Chapter 123: Sansa's Gift

Gendry ran in behind the dragon, and once the nobles in the hall stopped talking, he whispered to Arthur, "Alduin needs to eat. I fed it dried meat, but it shook its head and flew off to find you."

Based on over twenty days of experiments on the road, the dragonet indeed did not reject Gendry, who had the blood of House Targaryen, allowing him to hover nearby and even eating the food Gendry offered.

Therefore, Arthur had Daniu serve as Alduin's keeper, responsible for feeding large amounts of meat to the growing dragonet every day.

"It must want fresh meat. I'll go out in a moment and find it some mutton, beef, or something similar."

After stroking Alduin's dragon head, Arthur said a few words to the group and left with the dragon and Gendry.

This left the well-informed nobles to continue speculating.

Lady Whent was the oldest and had the deepest understanding of certain legends regarding House Targaryen.

"If this is truly a dragon capable of breathing fire, then Arthur must have the bloodline of House Targaryen."

She racked her brain, but could only recall that during the time of Aegon IV, there was a Targaryen Bastard, "Bittersteel" Aegor Rivers, who could be linked to both House Targaryen and House Bracken.

"Bittersteel," active over a hundred years ago, was, like the famous Duke "Bloodraven" Brynden Rivers, a noble bastard of House Targaryen, born to a certain Lady Bracken. Although both bore the surname Rivers, the bastard name of the Riverlands, after Aegon IV legitimized them, both became members of House Targaryen with rights of inheritance.

It is worth mentioning that Bloodraven is the very flesh and blood of the current Three-Eyed Crow.

"But Bittersteel went to the eastern continent; it's impossible for him to have any relation to the current Brackens," Willis dismissed this speculation.

Bittersteel had participated in the Blackfyre Rebellion several times; after one failure, he was being sent to the Wall by water, but while passing White Harbor, he was rescued by his men and went to Essos.

His men were the Golden Company, the premier mercenary group known throughout the Free Cities and Westeros.

Aegor Rivers himself was the founder of the Golden Company. After his death, he ordered his skull to be boiled clean of flesh and gilded, then hung on a high pole; his successors followed this practice, which is why the Golden Company possesses many golden skulls.

"That branch of Bittersteel is impossible, but the Mad King Aerys II is a possibility," Robett said.

"I think Rhaegar is more likely than the Mad King. You must know that for years before the Harrenhal Tourney, the Mad King wouldn't even step out of the Red Keep, and given the situation of Arthur's family, it's impossible for his mother to have stayed in King's Landing for long and been noticed by the Mad King."

Willis speculated.

Everyone voiced their own opinions, but one point they all agreed on.

That was that a certain Bracken had had a dragon egg laid in their nest by a member of House Targaryen.

And judging by the fact that Targaryen blood is constantly diluted when intermarrying with commoners, it is highly probable that Arthur's biological father was a Targaryen.

"Then he is a Targaryen Prince," Sansa's tone sounded very happy.

If Arthur's lineage were a bit higher, she could beg her mother and brother to change her betrothal to this Bracken.

"Impossible. According to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, even if he has the blood of the dragon in him, he can only be a Bracken now."

The serious Herman Tallhart believed this was impossible; the notion that every member of House Targaryen in Westeros was fair game while Robert was alive was still branded in his mind.

"But if the King in the North were willing to restore Arthur's name as a Targaryen, he would have a better claim to the Iron Throne than Joffrey or Tommen."

Willis said.

According to the three-hundred-year precedent of the Targaryen Dynasty, a king could indeed restore a bastard to a formal member with rights of inheritance.

The group discussed this topic for a long time, with no one able to convince the other.

Hayley, who managed the accounts for Arthur, Bill the mercenary who maintained order among the smallfolk, and Dickon, who was still organizing the New Army, were called to a hall—the King's Pyre Tower had plenty of useless empty rooms, and after the smallfolk helped clean and repair them, these rooms could finally be put to use.

On one hand, Arthur needed to fully understand the situation; on the other, the dragonet required large amounts of fresh meat, and there were no other animals in the castle in large numbers to feed the dragon besides the many horses.

Moreover, the men under Locke Holt also needed to be paid a portion of their deposit; this mercenary, who had a sharp tongue but a brain far less flexible than his uncle's, had already tried several times to take men to retrieve Vargo's legacy.

That was several thousand Gold Dragons.

If not for Arthur saying he had enough Gold Dragons, this group of mercenaries would not be working so hard.

"As of now, the Gold Dragons I have in my possession are 1,813, with 450 Silver Stags and over 40,000 copper coins."

Under normal circumstances, one Gold Dragon exchanges for 210 Silver Stags, and one Silver Stag exchanges for 112 copper coins.

