Game of Thrones: I became a crown prince for a day.

Chapter 655 Winterfell

Chaotou Island.

Spice town, port.

Collis had a gloomy face as he inspected the anchored fleet again and again.

After the great war, the ships were somewhat damaged.

Every time this happened, the shipwright would work hard to repair it.

"Collis, you're here."

Rhaenys walked over briskly with a helpless smile on her face.

"I was supposed to be at your nephew's royal council."

Collis' voice was flat, tinged with sarcasm.

He felt humiliated by being defeated by Damon, whom he had always disliked.

"You still act like a child. It's beneath your dignity to have such a gloomy face."

Rhaenys heard the rumors and came to see her upset husband.

"I didn't look downcast."

Collis turned his head away, frowning unconsciously.

It turns out that anger cannot be concealed.

Rhaenys shook her head and laughed, "Losing to Daemon has humiliated you?"

"I am the man who lost to a Targaryen."

Collis got angry when he mentioned this and said angrily, "They are a bunch of people who are willing to burn bridges after crossing them. There is no trust at all."

Whether it's Daemon or Rhaegar, including the retired Viserys.

They were all wary of him.

"You were being too aggressive."

Rhaenyra folded her arms across her chest, leaning against the gallows used to carry goods, and said calmly, "You should control your temper."

No one likes to be around someone who is arrogant and conceited.

"You think I have a bad temper?"

Collis turned around immediately, his eyes full of surprise.

He didn't like to hear his wife say this.

"I mean, you should turn your attention elsewhere."

Rhaenys cleverly changed the subject and chuckled, "You are old now, you should think carefully about the children."

"It seems that you also think I am old."

A trace of loneliness flashed in Collis's eyes, and then he generously hugged his wife, with his broad chest close to the beautiful face that seemed never to have aged.

Beautiful, generous, noble...

This was the thought that came to his mind when he first saw his wife.

Even though she is no longer young and has faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, she is still the uncrowned queen who rides dragons and the wind.

Rhaenys smiled and patted her husband's chest.

She likes men who are proud and arrogant, so she chooses the most arrogant sea snake, Kolis.

Of course, the prerequisite is that you have the capital to be arrogant.

"What do you mean by that? Didn't I put my family first?"

Collis soothed his heart and said calmly, "Lannino took that commoner wife back to Gaochao City, as well as the mute girl."

"I'm not talking about them."

Rhaenys raised an eyebrow.

I don’t know if it’s the gods’ blessing.

After Lannino lost his memory, he returned to normal.

He married a fisherman's daughter on the island of Tas and gave birth to a mute daughter with brown hair mixed with silver-blonde hair.

After returning to Chaotou Island, Lannino couldn't wait to bring his wife and daughter home.

As the richest and most powerful noble in the Seven Kingdoms, Collis naturally looked down on a commoner girl who took advantage of the situation.

Especially that girl, who was quite heavy and had a pure country air.

I wanted to treat her as a mistress, and my granddaughter was also an illegitimate child.

At that time, he could arrange for his son to marry a daughter of a noble family, so that he could still have offspring of noble blood.

However, Lanino had deep feelings for his wife and repeatedly begged to bring his wife and daughter back with formal treatment.

He lost his son and daughter in his old age, and his son returned even later in life.

Collis could not refuse his son, and reluctantly agreed to accept a commoner daughter-in-law.

"Who else could it be, let alone asking me to arrange a prince's engagement for my mute granddaughter?"

Collis looked away and asked the question half-jokingly, knowing the answer.

He doesn't have that much face.

The young king was too lazy to pay attention to an old guy whose half foot belonged to the mermaid king.

"It's Rhaena."

Rhaenys looked serious and sighed, "Corliss, you know what I mean. That child has been trained as the heir of Tidehead Island for so many years, but now he is hiding in King's Landing and refuses to come back."

“There is only one Chaotou Island.”

Collis responded silently.

A son's inheritance rights always take precedence over a granddaughter's.

"Then compensate her."

Rhaenys was clear in her purpose and stated the facts: "Rhaenyia is legally Lannir's stepdaughter. She is the next in line to inherit Tidehead."

Hearing this, Collis said in a deep voice: "Lannino knows how to taste women. His wife is so plump that she will always give birth to a son."

He endured the pollution of his bloodline.

It is not too much to ask that a male heir bear the burden of Chaotou Island.

"I beg to differ."

Rhaenys's expression turned cold, and she pushed her husband away and took a step back.

Collis was stunned when he saw this and slapped his forehead in annoyance.

His wife missed the chance to inherit the Iron Throne because she was a daughter, but he was her most staunch supporter back then.

At one point, he raised the banner of gender equality advocated by his mother-in-law, Queen Alysanne.

Corliss hesitated for a moment and didn't finish his words: "Give me a moment, Rhaenys."

He needs an adaptation process.

When I didn't have a son, I didn't care about anything except this. Now that I have a son, everything except this becomes a problem.

Things are impermanent.

Rhaenys's eyes were sharp, and she said solemnly, "Now, bring Rhaenyia back from King's Landing, and don't let the child's heart be chilled."

Collis was silent.

"Then you have to prepare the big ship."

Collis raised his eyes, somewhat puzzled.

"The reason House Velaryon is so prosperous today is because your ancestors were willing to follow Aena the Exile out of Old Valyria."

At this moment, Rhaenys seemed to be shrouded in a layer of wisdom. She reminded him, "Now that the land of the Conqueror Rhaegar has been acquired in Essos, you should follow him closely."

"..."

After a while, the wife's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Collis gathered his thoughts and turned to look at the group of shipwrights at the dock.

Adam lowered his head and polished the tools seriously.

"Sir." Erin took off his usual finery and accompanied his brother as he carried a basket of fish and shrimp.

