Kingslanding pt 1

King's Landing, Crownlands, Third Moon of 279 AC

Winter in Kingslanding was something mild if compared to the North; unlike the North, Vale, and some parts of the Riverlands, frozen shores and snow-pilled fields usually were not a thing, which meant that usually some specific crops could be grown, and some more resistant animals, such as sheep and cows, could be left grazing in the fields without greater issues. Down in King's Landing, the winds of winter were not as unforgiving as those of The North, which made surviving winters infinitely less difficult; it was not easy by any means, it was actually hard, as the mornings and nights could get really cold; but again never as cold as any midday in The North's winter.

Although the Mornings were cold, by southern standards, King's Landing would always "wake up" early; there was work to be done, people had business to do and places to be, smallfolk had to work, and lords had to scheme and administrate their affairs, so naturally it didn't take long for Knights, Lords and small folk alike to notice the massive black ship with the banners of a dragon docked outside the River Gate. A vessel of that size was never seen before, not even whalers were that big, and the vessel was clearly one built for battle; it was imposing. All kinds of people came to the River Gate to take a look at the said ship, from little children to old people, from blacksmiths to farmers, from Knights to septons; and obviously, said septons were not delighted by the ship's name, unfortunately, for them that is, said ship belonged to The North, where they held no say in, where they couldn't invade unless they wanted a "Hungry Wolf" come again.

Lucerys(-ish) Pov

The presence of The OldGods' Revenge brought a certain level of discomfort to Lord Lucerys Velaryon; he knew the ship was capable of destroying small fleets and leaving no survivors; he knew that the Lord who owned this ship was the greatest, more deadly, and intimidating warrior of the seven kingdoms, the man who bested Ser Barristan Selmy and Ser Arthur Dayne.

" Father, Do you think he's inside that ship?" asked Monford Velaryon

"Who are you talking about, son?" answered Lucerys Velaryon

" The Ice Dragon, of course. Can you make him teach me the sword, father? Please?" said Manford, with awe in his eyes, something Lucerys didn't fail to notice.

" We will have to see about that, son. Now come, we were allowed inside the ship by Lord Dovahkiin." Lucerys informed his awestruck son, something he would be as well if it weren't for all his experience in life.

" Did you talk to Lord Dovahkiin? When? was it true that his voice is like thunder? Was he wearing his Valyrian Steel armor?" Manford asked rapidly.

"No, I didn't talk to him, son. He sent an envoy to the Red Keep to inform his arrival. Lord Hand told the messenger that His Grace required Lord Dovahkiin's presence; the sooner, the better; I volunteered to escort Lord Dovahkiin to the Red Keep to ensure no accidents would happen... To the gold cloaks, that is, the messenger said that I was allowed to go inside the ship if I so wished. Here we are." Lucerys said as they got close to the board that served as a bridge to get to the massive ship. Lucerys and his son were met by two men wearing steel armor, with House Dovahkiin's dragon carved on the chest.

" Greetings, m'lord. Lord Dovahkiin granted access to the Revenge, aye? You may go in if you want to." one of the men said; his voice was loud but not in a disrespectful way

" Aye. I shall do so, guard," Luceys said as he and his son began to walk the board up to the ship's deck. As he was getting closer to the ship's deck, Luceys heard a powerful voice, probably Lord Dovahkiin's, give out some training commands.

" Do it again, Benjen... One more time, pay attention to your foot, the left one... You favor the right one too much; Arthur Dayne would be able to explore such an opening quite quickly, as would I... The Bold, probably, if he was trying enough." The voice said, and then Lucerys heard the sound of metal hitting metal. He looked at his son, who seemed too excited about seeing Lord Dovahkiin teaching. Once he and Manford got to the ship's deck, they were met by the impressive sight of Lord Dovahkiin and his very pregnant wife watching a boy no older than two-and-ten sparing against a full-grown man, and a good swordsman at that, and the boy seemed to be doing pretty well. Lord Dovahkiin didn't let his sights go from the spar; his lady wife, however, saw him and Manford and walked to them

" Welcome aboard The OldGods' Revenge, My Lords. I am Lady Dacey Dovahkiin. My husband will see you in a moment; he's been trying to eliminate this flaw of Benjen's for a long time." Lady Dovahkiin said; she was a beautiful woman with raven hair and blue eyes, a deadly combination. She was tall, taller than him; she wore a red dress and cloak.

