"So where's the compensation promised by the Old Gods?" Draezell sighed, asking. "I hope my lovely daughter hasn't been misled by those Green Men Elders, diverting her from her true purpose."
Rhaegor shrugged. "Seryna wrote in her letter that as soon as she learned that the promised compensation from the Old Gods had ended up in Lady Melissa's belly, she knew that the Old Gods—and those serving them—weren't to be trusted. She proudly claimed that she knew things wouldn't work out before that mystical Green Man Elder even spoke."
"At least this child has a clear mind on this, brother," Rey said with a smile. "According to traditional theology, the power of the Old Gods has weakened over time, or rather, according to your theory, the melody of the Earth and Water Songs, representing the Children of the Forest, has already passed. In the Song of Ice and Fire, they are no longer the driving force."
"No, it's not that simple," Draezell said, stroking his long beard. "Rey, my theory and Father's are not entirely accurate. Father relied on ancient legends and far-fetched guesses, while I rely on magical prophecies and 'gods' revelations. But prophecies are not direct, and the future is still malleable. The 'gods' are capricious; they only compose the melody that keeps the world in existence. Go on, Rhaegor."
"Under normal circumstances, if the originally chosen Green Prophet could not fulfill the promised compensation in time, the child promised by the three-eyed crow should have been extracted from the flow of fate. In his destiny, he is of royal blood—descendant of both the ancient kings and the dragonblood kings. He will inherit the Green Prophet's thousand-year mission to watch over before the Long Night. He is the destined three-eyed crow, with a thousand and one eyes to open, to see all of the Seven Kingdoms, both inside and outside the Wall. He was supposed to come from our family's bloodline, but the Green Men Elder told Seryna that the three-eyed crow saw the flow of fate and dared not defy its influence, or perhaps..."
Rhaegor sighed. "Seryna claimed she didn't understand the Elder's cryptic explanation, but after translating, she said it meant that the magic of the Old Gods could no longer interfere with the course of fate. This caused the 'destined three-eyed crow'—who should have been promised to us—to follow the old fate and be born into the bloodlines of the First Men's Kings and the Valyrian Dragon Kings. Unfortunately, the family is not yet aligned with the descendants of the First Men's Kings," Rhaegor looked at Draezell.
The family did, in fact, have someone who met that condition.
Draezell's wife, Diana, hailed from the Tarly family. House Tarly's bloodline could be traced back to the true First Men King, Garth Greenhand.
But this didn't seem to manifest in Draezell.
Rhaegor found this difficult to understand.
But there was one thing Rhaegor didn't get wrong—the illegitimate child in Lady Melissa's belly met the condition. According to the Green Men Elder, the child came from both the bloodlines of the Blackwood and the Targaryens. The Blackwood had twice been kings in their self-stated history. In the Age of Heroes, House Blackwood were Kings of Wolfswood, ruling the ancient forests of the North. At that time, they ruled alongside the Starks, Boltons, Swamp Kings, and the First Kings of the Neck, controlling the vast lands north of the Neck. After being driven out by the Northern Kings, the Blackwood family again ruled the Trident as the Kings of the First Men.
The Blackwood bloodline also ran through many royal veins of the Riverlands.
Thus, Blackwood also met the First Men King condition.
Draezell closed his eyes, and his suspicions became clearer.
Ice and Fire. The First Men Kings and the Valyrian Dragon Kings… No, Ice doesn't represent the First Men Kings. During the height of the First Men, the melody of the Song of Ice and Fire was still in its prologue, belonging to the Earth, mountains, forests, and rivers—an age of bronze and dragonstone.
From this, it seemed that to respond to the prophecy that caused all of this, it would ultimately fall upon the Stark family, which fulfills the dual condition of "Ice" and the First Men Kings.
Draezell recalled the secret history of House Stark that Lord Cragen had once shared with him.
Eight thousand years is too long ago. Even though scholars may argue it wasn't that long, the ancient lineage of House Stark is unquestionable. Even though House Stark survives today, their oldest records exist only in legends and nursery rhymes.
Yet, some prophetic things have been passed down orally through the generations of Winter Kings, Kings in the North, and now the Lords of Winterfell, passing from generation to generation.
For example, the legend of the Others, the warning of the Long Night, and the issues within House Stark's bloodline.
Lord Cragen had once roughly understood that the Night King, who had a pale and cold woman as his queen, was most likely a member of House Stark sent to the Wall. He didn't know the true identity of the Night King. However, family lore left him with the impression that "House Stark's bloodline has issues."
And the strange burial customs in Winterfell's crypts.
This was indeed odd.
Draezell opened his eyes. "Did Seryna go to Harrenhal?"
Rhaegor nodded. "At the end of her letter, Seryna asked us to keep an eye on Orion. She's worried he might be tempted to support Dan and Jace. But because of that Green Men Elder's nonsense, she had to go to Harrenhal to care for Melissa. She hopes that child is truly as the worshippers of the Old Gods say."
Rhaegor knew his father would surely understand the hidden meaning.
The worshippers of the Old Gods wouldn't dare to offend Draezell; they'd do everything they could to amend the result.
That child would surely be close to the Vaelarys family.
At least, that was the hope.
The second generation of the Vaelarys family was not entirely immersed in their small world of Dragon's Nest. They had their own lives and social circles. Rhaegor, along with the nobles from the borders, had good relations with Khal Azul and moved smoothly through the noble circles of Dragon's Nest. Jacaerys mingled with the knights wandering in the borders. Dan was often seen at Summerfield and Silvercrown City with Lady Helena, drinking and conversing with the knights. Dan and Rey weren't as socially adept. Compared to external socializing, Dan preferred staying with family. Seryna, however, had a vast and complex network. The most beautiful daughter of House Vaelarys liked hosting parties in her villas in several major cities of the borders, inviting young women and noblewomen close to House Vaelarys. Lady Melissa Blackwood was one of her closest friends.
These noble ladies often hosted gatherings, and Seryna was often the most dazzling among them.
Her villa was even built in White Harbor.
After all, she was the Light of the Borderlands.
"Tell Seryna to adapt as needed," Draezell said with a smile. "Tell her that her father believes in her."