I mean to build another canal here when the larger one is over and done with."
"Another one?" Zhoe asked. "Isn't one more than enough? The other one is costly to the realm's treasury as it is."
"This one will be shorter I promise. It will allow Harrenhal quick and easy access to the rest of the Trident proper. Allow the quick movement of troops and supplies from the castle itself to any part of the realm."
Zhoe had the look of someone that didn't really believe what they were hearing. "And you will go on to say that you shall build a canal that shall connect the Blackwater to the Mander once this new one of yours is finished."
I paled at the thought of a canal connecting the Mander and the Blackwater. That would sort of make the Blue Fork-Ironman's Bay Cana redundant and pointless. That canal would see a great loss in the traffic it would see as ships would preferably go through that canal rather than the first one to get to Oldtown.
No way, that wasn't happening.
"I think not." I said with a tone of finality as the thought of a rival canal. "One cross-continental canal is good enough for Westeros. It has no need for a rival."
Zhoe hummed as we walked along the shore of the God's Eye. "Whatever you say dear husband."
"Honest," I'd like to think that I didn't sound half as whiny as I did, but that would be completely biased on my account. "I have no interest in building any more canals."
"I truly do believe you husband, but I shall support you in all your endeavours."
I gave up trying to convince Zhoe of my true and noble intentions of only building one more canal because I doubt she would believe me. I really had no interest in having anymore canals built other than one that would connect the God's Eye to the Trident.
And anyway, I wanted to surely point out to her that this time, this canal would be cheaper than the one that connected the Blue Fork-Ironman's Bay Canal due to the fact that the distance between the two bodies of water was less. Not to self, I should give the other canal that we are building a better name than the Blue Fork-Ironman's Bay Canal.
That was far too long a name and not catchy at all.
The Great Canal? The Bluebay Canal?
...Ed's Canal? Maybe that was a bit too much on the nose? I didn't need to name everything after myself. If I started doing that, it would make me seem like a goddamn egotist. I needed to share the love.
Zhoe's Canal?
…
Maybe I should leave the naming of the canal to others. I can totally delegate that. I should probably hold some sort of competition, cos I doubt Zhoe would let me anywhere near her own canal if I named it that. I could already see the lewd japes and everything in-between being said about it.
Until then, I decided that I shall enjoy the pleasant company of my wife as we took a stroll on the shore of probably one of the most beautiful sights in all of Westeros. The God's Eye was truly something to see. It almost reminded me of the Lake District back home. Of summers spent there with family and friends.
Actually, now that I think about it, the God's Eye was somewhat like the Lake District. I definitely remembered hills, loads and loads of green fields and forests. The God's Eye had all of that. Had Georgie boy just copy pasted the Lake District into Westeros?
Well... it certainly wouldn't be surprising considering everything else about Westeros.
But I was still of the notion that the Lake District still had a one up on the God's Eye. Even if the strange blue and green waters of the lake made it queer and beautiful to the eyes to behold with the Isle of Faces off distant in the middle of the lake with its weirwoods and red leaves gave it a strange otherworldly vibe.
I found myself holding back a shudder.
There was a power to this place. I just know it.
An ancient pact was made in this place between two races of great magical potential. The Andals had tried to destroy the Isle but they had all come to fail badly and just decided to leave it alone.
If that didn't scream some magical bullshit had happened, then nothing did.
"Ah! King Edmyn!"
Looking up, walking in the direction towards us was one of the international guests that had come for my daughter's wedding, Mors Martell, Prince of Dorne. Not the ruling one, the younger brother of the ruling Princess of Dorne.
I decided I didn't like principalities. They just couldn't keep it simple, could they?
A pleasant smile plastered itself onto my face. "Prince Mors!" I greeted the dornish prince as neared each other, both of us having a lady around an arm. Or in his case, two. I had to admit, I was somewhat jealous. "I hope you are as in much awe as to the tranquillity and beauty of the God's Eye as me."
Mors Martell was certainly not Oberyn Martell. Instead of that dangerous dornishman who was fun to read about but certainly someone I would not want within several inches of my person, Mors was quite personable and pleasant.
His hair was a smart crop of dirty blond hair that set atop a face filled with soft features and his eyes were certainly not viper like in their blueness. His attire was mute but he wore the proud oranges and reds of House Martell that reminded me of the desert homeland that he hailed from.
The two ladies on his arms were beautiful as well. The lithe of body Meria Uller who teak coloured skin and merry dark eyes gave a certain quality about her that was difficult to place. Then there was the olive-skinned Veronica Santagar. Let's just say for someone so demure, she was certainly, quite bold. A contradiction that was quite interesting to see with my own eyes.
She had insisted that we address her by the name of Ronny.
"There is certainly something about it," It was the Lady Meria that spoke, her dark eyes taking in everything all at once without looking away from me and Zhoe. "Though mustn't seeing all these greens and blues get terribly dull?"
I shrugged in turn. "Not really. Sometimes, we get some browns here and there, and occasionally white as well."
"Yes," Zhoe said, nodding her head. "Though that also poses a question of our own, does it not get boring to see all the gold of the desert?"
I admit, Zhoe was handling the situation brilliantly despite her earlier surprise to see Prince Mors arrived not only without a wife, but with two paramours. Any other lord and lady could have taken this for a slight if it wasn't for one thing, I just didn't really care all that much. It didn't really bother me. The second being that Zhoe was a sweet-heart and wanted the wedding of our oldest daughter to go off without any trouble.
She had swallowed the slight and just got on with it.
It wasn't as if we could really do anything about it. Dorne was on the other side of the continent and well out of our sphere of influence.
Prince Mors chuckled to himself at the question. "I do believe she has you there my lady."
Lady Meria smiled at Zhoe. "For the nonce."
