After leaving Willas' tent, Lynd's expression was sowhat grim, and he appeared deep in thought. Jon noticed this and felt perplexed. He wondered what Willas and Lynd had discussed in the tent.
Lynd offered no explanation to Jon, simply instructing him to pack his belongings. Willas was expected to depart for Highgarden in the next two days.
Instead of returning to his tent imdiately, Lynd headed to a temporary horse stable set up for him at Godsgrace. There, he checked on the two King of Wild Horses and the herd of wild horses, spending so ti with Glory, who was guarding them.
The care of the herd was entrusted to Russell, who had opted not to involve anyone from The Reach or Dorne. Instead, he had hired orphans from the Greenblood River. Though this decision appeared self-serving, Lynd didn’t concern himself with it as long as the herd was well cared for. He also observed that Russell seed to have a special connection with these orphans, indicating he might intend to take them with him when he left.
Many Dornish people gathered near the stables to catch a glimpse of the King of Wild Horses. Upon seeing Lynd, they bowed respectfully. Among them were knights and warriors Lynd had bested in recent conflicts. Despite their defeats, they held him in high regard. So, appeared keen to follow Lynd but were constrained by their status and other factors.
After spending ti at the stables, Lynd made his way toward his tent in the camp of The Reach. However, Red Viper intercepted him midway and suggested they talk privately. The two strolled along the banks of the Greenblood River, conversing like old friends.
“After all this ti, I haven’t thanked you for taking care of Nyria,” Red Viper began, his tone casual but direct.
Lynd replied indifferently, “It was my duty.”
Red Viper continued, “The fief I hold now originally belonged to Uncle Lewyn. If she cos back…”
Before he could finish, Lynd interrupted, “Prince Oberyn, you should already know what Nyria wants.”
The Red Viper’s expression turned serious. “If you truly care for Nyria, you should persuade her to return to Dorne to claim her inheritance, rather than letting her remain where she is…”
Lynd’s tone grew sharper as he cut him off again. “Prince, if this conversation is about Nyria, then I don’t see the point in continuing.”
Red Viper frowned, pausing briefly before shifting the topic. “What do you think about the marriage between House Martell and House Tyrell?”
Lynd remained calm. “Prince Oberyn, you overestimate my importance. I’m rely one of many knights serving House Tyrell. Matters like this are far beyond my authority. You should speak with Maester Beck, Lord Willas’ advisor.”
“You undervalue your position in House Tyrell,” Red Viper said, studying Lynd carefully. After a mont, he added, “This ti, I’ll be traveling to Highgarden with Arianne.”
Lynd’s expression remained composed, but inwardly, he wasn’t surprised. Willas’s earlier actions had hinted at Dorne’s eagerness to solidify an alliance with The Reach.
“Are you traveling with us?” Lynd asked.
“Yes,” Red Viper nodded. “But we’ll take the land route through The Prince’s Pass, not by water.”
Lynd imdiately understood the intent behind this move. Sunspear seed determined to demonstrate its stance on the treaty to the lords of the Red Mountains in Dorne. It also served as a signal to the Stormlands lords in the Dornish Marches, who opposed the treaty.
“Are you truly planning to align House Martell with House Tyrell?” Lynd asked seriously.
If Sunspear genuinely intended to form an alliance with Highgarden, Lynd thought, it should be done discreetly and made public only after the terms were finalized. A procession through The Prince’s Pass would alert King’s Landing to the alliance, prompting interference that could jeopardize the agreent.
Red Viper countered in a sharp tone, echoing Lynd’s earlier words. “You’re just a knight of House Tyrell. This isn’t sothing you have the right to question.”
Lynd stopped walking and regarded Red Viper with a serious expression, saying nothing.
Without further comnt, Red Viper turned and walked away.
As Lynd watched him leave, his mind swirled with unanswered questions. He couldn’t fathom why Red Viper had chosen to share such details with him, leaving him with nothing but uncertainty.
