Game of Thrones: Dance of the Dragons

"Sister, you've heard the intelligence from Laris too. It's not that I want to start a war, it's that the Kingdom of the Three Daughters and Dorne want to start a war."

"I went through all sorts of trouble to win over the Sea Serpent and Aunt Rhodes, all in order to wipe out their naval forces in one fell swoop!"

"Only in this way can Westeros achieve true peace."

Not only that, Beller also thoughtfully analyzed the pros and cons for Renilla.

The start of war will consume a great deal of the kingdom's wealth and provisions, but it will also deplete the military strength of the Valerian family.

At the same time, it would allow Rhaenys to return to the family, a brilliant idea that would kill two birds with one stone, and Baylor certainly wouldn't let it pass by.

Rhaenys knew that her strategies were inferior to Baylor's, and she also understood her nephew's good intentions.

"But Father has always loved peace, and he will not agree to you starting a war."

"I know. So I don't expect this plan to succeed on the first try; we must take it one step at a time."

Bellor told Rhaenera in detail about his plan to nominate his Aunt Rhaenys as a minister of the court, hoping that his sister could lend him a hand at the meeting.

It's worth noting that, aside from his eldest son Baelor, Viserys' favorite person was Rhaenyra.

As king and father, Viserys could not possibly ignore the suggestions and ideas of his eldest son and daughter.

After a moment's thought, Renella, her brow furrowed, made up her mind.

"Belle, you are my only brother, and I support your decision."

"Thank you, sister." Beller smiled and hugged Renilla.

Afterwards, the siblings briefly discussed their strategy and, taking advantage of the fact that only Lars was in the council chamber, approached their father.

"Father, I had an idea when I was on Chaotou Island, and I hope I can talk to you about it."

Viserys smiled and patted his eldest son on the shoulder, then said earnestly, "My child, you are my eldest son, the future crown prince."

"Your ideas are extremely valuable to me, and I don't need to ask for them at all."

"I would like to nominate Aunt Rhaenys as Lord Chancellor, so that she may do her part for the Targaryen dynasty."

As soon as he finished speaking, Baylor noticed that Viserys's brows furrowed slightly, and he looked stunned, clearly not expecting his eldest son to make such a suggestion.

"Baelor, you are still too young, and your ideas are too idealistic."

"The Sea Serpent has already become a minister of the Imperial Council. If Renis is also brought in, the couple is very likely to join forces and influence the decisions of the Imperial Council."

Viserys did not blame his eldest son, but patiently explained to him why he disagreed with doing so.

"But Father, you've overlooked one thing: Aunt Rhaenys is not only the mistress of the Valerian family, but also a princess of our Targaryen family."

"If she really has such thoughts, then Aunt will certainly not remain inactive at the succession meeting." Baylor understood his father's concerns.

But through his observation, he realized that Rhaenys was by no means an elder who would sacrifice the greater good for trivial matters. Her tolerance and emphasis on family honor were in no way inferior to any woman in the history of House Targaryen!

"And, Father, have you forgotten?"

"Uncle Damon, how he was driven out of King's Landing, and the nobleman who shouted 'Hail Aegon!' when I first participated in the Kingsguard Hunt."

"The idea of ​​the Imperial Council is absolutely correct, but the Imperial Council cannot be composed entirely of outsiders."

Baylor stopped there.

He said his words were just suggestions, and that pushing too hard would only create a rift between father and son, which was definitely not what he wanted to see.

If that doesn't work, we can always put Aunt Rhaenys on the throne when Baylor becomes king.

Renilla then spoke up, "Father, what Baylor said makes sense. Otto once sidelined Uncle Damon at the Imperial Council, affecting your judgment of the war situation."

Larry added fuel to the fire, "Your Majesty, the prince and princess are right."

"Over the years, Princess Rhaenys has done her best to repair the relationship between the Valerian Empire and the royal family."

"Furthermore, if Her Highness the Princess also joins the Royal Council, her dragon, and her two children, will all be at the service of the royal family!"

Upon hearing their analysis, Viserys nodded slowly, a rare occurrence for him.

If Rhaenys joins the Council of Kings, the royal family can easily mobilize the three-headed dragons that remain with House Valerian.

By then, not only the Kingdom of the Three Daughters and Dorne, but even waging war against the entire Free Trade Town would no longer be a troublesome problem.

"The advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages, and I agree with your opinion."

"Baelor, go and tell your Aunt Rhaenys to attend this Imperial Council meeting. As for her position, I will discuss it carefully with the other ministers."

"Thank you, Father."

Baylor happily hugged Viserys.

"My child, don't rush to thank me."

"You are my eldest son and the crown prince of the kingdom. Even if you haven't been officially appointed yet, you should start learning about politics and related matters earlier, instead of just reading those legends and stories every day."

Viserys patted Baelor on the shoulder, his meaning clear: he had made you a sommelier to develop your abilities, not to send you to the Citadel as a maester.

"Yes, Father."

"Then I'll go tell Aunt Renis about this first, and see how the sea serpent reacts."

Viserys nodded, telling Baylor to go and return as soon as possible.

……

"Your Majesty, have you really agreed?" Corliss's expression was somewhat subtle.

He found it hard to believe that a king as cowardly as Viserys, who needed a royal council to rule, would agree to make Rhaenys a minister of the royal court.

"Why would I need to lie to you?"

Baylor ignored the sea serpent. Then, he looked at Rhaenys, who was smiling broadly, and said, "Aunt, I'm entrusting the matter to you at the royal council meeting."

"Don't worry, with me here, I will never let Otto's incident happen again." Renis, dressed in gorgeous clothes, spoke confidently.

Baylor then led Rhaenys and the sea serpent into the council hall.

"Prince Bellor, Princess Rhaenys, Lord Corliss." The ministers rose politely and greeted them one by one.

At this moment, all the ministers of the Imperial Council, except for the Sea Serpent and Renis, were seated in their respective positions.

King Viserys frowned as he looked at the letter Laris had delivered. Hearing the voice, he smiled and gestured for the two to sit down.

Corliss made no attempt to be a stranger, sitting down on the left with Rhaenys, right next to Damon, who had a forced smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, what has happened?" Corliss asked first.

Viserys sighed deeply. "The raven has sent intelligence that the Stone Steps Islands have been occupied by the combined navy of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters and Dorne."

"I remember His Majesty built fortifications on the Steppe Islands and arranged for the Royal Navy to patrol the nearby waters. How could they have been taken over so quickly?"

Corliss frowned, pondering the reason carefully.

Damon readily chimed in, "Lord Sea Serpent, is now the time to consider these questions?"

"Your Majesty, we should now think about how to reclaim the Stone Steps Islands."

"Prince Damon, I must advise you that the kingdom's finances are in dire straits and may not be able to sustain the last great war," Finance Minister Linman said earnestly.