Rigo was a bard from the East Continent, a half-Valyrian. His entertainer father from Volantis gave him the Valyrian silver-gold hair and good looks, while his noble mother from Myr brought him the olive skin of the Rhoynar and a sweet voice. He also possessed knowledge that ordinary people could never access in their lifetime.
This allowed the wandering bard to travel North and South, across half the world, relying on his knowledge. He single-handedly built a reputable theater troupe, and with the help of ancient sea routes, they even reached the legendary Yi Ti Golden Dynasty and the magical city of Asshai. They earned money from the strange and terrifying mages of Asshai, but were forced to leave due to Asshai's decline and the internal strife among the mages. In Yi Ti, they expanded their troupe and amassed astonishing wealth.
Unfortunately, the once rich and powerful Golden Dynasty—the Scarlet Dynasty—could never regain the strength and glory of thousands of years ago after the reckless Emperor Luo Bao was beheaded by that fierce and cunning woman from Jogos Nhai. The "Yellow Dynasty" of Emperor Zhaiduo also collapsed hundreds of years ago. Now in Yi Ti, the Emperor Bu of the Indigo Dynasty has lost his authority; the imperial decrees that once reached half the world can no longer leave Yi Du.
The former capital of the Scarlet Dynasty, Xingdu, was swallowed by the forest, becoming deserted.
The religious leader, known as the "Wizard Lord" by Western scholars, rebuilt Emperor Chai's "Yellow Dynasty" in "Carcosa" by the Hidden Sea. People say that the great wizard in yellow robes wears a tall feathered crown and is closely related to the ancient winged people in the winged city beside Carcosa.
The zebra-riding Jogos Nhai people ravaged the North of the Dynasty, but merchants and generals of the Indigo Dynasty crushed these barbarians. A wealthy merchant general destroyed the vast empire left by Zanza Jahata, piling the heads of the Jogos Nhai people throughout the Northern border of the Dynasty. This merchant general established his kingdom in Shangmao Town, paying tribute to the Emperor in Yi Du but refusing to obey Emperor Bu's commands.
The Five Forts' Dynasty guards lost support from South of the swamps. These warriors, defending this severely damaged fortress complex, chose different paths amidst hunger and cold. Some guards retreated to the rich towns in the South, establishing a kingdom belonging to the former Five Forts Guard. The remaining guards formed an alliance with demon hunters wandering the Grey Waste and the legendary King Mosui, continuing to hold out in this dilapidated ancient fortress.
Yi Ti had fractured. Seven powerful warlords, seven kings with their own agendas, fought chaotically in the unknown lands East of the Bones Mountains. Rigo's troupe lost all their wealth in the chaos, and he was forced to leave this land with his troupe and stories.
They had visited Qarth, full of mystical wizards and greedy merchants. There, Rigo heard the story of the Dragon Dynasty in the West, which had recreated Valyria's former glory of dragons in the sky. So, they began their journey West. In Volantis, Rigo's troupe heard the legend of the resurgent Dragonlord family. The Elephant Party nobles praised the wisdom of the Silver Dragon. In the Volantis Senate, bronze statues of Cleorius Varezes and Dragonzel Varezes were even erected. In the Great Red God Temple, the Red-robed Monks also erected a statue of Dragonzel, regarding him as the red god's chosen. The Tiger Party nobles scorned the Silver Dragon for abandoning the opportunity to rebuild Valyria, but in public, they still praised the two existing true Dragonlord families.
While crossing the Disputed Lands, Rigo's troupe was plundered by mercenary groups entrenched in that lawless territory. The troupe, which once numbered over a hundred people and could stage large-scale dramas, was reduced to just him after that raid. All their puppets, props, and even his costumes were stolen by the mercenary group.
The down-and-out old bard could only earn enough for passage with his stories, taking a merchant ship from Lys to Tyrosh. There, he joined the city renovation team organized by the Governor of the Varezes family, filling his stomach and earning some money.
"It was with that money that I reached Oldtown, my friend."
The down-and-out old entertainer Rigo slowly narrated his story. He had just finished his part—composing the music for the play titled "The Day the False Dragon Fell."
Rumbling, the actor playing Usurper Aegon rolled onto the stage. The tall actress playing Alicent and the dwarf playing "Kingmaker" Cole suddenly started gesticulating wildly, and Usurper Aegon also began to dance comically on the stage, following the movements of the two actors.
At one moment, surrounded by the two actors, he jumped onto the Iron Throne model, singing solemn lyrics: "I am King, I am the true King! The bitch of Dragonstone is merely a lingering Usurper."
"You are not King!" the audience shouted.
At another moment, he seemed to try to break free from the two actors' restraints, running to the edge of the stage and shouting: "You lied to me, you lied to me!"
"Boo!" the audience booed in unison.
