Viserys took a few steps closer. Shireen shrank behind her mother, but those big eyes still peeked at him from behind.
Selyse took a step, blocking her daughter, her eyes staring coldly at Viserys.
"Then what exactly do you intend to do with us?"
"You are prisoners now," Viserys said. "But for now, I will at least give you decent treatment, allowing you to continue living here. However, after the war ends, you will face trial."
Selyse's eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief. However, after finishing his sentence, Viserys had already taken Rhaenys by the hand and turned to leave.
Only then did Shireen emerge from behind her mother, asking softly, "Mother, who is he?"
Selyse took a deep breath, looking at the door through which Viserys and the others had departed. She thought of the man she had seen before, the Rhaegar who could make every woman in the Seven Kingdoms fall for him, and replied, "He... his name is Viserys Targaryen, a true dragon."
Shireen's eyes lit up. She wanted to ask something more, but was stopped by her mother's gaze. Nevertheless, she still glanced in the direction Viserys had left, her eyes full of curiosity about new things.
After being led away by Viserys, Rhaenys asked softly, "Brother, are you really just going to keep them locked up?"
"It's not locking them up, it's protecting them," Viserys replied. "If they fell into someone else's hands, their fate might be worse than death. At least here, they are safe."
Rhaenys nodded thoughtfully, then leaned into his arms, her face against his chest, and whispered, "Brother, you've gone soft-hearted."
Viserys did not speak, reaching out to wrap an arm around her waist. He simply felt sympathy for the fate of the character Shireen in the original story. Furthermore, seeing Shireen served as a reminder to himself: no god is truly kind; if they provide you with convenience, they surely want you to pay a corresponding price.
The two huddled together for a moment before he spoke, "Let's go look at the castle; this used to be our home."
They walked through the castle, observing carefully along the way. That ancient Valyrian style was still clearly visible—corridor pillars carved into the shape of dragons and ceilings painted with the three-headed fire dragon sigil still existed. Perhaps Stannis hadn't wanted to spend the money on such renovations.
Rhaenys looked curiously at everything, both strange and familiar, her fingers lightly brushing over the reliefs on the walls. She asked, "Is this where the Targaryens began?"
"Yes," Viserys said. "Aegon set out from here, riding the Black Dread Balerion to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. Now we too shall ride dragons and reconquer the Seven Kingdoms."
By evening, they finally climbed to the highest tower of the castle, standing there to overlook the distant scenery. In the harbor, the Empire's fleet was already landing.
Further out at sea, even more warships were approaching. Some soldiers of the Free Folk New Army were already organizing troops to begin marching toward the castle.
Before long, the banner of the three-headed fire dragon rose over Dragonstone.
Rhaenys leaned against Viserys, watching all this, and said, "Brother, we will win the war, won't we?"
"Of course." Viserys looked down at her, his purple eyes filled with determination. "No one can stop the dragons."
That night, after the Free Folk New Army had completely occupied Dragonstone, Viserys held a simple celebration feast. However, it was mostly just distributing some meat and wine to the soldiers, then sitting with the officers in the castle hall for a while.
Furthermore, there was a special person attending this banquet: Melisandre, a follower of the lord of light who had already been on Dragonstone for a year.
After the banquet dispersed, she followed behind Viserys, requesting a private meeting.
In the study of Dragonstone, Viserys sized up Melisandre before him. Although she was dressed quite lightly now and looked very pleasing to the eye, Viserys still didn't dare to offer much praise.
Because he didn't plan to make a move on this Red Woman as he had with Kinvara. After all, beneath this beautiful exterior was a balding, white-haired old crone.
Viserys didn't exactly care about age; he only cared about appearance. If she always looked young, Viserys could accept it, but after seeing her true form, he really couldn't muster any interest.
Although Melisandre and Kinvara both believed in the lord of light, there were still many differences between them. Kinvara was like the regular army, the kind with official standing, a high-ranking Red Priestess trained from childhood.
Melisandre, more than a priestess, was like a witch with a faith. She not only possessed a long life exceeding that of ordinary people but also mastered some Shadow Magic that orthodox priests would not learn.
Judging from how she deluded Stannis into burning Shireen to death, Viserys felt that the reason she could live so long was likely because she had used many such sacrificial rituals.
Viserys looked at her and asked knowingly, "As a follower of the lord of light, you come here and don't even preach. Then what did you come for?"
Melisandre met his gaze and replied with only one word: "Waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"Waiting for the prophecy shown by the flames," she said. "In the flames, I saw a land of smoke and salt, and I saw signs that the legendary Prince That Was Promised would be born here. I believed Dragonstone was the place of prophecy, but I waited for a long time, and the flames never gave me an answer. Until the moment you appeared, I finally understood..."
She paused, her pale red eyes flickering with complex light. "The one I was waiting for was not Stannis Baratheon."
Viserys raised an eyebrow and smiled. "So you think that person is me? You believe I am the reincarnation of Azor Ahai?"
Melisandre was quite surprised that Viserys knew about Azor Ahai, but she quickly recovered and smiled slightly. "I am not sure; perhaps you are, perhaps not. The revelations of the flames are always blurry and require time to interpret. But there is one thing I am certain of: your arrival will change many things. You bear a mark bestowed by the lord of light, though you may not have noticed it yourself. And..."
She raised her hand to point toward Dragonmont. "You can tame a three-headed dragon. Such an incredible dragon is enough to explain everything."
Viserys continued to ask, "Then what do you plan to do now? Continue to stay on Dragonstone?"
"If you allow it, I wish to stay by your side. My intuition tells me that you will be the key to ending the Long Night."
Viserys looked at her without answering, instead turning toward the window.
After thinking for a while, he finally replied, "If you wish to follow, then follow. However, you must always obey my orders and not act on your own."
Viserys kept her mainly because he wanted to see exactly what kind of person she was. Moreover, in dealing with the Night King later, he might need to demonstrate the methods of the lord of light through her.
Hearing Viserys's answer, Melisandre nodded slightly, the corners of her mouth curving into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
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