Red Keep, Night Banquet. Everyone was smiling and in high spirits.
Everyone has a reason to celebrate, Rhaegar thought.
Celebrating Ser Steffon and his wife, who had brought Roberta and Robert from Storm's End to visit their grandfather Lord Ormund. Celebrating Ser Tywin's wife, who had just given birth to the golden twins, Jaime and Cersei. Celebrating Lord Jon Arryn, who had come from Gulltown to visit his wife Rowena and their son Raynal Arryn.
And celebrating Queen Rhaella, who had added new members to the royal family: Prince Aegon and Prince Duncan.
Rhaegar sat beside King Jaehaerys II, watching course after course of delicacies being served.
Lemon cakes, baked sea fish, grilled steak, roasted bison with onions, honeyed chicken, rose cakes, cream of mushroom soup, and more. Of course, the main course was still roast fowl, this time roast swan.
Rhaegar was tired of roast swan. The ministers always loved to serve large birds like peacocks, swans, and geese as main courses, but the taste was truly hard to swallow.
The golden wine flowed freely, and King Jaehaerys II, seeing the gathering of so many, was already tipsy. The prosperity of House Targaryen delighted him; it was undoubtedly a blessing for the family.
"These two little ones are healthy too. Though not as tall and strong as Rhaegar, they have the potential to be warriors. In the future, they will surely help their elder brother stabilize the realm," Jaehaerys II said.
Rhaegar looked at his two silver-haired, purple-eyed brothers. They were excellent candidates for political marriages and war. If trained well, they would be his right and left arms in the future.
Westeros's system of primogeniture was indeed painful for younger sons. Brothers must obey the elder, just as subjects obey the king. Most younger sons lived in their brother's shadow, struggling to surpass them.
Prince Aerys also felt very proud. He had stepped out of the shadow and now felt that staying home to accompany his children wasn't so bad.
Rhaegar felt his father Aerys resembled neither his grandfather Jaehaerys nor his great-grandfather, the "Commoner King" Aegon V. Instead, he seemed cut from the same cloth as the mediocre King Aegon IV—easily driven by lust, flattery, and arrogance. However, after being disciplined by King Jaehaerys II and with the addition of new family members, he had become much milder.
"Long live King Jaehaerys II! Today we raise our cups to thank the King for his wise rule!" Lord Arryn raised his goblet to toast the King. Now that an heir was born, Lord Arryn had fewer worries and more joy. A healthy, strong baby boy—the young Falcon King.
Jaehaerys II continued his policy of reconciliation, easing relations with the great lords. People considered him a wise monarch, adept at strategy and adaptable to any situation.
Rhaegar could smell the scent of rust and blood on Lord Jon Arryn. Lord Arryn had forcefully changed the order of succession and suppressed many rebellions with an iron fist. After all, Lord Arryn had ruled the Vale for decades; even minor unrest was quickly quelled by him.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Cups clinked with a crisp, pleasing sound, filled with sweetness, joy, and happiness.
"Rhaegar is still too young. If he were a bit older, he could be my cupbearer," Jaehaerys II said to Rhaegar with a smile.
Young, smart, and agile, Rhaegar was the future star of House Targaryen. Pity he was too young; nine or ten was the normal age for a cupbearer.
"Being a cupbearer is too boring. I still want to practice swordsmanship with Ser Barristan and Sessa, or go out exploring," Rhaegar replied. These words came from the heart; exploration was vital, linked as it was to the combat power of dragons.
Rhaegar did not want to be a cupbearer for long; he had more important things to do—exploring the unknown and hatching dragons.
"The King's arrangement can wait. I invited Prince Rhaegar to visit the Vale long ago," Lord Jon Arryn said with a laugh. He was much older than the King, yet his smile was bright and his physique robust.
"The Eyrie is desolate and dangerous. Why not come to our Storm's End? Rhaegar can play with his cousins there," Ser Steffon said.
"In the Vale, under the banner of the Moon and Falcon, everyone will take good care of Prince Rhaegar. Besides, we will stay with the Prince at the Gates of the Moon, where we usually reside in winter. It lies at the foot of the Giant's Lance, so it won't be too cold or too high," Lord Jon Arryn replied. The protection of the Vale Falcons would ensure the Prince's safety.
"Very well. Lord Arryn is getting on in years, so Rhaegar can accompany the Lord to tour the Vale first." King Jaehaerys II saw that Rhaegar also wanted to travel; being trapped in King's Landing was indeed boring. Rhaegar's escort was luxurious enough to reassure him: Ser Barristan, Sessa the Ronin, and Ser Brynden were all first-class warriors.
King Jaehaerys II agreed, and Lord Jon raised his cup to toast the King.
