Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

As king, he became very busy as soon as he returned to Pentos. He was relatively free when he was out, as many official duties that Oberyn and Renis had not dealt with had piled up.

After inspecting the batch of delivered armor, the silver-haired youth immediately went to the Golden Regiment's base to check on the soldiers' morale and training readiness.

Although Viserys kept saying he wasn't in a hurry to send troops, it was only a matter of time before he did.

Viserys could not stand idly by and watch Westeros turn into a ghost town. The Night King had truly become uncontrollably arrogant, and in the end, he was the one who suffered the most.

The commanders of the Golden Company greeted him respectfully; many of them were descendants of those who had participated in the Blackfyre Rebellion, yet now they were utterly loyal to the rightful heirs of the Targaryen Empire.

After leaving the Golden Company, Viserys pondered for a moment before deciding to check on the condition of the Dragonstone fleet.

The new dynasty's Minister of the Navy, Earl Jeffrey, who had just resigned from his position as Prime Minister, was getting old.

The campaign to conquer Westeros was arguably the last shining moment of his life.

And it was also his lifelong wish after fleeing Dragonstone to restore the Targaryen dynasty. Therefore, the old man devoted himself to the task, working hard to direct and train the new Dragonstone navy.

When Viserys arrived at the Dragonstone fleet's base, he heard some unexpected news.

"Ok?"

"The old man's bastard son left in Westeros has arrived?"

Chapter 370 The Brecken Family

Hendry Brecken.

Viserys was initially puzzled when he heard the name, wondering why such an unknown figure could be sent to Pentos with Petyr Baelish. However, because he was an insignificant person, he did not ask any further questions.

He knew the Brecken family, one of the oldest families in the Reach, with the blood of the First Men flowing through their veins.

Even according to members of the Brecken family, during the Age of Heroes before the Andal invasion, the Brecken family reigned supreme in this land, only to be betrayed by the Blackwood family.

The Blackwood family's account is the exact opposite of the Brecken family's, but due to the passage of time, both accounts are impossible to verify.

The Brecken family's castle, Stonehedge, is located on the Red Fork of the Trident River, while the Blackwood family of Raventree is located on the other side of the Red Fork. The two families have been sworn enemies for thousands of years.

However, both of these ancient and historically significant families have now submitted to the Tully family.

According to Viserys, the current head of the Brecken family is named Genos Brecken. How could Hendry be related to Jeffrey?

But when Viserys arrived at the headquarters of the Dragonstone fleet, he learned the whole story.

It turns out that the old man's true identity, which he had been hiding, was that of the Brecken family. His real name should be Jeffrey Brecken, and he was the first in line to inherit the title of Earl Brecken.

He also had a sister, Jenny Blaken, who was one of the wives chosen by Lord Horst Tully of Riverrun for his brother Brynden Tully, who later became known as the 'Blackfish,' and was given the choice to choose.

However, Brynden Tully did not take a liking to any of the women his brother had chosen, so the brothers turned against each other and left the family to start their own household. Later, he escorted his niece Lysa to marry into the Vale and was knighted as a Bloodgate Knight by the Duke of the Vale.

The Duke of Brecken had three children: the eldest was Geoffrey Brecken, the second was Jenny Brecken, and the third was the current Earl of Brecken, Genos Brecken.

Jeffrey was groomed as his heir by his father, Earl Brecken, and was himself an exceptionally handsome man, skilled in swordsmanship and horsemanship.

His younger brother Genos had no claim to the inheritance and was just indulging in pleasure and idleness. If it weren't for Jeffrey's strong opposition, Genos would almost have been sent to the Citadel to become a maester.

Despite this situation, Jeffrey later made a big mistake due to impulsiveness, and was forced to flee his hometown and escape overseas to become a mercenary.

That was when he was young and impetuous, he took his brother Genos to King's Landing, secretly drank alcohol without the servants' knowledge, and then went out for a stroll.

On the street, they encountered Roger Blackwood, the head of the Blackwood family, who had a blood feud with the Brecken family and was also the father of the current head of the Blackwood family, Tytos.

