"Red Priestess Melisandre! I've heard a great deal about you!" Shortly after Malora left with her two-headed disciple, Jon brought Melisandre, who had waited for several days in Redemption Town, into the castle to meet Lynd.
"My lord prince, you know of me?" Melisandre regarded Lynd with a smile. "It seems you are very familiar with me."
"Indeed, I'm quite familiar with you," Lynd nodded. "This isn't our first meeting."
Melisandre was momentarily stunned and asked cautiously, "Were you able to see me back when you performed great miracles in Qohor?"
"You were in Qohor then?" Lynd was equally surprised.
Realizing her misunderstanding, Melisandre quickly asked again, "I'm curious—where exactly have we met, my lord prince? Could you clarify this for me?"
"Perhaps I've misled you. I know you, and I've seen you, but you wouldn't recognize me." Lynd smiled slightly. "I know your prophecy—the prophecy of Azor Ahai. I also know what you truly are." As he spoke, Lynd pointed toward the ruby necklace around Melisandre's neck. "Honestly, you'd be better off converting to the God of Magic and staying here with me."
"If you really knew me, my lord, you'd know conversion is impossible for me." Melisandre maintained her composure, calmly replying despite the unsettling feeling that Lynd had seen through her.
"Indeed, you'll never convert," Lynd agreed. "Your life depends on the power of R'hllor. If you ever changed faiths, you'd lose your life as well." He stared intently at her. "So, how should I address you? Red Priestess, or the Chosen One of the Lord of Light?"
"I have only one identity now," Melisandre said firmly, "the envoy of the reincarnated Azor Ahai."
"Azor Ahai reincarnated?" Lynd chuckled softly. "Are you certain Azor Ahai's reincarnation is Stannis Baratheon? Are you absolutely sure you've interpreted what you've seen in the flames correctly?"
Melisandre frowned. "I have unwavering faith in my Lord's revelations."
Lynd didn't press further, instead moving directly to the main topic. "What did Stannis send you here for?"
"I requested this visit myself," Melisandre clarified. "I'm here to order weapons and armor."
"We don't sell armor," Lynd shook his head. "Given your connections with the Red Temple in Qohor, you could easily acquire them directly there."
Melisandre hesitated. "But isn't Qohor also part of your territory?"
"No, Qohor belongs to the Kingdom of Lorne, not Summerhall." Lynd had no intention of debating Qohor's ownership. "What weapons do you need? And how many?"
Melisandre listed the weapon types and quantities required.
Lynd was momentarily taken aback, as the numbers far exceeded his expectations. He couldn't help but ask, "There are no ongoing wars in the Seven Kingdoms at present. Why would Lord Stannis need such a large quantity?"
Melisandre smiled faintly. "Since when has Summerhall required buyers to explain their reasons before selling them weapons?"
"No, you're right. There's no need," Lynd shook his head lightly. "It's merely my own curiosity. You're not obliged to answer." After a pause, he added, "As far as I know, Lord Stannis isn't exactly wealthy. How does he intend to pay for such a substantial order?"
"With Dragonglass," Melisandre replied directly.
"That's acceptable," Lynd nodded. Melisandre's arrival conveniently aligned with his own needs. With the White Walkers advancing southward, Dragonglass would soon be in high demand.
He had already decided that once war erupted and Stannis marched north, he would seize Dragonstone and secure a reliable source of Dragonglass.
"Now that business is concluded, I'd like to discuss something personal." Melisandre relaxed visibly, her tone becoming softer. "I'd like your permission to build a Red Temple in Miracle Harbor."
"No." Lynd refused without hesitation.
Melisandre paused, then cautiously asked, "Is it because you're chosen by the Seven? Yet temples dedicated to the God of Storms, the God of Calamity, and even the God of Magic are permitted within your territory..."
"Because they are all me," Lynd replied firmly, "but the Lord of Light is not."
"We are natural allies, my lord. We share a common enemy," Melisandre insisted gently.
"You're confusing matters. Having a common enemy doesn't necessarily make us allies," Lynd countered resolutely. "The word 'ally' doesn't exist in the teachings of R'hllor."
"It seems I must accept disappointment," Melisandre said, although her expression betrayed no such feeling. Clearly, she'd anticipated this response before she even arrived.
Perhaps sensing there was nothing more to discuss, Melisandre rose and walked toward the door. However, she suddenly paused at the threshold and turned back to Lynd. "If King Robert should die someday, would you..."
"As long as it doesn't harm my interests, I won't involve myself in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms," Lynd replied gravely.
"A pleasing answer," Melisandre smiled gently. "Then allow me to offer you some information you might find useful. The Doom's faith originated from ancient foreign gods in the far north. South of the Wall, the one truly in control is Euron Greyjoy, who also stole the Horn of Winter—but he has other plans and has not yet sent it northward. Oh, and the ancient one has been resurrected; the ancient gods have also found their commander."
Lynd froze at her words, sinking into deep contemplation, his mind instantly recalling the ancient survivor within the crystal coffin beneath the Sealord's Palace.
None of Melisandre's revelations were reassuring. Lynd doubted she had personally investigated these events beyond the Wall; rather, it seemed certain the Lord of Light had shown her these visions. Clearly, her true purpose wasn't the weapons order nor the temple request. Her real intent was undoubtedly the cryptic message she'd delivered at the end.
Lynd remained thoughtful for a while, then quickly penned several letters addressed to the archbishops of the major septs, including the Starry Sept and the High Seat Sept. He also recalled Balin and Lothor, who had left earlier, assigning them new tasks.
Whether by letter or spoken command, his orders were identical: capture the followers of the Doom, suppress their faith's spread, and ensure the complete eradication of their presence south of the Wall before the White Walkers' advance.
...
