Daenerys Targaryen sighed softly. Ever since Gryn left the territory... she'd been so busy.
The petition from the people of Crabb... Administration of grain reserves... Administration of land development... Receiving the visiting noblewomen and young ladies from Crackclaw Point... Her Highness is very busy.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door was pushed open, Samwell's broad, stout figure appeared in the princess's study.
Samwell bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness, Dick Crabb has sent a letter from Maidenpool."
Daenerys glanced at Samwell's red and swollen eyes and asked, " Samwell, what did he say?"
Samwell replied respectfully, " Dick said in his letter that Earl William Mooton of Maidenpool has refused to trade grain with us."
Daenerys nodded slightly and said, "Just as we expected."
Samwell added, " Dick said in his letter that the Count of Maidenpool had pledged allegiance to Robb Stark, so he, as Lord Gryn had instructed, issued a war warning to Maidenpool... and then Dick was expelled from Maidenpool by them."
Daenerys smiled and joked, "From now on, we'll have to call him Lucky Dick."
Samwell scratched the back of his head and said, "Yes, Your Highness."
After a pause, Daenerys said softly, " Samwell, you could actually go home and visit."
After a moment of silence, Samwell shook his head firmly and said, "Your Highness, thank you for your kindness, but... I am Gryn's squire, and I wish to obtain his permission in person."
After giving his convincing "excuse," Samwell quietly wiped the corner of his eye.
Daenerys nodded slightly; she knew Samwell had renounced his claim to Horn Hill before leaving home. She could guess that Samwell was now hiding in his house, weeping over his father's death, rather than returning home, to avoid a "conflict" with his brother ( Dickon House Tarly ).
Samwell was considerate of everyone, but he neglected his own feelings; he was too kind.
Daenerys rose from her chair, walked to the window, stood silently for a moment, and then reached out and pushed open the narrow window.
She began, " Samwell, today I want to hear the legends of Westeros."
Samwell was not only Daenerys's Chief Steward, but also her "cultural studies" teacher.
Samwell wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said, "Your Highness, the legends of Westeros are countless, and my knowledge is limited, but I am happy to serve you."
Daenerys gazed out the window for a moment with her violet eyes, then said, " Samwell, I want to hear stories of the White Walker."
Daenerys had a strange dream last night.
A large group of black figures moved slowly across the snow. Although it was a dream, she, as True Dragon, felt an intense chill, causing her to tremble all over.
Upon waking up in the morning, recalling the scene from her dream, for some reason... it reminded her of the legendary White Walker.
" White Walker?"
"Yes, White Walker, tell me what you know, Samwell."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After a moment's thought, Samwell slowly began to speak, " The White Walker are mentioned in the Westeros Chronicles, but they don't appear frequently in the books I've read."
Our oldest historical records were written after the Andals arrived in Westeros; the First Men left behind only runes on the rocks.
Therefore, the so-called historical facts we believe we know about the Age of Dawn, the Age of Heroes, and the " Long Night " are all additions by scholars thousands of years later.
For example, legends mention many kings who ruled for hundreds of years, and knights who fought on the battlefield for a thousand years... and the title of knight was brought to Westeros by the Andals."
He licked his lips and continued, "Rumor has it... many maesters in the Citadel simply don't believe the tales of the White Walker."
Daenerys raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is there any record of what they look like?"
After thinking for a moment, Samwell said, "Most stories claim that the White Walker come when it's cold, or that the cold comes because of them."
Sometimes they appear during snowstorms and melt away when the weather clears. They avoid sunlight and only move at night... or rather, when they appear, it gets dark.
Some stories describe them riding on the carcasses of animals, including bears, Direwolf, mammoths, horses... basically, any dead body.
Some stories also mention giant ice spiders. Furthermore, legend has it that those killed by the White Walker must be cremated, otherwise their bodies will rise from the dead and become their slaves.
Daenerys turned around and said, "Kill... Is there any record of how to kill White Walker?"
