16 Chapter 12 Part 2
108 AC – Port Corinth
Ser Galaenys POV
Galaenys watched with his arms folded as the lieutenants drilled their men.
Swords clanged, arrows soared and shields clashed, all amidst the barking sounds of orders and chastisement by the commanding officers.
For the past week, this had been the common sight from dawn to dusk as they prepared for their soon-to-begin war in the Basilisk Isles.
It was a thing of beauty, Galaenys thought with a smirk. Just as it would be a thing of beauty to finally taste battle after so many years of peace.
Three and a half thousand men – and one dragon – shall soon depart for those accursed islands, and he couldn't wait to see it all burn down to the ground.
A laugh beside broke him out of his thoughts and he saw Maerro look at him with a smirk of his own. "Thinking of death, blood and destruction, are ya?"
"Something like that." Galaenys said
"Can't say that I am not looking forward to it either." Maerro said after a few moments. "Though how much battle we'll see, I don't know."
Galaenys glanced at Maerro with a quizzical look. Maerro continued "the Prince's dragon could burn it all down before we ever set foot on those damn islands."
"A dragon can't conquer." Galaenys reasoned with Maerro.
"Aye but it can destroy." Maerro said meaningfully
He'd spoken with the Prince and though the aim was to tear down this so called King of the Basilisk Isles, it was also to destroy as many of the corsair strongholds as possible. And many of these strongholds were in defensible areas that a dragon's flames could not touch.
"You know that there are places only men can reach." Galaenys pointed out "And some of them will have slave pens. The Prince won't want to burn them down."
"True enough." Maerro allowed, albeit somewhat begrudgingly and Galaenys eyed his long time friend. He knew when there was something bothering him.
"Is there something you wanted to say, old friend?" Galaenys asked.
Maerro looked back at him and for a moment he thought Maerro would admit whatever was bothering him. Maerro shook his head "No, there is nothing."
Galaenys eyed his friend for a few heartbeats before he nodded. If he didn't want to say anything, even if it seemed it was bothering him, so be it.
He returned his attentions to the drills and in some instances intervened to correct the men. In some instances their feet, in others the way they locked their shields, but in general he nor the lieutenants rarely were needed to intervene.
The men were all required to train even if they were carrying out their work. Fishermen, farmers, craftsmen and shipbuilders alike, all trained and kept up their skills.
There was less emphasis on physical training when they were not in active duty but the physical training was still kept up. Just as lessons on tactics and strategy was given on a once in three moons period.
This was carried over even amongst the reserves, those who could be called upon if it ever became necessary and were given greater freedom from duty for less pay.
The Prince was martially focused and Galaenys suspected it was because in the near future, they may well be needed.
The Prince believed there to be lands in the West, with the kind of surety of Daenys the Dreamer, and Galaenys suspected that these lands may not be as empty that the Prince would hope for.
It did not go unnoticed that Edmyn, one of the finer lieutenants that Galaenys had considered to be a good choice for commander in the years to come, had left with the ships that had gone west with over fifty men-at-arms.
Neither did it go unnoticed that many of the freed slaves were young boys either around the age when martial training started or around the age when they would come into their manhood.
Cheaper to buy and train than buying soldiers and Galaenys cynically thought, more willing to learn to fight than most if only to learn how to retain their freedoms and more easily ensured that their loyalties did not fray.
Hours later, the training drills came to an end and he and Maerro made their way towards the harbour where the ships were being loaded with provisions. It wouldn't be long now, only five days before it was time to leave. The ships they would take would be a mixture of the old and the new ship designs.
The carracks, which were already larger than the average Essosi carrack, would be supplemented with galleons, what the Prince called the huge ships that were the flagships of their fleet.
They had about eight of these ships.
Two of them were out West, and another two due to go out East to Yi-Ti with half a dozen carracks not long after they left for the Basilisks Isles whilst one would remain docked at the Port, leaving them with three ships to which to attack the pirates.
And each Galleon would lead ten carracks that would be armed with scorpions and Jar bolts with their three and a half thousand men split across those ships.
"Looks like we've captured another one." Maerro commented and Galaenys turned his attentions towards where Maerro was looking. And lo and behold, an Essosi carrack was being guided into the harbour by a pair of Corinthian carracks.
