Artys Arryn POV
"Klaen, have the traps been set up?" I asked, looking over the plan spread out in front of me.
I had chosen to set up camp deep within the mountain region. After all, I was not foolish enough to meet those fucks on an open battlefield.
"Yes, master. The oil barrels are ready. We have dug the trenches and covered them with weak wooden planks. They won't hold under the sudden weight of a charge," Klaen said, pointing toward the marked locations on the map. "And as you asked, we have spread the—"
"Master."
Soyrn's voice interrupted him before he could finish.
"Looks like a message has come for you from Westeros," he said, pointing toward the sky.
A blue peregrine falcon was flying toward us, cutting through the wind as it descended.
I had given this one to my father so he could send me messages in case of an urgent situation. A falcon was much faster than any raven.
"What does the old man want now?" I muttered, raising my arm.
The falcon landed on my wrist, its claws gripping the leather guard.
"Emperor, I bring a message from your father, ee-chup ee-chup," the peregrine falcon said, lowering its head slightly.
I reached toward its claw and removed the rolled paper tied there.
"Go now. Join your brothers in the sky. They are monitoring the area for me," I whispered as I moved my arm upward.
The falcon spread its wings and flew back into the sky.
I broke the seal and opened the letter.
"What is it?" Soyrn asked, watching me read.
"My father says a tournament will be held in Harrenhal in three months. I am to be present there," I replied.
"For a tourney?" Soyrn asked, confusion clear on his face.
"No. The tourney is merely a stupid show," I said, folding the letter. "It seems all the lords and their heirs are summoned to Harrenhal to swear fealty to the golden fuck."
"So the stag is dead?" Soyrn asked.
"Not yet," I replied, shaking my head. "It seems the lioness is feeling threatened. Why else would she go to such lengths and summon every lord and heir to swear fealty to her pup while Robert still lives?"
"So will you be going?"
"Of course," I said, looking toward the west. "It's been five years since I last saw Westeros."
It was time to deal with everything.
The war was about to start. Judging from the spy reports, Stannis and the old man had already started questioning the parentage of the children.
Soon Cersei would make her move. Ned Stark would expose the truth.
And then the war would begin.
"But master, if you go, you would have to kneel to that Lannister bastard," Soyrn said, lowering his voice.
"And if I don't go, it will raise questions. Besides, sooner or later the truth of their birth will come out. Then those oaths won't matter anymore," I replied.
"But to kneel in front of those lowborns..." Soyrn muttered, clearly still bothered by the idea.
"Don't worry about that. I will find a way to avoid it," I said, placing the letter away.
I would definitely not kneel.
Not to that shit at least.
"But for now, let's focus on the war," I said, looking toward the vast plains below us. "A Dothraki horde is coming to fuck us very soon."
We walked toward the edge of the valley where Klaen, Bryce Noll, and the commanders of the mercenary companies I had hired were already waiting.
"Klaen, where the hell is Khal Mongo's wife?" I asked as we approached. "Have the scouts returned?"
"She is still chained in the cells, master," Klaen replied.
"What the fuck?" I stopped walking and turned toward him. "Didn't I tell you to crucify her at the pass where the Khal could see her?"
"But weren't we supposed to use her as a bargaining chip?" Mero, the commander of the Second Sons, asked.
"No. There is no use for that anymore," I replied, looking toward the plains. "Khal Mongo is already furious. It seems he has sworn to take my head to Vaes Dothrak."
We can defeat them," I said simply.
"The Dothraki might appear to be a senseless horde of barbarians to you, but they are not," the commander warned. "They understand tactics, and their horses make them incredibly fast."
"I know that," I said, looking back at him. "But didn't you say the Dothraki live by reputation? A Khal must appear to be the strongest."
A small smile formed on my face.
"But how can a man be seen as strong when his wife is crucified in front of his entire khalasar? Besides, I am not paying you so much coin for negotiations."
The commander opened his mouth but said nothing.
"Go now. Get your Second Sons to hold that pass. If the Dothraki attack, rain fire on them," I ordered.
He nodded and started walking away, though the doubt on his face remained.
