Chapter 56: In Some Hot Water
Bella Rivers
When a series of high pitched chirps comes from the flaming rowboat, I hesitate for only a few seconds longer than Duncan and the pink haired girl. Duncan is first in the water but the girl is clearly from the Riverlands, passing him only moments after she starts swimming.
Squawking lizards throw themselves from the boat as soon as they emerge from their shells. Duncan is nearly drowned when a pair land on him. A scarlet one lands in the bridge of his back but it's dandelion yellow one that forces his head below the water.
A third one with scales the same color as a robin egg is barely caught by the other girl. I wait for the fourth one to jump, knowing Duncan bragged about how many eggs they had. But this one's chirping has started much later than it's siblings. It's not going to get out of the shell in time!
I splash water on the edge of the boat and try to pull myself inside, but my hands sear with pain and force me to let go. My panic rises when I hear the wood start to fall apart, the chirping sounds replaced by the sound of thrashing water.
"It fell in the water!" I don't know why I care so much about some darn lizard but my blood sings to me as it's danger grows. Not going to let you drown, can't let Duncan and his new 'friend' have all the glory.
Diving under Lady Tully's pyre reveals an orange glow along the riverbed, a churning cloud of bubbles rises from the muddy brown egg laying in the silt. It's still moving!
I'm coming girl, don't worry! My legs send my surging downwards with each kick and this time I don't even feel the heat when I clutch the hatching egg to my chest.
My lungs ache for air as I try to swim back to the surface but my vision gets spotty far too soon. You're a heavy girl, aren't you? With the last of my strength I try to push the egg above the river and feel strong arms grab my wrists.
A cloud of steam envelopes me and my rescuer and as I lay gasping in Ser Sandor's arms, a lithe brown dragon lays itself on my chest. She's longer than the other three I've already seen and her talons are joined by webbing like a frog's.
She hiccups out a gout of brown steam, scalding the good side of Sandor's face an angry red. "Damn lizard is trying to boil me alive!" He nearly drops me when he howls in pain but tightens his hold on me at the last second..
"That's not possible Sandor." Duncan's voice doesn't very sure of itself as he chides the knight. "Dragons breathe fire, not hot water."
"Well tell that to my face!" He does put me down but with care not to drop me or startle the dragon any further than his yelling has. "Because it sure feels like it's been steamed like Viserys used to do with his veggies!"
"I miss his cooking, you just boil everything into a bland stew."
The gruffness leaves Sandor's voice as he agrees. "I do to Dunc, but wishing ain't going to make my cooking taste any better. So you can take over the rest of the trip, thanks for volunteering like that."
"But I wasn't!" Duncan whines as his two more squat and larger winged companions wrestle for the right to sit on his head of nearly black hair.
"Oh, so you still want to dig our waste pit each night?" It's so incredible how Ser Sandor isn't even flinching from the pain anymore and can just tease his squire. He's a true knight if one really exists in Westeros.
Ser Bonnifer shakes of his grief to snarl out a command. "Get on your horses and get the hells out of here!" He starts barking commands to his men and climbs onto his own steed. "Ironborn are on the way. Must have seen the pyre's smoke."
"But we can out run them, can't we?" My heart starts hammering in my chest as the sight of the invaders is revealed charging from the woods.
"Not all of us and it's a knights duty to see the innocent kept safe." He draws his blade and shares a long look with Ser Sandor, no words being exchanged before they both nod firmly. "Ser Sandor and Daenerys' protectors shall see you safely to Winterfell."
"My friends think you need some help." Snarls a suddenly rage filled Duncan. His pack of smaller Dornish wolves he says are called coyotes, has been adding the local wolves by the day and now numbers nearly a hundred.
Ser Bonnifer gives my friend a sad smile and his thanks. "You have your grandmother's good heart and I hope you find someone better than she did, who you can share it with."
"Why does every adult who thinks they're going to die say that?" Grumbles my friend even as Sandor lifts him onto the horse we've been sharing.
Except this time when I wait for him to lift me in front of Duncan, he instead places the new girl in my spot. "What about me?" Oops, I didn't mean to say that out loud.
"You'll have to ride with me." Sandor lifts me onto Stranger's back and climbs up behind me. I guess this is alright… no more pretending to laugh at Duncan's dumb japes. "Just make sure your beast keeps it's breath to itself. It's damn hot."
"She will be good, I promise." Though I have no idea how I'm going to keep it or name her. Maybe I should see what Duncan calls his first… just so I make sure not to embarrass him with how much better mine will be of course.
…
Renly Baratheon
When Garlan Tyrell's army remains firmly entrenched along the Mander it becomes clear why my siege isn't splitting the fleet. Olenna Tyrell must have convinced her grandson to make a play of his own.
If Garlan keeps his forces fresh and maintains control of the fleet, she may very well get her wish. We can't finish this until the Ironborn are dealt with and Lord Tyrion's fleet is still stuck in a stalemate right now.
Florents and Rowans will be unhappy to lose out if I just give Garlan everything. As I try to figure out a way to keep the Kingdom with the largest fieldable army unbalanced after their surrender, a smirk grows on my face. Oh this might work and the Tyrells have already created a rift for me to exploit.
Stannis said I have complete control of the Reach campaign, he actually admitted to being impressed by my forethought. The Florents have a maiden of marrying age and the Rowans have an heir with no wife. Let the new branch of both take the Gardener name since they both have a claim and boot the stewards from Highgarden.
Garlan even drew the border himself. He and Lord Tarly can have from the Mander's mouth to Horn Hill, all the way down to the Arbor. He decide what to call his tenth Kingdom, while the Rowans and Florents try to gain influence over their children and the much smaller Reach.
"I've decided on terms of surrender, have Lords Rowan and Florent meet me at my horse." I can't give them more time than the ride to Highgarden's gate to come up with any arguments.
"Lord Tyrell will be going to the Wall and his heir the Citadel so he can replace the aging Maester Aemon." It's pointless sending a cripple to such a hot conflict zone as a warrior. "They want to serve with a Targaryen, he's he only one left with the name. But Mace's wife and younger two children can go live with Lord Garlan." If he will have them.
"If Garlan will land his fleet until the Iron Isles are subdued… he can have the Southern half of the Reach and submit the region's name to my brother." Politics are boring but planning battles is exhilarating. Stannis is boring, so he can do those bits.
"We still need to meet Lord Tywin in the Westerlands and I know he intends to show everyone his claws haven't dulled." Who would have thought Tyrion would be the one to challenge his reputation.
'Scouring of the Stepstones' has already made the rounds in the Stormlands and it seems like Tywin intends to have another song written of his conquest against the 'Fools Golden Company'. I know both of them are racing to the Isles so they can free Jaime and I intend to join them.
