Game of Thrones: The Red Dragon Lord.

Chapter 243 The Tyrells Arrive

After the last meeting on sending troops to Westeros ended, Gavin and Daenerys came to Dragonstone first. Gavin had two plans. On the one hand, he planned to marry Margaery Tyrell here, making this grand wedding a special moment to announce his intention to attack Westeros; on the other hand, he planned to use Dragonstone as a springboard to launch an attack on Westeros.

As time passed, Gawain's army had already assembled on Dragonstone, and the news that he was about to marry Margaery spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms like wings.

At the same time, all the nobles in Westeros received ravens from Daenerys declaring the Iron Throne. Most of the nobles were well-informed and had heard about what was happening in the East Continent.

After all, three hundred years ago, Aegon the Conqueror conquered the entire Westeros with only three dragons and less than two thousand soldiers. Now, Gavin also owns three dragons, and his wife Daenerys Targaryen is the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne with an undisputed claim to the throne. Even without these three dragons, Gavin has more troops than Aegon did back then. This powerful military strength is a headache for the nobles of Westeros.

Even the Citadel, which had always been at odds with Gavin, sent its ravens to congratulate him. It was obvious that they no longer dared to offend Gavin and were trying to ease the relationship.

Gawain did not claim the Iron Throne, but instead gave it to Daenerys Targaryen, a move that was relatively more acceptable to the nobility throughout Westeros.

The nobles had been loyal to the Targaryens for three hundred years, and they were more accustomed to them than Belerys.

For this reason, many nobles have sent ravens to Dragonstone during this period of time, and some even secretly came to Dragonstone to swear allegiance to Gavin and Daenerys.

After receiving the news, Tywin and Renly both chose to withdraw their troops and stopped the confrontation.

Tywin seemed to know that the blood feud between the Lannisters and the Targaryens was irreconcilable, so he did not send any messengers or ravens, but instead ordered the blockade of King's Landing. Obviously, this shrewd "old lion" would hold on to his pride and stick to his bottom line even if he faced the crisis of his family's demise.

On the calm sea, the Tyrell family's fleet was slowly approaching Dragonstone. The fleet, consisting of five ships, was quite large, and under the sunlight, the hulls emitted a faint luster.

Various family flags were hung on each ship, fluttering in the sea breeze. The most eye-catching and largest of them was the rose flag that symbolized the Tyrell family. The delicate rose pattern fluttered freely in the air, as if announcing to the world the extraordinary origin of this fleet.

Mace Tyrell, the Guardian of the South and Duke of Highgarden, who was standing at the bow, had his eyes wide open, his mouth slightly open, his face full of shock, his gaze fixed on the black dragon hovering over Dragonstone.

The black dragon was huge, and exuded a terrifying aura of majesty. Every time its wings flapped, it brought up gusts of air, leaving black shadows in the sky.

For Mace, dragons were mysterious and powerful creatures that he had only seen in beautiful illustrations in books before. But now that he saw it with his own eyes, the shock he felt was like a surging wave, hitting his heart wave after wave, making him unable to recover for a moment.

Lady Olenna, who was standing by, simply glanced up at the black dragon calmly, and then quickly looked away, as if the shocking scene could not cause much waves in her heart.

She turned to look at Margaret beside her, her eyes filled with scrutiny and concern.

This old lady, known as the "Queen of Thorns", is indeed much more calm and steady than her son, the Duke of Metz, who is the guardian of the southern border.

She gently took Margaery's hand, held it with her dry but strong hand, and said softly: "As far as I know, Daenerys is not pregnant yet. Once you marry Gavin, you must get pregnant with his child as soon as possible. As long as you give birth to the eldest son, we can seize the initiative."

Margaery heard this, but shook her head slightly, with a bit of helplessness on her face, and said: "Gavin did not claim to conquer the Iron Throne, but gave it to Daenerys. I am afraid he intends to leave everything on the Iron Throne to Daenerys's child. Even if I give birth to the eldest son, I am afraid it will be difficult for him to inherit these. In fact, I am very happy that I can become the queen."

Lady Olenna snorted in dissatisfaction when she heard this. Although she could understand Margaret's thoughts, she still cursed in a low voice: "Gavin, you little bastard."

Then, she looked up at Margaery and said seriously, "Don't forget that you have the full support of the Tyrell family behind you. In any case, it is best to occupy the title of eldest son first, so that we will not be passive in the subsequent inheritance issues."

Margaery frowned slightly and responded, "But now Daenerys is not only the queen, but also the top leaders of the Stepstones support her. As far as I know, the three regents of Gavin support her. Even Brienne of Tarth, the commander of the First Legion, is Daenerys's guardian knight. Do you remember?"

Olenna asked softly, "So what? Don't forget the Tyrell motto: Life is eternal. Who can predict what will happen in the future?"

Margaret nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Olenna smiled and continued, "The dragon is the key, Margaery. Once you have the title of the eldest son and can ride a dragon, there will naturally be many nobles willing to support him. And with the strength of the Tyrell family, you can definitely win over the top leaders of the Stepstone Islands."

