It had been more than ten days since their return to Summerhall from the continent of Essos, and only now had news of the events in Qohor begun to spread to Westeros through various channels.
Reactions to the news were sharply divided. Some believed the rumors—primarily followers of the Faith of the Seven and the Storm God—who saw Lynd's actions as divine miracles. Others dismissed it all as mere theatrics, a ploy for fame orchestrated by Lynd himself.
Regardless of belief, most common folk agreed on one thing: the cities mentioned in these rumors—places like Qohor and Norvos, which they had never even heard of—were nothing more than backwater towns. After all, only small, insignificant places would make such a fuss over the miraculous powers Lynd had demonstrated. In Westeros, his power was no secret; people had long been aware of his extraordinary abilities.
Only those well-versed in the affairs of Essos—nobles, merchants, and seasoned sailors—understood the reality. The Free Cities were far older, larger, and more prosperous than King's Landing, and their inhabitants prided themselves on being superior to any town in Westeros. That these cities had reportedly yielded to Lynd's power was unprecedented; not since the fall of the Valyrian Freehold had such a thing occurred.
Some perceptive individuals couldn't help but wonder—or even predict—whether Lynd Tarran's Summerhall would become the next Valyrian Freehold. This idea was most prevalent among the great lords of the Seven Kingdoms.
For these lords, the veracity of the rumors was secondary. What truly mattered was the unmistakable fact that Summerhall's influence had expanded deep into Essos, reaching as far as Qohor. More concerning was the growing sense that Summerhall was beginning to resemble an independent kingdom.
Though Summerhall was still nominally a vassal of Highgarden, in practice, Highgarden's authority over it had all but vanished. Instead, it was Summerhall that now exerted a profound and irreversible influence over Highgarden—and indeed, the entire Reach.
The influence was not limited to the Reach. Neighboring regions such as Dorne, the Crownlands, and the Riverlands had also felt its effects. Even the restrictions imposed by local lords had failed to curb its growing presence.
The situation was most pronounced in the Stormlands. With Rainwood joining Lynd's trade network, its lords had reaped enormous benefits. This, in turn, stirred envy among those who had yet to join, prompting them to do so willingly. As a result, the entire region's nobility became deeply entangled in Summerhall's economic web.
This shift directly weakened Renly Baratheon's authority as Lord of the Stormlands. Whenever he convened meetings at Storm's End, the assembled lords cooperated without issue—so long as the topics had nothing to do with Summerhall. But the moment Summerhall was mentioned, discussions would be interrupted or stalled in various ways.
Renly was acutely aware of Summerhall's influence and sought ways to counter it, but he was powerless. He couldn't even take the matter to King's Landing, as Summerhall had never directly exerted pressure on these lords. Their loyalty to it was entirely voluntary.
What frustrated Renly even more was that support for Summerhall was growing even within his own stronghold. Many in Storm's End favored it simply because Summerhall's trade routes allowed them access to goods from Essos at lower prices—luxuries that had once been reserved for the high nobility.
This sense of helplessness made Renly detest remaining in his own domain. So when an invitation came from King's Landing, offering him the position of Master of Laws, he accepted without hesitation.
The only regions of Westeros that remained relatively unaffected were the Vale, the Westerlands, and the North. Even so, the impact was only minimal in comparison.
Take the North, for example—now that Bear Island had been integrated into Summerhall's trade routes, northern lords had begun to profit as well. Houses like Umber of Last Hearth and Glover of Deepwood Motte saw over ninety percent of their income come from this new trade network.
In truth, this trade route was not a new idea. House Manderly of White Harbor had proposed something similar long ago. However, to most Northerners, the Manderlys—despite having lived in the North for nearly a thousand years—were still seen as outsiders, unworthy of trust. As a result, the proposal had been dismissed and never came to fruition.
Now, the person proposing this plan was Dacey Mormont—one of the North's own. Naturally, that meant she was treated differently. More importantly, the way she convinced the northern lords suited their temperament perfectly: she went directly to their castles and challenged them to combat. One by one, she fought her way through, overwhelming them with sheer prowess and earning their recognition. As a result, Dacey had gained the title of the Northern Valkyrie.
However, with the rise of piracy in the Narrow Sea, the North's trade route had been significantly impacted. While House Manderly of White Harbor conducted regular patrols in the surrounding waters, they couldn't provide escorts for every single ship belonging to the Miracle Merchant Guild.
After several of their vessels fell prey to pirate attacks, Lynd moved swiftly to expedite negotiations between the Miracle Fleet and the Free Cities for an escort agreement.
"Braavos has permitted us to establish docking facilities on its offshore islands but refuses to allow our warships into its inner harbor. Myr, Pentos, and Lys have each designated a section of their docks for our fleet and permitted us to set up fleet liaison offices within their cities, though they won't allow us to establish full bases. Volantis has agreed to sell us islands off the Orange Shore and a portion of the coastline to establish a concession, granting us extraterritorial rights within that zone. However, they still forbid our warships from entering Volantis' coastal waters," Bert Falwell reported, holding the latest documents sent from the Stepstones.
Bert had been transferred from Tumbleton to Summerhall some time ago and had since grown familiar with his duties. Alongside Mus, he served as a steward of Summerhall—Mus handling internal affairs while Bert managed external matters. His primary focus now was overseeing the ongoing negotiations between the Miracle Fleet and the Free Cities for the escort agreement.
"What about Tyrosh?" Lynd asked, scanning the document.
Bert explained, "Under the previous compensation agreement, Tyrosh's docks are already under our control. We've also secured a concession within the city, and their fleet is now under our command. There's no need for a separate escort agreement."
"That settles it, then," Lynd said with a nod. "Have Ser Hollis sign the escort agreement on behalf of the Miracle Fleet, but do it under the name of the Stepstones, not Summerhall. Also, draft an escort agreement for Tyrosh as well—we don't want them feeling excluded."
"Yes, my lord." Bert hesitated for a brief moment but quickly recorded the instructions without further questions.
...
After handling his affairs, Lynd made his way to the garden. Nymeria was training with an axe, sparring against a few Redemption Sisters. Nearby, his son, Augustus, was stumbling across the grass under the watchful eyes of the servants. Silent Monks stood vigil around him for protection, while Glory lay a short distance away, out of the child's reach, resting quietly.
Glory was the first to notice Lynd's arrival. It leapt down from its perch and approached, rubbing against his shoulder. As Lynd ran a hand through its fur, its eyes half-closed in contentment.
With Lynd's strength continuously growing, there was little left that Glory could do to assist him. That was why, during this recent journey to Essos, he hadn't brought Glory along.
While Lynd was away, Glory had spent most of its time in the forest, only returning to the castle when he did. But upon returning, it soon regretted it. Augustus, now learning to walk, took great delight in chasing after Glory every day. The beast had to be careful—not making any sudden movements, as even the lightest nudge could send the small child tumbling. Eventually, it resorted to climbing to high places just to escape the relentless pursuit.
So when it saw Lynd, Glory let out a few disgruntled grunts and, through their spiritual bond, complained directly to him.
Sensing Glory's frustration, Lynd chuckled. "You really can't think of a better solution? Why not go into the forest and bring back a few cubs to distract him?"
At the suggestion, Glory's ears perked up. Without hesitation, it sprang to its feet and dashed out of the garden, leaping off the nearby balcony.
...
By this time, Nymeria's fight had reached its conclusion. Though the five Redemption Sisters had enhanced their bodies far beyond normal limits with alchemical potions, their strength still fell short against Nymeria, whose physical abilities had already surpassed human limitations.
With a powerful sweeping strike followed by a charge, she disarmed the last standing Redemption Sister, sending her warhammer flying. The woman hit the ground hard.
After catching her breath, Nymeria extended a hand to help her fallen opponent up. Handing her battle-axe to a nearby servant, she took a cloth and wiped the sweat from her brow. Then, she turned to look at Lynd before shifting her gaze toward Augustus, who was running across the grass.