Samwell nodded slightly and said, "I once read in a very ancient book that ordinary swords cannot kill White Walker, and the swords they use are so cold that they can shatter steel... Only fire can affect them, and apart from that, Dragonglass is their natural enemy."
" Dragonglass?"
" Dragonglass's scientific name is Obsidian. It is said that during the Age of Heroes, the Children of the Forest gifted the Night's Watch with one hundred Obsidian daggers every year."
After a pause, Samwell continued, "I once read a passage in an ancient text about the ' Long Night,' which tells of the final hero slaying the White Walker with dragonsteel. If that's true, I think even the White Walker couldn't withstand dragonsteel."
Daenerys whispered, "Dragonsteel?"
Samwell nodded and said, "I think Dragonsteel refers to Valyrian Steel. Gryn's Ice Greatsword is Valyrian steel sword, but these are just my personal guesses."
After hearing the "story," Daenerys seemed to fall into deep thought.
After a while, seeing Daenerys turn her gaze back to the window, Samwell awkwardly poured her a glass of wine and handed it to Daenerys.
"Thanks."
Daenerys took a sip of her Summer Wine and asked, " Samwell, what are White Walker? Or rather, where do they come from?"
Samwell shook his head and said, "Your Highness, I don't know... Most of my knowledge comes from the books in the collection of the Maester of Horn Hill and the books of Maester Al; I haven't read any relevant records."
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, you... believe in the legends of the White Walker?"
"I want to confirm its existence..."
Daenerys turned to Samwell and said, " Samwell, I've heard that the Oldtown Academy holds all the knowledge of Westeros?"
Samwell nodded blankly.
Daenerys continued, " Samwell, Horn Hill is very close to Oldtown; perhaps I'll need your help."
Last night's dream left Daenerys feeling inexplicably uneasy, and now, after hearing the story of the White Walker, for some reason... this feeling has deepened.
Daenerys felt this might be some kind of warning from the bloodline of True Dragon.
From another perspective, it's just a dream after all. Isn't Daenerys being overly sensitive?
Daenerys's goal was actually quite simple: she simply didn't want anything to "disrupt" her current blissful life.
Moreover, her Gryn foresaw her danger in a dream, which is why he came to Essos.
Perhaps it was Gryn's timely arrival that directly saved her from facing a certain danger alone.
In short, whatever it is, Daenerys will not let it go once she has sensed a threat.
As Daenerys emerged from the bathroom at night, she glanced at the maid standing outside her bedroom door. Her smile... was somewhat... warm?
Daenerys was a little tired after her bath. After entering her bedroom, she went straight to the bed... and then she saw Gryn lying there.
Daenerys blinked, as if she thought it was her imagination.
Gryn's steady voice rang out at that moment. "Good night, my Dany."
It's confirmed, this is not a hallucination.
" Gryn!" Daenerys lunged at him.
Daenerys was caught safely by Gryn, and she couldn't help but exclaim with joy, "I thought we'd be apart for a long time..."
Gryn gently stroked Daenerys's cheek and said, "I arrived not long ago; I just happened to be passing by."
Daenerys's lips curled into a smile, "Just... passing by?"
"Ahem, I took a slight detour." To be precise, Lord Gryn deliberately took a long detour to get here, giving himself the excuse of checking the territory's treasury.
Now, he suddenly realized that the seemingly reasonable reasons he had given himself... might not even be believed by the White Walker.
"Tomorrow morning..."
Before Gryn could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Daenerys's kiss, and she even climbed on top of him.
" Gryn, let me rest for a bit..."
"Please, I want to rest..."
" Gryn, I'm rested..."
The next day, as dawn was breaking.
On the bed, Daenerys was fast asleep, nestled in a blanket. Gryn kissed her forehead lightly and then left the room.
During his ride, Lord Gryn drowsily glanced at the sky; he was so sleepy.
After leaving Wolfswood, Bran and his companions climbed the ancient stone hills, where the tawny and golden autumn leaves became increasingly scarce, and when the hills became mountains, they disappeared completely.
