Chapter 128 – The Dragon Is Destiny
The green sea surged, crashing against the shores of Bloodstone.
Rhaegar Targaryen watched as sky and sea blended into one. He smelled the faint brine of the ocean and heard the shrieks of dragons echoing through the sky. Their cries roused the entire island from its slumber.
Sadly, the Stepstones were truly storm-ravaged. One could not see evergreen grass or blooming flowers here. Yet Rhaegar's twelfth year had been filled with color nonetheless.
The soldiers looked up and spotted the three magnificent dragons, cheering loudly.
These were the prince's dragons—the guardians of the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones.
High above, Rhaegar gazed down upon the changing island of Bloodstone.
Once merely a pirate lair, it now housed the Bloodstone Customs Office and the garrison guarding the Narrow Sea.
Bloodstone was rugged and rocky, constantly battered by storms. It had almost no native inhabitants. Its only advantage was geography, which pirates from many nations had long exploited.
Even Dragonstone possessed a harsh environment, yet the Stepstones were harsher still—a barren archipelago unable to support large populations.
Yet Bloodstone's strategic position meant it could earn far more coin than Dragonstone through customs duties and trade tolls.
Today Bloodstone had become a double-ringed stronghold.
The outer ring consisted of earthen ramparts and wooden palisades.
The inner ring—Dragonroar Fortress—stood upon the island's rocky ridge.
Between the two rings lay the encampments of the Iron Throne's army.
Here stood the headquarters of Prince Aerys Targaryen, Lord Tywin Lannister, Ser Steffon Baratheon, Ser Mace Tyrell, and many others.
Each lord's soldiers gathered around their commander.
Only Prince Lewyn Martell and his Dornish spearmen kept their distance from the main camp of the Iron Throne.
The Dornish had always been a solitary people.
Although the War of the Stepstones had ended, construction continued at full speed.
Castles were rising on the larger islands, while smaller ones received fortified garrisons.
Most of the Iron Throne's troops remained stationed here.
Feeding such a vast army had become an astronomical expense.
Yet grain and gold from Highgarden and Casterly Rock, additional support from the Stormlands and Dorne, and even a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos kept the works moving forward.
The ten-year trusteeship over the Stepstones would never be surrendered easily.
The Iron Throne still hoped that the Bloodstone Customs might someday become a miraculous source of revenue.
Rhaegar felt satisfied with Bloodstone's progress.
This was the first castle he had ever built from bare ground.
Perhaps the project was excessive—but it was deeply satisfying.
Later, when the crown's coffers allowed it, King's Landing would also need refurbishment.
Bloodstone's ridges were numerous, though none rivaled the volcanic peak of Dragonstone, so constructing Dragonroar Fortress had been relatively easy.
On nearby Gallows Grey, another fortress of similar design was already under construction.
Once the castles were completed, a shadow city and harbor settlement might follow.
However, reefs, sea-stacks, and twisting channels made building a large port difficult.
In the future they might blast a sheltered basin directly from the island's rock to provide ships with safe anchorage.
Rhaegar watched the royal escort soldiers working tirelessly across the island.
The three dragons landed first within the Iron Throne's encampment, bringing greetings from Dorne.
According to Ser Barristan Selmy, the timing was perfect.
Aerys, Steffon, Tywin, and the others were just preparing their Dornish court attire.
Rhaegar entered Prince Aerys's luxurious pavilion.
The prince wore a magnificent black-and-scarlet silk doublet, black thigh-high boots, and a flowing black satin cloak.
Ruby buttons fastened the doublet, while red thread embroidered three-headed dragons across the fabric.
With his Targaryen silver hair and violet eyes, he looked dazzling.
"Your Highness, that attire is blinding—your brilliance dazzles my eyes," declared Ser Mace Tyrell.
He himself wore a green silk doublet, a golden rose clasp at the collar.
Most Targaryens possessed striking beauty and natural charm.
Prince Aerys was no exception.
Yet in Rhaegar's eyes, Aerys resembled Mace Tyrell—glittering on the outside, hollow within.
Compared with Aerys, however, Mace at least listened to advice.
Aerys was more unstable—vain, impulsive, and capricious.
In his youth he had been known less for wisdom or diligence than for charisma.
He was generous, handsome, and daring, yet also quick-tempered and easily bored—whether in politics or romance.
Rhaegar believed that King Jaehaerys II Targaryen still kept him under control.
The royal family prospered, and the princess had not suffered repeated miscarriages, so Aerys had not yet descended into madness.
