Daeron took a closer look at the letter.
Hah!
Lord Whent of Harrenhal was inviting him to the castle, with a special note attached: "Keep this quiet."
"What is he planning?"
Daeron couldn't suppress the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Everyone said House Whent was staunchly loyal to Rhaegar, but it seemed their bottom line was rather flexible.
Maester Harvey was more cautious. "Prince, could Lord Whent be harboring ill intentions?"
For example, an assassination plot.
"No, Lord Whent doesn't have the guts," Barristan answered first, sharing his impression of the family. "House Whent looks like a garden in full bloom, but in reality, they are cooking oil over a high flame. Their situation isn't as good as outsiders think."
It made sense.
During the reign of Maekar I, House Lothston of Harrenhal had descended into madness through their obsession with dark magic. House Whent, then sworn knights to House Lothston, had helped put down the madness of Harrenhal.
As a reward, they were granted the castle.
House Whent had leaped across class boundaries, but they couldn't change their origins.
Their current prosperity was largely due to the fertile lands surrounding Harrenhal.
But how long could this peak last?
The whispered rumors of the "Curse of Harrenhal" and the subtle ostracization by other Riverlands lords weighed on them. If House Whent wanted to maintain their glory, they had to follow the royal family closely.
That was why Oswell Whent had joined the Kingsguard.
And between the Mad King and Crown Prince Rhaegar, they had chosen to follow Rhaegar.
"But the situation has changed," Barristan said, his voice firm and resonant.
Daeron chuckled. "I have dragons. Lord Whent is getting cold feet."
The survival rule for nobles wasn't to walk one path until it ended in a cliff. It was to play both sides, to never put all your eggs in one basket.
Barristan agreed wholeheartedly. "To use an inappropriate example, your threat level now far exceeds that of Daemon Blackfyre in his day."
Daemon Blackfyre was called the "Warrior reborn" and had the support of half the lords in the Seven Kingdoms.
And that was without dragons.
Daeron had dragons.
He wasn't Daemon Blackfyre; he was the next Conqueror.
Even if the hatchlings weren't fully grown, Daeron was younger too.
Who could guarantee which prince would sit on the Iron Throne in the future?
Daeron asked, though he already knew the answer, "Ser, do you think I should go?"
Barristan was sincere as always. "Wherever you are, I will stand before you to protect you."
That meant it was worth a try.
Daeron mused, "If we go to Harrenhal, we must be fully prepared. We cannot act rashly."
This was a good opportunity.
If Lord Whent was truly thinking about fence-sitting, it would be a heavy blow to Rhaegar's faction. And as a nouveau riche house of the Riverlands and a core member of Rhaegar's circle, Lord Whent could open many doors for Daeron.
"Prince, there's another line here."
Maester Harvey suddenly paused, spotting something he had missed.
Daeron looked at the letter again and found an inconspicuous postscript.
It mentioned that Jaime Lannister was a guest at Harrenhal and had someone Daeron needed in his custody.
"The wood witch?"
The thought flashed through Daeron's mind instantly, followed by suspicion.
Why would Jaime run off to Harrenhal for no reason? Shouldn't he be at Riverrun for his betrothal talks?
Cersei had sent him a letter asking him to find traces of a wood witch. If he had found her, he should be galloping back to King's Landing to claim credit and please Cersei.
"He couldn't have been detained by Lord Whent, could he?"
Daeron made a bold guess.
Surely not.
Does Lord Whent have balls that big?
---
The Riverlands, Harrenhal
Jaime wore a sour expression as he sought out Lord Whent for the third time, demanding the return of the wood witch.
But he didn't even see the man.
The reply he got was: " The Earl is busy preparing for the tourney. He will send word later."
"Damn it. Walter Whent is deliberately giving me the runaround."
Jaime's handsome face darkened. He really wanted to leave, consequences be damned.
But the wood witch was still being held at Harrenhal.
His sister Cersei had sent him a letter asking him to find her. To please her, he had asked Duke Hoster Tully for help and scoured the Riverlands.
Finally, with the help of Lord Walter Whent, they found the reclusive "Ghost of High Heart."
It was worth noting that Duke Hoster's wife was one of Lord Whent's aunts. So, Jaime had trusted Lord Whent.
He hadn't expected the man to invite him as a guest only to secretly detain the Ghost of High Heart.
They hadn't restricted Jaime's freedom, but he wasn't willing to leave with his tail between his legs.
"Just you wait."
Jaime gritted his teeth, his anger rising the more he thought about it. "Don't let me find an opening, or I'll make you pay."
---
Bluegrass Hills
Daeron brought the three young dragons to inspect the construction progress of Bounty Hall.
Skree-onk!
Caraxes circled in the sky, his molten-gold vertical pupils looking down. His shadow swept across the white marble structures below.
Two months had passed.
The drainage and foundation of Bounty Hall were complete. Masons were building the external walls, while the internal layout of the castle was being planned.
"Not bad."
Daeron looked around, his gaze lingering on the residential area outside Bounty Hall.
In his ideal vision for his fief, he wanted to build a city.
Currently, the residential area housed the orphans taken in during the King's Landing cleanup project.
"Prince, let me take you to see the Dragonguard."
Lord Manly straightened his back, proudly inviting Daeron for an inspection.
He had stepped down as Commander of the City Watch. Currently, Daeron personally held the title of Commander, with Alliser Thorne serving as Vice Commander.
As compensation, Lord Manly was appointed as the Commander of the Dragonguard.
He was responsible for screening and training the recruits daily.
"Let's go see them."
Daeron was eager.
The Bluegrass Hills ran east to west, with the High Valyrian Farm in the east and Bounty Hall in the west. The Dragonguard barracks weren't placed on either side, but rather on an open plot of land on the south side of the hills.
It was backed by the farm and bordered the Kingswood to the south.
As soon as they arrived at the camp, they could hear the shouts and grunts of warriors training from a distance.
Daeron looked over.
Two squads of tall, burly Dragonguards were drilling on the grounds. They wore black armor and wielded various weapons—longswords, morningstars, spears, flails.
The Dragonguard was originally founded during the reign of the Old King, Jaehaerys I.
It began after three eggs from the dragon Dreamfyre were stolen from "The Queen in the West," Rhaena Targaryen. To prevent such an incident from happening again, a specialized guard was formed to protect the dragons.
The standard equipment for the Dragonguard was full plate armor and mastery of various weapons.
Lord Manly hurriedly explained, "Per your requirements, the recruitment standard prioritizes those of dragon seed descent. Second is a clean background, preferably with living parents or siblings."
"They all meet the requirements."
Daeron nodded. "You've done well, my Lord."
Hearing this, Lord Manly looked ashamed instead. "You praise me too much. After all this time, I've only recruited fifty-six men."
Daeron understood.
The Dragonguard watched over dragons; loyalty was the primary guarantee. Dragon seeds were rare to begin with, and screening them made finding suitable candidates even harder.
Among these fifty-six men, some were scions of House Velaryon and other Crownlands noble houses.
Daeron spotted a silver-haired guard.
He was a handsome young man with silver hair and yellow eyes, his skin pale. He had the highest martial skill among the guards, single-handedly knocking down several trainees who had only just begun their training.
Lord Manly introduced him. "That is Lord Lucerys's nephew. He is an upright man, with no history of abusing commoners."
"A Velaryon."
Daeron was impressed. "Lord Lucerys is really willing to invest heavily."
After the Dance of the Dragons, House Targaryen had declined, and House Velaryon hadn't fared much better. Sending a direct blood relative to serve as a guard showed that Lucerys was willing to gamble.