"And remember," I added, making him stop. "Don't fight them directly. Don't chase them if they retreat. Not until I send the signal."
The man looked back at me for a moment before finally nodding.
"As you say," he said.
"Gods, master," Soyrn whispered after they left. "Do you really have to crucify a woman? Won't it damage your Targaryen name?"
After the dragons hatched, I named myself Artys Arryn Targaryen in front of my core supporters.
Soyrn, the Red Priestess Kinvara, and the Unsullied.
Though the house names didn't exactly go hand in hand.
"You could have gone to Asshai to bring the dragons," Soyrn said as we continued walking through the camp.
"They are no longer in Asshai. Once they grew, Asshai was no longer suitable, so I had them moved further inland," I replied. "What do you think I have been doing there for the past year?"
Soyrn looked at me for a moment before curiosity finally got the better of him.
"So how big have those two grown?"
"Bronzefyre is now as big as a war galley," I said, watching his eyes widen slightly. "Silverflame is a little smaller, maybe seven feet shorter."
"So why not use the dragons?" Soyrn asked.
"Because if I do, the news will travel across the world," I said, looking toward him. "People will learn that dragons have returned, and then they will ask questions. "
"Who rides them? Me. Artys Arryn."
I paused for a moment.
"The Seven Kingdoms are still formally under Robert. If I reveal that I carry Targaryen blood, that my mother was a secret Targaryen who tricked Jon Arryn, what do you think the realm would do?"
"It would fall into chaos."
"My own father might stand against me. He fought a war against the Targaryens. The Vale lords are still sworn to him. As long as the old man lives, I am just his heir."
"But you have two dragons and an army," Soyrn argued, looking unconvinced. "Your ancestor Aegon had a few thousand men and three dragons. You have tens of thousands of swords and two dragons at your disposal."
He looked at me seriously.
"Who would oppose you?"
"Many would, Soyrn," I answered. "There are a great many men who are not afraid to die by dragonfire."
I looked toward the distant horizon.
"Besides, it's not the Seven Kingdoms I want. It's Westeros that I desire."
Soyrn frowned.
"Isn't it the same thing?"
"No."
I shook my head.
"If I follow your plan, I will win. There is no doubt about that. But many would oppose me. Many would see me as just another conqueror coming with dragons."
I moved a few pieces on the war map.
"But if we wait for chaos to begin, the high lords will start killing each other. Their armies will bleed. Their houses will weaken."
A small smile formed on my face.
"And then I will strike."
"Not as a conqueror, but as the man who shall end the chaos."
Soyrn slowly understood what I meant.
"This way, I can ensure the great houses lose their power. Baratheon, Lannister, Stark, Tully, Martell, Tyrell, Greyjoy would become nothing but things of the past."
"All those ancient houses standing between the Crown and the people will be gone. The minor lords will swear directly to the Iron Throne. No more middlemen."
"But can't we still do that after taking the throne with dragons and our army?" Soyrn questioned.
"Yes, but then I would look like a butcher," I replied. "If the Tyrells kneel and I destroy them afterward, what would people call me?"
Soyrn stayed silent.
"A tyrant."
I looked back at the map.
"I don't want to make the same mistake Aegon the Conqueror made. The great houses shall no longer rule their own kingdoms. There should only be the Crown and the minor lords."
"Sounds like a lot of trouble to me," Soyrn said. "Uniting them completely. Different cultures, different histories, and even different gods. There is a reason Aegon allowed the high lords to rule in his name."
He looked back at me.
"You could do the same."
"Maybe."
I didn't deny it.
"But first, I still need to deal with the Dothraki and Essos."
One problem at a time.
"Just wait and watch. Once the truth about the Queen and her brother comes out..."
I smiled.
"We will show our fangs too."
"Now go back to safety. The shit is about to begin."
"We are outnumbered," Soyrn reminded me. "The Khal has at least fifteen thousand more men than us."
"We have the terrain on our side."
I looked toward the empty plains where the horde would soon appear.
"Besides..."
"Their greatest weapon is useless against me."
Horses are animals too.
I can control them.
Though I doubt I could control that many at once, influencing the first line should be possible.
That alone should create enough chaos.
POV Ends