Chapter 358: Night Attack on Summerhall II

Dany was right.

He really did love adventures too much, and he knew he should at least use the Moon's Revelation to divine his next steps.

So, he stood in place, closed his eyes, and concentrated, while Ronnet watched him doubtfully.

After a moment, Viserys opened his eyes and said, "Dany, I'm still going. Don't worry. With your help, we'll succeed. When I succeed over there, Wealthbringer will sense it, and you can ride it here to fetch me."

"Your Grace! Please, let me go with you!"

"No, you stay here and protect the Princess. When things get chaotic, I might have to protect you."

After refusing them both, Viserys changed into Ronnet's servant's clothes and began walking with him toward Summerhall.

...

Viserys had just received a favorable reading from the Moon's Revelation. In other words, he could capture Renly alive. Just thinking about it made him realize the plan had a high probability of success.

First of all, he had been flying around on a dragon, and although he hadn't bothered to hide his presence, the dragon's speed was something to behold in this era. His movements far exceeded the speed of news. Renly would never have guessed that he had already arrived in the Stormlands.

"Ser Ronnet," Viserys said, picking up a stone from the ground. He hurled it hard at a tree trunk.

A dull thud echoed as a bowl-sized hole appeared in the trunk, the thickness of a man's thigh.

"Whether I capture Renly alive or assassinate him, this war will end sooner. I want fewer people to die. And I'll restore the title of Lord to House Connington. You will help me, won't you?"

"Yes... yes, Your Grace," Ronnet stammered, horrified by the destructive power of the stone. There was no way he could survive such an attack.

Despite Viserys' assurance, Dany was still uneasy. She walked up to him, her expression cold, and said, "You must remember, the Targaryens now have seven dragons. If you can't leave Summerhall safely, I'll use dragonfire to melt Griffin's Roost."

"Yes, I understand, I understand, Princess."

For some reason, as Ronnet looked at her beautiful face, he felt a terrible flame surging behind those violet eyes. It was so intense that he couldn't even entertain any impure thoughts.

...

At this time, Renly hadn't yet formed his 'Rainbow Guard,' but five of the original seven—each in a white cloak—were already present. Among them, Brienne the Beauty stood out prominently.

Brienne was stronger than most men and had rugged facial features, except for her lack of a beard. Many of Renly's guards treated her like a man, and she had earned their respect with her extraordinary swordsmanship.

Renly had even stationed her closest to his chambers, which filled Brienne with happiness.

The eldest and youngest of House Baratheon were both quite charming. Renly, in particular, looked exactly like Robert in his younger years, which endeared him to many.

Brienne not only felt loyalty but also affection for Renly. The mere thought of him behind her made her eyes widen with determination.

Standing on the terrace on the third floor of Summerhall palace, Brienne surveyed the vast greenery below. Not even a bird could escape her notice.

Inside Summerhall, Renly had brought in nearly 20,000 soldiers.

He planned to use this place to repel the army of Dorne. He had also brought a large number of dragon crossbows, ideal weapons for defending against both Viserys' dragons and the soldiers of Dorne. In fact, it was a clever strategy.

Summerhall was essentially built at a pass, with mountains to the north and south. Anyone wanting to attack Storm's End had to go through here.

"Your Grace... Your Grace, Renly's sleeping quarters are just ahead."

Viserys took in the scene before him. The palace was not only surrounded by open space, but there were also several guards stationed above it. It was clear that breaking in directly would be difficult.

From what he could see, Renly had arranged at least three lines of defense for his "palace."

Outside, three teams of five guards patrolled the grounds. There were sentries on duty and personal guards positioned on the terrace outside the palace. On the third floor, a tall figure in a blue cloak stood watch.

That was Brienne, Renly's most trusted knight.

Viserys observed the guards closely. The three teams outside were positioned so that they nearly overlapped. The lead guard of the first team could see the last guard of the second team, and so on. Even the first line of defense seemed difficult to penetrate.

"Take me on a tour!"

No wall is impenetrable. Viserys decided to bide his time and observe more closely. Eventually, these people would lower their guard.

As they moved to higher ground, where the palace jutted out, Viserys spotted an opportunity.

A guard was standing on the protruding ledge, overlooking the grounds below. The placement of this ledge created a brief break between the adjacent patrols—about half a minute where the guards were "disconnected."

He considered using a crossbow to take down the guard on the ledge, then exploiting the gap between patrols to climb up.

So, Viserys waited, watching for the right moment. He noted that the guard on the balcony of the protruding section was adorned with purple plum motifs, likely one of Renly's Rainbow Guards from the original timeline.

The guard didn't seem particularly focused. Sometimes he glanced around, and other times he gazed up at the night sky.

Tonight, the stars were unusually bright, scattered across the blackness like peanuts on dark rice.

"It's beautiful... if only Viserys wasn't attacking."

The speaker was Ser Parmen, a knight from House Crane. Renly's Rainbow Guard was a motley assembly, lacking true professionalism and made up of members of varying skill. Originally, Renly was supposed to be assassinated by Stannis' ghostly shadow. When Loras learned of Renly's death, he flew into a rage, killing two of the seven Rainbow Guards and driving two others away. Parmen was one of the latter.

Suddenly, Parmen felt a sharp twinge in his neck. He reached up and found something stuck to it.

"It feels like a small wooden stick..."

Before he could react further, everything went dark. He collapsed, unconscious.

From below, Ronnet marveled at Viserys' marksmanship, about to say something when, without warning, a blackness overcame him as well—Viserys had knocked him out with a swift punch. There was no way he would leave his back exposed to someone who could become a prisoner.

Viserys leapt onto the terrace just as the next patrol was out of sight.

Parmen lay on the ground, foaming at the mouth, his body twitching slightly. The arrow had been tipped with both anesthetic and poison, leaving him completely incapacitated.

Once inside the palace, Viserys made his way cautiously toward the great hall.

He couldn't help but notice the decor. Tapestries hung on the walls, depicting crowned yellow stags, flowers, and candlesticks. Renly had clearly put considerable effort into decorating. A Lord who leads his men into battle, but instead of studying military strategy, he focuses on interior design, Viserys thought. For Renly, it seems war is more a pageant than a serious affair.

As he continued, his eyes caught sight of three interlinked dragon reliefs above. They depicted figures riding on the backs of the dragons—likely Aegon and his two wives.

After spotting a staircase, Viserys moved to head upstairs and search for Renly. But just as he reached the top of the stairs, he froze—footsteps echoed from the hallway ahead.