In a lush green wilderness of the Velvet Hills, a grey hare scurried past a felled tree stump in a panic.
"Whoosh!"
An arrow, swift as lightning, directly pinned the poor hare.
Viserys, with silver hair and purple eyes, lowered the short bow in his hand; he had ensured this arrow was foolproof, leaving no regrets.
Viserys looked tall and handsome, yet possessed immense strength that didn't match his appearance.
His muscles weren't the bulky, full muscles like Argus's, but rather powerful yet not cumbersome.
Viserys felt this came from his training and his "Gluttony" and "Insight" talents, making him a magnificent and dangerous warrior.
A dozen riders in leather armor caught up, responsible for guarding the king and driving game for him.
The burly Agos Black Pine dismounted, then picked up the hare from the ground.
"Your Majesty's archery has become even more superb," the robust Argus said, holding up the hare in his hand.
"The nineteenth one."
Viserys, wearing black leather armor with a three-headed red dragon emblem on his chest, put away his short bow.
The bows used on horseback were different from the longbows specialized for foot archers.
"Stop flattering, Argus, you have to win the first prize too," Viserys said.
Viserys rode his horse, galloping freely across the vast mountains.
Most of his prey consisted of rabbits, pheasants, and the larger ones being wild boars and deer.
On this day, Viserys had shot the most hares, and he felt he could also earn the nickname "Hare Hunter."
"At your command, your majesty the king!" Argus replied gruffly, then swung onto his horse.
The rabbits were tossed to the Andal Squires who had come with them, those fair-haired, blue-eyed adolescents.
Some of the children also had olive skin, as the Andal villages had mixed blood with their Loynans neighbors.
Amidst the mountains and waters of the wilderness, Andal cavalrymen moved back and forth, chasing prey, then herding it in one direction for the kill.
Most of the known world was sparsely populated, and hunting still provided some food, which was also a way of life for many andals.
This was not only Viserys's hunt, but also an opportunity for military training.
When both men and horses were weary and content, the cavalrymen escorted King Viserys back to the hunting camp, which had already been set up in the woods.
The black and red three-headed dragon banner fluttered, and Viserys's tent was located in the center of the camp.
Viserys reined in his horse under a tree, and the camp was already filled with the fragrant smell of food.
The aroma of baking bread gradually stimulated one's taste buds.
Shiny beads of sweat hung on Viserys's forehead, making him look very vibrant.
"your majesty the king!"
"Your Majesty!"
Upon seeing Viserys, the Andal soldiers saluted one after another.
"You've worked hard, everyone," Viserys greeted them all.
Many of those who came to hunt were Andal cavalry, and some were Andal longbowmen.
Currently, the Andal cavalry force was not that large, mainly due to factors of horses and training.
Warhorses and armor were very expensive, whether it was the cost of buying horses, their upkeep, or the accompanying cavalry training.
The ratio of cavalry to infantry in many forces ranged from one to four or five to one to ten; the key was wealth and training.
Viserys knew that the cavalry ratio in the Westerlands was incredibly high, and the cavalry ratio in the Reach was also not low, and since the Reach had many people, they naturally had many cavalry.
After comprehensive analysis, Viserys identified the elite troops of the andals: the Andal longbowmen.
Many andals were hunters and maintained the habit of using longbows.
Now, the Andal longbowmen were specially organized by Viserys into an independent archer corps.
These longbowmen, properly trained, would be a formidable army.
Training longbowmen was not easy; it required a great deal of strength and skill, whereas a crossbow could be handled with minimal training, but a longbow still had advantages in range and power.
The standard Andal longbow was also a yew wood bow, with a maximum range of about four hundred yards and an effective range of about two hundred and fifty yards.
Better longbows were goldenheart wood longbows and dragonbone longbows, both exorbitantly priced.
There was also a strange weirwood longbow, but Viserys had no interest in it.
"Argus, ten hares, four wild ducks, one wild sheep." Argus waved his surprisingly large fist.
"Hugo, five hares, six pheasants, three golden-tailed finches…"
The heralds successively tallied the soldiers' spoils.
