Ice and Fire: Reign of the Dragon.

Chapter 215 A Bard's Story
Rigol is a bard from the East Continent, a half-Valyrian. His father, an artist from Volantis, gave him the silver-gold hair and good looks of the Valyrians, while his mother, a noblewoman from Myr, gave him the olive skin and sweet voice of the Rhoynars. He also has knowledge that ordinary people can never get in their lifetime.

This allowed the wandering bard to travel across the world with his knowledge and build a well-known troupe. With the help of ancient routes, they even reached the legendary Golden Kingdom of Yidi and the magic capital of Asshai. They earned money from the strange and terrifying magicians in Asshai, but were forced to leave because of the decline of Asshai and the civil war among magicians. They expanded the troupe in Yidi and made amazing wealth.

Unfortunately, the once rich and powerful Golden Dynasty - the Scarlet Dynasty could never regain its prosperity and glory thousands of years ago after the reckless Emperor Luo Bao was beheaded by the fierce and cunning woman of Jiugusnai. The "Yellow Dynasty" where Emperor Chai Duo was located also collapsed hundreds of years ago. In today's Yidi, Emperor Bu of the Indigo Dynasty has lost his authority. The emperor who once could convey his decrees to half the world can no longer leave Yidu.

The former capital of the Scarlet Dynasty, Xingdu, was swallowed by the forest and is no longer populated.

The religious leader called "Wizard Lord" by Western scholars rebuilt the "Yellow Dynasty" of Emperor Chai in "Carcosa" beside the Hidden Sea. People said that the great wizard in yellow clothes and a tall feather crown had close relations with the ancient winged people in the Winged City beside Carcosa.

The zebra-riding Juggsnai people wreaked havoc in the north of the Celestial Empire, but the merchants and generals of the Indigo Dynasty crushed these barbarians. A wealthy merchant general destroyed the vast empire left by Zanzajahata and filled the entire northern border of the Celestial Empire with the heads of the Juggsnai people. The merchant general established his own kingdom in the commercial town. He paid tribute to the emperor of Yidu, but disobeyed the orders of the emperor of the Bu family.

The Celestial Empire guards of the Five Fortresses lost the support of the south of the swamp. These warriors guarding this badly damaged fortress group took different paths in hunger and cold. Some guards retreated to the rich towns in the south, where they established a kingdom belonging to the former Five Fortresses Guards. The remaining guards formed an alliance with the demon hunters wandering in the gray wasteland and the legendary King Mosuyi, and continued to hold on to this ruined ancient fortress.

Yidi has been torn apart. Seven powerful warlords and seven kings with their own ambitions are fighting in the unknown land east of the Skeleton Mountains. Rigo's troupe lost all its wealth in the melee, and he was forced to leave this land with the troupe and the story.

They went to Qarth, which was full of mystical wizards and greedy merchants. There, Rigol heard the story of the Dragon Dynasty in the west, which recreated the glory of Valyria's dragons. So they began to return westward. In Volantis, Rigol's troupe heard the legend of the re-emerging Dragon King family. The nobles of the Elephant Party praised the wisdom of the silver dragon. In the Senate of Volantis, they even set up bronze statues of Cleorius Vareses and Dragonzel Vareses. In the Great Red Temple, the red monks also set up a statue of Dragonzel, considering him the Red God's Chosen. The nobles of the Tiger Party spurned the silver dragon and abandoned the opportunity to rebuild Valyria, but in public, they still praised the two existing true Dragon King families.

When Rigo's troupe was crossing the disputed land, it was robbed by a mercenary group entrenched in this no-man's land. The troupe, which once had more than a hundred people and could stage large-scale dramas, was left with only him in that robbery. All the puppets, props, and even his costumes for the performance were taken away by the mercenary group.

The impoverished old bard could only earn the ship's fare by telling his stories, and took a merchant ship from Lys to Tyrosh, where he joined a team organized by the governor of the Vareses family to repair the city. He filled his stomach and earned some money.

"It was this money that got me to Oldtown, my friend."

The down-and-out old artist Rigo slowly tells his story. He has just finished his part - composing the music for the film titled "The Day the Fake Dragon Fell".

The actor who played the role of Aegon the Usurper rolled onto the stage. The tall actress who played the role of Alison and the dwarf who played the role of "Kingmaker" Cole suddenly started dancing. Aegon the Usurper also performed a funny dance on the stage following the movements of the two actors.

He jumped onto the model of the Iron Throne, surrounded by two actors, and sang the solemn lyrics: "I am the king, I am the real king! The bitch of Dragonstone is just a lingering usurper."

"You are not the king!" the audience shouted.

Then he seemed to break free from the two actors and ran to the edge of the stage, shouting, "You lied to me, you lied to me!"

"Eh~" The audience booed at the same time.