"I understand, grandmother." Margaery nodded, but she knew in her heart that Daenerys's children could also ride dragons, not to mention that she herself was a dragon rider. Dragons might have advantages to the outside world, but to the Bellerys family, they were probably not that important. She understood the family's ambitions, but she didn't want to get involved. For so many years, becoming a queen had always been her dream, not to mention that the one marrying her was Gawen.

"I can only slowly change my grandmother's mind." Margaret thought secretly.

At this moment, the fleet had already slowly approached the port of Dragonstone Island. As the ship touched the dock gently, a dull sound was heard, and then the planks were slowly lowered and placed on the dock.

Margaery looked up and saw Gavin and Daenerys who had been waiting at the dock.

Gavin stood tall and straight, wearing a gorgeous and exquisite robe that reflected a dazzling light under the sunlight.

Behind them, a row of Blood Dragon Guards lined up neatly, wearing specially made black armor, revealing a murderous aura. All around, the flame flags and three-headed dragon flags were flying high, dancing in the wind, rustling, as if playing a welcoming movement.

The ceremonial scene was quite spectacular, showing solemnity and majesty, which made people feel awe.

Olenna patted Margery gently, looked at the Duke of Metz, and said, "Go, take your father off the boat." After that, she took the lead and walked towards the deck with steady steps. With her straight back, she didn't look like an old woman who had experienced many vicissitudes of life. Instead, she had an unquestionable majesty.

Margaery stepped forward and obediently took Mace's arm, followed Olenna, and walked towards the shore.

"Your Majesties, I salute you." Lady Olenna, who was the first to get off the boat, bowed slightly to Gavin and Daenerys with a proper smile on her face.

Gavin bowed and responded with a smile: "Welcome, Lady Olenna, Duke Mace and Lady Margaery. Your arrival today will bring more glory and splendor to Dragonstone."

Daenerys also nodded slightly, and then she walked towards the castle side by side with Margaery. The two women talked in low voices as they walked. Margaery curiously asked about the interesting things about Dragonstone, and Daenerys patiently answered them one by one, and occasionally let out a burst of laughter. The picture looked quite harmonious.

Gavin and Duke of Mace followed behind. Duke of Mace looked at Gavin with emotion in his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I never thought that the young man who showed his talent at the banquet has achieved such remarkable achievements now. It really makes an old man like me sigh at the wonder of time."

Gavin smiled modestly and responded, "Lord Mace, this is all thanks to you. If you hadn't given me that opportunity at the banquet and asked Margaret to knight me, how could I have had these opportunities later on?"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Metz couldn't help but burst into laughter. His hearty laughter echoed along the road leading to the castle. He patted Gavin on the shoulder and said, "Haha, that's because you have the ability and potential. I'm just being a good father."

As they talked, everyone walked towards the castle.

On the way, the Duke of Mace leaned slightly closer to Gavin and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I have issued a conscription order to the entire Reach. Now Highgarden has assembled 40,000 troops, and Willas is still in Highgarden to receive the princes who have arrived one after another. After this wedding is over, the Reach will be able to gather about 60,000 troops. I wonder if you plan to attack King's Landing directly in the future, or do you have other plans?"

Gavin frowned and thought for a while, then said softly: "Lord Mace, I plan to take the Stormlands first. With the blockade of the fleet, King's Landing has long become an isolated city. Tywin, who has been deprived of supplies for a long time, has no other choice but to give up. Maybe after we take over the Stormlands, we can take King's Landing without bloodshed."

After hearing this, the Duke of Metz nodded thoughtfully, but did not continue to delve into the topic. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "I heard that you only have three ministers in front of the emperor."

Gavin nodded, understanding what the other party was thinking. Apparently, the Duke of Metz was not completely useless. He first brought up the matter of the wedding and the assembling of troops, apparently telling Gavin that he had paid with a daughter and 60,000 troops, and hoped to get what he deserved.

Gavin said, "Yes, Lord Mace. I have always been short of talents, especially talents to govern the country. I am still lacking a king's hand to help me deal with many affairs. After thinking about it, I think you are the most suitable candidate. You have rich experience and outstanding leadership skills. If you can take this position, you will definitely be able to help me."

The Duke of Metz was stunned at first, then a somewhat embarrassed smile appeared on his face. He waved his hand and said, "Oh, Your Majesty, you are too kind to me. Although I have some experience, I am worried that I can't bear such a heavy responsibility."

Gavin hurriedly said sincerely, "Lord Mace, please don't be so modest. Your governance of the Reach is obvious to all. Your wisdom and strategy are also well known to everyone. I sincerely think that you are the best candidate for the Hand of the King. I hope you can consider it."

The Duke of Metz was very pleased to hear Gavin's praise, but he remained polite. The two of them chatted back and forth, and before they knew it, they had walked into the castle.

The castle had already been decorated, with a solemn and festive atmosphere everywhere, as if welcoming the upcoming wedding of extraordinary significance.

(End of this chapter)