The number of attendants made the newly built hall feel strangely empty.
Even a slightly raised voice echoed against the bare stone walls.
Viserys suddenly missed the throne hall of Stone Tower— the walls and carvings around the throne there were designed to project and gather sound.
The king's voice would ring loud and powerful when he sat on the throne. But here, he had to raise his voice just to be heard clearly.
So he stepped onto the dais and motioned for Arthur to present the Prince's Spear they had brought back from Nasar.
When the cloth covering the spear was lifted, the hall filled with a collective gasp. Soone even swallowed audibly—no surprise, it was Oberyn.
Under the torchlight, the spear glead with a deep, crystalline blue, like a shard of frozen sapphire.
The light flowing along its surface shimred so vividly it looked as though water might drip from it at any mont.
Viserys walked to Arthur's side, holding a goblet.
Then, before everyone's eyes, he poured the wine over the spear.
And then—it vanished.
Arthur still held it in his hands; his grip hadn't shifted. But no matter how wide the others opened their eyes, the spear was gone from sight.
During their journey back, Oberyn had pestered Viserys endlessly for a chance to touch the spear.
Viserys had refused every ti.
Oberyn had reconciled himself, telling his heart that he would eventually get a chance.
But he had never imagined the spear had such strange powers.
Now he was even more determined—he had to touch it, even just once, or it would haunt his sleep for years.
Lyanna's eyes shone with excitent.
In her mind, Ice—the ancestral sword of House Stark—was one of the greatest weapons in the world.
But before the Prince's Spear, Ice suddenly seed dull.
Elisa, who had travelled from Dragonstone with Lyanna, had at first scoffed when she heard Viserys had gone to retrieve so spear to make the Rhoynar submit.
How could a re weapon bring loyalty?
But now, seeing it with his own eyes, she could only admit—this spear might truly carry extraordinary aning.
Oswell had already heard of its magic from Arthur on the road, but no description could compare to seeing it himself.
At this mont, only two people in the hall could still sense the spear's presence—Arthur, who held it, and Viserys.
Viserys could feel the water magic bound to it; even without sight, he knew exactly where it was.
After letting his lords marvel a while, Viserys spoke, "My lords, I have obtained this spear. It can bring us opportunity, but if mishandled, it may also bring disaster."
His words poured cold water over their excitent. He continued:
"You might ask, 'Why, Your Majesty? With the spear in your hand, won't the Rhoynar submit to you?'
But let ask you—if I were just a Beggar King, would those people accept as their ruler simply because I hold this spear?"
He looked across the hall, Raising his voice:
"They would not! Take Terno for example—the one we captured. If he had this spear, he would rally the Rhoynar himself. And I would be the one lying dead!"
No one in the room was a fool—they understood imdiately.
"Now, Terno is in our custody. He cannot seize the spear. But we have far greater enemies yet to face."
Viserys walked to the large map hanging on the wall and pointed to Braavos and Pentos.
"The Rhoynar of Gohor are no longer our enemies. These are. Do you rember, when Prince Oberyn sought a place in the east for us, how harsh their terms were?"
"Flatten them!" Ock roared.
He had once been rewarded with a title for military rit and longed to win glory again.
Viserys still had no formal system of ennoblent, but his rewards for soldiers had always been generous.
None believed he would abandon the tradition of granting titles for valor.
"Yes, flatten them! But for us, right now, that is wishful thinking," Viserys replied, not harshly, but firmly. Then he explained:
"Braavos has a population greater than King's Landing.
They command more people than the fertile Reach. Pentos also has more people than King's Landing, and its numbers are greater than the Riverlands."
"What we must do now is secure the lands we have just opened.
If we can hold through the next planting season, ti will side with us.
The Westerosi exiles of Essos, the oppressed Rhoynar and Andal folk—they will all hear of Gohor.
Then, and only then, will we have the foundation to stand against those city-states."
Lay out hardship first, then bring hope—Viserys often used this thod to inspire Academy students.
'It's like when they tell you, 'Once you get into university, life becos easy.' Sothing like that.'
"And to defend Gohor, we must answer one question first: Who are our friends, and who are our enemies?"
...
anwhile, far away, the sisters Jona and Jorel returned to Lothan's estate under Clent's escort.
The mont Lothan heard that Viserys had secured the Prince's Spear from Nasar Star, he shot to his feet.
"That little king—did he truly find the spear on Nasar by himself?"
"Yes, Grandfather," Jona said.
"We encountered the Prince's battle cry. The little king—he lost his mind and said he could lead us safely away.
Then we heard the singing of Nasar. Everyone fell into illusions—even his skilled bodyguard."
Jona described everything in great detail. Jorel added bits where Jona forgot.
But Lothan, experienced and astute, sensed sothing was wrong.
Why had Viserys not fallen into the illusion? If everyone was trapped, why were they all unhard afterward?
These questions, he knew, only Viserys himself could answer.
"Did you ask him where he found it?"
"He didn't say. But when we first saw him, he was soaking wet—like he'd just climbed out of water."
"Water?"
"No—he said he rode a giant turtle to find it."
"That was the story he told Prince Oberyn to fool him! You believe that?"
The sisters kept chattering as they tried to recall everything exactly. Yet, to their surprise, Lothan believed the absurd tale.
"A giant turtle… the River God?"
The sisters stared in shock. Their grandfather, usually as steady as stone, was pacing the room as though struck by revelation.
"Quickly—prepare a carriage. I must see King Viserys at once."
___________
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