GOT/ASOIAF: A Game Of Ice And Fire

Pia, or as I've personally nicknamed her, Pretty Pia, was the servant of House Whent who used to work in the buŧŧery at Harrenhal before I convinced her to tag along.

Which weirdly enough, for multiple reasons, was easier than I had expected.

I suppose if Sandor was allowed to murder the butcher's son without Eddard Stark's approval, there wasn't much Lady Whent could do when the Crown Prince took an interest for an orphan servant.

Don't get me wrong, I had no intention of forcing her to do anything.

Pia had Rhaenys' age and Alysse's sweetness, so it wasn't that hard to believe that we got along almost instantaneously.

Despite being older than me, I was the one taking care of her, while also polishing some of my persuasive skills on her.

I had taught her a little bit of cooking and cleaning, in order to make her more than a burden with a pretty face, but I also encouraged the side of her that yearned for learning while developing her taste for stories and songs.

Pia wasn't going to match the Player of the Game I had Alysse set on becoming in order to replace Littlefinger, but Pia might at least become a competent agent for her.

And although I was nowhere near falling in love with the little girl, the same could not be said about her in regards to me.

"Oh, my prince, please continue one of your wonderful tales." Pia asked while giggling. "I've been constantly having dreams of what will happen next."

I raised an eyebrow at her request and stopped strumming the chords of my lute.

Regardless of how long I've been pretending to be just a kid, it was still strange (if not a little jarring) to constantly keep up the act.

And yes, I've carried on with using some of my previous life's knowledge to gain the reputation of a natural storyteller and singer with great talent and creativity.

Especially when cute girls were involved.

So sue me, I don't really care.

"Which one?" I questioned as Shadow subtly came out of a dark corner on my carriage and leapt only to rest on my ŀȧp while purring. "And please, I've already told you to call me Don."

"Let's see…" Pia pondered for a brief moment before replying. "I find the tale about monster slayer mutants a little too scary. Same thing about the one with dark creatures rising from beneath the earth in hordes. So I will go with the one that has the magical rings and the pretty elves."

"Oh, I see you enjoy more classical struggle between good and evil." I smiled back and allowed her to pat Shadow.

"Yes, my prin… I mean, Don." Pia nodded energetically before quickly correcting herself. "It's much more exciting than the old and plain stories I've heard around Harrenhal."

"Okay then." I remarked before making myself comfortable again on the carriage that was leading us toward the Reach and putting away my lute. "Incidentally, I hope you find the change of terrain just as pleasant."

"Yes, Don." She nodded with a sweet smile. "My previous home always gave me awful nightmares. But since I've joined you, I've been seeing golden castles with golden lions and chivalrous knights." .

"Heh, my legionnaires aren't knights." I chuckled. "Well, at least a vast majority of them."

"But aren't they brave men training and patrolling daily the lands of men to make it a more secure and prosperous place?" Pia argued with a confident expression, after I conceded her point she continued. "See? I know that one day most of them will accomplish great feats and become heroic knights themselves. And you will outshine all of them."

I winked at her while smiling.

'I'll be satisfied if my soldiers are competent enough.' I thought dismissively.

Pia was too young to understand that my Royal Legion currently had too many men seeking fame and fortune.

Granted, really skilled and talented fighters, but most envisioned 'gaining Knighthood' as their ticket for an easier life.

Even after having the requirements for recruitment set much higher than it was reasonable for someone seeking to build an army, the really exceptional individuals were really rare to find.

I've come to label them as 'Variant Humans'.

Which was, in my opinion, in much better taste than to start calling them something weird like 'chosen ones' or 'main characters'.

Even less accepting that others than me might also have some sort of 'plot armor', which was immensely more powerful than my Mage armor spell.

Besides, it also reminded me of pleasant times playing RPGs.

Regardless, hearing the low yet constant sound of marching Legionnaires outside my carriage, I began recalling everything I've been telling Pia thus far about The Lord of the Rings, with a few spins to make it more comprehensible for Westerosi standards.

And adding some of the head cannons introduced by the games.

Yeah, heresy to some, but I really liked playing them.

We also shared some of the food I've prepared beforehand myself and continued to delve into the fantastical world Tolkien had come up with.

Eventually even Tyrion decided to join us at one point, while Sandor was busy testing Daven's horse riding skills alongside the scouts.

"Dear nephew, If I didn't know how dear I am to you, I would certainly consider these Dwarves and… what was their name again?… Hobbits? Halflings?… were your way of mocking me." Tyrion remarked with a teasing smile.

I smiled back and hinted for him to continue. "But since you do know I care…"

"Heh. Honestly, I can't decide which one I like the best. Dwarves with Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges and a commitment to clan and tradition does appeal to my wish fulfillment fantasies. But…" The little Lannister instinctively reached for his wineskin, but decided against drinking from it given my previous pep talk. "…if I was even more honest, either having the comfort of a cozy home or being lured by the open road and the wide horizon to discover the wonders of new lands and peoples as a life goal is a fair enough purpose to me."

"You are far too modest, my lord." Pia complimented him with a friendly chuckle.

Having shared moments with Tyrion Lannister before even hearing of his reputation, added to the fact that most children were so innocent and oblivious about those kinds of matters, my Pretty Pia had nothing against him.

Though she still flinched around Sandor, but with my subtle suggestions I was slowly making him less of a creep.