Before the Battle of the Basilisk Islands, Baelon remained in Volantis to garrison, and the temporary parliament he formed was of no use.

Erin was originally the first mate of a main fleet, but after the war he was demoted to the captain of an auxiliary fleet.

He took advantage of the return voyage to repair the ship and improve his relationship with his sailors.

When Collis saw the two brothers, he felt inexplicably annoyed.

That is the anxiety that comes from pride and guilt.

"Come here for a moment, Erin."

Collis waved his hand and called over the young man who was most handy.

"What do you want, my lord?"

Erin put down the basket and wiped his hands on his clothes.

Collis looked him up and down, and said with the dignity of a lord: "You lead a large ship to bring Rhaena back, and assign a mission to your brother."

"What is it?"

When he heard that his brother who had been sitting on the bench was going to be restarted, Elin immediately smiled.

Collis turned his head slightly, not wanting to see the pair of purple eyes full of expectation, and said in a low voice: "The golden fields on the other side of the gorge are waiting to be developed. Ask Adam to go over there and cultivate a piece of fertile land."

The boy in front of him was handsome, tall, and energetic, just like he was when he was young.

Lannino was raised as an aristocrat, and developed a deviant orientation when he was young, with a character that was more gentle and feminine.

With a delicate face that is no less beautiful than her sister Lannar's, she looks more aristocratic than any other aristocratic girl.

In comparison, Adam and Erin, who were born as illegitimate children, are not as eager to take the lead.

"Yes, my lord."

Erin smiled broadly, keeping to the rules: “I’ll tell Adam to give it his all.”

As he spoke, his eyes glanced at the path of vendors that Rhaenys had just left.

Unlike Adam who turns a deaf ear to what is happening outside, he is better at observing the environment.

……

Winterfell, North.

The white snow falls and the towering castle stands tall.

In the vast wolf forest, the fish beam trees with lush red leaves stand out, covering a clear spring.

“Duty means sacrifice.”

"Duty is more important than anything else, even more important than blood ties..."

"The North has a great duty to the Seven Kingdoms, a duty older than any oath..."

Under the weirwood, Duke Creggan, wearing a black leather coat, looked solemn as he recited the traditional declaration word by word.

He took out black and white stones from the sack.

Many strong young men formed a circle and took out their own stone from the sack one by one.

Someone in white, with a tense face, breathed a sigh of relief.

Some people were in black, and their already solemn expressions became even more dignified.

Cregan's eyes swept over them one by one, and his big hand with calloused knuckles patted the shoulder of the young man who pulled out the black stone.

The man had black hair and black eyes, and a standard long face of the Stark family.

"Are you all going?"

A voice sounded from the side, dull and puzzled.

Baeron frowned and looked around at every Northern man present.

"Since the time of our ancestors, we have been the guardians of the kingdom, protecting it from the cold and darkness."

Cregan lowered his head, his black eyes were extremely serious: "According to ancient tradition, when winter comes, one out of every ten men in our family will be selected to become a Night's Watchman."

"This is not a punishment, this is an honor."

His speech was gentle and his words were powerful.

Baeron listened carefully and became more and more respectful of the Northern Duke with whom he had spent the past few days.

Perhaps only someone who combines gentleness and bravery, and who brings reason and personal charm to the extreme, can rule the northerners whose blood remains warm even in the cold winter.

Only such a person can be compared with his father at the same time.

"Next one, don't stop drawing."

Cregan withdrew his gaze and looked at each young man waiting for the decision of his fate.

Baeron watched quietly, breathing out puffs of air.

"Quack quack..."

The sharp cries of ravens accompanied the girl's footsteps on the snow.

Cregan turned around and raised his hand for a black raven to land on his arm.

Take off the letter box on the crow's leg and check the contents of the letter.

Belron tightened his black robe and asked in surprise: "Benilla, why aren't you staying in the castle?"

The silver-haired girl in a red skirt and black jacket walked into the wolf forest, and a layer of snowflakes fell on her fur on her shoulders.

"I couldn't stay here, so I followed the raven."

Benila sniffed, her face flushed unnaturally: "The maester said that moving more will help recover from the cold."

The two came to the North for several days.

I have a concrete understanding of the coldness of the north.

"Roar——"

A melodious dragon roar suddenly sounded, and a cold wind mixed with snow blew up from a corner of the wolf forest.

A sturdy old dragon with moss-colored scales stood up from the woods, its back swaying to shake off frost and snow, its vertical pupils revealing a hint of fatigue.

“It’s complaining too.”

Baeron exhaled a breath of hot air and rubbed his hands: "Dragons are not used to the cold climate."

"Ulagas has already given you a lot of face."

Benila's voice was hoarse, and she said helplessly: "I don't know where Yuewu is hiding."

The young dragons couldn't stand the severe cold and consciously looked for a warm place to build a nest.

"His Majesty."

As he was speaking, Kraken suddenly spoke.

"But which noble castle was crushed by the snow?"

Baeron asked carefully, he was not surprised by this.

This was a cold winter that swept across the entire North, burying the earth in July and forcing every household to tighten their belts.

"It's a savage!"

Cregan handed the letter to the crown prince with a serious expression: "Wildlings are roaming outside the Wall, and they are planning to launch a large-scale attack."

Including this time, the Great Wall has suffered three rounds of attacks.

The Night's Watch suffered heavy losses.

This was done half to comply with tradition and half to provide personnel for the night watch.

A meeting has just been held in the Wolfswood to select the men to become the Night's Watch.

"But we haven't traveled all over the North yet."

Baeron understood what the other party meant and was prepared.

"The Great Wall is more important."

Cregan would not allow any refusal and said swiftly, "The selection of the new Night's Watch has been completed. We will set off for the Wall tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)