Strong winds over Fair Isle
Although the acrid smell of Lannisport had been dissipated by the sea breeze of the Westerlands for half a month, the towering flames of that night remained like a brand burned on the face of the House Lannister, lingering for a long time.
For Taimond Lannister in particular, this humiliation was heavier than the dark stones deep in the mine—just last year he had taken over the position of Master of Ships from Corlys House Velaryon, the "Sea Snake," who had resigned years earlier, briefly returned to office at the tournament where Princess Rhaenyra was born, and then resigned again as soon as the tournament ended.
Duke Taimond intended to use this position to solidify the Westerlands' maritime influence in the Seven Kingdoms and once again bring the Westerlands into the center of the Seven Kingdoms' political discourse. Unexpectedly, not long after taking office, his "backyard," Lannisport, was burned to the Ironborn by the Ironborn.
As the Master of Ships of the Seven Kingdoms, Warden of the West, Duke of Casterly Rock, and known as the "Shield of Lannisport," he has now become a laughingstock among the King's Landing's Landing. He can't even defend his own port, so how can he talk about overseeing the defense of the Seven Kingdoms' coast?
Even though Daemon and Gael's dragons arrived in time and prevented the Ironborn from completely destroying the goldsmiths and fleet base of Lannisport, the news of "the Ironborn trampling the heart of the Westerlands" still spread like Wildfire throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Not only did the House Lannister lose face in front of the lords of the Westerlands, but the entire Westerlands also became the object of ridicule for the other kingdoms.
In those days, the ravens of Casterly Rock were almost constantly at work.
Taimond's messengers, riding swiftly and carrying still-hot sealed letters, repeatedly rushed into Loreon Lannister's study. The letters, written in hasty, angry handwriting, rebuked their uncle for "dereliction of duty": "I entrusted the safety of Casterly Rock and the Westerlands to you, and you have allowed the Ironborn to roam freely! When did the Lion of Lannister become a house cat to be toyed with?"
When the messenger relayed the Duke's words, his voice trembled. Ser Loreon stood before a table covered with maps of the Westerlands, his face ashen than the stone walls of Casterly Rock's dungeons. He could only repeatedly promise to "strengthen the training of the garrison" and "speed up the reconstruction of the port," but he dared not mention the garrison's initial laxity or the panic of the reinforcements.
What frustrated Taimond even more was that he knew very well that once news of the attack on Lannisport reached the Iron Throne, even if he didn't resign voluntarily, the ministers of King's Landing, especially the other lords of the Seven Kingdoms who had long disliked the House Lannister, would use "dereliction of duty" as a pretext to remove him from his position as Master of Ships.
Rather than be forced off the stage, it was better to make a dignified exit. So the Duke drafted his resignation that very night, had a raven deliver it to King's Landing, and then, accompanied by his personal squire, rode swiftly back to the Westerlands. Before leaving, he specifically instructed the squire of Casterly Rock: "Make sure to preserve His Highness Daemon and Princess Gael's party. I want to personally thank them and let the Seven Kingdoms see that the A Lannister Always Pays His Debts."
It was this "persuasion" that gave Daemon and his party ample time to take a closer look at the area surrounding Casterly Rock.
In the afterglow of the Sunset Sea, the colossal rock of Casterly Rock cast a lion-like silhouette. The 2,100-foot-high peak pierced the twilight, and countless arrow slits and windows on the rock face, three times the Wall, lit up like stars. Daemon stood at the foot of the steps of the "Lion's Mouth," watching the stone steps, wide enough for twenty people to ride abreast, wind their way upwards. The entrance, formed by a natural cave, was two hundred feet high, and as the wind passed through the opening, it carried a thunderous roar that seemed to come from the depths of the underground mines.
"Gods above, this isn't a castle, it's a mountain!" Rupert Crabb craned his neck, his white armor's shoulder blade brushing against Colin Celtigar beside him. He stared at the scattered towers on the rock face, his fingers unconsciously stroking the silver spoon he'd smuggled from Ashemark. "Our Crackclaw Point's Dyre Den isn't even half the size of this ' Lion's Mouth '."
Colin suppressed a laugh and pointed to the west side of the giant rock, "Look at that harbor, it's a cave carved out by the sea, I heard it can hold merchant ships. But the Lannister fleet is mostly based in Lannisport, this is more like a secret dock." As soon as he finished speaking, several guards in red armor carried a box of gold ore out of the cave entrance. The ore shimmered with a faint light in the twilight, making Rupert's eyes widen.
Larys Strong still rode his grey donkey, the pet his brother Harwin had given him, with him wherever he went. The hem of his black robe swept across the gravel on the steps. He listened intently to the rumbling from the earth, a sharp glint in his dark eyes. "The sound of a mine. They say it hasn't been emptied for thousands of years. Your Highness, have you noticed the windows in the rock wall? Look, they're actually part of the defenses of Casterly Rock, even more hidden than Golden Tooth."
