Seeing this, Winter immediately took massive strides to follow.
Its three heads leaned curiously toward Myrcella, who was being led by Lynn, sniffing gently.
The little princess froze, terrified to move, but her emerald eyes shone with the light of novelty.
Just then, a woman in a grey gown walked quickly out of the castle gates.
Catelyn Tully.
Her face bore a haggardness that was hard to conceal.
But the moment she saw Lynn and Robb, a light instantly lit up in her blue eyes.
Her gaze swept over Lynn, over the colossal dragon that would make any castellan lose sleep, and finally landed on the small blonde girl beside Lynn.
"Ser Lynn."
Catelyn's voice was anxious.
She walked up to Lynn, her eyes fixed tightly on him.
"My daughters... Sansa and Arya. How are they... in King's Landing?"
Her voice trembled slightly as she asked.
The storm in King's Landing had long since spread across the Seven Kingdoms via raven.
She knew Lynn had won the tourney championship. She knew Queen Cersei of House Lannister had been accused of murder. And she knew Lynn had fought a bloody trial by combat to clear the Queen's name.
Every night, she prayed for her husband and daughters.
"Lady Stark, please rest assured."
Lynn's voice carried a reassuring strength.
"They are both very well."
He glanced at Robb, who was listening intently nearby, then back at Catelyn.
"Arya is the same as always. When she's not practicing her swordplay, she's thinking of ways to prank her teachers."
A helpless yet affectionate smile appeared on Catelyn's face.
That was indeed something her youngest daughter would do.
"And Sansa?"
She was more worried about her eldest.
Sansa had grown up living in songs and fantasies; a place like King's Landing was far too dangerous for her.
"Sansa..."
A meaningful smile appeared on Lynn's face.
"She has changed a great deal."
"She is now my biggest business partner in King's Landing. Together, we have built a 'Soap Empire' that drives the noble ladies of the city mad."
"She is no longer the little lady who only sings songs."
Seeing Catelyn's stunned expression, Lynn continued.
"Every day, she thinks about how to blend new fragrances, how to weave moving stories for our products, and how to make those highborn lords willingly empty their purses."
"She has found something far more interesting than marrying a prince."
Catelyn was thoroughly stunned.
Soap Empire? Business partner?
These words couldn't be connected to the gentle, quiet daughter in her memory who dreamed of becoming a queen.
But she could hear the genuine praise in Lynn's tone.
Her daughter seemed to be growing up rapidly in a way she couldn't have imagined.
---
Winterfell, Lord's Study.
After handing Myrcella over to a maid to be settled, Lynn and Robb finally had a moment alone.
Robb slumped into a chair, grabbed a flagon of wine from the table, and took a huge swig.
"Where are the Gold Dragons you mentioned?"
He wiped his mouth, looking at Lynn with bright eyes.
Lynn smiled, pulled a bank draft from King's Landing out of his tunic, and handed it to him.
Robb took it. When he saw the long string of numbers, his breathing stopped.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
Robb's voice trembled.
"Lynn, did you rob the King's treasury?"
"Something like that." Lynn was noncommittal.
Holding the draft that was enough to buy a castle, Robb felt it burning his hand.
He carefully put the draft away, the expression on his face turning serious.
"About the task you gave the Night's Watch earlier."
He walked to the corner of the study and pulled a heavy wooden box from a locked iron chest.
The box opened.
A scent mixing the fresh fragrance of grass and wood with an extreme chill instantly filled the air.
It was filled with strange plants, fist-sized and crystalline like ice, but with faint golden veins wrapped around the roots.
Blessed Herbs!
And the quantity was far beyond Lynn's imagination!
"The men of the Night's Watch found these beyond the Wall," Robb explained.
"They say these things only grow in the Lands of Always Winter, where the cold is extreme. And there are always... unclean things lingering nearby."
"To gather these, they had to venture north into the Lands of Always Winter, and lost quite a few rangers doing it."
"But it wasn't the dead who got them. It was wildlings."
"There is one portion of each herb here. Lord Commander Mormont personally instructed me to hand them to you myself."
Lynn's gaze fell on the box of herbs, his eyes burning hot.
He didn't stand on ceremony, grabbing a stalk and stuffing it directly into his mouth.
The icy herb melted instantly upon entry, turning into a warm current that surged through his limbs and bones in a flash!
[Ding! You have consumed 'Chalcedony Fungus', Constitution +1!]
[Ding! You have consumed 'Azure Sky Flower', All Attributes +1!]
...
A series of system notifications rang crazily in Lynn's mind!
Name: Lynn
Strength: 12 (2%)
Agility: 11 (61%)
Constitution: 9 (92%)
Spirit: 26 (1%)
Lynn could clearly feel his body undergoing astonishing changes!
His muscles became tougher, his bones denser, and even his mental power experienced unprecedented growth!
After consuming the entire box of herbs, his strength had increased dramatically!
Lynn let out a long breath, feeling the explosive power within his body, a satisfied look on his face.
Robb watched Lynn gnawing on those precious herbs like they were radishes, the corner of his eye twitching.
Although he didn't know exactly what they were for, seeing Lynn's expression told him they were definitely good stuff.
"By the way, there's one more thing."
Robb seemed to remember something.
"A while back, the Night's Watch caught a group of wildlings in the Haunted Forest."
"Among them was a red-haired woman. Very prickly, like a wildcat. Several brothers were wounded by her arrows."
"Lord Commander Mormont originally wanted to deal with them according to the rules, but Uncle Benjen stopped him, saying to wait for your decision."
A red-haired woman?
Ygritte!
Lynn's eyes instantly lit up.
Blessed Herbs, wildlings...
A perfect chain of clues formed instantly in his mind!
Who knew that land better than the wildlings who had lived beyond the Wall for generations?
Letting them gather the herbs would yield twice the result with half the effort!
"Those wildlings. I want them."
Lynn said without hesitation.
"What do you want them for?"
"Wildlings are brutal."
Robb didn't understand.
"To let them make use of their talents, of course."
Lynn cast his gaze out the window, looking toward the distant north.
His plan was far more than just gathering herbs.
Besides dealing with Ygritte, he had a more important goal in the North.
The Fist of the First Men.
And, buried beneath its summit, the legendary Horn of Winter that could bring down the Wall!
That was his true objective for this trip!
Lynn opened the Mount Panel.
[Mount: Winter (True Name), ?, ?]
[Species: Three-Headed Dragon (Male)]
[Status: Loyal]
[Description: A relic dragon hatched from an ice-sealed egg using the blood of a True Dragon, a King, and a Sage. Possesses three independent heads, four legs, and a pair of fleshy wings.]
[Strength: 78 (Adolescent)]
[Agility: 52 (Adolescent)]
[Constitution: 109 (Adolescent)]
[Skills:]
Bite, Claw, Flight, Scale Armor
Dragonfire (Ice, Fire, Undeveloped)
Draconic Tongue (Undeveloped, unlocks after magic resurgence)
Lynn clicked his tongue.
This was ridiculous.
Less than three months old, and these stats meant it could flatten him into meat paste with one paw.
Truly the most powerful magical creature.
Well, this trip to the Wall would be a perfect opportunity to take Winter for a spin.