Chapter 44: Tears

Naturally, the return of the fleet from their expedition caused a sensation on Dragonstone Island.

In fact, the news of their victory had already spread on the wings of ravens during the fleet's journey back.

First, it caused a stir in King's Landing, where rumors spread quickly due to the dense and diverse population. The gold cloaks had not yet had time to relax when they were once again in a frenzy, chasing after suspects.

Then the news spread out from King's Landing, brought to Dragonstone Island by merchant ships that stopped there for rest in between the two continents. The news even arrived a step ahead of the Targaryen fleet.

The Targaryen fleet had destroyed all of House Baratheon's ships in Shipbreaker Bay, but the rumors had mutated into several unreliable versions after passing through the grapevine.

The first version claimed that the Targaryen royal family had awakened a sleeping Valyrian dragon king on Dragonstone. Another said they had unearthed a treasure left behind by their ancestors.

As for the last version, it was even more fantastical. Rumor had it that Prince Viserys had performed a blood ritual on Dragonstone to awaken a bone dragon and then personally rode the dragon to re-enact Aegon the Conqueror's war on Westeros, burning Storm's End in the process.

However, amidst all the rumors, the most credible was the one where Viserys stood before the people.

The fleet sailed into the harbor and, after some difficulties, finally secured their ships.

Viserys stood at the bow of the ship, waiting with the soldiers to disembark. His long silver-gold hair billowed in the wind, and the boy looked dashing in his leather armor.

A pair of light purple eyes gazed into the distance before lowering to look at the crowd below.

Dragonstone, being at the center of the storm, had naturally suffered severe damage. Viserys looked around, and it seemed that the island had changed significantly compared to his memories.

Trees were torn apart, the land churned into mud, and the now-barren island appeared even more rugged, as if brutally ravaged.

In the distance, the volcano still spewed thick white smoke, and numerous rocks appeared to have slid down its slopes. Not far from the harbor, a small fishing village had been severely impacted by the rockslides.

Even now, many rocks still lingered in the village, destroying houses and what little arable land the villagers had.

In the small fishing village, Viserys saw many houses adorned with white cloth, indicating that family members had perished in the storm.

This village was the sole source of population on Dragonstone Island.

Their livelihood depended on fishing, which in turn depended on Dragonstone's port. But the once-functional harbor now lay in ruins, with wooden planks still floating in the sea.

Viserys turned his gaze downward, where he saw soldiers working urgently to repair the damage. They shouted in coordination as they struggled to secure the warships to the shore.

In the welcoming crowd below,

Ser Sand, the acting steward and lord of Dragonstone, had a somewhat grim expression on his face for some reason.

Beside him stood the former Red Keep's master-at-arms, Sir William Darry, who had once risked his life to protect Lady Rhaella and her children.

The two of them stood at the front, with Sir William holding the hand of the little girl Rhaenys. Servants and soldiers followed behind them.

Viserys looked down from the ship, and following in Sir Joffrey's footsteps, he descended from the Black Death with a group of soldiers.

Step by step...

His footsteps echoed on the wooden gangplank, one step at a time.

As Viserys stepped off the warship, the crowd awaiting him at the harbor saw the silver-haired boy and, without a word, fell to their knees in unison.

"Hm?"

Holding onto the makeshift, broken wooden gangplank, Viserys paused as he descended, slightly taken aback by the scene before him. He didn't know what had happened or why the people would do such a thing.

However, just as he was about to ask, he was interrupted by Rhaenys, who had broken free from the master-at-arms and run over to him.

The brown-haired girl tightly embraced Viserys, and tears flowed from her eyes in an instant. As Viserys held Rhaenys, he felt his shoulder dampened by her tears, and a bad premonition began to form in his heart.

"Rhaenys..."

As the sun set, the boy crouched down to embrace Rhaenys, his lips slightly cracked from dryness.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then hesitated.

In the end, he chose not to ask.

By the time the fleet arrived at Dragonstone, it was already evening. Unloading the spoils of war and securing the damaged warship, which had been battered by the storm, took time, and the sky was completely dark.

Walking along the winding mountain path, torches lit the way.

The fully armed guards on both sides protected their 'little king', holding torches high, the flickering flames casting long shadows in the wind.

Everyone in the group was silent, as if the joy of victory had not dispelled the gloom. They kept their mouths shut, saying nothing.

Due to the cooler temperature on the island at night, Viserys wore a black cloak.

The boy's silver-gold hair cascaded onto the soft cloak, swaying gently in the wind. His right hand held onto Rhaenys's small hand tightly.

"Sir William."

At that moment, Viserys, who had been silent for a long time since disembarking, finally spoke up. He seemed to have sensed something, but had not asked.

Now, he couldn't hold back any longer and turned to the master-at-arms walking beside him.

"My mother, she..."

Queen Rhaella had not come to the harbor, and Viserys had guessed something.

After all, this was a predestined fate.

He had once tried to change it, to cure his mother's heartache, to untie her emotional knot, and even to make her laugh and be happy.

But life is unpredictable, and many things that hadn't appeared in Viserys's memories had happened in this reality.

Queen Rhaella had suffered continuous shocks and blows, including the death of the old maester and the subsequent assassination attempts.

The master-at-arms's face darkened slightly. Hearing Viserys's words, he shook his head silently, not saying anything. But Viserys understood it all.

His heart thudded heavily, as if struck by a blow, and plunged to the depths.

He had known it all along, he had guessed it.

But when the truth finally confronted him, his emotions were severely affected.

Viserys stepped onto the next stone stair, then suddenly stopped halfway up the slope.

His one hand was holding Rhaenys's, but his palm unconsciously trembled slightly. His thin body bent over as if infected with a cold, wanting to cough violently, covering his mouth with his other hand.

"Cough—"

The shadow of the torch obscured his face as he tried to control his tears from falling.

He didn't want Rhaenys and the people around him to see him crying.

But in the end, it was all in vain.

Tears broke free from his eyes.

...