"Elenna, calm down." Rhaegor patiently soothed her frayed emotions. "No matter what name Diana gives the child, he won't threaten Rhaenya's position. That child won't be a Targaryen. He'll be a Waters."
He paused. "Even if both of his parents are of royal blood."
"B-but…" Elenna's voice trembled. "I still can't be at ease..."
How could a princess ever be at ease? No one could predict what the future held, and Aegon's attitude toward Rhaenya gave her no peace of mind whatsoever.
"Diana has ruined her future." Rhaegor looked at the panicked Princess Elenna and sighed to comfort her. "As a daughter of the royal family, she has responsibilities. Let me think… Who did the King consider as suitors for her?"
"Reg Valaryon, heir to High Tide," Elenna answered wearily. "His maternal grandfather is Uncle Joffrey. Among the many candidates, only he and Prince Lucerys Martell were truly favored, because both of them carry the blood of dragons... I just don't understand. What was so wrong with Prince Lucerys or Reg? Reg is young, and Lucerys is not much worse than that bastard Aegon…"
"Who else?"
"Ser Robb Arryn, heir to Lord Hugh Arryn. Ser Tallis Lannister, heir to Lord Loreon Lannister. Ser Leo Tyrell, heir to Lord Loras Tyrell. And Ser Arthur Dayne, heir to Prince Quentyn." Elenna sighed again. Her brother had assembled an undeniably impressive line-up of suitors for Diana. Aside from them—
"Red Kraken" Dalton Greyjoy had sent his rock-born son, young Dagon Greyjoy. And Lord Cregan Stark of the North had offered his eligible son, Barthlon Stark.
But the Ironborn and Northerners had always been marginalized from the power core, so their children were never seriously considered as suitors for royal princesses—even if Dagon had a powerful physique and Barthlon was a strikingly handsome man.
It was a shame. Despite the excellent looks and well-rounded skills of so many suitors, Diana had chosen none of them. Instead, she had climbed into Aegon's bed with eager eyes.
Rhaegor didn't even know what to say anymore. Diana's move was a blatant slap in the face of the great nobles of the realm.
Truly incomprehensible foolishness.
"The King giving 'Chronicles of the East' to little Daeron means that, no matter what happens, he acknowledges Daeron's legitimacy. He will always be a true Targaryen."
Rhaegor explained, "'Chronicles of the East' is a record of His Majesty's deeds. His endorsement is a pledge—his legacy for House Targaryen."
Even as he spoke those words, Rhaegor's mind played out a different scenario. A royal bastard—no matter how many times people claimed he wasn't a Targaryen—would never be fully dismissed. On the contrary, that child's blood might become, in some people's eyes, a sweet white loaf slathered in cream and spices.
Especially when it came to the line of succession after King Daeron…
It was almost guaranteed there would be trouble.
"So there's no need to worry. No matter how Aegon treats Rhaenya or Daeron, Princess Rhaenya is his undisputed lawful wife, and Daeron is his one and only legitimate heir."
"Those words truly ease my mind." Elenna nodded in agreement. That was exactly what she needed to hear from Rhaegor.
As long as Rhaegor recognized that King Daeron giving 'Chronicles of the East' to young Daeron was a matter of inheritance and legitimacy, it meant the Vaelarys family acknowledged only this legal heir who carried their blood.
That made things much simpler.
"Go and rest," Rhaegor said with a nod. "You can visit Princess Rhaenya and the children tomorrow."
Elenna nodded and left his hall with evident exhaustion.
Only Rhaegor remained, his face growing darker in the night.
The heir and power-holder of House Vaelarys had begun to think.
---
King's Landing, Red Keep, Maegor's Holdfast — The King's Study
King Daeron, with dark circles under his eyes, finally lifted his head from the thick manuscript pages.
His long-unseen smile finally surfaced on his weary face.
The first draft of 'Chronicles of the East' was almost finished.
Feeling pleased, Daeron flipped back to the beginning of the manuscript and began to inspect, line by line, the "masterpiece" he had painstakingly crafted over so many years.
Daeon had no idea how historians and maesters of the future would judge this book.
But as far as he was concerned, it was a thoroughly satisfying read.
No one knew what the original draft of The Conquest East actually looked like, because once the book was officially copied and published, the version available to the public would likely differ significantly from the original.
After all, who would believe that the brilliant and ambitious "Dragonheart King", the man who twice conquered the Disputed Lands and remained immortalized in the songs of Westeros's bards and singers, would write about himself in such a manner?
In this book, Daeon personally persuaded the great lords of the realm. In fact, through heartfelt appeals and rational arguments, he moved Prince Draezell himself to generously agree to send dragonriders of House Vaelarys to fight for the king.
Under Daeon's direct planning, grain and ships were rapidly requisitioned, carrying the royal army toward the savage Disputed Lands.
The garrison of Lykar Laclen, upon learning of the royal host's arrival, not only refused to surrender, but instead raised the banners of pirates and warlords, vowing to make the invaders from across the sea pay dearly.
Daeon, acting decisively, ordered the dragons into action, crushing Lykar Laclen's resistance and dispatching dragonriders to scout the terrain and identify opportunities for battle.
After successfully leading small detachments to defeat the armies of the Anti-Throne Alliance, the royal army encountered a major obstacle by Myr Lake. After enduring countless hardships, King Daeon finally discovered a way to break the deadlock.
Dragons and elite infantry demolished the supposedly impregnable fortresses, forcing the traitors to kneel—though they failed to appreciate the king's mercy and instead dared to rise in open rebellion.
And so, they met their end.
Death and dragonfire.
Upon comparing this account with contemporary records, later scholars reluctantly concluded that the Conquest East circulating on the market diverged considerably from historical fact—chiefly, in that it greatly enhanced King Daeon's role.
Of course, no one would believe the glorious Dragonheart King would depict his own deeds this way. And yet The Conquest East remained a critical primary source penned by the man himself.
How could scholars studying this period not both love and hate it?
Dragon's Nest, Silverblood Tower
Draezell looked up, casting his gaze toward Rhaegor, who tiptoed in cautiously, careful not to wake the children.
"I've received the report," Draezell said softly. "Elenna came?"
Rhaegor nodded, a touch of concern in his voice.
"Father, I have a bad feeling."