Night fell.
Bonfires blazed along the beach, the scent of roasting meat filling the air along with bursts of laughter and cheerful chatter.
To welcome their lord home, Eagle's Beak held a grand bonfire feast.
Of course, with the open sky for a roof and the earth for a floor, there was little ceremony to observe. Everyone relaxed, eating meat and drinking wine while listening to the guards who had accompanied their lord recount what they had seen on the journey.
Samwell walked along the beach beside Petyr Baelish, chatting with him.
"This place is much like my own lands. They are both by the sea, and both covered in rocks." A nostalgic look crossed Petyr's face. "But the Shivering Sea is nowhere near as gentle as the Summer Sea."
"I have never seen the Shivering Sea. I would truly like to."
"You may regret it once you do." Petyr laughed heartily. "Deep within the Shivering Sea, they say countless ice giants dwell. They dance day and night, stirring up terrifying winds and waves enough to swallow any ship."
"Ice giants? I remember reading about ice dragons in a book."
"Perhaps there are both." Petyr shrugged, then suddenly changed the subject. "Sam, do you know why I came to Eagle's Beak in person?"
Here it came!
Samwell's heart tightened. He knew the real show was about to begin.
Petyr Baelish, the greatest schemer in Game of Thrones, would never travel all the way to this backwater in the Red Mountains merely to inspect a silver mine.
He must have been plotting something.
Still, Samwell was not overly nervous.
After all, he knew the true face and guiding principles of this seemingly charming Master of Coin.
The man wanted nothing more than to plunge Westeros into chaos, so that a minor