Chapter 123

"Of course there's a change!" Sir Harry Hunter happened to enter the room just then, hearing Sir Allyen's words, he loudly replied, "Guess what news I've heard?"

Several knights came to Sun Spear City together with Edric, and Harry Hunter was among them. He was only three years older than Edric, yet he had already been made a knight by his distant uncle Sir Dikken Dane, and thinking that he had served Lord Berri since the age of seven, after all these years he was still just a lowly squire, he felt sad.

"You are the lord of Starfall City; normally the count of Black Harbor City would grant you knighthood, but if the Iron Throne declares you a rebel, it's best not to." He remembered Lord Berri once saying that to him.

As time passed and the number of deaths increased, Lord Berri could remember less and less, while as his squire he had to do more and more, and what he could hope for grew less and less. When he finally passed the fire of life to Lady Catherine, he died completely.

I don't know if Miss Arya knows this news. Seeing Lady Catherine's expression, Edric didn't know whether this was good or bad news for Miss Arya, nor was he sure whether he should tell her this news when he saw her again.

Later he heard some things about the Brotherhood Without Banners, but those had nothing to do with him.

Since Lord Berri passed away, he felt he had already fulfilled all his duties as a squire.

It was then that he left the Brotherhood Without Banners, and three others were willing to follow him. Compared to being bandits in the Riverlands, they preferred to follow him back to peaceful Starfall City to serve as its lord. This time, only Meggy accompanied him to Sun Spear City, while the other two, Qiongen and Merri, remained in Starfall City to recuperate.

The experience in the Riverlands left him unforgettable for life; he marveled that he could survive in such an environment, and felt proud to have persevered to the end. He finally had not brought shame upon the Dawn's Divine Sword, nor upon Dane.

Starfall here, dawn begins. (StarfallStartsDawn)

This is his family motto. And dawn is glory, glory is dawn; as his father said, "Those without honor cannot walk out of darkness, they will never see the dawn."

He walked out of the cold, damp Riverlands, believing he could likewise walk out of the scorching Sun Spear City; compared to the fear and anxiety of then, this boring wait here is nothing.

He had a premonition all along; today he would finally know everything.

"Hey kid, speak up!" Majordomo Merlon said bluntly, "I hope it's not Prince Doran raising a rebel banner for Prince Oberyn."

"If he wanted to raise a banner, he should have come see our Starfall City lord ages ago! Why make us wait so long?" Sir Allyen Tarly scoffed, "Even if gout keeps him from stepping, even walking slowly he could have made it from the Water Gardens here in that time, and besides, I don't think he wouldn't think of using a palanquin."

He didn't need to walk; upon hearing the summons, he could run over to see him. "Sir Harry, please tell me, what news did you hear?" he asked.

"I don't think war is far off." He said with a confident smile, paused, and satisfactorily looked at everyone's expressions, "Princess Aelynn brought Princess Myrcella by ship across the Summer Sea, along the Sulphur River to Hellgate Fortress." He paused there, smiling at everyone.

"What are the two princesses doing there?" Edric said helplessly, forcing a smile as he pressed on. He really wished he could finish his thought in one go.

"Hehe, now there's only one princess left!" He laughed loudly, but didn't let Edric continue questioning, "I heard that after Princess Myrcella was brought to Hellgate Fortress for a month, Count Haman Uller finally decided to crown her; she is now queen, the queen we Dornish have enthroned. Haha!"

Edric didn't know why he was so happy. He turned his gaze to Majordomo Merlon and Sir Allyen Tarly; the two exchanged looks, showing no excitement, only deep worry. Perhaps if Dorne truly went to war with the Iron Throne, they might have to meet their kin on the battlefield—just like his mother, they were people of the Riverlands.

If what Harry Hunter said is all true, then it's only natural that he hasn't been granted an audience until now…

But he couldn't figure it out. What was Princess Aelynn's purpose? She herself is the princess of Dorne, its heir; there's absolutely no need to go around her father to do something like this.

If Princess Aelynn truly betrayed her father…

No matter who the father is, seeing his daughter do such a foolish thing would break his heart; and if he were ill on top of that, and then died, that would be a complete failure—he would lose not only himself but also his Dorne to his reckless daughter.

Of course, Prince Doran might merely be putting on an act with his daughter; his brother Prince Oberyn died a miserable death at King's Landing—let alone the deep hatred and grudge he formed early on with the Lion, and the utter shame he swallowed—he has reason to stir rebellion in Dorne, adding to the Iron Throne, which faces countless troubles, a new problem that is neither the lightest nor the heaviest.

And if it truly is an act, for Prince Doran, letting his daughter bring Princess Myrcella to Hellgate Fortress to stir rebellion is practically the perfect scheme: if things go poorly, he can blame the rebellion entirely on his daughter and the mad‑like Uller family, clearing himself completely; moreover, he can use this ploy to naturally pass Dorne's inheritance to his son—his mother had long thought Prince Doran harbored this idea, but was held back by Dornish tradition from making up his mind.

