Driven by curiosity, Rhaegar slowly pushed himself upright.
Careful not to disturb his wounds, he made his way to the window with slow, cautious movements.
He looked down. Sure enough, it wasn't a cuckoo calling.
It was a short swordsman with curly brown hair.
Syrio put his hands around his mouth and imitated a cuckoo's call, standing in the garden and gazing up at Rhaegar's window.
Rhaegar opened the glass window and called down, "Hey! Why are you making such a racket in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Seeing Rhaegar appear, Syrio bowed and left without a word.
"Freak!"
Rhaegar grumbled and shut the window.
But he couldn't help wondering whether his nightmare had been prophetic.
And what, exactly, had it foretold?
"Wait. Why is Syrio in the Red Keep?"
Rhaegar suddenly recalled Syrio's circumstances and hurriedly called toward the door, "Illyric, I need to speak with you."
Creak—
Illyric opened the door and entered, replying respectfully, "What can I do for you?"
Rhaegar told him that he had just seen Syrio.
Illyric explained, "Syrio won the tournament's dueling competition. He asked the king to let him stay in the Red Keep as a dance instructor, and swore to serve you."
"Syrio swore to serve me?"
Rhaegar was dumbfounded for a moment. He hadn't even known about the tournament.
After Illyric explained it several times, Rhaegar finally understood that Syrio had stayed behind because he wanted to become his swordsmanship instructor.
Rhaegar asked, puzzled, "If he got what he wanted, why disturb my peace in the middle of the night? Could it be that he wanted to see me?"
"That's quite possible. But it's late, and meeting him alone doesn't seem safe."
The king had specifically instructed Illyric not to let Rhaegar be alone with Syrio, and to keep a close watch on him at all times.
Rhaegar had to admit that made sense.
But the nightmare still lingered in his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was connected to Syrio.
After a moment's hesitation, Rhaegar decided to meet him.
"Ser, take me to the garden. Let's see what he wants."
Illyric rubbed the hilt of his sword and nodded. "Climb onto my back, Prince."
Rhaegar didn't refuse. Illyric carried him out.
No matter how quickly his wounds healed, three days was still too short a time.
He had to rely on Illyric whenever he wanted to get out for some fresh air.
They descended flight after flight of stairs, avoided the hall where servants were cleaning up, and entered a small garden.
Syrio was waiting beneath the Weirwood tree.
As soon as they met, Rhaegar impatiently asked, "Syrio, why did you come looking for me so late at night?"
Syrio smiled warmly. "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late. I happened to witness something that caught my attention."
"Tell me. What did you see?"
Rhaegar was becoming more and more certain that Syrio had something to do with his nightmare.
Syrio said, "After the feast ended, I was strolling around the garden when I happened to see two figures sneaking past."
"Who were they? Did you see their faces?"
Rhaegar was full of questions.
"One wore roughspun clothes and a shabby hat, but I'd never mistake that beautiful face. It was your sister, Princess Rhaenyra."
Syrio described the pair's appearance and added, "The other was tall and straight-backed, and seemed vaguely familiar. If I remember correctly, Prince Daemon left the feast early..."
Syrio said no more.
But he had made his meaning perfectly clear.
Rhaenyra and Daemon had slipped out of the Red Keep.
Rhaegar knitted his brows and studied Syrio.
Everyone in the Red Keep knew that Rhaenyra and Daemon were close.
Rhaenyra had admired her uncle since she was little.
Daemon doted on his niece, bringing her gifts whenever he traveled and showing her great affection.
The two of them sneaking out wasn't necessarily a big deal.
Syrio clasped his hands behind his back and nudged a pebble with his foot, looking as though he had more to say but didn't know how.
Rhaegar had guessed as much. "Go on. Is there something else?"
Syrio admitted, "I asked one of Prince Daemon's attendants. He booked a private room at a brothel on Silk Street tonight."
Rhaegar froze, staring at Syrio in confusion.
The last part of Syrio's sentence echoed over and over in his mind.
"A brothel, a private room, Daemon and... Rhaenyra?"
Young Rhaegar's mind stalled as he guessed at an unethical possibility.
Even though such a possibility was nothing new for the Targaryen family.
But not Daemon!
That man looked like he was up to no good.
Illyric spoke up at the right moment. "Prince, this matter is extremely serious. I believe we should inform the king."
The situation was dreadful.
Prince Daemon, Rhaenyra's uncle, had lured her to a brothel to take a room with him. That was treason.
"Wait. Don't tell my father yet."
Rhaegar immediately objected. He didn't want this brought to his father just yet.
His furious father could easily cause a huge scene.
Whether anything had happened or not, Rhaenyra's reputation would suffer.
The scandal would inevitably cause a stir.
His mind racing, Rhaegar looked at Syrio and demanded, "How long ago did they leave?"
"About half an hour," Syrio said after a moment's thought.
"Are you sure you saw my sister? It's all right if your eyes were mistaken, but if you say the wrong thing, it could cost you your life!"
Rhaegar still found it hard to believe.
Syrio swore solemnly, "I swear by the old and new Gods, I saw them clearly."
"Good. Don't tell anyone about this. Understood?"
Rhaegar's warning was unmistakable.
Syrio nodded, bowed, and took his leave.
He had accomplished what he came to do. There was no point staying any longer.
Rhaegar stared at the Weirwood before him. Blood tears ran down the strange face carved into its trunk, seeming to merge with the blood in his nightmare.
Syrio's appearance had been far too sudden.
But Rhaegar had no time to wonder what he was really after.
He had to find Rhaenyra.
"Ser, we're leaving at once. We have to find my sister."
Rhaegar couldn't wait another moment. He wanted to bring Rhaenyra back before anyone noticed she was gone.
The Red Keep was a long way from Silk Street. Rhaenyra had only been gone for half an hour. There was still time.
Illyric frowned. "This is a serious matter. Searching for her ourselves would be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"That's all right. I heard Rhaenyra say that Daemon owns a share in the biggest brothel on Silk Street. He'll definitely go there."
Rhaegar said gravely, "Daemon is up to no good with my sister. We have to stop him in time."
"Yes, Prince. It seems we need to resolve this before it turns into a scandal."
Illyric carried Rhaegar and started toward the exit.
At those words, inspiration struck Rhaegar. He sensed that something was amiss.
"Wait, Ser!"
Rhaegar immediately called him to a halt and gathered his thoughts.
Syrio was not someone he could trust.
His sudden appearance to report this might have been an obvious attempt to curry favor with Rhaegar, but he could have had some other motive in mind.
Rhaegar needed to think it through and untangle the mess in his head.
Daemon's attempt to lure Rhaenyra seemed genuine.
Daemon had always coveted the throne. If he won Rhaenyra's affection and became her consort, he could return to the center of power and perhaps even undermine Rhaenyra, the heir.
For now, Syrio's report could be taken as an attempt to curry favor with Rhaegar.
It could earn Rhaegar's trust.
But what role was Rhaegar supposed to play in this affair?
Was he meant to tell his father, like an innocent child, provoking the king's Fury of the Sleeping Dragon and prompting him to have Daemon arrested?
Or was he meant to sneak out of the Red Keep to protect his sister's honor and find Rhaenyra himself?
Or was he supposed to pretend he knew nothing, keep the matter quiet, and wait for the scandal to erupt?
That's it. Let the scandal erupt! Someone wants this to become as big as possible.
Rhaegar suddenly understood. He had seen through a sinister scheme.
Whether he told his father or went looking for her himself, someone could spread the story and ruin Rhaenyra's reputation.
If he turned a blind eye, he would be doing exactly what Daemon wanted.
With that thought, Rhaegar felt as if a veil had been lifted. He could smell a conspiracy.
He had to find Rhaenyra, but he couldn't make a conspicuous search.
I need to find a way to draw everyone's attention elsewhere!
After reading yesterday's reader feedback, I realized there was considerable controversy over Rhaenyra's relationship with the protagonist.
The author reflected deeply on this and realized that an excessive focus on details from the show had led to several chapters being too misleading and the wording being imprecise.
Some inappropriate words and sentences have been replaced.
Chapters like those will not appear again.
Before you continue