"Did I scare you, little Milady?" Cadmus asked with a smile, and even though they couldn't see his face completely, his smile was particularly gentle and amusing. Which made others relax in his presence.
"You just surprised me, Sir." The girl said with a somewhat shy, but surprisingly gentle look. She looked down, never meeting anyone's eyes. She was obviously shy and had low self-esteem, which was not surprising given the Greyscale on her face and neck.
"Cadmus Peverell, Milady." Cadmus introduced himself while extending his hand. Shireen understood, but hesitated, but seeing the smile on the mysterious man's lips, she was brave for a moment and extended her hand, which Cadmus gently made the gesture of kissing, but did not touch his lips to the back of a maiden's hand.
"Shireen of House Baratheon." The girl, about nine years old, introduced herself in a still shy tone. "This one beside me is Lord Davos of House Seaworth."
The man nodded to Cadmus, although his hand had not left the hilt of his sword for a second.
Cadmus looked at the Onion Knight with a smile. Davos is a thin man, with brown eyes and an ordinary face, marked by time. His beard and sparse brown hair are sprinkled with gray.
When Cadmus was about to speak, a beautiful and noble bird appeared in the air and perched on his shoulder. It was Mitra, who had just arrived. The noble creature looked at Cadmus and then at the child with ruby-red eyes.
Shireen and Davos's attention was entirely on the bird, after all, besides its extraordinary appearance, it had just appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost.
"This is Mitra, my long-time friend." Cadmus said with a smile, but was surprised to see a Phoenix feather separate from the bird's body and fall gently into Shireen's hand.
The little girl felt her body warm up when the feather touched her hand. She looked at the beautiful, noble, and majestic bird with admiration, and even though she didn't know much, she knew it was an extraordinary bird.
"She liked you, she doesn't give her feathers to just anyone." Cadmus said, making a small smile appear on the child's lips.
Turning to look at Davos, Cadmus spoke in a calm tone. "Make a necklace with the feather and don't let the girl take it off for three days, not even to bathe."
"In the end, her disease will disappear." As soon as Cadmus's words sounded, Shireen's and Davos's eyes widened.
Greyscale had no cure, but here was a mysterious man saying that the most mysterious and deadly disease would be cured because of a feather.
"This feather is not from a normal bird, it is the feather of a Phoenix, one of the purest beings in the world, symbols of rebirth and healing. Her feathers can cure any disease." Cadmus explained with a smile and spoke of how extraordinary Mitra was. He wasn't afraid that others might become greedy; anyone who was so foolish he would kill.
Mitra raised her head proudly and looked at both of them with a nobility worthy of a queen. She looked at the child with a gentle gaze and after letting out a sharp cry, she abruptly disappeared with a snap in the air.
Shireen couldn't help but be disappointed to see the noble and beautiful bird disappear. At the same time, she held the feather firmly in her hands. A hope was lit in her fragile and unconscious heart.
Seeing this, Cadmus smiled gently. In the end, Shireen's feelings were what moved the Phoenix; people with dirty hearts and full of sins were not even worthy to stand before Mitra.
"We will see each other again, little Milady. I hope that by then, you will have become as lively as a child should be." Cadmus said with a laugh and turned around, disappearing into the bushes. It was a surprise that he had met Stannis's daughter, but he had more important things to do.
Shireen looked at the feather in her hand and felt a warmth spread through her body. Even being by the lake, the cold seemed to disappear with the warmth in her body.
"He is a mage, I saw some when I was a smuggler." Davos spoke in a solemn tone. Mages were dangerous; the ones he saw were so arrogant that they seemed like kings just because they knew how to make a small flame or even scare some people, but the young man who disappeared before him was a true mage, of that he had no doubt.
How could the owner of a bird as mystical as a dragon be simple?
Shireen's eyes were full of childish curiosity and admiration. She never imagined that just by wanting to see swans, her destiny would completely change.
-
While Cadmus walks through the forest next to Harrenhal, Geralt was inside a tent larger and nobler than the others. The witcher was standing before a middle-aged man, with bowl-cut brown hair and light brown eyes, a silver hand-shaped brooch hung on his chest.
It was Ser Raymun Darry, from one of the oldest and most powerful Noble Houses in Westeros. Unlike in another universe, House Darry only prospered and practically controlled half of the Riverlands, something Rhaegar was more than happy to see. Thus, the Riverlands were in a silent civil war that House Tully had no control over its vassals.
"Geralt, how was your trip to the North? My lands missed you, these damned monsters keep appearing more and more." Raymun asked with a smile. He had met the Witcher on a hunt and they soon became friends.
Unlike people who thought that Witchers were the cause of monsters and only brought death wherever they went, he truly admired these men who underwent mutations just to hunt monsters.
"Dangerous, the monsters in the North are even fiercer with the lack of food." Geralt replied in a calm tone. Since the North was less populated, the monsters there were even fiercer, so fierce that they even dared to enter the great cities.
Raymun nodded and was not surprised; the North was truly dangerous, even the commoners had the combat power of trained soldiers, showing that the weak do not survive in the North.
Remembering something, Raymun's good humor changed. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling another headache coming on. He was really stressed these days.
"You look tired, old friend." Seeing Raymun's expression, Geralt spoke in a slightly worried tone.
"This damned tournament is expensive, time-consuming, and I still have to deal with these stupid nobles who get into duels over the slightest disagreement." Raymun commented in an irritated tone. He had dealt with such incidents so many times that he wished all these young knights would simply disappear from Harrenhal.
"However, what stresses me the most is the Queen Dowager." Leaning back in his chair, Raymun said, letting out a long sigh.
Geralt raised an eyebrow and didn't even need to ask, as Raymun spoke before he could ask anything.
"The Queen Dowager is sick, and it's not an easy disease to cure. The Maesters are doing everything, but nothing works. The king is worried, and when the king is worried, we, mere advisors, suffer."
"Maybe I can help." Geralt said, making the Hand of the King's eyes widen slightly.
"Did you become a healer during your time in the North?" Raymun asked in a teasing tone. He didn't believe Geralt's words. Not that he doubted the witcher's abilities, but when it came to healing, there was no way a monster-killing machine would know the arts of healing.
"Not me, but I have a friend who can cure the queen." Geralt spoke in a solemn tone. How could he joke about something like that?
Raymun's face finally showed a solemn expression. He believed that Geralt wouldn't joke about something like that. "Satisfy my curiosity, Geralt." He said in a curious tone.
"My friend is a mage, an extremely powerful mage, but that's not what interests you. What interests you is that he is capable of manufacturing healing potions. Potions that I saw work on people in the last two weeks." Geralt explained and didn't hide anything. He also explained how Cadmus cured children, adults, women, and the elderly.
Raymun's face was uncertain. He trusted Geralt, but bringing a mage before the king would bring unpredictable consequences. Whether it was the Order of Maesters or the Faith of the Seven, neither organization liked magic.
However, remembering the King, Raymun's expression showed determination.
"It better be that this mage is as good as you say, or he will suffer the consequences." Raymun said in a solemn tone. He couldn't afford to fail in helping the Queen, or his position as Hand of the King would fly away from him.
Geralt nodded, but was not worried. He saw Cadmus save a child on the verge of death; he was not a charlatan, but a true mage.
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard