GOT King of Dragon

"Who are you?!" 

Rhaenyra gasped in a low voice, quickly pulling away. 

Ser Erryk grabbed her, hurriedly draped a black cloak over her, and forcefully dragged her out through the back door. 

"Who exactly are you? Where are you taking me?" 

Rhaenyra struggled desperately, glaring at the faceless figure of Erryk. 

With no other choice, Erryk revealed his face and warned, "Someone saw you sneaking around the Red Keep with Prince Daemon. Prince Rhaegar sent me to bring you back." 

"Rhaegar sent you?" 

Rhaenyra froze at his words, her tense expression softening. 

Erryk said urgently, "The situation is critical. You'd better stay quiet to avoid being recognized." 

Rhaenyra nodded repeatedly and followed his lead. 

As they exited through the back door, they saw a beggar boy slumped weakly against the wall. 

Erryk stepped in front of Rhaenyra, grabbed the boy by the hair, and slammed him hard against the wall. 

Blood splattered, and the boy crumpled to the ground, unconscious. 

"He was just a little beggar?" Rhaenyra said in a daze. 

"Nine out of ten beggars near brothels or gambling dens are spies," Erryk replied. Then, glancing back, he added, "He's not dead, just unconscious." 

Relieved, Rhaenyra paid no further attention to the boy. 

"Fire! Someone, put it out!" 

"The backyard is burning! We need help!" 

"…" 

Before they had gone far, a roaring fire erupted from the brothel, spreading rapidly in the night wind. 

The flames quickly engulfed nearby streets and homes. Panic spread as sleeping townsfolk rushed outside, barely dressed, grabbing buckets to join the firefighting efforts. 

Amid the growing chaos, Erryk exhaled and led Rhaenyra through the alleys, avoiding the rescue crowds. 

Elsewhere, Arryk threw a torch through the second-floor window of the brothel before vanishing into the night. 

His mission that night was arson. 

It wasn't the most honorable task for a knight, but when his elder brother brought orders from Prince Rhaegar, he could not refuse. 

Arryk had pledged his loyalty to the young heir to the throne. 

The thought of Prince Aegon? 

He was merely a royal duty, not someone worth his devotion. 

The wind shifted. 

… 

Erryk and Rhaenyra sprinted through the streets, only to run into a squad of gold cloaks rushing to extinguish the flames. 

"Avoid them," Erryk whispered, steering them into a narrow alley. 

As they turned, a lone gold cloak appeared ahead. 

"Who's there, sneaking around like that?" 

The familiar voice drew Rhaenyra's gaze, and she recognized Harwin Strong's face. 

Erryk instinctively positioned himself in front of Rhaenyra, warning, "Stand aside. This is none of your concern." 

Harwin unsheathed his sword, smirking coldly. "Big words for someone defying the City Watch." 

As a skilled knight, Harwin feared no challenge. 

Erryk recognized him but knew that revealing his identity would compromise the mission. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword under his cloak, ready to fight. 

"Stop it! We're friends!" 

Before things escalated, Rhaenyra ignored Erryk's protests and stepped between them to intervene. 

The moment she spoke, Harwin froze, startled. "Princess? You again?" 

Rhaenyra pulled back her hood, awkwardly saying, "There's no time to explain. I got separated from Daemon, and thankfully, a Kingsguard found me." 

She wasn't foolish enough to reveal the whole truth. 

Harwin studied Erryk closely before offering Rhaenyra a faint smile. "If that's the case, Princess, you should go. I need to help with the fire." 

"Thank you, Ser Harwin," Rhaenyra said, wasting no time as she dragged the scowling Erryk away. 

As he watched them disappear into the night, Harwin frowned in confusion. He glanced at the distant flames, his mind swirling with doubt. 

… 

The fire on Silk Street raged on, drawing the full attention of the City Watch. 

Gold cloaks from all over the city rushed to join the effort, battling the inferno well into the night. 

Only then was the blazing fire finally extinguished. 

The brothel at the source of the fire was burned to the ground, leaving only charred stone frameworks. 

Along with it, a dozen nearby residential houses were entirely consumed by the flames. 

Fortunately, this area was densely populated, and the fire was quickly discovered, causing no casualties. 

Before this, the arsonist, Aric, had already reunited with his brother in the Red Keep. 

The two exchanged a knowing smile, saying nothing, but understanding everything. 

They parted ways in opposite directions. 

Erik led Rhaenyra back to her chamber through a secret passage. 

Rhaegar, struggling to keep his composure, walked to the edge of the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed at the sea of flames engulfing King's Landing. 

He knew it was Erik and Aric's doing. 

This fire—he was the mastermind behind it. 

Rhaenyra had fallen into Daemon's trap, and there were people secretly spying on them. 

Under normal circumstances, no matter how Rhaegar searched for Rhaenyra, he would leave himself vulnerable. 

This was because wherever Rhaenyra went, there would be spies watching. 

Especially that brothel. 

Rhaenyra's secret escapade couldn't be hidden—too many people had seen her movements. 

All Rhaegar had to do was sever the trail connecting Rhaenyra and Daemon's visits to the brothel. 

A massive fire that consumed everything would erase any trace of evidence. 

Even if someone testified that Rhaenyra had been to the brothel, who could verify the truth from the ruins? 

Rhaegar's job was to arrive in Rhaenyra's chamber ahead of time and provide her with an alibi. 

When the time came, anyone who dared to accuse Rhaenyra without evidence would be silenced by their father, Viserys. 

*Creaaak—* 

The wall at the secret passage's entrance turned, and Rhaegar immediately turned his head. 

There stood the much-anticipated Erik and Rhaenyra. 

"Rhaenyra, you're finally back," Rhaegar said with a smile, the heavy weight in his heart lifted at last. 

He had been worried that Rhaenyra would be swayed by Daemon and refuse to return with Erik. 

It seemed Rhaenyra hadn't let him down. 

"Rhaegar, how did you know I snuck out?" 

Rhaenyra looked at her brother in surprise, pulling off her black cloak as she asked curiously. 

Rhaegar glanced toward Erik, who was closing the secret passage. 

Erik said in a low voice, "There were too many prying eyes; I didn't have a chance to explain to the princess." 

Rhaegar nodded. "Did everything go smoothly, Ser?" 

"It went relatively well, though we did encounter Harwin Strong during a patrol. The princess's identity was exposed." 

Erik's tone carried a hint of guilt. 

Rhaegar lowered his head, silently wondering if Harwin might speak out and whether he needed to issue a warning. 

That man was the eldest son of Hand of the King Lyonel and the heir to Harrenhal. 

In any case, given his father's accomplishments and his own status, Rhaegar wasn't ready to consider eliminating him just yet. 

Watching their cryptic exchange, Rhaenyra whispered, "Harwin is Lyonel's son. He respects me greatly and shouldn't speak out of turn." 

"That's for the best," Rhaegar said with a faint smile. 

Lyonel was indeed a trustworthy man, and his son should be equally sensible. 

Rhaenyra stepped closer to Rhaegar, her bright eyes blinking as she pretended to adopt the authority of an elder sister. "Who tipped you off? And that fire—was it your doing?" 

On her way back, Rhaenyra had been pondering these matters. 

Erik's sudden appearance and the perfectly timed fire… 

Now, seeing Rhaegar in her chamber, she realized that all of this couldn't be unrelated to him. 

"The informant is someone I can't reveal for now," Rhaegar said, hiding the involvement of Syrio. This individual's identity was too peculiar, and it wasn't the right time to alert their enemies. 

Then, with a serious expression, he added, "I was behind the fire—I was protecting you!" 

*(End of chapter)*