We Bleed Silver(GOT/ASOIAF Fanfic)

King's Landing.

This city was not only home to the royal family's Red Keep and the comfortable residences of nobles but also a sprawling patchwork of hastily built shacks, earthen houses, and crumbling multi-story buildings piled haphazardly. The majority of the city's 500,000 inhabitants lived in these dire conditions.

The surrounding royal domains, the fertile Reach to the south, and thriving maritime trade kept the city functioning. Commoners avoided starvation with the help of a dubious stew known as brown soup, while wealthier citizens and craftsmen occasionally enjoyed a taste of meat.

A black-haired woman hurried home with a basket in hand, excitement lighting up her face. Around her, a throng of equally elated people bustled through the streets. Some carried cloth-covered baskets; others clutched bundles. Every face brimmed with joy.

The woman pushed open a worn wooden door and stepped into a low, earthen home. The small room served as both kitchen and bedroom. The bed was covered in grime, but the straw and bedding were clean. A sickly little girl sat on a wobbly, three-legged chair, watching her mother with wide eyes.

"Mommy, I'm hungry."

The woman hurriedly set the basket down. "Alright, sweetheart, there's something good today. Where's your father?" She deftly unpacked the basket, revealing jars, two or three fresh carrots, a cabbage, a handful of peas, and two loaves of bread that looked surprisingly soft and free from impurities. Most important of all, there was a sizable piece of salted meat, possibly fish.

The little girl's eyes locked onto the salted meat. "Daddy went to find you."

"What happened at the market today?" A tall, silver-haired, silver-bearded man ducked into the room. He stopped when he saw his wife slicing the cabbage and carrots with practiced ease and tossing them into a pot hanging over the hearth.

"They were giving away meat and selling salt and spices cheaply today," the woman said without looking up. She poured the peas and a handful of oats from their own stores into the pot, stirring vigorously before chopping up the salted meat with quick, sharp strokes.

"They said a royal family member has returned from the east to meet with the king. His followers sold off surplus supplies at low prices for us common folk."

The woman tossed the chunks of meat into the pot. "This meat is surprisingly fresh and well-salted. We won't even need to add more salt this time."

The man smiled as he ruffled his daughter's hair. "Don't worry, little one. We'll have meat today." He glanced at his wife. "Darling, why didn't you bring back more meat and bread?"

"There wasn't enough money." The woman pushed the jars toward him. "These contain salt, pepper, chili, nutmeg, a bit of saffron, some mint, and a pinch of cloves. The septon said saffron and nutmeg were part of the remedy for our girl's illness. The Maiden bless us. Seven blessings upon us."

The man made the sign of the Seven over his chest. "Seven blessings. Praise the Maiden."

"The market will stay open for three more days." The woman stirred the thick mixture in the pot, cutting three slices of bread and serving them with the stew.

The man placed the largest piece of bread in front of his daughter, took a smaller piece for himself, and dipped it into the stew. "Good. I'll go to the blacksmiths' guild to request an advance on my wages. We'll stock up on grain and meat."

"Don't forget her medicine." The woman smiled as she watched their daughter take big bites of the stew, the rich aroma of meat filling the air. "If you're late, the nobles will buy it all up."

"I won't forget." The man quickly finished his bowl of stew, wiped it clean with his bread, and swallowed it in a few bites. "I'll go right now."

The number of blacksmiths coming to the guild to request an advance on their wages far exceeded the man's expectations. He had to push through with his large frame just to get in and managed to receive two silver deer coins, both chipped at the edges, and a handful of copper coins.

"Listen, if it weren't for the guildmaster taking pity on you, you wouldn't get a single copper today."

The sharp voice of the treasurer still echoed in his ears, but the man only had one thought on his mind—get to the market quickly.

The market was already packed with people.

"Tom, why the rush?" A blacksmith, who was familiar with him, was standing behind him, holding a large loaf of bread and curiously watching the anxious Tom.