"Ah, you flatter me with your kind words, sweetie." Tyrion faked humbleness and gestured for me to continue. "But do go on, dear nephew. If I'm not mistaken, the fellowship of the Ring was dissolved and the ring-bearer and his companion were on their own."

"Indeed. But before we make another stop, I would like to have another match of cyvasse with you." I asked in return while I sent Shadow to rest on Pia's ŀȧp.

"Deal." Tyrion happily accepted before clearing his throat.

Picking up my waterskin from my Inventory, I offered it to him. "Thirsty?"

"As much as I appreciate your sleight of hand tricks, my thirst can't be quenched by water." Tyrion remarked with a dismissive gesture while confusing Pia. "Besides, you will be speaking for quite a while, so save it for later."

"If you insist."

—————————————————————

The hills and mountains of the Westerlands were behind me, still visible on the horizon.

To the right, the Sunset Sea twinkled in the Summer Sun, and ahead fields stretched off as far as the eye could see.

Melons, peaches and Fire plums could be seen growing everywhere just as Pycelle had described during my lessons about the Seven Kingdoms.

Which really explained why most of the men enlisting in my Royal Legion knew a little bit of cultivating lands, it literally grew everywhere around here.

And as me and my retinue got closer to Highgarden, there were fields after fields of roses of every imaginable color.

The scenery was lush and verdant, and the air hung heavy with the scent of flowers and herbs.

This truly was the garden of Westeros, and rising up before me, was my destination.

Highgarden.

If you imagine what a castle ought to look like, it is surely something like this.

And just like I did with every castle I've visited, I was definitely taking notes about how to better rebuild Harrenhal to surpass its former glory.

Highgarden was built for beauty as much as defence, as it sat atop a hill with white stone arcing into the sky.

Around it were three curtain walls each taller and thicker than the last.

And inside, towers and colonnades were visible, with all this in apparent cultivated harmony

with nature.

Ivy climbed the walls everywhere, bird's nest in trees and the river Mander passed majestically before it.

Highgarden style itself was the heart of chivalry, and indeed there were many knights here, practicing for any tourneys that would be hosted here or nearby.

There was also a healthy toing and froing of people as my retinue drew nearer.

Smallfolk heading out to or returning from

the fields, traders passing through and Tyrell servants about their business.

With all the bustle and beauty of our surroundings, it was easy to underestimate the power of house Tyrell that was being displayed here.

Then again, perhaps that was the exact intention.

When discussing the mightiest families of Westeros, most may think of the Lannisters or the Targaryen, or even the Starks.

But the Tyrells were often overlooked.

They shouldn't be.

The Lannisters may be the richest family, but the Tyrells were the second richest.

Highgarden may not be a mighty City, but it stood on the crossroads between the three largest cities of Lannisport, King's Landing and

Oldtown.

Going from one to another, one will almost certainly pass through here.

But let us not forget that the largest army in Westeros was the army of the Reach, one of the three largest fleets was the Redwyne fleet of the Reach and the region that grew and exported the most amount of food to elsewhere was also the Reach.

House Tyrell might preside over beauty and chivalry, but they were undeniably strong as well.

Growing Strong, as their words announced to everyone.

Not that house Tyrell have been the paramount house in the Reach for a long time by Westerosi

standards.

Highgarden itself was founded by Garth the Gardener, that legendary figure who was the eldest son of Garth Greenhand, the High King of the first men.

House Gardener, Garth the Gardener's descendants, then reigned from Highgarden as Kings of the Reach for thousands of years.

They were said to have ruled from a living throne, called the oaken seat, which grew from an oak tree planted by Garth Greenhand himself.

They had two crowns, one of vine and flowers that was worn during peacetime and another of

bronze or iron thorns for war.

The Gardeners expanded their territory over

time, but it was during peaceful periods such as the Golden reign of Garth VII Gardner (which apparently lasted for 81 years) that Highgarden and the Reach truly prospered.

As with all noble families, they of course eventually had to deal with the Andal invasion, and they chose the route of ȧssimilation rather

than confrontation.

Under the leadership of three Kings, one after the other, who became known as the three sage Kings, the Andals and their customs were adopted wholesale in the Reach.

The Faith of the Seven became the established religion, Knights and chivalry were not just accepted but celebrated.

Andal craftspeople were actively encouraged to settle and share knowledge and skills with the local population.

And to cement it all, intermarriage between the First Men and the Andals became commonplace.

And this is where the Tyrells came in, because House Tyrell was founded by Sir Alester Tyrell, an Andal Knight who was welcomed into the service of House Gardener.

The Tyrell equivalent of Lann the Clever, if you will.

His descendents rose to become stewards of the Gardeners and intermarried with them perhaps 10 times over the years.

So when House Gardener was destroyed on the field of fire during the Targaryen Conquest, they were the obvious choice to take over.

But enough history for the moment.

I certainly could go for days, but decided against it.

Me and my retinue were just about to enter this ancient but beautiful and well-kept Castle, with Sandor and Daven leading my marching Legionaries on their own horses while carrying my Royal Legion banners.

Passing through the gatehouse of the first

curtain wall I was faced with a rosebush or a hedge, as we went further in it became apparent that this was a maze.

A courting couple bowed in respect, most visitors usually paused by this point, uncertain of which way to go in order to get to the next gatehouse, but I was greeted cordially by Lord Tyrell and his older sons.

Willas and Garlan Tyrell, each fifteen and fourteen years old respectively.

Willas wasn't a cripple yet, showing no signs of a bad leg.

