[Respected Lady Olenna, Duke Mace, Lady Alerie, and dear Lady Margaery,
We originally agreed that if I captured Casterly Rock, Lady Margaery and I would hold our wedding there. Now that I have taken the Rock, looking at the matter from a different perspective, I realize this may not be the best choice.
Casterly Rock is currently just my spoil of war; it has not yet become my home, nor is it Lady Margaery's home. If the wedding were held at Highgarden, I think it might be better and more heartwarming.
After the wedding is over, I think perhaps Lady Margaery and I can build our new home together.
May the light of the Seven bless us forever.
Jon Stark of Casterly Rock.]
Highgarden's Maester Lomys read Jon's letter to the gathered Tyrells, whose expressions varied.
After taking the letter, Mace grunted, "At least the boy knows his place. My help wasn't wasted on him." He then looked at Margaery beside him: "Then no need to rush packing; we'll wait for him here."
"Yes, Father," Margaery nodded with a smile.
Mace patted the back of Margaery's hand and said, "Alright, today I have to meet someone very special. That fellow is said to have been to Valyria. I'm going to take a look."
The thought of his daughter marrying from Highgarden made Mace exceptionally happy, and he left the room with a swagger.
Having been a Duke with smooth sailing since childhood, he absolutely wouldn't have thought that Jon was coming to Highgarden to get married just to save money.
Even the always shrewd Lady Olenna didn't think of this problem, believing that her grandson-in-law, who had just captured Casterly Rock, shouldn't be stingy to this extent, especially given his previous spendthrift manner.
Led by an attendant, Mace met the adventurer who claimed to have been to Valyria.
However, when Mace met the man, he found the adventurer's image was greatly beyond his expectations: he looked to be in his early thirties, wearing tight leather clothing made of sealskin, with long, heavy black hair draped behind his head. He wore a black eyepatch over his right eye, his lips were blue-black, and the beard on his chin was trimmed to look very sharp.
For some reason, this so-called "adventurer" before him reminded Mace of a poisoned dagger, giving him a very dangerous feeling.
Seeing Mace, the man smiled and said, "Respected Lord Duke, it is a great honor to be received by you."
"Mm, no need for formalities," Mace said with great pomp.
Seeing the adventurer sit down again, Mace asked, "Someone told me you've been to Valyria?"
"Yes, Lord Duke. Hearing that your daughter, the Rose of Highgarden, is about to be married, I specially brought a wedding gift."
"Oh?"
Mace looked at the black eye revealed by the other party, thinking what good things a mud-legged adventurer could bring out.
An attendant behind the adventurer placed a brown wooden box between the two, and Mace turned his attention to the box.
This box was merely sturdy, not even exquisite, so Mace had even less expectation for his gift.
However, the adventurer with the eyepatch remained unhurried, giving a very confident impression. He opened the box, and inside was impressively a round, blue "gemstone" that required two hands to hold.
"Such a big gemstone?"
Even a wealthy lord like Mace rarely saw such a large gemstone.
"No, this is a dragon egg!" Mace's plump body trembled, feeling his eyeballs were about to pop out.
"Yes, respected Lord, this is indeed a dragon egg. I obtained it in Valyria. However, it is already a fossil and cannot hatch a dragon, but I think it should barely be worthy of Lady Margaery's status."
"Mm." Although Mace nodded and didn't say much, his eyes and movements almost betrayed him.
The attendants and maids around Mace, although still keeping the rules, also looked sideways with pricked ears, wanting to see the legendary dragon egg that could hatch a dragon.
Dragon eggs were very precious. Back then, the Targaryen kings almost went to war with the Free Cities for dragon eggs.
He held the heavy, cold dragon egg and admired it carefully under the bright sunlight. The dragon egg with scale patterns emitted a unique luster.
Only then did Mace discover that the dragon egg was not purely blue; there was also a white, lightning-like pattern on it.
The more Mace looked, the more mesmerized his eyes became, and the more he liked it. He turned and asked, "Did you find only one?"
"Uh—yes, after all, that disaster was too terrible. In such a glorious empire, I didn't even see a complete house." The adventurer smiled politely.
"Mm, alright." Although Mace liked this dragon egg very much, he wouldn't go so far as to snatch his daughter's things. He looked at the adventurer and said, "Speak, what do you want?"
"Hehe, my Lord, first of all, I naturally hope to attend Lady Margaery's wedding. In addition, I lost several companions on this adventure to Valyria, and I am somewhat tired of such an adventurous life. If you could grant me a small piece of land so that I can spend the rest of my life in peace, that would be wonderful."
