Visitors to Dragonstone

By now, White Sheep Town had more than a hundred thousand head of quality breeding livestock. They were all kept grazing in designated pastures.

Meanwhile, the livestock set aside as food for the Great Dragons numbered more than two hundred thousand. They grazed on wasteland that would soon be reclaimed as farmland.

As these animals filled their bellies, they also ate every last weed on the wasteland.

This would make it much easier for the farmers to reclaim the land, and after a year of decomposition, the manure from the cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep would make the soil more fertile.

Of course, densely packed livestock would compact the soil to some extent. But the land on New Dragonstone Island was itself formed from extensive deposits of volcanic ash and was very loose.

Even if the surface became somewhat compacted, the advanced farming tools Danyla had improved could easily break it up, so it would hardly pose a problem.

Besides, whenever the vegetation in an enclosure had been mostly eaten, the herders would soon drive the livestock to another pasture.

Only a few percent of New Dragonstone Island had been developed so far. There was still plenty of room for grazing.

Ample food and the abundant magic within New Dragonstone Island's volcano had allowed Nila's Great Dragons to grow at a remarkable pace lately.

Myracis, who had hatched only a little over two months ago, was already three or four meters long. She was the fastest-growing Great Dragon in House Targaryen's history.

The scales covering Myracis's body had also begun changing from their delicate pale pink to a richer pink, while faint red markings had appeared on her small horns and along her back. This made her look much fiercer.

Despite her small size, Myracis was even more deft at catching fish than an adult Great Dragon like Dreamfyre. She could easily dive into the water and snatch up a fish three or four meters long.

Myracis got along best with Grey Ghost, who also loved eating fish. Whenever they went hunting, the two of them were the most enthusiastic fishers.

Over the past month, Grey Ghost and the other Three Young Dragons had eaten the roasted meat Danyla fed them every day, and they had finally begun to grow plump and sturdy.

Little Balerion and Vhagar in particular were already beginning to look like fearsome Great Dragons. Both had wolfish heads and enormous horns, the same type as Dreamfyre and Seasmoke. Like Balerion, they were Great Dragons bred for battle.

Grey Ghost looked more like Silverwing, though her coloring was much paler. Of course, that also had something to do with her young age.

Hadn't Dreamfyre gradually changed from pale blue to deep blue over these past three years?

The imposing Dreamfyre

Danyla's family had enjoyed barely half a month of peace before their quiet days were thoroughly disrupted by the young scions of the Great Lords arriving one after another from across the Seven Kingdoms.

The first to arrive were the brothers Medrick Manderly, twelve, and Torrhen Manderly, ten, of House Manderly of White Harbor in the North.

But as Danyla looked at Medrick and Torrhen's still reasonably thick hair, she could not help musing to herself,

Oh, dear! Baldness inherited from your father really is terrifying. Such lively young lads, and they'll probably start turning into bald, fat, greasy old men in their twenties.

House Manderly had originated in the Reach, but had been expelled after an irreconcilable conflict with the house that ruled the Reach at the time.

House Stark of the North had taken them in and granted House Manderly White Harbor and the surrounding lands.

Their control of White Harbor, the North's only city, had made them one of its wealthiest houses. White Harbor was not only an important trading center but also possessed abundant resources and a strategic location, allowing House Manderly to amass a great fortune.

House Manderly had always been capable and loyal servants of House Stark, and they also enjoyed good relations with the Targaryen royal family. Sometime in the fifties of the Conquest Era, one of their daughters had even become Queen Dowager Alyssa's personal maid.

King Jaehaerys had also once intended to marry one of his princesses to the Earl of White Harbor of that time. Sadly, the princess had fallen from her horse and died before the wedding.

House Manderly's wealth came primarily from the following sources:

Trade and commerce: As the North's principal port, White Harbor attracted a great deal of trade. House Manderly had amassed considerable wealth through its control of the port and trade routes.

Land and resources: The abundant agricultural and mineral resources around White Harbor also provided House Manderly with a steady source of income.

Taxes: As the lords of White Harbor, House Manderly gained considerable wealth from trade and taxation.

Family enterprises: House Manderly further increased its wealth by operating various enterprises, including farming and handicrafts.

House Manderly's wealth not only gave them considerable influence in the North but also made them one of House Stark's loyal and powerful vassals. Their wealth and influence also secured them a certain standing within the Targaryen Dynasty.

Accompanying the brothers Medrick and Torrhen to Dragonstone this time were more than a dozen of House Manderly's seagoing ships, all laden with goods.

Besides large quantities of basic supplies such as grain, livestock, barley ale, and hides,

The Medrick brothers had also brought a great many exquisite silverware pieces. There was a good silver mine near White Harbor, which provided House Manderly with ample supplies of silver.

Historically, House Manderly had operated a silver mint for the North Kingdom. With the coming of the War of the Conqueror, however, the mint had long since fallen into disuse. It had now become a shelter for White Harbor's refugees.

The brothers had also brought seals, giant eels, and many other distinctive Ocean products found only in the northern Shivering Sea as gifts for their visit.

Their gifts for the sisters Aemma and Danyla were complete sets of bright silver jewelry inlaid with gemstones. Each set was worth at least a thousand gold coins-a lavish gesture indeed.

Naturally, the arrival of the Earl's two sons was warmly welcomed by Viserys and his family.

Besides the sumptuous banquet prepared on Dragonstone, Danyla also took the brothers on a few circuits around the island on Dreamfyre to show her gratitude.

The two handsome boys were beside themselves with excitement. Though the elder brother, Medrick, was only sixteen, he was remarkably mature, composed, and courteous. His eyes shone with excitement, yet he still maintained the elegant bearing of a noble.

His younger brother, Torrhen, was much less restrained. The moment Dreamfyre took flight, he began shouting excitedly without stopping.

"Wow! I'm riding a dragon through the sky!"

"I, Torrhen, am the first member of House Manderly to fly on a dragon!"

"Hahaha! I'm going to become a legend of House Manderly! A hero the wandering singers will all compete to sing about! Woo-hoo!"

Embarrassed by his younger brother's wild behavior, Medrick apologized to Danyla,

"Your Highness, I'm terribly sorry for our lack of manners. Torrhen is simply too excited! Please forgive us!"

Danyla called back, utterly unconcerned,

"It's all right! When you're happy, shouting it out is half the fun. We're up in the sky anyway, where no one can see us. There's no need to cling to all those noble manners and rules!"

"Medrick! Once we grow up, we'll have no shortage of worries! We're still young-if we don't go wild now, it'll be too late."

Since the brothers were sitting behind Danyla, she never saw how tender Medrick's eyes became after she shouted those words, as though they might melt. And whether it was because they were flying so high or not, his face had already flushed red!