By the time Danyla brought Dreamfyre back to the ground with the two brothers, the Manderly brothers were already unsteady on their feet after their first dragon flight.
The younger brother, Torrhen, abandoned all dignity as his legs gave out and he slumped to the ground. Although his elder brother Medrick's legs were trembling too, he fought to control his body while pulling Torrhen back to his feet.
The sixteen-year-old heir to House Manderly never forgot to maintain his noble bearing.
"Medrick, did you bring the things Samwell asked for?"
Danyla walked over to Medrick and asked softly.
Only after taking several deep breaths did Medrick reply to Danyla in a steady voice.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"As Master Samwell requested, House Manderly collected samples from several places in the North rich in clay."
"I brought them all with me this time, and I have already had the servants deliver the samples to the porcelain workshop in White Sheep Town."
Danyla immediately said excitedly,
"Wonderful! Come on, then. Let's hurry over and take a look."
Through her study of a geographical account of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Danyla had discovered that although the North's cold climate made it unsuitable for growing crops, its vast lands held abundant mineral resources, especially clay.
She had therefore instructed Samwell to contact House Manderly and have them bring some samples for her to inspect.
Although the Kingswood held enormous reserves of clay, its quality was only average and its color somewhat grayish. Moreover, the Rainwood's dense vegetation made it inconvenient to organize mining crews, and excavation could easily damage the plant life.
Besides, the Kingswood was the private hunting ground of the ruler of Westeros. Even Danyla could not damage it at will.
An ordinary person who hunted so much as a rabbit in the Kingswood could have a hand cut off or be sent to the Wall to serve in the Night's Watch.
With Danyla's current standing, small-scale excavation like this would not cause any problems. Expanding it further, however, would have to wait until her father Viserys ascended the throne.
"Oh? Where do these two kinds of clay come from?"
Danyla picked up a pinch of pale, fine clay and a sample of smooth, soft purple clay, then asked Medrick.
Medrick answered respectfully.
"Your Highness, this white clay comes from the White Knife River."
"The purple clay was also gathered from the barren hills near the Wolf's Den!"
"These two kinds of clay are good quality. Are there large deposits?"
Danyla was very pleased with the samples in her hands, as their quality was already on par with kaolin.
"Of course there are!"
Torrhen Manderly, who stood beside them, immediately chimed in.
"The White Knife River got its name because both banks along the entire river are covered in this white clay. From a distance, it looks like a white blade."
"And the hills near the Wolf's Den are all purplish red. There's practically no end to that clay!"
Delighted to hear this, Danyla immediately said,
"Very good. From now on, House Manderly can ship five shiploads of each kind of clay to White Sheep Town every month. We can pay 500 gold dragons per shipload."
"500 gold dragons per shipload?"
Both Manderly brothers were stunned by Danyla's offer.
Of course, Danyla could have driven the price much lower. Even 100 gold dragons would have been possible, since each ship in House Manderly's fleet currently earned only one or two hundred gold dragons in profit from a trading voyage within the Seven Kingdoms.
But she placed great value on House Manderly's influence in the North, as well as its loyalty.
Small favors would not be enough to bind House Manderly to her camp.
Besides, the cost of clay at 500 gold dragons per shipload was utterly insignificant compared with the enormous profits from Dragon Porcelain.
Yet this trade could firmly bring House Manderly aboard Danyla's ship.
Danyla also intended to use it as an opening to explore whether she could establish a porcelain workshop in the North producing affordable wares for ordinary people.
At the upcoming Great Council of 101 to choose an heir, the Lord of the North would support her aunt, Princess Rhaenys.
Knowing the character of House Manderly's lord, Danyla did not believe he would keep the family's trade with White Sheep Town from Lord Stark.
With such a steady business requiring almost no investment, House Manderly would certainly bring House Stark into it as well.
This was also why Danyla wanted to purchase the purple clay from the Wolf's Den.
In fact, firing modern Dragon Porcelain required high-quality white clay. Porcelain made from purple clay had an antique elegance and beauty, but White Sheep Town had not yet begun producing it.
The Wolf's Den did not fall entirely under the jurisdiction of House Manderly of White Harbor. If House Manderly wanted to extract the purple clay there, it would certainly need House Stark's support.
The majestic Dreamfyre
Over the following days, Danyla accompanied the Manderly brothers on tours of the two Dragonstone islands every day, or took them to White Sheep Town Orchard to feed the dragons.
Seeing those godlike dragons behave as obediently as great dogs in Danyla's presence, the Manderly brothers gazed at her with admiration.
Her father Viserys had originally hoped that her elder sister Rhaenyra would join Danyla, but Rhaenyra seemed somewhat frightened by White Harbor's hereditary baldness and obesity, and did not dare have too much contact with the two Manderly brothers.
After all, King Jaehaerys still owed House Manderly a royal marriage!
She was afraid that her great-grandfather, His Grace Jaehaerys, might simply pair her off with someone on a whim.
The Manderly brothers had also begun training in knightly swordsmanship, though their aptitude truly left much to be desired. Even together, they were no match for Danyla, who had trained for only three years.
They both, however, showed considerable ability in trade and managing their lands.
When discussing the development and use of New Dragonstone Island with Danyla, the two noble boys, barely into their teens, shed their usual shyness around her. They spoke at length, and everything they said was well reasoned.
Dax Bagna
On the fifth day after the Manderly brothers arrived, another group of youths from Skagos in the North reached Dragonstone.
Their leader, Dax Bagna, was the eldest son of the chief of the Bagna Clan of Kingshouse on Skagos.
At just sixteen, he was already nearly six feet three inches tall, with a powerful, sturdy build. Although he was somewhat grubby from head to toe, his bright, clear blue eyes, free of any guile, immediately caught Danyla's attention.
Just as Viserys and his family were curiously examining these youths from Skagos, who almost never had contact with the outside world,
Danyla's personal guard Cameron Tarth came running over to report,
"Prince Viserys, young masters Jason Lannister and Tyland Lannister of House Lannister of Casterly Rock have arrived!"
Her father Viserys immediately ordered,
"Show them in at once!"
Before long, two proud, handsome youths with blond hair and green eyes, both tall and straight-backed and dressed in red formal robes woven with gold, entered the hall of Dragonstone Castle with graceful bearing and complete confidence, surrounded by a host of attendants.
Tyland and Jason
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