Chapter 124

Unless he sees him and the prince drives him away, he will not escape from his lord's castle as a guest.

But we need to be faithful, not add extra. Let's translate each line precisely.

We'll need to decide on phrasing.

Unless he sees him and the prince drives him away, he will not escape as a guest from his own lord's castle.

Literal: Unless he sees him, and the prince drives him away, otherwise he will not escape as a guest from his own lord's castle.

We need to keep meaning. We'll produce: "Unless he sees him and the prince drives him away, he will not escape as a guest from his own lord's castle."

Unless he sees him and the prince drives him away, he will not escape as a guest from his own lord's castle.

We'll output: 【1】 Unless he sees him and the prince drives him away, he will not escape as a guest from his own lord's castle.

Although he's not a knight, he knows exactly what a knight would do in this situation.

Literal: Although he is not a knight, but a knight in this situation would how to act, he fully understands.

We'll produce: "Although he is not a knight, he fully understands how a knight would act in this situation."

"We're not leaving," he said calmly; a gentle breeze blew through, bringing a little coolness to the stuffy room.

Literal: "We won't go." He said calmly, a slight breeze blew by, bringing a little coolness to the stuffy room.

We'll produce: '"We won't go." He said calmly; a slight breeze blew by, bringing a little coolness to the stuffy room.'

Maybe his mother wouldn't approve of this choice.

Literal: Perhaps his mother would not like this choice.

We'll produce: "Perhaps his mother would not like this choice."

He isn't used to making decisions yet, but he has his own ideas and determination; when responsibility arises, he will shoulder it, and he knows exactly what he must bear.

Literal: He is not yet accustomed to making decisions, but he has his own ideas and resolve; when responsibility comes, he will take it on. Moreover, he knows what he must bear.

We'll produce: "He is not yet accustomed to making decisions, but he has his own ideas and resolve; when responsibility comes, he will take it on. Moreover, he knows what he must bear."

If war is truly unavoidable, as the Count of Starfall City, he won't shirk responsibility; he'll bravely take up his father's pledge and, within his duties, aid his lord. His name is Dane, not Frey or Bolton.

Literal: If war is truly unavoidable, as Count of Starfall City, he will not shirk responsibility; he will bravely take over the promise from his father, providing assistance within the scope of responsibility to his lord. His surname is Dane, not Frey, Bolton.

We'll produce: "If war is truly unavoidable, as Count of Starfall City, he will not shirk responsibility; he will bravely take over the promise from his father, providing assistance within the scope of responsibility to his lord. His surname is Dane, not Frey or Bolton."

Upon hearing the news, he relaxed, no longer feeling tense; his only wish was to meet Prince Daolang soon to learn what he should do.

Literal: After understanding these messages, he eased his mind, no longer feeling tense; the only hope is to see Prince Daolang as soon as possible, to let him tell him what to do.

We'll produce: "After learning of these messages, he eased his mind, no longer feeling tense; his only hope was to see Prince Daolang as soon as possible, to tell him what to do."

He believes that with a task and a direction, he can accomplish what has been entrusted to him.

Literal: He feels that as long as he has a mission and a direction, he can accomplish the entrusted tasks and the mission.

We'll produce: "He feels that as long as he has a mission and a direction, he can accomplish the entrusted tasks and the mission."

"After seeing Prince Daolang and getting his permission, I'll return to Starfall City," he answered.

"After seeing Prince Daolang and receiving his permission, I will return to Starfall City," he answered.

We'll produce: '"After seeing Prince Daolang and receiving his permission, I will return to Starfall City." He answered.'

"My lord, if you do this, the lady will worry," said Sir Arien Talis, a distant-kin knight of the same surname taken in by her mother; in his small retinue he practically embodies her mother's influence.

Literal: "Sir, you like this, madam will worry." Sir Arientali is the distant-branch knight of the same surname taken in by her mother; in his small troop, he is practically the representative of her mother's power.

We'll produce: '"Sir, you like this, madam will worry." Sir Yaliengtali is the distant-branch knight of the same surname taken in by her mother; in his small troop, he is practically the representative of her mother's power.'

