The Vale, the Eyrie, the Royce family's hall.
Marco held a delicate and beautiful glass of wine, asking the waiter in front of him, his tone tinged with a hint of strangeness. He truly hadn't expected Arya Stark to be here.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty! I don't know what you mean?"
The young waiter opposite Marco said with some confusion, his expression a bit odd, as if he found Marco's words very strange.
Unbeknownst to "him," some people had already gathered in the area around Marco, besides Godric and the other four, there were also Aegon and Brynden. Since only he and Arya could hear Marco's words, everyone else only sensed something special about Arya.
Marco shook his head slightly, raised the wine in his glass, took a small sip, and then began to walk around on his own, saying to "Arya":
"The so-called faith of the 'God of Many Faces' is actually the 'Pantheon' from the Ghiscari Empire. And the gods they believed in back then represented the gods of the past and the future, surpassing all others. The ancestors of Valyria had always been committed to eliminating these gods who enslaved the masses.
After the Ghiscari Empire was destroyed, the remnants of this faith were preserved, and eventually, they established the so-called 'God of Many Faces' faith under the Fourteen Flames. I always thought Braavos was the only country on Essos still controlled by humans. Alas, I didn't expect it to become a puppet of the Children of the Forest."
"Arya Stark, your disguise is practically perfect in the eyes of mortals, but to me, you're like a firefly in the dark of night. So, have you come here to kill me? I never thought I'd be so fortunate as to be on your kill list."
Marco's words immediately put those around him on high alert. The Wind Dragon Guard and the Royce family guards instantly surrounded them, but Marco gestured for them to stop.
"You're Arya? Wait, how did you end up like this?"
Aegon Targaryen asked, puzzled. He couldn't believe that the male servant, who was about his height, was actually his little cousin, Arya Stark.
Hearing Aegon's familiar voice, Arya also turned around, looking towards Aegon. Upon closer inspection, she finally recognized him from his silver hair.
"You... you're Jon, I... no, why is your hair like this..."
Arya looked at Aegon, surprised. Then, she dispelled her disguise, returning to her small form.
At this moment, Sansa also rushed forward from the crowd. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she looked at the familiar figure. Seeing the little sister who was rumored to be dead, Aegon and Sansa embraced tightly.
Then, Aegon's necklace flashed as well. After a wave of cold air, Lyanna Stark appeared before everyone. Arya was also a little excited to see her legendary aunt.
She quickly grabbed Aegon's hand and asked if he could "revive" her father, mother, and brothers. However, after learning that Lyanna had become this way due to special circumstances, her mood plummeted.
After signaling the surrounding guards to leave, Marco didn't continue to disturb the Starks, who were still catching up. After learning about their experiences, the sisters embraced each other tightly.
Arya explained that she was discovered while she was disguised at The Twins, when she was slaughtering members of House Frey, by several knights from the church, which led to her fleeing to the Vale.
Originally, after returning from Braavos, Arya had planned to make a big splash and avenge her family. However, she didn't expect to encounter such strong resistance during her first act of revenge.
Arya had only killed a portion of the Freys at The Twins, and not even the heirs. Just as she found an opportunity to assassinate "Old Walder Frey," she was discovered.
"I won't allow you to do such dangerous things again. Now that you're back, join the Valyrian Empire!"
Sansa said to Arya, her voice tinged with a hint of fear. At this time, she hadn't yet experienced the second marriage event, and her heart hadn't completely darkened. What she was thinking about wasn't revenge, but Arya's safety.
"Sansa! I'm already an adult. I know what I'm doing. The Starks' debts must be repaid. The Lannisters and the Freys... I will definitely destroy them."
Arya's eyes were resolute as she looked at Sansa, expressing her thoughts and habitually touching her thin sword, Needle, at her waist.
Seeing this, Lyanna hurriedly stepped in to mediate. She felt that Arya was indeed just as the rumors said, her personality really was very similar to her.
Afterward, Aegon also explained his background to Arya. When she learned that Aegon was her cousin, the corners of Arya's mouth tilted slightly.
