The ground grew increasingly distant.
The wind roared louder in Samwell's ears, and tree branches reached out like hands, grasping for him.
He closed his eyes, letting Cleopatra lead him into the sea of green below.
With a whoosh—
A flurry of green leaves scattered around as Samwell, riding his white dragon, burst out of the forest, emerging into the vast blue sky he hadn't seen for so long.
The sun hung high in the eastern sky, large and brilliant. An endless canopy of treetops stretched out like rolling waves, rapidly receding beneath him.
Samwell spread his arms wide, embracing the rushing wind and letting out a deep, hearty laugh.
Sensing her master's excitement, Cleopatra let out a thrilled screech of her own.
It was his first time riding a dragon and, in this world, his first time soaring through the sky.
It felt incredible.
Samwell clutched Cleopatra's slender neck, attempting to guide her according to his own will.
This wasn't easy, as Cleopatra could only understand a limited number of commands. When he tried directing her by nudging her head, it repeatedly failed.
Then he tried shifting his body's center of gravity or tapping her sides with his feet to communicate his intent. With ongoing trial and adjustment, the understanding between dragon and rider gradually grew.
Samwell was beginning to experience the joys of dragon-riding.
But before he could fully enjoy it, Cleopatra started to tire, her wings flapping slower as they began their descent.
With another whoosh—
They dove back into the forest.
Below them, a large herd of wild horses appeared. Upon sighting the white dragon, they instinctively turned and bolted.
But the dark shadow descending from the sky cast over them, and one horse, frightened to the point of losing its footing, stumbled and rolled onto the ground.
In the next moment, dragon fire engulfed the poor creature.
Cleopatra landed beside the freshly roasted horse carcass.
Samwell leaped off the white dragon's back, his legs burning from the heat radiating from Cleopatra's scales.
The wild grass on the ground was still ablaze, smoke and the smell of charred horse hair thick in the air. Luckily, both dragon and rider were immune to smoke and fire, and they began to enjoy their lunch.
Samwell tore a few smoking chunks of meat from the horse carcass with his bare hands, taking large, satisfying bites.
Once he was full and had regained some energy, Samwell mounted the white dragon again, preparing to return to the Reach's army.
But just then, he heard the faint sound of hooves approaching from the north.
Samwell directed the white dragon to fly over, where he saw a long, narrow slash of blue cut through the forest ahead.
The Wendwater?
Samwell wasn't familiar with the geography of this region, but he knew that the Wendwater was the longest and largest river in the Kingswood, flowing northward into Blackwater Bay.
By the river, two riders were watering their horses.
At first, Samwell paid them no mind, assuming they were just Stormlands scouts. But when he noticed the red-gold lion banner, he realized these were Lannisters.
The Lannisters had sent troops to aid the Stormlands?
Samwell immediately grew alert.
But then, he thought he was overthinking it.
The Lannisters' main force was still occupied in a standoff against the Northern coalition led by Lord Eddard Stark. It was unlikely they could spare troops to march south and aid the Stormlands.
Even if they had sent some, it was likely only a small contingent.
He paid them little mind and simply directed Cleopatra into a dive.
The beating wings of the white dragon caught the two riders' attention.
When they looked up and saw what was coming from above, they were terrified, hastily mounting their horses and fleeing in panic.
Samwell leisurely guided Cleopatra in pursuit from above, not letting her breathe fire, almost as if he were toying with them, or maybe curious to see where they would lead him.
The two poor Westerlands riders, drenched in sweat, were highly strung, their nerves frayed by the monstrous creature shadowing them from above. They tried to shoot arrows in retaliation, but with the dragon soaring three or four hundred feet up, their arrows, even if they hit, lacked any power to penetrate its tough dragon scales.
Desperate, the two riders could do nothing but run.
As they continued, their exhausted horses began foaming at the mouth.
Finally, after a loud roar from the dragon, both exhausted horses collapsed, tossing their riders to the ground.
Samwell directed Cleopatra to land.
"Are you from King's Landing?" Samwell had left his heavier weapons behind to lessen the burden on the dragon, so he drew his short dagger as he walked toward the two Westerlands riders.
The two said nothing, but both drew their swords and charged.
Unfazed, Samwell seized his moment and lunged forward, nearly colliding with one of the riders, as his dagger struck precisely between the gaps in the man's armor, severing his entire right arm.
A bloodcurdling scream filled the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight.
The other rider, shocked by his companion's scream, swung his sword in panic, but his strike missed. A heavy force then slammed into him from behind, driving him into the dirt.
Unhurriedly, Samwell disarmed both men and began interrogating them for information.