"Do we really have to take it one step at a time?"
" Hodor, Hodor, Hodor..."
"Up, down, down; down, up, up. Up, down, up, down; down, up, up, down."
Meera Reed complained, " Bran, these mountains of yours are really boring, I hate them."
Bran Stark, sitting in the basket Hodor was carrying, made a face and said, "Miss Meera, you said you liked them yesterday."
Meera reached out and pinched Bran's nose, saying, "That was yesterday. I've changed my mind now, Lord Bran."
Bran first craned his neck to glance at his "short grandfather," Jojen Reed, who was walking silently ahead, then winked at Meera and deliberately raised his voice, saying, "If we had taken the Kingsroad, we might already be at the Wall."
Meera laughed and chimed in, "If we take Kingsroad, we won't go hungry."
This was a "game" for Bran and Meera to pass the time. Although Jojen always had a stern face, they were happy to joke around with him.
Jojen solemnly repeated the words he had said countless times, "Where there is a road, there are pedestrians; where there are pedestrians, there are eyes and mouths; they will spread stories. They will spread the tale of a crippled boy, a Giants, a Spearwife, and two Crannogmen far and wide."
" Hodor, Hodor, Hodor..."
Jojen's reaction was always exactly the same, and Bran and Meera exchanged a quiet smile.
After walking for a while, Bran suddenly spoke up, " Jojen, I dreamt last night that my father returned to Winterfell. I also saw Sansa and Arya, and my father was sitting by the fireplace telling them stories."
Jojen's eyes trembled slightly. He walked, panting, and said, "Dreams are different from one another..."
He suddenly stopped in his tracks and said seriously, "Lord Bran, have you secretly opened your third eye again?"
Bran's eyes darted around. "I didn't!"
"You've already admitted it."
"I... I'm sorry..."
Bran explained softly, "I didn't mean to, I don't know if I opened my third eye... maybe it was just a dream... after all, my father..."
Meera gently patted Bran, comforting him, " Bran, it's okay. Jojen was just worried about you."
Jojen frowned and said, "Lord Bran, I cannot teach you how to master the Third Eye. You need the Three-Eyed Crow's guidance to control it."
He took a breath and said calmly, " The Gods have bestowed many talents upon people, Lord Bran. You see, my sister is a hunter. Her talents are unparalleled speed when moving and immovable stillness when at rest, concealing her whereabouts. She has keen ears, sharp eyes, and steady hands. She can breathe in the mud and run on leaves... These are things I can't do, and neither can you."
In contrast, the Gods granted me the power of the Greendreams, while you are given a third eye, far more powerful than I am. You are a wolf with wings; no one can say how high or how far you can fly. I cannot help you master a talent I cannot comprehend, which is why you need the guidance of the Three-Eyed Crow —and this is our purpose."
His tone turned serious again. "The current situation is that you haven't even mastered your third eye yet, but you're treating it like a game. If you continue to act recklessly, you're not only in danger of being swallowed up, but you might also lose the ability to distinguish between reality and dreams. Do you know how serious the consequences are? Do you really want to turn yourself into a senile person because of a moment of curiosity?"
" Hodor, Hodor, Hodor, Hodor..."
Bran lowered his head; he was very upset, he really hadn't meant to.
Meera glared at her brother, then took Bran's hand and comforted him, " Bran, we understand your anxiety. I know you want to learn how to use the Third Eye as soon as possible, but... if the dangerous situations my brother described actually occur, we'll be completely helpless. My brother and I don't want you to be in such a dangerous situation. We'll take you to the Three-Eyed Crow as soon as possible, and we promise you that in the name of the earth and rivers, bronze and steel, ice and fire."
" Hodor, Hodor, Hodor, Hodor..."
Bran nodded emphatically and said, "Thank you, Miss Meera."
He turned to look at Jojen and said, "I promise I will never do anything reckless again."