However, Arya also made it clear that she would not join the Valyrian Empire. After all, they had taken Winterfell. It was already good that Arya hadn't put Marco on her "list."
Sansa and Aegon looked at their stubborn sister and, after exchanging glances, shook their heads helplessly. Arya had proposed going to King's Landing to assassinate Cersei Lannister, but Aegon had stopped her. There was going to be fighting near the King's Road again, and he was worried about Arya.
Then Aegon suggested that Arya accompany Sansa back to Winterfell. Sansa's training was now at a critical point. She had barely grasped her warg abilities, but if she wanted to go further, she had to drink from the Vitality Magic Spring.
Aegon also took the opportunity to tell the sisters about the changes in the North over the years, especially Winterfell, Griffin's Roost, and the forest city of Windermere on the Long Lake. Aegon planned to send a raven tomorrow to the North to his "forest witch" servant, Ivy, so that she would wait for Sansa and them in White Harbor.
Sansa didn't want to go back at first, but Aegon told her that only by drinking from the Vitality Magic Spring would she have a chance to become a stronger Druid.
Sansa had witnessed the Druids' magical power, and her heart yearned for it, wanting to control thunder and rocks like them.
In the end, Arya couldn't resist Aegon and the others' persuasion and prepared to return to the North with Sansa. To say she didn't miss home would be a lie; she still missed Bran and Rickon.
Aegon was also confident that once Arya saw the changes in the North, she would naturally want to join the Valyrian Empire.
Marco was holding a wine glass, watching the former Starks. Through the magic control skill, Marco finally saw how Arya's power worked.
The power of the Faceless Men was somewhat similar to the summoning magic in system magic. A special life energy was condensing around Arya. Its attributes were similar to crystal magic, and when Arya used it, this power would condense on the surface of her body.
This power was truly strange. When Marco looked at it, he couldn't help but feel the shadow of the Lord of Light of the Children of the Forest. As time went on, Marco felt that these Children of the Forest seemed to be gradually reviving.
Although the Red Comet had been brought down by Marco, its remaining energy still caused these guys to appear frequently in this world. Marco could now confirm that the Drowned God was the Sea God, the controller of the ocean among the Children of the Forest.
That most powerful of the Children of the Forest gods, the Death God, was the god behind the White Walkers. The Night King and the Night Lion should both be his subordinates. The Lord of Light should be the incarnation of the Seven and the Lord of Light. And Marco felt that the reason the Lord of Light sent Melisandre over was probably to regain the power of the Seven.
It was just that what made Marco unable to understand was, why the Seven had never manifested themselves, yet still had so many believers? Was it because it was suppressed on the continent of Westeros? Or was it because the power of faith was used to confuse the believers? Or was it because of some other reason that Marco did not know?
The Moon God should be that mysterious sect in Braavos, the Moon Singers. Although the faith of the Lord of Light had always been the mainstream on the continent of Essos, after so many years, the "Moon Singers" had always been the mainstream faith in Braavos.
What made Marco feel most troublesome was the controller of the sky, the Sky God, who had never appeared. This guy shouldn't have disappeared so silently. He should still be hiding in some corner, waiting.
After all, in many myths and legends, this Sky God still had some legends circulating, and it occupied a large proportion, especially in the legends of the Iron Islands, the Drowned God's biggest enemy was the Sky God.
Marco had already figured out his subsequent plans. After gradually eliminating the forces of the Seven, Marco would take the Drowned God as the first target. If he didn't eliminate them when these Children of the Forest gods had lost their power, he would only be slowly killed by them in the future.
Arya, feeling Marco's gaze, turned her head to look at him, her eyes full of provocation, as if she wanted to try and see if Marco was really as powerful as Aegon said.
"Marco, what are you looking at? Isn't that Aegon's cousin? What's wrong? You... you, are you looking..."
Just as Marco retracted his gaze, a coquettish, teasing sound entered his ears. Following that, Marco smelled a mix of alcohol and fragrance. Turning his head, he saw it was a Nymph.
