Ronnet Connington SI

-Chapter 77-

-5 moon later-

-28th day of the 1st moon, 301 AC-

-POV Aurane Waters-

Like every morning, I looked out from my window over the harbor, noticeably lacking its usual activity—a clear sign of the ongoing war that had entirely crippled the economy of Driftmark.

'It's been over 6 moons of this damned mess,' I thought inwardly, fed up with a war sparked by that foolish Lannister whore.

'As long as the conflicts between the Lannisters and Conningtons remain unresolved, we can't resume trade—at least not with the profit margins we enjoyed under the era of the Bloody Griffin, as we were involved in nearly all his product distribution to Essos,' I thought, leaning on the terrace rail, lamenting the fact that I wasn't one of his vassals.

'I had thought we could ally after the death of the last Blackfyre pretender, but it seems he's like those other lords who look down on me because of my birth,' I mused, disappointed, especially since we had taken some time to connect during the crossing he partially made on my ship.

'The only one who ever recognized any potential in me did so not for who I am but just so I could control my nephew until he comes of age,' I grumbled inwardly, fighting back my frustration, despite my new role as Regent of Driftmark.

Knock… Knock… Knock

"Enter," I said, glancing toward the door to see who dared disturb me in my quarters at such an hour.

'It must be important,' I thought.

'The sun has barely risen,' I noted.

"Mestre Halwyn," I said, eyeing the elderly man, one step away from the grave, as he handed me a letter.

I rolled my eyes and asked, "Another summons from Queen Cersei to set sail with my nephew's ships to take the Stepstones in the name of His Grace Tommen Baratheon?"

"I fear that it is not my place to read your letters, Lord Regent," he replied, lowering his gaze.

'He seems different than usual,' I thought, noticing the old maester's trembling hand.

I shrugged internally, snatching the letter from his hand with a nonchalant gesture, but my movements stiffened upon seeing the seal on the envelope.

'Damn,' I thought, quickly opening the letter, hoping it would finally be the news I'd been waiting for.

---

Dear Aurane,

I am very pleased to finally write you this letter to offer my protection as King of the Stormlands and the Riverlands.

As you know, my relations with the Lannisters and Tyrells have hit rock bottom over the past months.

The time has come, my friend, if I may call you so, for us to ally once again, to unseat and bring down those who look down on us.

I didn't have much time to speak with you, but I believe that our exchanges were sincere enough for me to have a clear sense of your character.

You are an ambitious man, and that is a quality I greatly admire.

I also know that you despise the image that's always been attributed to you: that of a bastard ready to take everything that belonged to your brother, then your nephew.

This nephew of yours—you care for him, and you have often spoken of him to me.

Therefore, out of respect for you, I won't insult you by offering to make you Lord of Driftmark in his stead.

Instead, I offer you the position of my Grand Admiral, and further, Lord of Dragonstone.

In so doing, I offer you the opportunity to create your own legacy and to leave your mark on the history of Westeros, even surpassing your ancestor, the great Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon.

If you accept my proposal, I expect three things of you.

First, seize control of the remainder of the royal fleet; my spies will send you a list of men loyal to Tommen and House Lannister whom you will need to eliminate.

Second, completely block the Blackwater Bay and starve the capital.

Finally, send warships to Tyrosh to bring back two mercenary companies to Westeros: the Blue Elephants and the Fearless Orphans.

The total number of combatants is estimated to be 6,000 men.

I trust you will make the right decision.

In any case, you already know how all of this will end.

I hope you haven't forgotten our little excursion in the Narrow Sea.

Ronnet

---

'And a little threat to end on a high note,' I thought, smiling as I finished Ronnet's letter.

'It seems the time for a counterattack has arrived,' I thought, finally seeing a glimmer of hope to unlock this stagnant situation for House Velaryon, while also gaining significantly on a personal level.

"What did Lord Connington want?" the old man asked.

"Bring me ink and paper," I replied, giving no further explanation to the old maester.

'Let's send a reply that will satisfy our king,' I thought, reading Ronnet's letter a second time, which came at just the right moment.

---

-POV Ronnet Connington-

"So, we're finally here," I said, looking toward Goldentooth in the distance, my arms crossed behind my back.