A roar was heard and he turned his attentions towards it and saw Prince Aegon's dragon sweeping passed the harbour. "How do you think he does it?" Maerro asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean." Maerro stated a little annoyed and Galaenys turned to him. After seeing Galaenys's irritated but nonplussed look, Maerro looked at him unimpressed before finally adding "The whole scouting thing."
Galaenys's eyebrows raised before he shrugged. "I don't know." And truthfully, he didn't care. The Targaryens were not normal men and women. There was a reason why it is said that the Targaryens were closer to gods than they were to men.
Why should it be surprising that the Prince can command a dragon the way he does?
The Dragonlords of old could do far more than that according to the stories.
"Is that what has been bothering you?" Galaenys asked after he glanced at his friend. "You think the Prince will be able to do something the same to take glory away?"
After seeing his friend's face, Galaenys laughed. May the Seven help his foolish friend.
He slapped Maerro's back. "You know the Prince. We won't be robbed of the glory."
"I'm more concerned of that dragon robbing our glory." Maerro muttered though he could see that it was in jest. Galaenys laughed.
"Should I inform the Prince that you've got a rivalry with his dragon?"
Maerro's look of alarm made him laugh even louder. "There is no rivalry!"
"Of course not." Galaenys said after he calmed down and looked at Maerro with a raised eyebrow "No man ever could." He shook his head. "Enough. Let's go see if there were any survivors this time." A few days other another ship was caught and the pirates had all been executed as soon as they were disarmed and taken captive.
There would be no mercy for pirates.
None for the pirates that thought themselves predators around the shores of Walano and none for the pirates that they'd soon come to visit in the Basilisk Isles.
There would only be death and fire.
----------------------------------------------Break----------------------------------------------
108 AC – Port Corinth
Valarr POV
Valarr watched with trepidation as the ships were loaded with supplies, the gravity of the situation dawning on him, as if all of the weight of Shrykos was on his chest.
He knew that there were bad men, pirates, that had hurt their people and that father was going to punish them. Good, Valarr had thought when his father had told them a fortnight ago but now…on the day father was going…now he didn't want father to leave. He wanted father to remain with them. He looked to his elder brothers who stood by him as mother spoke to one of their guards.
His brothers hadn't been concerned, saying that they were proud that their father was going to get their people back, that their father was going to show that he was a dragon and they would soon know what it means to pull at the tail of the dragon.
At least that is what they looked like but Valarr didn't believe them when they said so. They were being brave for father. Like he was showing himself to be brave.
It was a while later that he saw father coming towards them, donned in his blue and red clothing that he'd only seen father wear when he was meeting Prince Jalla.
Father bore a serious look on his face, Valarr could see as he neared, and gestured towards the guards before he looked towards them, and that serious look faded.
Father crouched down beside them, the chainmail underneath his clothing lowly clinking with a dim chime, one that came to a stop as their father's bearded face was on the same level as their own.
"My boys." Their father said with a soft sigh though it bore hints of pride as he looked to them, one hand placed on Polaerys' neck and shoulder whilst the other was on Valarr's shoulder as Castorys stood in the middle of them.
Father smiled softly, as he seemed to look at each one of them with a long, trailing look, his eyes searching all of theirs, as if he was trying to burn their faces into his mind. After a long few moments of silence when none spoke, not he or his brothers, Father broke that silence with his rumbling voice "What are our House words?"
"Under Our Wings, We Protect." They all said in unison, in obedience, and their father smiled with a pleased crinkle around his eyes and he nodded slowly, heavily.
It was different words to the Targaryen words of Fire and Blood but father had said that those words were words that were part of 'Protect', that it was their duty as the guardians of their people to watch over and help and make sure everyone who followed their family was protected, with fire and blood if need be.
"Under our wings, we protect." His father repeated quietly to them, the creases around his eyes increasing in weight, in depth, in severity. "Those are heavy words, my sons." Father smiled softly at them through his beard and Valarr could feel his father's grip on his shoulder tighten slightly.
"They carry a responsibility that is greater than ourselves. A responsibility that we swear we uphold every time we say our family words. Do you boys know what it is?" father asked them and Polaerys was the first to speak up.
