Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Pre-Battle Meeting
The robust Earl of Runestone stood outside the council chamber of the Twins, then turned his head and asked in a low voice.
The room was filled with nobles and lords, but this question had been on Yohn Royce's mind for a long time, and he couldn't help but ask it now.
After all, not everyone had the opportunity to speak face-to-face with the young Dragon King.
The Dothraki guards standing next to Viserys looked at their Khal with confusion.
They couldn't understand what the armored man in front of them was saying. It seemed like he was mentioning them, but it didn't seem like he had any hostility.
Viserys, hearing Yohn Royce's words, also stopped in his tracks, looking at the old general in front of him clad in bronze armor.
The general met Viserys's gaze without backing down, but then, for some reason, he felt a sense of palpitation and slightly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
"Lord Yohn Royce, my territory is twice as large as the Vale, with countless people and soldiers."
"Just as the Mountain Clans nominally serve Lord Robert Arryn, the Dothraki are my subjects, and they are willing to call me their Dragon Khal."
Viserys looked at the Earl of Runestone, who had slightly lowered his head, and then spoke calmly.
In fact, in the Dothraki language, the term for Viserys was simply the word for 'giant dragon' plus the noun 'Khal', which could be translated as Dragon Khal or True Dragon Khal, or simply Dragon Khal.
Viserys then nodded at Lord Royce and pushed open the door to enter directly.
Several Dothraki guards, holding their arakhs, looked at Yohn Royce, whose face was slightly pale but who remained silent, and then followed their Khal into the council chamber of the Twins.
As Viserys suddenly entered, the room, which had been in heated discussion about tactics, fell silent. The nobles of the Seven Kingdoms looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
After a moment of silence...
"Welcome, Your Grace."
Tywin Lannister, the Duke of Casterly Rock, with his green eyes fixed on Viserys, was the first to break the silence.
He raised his hand to clap, then said, "Welcome, Your Grace."
"Welcome, Your Grace."
Then, scattered applause and welcoming voices echoed in the council room. Eddard Stark, the Duke of Winterfell, also spoke.
However, Stannis, the commander of the Riverlands, Edmure Tully, and King Robert, who was sitting in the middle of the sand table, remained silent.
Facing the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, Viserys seemed very calm, his light purple eyes sweeping over everyone present.
Every face had a different expression, and the looks they gave him were different too. There was awe, fear, curiosity, and hostility.
Among them were Eddard Stark, Stannis, Tywin Lannister, Edmure Tully, Hoster Tully, and others...
Viserys might not recognize their faces, as many of them were meeting for the first time.
But Viserys, as a child, was taught by Maester Daniel of Dragonstone. His first task was to remember the names, sigils, and mottos of the major families in Westeros.
He could identify their identities just by looking at the sigils on their chests.
Finally, King Robert, with his full beard, looked at Viserys and spoke in a low voice.
"Welcome, Viserys."
There was an empty chair next to him, clearly prepared for Viserys.
The highest commander of the alliance was Robert, and now that Viserys had arrived, there was no way to rank them.
The alliance had many soldiers and nobles, and Viserys had dragons and Dothraki, so naturally, they sat on an equal footing.
"Please, sit."
Robert invited Viserys to sit, and Viserys, without being pretentious, looked around and then sat directly next to Robert.
Several Dothraki guards, including his bloodrider Qhogo, followed Viserys, holding their arakhs, their eyes fierce.
These men were all skilled warriors in the tribe. If a fight broke out in the room, perhaps without Viserys's intervention, the Dothraki could make them pay a heavy price.
"Continue."
The silver-haired young man sat at the head of the table and nodded slightly, speaking for the first time.
Robert also nodded and looked at Selwyn Tarth, the Lord of Evenfall Hall, who had just been speaking.
The Lord was one of the commanders of the Stormlands. Selwyn Tarth hesitated for a moment and then continued.
"Both Your Graces and lords."
"Past battles have told us that we cannot win by confronting them head-on."
"Their numbers are too many, beyond our imagination, and they do not know fatigue, they never stop."
Lord Tarth suggested defending the river. The Night King could freeze the river, and dragons and oil could melt the ice. The wights had no long-range weapons, and the human army had all kinds of bows and catapults, and several scorpions had been built.
This was the only solution. Many generals in the alliance nodded slightly, approving Lord Tarth's proposal, mainly because the White Walkers were too difficult to deal with, and they couldn't think of any better tactics.
"Dragonglass can kill White Walkers, I think you all know that."
At this time, Viserys, who was sitting side by side with Robert, suddenly spoke.
All eyes in the room instantly turned to him.
"Yes, young Viserys..."
"But... there's too little dragonglass."
At this time, a trembling voice came from a corner.
A white-haired old man was hunched over in a chair, his blind white eyes speaking.
Except for the king, who had a seat, even the dukes had to stand, so Viserys didn't see this little old man hidden behind the crowd at first.
"You..."
But now, hearing his voice, Viserys was slightly taken aback, and was about to stand up from his chair, but was stopped by Maester Aemon.
"Young Viserys... the pre-battle meeting is important, we can chat separately later."
Maester Aemon's voice was shaky, and Viserys, hearing his words, slowly sat down again.
The nobles in the room looked at each other, all seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
"Who is he?"
This old man often appeared in the war meetings but rarely spoke. Some of them knew he was a maester of the Night's Watch, and some didn't even know who he was, not knowing his name or identity.
But who would have thought that this old man could call the young Dragon King 'young Viserys'?
And he... didn't seem angry at all, but rather respectful?
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