After leaving the theater, Rhaegar wandered aimlessly through the streets, taking in the sights and culture of Shell Town.
Living on an island where land is scarce, most people made their living through handicrafts.
Street vendors were everywhere, their stalls lining both sides of the streets.
In addition to traditional industries, there were many lucrative trades:
gambling halls, brothels, and fighting pits...
Rhaegar, dressed in elegant black attire, his silver hair flowing behind him, and his handsome face, drew a lot of attention as he walked through the streets.
Many kind-hearted older women standing on the corners approached him, offering to show him some "fun activities."
As an innocent young man, Rhaegar still held a certain sense of wonder about such things.
Though his face remained expressionless, a faint restlessness stirred within him.
As he hesitated, he suddenly heard a familiar humming sound.
Rhaegar raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Shh, step aside," he said.
Politely pushing past a particularly bold and generous woman, he approached the entrance to a narrow alley at the end of the street.
"Hehe, you're so soft, my beauty~"
In the alley, a completely naked Aegon was tightly embracing a voluptuous woman, engaged in an intense and sweaty activity.
"Aegon..."
Rhaegar's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected his little brother to start indulging in such acts so early.
As a responsible older brother, Rhaegar, though perplexed by Aegon's enthusiasm for public escapades, chose to be understanding.
Glancing at Aegon's lower half, Rhaegar's expression turned playful, and he clicked his tongue.
However, when his eyes fell on the woman's face, his expression froze, and his mouth dropped open in shock.
"What's wrong, handsome?"
The woman who had invited him earlier had followed him and, upon glancing at the scene in the alley, chuckled. "That's my mom. Do you like mature women too?"
"No, no, I prefer young and pretty ones," Rhaegar stammered, flustered and deeply shaken by Aegon's taste. Without hesitation, he fled the scene.
He swore that the impact of seeing that older woman rivaled the fear he'd felt as a child when encountering a Shadowbinder.
"Seven hells! What kind of lessons did Alicent give her son?!"
Ignoring the string of flirtatious invitations directed at him, Rhaegar made a hasty retreat.
He didn't want to stay a second longer.
---
By noon, the sun over the island was unbearably scorching, shining so brightly it was hard to keep one's eyes open.
After escaping the red-light district, Rhaegar overheard from the locals that the area he had wandered into was the largest and most notorious back alley in town.
Having witnessed Aegon's approach to life, Rhaegar found himself oddly calm, his reason triumphing over desire.
He strolled through town, stopping occasionally, and eventually found his way to Shell Town's bustling port.
At this time, the port was packed with ships, and groups of dockworkers were tirelessly unloading cargo under the blazing sun.
Just as Rhaegar was about to find a shady spot to rest, a commotion broke out at the port.
"Someone help! A lifeboat just drifted in..."
"There's a dead man aboard! He's covered in blood..."
The voices of concerned townsfolk filled the air, and agile sailors jumped into the water to push the lifeboat ashore. The body was quickly brought onto land.
Rhaegar glanced at the scene from a distance.
The deceased was dressed in luxurious clothing, with an arrow lodged in his back—a quick death.
Soon, soldiers stationed at the port arrived, carrying the body away and restoring order.
"Something must've happened," Rhaegar muttered to himself before quietly heading back to High Tide.
The routes around the Narrow Sea, Stepstones, and nearby waters were generally considered safe.
The lifeboat clearly indicated a pirate attack, likely orchestrated by the Three Daughters.
---
On his way back, Rhaegar encountered a visibly anxious Rhaenys, accompanied by a group of guards.
Rhaenys spoke sternly, "We just received word—pirates have been spotted in the Stepstones, ambushing a Volantene fleet."
"I saw the failed escape of a lifeboat at the port," Rhaegar shared.
"Corlys has already ordered the news suppressed to prevent panic among the guests. We need to return immediately," Rhaenys urged, her tone hurried. She, being impulsive by nature, understood all too well the threat pirates posed.