"That we shield our people and our family against all those that want to harm us."
Father smiled at Polaerys and nodded. Castorys was the next one to speak up.
"That we stand tall and fight when we have to." Father nodded again.
Valarr spoke up though he was less assured than his older brothers were when he did "That we always should be brave?" Polaerys and Castorys gave him a look of 'really' and Valarr flushed a little.
"Don't look at your brother like that" father gently admonished his elder brothers with a look and his brothers looked sheepishly at the ground.
None of them liked to disappoint father. "You boys took the good ones, Valarr did well." Father said with a praising note in his voice and Valarr beamed at the praise.
Father smiled at him and gave him a nod before father grew serious and he straighten up a little, as did his brothers. "All of the things you have said is true." Father told them, the seriousness in his voice was unmissable. "And that is why I must go and defeat the pirates who have harmed our people and seek to harm more of us."
Valarr nodded understandingly but he couldn't help but feel his worry rise.
"We did nothing to them." Polaerys muttered darkly, his expression twisting.
"And that doesn't matter." Father told Polaerys with a note of understanding in his voice as he looked at him before he looked to Castorys, then to Valarr. "Sometimes bad people just want to hurt you because it is good for them to do so, even if you did nothing to them, even if you were friendly." Father told them seriously.
Father continued, this time with a heavy, almost sad smile. "It isn't fair, I know. I would much rather be here and watch you boys and little Solonys and Rhaena grow up but this is my duty." Father told them with great gravity in his voice.
"My duty to our people and my duty to you boys, your baby siblings and your mother cannot be ignored, cannot be evaded and it is not a duty I will shirk from, my sons." his father said to them, his mismatching eyes trailing across from Valarr to Polaerys to Castorys, his serious expression breaking slightly as Valarr felt father's hand tighten even more so on his shoulder.
"And it is a duty that I will carry out with the best of my abilities so that everyone here in Corinth, our people and our family, is safe against our enemies."
Valarr was only seven but he knew that duty was important. He wasn't entirely sure what duty exactly meant but he knew it was about doing the right thing.
And, as father told them about his duty, Valarr couldn't help but feel angry against their enemies for making father having to do his duty.
"I know you will win father!" Valarr burst out but when he spoke again it was a lot surer yet with more weight in his voice "I know you will win."
His elder brothers echoed his words.
Father smiled at them all with a look of fondness as he rubbed all of their hairs with his giant hands. Whilst father lost his smile, there was still that look of fondness in his face that lingered for a while before that also went away as father spoke up, again with seriousness. "Just as you have faith in me, my sons, I have faith in you that you will carry out the very serious task I will set on all three of you."
Valarr's eyes widened in surprise. Castorys and Polaerys were the same but Castorys recovered the first as his expression settled in determination.
"What do you ask of us father?"
"I ask of you to hold true to our family words, my boys." Father said with a deep smile to them. "Your wings may be small yet but you're all dragons. And with those wings of yours, I ask you to look after your brothers and your little siblings, to help your mother and do as she asks, to train hard and to learn everything your tutors set before you, and to be the guardians of our people." Father said to them with a serious look before his eyes darted between the brothers.
"Can you do that for me, my sons?"
"Yes!" "Yes, we will father!" "We swear!" all three of the brothers swore to their father and their father pulled them all into him, basically squashing them to his chest.
Valarr heard a noise escape their father's throat and for a moment he thought father sounded a lot like Shrykos when his belly was filled.
Valarr felt his father kiss him on the top of his head and heard him sigh heavily before he pulled away from them and Valarr saw the proud look on their father's face and Valarr felt doubly determined to make sure father would be proud of him when he returned.
"Good." Father said proudly after a few moments before he stood up and looked behind towards the ships where Ser Galaenys was waiting with a few other of the guards. Valarr could see that they were waiting on father. He turned around and looked down at them. "It's time, my sons."
Soon enough Valarr was with his brothers and mother with their guards at the docks with a lot of their people, watching the ships go. Some of the women and girls were looking upset and Valarr turned around and looked at his mother.
His mother didn't look upset at all, she looked very confident. His mother must have seen him looking because she looked down at him and smiled softly at him and he felt the worries that he was feeling fade away. He smiled back at mother before he looked towards the ships.
