Chapter 121: Eight Hundred Warriors

As noon approached, the meeting concluded.

Each participant placed the stone ball in front of them back onto the disk and exited the conference hall together.

"Viserys."

As they stepped out of the main door, Alicent, dressed in a green gown, called softly and naturally took her husband's arm.

"How long have you been waiting, Alicent?"

Viserys asked with a smile, appreciating his wife's concern. He was in the prime of his life and really liked the young and beautiful Alicent, and they often showed their affection openly.

"I've prepared lunch, just waiting for you to join me."

Alicent's smile was charming, her gaze soft and inviting.

Viserys glanced at his advisers and straightened his back, feeling honored by his wife's thoughtfulness. The advisers acknowledged his look with nods and smiles, then dispersed.

Viserys turned to his children with an invitation. "How about joining us for lunch? Alicent has prepared a wonderful meal."

"No, I ate with Rhaegar," Rhaenyra responded flatly, turning to leave. She was estranged from her father and even more so from her "best sister" Alicent. The last thing she wanted was to share a table with them.

Rhaegar stood by, amused as he watched Rhaenyra walk away. Since she lost her status as heir, she's been more open about her disdain.

"Ahem..."

Rhaegar's thoughts were interrupted by a light cough. He looked over to see Tyland, a blonde Lannister, cupping his throat and winking at him. Though Tyland was handsome and stylish, Rhaegar found his winking irritating.

After a moment's contemplation, Rhaegar politely declined his father's invitation. "Father, the Mushroom Set's caravan will be entering the city soon, and I need to supervise it."

Viserys was a bit disappointed. "A bunch of savages, what's the point of being busy with them?"

However, he understood his eldest son's dedication and let it go. He took Alicent's hand and they walked away side by side.

Once they had gone, Rhaegar approached the waiting Tyland and smiled. "Lord Tyland, what do you need to discuss?"

"Let's chat as we walk."

"Alright."

As they walked down the corridor, Tyland clasped his hands behind his back, trying to appear casual. "Prince, do you know why the Queen showed up at the Council Chamber door today?"

"Did she take any action?"

Rhaegar kept his smile and asked.

Alicent had been quiet since the heir replacement ceremony.

Apart from a few minor, harmless maneuvers behind the scenes, she had consistently maintained the image of a virtuous woman and had never had any conflict with Rhaegar.

Tyland nodded. "The last time you proposed to clean up the streets of King's Landing, the Queen privately recommended her father, Lord Otto, to take up the post."

"Oh, she came up with a clever idea," Rhaegar said with a faint smile. "Not only does she bring Otto back into the fold, but she also secures real power."

The resident population of King's Landing had swelled to a staggering 500,000 people. It was one of the largest city-states in all of Westeros, serving as the political heart of the realm.

Yet, despite its significance, the city was plagued by severe issues. The population was bloated, order was lax, and the streets were littered with filth and reeked of human waste.

In the summer, the stench was so overpowering that even dragons could smell it from ten miles away.

Before the Dragonpit reform program, Rhaegar had suggested a street cleanup to improve the residents' environment.

"Prince, you should've planned ahead and picked someone to execute the strategy," Tyland said sincerely.

"Let's not forget that letting Otto go back to King's Landing will not only let him benefit from your efforts, but it'll also create unnecessary problems."

"Thank you for the information, Ser Tyland."

Rhaegar gave Tyland a pat on the shoulder and parted ways at the corner of the staircase with a smile.

Rhaegar had no doubt about the accuracy of Tyland's intelligence. However, he could only shake his head at the implications.

...

Nightfall

Rhaegar returned to the Dragonpit.

The door opened, and a dimly lit interior was revealed, where the flickering of campfires merged with the glow of nightlights. Rhaegar walked at a steady pace, listening out for any subtle sounds on the stone floor.

"Roar..."

All of a sudden, a loud roar filled the cavern as green dragonfire shot up like a pillar, lighting up the whole space.

The Cannibal dragon made its way up to the top of the Dragonpit, looking down at it as the ruler.

The Dragonpit blazed with light, revealing a single silhouette standing tall, surrounded by others in a neat formation.

"Prince..."

As soon as they saw Rhaegar, cries echoed through the vastness of the Dragonpit, their resonance like the beat of drums.

Puh-puh-puh...

The bonfires were lit one after the other, quickly dispelling the darkness and bringing the Dragonpit back to full brightness.

In the center of the Dragonpit, two groups of men stood tall with their heads held high.

One side was made up of around three hundred men, all wearing leather armor and carrying spears and swords. They were the original guards of the Dragonpit.

On the other side, nearly a thousand tall, powerful individuals dressed in animal skins and rough-hewn clothes stood. These were the free folk who had followed Rhaegar from Crackclaw Point.

One man from each group stepped forward.

Maynard, decked out in a guard's uniform, looked like he'd been sick.

And a thin, brown-haired young man in coarse linen, with a white falcon perched on his shoulder.

The young man approached Rhaegar, bowed, and spoke in a soft voice. "Prince, eight hundred warriors are waiting for your orders."

Rhaegar clapped him on the shoulder. "No problems with transportation, right, Tormund?"

Tormund glanced at the white falcon on his shoulder and smiled shyly. "Don't worry, I have more than one pair of eyes."

This white falcon was a legacy from his tribe.

"Good," Rhaegar said. "Send someone to collect the equipment tomorrow and increase the number of Dragonkeepers to a thousand."

He scanned the 800 free folk warriors, his heart swelling with pride. These were the warriors he had painstakingly trained. Now, as the Dragonpit needed men, they formed a legitimate armed force.

In the vast city of King's Landing, the royal family's army consisted of only two thousand gold cloaks and the dragon couldn't always be by his side.

How could he rest easy without an armed force at his side?

...

Rhaegar organized his men and made his way up to the second floor of the Dragonpit, where his private room was located.

There was a slight creak as he opened the door.

Rhaegar pushed open the door and stepped into the room, frowning slightly.

"You're back?"

A familiar voice rang out, and a lamp illuminated Rhaenyra's figure.

Rhaegar closed the door, lit the candle inside the room, and said with surprise, "Rhaenyra, why are you here?"

"Waiting for you, of course."

Rhaenyra, now wearing a strapless red dress, swayed her hips as she approached. She lifted his chin with a finger and laughed lightly. "This afternoon, the caravan of free folk looked like a long snake entering the city. It wasn't hard to guess where you'd be."

"You saw the team I organized. What do you think?"

Rhaegar didn't beat around the bush, sitting comfortably at the table in front of the fireplace.

"They're pretty fierce, and they're definitely worthy of the wildlings. They could be very useful."

Rhaenyra's tone was genuine.

Rhaegar picked up a quill and started sketching on a piece of paper as he talked. "Solving the survival problems of the free folk hasn't been easy."

"The Mushroom Set's caravan, right? That's a clever way to make money."

Rhaenyra thought of the special caravans operating in the Crownlands and the Riverlands, her tone tinged with envy.

Most nobles in the Crownlands were pretty well off, and their borders was a great place to make money.

Trade in the Riverlands had slowed down because of the way the rivers there run together and the fact that the local lords don't really work together.

Rhaegar had teamed up with the old Lord of the Tully family to organize traveling merchants who transported goods between different noble territories. They traded and exchanged along the way.

This venture brought in a lot of money every year.

That way, he could support the free folk under his command and also have surplus funds to spend.

(Word count: 1,414)