Inside Daemon's bedchamber in the Red Keep Maegor's Holdfast.
"Gulp! Rhaenys, I'll take these words tonight as you being drunk.
But if you speak such treasonous words again in the future, I will personally deal with you.
If there is nothing else, please leave!"
Daemon tilted his head back and drained the fine wine in his cup, gesturing for Rhaenys, who was sitting directly in front of him, to leave.
"Treason? If you truly want to use such a word to define this matter.
Then it is you, Daemon Targaryen, who betrayed your own brother, your King.
The entire Seven Kingdoms knows that Viserys I has already stripped Jacaerys of his right to inherit the Iron Throne!"
Hearing this, Rhaenys immediately retorted with a serious face, throwing the charge of treason back at Daemon,
Then she slightly controlled her emotions and continued in a gentler tone,
"Daemon, I know you are someone who is cold on the outside but deeply emotional on the inside.
But this matter concerns the future of the entire Seven Kingdoms, and I don't want to just watch Jacaerys destroy the entire Seven Kingdoms.
He previously destroyed Tyrosh in Essos, and not long ago he destroyed Oldtown.
Leaving everything else aside, just in these two cities alone, he killed nearly five hundred thousand people.
Furthermore, you just said you personally saw Womax devour Vhagar alive.
This is not the first time this has happened; his Dragon also devoured 'Bronze Fury' Vermithor during the Battle of Wendewater.
Moreover, every time it devours other Dragons, Womax's size increases in a very strange way.
If I'm not mistaken, Jacaerys's Dragon seems to be only a little over a decade old.
Daemon, have you ever heard of the Targaryen having such a terrifying Dragon?
Perhaps it is true, as the folk rumors say, that Jacaerys is a demon, an evil Dragon abandoned by the gods!"
"Haha, I truly didn't expect you to believe such ridiculous statements.
It is the law of nature for strong predators to eat the weak.
After saying so much targeting Jacaerys, all you want is to turn the title of Uncrowned Queen into Queen Rhaenys!"
Daemon's words made Rhaenys shake her head. She said calmly, "Once, I always felt that Viserys I had stolen my throne.
When Corlys was alive, he also kept trying to find a way to help me reclaim the Iron Throne.
But when Laena, Lanino, and Corlys died one after another.
Only then did I understand that the most precious thing is not that iron chair, but my own family!
I don't want Jacaerys to inherit the Iron Throne, not for myself.
But for the future of the Seven Kingdoms, and also for my granddaughter Baela.
Daemon, I will lead House Velaryon to fully support you in ascending the Iron Throne and becoming the new King of the Seven Kingdoms!"
"No, no, no, this war was basically won by Jacaerys's strength.
Moreover, I once promised Rhaenyra that I would always protect her and her children.
Now, asking me to snatch the Iron Throne from Jacaerys's hands, I cannot do it!"
Hearing that Rhaenys actually wanted him to ascend the Iron Throne, Daemon's dormant heart stirred slightly, then he shook his head and refused.
"Yes, Jacaerys's contribution in this war is very great. But ruling the Seven Kingdoms is not just about simple killing.
'The Conciliator, The Old King, The Wise' Jaehaerys I ruled the Seven Kingdoms for much longer than 'Aegon the Conqueror', and it was more prosperous and stable.
Furthermore, how can this be called snatching? Jacaerys originally had no right of inheritance!
Now, besides the two of us, the only ones with the right of inheritance are Lucerys, Joffrey, and Little Aegon.
But Lucerys should abide by the agreement and become the new Lord of the Tides, Earl of Driftmark.
So only Joffrey and Little Aegon remain."
"Since Jacaerys has no right of inheritance, then let Joffrey inherit it!"
As soon as Rhaenys finished speaking, Daemon answered without hesitation.
"I have been living on Driftmark all these years, so I don't know much about Joffrey.
But with a brother like Jacaerys influencing him, it's inevitable that he will be affected.
Furthermore, he is now like Aemond, having his eyes gouged out at a young age.
His future personality will likely be extremely unstable."
Hearing this, Rhaenys immediately spoke her opinion on Joffrey.
In fact, she had already decided on a candidate in her heart; saying so much before was just to lead up to this final statement,
"Daemon, Little Aegon is your and Rhaenyra's eldest son, of pure blood.
During the time you were away, I have been secretly observing him.
This child is kind, intelligent, and very enthusiastic and polite to everyone.
He is the best candidate for the Iron Throne!"
Hearing Rhaenys mention "pure blood", Daemon knew she was implicitly referring to Jacaerys and his two brothers being Strong bastards.
He already felt guilty towards Little Aegon because of the choice he had to make back then.
Now, with Rhaenys saying this, he immediately became hesitant.
"We should now proceed according to the plan and convey the news of Aemond's capture and his destruction of The Wall to all the Lords in the Seven Kingdoms.
Wait for them to come to King's Landing to witness our judgment of this kinslaying, kingslaying pretender.
