"What the hell is this!?" Rhaegar asked with a shocked tone. No wonder the King was shocked, it wasn't just him. Seeing Harrenhal fully restored was simply shocking. It was like a myth coming out of history books.
What was more shocking was the gigantic black tower that was even taller than the castle's towers, looking like a colossal spear pointing upwards. It was completely dark, but it showed a different and mysterious beauty.
At the same time, Rhaegar showed a malicious smile, he looked towards Riverrun, the home of House Tully, and showed a cold gaze. Even if the armies of House Tully, Lannister, Greyjoy, Baratheon, and Arryn attacked Harrenhal, he was confident that Cadmus, even without magic, could delay the five armies for years, if not decades.
The title of the largest castle in Westeros was no joke; if it weren't for Aegon, Harren Hoare would have possibly conquered half of Westeros without any problem. Do not underestimate having the largest castle on the continent; it was a prestige capable of making kings bend the knee.
Raymun also looked at the castle with a complex gaze; he already knew of the king's plans to give all of Riverlands to House Peverell, making them the new Lord Paramount of the Trident. It would be a lie to say he wasn't jealous, but before Rhaegar, who had dragons, and Cadmus, who had the power to destroy cities, he set aside that jealousy.
"At least I won't have to look at that traitorous fish's face anymore." Raymun muttered with a somewhat relieved tone. Hoster Tully was the one he despised most in this world. Aerys had killed countless noble heirs or offended others, as had Jon Arryn and Tywin Lannister.
But House Tully had no reason for treason, especially betraying the one who put House Tully at its peak. Even House Tyrell, which was stronger than House Targaryen and much richer, fought alongside House Targaryen in Robert's First Rebellion.
This contempt was not just Raymun's; everyone, including the Great Noble Houses, despised House Tully. A traitor who betrays without reason is even more despicable. A traitor who betrayed his feudal lord who led his own noble house to glory, strength, and fame was even worse.
So, House Tully's situation was bad; if it weren't for the marital alliance with Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark, perhaps no one would want to join such a notorious traitor as House Tully.
"Raymun, start setting up the tents outside the castle; the armies of House Tyrell and Martell will arrive in the coming days." Rhaegar began to give orders without hesitation; this was a huge war, all armies focused on Riverlands, which historically, was where all wars occurred.
Honestly, of all the Seven Kingdoms, Riverlands suffered the most; every war was fought in Riverlands. The reason for such a thing was simple: due to its central position in Westeros and the absence of natural borders, Riverlands has been a frequent battlefield.
This time, the war will be no different. This place will become a meat grinder.
After giving the orders, Rhaegar and the retinue of lords from the Crownlands and Riverlands entered Harrenhal without any problem; the gates were already open and the bridge already placed so they could pass over the moat.
(Note: The moat is the pinnacle of war engineering in the Middle Ages; every castle has a moat, as it was the main defense of the castle besides the walls. You have no idea how important a moat was during castle sieges. Years of besieging a castle. For you to understand how difficult a castle siege is, the longest siege lasted twenty-one years. Invading a castle is not simple.)
Harrenhal was practically invincible without dragons. However, after Cadmus's alterations and magical protections, even if Aegon I came back to life riding Balerion, he would have to retreat before the absurd amount of defenses and enchantments in the castle.
Not to mention the Magic Tower, which could become a weapon of war in extreme cases, although this would result in some serious damage to the Magic Tower's structure.
As soon as he entered the castle, Rhaegar couldn't help but be surprised by the interior appearance of the castle; everything around was no longer blackened, but with shades of red, gold, and blue. Everything looked magnificent and noble.
Rhaegar couldn't help but think of the Red Keep; although it was also a colorful place, he felt he was living in any ordinary house compared to the elegant and different luxury around him. He could see that the architecture was different from what he was used to; he presumed Cadmus discovered this type of architecture from some ruin in Essos.
Of course, what shocked Rhaegar and everyone was the castle's lighting. After all, it wasn't every day you would see candlesticks floating in the air. When the group of lords saw this, they couldn't help but be slightly apprehensive and curious.
"My king, welcome to Harrenhal." Cadmus, who was wearing a gothic suit, spoke with an inviting and amused tone. His clothes looked like a suit, but very elegant and with silver details. The tie was a white scarf held by a silver brooch.
"Welcome to my humble abode, brother." Daenerys, beside him, also wore a red dress that never appeared in this world, perfectly outlining her curves, matching Cadmus's black suit.
There was a touch of amusement in her voice, especially with the mention of the humble abode. Harrenhal was anything but humble.
Rhaegar noticed the difference in clothes and nodded, the wizard really had many different thoughts. However, the outfit was very beautiful and despite not having as many layers of clothes as his, it seemed lighter and did not lose the feeling of nobility.
"Seeing Harrenhal rebuilt is breathtaking for anyone who sees it." Rhaegar said with a laugh; Daenerys's words amused him. If Harrenhal was humble, what would his castle be, a wooden shack?
"However, let's talk business." Rhaegar commented with a cold smile. The same smile that appeared on Cadmus's lips. Both looked at each other and started to laugh. One was happy to gain allies and the other wanted to extort as much money as possible from the nobles.
Turning to look at the group of nobles, which numbered just under a hundred, Cadmus spoke with a gentle tone. "My dear lords, flying letters will present you to your quarters during your stay in my castle."
The lords, who had already seen the candlesticks flying around, were only slightly surprised by Cadmus's words. Fear was replaced by curiosity, and they were really curious about how everything worked.
Under Rhaegar's surprised eyes, paper envelopes came out of Cadmus's pocket and flew around; each envelope had a pair of eyes and a mouth. Shockingly, all could speak and acted as servants, guiding the guests to their respective rooms.
"Gentlemen, dinner will be served before nightfall; you will be called when everything is ready." Daenerys said to the group of nobles. She found it incredibly amusing to see them stunned, following the talking paper envelopes.
Cadmus altered the function of the envelopes because they didn't have time to hire enough servants for the castle. So, they had to opt for something faster and simpler.
Rhaegar followed Cadmus and Daenerys to the Hall of a Hundred Hearths, where the vote took place that decided the next King of Westeros after Baelon Targaryen, the Brave, died and Jaehaerys was left without apparent heirs.
"This place never ceases to amaze me." Rhaegar, accompanied by his Royal Guard, couldn't help but comment, seeing the reinforced hall.
"After all, this is where the Dance of the Dragons began." Cadmus said with a calm tone.
Rhaegar sighed upon hearing Cadmus's words. He didn't understand what was going through Jaehaerys's mind to let the nobles choose the next king. It was such great power that he wanted to go back in time and slap Jaehaerys.
The man had House Targaryen with adult dragons like Vhagar, Meleys, Dreamfyre, and other dragons. Still, he gave so much power to the nobles. It was totally irrational in his eyes, Rhaegar, who sought the centralization of the crown's power.
"Jaehaerys spent so much time acting as a reconciler that he forgot he was king." Cadmus said with a touch of sarcasm. Others might see the Old King in a good light, but he didn't. Jaehaerys was only considered a good king because he managed to slightly improve people's lives and gave peace to a people who had never experienced such a thing.
So, it was easy for the people to love Jaehaerys. However, in Cadmus's eyes, Jaehaerys built some roads and was content with the status quo and did not try to improve or centralize power. This was so stupid that Cadmus wanted to go back in time and give the Old King a good slap.
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard