WMK 126 (Patreon)

Chapter 126: The Storm Approaches (Part 1)

Glop Vaty was a member of the Qartheen royal family. From childhood, he underwent rigorous Warlock training, hoping to become one of the Undying. It wasn't until he saw many visions of the West in the House of the Undying that he traveled the vast distance to Westeros.

Initially, he followed William just for a meal, but he quickly realized William's unique qualities and seriously began teaching him Qartheen spells.

Phonetics and the steam engine opened a new door for him, showing him that even in an age of fading magic, it could still live with dignity.

So, for this journey home, he not only brought the Darry family token to gain the Dragon Queen's trust and the magic ring as a precaution, but he also brought down the Phonetic Plate for careful study. With the curse on Harrenhal lifted, the plate's mission was complete.

The Warlock was headed for Saltpans, planning to take a ship from there to Volantis – the furthest direct sales point for Harrenhal cotton cloth; there were merchant ships sailing directly from Saltpans.

He was accompanied by Ser Barry Legg and a small troop of soldiers. His apprentice, Mokken Rota, however, remained at Harrenhal. He had become one of the important managers of the textile workshop and found it difficult to get away.

In truth, William trusted all three knights in his guard deeply. But Bennard was his captain of the guard and couldn't leave; and Miles Cribb had a stern, cold expression and fierce eyes, making him entirely unsuitable as a representative for Harrenhal's image. Thus, only the kind-faced, child-friendly Ser Barry could be sent.

The two parties parted ways on the Kingsroad. William, with his guard, whipped their horses into a gallop, heading for King's Landing at the fastest possible speed.

He didn't bring Bran because he didn't know the exact date of Robert's death or Cersei's coup. King's Landing could become dangerous at any moment.

However, at least when he left Harrenhal, no ravens had brought news of Ned's arrest.

On the way, he specifically spent a night at Boar's Point. Besides drinking and chatting with the old knight, Roger Hogg, he also took the opportunity to check for any latest news.

Old Knight Hogg was overjoyed by William's visit and entertained him with the utmost warmth and hospitality. The knights gathered around the fireplace, drinking Dornish wine and eating delicacies from the Crownlands.

The old knight confirmed the news about the Others with William, sighing repeatedly, "Seven hells, this winter will be hard to get through."

William was also satisfied that he hadn't heard any particularly alarming news. In these sensitive times, no news was the best news.

After bidding farewell to the old knight, William resumed his frantic pace.

The Gate of the Gods was one of King's Landing's seven gates. Both its iron portcullis and its doors were carved with extremely intricate designs; the carved eyes seemed to follow you, watching you.

By now, it was late, and stars of light were burning all over the city.

A group of Gold Cloaks emerged from the guardhouse at the northwest corner of the gate. As usual, they were to drive away the crowd, lest those stupid smallfolk block the gate and prevent it from closing.

The sergeant stood arrogantly in the middle of the road, watching his men use the shafts of their spears to randomly beat and disperse the passing commoners. The gates began to slowly close.

Seeing today's work nearly done, his thoughts involuntarily flew to the wine, women, and song of the Street of Silk.

Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats came from outside the city. The sergeant looked up to see a troop of cavalry charging with thunderous momentum towards the half-closed gate.

The Gold Cloaks were first stunned, then terrified out of their wits, screaming and scrambling out of the way.

The sergeant scrambled to his feet, feeling a distinct chill in his breeches.

Turning his head, he saw that the cavalry hadn't raced off but had slowed to a leisurely pace. His anger flared. He called his men and chased after them, determined to see who dared to be so insolent.

As they got closer, he saw that over a dozen knights were all clad in full plate armor. The gleaming steel reflected the torchlight, emitting a disconcerting cold glow.

'Can't afford to mess with them.' The sergeant's anger immediately extinguished. The Gold Cloaks cursed under their breath and slunk away.

One of the knights seemed to notice them and suddenly shouted in their direction, "To King Robert's good health!"

The Gold Cloaks looked at each other. The sergeant tentatively shouted back, "Long live King Robert!"

'So Robert isn't dead yet.' William breathed a sigh of relief, laughed heartily, and led his cavalry away.

Although they had rushed to King's Landing, the city was full of inns, establishments, and taverns. William and his guards went to Cobbler's Square, not far from the gate, and quickly found a reasonably clean-looking inn, settling in for a good night's rest.

Morning in King's Landing was also noisy. The group rose early and ate breakfast in the inn's common room, listening to other travelers chat about news from various places.

Afterwards, Bennard took a few guards to the Red Keep to request an audience with the Hand of the King. Ned, now in a position of high authority and busy with countless matters, couldn't be seen on a whim.

William, full of anticipation, headed for Visenya's Hill. Turning into the noisy Street of Steel, he saw blacksmiths on both sides of the street hammering tirelessly at pieces of iron. The clanging sounds actually held a pleasant rhythm.

Arriving at Tobho's smithy, the two first raised a glass to celebrate the great success of their Valyrian steel business, then attended to other matters.

Although it was a regret that they still hadn't gathered enough material to forge a sword, Valyrian steel armor would also bring them immense profits.

Then Tobho took William to a secret room. The room was small, lit bright as day by a few candles.

Inside were several wooden armor stands, mostly empty. Only one held a suit of black scale mail.

With one look, seeing the smoke-like black, William knew it was Valyrian steel armor. The edges of the scales were gold, shimmering with a dazzling light as William moved.

William walked over and touched the cold steel, his heart burning with excitement.

"This suit uses nine hundred and sixty Valyrian steel scales. Only the helmet and boots are made of fine steel," Tobho explained. "Since the one sent to Ser Garlan was pure black, to distinguish it, I added a touch of gold to the edges of the scales. What do you think?"

"Extremely handsome!" William was very satisfied, nodding repeatedly. Then he asked, "What colors did you use for the armor made for the other lords?"

"Lannister is gold, Baratheon is green, Tyrell is silver," Tobho said with a proud smile. "Just for the coloring, the price increased by half."

"Brilliant work!" William praised sincerely.

The Valyrian steel looked very heavy but wore as light as a silken shirt. William easily changed into the new armor. Most of it was covered by a surcoat and cloak, only occasionally revealing a glimpse of its dazzling brilliance when he moved.

Finally, he picked up the helmet, shaped like a Golbat. Remembering he had once told Garlan he would name this armor "Honor," he murmured softly, "Honor, honor..."