As for the issue of who the Iron Throne belongs to, let's continue discussing it after Jacaerys returns from The Wall!"
"What? You're still planning to wait for Jacaerys to return before discussing it?
The reason I came to you tonight to discuss this matter,
is to take advantage of the timing of the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms coming to King's Landing to have them swear fealty to Little Aegon and seize the opportunity to crown him."
Unconsciously, Rhaenys's words already treated Little Aegon as the heir, and she began talking about the matter of swearing fealty and coronation.
"Enough! Let's stop here for today.
You leave! Let me think about it properly by myself!"
Daemon, whose thoughts were in utter disarray, stopped Rhaenys, who was about to speak further, and then forcefully saw her out.
Rhaenys also understood the principle of knowing when to stop, so she turned directly and walked towards the door of Daemon's bedchamber.
As she opened the door and took the first step out, she said in a low voice, "Daemon, I promise you!
If you do as I say, Jacaerys's life will absolutely not be in danger.
He can live out his life in complete wealth at that time."
Click!
After the bedchamber door closed, Daemon picked up the wine bottle in the room and refilled his cup.
That night, he drank a lot.
In a daze, Daemon seemed to see the figures of his brother, Rhaenyra, and Viserys before his eyes.
They all seemed to be repeating one sentence: Don't let Jacaerys ascend the Iron Throne!
...
At noon on the ninth day after The Wall collapsed, in the vast Ghost Shadow Forest one or two kilometers away from The Wall.
Rustle!
A large group of Wildlings, wearing thick leather clothes sewn together from animal furs and carrying a variety of weapons made of wood, stone, and iron,
were sneaking towards the direction of the collapsed gap in The Wall.
Of course, Wildlings is what the Night's Watch and the Northmen call them; these people call themselves Free Folk.
The land Beyond the Wall has hundreds of thousands of Free Folk, divided into hundreds of tribes, clans, villages, and raiding parties with different cultural traditions.
This group of Free Folk, numbering about two thousand one hundred, is a joint force formed by the four Free Folk villages closest to The Wall.
Nine days ago, the great commotion of The Wall collapsing directly alerted Oak Village, located to the southernmost side.
When the scouts sent by Oak Village brought back the great news that 'The Wall has fallen', the Free Folk leaders in the village immediately realized that this was a valuable opportunity to plunder resources from the south.
The Free Folk of today have not yet been civilized by 'King-Beyond the Wall' Mance Rayder.
Every time winter approaches, they will try every means to cross The Wall and raid the North.
Those large and small raiding parties would wantonly kill and plunder in the North, taking iron weapons, food supplies, and most importantly, women from the North.
The reason women are most important in the eyes of the Free Folk is because of the harsh environment Beyond the Wall where the strong prey on the weak.
The survival rate for males is much higher than for females, and the gender ratio has long been imbalanced.
Therefore, the Free Folk desperately need to use Northern women to replenish their population.
And when not pregnant, these Northern women can also serve as slaves to work, and in some savage tribes, they can even be considered reserve food.
Because the Night's Watch was still relatively strong in this era, the Free Folk leader of Oak Village only dared to come and attack after gathering the strength of the other three villages.
It's hard to say if it was fortunate or unfortunate!
These more than two thousand Free Folk had just rushed out of the Ghost Shadow Forest,
when the giant blood cocoon standing outside the gap in The Wall, which scouts had repeatedly confirmed showed no movement, began to show violent fluctuations.
Rip!
A terrifying Dragon head, about the size of a heavy truck and covered in thick blood, suddenly broke through the bloody outer membrane of the giant blood cocoon.
Roar~~
As soon as the terrifying giant Dragon head emerged from the blood cocoon, it let out a heaven-shaking Dragon roar towards the sky that echoed throughout Beyond the Wall.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Immediately after, a silver-white Dragon several times smaller in size flew up from the other side of The Wall.
The more than two thousand one hundred Free Folk, who had never seen a Dragon before, immediately froze in place, unsure whether to continue forward or retreat.
Jacaerys on Seasmoke's back didn't care about the Wildlings at all; his gaze was focused on Womax.
This was its third metamorphosis, so the entire process of breaking out of the cocoon was completely familiar.
Womax was seen emerging from the giant blood cocoon, which was over fifty meters high and over one hundred and twenty meters long, in a very short time.
Splatter, splatter!
Womax, already a colossal creature, merely shook its Dragon body from side to side,
and the thick blood it shook off turned into a rain of blood covering the area near the gap in The Wall.
After its third metamorphosis, Womax's Dragon scales were completely a deep black with a hint of green light, very much like the color of dark jade from his previous life.
Flap!
Its ink-colored Dragon wings, stretching two hundred seventy to eighty meters, spread open, and the light at the gap in The Wall immediately darkened.
Whoosh!
Seeing that his Dragon's size had officially broken through the hundred-meter mark, an excited Jacaerys jumped directly from the diving Seasmoke onto Womax's Dragon back.
