The sun rose, heralding another predictably scorching day, but the air was thick with tension.
At least, Arthur thought so. He ordered a larger breakfast than usual—pickled olives, figs, and a cup of iced lemon water.
Jal Bhar pushed the door open, his face beaming. "Arthur! I think I've found the perfect spot for the smithy district."
It was rare to see the Summer Islander so excited. Behind him trailed three men dressed like wildlings. Arthur asked, "Where? And are these savages?"
Jal Bhar introduced them. "These are the expert prospectors I told you about! True masters of the craft!"
Arthur blinked. That wasn't what Jal Bhar had said before. He had called them "three men who claimed they could find ore," implying it was more of a gamble than a sure thing.
The tallest of the three unfolded a map and pointed to a marked location. "My Lord, after our exploration these past days, we discovered a large vein of iron here. The ore is easy to mine."
If Arthur remembered correctly, the marked location was Violet Canyon. It was part of Starfall's direct fiefdom, but currently occupied by the mountain clans.
Arthur asked, "How can you prove what you say is true?"
The prospector took a rock from his cloth pouch and placed it on the table. "This is iron ore we dug from the vein. It is of high quality."
Arthur picked up the ore and examined it briefly. As a master smith himself, he understood why Jal Bhar was so excited.
High-quality iron ore would not only improve the quality of the tools and weapons forged from it but also save immense time and effort in smelting and removing impurities.
Violet Canyon had large deposits of high-quality iron, lush grass and water, and was close to the Torrentine River. Nestled against the mountains and by the water, it was indeed the perfect choice for a smithy district.
Arthur tossed the ore back to the Summer Islander. "Jal Bhar, take them to Pate. Tell him to give each of them ten Gold Dragons as a reward."
The three men looked ecstatic. "Thank you, My Lord!"
"Wait a moment." Just as they were about to leave, Arthur asked, "What is your daily wage?"
One of them replied, "Same as the Bravos swordsmen, two silver Stags a day."
Arthur waved his hand. "Since you are expert prospectors now, make it eight silver Stags a day."
One Gold Dragon was worth roughly two hundred and ten silver Stags (in canon it varies, but usually high value), so eight stags a day was a lordly sum for a commoner.
After the three prospectors, dressed like wildlings, bowed and scraped their way out, Arthur ate his breakfast and pondered.
Violet Canyon was indeed blessed by nature. The only problem was that it lay west of the Torrentine, bordering the Red Mountains, frequently raided by wildlings, and currently under their control.
But then Arthur thought, At least we found the people to mine it.
Of course, this all depended on beating the wildlings into submission and crushing the Vulture King.
Just as he was considering how to help Starfall retake Violet Canyon, Jimmy pushed the door open.
"My Lord, a rider from Starfall is here. You are summoned back immediately. And they said to bring the four savages."
Arthur was surprised. "In such a rush? Very well. Tell the squires of Ser Barton and Ser Bard to move out with the column. And prepare a cage wagon for the wildlings."
After giving his orders, Arthur shoved the remaining olives into his mouth and washed them down with lemon water.
"Yes, My Lord." Jimmy responded, then asked in confusion, "But My Lord, one cage wagon won't fit seven savages."
Arthur frowned. "Where did three more savages come from?"
Jimmy was even more confused. "My Lord? The three who just came out of your room... aren't they savages?"
"Those are expert prospectors, not savages." Arthur rubbed his forehead. "Tell them to go wash up first. Don't let someone mistake them for raiders and kill them."
---
When Arthur and his party arrived at the Dawn Market before the gates of Starfall, escorting the wildling captives, they found many armored guards patrolling the market.
Inside Starfall, the security was even tighter. The number of guards on the battlements and in the towers had more than doubled.
Arthur felt he might have underestimated the influence of the name "Vulture King" around the Red Mountains.
But then again, he mused, anyone with 'King' in their title is usually no simple character—except maybe the Beggar King.
On the way to the main keep, Wick and Vic briefed Arthur on the situation in the castle.
Maester Oswell's orders—requisitioning ships, summoning bannermen, strengthening patrols, gathering supplies, and training levies—were all proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Arthur couldn't help but admire the old man. Ginger gets hotter as it gets older. The Maester's experience and counsel had covered every aspect of pre-war preparation.
It was comprehensive.
More importantly, Maester Oswell had enough prestige that the people of Starfall were willing to follow his counsel without question.
When Arthur arrived at the council chamber, the old Master-at-Arms, Ser Clegg, was standing over a long table, explaining the patrol strategy for the Torrentine and the placement of scouts to the knights of Starfall.
"Arthur, you're finally back." Allyria, who had been listening to the briefing absent-mindedly, walked over to him the moment he entered.
She looked him up and down, only sighing in relief when she confirmed he was just a little tanned and unharmed.
"I was so afraid something would happen to you out there."
"Aunt Allyria, no need to worry. The savages can't cross the Torrentine." Arthur smiled and guided her back to her seat, comforting her. "Besides, I'm not weak. The whole castle can testify for me. If a savage meets me, they'll be the one getting killed."
Edric stood up from his seat and raised his hand. "I can testify for Cousin Arthur!"
"My brother, Ser Arthur Dayne, was a legendary warrior of the Seven Kingdoms, yet he still died in war." Allyria's eyes were full of worry.
"Arthur, I am truly worried about you. Please, don't run off to the Torrentine anymore for a while, alright?"
Seeing the genuine concern on his aunt's haggard face, Arthur felt a warmth in his heart.
"I will stay in Starfall with you for now. I won't run around." Arthur promised her first.
Then, he added solemnly, "But if war truly comes, I must participate. The army of House Dayne cannot be without someone of Dayne blood."
"But..." Allyria wanted to protest.
Maester Oswell interrupted her. "Arthur is right. Soldiers will not die for a House that does not fight beside them."
Arthur nodded gratefully to the Maester and sat down beside Allyria.
He turned to Edric, who was fulfilling his page duties by pouring him wine. "Edric, you must remember: A man who is unwilling to fight for others cannot expect others to fight for him."
Regardless of whether Edric understood, Arthur turned to the old Master-at-Arms.
"Ser Clegg, what is the situation now? Is there any new intelligence on the savages?"
The old knight shook his head.
"Because of the constant raids from the Red Mountains over the past year, we have basically abandoned the west bank of the Torrentine. We have no sources of information there. If not for the captives revealing it, we wouldn't even know a Vulture King had risen in the mountains."
"However, I have arranged for men in the Palestone Sword Tower to monitor movements around the clock, and scouts are posted along the river." The Master-at-Arms gestured for Arthur to look at the map markings.
Arthur scanned the map and asked, "How many levies, guards, archers, and cavalry can we muster in total?"
Ser Clegg answered immediately. "From Starfall's direct fiefdom, we can raise two thousand levies. For cavalry, we have one lance of roughly two hundred men. We have two hundred and fifty archers, and over three hundred household guards in leather or light armor."
"Deducting the men needed for castle defense, once fully assembled, the direct lands of Starfall can field a total of two thousand five hundred combat personnel."
Arthur knew from his reading that a "lance" or cavalry company typically included a landed knight in command.
Subordinates usually included around 130 knights/heavy horse, 105 squires/light horse.
19 mounted archers (who rode to battle but fought on foot).
1 trumpeter.
1 farrier.
The exact numbers varied by the Lord's wealth, but in Dorne and the North, the majority were light cavalry in leather and mail.