Margaery Tyrell's brown eyes widened in surprise. " Lord Gryn?"
Lady Olenna's eyes were deep, and her slender, wrinkled fingers tapped the armrest of her chair. She said, "I always thought that boy deliberately approached my foolish son because he thought he was easy to fool, using his eloquent tongue to flatter him until he became arrogant. But I've seen that the Wildling savage has always been devoted to the Lord Boar, and this old woman is starting to doubt her own judgment..."
As she spoke, Lady Olenna looked at her granddaughter. "My Margaery, is your father a chosen one of the Gods? Otherwise, I really can't find a suitable reason to explain why my foolish son always has so many helpers around him."
Margaery's mind drifted to Gryn Crabb, who only cared about Queen Cersei, and she remained skeptical of Gryn's sincerity.
She quickly recalled the Dawn when they "escaped" King's Landing, when Gryn had no intention of letting Renly go, so she had to step in. Before she could say anything, he chose to let them pass... Because of the allure of the Light of Highgarden? Perhaps, but only a little... To be precise, it was the Lord of Highgarden's allure.
Little Rose smiled slightly. She remembered the smug look on her father's face as he stroked his beard after hearing about it. He couldn't hide his satisfaction and repeated several times, "Gryn is a good boy."
So, Lord Gryn said was true? Did he really admire her father so much? Thinking this, Margaery was in turmoil.
Lady Olenna slowly began, "Before the old woman left King's Landing, she met with that little fox in private. Before they parted, he said something that left a deep impression on me: he said he believed that the Golden Rose, under the leadership of Lord Mace, would always have the right to choose."
Margaery's pupils contracted slightly as she asked, "Why is Lord Gryn telling you this?"
Lady Olenna looked at her granddaughter's loving face. "My Margaery, this is not an implication of right or wrong, which is why I said Gryn was an outcast from Wildling's den."
Margaery pondered her grandmother's words and said, "Hmm, he's like a southern knight."
After speaking, Little Rose frowned slightly and continued to ponder, as if her grandmother could read her mind.
Lady Olenna began, "My Margaery, flexibility is essential in the Game of Thrones; it directly impacts the final outcome."
Margaery lightly tapped her chin.
Lady Elena patted Margaery's fair hand and said, "The old woman is telling you this to tell you that even without Renly, your grandmother still has ways to crown her granddaughter as Queen."
Under Margaery's surprised gaze, she continued, "Clearly, this old woman doesn't see any possibility of Renly's failure, so... I'll come back when he's sitting in that Iron Chair at the Red Keep, my Margaery."
"Grandmother..."
"At that time, your grandmother will teach you one last lesson."
Margaery's eyes were slightly red, and she gently rested her head on her grandmother's thin shoulder, her heart filled with respect and gratitude for her grandmother.
Lady Olenna stroked Margaery's hair and said, "My only worry is that Renly and your father are treating this war like a game... a grand Tournament. They're like children lost in songs and stories, and children always think they're invincible."
She sighed, "I see the danger, yet I can't see it. Your father is so engrossed in the prospect of seeing his grandson sit on the Iron Throne that he can't pull himself out of it. At this point, my foolish son will take my advice as mere nagging from his old mother."
Lady Olenna huffed, "I won't do anything pointless."
She paused, then sighed, "Like I said, if we can't see any possibility of Renly failing, I'm not going to be that annoying old woman anymore."
Margaery gently comforted her, "Grandmother, Father won't take your advice as nagging; he's just too happy."
Lady Olenna scoffed and said, " Margaery, even if you believe you'll see the legendary dragon tomorrow, don't trust your father's stupid head."
Margaery couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Lady Olenna patted Little Rose kindly, a rare smile appearing on her face, and said, "Clever Margaery, remember your grandmother's words."
After saying that, she stood up shakily. "Old woman, you have to travel tomorrow, you should get some rest."
Margaery, arm in arm with her grandmother, took a few steps and suddenly asked, "Grandmother, do you think Lord Gryn can be trusted?"
Lady Olenna walked, she said, "As long as you remain vigilant, you can trust anyone, my Margaery."