Logically speaking, although the value of a dragon egg was high, it had long been unable to hatch a dragon, so the fiefdom it could be exchanged for was also very limited.
But this was a dragon egg after all, and a dragon egg as a wedding gift for his daughter, which greatly satisfied Mace's vanity.
"Speak, where do you want the fiefdom? You can choose any land in the Reach," Mace waved his hand and said very generously.
Who knew this adventurer would say, "My Lord, there is no rush for the fiefdom. I think what you are most worried about now is Lady Margaery's wedding. Even if I doubt the King's character, I would not doubt your credibility."
"Mm, alright, then I will let you attend my daughter's wedding as a distinguished guest." The adventurer's words made Mace very comfortable.
"This is the greatest honor of my life, my Lord," the adventurer quickly said. "Will we be going to Casterly Rock then?"
"No, my daughter's wedding will be held at Highgarden."
"Highgarden?" The adventurer showed a look of surprise, a different light flashing in his pitch-black eye, as if a plan was forming in his mind.
However, Mace didn't notice the adventurer's abnormality. He said proudly, "That kid, cough, Jon may have good luck and made some contributions, but after all, he has no foundation. Can he handle such a big wedding? Doesn't he still have to rely on House Tyrell to organize it?"
"Mm, what you say makes sense, my Lord. Although Duke Jon is invincible in battle, some foundations can only be accumulated over time."
"Mm~ that's true." Mace looked at this adventurer, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye, except for his eyepatch.
"I will have someone arrange for you to stay at Highgarden. During this time, you are a friend of the Tyrells. If you have any requests, just ask," Mace said magnanimously, his hands not stopping. Mace put the dragon egg into the box, closed the lid, and moved it towards himself. "I'll also have someone tailor a decent set of clothes for you later, consider it a small gift from me."
"Being a guest at Lady Margaery's wedding is the greatest honor of my life," the adventurer repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Mace.
"No need to be so polite. Please tell us about Valyria when the time comes."
"No problem, my Lord. This humble one has another gift here, perhaps very suitable for your wife."
"Oh? What gift?"
The adventurer ordered someone to go to his ship to fetch it, and not long after, a uniquely shaped oil lamp with complex patterns was brought.
He pinched the wick with his fingers, and the oil lamp actually lit up with a blue flame.
Mace had never seen such a blue flame, so he was greatly amazed.
"Is this some kind of magic? Did you also find it in Valyria?" Mace asked in amazement.
"Exactly. According to my understanding of this thing, it can protect and nourish a person's soul. The Dragon Lords of Valyria liked this thing. I heard that your wife's ancestor seems to have combined with a Targaryen Dragon King, and she should also have Valyrian blood. This thing might be good for her."
Mace's wife Alerie was from House Hightower. One of the twin daughters of the "Rogue Prince" married into House Hightower after the Dance of the Dragons.
Therefore, it wasn't wrong to say that House Hightower possessed Dragon Lord blood. It was said that Malora of House Hightower, still unmarried in her thirties, spent all day studying magic in the family's High Tower, and it was unknown if this was influenced by her Targaryen blood.
As for Alerie's silver hair, it goes without saying; silver hair could almost be considered one of the symbols of the Targaryens.
When marrying Alerie, Mace thought it would be great if his children could also inherit her silver hair; that would be a very "face-saving" thing.
"Oh—nourish the soul."
Listening to the adventurer's description, Mace was greatly shocked. He immediately stated that he would definitely give this thing to Alerie to use.
This meeting could be said to be enjoyable for both host and guest, so much so that until the end, Mace didn't think to ask for the adventurer's name.
He just referred to him as "the person who presented the dragon egg."
During this time, the people of Highgarden discovered that the sailors on the adventurer's ship were all mutes.
The adventurer told Mace that he bought these people from slavers because he pitied them.
Although those sailors couldn't speak, they showed great respect and loyalty to this adventurer.
Human trafficking was not allowed in Westeros, but Mace saw that these people seemed to be truly as the adventurer said, so he didn't care.
Most importantly, he had just accepted the dragon egg wedding gift from the adventurer and had even invited various vassals to admire it together. The dragon egg earned him enough face. And according to the adventurer's method, after Alerie used his small blue light lamp, she said her sleep was more peaceful.
As the saying goes, if you take from others, your hand is short. It wouldn't sound good if this matter spread.
Now Mace just wanted to wait for Jon to come to Highgarden, bam! place the dragon egg in front of him, and show it off properly.