"First in battle," my mother would understand; if you speak like that, this place is a battlefield too.

Literal: "First in Battle, my mother would understand; if you say it like this, this place is also a battlefield."

We'll produce: '"First in Battle," my mother would understand; if you say it like this, this place is also a battlefield.'

"I don't know if this is a battlefield, but it certainly isn't…" he laughed and went on, but a richly dressed young man stormed in, cutting him off.

Literal: "I don't know if it's a battlefield, but certainly not..." He laughed and continued, but a richly dressed young man burst in at the door, interrupting him.

We'll produce: '"I don't know if it's a battlefield, but certainly not..." He laughed and continued, but a richly dressed young man burst in at the door, interrupting him.'

"Lord Edrick, sorry to bother you," he said, with olive skin and straight black hair, an elegant and courteous demeanor, about the same age, though he looked a bit melancholy; "My father invites you to the old palace to meet him."

Literal: "Aideruike Sir, excuse the disturbance," he has olive-toned skin and straight black hair, his appearance elegant and polite, looks about the same age as him, though looks a bit sorrowful, "My father invites you to the old palace to meet."

We'll produce: '"Aideruike Sir, excuse the disturbance," he has olive-toned skin and straight black hair, his appearance elegant and polite, looks about the same age as him, though looks a bit sorrowful, "My father invites you to the old palace to meet."'

"Lord Edrick, sorry to bother you," he said, with olive skin and straight black hair, an elegant and courteous demeanor, about the same age, though he looked a bit melancholy; "My father invites you to the old palace to meet him."

We'll produce: '"Aideruike Sir, excuse the disturbance," he has olive-toned skin and straight black hair, his appearance elegant and polite, looks about the same age as him, though looks a bit sorrowful, "My father invites you to the old palace to meet."'

Everyone knows this person can only be Prince Daolang's youngest son, Prince Tristian.

Literal: Everyone understands, this person can only be Prince Daolang's youngest son, Prince Cuīsīdān.

We'll produce: "Everyone understands that this person can only be Prince Daolang's youngest son, Prince Cuīsīdān."

"Oh, we thought your princely father had forgotten us!" Sir Harry jeered at the young prince, "Or maybe he thinks our Count Dane is actually useful?"

Literal: "Oh, we thought your princely father forgot us!" Sir Harry mocked the little prince, "Or maybe he thinks our Count Dane is somewhat useful?"

We'll produce: '"Oh, we thought your princely father forgot us!" Sir Harry mocked the little prince, "Or maybe he thinks our Count Dane is somewhat useful?"'

Prince Tristian was clearly embarrassed, his face flushing; the others nearby stayed silent, giving no reaction to Harry's rash comment.

Literal: Prince Cuīsīdān obviously embarrassed, his face slightly red. Those beside remained silent, expressing no opinion on Harry's gaffe.

We'll produce: "Prince Cuīsīdān was obviously embarrassed, his face slightly red. Those beside remained silent, expressing no opinion on Harry's gaffe."

"My father always remembers the Dane nobles, but the prince has been preoccupied with many matters and his health… I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, my lord. Trust that once you see the prince, you'll understand." The prince pushed aside his embarrassment, forced a smile, and spoke calmly.

Literal: "My father always remembers the Dane lords, but the prince has recently been preoccupied with many matters, and his health... makes the lords wait here long, truly sorry. Sir, believe that once you see the prince, you will understand." The prince collected his embarrassment, forced a smile, and spoke calmly to him.

We'll produce: '"My father always remembers the Dane lords, but the prince has recently been preoccupied with many matters, and his health... makes the lords wait here long, truly sorry. Sir, believe that once you see the prince, you will understand." The prince collected his embarrassment, forced a smile, and spoke calmly to him.'

The prince is roughly his age, but he seems a bit naive; his experiences in Hejian have helped him mature greatly.

Literal: The prince's age is about the same as his, but he feels the prince is somewhat immature. The experience in Hejian has let him grow a lot.

