Mermaid Harbor, East Pier.
Under the escort of soldiers, Lord Stannis disembarked from the ship with Ser Davos Seaworth, known as the "Onion Knight."
Duke Stannis walked around the pier for a while without riding a horse, and then walked on foot to the inner city area of Mermaid Harbor.
Stannis, silent along the way, stopped and scanned around: "Davos, tell me, what do you see?"
Davos, with an ordinary appearance and a slender figure, with brown short hair under which were a pair of brown eyes, and a dense gray beard on his face.
Ser Davos Seaworth, known as the "Onion Knight," served as the commander of the Narrow Sea Fleet under Lord Stannis Baratheon, the Master of Ships. Davos, deeply trusted by Stannis, also acted as an advisor.
Davos used to be a smuggler at sea. During the War of the Usurper, he evaded the blockade of the Redwyne fleet and delivered supplies to Stannis, who was holding Storm's End, with a small boat full of onions and salt fish.
Thanks to these provisions, Storm's End was able to hold out until reinforcements arrived. For this great deed, Stannis knighted Davos and granted him land at Cape Wrath.
After knighting Davos, Stannis added, "Good deeds cannot offset bad deeds, nor can bad deeds conceal good deeds; each deed has its own retribution."
As a punishment for Davos' previous smuggling crimes, the iron-faced Stannis had the first joint of the first four fingers of Davos' left hand except the thumb shaved off.
Davos put the cut-off joints into a leather pouch and hung them around his neck, considering them as lucky charms.
Later, Davos chose the surname "Seaworth" as his new name of his House.
...
Ser Davos Seaworth also looked around with Stannis, and said respectfully, "Lord Stannis, what I see along the way is order."
The stern-faced Stannis nodded imperceptibly: "Go on."
Davos continued, "At first, I only saw that the residents here were very disciplined, but as I followed you, I now feel that they are all following meticulous orders."
Duke Stannis nodded a bit more: "Davos, anything else?"
Davos blinked, hesitated for a moment, and said in an uncertain tone, "It's relatively clean here?"
A gleam flashed in Lord Stannis' sharp eyes: "Davos, this is no order. When the people adhere selflessly to strict laws, this is the true appearance of the kingdom."
As Stannis was about to speak, several people led by Chamberlain Hershel were hurrying towards them.
The somewhat panting Hershel, first calmed his breath before standing in front of Duke Stannis and bowing: "My lord, I am Hershel, the Chamberlain of Whispers and the Governor of Mermaid Harbor, representing House Crabb."
Lord Stannis never liked to be informed in advance when inspecting, his eyes sought only the most authentic facts. Hershel, who was supervising the progress of "Phase Two" in Mermaid Harbor, hurried over upon hearing the news of Stannis' arrival.
....
Stannis frowned, "Where is your lord?"
Stannis had recently heard of a new port called Mermaid Harbor in the straits north of Dragonstone.
A couple of days ago, cunning pirates broke through the royal fleet's vigilance and slipped into Blackwater Bay, injuring two merchant ships. Lord Stannis was very angry when he heard the news.
Stannis, burning with anger, directly went out of Dragonstone in the name of inspecting the fleet. During the inspection, he executed several captains of the royal fleet responsible for the security of the relevant area on the sea.
On the way back from the inspection, as Master of Ships, Lord Stannis remembered the newly named port called Mermaid Harbor.
The fleet is closely related to the port, and every Master of Ships will pay attention to every port, especially the ports of Blackwater Bay, which serve as barriers to King's Landing.
At that time, the ship Black Betha carrying Stannis was not far from the location of Mermaid Harbor. The direction of their voyage was changed to Mermaid Harbor under Stannis's orders.
...
The sharp inquiry from Stannis made Chamberlain Hershel's heart beat heavily, almost forgetting to breathe.
Hershel couldn't care less about the sweat beads on his forehead. "Our lord, Gallen Crabb, has been appointed as an affair officer by Her Majesty the Queen and is currently in the Red Keep."
Stannis' brow furrowed even more tightly, Lannister again...
Are the Lannisters so attractive? What they can offer, Stannis can also give. Why do those whom he deems capable all end up siding with the Lannisters!
Davos approached Stannis and whispered, "My lord, the nobles of Crackclaw Point have been oppressed by the nobles of the Vale led by Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, for more than a decade.
I heard that this young lord named Gallen is very talented commander. He defeated a coalition of twenty thousand mountain wildings with only a few hundred men, recapturing vast swathes of fertile land lost over a decade ago.
Even I can see that this Lord Gallen has an ambitious heart. I think he had no choice but to join forces with the Queen. He is seeking to use her to counter the nobles of the Vale."
Stannis looked at Davos, "I recall that after the war, Robert had already judged and punished the nobles of Crackclaw Point. What's the matter with Jon Arryn and the Vale?"
Davos shook his head. He really didn't know about this. Those big nobles were not like Stannis, possessing great integrity. Perhaps only the gods knew what those people were plotting every day.
...
Stannis waved his hand to let Chamberlain Hershel stay away and strode towards the direction of the pier. He said to Davos, "Schemes cannot govern the kingdom. Lord Arryn is putting the cart before the horse. Do you think I should continue to assist him and thus achieve a political alliance?"
Davos organized his words before replying, "Lord Arryn may have his reasons."
Lord Stannis snorted, "I hope so."
On the way, Davos saw a group of children around ten years old standing in a neat formation under the leadership of a spirited old man in the distance.
Due to the distance, Davos could only see the old man holding a bow and saying something, and faintly heard the laughter of the children from time to time.
At this moment, Stannis spoke, "Can my Dragonstone be like this too?"