Then, a drunken Jeffrey got into a fight with Roger Blackwood for reasons unknown.

Then Jeffrey actually killed the Earl of Raventree in the street of King's Landing, and to this day Jeffrey can't remember what exactly happened.

However, killing someone in the street of King's Landing, especially the Earl of Raventree, was undoubtedly a huge mistake. Geoffrey Blaken was subsequently ordered to be arrested by Viserys' grandfather, Jaehaerys Targaryen II, the then-King.

Jeffrey Blaken, still in a daze, was put on a merchant ship bound for the continent of Essos by his family's loyal servants and his own brothers.

As he drifted at sea, with the howling sea winds blowing, he gradually came to accept the fact that he had committed a serious crime by killing someone and was destined to go into exile overseas.

However, his father, Earl Brecken the Elder, could not accept this outcome and, coupled with his poor health, fell ill and died. His younger brother, Genos, then inherited the position of Earl of Stoneholde.

From then on, Geoffrey went into hiding, no longer using his surname, and never returned to his homeland, until he was appreciated by Viserys's elder brother, Prince Rhaegar, and joined the Dragonstone Navy, eventually rising to become the fleet commander-in-chief.

His son, Hendry Brecken, was born to a prostitute while he was working as a mercenary in places like Tyros and Rhys. He was then sent back to the Brecken family and raised by his younger brother, Genos Brecken. As the sole heir, he received the family name.

The old man had never revealed that he had a son; Viserys only found out by accidentally letting it slip once, but he wouldn't say anything more when pressed.

And now, this illegitimate son of his has actually come looking for him.

"His Majesty."

Hendry is significantly older than Viserys, and even older than Littlefinger.

However, because he lost his parents at a young age and lived under the roof of others, he seems to have some personality flaws and appears timid and hesitant.

This is a far cry from his father, Jeffrey Blaken, whose hair was all white but whose back was still very straight when he sat in a chair.

When Hendry saw Viserys arrive suddenly, he stood up, somewhat flustered, unsure whether to stay standing or sit down.

Viserys waved for him to sit down and talk, and he hurriedly sat back down in his chair.

After so many years, he saw his own flesh and blood again, but the old man's face showed no joy, but was instead filled with sorrow.

Of course, he wasn't blaming Hendry. After all, leaving him in his hometown for so many years was already an extremely irresponsible act. What Jeffrey was worried about was what Viserys was thinking now, as this was clearly a divisive tactic.

However, Jeffrey saw through the plan; Viserys' mind worked even faster than the old man's.

After hearing the whole story, he realized that this was a little trap set by Robert, or rather Jon Arryn, to give him a gamble and plant the seeds of distrust in him.

As for why they didn't use the hostage threat tactic, let's not even talk about the ongoing cooperation negotiations; even if the two sides were at loggerheads, they probably knew that this tactic wouldn't work.

If the old man had voluntarily handed over Queen Leila and her son, who had fled to Dragonstone, not only would he have been pardoned for his past crimes, but he could have easily found a castle and become an earl.

But he never thought about this back then, and he certainly wouldn't think about it now.

Moreover, he hadn't seen his son for over twenty years, so he wasn't exactly a good father.

He values ​​honor and responsibility more than family ties.

Chapter 371 Martial Arts Competition

It was a good thing that the old man had found his successor, and contrary to his worries, Viserys never harbored any resentment about it.

Strictly speaking, the Brecken family of Stonehold City no longer has much to do with Jeffrey.

Regardless of having heard the whole story, Viserys harbored suspicions about the old man's brother, now Earl of Stonehold, Genos Breken, who was also present when the incident occurred.

Even if Genos didn't interfere in this matter back then, now that he has five children plus an illegitimate one and has been an earl for so long, Stonewall City certainly has nothing to do with Jeffrey and Hendry anymore.

Hendry told him all this; he's now a marginal figure in Stonehold, and the affairs of the Brecken family are none of his concern.

If it weren't for Jon Arryn, the Duke of the Eyrie, making the arrangements and bringing him to King's Landing...

