Mermaid Harbor, the " Mermaid " slowly docked at the East Wharf.
On the bridge deck, Daenerys Targaryen, wearing a blue hooded cloak, walked slowly to the railing and looked at the bustling scene on the dock with great interest.
Gryn Crabb approached Daenerys, pointed south, and said, "With a tailwind, it should take about a day and a night to reach Dragonstone."
Daenerys gazed in the direction Gryn pointed and murmured, " Dragonstone..."
Princess Dragonstone looked away, her gaze somewhat vacant, and said, " Gryn, Viserys told me that my mother... Rhaelle Targaryen was there to crown him, and later she died in childbirth on a stormy night while giving birth to me."
Her eyes were slightly red. "My brother said I took his mother's life..."
As she spoke, she squeezed her wrist and continued, "I used to be most afraid of Viserys remembering this, because every time it was mentioned, it would awaken his Wake the Dragon, and I could do nothing but beg for mercy in the face of his punches and kicks... Actually, what I feared most was that one day my brother would abandon me, so I would rather..."
A tear slid down Daenerys's cheek. "Being the object of my brother's resentment gave him a reason not to abandon me. My most desperate moment was when he wanted to sell me to the barbarians in exchange for ten thousand soldiers to reclaim the Iron Throne..."
She touched her cheek with her hand, then continued, " Viserys suddenly ordered me to curry favor with a Half-Wildling nobleman from Westeros..."
Before she could finish speaking, Daenerys chuckled softly to herself.
Gryn smiled, put his arm around Daenerys, and said, " His King Viserys has made a wise decision."
Daenerys looked up at Gryn: " Viserys became like that, although there were conspirators involved, I still hate him, even despise him, yet I also miss him."
She added, "Am I conflicted, Gryn?"
Gryn shook his head slightly and replied, " Dany, you can hate him for the humiliation he caused you, or you can be grateful for his unwavering support. This is not only normal, but also very reasonable."
Daenerys nodded, paused, and said, " Gryn, I'll use the alias Rhaella, Rhaella of the Summer Isles."
The Summer Isles, located in the Summer Sea south of Westeros, is a verdant archipelago of over fifty islands, each with its own prince and princess... Whether within or outside the archipelago, the number of people bearing this title is countless. Daenerys ' true identity must be concealed for the time being, so Gryn presents her publicly as a princess stranded on one of the Summer Isles' islands.
As for the pseudonym Daenerys chose for herself... Gryn knew she was commemorating her mother, which is very Westeros.
Gryn's lips curved slightly. " Princess Rhaella, I think Crabb's retainers would prefer to call you Lady Crabb."
Daenerys blinked, thought for a moment, and then smiled, saying, "It seems they're really looking forward to your marriage."
The Small Council Chamber in Mermaid Harbor.
Butler Herschel bowed, his face beaming, " Princess Rhaella, Herschel is at your service!"
Herschel's gesture made Daenerys smile.
The chubby butler looked expectantly at his lord again. Gryn ruffled his hair and said, "The wedding will be held after the Vale is harvested. You can plan ahead."
Butler Herschel nodded quickly and said, "I'll do it tomorrow..."
He paused, glanced at the twilight outside the window, and continued, "It's still early. I'll begin preparations soon, my master."
Gryn shooed them away. "Get out of here."
As Herschel hurried away, Daenerys couldn't help but laugh.
The next day, in Whispers, at the bathhouse.
Butler Surana helped Daenerys take a bath, glancing at her future mistress's "hairstyle." Daenerys lowered her eyes thoughtfully... So Gryn Grim likes it... No wonder!
Soaking in the hot water made Daenerys feel relaxed, both physically and mentally. She closed her eyes and recalled what she had seen and heard since entering the Crabb Territory.
Daenerys's impressions of Westeros mostly came from Viserys's words and what she had heard in Essos. It was her first time setting foot on the Westeros, and in the Crabb Territory she passed through, she did not see the filth and stench she had imagined. The white Mermaid Harbor occasionally made her mistakenly think she was in the beautiful Pentos.
