Her hand rested lightly on her knee as she watched Daenerys smile and agree to everyone's requests, then distribute the glistening skewers of venison. Only then did she leisurely chime in, saying she also wanted an early helping of venison cooked just right.
"This venison is more lightly seasoned than what the cooks in the Red Keep make, but the meat itself is fresher, so it tastes better too," Rhaenys could not help saying after eating a skewer Viserys had handed her.
"Of course. This deer was only just hunted, so the meat is very fresh. And it was roasted over pinewood, which gives it a delicate fragrance. How could the frozen meat they store on ice in the Red Keep compare?" Viserys picked up a skewer of roast venison and began eating as he continued turning the skewers planted beside the fire.
They finished their simple venison lunch by the stream, then packed up the remaining dressed meat and their tools and headed back to camp along the way they had come. Viserys sensed that the Gold Cloaks Duke William had assigned had already reached the camp.
Only moments earlier, when he had been about to get up and continue hunting, he had realized that with just their small group, taking along the game they had already caught would leave them unable to go any farther. They could only return first and bring some attendants with them.
Originally, Viserys had hoped to spend some sweet, intimate time alone with the women, enjoying a little leisure away from all the other troubles.
By now, the sunlight had slipped from the treetops to halfway down the trunks. The woods were considerably dimmer than at noon, and even the breeze carried more of a chill.
When their party returned to the slope,