling, and more. The city guard was kept busy catching these criminals, and six out of ten were wandering Northerners.

And more importantly, there was the issue of the city's population capacity. Although King's Landing had expanded several times over three hundred years and could accommodate a sizable population, it still could not withstand the pressure of a sudden population surge.

The stifling heat of midsummer hung over the entire city of King's Landing, intensifying the stench in a city already known as 'a cesspit.'

Even the nobles residing on Aegon's High Hill and the royals within the Red Keep could not bear the foul odor. Coupled with the recent reports of small-scale epidemic outbreaks from various noble houses, King Viserys was further resolute in addressing the sanitary issues of King's Landing.

He prepared to allocate funds from the royal treasury, with the royal council providing a hefty budget. Advisors from the Citadel were engaged to offer architectural solutions, and the finest craftsmen from across the kingdom were sought for onsite supervision. One path was to expand the city's scale, and the other was to upgrade the underground sewage facilities. Both paths were to be pursued concurrently to thoroughly resolve King's Landing's sanitation problems.

However, the regularly scheduled royal council meeting, originally intended to discuss these matters, was interrupted by the news of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen's menarche.

This was a significant event that garnered the attention of nobles across the realm due to the young girl's illustrious lineage and noble blood.

"The onset of menarche for the Princess is a good omen, Your Grace."

"In fact, even before this, many nobles had desired to propose marriage to the Princess."

In the royal council, Master of Whisperers Varys, with his polished bald head slightly shaking, hands crossed and tucked into his sleeves, began speaking.

King Viserys had evenly divided the three dragons among the only two noble-blooded girls in the family, one being his niece Rhaenys, and the other his sister Daenerys.

Princess Daenerys was still young and bore a pure lineage, much like the King himself with silver hair and purple eyes. Of course, her hair did not shimmer as brightly, nor were her eyes as pure as Viserys'.

On the other hand, Princess Rhaenys lacked a bit in the strength of bloodline yet still possessed a dragon and was adept in warfare.

She had once mounted her dragon Rhaegal and scorched the Westerlands for three months, leaving a deep psychological scar on both the nobles and common folk of the Westerlands.

Now that the girl had reached marriageable age, the voices proposing marriage to Rhaenys had never ceased across the kingdom.

In the royal council chamber, Varys seated on his designated seat, cleared his throat, and continued to offer his counsel.

"However, we must learn from the lessons of the previous dynasty and history, Your Grace."

"Princess Rhaenys must not marry outside, to prevent the true dragon bloodline from flowing out and diluting, so..."

"Yes."

On the other side, Grand Maester Marwyn, seated next to Varys, also nodded and began speaking. The two seemed to have coordinated beforehand, and Marwyn was the one among all present who understood Valyria the most.

Archmaester, with his rough and muffled voice, began.

"The Dragon King is an ancient title among the forty families of Valyria, who vied for control over the Freehold of Valyria, with House Targaryen among them."

"The title Dragon King was bestowed precisely because of the ability to control dragons, an ability derived from their mysterious and pure bloodline."

"To preserve the purity of the bloodline, Dragon Kings chose incestuous marriages, commonly between siblings, and polygamy was not unheard of either."

Archmaester Marwyn recounted the ancient traditions of Valyrian Dragon Kings, who chose such practices to preserve the purity of their bloodlines.

"As for the previous dynasty..."

On the other side, Varys picked up the conversation, and with the mention of the previous dynasty, the bald eunuch's words became much more cautious. Here, the previous dynasty referred to the Targaryen dynasty, which though nominally severed still had myriad connections. Varys carefully weighed his words before speaking.

"I, along with Grand Maester Marwyn and many maesters from the Citadel, had communication beforehand."

The Archmaester, adorned with a Valyrian steel link, nodded slightly.

"A mainstream theory suggests that the extinction of dragons and the decline of House Targaryen were due to political marriages with other families post-unification of the Seven Kingdoms, leading to a mixed and diluted bloodline, diminishing the bloodline's power."

"The ability to control dragons decreased, and without companions, the dragons went extinct."

Varys' words had the members of the royal council nodding in agreement.

Except for Master of Laws Oberyn, whose brow furrowed slightly. Being more astute, his mind raced with more associations.

The Dornishman's brows knotted into a lump, and his brown face turned a bit serious before eventually relaxing.

Among those present, some noticed Oberyn's slight displeasure. The reason was clear to all, yet none voiced it out.

The issue of succession was always a taboo, in any world, era, or nation, mishandling which could lead to a catastrophic fate, even implicating the entire family.

On the other side, King Viserys too found this matter a headache. He rubbed his temples and then spoke.

"Gentlemen, there's no rush in this matter."

"We will discuss this later."

The Valyrian Dragon Kings indeed needed incestuous marriages to preserve the purity of their bloodline, which was the way they thrived and propagated. He understood why his council was anxious for him, as King Viserys had yet no suitable male heir.

However, Rhaenys was still slightly young, and due to their close relationship, Viserys found it hard to accept mentally.

"Wait for a while."

"Wait for a while."

The common cultural practice across the kingdom was monogamy, and King Viserys already had his legal wife, Queen Aelinor.

Although examples set by Aegon, Maegor, and others had paved the way, marrying a second wife and granting her the title of Queen would still face some worldly resistance.

Certainly, a grand marriage ceremony couldn't be held; the best approach was to act discreetly.