Canonically, during his first tourney, Willas would enter as a squire of a young age due to his father's wishes and competed against Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne, who knocked Willas from his horse.

The Tyrell heir's foot would be caught in his stirrup as he fell, and have his own horse on top of him, crushing his leg and leaving him a cripple.

My brief Observe described him as intelligent, studious, educated, kind, and enthusiastic about breeding the finest hawks, hounds and horses in the Seven Kingdoms.

Willas was also described as mild and courtly, fond of reading books and looking at the stars, which was a funny piece of trivia.

But I'm sure I could make use of it.

Garlan was similar in appearance to his older brother, but he was slightly taller and more broadly built.

Clearly even before the incident, the two brothers knew where they stood.

The second son of Lord Tyrell would turn into an exceptionally skilled swordsman, preferring to train against three or four swordsmen, so as to better prepare himself for actual battle, but his lack of interest in gaining glory would also make him less famous than Loras (his younger brother).

Garlan was allegedly plump in his youth, so Willas shrewdly dubbed him the Gallant to save him from the indignity that befell an uncle of theirs, nicknamed Garth the Gross.

But of course, it didn't seem to sit well for Garlan.

In similar fashion to Bryden (The Blackfish), Garlan had his personal coat of arms as two golden roses on green, to denote his status as second son and differentiate himself from Willas.

Although they were still taller than me, the gap between us was smaller than the one between me and Daven.

"It's an honor to receive you in my humble castle, my prince." Mace Tyrell spoke jovially with a bow, despite his appearance being more similar to how my father was supposed to turn into before the start of the books. "It hasn't been a year since we've last met and you already look taller. Your father's blood is undoubtedly serving you well."

Both Willas and Garlan followed their father's example as Tyrell guards bowed silently behind them.

"Thanks for the welcoming." I replied back, more confident in the few inches of height I've gained. "Stormlanders are known for their quality as warriors."

We shared courtesies on the legendary briar labyrinth, which was undeniably beautiful and I'm sure a diverting way to waste a few hours, but it also served a more practical purpose.

The outside of the hedges here were green and filled with flowers and suchlike, but digging a little deeper and one would find behind them a thick impassable tangle of harsh thorns.

An ingenious way of slowing down any invaders who make it past the first curtain wall, but eventually we do make our way through this maze following Mace Tyrell and his sons as we take the tourist route while my Legionnaires were allowed to raise camp near the castle's walls.

Pia would accompany me to sleep in the castle, but she would be mostly busy either studying or completing a few tasks I've ȧssigned to her.

As for Lord Tyrell, his behavior towards me was a little tricky.

Biggest reason being how often he enjoyed to brag about how he viewed himself as a great warrior, although his reputation rested solely on the victory over my father in the Battle of Ashford during his Rebellion, which had largely been won by Mace's bannerman, Lord Randyll Tarly, before the Fat Flower even arrived at the battlefield.

But I guess I've all but asked for it after mentioning how much of a military force the Stormlands were.

Not to mention the organized view anyone had of my Royal Legion.

The good side was that I took one of their notes and had opted to grow strong without much eccentricities.

Overall, our numbers were still really small to worry any Lord that already had their hands full with the frequent winters and the rising number of desperate people willing to become criminals.

But that was a work in progress.

On the other side behind the other two curtain walls, was a rather idyllic scene.

There were towers and a keep, that we would get on to in a moment, but between them and all around them were courtyards and colonnades, groves of trees, fountains.

I could even see a man-made waterfall bubbling into a brook which winded its way down the hillside.

And if that wasn't enough, around all this, there were artists, singers, and harpists. Exquisite statues were dotted around and everywhere had the sweet smell of roses.

There was in fact a Sept here that was rivaled in its size and beauty only by the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing and, supposedly, the Starry Sept in Old Town.

Its walls were not stone, but stained glass with colorful depictions of not just the Seven but also legendary heroes like Garth Greenhand and his

crown of flowers and vines.

And to my great surprise, the Godswood here had three weirwood trees in its center, each tall and graceful.

They were known as the three singers and have grown so close over the years that it was hard to see where one ended and another began.

Indeed, through Shadow's eyes, it looked like just one tree, albeit with three trunks.

This led me to make a mental note of sneaking out during the night and venturing into the Godswood.

I ought to be cautious about 'worshiping' the Old Gods, especially anywhere outside the North.

Taking a moment to look now at the buildings, as the Tyrells led me and my inner circle of followers, it was clear that they were of two distinct styles.

The older ones that were squat and square probably dated back to the Age of Heroes, being built by the First Men.

Even Tyrion noticed it without me voicing out my thoughts.

But the rest, the tall slender towers circular rather than square, were from after the end of the invasion.

It was after all, they who largely introduced the architectural benefits of round towers rather than square ones.

But the whitestone of all of these towers was covered not just in ivy and climbing roses, but also vines of grapes.

"One never goes for want of a tasty morsel to eat in Highgarden." Tyrion remarked to Daven's amusement.

Sandor merely remained silent, probably disdaining the entire chivalrous theme of this Kingdom.

But I remained interacting with Lord Tyrell, since I was the face of my party.

As we continued on our way, the centrepiece of course was the keep, for which the only appropriate word was palatial.

The Great Hall was airy and light statues even finer than those outside line the walls.

And though this was clearly still a place for business, where Lord Tyrell administered justice, one couldn't help but wonder whether the true business of running the Reach was done not here but in the nooks and crannies of the castle along the shaded walkways and in passing conversations by fountains.