Bathed in sunlight, Whispers, with its white walls and blue spires, resembles a castle from a ballad, utterly enchanting.
The interior of Whispers lacks ornate decorations, but the seemingly simple stone slabs and wooden planks combine to create a unique kind of splendor (the minimalist beauty brought by the micro-management of Gryn and the transmigrator).
This is the territory of Half-Wildling noble?!
Why was Crabb referred to as Half-Wildling nobleman?
Daenerys slowly opened her eyes; she seemed to have found the answer: it was Gryn.
" Lady Surana, could you tell me the story of Gryn?"
Surana was very direct. "Madam, this is my honor."
Whispers, the lord's bedroom.
Gryn was reading a letter from Cersei Lannister, asking him to return to the Red Keep. His brow furrowed slightly.
Gryn put down the letter; news of Stannis's fleet heading south should have already reached the Red Keep... He reread the wording of the letter.
Although the wording was ordinary, Gryn, who knew Cersei well, sensed a growing suspicion about him in her words... What had happened at the Red Keep?
Gryn picked up another letter, this one written by Tyrion.
After reading it, Gryn pondered for a while, his eyes trembling slightly... The Spider, so Varys wanted him to return to the Red Keep.
Gryn's eyes flickered. There was another letter inside Tyrion's envelope, and the paper... Joffrey?!
Gryn tore open the seal on the letter, read it, and a smile crept onto his lips. The letter read: In the name of Emperor Joffrey, conquer the Vale!
Tyrion Lannister is indeed a reliable ally!
The door was pushed open, and Daenerys, who had put her headscarf back on, entered the bedroom. She had changed into a soft, light gold nightgown.
A graceful figure moved within Gryn's line of sight, offering him a glass of Summer Wine.
" Gryn, you seem to be in a good mood?"
Gryn took the glass, swirled it, and said, " The Red Keep has sent a royal decree ordering the Crackclaw Point to conquer the Vale..."
He pointed to the letters on the table and said, "It's perfectly legitimate."
Daenerys shifted and sat on Gryn's lap. "My knight, this is indeed something to celebrate."
Daenerys's robes slowly slipped down, and she gently lifted Gryn's chin with a finger, raising one eyebrow slightly, and said, " Earl, I've heard you need an heir?"
Meanwhile, in a valley northeast of Whispers.
The composed Garrison Legion commander Mason Baker, collapsed to the ground, exclaiming in disbelief, "A dragon... a dragon?!"
The three little dragons, which had just been released from the specially made wooden box by Osana and the others, arrogantly howled at Crabb's retainer knights.
At dawn, beyond the rain-soaked fields and rocky, rugged hills, the massive Storm's End stands tall against the sky, completely obscuring the vast ocean behind it.
The crest of Crowned Stag is etched in the heart of the banner's flame, and the sun-colored banner flutters beneath the pale gray boulder.
King Stannis Baratheon kicked his horse's flank and rode off with his standard-bearer, dressed in fiery red with his face hidden in a scarlet hood.
Seeing Stannis ride towards him, Renly Baratheon smiled knowingly before urging his beautiful mare forward. His standard-bearer was the resolute-faced Randyll House Tarly, whose twelve-foot Earl bore a black Crowned Stag leaping against a Randyll background, the sea breeze creating endless ripples.
The Baratheon brothers stopped their horses a horse's length apart.
King Renly wore a crown adorned with Golden Rose, a gold necklace of emeralds around his neck, a green velvet coat, and a silk cloak trimmed with squirrel fur. His sword sheath was studded with countless large, finely polished black diamonds.
King Stannis wore a crown of red gold shaped like a flame, a cotton coat over a studded leather vest, a belt inlaid with garnets and topaz, coarsely woven brown breeches, and a pair of worn boots. A large square ruby was set in the hilt of his sword.
King Stannis's chin twitched silently as he said, " Lord Renly."
King Renly corrected him cheerfully, "It is King Renly, Stannis."
