Red Keep, night banquet. Everyone was beaming, full of cheer.
Everyone had a reason to celebrate, Rhaegar thought.
Celebrating Ser Steffon and his wife, who had brought Roberta and Robert from Storms End to Kings Landing to visit Grandfather Lord Ormond. Celebrating Ser Tywin's wife, who had just given birth to the golden twins, Jaime and Cersei. Celebrating Lord Jon Arryn, who had traveled from Seagull Town to Kings Landing to visit his wife, Rowena, and child, Rennal.
Also celebrating Queen Rhaella for adding new members to the royal family: Prince Aegon and Prince Duncan.
Rhaegar sat beside King Jaehaerys II, watching the delicious dishes being served one after another.
Lemon cake, roasted sea fish, roasted steak, bison with roasted onions, honey chicken, rose cake, cream of mushroom soup, and so on. Of course, the main course was still roasted bird, this time roasted swan.
Rhaegar was already tired of roasted swan. The Lords always liked to serve large birds like peacocks, swans, and geese as the main course, but the taste was truly only barely edible.
Golden wine flowed, and King Jaehaerys II was already intoxicated, seeing so many people in attendance. The Targaryen family was flourishing, which was a blessing for the family.
"These two little fellows are also healthy. Although not as tall and strong as Rhaegar, they are also warrior material. In the future, they will surely be able to assist their elder brother in stabilizing the country," Jaehaerys II said.
Rhaegar looked at his two younger brothers, with silver hair and purple eyes. These were excellent materials for political marriages and warfare. If properly trained, they would also be his left and right arms in the future.
The primogeniture system in Westeros was indeed very painful for younger sons. Younger brothers obeyed their elder brothers, just as subjects obeyed their king. Most younger sons lived in the shadow of their elder brothers, finding it difficult to surpass them.
Prince Aerys was also very proud. He had emerged from the shadows and now felt that staying home with the children was not bad.
Rhaegar felt that his father, Aerys, was not like his grandfather, Jaehaerys, nor like his great-grandfather, the Commoner King Aegon V. Instead, he seemed to be cut from the same cloth as the Mediocre King Aegon IV, equally susceptible to lust, flattery, and pride. However, after being admonished by King Jaehaerys II and with the addition of new family members, he had become much more subdued.
"Long live King Jaehaerys II! Today, we raise our glasses here to thank the King for his wise rule!" Lord Arryn raised his goblet, celebrating the King. Now that the heir had been successfully born, Lord Arryn had less worry and more joy. A healthy, strong baby boy, the Young Eagle King.
Jaehaerys II continued his policy of reconciliation, easing relations with the Great Lords. People considered him a wise monarch, maneuvering skillfully and adapting to circumstances.
Rhaegar also sensed the scent of iron and blood on Lord Jon Arryn. Lord Arryn had forcefully changed the order of succession and had suppressed many rebels with iron-fisted methods. After all, Lord Arryn had controlled the Vale for decades, and even those small disturbances had been quelled by him.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Wine glasses clinked together, making sounds of sweetness, joy, and happiness.
"Rhaegar is still too young. If he were a little older, he could be my cupbearer," Jaehaerys II said to Rhaegar with a smile.
Rhaegar was young, intelligent, and agile, the future of the Targaryen family. It was a pity he was too young; a nine or ten-year-old cupbearer was normal.
"Being a cupbearer is too dull. I still want to practice sword fighting with Ser Barristan and Sersa, or go out and explore," Rhaegar replied. These words were sincere; exploration was also very important, as it related to the immense combat power of dragons.
Rhaegar did not want to be a cupbearer for long; he had more important things to do, to explore the unknown and hatch dragons.
"The King's arrangement can wait for a bit. I invited Prince Rhaegar to visit the Vale a long time ago," Lord Jon Arryn said with a smile. He was much older than the King but still had a hearty laugh and a strong physique.
"The Eyrie is desolate and dangerous. Why not come to our Storms End instead? Rhaegar can play with his younger siblings there," Ser Steffon said.
"In the Vale, under the banner of the New Moon Falcon, everyone will take good care of Prince Rhaegar. Moreover, we will reside with the Prince at The Gate of the Moon, where we often stay in winter. It's at the foot of the Giant's Lance, so it won't be too cold and high," Lord Jon Arryn replied. The protection of the Vale's Falcon would ensure the Prince's well-being.
"Alright. Lord Arryn is an elder, so Rhaegar can go with the Lord to visit the Vale first." King Jaehaerys II saw that Rhaegar also wanted to travel around, as being confined in Kings Landing was truly boring. Rhaegar's guard contingent was luxurious, and he was very reassured: Ser Barristan, Sersa Wul, and Ser Brynden were all first-rate fighters.
King Jaehaerys II agreed, and Lord Jon raised his cup to toast the King.