But he was dragged back by the dwarf and could only sit on the Iron Throne dejectedly. Alison suddenly collapsed to the side dejectedly. It seemed that he was also manipulated. Only the dwarf actor was still jumping up and down.

"Oathbreaker, get out, get out!" the audience continued to shout.

At this moment, the handsome actor holding the silver dragon sculpture walked onto the stage with his head held high and his chest puffed out, along with a young and handsome boy who was also holding the giant dragon sculpture.

"Long live Prince Longzel!"

"Long live His Majesty King Jacaerys I!"

Two voices sounded in the audience at the same time, and it was hard to tell them apart.

The actress who played Queen Rainier also appeared on stage. This actress was not beautiful and her appearance was quite plump, but her acting skills on stage really crushed the other actresses.

Prince Viserys, whose face was already covered with wrinkles, quietly listened to old Lygod's rambling about those mysterious stories, but his eyes were still on this drama that had been adapted countless times. He dyed his hair and put on makeup, so no one could recognize him. Except for Prince Aegon, who was fooling around somewhere.

"Did you adapt it?" Viserys asked calmly. The plot on the stage progressed quickly. After the dwarf actor and Aegon actor fled, the actor who played Queen Rhaenyra sat carelessly on the Iron Throne and began to sing a long line. Even the performances representing the fall of the dragon, the frequent wars, and the riots in King's Landing did not interrupt her lyrics. "I only adapted part of it, my friend." Rigo looked at the complicated props on the stage with some nostalgia - the plot had already transitioned to the Battle of the Red Fork, the boy who played Jacaerys wielded a wooden sword and beat the dwarf actors who played the Westerland army. The actor who played Aemond held a green dragon model and fought fiercely with the actor who held a silver dragon model, and soon shouted.

"Ah, I fell to the ground!"

The dragon model fell to the ground at the same time as the actor, and the actor playing Aegon the Usurper and the actor playing Alicent threw themselves on it wailing.

The audience watching below also cheered.

"Where did you learn all this?" Viserys asked.

"Silver Crown City, my friend, it's a wealthy metropolis." Rigo showed his broken teeth and smiled, "I saw many more plays there than in Yidu, Qarth, and Volantis. There is also a special theater there, and they give subsidies to poor bards like us."

"I see." Viserys calmed down. He was actually quite satisfied with this play. Although the protagonists were still the Vareses family, and the climax of the plot was still the three dragon brothers riding dragons to crush the Greens' attack, and Dragons shot down Aemond. But this version of the script added a lot of drama to the Targaryen family, and even beautified the image of the usurper Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra.

But he was more curious about Rigo. According to Rigo's description, after leaving Silver Crown, this old artist went to Black Harbor, Dragon's Nest, and even King's Landing. He collected a lot of information in these places. Although they all came from the mouths of fellow bards, they were also a good source of intelligence.

"I still have to rely on the blessing of the Goddess of Poetry." The old artist didn't care about religious issues. The Church of the Seven Gods was very tolerant of foreigners like him. "If I had arrived in Silver Crown City three years ago, I might not have made so much money."

Vareses celebrates Lady Daniela's conception.

Viserys knew the reason. Nearly four years ago, at the end of the year when Valar died, Lady Daenerys became pregnant for the second time, but nothing came of it. The Vareses family claimed that it was a misdiagnosis.
But Viserys knew that with the resources at the disposal of the Vareses family, it could not be a misdiagnosis.

Something must have happened.

Shortly after that, three dragon eggs were hatched in Dragon's Nest City, completely suppressing the incident.

Unfortunately, the intelligence network of Oldtown did not extend to the border princely territories, and his brother, whose health was deteriorating, was unlikely to care about such things. In the year 162 of the Conquest Era, Samantha had a difficult delivery when she gave birth to King Aegon's last child. Although the boy Baelor was born safely, Queen Samantha also developed a chronic illness and her health became increasingly weak.

King Aegon's health gradually deteriorated. They spent more time recuperating in the Black Palace of Vareses than in the Red Keep, and Crown Prince Daeron began to act as regent and participate in the governance of the kingdom.

"Brother, I wonder if there are any poems related to this?"

"Yes, but not much." Old Rigo said mysteriously, "But I heard from a crazy musician that it might be related to magic. After all, everyone knows that Prince Silver is a great magician."

Viserys laughed and asked no more questions.

"Everyone in the Borderland Prince Territory is very enthusiastic." Old Rigo said with a smile, "It's the same in King's Landing. Everyone likes to watch our drama. His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen have also watched it. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince even received us."

Viserys knew about this, but he didn't know the details.

"Oh?"

"The Crown Prince is a very heroic young man. Goddess of Poetry, if His Royal Highness were in those chaotic places, he would definitely become a great warrior king. Oh, no, he would definitely become a great saintly monarch, no matter where he is. After my audience, the Crown Prince also asked me for the ballads I collected in the disputed land."

Viserys's look suddenly changed.

There will be another update later.

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(End of this chapter)