Margaery nodded slightly; this was her grandmother's teaching, one she never forgot.
Lady Olenna pondered for a moment, then murmured, "Well said, well done. He's an anomaly."
Crackclaw Point, Mermaid Harbor, Small Council Chamber.
Lord Gryn leaned back in his chair and picked up Daenerys's handwritten letter again. The letter was filled with the purest love, the love between a man and a woman.
The usually composed Lord Gryn tapped his long fingers on the armrest of his chair, his brow furrowing and relaxing repeatedly.
Lord Gryn has his sights set on the Vale, the front line of the Iron Throne. Through his maneuvering and shifting between various powers, Crackclaw Point has finally had the opportunity to challenge the Vale. However, given Crackclaw Point's overall strength, it can be said that it only has one chance.
If they win, Gryn's strength will experience a leap forward, but... if they lose, or if they fall into a stalemate, Crabb's Crackclaw Point will be truly crippled, and he will lose the strength and initiative to contend for supremacy.
Gryn occasionally felt a flutter of attraction to beautiful women along the way, but never seriously considered such matters, because a lord's marriage was not merely a romantic love story.
Gryn tried to dispel the image of the stunningly beautiful face from his mind, and he forced himself to think rationally... What changes would Crabb and the Targaryen's marriage bring to the chaotic situation in Westeros?
What kind of future does Daenerys envision? Gryn helps Viserys ascend the Iron Throne, and after achieving this, he and the silver-haired princess live happily ever after in the Vale... It must be admitted that the picture is beautiful and captivating, but this is not Gryn's dream.
Can Viserys sit on the Iron Throne? Dany's brother couldn't... Gryn rose from his chair, took a step, and stood by the window.
Outside the window, there was a magnificent seascape, with the azure water stretching to the horizon, like a dazzling sapphire set in the earth.
Gryn's eyes trembled slightly... There is only one Iron Throne. For the Targaryen and Targaryen supporters, anyone who sits on the Iron Throne is not Targaryen, and that person is their enemy.
The Targaryen were originally intended to be the final step in Gryn's path to the Iron Throne, but Daenerys's affections added a great deal of uncertainty.
Does this change bring more benefits than drawbacks, or more drawbacks than benefits? Gryn thinks it's a 50/50 split.
Time... Gryn suddenly chuckled. How could one accurately calculate the human heart...? A young girl's love comes and goes quickly. Perhaps by the time he received this letter, she would already have found new love. This is a world of ice and fire.
Gryn snapped out of his wandering thoughts; beautiful women really do affect the speed at which you draw your sword.
Knock knock knock.
Having received a response, the butler Herschel, whose belly had grown even larger, cheerfully carried in a tray of food.
After Herschel's butler had set out the food, Gryn went over and sat down, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Herschel."
Butler Herschel bowed slightly, his plump face beaming with smiles. "My master, this is my honor."
Gryn picked up his glass, took a sip, and said, " Herschel, the blockade of Blackwater Bay is expected to last for about another six months. I hope you're prepared."
Butler Herschel couldn't help but sigh, saying regretfully, "If it weren't for this blockade, Mermaid Harbor would have had a considerable surplus this year, and I had originally planned to use that money to invest in port construction next year."
Gryn put down his glass and said, " Lord Renly, with the support of the Lord of Highgarden, has declared himself king in the south. I think the Reach ships will soon be banned from Blackwater Bay."
Herschel's pupils contracted. "My master, our war reserves are still far from sufficient."
Steward Herschel was referring to the grain transported by merchant ships from the Reach to Mermaid Harbor, which was a war reserve stockpiled by the Crabb Territory for the Battle of the Vale.
Gryn leaned back in his chair and said, "While it's not the best situation, our current reserves are enough for us."
Herschel nodded slightly and placed his hand on his chest, saying, "My master, Herschel awaits your orders."
After a pause, Gryn continued, " Blackwater Bay can be said to be in a state of war. Stannis's Royal Fleet will no longer be wholeheartedly focused on defending against pirates as before, because they now have a more important enemy."
