With barely any additional information, Lynd could already tell that the pirate ntioned in the report was most likely Euron.
He glanced again at the date on the report and noticed it was from seven days ago. Considering the ti it would’ve taken those rchants to reach Ny Sar, they must have seen Euron in Qarth nearly a month ago.
“Why wasn’t such important intel sent to Sumrhall?” Lynd asked Nyria, setting the report aside.
Nyria explained, “It was just a few rchants talking about a pirate, and it was so far from Qarth that I didn’t think it was anything significant at the ti.”
Lynd didn’t bla her—if anything, it was his own fault. When he’d established the intelligence network of the Kingdom of Lorne, he had intentionally kept Sumrhall’s system separate from the kingdom’s. They operated independently, with no overlap or mutual authority.
The idea had been to maintain mutual oversight and gather complentary information from different angles.
But the downside was just as clear: each system had its own focus, and their judgnts on what constituted important intel could differ wildly. Just like now—what Lynd considered critical, Nyria had seen as trivial.
Still, despite the clear drawbacks of maintaining two separate intelligence networks, Lynd had no intention of rging them. He preferred to let them continue operating on their own.
“Is Euron’s sacrifice really that terrifying?” Nyria asked, a trace of doubt in her voice.
“I don’t know for sure. But I do know that Willas isn’t soone who exaggerates. And from where he’s standing now, he sees far more than we do.” Lynd looked at her seriously. “The Long Night will co. The Eternal Winter will arrive. We'd best prepare early.” He paused, then added, “If necessary, we move south.”
“Move south?” Nyria blinked. “You an to Sothoryos?”
“Yes,” Lynd nodded.
“Do we really need to go that far?” Nyria asked uncertainly.
Lynd sighed. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
He didn’t go into detail—mostly because he couldn’t. He had a vague feeling that the Long Night and Eternal Winter weren’t purely magical in nature. They might be tied to the planet’s movent, sothing only astronomy scholars might be able to explain.
If it really ca down to planetary motion, then no matter how strong the Wall was, it couldn’t hold back the southward creep of the Eternal Winter’s cold. In that case, not just Westeros, but even Essos might be dood. A migration to Sothoryos would beco inevitable.
That was why Lynd already had plans in mind to send people to explore Sothoryos. He also asked Nyria to gather as much information as possible about the continent, just in case.
“If it really cos down to a large-scale migration, then the rear must be stable, and all supplies must be secured,” Nyria said seriously. “I think it’s ti to unify the entire continent of Westeros. You should et the Mother of Dragons.”
“Daenerys?” Lynd frowned. “Is that really necessary?”
Nyria replied with admiration, “She’s beco quite formidable. She’s taken control of Qarth, reclaid the Free Cities around it, and brought over a dozen Dothraki khalasars under her banner. Even without counting her three dragons, she commands over fifty thousand warriors. I heard she also sent people to Slaver’s Bay to buy up Unsullied and other slaves. Apparently, she bought out every single Unsullied and slave there.”
“She has that much money?” Lynd asked, doubtful.
Nyria, a little envious, said, “She doesn’t—but the Thirteen of Qarth and the Warlocks of the House of the Undying did. After taking Qarth, she executed all the Thirteen, burned down the House of the Undying and killed the warlocks inside, seizing all their wealth. That was the fortune Qarth had accumulated over thousands of years.”
At that, Lynd couldn’t help but feel stunned. Even with his own unexpected rise, Daenerys still seed to be the world’s true chosen one. All the wealth he had painstakingly gathered over the past decade was nothing compared to what Daenerys had acquired in just one month.
It had to be said—right now, Daenerys really did have the aura of a nouveau riche, throwing money around everywhere.
Lynd suddenly thought of sothing and asked, “That batch of weapons you ordered a while ago—was it ant for Daenerys?”
Nyria nodded. “Qohor received Daenerys’s weapons order, but with their current production capacity, it’s difficult for them to finish it on ti. That’s why they asked for your help to handle part of it.”
“Just part of it?” Lynd was slightly surprised. He rembered the size of that order—it was the largest he’d seen in years. No exaggeration, it was enough to rearm every army currently at war in the Westerlands, the Vale, the Riverlands, and the North, and still have so left over.
A possibility occurred to him. “Is she planning to make a move on Slaver’s Bay?”
“You thought so too?” Nyria nodded. “That was my first thought when I received the order. Looks like the Mother of Dragons has serious ambitions. Which suits us just fine—we need ambitious partners.”
Lynd frowned. “Have you considered who would rule a unified West Essos?”
“Who else? You, of course!” Nyria said excitedly, pointing at him.
“?” Lynd was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond. Sothing about Nyria felt off. She was unusually enthusiastic about unifying West Essos, and it didn’t seem like a sudden impulse brought on by talk of the Long Night. It felt more like a plan that had been brewing for quite so ti.
Lynd didn’t answer her directly. He just said he was tired from the flight over from Sumrhall and needed to freshen up, brushing the matter aside for now.
...
While washing up, he quietly asked the servant attending him whether any new close aides had recently arrived around Nyria. The servant quickly listed a few nas, and among them, Lynd recognized two: Ellaria, the Red Viper’s paramour, and llario of Norvos, wife of Prince Doran.
These two won were anything but ordinary. Their political acun outmatched most on the continent of Westeros. It was clear that Prince Doran had arranged for them to support Nyria here on Ny Sar.
