Chapter 9: Strategy ons

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  The firelight danced over the faces gathered around, throwing shadows across their eyes as if to mask the calcutions spinning behind them. The tent en to the night air, its fps rustling faintly, while the crag torches cast a warm, flickering glow on the faces of those in attendanbsp;

  Somewhere in the distahe low hum of camp life pyed out, though here in this space, we might as well have been a world apart.

  “I greet the High Priestess of the Red Temple of Vontis,” Prince Oberyn’s voice rang with surprising formality, “the Fme of Truth, the Light of Wisdom, and First Servant of the Lord of Light.” He lowered his head slightly, a respectful nod that bordered on a bow. “I thought it was you, but I wasn’t sure. Allow me to apologize for those lousy bastards’ manners from earlier.”

  Whoa, that’s a lot of titles. I didn’t know she was the First Servant of R'hllor. Just how old was she?

  Kinvara’s lips curled in amusement as she raised a slender hand as if to wave away the matter. “Oh, please, prince,” she replied lightly, her voice lilting. “They’ve already returo the Lord.” A subtle gleam in her eye suggested she took more satisfa in that fact tha on.

  I watched the exge with muted i. Here we were—aent, the torches holding back the night, the distant murmur of the camp all but drowned out by the significe of versation in this spabsp;

  I could feel it settling around me like a cloak. These men, these warriors—half of them already beloo me in name and loyalty, but I khey needed something more, something that tied their purpose to a future worth believing in. They heir King to show them results for all their hearts to move.

  “This is a very pleasaing, Prince Oberyn,” I said, shifting my gaze to meet his. “The st of the Targaryens haven’t fotten the friendship of the Dornishmen. As such, I was thinking of visiting Dorne soon. Who knew I’d meet the Red Viper of Dorne here?”

  Oberyn’s smile grew, its warmth almost arming. “Of course. You have no idea how gd I am to hear that. My niece... your fiancée... she misses you dearly.”

  That olite fi at best. I knew about her character, and although not ih, it was enough for me to know that was a lie. If Arianne Martell missed me at all, it was likely because of what my name represented, not because of who I was. She could have been the Queen of Westeros if that e had remained, after all. Still, the words were meant kindly enough, and they fit his role well. I allowed a small smile to py on my lips.

  “As far as I'm aware, that e has been broken by the Martells…” I said with a softer smile, and he shook his head.

  “Only in front. You have to uand that we had no choice but to py by the new King’s rules. Now that Robert is dead and you have risen with your head held high, I’m certain my brother will be happy the marriage,” he smirked. “Or you have one of my daughters. They’re a little… venomous, but I’m sure a Dragon will manage.”

  I ughed, and he ughed along, raising a gss of wi me. I held back my thoughts from f on my lips, returhe gesture, and sipped my own drink.

  Kinvara shifted beside me, her attention turning to Oberyn. “It eases my worries to see you guys get along. As you might have guessed, Prince Oberyn, I have chosen to support Viserys, the rightful king, in his cause,” she said, her voice carrying a calming vi. “The Lord of Light shines brightly upon his path, and so I shall help him recim the Iron Throne.”

  Delight flickered across Oberyn’s face. “The High Priestess of the Red Temple bag a Targaryen,” he murmured, his eyes dang. “It sounds like the gods might be real after all,” he burst out ughing and looked at me again, an unspokeion lingering behind his gaze.

  After a while, the versation drifted to small talk and questions about trivial matters. But the air between us was coiled, stretched thin as we waited to address what really mattered. Finally, it was Elria, seated beside Oberyn with her dark, perceptive eyes, who leaned forward, her voice low.

  “My prince likes you, that is good. But, tell me, Targaryen, what exactly are your pns?” She gnced around at the encampment. “Westeros is fractured. The Five Kings each scrape against one another, drawing more blood than sense. Your new soldiers are an impressive bunch, I’ll admit since my prince art of Sed Sons before, but they’re just a thousand men. It's spare ge against five kingdoms.”

  “...Dorne will support you,” Oberyn added, “but she has a point. I believe we’ll need a rger army to make that throne yours.”

  I met his gaze, letting a slight smile py on my lips as I took a sip of wihe rich taste curling over my tongue. “An army isn’t an issue, Prince,” I said with quiet fidence. “Elsewhere, someone else is building an army for me. I’ll just o wait. In the meantime, I just have to get involved ieros’ politid this ridiculous war.”

  Elria tilted her head, brow lifting in a half-skeptical, half-amused look. “Involved in politics?” she echoed in a voice full of doubt. “Without an army, that sounds like the sort of pn that gets men like you killed.”