He added, "Especially at times like these, we must not neglect the defenses of the port. If we're not careful Mermaid Harbor, which we've worked so hard to build, will be reduced to ashes. Loyal Herschel."
Butler Herschel solemnly replied, "My master, please rest assured, I will remember this."
Essos, the city-state of Viserys (Kantus), the Magister's Palace.
With the help of her maid, Daenerys entered the steaming bathtub. She felt the comfort of the hot water and reached out to touch the Dragon Egg fossil placed beside her.
Since receiving the three Dragon Egg— green, white, and black— Daenerys has found herself drawn to stories about dragons. She has heard that dragons originally came from the East, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai and the islands in the Jade Sea. She thinks... perhaps some dragons still live in that wild and mysterious land.
Daenerys withdrew her hand from the Dragon Egg and asked her new handmaiden, "Do you think I'll ever see a dragon again?"
The new maid knew a lot about dragons. As she brushed Daenerys's back, she said, "Your Highness, I've heard that dragons died out a long, long time ago... They're extinct."
Daenerys looked slightly disappointed. "They're all dead... even the dragons of the East?"
Legend has it that when the apocalypse struck Valyrian and the Lands of the Long Summer, magic vanished in the west. Enchanted swords, weather-predicting Wind-singers, and dragons were all powerless to avert it. But Daenerys heard that the situation was different in the east. Manticores were said to still roam the Jade Sea islands, and Basilisk still inhabited the jungles of the Yi Ti. She wondered... if that was the case, why couldn't dragons possibly survive?
A new maid moved aside and lifted the silver-haired princess's slender, fair arm. "Your Highness, every part of your body is so captivating..."
With her other hand, she picked up the towel and said, "The hero slays the dragon, because dragons are terrifying monsters, so they're gone."
She continued, "A merchant from Qarth told me that dragons emerged from the moon."
Daenerys was both curious and puzzled. "The moon?"
The new maid nodded. "He told me that the moon was an egg, and there were originally two moons in the sky, but one of them was too close to the sun and couldn't withstand the high heat, so it exploded."
Thousands upon thousands of dragons poured out of the exploding moon, absorbing the sun's flames, which is why the dragons breathe fire.
He said that one day the remaining moon would kiss the sun, then explode, and the dragon would return to the world.
Borona, sitting by the fireplace drying her towel, said, "I've heard people say the moon is a goddess, the wife of the sun. I can't believe the moon is an egg."
Daenerys chuckled. "Anything is possible."
After saying that, her violet eyes looked at the Dragon Egg egg fossil, and she thought it would be great if it were a real Dragon Egg.
Daenerys, dressed in a silk nightgown, played with Dragon Egg with a dark green shell on her bed. The scales of the Dragon Egg egg shimmered with a bronze luster in the moonlight, and it was very beautiful... Sometimes she even felt that she could draw energy from the petrified dragon inside the egg, making her strong and brave.
Daenerys Targaryen fell asleep with a gentle smile.
The next morning, Jorah Mormont requested an audience with the silver-haired princess.
Daenerys had a rare good night's sleep and was in a good mood, so she greeted him, "Good day, Sir."
Ser Jorah Mormont, his imposing figure standing before Daenerys, placed a hand on his chest and said, "Good day, Princess Daenerys."
Daenerys smiled and said, "Ser Jorah, what brings you here?"
Jorah glanced at the smiling silver-haired princess and said, "Princess Daenerys, because of His King Viserys' Tournament, too many outsiders have flooded into the city. There were quite a few robberies last night, and the people are very uneasy."
Daenerys put down her teacup and asked gravely, "Many outsiders? Approximately how many have come?"
Sir Jorah replied, "I estimate there are over a thousand."
He added, "Not only has public order deteriorated, but sanitation has also become a problem. The city reeks of foul odors, and public discontent is growing daily. This is dangerous, Your Highness."
Daenerys pondered for a moment, then said, "Ser Jorah, don't we have enough soldiers to maintain order?"
After a pause, Ser Jorah Mormont looked at Daenerys and sighed, "Your Highness, we still need to leave some soldiers to serve as guards to maintain order at the Tournament."