In late July, The Reach was as hot as a furnace, and even the roses wilted from the scorching heat.
For the people of the Seven Kingdoms, the summers in The Reach were long—so long that all memories and wariness of the cold winter gradually faded from their hearts.
Traveling south along the scenic Rose Road to its intersection with the Sea Road, one could find the most beautiful castle in Westeros perched on a hill by the Mander River.
Inside the white marble castle of Highgarden, exquisite sculptures, unique fountains, and blooming flowers were everywhere.
Naturally, golden roses were indispensable among them.
They were the masters of this castle, the symbol of House Tyrell.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
A black raven flew over the triple white walls and landed in the spring-like Godswood.
"Mother, look! Intelligence from the Battle of Gulltown."
Lord Mace Tyrell was young, but he already had a large belly, wrapped in green finery like a plump, succulent zongzi.
"Enough, Mace, shut your mouth."
An elegant old woman sat in a white gazebo, enjoying her afternoon tea; she had to vent her temper first before finishing her sweet wine.
Lord Mace, like a child who had done something wrong, chuckled and handed the letter to his mother.
House Tyrell's continued glory was inseparable from the old woman before him—Olenna Redwyne, known as the "Queen of Thorns."
Lady Olenna opened the letter, squinting her sharp eyes to carefully review its contents.
She could not afford to be anything less than cautious.
Recently, major events had been occurring one after another in Westeros, shaking the Seven Kingdoms.
First, Crown Prince Rhaegar eloped with Lyanna (the people of The Reach did not believe the malicious claims of abduction), then the House Stark allegedly intended to rebel, a plot exposed by the Iron Throne, leading to the execution of Rickard Stark and his son in a Trial by Combat.
When the King demanded that Lord Arryn of the The Eyrie hand over his ward Eddard Stark, Lord Arryn—perhaps out of a guilty conscience or fear of future reckoning—resolutely raised the banner of rebellion and called his vassals to arms.
The first battle broke out at Gulltown.
"Lord Robert fought bravely, the Royalists were utterly defeated, and Gulltown has fallen—"
As Lady Olenna read on, she keenly sensed something amiss.
Lord Mace, confused, asked, "Mother, is something wrong?"
"Yes!"
Lady Olenna set down the letter, looking at her dim-witted eldest son with half an eye and quipping, "The only thing wrong is that I should have hit you hard with a wooden spoon when you were little. That way, your head wouldn't be so empty that you have to ask this old woman everything."
Lord Mace's face turned beet red, caught off guard by his mother's dark humor.
Lady Olenna felt guilty for not giving her eldest son a better brain, so she didn't make things too hard for him. She said, "If I remember correctly, House Grafton of Gulltown, along with Velaryon and House Celtigar, formed a Throat Guardians Alliance."
"When fighting those foul pirates in the Disputed Lands, Prince Daeron Targaryen of the Black Faction even provided dragon support, burning four or five large ships."
"Gulltown has fallen, yet Velaryon and House Celtigar haven't moved. Is the Iron Throne indifferent as well?"
Fearing her eldest son wouldn't understand, she quickly took a sip of wine to moisten her throat after speaking.
Lord Mace was stunned and asked in confusion, "Gulltown has a history with Prince Daeron, but what does that have to do with the Iron Throne?"
When Gulltown fell, the Iron Throne was still unaware.
"Oh! Why won't the Mother show you a little mercy and grant you even a tiny bit of wisdom?"
Lady Olenna rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "Rhaegar eloped with the Stark girl; the one currently presiding over King's Landing is the Dragon Prince, Daeron."
"Do you think the Iron Throne now belongs to that mad King up there, or to Rhaegar, who is crazed with love?"
"It's—"
Lord Mace was about to answer.
"It belongs to the Dragon Prince Daeron!"
Lady Olenna cut him off, saying as a matter of course, "Because he has a dragon, and the people of the realm recognize him."
"Mother—!"
Lord Mace complained speechlessly like a small child.
But he wasn't completely brainless; he knew that once war broke out, House Tyrell would eventually have its use.
"The King will surely call upon House Tyrell. Should I start preparing now? Once the decree is issued, I will lead the army north."
Lord Mace fantasized about the future.
Lady Olenna looked at her eldest son in surprise and asked back, "Why should we prepare early and offer ourselves up to be used?"
Is Tyrell of Highgarden such a lowly name?
Lord Mace was puzzled.
Lady Olenna gestured toward the corner.
Standing there were twin youths who looked identical—tall, long-limbed, and fully armored, clearly dressed as guards.
"Mother, did you provide special gemstones to Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk?"
Seeing the heavy aura emanating from the twin guards, Lord Mace, not lacking in insight, realized both had been enhanced through the Gem Sequence.
"Of course."
Lady Olenna took a letter from one of the twin guards and said, "If there's a way to make them stronger, why wouldn't I use it?"
The brothers were noble orphans she had adopted and were her personal bodyguards.
Lord Mace looked around and whispered, "I heard from Alerie that her great-uncle, Ser Gerold Hightower, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, has mastered a new way of practicing Life Force, exclusive to the royal family."
"And will the House Targaryen just hand it over to me for free?"
Lady Olenna asked back, then cursed, "And don't mention Alerie to me—that woman only knows how to spend money. She's full of the bad habits of House Hightower and is even stupider than you."
