Chapter 9: The Kingsguard Shock

Luckily, nothing bad happened.

As the white hart came closer and closer, Rhaegar's hands and feet trembled slightly as he carefully moved forward, raising his hands high above his head.

Under the setting sun, the shadows of a person and a hart overlapped.

The white hart stopped in front of Rhaegar, lowered its head to sniff lightly at the red grapes held up in his small hands, and stuck out its tongue to roll one up into its mouth and chew it.

The sweet and creamy pulp chewed, the juice along with the fresh flavor filled its mouth, bringing a fresh experience to the white hart.

After eating one, he quickly ate the rest.

Rhaegar excitedly surveyed the white hart, because of the early tension ans stress, his face gradually turned pale, and his whole body broke out in a weak sweat, soaking the light and fancy clothes.

"Good fellow, after eating all of my stock, it's time to let me for pet you."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he panted heavily and stretched out his small hand in the clear eyes of the white hart.

Touching on its slender neck fur.

The white hart didn't dodge, letting the human child pet it and touched his waist pouch with his mouth.

Rhaegar smiled brightly, "Glutton, did you sniff out the rest of my stock?"

Wrapping one hand around the white hart's neck, Rhaegar pressed his face against the snow-white fur, rubbing it gently.

With his other hand, he unzipped his small pocket and dumped what was left of his stock on the ground in one fell swoop.

A few red grapes, a slice of apple, half an orange...

The white hart came to it, lowering it's head down and eating.

Seeing this scene, Erryk was shocked, his lips moving slightly, "Prince..."

Rhaegar looked back at the bewildered Erryk, a hint of redness rose on his pale face, and he said sheepishly, "It's leftovers, it's a waste to throw it away."

"No, that's not it, I mean..."

At this moment, the word speechless was just right for Erryk.

Him who wouldn't even blink an eye even in the face of an assassin's siege was deeply shaken inside.

For a white hart to willingly approach the prince was unprecedented in the annals of Westerosi history. It was the stuff of legends, a tale to be sung by bards for generations.

But Rhaegar was oblivious to the significance, consumed by the present moment.

His heart pounded, his ears ringing. Fatigue washed over him, and he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Ser, don't harm my new friend," Rhaegar managed weakly before succumbing to unconsciousness, his arm slipping from the white hart's neck.

With a thud, he collapsed, exhausted from the day's events.

After running around for a day, he finally couldn't bear the excitement and fainted.

"Prince...? Prince!"

Before losing consciousness, Rhaegar seemed to hear Erryk desperately shouting and shaking his body.

Unbeknownst to him, as he slept, a mysterious voice spoke:

"Rare creature detected. Contains traces of magic."

"Detection successful. A white hart is a sign of good fortune. Do you wish to explore further?"

"...Since the explorer is in a coma, the system will automatically initiate exploration."

Unable to hear the sound of the system notification, Rhaegar was completely unaware of the situation.

...

In a certain clearing in Kingswood.

Rhaenyra, who had fled the encampment crying, now calmly sat on a dead tree.

In front of her, a handsome knight in silver armor and white robes put down his longsword and moved neatly raising a bonfire.

"Ser Cole, I didn't realize that your skills aren't limited to combat."

Rhaenyra rested her hands on her cheeks, her tone flirtatious.

Cole, who had a head of black curly hair, had a smile on his face as he handled a wild rabbit he had hunted and replied back, "I came from a normal background, and before I became a knight, I had to do all the chores by myself."

It had to be said, Criston Cole was indeed outstanding.

Not only was he a honored Kingsguard, his looks were also good enough to please a girl.

His gentle speech and pure eyes were even more impressive.

Rhaenyra, who lacked love and care, was mesmerized by him.

With a longing face, she gazed at her knight, as he carefully prepared dinner.

If Rhaegar was here, he dared to vow to the Sevens that even if Cole served up a piece of charcoal a little while later, Rhaenyra would swallow it without a second thought and pretend it's delicious.

Rustling...

The hare had barely been roasted when a commotion came from not too far away, causing the two to become alert.

Cole drew his longsword and prepared for an enemy in the shadows.

As time passed, a black-skinned boar ran out of the dark woods and charged like mad.

Facing the impact of an adult boar, Cole's eyes widened as he hastily dodged, his longsword cutting through the boar's body, leaving a scar.

The boar with thick skin and flesh, missed a charge but still turned its head and continued to dash around.

This time, it aimed at the frozen Rhaenyra.

"Watch out!"

Cole shouted, reminding Rhaenyra to dodge.

In an instant, the boar crossed the burning campfire and headed straight for the young girl who looked like a easier target.

The campfire was knocked apart with burning dry wood scattered in all directions, and flames waved in the night sky.

In the firelight, the boar approached the young girl, Its sharp tusks were less than a fist's width from her soft belly.

Death really approached without any warning.

...

"No!"

A shriek rang out under the moonlit night, its voice mournful.

Rhaegar's eyes snapped open, his body sitting straight up, his face full of panic.

"You are awake, Prince!"

The next second, Erryk's joyful voice entered his ears.

Rhaegar turned his head as if in stress, and looked at a bonfire.

"The bonfire.... It's not destroyed?"

Seeing the blazing bonfire, Rhaegar swallowed a mouthful of saliva, still feeling his mouth dry.

Behind him came footsteps, Rhaegar turned his head back and saw an agitated Erryk striding towards him.

In his hand, there was also a pheasant with a grass rope around its neck.

"Ser, where are we, and where's my sister?"

Rhaegar was momentarily confused, his boyish face full of anxiety.

Erryk dropped his prey and walked over to the frightened young prince, pressing his hands on his shoulders with a serious look:

"Don't be afraid, it was just a nightmare."

"A nightmare?"

Rhaegar wiped his forehead, covered in cold sweat from the shock.

Erryk gently stroked his back and patiently recounted their day's journey.

Finally, Rhaegar recalled the original situation.

"Whew~"

Taking a heavy breath, Rhaegar's eyes flashed with happiness, and the fear on his face faded.

"So it was a nightmare."

Even though the dream just now was very real, Rhaegar had long since gotten used to nightmares plaguing him.

"Ser, I was really frightened by the dream just now."

The palpitating sensation soothed, Rhaegar squeezed out a smile to hide the embarrassment of losing his temper.

Erryk shook his head, "Everyone has nightmares, just forget about it."

Rhaegar murmured his thanks.

Then, thinking of something, he looked around.

Not seeing the figure from his memory, Rhaegar wondered, "Where's the white hart, where did it go?"

Erryk told him truthfully, "After you fainted, the white hart stayed by your side and brought you a red fruit."

"The white hart also rested you on your stomach before going away, probably sensing that you were about to wake up, it left on its own"

Rhaegar lost it, "Gone? I was hoping to bring it back and show it to my father."

Erryk advised, "The white hart doesn't belong to the human world, it came from the forest, and now that it's back in the forest, you should just be happy for your newfound friend."

"Well, It's still my friend."

Rhaegar murmured softly, still reluctant inside.

(Word count: 1344)