Game of Thrones: Second Son of House Targaryen

Chapter 231: Dany’s Reception

After accepting the offer from the "Flowers" brothers, Connington agreed to let them join his ranks.

Although they did not meet Viserys, they did encounter Dany. Like many who met her for the first time, they were initially rendered speechless. The first thing that struck them was Dany's commanding presence. Despite being only thirteen, her daily involvement in government affairs with Connington had already imbued her with a strong sense of authority. It was not something these two bastards could dismiss lightly.

The second thing that captivated them was her Targaryen beauty. In this timeline, Dany had not suffered from a lack of food or drink. Unlike in the original timeline, where she needed half a year under Illyrio's care to transform from a "firewood girl" to a "Princess," here, she had thrived. With her impeccable genes, it was only a matter of time before she became the most beautiful woman in Essos.

"How will House Tyrell help us?" Dany asked.

"Princess, The Reach is the most prosperous kingdom in the Seven Kingdoms. Highgarden will do its best in terms of both supplies and troops."

It has to be said that a simple raise of an eyebrow can solve many problems. Dany didn’t need to use any of the rhetoric Viserys and Connington had taught her before the brothers were desperate to tell her everything they knew. Even though they were not direct Tyrell relatives, their status and insights into Highgarden’s strength were more accurate than most.

Dany easily obtained the information she wanted. "Very good," she nodded slowly, smiling with satisfaction. "Then you can join my guard for now, and I will see you when my brother is free."

"As you wish, Princess," the brothers replied, bowing before leaving.

Dany let out a long sigh as she watched them go. "Kyla, how did I do just now?" she asked expectantly.

Kyla hesitated. "Well—quite well."

Dany smiled helplessly. As a personal bodyguard, Kyla was certainly qualified, but as a strategist, her limitations were clear.

She had discovered two principles of Kyla's 'thinking': if you can avoid it, don't use it; and if you must use it, keep it minimal. Her first reaction to every person she sees is to consider how to eliminate them efficiently.

Dany managed well enough with the bastards of House Tyrell, but what followed next caused her great distress. 

Upon arriving at the Lhorulu Riverbank, wave after wave of people expressed their desire to see Viserys. However, since Viserys had not yet returned, they had to content themselves with Connington for the time being. Dany dealt with the remaining matters after Connington handled the initial inquiries.

Roth was easy to manage, as they were all acquaintances. But Alios and Nyessos presented a greater challenge—both were seasoned and cunning. Dany remained on full alert and succeeded in keeping Viserys's whereabouts a secret.

Then there were Tregar, Cassius, and the others. They were all surprised to hear that Viserys had gone missing. With all the Faceless Men on their side, how could Viserys have disappeared?

"When will the Faceless Men you hired arrive?" Kambron asked.

"The Faceless Men never meet their employers," Cassius replied, a bit surprised. As a former Archon, Kambron should have known this.

"Can the Faceless Men really kill Viserys? I've seen it with my own eyes—Viserys really does use witchcraft!" Kambron added uneasily. After all, they had sacrificed more than 90% of their family assets and borrowed a million gold dragons from the Iron Bank to impress the Many-Faced God. If this last-ditch effort failed, they would have no chance to recover.

"We paid such a high price, so perhaps the one carrying out the mission will be the legendary 'Kindly Man,'" Cassius explained to the others. The so-called 'Kindly Man' was the priest of the Many-Faced God in the original story who taught Arya to become a Faceless Man. According to Viserys's estimation, he should be the strongest among the Faceless Men, likely using a very high-level illusion technique.

If they were hiring the Faceless Men to assassinate anyone else, Kambron probably wouldn't have had so many concerns. But with Viserys as the target, his anxiety was understandable.

At that moment, Strickland, the captain-general of the Golden Company, walked in. "The 10,000 members of the Golden Company have already deployed," he announced.

His words lifted the spirits of the three men. This was exactly what Tregar and the others had planned. Once Viserys was eliminated, the Golden Company would wipe out his core supporters.

During this time, a rumor had been circulating within the Golden Company. It was said that after Viserys killed the Horselord and before he attacked Westeros, he would seek help from the Golden Company again.

The rumor stemmed from Viserys's title, 'The Beggar King,' a name given to him by the Golden Company itself. In truth, this rumor had been spread by Strickland, who was the first to call him 'The Beggar King' when he was still the treasurer of the Golden Company. While he had little stature, he did hold some status.

Some had deliberately "praised" Viserys as 'The Beggar King' to curry favor with him, but Strickland feared that Viserys would seek revenge for the title. To protect himself, Strickland decided to seize this opportunity to eliminate him.

In reality, the Golden Company now had fewer than 10,000 members—only about 8,000, as a considerable number had defected to join the Windblown Company. Strickland had inflated the number to 10,000 to secure more money.

Seeing that the Golden Company was ready, Tregar suggested, "In that case, shouldn't we meet with Khal Drogo first?"

The group exchanged glances before settling on Kambron. As a former Archon who had gained his position through bribery and empty promises, Kambron was undoubtedly the most suitable person for the task. And Kambron was no pushover—he knew how to negotiate. To sweeten the deal, Tregar and Cassius each promised him an additional two percent of the tobacco profits. They hadn’t even laid a finger on Viserys yet, but they were already dividing up his assets. Kambron’s share was well-earned.

To impress the Horselord, Kambron even took a drastic step—offering his six-year-old daughter as a hostage. His little green-haired daughter, Jess, accompanied him as they crossed the Lhorulu River, escorted by a few guards. Along the way, she caught sight of the smelly Dothraki, who roughly surrounded her and her father. The gleaming curved swords in the hands of the Dothraki warriors, along with their undisguised stares, made Jess' heart pound with fear.

"Father, I want to go home," Jess whispered, trembling as she clung to Kambron's side.

"Go home? What home? Our home is now occupied by that Targaryen bastard! Obey!" Kambron snapped.

Jess didn’t understand why her father hated Viserys so much. After all, Viserys hadn’t harmed a single member of her family.

At that moment, a Dothraki man with sunken eyes rode up to Kambron and the others. It was Cohollo, who had spoken on Drogo's behalf when they responded to Viserys.

"Kambron?" Cohollo asked.

"My lord!" Kambron hurried forward with a servile smile.

"Khal Drogo has agreed to see you," Cohollo said.