Chapter 517: Black Swan and White Worm

Rhaegar left the Dragonpit, and a long-awaited reunion was taking place in the tower.

...

The curved conference room was simply decorated. Rhaenyra, wearing a long black dress with a gold dragon pendant on her chest, stood with her hands placed in front of her belly. Her noble bearing exuded a queenly demeanor.

Crack!

The door opened, and two Kingsguard stood guard.

"Rhaenyra, it's been a long time!" Laena exclaimed, visibly excited, as she walked in with open arms.

Rhaenyra pursed her lips and embraced her friend tightly. Upon closer inspection, Laena was covered in dust and wore red leather armor, indicating she had just returned from outside.

Laena pressed her cheek against her friend's and apologized, "Sorry, the slave ships in Slaver's Bay have been getting more and more brazen lately, so I couldn't welcome you home last night."

Lys implemented a council system, a semi-monarchical and semi-parliamentary body where the queen and three councilors made decisions.

This system shared the queen's power with council members, potentially leading to a power vacuum, but it was advantageous for Rhaenyra, who lacked systematic training in ruling a country and had lived in King's Landing for many years. Rhaegar handled major decisions, while councilors dealt with minor issues.

As one of the House Velaryon's appointed councilors, Laena's job was to maintain the shipping lanes. Rhaenyra understood and smiled, "It's fine. I've prepared a welcome banquet for you."

She instructed the Kingsguard outside to inform the others, and then the two women sat down next to each other at the conference table. Laena, still in a daze from the dragon battle, had a delicate olive complexion flushed with excitement.

Rhaenyra took her friend's hand, her expression serious. "What are you going to do, Laena?"

Laena was stunned for a moment, and her expression gradually fell. Rhaenyra remained quiet, waiting patiently for her friend to think it over. She felt for Laena's misfortune, but that didn't mean she had lost her mind. This was a private matter between Daemon and Laena, and the two could discuss it whenever they wanted. If Laena didn't provide an answer, there was nothing Rhaenyra could do to help.

Laena understood this, too.

After a while, Rhaenyra poured two cups of sake. Laena finally spoke up, "I don't know what to do about the unborn child, but Lady Mysaria must pay the price."

As she said this, it was as if a huge stone had fallen from her heart. The exhaustion from the past few days of patrols was swept away.

Rhaenyra let go of her friend's hand and whispered, "Are you planning to kill the mother and keep the child?"

Laena nodded firmly. "The fault lies with Daemon and Lady Mysaria. I don't want to hurt an unborn child."

She was also a mother who had almost died in childbirth. She had an inexplicable sense of compassion for the unborn child.

"Laena, you've really given me a problem," Rhaenyra pondered. "Have you thought about who will inherit if the child is a boy, and how?"

A bastard born of a prostitute inheriting Tyrosh, which Daemon and Laena had built together? Even if Laena agreed, the Sea Snake would not.

Laena was silent, not knowing how to respond. She knew the consequences of a boy born of White Worm and had been hesitant for half a month.

Seeing this, Rhaenyra did not press further and promised, "If this is all you want, I can promise that I will share the burden with you when you need it."

She could not and did not want to speak for Rhaegar, but she could offer help in her own capacity. If Laena had a request, Lys would mobilize all of its resources.

"Thank you, Rhaenyra." Laena was moved to her core and said with a determined look, "I will talk to Daemon about the inheritance. If it doesn't work out, I can always decide later."

Having been raised by the elite of House Velaryon, she was not one to hesitate. When it came to rooting out weeds, she would not be soft.

As soon as she finished speaking, the voice of the Kingsguard rang out: "Welcome, Rhaegar the First of House Targaryen, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm!"

With a thump, a figure appeared at the door.

Rhaenyra and Laena rose in unison.

Rhaegar entered the council chamber and looked at the two women in surprise. "Am I interrupting?"

"Hmph!" Rhaenyra snorted, her lips curling. The two siblings had agreed to meet in Lys beforehand.

Laena, feeling she was an outsider right now, bowed respectfully. "Your Grace."

Rhaegar waved his hand with a smile. There was no need for such formalities between acquaintances.

Except, of course, for his good uncle.

After taking their seats, Rhaegar said, "I've seen Baelon and the others. Maekar has tamed Tyraxes. It's a very promising dragon."

Rhaenyra, with a hint of pride, responded, "Of course, it's no surprise when you look at who his father is."

Rhaegar found this amusing and tried hard to hold back his laughter.

Rhaenyra casually mentioned, "On the way to Lys, several children rode dragons, but only Baelon..."

She stopped mid-sentence, worried about her eldest son's potential feelings of inadequacy.

Rhaegar smiled reassuringly. "We've talked about it. It'll be fine."

Baelon had inherited his father's perseverance and had his own ideas.

Rhaenyra nodded gently, acknowledging Rhaegar's greater capability in handling such matters.

Laena, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles, found an opportunity to interrupt: "Your Grace, the Tiger Party members of Volantis stationed in Lys have secretly left. It seems that Volantis and Slaver's Bay have concluded an alliance."

Rhaegar asked seriously, "What's the situation?"