Ellaria wasn’t a concern. Though she was the Red Viper’s favorite, her temperant was entirely different—she was a pacifist, unlikely to push Nyria toward joining Daenerys in unifying West Essos. That left llario as the likely source of Nyria’s growing ambition.
Lynd recalled that when Nyria’s mother had passed away, llario had looked after her for a ti and helped deal with those eyeing Tumbleton. That support had allowed Nyria to gain control of the town. Because of that, she shared a special bond with llario, so it made sense that she’d be influenced by her.
Still, Lynd deeply disliked the feeling of being manipulated—even if the intent behind it was well-aning. So, before he left, he decided he would speak with Ellaria and llario personally.
...
As Lynd sent word for the two won to be summoned, in a garden villa on the eastern bank of the Ny Sar River, Ellaria hurried across a adow and stopped under a tree. Looking at llario, who was sitting beneath it with her eyes closed in silent ditation, she said anxiously, “Lynd Tarran is here. Do you think he’s figured out the advice you gave Nyria? Is he planning to...”
“Don’t panic. If he really ant to punish us, we would’ve been arrested already.”
Like many Norvosi won, llario had shaved her head, but unlike others, she didn’t wear a wig. Instead, she left her scalp bare and adorned it with intricate tattoos—giving her an unconventional, striking beauty.
Compared to Ellaria’s anxious pacing, llario remained composed. She picked up the wine jug, poured a glass, and handed it to Ellaria, saying calmly, “And don’t forget, the advice we gave was for Nyria’s benefit. There wasn’t a hint of malice in it.”
“That’s not the point.” Ellaria took the glass, sipped from it, and steadied herself before continuing, “Oberyn once said that Lynd Tarran and Prince Doran are quite alike—both are n who love making plans and following them ticulously. People like that all have one thing in common: they hate when others interfere with their plans. What we did may very well have disrupted his original intentions. Even if it was well-aning and beneficial to Nyria, he’s not likely to appreciate it.”
“Hmph, another Doran,” llario muttered with clear displeasure. Even just hearing Doran’s na still seed to irritate her.
She lifted her cup and drank it down in one go before saying calmly, “No point dwelling on it now. If Lynd Tarran really intends to punish us, there’s no escaping it. We might as well enjoy the wine while we wait for his summons—and then show him our good intentions.”
Ellaria, seeing her companion had no better plan either, could only sigh. She silently blad herself for foolishly agreeing to stay in Ny Sar with llario. She should’ve simply delivered Prince Doran’s ssage and returned to Dorne.
...
As the two of them drank in silence, a servant rushed in and inford them that the queen’s palace had sent for them to attend a eting.
The two won exchanged a glance and sighed at the sa ti. They each returned to their rooms to change clothes, then made their way to the palace.
They arrived quickly and were led by a servant—not to the council chamber as usual, but to the study in the rear garden. Noticing this subtle shift, they exchanged another look.
“Lady Ellaria, it’s been a while.” Inside the study, the two won saw Lynd, now dressed in casual attire. He showed no sign of anger. After greeting Ellaria, he turned to the woman with a strikingly exotic appearance. “And this must be the Prince’s wife?”
“Lord Lynd, it’s best if you simply call llario. Being called the Prince’s wife here might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings,” llario said with a bow, lightening the mont with a subtle joke.
Lynd nodded, then looked at both of them and asked, “Can you tell —was the idea to encourage Nyria to unify West Essos Prince Doran’s, or did it co from the two of you?”
llario answered without hesitation, “It was ours. No—more accurately, it was my idea. Ellaria was simply following my lead.”
Ellaria imdiately took her hand and corrected, “No, it was our idea. llario couldn’t have convinced Her Majesty on her own.”
Watching their gesture of closeness, sothing flickered in Lynd’s expression—an odd look in his eyes. A sudden thought crossed his mind: maybe Prince Doran had unknowingly been cuckolded.
“You may have misunderstood ,” Lynd said seriously. “I am indeed unhappy that you stirred up Nyria, but I never intended to punish you. In fact, your planning helps fill the gaps in my own. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the execution of my plans, I have no reason to act against you. The reason I called you here was simply to understand the details of your plan, and how it connects to Dorne—so I don’t accidentally harm my allies.”
llario and Ellaria looked at each other and exhaled slightly in relief.
The pressure Lynd exuded was overwhelming. Despite their status and their powerful partners back in Westeros, standing before Lynd made them feel like they were no different from ordinary folk.
Ellaria was sowhat used to it. She had t Lynd more than once alongside the Red Viper, and had built up so resistance to his commanding presence.
But llario was another matter entirely. She had never t Lynd before—everything she knew about him ca from rumors. Facing him now, with no preparation, she was completely unshielded against the weight of the authority he carried. Her usually sharp tongue failed her; all she could do was answer honestly, question by question.
And now, as Lynd asked about their detailed plan, llario found she couldn’t hide anything. So she laid everything out, clearly and completely.
When she finished, Lynd looked truly surprised. After a mont, he asked, “So the entire plan to unify West Essos... started out as sothing you did for your daughter?”
llario raised her chin slightly and said, “That’s how it began. But now I think—if n can play the ga of thrones in the Seven Kingdoms, why can’t won lead a grand unification on the continent of West Essos?”
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