Oberyn's sudden change of stance took Viserys by surprise.
Seeing the Prince of Dorne volunteering himself, Viserys had no objections.
More importantly, this man had served as a mercenary on the eastern continent for several years, and had even formed his own company. He possessed a far more intuitive grasp of the power dynamics among the Free Cities than most.
What made Oberyn even more valuable in Viserys's eyes was his noble background.
This mission represented the Targaryen royal family. When it came to dealing with high-level diplomacy and formal occasions, Oberyn wouldn't falter or embarrass himself.
Though Davos had some knowledge of the eastern continent, in that regard, he was far outmatched by Oberyn.
"Then I thank you, Prince Oberyn. I'll have Davos accompany you, along with three ships, one hundred guards, and two hundred thousand gold dragons."
"Rest assured, Your Grace. I will find a place for House Targaryen to stand," Oberyn replied with a smile.
Though the Red Viper's words were still sharp, inwardly he admired Viserys's decisiveness.
To hand over two hundred thousand gold dragons so easily—it was bold, to say the least.
After all, a single gold dragon could feed a common household for an entire year.
Viserys didn't take offense at Oberyn's barbed tongue. Pretty words were of no value to him—what mattered was results.
"Shall I assign a Kingsguard to protect you?"
Oberyn smirked, knowing Viserys wouldn't give him even a verbal advantage.
"No need, Your Grace. You're the one with the real danger ahead. The Kingsguard should remain by your side. I heard on my way here that Robert has begun recruiting shipbuilders in massive numbers.
His promised wages are so high that even craftsmen from some of the Free Cities have been drawn to him."
"If you truly want to establish a foothold in Essos, it might take more than a year just to transfer the people and supplies from Dragonstone.
"Meanwhile, Robert's new fleet could be completed in just over half a year."
He didn't finish the sentence, but his meaning was clear.
If the Targaryens hoped to escape Dragonstone, they would first have to deal with Robert's growing fleet. If Robert struck while they were mid-evacuation, disaster would follow.
However, Viserys knew that Oberyn's assessment wasn't entirely accurate.
Robert wasn't building a new fleet from scratch—he was refitting ships. He had been buying up merchant vessels and converting them into warships.
After all, building a proper warship from the ground up could take years, just drying the wood alone took over a year.
If Viserys could destroy those merchant ships before their conversions were complete, then Robert wouldn't have the naval power to launch an assault on Dragonstone for the next five or six years.
And that window of time would be more than enough for him to complete the relocation.
As for when he should strike—that would be when Daenerys was born. In the original timeline, a massive storm destroyed the Targaryen fleet stationed at Dragonstone.
The storm was so fierce it struck not only Dragonstone, but swept across Tarth and Claw Isle as well.
By pure luck, Robert had managed to conquer Dragonstone with a half-finished fleet.
Now that Viserys knew what the future held, he was determined to plan accordingly—to crush Robert's fledgling fleet, and even use his position as the commander of the only fully preserved fleet in Westeros to force Tarth and Claw Isle back into line.
But there was no need to tell the Red Viper all of that.
Three days later, the ships, guards, and a fortune in gold were prepared. Viserys personally saw Oberyn and Davos off.
Beyond diplomacy, the two men had another task: to collect as much Valyrian steel as possible.
Swords, weapons, artifacts—it didn't matter what form. Buy everything they could find.
If it meant Rhaella could survive, Viserys would've had her give birth to Daenerys atop a pile of Valyrian steel.
….....
After Oberyn's departure, Rhaella called a small council in her own name.
Among those attending were the Kingsguard and several captains who had distinguished themselves in the naval battle at the Gullet—such as Ock Velwater.
Though the captains were allowed only to listen and not speak, for a bastard to sit at the same table as the Queen Mother was already an honor beyond compare.
"Lords and knights," Rhaella began, "according to our latest intelligence, Robert is assembling a new fleet at Storm's End to invade Dragonstone. I want to destroy that fleet before it is completed. Do any of you have suggestions?"
Ock's blood burned at her words. He wanted nothing more than to sail for Storm's End that very moment—but he held his tongue.
It was Ser Gerold, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, who spoke first.
"Your Grace, under King Viserys's leadership, we were able to repel the Redwyne Fleet. But this new fleet is Robert's only real hope of launching an assault on Dragonstone. Its defenses will be tight.
"Your judgment is wise, but we must prepare thoroughly."
"Ser Hightower is right," Rhaella nodded in approval.
The Targaryens could not afford to lose—not on defense, and certainly not on offense.
In the end, there was only one path forward: from one victory to the next.
Only through victory could restoration remain possible.
Then Viserys spoke.
"Ser Gerold, if you were commanding the defenses at Storm's End, how would you ensure the safety of the fleet being built?"
The room fell silent.
It was an unusual perspective. They hadn't expected the young king to think in such terms.
But the more they considered it, the more they realized it was a sound approach. Even Ock, who usually only thought about attacking, began to think in new ways.
The Kingsguard murmured among themselves until Gerold finally offered his thoughts.
"If I were defending, I would first deploy many patrol ships around the harbor and docks to serve as early warning.
"Then I would place iron chains in nearby waters to hinder approaching ships."
"I would also assign soldiers to guard those chains," added the usually silent Ser Oswell.
Soon the group had reached a consensus: destroying Robert's fleet while it was still under construction would be extremely difficult.
Still, the mood remained optimistic. The king and queen mother were clearly willing to listen to advice, and everyone appreciated that.
But Viserys wasn't going to abandon the idea just because it was hard.
If they truly intended to migrate eastward, this operation was essential.
"So the main difficulty lies not in the chains, but in the people guarding them?" he asked.
Everyone nodded after some thought.
"In that case, what do you all think—if we were to attack during a storm, wouldn't there be fewer patrol ships? Fewer guards watching the chains?
"What if we struck during heavy winds?"
The room grew quiet as his words sank in.
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