He has probably been appointed by his uncle as the representative of the Brecken family, leading soldiers to follow the army of Lord Tully, led by Edmure Tully, north to the Neck to support the allied forces.

Because his uncle had five daughters, Genos had long disliked his nephew.

The legalization of illegitimate children to be granted a surname generally only occurs when there is no legitimate heir, although other reasons cannot be ruled out.

Jeffrey was in this situation back then. He only had this one illegitimate son, while Genos Bracken had five daughters. His only illegitimate son was a boy, and his nephew, who bore the Bracken surname, also had inheritance rights. That's why Jeffrey was so eager to send him away to his death.

...

That evening, Viserys hosted a lavish banquet for the old knight at the Nine Towers Palace.

All the high-ranking officials from the military and political factions of Pentos attended the banquet, mainly because they all knew the old man's status in Viserys' heart, and therefore gave him face.

The Iron Throne messenger, who had returned the heir, was also able to attend the banquet and meet Oberyn, who was now acting as the Prime Minister, and Arianne, who was practically the future Queen.

There was nothing awkward about the two groups meeting. Littlefinger was a skilled social butterfly and even took the initiative to chat with Prince Dorne and Princess Dorne.

Moreover, Oberyn and Arianne's presence in Pentos was an open secret, known to everyone in the Seven Kingdoms, but in the current context of fighting the White Walkers together, no one wanted to bring it up.

An interesting little incident occurred during Pentos's dinner party.

Ser Barristan Selmy, Captain of Robert's Kingsguard, seemed to have a nagging feeling about the fact that the first woman in the Kingsguard had ever been a member of the Royal Guard.

After all, he had served as a Kingsguard his entire life, upholding the White Knight's code. He believed that women becoming Kingsguard members tarnished the Kingsguard's reputation and caused chaos in the palace, among other things...

However, the old knight did not bring these things up in public. He could be stubborn at times, but he was not a fool.

Instead, it was during the banquet that she had a chance to toast Viserys alone on the empty balcony, and she couldn't help but speak up to him.

He believed that there were many outstanding men in the seven kingdoms who could become qualified royal guards, and that it was not necessary to choose a woman from a foreign land.

Viserys has only had two Kingsguards so far, which some jokingly refer to as a cripple and a woman, and in reality, that is indeed the case.

"The Kingsguard was founded by Queen Visenia, wife of Aegon the Conqueror, and has served the royal family and remained loyal to House Targaryen since its inception."

"Queen Visonia established the creed and principles of the Kingsguard based on the oath of the Night's Watch, and emphasized that loyalty was more important than martial prowess."

Viserys, holding a wine glass and leaning on the balcony with his elbows propped up, spoke without turning his head as the slightly chilly evening breeze blew in his face.

He then turned his head and glanced at Barristan Selmy.

His white knight stood behind him, and even when he heard Barristan's question, he did not react, but simply gripped the hilt of his sword and remained silent.

As the first female member of the Kingsguard in history, she faced more than just these criticisms.

"Since the Kingsguard was founded, only two legitimate white knights have served kings who were not of the Targaryen family."

“One is ‘Kingslayer’ Jaime Lannister, and the other is you, ‘Bold’ Barristan Selmy.”

As soon as Viserys finished speaking, the old knight's face turned bright red. To put him on the same level as the Kingslayer was an utter disgrace.

What's even more shameful is that, upon closer reflection, what Viserys said was indeed true.

The last Targaryen king to sit on the Iron Throne was Aerys II, Viserys' father.

His Kingsguard, Ser Gerald Hightower the White Bull, Prince Levin Martell, Jon Darryl, Oswell Heaney, and Arthur Dayne the Sword of the Morning, all perished in battle.

The only two who survived and surrendered to the enemy were the Kingslayer and Barristan Selmy.

"Mia."

Viserys then looked at his Kingsguard.

"I grant you permission to challenge Lord Selmy and prove your martial prowess."

The female knight, who had been holding back her anger after hearing Viserys's words, stood up without saying a word and challenged the old knight.

The little incident on the windowsill outside the banquet hall went unnoticed inside, and Barristan was somewhat embarrassed by being challenged by a woman.