So this money is primarily the 1,813 Gold Dragons.

"... The grain in the castle is all stored in the basements of the King's Pyre Tower and the Weeping Tower. Now that the number of smallfolk has exceeded 30,000, the grain collected previously is only enough for us to eat for about four months."

Arthur had previously ordered the collection of all grain from the refugee smallfolk, then provided three meals a day for everyone uniformly.

He had originally thought this grain would last a long time, but he hadn't expected it to only last four months now.

The King's Pyre Tower was the residence of the noble Knights, and the Weeping Tower was full of soldiers; storing grain in these two places was quite safe.

Hayley added at the end, "Recently, more smallfolk have continued to enter the castle for refuge, and they don't have much grain. You must solve the problem of feeding these people as soon as possible. As for the large and stable supply of fresh meat you mentioned, it can only be purchased from distant villages. The area east of the Gods Eye has basically not suffered from the great war, and those villages might still have poultry and livestock like chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep."

That was indeed a method.

"Dickon, take a Platoon of men and go east to buy some cows, sheep, and other livestock. Let Hayley give them some money."

Arthur waved his hand to let Dickon handle the matter.

Nowadays, grain prices have soared to the heavens, and poultry and livestock are even more expensive.

But there is no choice; the dragon can only be raised on fresh meat.

"Bill, take some men to pick a thin horse and kill it to serve as Alduin's rations for these two days."

There were many warhorses in Harrenhal; although this could solve the immediate predicament, it could not be done often.

Now that there is a war, warhorses are as precious as grain.

Gendry carried the dragon and went out with Bill.

"As for the grain problem, Hayley, do you have any suggestions?"

Arthur asked.

He had a few ideas himself, but they were not necessarily economical.

"The grain price in the Riverlands has basically risen fivefold since before the war. The Vale and the Reach shouldn't have risen as fiercely. My Lord, you can send men to these two places to purchase grain."

The top three grain-producing regions in Westeros are the Reach, the Riverlands, and the Vale; these are the only three that export to other regions. The grain of the other four kingdoms is for self-consumption.

Among them, the Riverlands, relying on the convenience of transport via the Kingsroad and the Blackwater River, became the largest source of grain for King's Landing.

The Roseroad leading from the Reach to King's Landing is too long, which caused the grain transported there to lose its price advantage. Therefore, in peacetime, what the Reach sold to King's Landing was generally high-value-added items like ale, wine, silk, cotton cloth, and spices.

This means that the grain price in the Reach is usually lower, and since there is basically no war in the south now, the rise in grain prices is within a range that Arthur can accept.

The situation in the Vale is another matter entirely.

The only land route from the Vale of Arryn to the Riverlands is the Bloody Gate, which is rugged and treacherous, making it unsuitable for merchant caravans.

Therefore, all trade in the Vale is conducted by sea.

In normal times, merchant ships from the Vale depart from Gulltown, round the Crab Peninsula to enter Blackwater Bay, and then unload goods such as grain, poultry, livestock, and handicrafts at King's Landing Port.

Moreover, unlike on land where great lords hold a dominant position, merchant guilds and fleets hold the leading role in the Vale's foreign trade.

If it were commoners or landed lords, it is unlikely they would sell grain now, under the dual influence of the long winter and the war.

Even if a high price were offered, the possibility is very small.

Merchant guilds are different; as long as the price is high enough, this group would truly sell their own souls.

"Then I will send two groups to purchase grain in the Reach and the Vale respectively. I have some rapport with the Knight of Flowers, Loras, so I should be able to buy a batch of grain in the Reach. As for the Vale, I can only buy it outright with money."

Renly is still alive now, so the Fish-Wolf Alliance and the Southron Alliance are de facto allies.

In the original work, Renly was very tolerant toward Robb, both acknowledging the title of King in the North and agreeing to let the North be de facto independent, only requiring Robb to acknowledge him as the King of the Seven Kingdoms.

But before the two houses could have any military interaction, Stannis killed Renly outside Storm's End using Shadow Magic, and thus the Lion House and the Rose House began to merge.

Thinking of this, Arthur suddenly made up his mind: "Guards outside, go call Patrick Mallister."

The eldest son of Seagard may not be strong in combat, but his status is quite high.

Sending him to the Reach for a trip could really secure a significant amount of grain.

Moreover, with Tywin's main army currently either in the east of the river, the west of the Riverlands, or in the Westerlands, the area from Bitterbridge north to the Gods Eye is still relatively safe.

However, grain from the Reach can only be bought this one time; the stance of the Rose House is unstable later on, and even with Loras's influence, it is not certain they would sell grain to the Riverlanders.

And the Vale has always been a potential ally of the Fish-Wolf Alliance.

