"House Brune and my family have a blood feud."
Lord Cleaver explained to Viserys, "Though we unite against external foes, our two houses are the strongest on the Crabs Claw Peninsula. Since resources on the peninsula are scarce, we often clash over them."
"In recent years, we've tried to avoid conflict because the losses from the Usurper's War were too great, but minor frictions are unavoidable. I suspect Old Brune might think I'm plotting against him."
Viserys said nothing, glancing at Lord Cleaver before speaking, "Very well. Tomorrow morning, we will head to Dreadfort to see for ourselves."
The next morning, Viserys mounted Ghidorah alone and flew toward Dreadfort.
Dreadfort was situated on a cliff at the northeastern corner of the peninsula. True to its name, the castle was essentially a cave with a wall built across the entrance, looking even more primitive than Whisperfell.
When Ghidorah appeared in the sky above the walls, the people inside began to panic. Young soldiers raised their bows, but were held back by those beside them before they could fire.
Seeing the timing was right, Viserys had Ghidorah land before the castle gates.
The lord of House Brune, a frail old man in his fifties, emerged supported by his two sons. His face was pale and his legs trembled, yet he struggled to stand tall, though his composure was far inferior to Lord Cleaver's.
"House Brune is willing to bend the knee to the true dragon," he spoke with difficulty, his expression strained.
He didn't intend to oppose Viserys; after all, House Brune had sent men to follow Rhaegar back then. It was just that the message in Lord Cleaver's letter had differed from others, omitting any mention of dragons.
It only mentioned a massive fleet appearing in his territory. Thinking it was an external invasion, he had hoped to let House Cleaver's forces be depleted first, which was why he hadn't responded promptly.
It wasn't until a branch of the family, the Brunes of Brownhollow, sent a raven asking for his thoughts that he learned the truth. But now, a dragon was already before him.
However, Viserys knew the truth and did not make things difficult for him, accepting House Brune's fealty. This allowed Old Brune to breathe a sigh of relief, and he arranged for one of his sons to lead three hundred soldiers to assemble at Whisperfell.
Thus, within three days, all the houses of the Crabs Claw Peninsula declared their loyalty to Viserys and sent men to the gathering point. They brought over a thousand men in total—though poorly equipped, they were all sturdy warriors of their houses.
During this time, the main army began to disembark. Viserys ordered a temporary camp to be established outside Whisperfell.
To accommodate the subsequent arrival of more troops, the camp was massive, covering the entire plain outside Whisperfell. It took a week for the personnel and supplies from the first fleet to be fully organized and unloaded.
While the transport ships returned to Essos, Viserys did one more thing.
He took Rhaenys and five thousand of the Free Folk's new army and sailed toward Dragonstone. This fleet was small, consisting of only fifty-odd warships, but ten dragons soared in the sky above.
Dragonstone was less than a day's sail from the Crabs Claw Peninsula. Viserys didn't wait for the fleet, instead flying ahead with Rhaenys and the dragons.
When Ghidorah and Black Flame appeared over Dragonstone, the island's garrison fell into total chaos. There were fewer than three hundred defenders, commanded by Ser Axell Florent, the cousin of Stannis's wife.
When the dragons arrived at Dragonstone, Ser Axell was drinking alone in the castle's dining hall. He was supposed to have marched with Stannis, but Stannis had left him behind, claiming Dragonstone needed a commander.
In truth, Stannis simply disliked him because he was a Florent. Stannis had previously sent a plea for aid to House Florent which they had refused, leading him to despise the Queen's side of the family.
Just as he was starting to feel tipsy, the clamor outside jolted him awake.
"Dragons! There are dragons in the sky!"
Ser Axell threw down his cup and rushed out of the hall, only to be stunned by the sight in the sky.
Dozens of dragons were circling above. The golden three-headed dragon and a pitch-black dragon were the largest; their massive bodies stripped anyone seeing them for the first time of any thought of resistance.
Furthermore, the slightly smaller dragons following them were not only dancing through the air but also occasionally breathing fire in a show of force to the crowds below.
Ser Axell's legs felt weak, but he forced himself to stay upright.
He then remembered that over two months ago, guards had reported seeing dragons. Unfortunately, he had been drunk that day and hadn't seen them himself, so he hadn't taken it seriously.
As his mind raced, the golden dragon dove down, hovering less than a hundred meters from the wall. The gale kicked up by its wings knocked over the soldiers who couldn't dodge in time.
"Who is the commander here?" a figure clad in black and red armor spoke from the dragon's back.
Axell instinctively stepped forward to answer, "It is I. I am the Castellan of Dragonstone, Axell Florent."
"I am Viserys Targaryen, Dragonlord of Valyria and rightful heir to the iron throne. I give you two choices: open the gates and surrender, or die." Viserys's words, laced with mental pressure, struck the ears of the terrified soldiers like a heavy hammer, causing them to collapse in fear.
Hearing these choices, Axell opened his mouth, looked at the dragons in the sky, and then at his pale-faced soldiers. He sighed, yet stubbornly drew his sword.
"Viserys, I have long since declared my loyalty to King Stannis and was appointed Castellan of Dragonstone by him. I will not bend the knee to you." Having said this, Axell suddenly felt a sense of fulfillment, and his heart didn't seem as tense as before.
He gripped his sword and spoke to Viserys again, "Viserys, you are only acting bold because you have dragons. If you are a knight, you should come down and face me in a one-on-one duel."
Viserys couldn't help but find this amusing. "What is your status, and what is mine? If I had to duel every random person who asked, I would be worked to death."
With that, without waiting for Axell to speak, Viserys patted Ghidorah's neck.
Ghidorah's left head unleashed a blast of Frost Breath, freezing Axell and dozens of guards near him. The reason for using Frost Breath was to preserve Dragonstone castle intact.
This shocking scene broke the remaining defenders' will; after all, not everyone was unafraid of death.
When a Dragon Roar echoed from the sky, they saw the other dragons beginning to dive. Someone took the lead in throwing down their weapon, and others quickly followed suit. Thus, the remaining Dragonstone garrison surrendered without a fight.
Viserys sent the other diving dragons to the Dragonmont to rest, while Ghidorah and Melyas landed at the castle gates.
The castle gates slowly opened, and the garrison knelt in the gateway with their weapons at their feet. Viserys calmly led Rhaenys past them, stepping into the castle he had been away from for so many years.
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