For the next half-month, Lynd remained mostly within the castle, attending to the various administrative matters within his territories and meeting influential representatives from all strata of society.
Although large and small councils were established across Summerhall to handle governance—and they regularly contacted Lynd in Ny Sar for critical decisions—government efficiency invariably declined when Lynd was away.
For instance, the trade market construction at Castle Ridge had made little progress in six months. Enraged, Lynd dismissed the responsible officials and replaced them entirely, after which the market was completed in less than ten days.
Additionally, Lynd took a trip to a volcanic island near the Summer Isles on his lava dragon Neltharion.
Lava dragons didn't need to eat living creatures like cattle or sheep, but their molten cores required regular replenishment, making lava their ideal food source.
Recently, however, Lynd discovered that there was no need to travel to volcanoes anymore—simply melting rocks or metals and feeding them directly to the dragon worked just as well. Consequently, the forge within Lynd's castle no longer produced weapons or armor; instead, it was exclusively used to prepare meals for the lava dragon.
Due to the lava dragon occupying the dragon's nest, the wyverns had to be relocated to the Redemption Sept. The original dragon nest was demolished, replaced by a large platform designed specifically to accommodate the lava dragon, making it easier to land and take flight.
Every three days or so, Lynd rode Neltharion across the Free Cities in his domain during daylight hours. He did this both to showcase the dragon to his subjects—bolstering the cohesion within his territory—and to measure the dragon's maximum flight speed.
Through these tests, Lynd found that Neltharion was incredibly fast, allowing him to reach Ny Sar from Summerhall in Westeros within a day. This significantly enhanced Lynd's convenience and mobility.
There had been no breakthroughs in research regarding parasitic organisms or their cores, but Marwyn had made progress regarding the Valyrian runes carved into the Dragon Horn.
"These aren't Valyrian runes?" Lynd questioned Marwyn, who had come to report his findings.
Perhaps due to the maids taking care of him, Marwyn looked significantly tidier now, his hair, beard, and even nose hairs neatly trimmed—far cleaner than when Lynd first encountered him.
However, Marwyn's tidiness hadn't altered his personality. Without regard for the documents already on Lynd's desk, he casually placed several hefty tomes down, flipping them open to carefully marked pages. Excitedly, he pointed at the pages and his own drawings of the runes.
"Look carefully—do you see the resemblance?"
Lynd examined the runes in the books attentively. Although incomplete, the fragments perfectly matched certain segments of Valyrian runes on the horn. He imagined these incomplete writings were once exactly like the Valyrian runes before being damaged.
The remaining books held similar fragmented runes, each matching different segments from the horn.
"Where exactly did these incomplete runes come from?" Lynd asked.
Marwyn pointed at each book and explained enthusiastically, "This book contains inscriptions copied from the black stone walls at the Five Forts of the Far East. These incomplete runes are from a black stone tablet in Asshai. This one comes from Yeen in Sothoryos, reportedly discovered inside a black stone temple. Lastly, this volume was left behind by the original scholars of the Citadel, containing inscriptions that once adorned the black stone fortress of the Hightower in Oldtown—but they've long since worn away."
"All related to black stone?" Lynd furrowed his brow.
Marwyn nodded vigorously. "I suspect these Valyrian runes were originally created by some ancient civilization. The Valyrians probably adopted a part of this ancient language, integrating it into their own culture. It's even possible that High Valyrian itself has origins in that ancient tongue."
"Aside from this, have you made any other useful discoveries?" Lynd continued.
"No, that's it for now," Marwyn shook his head. "But since these Valyrian runes all link back to black stone, didn't you bring some back from the Valyrian ruins? I'd like to request a portion for further experiments."
Lynd nodded, quickly drafting a material requisition slip and instructing Marwyn to retrieve the stones from Malora in the Black Cave.
After Marwyn left, Lynd took out an intelligence report provided by Balin.
The report detailed a rumor rapidly spreading throughout Westeros—that Lynd had successfully explored Valyria's ruins and discovered the legendary Dragon Horn used by the Dragonlords of old Valyria to tame dragons, allowing him to subdue a living dragon from the ruins.
However, this rumor did not originate from Summerhall. Lynd's retainers who knew of his expedition had all voluntarily kept silent. Lynd surmised it likely originated from someone in Tolos. After all, only the Tolosi people had seen him depart for the ruins, and when he'd picked up Ella and Yara, the distinctive shape of the Dragon Horn strapped to the dragon's back would have been impossible to ignore.
Yet the rumor circulating now clearly had been deliberately distorted. It placed excessive emphasis on the horn's significance, implying Lynd could control dragons solely due to the horn, ignoring completely the fact that he'd already tamed a Sea Dragon—the Devourer—even before obtaining it.
Lynd concluded that whoever deliberately altered this rumor was attempting to provoke trouble, tempting others to covet the Dragon Horn stored in Summerhall, and prompting them to reckless actions that could destabilize his territory.
Unfortunately for the culprit, they had vastly underestimated Lynd's prestige in Westeros and Essos. Even those who might desire the horn wouldn't dare act against Summerhall.
And if anyone foolishly attempted such a thing, the Blood Armored Men would swiftly deal with them—ultimately condemning them to forced labor in Lynd's mines.
After finishing his accumulated administrative duties, Lynd decided to fly to the Wall aboard Neltharion. His goals were twofold: first, he wanted to check on Willas's situation and perhaps glean some useful information about the North; second, he wished to test how Neltharion handled the extreme cold beyond the Wall.
However, before he could depart, an invitation jointly signed by the King and Hand arrived from King's Landing. This time, Lynd wasn't being invited to serve as Master of Ships. Instead, they requested his presence as an honored guest at the upcoming Tournament of Champions.
Initially, Lynd considered declining. Yet after a brief reconsideration, he decided it wouldn't hurt to attend.