"This is what you wanted, wasn't it?" Raymund asked, frowning, clearly unhappy to be heading back to war.

"Still upset with me?" I asked, knowing that his frustration only surfaced as aggression when he was afraid.

"About what?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

'At least that answers my question,' I thought, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

He sighed and said,

"It was hard… it's still hard to accept, but I have no other choice, no third option as you so clearly laid out."

'You almost made that third choice, one that would've led you to an early grave, my brother,' I thought, watching him closely.

I nodded, satisfied, and as I thought we would fall into silence, Raymund added,

"We're brothers. It'll pass once we've won."

'That's something, at least,' I thought, relieved that he could set aside his pride over time and bury his inferiority complex.

I nodded, understanding that the reminder I had given Raymund to know his place had left a deep impression.

'I'll need to think of a worthy reward for him at the end of this war to heal our rift from its beginning,' I thought.

Then I glanced at Ronald, who was watching us, careful not to say too much, and asked my eldest son, my heir,

"You look nervous?"

My eldest, hesitant to speak in front of both of us, finally said,

"This is my first battle."

'I don't like this lack of confidence radiating from him. He mustn't hesitate; otherwise, he'll regret it,' I thought, disapproving of this trait.

"True, but it won't be your last. If you want to wear this crown one day and be worthy of it, you're going to have to spill rivers of blood…" I said, pointing to the crown I'd worn ever since I became king, before adding, "…because those people won't hesitate to slit your throat in your sleep to have what you possess."

Seeing my son silent, I frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder, asking,

"Do you understand?"

He nodded and then replied, with a determined tone,

"I won't bring shame upon you, Father."

"I should hope not," I said before turning my attention back to Raymund, who, though hesitant, clearly wanted to ask me something.

"Out with it, brother," I said, rolling my eyes at his growing discomfort, distracting him far too much.

'This isn't the time for that,' I thought, staring intently at him, waiting for him to voice his concern.

"I don't understand why you refused to bring our vassals with us and left them to guard our lands. You told me you didn't trust them when I returned with Sansa. What's changed?"

'He's becoming less naive; that's good,' I thought, admiring my brother's insight, as I did indeed have a plan in place.

'A plan that took six whole moons to prepare,' I thought.

I smiled, looking at my brother, and asked,

"Didn't you consider that I might have changed my mind about them?"

"In that case, you wouldn't have left Rodrik, Arion, Victor, and Samuel behind with all your black knights," he replied, having deduced, or at least understood, that I had passed certain abilities to my ten black knights.

"Exactly. They're there to watch over them and to punish anyone who might be tempted to betray me," I replied, pleased that my brother was no longer as gullible and had learned from last time.

"No, you would've stayed back yourself to ensure that, in the event of betrayal, the traitors received the punishment they deserved," he retorted, having seen through my usual strategy.

"You're beginning to understand me well, brother," I said, realizing he'd uncovered my plan, just as I'd done with the Lannisters when I suspected their treachery.

"It's about time," Raymund replied, with a hint of irritation, likely recalling the time he'd been used as bait to snare the major prize of the Riverlands and Kevan Lannister.

'He's finally learning, no longer content to play a passive role; he's trying to understand the motives and intentions of the other side. That will serve him well in life,' I thought

I nodded, appreciating the newfound depth in his approach.

He was no longer just a follower but finally becoming a partner capable of understanding the subtle play of alliances and betrayals.

"So, what's your miracle strategy this time?" he asked, with a hint of mockery but genuine curiosity.

'Even if he tries to hide it, he's eager to know more. He's ready to play his part, and though it changes nothing in my plan, it will make him stronger for what lies ahead,' I thought, watching my brother intently.

I smiled, seeing the new determination in his eyes. Then, calmly, I removed my crown and handed it to one of my knights.

In exchange, he handed me a Corinthian-style helmet adorned with wings and inlaid with rubies on the forehead and wings, clearly distinguished by its elaborate detailing along the front.

'A helmet similar to Raymund and Ronald's, but with finer detailing to mark the difference between a prince and a king,' I thought, carefully securing the helmet in place.

Once it was set, I turned to my brother with a slight smirk and said,

"You complained last time about being just bait. This time, you'll be pleased to know that not only has your role not changed, but we've all come to join you and play the same role."