The best performers would enjoy the honor of drinking with the king.
For the martial andals, this sparked a fierce competition.
The morale of the army was boosted through such rewards and punishments, with the meritorious receiving high praise.
Viserys praised the bravest soldiers, selecting the best soldiers and hunters, often through the tourney grounds and hunting grounds.
After the tallying ceremony concluded, it was time to share the food.
The soldiers roasted skinned and bled hares, wild sheep, and pheasants over the fire.
Some trout caught from the river were also roasted after being coated in mud.
Additionally, they had some food they had brought with them.
Once the food was roasted, a long, foldable wooden table was pulled out, and a sumptuous meal began.
Roasted hare, grilled lamb chops, honey-glazed chicken, and roasted trout emitted steam and aroma, along with Andals sour wine.
Nature had bestowed many beautiful things upon Andals; without the intrusion of outsiders, it should have been a paradise.
"To His Majesty Viserys, may the Seven Gods bless His Majesty Viserys." The tall Argus was the first to raise his cup of Andals sour wine.
"May the Seven Gods bless the king!" the warriors cheered together, their voices like a joyful river.
"May this good fortune continue endlessly," Viserys also raised his horn cup, and the sound of clinking cups echoed through the camp.
Viserys had the skilled hunters he discovered sit with him, and the two best performers were those accompanying him.
On one side was the mountain-like Agos Black Pine, and the other was Hugo Rex, an exceptionally brilliant marksman in this hunt.
Hugo was a slender, golden-haired, curly-haired youth who appeared very shy.
But when he held a longbow, he was an unparalleled marksman.
Viserys groomed Hugo and Argus as his Squires; both possessed extraordinary talent, and their loyalty was absolute.
Argus was an orphan, and Hugo had relatives who died in the raids by Tyrosh and dothraki.
Within the joyous atmosphere of the hunting grounds, a new discordant note soon intermingled.
It was Ser Roland Lake and Bishop Umber Andros, who had rushed from Viserysgrad.
Ser Roland's blue and white cloak was very conspicuous, and Bishop Umber's white cloak embroidered with a large seven-pointed star was also unforgettable.
"Any new developments?" Viserys asked.
"We received two letters, one from the Greenvine Family in the south, and one from Stone Family in the north," Ser Roland said in a low voice.
"Oh," a glint flashed in Viserys's eyes.
"What do they say?" Viserys continued to ask.
"See for yourself, Your Majesty.
The Greenvine Family's letter is a sweet pledge of allegiance, seeming to hold the sweetness of honey.
As for Stone Family, it curses you out," Bishop Umber explained.
Viserys took the letters on parchment.
The Greenvine Family's letter practically hailed him as the savior of Andals, and the Greenvine Family also pledged allegiance to the King, offering a large quantity of wine and grain.
Stone Family's letter, however, was vastly different, vehemently cursing Viserys and stating that as an outsider, he had no right to be king of the andals, and if he wished to be, it would only be by defeating Stone Family's armored army.
"Interesting, interesting." Viserys looked at the two letters, their contents poles apart.
"Do you believe it? The Greenvine Family's sincerity," Viserys asked Bishop Umber and Ser Roland.
Ser Roland scoffed, "Their sweet words are like Varys's, but they will poison kings."
Bishop Umber shook his head, "The Greenvine Family is too far from Andals, and closer to Pentos and Tyrosh; they are not truly ancient and brave andals."
"I don't believe it either," Viserys said, his tone firm.
"The Greenvine Family's letter contains honey, but their hearts may hold venomous snakes."
"But I think we can turn their trick against them."
"In my name," Viserys said to Umber.
"Write a letter of thanks to the Greenvine Family, expressing my arrogance and conceit as a young king to the fullest, demanding that the Greenvine Family provide me with the best wine and girls.
They want to come see me, so let them come.
No, I'll write it myself."
"At your command, your majesty the king!" Bishop Umber and Ser Roland nodded, as if already smelling the scent of conspiracy in the air.
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