"Lord Wright, how was my speech just now?" As the last of the followers collected their wooden pendants and dispersed, Ingo approached Wright, his face full of anticipation as he awaited a response.
Mimicking his tone, Wright deliberately raised his voice, "Very spirited!"
"Thank you for your recognition, my lord! I will continue to work hard!" Ingo, maintaining his military demeanor, saluted Wright.
"The Dragon Cult has clashed with the R'hllor faith again in Pentos. Many of our followers have gone there to support. We are short-handed in Westeros, so do not provoke the Faith of the Seven for now. Focus on expanding quietly in the Westerlands." Wright was not concerned about Ingo's ability to recruit followers—he was more worried about his radical tendencies stirring up trouble.
"Rest assured, my lord, I will always put the interests of the cult first! Countess Kana, may you have a pleasant evening." The Dragon Cult had little regard for formalities—once Ingo received his orders, he simply pulled up his hood and went about his business.
Kana walked arm in arm with Wright through the commercial district of Lannisport. Though they were only shopping for warm clothing, they wandered until nightfall before returning to Casterly Rock.
Odahviing and several other dragons spent the night on a distant hill. Though the temperature there was a bit low, its towering rock formations and spacious flat peaks made it an excellent resting place for dragons.
Nearly two centuries ago, an ancestor of House Lannister named Jason believed he could marry a Targaryen princess. He gathered a group of craftsmen, planning to construct a dragon pit on that very hill. However, he had clearly overestimated himself—the princess had no interest in him whatsoever.
Enraged by humiliation, he foolishly raised his banners in rebellion against her. In the end, he was mortally wounded by a mere squire and died of his injuries, while the squire earned the title of Lionslayer.
A dozen luxurious guest chambers were connected, forming a private suite where Wright and his family resided. A small parlor linked the rooms, ensuring privacy even within the vast castle, which had hundreds of chambers meant to accommodate distinguished guests.
Kana, still exhilarated from their shopping, eagerly grabbed an armful of clothes and dashed into the bedroom to try them on with Nymeria and Tyene. Meanwhile, Wright, feeling more exhausted than after fighting Durnehviir, collapsed onto the sofa, unwilling to move another inch.
The master bedroom door swung open as Kana entered, hastily shutting it behind her. But Wright's keen eyesight caught a fleeting glimpse through the gap—three bare-skinned women inside.
Besides the familiar Nymeria and Tyene, there was another pale-skinned woman Wright did not recognize. Who had Kana brought home this time?
Caw! A hoarse, rasping cry echoed.
A pitch-black raven landed on the windowsill, its three blood-red eyes fixed intently on Wright.
The mage's hand pushed the window open, letting in a burst of cold wind as the three-eyed raven hopped inside and perched on his sofa.
A wave of illusion magic surged toward Wright's mind. The energy was too weak to control his thoughts, so he let down his guard, willingly opening his consciousness to establish a magical connection with the three-eyed raven. Man and bird stared at each other, unmoving.
"Wright, why did you open the window?" The bedroom door opened again, and Nymeria stepped out in a loose robe. A gust of cold wind swept through the parlor and into the bedroom.
Wright gave no reply—he was fully engrossed in his silent exchange with the Three-Eyed Raven.
Seeing the glimmering magical light in Wright and the raven's eyes, Nymeria understood immediately. Not wanting to interrupt, she moved to the fireplace, adding several thick logs and adjusting the embers with tongs to strengthen the flames.
Before long, Wright and the raven returned to normal.
"So… is sacrifice unavoidable? Every mage is a valuable asset—I don't want them to end up as mere names on a monument." Wright's expression darkened.
The Three-Eyed Raven's consciousness was linked to the three-eyed raven. Now that the magical connection had severed, direct communication was impossible, leaving the raven to simply nod in response.
"That nod—does it mean the sacrifice is inevitable, or that it can be avoided?" Without words, and with the raven incapable of expression, Wright struggled to interpret its meaning. "Is there a variable in all this? Nod for yes, shake your head for no."
The three-eyed raven nodded again.
Now Wright understood. He pointed to himself. "I remember you once said I was the only person whose future you couldn't predict. Am I that variable? Nod for yes, shake for no."
The three-eyed raven nodded once more.
So it was fate, then! The lives of thousands were now resting on his shoulders. Wright felt a surge of excitement, unconsciously straightening his back. But the realization hit him immediately—damn it! The Three-Eyed Raven was just shifting all his responsibilities onto him! Damn bastard!
"Nymeria, are you coming in or not?"
Margot Lannister emerged from the bedroom, draped in a sheer, translucent nightgown.
Originally, she had planned to use Nymeria to keep Kana occupied, but she had miscalculated. As her relationship with Nymeria grew closer, this time, she found herself drawn into Wright's bedroom.
To her shock, she realized that not only was her plan for "revenge" slipping further away, but from now on, she would have to face her "enemy" Kana with complete openness.
"Lord Wright, I didn't know you were here, please forgive my rudeness." Margot suddenly noticed Wright sitting on the sofa and quickly performed a noble's bow.
The three-eyed raven, perched on the armrest of the sofa, turned its head to look at Margot. Although the bird's eyes were unexpressive, it seemed to see her future, watching her with great interest.
Wright followed the raven's gaze. Although Margot was in a nightgown, the open neckline and the transparent material were as if she wore nothing at all, adding a touch of temptation. Wright knew she was doing it on purpose to entice him—he could not fall for it.
The elderly Three-Eyed Raven stared unabashedly at the young woman's body, and Wright found himself growing even more irritated with the raven.
"Margot, please put your clothes on in front of the Three-Eyed Raven," Nymeria said, seeing her disheveled attire, as she walked over.
"Three-Eyed Raven?" Margot, confused, was then pushed into the bedroom by Nymeria.
After closing the door, Nymeria returned to Wright's side. "Hello, Three-Eyed Raven."
The three-eyed raven nodded at Nymeria, and then its eyes changed from red to black. The Three-Eyed Raven's consciousness left the raven, leaving the bird confused and nervously looking around.
A loud screech echoed, louder than before, mixed with a hint of pain.
The raven vanished, and Wright flicked his fingers, sending it flying out of the window. A few black feathers slowly drifted onto the sofa.
Nymeria picked up a cup of water and took a sip. "Every time the Three-Eyed Raven comes to you, it's never a good thing."
Wright pulled her hand and made her sit on his lap, face-to-face. "I have a feeling, like there's an invisible, powerful force behind the scenes, knowing that the Targaryen family is in decline, and on purpose putting the Baratheon family on the throne to lead us into the war with the Others."
"Did you learn prophecy magic?" Nymeria was surprised, as Wright had always denounced those who spoke of such things as frauds.
"Prophecy magic is very special. It's a completely different path from my magic. You have to start learning it from childhood, before even accumulating magic power. I can't learn it!"
Wright didn't feel sorry about it. His five elemental magic and the exploration of the nature element still had endless possibilities, just like the shadow magic of Asshai or the fire magic of the Lord of Light—there were so many paths he couldn't take.
He didn't have the ability to remember everything either. What he relied on was his system and forward-thinking, staying ahead of others. Just these alone would take a lifetime to explore, without even reaching the peak.
"Then don't think too much. Our lives aren't too long, but not too short either." Nymeria wrapped her arms around Wright's neck, and the warmth of her breath blew across his head.
"Do you remember the first time we met when we grew up? At that time, I was just a girl who knew nothing but fighting and sleeping with you, and Tyene was just a little girl who often secretly cried for home. At that time, the three of us didn't have to worry about anything and could travel around."
"Yeah, in the blink of an eye, the kids are almost ten years old, and now we each lead a large group of people to make a living." They nestled together, and Wright smelled the familiar scent on Nymeria's skin, his hands beginning to unbutton her nightgown.
Nymeria didn't stop his actions, calmly showing him the red lip marks on her body. "If we were commoners, how much better would it be? We wouldn't have to worry about these troublesome matters every day."
Wright measured the lip mark with his finger—it wasn't Tyene's. "Tomorrow, Kana will come with me to the North. She wants to open a bank in Winterfell. You stay here and take care of Tyrell's management for now."
"Kana is going to the North? Didn't you say the North is very dangerous, and now you're sending her there?" After living together for so many years, Nymeria also saw Kana as a forbidden temptation. Normally carefree, but when it came to serious matters, she would never let Kana suffer.
"Don't worry, I'll keep her by my side the whole time." Due to Nymeria, their relationships were not just simple man-woman connections, but there were also deep emotional ties between the three women. This close connection between one man and three women was tighter than a typical family.
Not just Wright, but Renly also had a strange relationship with two men and one woman. His lover, Loras, and his wife, Margaery, were siblings. His wife gave birth to Wright's sons.
