By then, the noble lords and ladies had completely changed their demeanor. Though their formal attire still favored subdued, dark colors, it was far more elaborate than what they had worn at the Funeral Rite.
Men and women gathered in groups of three or five, showing off their conversational finesse on all manner of subjects as they slipped naturally into the social rhythms of a banquet.
Aemma took Danyla and Rhaenyra around to exchange greetings with the nobles, mainly Great Lords, Small Council ministers, and courtier families.
The thirteen-year-old Twin Brothers Jason and Tyland of House Lannister in the Westerlands drew several extra glances from Danyla. With their blond hair, green eyes, and tall, straight figures, they were striking, even if their looks did not possess the breathtaking beauty of House Targaryen.
The Lannister twins were likewise captivated by Danyla and Rhaenyra's breathtaking beauty! They were too far away, however, to greet them in person.
Rhaenyra also took Danyla by the hand and introduced her to her young friend, Laena Velaryon.
The ten-year-old eldest daughter of the Earl of High Tide, Laena was a cheerful, radiant girl, another stunning beauty with silver hair and purple eyes. She was white, however, not the black pearl depicted in the television series.
Beside her, eight-year-old Laenor Velaryon kept his eyes fixed on Jason and his brother, apparently taking a keen interest in them.
"Hello, Laenor!"
"Oh? H-hello, Cousin Rhaenyra, Aunt Danyla!"
"Danyla, your Myracis is such a beautiful Great Dragon!"
Danyla smiled and curtsied.
"Thank you for the compliment, Laenor! Your Seasmoke is a beautiful and fierce Great Dragon too."
"Yes! He's already two years old and growing very quickly. He's as big as a calf now, though I can't ride him yet."
At the mention of Great Dragons, Laenor showed a rare willingness to chat with the girls.
But Rhaenyra proudly interrupted.
"My Syrax is much bigger than Seasmoke! Their eggs even came from the same clutch!"
Laenor immediately protested.
"That's because your Syrax hatched two years earlier!"
Laena hurriedly caught hold of her brother and sighed regretfully.
"Ah! Mine is the only dragon egg that still hasn't hatched. Aunt Danyla already had Dreamfyre, and now she's hatched Myracis too. It's enough to make anyone feel miserable!"
Laena's words immediately left the proud Rhaenyra looking somewhat uncomfortable.
Danyla promptly smiled.
"Perhaps you could try hatching a different dragon egg, Laena, or go to Dragonmont and try taming one of the adult Great Dragons. Then you could take up Dragonriding right away! What do you think?"
With that, she took Rhaenyra's hand affectionately.
"Rhaenyra, I had the kitchens prepare several new desserts especially for you. Come and try them!"
"Really? Then I must give them a proper taste! I love desserts, but the Red Keep always makes the same few things, and I've tried every pastry shop in King's Landing."
Danyla's desserts had all been developed by the kitchens according to examples from her own world. Naturally, they were rather novel, and they immediately won over Rhaenyra's appetite.
"Mmm, this is delicious! And it looks so unusual too. Thank you, Aunt! Let me tell you..."
While the two were having a private heart-to-heart, the newly appointed Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower of House Hightower, was introducing his twelve-year-old daughter Alicent to King Jaehaerys.
"His Majesty the King, this is my daughter Alicent. Gentle and quiet, she is the apple of my eye!"
"Greetings, His Majesty the King!"
Alicent's voice was warm and soft, and her features were delicate and pretty.
Jaehaerys nodded approvingly.
"I'm getting old, and even reading has become something of a struggle! Lady Alicent has a clear, lovely voice. Let her stay beside this old man and read to me!"
Otto immediately bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Your Grace! It would be Alicent's honor!"
Alicent curtsied as well.
"Alicent, thank His Majesty the King!"
She then took the wine cup from a maid and personally poured King Jaehaerys a cup of pale golden wine.
Jaehaerys took a sip, and a warm current immediately spread through his body. He took an instant liking to the sensation.
"This is excellent wine indeed. Why have I never tasted it before?"
"Your Grace, this is the newly brewed Dragonfire Wine from White Sheep Town. It's good, isn't it? It can strengthen the body too!"
Danyla had just approached King Jaehaerys with Rhaenyra, each carrying a delicate dessert, and offered an explanation.
"The herders of White Sheep Town rely on this wine to withstand the biting winds!"
Jaehaerys still had a vivid impression of this great-niece who had hatched a young dragon at Baelon's funeral. Hearing Danyla mention White Sheep Town reminded him that, while still alive, Baelon had asked him to grant New Island, northeast of Dragonstone, to his granddaughter.
"White Sheep Town? I remember that being your domain, little Danyla."
"What? You've managed to brew such excellent barley wine already?"
Danyla beamed.
"That's right, Your Grace! White Sheep Town has more than fine wine. Look, these desserts are quite different too!"
As she spoke, she picked up a delicate silver spoon, scooped out a small portion, and offered it to Jaehaerys.
"Try some, Your Grace!"
Jaehaerys bent down and happily accepted the dessert, eating it.
"Hmm?! This really does taste good. Is there lemon in it?"
Danyla's clear voice rang out again.
"Yes, and the lemons came from the lemon trees in Aegon's Garden!"
"Try Rhaenyra's too. Hers is even better!"
At that, Rhaenyra scooped up a spoonful of her own dessert and fed it to Jaehaerys.
"Mmm! This one is delicious too. I like it! That light, sweet flavor-is it pear?"
Little Rhaenyra immediately exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes! It's my favorite flavor too!"
The two princesses gave Jaehaerys a taste of the family warmth he had not felt in a long time. The old king promptly forgot Otto and his daughter beside him as Danyla led him away to inspect her various little inventions.
Watching Jaehaerys walk away, Alicent turned uneasily to her father.
"The two princesses are so beautiful, and His Majesty the King is very fond of them!"
Otto watched Jaehaerys and the girls as he spoke quietly.
"Then make friends with them! Care for them as you would your younger brother. I think they'll grow fond of you too."
He rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"They are the youngest Dragon Warriors of House Targaryen!"
Jaehaerys was not the only one full of praise for Dragonfire Wine. Many nobles were equally impressed by its taste.
Ser Samwell, White Sheep Town's tax collector, seized the opportunity to extol Dragonfire Wine's many miraculous benefits and the legendary process behind its brewing.
"My lords, the wine yeast used to brew Dragonfire Wine can only be found near Dragonmont. Even the barley used in the brewing is fertilized with sheep bones reduced to ash by dragonfire."
"And a number of secret ingredients are added during brewing. Though I cannot tell you what they are, I can assure you, my lords, that they are items associated with Great Dragons."
After Samwell's silver-tongued embellishments, this cheaply produced barley wine, Dragonfire Wine, was priced at one Gold Dragon per barrel-one Gold Dragon for fifty jin. That was nearly the price of a warhorse.
Even so, the Great Lords competed to place orders. By the end of a single banquet, he had received orders totaling two hundred thousand, already the maximum amount White Sheep Town could produce in a year.
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