Due to the metamorphosis, the Dragon saddle on its back had collapsed again!
But these small details no longer mattered.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Jacaerys, standing steadily on the Dragon's back, had a thought, and Womax immediately spewed out a stream of black Dracarys from its mouth, similar in color to its scales.
The black Dracarys, about seven or eight meters in diameter, instantly covered dozens, even hundreds of Free Folk directly in front.
Their fragile bodies of flesh and blood instantly turned into charred ash, while the stone and iron weapons in their hands fell to the ground.
But they didn't last long either, and were subsequently melted by this terrifyingly hot black Dracarys.
It was clear that after its third metamorphosis, Womax had successfully integrated the characteristics of Vhagar's high-temperature Dracarys.
Without even needing Seasmoke's help, Womax alone, with just one horizontal spray of Dracarys, dealt with nearly a third of the Free Folk.
Of the remaining Free Folk, half surprisingly did not retreat but advanced, charging towards Womax with crude weapons, shouting loudly.
And the last third fled towards the Ghost Shadow Forest.
Jacaerys naturally couldn't let go of these attribute points delivered to his doorstep, so he immediately controlled Womax to flap its wings and fly high.
Unlike Vhagar, which was massive and relatively slow.
Under the bonus of the Agile attribute, Womax's wing flapping frequency was not significantly different from before.
But its wingspan was twice as long as before, which meant its flying speed was also twice as fast as before.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Womax, like a giant bomber, lowered its head and sprayed black Dracarys, and countless Free Folk, along with the ice and snow-covered ground beneath their feet, were blown apart by the impact of the Dracarys.
The Free Folk who dared to launch a death charge all had extremely strong fighting will and did not give up even in such a situation of extremely unequal combat power.
A Free Folk with excellent archery skills even precisely hit Jacaerys standing on the Dragon's back.
However, his arrow had no effect other than setting him on fire; it couldn't break through the defense at all.
After harvesting the Free Folk who actively charged, Jacaerys immediately controlled Womax to burn this small patch of Ghost Shadow Forest near the outside of The Wall with Dracarys.
Under this large-scale indiscriminate attack, most of the Free Folk who fled into it were burned to death by the fiercely burning black Dracarys.
This battle was originally meant to test Womax's combat power, but the result made Jacaerys's eyes light up.
Previously, he had roughly estimated the number of Free Folk to be nearly two thousand by visual inspection, and the attribute points harvested amounted to eighteen thousand.
Such a high conversion rate, he had only seen it on the slave soldiers whose fighting spirit was aroused by the Myr Governor through various means.
If the Free Folk Beyond the Wall were all of such high quality, then Jacaerys could easily harvest tens, or even hundreds of thousands of attribute points here.
He couldn't even imagine what Womax could grow into if so many attribute points were poured into it.
But Jacaerys currently didn't have time to find and harvest Wildling villages one by one.
Aemond was still waiting for him to deal with in King's Landing, resolving the Heart Tree in the North also required a large number of people, and more importantly, he had to be formally crowned King!
Previously, since the Night's Watch had not yet re-elected a Commander, the defense work of The Wall was personally handled by Jacaerys.
Now that he had to return to King's Landing, he naturally needed to find a person in charge.
Controlling Womax to fly back to the inner castle of The Wall, Jacaerys directly chose a Ranger he had an impression of from among the many stunned Night's Watch members to serve as the acting Commander.
Then he decisively took his Dragons south. Since it was late in the day, Jacaerys stopped by Twin River City to rest for the night.
As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined!
Although the Frey Family's East Bank Castle was turned into a pile of ruins by Vhagar.
But because most of the Frey Family's direct male members and army were in King's Landing, the family's foundation was actually not greatly affected.
And after these few days, the castle ruins have been roughly cleared.
It is estimated that when the Frey army returns from King's Landing, they will begin rebuilding the East Bank Castle.
Silverwing, who was previously injured by mistake, naturally remained here. Upon seeing Womax, it happily flew around it several times.
While Jacaerys was resting and having dinner here, a member of the Frey Family, holding the Valyrian steel longsword Blackfyre with both hands, voluntarily presented it to him.
Putting aside his inherent dislike for the Frey Family from his previous life, they were actually the family with the greatest contribution and sacrifice in the Blood Dragon Dance war, besides House Velaryon.
Jacaerys was already considering supporting the Frey Family to replace House Tully and become the new ruling family of the Riverlands.
However, he was not someone who liked to make empty promises; he planned to inform the Frey Family about these matters only after he truly became the King of the Seven Kingdoms.
Early the next morning, Jacaerys returned to King's Landing with three Dragons!
Thanks to the gods for subscribing! Also, thank you to all the big bosses for the monthly votes.
PS: Part-time writing is too unstable. I really wanted to update more today, but I definitely had to finish my work first on Monday.
Please allow me to slowly repay the two days of missed updates. Tomorrow, I will just finish writing about the changes in King's Landing all at once!