---
At High Tide, the banquet continued in full swing, with the guests blissfully unaware of the situation.
Rhaenys led Rhaegar through a secret passage into the castle, heading toward the Council Chamber of Nine Walls.
The Sea Snake was seated on the Driftwood Throne, awaiting their arrival.
---
Seeing his wife return with Rhaegar, he quickly stood up to greet them and said in a deep voice, "The scouts have reported back—the pirates from the Kingdom of the Three Daughters launched the attack. It's likely a pre-war probe."
"Should we assemble the fleet?"
Rhaenys asked directly.
"No, such a large movement would alarm our guests. The raiding pirates are only a small unit, and the fleet wouldn't catch them in time," Corlys replied, his expression serious as he weighed the pros and cons.
The pirates from the Kingdom of the Three Daughters are notorious for their hit-and-run tactics—if they can't escape, they simply hide.
The Volantis fleet had already been plundered. If they were to dispatch a fleet now, the pirates would be long gone before they arrived.
"After raiding the fleet, they'll have to transport their loot. That's a time-consuming and labor-intensive task," Rhaenys analyzed systematically and then smiled. "The fleet may not be able to catch them, but dragons certainly can!"
Corlys frowned, disapproving. "The pirates from the Three Daughters are well aware of our strength. Their ships are equipped with scorpion ballistae."
During the last war in the Stepstones, aside from the Crabfeeder's evasive strategy, the arrows and scorpion ballistae also posed significant challenges to Corlys's forces.
Even dragons like Caraxes and Seasmoke were wary of volleys from multiple scorpion ballistae during naval battles, avoiding their firepower whenever possible.
"It doesn't matter. At most, there are only a few pirate ships, so how many scorpion ballistae could they possibly have?"
Rhaenys exuded confidence and said, "Meleys is the fastest dragon—they won't be able to hit her with scorpion ballistae."
Hearing this, Corlys hesitated.
His wife was right. Meleys was incredibly fast and could reach the Stepstones in just an hour.
However, they were dealing with ruthless pirates. How could he be at ease letting his wife face them alone?
His eldest son, Laenor, was injured, and Laenor also had to accompany the guests and couldn't leave.
Worry for his wife outweighed his anger toward the pirates, and Corlys made a decision, firmly refusing, "It's too risky…"
"Lord Corlys, I can accompany Aunt Rhaenys," Rhaegar interrupted before Corlys could finish speaking.
Corlys turned to Rhaegar and frowned. "Prince, the pirates of the Three Daughters are not common poachers. You shouldn't risk yourself."
After all, the young man standing before him was the king's eldest son and the heir to the kingdom.
Allowing Rhaegar to confront the pirates of the Three Daughters was a gamble. If anything happened to him, Corlys would bear the blame as the greatest sinner of House Velaryon.
"You needn't worry. You've seen the power of the Cannibal; those pirates are nothing," Rhaegar said confidently.
Moreover, he was eager to experience the might of the pirates from the Kingdom of the Three Daughters firsthand.
He had grown tired of hearing secondhand stories about them and was curious if they were truly as fearsome as others claimed.
Corlys's expression darkened. He glanced at his wife, his eyes filled with hesitation and concern.
If it were up to him, he would rather let the pirates go than risk sending both his wife and the heir to the throne into danger.
But alas, the Targaryen bloodline brought them dragons—and also an unyielding courage.
Rhaenys, far from rejecting the idea, assessed Rhaegar with a scrutinizing gaze before proudly saying, "Are you ready to face blood and fire?"
"A bunch of pirates? They're hardly worth my concern," Rhaegar said with a light chuckle.
The dragon he rode was none other than the Cannibal, a true, fearsome giant.
A dragon of that size had little to fear on the battlefield—unless, like Queen Rhaenys during the Conquest, they were unlucky enough to have a scorpion ballista hit their dragon's eye.
That concluded today's writing.
First time on the battlefield—taking a leisurely ride on a dragon.
(End of Chapter)