First Ascent of Dragonstone

Nightfall.

Blackwater Bay was anything but calm, the waves churning ceaselessly.

Clang!

Daeren instinctively reached out, steadying himself against the lurch of the ship.

He was now on the royal flagship, occupying a private cabin.

It was just that the winds and waves of Blackwater Bay were too strong, making his first sea voyage rather uncomfortable.

"Phew, at least I'm not seasick."

Daeren let out a long breath, trying to reassure himself.

It was worth mentioning that the ship was named the "Wandering Prince."

A tribute to his ancestors, no joke, his eight generations of ancestors.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door, and Davos's voice rang out.

"Your Highness, the wind and waves are strong tonight, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just let me have some peace tonight."

Hearing this, Davos understandingly withdrew, needing to check on other areas.

Daeren held his breath, listening until the footsteps outside faded. He then pulled a lacquered Blackfyre stove from the corner.

The ship's tilt earlier had sent everything crashing into the corner.

Click!

He opened the round lid of the lacquered Blackfyre stove. Inside, the coals glowed fiercely, holding a single red dragon egg.

"This thing is certainly convenient."

Daeren examined the dragon egg, feeling its heat and a sense of calm settling over him.

This wasn't a traditional stove, but a specialized incubator for dragon eggs.

In this era, no one knew how to craft such a thing anymore.

You ask where it came from?

Of course, it was Lord Owen rummaging through the treasury and stumbling upon this old relic.

It also originated from the Dance of the Dragons era, having been used for a certain Prince's dragon eggs.

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

"The all-powerful Lord Owen."

Daeren murmured, suppressing a smile.

He took out a Sun Essence and gently placed it beside the dragon egg.

There was no intense light this time.

The dragon egg seemed to have had its fill, and upon contact with the Sun Essence again, it slowly and orderly absorbed wisps of energy, replenishing its lost vitality.

Based on the rate of energy absorption, it would take seven days to fully consume one Sun Essence.

"The hatching of the dragon egg is just around the corner."

Daeren was fully immersed, sensing that the day the dragon egg would hatch was not far off.

He closed the lid and tucked the incubator under the bed.

There had been a lot of things happening today, and he needed to get into bed to review them properly.

After he left, Elisha managed the Gold Cloaks and assisted Lord Mance in recruiting personnel to fill the 2,000-man establishment of the Gold Cloaks.

As long as the Small Council didn't interfere, he didn't need to worry about these matters.

Secondly, Cersei had also come to the port to see him off.

He had given Cersei another golden-star Yellow Daffodil, which had moved her to tears, nearly to the point of embracing and kissing him on the spot.

It was thanks to Tygett Lannister, who had always disliked Daeren, that he had pulled his niece back, otherwise, she might have succeeded.

Daeren giving her flowers naturally had a purpose.

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

Forest Witches were very rare, and almost all of them hid in desolate places.

It was only in the last decade, with the early arrival of the Red Comet, that the continent's magic had become increasingly potent, and such mysterious figures had gradually become more active.

Cersei had immediately patted her chest and guaranteed that before Daeren's return voyage, she would definitely find a Forest Witch.

Her posture was quite... chesty.

"Lannister, a debt must be paid!"

Cersei, with a haughty expression, shoved the written letter into her uncle Tygett's arms.

"I promised Prince Daeren I'd find him a Forest Witch, and I won't go back on my word."

"Give the letter to the acting castellan of Casterly Rock and tell him to do it for me."

Tygett, a burly man, was at a loss.

"Cersei, Forest Witches are dangerous. We don't need to risk ourselves for an outsider."

Westeros was relatively backward, still in a feudal society.

Witches, Wizards, and the like were all regarded as dangerous, inauspicious, and to be avoided.

Who would actively seek them out?

Cersei lifted her chin and questioned, "Uncle, I promised the Prince. Are you going to make me break my word and lose face when I see him again?"

She was quite displeased with her third uncle, who had doted on her since childhood.