Prince Mors and his ladies joined us on our little walk. With Harrenhal rising up in the background, we talked between ourselves, learning quite a bit about the others country. Customs, laws, traditions and all that.
In that little dialogue, I had come to the simple conclusion that I would not do well in a desert environment. Eventually, me and Prince Mors broke off from our respective lady companionship to walk some little ways of them.
"An impressive castle that." the Martell prince said, nodding to the castle in the distance that even from as far away as we were, it still seemed bloody close. "The mightiest in all Westeros I would imagine."
"It is, even as unfinished as it is."
The older man smiled some. "Even as mighty a castle Harren built, it still fell to you and your men."
"More luck than anything else." A beat passed before I continued to speak. "And some blatant opportunism. If Harren had been cloistered in his castle, we would never have been able to take it whilst his ironborn came to save him."
"I have lived a long life, your grace and I have come to learn that at most, the world cares not for the plights of us petty mortals. We make our plans and the gods laugh and piss on us. You saw your chance and you took it. That was not luck. That was will."
I absorbed his words for a moment and nodded. "I'm still saying it was luck and blatant opportunism. You can't change my mind on that."
Prince Mors laughed. "I mean not too, but I admit, you have built yourself a lovely kingdom. The whole of Westeros knows of your deeds and the strength of your kingdom. I must say, defeating Mern and Loren was quite the statement to make."
"I would have thought me defeating Harren would have made a far larger statement."
"Oh it made one." The prince said, "Even in far-away Dorne, we know the touch of the ironborn well. Yours is not the only realm to suffer their ilk, though I doubt we have suffered as much as your people. The tale of the Bloody Court is known far and wide. The men, women and children that were slaughtered have my prayers."
"Thank you, your highness." In front of us, some jape or another was said as our three lady companions reeled off pearls of laughter. "I must ask Prince Mors, why are you here?"
He smiled at me. "Why, to share in the celebrations of your daughter of course! It is a fine and beautiful thing to hand-over your daughter into the care of the one she loves. She does love this Jon, no?"
"They get along well." I replied coolly with some ambivalence.
He crooked a fair eyebrow up his. "Fair? Is that so? Well, then I hope that they share many years together and come to know love."
"Like the one between you and your ladies?"
"I do not love them if you must know. It is merely lust that forces us together." He gave me a small smile. "I am already wed to another." Wait, he has a wife and two paramours? I do believe I'm starting to hate this guy. "Alas, my wife is in Dorne bedridden and the ladies Meria and Veronica forced themselves upon me. I apologise once more for any slight caused by their presence."
"It's fine, but yet, you have truly not answered the question I asked of you."
He laughed again and I was beginning to think that laughter came easy to this man. "I mean no harm nor bring any bad intentions with me if that is what you ask. I am here to help improve our relations between our two kingdoms."
I felt an eyebrow rise up. "So, it is not about the canal?"
"A magnificent project to be true, but not really one that impacts Dorne all too much." He said, waving off what I had thought to be the pressing issue that would bring the man all the way here.
"So, you are just here to build and foster the relations between our two kingdoms."
"Plainly speaking? Yes."
"I'd think you would forgive me if I found that hard to believe."
The crow's feet on the edges of his eyes crinkled some as he eye-smiled. "I would not blame you so. My sister also say the same. Now shall we head over back to the ladies? I think they miss our company."
He was right, I had come to find his company to be bad for my health and the ladies were certainly much better and lovely company. So, we made to join them.
It was easier for me to enjoy little moments like this. Things were surely to get a little livelier in the future.
One had to take their little victories when they could.
****
I did not appreciate having people pop up out of the shadows in front of me. I wasn't a fan of it. Not one bit.
Note to self, I should see to it that I have my own Kingsguard. Sers Ronald and Lucas were able enough to move forward to put themselves between me and the lordling that had come to stand in front of me, but this could have turned out worse for wear.
Actually, now that he was in the light.
"I know you." I said, a frown coming to form on my face. "You're Artys Ruthermont. You came with Ser Roland."
The vale lordling nodded as he bowed. "That I did your grace."
"You realise you happen to be very lucky right? The sers here could have cut you down with little thought if they thought you a threat to my persons."
"It was a risk I was willing to take for this audience, your grace." The lordling said, the look of resolve on his face more than convinced me that he was ready for that.
"A risk that would have caused an incident that I would not like to deal with." Such an incident could have very well forced me to support Ronnel to make up for killing one of his own men. I waved a hand that got the sers to stand down. My foot found itself tapping at the ground impatiently. "To secrete yourself away from the ongoing feast must mean this must be important. So, what do you want? What does your master want of me? What would he ask of me?"
I didn't have time for this. Ciri was to be wed tomorrow morn and I wanted to get to my bed so that I could wake up bright and early, ready for the day.
Artys looked at me for a moment before he answered. "Not he, your grace. She."
"...She?"
He nodded. "In truth, I am not King Ronnel's man. My loyalty belongs to that of the Queen Dowager."
"Sharra Arryn." I said with no small amusement. Now if I had another lordling from the Vale come out from nowhere and express loyalty to the Jonos Arryn, I would have a full house. "Fantastic."
"She bids me to seek an audience with you. To talk matters of state that requires all haste to be dealt with."
"She's in the Vale." I pointed out nonchalantly. "And I have things to do here, I don't plan on going there anytime soon."
Artys Ruthermont nodded. "She knows; therefore, she has come to you."
I heard him say the words, but I was most certainly having trouble comprehending them cos what he said was just too out of the blue and stupid. So I couldn't help but ask, just for some clarification. "Say again?"
"She wishes to meet and I am to be your guide."
Okay, so I had heard him right.
An urge to run a hand down my face nearly overwhelmed me. "Fantastic."