King Stannis's face tightened. He said, " Renly, I am your elder brother, and I am ahead of you in the line of succession. By law, I am the rightful king. You should be loyal to me and obey me."
"But Seven Kingdoms deny you, my brother!"
Renly spread his hands in a helpless gesture and continued, "The old man was muttering denial as he died, the unborn baby was kicking and crying in its mother's womb, the Dornish denied you, the Reach denied you, the Stormlands denied you."
He sighed and said, "My brother, it's a real shame that no one wants you to be their king."
King Stannis gritted his teeth and said, "I swore that as long as you wear that Crown of rebellion, I will never deal with you again. I should have kept my oath long ago!"
King Renly shrugged and said, " Stannis, I'm a little curious. Since you believe yourself to be the rightful king... King 'King's Landing and Dragonstone are so close, why don't you go and conquer them, instead of coming all this way to raid my Storm's End?"
"Your Storm's End?!"
King Stannis's voice was filled with anger. " Renly, I am here to reclaim what is rightfully mine."
As King Stannis finished speaking, King Renly's expression turned serious, and his hand suddenly reached for his waist.
Stannis's eyes narrowed, and his hand quickly gripped the hilt of his sword, but before he could draw it... his brother pulled out a peach.
King Renly grinned, revealing his teeth. "A peach from Highgarden, would you like one?"
Stannis gritted his teeth, realizing he had been tricked by Renly.
Under Stannis's fiery gaze, King Renly took a large bite of the peach, chewed a few times, glanced at the Flaming Heart Banner, and suddenly said, " Stannis, whose banner are you... really flying?"
King Stannis narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "This is my banner."
The standard-bearer Melisandre, spoke up, "The emblem of Stannis I is the Fiery Heart of R'hllor, the Lord of Light."
Renly seemed amused, and he laughed heartily, saying, " Stannis, I wholeheartedly agree. Otherwise, with both of us carrying the same Crowned Stag banner, it's no wonder the soldiers get confused during battle."
King Stannis roared, " Renly, if you're going to waste your breath on me, then our conversation is over!"
Having said that, King Stannis was about to pull on the reins and turn his horse around.
"Hey, wait a minute."
King Renly, finding it rather uninteresting, tossed aside the peach in his hand and said, " Stannis, I have a good suggestion."
King Stannis remained silent, his sharp gaze fixed on Renly.
King Renly's smile vanished, and he said sternly, " Stannis, I suggest you dismount immediately, kneel on one knee, and swear allegiance to me."
King Stannis, barely suppressing his rage, said, "You... will never get it."
King Renly asked, somewhat puzzled, " Stannis, if you can serve Robert, why can't you serve me?"
King Stannis gritted his teeth. " Robert is my brother, and you are just my younger brother."
King Renly shrugged. "Yes, I am younger than you, I am more popular, I am more merciful, I am more generous..."
" Renly, you're a thief! You're the Usurper!"
King Renly shrugged again and said, " The Targaryen also call Robert the Usurper, but that accusation has no effect on him, so... Stannis, I don't care either."
King Stannis took a deep breath and said coldly, " Renly, I am the rightful king. You are a traitor, and traitors will eventually meet their end."
King Renly scoffed, "My brother, don't accuse others of being traitors so easily. What's the difference between you and me? You claim to be the rightful king, but according to the kingdom's laws, Joffrey is Robert's rightful heir, followed by Tommen the Younger... So, according to you, we are both traitors."
King Stannis said coldly, "My letter made it very clear that Joffrey and Tommen are not Robert's children, nor is that girl. All three are bastards born of incest."
King Renly chuckled, "I've read it. It is indeed a brilliant story... I confess, I never imagined you possessed such a clever scheme. Stannis, if your fabricated story is true, you are indeed Robert's rightful heir."
A vein throbbed on King Stannis's forehead. " Renly, do you suspect I'm lying?"
King Renly sighed helplessly and said, "My brother, the more exciting the story, the more irrefutable the evidence needs. Are you sure you can produce it?"