If it weren't for the obstruction of the Lady of the Arryn house, Lysa, the number two figure of the Vale, the Jiaodu of the Royce house, "Bronze Yohn," would truly have led troops to help Robb fight.

Furthermore, the problem of grain shortages will arise from time to time, so establishing a stable grain-purchasing trade route is also imperative.

Patrick arrived quickly, and after hearing Arthur's words, he readily agreed to make the trip.

"There is no candidate for the road to the Vale yet; recommend a noble with some influence to me," Arthur said to Patrick.

"Is there any need to think? Willis is such a good candidate placed right before you. He is the first heir to White Harbor and has good relations with the merchant guilds of Gulltown and the great merchants across the Narrow Sea," Patrick said in a light tone.

Although White Harbor is the smallest of the five major cities in Westeros, it does indeed have considerable influence in the Narrow Sea region.

Opposite the Manderly territory is roughly the famous Free City of Braavos.

"Not bad. I don't have much money on hand right now. You can draw ten or twenty thousand Gold Dragons from the Tyrell house when you go to the Reach, and then pay the bills for the grain merchants in the Vale."

Patrick thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, there is enough grain in Harrenhal to last for a few months. I will head south after Lord Edmure's wedding, does that work for you?"

The wedding of the heir to the Tully house is also a major event in the Riverlands, and the heir to Seagard does not want to miss such a grand scene.

"Go pack now and set off for me before this evening. The situation is so tense, and you are still thinking of delaying?"

Arthur ruthlessly interrupted Patrick's fantasy and told him to go out and prepare to head south.

The big fatty Willis was also called over. After hearing the task Arthur gave him, this Manderly, who excelled at calculation, gave a more suitable suggestion:

"Grain from the Vale can only ease a temporary emergency. Pentos and Volantis across the Narrow Sea are both major grain exporters. Their grain prices have not been affected by the war, which is enough to supply the Riverlands."

Of the two city-states Willis mentioned, the former is famous in the Narrow Sea for its abundant products, while the latter dominates the entire Essos with its powerful military force.

Pentos has several large plains under its name, such as the Velvet Hills and the "Flatlands," and is the second-largest grain-producing region in Essos, so it naturally does not lack grain.

Volantis is a regional hegemon-level existence, with a standing army of as many as one hundred thousand Jiu Nulvbing. Relying on its vast territory, this huge city-state also sells grain abroad.

"You are indeed experienced. Then I will trouble you to make another trip after going to the Vale, go to Pentos to talk to those Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Zongdu, and let them send some ships to Crab Bay to sell grain," Arthur said to Willis like this.

This big fatty was very serious when making suggestions, but his fat face soured when he heard he was being sent to make connections.

"Fine, anyway I have nothing to do, so I'll make this trip." He was not keen on attending Edmure's wedding.

After all, he is a Northerner, and after heading south, he has been on the Dong Xian, and has not even been to Riverrun.

Because Arthur and Willis were not yet very familiar with each other, he set the departure time for this fatty to tomorrow morning.

Because Arthur's money was all deposited with the Rose House, he had no cash to give these two.

Fortunately, Patrick's route could be paid for directly and then bring back enough Gold Dragons, and Willis's route could also use his identity to first have the merchant guild organize cargo ships to Maidenpool or the town of Lord Harren, and pay upon delivery.

The grain issue came to an end.

Just as Arthur was taking off his somewhat worn-out Plate Armor and the Chainmail underneath in his bedroom, preparing to go to the Hall of a Hundred Hearths for dinner, Sansa suddenly came to him.

She was holding a golden cloak in her hand, which even seemed to have embroidery on it.

"I know you are very busy, so I came to find you at this time," Sansa explained a bit nervously.

"This is?" Arthur pointed to the thing in her hand and asked.

"Ah, this is a cloak I made for you. I dyed it gold according to your new banner, and I embroidered some patterns on it. I don't know if you like it."

Sansa first looked at the gift in her hand, then handed it over.

Even though Arthur touched her fair and delicate hand when taking it, Sansa did not pull away.

Arthur held up the cloak and unfolded it; it was indeed a sword-and-horse pattern.

"I like it very much." Arthur folded the cloak and placed it on the table. "It was hard for you to still think of making this for me."

Arthur used to find it troublesome and did not wear a cloak.

"As long as you like it." Sansa was a bit shy, so seeing that Arthur had accepted it, she walked out quickly.

"Why are you walking so fast? I am also going to have dinner; let's go to the Hall of a Hundred Hearths together."

Arthur, wearing only linen clothes, caught up and walked side by side with Sansa.

The two began to talk, and Arthur wove many details about Joffrey being gored to death by a wild boar, which made Sansa feel happy.

(End of chapter)