Due to Lynd's frequent travels—and the fact that he was never particularly fond of children—his relationship with Augustus was distant. Even now, seeing Lynd arrive at the garden, the boy instinctively turned and ran the other way, seeking comfort with Nymeria.
Nymeria laughed as she picked up Augustus, kissed his cheek, and then walked over to Lynd. "You should spend more time with Augustus," she said. "Right now, he looks at you like you're a stranger. If this keeps up, he won't be close to you when he grows up."
Lynd chuckled, reached out, grabbed Augustus by the back of his shirt, and playfully tossed him into the air. A whirlwind formed beneath him, holding him aloft as he hovered above the garden's grassy expanse.
At first, Augustus looked startled, but he quickly recovered. Soon, he was waving his arms and legs excitedly, giggling with delight.
When Lynd guided the whirlwind to gently lower him back to the grass, Augustus immediately scrambled back to his feet. With tiny, determined steps, he ran to Lynd, clung to his leg, and babbled excitedly.
"See? Winning over a child is that simple." Lynd raised an eyebrow at Nymeria.
Nymeria rolled her eyes at him but said nothing.
...
After spending some time playing in the garden with his wife and son, Lynd noticed Ser Russell and the executive chairman of the Miracle Merchant Guild, Gorman, approaching from the square, led by Mus.
Handing the child over to a nearby servant, Lynd nodded toward the approaching men and made his way to the study. Nymeria, seeing him leave, decided to follow.
A little over ten days ago, upon returning to Miracle Harbor, Lynd had immediately summoned Russell and Obella to discuss Ghoyan Drohe. He informed them of his intention to return the Greenblood River orphans to the Rhoyne and rebuild Ghoyan Drohe, with Russell serving as its governor.
Russell had hesitated upon hearing the proposal, but Obella saw it as an opportunity and urged him not to decline.
Russell' reluctance stemmed from a deep understanding of his people. While most still worshiped Mother Rhoyne and considered themselves true Rhoynar, they had long since adapted to their new lives. Convincing them to abandon their homes and journey to a distant ruin to rebuild their ancestral homeland was no small task. He feared few would be willing to go.
Obella, on the other hand, had her own motivations.
As the current ruler of Wyl, she had seen the castle flourish thanks to its proximity to Miracle Harbor and the Boneway trade route, bringing in immense wealth. However, this prosperity came at a cost—Wyl's reliance on Summerhall had made her little more than a figurehead. The entire city now looked to Summerhall for direction, leaving her with nominal authority and little real power beyond collecting a generous monthly tax.
Her situation was no different from the lords of Blackhaven and Grassy Vale. If she had been someone without ambition—like Beric Dondarrion—perhaps she would have been content. But Obella was not a woman who accepted being a mere figurehead. She had fought hard to retain her inheritance, even agreeing to marry Rosos, an orphan of the Greenblood River with no noble lineage, in order to secure her position.
So when she heard Lynd's plan to rebuild Ghoyan Drohe, she immediately saw the potential benefits. The settlement was located deep in the Essosi mainland, far from Summerhall's direct influence. Unlike her current position in Wyl, where she had to constantly consider Summerhall's wishes, a governor of Ghoyan Drohe would have near-total control over the region.
The only real drawback was the distance—should anything go wrong, Summerhall's ability to intervene would be limited.
However, given the current fear and respect the Free Cities had for Lynd, Obella reasoned that even if they were displeased with his claim over Ghoyan Drohe, they would likely not dare to take any drastic action. The only real threat to consider was the Dothraki.
With this in mind, she wasted no time persuading her husband to accept Lynd's proposal. Though hesitant at first, Russell ultimately agreed under her insistence.
Of course, gathering the Greenblood River orphans would take time, and the number of willing settlers might not be enough to fully meet Lynd's expectations.
But Lynd had already anticipated this. He had only ever needed a symbolic presence—however many Russell could gather would be sufficient for his purposes.