Father would return, Valarr thought fiercely to himself and he turned towards the skies as he heard Mīsaragorn's roar.
And he would return victorious, after delivering fire and blood to their enemies!
----------------------------------------------Break----------------------------------------------
New Lands, Two Moons Later…
Captain Bryce POV
Four days passed as the expedition inland from the eastern side continued and finally they managed to get out of the dangerous and hot forest at the eastern coast.
The beasts that dwelled in those forests were different from the large beasts in the north-west. Which was better, Bryce thought with a scowl as he remembered the damnable demon birds that were taller than men and more aggressive than the lion-like cats!
He was glad precautions were made for the voyage West because he wasn't sure many of them would have been able to defend and kill those beasts had they not had their spears and their swords.
Even as it was, they lost one of their men to injuries sustained when one of the birds with their dagger like claws gored him from groin to navel.
Thankfully, no other such death had happened. Especially once they hunted down as many of the demon birds in the area as they could. He let off a satisfied grumble.
It helped of course that the birds were damn good eating too.
A bit too tough for his liking but it was certainly good enough considering for many moons all they ate was meagre dried and cured meat thrice a week.
In any case, there were other large beasts in the north-west too, huge dragon scaled rats that could form into a ball and tumble away; some kind of hairy beast that was larger than bear but as docile as a mouse; large cats though smaller than a lion that hunted in small groups; lizard-lions that seemed to be a little smaller than the ones in the Neck and other more familiar looking animals like the deer with the horns instead of antlers.
Thus far, in the eastern forest, the animals seemed smaller though still as queer as the animals on the other side of the mountains. Bright songbirds that seemed to be cousins to the ones on Walano, vicious looking black and white monkeys that had teeth the sizes of knives, and many other such beasts.
These animals were more like the animals on the islands to the north.
Fortunately, he thought as he huffed as he climbed up the steep hill, his walking stick digging into the ground, the beasts were not as he feared they might come across. He feared mayhaps there would be wyverns or basilisks or apes the size of men but they found none. These animals were strange yes, some looked to be very dangerous, but they would be easily rid of once they cleared out the lands of the beasts.
Especially in the northern parts of the land where he thought the Prince might want to choose to settle, especially upstream of the river where it was more defensible.
As he climbed, he looked around.
The terrain deeper inland some ten or two and ten leagues from the beaches and the forest on the eastern side of the land were more windswept, and far hillier.
The draft of the wind was mild however, no doubt because of the warmer air that was coming in from the oceans. He looked towards the ground as he continued to climb. Much of the land here was hilly and grassy, closer to the mountains, drier too, with kinds of trees and shrubbery he was not familiar with and markedly different from the somewhat wetter forest below.
Not suitable for farming, to be sure, but not terrible either.
Still. It was a good thing that the northern parts of the land west of the mountains had much better soil for farming because otherwise, he thought they might have to settle on the smaller islands in the north rather than the lands he was on now.
Or mayhaps they'd find better soil further south, he mused to himself as he continued on climbing. They had not managed to go all the way around yet, despite being here for the better part of two moons, but they did find out that the lands were much taller than they were wider.
The cartographers had estimated that the parts they'd explored thus far, from the western side to the eastern side, it was about five and ninety leagues across but they mentioned that it was likely it will be much wider the further they go down south.
Bryce grimaced as he heaved himself upward along particularly trickier part of the ground. He caught the look of concern from Tobin but he waved him off with a disgruntled look on his face.
He might be old but wasn't so old that he needed help walking, he thought as he scoffed. Besides, he was gaining in strength after so many moons out on sea so before long he'd soon outdo the irksome youths.
"How far up do you still want to go?" the familiar voice of Edmyn asked and he turned towards the man. Edmyn was a tall boy, man, not yet seen two and twenty namedays and he was the knight that was in charge of the fifty men-at-arms that had come on this voyage.
He'd been crucial in maintaining order. He was grateful for the man because had Edmyn been a lesser man and listened to the mutinous fools, they would never have found what they were looking for.
"Not too far." Bryce said with an exertion of breath before he gestured towards the taller hills mayhaps two or three leagues away. "That far. I wish to see if there are any valleys on the other side or if it is much of the sameness."