"Prince Rhaegar will sail with me from King's Landing. The tide is right; otherwise, once the storms come, it will be hard to depart," Lord Jon said.
"Then I will trouble Lord Jon to look after Rhaegar. Though he has always been a good child and won't get seasick," Queen Rhaella said. She had borne two more children, but she always doted most on her eldest.
"Don't worry, Mother. I am lucky Rhaegar," Rhaegar laughed.
The crowd laughed. Lord Jon was always reliable, and his actions were reassuring. With him accompanying Rhaegar, the Prince would undoubtedly master the winds and tides.
"The Vale can be said to be as stable as a mountain range. Storms at sea, mountains on land," Ser Tywin suddenly remarked. The Seven Kingdoms each had their natural advantages, but the Vale, Dorne, the North, and the Iron Islands were particularly favored by geography. Even without expansion, isolation was safe enough. During the Great Spring Sickness that swept the Seven Kingdoms, the Vale had closed its mountain passes and ports, escaping the plague.
"Mountains and seas are gifts from the gods, but also a sweet burden," Lord Jon said with a wry smile.
Rhaegar knew Lord Jon referred to the mountain clans of the Mountains of the Moon. Poor yet savage and fierce, they used the mountains as a shield, refusing the rule of the Eyrie and raiding travelers. Several Lords of House Arryn had died directly at the hands of these savages; the hatred ran deep.
If Rhaegar was to search for traces of Nettles and Sheepstealer, he would likely need to clear out some mountain clans and search their hideouts.
"If we organized an army, we should wipe out all these pests. The North has wildlings and mountain clans, the Vale has mountain clans, and of course, those wretched pirates," Prince Aerys said.
Everyone smiled and dropped the subject. Prince Aerys had the makings of a dreamer; if problems were so easily solved, the realm would have been peaceful long ago.
Prince Aerys had even told Lord Rickard he wanted to push the Wall five hundred miles north to claim more territory. At the time, King Jaehaerys's face had turned almost purple; he truly had an unwise son, and the remark made everyone else laugh.
The banquet ended successfully, and Rhaegar would embark on his journey to the Vale with Lord Arryn.
The guests had their fun and dispersed.
After all, Lord Arryn's visit was rare, and he needed time with his wife and child.
Before departing, Rhaegar had some new preparations to make.
"It is you, the Golden Three-Headed Eagle." The Dragonlord Ring opened, and Rhaegar noticed a Golden Three-Headed Eagle idol standing out among the pile of Fire Seeds.
Three eagles spread their wings, breaking free of all bonds to soar into the sky. The eagles' bodies were cast in gold, magnificent and breathtaking. If the statue still existed, it would be priceless. Sadly, this Three-Headed Eagle idol had been plundered and turned into kindling. If the gold were still there, I'd be rich, Rhaegar thought.
The three eagle heads formed a triangle, pointing in three different directions. Moreover, the heads were of different sizes: one a young eagle, one an adult, and one old and dying.
Rhaegar rubbed the Golden Three-Headed Eagle Fire Seed gently with his fingers, and the seed slowly permeated his body.
When the Eagle God Fire ignited, the flames were fierce, far exceeding the previous two Fire Baths.
Rhaegar had tempered his body, and relying on the experience of the first two baths, he endured it.
In a vast wilderness, Rhaegar vaguely saw a group of barbarians devoutly worshipping the Golden Three-Headed Eagle idol. Day after day, year after year, until the dragonlords discovered the tribe, annihilated them, and dedicated the idol to House Belaerys.
(Fire Eater: You have devoured the Fire Seed of the Golden Three-Headed Eagle God. You gain the Eagle God's Blessing. The Eagle God watches the past, the future, and the present, and is ever ready for danger even in times of peace. The Eagle God's gaze is extremely sharp; the Eagle God will constantly remind you to be vigilant, even in dreams.)
Rhaegar was ecstatic. He had planned to absorb these seeds, but he hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.
He found his five senses improved once again. Looking around, his vision, smell, hearing, and memory were all further enhanced.
The most powerful ability remained the Eagle God's Blessing—a precognitive ability like a sixth sense. It seemed to center on Rhaegar, forecasting potential danger within a radius of dozens of meters. Whether Rhaegar was asleep or awake, the Eagle Eye would monitor the safety of his surroundings and startle him awake if necessary.
Rhaegar felt a three-headed eagle hovering above his head, scouting for danger.
Even in its nascent state, the power of this blessing was immense. He worried that if he continued to cultivate it, the Eagle Eye would expand and deepen further.
He was heading to a battlefield where swords and spears had no eyes. The arrival of the Eagle God was truly timely.
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