Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 110 The Last Baratheon
Melisandre had to double-check that she was seeing things.

She did see her king leading an army of thousands to resist the terrible darkness.

Yet why? She had thought the Land of Smoke and Salt was occupied by Targaryen kings, kings with dragons, and she saw none of them in the sacred fire.

The swaying flame flickered unsteadily. The holy fire had once predicted to her the fate of several false kings, but now they were all as swaying as the flame. Was the corner of the future that she had glimpsed the truth? Would it happen?

She never doubted R'hllor, she only doubted whether her interpretation of the Holy Fire was correct?

She watched the flames flicker and change without blinking.

"Ma'am." There was a knock on the door from outside.

The time has come for her to see the king.

-

Stannis was gazing from his deep-set eyes on the castle tower at the people outside the castle, wandering like ants in the ruined towns and villages.

He would recall that more than a decade ago, he also stood here and watched a similar scene.

But this time, there was no Eddard Stark to resolve the crisis for him so that people would give most of the glory to the savior, and there was no Robert to urge him to build a fleet to attack Dragonstone.

Stannis wore a crown of red gold, with its edges fashioned into the shape of flames. He was king now. His belt was studded with garnets and topazes, and a large square ruby ​​was set in the hilt of his sword. The rest of his attire was plain: a studded leather vest over a cotton tunic, well-worn boots, and coarsely woven brown breeches.

". Stannis, Your Majesty, let me go." A voice was shouting at the back, "For my loyalty to you, for my love for you, let me go! You can't do this, I'm not a traitor!" He was an old man, tall and thin, with silver-gray hair, a pointed beard, and a long, noble face twisted by fear. "Selyse, Shireen, they are your wife and daughter. And Axell, the defenders of Dragonstone. I promised to redeem them for you, and the Florent family paid for it. How can this be considered betrayal? Let me go! I just want to save our lives... and honor... His conditions... are fair... and are... very beneficial to us..."

The sound gradually faded away, and he pretended not to hear it and just stood quietly on the tower.

Andrew Easmond was the first to arrive upon hearing the news. He knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Alister?"

"Stand up, Ser Andrew," Stannis commanded. "I need advice. You are my cousin and you have been my squire, and I want you to tell me the truth. So tell me - what is the penalty for treason?"

"Betrayal?" Andrew was shocked. This was a terrible question. The king knew the punishment for betrayal better than anyone else.

"What else can you call it? Isn't negotiating with Dragonstone an acknowledgement of his legitimacy? He even wants to answer the demands of the ravens from King's Landing. I made him Hand, and he is selling out my rights. I ask you again - what is the penalty for betrayal under the law?"

Andrew had no choice but to answer: "Death," he said, "the punishment is death, your majesty."

"It has always been so. I am not... I am not a cruel monarch, Andrew. You know me, you have always known me. This is not my decree. It has always been so, since the days of Aegon, since the beginning of the world. Daemon Blackfyre, the brothers Thorin, the Vulture King, Master Harish... traitors always pay with their lives... Even Rhaenyra Targaryen is no exception. She was the daughter of the old king and the mother of the new king, but she was also killed as a traitor because she tried to usurp her brother's throne. This is the law, the law! Andrew, not cruelty."

"You said Aegon... Your Majesty." After Andrew finished speaking, he heard the sound of the king's teeth grinding. His head heated up and then he felt cold all over.

This sentence hung in the air. Andrew swallowed his saliva.

"Back then, Aerys... I wish you understood." He showed a pained expression. "Have you never seen the Iron Throne? The back of the chair is covered with sharp spikes like teeth, the metal is twisted strangely, and countless steel knives and daggers are entangled and fused together... It is not a comfortable chair, ser. Aerys was often bloodied and was even called the 'Bloodscab King'. If the legend is true, Maegor the Cruel died on this chair. One cannot rest comfortably on it. I often wondered why my brother was so desperate to get it. But Robert got it from Aerys. As Robert's heir, the throne is mine. This is the law. The Targaryens have long been expelled from the Seven Kingdoms. He is not the legitimate king. I am."

Andrew was silent. He lowered his head and thought that he shouldn't have come here.

The king, who could not wait for an answer, drove him away: "Sir Andrew. Withdraw."

"As you command, Your Majesty." Andrew bowed and left angrily.

No one came to see the king again. Until Melisandre came and said, "Your Majesty."

"There is no honest advice around me now. Almost all the lords who swore allegiance to me have abandoned me. The few who remain loyal have lost their faith. Once the Tyrell army left, they spent their time drinking and gambling. Lady Melisandre, I don't understand, am I really the hero you said I was?" "You are the legitimate king, your majesty." Melisandre said, "The red comet streaked across the sky, announcing the fulfillment of the prophecy; you have the 'Lightbringer', the red sword of heroes. I told you, your majesty, only death can bring life. It could have been you who awakened the dragon in the stone. Like Aegon, you will set out from Dragonstone; like Aegon, you will conquer Westeros. However."

At first, everyone thought it was a rumor, including the letter from Dragonstone, which was ignored as a lie. But the ravens came every once in a while. As the Tyrell army gradually left, more and more news poured into Storm's End, which had been blocked for many days. And every piece of news about the dragon constantly challenged the nerves of those who heard it.

When you believe that there are dragons on Dragonstone, all abnormal, seemingly rumor-like, and unreasonable phenomena can be explained.

Therefore, the Dragon King of Dragonstone probably does have a dragon.