"You think it could be another place to lay a village?" Edmyn asked.
There were a few places that Bryce and Elric, the former miner-turned-cartographer, had made sure to mark out as 'places of interest', as the Prince called them.
Places that either should be looked at for mining or places that should be looked at to place settlements. Most of the settlements were, of course, on the north-western side, where it was flatter even if some places were much higher up than the coasts, but Bryce wanted to make sure they could find a few places on this side of the mountain.
Elric privately told him that these hills could possess silver and gold veins, claiming that they reminded him of hills of the Golden Tooth.
He wasn't convinced by that claim but in the case that it was true, he wanted to make sure of the places for towns and villages.
"Mayhaps. We will find out once we're there, won't we?" Bryce said a little annoyed as he glanced at the man. Edmyn only looked a little amused by his tone, having already familiarised himself with the Bryce's curtness.
"I suppose we will." Edmyn said as they continued to climb up though he noted that the man said it somewhat strangely and he glanced at the man.
"You look like you want to say something." Bryce said with an annoyed note to his voice as he more or less pushed the man to speak his mind.
Edmyn lost the look of amusement as he spoke "Mayhaps we'll find a people there."
Bryce clenched his walking stick though his face did not change. "We have not found anything before. I doubt we'll find anything now."
There were a number of places in the north that would have been prime land to claim.
If there were a people, why wouldn't they have done so?
"True." Edmyn allowed before he looked towards the mountains. "But the Lady Dawn may find something by the time we've returned to the shores."
He gazed towards the west, where Edmyn was looking, and saw the mountains that towered in the distance. He had not seen mountains that tall before and he'd been to a number of ports in the Vale where the mountains loomed.
As far they could tell, the mountain range was one that went from north to south.
They did not know how far it went but it seemed to go very far down.
Mayhaps towards the very end of the land.
"She might find something. If she does, she does." Bryce said to the man before he added "No point thinking about it now." Though if he were to be truthful, he had thought about it for these past few moons, almost as soon as he saw the land.
It was hard not to. Especially considering how well armed they were for this voyage. The crew did not know it but the Prince had told him, Edmyn and Locke, the captain of the Lady Dawn, that there may well be peoples on these lands.
And from the actions of the Prince, to arm them with armour and castle forged steel spears, swords and excellent bows, it was not hard to understand that the Prince was concerned that they might encounter barbarians.
They kept on walking for another few hours before they finally managed to get over the range of hills and much to his disappointment, there were no river valleys on the other side, instead, there was only more forests though they seemed to be of a different kind than the ones by the eastern shore.
Still, there was potential here too.
Mayhaps not for a large settlement but certainly for a logging town.
All in all, everything he'd seen so far, was not bad at all. Lands for farms, lands for cattle and sheep, lands that may well boast gold and silver, and weather that was warm but not overly sweating, especially in the higher grounds north where many of the fertile lands were located.
Bryce thought with satisfaction that this indeed would make a fine home.
They remained where they were as night approached and their party of five and twenty pitched the tents and dug in in the stew that was cooked by the cabin hand.
A stew made out of demon bird and some kind of beets that they'd seen some of the animals dig out of the ground and a few other herbs that were the same as those they were familiar with.
The trek back was uneventful, for the most part, and three days later they arrived back at the shore where Discovery anchored in the distance. And she wasn't alone either for the Lady Dawn was there too.
Bryce got on board of the Discovery where he found Harrin Locke and his right hand man, Rody Fisherman, waiting on him. "Locke. Still alive I see." Bryce greeted with a gruff tone as he shook the man's hand. Locke gave him a mild amused grin.
"You'll croak before I do, old man."
"You're only four namedays younger than I am." Bryce said with a glare though there was little heat in it. Locke chuckled before he shook his head after which Bryce could see him lose some of that levity that came naturally to him.
Bryce eyed him carefully and saw that there was something he was keeping to himself. He turned towards Tobin. "Bring me that gasket of Summer Wine." Tobin saluted before he scurried off.
Soon enough he was in his in captain's cabin with Locke, Fisherman and Edmyn on the other of his desk, all of them nursing glasses of wine.
