Chapter 133: The Triumphal Procession in King's Landing
In 271 AC (After the Conquest), after concluding his months-long visit to , Prince led his entourage back to .
Prince Aerys's grand plan to make the Dornish desert bloom had, without a doubt, failed once again. The Dornish activities—hunting, hawking, and tourneys—also captivated the prince's attention, leading him to delegate all treaty affairs concerning the to Prince and his two close friends, and .
Rhaegar took the lead in organizing lengthy and meticulous coordination, aiming to make the Stepstones defense line impregnable, forming a formation like the Dragon with Three Heads. The , , the , and would provide logistical support for the Stepstones.
Once this formation was initiated, the —particularly —would be utterly crushed.
Naturally, demanding other lords to provide troops required sharing profits. Negotiations over tax reductions and customs revenue subsidies also took considerable time. Fortunately, the matter concluded successfully. Rhaegar, as the Guardian of the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones, secured the assistance of the four kingdoms and finally returned to King's Landing in high spirits.
The search for 's crown remained difficult, but Rhaegar had tentatively identified two Houses:
of , powerful and historically resentful of both the Iron Throne and .
of , a smaller but infamous family.
House Wyl was notorious in Dornish history. They once cut off the sword hand of .
The Wyls were also infamous for the massacre at the wedding of Ser Jon Cafferen, heir to Fawnton, and Alys Oakheart, daughter of . The Wyl men slaughtered most of the guests, murdered Lord Oakheart, mutilated the groom, and sold Alys into slavery in .
After the Dornish killed , the Wyls even captured .
"However, there are still shortcomings," Rhaegar thought.
Aegon the Conqueror's crown represents the destiny of House Targaryen… my destiny.
Upon reaching King's Landing, Rhaegar rode his dragon Silver Emperor, circling the city three times. The other two dragons—Vhagar and Balerion—followed closely behind.
Each pass caused a commotion among the citizens of King's Landing.
"Triumphant Prince!"
"The Silver Dragon!"
The crowds cheered wildly as the dragons streaked across the sky.
King ordered the triumphal ceremony to be held at the .
The Dragonpit was vast and offered an excellent view for the ceremony celebrating the return of dragons and the Iron Throne's victory.
Temporary stands had been erected inside. At the center stood a high platform, with seating on both sides for the nobles.
On the central platform sat the most honored people of the realm:
King Jaehaerys II and Queen Rhaella
The royal princes
The representing the Faith
Lord Ormund Baratheon and Lady Cassana Baratheon of with their children Robert, Stannis, and Renly
Joanna Lannister of , with the golden twins and
Lord Luthor Tyrell and Lady Olenna Tyrell of
Lord Jon Arryn and his family from
Trumpets sounded.
The commanders entered one after another:
Prince Aerys Targaryen
Lord Tywin Lannister
Ser Steffon Baratheon
Ser Mace Tyrell
Prince Lewyn Martell
Ser Brynden Tully
The cheers grew louder each time.
But everyone was waiting for the final arrival.
The greatest roar erupted when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen descended into the Dragonpit on his dragon.
The dragon landed with a thunderous beat of wings.
Rhaegar dismounted and waved to the people—a flash of silver that intoxicated King's Landing.
Tall and straight as a drawn sword, with silver hair and purple eyes, the prince seemed almost unreal.
His black cloak bore the red three-headed dragon of House Targaryen.
The cheers surged like ocean waves.
Rhaegar stepped forward carrying a box.
"The traitors of the Stepstones have been executed. On behalf of Prince Aerys, Lord Tywin, Ser Steffon, Ser Mace, and all the soldiers who fought for the realm, I present the head of the rebel and the crown of the False King to King Jaehaerys II, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men."
He opened the box.
Inside lay the stripped skull of the rebel leader and his crude crown.
The king was extremely pleased.
He proclaimed Rhaegar Victor of the Stepstones and the Silver Flame.
Then he announced:
"I wish to appoint Prince Rhaegar as Guardian of the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones."
Rhaegar bowed respectfully.
"I am young and unworthy of such a heavy responsibility."
Lord Ormund Baratheon stepped forward.
"Prince Rhaegar has fought for the realm and slain the False King. His heroism is known to all. For the good of the realm, we ask His Grace to appoint him."
The High Septon agreed.
The nobles began shouting:
"Rhaegar! Rhaegar!"
Finally, King Jaehaerys handed Rhaegar the silver three-headed dragon seal and a ceremonial longsword.
The lords erupted into applause.
The Silver Prince had become the Guardian of the Narrow Sea.
If you want, I can also help you fix the dragon names and titles in this fanfic (because this story mixes non-canon names like Silver Emperor with canon dragons like Balerion and Vhagar, which is inconsistent). I can standardize them so the story reads much more naturally.