Perhaps, if his mother were by his side, she could analyze even more.

This news made Edric feel tense and uneasy; originally he had just been bored, but now only anxiety remained.

He had long known the cruelty of war in the Riverlands; he didn't want Dorne or Starfall City to be dragged into the conflict between the Iron Throne and Dorne at all.

Dorne's lords might still be lost in the fantasy of gaining glory and riches on the battlefield, but if they merely went to the Riverlands to look, they would see that the battlefield holds no glory whatsoever, and true victory is impossible.

He couldn't wait to learn more, wanting to know what impact this news might have on Starfall City.

"Could Prince Doran really be so foolish as to actually let his daughter successfully smuggle Princess Myrcella out of the castle?" Sir Allyen raised the question.

"Ah, when we first arrived at Sun Spear City we could still see the troublemaking Sand Snakes, but later they vanished into thin air. Do you know who the mother of one of those Sand Snakes is?" Majordomo Merlon sighed, "Prince Oberyn left behind far too many Sand Snakes; the one who bore him the most was the bastard daughter of Hellgate's count, Alylla Sand. As for who most wants to avenge Prince Oberyn, I think this Sand Snake mother would be among them, and naturally her daughter and the other Sand Snakes are the same."

"In short, Hellgate Fortress is the ideal 'rebel ground,' right?" Sir Allyen shrugged, smirking. As a Riverlands person, he had little interest in Dorne's internal affairs, which Edric fully understood; most of the time he didn't even consider himself a Dornish person, not only because of skin color, culture, and relative geography, but also because of his upbringing.

"Ah, the Uller family is known for being impulsive and unpredictable, and there's a folk saying, 'Half the Ullers are mad, the other half even worse.' If the saying holds true, I start to wonder why he waited a month after receiving Princess Myrcella before deciding to raise the rebel banner."

"Maybe he waited a month just to be sure he was crowning Princess Myrcella, not cutting off her head?" Harry Hunter said in a flippant tone.

He had seen Princess Myrcella in King's Landing; that was already a year or two ago, and he thought that girl might be the most beautiful maiden in the world, and wearing a crown might make her even more beautiful.

"Even if Hellgate Fortress is a suitable rebel ground, does the prince have no defenses at all? That's the Iron Throne's princess after all—such an important person, how could he let his guard down?"

"Ah, once the ship is out at sea, even if the prince knew, what could he do to intercept? The ironmen have already retreated from the Salt Isles and the Summer Sea, returning to the Iron Islands—heard that's also where the queen rules—anyway, pirates are fewer, sea lanes restored, more ships ply the Summer Sea, travel is smooth and relatively safe. The prince can't blockade the sea route, so he can't give chase."

Edric felt, this is the will of the gods.

Simply encountering this, setting aside his purpose for coming here, his mother's hidden agenda has obviously failed and is no longer viable.

"My lord, given the current situation, we may have no choice but to go to war—whether Dorne wants to quell the rebellion at Hellgate Fortress, or the Iron Throne wants to quell Dorne's rebellion, Starfall City cannot stay out of it." Majordomo Merlon said solemnly, not pleased about the possible war.

"If war breaks out, no matter who fights whom, I think Prince Doran will need us, won't he?" Edric said anxiously. To the west they would block any military force that might emerge from the Riverlands, building a western barrier for Dorne; to the east they would assist Sun Spear City in clearing out the Uller rebels rising in the east.

He began to feel anxious again, gritting his teeth tightly to calm himself.

The sun was scorching, but now it wasn't that hot.

He waited for the nearby knights and advisors to speak with him, to analyze and decide.

Generals, lords, and knights often need to make decisions independently, while squires and soldiers usually just follow orders; he admitted he hadn't received much lordly or knightly education. Previously, in many situations, he didn't have to bear responsibility for leadership and planning—just keeping his head down and doing his own duties was enough to earn praise and satisfaction. He had always taken pride in that.

But now he felt he needed to gradually adapt to his new role, for as the head of the house and count of Starfall City, the days ahead held countless choices he must make; he could not forever rely on his mother, and moreover, as he was fast approaching adulthood, his burden was no longer just that of a lowly squire, but the responsibility of family, lands, and castle.

"Yes, my lord, you're quite right—no matter what, Sun Spear City needs our strength, but I worry that hearing this news the lady might have other ideas; in my view, if the lady has a different opinion, we had best accommodate her, and not send a hostage to the prince." Majordomo Merlon sighed.

"What do you mean?" Edric felt a surge of dread, for a moment thinking Sun Spear City might be even more dangerous than the Riverlands.

"Run." Sir Allyen said.