We'll produce: "The prince is about the same age as him, but he feels the prince is somewhat immature. His experience in Hejian has let him grow a lot."

"Wait here," he signaled with a nod to those nearby, "Your Highness, please lead the way."

Literal: "You wait here first." He nodded to the people beside him, "Your Highness, please lead the way."

We'll produce: '"You wait here first." He nodded to the people beside him, "Your Highness, please lead the way."'

Prince Daolang may share more detailed information with him, but his entourage can also pick up more rumors on the street.

Literal: Prince Daolang may perhaps reveal more detailed information to him, but his attendants can learn more rumors on the streets.

We'll produce: "Prince Daolang may perhaps reveal more detailed information to him, but his attendants can learn more rumors on the streets."

He regrets not going out in the heat to gather information himself, so he can only get a little from Sir Harry. He also regrets not learning more from Butler Marlon about the Prison Gate Fort, the Wu Lei family, the sand snakes, and Princess Arilyn.

Literal: He somewhat regrets not personally going out to investigate due to the heat, resulting in now only being able to get a bit of information from Sir Harry. He also regrets not being able to learn more about Prisongate Fort, the Wulei family, sand snakes, and Princess Yalianen from Steward Malong.

We'll produce: "He somewhat regrets not personally going out to investigate due to the heat, resulting in now only being able to get a bit of information from Sir Harry. He also regrets not being able to learn more about Prisongate Fort, the Wulei family, sand snakes, and Princess Yalianen from Steward Malong."

Facing the supreme ruler of Dorne makes him uneasy. His mother says Prince Daolang and Prince Oberyn are a perfectly matched pair—one active, one still, like grass and snake—not that Daolang is weak, but that he can shelter the snake while the snake nourishes the grass.

Literal: Thinking of facing the supreme ruler of Duoen, he feels uneasy. In his mother's mouth, Prince Daolang and Prince Oberyn are a perfectly coordinated pair, one active one still, one grass one snake—this does not mean Prince Daolang is withered and unusable, but rather that he can provide shelter for the snake, and the snake can provide nourishment for the grass.

We'll produce: "Thinking of facing the supreme ruler of Duoen, he feels uneasy.

Although he is not a knight, he fully understands what a knight would do in this situation.

"We're not leaving," he said calmly, as a slight breeze blew through, bringing a bit of coolness to the stuffy room.

Perhaps his mother would not like this choice.

He is not yet accustomed to making decisions, but he has his own ideas and resolve; when responsibility comes, he will shoulder it. Moreover, he knows what he must bear.

If war is truly unavoidable, as Count of Starfall City, he will not shirk responsibility; he will bravely take over the promise from his father and, within his duty, assist his liege. His surname is Dane, not Frey or Bolton.

After learning this news, he eased his mind, no longer feeling tense; his only hope was to see Prince Doran soon, so the prince could tell him what to do.

He felt that as long as he had a task and a direction, he could complete what was entrusted to him and the mission.

"After meeting Prince Doran and obtaining his permission, I will return to Starfall City," he replied.

"Sir, you're doing this, the lady will worry," said Sir Arien Tali, a distant-kin knight of the same surname taken in by his mother, who in this small retinue is practically the representative of his mother's faction.

"First in Battle, my mother would understand; if you put it that way, this place is also a battlefield."

"I don't know if this is a battlefield, but it certainly isn't..." he answered with a laugh, but a richly dressed young man burst in at the door, cutting him off.

"Lord Eddrick, forgive my intrusion," he said, having olive-toned skin and straight black hair, an elegant and courteous appearance, about the same age as him, though he looked a little sorrowful, "My father invites you to the old palace to meet him."

Everyone understood that this person could only be Prince Doran's younger son, Prince Trystane.

"Oh, we thought your princely father had forgotten us!" Sir Harry jeered at the little prince, "Or perhaps he thinks our Count Dane is of some use?"

Prince Trystane was obviously embarrassed, his face flushing. The few beside him remained silent, offering no comment on Harry's tactless remark.