This was a terrifying thought, and even Stannis was shocked. He had seen many strange things, so the dragon seemed to make sense.

Stannis looked at her grimly. "Nine wizards crossed the sea to hatch the dragon eggs stored by Aegon III. Baelor the 'favored' prayed to the eggs for half a year. Aegon IV invented the wooden and iron dragons, and Aerion the 'bright flame' drank wild gunpowder in an attempt to turn himself into a dragon. The wizards failed, King Baelor's prayers were not answered, the wooden dragon was burned, and Prince Aerion died screaming."

"But the facts have proven that Viserys did it. He now calls himself the Dragon King, and the stone dragon in the Dragon Mountain may have been obtained by him." Melisandre said, "But despite this, your majesty, the ups and downs are the hardships that heroes must go through. Azor Ahai forged the sword three times. The first time, he worked tirelessly for thirty days and nights. When he put the sword into the water to cool it, the sword shattered. He was not a man who gave up easily, so he started over. The second time, he forged it for fifty days and fifty nights. This sword was better than the previous one, and the final product was even more exquisite than the previous one. Azor Ahai caught a lion and was going to insert the sword into the beast's heart to cool the blade, but he didn't expect the sword to break and shatter again. The third time, because he finally knew what to do, he forged the sword with a heavy heart for a hundred days and a hundred nights, and finally forged it into the Lightbringer."

"I have heard your story." Stannis drew his sword. Melisandre called it Lightbringer, the red sword of heroes, tested by the flames that consumed the Seven Gods. When the sword was unsheathed, the room seemed to suddenly become brighter, and the blade glowed with an eerie light, sometimes orange, sometimes yellow, and sometimes red. The air around it also changed and glowed, and no jewelry could be so gorgeous. "This feels no different from any other sword. And according to what you said, how many more times will I fail?
And it is rumored that the Targaryens have dragons.

You say I am the Chosen One of R'hllor, but I have no money to hire mercenaries, no promise of plunder or glory to attract free riders, and the pirate fleets can only be bought with tax power.

Compared to a hero, am I not the last Storm King, Argilac Durrandon? Renly has no children, Robert's three children are all born of incest, and my heir daughter was captured by the Targaryens. And the Targaryens have dragons.

Fate? Did R'hllor foresee that Orys Baratheon would land with Aegon, conquer the Stormlands, kill the Storm King, marry Argilac's daughter, and inherit the banner, family crest, and motto of the Storm King's Durrandon family, thus forming the Baratheon family in the Stormlands. Now, will the fate of Baratheon be the same as that of the Durrandon family?
What will people call me in the future, 'The Last Storm', the Last Baratheon?"

"Your Majesty, you have seen in the Holy Fire that there is a fate of the world that is more important than the current situation waiting for you to take responsibility. Please ask your loyalists to collect people with the blood of the king for you and offer them to R'hllor. The ancient prophecy will come true. You are the chosen one of R'hllor, and He will show you the way forward. There are no lies in the Holy Fire of R'hllor."

"It is all lies upon lies, to me! Even if the flames tell some truth, they are full of traps," Stannis gritted his teeth. "Enough, he has dragons!"

"The illegitimate king of Dragonstone only usurped your throne for a time. He may have dragons, but even Valyria, once the mighty one, has fallen."

"You said it was R'hllor who destroyed Valyria?" Stannis looked at her with a serious expression.

"Valyria fell four hundred years ago, but R'hllor, the Lord of Light, has endured for countless ages, and still demonstrates his power to all living things today." She didn't say yes or no. "Gather the blood of the kingdoms, and I will give it to R'hllor and win the Seven Kingdoms for you."

"But the boy—" Stannis was talking about Edric Storm, Robert's bastard.

Robert had sex with Delina Florent, the maid of honor, on the wedding bed of Stannis and Selyse, resulting in the birth of Edric. Stannis considered this a stain on his reputation. Selyse claimed that Robert and Delina had defiled the wedding bed and cursed their union.

"That boy has the king's blood. But he is not the only one with the king's blood in his veins under your rule."

"You want me to find those children and hurt them? No!" Stannis refused flatly. "Never!"

"If a champion of the Lord of Light has to become a 'hero' by hurting innocent children, then I'd rather not be one!
I am the king, whether I want to be or not. I have obligations to my daughter, to my country, and to Robert. It is the law.

And I want to be king because all the crimes committed in this country must be brought to justice. Starting with Cersei and her bastard, the Lannister woman who cheated on Robert, played him like a fool, and maybe murdered him, just like Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark. They are just the beginning. I want to clean up the court, as Robert should have done after the Battle of the Three Rivers. Ser Barristan once told me that King Aerys's failure began with Varys, and the eunuch must not be forgiven! And the Kingslayer. Robert should at least strip Jaime of his white robes and send him to the Wall, as Lord Stark requested, but he listened to Jon Arryn's advice instead.

I became a king to bring justice to Westeros. If I did something like that, how would I be able to punish evil and eradicate lawlessness in the future?

Now the Targaryens are back, at Dragonstone.

When Robert rose up, I chose between family or lord, brother or king. I chose Robert, and I will stick to that decision.

I have thought it through, my lady. As Robert's rightful heir, I will defend Robert's legacy as Argilac Durrandon defended his Stormwind kingdom. I am a Baratheon king, I will fight like a Baratheon king, and I will die like a Baratheon king."

(End of this chapter)