However, Nymph looked a bit strange at the moment. Her red hair was scattered over her shoulders, as red as fire. Looking at her flushed face, Marco looked at Dany with some helplessness.
Dany turned her head to the side, almost whistling to ease the embarrassment. Among Marco's five wives, Moonshadow was the most tranquil and serene. Dany and Nymph had more lively personalities. Nymph was a bit ditzy, while Dany was the mischievous type. So, if she wasn't careful, Nymph would often get tricked by Dany.
Maeve was the aloof type. Except for Moonshadow, Marco, and Nymph, she acted indifferent to everyone else and often found fault with Dany and Mu, causing the two of them to frequently bicker with Maeve.
Mu was a versatile enchantress. She could transform between many personalities at will, and she also claimed that it was to let Marco "taste" the different sides of her. For example, tonight, she was going for a cool and aloof style. Otherwise, with her personality, she would have started fooling around with Dany long ago.
Just as Marco was about to ask Nymph how much she had drunk, Nymph breathed into Marco's ear, saying:
"Marco... You... that song you hummed last time was really beautiful... Ah... Ah, actually, I've learned it, tonight I... I'll sing it for you... to listen..."
Without waiting for Marco to respond, she began singing the song in his arms. It had to be said that this mermaid, Nymph, was truly amazing. Although her tongue was a bit tied when she spoke, the situation was completely different once she started singing.
"May it be aar…"
This was "May It Be" by Enya, a singer from John Bull on the Blue Star, and one of Marco's favorite "John Bullish" songs from his previous life. As Nymph sang, wisps of water vapor appeared around her, and as the vapor spread, everyone felt refreshed.
The beautiful song seemed to carry them deep into the sky, deep into the forest. Through the mist, everyone seemed to see a magical scene, a hazy and serene beauty that made them want to get lost in it.
But this beautiful song was not finished. After the alcohol took effect, Nymph changed from her human form and transformed directly into a mermaid. Feeling their beautiful dream shattered, the crowd looked at Marco with some helplessness, only to find that Nymph had already jumped into Marco's arms and fallen asleep in her mermaid form.
The beautiful evening gown Nymph was wearing had also turned into shreds of cloth, and her huge fish tail swayed back and forth, like a large fan.
With no other choice, Marco had to leave the banquet with Nymph first. Moonshadow and the others also said goodbye to everyone and left with Marco.
At this moment, Sansa looked at Marco's departing back with some helplessness, a trace of loneliness in her eyes, and a little unwillingness in her heart. Many noblewomen in the Vale said that Marco and his wives had a very good relationship.
Moreover, Marco seemed to have never looked for a lover, which made many nobles, big and small, somewhat desperate. Many people believed that Marco's bloodline was definitely stronger than the Targaryen family. When the Targaryens conquered the continent of Westeros, they never showed much of their magical power.
But Marco was different. Everyone knew that Marco was a dragon king who could use magic and create powerful dragonsteel weapons, even more formidable than the dragon kings described in books.
Perhaps sensing Sansa's distress, Aegon gently patted her left shoulder, comforting her.
"Your Majesty Marco is different from those other kings. I still hope you'll consider it carefully. After all, this isn't something that can be achieved easily. Uncle Brynden said that Your Majesty Marco probably won't die of old age because he can bring people back from the dead.
The five queens are not ordinary people, especially Queen Mu and Queen Maeve. I've seen them withstand dragonflame. Uncle Brynden said they both possess incredibly powerful abilities."
After hearing Aegon's words, Sansa fell into deep thought. She desperately wanted to be like Cersei, wielding great power. However, after spending time with Moonshadow and learning,
Sansa discovered that there was indeed a force in this world even more potent than power: magic. Ordinary soldiers were utterly incapable of resisting it and would be torn to shreds.
"I'll do my best. As long as there's hope, I want to try. I've seen all the scenery from the castle towers. I don't want to go down, nor do I dare."
Sansa seemed to have understood something, speaking with a firm tone and her eyes filled with determination.