"You found something." Bryce commented as he shared his gaze between the two men. Fisherman looked uncomfortable whilst Locke was more composed.
"Yes." Locke said finally as he inclined his head and he smiled a little as he continued to speak "Be assured, I have not found any villages or cities."
"That does not assure me at all." Bryce said in a low growl with irritation and concern. "You found people then? Or evidence of them?"
"A weathered boat some several hundred feet from the shores." Locke said and Bryce and Edmyn let off a breath, both of them in shock.
"Only a boat?" Edmyn asked with sharp eyes.
"Only a boat." Locke said with a sigh. "My men and I looked it over. It looks old. Very old. And there were no bones." Locke hesitated for a moment before he added
"Not quite true…we found some bones that were shaped into spearheads."
Bryce leaned back in his chair. "…human bones?" he asked and his voice was quiet.
Locke and Fisherman exchanged looks before Locke answered "We…we don't think so. I don't think we have any bones that are that thick."
"At least that some comfort." Bryce muttered before he cleared his throat and asked "What size was this boat?"
"No larger than a fishing boat." Locke stated before he frowned slightly and added
"It was thin though, thinner than a fishing boat and almost like a small version of a long boat though it was carved out from a single felled tree with the walls of the boat no thicker than a third of the width of the finger" Locke said as he raised his finger.
"It looked like it could only house mayhaps half a dozen men too." Fishermen contributed. Locke nodded in agreement.
"That can't have travelled far." Bryce stated critically as he thought it over. The waters around these lands were dangerous. At times there seemed to be no winds and on others, the waters rocked and heaved with waves the size of mountains.
Even with their huge ships, it was no easy feat to travel those waters. He could not imagine that these people could have come very far and it was a consideration that the rest of the men also understood. It meant that these people were on this land.
Somewhere.
"How far down the eastern coast was this?" Edmyn asked.
"Mayhaps five dozen or six dozen leagues down the coast." Fisherman answered before he added "We turned back after we found the boat."
"Good decision." Edmyn said with a nod before Edmyn turned to Bryce. "I think we need to head back now. We've delayed it long enough already." There was urgency in his voice.
Bryce looked to Edmyn before he looked to Locke and Fisherman.
Both of them seemed to be in agreement. No doubt they were frightful and he expected the rest of the crew of the Lady Dawn to be the same…and the crew of the Dawn too once they know if it…if they didn't already.
The bone spearhead did indicate that the people were more than likely savages and their people were almost certainly, no definitely, outnumbered.
In truth, even if they did not find any evidence of people, he would have wanted to send one of their ships back anyway. By now, they have been away for more than six moons by his estimation.
It may well take another four moons to return to Corinth.
"Very well." Bryce decided. "The Prince would have expected more from us but I agree. We'll leave to inform him of the lands and the possibility that we will not be alone on this land." As the leader of the voyage, the decision fell to him, within reason, and though he did not think he'd be able to suggest anything other than for them to return without being removed as captain.
The decision very obviously relieved all of the other men in the cabin.
Yes, Bryce thought, he could not have disagreed.
"We'll head back after we've replenished our stores and our water in the north." There was no need to rush back like frightened children. Plus, he thought, the ships needed to be prepped for the long journey.
Still…Bryce wanted to know a few more things. He leaned forward "And you're certain you saw nothing else? It may have been simply some old boat."
"Nothing sir." Fisherman answered before he glanced to Locke who simply waved him to continue. He did. "There were no felled trees by the forest line and there was nothing to make us think there were any people." Fisherman frowned.
"If they ever did anything, it would have been many years ago. The boat looked very old and very rotten." Bryce nodded to that explanation.
"Very well." Bryce said after a few moments. "Return to the Lady Dawn. We'll make sail to the mouth of the river at dawn." Bryce said as he gestured Edmyn to remain.
After they were left alone Bryce said "Inform the crew about the boat if they don't know already but tell them that it is just a shipwreck."
"They won't believe that." Edmyn said dubiously.
Bryce glared at the man "Better that than to let them think up stupid legends."
He could already see the tall tales spreading in Corinth, about giant man-beasts with teeth the size of spearheads.
He'd rather not gain the Prince's ire and come to face a dragon.
