The Lannister army camp.
Tywin Lannister, Duke of the Westerlands, whose power dominated the royal court, had just received news that his most satisfactory heir—the Kingslayer, Jaime—had been captured. His face was dark with barely contained fury.
Only a few days ago, he had said with absolute certainty that his son would never be taken so easily. And yet, news of Jaime's capture had arrived. Worse still, the situation had turned extremely unfavorable—Stannis and Renly had both raised their banners. They were now being attacked from three sides.
Seeing the old man seething with anger, his younger brother Kevan Lannister suggested the possibility of peace talks.
At the side, the Imp, Tyrion, hearing this, pushed his wine cup off the table, letting everyone hear the sharp sound of glass shattering.
"Trying to get Robb to the negotiation table?" Tyrion sneered. "That's harder than drinking wine out of those broken shards. You chopped off the man's father's head and still expect him to negotiate?"
The others began offering their own ideas again.
But with his most valued son captured, Tywin could no longer listen to anything. He ordered everyone to get out—except the Imp.
The first thing the Imp thought of was still drinking. As usual, Tywin snatched the wine jug away from him. But this time, to Tyrion's surprise, the Golden Lion didn't scold his dwarf son as he usually did. Instead, he personally poured him a cup of wine.
Tyrion glanced sideways at Tywin, thinking to himself: What is this old man up to now?
Tywin spoke, even offering rare praise."I always thought you were a slow-witted fool, but now it seems your mind still works."
"Indeed. If Ned were still alive, we could've used him as leverage to pull Robb to the negotiating table. But now he's been beheaded by your nephew. I plan to adjust our strategy."
"I'll head to Harrenhal to reorganize the troops. And you—take my place as Hand of the King for a few days. Go rein in that reckless little king and his mother. Tell them to stop making a mess of things."
"Oh, and one more thing—don't bring that whore into the court."
…
"My lord, there's a girl waiting at the front gate, asking to be summoned!"
Morning.
In the back garden of the lord's residence, Lynn was practicing swordsmanship when he heard the servant's report. He was slightly surprised.
Wiping the fine sweat from his forehead with a towel, Lynn instructed, "Bring her in."
As she was led into the courtyard by the servants, Dany kept her head lowered, her heart filled with unease. The lord had promised her an opportunity yesterday, but she had no idea what kind of test awaited her.
Upon entering the garden, her thoughts were in complete turmoil.
A servant dressed in coarse gray cloth announced loudly from the side:
"My lord!Miss Dany has arrived!"
Hearing this, Lynn turned around.
The girl seemed to have deliberately tidied herself up. Compared to the wild, rough image from yesterday, she looked much cleaner and sharper today.
What entered Lynn's view was a clear, bright face—reddish-brown long hair, a small upturned nose, and a pair of deep dimples on her cheeks.
Pleasant to look at.
A pair of blue eyes—faded blue, as if someone had washed and brushed them clean, making the color lighter.
At this moment, Dany's bright, unusual gaze was lowered slightly, whether from shyness or fear, it was hard to tell.
Lynn straightened his posture and extended his hand in welcome.
"You're punctual. That pleases me."
Dany was petite and pretty, her demeanor composed. She lifted her chest just enough, revealing her beautiful orange shoulders.
She spoke respectfully and politely, "Thank you, my lord."
As she spoke, she slowly raised her head.
And then she saw the young lord, dressed in shorts and a sleeveless top, standing just a step away. His clear black eyes were openly and with interest examining her from head to toe.
Dany felt her face warm slightly. Unable to help herself, she lowered her head again and called out softly,
"…My lord!"
Lynn snapped back to his senses, cursing himself inwardly for losing composure the moment he saw a woman. He gave a light laugh to cover the awkwardness.
"Have you had breakfast?"
Noticing that the gaze on her face had shifted away, Dany quietly let out a breath.
She steadied herself and bowed with proper noble etiquette. "Yes."
After hesitating for a moment, Lynn still asked, "Miss Tully, are you truly from the Tully family of the Riverlands?"
He voiced the doubt in his heart.
He wanted to confirm it, just in case there had been some misunderstanding.
Hearing the young lord—who was only a few years older than herself—raise the very question she had expected, Dany instead felt relieved.
She carefully recounted her experience of drifting from Riverrun all the way to the fishing village port.
Lowering her voice, she said, "My lord, you may call me Dany. I am not a legitimized member of House Tully. As for how I came to bear the Tully name… it's a long story."
Seeing the complex expression on the girl's face, Lynn frowned slightly."You're a bastard?"
Dany's face paled, and she nodded faintly.
Lynn gave a soft "oh." He remembered that bastards in the Riverlands should bear the surname Rivers. Yet this girl called herself Dany Tully rather than Dany Rivers—there had to be some hidden secret behind it.
But he wasn't particularly interested in digging deeper.
Mainly because he had no real reason to fear House Tully.
Once Edmure Tully took control of Riverrun, he would quickly lead that once-great house into decline.
In the end, Edmure—Earl of Riverrun—would even become a prisoner of House Lannister.
Lynn only hoped his steward would have a simple background. Someone he could keep close without worry.
Fewer troubles were always better.
Still, Lynn was short on manpower at the moment and didn't have the luxury to be picky.
He shifted the topic back to the affairs of the lord's residence.
"Very well, Miss Dany. Let's talk business. I promised you an opportunity. Your task today will be to act as an interviewer for the lord's residence, facing dozens of applicants—stonemasons, general laborers, even swordsmen. Do you have confidence you can handle it?"
Dany pursed her lips and replied, "I'll do my best, my lord. I once learned some basic knowledge under a swordmaster in Riverrun. As for stonemasons and laborers, my former maid, Hilly, did those kinds of work before. I have a general idea of how things should be."
"Very good. I plan to build a fortress on the island. Estimate the number of craftsmen you'll need. If you have any questions, you can also go to Maester Hill. He's a kind old man and will be happy to help you."
Dany nodded seriously. Once work was mentioned, she immediately entered her role. She had a servant bring over a quill and paper, carefully writing down Lynn's requirements.
From time to time, she raised small questions of her own.
"My lord, how large do you intend to build the fortress? Does it need to be as big as Riverrun? I've seen Riverrun's construction blueprints before. I can easily draw them from memory."
As big as Riverrun? That was something Lynn didn't even dare to think about. He rolled his eyes at her.
"No money."
Dany didn't give up."My lord, that powerful army of yours that defeated the pirates—are you really planning to keep them stationed in the fishing village? Why not let your commanders take them out and form a mercenary company? The Riverlands need such forces. Those great lords would be willing to pay generous commissions."
Lynn shook his head."Soon, money won't be a problem."
"Then the blueprints of Riverrun—?"
Lynn's face went dark."Not needed for now. Waste of money."
...
...
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"Game of Thrones: Dragon Prince"
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"Game of Thrones The Glory of a Knight"
(End Chapter)