Lord Mace's face fell.
Alerie Hightower was his wife, and her father was Lord Leyton of the Citadel.
But his mother looked down on his wife, always criticizing the upbringing of House Hightower.
Lady Olenna shook her head, guessing what her eldest son was thinking.
To be fair, she didn't look down on House Hightower's upbringing; she looked down on the House Hightower managed by Lord Leyton.
All muttering and secretive.
Unless necessary, she really didn't want to intermarry with a family that exuded such a strange and dangerous aura.
"Here, take a good look."
Lady Olenna slapped the latest news onto the table.
Lord Mace looked and said in surprise, "Daeron is on his way south; he has already passed through Longtable and Cider Hall."
It turned out the Prince had already come south to personally call upon House Tyrell.
"Then I really must prepare."
Lord Mace beamed, considering holding a grand feast to welcome the Prince from afar.
"Your head is filled with nothing but feasts and tourneys."
Lady Olenna couldn't smile.
Having seen the cruel struggles among nobles, she knew all too well that any single decision by a Great House could cause a minor house to fall.
Gulltown fell too quickly, and the Iron Throne was slow to react.
Instead of leading troops to counterattack, Daeron came south to The Reach.
This was too suspicious, forcing her to think more deeply.
King's Landing.
Aerys flew into a rage upon receiving the news of Gulltown's fall.
Following that, he appointed Hand of the King Tywin as the leader of the suppression army, calling upon the lords of all realms to crush the rebels and kill Robert and Jon Arryn.
Tywin transformed into the commander of the suppression force.
His first step was to move troops from Casterly Rock, march out of the Casterly Rock, and station them outside Riverrun.
Here, let's mention the geographical concept of the Casterly Rock and Riverrun.
The Casterly Rock is the gateway through which the armies of the Westerlands march out.
By controlling the Casterly Rock, House Lannister can invade the Riverlands or retreat and rely on the natural defenses to block enemy forces.
Its geographical importance is even greater than Bronzegate in Stormlands.
Riverrun is located at the end of the Red Fork, with the Whispering Wood to the north and the River Road to the south, positioned squarely on the marching route of the Westerlands army after leaving the Casterly Rock.
—
Back then, Tully family was able to be promoted to a Great House. It's not hard to see that it was because of their special geographical location, serving as the front line against the Westerlands, that they were elevated by Aegon the Conqueror.
Tywin intended to seize territory in the Riverlands, so he immediately set his sights on Riverrun, driving a wedge nearby.
Then, he summoned the lords of the various realms to gather at Harrenhal of House Whent.
"The House Stark and House Arryn—"
Tywin mused, "The Northmen and the Knights of the Vale have a fierce track record. The primary goal is to block the combined forces of the two realms north of the Trident River."
This is where the strategic significance of Harrenhal comes in.
With a large army deployed at Harrenhal by the Gods Eye, the noble lords on both sides of the Trident River wouldn't dream of crossing the river easily.
"Harren the Black" and Aegon the Conqueror had high strategic vision.
"As for Baratheon of Stormlands, leave him to that boy to handle."
Tywin thought things through thoroughly.
Robert had just finished the Battle of Gulltown; he had to return to Storms End by ship, call his vassals, and face the Loyalist army composed of royal stalwarts.
In such haste, it would be difficult to organize the traitors of Stormlands to attack.
Daeron moved south to The Reach first. With the loyalty of Tyrell of Highgarden and the deterrent of the dragon, he could easily assemble a northern army composed of tens of thousands of troops from The Reach.
As long as he didn't act recklessly, with the dragon's air superiority and the strength of The Reach's allied forces, he could easily crush the rebels of Stormlands.
"Tully family—"
Tywin's eyes narrowed slightly, exuding a sense of pressure.
So far, the rebels clearly included Jon Arryn's Vale alliance, the Second Son of the House Stark, and Robert Baratheon.
Lord Hoster had long delayed making a statement, shrinking back in Riverrun and playing dead.
Tywin's eyes flashed coldly, "If loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal. By making an example of Tully family, that boy won't be able to find any fault either."
Without taking Riverrun, how could he reap the spoils of war?
He didn't know yet that Daeron's ambition was even greater than his own, and he only had his sights set on the easily obtainable Riverlands.
At the beginning of August, the climate in The Reach became even more sweltering, to the point where even the river water lost the strength to flow.
But this kind of climate was perfect for the family of dragon lords.
Highgarden.
Early in the morning, Lord Mace was in high spirits, supervising the servants as they swept the courtyard and instructing the maids to set up the banquet hall.
All because the Dragon Prince Daeron was coming.
"The Prince must see the power of House Tyrell."
Lord Mace led a group of vassals, waiting anxiously at the castle gates.
Just then, a group carrying the banner of the three-headed Red Dragon appeared at the end of the Rose Road, heading toward the hill where Highgarden stood.
Lord Mace was overjoyed: "He's here!"
The next moment, the layers of clouds were suddenly torn apart, and a massive creature appeared like a bolt of scorching lightning, its serpentine body swaying back and forth, its huge red wings blotting out the sky.
"Skreeee!"
Caraxes let out a piercing screech, flying over the hill where the white marble castle stood, performing a dangerous and magnificent dance of dragons as a show of intimidation.
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