  I couldn’t help but ugh softly. “You’re right, Lady Elria. But I’m not going to fight armies by myself. Not yet, at least.” I let the st words settle, a touch of gravity pulling them down. “I’m going to let the kings destroy each other while I stay in the shadows, nudging them along. When they’ve draihemselves dry, I’ll arrive—not as the beggar pri as a king with an army at my back.”

  That recisely the pn.

  Joffrey Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Renly Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy, and Robb Stark. These so-called Five Kings grew ahead after the passage of Robert Baratheon. Thanks to my knowledge from the TV show, I knew more than enough points to remove or move around, which could ge the entire field we were pying at.

  Prince Oberyn leaned back, his brow creasing. “Moviween camps, sowing discord—it sounds... clever in theory. But you’re no shadow assassin. You’re a Targaryen. Your main source of power is your dragon. You ’t stay hidden.”

  I nodded, appreciating the doubt. It gave me the ake my point all the clearer. Without a word, I drew a dagger from thin air, letting it appear between my fingers as if plucked from the night itself, and tossed it toward him. Oberyn caught it, surprise flickering across his face. I poi my chest.

  “Throw it at my heart,” I said simply. “Trust me.”

  The tent held its breath. Oberyated, then lifted his arm.

  “...I’m a better marksman,” Elria interjected smoothly, taking the dagger from him. Her eyes gleamed with reckless mischief as she looked at me. A heartbeat ter, her arm whipped forward, the bde hurtling toward my chest.

  The dagger struck, but instead of pierg flesh, it dropped to the ground with a dull thud as if it had hit an invisible wall. Silence rippled across the tent, broken only by the soft k of metal against the earth.

  Elria raised a brow. “You’re wearing armor, aren’t you?” Her lips curved in amusement. “That’s cheating.”

  I held her gaze, then lifted my shirt, revealing bare skih. No armor, nothing but the slight rise and fall of my breathing. Elria frowned, her eyes narrowing in curiosity, and then picked up a knife from the fruit bowl beside her. She tossed it again, and this time, it brushed my skin before falling once more, impotent.

  “Believe me when I say,” I tinued, letting my shirt drop bato pce, “that I’m not invincible. But my defenses are greater than most. It is toug seeing you worry for me, but I have special powers, Prince.” Although I was sure an arrow could still pierce me from a close enough distance, I didn’t o expin that. “And my methods will allow me to slip between the cracks unnoticed, stir the fire, and disappear before anyone suspects.”

  Oberyn and Elria exged gnces and then gave me slow, cautious nods. Elria Sand appeared quite humbled and was now eyeih a slutty look. I ig.

  Oberyn’s lips quirked with a faint smile. “I find myself intrigued, Viserys. You bring things in and out of thin air, and you have skin thicker than armor. It all makes me very curious, but more than that, it makes me feel safe. I rest assured without w. Alright then, I’ll take the bait. I agree with your pn. I’ll arrange for all of us to travel to Dorne, including the ohousand Sed Sons. There, they rest, waiting for the call, while you stir the pot in the War of Five Kings.”

  “Thank you, Prince Oberyn,” I said genuinely. I trusted the man. If someone questioned his loyalty to the Targaryens, they’d fail to disprove his hate for the Lannisters. That made him an easy friend.

  “But I have a question,” he said, his gaze sharpening as he sipped rich wine. “Earlier, you mentioned someone else is building an army for you. What did you mean by that?”

  I held his gaze, the my eyes drift upward, gesturing for him to follow my line of sight. The night sky stretched out above us, studded with stars. “Look.”

  Beyond the dissipating red et, two more fiery trails bzed through the darkness, brighter and newer.

  “My sister,” I said softly, my voice edged with a touch of reverence, “doesn’t share the abilities I do. So I left twon eggs with her—precious gifts, waiting for the right moment. Those lines in the sky...” I watched the uanding dawn on his face, the widening of his eyes, “are proof. She has awakehem.”

  A stunned silence filled the tent, thid heavy. “Three… three dragons?” Oberyn whispered, more to himself than anyone.

  Prince Oberyn, his whore, and Kinvara all uood the implications of my words. No matter what the rumor about me and my sister’s animosity was, they’d believe my words more than those rumors. To them, she and I were w together.

  I’ll let the plot in Essos move as the inal. My dearest Dany would carve her way through Essos, building a force while I brieros to its knees. And when the right time came, I’d reuh my dear sister and make her submit.

  Together, we’d cim what was ours.

  Far above, the stars shifted, and the et’s tail stretched wider across the sky—a silent remihat for all my pns, the fire I inteo unleash was a force beyond any of them.

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