Rhaegar had already altered the course of fate, trying to prevent Aerys from becoming the paranoid tyrant history remembered.
Most important was removing the flatterers who encouraged his worst impulses.
Inside the pavilion everyone—from princes and lords to knights—wore magnificent clothing.
Lord Tywin Lannister wore black with a crimson cloak bearing the Golden Lion.
Ser Steffon Baratheon also wore black, though his green cloak bore the Golden Stag.
Since they were about to visit the Princess of Dorne, their appearance had to be magnificent.
Across most of the known world kings and nobles followed the same rule:
Power must appear dazzling.
Only Braavos favored simplicity. Even its greatest nobles wore drab brown garments.
Yet into the pavilion stepped someone even more striking—the Silver Prince.
Rhaegar wore a simple black shirt and sleeveless vest.
His silver hair was bound by a narrow steel circlet.
The shirt had been custom-made—a fine silk garment embroidered with a red three-headed dragon.
Rhaegar preferred such clothing. Traditional robes felt unnecessarily ceremonial.
"Rhaegar, why are you dressed like that? It's an affront to noble decorum," Prince Aerys exclaimed.
Tywin, Steffon, and Mace all looked equally surprised.
"Such clothes are practical in camp," Rhaegar replied calmly.
"Perhaps in camp," Aerys said, "but court occasions require proper dress."
He then asked,
"How was your visit to Dorne?"
"Father, the Princess of Dorne is delighted to welcome you at Sunspear," Rhaegar replied.
"War is not my strength," Aerys said proudly, "but diplomacy and ceremony are. Once garrisons are established in the Stepstones, we will travel to Dorne and demonstrate the unity of the realm."
Then he suddenly asked,
"Did the Princess of Dorne raise the matter of marriage?"
He glanced toward Prince Lewyn Martell.
"No," Rhaegar answered firmly.
Even during the feast at the Water Gardens, the princess had not mentioned it.
"Good," Aerys muttered with relief.
"I know her daughter. Frail, thin, no hips—she would bear you few children, and any offspring would smell of Dorne."
After further conversation, Rhaegar left the pavilion.
Prince Aerys remained pleased with his son.
To him, Rhaegar was the perfect prince—one who even surpassed his own generation in martial prowess.
Rhaegar walked toward the rocky hill where Dragonroar Fortress was being built.
The builders were mostly his Royal Escort soldiers, along with landless adventurers and younger sons of noble houses who had volunteered during the War of the Stepstones.
Most had chosen to remain after the war.
Including those stationed in King's Landing and Dragonstone, his personal force now numbered two thousand four hundred men.
He needed to complete the customs offices and fortress quickly if he hoped to sustain such an army.
The soldiers were both honored and excited to work beside their prince.
Wearing a simple vest, Prince Rhaegar carried stones and laid foundations alongside them.
Infrastructure, logistics, strategy, and unity—these formed the foundation of any army.
Rhaegar had seen such armies before.
Soon the soldiers began copying his clothing.
They jokingly called it the "Rhaegar shirt."
At the Dragonroar construction site everyone worked with high spirits.
[Destiny Claims]
Westeros (High)
• Hatch Dragons
• Silver Hair and Violet Eyes
• Victorious General
• Beloved by the Smallfolk
• City Builder
Unobtained: Aegon the Conqueror's Crown, Blackfyre
Old Valyria – Smoking Sea (High)
• Legacy of the Forty Dragonlord Families
• High Blood of Fire
The Rhoyne River (Low)
• Faint Rhoynar Blood
• Low Blood of Water
Rhaegar noticed a new attribute within his system panel:
Destiny Claim.
The higher the claim, the stronger one's legitimacy to rule a region.
He now held claims over three domains.
However, aside from Westeros, the other two were desolate and cursed lands—barely habitable.
Still, he already possessed powerful symbols of legitimacy.
Silver hair and violet eyes.
Even dragon hatching.
No dragonrider lacking those traits had ever ruled the Iron Throne.
The most tragic example had been the three Velaryon princes during the Dance of the Dragons.
Accusations had flown because their dragon eggs never hatched.
How Rhaegar wished he possessed Blackfyre and Aegon the Conqueror's Crown.
Both were symbols of kingship.
Both were lost.
The crown was rumored to lie somewhere in Dorne.
Blackfyre, most likely, remained somewhere across the Narrow Sea.
Yet Rhaegar smiled.
Dragons were destiny.
As long as he had dragons, the rest would come in time.
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