"Prince Rhaegar will travel with me by ship from Kings Landing. The tide is just right now; otherwise, it would be difficult to depart once the storms arrive," Lord Jon said.
"Then I'll trouble Lord Jon to look after our Rhaegar. However, he has always been a good child and doesn't get seasick," Queen Rhaella said. She had two more children, but she always valued her eldest son the most.
"Don't worry, Mother. I am lucky Rhaegar," Rhaegar said with a smile.
Everyone laughed. Lord Jon was always reliable and his actions reassuring. With him accompanying Rhaegar, he would undoubtedly have a good grasp of the wind and tides.
"The Vale can be said to be as stable as the mountains. There are storms at sea, and mountains on land," Ser Tywin suddenly said. All Seven Kingdoms had their natural advantages, but the Vale, Dorne, The North, and the Iron Islands were particularly prominent in terms of geographical advantage. Even without external expansion, self-imposed isolation was quite safe. During the Great Spring Sickness that swept through the Seven Kingdoms, the Vale escaped by blocking its mountain passes and sea routes.
"Mountains and the sea are gifts from the gods, but also a sweet burden," Lord Jon said, a wry smile on his face.
Rhaegar knew that Lord Jon's words referred to the Mountain Clansmen in The Pale Mountains. Although poor, they were also savage and fierce, using the mountains as a barrier, refusing to obey the rule of The Eyrie, and attacking travelers. Several Arryn Lords had died directly at the hands of these wildlings; the animosity between them ran deep.
If Rhaegar went to search for Nettle and Sheepstealer's traces this time, there was a high probability that he would need to clear out some of the Mountain Clansmen, sweeping through their hideouts.
"These pests, if we organized an army, we should really exterminate them all. The North has wildlings and Mountain Clansmen, the Vale also has Mountain Clansmen, and of course, those hateful pirates," Prince Aerys said.
Everyone smiled and didn't continue the conversation. Prince Aerys had the potential of a dreamer; if it were truly that easy to solve, the country would have been peaceful long ago.
Prince Aerys even told Lord Rickard that he wanted to push the Wall five hundred miles further north, to gain more territory. At that time, King Jaehaerys's face almost turned red; he truly had a son who was not wise, making others laugh.
The feast ended perfectly, and Rhaegar would embark on his journey to the Vale with Lord Arryn.
The guests had enjoyed themselves and then dispersed.
After all, Lord Arryn's visit was a rare occasion, and he needed to spend quality time with his wife and children.
Before departing, Rhaegar still had new preparations to make.
"It's you, Golden Three-Headed Eagle." The dragon kings ring opened, and Rhaegar noticed the golden kindling, a three-headed eagle god statue, standing out among a pile of kindling.
Three eagles spread their wings and soared high, breaking through all shackles to fly across the sky. The eagle's body was made of gold, magnificent and spectacular. If the statue still existed, it would be priceless. It was a pity that this three-headed eagle god statue had been plundered and turned into kindling. If the gold were still there, I would be rich, Rhaegar thought.
The three eagle heads formed a triangle, pointing in three different directions. Moreover, the three heads of the eagle were of different sizes: one was a young eagle, one a mature eagle, and one an old, dying eagle.
Rhaegar gently rubbed the Golden Three-Headed Eagle kindling with his finger, and the kindling slowly permeated his body.
The Golden Eagle God kindling was wild and surging, far surpassing the previous two kindling immersions.
Rhaegar trained his body, and with the experience of the previous two kindling baths, he endured it.
In the vast wilderness, Rhaegar vaguely saw a group of barbarians piously worshipping the Golden Three-Headed Eagle God statue. Day after day, year after year, until the Dragonlords discovered this tribe, annihilated it, and offered the Golden Eagle God statue to the Baelarys Family.
(kindling devourer: You have devoured the kindling of the Golden Three-Headed Eagle God. You will receive the eagle god's blessing. The eagle god cares about the past, future, and present, and is prepared for danger in times of peace. The Eagle God's Eye is incredibly sharp; the eagle god will constantly remind you to be careful, even in your dreams.)
Rhaegar was delighted. He had intended to absorb the kindling, but he hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.
He found that his five senses had once again improved. Looking around, his vision, smell, hearing, and memory were all further enhanced.
The most powerful aspect should still be the eagle god's blessing, which was a kind of sixth sense prediction. It seemed to center on Rhaegar, warning him of dangers appearing within a radius of dozens of meters. Whether Rhaegar was asleep or awake, the Eagle's Vision would monitor the environment for safety and startle Rhaegar awake.
Rhaegar felt a three-headed eagle circling above his head, scouting for dangers for him.
Even in its initial stage, this blessing was already very powerful. He feared that if he continued to cultivate, the Eagle's Vision would expand further and deeper.
He was about to head to the battlefield, where swords and spears had no eyes. The eagle god's arrival was incredibly timely.
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