It was April in the Vale, 115 AC.
In Runestone City, the castle stood tall like a chimney, and the ground at the foot of the city wall was littered with sheep dung.
Crunch, crunch.
A white-haired, golden-nosed rat, resembling a ball of wool, sat at the base of the wall. It held a nut in its paws and chewed it quickly. Its fur was stained with sheep dung, transforming the ball of wool into a dirty egg.
"Prince, it's almost lunchtime."
The White Knight, Steve, stood in the hot sun, his tone full of helpless persuasion.
"Okay, right away," came a faint, perfunctory response, tinged with an undeniable seriousness. It was the familiar, lazy promise of a teenager still in bed, pretending to be awake when his mother called for dinner.
At that moment, Aemon was squatting at the foot of the wall, meticulously copying the blurred characters from the wall tiles onto a white sheet of paper. More than half a year had passed since the King's Landing Tournament. His Royal Highness had returned to the Vale and settled into a peaceful, leisurely life in the countryside, a period of quiet growth.
The harvest had been bountiful. First, the Riverdale Town infrastructure was completed. Second, after eating the second blood fruit, Vormithor had grown several meters in a few months. Compared to the first blood fruit, the effect was greatly reduced, but Aemon could still sense a subtle improvement. It was as if Vormithor was accumulating strength and reinforcing his foundation. Aemon was also concerned about Alicent giving birth and the Sea Snake returning to Driftmark.
As time passed, the sun grew hotter. Just as sweat began to bead on the White Knight's forehead, the sound of writing suddenly stopped.
"Okay, let's go back," Aemon said with a smile, tapping his charcoal pencil on the white paper. He had drawn a dozen incomplete runes, marking different sorting orders.
Squeak! The golden-nosed rat seemed to encourage itself, speeding up to finish its nut before someone else could.
"Stingy," Aemon mumbled, glancing at the rat. He shook the "dung-covered egg" and, with a look of disgust, placed it on his shoulder. He wasn't sure when his green satchel had gotten so small, forcing him to part with his beloved bag.
On their walk back, Aemon greeted knights and commoners, receiving smiles and nods in return. They were all old acquaintances, and His Royal Highness was well-loved.
As he walked, his eyes scanned every corner for bricks and tiles. Having tasted the sweetness of "solid runes," his curiosity about ancient runes was rekindled. Runestone City had existed for over 6,000 years, and many inconspicuous corners held runes that no one paid attention to. After more than six months of searching, he had collected thousands of unclear runes, though with a high repetition rate. Additionally, he had discovered a special, albeit incomplete, rune on an abandoned ancient altar stone pillar, which required further study.
"The future is promising!" Aemon's voice, slightly hoarse, was full of energy.
Steve, who had been observing him, silently turned his head away. His Royal Highness would be 14 next month, and his voice was changing.
With nothing else to do, Aemon pulled up his personal dashboard.
[Aemon Targaryen]
Talent: Dreamer (gold)
Bloodline: Ancient Valyrian Dragon King (43%)
Skills: Archery (Always Hits Target), Riding (Top Level), Runeology (Entry Level).
Witchcraft: Binding Spell, Remnant (Mastery), Solid Rune (Proficiency), Magical Hands (Mastery)...
Magic Cards: Strong Body (Blue), Solid as a Rock (Intermediate, Purple), and Kingly Temperament (Purple).
Powers: Riverdale Town (main city), Black Rose Hall (subsidiary)
Equipment: Pyromancer's Stone Sculpture, Broken Horn, Double Valyrian Daggers, and Sapphire Amulet (2/3).
Pets: Golden-nosed Rat (Blue), White Deer (Auspicious Beast)
Evaluation: "Strong boy."
The witchcraft column hadn't changed, but the skill column now had "Runeology." Though only at the entry level, this meant his work hadn't been in vain. Aemon was very satisfied; he liked this kind of visible progress.
He flipped the panel. A white mist filled the air, and three magic cards floated in it. None of them were worth exchanging. At the bottom of the panel, next to the golden hourglass, was a number: "Essence Quantity: 3,210." Ten months of accumulation—he was rich again!
In the spacious hall, a maid set the table and served lunch.
"Aemon, over here," Laena said, standing by the dining table and waving. She wore a tight-waisted beige dress that outlined her curvy figure, radiating a mature and gentle aura. Aemon quickened his pace. Besides the White Knight and his squire, only the two of them were in the hall.
Laena sat gracefully at the next seat, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Aemon asked, coming closer and seeing that the beautiful woman was hiding something.
Laena shook her head, whispering, "Let's talk about it later."
A moment later, Lady Rhea came downstairs, her brown, curly hair tied back. She wore copper-studded leather armor, giving her a heroic air; it seemed she was going hunting again.