"Do you have saffron and nutmeg?" Tom asked loudly, standing on tiptoe. The people in front turned to look at this reckless man. The vendor, looking impatient, shouted back, "Yes, yes, yes! Just stay in line and pray to the Seven for luck if you want to buy anything."

Upon hearing what Tom was after, the blacksmith immediately understood. He leaned in and whispered, "Tom, don't fight through the crowd here. Go to the docks, the goods at the market all come from there."

"How do you know?" Tom asked, surprised.

"I have a relative who works as a rat-catcher at the Red Keep." The blacksmith spoke with a hint of envy when mentioning the Red Keep, but his face fell when he mentioned the rat-catcher. "He says three princes, riding on dragon gods, have returned from overseas. They brought enough wealth to buy half the kingdom, and the king himself knighted them and had the high septon anoint them. The princes, appreciating the hardships of King's Landing's people, decided to offer the common folk some low-cost, even free, goods. Hurry up, go to the docks."

Tom immediately turned and ran. He couldn't stand the crowd anymore.

The distant echoes of "Long live King Viserys! Long live Prince Draezell!" were soon left behind.

Even though King's Landing that day was filled with cheers of "Long live King Viserys, Long live Prince Draezell, blessings from the gods to the gifted prince."

By the time Tom had successfully bought grain, meat, urgently needed medicines, and spices at the docks, and was running home with a bundle as tall as himself, the sky suddenly turned dark.

He couldn't help but look up.

A massive bronze dragon roared as it flew southward, with a silver dragon closely following.

The crowd's cheers grew louder.

But within the Red Keep, things were far from peaceful.

Viserys sat beside his beloved model of King's Landing, absentmindedly playing with the Valyrian steel trinket that Draezell had sent him. He seemed lost in thought. It wasn't until Daemon pushed open the door and entered that the silence was broken.

The two brothers sat in silence for a long time.

Finally, Viserys spoke first. "Little Jey and Little Lou did well." He handed the trinket to his brother. "I'm very pleased to have such heirs for the kingdom."

Daemon gazed out the window, watching the two dragons fly away, and suddenly let out a sigh without saying a word.

On the tower platform of the Red Keep, Prince Aemond, with his one remaining eye, silently gazed southward. The expression in his eye reflected an indescribable sense of envy. Draezell had gifted the royal family a high-purity sapphire, and the royal artisans were planning to craft a suitably magnificent prosthetic eye for the one-eyed prince.

His elder brother, King Aegon, was nowhere to be found. The only time Aemond saw him was during the daytime ceremonies, when Aegon would show up drunk, with a face full of pimples and dark circles under his eyes. The rest of the time, no matter how much Aemond searched the Red Keep, that damned, foolish brother couldn't be found.

Aemond couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Corlan, the missionary sent by the High Septon, was in charge of the conversion process for the Vaelarys. On this issue, the learned ascetic was torn. He was eager to help a group of lost souls return to the embrace of the Seven, but the Vaelarys, with their dragons and pagan beliefs, made this missionary work extremely difficult. Despite their young leader's swift acceptance of the High Septon's baptism, the task ahead remained daunting.

Upon boarding the ship, Father Corlan was warmly welcomed. The chief vassal, Vansen Kaon, personally poured him a glass of slightly reddish honey water and solemnly assured him that his faith was respected, so no alcoholic beverages had been prepared.

Feeling honored, Corlan naturally drank the water.

Then, he had a strange dream.

In the dream, the Seven Gods looked kindly upon his devout prayers, but over time, he failed to notice that the faces of the Seven Gods were changing.

They transformed into Draezell's face—sometimes masculine, sometimes aged, sometimes feminine, sometimes skeletal. Draezell's visage looked down upon the devout priest.

Then scales grew, and dragon wings soared high.

As Corlan immersed himself in prayer, seven humanoid dragons were crowned among stars, flames, and blood.

"God is the dragon, and the dragon is God. Praise the Seven, praise the ancient kings, praise the great Draezell Vaelarys." This was Corlan's first sentence upon awakening.