"I understand what you mean. We don't need to act right now, either. Planning ahead always makes it easier to seize the initiative."
"As Cisland develops, the Bay of Ice is bound to grow busy, and that will inevitably draw the attention of the free folk beyond the Wall. Hatred stretching back thousands of years certainly won't be easy to overcome, but one side has to change first before a different outcome becomes possible."
"When the Wall was first built, it wasn't meant to keep out the free folk beyond it. The far more terrifying beings lurking in the distant north are our true enemies."
Remembering what she had seen in the Heart of Winter, Danyla still felt a shudder of dread.
"The White Walkers in the far north aren't merely creatures of legend. The Long Night and Winter we endured had a great deal to do with them, and that Sea Dragon was nothing more than their advance pawn..."
"Winter is coming. With the Long Night and Winter come the enemies of all living things. Whether the free folk beyond the Wall become our allies or our true enemies before those beings make their move depends on the choices we make."
"Compared with those true enemies, the struggles between the Seven Kingdoms hardly matter at all."
Medrick knew his princess never spoke without good reason, so although Danyla's words shocked him deeply, he did not doubt them in the slightest.
"I understand, Your Highness!"
"Rest assured, I will develop Cisland as quickly as possible. With Holy Flame Island's current wealth and population, it should take no more than two years."
Danyla and Medrick then spent half a day drawing up more detailed plans for Cisland's development.
Cisland would serve as the North's base for producing high-yield grain seeds and