People may appear to be just taking time in enjoying their surroundings, but the snippets of conversation I heard from passing by suggested this was every bit as much of a political place as King's Landing.

Which made me feel at home, if not a little homesick.

—————————————————————

Loras and Margaery were still too young for me to push any of my plans forward, with him being only a year older than me and her right about my age, which sadly didn't mean they shared my maturity as well.

But what I found amusing was how identical they were despite the fact that they weren't not actual twins, like Cersei and Jaime or Joanna and Lann were.

If things were to remain similar to how they went on in the actual story, Loras would fall in love with my uncle Renly, and Margaery would seek to become Queen, either through me or my younger brothers.

Lann or the supposed equivalent of Tommen.

But for now, I had their older brothers to deal with.

Fortunately, I had my work cut in half by how much in common they had with Tyrion and Daven.

Although Willas was in perfect health, he had yet to consider trying his hand on the acrobatic stunts I've been training with Tyrion.

Not that I wanted him to be that agile without ȧssurances that he would be willing to serve me, but it never hurts to have something to bond over with.

Especially since his animal handling and training habits were very interesting to me.

I've handed my force of cats, rats and doves to Rhaenys in order to give her another edge while I was away.

But since I've yet to find a way to shape Shadow into another type of animal, I've decided to use my Wild Shape perk and Animal of the woods feature to make up for that.

So far, I've actually managed to tame some lions in order to have them brought to the Lannisters of Casterly Rock to be what the Direwolves were to the Starks of Winterfell.

Using the excuse that a skilled animal trainer had sold them to Tywin, who was initially hesitant but soon agreed to my point of them being quite useful in both practical and intimidating purposes.

Though contrary to the Starks, I wasn't going to have them travel around Westeros before I was absolutely certain that these tamed lions and lionesses wouldn't make a fool out of House Lannister.

But back to the Tyrell brothers.

While Daven and Tyrion showed more interest in hawks and eagles, and Sandor pretended to not care for the hounds, I was much more intrigued by his work with the horses.

Through Pycelle I've learned basically everything there was to know. But it didn't mean I knew exactly how to do it myself.

Tobho Mott helped me improve my Blacksmithing skill beyond what I've learned from an Archmaester that was brought to the capital to teach me more theoretical knowledge.

In the same fashion, Gerion guided me through simple lessons of actually sailing and commanding a crew.

One time, under my request, I had him helping me with climbing masts, tying knots, scrubbing decks, pulling oars, caulking leaks, raising and lowering sails, manning the crow's nest, and learning to navigate and steer.

And Tygett helped me with organizing and leading my Royal Legion, not to mention practical warfare lessons.

"Quite the collection of horses you have." I whistle in surprise, noticing it struck the perfect balance between quantity and quality that both King's Landing and Lannisport still struggled with.

"Thanks, my prince." Willas nodded in gratitude before turning to face his destriers, coursers and chargers. "Would you like to ride one?"

"Only if that isn't a problem for you." I remarked before noticing he even had palfreys, but no sand steed. "And please, call me Don."

"It surely isn't… Don." Willas reassured me and led me through what basically was my first experience riding a horse.

Not really, but it wasn't much far away from that.

Willas oriented me so well with how I should work alongside the animal to not only have it obey me, but actually understand what I was expecting it to do.

It made me wonder how his first joust would end up so badly for him.

Perhaps it was that very talent that made his father so eager to sign him on a tourney he wasn't ready for.

Though I must say it was quite easy for me to master horse riding as I could actually trade a few words with the animal itself.

Nothing too deep like asking if the animal was happy with its life, or similar to how Shadow achieved full sentences, but enough to distinguish right from left and faster from slower.

The Reach was undoubtedly the best place for me to work on my animal army, or cultivating food for that matter, but I had to admit that I was still interested in having a Sand Steed to call my own.

Regardless, Willas and I would ride every morning during my stay a few ŀȧps around their castle, but for now I took the opportunity to know more about his birds of prey and hounds.

It was during my initial time with Garlan, around afternoon on that same day, that things got a little more exciting.

Although I've previously compared him to Bryden Tully, he also had signs of Tygett Lannister as well.

And as I saw him somehow match Daven's skill during their spar, he had the great idea to invite me to spar with him as well. "Would you be willing to test your skill in a friendly match?"

This made Daven grimace, recalling that he had also done the same thing.

But Sandor had grown accustomed to how casual I was with matters like this, so he didn't even gesture threateningly at Garlan nor attempted to shield me from any sort of threat to my life.

"Not at all." I accepted his challenge before noticing the Master-at-arms showing signs of worry in regards of supervisioning our spar.

While I've deemed Daven as a competent fighter in a straight combat during our first sparring, he had been quite stunned by how I circled around him without much effort.

But Garlan…

"Urg! Excellent parry and repositioning, my prince." He remarked bȧrėly dodging one of my casual attacks, that wouldn't have been that effective against someone wearing full plate armor. "And your footwork is impeccable, especially for someone your age."

Alright, he was a little too arrogant for his own sake.

Regardless if he showed interest in constantly improving his martial prowess, Garlan was still a highborn lad that deep inside sought to prove his own valor in battle.

Despite not enjoying acting like a kid, I definitely appreciated the low expectations people had for me.

Made it all so precious whenever I almost got serious.