However, even though he wasn’t entirely sure of the Red Viper’s intentions, he could discern from certain details Red Viper had deliberately revealed that Sunspear’s stance toward this marriage alliance was not as earnest as Willas had assud. On the contrary, it appeared more as though Sunspear was leveraging the opportunity of a marriage alliance with The Reach to test the waters with the Iron Throne.
If the Iron Throne intervened to block the union, Sunspear could use that as a pretext to recalibrate the relationship between The Reach and the Iron Throne. If no intervention occurred, the marriage could proceed, effectively tying The Reach to Dorne’s agenda.
Compared to Sunspear’s seemingly strategic and detached approach, Willas appeared to take the marriage far more seriously. He had even considered potential challenges that might arise before and after the union, along with their solutions.
Not long ago, Willas had made it clear to Lynd that once The Reach and Sunspear formally solidified their alliance, he would expand Lynd’s resources and increase investnt in Tumbleton, transforming it into a formidable military stronghold capable of serving as a key bulwark against northern forces.
For Lynd, this was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, if Willas’ plans materialized, they would certainly disrupt Lynd’s original strategies. On the other hand, the heightened attention from House Tyrell would elevate Lynd’s position significantly, granting him greater influence and ensuring Tumbleton’s growth under Highgarden’s direct patronage.
Has the future shifted because of my actions? Lynd wondered silently.
In Lynd’s recollection, Willas Tyrell had never allied with Princess Arianne Martell. Instead, Willas had sustained a debilitating injury during a tourney at Godsgrace, leaving him a cripple. The heir of Highgarden becoming a cripple had been a severe blow to House Tyrell. The animosity between House Tyrell and House Martell had only deepened in the years following, with conflicts persisting for over a decade. The idea of an alliance had been inconceivable.
But now, the course of events had changed. While Sunspear’s attitude raised concerns, the likelihood of a successful marriage between Highgarden and Sunspear seed high—assuming no external forces interfered. Such an alliance would cent a union between The Reach and Dorne, fundantally altering the political landscape of Westeros in ways that diverged drastically from Lynd’s prior understanding.
Will losing the advantage of foreknowledge help or harm ? Lynd mused, unease gnawing at him.
As Lynd grappled with the increasingly convoluted situation, a sudden caw pierced the air. A raven’s call was a rarity in Godsgrace. Although the castle housed ssenger ravens, they were kept in cages and rarely allowed to roam freely.
Hearing the sound, Lynd’s thoughts imdiately turned to soone, and he turned his gaze toward the source of the noise.
Perched on the branch of a Weirwood tree not far away were seven or eight ravens. Their blood-red, ruby-like eyes glead unnaturally, and Lynd noticed a faint black mist of magic radiating from them. This mist seed to coalesce at their foreheads, creating the eerie impression of a third eye.
Lynd was now certain—the Three-Eyed Crow was watching him, using its Greenseer abilities through the Weirwood. What he couldn’t determine was whether this Three-Eyed Crow belonged to the present, the past, or the future, or if Bran Stark himself was involved.
There was no doubt that the changes surrounding the marriage between House Tyrell and House Martell, along with Willas Tyrell avoiding his injury, would have significant repercussions for the future. The magnitude of these events must have drawn the attention of the Three-Eyed Crow, compelling it to investigate.
Despite the surreal and ominous nature of the sight, Lynd betrayed no outward reaction. He neither showed surprise at the Three-Eyed Crow’s appearance nor revealed any knowledge of its existence. He simply regarded the ravens briefly before turning away.
After Lynd departed, the ravens cawed a few tis before flying off, leaving the area tranquil once again.
Because of the unexpected change in their route back to Highgarden, the group from The Reach did not return to Sunspear. Instead, they crossed the bridge from Godsgrace, traversed the Greenblood River, and headed south toward Salt Shore, the seat of House Gargalen, where they awaited the arrival of Sunspear's delegation by boat.
