First Landing on Dragonstone

Night had fallen.

Blackwater Bay was far from calm, its waves churning without end.

Clang!

Daeren suddenly reached out, steadying himself as the rocking ship threw him off balance.

He was already aboard the Royal Family's great ship, staying alone in a cabin.

The winds and waves on Blackwater Bay were simply too rough, making his first voyage at sea difficult to adapt to.

"Whew, good thing I'm not seasick."

Daeren let out a long breath, comforting himself.

It was worth mentioning that the ship was called The Rake Prince.

A tribute to his ancestor from eight generations ago—his actual ancestor from eight generations ago, no joke.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked outside. Davos's voice rang out.

"Prince, the winds and waves are strong tonight. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Let me have a quiet night."

Hearing that, Davos tactfully left. He still had other areas to inspect.

Daeren held his breath, listening as the footsteps outside faded away, then pulled a pitch-black furnace-shaped object back from the corner.

The ship had tilted just now, knocking everything into the corner.

Click!

He opened the round lid of the black furnace. Inside, charcoal burned brightly around a red Dragon Egg.

"This thing really is convenient."

Daeren inspected the Dragon Egg, feeling the flames roast it and finding his mood much calmer.

This was not a furnace in the traditional sense, but an incubator specially made to house Dragon Eggs.

In this day and age, no one knew how to make such a thing anymore.

Where had it come from?

Naturally, Lord Owen had dug through the junk in the royal treasury and happened to uncover this antique.

It had likewise come from the era of the Dance of the Dragons and had once been used for a certain prince's Dragon Egg.

After dragons went extinct, it had been swept into the treasury to gather dust.

"Almighty Lord Owen."

Daeren sighed with emotion, barely holding back a laugh.

He took out a Sun Essence and gently placed it beside the Dragon Egg.

This time, there was no brilliant flash.

The Dragon Egg seemed to have eaten its fill last time. Upon coming into contact with the Sun Essence again, it slowly and methodically drew in tiny strands of energy, replenishing its missing vitality.

At its current rate of absorption, it could drain one Sun Essence in seven days.

"The Dragon Egg will hatch soon enough."

Daeren focused wholeheartedly, sensing that the day the Dragon Egg cracked open was not far away.

He put the lid back on and shoved the incubator beneath the bed.

A lot had happened today. He needed to lie down and properly go over it all.

After he left, Elisha would manage the Gold Cloaks and assist Lord Manly in recruiting men to fill the Gold Cloaks' two-thousand-man complement.

As long as the Small Council did not interfere, he had nothing to worry about.

Then there was Cersei, who had also come to the Port to see him off.

He had given Cersei another Yellow Daffodil with a golden star, moving her so much that she had nearly thrown her arms around him and kissed him on the spot.

Fortunately, Tygett Lannister, who had always found Daeren displeasing, held his niece back. Otherwise, she might really have gotten her way.

Naturally, Daeren had a request in mind when he gave her flowers.

He asked Cersei to think of a way to find a Forest Witch.

Forest Witches were rare. Nearly all of them hid in uninhabited places.

Only in the last ten years, after the Red Comet arrived ahead of time and magic on the continent gradually grew denser, had people involved in such mysticism become more active.

Cersei patted her chest and promised on the spot that she would definitely find a Forest Witch before Daeren returned.

She had said it with such confidence that her chest had practically bounced.

Red Keep.

"A Lannister always pays his debts!"

Cersei wore a willful expression as she stuffed the letter she had written into her uncle Tygett's arms.

"I promised Prince Daeren I would find him a Forest Witch. I can't go back on my word."

"Give this letter to Casterly Rock's acting lord and tell him to handle it for me."

Tygett was a broad, burly man, but even he felt numb at this moment.

"Cersei, Forest Witches are all dangerous people. There's no need for us to take such risks for an outsider."

Westeros was relatively backward and still lived under a feudal system.

Witches, Wizards, and their kind were all seen as dangerous and ominous. People respected them from afar.

Who would actively go looking for them?

Cersei lifted her chin and demanded, "Uncle, I made a promise to the prince. Are you asking me to break my word and never be able to face him again?"