But he was dragged back by the dwarf, only to slump dejectedly onto the Iron Throne. Alicent suddenly collapsed dejectedly beside him, as if also manipulated. Only the dwarf actor was still jumping up and down.
"Oathbreaker, get off, get off!" the audience continued to shout.
Just then, a handsome actor holding a Silver Dragon sculpture walked onto the stage with a young, equally handsome boy holding a Dragon sculpture, both with their heads held high and chests out.
"Long Live Prince Dragonzel!"
"Long Live King Jacaerys I!"
Two voices simultaneously rang out among the audience, making it impossible to distinguish between them for a moment.
The actress playing Queen Rhaenyra also gracefully entered. This actress was not particularly beautiful, and her appearance was quite plump, but her acting on stage truly overshadowed the other performers.
Prince Viserys, his face already covered in wrinkles, quietly listened to old Rigo's rambling about those mysterious stories, his eyes, however, fixed on the play that had been adapted countless times. He had dyed his hair and applied makeup, so few people could recognize him. Except for Prince Aegon, who was off carousing somewhere.
"Did you adapt it?" Viserys asked calmly. The plot on stage progressed quickly. After the dwarf actor and the Aegon actor fled in disarray, the actress playing Queen Rhaenyra casually sat on the Iron Throne and began a lengthy song. Not even the performances depicting the fall of dragons, the frequent major battles, and the King's Landing riots interrupted her singing.
"I only adapted a part of it, my friend." Rigo looked at the complex props on stage with some nostalgia—the plot had already transitioned to the Battle of the Red Fork River. The boy playing Jacaerys wielded a wooden sword, fiercely beating the dwarf actors playing the West army. The actor playing Aemond held a green Dragon model, intensely fighting the actor holding a Silver Dragon model, and soon shouted.
"Ah, I'm down!"
The Dragon model and the actor fell simultaneously. The actor playing Usurper Aegon and the actor playing Alicent wailed and rushed over.
The audience below also cheered.
"Where did you see these scenes?" Viserys asked.
"Silver Crown City, my friend, that's a wealthy metropolis." Rigo revealed his broken teeth, smiling as he said, "I saw far more plays there than I did in Yi Du, Qarth, or Volantis. There are even dedicated theaters, and they give subsidies to poor bards like us."
"I see." Viserys calmed down. He was actually quite satisfied with this play. Although the main characters were still the Varezes family, and the climax of the plot was still the Dragonzel brothers riding dragons to crush the Green Party's attack, and Dragonzel shooting down Aemond, this version of the script added a lot of scenes for the Targaryen family, and even beautified the images of Usurper Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra.
However, he was more curious about Rigo himself. According to Rigo's description, after leaving Silver Crown City, this old entertainer went to Black Harbor, Dragon Nest City, and even King's Landing. He collected a lot of material in these places, and although it all came from other bards, it was a good source of information.
"Speaking of which, it's all thanks to the protection of the Goddess of Poetry." The old entertainer didn't care about religious matters; the Faith of the Seven was very tolerant of foreigners like him: "If I had arrived in Silver Crown City three years earlier, I might not have earned as much money."
The Varezes were celebrating Lady Daniela's conception.
Viserys knew the reason for this. Nearly four years ago, at the end of the year Valarr died, Lady Daniela became pregnant for the second time, but it ultimately came to nothing. The Varezes family publicly announced it as a misdiagnosis.
But Viserys knew very well that with the resources the Varezes family controlled, it couldn't have been a misdiagnosis.
Something must have happened.
Shortly after that, three dragon eggs hatched in Dragon Nest City, completely overshadowing the incident.
Unfortunately, Oldtown's intelligence network did not extend to the Borderland Principality. His ailing elder brother would certainly not care about such matters. In 162 AC, Queen Samantha had a difficult birth with King Aegon's last child. Although the boy Baelor was born successfully, Queen Samantha developed a chronic illness and her health steadily declined.
King Aegon's health also gradually deteriorated. They spent more time recuperating at Vaerezys Black Palace than at the Red Keep. Crown Prince Daeron began to act as regent, participating in the governance of the Realm.
"Old man, are there any related poems?"
"Yes, but not many." Old Rigo said mysteriously, "But I heard a crazy musician say it might be related to magic, after all, everyone knows that the Silver Prince is a great mage, right?"
Viserys chuckled. He didn't ask further.
"Everyone in the Borderland Principality is very enthusiastic," old Rigo said with a smile. "King's Landing is too; everyone loves watching our plays. King and Queen have also seen them, and Crown Prince even received us."
Viserys knew about this, but not many details.
"Oh?"
"The Crown Prince is a very valiant young man. By the Goddess of Poetry, if Crown Prince were in those chaotic places, he would surely become a great Warrior King. Oh, no, he would surely become a great wise ruler, no matter where he is. After my audience, Crown Prince even asked me for the ballads I collected in the Disputed Lands."
Viserys's gaze suddenly changed.
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