"My father has always remembered the Lords of Dane, but the prince has lately been preoccupied with many affairs, and his health... has kept you waiting, for which I am truly sorry. My lord, believe that once you see the prince, you will understand." The prince set aside his embarrassment, forced a smile, and spoke to him in a composed manner.

The prince is about his age, but he feels the prince is rather green. His experiences in the Riverlands have made him mature greatly.

"Wait here," he indicated to his attendants with a nod, "Your Highness, please lead the way."

Prince Doran might reveal more detailed information to him, but the people around him could learn more rumors on the streets.

He regretted not going out himself in the heat to gather information, which now left him only able to pick up a bit from Sir Harry. He also regretted not learning more from Butler Merlon about the Black Gate, the Uller family, the sand snakes, and Princess Arianne.

Thinking of facing the supreme ruler of Dorne, he felt uneasy. In his mother's words, Prince Doran and Prince Oberyn were a perfectly matched pair of brothers—one active, one still, one grass, one snake—this did not mean Prince Doran was weak and withered, but that he could provide shelter for the snake, while the snake could nourish the grass.

Hearing these words, Eddrick was doubtful; he could understand how grass could conceal and shelter a snake, but he did not see what a venomous snake could bring to the grass. He felt that whatever a snake gave to grass was only trouble. When people drive away snakes, they inevitably harm the grass as well.

Prince Trystane had his guards stay behind, and he walked ahead alone to guide Eddrick and Steward Merlon.

He had heard that Sunspear was built of brown earth and straw, the whole castle encircled by three curved walls. Upon entering the castle's core, the spear tower and the sun tower would reveal their majesty, unseen from other angles.

He had thought the tops of the towers bore flags symbolizing the Martells' original spear and the sun of the Rhoynar Nymeria, but upon approaching, he found that the flags flying there were all the now-common spear-through-the-sun.

Prince Trystane was to lead him to the old palace. The old palace lies between the two towers; it is said that formal meetings are usually held in the throne room of the sun tower, where guests can view the seats occupied by the Prince of Dorne and his princess consort.

It is said that the two seats are identical; the one nearer the east has a back bearing the Rhoynish sun emblem, exclusive to the spouse of the Martell head, while the adjacent seat's back bears the spear sigil, exclusive to the leader of Dorne.

But he was unlikely to see them today.

The place the prince led him to was an unremarkable study.

The study's curtains were all drawn back, letting sunlight filter in from the summer bushes outside, neither glaring nor dim, and the whole room was pleasantly cool and tranquil.

"Father, I have brought them here," Prince Trystane said.

Eddrick saw him nod slowly; then Trystane smiled at Eddrick, gave a bow, and exited from the other side.

"Your Highness," Eddrick said, dropping to one knee, and glancing aside he saw the prince's finger joints on his knee swollen like a purple grape.

"Please rise, Count Dane," a soft but clear voice said, "I am sorry to have kept you waiting so long. I have hanged the steward of the bedchamber, who reached his hand toward my vassal, preventing the vassal's voice from reaching me in time; he deserved it."

The prince resembled Prince Trystane, but he looked very old, with a full head of gray hair and wrinkles covering his face.

Eddrick did not know how to respond, and simply waited honestly at the side.

"Captain, would you mind closing the door, guarding the entrance, and keeping out anyone unrelated?" he said to the dark-skinned, axe-wielding brute beside him.

The brute heeded him calmly, left the room, and closed the door, leaving the study with just the two of them.

This made Eddrick feel somewhat ill at ease.

"Count Dane, how much do you know of Jorah Dane?" Prince Doran opened with, "As I understand, he is a knight of the Dane family of Highhide."

My lord, I don't know much about him. Uh, I know he is a relatively well-known knight of the Dayne family of Starfall City; the old folks said he was a formidable knight who once challenged my uncle Arthur Dayne, but was defeated by my uncle. After that, I don't know what happened; I left Starfall City at age seven to become a cupbearer for the Count of Black Harbor. Well, I've heard he is called the 'Black Star', in opposition to the 'Dawn Sword God'.

Aide Ruike did not know why he would mention this person.

