"Mother!"
At the mouth of Eagle's Beak Valley, Natalie threw herself into her mother's arms like a swallow returning to its nest. "Why did you take so long to come!"
Nara stroked her daughter's long hair and smiled.
"I was only gone for a month. Was that really so long?"
"It was!" Natalie acted coquettishly for a moment before realizing there were others nearby. Embarrassed, she pulled away from her mother's embrace.
"Did you do well while I was gone?"
"I did." Natalie took her mother's hand and led her deeper into the valley. "I even went to Starfall with Lord Caesar!"
"You went to Starfall?" Nara's expression shifted slightly.
"Yes." Natalie failed to notice her mother's reaction and complained with a hint of grievance, "But Lord Caesar didn't take me to House Dayne's castle. He only let me wander around the market."
Nara relaxed a little, though an indescribable flash of disappointment passed through her eyes.
The two chatted and laughed as they entered the valley. Nara looked around and found that the place had changed considerably again.
"Huh? Why does it seem like there are so many more Reachmen?"
"Oh, they're refugees Lord Caesar took in. They only arrived last week—three thousand of them!"
Nara nodded and continued onward. She first visited the elderly and children of the Wandering Crow Tribe at the Orphanage, then went to see Samwell and traded him the several dozen Ghost Grass plants she had recently gathered.
"Lady Nara." After accepting the Ghost Grass, Samwell asked tentatively, "How do your Wandering Crow Tribe members find Ghost Grass?"
"Lord Caesar, a few of our people have received the Old Gods' favor, allowing them to possess senses sharper than ordinary people's."
Samwell found her explanation vague and pressed further. "Does Natalie count as someone favored