If not for him, she could have kissed the Prince at the harbor this morning.

And in front of Princess Shayani, no less.

"You know, I meant well."

Tygett's lips twitched. He truly feared his niece.

"Then go do it."

Cersei's lips curved upwards, and she reminded him, "Don't tell Father. Understand?"

"...Alright."

Tygett was speechless, but he didn't want to shatter his niece's dream of marrying the Prince, only to be hated by her for life.

"That's good then."

Cersei snorted, feeling incredibly pleased. She turned to write another letter.

The quill scratched on parchment, the letter addressed to her brother, Jaime Lannister.

She had heard Jaime was in Riverrun, in the Riverlands.

Perfect. She'd have her good brother arrange for it, to search for a Forest Witch in the Riverlands.

He wouldn't dare disobey.

"I need to find a way to make Jaime obediently come to my side. Otherwise, I won't even have a good excuse to approach the Prince."

Cersei put her world-shattering wisdom to work.

As everyone knows, the focus of world-shattering wisdom isn't the wisdom itself, but how truly world-shattering it is.

"It's done."

Cersei was satisfied, muttering to herself, "This is the first thing Prince Daeren asked of me. Even if I have to tie one up, I'll bring a Forest Witch back."

At this moment, Daeren had already fallen asleep.

The dissolute Prince's ship drifted with the waves, crossing one ripple after another.

Unconsciously, Daeren once again entered a dream.

This time, he dreamed he was flying among the clouds, riding an indistinct beast beneath him. The pent-up frustration in his chest vanished, replaced by exhilaration and lofty ambitions.

"Caw caw caw!"

Suddenly, a crow's caw broke the silence, pulling him back to the ground from the sky.

Daeren's eyes fluttered open. He found himself back at Dragon Tongue Farm.

The cottage, the farmland with its newly installed sprinklers, the meteorite beside the mailbox...

Everything was as usual.

"Caw caw...!"

Several crows landed on the ground. Ignoring the scarecrow's attempts to drive them away, they lowered their heads to peck at the newly sprouted crops.

He looked at the scarecrow.

Its comical face was etched with anxiety, wanting to wave its arms to shoo the crows, but it found it had no arms at all.

"Get lost! Damn crows!"

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

The crows scattered in a panic.

"Caw caw caw!"

Only one crow remained, provocatively standing on the tattered straw hat atop the scarecrow's head.

It tilted its head, repeatedly scrutinizing Daeren.

"What... feels strange?"

Daeren's mind was sluggish. He sensed something was wrong but couldn't pinpoint it.

A thought suddenly sprouted in his mind.

This Crow felt somewhat familiar.

Daeren raised his head, eyes widening as he tried to get a clear look at the Crow.

The Crow happened to lower its head.

Above its Crow eyes, a larger, rounder red eye grew on its forehead, like a red amber set into its brow.

"Caw caw!!"

The instant their gazes met those three eyes, another piercing crow's cry rang out.

Daeren shuddered, waking instantly from his dream.

For a moment, his mind was blank. He only felt his heart pounding wildly, his chest soaked with sweat.

Thump thump thump!

The door knocked again, and Davos's voice dispelled his panic.

"Prince, it's dawn."

"We're docking at Dragonstone soon."

Daeren stared blankly for a moment, instinctively touching his chest to feel his heart's violent thumping, his thoughts gradually reassembling.

"A Crow... a three-eyed Crow..."

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

Creak!

Davos outside, receiving no reply and filled with concern, pushed the door open and entered.

He asked solicitously, "Prince, are you feeling unwell?"

"It's nothing, just a nightmare."

Daeren waved his hand, suppressing the shock in his heart, and asked, "What time is it?"

In his distress, he had even forgotten to check the panel time.

Davos stated the time and asked again, concerned, "We'll be at Dragonstone shortly. If you're not feeling well, Prince, I can send someone to notify the islanders to find a maester."

"No need, we're going ashore!"

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