Chapter 60: The Uncrowned Queen Arrives
Nineteen days had passed since the feast at Highgarden. Prince Dragonzel and Prince Jacaerys had first secretly met Duke Loras there, confirming the trade agreement made with Ser Harlon Tyrell. After that, Prince Dragonzel and Earl Thaddeus Rowan shared drinks and received many nobles from the Reach, signing a trade agreement with House Redwyne of the Arbor. Regrettably, none of the girls were ultimately chosen as a marriage prospect for Prince Valarr. During this time, Ser Monde Hightower also brought news from the Citadel: the Conclave was unwilling to offend Prince Dragonzel by risking a dragon's presence, but also unwilling to relinquish their monopoly on knowledge. Thus, they only symbolically recognized seven maesters, including Maester Evans, as maesters and presented them with their chains.
This was the greatest concession the Citadel had made, given that Prince Dragonzel had not ridden a dragon to burn it down.
After leaving Highgarden, Prince Dragonzel flew with Prince Jacaerys to Casterly Rock. They stayed only one day in this mountain city with its massive port before departing. It wasn't because House Lannister was inhospitable.
They were, in fact, too hospitable. Lord Jason Lannister even intended to have his two daughters publicly undress so that Prince Dragonzel could confirm their virginity. This scared Prince Dragonzel so much that he left with Prince Jacaerys right after dinner. On the way to Raventree Hall, Vermithor complained endlessly about not having eaten enough at Casterly Rock.
To be honest, the roasted meat at Casterly Rock wasn't as good as Highgarden's, and the wine wasn't as sweet, but it had fresh seafood and more singers and dwarf jesters. Lord Jason even had his beloved lion and hyena fight in the banquet hall. Prince Dragonzel didn't particularly like such ostentation, so after politely humoring Lord Jason, he left. Of course, it wasn't without gain; Prince Dragonzel reached a written agreement with Lord Jason at Casterly Rock. Lord Jason reduced the customs duty levied on Varezes merchant ships entering Lannisport by twenty percent and promised to use high-purity gold as the currency for transactions.
Overall, it was not a loss.
Raventree Hall.
This castle sits in the lush Blackwood Vale. Ancient walls are covered in moss, two massive square towers guard the gate, and a square watchtower stands at each corner of the wall. Inside the walls are a muddy field, a wooden hall, and a godswood. A towering ancient weirwood stands at the center of the godswood, countless pale branches extending in all directions, enveloping the entire castle.
Sadly, it was dead; its withered branches bore no leaves, and the carved face on the weirwood no longer wept sap. For thousands of years, whenever the moon rose, thousands of ravens would nest and rest in this giant tree.
Raventree Hall was thus named. The First Men bloodline of House Blackwood can be traced back to the ancient Age of Heroes. The Blackwoods claim their ancestors once ruled as kings in the Wolfswood of the North until they were driven south by the Kings of Winter to this confluence of rivers. Even so, the proud First Men bloodline still adheres to their customs; House Blackwood is one of the few noble houses in the Riverlands that still maintains the faith of the Old Gods, as expected. House Blackwood once wore a crown but was betrayed by House Bracken, leading to a blood feud that has lasted for thousands of years. To this day, the two families remain in constant conflict, even though the blood of the other flows in their veins.
A long arrow pierced the eye of a buck precisely, embedding itself deep in its brain without damaging a single bit of its fur. The king of the forest whimpered and then crashed to the ground, its powerful hooves still twitching until it breathed its last. The lean young man quietly, along with several other soldiers, slipped ropes around the antlers and dragged it towards the castle.
"Red Robb, what a rare sight," a bearded old soldier from Raventree Hall chuckled, pulling hard on the rope. "Haven't seen you hunt personally in years. This deer's hide must be intact."
"This deer is for the Prince and the Prince's dragon," Robb Rivers said calmly. "When you see the dragon later, be careful not to anger it."
"A dragon?" The bearded old soldier's eyes widened instantly. "Are you saying that huge commotion today was a dragon?"
Robb nodded. "Prince Dragonzel and Prince Jacaerys have arrived. Lord Samwell Blackwood, the young lord, and the young lady have all gone to greet the Prince and the Prince."
"Then you…"
"I am just a bastard," Robb Rivers stated the fact calmly. "Even if Lord Samwell acknowledges my ability, I cannot sit with the Prince and the Prince."
"But…" The bearded old soldier wanted to say something more but was warned by Robb's gaze, forcing him to change his words: "You're the best archer in our Riverlands."
Robb shook his head helplessly. He couldn't control this matter; after all, his surname was "Rivers," not "Blackwood."
The group dragged the buck and quickly returned to the castle.
Raventree Hall was not large enough to accommodate two dragons, so Lord Samwell Blackwood had set up a camp outside the castle to host Prince Dragonzel and Prince Jacaerys.