He is now called the 'Red Comet' or 'Queen's Man', currently serving as Mise La in Hellgate Fortress—uh, the Queen's Iron Guard of Queen Mise La—and is now recruiting soldiers in the Sulphur River region; I've heard he intends to gather a hundred thousand troops for the queen to retrieve the crown stolen by the queen's brother, that is, the King of Tuoman.

According to Dorne law, if King Joffrey has no heir, Mise La, as the elder sibling, has precedence over Tuoman in the line of succession. But he knew that Prince Daolang had not come to discuss law with him, but to speak of this 'Red Comet' or 'Queen's Man', Jieluo Dayne, and whether he might possibly be connected to Starfall City.

Could it be that because of this matter he has been left unattended for so long, not granted an audience?

Aide Ruike felt some doubt; if his mother supported Jieluo Dayne and had long been plotting, she should not have agreed to let him come to Sunspear City, so this kinsman of the same surname might be acting only for himself, just as the second son of the Count of Stonegate City, Robar Royce, actually went on to become Renly's 'Rainbow Guard'.

Your Highness, I have just learned from my companions the news of Princess Mise La. I thought the 'Queen's Man' was only your daughter. Aide Ruike did not know where he found the courage to say this.

Prince Daolang's expression showed no change.

Not bad. She is the chief 'Queen's Man', ignorant and impulsive. He did not linger on this topic, but turned directly to another: "I know your purpose. The Iron Throne has no authority to issue a warrant against the lords of Dorne; therefore, I confirm to you and your mother that you remain the lawful heir of your father, Lord Dayne."

Prince Daolang was older than his father; he simply did not know how to respond to someone like this, so he could only mumble incoherently, expressing respect.

You can declare your allegiance to me and my lawful heirs. Rise, and you shall be the lord of Starfall City, my lord.

Aide Ruike did not expect things to go so smoothly; he therefore knelt on one knee again and spoke the oath of fealty.

He once again saw his finger joints swollen like grapes, and silently prayed for his liege lord in his heart.

You are a brave and clever child; I say this, you have no objection, right? Your age is close to Cuisi dan's, but you are far more steadfast than he. I heard you once joined a local bandit organization in the Hejian region?

No. I joined the Brotherhood Without Banners; its leader is— the original leader was Beric Dondarrion, who was the Count of Black Harbor, acting on the king's command via Eddard Stark to capture the traitorous knight Gregor Clegane of the troubled Hejian lands; later, due to the upheaval at King's Landing, Beric Count inexplicably turned into a traitor to the Iron Throne, and in order to continue fulfilling the Hand's command and serve King Robert, we in the Hejian region took in the victimized smallfolk and founded this organization. It is just, not a bandit organization.

The gods mock man; there's nothing to be done about it. He let out a soft sigh, concealing it extremely well, but Aide Ruike still noticed. "Ser Gregor Clegane's head has now been sent to Dorne. Lord Beric's task is complete."

Not even close. "Yes, my lord."

The Hejian region is a battlefield of four wars. Do you like war? Young people seem to enjoy such occasions to gain honor and glory. He closed his eyes, appearing to be in thought.

Your Highness, Prince. Anyone who has witnessed the devastation of the Hejian region would not like war.

"The war is right before us now; you can't avoid it just by not liking it." He still kept his eyes closed. "You understand, the command of loyalty?"

"I understand, Starfall City will heed Your Highness's command." He said sincerely.

He didn't speak further; this time Edric could see he was enduring the pain. Fine beads of sweat already covered his forehead.

"My daughter, the farce that Arien has staged was not done with my consent. Therefore, this is a rebellion she has launched against me and the Iron Throne together."

"Are we going to attack the Prison Gate Fortress?" Edric wondered.

If this were a genuine war council, he would be qualified to participate, but the prince obviously has no need to introduce him or ask for his analysis in such a setting.

"No, Dorne avoided the War of the Five Kings, but also absolutely does not want to wage war internally again." He paused, "I have received your mother's letter."

"What?" he asked.

"I agree to marry Arien to you."