Even without applying my Water Dance or Dirty Fighting skills to our match, I easily outmatched him in both raw strength, constitution and agility.

But he could only verify my mobility.

As Garlan thought he had caught me by surprise, I became alert to his muscles' movement, and predicted his strike was aimed at my head.

I swung my head back and let the wooden sword pass through the air where my head used to be before I lashed out and stabbed my own wooden weapon at my opponent.

Garlan twisted his body and somehow managed to get his sword back in front of his body to block the blow.

I continued my ȧssault and twirled the blade towards his neck using the momentum of his block against him.

Garlan smacked it away with the armor on his forearm and moved towards me, intending to draw me in close range.

I smirked as I allowed him to do so.

The last time Daven had done such a thing it did not work out so well for him, as he had woken up staring at the clouds with a sore forehead from my elbow.

I blocked his right hook with my unarmored forearm and immediately went into a superman elbow to knock him out as I did against Daven.

And then I followed by immediately rolling on the back of my opponent.

As I hit the ground with a perfect posture, the breath finally left Garlan's lungs as his hands dropped his sword and shield.

He immediately began wheezing while trying to suck air back into his lungs.

If he had been able to do anything other than focus on surviving in that moment, he would have heard a chorus of laughs mixed with the ooh's of sympathy.

Before I could deliver the finishing blow, the young Tyrell was on his knees and elbows facing the earth when he finally took that sweet sweet breath of fresh air for what seemed to have felt like years.

To him it must have felt like drinking a glass of water after a week in a desert, or some weird comparison like that.

"Alright, the match is over." The Master-at-arms declared after recovering from his surprise.

"Take my advice, work on your stamina." I told him while swirling my sword before sheathing it and stretching my shield arm. "Otherwise, be sure that no skill will help you survive an opportunistic opponent."

While Garlan gave the best approximation of a thumb up he could in his current condition, I received compliments from Willas and the others, who were all surprised by my previous stunt.

Like I said before, sometimes I almost forget I'm still just a kid.

"In all honesty, my brother is no stranger to defeat." Willas conceded. "But I can't recall watching him receive such a definitive beating, much less from someone that much younger than him."

"There's no doubt the young prince is impressive in combat." Sandor nodded, still surprised by my agility and strength. "He's mightier than he looks."

I raised an eyebrow at that.

Even though I didn't show it that oftenly, I had an actual rock-hard six pack abs, which was a stark improvement in comparison to my previous life if my memory didn't deceive me.

In any case, we waited until Garlan had fully recovered from his exhaustion and Willas proceeded to show us our chambers.

I've come with the intention of spending the week on Highgarden and bonding with the Tyrells, but was a little surprised after hearing that the Queen of Thorns wasn't feeling well thanks to the sudden shifts of seasons.

I've been meaning to trade words with the female equivalent of Tywin Lannister on my way here.

One night during my stay at Highgarden, I sneaked into her chambers and did my magic.

Ew, not like that.

Regardless, after making sure she was sleeping and finding out what was actually wrong with her through my Observe skill, I've shifted around all my medical knowledge before considering my healing skills, perks and features.

Summoned my Unseen Servant and had it ready to cast Spare the Dying as a safety measure, since I really dėsɨrėd to interact with the Queen of Thorns, while my Mage Hands aided me with providing any medical care she might require.

Soon enough her condition stabilized and improved back to regular help.

I could have my Spirit Totems with their temporary Health and Stamina points revigorarinting the old lady while my Twilight Sanctuary doubled down on her Health points.

Though my paranoia forced me to cast Detect Magic just in case she was being cursed, or something like it.

At least, I could always use the additional experience with the spell.

Half an hour after my arrival, I've left with the old Tyrell feeling much better than she might've even before my birth had messed with this world's seasons.

I've paid my debt.

—————————————————————

My time at Highgarden was an interesting experience, to be honest.

I almost considered staying longer, but I was on a schedule.

Besides, my Legionnaires were running out of work this close to a Great house's castle.

The Reach itself was nothing short of a fairytale, though some places were more interesting than others to me.

Although the farmlands were well maintained, the frequent winters were noticeably taking their toll on the population.

At least to those wise enough to care.

Everyday there were smallfolk bustling about the main roads into the castle.

And it wasn't even a city.

But other than the interesting characters belonging to the Tyrell house, the most interesting part about the castle was the massive Godswood that could be easily sighted from any point on the castle grounds.

That was where my feet were currently taking me.

Dinner was fabulous, as you would expect from a Great Lord hosting the Crown Prince they were sworn to.

There was beer, wine, pork, chicken, vegetables, and even good looking wrenches and servants roaming the halls.

I had left as soon as it was considered polite, leaving Sandor and the other two Lannisters to prepare a few things for my departure tomorrow, intent on exploring the place in case it took me a while to return.

Which obviously included visiting the three weirwood trees I had Shadow locate for me.

I wanted to see if for myself, but I also wanted to finally progress my Druid title.

It's been a while since I've gained anything.

Thankfully it was not hard to find my way towards the Godswood, one only had to follow the magnificent garden passages.

It would be easy to find even without those to guide you, truth be told.

I evaded being seen getting this close to a Weirwood tree for good measure.

Continuing to follow the path, which was lined with beautiful roses, and other pretty flowers along the way.

Lord Tyrell obviously spent a lot of gold and manpower on the upkeep of his Godswood, an odd thing for any southern Lord.

It kind of reminded me of my experience with Raventree Hall.

