Driftmark, 112 AC
The following morning dawned with soft sunlight glinting over the crashing sea. Vaeron Velaryon stood in the private training courtyard of High Tide, bare-chested and focused. The awakening of the Lord System the night prior had not been a fever dream. It had changed everything.
> System Notification: "Lord Talent - COMMANDER'S WILL" has been permanently applied.
> Passive Effects:
Army morale is boosted by 110% when the Lord is present.
Captains gain +20% skill learning speed.
Army members recover +30% faster.
Loyalty of all members increases passively with mission success.
> Mission Alert: "Form a Founding Army" Objective: Recruit 100 loyal soldiers. Reward: Army Skill Slot Activation
---
STATUS
Name: Vaeron Velaryon
Age: 18
Titles: Heart of the Ocean
Lord Talent: COMMANDER'S WILL (Active)
Attributes:
Strength: 12
Agility: 13
Durability: 11
Mental Strength: 16
Intelligence: 18
Skills: None Yet
Abilities: Locked
Pets: None
Army Members: 0 (Mission in Progress)
System Functions Unlocked: STATUS, ARMY MODULE, MISSION, INVENTORY
---
POV: Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
She stood hidden in the shadows of the balcony above, watching her son. His sword moved with graceful purpose as he practiced the drills handed down by the master-at-arms. But today, there was something different. A sharper edge. A deeper focus.
"He's changed," she murmured to herself.
Since his nameday, Vaeron had awakened. Not just in presence, but in ambition. Rhaenys had always known he carried something special in him—a fire restrained by discipline, a mind sharper than the most honed blade. Now, she saw it fully unleashed.
And to her own surprise, that awakening stirred something long buried in her: pride, admiration—and attraction. Not as a mother to a son, but as a woman to a rising power. The boy had become a man, a Lord, and in that transformation, he gleamed like the sunlit sea.
---
POV: Corlys Velaryon
"You want one hundred men?" Corlys raised a silver brow, his hands behind his back as he studied his eldest son in the council chamber.
"Yes," Vaeron replied calmly, his voice even. "Loyal men. Not common swords-for-hire. Men who can be trained to serve something greater."
Corlys narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning, boy?"
Vaeron didn't flinch. "I plan to build something that will outlast all of us. I need an army. My army."
The Sea Snake was silent for a long moment before nodding. "You shall have them. I will summon one hundred of Driftmark's finest young men. But they will not follow you because I ordered it. They must choose to follow you. Earn them."
Vaeron smiled faintly. "I will."
---
POV: Vaeron Velaryon
Within a fortnight, one hundred young warriors from across Driftmark stood assembled before him.
He addressed them not with pomp, but with vision:
"I am not forming a household guard. I am building a brotherhood. You will not fight for gold, but for glory. You will not kneel to lords who do not bleed beside you. Swear loyalty, and you will rise with me."
One by one, hands clenched over hearts. Loyalty values passed 50%, then locked at 80%.
> Army Members: 100/100 (Fully Loyal)
> Army Module Activated.
Army Benefits Applied:
20% Strength, Agility, and Stamina increase
20% faster recovery
Loyalty locked at 80%
Growth Cap: Peak Human (Attribute Cap: 30)
Army Skill Slot Activated
> When any army member perfectly trains a skill:
Lord gains 40% EXP
Captains gain 10% EXP
Members gain 50% EXP
> Army Chat Unlocked
---
In the following weeks, Vaeron trained alongside them. He taught swordsmanship, tactics, and discipline to army members.
Ding
Skill upgraded
> Skill " Swordsmanship" [ White Bronze Rank - Level 1]
Effect: permanent +26% in physical attributes
> Total Stats:
Strength: 12+26% = 15.12
Agility: 13+26% = 16.38
Durability: 11 11+26% = 13.86
Army EXP Shared
> Lord receives 40% EXP
It had begun. A single drill echoed into a tidal wave of growth.
---
POV: Rhaenys Targaryen (Late Night)
She wandered down the hall in silk, the night quiet but for the waves.
And there she found him, alone in the courtyard under the moonlight, training.
His body glistened with sweat, his muscles honed, every strike of his blade like poetry. Rhaenys leaned against a pillar, unable to turn away.
He stopped suddenly and looked her way.
"Mother," he said, a touch surprised.
"You don't sleep?"
"Not when there's work to be done."
She walked to him, close enough to see the intensity in his violet eyes.
"You're becoming something dangerous, Vaeron."
He smiled faintly. "Only to those who stand in my way."
She stared at him, chest tightening. Her hand touched his shoulder, unthinking. "Good. Then don't stop."
The space between them burned with unsaid things. Then she turned and walked away, heart racing.
---
The Lord of Driftmark had risen. His army was formed.
And soon, the world would know his name.
( To be continued.. )