She was now deeply dissatisfied with the third uncle who had spoiled her since childhood.

If not for him, she would have kissed the prince at the Port this morning.

Right in front of Princess Shayani, too.

"You know I mean well."

Tygett's mouth twitched. He was truly afraid of this niece of his.

"Then go do it."

Cersei's lips curled upward. She did not forget to remind him, "Don't tell my father. Understand?"

"...All right."

Tygett was speechless, but he did not want to crush his niece's dream of marrying the prince and have her hate him for the rest of her life.

"Good."

Cersei gave a soft snort, delighted beyond measure, and turned to write another letter.

Her quill scratched across the paper as she wrote to her brother, Jaime Lannister.

She had heard that Jaime was at Riverrun in the Riverlands.

Perfect. She would have her dear brother arrange things for her and search the Riverlands for Forest Witches.

He would not dare refuse.

"I need to think of a way to make Jaime obediently come to my side. Otherwise, I won't even have a good excuse to get close to the prince."

Cersei put her world-shaking wisdom to work.

As everyone knew, the key to world-shaking wisdom was not wisdom, but being sufficiently world-shaking.

"Finished."

Cersei was thoroughly satisfied. She muttered to herself, "The first thing the prince has asked of me... even if I have to tie one up, I'll bring a Forest Witch back."

By then, Daeren had already fallen asleep.

The Rake Prince drifted with the waves, crossing one swell after another.

Before he realized it, Daeren entered a dream once more.

This time, he dreamed that he was flying above the clouds, riding an indistinct colossal beast. The heaviness in his chest vanished completely, leaving only exhilaration and lofty ambition.

"Caw, caw, caw!"

Suddenly, a chorus of crows rang out, dragging him down from the sky to the ground.

Daeren opened his eyes in a daze and found himself back inside Dragon Tongue Farm.

The cottage, the Farmland with the basic sprinkler installed, the meteorite beside the Mailbox...

Everything was as it had always been.

"Caw...!"

Several crows landed on the ground. Ignoring the scarecrow's attempts to chase them off, they lowered their heads and pecked at the newly sprouted crops.

He looked at the scarecrow again.

Its comical face was full of anxiety. It wanted to wave its arms and drive the crows away, only to realize it had no arms at all.

"Get lost! Damn crows!"

Out of concern for the crops, Daeren set aside his doubts and instinctively stepped forward to chase the crows away.

The crows scattered in every direction.

"Caw, caw, caw!"

Only one crow remained. As if provoking him, it stood atop the scarecrow's tattered Straw Hat.

It cocked its head and repeatedly studied Daeren.

"Why does this... feel strange?"

Daeren's thoughts were sluggish. He had already noticed that something was wrong, but could not figure out what it was.

Then a thought suddenly surfaced in his heart.

This crow seemed familiar.

Daeren raised his head and widened his eyes, trying to see the crow clearly.

The crow happened to lower its head.

Above its two crow eyes, a larger, rounder red eye grew from its forehead, like a red amber embedded between its brows.

"Caw!!"

The instant his gaze met those three eyes, another piercing cry of a crow rang out.

Daeren shuddered and immediately woke from the dream.

For a moment, his mind was completely blank. His heart pounded wildly, and sweat soaked his chest.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door again. Davos's voice dispelled his panic.

"Prince, dawn has come."

"We'll be docking at Dragonstone soon."

Daeren sat there in a daze for a while, instinctively touching his chest and feeling the violent pounding of his heart as his thoughts gradually came together.

"A crow... a three-eyed crow..."

Calm as he was, he knew this was no ordinary nightmare.

Creak!

Davos received no response from outside. Driven by concern, he pushed open the door and entered.

"Prince, are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine. I had a nightmare."

Daeren waved his hand, forcefully suppressing the lingering fear in his heart. "What time is it?"

In his confusion, he had even forgotten to check the time on the System Panel.

Davos told him the time, then asked with concern again, "We'll reach Dragonstone soon. If you're not feeling well, Prince, I'll send someone to notify the people on the island and have them find a maester."

"No need. Let's go ashore!"

Daeren rolled out of bed, his expression returning to normal.