Laena replied truthfully, "Slaver's Bay's ships have blocked the Smoking Sea, forming a line of defense with Volantis that cuts off the Disputed Lands and The Summer Sea."

Blocking the shipping lanes and cutting off trade has always been a key part of naval warfare.

Rhaegar had a general understanding of the situation and said with great momentum, "Troops from all over the world are being mobilized, and the Kingdom will find an opportunity to fight them."

"I'll leave you to it." Laena let out a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

The meeting room suddenly felt empty with only two people instead of three.

Rhaegar rested his hands on his chin, enjoying the sight of Rhaenyra's beauty. He wanted to see what his dear sister had to say to him.

Rhaenyra took a sip of wine and coughed lightly. "Did you encounter any danger when you were causing trouble in Braavos?"

If there had been danger, he wouldn't be sitting in the hall. It was just idle chatter.

Rhaegar smiled. "The Sealord is generous. He lent me a large amount of gold dragons."

At this point, Helaena was checking the accounts in Myr. There was too much money to be collected at once, and half of it was secured by goods.

Rhaenyra nodded absently, clearly not interested in the details of the loan.

Rhaenyra lifted her eyelids and bit her lower lip, whispering, "Laena asked me for help, and the bottom line is Baela's inheritance."

"So?" Rhaegar asked knowingly.

Rhaenyra couldn't stand it anymore, rolled her eyes, and said frankly, "Daemon is an asshole, but Baela and Rhaena are my foster daughters. At the very least, I have to guarantee that their rights will not be shaken."

"Uh..." Rhaegar was speechless for a moment. "The two sisters are in different situations. Daemon has the right to have another male heir."

Rhaena was adopted into House Velaryon and was officially the daughter of Laenor. The Sea Snake line had no male heirs, so it was legitimate for them to inherit Driftmark.

Daemon can still have children, and the heir can change at any time.

"Rhaegar!" Rhaenyra gritted her teeth, her voice tinged with resentment. "Baela and Rhaena are my and your foster daughters. We must protect her."

When Rhaegar heard the word "daughter," his eyes sharpened. In a neutral tone, he replied, "I do have daughters, three of them."

Rhaenyra was suddenly speechless, her expression shifting between guilt and frustration. She realized that Rhaegar was expressing his dissatisfaction, still upset about her revenge on Jeyne.

The atmosphere grew tense and awkward. Rhaegar, having ridden the dragon all the way, was already impatient. "I'll go wash up first," he said.

It wasn't that he couldn't say anything more; it was that they had different perspectives. He intended to use the White Worm's pregnancy to stir up conflict between Daemon and the Sea Snake, thereby weakening their influence and ultimately strengthening the Iron Throne's central power. Once the war against Volantis was over, he planned to strike a blow against the opposition in the Vale. His logic was clear, his goal obvious. Helping Laena and Baela fight for their interests would be a thankless task, only causing trouble. If things went wrong, Daemon and the Sea Snake would make a big fuss, leaving Rhaegar, as a participant, in an awkward position.

Rhaenyra nodded silently, understanding that Rhaegar was right. The best option was to stay out of the storm. She just wanted to protect Laena and Baela and couldn't stand the idea of White Worm as a third party.

"See you later," Rhaegar said.

"Okay!" Rhaenyra forced a smile.

As Rhaegar walked to the door, his tall, slender back suddenly stopped. He thought for a moment, not wanting to hurt Rhaenyra's feelings. It was hard to broach the subject, but he needed to say something.

"I can't do anything about Baela's inheritance, but I can guarantee that Laena won't be treated unfairly." He recalled the battle of Tyrosh, where Laena, heavily pregnant, rode Vhagar into battle and gave birth to a stillborn child.

Rhaegar had a plan, but he didn't want to hurt this good woman who was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. If necessary, he could kill Mysaria, the White Worm, and give the child to Laena to raise. All Daemon needed was a son.

Rhaenyra was surprised to hear this. But when she thought about Laena's original idea, she realized it aligned with Rhaegar's plan.

Rhaenyra smiled and whispered, "Let's do it."

...

Rhaegar left to wash up in the room he shared with his sister.

Rhaenyra sat in a chair, absentmindedly playing with a goblet.

Soon, two figures, one young and one adult, emerged from the secret door of the meeting hall.

"Rhaenyra!"

Baela, full of grievances, called out to her foster mother and rushed over, burying her head in Rhaenyra's lap.

Rhaenyra looked up at the other person, her expression darkening. "Who told you to bring Baela here!?"

"Sorry, I took matters into my own hands," Johanna replied, crossing her arms and maintaining an elegant demeanor.

Rhaenyra's tone was sharp. "You are a Grand Master of Lys. Don't you have other responsibilities?"

"It's about Lady Laena," Johanna said gently, a look of sadness in her eyes. "White Worm is a worthy opponent, but even the most cautious worm can't stay hidden forever."

She implied she had a way to deal with the situation.

Rhaenyra's face hardened. She covered Baela's ears and said sternly, "Get out! Leave immediately!"

The woman in front of her was too clever, always coming up with tempting ideas.

Johanna, realizing her power was useless here, silently returned through the secret door. Since the last incident in the Vale, the trust between them had been broken beyond repair.

(Word Count: 1,930)