"Let's eat," Lady Rhea said lightly, picking up her knife and fork. The Royce family believed in both the old and new gods, so they didn't pray before meals.
Aemon began to eat. The meal was a rich combination of white bread, venison, and matsutake soup with smoked sausage. Laena scooped a bowl of broth for the others and some matsutake mushrooms for herself. The atmosphere at the table was quiet; no one spoke.
Aemon looked up and saw a small tail following his mother. The black-haired boy had a pretty face and looked about thirteen or fourteen years old. He was Arnold Arryn, a cousin of Lady Jeyne of the Eyrie. He had been put forward to challenge Lady Jeyne's female inheritance rights, and after failing, he was sent to Runestone City to serve his mother, Lady Rhea.
This brought up two issues. First, Jeyne Arryn was not ruthless enough to eliminate her rivals, or someone would have done it for her, as her position was not stable.
"I'm done," Lady Rhea said, eating quickly. She stood up and announced, "I'm going hunting. I'm leaving Runestone City to you. Pay attention to the letters from the Eyrie."
Arnold rushed to catch up, performing the work of a servant.
Aemon rolled his eyes. 'My mother is really stubborn, and she still doesn't like him.' The reason was simple. Although there was no official engagement, rumors among the Seven Kingdoms' nobles suggested that Laena and Rhaenyra were betrothed. Lord Redford of the Red Fort, knowing his daughter Jansif had no chance, sent her to the Eyrie to be Jeyne Arryn's companion. Jansif had secretly cried several times over the matter. His mother had adopted her as a daughter long ago, so she was naturally furious. It wasn't until a month ago that she agreed to let Jansif go to the Eyrie. His mother was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Jansif had been with her for almost two years, so it would be a lie to say she was willing to let her go.
Aemon sighed. Jansif was good in all respects and had helped Aemon gain a foothold in the Vale. Before she left, he had given her the dragon bone whistle as a token of his appreciation.
Laena stopped eating, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and said helplessly, "Aemon, we should go back to Riverdale." She was born on Driftmark, and Riverdale was her other home, but Runestone City belonged to Lady Rhea. Although she wasn't technically living under someone else's roof, she was unhappy.
Hearing this, Aemon felt distressed and said firmly, "Okay, we'll leave when Mom comes back." The relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was always difficult.
"Hmm," Laena leaned gently on his shoulder like a big cat seeking affection. She didn't want to go back to Riverdale unless it was absolutely necessary. That was where Rhaenyra was, after all.
After Riverdale was built, the two white walls were constructed one after the other. Once the infrastructure was in place, the army had to be expanded. Riverdale had gathered 300 Vale knights, 1,200 longbowmen, and 500 standing troops to encircle and suppress the mountain clans of the Moon Mountains in waves. Rhaenyra rode Syrax to participate in the war and improve her dragon-riding skills. It was a battlefield—a baptism of blood and fire. The mountain clans had suffered greatly.
King's Landing, Red Keep, Council Hall.
"Everyone, what would you like to discuss?" Viserys smiled, looking around at the ministers. It was clear that His Majesty was in a very good mood. The marriage of his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra, had been arranged. Although they weren't officially engaged, the boy wouldn't dare break the contract even if he had ten guts. This relieved him of a major concern. In January, Alicent had given birth safely to his third son. It happened to be Aemon's name day, so he went to the Red Keep to celebrate. Aemon named his youngest son Daeron Targaryen. A good name indeed!
"Your Majesty, the council is convening temporarily to discuss Prince Daemon and the Sea Snake, Corlys," Grand Maester Meros said, his old face drooping.
Viserys asked in confusion, "Are they both involved again?"
"There is not enough intelligence. The problem lies in the Stepstones," Taelan added.
Viserys frowned slightly. "It's the Stepstones again. When will the kingdom get rid of that shitty place?" There had been endless conflicts in the Stepstones since the time of his grandfather, Jaehaerys. His uncle, Aemon Targaryen, was assassinated there by accident. From then on, the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms reached a consensus: no one could conquer the Stepstones for long. He wasn't afraid of war, but the losses were not worth it.
Meros ignored the king's complaints and told the intelligence officers: "Prince Daemon has a close relationship with the nobles of Lys. He brought his mercenaries to occupy the Stepstones and built a castle on Bloodstone and Grey Gallows Islands." These were the two largest islands in the archipelago.
"So?" Viserys poked his head out with a strange expression. "That bastard finally settled down outside the Seven Kingdoms. Isn't that a good thing?"
"The problem is that the Sea Snake led the fleet to the Stepstones, seemingly wanting to start a war," Meros said, his tone serious.
Viserys was stunned, silently turning the emerald ring on his left thumb.
