Dragonstone.
Daeren stepped off The Rake Prince, setting foot on this family holding for the first time.
"Prince, watch out for the waves."
Davos offered the reminder kindly, still concerned about the prince's condition.
Unwilling to dwell on the nightmare, Daeren nodded perfunctorily and surveyed the entirety of Dragonstone.
He had a feeling.
He might have caught the attention of "Bloodraven," or rather, the "Three-Eyed Crow."
The Three-Eyed Crow possessed an ability akin to sending dreams.
In the original story, his elder brother Rhaegar had been obsessed with prophecy, while his father Aerys had screamed, "Burn them all, burn them all," before his death. It was hard to say the Three-Eyed Crow had not been involved.
Especially since Targaryens were already prone to dreamers; if they received such dreams, they would likely attribute them to their own gifts.
"Did I change history, or did Dragon Tongue Farm draw his attention?"
Daeren could not fathom it and did not dare jump to conclusions.
Based on the scraps of information still available, the other party seemed intent on guiding him.
The first time he found a Dragon Egg, the other party had appeared in his dream.
This time, after he set foot on Dragonstone, the other party revealed himself again.
"Looks like I can't go to The Wall."
Daeren chose caution.
He had made up his mind. Whoever wanted to go to The North could go; he would have nothing to do with it.
Rumble!
The black stone gates built into the cliff slowly opened. Above them, fully armed guards stared intently at the group below.
Daeren looked around and sensed that something was wrong.
"Prince, they don't seem very welcoming?"
Having seen countless people in his life, Davos carefully leaned close to whisper the warning into the prince's ear.
"Don't rush."
Daeren signaled for him to remain calm and led the group through Dragonstone's gates.
Stone Drum Tower stood along one side of Dragon Mountain, connected to the coast by a winding, steep Stone Stair Bridge. At the end of the bridge stood Dragonstone's City Gate.
These structures had all been built using dragonstone techniques mastered by the ancient Dragonkings during the era of Old Valyria.
Even after passing through the gate, no one came to greet them.
Daeren frowned.
He had sent Rhaegar a letter in advance. No matter what, someone should have been sent to receive him.
Speak of the devil.
A Kingsguard in Silver Armor and White Robe emerged from the mist-shrouded Stone Stair Bridge. He stopped before the group and said blandly,
"Everyone, please follow me."
Without betraying a trace of emotion, Daeren turned and met Davos's gaze.
Davos understood at once. He stepped forward and demanded, "A Targaryen prince, Prince Rhaegar's own brother, has arrived, and you sent only one man? Is this how Dragonstone receives its guests?"
A lord might endure humiliation, but his servant could not. He could not stand by and watch the prince be slighted.
The Kingsguard paused as he turned away. He raised a hand, removed his helmet, and revealed a cold, stern face.
Oswell Whent.
Daeren recognized him at once.
This man came from the Whent Family of Harrenhal and was one of Rhaegar's most devoted followers.
Oswell glanced at Davos. Not recognizing him, he curled his lip dismissively.
Then he looked at Daeren, who stood before the others.
"Prince Rhaegar has just returned from sea and is handling official business in the Map Chamber. Please proceed to the solar first, Prince."
Official business?
What business could be more important than his own brother?
And the solar was something Daeren had never even heard of.
When had Stone Drum Tower ever contained such a place?
"Please do not take offense."
Oswell's words were polite, but his attitude was utterly perfunctory. He turned directly and walked onto the Stone Stair Bridge.
"You...!"
Seeing the disrespect shown by his fellow Kingsguard, Ser Jon was the first to lose his patience.
Daeren grabbed him and soothed him. "Follow him first. Don't act rashly."
This was Dragonstone, Rhaegar's territory.
He had come to the island to ask for help. It would be best not to start a conflict immediately.
"Prince, he was far too rude."
Ser Jon was furious.
Under normal circumstances, even if Rhaegar and Elia, his brother and sister-in-law, did not personally greet him, they should at least have sent the acting castellan or an honor guard.
How could they simply throw out one Kingsguard to lead the way and call it enough?
Besides, the Kingsguard symbolized the King. Could one represent Prince Rhaegar?
Stone Drum Tower.
The so-called solar was a room facing the sun.
The hard rock wall had been knocked through and replaced with glass panels, forming a sunroom that swept away Stone Drum Tower's usual gloom and made the entire chamber bright and warm.
"Prince, please enter."
After opening the door, Oswell stood stiffly in the doorway without moving.
Daeren shot him a sidelong glance, committing this arrogant man to memory before striding into the solar.
The moment he entered, light refracted through the glass ceiling, illuminating the flowers and plants growing all over the floor.
The room was also well arranged. A pale carpet and brown bookshelves, along with neatly placed porcelain of every kind, gave it an elegant air.
A beautiful young woman stood in the room. Her black hair was soft and smooth, her skin fair with a warm golden hue, and she wore a yellow, slit Dorne gown.
"You must be Daeren?"
Elia had been waiting for some time and approached with graceful steps.
Her figure was slender, yet her curves were striking. Beneath the revealing Dorne gown, her full thighs appeared and disappeared from view.
Daeren kept his gaze proper and asked, "Elia?"
The two had never met before.
After his father Aerys's madness worsened, his desire to control his children had grown intense. He had forbidden them from meeting anyone from Dorne.
Elia smiled gently and took Daeren's hand. "Yes, it's me. I heard you were coming to Dragonstone, so I specifically wrote back to you."
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
Daeren glanced at the soft fingers resting on his wrist. Surprised by how different Dorne women were, he nevertheless did not lower his guard.
No one would feel good after being treated with such disregard.
Elia looked puzzled, then glanced outside and understood everything.
"I'm sorry. Ser Oswell did not mean it."
Elia apologized and explained softly, "My uncle, Prince Lewyn, was injured, and Rhaegar has matters he cannot get away from. That is why the atmosphere on Dragonstone has been somewhat strange."
Prince Lewyn was injured!
A thought flashed through Daeren's mind, linking it to Rhaegar's voyage.
Prince Lewyn was one of the Kingsguard.
At the same time, he was the younger brother of the previous Princess of Dorne, as well as the maternal uncle of the current Prince of Dorne, Doran Martell, and Elia.
"How are Prince Lewyn's injuries?" Daeren asked with concern.
Elia looked somewhat saddened, though she did not want to show it. She shook her head. "It's nothing serious. His lower leg was injured. The maester said that a year or so of recuperation should be enough."
That was no light injury.
Daeren nodded to himself, gaining a general understanding of Dragonstone's situation.
He turned and beckoned to Davos, who had been waiting by the door. Davos handed over an exquisite gift box.
Daeren gave the box to Elia and said, "We were unable to attend your wedding with Rhaegar. This is a belated wedding gift from Sister, Brother, and me."
"Thank you."
Elia was slightly surprised. She had not expected a gift.
Daeren said, "Open it and have a look. It should be of help to you."
Elia did not understand, but out of courtesy, she opened the gift box stamped with a Three-Headed Red Dragon and a Spear Piercing the Sun.
Inside lay one gold-star strawberry and six silver-star strawberries.
"This gift is far too valuable."
Elia's expression froze.
As the Princess of Dorne, her experience was anything but ordinary. She had seen countless treasures.
Special Crops were precious, yet she had never lacked them for consumption.
But precisely because of that, she understood the value of this gift even better.
Special Crops were already rare, and high-quality ones were even harder to come by.
Seven high-quality fruits of the same variety, one of them even of the exceptionally rare gold-star quality—the implications behind them were immense.
Daeren said solemnly, "Rhaegar said you were pregnant. I hope these can nourish your body and help you give birth safely."
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