At first, the Westerlanders refused to talk, but after Samwell cut off a few fingers, the once-stubborn men quickly became cooperative.
The information he gathered made Samwell frown.
The Lannisters had indeed sent troops to support the Stormlands, and it wasn't a small number—nearly sixty thousand men.
Where did they find so many soldiers?
At first, Samwell thought the prisoners were lying and cut off a few more fingers.
Sobbing in pain, they explained that Kevan Lannister had temporarily recruited fifty thousand new soldiers from King's Landing. These troops were untrained, lacked proper weapons and equipment, and were of extremely low combat ability. An additional five thousand soldiers had been gathered from the Crownlands, making it look like a large army.
That explanation seemed more plausible.
Still, Samwell wasn't inclined to blindly trust these captives' words. He wasn't in a hurry to return to his forces either, opting instead to ride north along the Wendwater on his white dragon.
He needed to see for himself just how many troops the Lannisters had sent.
---
Along the Kingsroad, Kevan Lannister halted his horse, taking a few gulps from the water skin his squire handed him.
"Is that the Wendwater up ahead?"
"Yes, my lord. After crossing the river, we'll be near Bronze Gate."
"'Near,' but at this pace, it'll take several more days," Kevan said, glancing back at the chaotic march of his army with a deep frown.
He hadn't held high hopes for this hastily assembled force, but only now, after actually marching with them, did he realize the full difficulty of moving such an army over long distances.
If they'd had a less experienced commander, half of these fifty thousand troops would likely have deserted before they even reached Bronze Gate.
Kevan had exhausted himself keeping the army together along the way. Still, his biggest worry lay elsewhere.
"Where's the Reach's army now?"
"They're nearing Fellwood."
"So soon!" Kevan's face paled. "Didn't the Stormlands boast about turning the Kingswood into a grave for the Reach? How have they already reached Fellwood?"
"Stormlands scouts were deployed in great numbers, but their general reports that the Reach army is under the command of Randyll Tarly, who's adept at countering such tactics, so they haven't managed to slow him much. However, their target appears to be Fellwood, so we should still have time."
Kevan found little comfort in this. His biggest fear was encountering the Reach's army en route, as his "army" wouldn't stand a chance in open battle.
"Tell Lord Fell that he must hold the Reach at Fellwood for at least a week, no matter the cost."
"Yes, my lord."
His squire left, and Kevan urged his horse forward. Soon, they saw the shimmering Wendwater.
As he began to order the troops to rest and prepare to cross the river, he suddenly heard a cry from a knight nearby:
"Dragon!"
"A dragon?" Kevan froze, looking up in shock.
In the next instant, his pupils contracted to pinpoints.
"Archers, shoot! Shoot!" Kevan shouted.
But he quickly realized his folly.
There were no archers in his "army."
This wasn't a seasoned Westerlands force but a green conscript army.
Among the Crownland nobles' five thousand soldiers, there were a few archers, but Kevan had already assigned them to enforce order among the new recruits. Without a large group, they couldn't put up any real resistance.
"Take cover in the trees! Take cover!" Kevan ordered.
The soldiers, snapping out of their shock, hurriedly fled the Kingsroad, taking shelter among the trees.
Kevan led his startled horse to a tall cedar.
"It's Lord Caesar from Eagle's Point!" a nearby knight exclaimed in terror.
Kevan said nothing, his gaze fixed on the figure of man and dragon circling in the sky, his mood sinking further.
Fortunately, the white dragon only circled overhead without diving for an attack, likely wary of a potential ambush below. After all, hunting in dense woods wasn't easy, and this young dragon wasn't yet capable of burning down forests.
"Didn't this dragon hatch only a few months ago? How has it grown so large?" someone wondered aloud.
You've never raised a dragon, so how do you know how fast it grows?"
"Idiot, just because I haven't raised one before, doesn't mean I've never read a book? The dragons of the Targaryens usually take about ten years to grow before you can ride them."
"Is it the book by Maester Munkun? That guy seems like a liar to me!"
…
"Shut up!" Kevan, in a bad mood, shouted impatiently.
He called his servants and said hurriedly:
"Immediately send people to Fallenwood, Bronze Gate, and Hay Stack Hall, tell them that the Reach army have discovered us. If they don't want this reinforcement army to be defeated halfway, they must stop the Reach for at least five days at all costs!"
"Yes, M'lord."
After the servant left, Kevan looked up with a gloomy face, and saw the white dragon flying across the sky above the King's Road and finally heading south.
Soon it disappeared, leaving behind only the echoing sound of dragon roars and a faint smell of sulfur.
(End of Chapter)