" We thank you, Lady Dovahkiin. We were at fault for coming unannounced, and as someone who fostered a child before, I know how important it is to shape up a foster son into someone worthy. Alas, allow me to introduce myself; I am Lord Lucerys Velaryon, Lord of Driftmark, Master of Ships for His Grace, King Aerys Targaryen, the second of his name, and this is my son; Lord Mandord Velaryon, Heir to Driftmark." Lucerys said. Say what you will about the Northerners, but you can't deny they are a dutiful bunch—duty above anything, family above anyone. Manford, however, seemed to be utterly amazed by the giant vessel and the giant man that it belonged to. If Lucerys were to be honest, he was also amazed; the ship was a work of art; the intricate designs of the ship were something else; northern runes carved into walls, mast, and doors. The banners of House Dovahkiin were hanging left and right, on the carvings on the ship, on the mariners' armors, on the sailors' arms, on the windows, on the floor… everywhere. They were proud of this ship, and how could they not? This vessel was a king among ships.

" Aye, it's difficult, but my Lord husband can manage it pretty well. Little Benjen is already one of the best swords in The North; according to my husband, he can already beat many grown men; he will be a great warrior and an even greater Lord. Come, my lords. Lady Dovahkiin said as she made for them to follow her, " May I offer you a Drink, my lords? Or something to eat? My chefs have prepared a wonderful meal, buttered potatoes with meat. Would you care for a treat?" Lady Dovahkiin said, and Manford made a confused face.

" Potato? What is that?" Manford asked, his young face showing a child-like confusion, unknowingly saving his father from asking that question

" Potato is a crop from The North, currently being produced only by House Dovahkiin and Stark. They are resistant enough to be grown in the Winter," Lady Dovahkiin said, and Lucerys was intrigued; a new northern crop? That was some important news.

"I shall accept a drink, a northern one," Lucerys said; he looked at his son, was looking at him with pleading eyes. " My son will have the potato you talked about, my Lady." Lucerys completed, and Lady Dovahkiin nodded; she called some servants and ordered them to bring something she called "Brandy" and the new crop potato.

She looked at Manford and smiled

" If you wish and your father allows it, you can pick a wooden sword and train on one of those dummies; if you are good enough, my husband might point out something you need to better." Lady Dovahkiin said, and Manford looked at him expectantly; Lucerys only nodded; he, as the master of ships, knew very well about how straightforward the Northerners were, so as long as he acted as a friend, there wouldn't be any problems. Avoiding problems with Ragnar Dovahkiin was the only reason he came down to the River Gate; the last thing he needed was a powerful enemy in The North, especially one with a dragon. Many Lords call him opportunistic for supporting any of the King's decisions; many lords would call him a lickspittle for befriending the Skagossi lord… Not many would be able to call him poor; no one would be able to call him dragon dung or burned man.

" Tell me, my Lord, how is the capital? How is court nowadays?" Lady Dovahkiin asked; her voice was beautiful, somewhat melodic and sweet, the complete opposite of her husband's; his voice only screamed one thing, power.

" The capital is as it always has been… smelling like shit and drowning in plots. The King is excited about your husband's presence; who wouldn't be after what he did for the King in Duskendale?" Lucerys said, " Is it true that your husband has an Ice Dragon?" Lucerys asked; he already knew the answer, but the formalities ordered him to ask.

" No… that's not true." Lady Dovahkiin said. Her plain denial wasn't something he was expecting, and as such, Lucerys was taken aback, but before he could say or ponder anything, she continued, " The Ice Dragon is mine; my lord husband gave it to me as a wedding gift." Once again, Lucerys was taken aback. Fortunately for him, he didn't need to say anything as some servants laid a wooden table and some chairs near him and Lady Dovahkiin. The Raven-haired woman sat but said nothing.

" So you are the dragon-rider? I wasn't expecting that… your husband must be a very… trustful man to give a dragon away to his wife." Lucerys said as he took a seat. Lady Dovahkiin just laughed at him but said nothing. Lord Dovahkiin chose that moment to end Benjen Stark's training, telling him to bathe and prepare for the day. Lord Dovahkiin walked silently towards them and gave a kiss on his wife's cheek; he then looked at Lucerys and said

" Welcome aboard the OldGods' Revenge, My Lord. I hope I haven't offended you by not immediately talking to you. I've been trying to fix a particular little flaw of Benjen's for a long time, and today, he was showing signs of improvement; I couldn't let such an opportunity go," Lord Dovahkiin said, wearing black and dark grey clothes; he looked regal.

" It's no problem, My Lord. You see…"

Lucerys and Lord Dovahkiin began discussing a few things, such as trade agreements, shipbuilding, and trade routes, things both Lucerys and Lord Dovahkiin knew about. The Drink and potato arrived shortly, and Manford fell in love with the northern crop. Lucerys, on the other hand, loved the so called "Brandy."

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A/N: This chapter was supposed to be bigger, so I had to divide it in a few parts…

Did you guys watched the first ep of House of The Dragon?

Thank you for your support 🙏🙏🙏🙏