House Gargalen was known to be a steadfast ally of House Martell. Prince Doran had served as a squire to the forr Lord Gargalen in his youth, spending several formative years at Salt Shore. The current lord, Tremond Gargalen, shared a brotherly bond with the Red Viper. Naturally, the group from The Reach received the finest hospitality upon their arrival.
During their stay, the Red Viper sent ravens to notify the lords of the Dorne territories they would pass through en route to Highgarden, especially those near the Red Mountains. Willas, likewise, was busy sending his own ssages. He inford Highgarden of their progress and reached out to the lords of territories they would pass through, both in The Reach and the Stormlands.
One critical point along their journey was Nightsong in the Stormlands, a necessary stop to access The Prince’s Pass. Willas demonstrated his earnestness by writing a personal letter to Lord Bryen Caron of Nightsong, which he ensured was delivered by a rider on horseback.
After a few days of waiting at Salt Shore, the contingent from Sunspear finally arrived. To guarantee the safety of the Red Viper and Princess Arianne, Prince Doran had dispatched over 2,000 knights and warriors from Sunspear, a force no smaller than Willas’s own escort. Moreover, as Prince of Dorne, Doran issued a formal travel order granting Willas's troops legal passage through Dorne.
Willas had all the goods he had acquired in Dorne loaded onto the ships carrying the soldiers. These vessels, including ships from the Tyrell rchant Guild, warships from Oldtown and Arbor, and Lynd’s ship Glory, were sent back to Oldtown under escort.
Initially, Lynd had planned to send the King of Wild Horses and its herd to Oldtown by ship and have soone transport them to Highgarden from there. However, the two King of Wild Horses were fiercely attached to him. When separated, they grew irritable and unruly. While in Godsgrace, they had repeatedly broken free of their stalls and led the herd on wild rampages through nearby villages until Lynd arrived to calm them down. In the end, Lynd decided to bring the King of Wild Horses and its herd along with him.
During the handover of personnel and supplies, Princess Arianne, led by the Red Viper, t with Willas for the first ti to initiate the marriage alliance. When Willas had t Prince Doran at the Water Gardens, Arianne had not been present, as she was staying with her playmates at Prince Lewyn’s castle.
Arianne had a special connection to Prince Lewyn, closer than her bond with her father, Prince Doran. She had spent much of her childhood in Prince Lewyn’s castle, which she had believed would beco hers after his death. However, Prince Doran had entrusted the castle to the Red Viper, who passed it to Lewyn’s true heir, Nyria Footly.
Arianne resented being used by Prince Doran as a tool for the alliance with Highgarden. She saw herself as the rightful heir to Dorne and its future queen, and the prospect of being married off to Highgarden and becoming soone’s wife was deeply offensive to her. Her agreent to the marriage was largely a façade, with plans to sabotage the alliance during the journey. She also intended to visit Tumbleton to confront Nyria Footly, curious about what gave her the right to claim the castle Arianne believed was hers.
But Arianne’s plans shifted unexpectedly when she t Willas Tyrell. She was imdiately drawn to the handso, cultured young man—love at first sight. The Red Viper’s drunken comnt that Willas resembled Prince Lewyn likely played a role in her attraction, a similarity that also explained the Red Viper’s swift camaraderie with Willas.
Willas, for his part, was equally taken with Arianne. Her striking beauty and her vibrant, forward nature stood in stark contrast to the reserved deanor of noble ladies in The Reach, leaving a profound impression on him.
Their relationship developed quickly. By the ti they departed Salt Shore and reached Castle Vaith, they were already riding together on a single horse. Their growing affection beca evident to all, with many catching glimpses of them sharing private monts, including stolen kisses. Both the people of The Reach and Dorne began to sense that the marriage alliance between Highgarden and Sunspear was all but assured. Even the Red Viper seed to warm to the idea of the union, as though it had beco more than just a test for the Iron Throne.
Yet Lynd remained skeptical. He was convinced that the marriage alliance would fail. His suspicions were fueled by the constant presence of ravens circling their group—an ominous sign that soone was determined to prevent the alliance from succeeding.
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