The last thing they needed would be to spook people about these lands.
"I will inform them." Edmyn said after a few moments as he eyed Bryce. "You're concerned."
"Of course I'm concerned." Bryce snapped. "There might be savages on the other of the mountains! Savages that might well be only a few leagues south from where I'll be recommending the Prince to come see! Why would I not be concerned?"
Edmyn grimaced but he nodded "I understand." Edmyn said heavily before he clenched his fist. "But we are few and chances are that they are many. It is better they do not know of us until we return with more numbers."
Bryce let off a deep breath. "I know." He said tiredly. "I do not disagree with that. I simply wish we could know more." Were the people savages? Were they beasts in men's skin? Or were they friendly and a civilised people? Did they have a city?
If they were using bone spearheads, he was quite sure they were savages but he could not be sure. For all he knew, they could have some dark sorcery to make the bone spearheads harder than steel.
Tsk. He'd forgotten to ask Locke for the bone spearhead so he'd have a look.
"I do not disagree" Edmyn said wryly before he shook his head "Still, I do not think the Prince will be disappointed with our voyage." Edmyn said knowingly.
On that account, Bryce could agree wholeheartedly and he smiled slightly.
"Aye." Bryce said with a nod. They found lands in the West, lands that promised to be fruitful and lands that may well prove to possess gold and silver.
There were four main islands north of these lands, all of them wild and all of them green and lush and to top of it, the largest island was the largest island he'd seen safe for the three largest islands in the Summer Isles.
And all of what they have seen was completely unclaimed.
"The Prince will be pleased with what we have found." Bryce agreed.
Edmyn smiled before he drank of the wine. The smile only got sharper when he spoke next "Do you think he'll let me have that westerly island?"
Bryce snorted before he levelled a glare at the man. "You can ask him for it. I won't miss ya if his dragon eats you alive, shirt and all."
"Prince Aegon did promise us all lands that we could choose." Edmyn said with a grin that matched the glint in his eyes. "Why not a whole island?"
"And how are you going to manage that, Lord Edmyn of Westerly Isle?" Bryce asked sceptically with a mocking note in his voice. "You know our people are less than fifty thousand. Most of us will live in or by the capital once it is raised."
"That'll be my problem to solve." Edmyn said with a laugh in his voice though he lost it as he spoke next and it was desirous "Lord Edmyn of Westerly Isle. I like the sound of that."
Bryce shook his head "Well I don't." Bryce said as he gestured the man to leave "Go and bother someone else with your ravings."
Edmyn chuckled as he got up but before he turned to leave he looked at Bryce. "Think about it, Bryce." Edmyn turned serious "This is an opportunity that almost never comes again. To rise beyond our station." Bryce met the man's gaze.
Bryce saw that the two and twenty man had covetous eyes. He could not blame the man given that back home, in Westeros, men like Edmyn and himself would not have found a way out of their villages, and would have toiled away for their Lord, had they not found their way to the Prince.
And now…
Now they had the chance to becomes Lords themselves.
"We have both already risen above our station, Ser Edmyn." Bryce told the knight as he leaned forward, never wavering from the man's eyes.
"You can read because the Prince has made sure you can, an ability that even some Lords cannot do. You were a squire to a knight that otherwise would not have even bothered to glance at you."
Bryce straightened himself out a little "You have earned your right to be a knight and you have earned the Prince's trust to become a leader of men and have been entrusted to guard the souls of these two ships. You have risen above your station, Ser Edmyn. Do not cheapen yourself or the confidence the Prince has put in you by having covetous desires that only bastards and godsless heathens are ought to have."
Edmyn bristled at his words and for a moment Bryce thought that Edmyn would attack him. Only when Edmyn's shoulders slackened did he release his breath.
"You're right of course Captain." Edmyn said with a chastised look. "Please accept my apologies for my words."
"I accept." Bryce said with an incline of the head. Still…he wasn't sure if the apology extended any further than the admission. Mayhaps best not to ask. They would still have a long journey back home.
Edmyn left moments later, leaving Bryce to himself. Bryce stared at the door for a long few moments. He wondered how many more of their men were thinking like Edmyn was thinking.
He shook his head. It wasn't his problem. No, that was a problem for the Prince.
