The thieves

As word of the Dragonstone tournament spread and construction began in earnest on the Fighting Arena Hall on New Dragonstone Island, displaced people and traveling merchants flocked there from across the Seven Kingdoms.

Every year, nobles in Westeros went bankrupt through poor management or local conflicts. Their subjects were then forced to seek a living in the major cities to escape the fighting and survive.

Countless more commoners became displaced when natural disasters and human calamities left them unable to feed their families through farming.

Worse still, many nobles and religious organizations used every means at their disposal to drive farmers from their land, seeking to consolidate their holdings, graze more livestock, or plant specialized cash crops.

Not only did they seize the land through trickery and force, but they also reduced the dispossessed farmers to cheap labor, leaving them at their mercy.

Although slavery was forbidden in Westeros, the lives of many subjects were scarcely different from those of slaves. They toiled from morning to night, yet might not even earn enough for a single filling meal.

In the eyes of many nobles, commoners were merely livestock on two legs. They cared nothing for whether those people lived or died, and even occasionally providing relief to the displaced within their lands was enough to earn them praise for their virtue.

Perhaps this was also an important reason why the population of Westeros had barely grown despite its thousands of years of history.

Displaced people had little chance of surviving their flight. Those who made it through therefore tended to have some ability to their name.

Their quickness in picking up news from across the Seven Kingdoms alone offered a glimpse of that. No wonder the mobs of King's Landing could become the strongest fighting force in the world of Game of Thrones!

Cannibal

As Dragonkiss Garden opened branches in all the major cities of the Seven Kingdoms during this period, reliable routes for bringing displaced people to New Dragonstone Island had largely been established.

Thus, once news of the tournament spread, the displaced people pouring in from every region arrived even before the nobles.

Danyla had long since instructed Samwell and the others to prepare a strategy for handling them.

Those willing to settle in White Sheep Town were screened, and those who met the requirements were given work on the ranches and farms. Most who passed the screening had families in tow, since people with loved ones to care for were more likely to behave themselves.

The rest were housed in a camp between White Sheep Town and the Fighting Arena.

Tall blackstone walls surrounded the camp, with space inside for tents. Samwell also assigned a squad of militia to maintain order there, while free food was distributed every morning.

Most of the able-bodied men were hired to build the Fighting Arena Hall. The elderly, the weak, women, and children could also find odd jobs in White Sheep Town, such as sorting wool, sweeping streets, and transporting manure. Though the pay was modest, it was enough for them to scrape by.

Those who came from fallen noble families or possessed some fighting ability were organized by Samwell into a temporary hundred-man peacekeeping unit.

These men, themselves drawn from the displaced, knew their people's shady dealings better than anyone, making them the ideal choice to manage and supervise the camp.

Once they had steady wages and generous benefits, however, the members of this unit became the most demanding of all toward the displaced.

That day, Danyla was at the Fighting Arena, leading Dreamfyre, Myracis, and the others in forging blackstone.

The peacekeeping unit passed nearby, escorting a dozen or so thieves. A tall, silver-haired woman among them immediately caught Danyla's attention.

Danyla ordered someone to stop them.

The squad leader escorting these displaced criminals was known as Clever Jack. He immediately approached Danyla with a fawning smile and reported.

"Your Highness, these are thieves we caught over the past few days. Lord Samwell has tried them and ordered all their possessions confiscated and their expulsion from the island."

Danyla called out to the tall, silver-haired woman,

"You there, the silver-haired woman. Raise your head. What's your name? Why do you look so familiar?"

The silver-haired woman had kept her head deeply bowed ever since she was brought over, not daring to look Danyla in the eye.

Only when Danyla singled her out did she nervously lift her head.

"You... you're Janna?"

Danyla stared at the beauty before her, who remained striking despite the grime on her face, and was utterly astonished.

Janna was a descendant of a bastard of House Targaryen whom Danyla had personally selected to serve as a maid at Dragonstone Castle!

Though greatly surprised, Danyla kept her expression calm as she instructed Clever Jack,

"We need workers on the island right now. There's no hurry to expel them. Put them to forced labor at the Fighting Arena Hall first. Once construction is finished, have them sent to the Wall to join the Night's Watch."

"As for the women, sell them to Whore Camp. If they refuse to earn an honest living despite the excellent conditions we offer, we might as well grant their wishes."

"Yes, yes, of course, Your Highness! Understood. I'll arrange it at once."

Having had a chance to make himself known to Danyla, Clever Jack felt immensely important. He swaggered off, waving his whip and loudly berating the thieves,

"Move, you lazy wretches!"

"Her Highness gave you a good life and honest work, but you wouldn't appreciate it. You just had to go and do something shameful."

"You worthless scum are just begging for a beating!"

"Get moving! Or don't blame me if my whip catches you!"

Cannibal

Danyla took Janna aside and spoke coldly, furious at her failure to live up to her potential,

"Are you still not going to tell me the truth? How could you disgrace the blood of House Targaryen like this? Tell me what happened, now."

At those words, Janna lowered her tear-filled eyes and fell to her knees, sobbing mournfully,

"Your Highness, I'm carrying Prince Daemon's child! My parents are both forcing me to get rid of it. I couldn't bear to, so I deliberately stole things, hoping to be sent away from Dragonstone."

"Please, Your Highness, let me leave! Let me keep this child!"

"Does Uncle Daemon know about this?"

Danyla had not expected this to be the truth and hurriedly pressed her for an answer.

Janna shook her head and murmured,

"Prince Daemon took me to bed a few times during Prince Baelon's funeral, but he never paid me any attention afterward."

"What good would telling him do?"

Janna was not wrong. Daemon was so cold and heartless toward his own wife, let alone a woman he had enjoyed a brief fling with.

Danyla pondered for a while. Once she had an idea, she questioned Janna further,

"Even if I send you away, how will you live afterward? How will you support yourself and the child?"

Janna was struck speechless. Only after a long while did she reply helplessly,

"I only thought about getting away from Dragonstone first. Otherwise, my parents will force me to drink Moon Tea."

"I haven't thought much about what comes afterward. The world is so big. Surely there must be somewhere for me! I could work as a maid. Even if I have to become a whore, I'll find a way to raise my child."

At that, Danyla nearly laughed in exasperation,

"No wonder Daemon could forget you despite your beauty."

"A brain is a useful thing. Too bad you don't have one!"