Chapter 327: The Restorer and the New Order

Dany didn't feel much envy when she heard the news of Shinelli's pregnancy. She understood that the reason the slave owners of Slaver's Bay had dared to ally with the people of Qarth against them was because Viserys had no heir.

Even the mighty Dragonlords of Valyria in their time had needed to forge alliances to consolidate their power. Now that the Targaryens were no longer producing many heirs, such alliances were inevitable. Without sufficient strength, no one would have accepted this form of marriage. And since the eldest son would be the child of both Viserys and Shinelli, there was no cause for concern.

...

Three or four days later, Viserys's fleet arrived at the port of Tyrosh. The sheer number of warships overwhelmed the port, which couldn't accommodate them all. This worried Connington greatly, leaving him no choice but to send some of the fleet to Myr. Meanwhile, Hoyt returned to Pentos with 300 warships to prepare for the coming war.

Pentos was the closest port to King's Landing and would serve as a springboard for Viserys's invasion of Westeros. But perhaps the most pressing concern was the hundreds of thousands of people Viserys had brought back with him—an army of 30,000 Unsullied, more than 20,000 men recruited by Hoyt in Slaver's Bay, and tens of thousands of clerks, artisans, and sailors brought from Qarth.

Fortunately, the bureaucratic system established earlier proved invaluable. Without it, Connington would have been overwhelmed by the enormous workload, no matter how hard he worked.

...

After a long absence, when Aemon finally saw Viserys and Dany again, he felt a deep sense of relief. Viserys informed him of Shinelli's pregnancy, and though Aemon was reassured, he didn't show much joy. In his mind, while a concubine's child wasn't a bastard, but it couldn't be considered a legitimate heir.

That night, Viserys, Dany, and Aemon sat in the garden, gazing at the moon. A gentle breeze occasionally stirred the leaves, causing them to rustle softly in the quiet evening.

Aemon held out his long, thin palm, as if stroking the passing wind, and said, "It's starting to get colder, and the crickets are making less noise."

"Yes, I think the Long Night will come in three or five years, and we need to settle things in Westeros as soon as possible."

In truth, Viserys was only guessing. He had even asked Benerro, but Benerro hadn't given him a specific time.

"When are you going to do it?" Aemon asked, unsure of what he was really asking. Reclaim the Iron Throne? Avenge his father? Or...

He looked at Viserys with a trace of affection. The boy had been homeless since he was six or seven years old, and in some ways, Aemon thought, he's happier than him. At least on the Wall, he was the respected Maester Aemon, while Viserys had to fight for survival.

He has single-handedly saved the Targaryens from extinction, Aemon reflected. Even the conqueror Aegon hadn't faced such hardships.

Not to mention, some had compared Viserys to Aegor Bittersteel in the past. Bittersteel is not worthy at all!

One day, a phrase had come to Aemon's mind—it was called a revival, but truly, it was a new beginning. At the time, Aemon had been revising the Targaryen family tree. It's only fitting to give Viserys the title of "Restorer," he thought.

"Three months, maybe even five," Viserys replied. "Even if a dragon has to fight a rabbit, it will do its best."

Aemon nodded approvingly. He has a point. Perhaps I should add that to the Targaryen family motto myself.

But... Aemon had already learned from Daenerys that Viserys had entered the House of the Undying—a place that looked more like a tomb—to lure the Warlocks out. That was a very risky move.

He could already foresee countless imitators among Viserys's descendants, and surely, many deaths as a result.

Even though he knew it might not be useful, Aemon still decided to give it a try.

"Viserys, do you really have to fight Robert this time?" Aemon asked.

"Why? Do you want me to fight him on a dragon?" Viserys laughed.

"I'm relieved to hear that."

"Don't worry, Aemon. Even if the situation were reversed, with Robert on the dragon and me on the horse, he wouldn't stand a chance. Ever since the Targaryens lost their dragons, the nobles of Westeros have been growing nervous. I have to show them that the Targaryens can fight with more than just dragons. Sometimes, when something is too good, you have to be careful with it—otherwise, it hides a lot of problems. That's what happened with the dragons."

"What do you mean? That something too good to be true must be used with caution?" Aemon asked, his tone curious, as if he were once again the young Aemon, eager to learn.

Dany, too, blinked her purple eyes and listened closely.

"The conqueror Aegon's 'work' was really sloppy," Viserys said.

Aemon raised his eyebrows, surprised that Viserys would criticize the 'Conqueror' so openly. But then again, if anyone has the right to say this, it's Viserys.

"He thought that as long as he had a dragon, he could hold together the fractured kingdoms of Westeros. That idea was naive. If you set aside the dragon as a weapon, he was just an average ruler. While the Targaryens still had their dragons, the princes were obedient, but their power was still too great. So when the dragons went extinct, the nobles immediately started stirring up trouble."

"After I retake the Iron Throne, I'm going to implement large-scale centralization of power. For one, the nobles will no longer hold military power. And they can't keep armor for themselves, either."

Aemon was stunned. That's too much. He realized the enormous risk of such an approach. Not being able to hold military power is one thing, but to forbid them from even keeping armor? This would be nearly impossible in a land where knightly culture prevailed. How many people's interests will be affected by this?

"But won't they rebel if you do that?" Aemon asked, thinking Viserys might be overreaching.

"Of course they'll rebel," Viserys replied. "A cornered rabbit will bite. When I stormed Robert's feast, I could have killed him—but I didn't, precisely because I needed to carry out large-scale centralization afterward."

Viserys hadn't killed Robert back then, partly because he didn't want Westeros to plunge into chaos. But more importantly, it created the perfect opportunity for consolidating power.

In Viserys's vision for the future, House Tully, Arryn, Baratheon, and Lannister would all be removed from the ranks of the top nobles. Especially the latter two—Viserys planned to place their lands directly under the control of the crown.

There would be no more nobles in Westeros with the names Lannister or Baratheon.