Most of the time, the North was the only region to administer such care.

In fact, most southern castles didn't actually call it 'godswood', but instead just 'gardens'.

Obviously, it was because they did not follow nor believed in the Old gods.

I turned a corner in the garden, and suddenly I could see it.

The Three Singers were indeed large, ancient, and graceful.

And given this location's backstory, I would say it is a pretty important place for the religion of the Old Gods.

I walked up to it, hoping to have hit the jackpot with this visit while also becoming more curious the closer that I got.

There was no face carved on to them, which was a worrying sign to me.

I reached my right and left hand out to touch the one in the middle.

I wanted to touch them all, to feel my connection with nature grow stronger, so one day I could get any closer to becoming just as (if not more) powerful than the Three Eyed Raven.

[TITLE "DRUID" HAS LEVELED UP!]

[YOUR FEATURES HAVE EVOLVED!]

Feeling a different sensation I had felt after bonding with the previous Weirwood trees, I had my hands sliding down from the bark of the tree in the middle and grasped the roots of the other two.

[TITLE "DRUID" HAS LEVELED UP!]

I grinned in satisfaction.

Inspecting my features, Animal of the Woods had a new section that said…

[PRIMAL STRIKES: Your attacks in beast form count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non magical attacks and damage.]

Now my Wild Shapes could overcome both regular and magical types of protection.

Great!

Next was a boost to my Spirit Totem feature.

[MIGHTY SUMMONER: Creatures that you conjure are more resilient than normal. Any summon or creation made by a spell that you cast gains two benefits: The creature appears with more health points than normal and the damage from its natural weapons is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to non magical attacks and damage.]

This one might be even better.

Both Shadow and my Spiritual totems just got even cooler.

Now, onto my next stop.

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Soon enough, after seeking the trace of magical aura through Highgarden, I was finally led to a marked wall covered in thick vines in the labyrinth.

{SECRET ENTRANCE}

{YOU HAVE FOUND A PASSAGEWAY LEADING TO THIS CASTLE'S DUNGEON!}

As the silhouette of a doorway formed before me, revealing a newly formed passageway, I delved into the magical dungeon without much ceremony.

Without waiting for my command, Shadow quickly rushed forward to scout the area ahead of me.

I picked a piece of cured leather and watched it be consumed as I casted one of my first level spells.

My voice reverberated with a magical filter and I moved my hands in the appropriate gesture. "Mage Armor."

{MAGE ARMOR Lv- 8 (76%)}

{-10 MP}

As the spell engulfed me, an armor of glowing arcane runes and lines spread all over my figure before turning invisible.

It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Besides, it never hurts to level up my spells.

In any case, as I began to make my descent down the set of stairs, the wall sealed back the entrance behind me.

Interestingly enough, instead of the walls and steps being made of regular stone, or gold like it was on Casterly Rock, it was a mixture of loamy soil and thick roots.

With some pillars of skillfully carved wood depicting an idyllic visage.

It was all perfectly cut and polished, with some forms of fungus life covering it only adding to its 'nature theme'.

The symbols spread all around it were signaling that I was entering another pocket dimension.

Looking through Shadow's eyes, I was again surprised by another difference to this dungeon.

It wasn't the figure of the average undeads I've been facing during my usual expeditions.

The creatures still moved with a jerky, uneven gait, but instead of the rotten flesh clad in the moldering apparel it used to wear when it was put to rest now carrying the stench of decay, it looked like an awakened plant that resembled a woody shrub as it pulled its roots free of the ground.

Its branches twisted together to form a small humanoid-looking body with a head and limbs.

"Don't tell me…" I rushed my pace with a small grin. "You are baby groot?"

'It certainly is, master.' My Wild familiar agreed, without really knowing what I was talking about.

As much as I enjoy individuality and a sense of self expression, it's good to not have my own Shadow doubting me.

As I reached her, torches began lighting up as I passed by them.

"So after all this time, things are finally becoming more interesting" I came to a realization.

As the tunnel we were traversing began to widen up, I sighted several wooden sculptures, with some elaborated ornaments made out of living plants and numerous fruits ready for harvest.

Since gold was no longer an issue, I was much more curious about what use this Dungeon could offer me.

The wood tensioning noise coming from behind stopped my inspection of the soil.

Plants had just rapidly grown in order to block my path.

Like with regular metal, it was nothing that my Valyrian steel weapons couldn't cut through, but to me it served more of a security measure to not let any creature escape the dungeon.

'The twigs are approaching us.' Shadow informed me with a meow.

Observing them I got some useful information.

{TWIG BLIGHT, SMALL PLANT}

{LV - 10}

DEF: 6

HP: 25

SPEED: 20 ft.

POW: 6

MOB: 12

END: 12

INT: 4

CONDITION IMMUNITIES: BLINDED, DEAFENED.

SENSES: BLINDSIGHT 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius)

LANGUAGES: It understands Common tongue but can't speak it.

[FALSE APPEARANCE]: While the blight remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a dead shrub.

Blights were plants that had been tainted with necromancy magic, usually after a forest was corrupted by an evil force or ritual.

My mental map eventually informed me of the creatures that were about to sprout from the ground, pinpointing the hostile creatures, so when I heard noises, I blasted four overly aggressive wooden creatures with my Eldritch Blast.

Picking several small stones out of my Inventory, I coated it with Eldritch Smite and threw them with great force and precision.