"Swish." A long arrow firmly struck the center of the target. The thin, tall girl squinted at the result before reluctantly lowering the weirwood longbow in her hand. The girl had waist-length black curly hair; she wasn't very beautiful, but she was full of heroic spirit.
Prince Dragonzel smiled and applauded, while Lord Samwell frowned with some displeasure, but with Prince Dragonzel nearby, he couldn't say much.
"Your Highness, my sister… sigh," Lord Samwell sighed. "The biggest problem is that she doesn't act like a lady."
"So the Prince is the Prince, who can ride a dragon to sweep through Dorne, while you, my brother, can't even beat those Bracken fools," the girl grumbled, hearing Lord Samwell's words.
"That has never been a problem, Lord Samwell," Prince Dragonzel knew what Lord Samwell wanted to say. "Alysanne Blackwood has the talent of a warrior, but unfortunately, she is too young."
Lord Samwell knew this was a refusal. To be honest, when he first put Alysanne forward, he was prepared to be rejected. After all, the Iron Throne hoped to arrange engagements for Prince Dragonzel and Prince Valarr as soon as possible to prevent Dorne from taking advantage.
So all the girls who were not old enough were just there to make up the numbers. But Prince Dragonzel's politeness indeed left a deep impression on Samwell.
Prince Jacaerys was playing with a 4- or 5-year-old boy. Jacaerys had hidden a candy in his hand and asked the boy to guess which hand it was in.
"I didn't expect Prince Jacaerys to be so approachable," Lord Samwell changed the subject. "It seems Benjicot really likes His Highness."
"Everyone likes a good child. Oh, it seems Vermax's food has arrived." Prince Dragonzel said with a smile, looking up to see Robb Rivers dragging the buck over.
Robb also noticed Prince Dragonzel's gaze and instinctively wanted to leave.
"This must be your brother, Lord Samwell," Prince Dragonzel called out to Robb. "The best archer in the Trident, Red Robb." Samwell also quickly called his bastard brother over. "What are you standing there for? Come over quickly."
Robb awkwardly shuffled over. The other soldiers carefully dragged the deer to Vermax, who was resting in the camp.
The young dragon looked up, then at Prince Jacaerys. After receiving Prince Jacaerys's nod, it breathed a stream of fire, cooking the buck, and then pounced on it, tearing into it with large bites.
"Your Highness, Lord Samwell, I…" Robb was still a bit flustered, not daring to look up at the two. Prince Jacaerys, however, familiarly took Benjicot's hand and walked over to him. "You're Red Robb? I've heard of you, the finest archer in the Riverlands."
"It is my honor."
"It is our honor to meet you too." Prince Dragonzel stood up and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.
Robb looked at Prince Dragonzel, somewhat at a loss, then lowered his head.
Just then, Vermithor, who was sprawled outside the camp after devouring his fifteenth sheep, suddenly raised his head and let out an earth-shattering roar.
Vermax also stopped eating vigilantly, turning his head to look at the sky.
The clouds parted, and a red dragon streaked across the sky like lightning, then dove down in the blink of an eye, roaring as it circled Raventree Hall twice before landing steadily with a thunderous impact amidst the roars of the two dragons.
"Meleys, the Red Queen?" Prince Dragonzel recognized the dragon. "What is Princess Rhaenys Targaryen doing here?"
The silver-haired princess on the dragon saddle let out a long breath, patted the Red Queen, and affectionately hugged its neck for a moment before jumping off the dragon saddle along its wing.
"I'll go prepare food for the Princess's dragon," Robb Rivers used the opportunity to slip away in haste.
"Princess Rhaenys, what is this…?" Prince Dragonzel asked, somewhat confused. Prince Jacaerys, understandingly, tried to help his grandmother, but was gently stopped by her.
"Prince, something has happened on Dragonstone. Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen want to ask you and Prince Valarr for a favor."
"You see this," Prince Dragonzel said, looking at the travel-worn princess. "You could have just told me by raven. Why did you come in person?"
"That rogue Daemon wasn't at ease," Rhaenys smiled. "He said that given your cautious nature, you might overthink things, and my personal presence would be more convincing. He also personally went to Dragon Nest City to find Prince Valarr."
"What happened?" Prince Dragonzel smiled, implicitly agreeing that Daemon was right.
"A clutch of Syrax's eggs has gone missing," Rhaenys said gravely. "The dragonkeepers suspect a wild dragon called the 'Cannibal' did it. This is already not the first time dragon eggs have disappeared on Dragonstone." She clenched her fist. "Merchant ships saw Cannibal attack Seasmoke, and although it wasn't successful and was driven off by several dragons, it proves the danger of this dragon. Prince Daemon hopes to gather all dragonriders with combat experience to eliminate this threat. After all, dragon eggs are too precious; losing even one would be a disaster for us."
Prince Dragonzel listened quietly, saying nothing.
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