Justice Minister Jasper, who had been pretending to be dead, spoke up: "Your Majesty, my friends in Tyrosh said that Myr and Tyrosh formed an alliance to exclude Lys."
Viserys's face changed slightly. The internal struggle among the three daughters of Valyria was nothing new. It seemed Daemon wasn't satisfied with the Stepstones; he wanted to conquer a Free City. The Sea Snake sensed this and rushed over. As expected, the old partners had joined forces again.
Viserys couldn't help but snort. The Sea Snake and Daemon were in-laws, so it wasn't surprising that they were working together. One family was in a difficult period, and the other had no place to stay. However, they underestimated the financial strength of the Free Cities.
"Your Majesty, don't worry about this matter. Just let them try," the taciturn Lyonel finally spoke up. He noticed the king turning the emerald ring on his finger and knew he was anxious.
"Haha, you are right," Viserys smiled, raising his hand to rub the ring against his face. His nephew, Aemon, had given it to him. He had heard that it was a treasure worn by Royna the Water Wizard and that it had magical powers. He had been wearing it, and he felt he had more energy every day. The cuts on his body no longer hurt, and the inflamed, pus-filled wounds had improved. They just needed to be dressed frequently. This surprised him and made him cherish the treasure even more. In addition to collecting stone carvings, he now had a ring. However, no matter how much he polished it, the emerald ring did not show any patina. Worrying!
Meros, Taelan, and the others looked at each other and stopped talking about the Stepstones. The Sea Snake and Daemon were both hated by the king. They didn't say it, but someone else did.
The old man, Linman, raised his eyebrows, his forehead wrinkles stretching as he slowly and methodically said, "Lady Jeyne of the Eyrie has requested a name day celebration in the Eyrie."
"Oh, when?" Viserys became interested. Rhaenyra happened to be in the Vale and could attend on his behalf.
Linman said, "It's at the end of the month. Time is very tight."
Viserys felt strange. "Does that mean only the nobles of the Vale can attend?" After thinking about it, he suddenly realized: this name day celebration was probably not just about wine. Jeyne Arryn had inherited the Eyrie at age three, and in the blink of an eye, 17 years had passed, and she was still unmarried. They probably wanted to use the name day celebration as an opportunity to choose a husband from among the nobles of the Vale.
Viserys waved his hand and decided: "Let Rhaenyra and Aemon go together to strengthen their relationship with Lady Jeyne." The Arryn family was the family of his late wife, Aemma, and a loyal ally of the royal family. They would go and show off their relationship in front of others.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lyonel looked at the king in astonishment. "Are you serious?" Prince Aemon had founded the town of Riverdale. His soldiers fought the mountain clans in the Moon Mountains all day, while merchants plundered the market in the Naerlyn Valley. This had caused dissatisfaction in the Eyrie for a long time. Besides, Prince Aemon had inherited his father's romantic temperament, and it was well known in the Seven Kingdoms that he preferred older women. Was it really appropriate for him to pursue Lady Jeyne?
"What's wrong?" Viserys didn't understand why he was looking at him. If there was something, he should say it.
Lyonel shook his head. "You decide." Some things couldn't be said casually. Prince Aemon was notoriously petty.
"Well, let's adjourn." Viserys was happy and planned to go back and see his youngest son. The ministers stood up and left.
Linman was happy and walked behind everyone. He thought, "I will send a raven to Her Royal Highness the Princess later." With Prince Aemon's support, he had become a legitimate Black supporter. At the royal meeting, he had a little more say.
At the same time, in Runestone City, bedroom.
Achoo! Achoo!
Aemon sneezed twice in a row and muttered to himself. He was sneezing for no reason; someone must be talking about him behind his back. "Don't let me catch you, you presumptuous fellow."
Laena lay gracefully beside the bed, holding two pieces of paper.
"What's the news?" Aemon leaned over and saw the crescent eagle and seahorse emblems.
"Go on. Don't mess around," Laena said, patting him lightly. "Lady Jeyne's name day celebration at the Eyrie has invited Lady Rhea."
"Without me?" Aemon rested his head on the soft, big bear.
"Your letter is probably in Riverdale Town," Laena said helplessly, unable to push him away.
Aemon took another letter. "Where's the letter from Driftmark?" He opened it, looked closely, and his face immediately went dark. It was the letter from his cheap brother-in-law, Laenor. In the letter, Laenor wrote that Corlys and Aunt Rhaenys had urged him to get married and were selecting marriage partners in the king's territory and across the strait. Corlys had received an invitation from the Eyrie, forcing him to marry Jeyne Arryn.
"You are deliberately making trouble for me," Aemon said, nudging the big bear. It was no secret that he coveted the Vale. Why would the Velaryon family get involved?
"Okay, don't be angry," Laena laughed. "Laenor doesn't pursue girls. Let him hide in the Vale for a while."