Davos replied, "My lord, every place is different, I'm afraid it's not going to be easy."
Stannis fell silent for a moment and said, "Send someone to investigate and let me know what he has been doing in King's Landing."
Davos nodded in acknowledgment.
Stannis added, "Is it possible for him to serve me?"
Davos hesitated for a moment, then quickly resumed his composure. "My lord, the young lord may not fully understand you."
Stannis glanced sharply at Davos. "Not understand?"
Davos nodded slightly. "If he understood your noble qualities, Lord Crabb would surely have aligned himself with you instead of the queen, who comes from the Lannister lineage. The wealth of House Lannister can easily blind a young man's eyes. I must say, my lord, you missed an opportunity."
Stannis snorted. "Gold cannot buy loyalty."
Davos agreed, "My Lord, Lord Crabb's governance and military capabilities are outstanding. He is worth your patience."
---
King's Landing, Gallen's Study.
Gallen plan went as expected. Shortly after, he smoothly took his leave from Princess Myrcella and returned to his house in King's Landing.
Gallen was staring at a large map spread out on the table.
It was a map showing the route from King's Landing to the Kingswood, with detailed markings indicating the locations of inns where the royal hunting party would stay overnight.
The Royal Hunting Party is an event held for the noble ladies of the realm. They all travel by carriage and their endurance must be taken into account, so the speed of the party cannot be as fast as that of a military march. The total duration of the Royal Hunting journey is five days and four nights.
Crabb roughly calculated the distance on the map, and the four inns were conveniently spaced according to the distance traveled over four nights.
The royal hunting party was an activity initiated during the Targaryen dynasty and held every two years.
Gallen speculated that this route had formed a stable market, and the four inns where the royal hunting party would stay were a product of this market.
Gallen rubbed his chin. There were customs and experienced officials for trivial details. His main job was to ensure the safety of the royal hunting party. It seemed that his work was not as exhausting as he had imagined.
Gallen's slender fingers pointed to the location of the Kingswood on the map.
After reaching the destination of the royal hunting party, the entire party would set up camp until the seven-day royal hunting event ended.
Crabb seemed to have found the direction to use the gold dragons.
---
In the late afternoon, after arranging miscellaneous matters, Gallen had just sighed in relief when the slightly swollen-faced Lancel Lannister suddenly approached him.
"Lancel, what happened to your face?"
Lancel was about to smile but gasped for breath. "It's Prince Joffrey. As soon as the luncheon ended, I left the Red Keep. He sent someone to call me back, saying he wanted me to teach him swordsmanship."
Gallen leaned back slightly in his chair, sounding puzzled. "Is it my imagination, or do you look fine to me?"
Lancel saw Gallen's attendant pour a glass of wine, took a big sip before saying, "When Prince Joffrey summons, I cannot refuse. I cannot find Lord Tyrion in a short time, so I have to go. The result..."
He paused for a moment, with a bitter face, and continued, "After meeting Prince Joffrey... let's not talk about these. I want to forget about it."
Gallen nodded slightly. "What happened afterward is the main point, right?"
Lancel's tone became excited. "Fortunately, Queen Cersei appeared in time and happened to meet us."
Gallen remained silent, only gesturing for Lancel to continue speaking.
"Her majesty noticed the injury on my face and compensated me," Lancel said.
Gallen timely expressed a puzzled expression, "Oh?"
"Wait until King Robert returns, and I will serve as a royal attendant. You know, the royal hunt is organized by the queen, and the king does not participate, so I will miss this royal hunt. Her majesty saw me injured by Prince Joffrey and has promised to help me participate in the royal hunt before the king returns."
Perhaps due to his personality, Gallen could never empathize with such enthusiasm for noble activities shared by Lancel.
Before Gallen could react, Lancel, excitedly said, "What a rare opportunity! Only during the royal hunt can you see all the noble ladies of the realm at once! The golden armor I brought from the Westerlands can finally be put to use. I've imagined countless times wearing my dazzling armor, meeting a beautiful and elegant lady in the lush royal woods."
Gallen smiled, looking up, "I wish your dreams come true."
Because of the injury on his face, Lancel didn't dare to laugh loudly, only giggling sheepishly, which made his laughter sound quite lascivious.
---
Gallen asked, "Did you deliberately come to share your good news with me?"
Lancel leaned forward slightly, "Do you need more guards here?"
Gallen's thoughts shifted, understanding Lancel's intention, "Lancel, isn't your encounter a bit too soon?"
Lancel smiled apologetically, "Ah, you caught me!"
Gallen shrugged, "It's not difficult."
Gallen's tone carried a hint of seriousness as he continued, "Lancel, regarding your marriage, I believe your father must have made arrangements. As your friend, I advise you to be cautious and protect yourself. Your surname can easily be exploited by those with ill intentions."
Lancel gaze remained stunned for a moment before she spoke, "Lord Gallen, what if I..."
Before Lancel could finish, Gallen interrupted bluntly, "I guarantee it will be very miserable for you."
Lancel, still at the age of fantasizing about romantic love, persisted, "How miserable?"
"You wouldn't want to know."
With a sigh, Gallen got up from his chair, approached Lancel, and patted his somewhat dejected shoulder, "Lancel, it's also for the sake of your family. You must control your emotions."
Although Gallen was comforting Lancel, it seemed as if he was also speaking to himself.
Lancel looked up at Gallen with his big, innocent eyes.
Lancel occasional actions always made Gallen secretly shudder. Gallen discreetly distanced himself, "Lancel, don't be disheartened. Think of something pleasant. Perhaps the Seven have already arranged everything for you."
Gallen's usage of "the Seven" in many of his words, is of course, influenced by Tyrion.
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