Margaery valued her role as Queen and was very loyal to her marriage with Renly. She would never seek another man for the night. Unlike Nymeria, who was open about her relationships with women, Margaery is not open about her relationships. And only fool around with the maidservants she brought from home.
At this thought, Wright couldn't help but sigh, "The only normal one in the Baratheon family is the dull Stannis!"
Wright turned his head, looking around. "Are the kids asleep?"
Nymeria nodded, wrapping her long legs tightly around Wright's waist. "Let's go to the bedroom."
"No, Margot is in there, and she has a husband!" Wright thought this excuse would work perfectly.
"Haha! So many eyes watched her follow me inside. Even her weak husband said in front of everyone that he'll pick her up tomorrow at noon. What are you worried about?" Nymeria pinched Wright's face, both of them too familiar with each other after years of living together. "Which of my women have you not seen? They walk around naked in the bedroom. Don't think I don't know that the detection magic in the bedroom has been activated! Hypocrisy! Go in quickly, it's cold outside."
"As you command, my queen!" Wright, despite being in his thirties, still had the energy of a young man, thanks to his youthful restraint, perfectly matching the three wives in their prime.
In contrast, some of the nobles of Tyrosh had indulged themselves in their youth, boasting about their exploits. Take the exceptionally talented Theon, who, at just thirty, had already found ways to avoid his wife, hiding from her whenever possible, and when he couldn't, he had to do it on his own.
The next afternoon, the sounds of three children playing woke them up. Margot, fully dressed, was the first to leave the bedroom. When Sauron, Lilith, and Baemon saw her come out of Wright's room, they acted as if nothing was unusual, greeting her in a friendly manner.
As she made her way down the hallway, she found her husband, Lord Peake, who had been waiting for a while. Margot, touching the dragon head pendant that Kana had given her, recalled the conversation from the previous night with Wright and his companions. She felt deeply insulted.
The revered Archmage, Lord of Tyrosh, and Princess of Dorne, all leading such chaotic private lives. Margot decided to get revenge. She and her husband returned to their bedroom, where she took out paper and pen, preparing to document Wright's private life to expose it at the right moment. She even had a title for the book: The Power Games of a Dragonborn Mage.
At noon, King Renly and his family returned to King's Landing on two dragons. The royal officials and attendants who followed the royal family were still packing their belongings, while their carriages returned via land.
Wright entrusted the affairs of Tyrell to Nymeria, while the mages led by Tyene stayed in Tyrell as well. Wright, confident in their leadership, packed his bags with Kana and took off on Odahviing towards the North.
But as soon as Wright left, Tyene sought out Nymeria, telling her to return alone while she secretly headed to the Shadow Tower at the Wall.
Odahviing had just left the Westerlands and was still far from Riverrun when the ground below turned white, blanketed in snow. With Kana by his side, Wright had to cast a magic shield atop the dragon's head to block the biting cold wind.
"Look, the Riverlands are like this, and the North is even colder. I really don't get why you're so determined to open a bank there!" Wright complained.
Kana, dressed like a bear in furs, clung tightly to his arm. She usually rode on her son Baemon's golden dragon, sitting comfortably on its stable back.
Only Odahviing's head was large enough for someone to stand on, and the view was unobstructed, but the dragon's head constantly swayed, making her feel dizzy. After a moment, she responded to Wright's question.
"I've read the records. Countless people who tried to stake a claim in the North failed. But by helping the Northerners during their hardest times, we can establish a foothold in the region that holds the old faith."
"Is it really necessary?" Wright didn't see the point. Surely money could buy a business in the North.
"This is where you and I differ in our approaches," Kana replied, resting her head on Wright's shoulder. She knew Wright wasn't omnipotent. While he was good at seeing the bigger picture, his practical skills were often rough, and it was her role to fill in the gaps.
---
It wasn't just Kana who felt dizzy. Sandor almost vomited up the little food he had left after a week on the ship.
He had to conserve his strength, so he forced himself to swallow the acidic bile rising in his throat.
As the ship creaked and groaned, the four people in the hold realized they had arrived at port. The only chance of escape would be once they stepped onto the docks.
"Geralt, are you ready?" Sandor whispered.
Without weapons, the four could only rely on the young Geralt until they could secure some.
"No, I'm so hungry I can hardly stand!" Geralt answered weakly.
Their captors were also mages, well aware that Geralt needed to be carefully handled. They had deliberately given him the least food, just enough to keep him alive, to ensure he had no strength to fight back.