Game of Thrones: Second Son of House Targaryen

Chapter 241: Kneeling

"Lord Kambron! Lord Kambron! There's been an accident!"

Kambron, who had been dozing fitfully, jolted awake. The urgency in Tregar and Cassius’s voices sent a chill through his heart. He had barely slept these past few days, and even at night, rest eluded him.

His spirit was frayed, his expression tense, but his mind remained sharp. The moment he heard their frantic calls, he sprang out of his camp bed.

As Kambron stepped outside, Tregar pointed urgently across the river. "Look across the river!"

The three men stood on the high ground, staring across the Lhorulu. They noticed that the fire on the far side of the river was unusually bright. If it were just a campfire, they wouldn’t have been able to see it from such a distance. But the sky itself was glowing orange, lit by something far more intense.

As they strained to listen, they could faintly hear shouting and the neighing of warhorses. There was no doubt—something had gone terribly wrong on Drogo's side.

“What—what’s happening?” Kambron stammered. "Could it be Viserys?"

But no, that didn’t seem possible. How could Viserys have entered the Golden Fields unnoticed? That was an army of 10,000 cavalrymen—when they moved, the earth itself would tremble. Even 10,000 birds flying across the river should have caught the attention of the Dothraki.

At first, the nobles only sent their servants to investigate. But as the flames grew and the sounds of chaos carried across the river, some of the braver nobles considered sending their servants to get a closer look. They were quickly stopped by Viserys’s orders. Most of the nobles were relieved; whatever had gone wrong for the Dothraki, it was clearly to their advantage.

"Did Viserys do that?" Lady Methys muttered. "But he's still in the barracks."

"Viserys is now a dominant figure; he doesn’t need to be involved in everything personally," Roth speculated, a hint of envy in his voice. "He must have a fierce warrior under his command."

Roth, who was about to become the Sealord, couldn’t help but wish for such a powerful warrior of his own. But it seemed that even he might struggle to control someone so formidable.

Meanwhile, Nyessos and Alios were also deep in speculation, trying to make sense of the chaotic scene unfolding across the river.

"If that’s really the case, it would be a blessing—our city would no longer have to fear the Dothraki threat."

Volantis, the oldest and most powerful of the nine Free Cities, had established three towns on the lower reaches of the Rhoyne River, each as large as Qohor or Norvos. Yet these towns were constantly menaced by the Dothraki scimitars. Even the mighty Volantis had to pay the Dothraki tribute in money and supplies every year.

Both men understood that if Viserys was indeed responsible for the disruption among the Dothraki, the 'non-aggression pact' they were about to sign would become even more valuable and significant.

Benerro, however, remained unmoved by the commotion across the river. Staring into the burning brazier, he was lost in thought when he suddenly saw two figures flickering in the flames—Dany and Viserys. They were wrapped together in green fire, but only Dany and seven young dragons emerged unscathed.

"Viserys, are you ready?"

Early the next morning, Feles ordered the construction of a pontoon bridge. The nobles of the Nine Free Cities finally grasped the truth—Viserys had orchestrated the previous night’s battle single-handedly. As for Tregar, Kambron, and the others, when they learned that it was actually Feles who had been giving orders over the past two days, their hearts sank.

Drogo's death had shattered the Dothraki's morale. The battle had ended in the first half of the night, and from midnight until morning, they had been busy rounding up the fleeing Dothraki warriors. In total, five Dothraki Khals, including Drogo, had been beheaded—only one old Khal, who was half-mad, was spared. All their Bloodriders were dead as well.

Of the nearly 50,000 Dothraki warriors, around 10,000 were killed in battle, over 10,000 fled, and the remaining 30,000 were taken as prisoners.

Viserys planned to reform these prisoners through labor. It didn’t matter if they couldn’t farm or had no trade—they could still plow the fields and work the mines. Those who performed well might even be considered for integration into his own army.

Just as the Han Dynasty had used defected Xiongnu and Xianbei as auxiliary forces, and the Tang Dynasty had used the Turks as their own warriors, even the beleaguered Song Dynasty had employed various nomadic groups such as the Khitan. The Dothraki would be no different. Given food and purpose, they would naturally serve their new master.

Restoring order to the Great Grass Sea was a monumental task, but Viserys was determined to see it through.

But Viserys believed it would be more advantageous to hatch dragons first, and while the Confederation's military power was still firmly in his grasp, he wanted to seize the opportunity to eliminate all his opponents in one decisive blow.

The nobles of the Nine Free Cities were left almost speechless as they watched the seemingly endless stream of Dothraki prisoners being escorted across the pontoon bridge. These were the same fierce Dothraki warriors they had long feared. Though they had always claimed to have bought off the Dothraki, these nobles knew deep down that they were no match for them in battle.

Yet now, Viserys had accomplished what no one had managed for centuries. When he appeared at the head of his blood-soaked cavalry, he was no longer just a man in the eyes of the crowd—he was like a god.

"It’s Drogo’s head!" someone cried out.

Behind Viserys, five burly knights carried five heads on spears, the most conspicuous one in the middle belonging to Drogo. His braid was the longest, his head the largest, and thanks to Regis’s deliberate arrangement, the five Khals’ heads were displayed in an inverted V formation.

"Long live Prince Viserys!" Feles shouted, falling to one knee. The approaching officials from Tyrosh echoed the cry, "Long live Prince Viserys!"

"Long live Prince Viserys!" The chant spread like wildfire.

Even the officials of the Confederation, including the guilty Kambron, Cassius, and Tregar, followed Feles’s lead, falling to their knees.

Half of the nobles present knelt as well, caught up in the herd instinct that swept through the crowd. Qohor, Norvos, the Triarch of Volantis, the next Sealord of Braavos—all were present to witness this legendary victory that would go down in history.

Viserys, who had eradicated the Dothraki threat for the Nine Free Cities, had earned their kneeling. And where the nobles knelt, their servants followed suit.

Soon, the vast crowd of soldiers and prisoners joined in, until between heaven and earth, only Viserys and Dany remained on horseback, towering over the sea of bowing figures.