Get comfortable, turn the page, and let’s see what this story has been hiding 🔥 ✦ Just as Vaelor expected, before sunset, a town encircled by low white walls appeared ahead of the column.
Gulltown was broad and busy.
Smoke from cooking fires curled beneath the evening light, and the roar of voices proved its prosperity.
As an ice-free port, it had never lacked sea trade.
“Whoa!” Before they reached the town, an armored knight rode out to block the road.
He had no ill intent.
Seeing dozens of proud Vale knights, he dismounted and bowed.
“My noble lady, House Shett of Gull Tower has been waiting for you.” The knight lowered his head and knelt with polished courtesy.
The commotion outside woke Vaelor from his drowsiness inside the carriage.
Sleepy-eyed, he lifted the curtain and looked out.
The knight wore silver-gray plate.
He was handsome, with dark-brown curls, a short beard at his chin, and a tall, powerful bearing.
When he raised his head, his eyes carried a clever gleam.
Vaelor tilted his head and studied this attractive man in his thirties.
Both he and Gunthor were grown men, but this one was clearly easier to like.
“Rise, Ser Ryan.” Even travel-worn, Lady Rhea answered with a cool reserve that suited a great noble.
“Yes, my lady.” Ser Ryan Shett thanked her and stood.
Vaelor rested both hands on the carriage window and propped his chin on them.
At the moment, he wanted supper and sleep more than anything.
Fortunately, House Royce had a foothold in Gulltown through its own sworn men.
Ser Ryan was clearly sharp and capable.
He ordered servants to ride ahead and prepare his household, then stayed behind to guide his liege lady.
Gulltown was beautiful.
Its buildings favored white stone and warm orange-yellow tones, and many towers rose in the center of town and along the coast.
Compared with Runestone, which existed first and foremost to resist enemies, it looked almost like a painting.
At the edge of nightfall, the party reached a white tower within the town.
“My lady, please enter.” Ser Ryan was respectful.
His wife and children came forward with a plate of broken bread and salt.
“Thank you for your hospitality.” Lady Rhea showed the barest hint of a smile, pinched up a piece of bread, dipped it in salt, and ate it.
She did not forget to place a piece in Vaelor’s hand as well.
The ancient guest right had been observed.
“Thank you.” Fed by his mother, Vaelor thanked them politely and chewed in large bites.
Once they entered, he noticed a banner hanging on the wall of the narrow hall.
On a black checkered field were three golden wings spread wide.
Vaelor turned the lesson over in his mind, recalling what the old maester had taught from his books.
House Shett of Gull Tower was one of House Royce’s loyal vassals.
The web of relationships there was complicated.
Gulltown was rich, and no wealthy town lacked noble families.
The oldest among them was House Shett, once a generational enemy of House Royce and also known as the Shetts of Gulltown.
After the last Bronze King defeated House Shett and occupied Gulltown, the defeated family tried to hire Andals from across the narrow sea to take their home back.
Unfortunately, the blond, blue-eyed Andals had shown very little respect for contracts.
After driving back the Bronze King, they also crushed their employers.
One powerful noble line seized the chance to rule Gulltown.
That was House Grafton, the current lordly house of Gulltown.
The old Shetts had not been wiped out.
They swore loyalty to the victors and continued living in the town.
In that respect, they were much like House Royce.
Both had chosen submission after defeat.
Given enough time, great houses always produced cadet branches.
The man hosting them, Ser Ryan Shett, came from such a landed knightly line and had lived in Gull Tower for generations.
Because both his holding and tower carried the name of the gull, he was praised as the Gull Knight.
“Prince, if you are tired, you may rest upstairs first.” Seeing the silver-haired boy looking around, Ser Ryan proved perceptive.
“No need.
I am a little hungry.” Vaelor waved a hand, his manner friendly.
If the prince said he was hungry, all of Gull Tower had to take notice.
A hearty supper was soon carried to the table.
The dishes used fine ingredients that Runestone could not easily buy, and real effort had gone into them.
Vaelor smiled and tasted each one in small bites.
He enjoyed the food without losing any royal dignity.
By the end of the meal, host and guests were all satisfied.
The next day, Gulltown’s harbor was astonishingly lively.
More than a hundred sails of all sizes lay anchored on the water.
Vaelor held his mother’s hand and walked under heavy protection, watching everything along the way.
The area was almost a marketplace unto itself.
Merchants and sailors crowded past one another, their noise carrying far across the docks.
“This is something.” Vaelor stood at the shore, gazing out at the blue waves.
Across two lives, this was his first time seeing the sea.
His mouth opened in surprise.
Even watching sailors unload cargo felt fresh.
“My lady, prince, our ship is over there.” Ser Ryan wore the same armor as yesterday and pointed toward a three-masted ship moored by the shore.
Vaelor followed the gesture and saw a triangular banner flying from a high mast.
Its pattern showed a black triangle on a flame-red field, with a yellow tower burning upon it.
“That is a Grafton ship.” Willam appeared beside him at some point, eager to display his shallow knowledge.
“I know.” Vaelor nodded.
House Grafton controlled Gulltown, one of the great ports of Westeros.
Its merchant ships were many, and its accumulated wealth was enormous.
They could not possibly have been left out of the Kingswood hunt.
The Graftons would attend, and their cargo could be carried to King’s Landing for a fine profit.
Taking passengers along the way was perfectly reasonable.
“Let’s board.” Vaelor could hardly wait to experience sailing.
Lady Rhea was not one to dawdle.
She led the party aboard, where Ser Ryan introduced her to the captain.
The captain was a fat man, slick and flattering by nature.
The moment he heard that one of his passengers was a Targaryen prince, he cried out that fortune had blessed him and vowed to rename the ship Prince Vaelor.
Vaelor had no answer to that.
Hearing the word fortune somehow made his whole body uncomfortable.
The fat captain gave him no chance to refuse.
He quickly arranged two clean, spacious cabins for the important guests, then vanished without a trace.
A young prince.
If he built a relationship early and borrowed the banner of royalty, his business would stand above that of other men.
Even without the royal family, House Royce of Runestone and Gulltown had been good neighbors for generations.
Once the little prince inherited his mother’s castle and lands, would that relationship not grow closer still?
When Vaelor understood, he could only conclude that merchants were merchants.
Small schemes flew faster than gulls.
The ship soon set sail, sending high sprays of water into the air.
Vaelor stood at the bow and watched the harbor draw farther and farther away.
Many ships traveled with them, like pieces moving across a board.
He looked left and right.
On either side of the harbor, cliffs hundreds of feet tall formed an inverted triangular shelter against the sea.
That natural barrier blocked the winter cold.
It was what made Gulltown an ice-free port that stayed warm through the seasons.
Vaelor looked at it carefully, his liking for Gulltown growing by the moment.
He envied any lord whose land had been blessed so generously by the gods.
‘If I lived in Gulltown, I could collect far more magical objects.’ He propped one small hand against his cheek, his large eyes bright with envy.
In his heart, he quietly swore that one day, he would win himself a land as rich as Gulltown.
Then he would enjoy life properly.
Raise the sails.
Set out.
✦ ✦ ✦ Ready for more?
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS EmberHollow Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter pulled you deeper into the story.
Stick around, because there’s still a lot waiting just ahead.