Chapter 26: Crisis Approaches

The boy stood on a stool, leaning on the windowsill, facing the salty, damp sea breeze. He breathed in the faint smell of smoke and blood in the air, his silvery-gold curls grazing his pale forehead.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

The distant tolling of bells had ceased, but the boy's inner turmoil hadn't subsided.

He hated this feeling, leaving his fate in the hands of others, for the outcome of the naval battle would determine his survival.

If the Dragonstone fleet was defeated, he, his mother, and Rhaenys would have no place to hide.

After all, Dragonstone was only so big.

The sea was like a cage, trapping them here without any space to escape.

Viserys decided that after this matter was over, if the Dragonstone fleet could repel the invading enemy, he would do something to change his current situation.

For instance...

He would persuade his mother to abandon Dragonstone and lead the fleet to escape to the eastern continent.

However, Viserys knew that achieving this would be extremely difficult, as Dragonstone held great significance for House Targaryen.

Although he had been crowned Viserys Targaryen III, he was still young, and being called 'king' was merely a title. Even the guards at the gate didn't take him seriously.

A seven-year-old 'king' who had lost his throne and fled, held no power. Even commanding a servant required his mother's approval.

On Dragonstone, only the words of Queen Rhaella, the fleet commander, were decisive.

As Viserys was lost in thought, he suddenly remembered something.

Ever since their encounter with House Lannister's attack during their escape six months ago, Rhaenys had developed the habit of having nightmares.

The little girl would often wake up in the middle of the night, crying, and seek comfort in Viserys's room.

Their rooms were close, Rhaenys's bedroom was just next to Viserys's, and only by embracing her 'older brother' could the brown-haired girl fall asleep peacefully once more.

Both children were, in fact, ill-fated. Rhaenys had also lost her parents.

Tonight, for various reasons, starting with the Maester's death due to illness, Viserys was preoccupied with wild thoughts and had momentarily forgotten about Rhaenys.

Based on the past, the sound of bells echoing throughout Dragonstone should have already woken her up.

But at this moment, there was no sign of activity in Rhaenys's room.

Still asleep?

Viserys tilted his head slightly, peeking out from the castle, looking towards Rhaenys's room next door.

Beneath him was a cliff several meters deep. Waves surged forward, crashing onto the chaotic rocks below the castle.

Viserys's courage had grown significantly, and he wasn't worried about accidentally falling.

However, as he peered at the window of the room next door, Rhaenys's room was pitch black, with no light.

"It seems she's really still asleep..."

"How strange."

His silver-gold hair fluttered as the boy blinked, thought for a moment, and then withdrew his body back inside.

Picking up the shortsword on the windowsill, he hopped down from the stool and quickly headed towards his bedroom door.

Squeak—

Viserys opened the door to his bedroom.

As expected, two fully armed guards stood outside, clad in chainmail and with longswords at their waists.

Viserys wanted to step out, but the guards stopped him.

"Your Highness."

The guards looked at the young king with wry smiles on their faces. Although he had been crowned king, even Viserys himself didn't take it seriously.

The guards didn't change the way they addressed him, still calling him "Your Highness."

Little did they expect that Ser William was right when he said that the young prince wouldn't be content hiding in his room and would find something to do.

However, this time they were wrong.

Viserys spread his hands slightly, showing some helplessness, and then pointed to the room next door where Rhaenys was staying.

"I'm just going to see Rhaenys. I won't wander off, of course."

The silver-haired boy's reasoning was sound, as everyone in the castle knew how close the two children were.

Rhaenys always liked to pester Viserys, even when he was practicing swordplay, she would happily sit in the shade of a nearby tree to keep him company.

Moreover, Rhaenys always "misspoke," calling Viserys "big brother." It was only after being scolded by Queen Rhaella a few times that she reluctantly changed it to "uncle." Still, the little girl's face showed her unwillingness.

Indeed, for a child, there were no more complex reasons and certainly no involvement with adult thoughts.

In her innocent view, Viserys wasn't much older than her, and they were of the same age.

However, she was inexplicably a generation younger than him, and she was somewhat unwilling to accept this, so she deliberately called Viserys "big brother." Viserys didn't mind, though.

"Since it's to see Princess Rhaenys..."

The two guards exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

After all, Rhaenys's bedroom was just next door, and the young king wasn't running off. If they didn't agree to even this small request, it would indeed seem too unreasonable.

"Alright then."

Clank—

The sound of metal armor rubbing against itself echoed.

The two guards held their sword hilts with one hand, nodded, and stepped aside.

"Thank you."

Viserys nodded as well and walked past them. Suddenly, he thought of something.

Stopping briefly at Rhaenys's door, his figure couldn't be seen directly from around the corner. The boy looked up and casually asked,

"Uh... Are there guards protecting my mother too?"

After all, too much had happened tonight, and a naval battle was still ongoing. If the Dragonstone fleet was defeated, none of them could escape.

However, Viserys thought of something else.

If the entire Dragonstone fleet was out fighting the enemy, didn't that mean that the coast of Dragonstone was completely undefended at this time?

A small boat could easily approach the shore under the cover of darkness and land without making a sound.

Dragonstone, being a barren island, had only one small fishing village, and as the lord of Dragonstone, it was nearly impossible to gather soldiers for battle.

The only defensive force on the entire island was the few dozen guards within the castle. However, the castle was particularly large, and these guards couldn't cover every inch.

Hearing the young king's words, the two guards hesitated for a moment. They hadn't thought as much as Viserys, but they still nodded confidently.

"Of course!"

"Her Majesty the Queen is also protected by guards."

However, while the three of them were talking,

Thud—

Suddenly, there was the sound of a bowstring releasing. In the darkness, a crossbow bolt shot out.

.