Daemon nodded, his gaze falling on the golden lion emblem carved above the cave entrance. The lion's eyes were wide open in anger, its fangs bared, perfectly embodying the House Lannister motto, "Hear Me Roar."
Gael, holding Dreamfyre's dragon saddle, watched as the pale blue dragon's wings gently swept against the rock wall, causing several crows perched in the arrow's eye to flutter up. "Shall we go see the Golden Gallery? Earl Humfrey Lefford of Golden Tooth said the walls inside are all gilded."
The group followed the stone steps into the "Lion's Mouth," where torches illuminated the passage as bright as day.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, a long corridor, several tens of feet long, suddenly appeared before them. The walls and pillars were covered with a thick layer of gold leaf, and the torchlight reflected off it, creating a dazzling light. Even the cracks in the stone slabs underfoot were embedded with fine gold dust.
The glass cases on both sides of the corridor displayed various treasures: a crown inlaid with rubies, a cloak adorned with pearls, and a golden sword engraved with ancient runes. Myles and Rupert couldn't resist reaching out to touch them, but were stopped in time by the guards beside them.
"This is the House Lannister's treasury." Mysaria's platinum curls shimmered with gold leaf as she gazed at a set of gold jewelry in the glass case. "It's far more exquisite than the smuggled goods from the Three Sisters. I heard back in Lys that Lannisport was famous for this kind of thing."
Alys Rivers ' green dress stood out in the corridor. She walked to a glass case displaying old maps and traced Ironborn Bay on the map through the glass. "Fair Isle of House Farman is nearby. They are hostile to the Ironborn. When Lannisport was burned last time, Fair Isle's fleet reportedly helped clean up the shipwrecks in the nearshore waters."
Over the next few days, Daemon and his party's "Westerlands Expedition" proceeded as planned. They first went to the Lannisport docks, where the charred warehouses had been demolished and craftsmen were busy building new wooden frames. Guards in silver armor patrolled in formation, their steps so precise it looked as if measured with a ruler, a stark contrast to their chaotic state during the attack on Lannisport.
A blond-haired garrison captain immediately knelt on one knee upon seeing Daemon: "Your Highness, thanks to your dragon, we were able to protect the goldsmiths in the inner harbor. Now, twenty men train every day, and we will never let the Ironborn near again."
Daemon gazed at the Lannister fleet anchored at the dock, the golden lion banners on the longships fluttering in the wind, their formation more orderly than that of the Seagard fleet. Gael pointed to a goldsmith's workshop in the distance, her pale purple eyes filled with curiosity. "Little Daemon, look at those craftsmen, they're making golden lion figurines. They say the nobles across the Narrow Sea are scrambling to buy them."
They then sailed to Fair Isle. Fairy Castle House Farman's ancestral Faircastle, was built at the highest point of the island. Its blue-and-silver ship emblem was particularly striking in the sunlight, with red and yellow trim surrounding three small silver boats, perfectly embodying the proverb "The Wind Our Steed."
Lord Farman himself went to the dock to greet him, wearing a blue robe embroidered with an anchor and clutching a conch horn. "Your Highness, last time you drove Ulgon from Seafront, the whole island celebrated! This time, you burned that Ironborn fleet to ashes over Lannister Harbor! The Ironborn's blood debt to us will be repaid one day!"
The sea breeze at Fair Isle carries the fresh scent of fish, much fresher than the salty, fishy air of the Three Sisters. Fishermen on the island are busy drying their nets, while children chase each other on the beach, carrying little boats made of seashells.
Gary followed Earl Farman's daughter to see the island's lighthouse and the traces left by Rhaenyar Targaryen, the former master of Dreamfire. Messaria watched with great interest as a fisherman's wife wove a fishing net, while Colin led Beren and several of Damon's younger followers to the beach to collect seashells. Even Jarman Vishye, unusually, let his guard down, resting his chin on his hand, removing his blindfold, and sitting on a rock, staring blankly at the distant waves.
"It's much more comfortable here than Sisterton." Daemon stood under the lighthouse, gazing at the shimmering waves of the Sunset Sea. Glutton and Dreamfyre rested on the distant beach, the Black Dragon was poking at a stranded sea turtle with its claws, and the Blue Dragon was gracefully pecking at the fresh fish brought by fishermen. "There's no smuggling money smell here; it feels like a peaceful home."
Earl Farman smiled upon hearing this, "Of course, the Farman family makes its living by the sea, and we hate the Ironborn for ruining our livelihood. If Your Highness needs a fleet, the Silver Ships of Fairy Island are ready at any time. The Lannisters always repay their debts, and so do we, the Farman family."
Just as they were preparing to leave Fair Isle and return to Casterly Rock to make their way to the Riverlands along the Ocean Road, a raven from Casterly Rock brought news: Lord Taimond Lannister had officially resigned from his post as Master of Ships and was hurrying back to the Westerlands.