Different from the steel and iron clad zombies I've been facing, these twigs were nowhere near as resilient, but their small frame and high mobility did synergize with their larger numbers and underground digging movement.

Despite being made of nonconductive material, making my Shocking grasp just as useless as trying to deaf them through Thunderclap, Psychic damage was surprisingly somewhat effective in stunning them.

Dancing amongst them with my Twin Gladius lighting up with a Fiery aura I had just recently managed to reverse engineer from my Wildfire recipe, almost burning them to crisps with blazing slashes.

But even with my speed and precision, this was still taking too long.

Some even managed to graze my Mage armor with their wooden claws.

Which was crazy by itself since I've faced hordes of undead back at Harrenhal without much trouble.

Problem was that most of my features and perks were specially made to fight undeads. And the fact that these creatures were brought to life with necromancy didn't seem to give them the same set of weaknesses.

With Lightning and Thunder not being strong enough to be effective against it, I was left with lighting small fires here and there with my Thaumaturgy cantrip, pretending that their heads and small frames were like small torches and bonfires.

I fastened my pace even more, feeling free to not hold out as I had Shadow taking some opportunistic strikes whenever she could.

At first it was looking like I had finally got the hang of it, but those I didn't burn completely to ashes sprouted spores that spawned more of them.

To be fair it was an excellent training experience to face a different kind of foe, but I wasn't willing to stay here an entire day.

[FLASK OF ALCHEMIST FIRE]

My personal brew, a much less unstable version of Wildfire in smaller doses but without losing its destructive power in larger quantities.

Though the loss of the classic green color was an unfortunate outcome.

Fortunately, the last standing foe was also the strongest among them.

Alright, perhaps I got an opportunity here.

Zombies were after all mindless creatures that I still got a way of controlling, perhaps the same could happen to these plant-like creatures.

"Listen to me blight!" I said with an angelic voice, speaking in True Tonge. "I know you possess intelligence that most creatures do not."

The creature halted its movement, probably acknowledging my title as a Druid of the Old gods.

But it seems it wasn't that much devoted to them, given it had remained as an enemy in my Mental Map.

Before the overgrown twig attempted to skewer me with its nasty claws, Darkness landed before me and a dark greenish dust came out of its mouth as it attempted to roar and covered the plant creature.

It stumbled and fell on top of her, encasing my currently growing Wild familiar in a wooden shell resembling natural armor, giving it longer claws and teeth alongside a thin layer of protection surrounding her neck.

My previously regular sized cat now looked more like a slightly smaller Shadowcat equipped with natural armor.

Did she just evolve?

Noticing that my Mental map still regarded Shadow as an ally, I grinned.

'Good job girl.' I told her mentally as the wooden shell was absorbed into her dark fur and she returned to her previous size. 'C'mon, let's continue…'

I stopped mid thought, as my perception warned me of an enemy rushing towards our location.

"Stay on guard." I commanded while retrieving my flaming swords again.

Hearing loud shrieks heading towards us, I commanded Shadow to hide and flank them.

{NEEDLE BLIGHT, MEDIUM PLANT}

It was somewhat impressive.

In the darkness, they might be taken at a distance for shuffling, hunched humanoids.

Up close though, these creatures revealed themselves as horrid plants whose conifer-like needles grew across their bodies in quivering clumps.

As they launched their needles as an aerial ȧssault, I noticed by how my Mage armor reacted to its piercing damage that it could actually punch through common armor and flesh.

Though the following shots were all ignored by opening my Inventory window and covering myself with it.

Perhaps they might be more useful than throwing pebbles.

Also, my Observe informed me that when Needle Blights detect a threat, they lose pollen that the wind carries to other Needle Blights throughout the forest. Alerted to their foes' location, they converge from all sides to drench their roots in blood.

Good thing I had them enclosed in an underground tunnel.

Shadow made deep cuts into the back of their necks with surprise attacks, her defense being strong enough to resist its needles, so I took the opportunity to blaze them with my Alchemist Fire.

Sadly Shadow wasn't strong enough to merge with them just like she did with the twig from before.

Since these medium-sized plants didn't have the capacity of multiplying themselves like the smaller ones, I've left one gravely injured behind so I could make use of them in the future.

As Shadow and I walked past the empty tunnel, I started to test her recent progress.

It had gained a feature according to its nature.

[FEY PRESENCE]

[Your familiar bestows upon you the ability to project the beguiling and fearsome presence of the fey. As an action, you can cause each creature in a 3-meter cube originating from you to be all charmed or frightened by it (your choice).]

That reminded me of how I've trained Shadow to catch a few rats and doves in the Red Keep for me to train.

Nevertheless, the two of us proceeded ahead as I casually disarmed several traps along the way that would have proven deadly to anyone else other than me.

"Stop." I ordered while raising my hand, prompting my companion to immediately halt her movement.

My Alchemist Fire had long substituted my need for fire traps with gaining fire through my Absorb Elements spell.

{ABSORB ELEMENTS Lv- 5 (21%)}

I already had acid, poison, fire, lightning and thunder.

Now I only required to absorb Cold damage to unlock the use of my Chromatic orb.

I could bȧrėly wait for it.

The prospect of hurling a sphere of magical energy at my enemies capable of dealing multiple types of damage depending on the occasion was just too good to ignore.

'Let's proceed.' I commanded after making sure that all the traps had been completely disarmed.

Finally reaching the end of the tunnel, I activated the small opening in the wall before us prompting a passageway to appear, leading to the Treasure Room.

