Jaehaerys had had time to calm down on his way to Casterly Rock. He had even begun to feel a slight anticipation about seeing his daughter. He still felt regret, of course, but also a sense of excitement.
"Shouldn't you get a gift for your daughter?" asked Brandon, who was riding beside him.
"I've started to prepare one." On the road, between breaks and when the others were asleep, he had begun to carve wood. He wanted to create a figure of a dragon and another of a wolf.
The dragon had begun to take shape. He wanted it to resemble his white dragon. It seemed appropriate for his daughter to have something like that. Although according to his calculations, she was just a baby. She had been born about six moons ago and was probably still nursing from Sansa's breasts.
"Is there anything you're bad at, Jaehaerys?" Brandon's tone was slightly friendly and envious. Although Jaehaerys knew there was no malice in it.
"I'm bad at poetry, singing, and plants." He had tried to have a garden at Winterfell, but he couldn't.
In the end, Sansa had helped him, at first a little apprehensive about getting dirty, but over time, she began to enjoy gardening. Jaehaerys used to get books on rare flowers from around the world, those books for Sansa.
In a leather bag tied to his horse, he carried a herbarium. He had gotten it from a merchant who was trying to win his favor. It was a book with plants pressed, dried, and preserved between its pages. He thought Sansa would like it. He had bought it months ago.
'I'm also horrible at sterilizing things and good at blowing things up,' he couldn't say out loud without being seen as crazy.
"We'll be passing Riverrun soon," Brandon said. "Don't you think it would be nice to meet old Tully?"
"No, let's keep going," he didn't want to deal with Hoster at that moment. Although he found it a bit fucked up that the man was Sansa's grandfather.
"My ass hurts from riding," Brandon complained. They were riding at the head of the group at the moment, with no one to hear them, so he could afford to be a little vulgar.
"On your trip to Essos, did you stop by the Summer Islands?" asked the prince.
"Huh? No," he replied, confused. "Although I'd like to see a woman with 18 tits."
"It's 16," corrected Jaehaerys. "I thought you might have bought a polished stick on the islands," he said with a sigh.
"A what?" Brandon asked, frowning.
"It's a stick that replaces a penis. I see your relationship with Rowena was that strong," said the prince. "No wonder your ass hurts after a short ride. She rides you often too."
"Nothing goes in there; it only comes out." Brandon looked at him as if Jaehaerys had said he killed his brother.
"But you don't deny your relationship with Rowena?" asked the prince.
"That... is complicated. She is a complicated woman," said Brandon.
"Of course, you wouldn't like a normal woman," added Jaehaerys.
Brandon let out a rather prominent laugh. Jaehaerys turned off his mind a little as they talked about topics that no one would expect a prince to touch on.
After a considerable amount of time, he looked back. The men were following them at a significant distance. He looked at the sun; by the time they reached their position, it would be dusk. Both men looked for a small clearing before beginning to set up a temporary camp, although they had to wait for the other men to arrive.
The escort consisted mainly of knights, as they were expected to be able to ride. There were a few Unsullied among them; they had learned to ride during their time at Argentstone and were quite decent at it, at least capable of maintaining order.
Serena rode alongside her Dornish guards. The woman had wanted to travel to meet her father. Jaehaerys warned her of the fast pace it would entail, but the woman had remained stubborn and confident that she could endure it.
Jaehaerys watched the girl's legs tremble; the ride must have exhausted her. She had been raised as a princess, not a warrior.
"Don't try it, not here or at Casterly Rock," he said as he lit a fire. "A sneak attack in the middle of the night could get you killed by one of my guards, and at Casterly Rock it would make you look like a savage," he said, sensing the girl's intention.
"Are you expecting us to be attacked while we travel?" she asked, without fear in her voice.
"Yes, common bandits. We left too quickly for those who want me dead to ambush me. Besides, since we're traveling without banners, they'll hardly know who we are. There are hundreds of groups traveling to Casterly Rock at this time. We may seem like easy prey," he explained to the girl.
At that moment, it would not be a good idea for her to try to attack him, especially in the stealthy way she usually did.
"Do you think my grandfather sends The Mountain and his people disguised as bandits?" she asked aloud.
"You should learn that having a mouth doesn't mean it's okay to speak," Jaehaerys scolded, looking at the Dornish guard, who shrugged. "Although that's quite specific."
"You humiliated Clegane; it wouldn't be strange for him to seek revenge," said the Martell girl. "My grandfather wants you dead, doesn't he?" she asked.
Jaehaerys did not respond, busy with the fire.
"More men are approaching, princess. It would not be wise to continue this conversation," said the Dornishman who followed Serena. The girl reluctantly fell silent.
Her guardian was relatively lax in his duties, letting her do as she pleased. That was why she took his words seriously when he warned her about things she should not do.
"Train me with the spear," she ordered Vaeryn, who was the name of her guard.
"You should rest," said Jaehaerys.
"Vaeryn, come on," the stubborn girl walked away to an open field. She did not use a spear for training, but a smooth stick that resembled a Bo.
Jaehaerys could tell she was pretty good at it; in a few moons, she could start using nunchucks.
The men arrived and helped set up camp. The prince slept in a tent the same size as the others, with a few men inside, while others stood guard outside.
Night fell, and the men rested, except for the few unlucky ones who had to stand guard. Jaehaerys did not have to stand guard, but he had not been able to fall asleep easily lately.
He left his tent, as he had done on many other days spent traveling. He looked for the light of the campfire and was alarmed to see no men on watch. Men might neglect their duty for a few minutes while they went to relieve themselves, but there should have been three men on watch, and none were in sight.
He stayed in the shadows as he explored among the few tents. Soon, he found the corpse of a young knight. His throat had been slit like a pig in a slaughterhouse. Jaehaerys allowed himself half a second of pity before waking his men.
In no time, the camp became active, with men moving back and forth, searching, but they found nothing that night. The other two men disappeared, although they left their horses behind.
Nor did they find anything in the nights that followed. They continued on their way, increasing the night watches.
Not finding the killers took its toll on the men. Little by little, they began to distrust each other, pointing fingers at one another. No other men died, but it mattered little. Chaos had been sown.
"How long until we reach Casterly Rock?" the prince asked one of his knights. The man, like all the others, had deep circles under his eyes.
"A week, although we may not make it," Jaehaerys heard the man say.
He would agree. The person who initiated this attack did so with the intention of causing panic. His men had not slept well and were unlikely to do so.
"They'll probably attack before we get there," thought the prince. 'I should have traveled by river.' He had chosen to travel by land because it was more likely to encounter the Starks that way. He had heard no words about how the Starks were traveling.
Jaehaerys closed his eyes, fatigue affecting even him.
Suddenly, he heard a horn, announcing the approach of enemies.
A group of horsemen charged in his direction. Jaehaerys expected to see a huge figure leading them, but it seemed that it was not what he expected; they looked like common bandits. However, it was difficult for bandits to acquire horses.
"Get ready," he shouted. They were in an esplanade, and it would take the enemies a few minutes to arrive.
Jaehaerys mounted his horse, chose his three-section staff as a weapon, and waited for the enemies to arrive. Their figures gradually grew larger. He looked to his side and saw that a group of Unsullied was already ready for battle.
The prince closed his eyes, wishing he could get some sleep before the bandits arrived.