More of an underground Godswood.

The chamber itself was just as large as the one under Casterly Rock, though clearly with an entirely different theme.

I noticed the upper silver ring lighting up a small signal to inform me I had unlocked Highgarden, ignoring it and the mosaic tiles on the ceiling for now, I focused on something else.

Just as before, no ċhėst could be found in the center of the Treasure Room, but sparse trees could be seen from where I stood.

With one oak tree having a cryptic message carved on its trunk, that said: Druid Secrets.

The knowledge it gave seemed to help me make a minor breakthrough with my Thaumaturgy cantrip.

The walls were completely covered with fruits of all types and beautiful roses, like it was a natural greenhouse thanks to the hole in the ceiling somehow providing sunlight, and the floor was made by and divided into multiple types of soil.

Sandy, clay and loam mostly, with appropriate foliage growing on it.

But since this location was one of the most secure places for me, I had a special idea for it.

The unwillingness of the Warlocks to not trade their Black-barked tree was proving too much of an obstacle in brewing my Alchemist infusions, but once I got my hands on a sapling, this pocket dimension would be essential.

Gotta get myself a proper Cultivation skill, just like how I got Mining skill to make better use of the mines in the Westerlands.

All in all, minus one castle in unlocking quick travel, only five remaining.

—————————————————————

The day of leaving Highgarden finally came.

I'd successfully managed to get acquainted with both Willas and Garlan while also formally inviting them to join my Royal Legion if they ever felt like enlisting.

Commanded Sandor and Daven after their daily sparring to have my Legionnaires break camp outside the castle's walls and get ready to march towards Oldtown.

Pia was a little sad to leave, probably having grown used to the fairytale castle with its beautiful gardens, but she still wished to follow me on my journey.

Tyrion had just struck a casual deal with provisions and qualified manpower with Lord Tyrell in exchange for some of my fertilizers and 'very successful' agricultural techniques.

It was during that process that one of my first patients had reached to speak with me.

"Leaving so soon, my prince?" Lady Ollena asked while being shielded on both sides by twin guardsmen. "I've been expecting to see what the grandson of Lord Tywin was growing into."

"My Lady, I'm glad to see you've recovered from your illness." I greeted her with a respectable nod and approached her.

Lady Olenna was a small woman the size of a child, slightly shorter than me.

The white-haired lady appeared wrinkled and wizened, with soft, spotted hands and gaunt thin fingers. Smelled of rosewater, but also had an old woman's sour breath and toothless smiles.

Olenna walked with a cane and claimed to be near deaf, but both were part of her feigning to be more frail than she actually was.

Very like how Pycelle acted most of the time.

She rarely shied from stating her opinion, being described as a wizened, cunning old woman with a wicked wit and a sharp tongue, earning her the moniker 'Queen of Thorns'.

Not the most patient of women, and although regularly mocking members of her own family, Ollena seemed to be a staunch supporter of Tyrell family interests.

"Ah, I see good manners aren't a mystery he has kept from you." She replied bluntly with a sharp smile. "But I suppose you are after all your father's son. Just look at you, you haven't even celebrated your tenth nameday and are already taller than me."

I gave her a friendly smile in return, glad that the previous illness hadn't changed her in any shape or form. "You flatter me, my lady. I still have much to learn in order to even compare to you."

Ollena actually chuckled at my response. "I'm not certain if that's false modesty in your tone or genuine humbleness."

I gestured dismissively with smiling eyes. "Let's not waste time speaking of such trivial matters, my lady."

She was clearly surprised by my response.

"Sadly my time is short for now, but as I've said before, I was genuinely worried about your condition." I remarked while mimicking the appropriate facial and body expression for what I was trying to convey. "Perhaps on my next visit to this wonderful castle, we will have the opportunity to have a proper conversation."

"Indeed. But if you don't mind satisfying my curiosity, I would like to know what is the ward of the Warden of the West doing without him so far away from his presence?" She eventually forsake subtleness in favor of practicality.

"If you must know, my lady, I've been requested by my own grandfather to become acquainted with the lands belonging to my father, the King." I replied, sounding like an obedient and gullible boy while shifting the Queen of Thorns' attention towards my grandfather. "For that reason I will continue on my journey around your family's kingdom.

Just like how Varys could become an unnecessary opposing force if my magic was known before the time was adequate, Ollena could very much decide to get rid of me if I appeared to be someone too hard to manipulate.

Not that I couldn't survive the occasional poisoning or hired blade, but I much rather avoid unnecessary trouble.

The older Tyrell finally nodded in acknowledgment of my response. "I see. If that's the case, I can only wish you safe travels. But do keep in mind that you will always be welcome here."

"Much appreciated, my lady." I nodded before motioning to leave. "With your permission."

Ollena nodded back and watched with a serious stare as I left to join my Royal Legion.

—————————————————————

(06/12/2021)

*Hope this chapter is of your liking.

Anything you wish to ask, feel free to do so.

Check out my auxiliary chapter if you still haven't.

Thanks as always for your attention and please be safe.

Any problems with my writing, just point them out and I will correct them as soon as possible.

** Sorry for the constant delays.

*** As for the constant info dumps about the logistics of raising and maintaining a personal army, I will stop with them for a while since most of you seem to not enjoy it that much. 😅 I'm aware that my writing skills aren't that high to make it more of a pleasant reading experience.. Sorry if it really bothered you.