Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Wright, accompanied by Tyrosh officials, arrived at the fief of Aurane Velaryon. Seagull Island was very close to the Breakwind Point, where much of the timber and raw materials could be easily transported. On clear days, one could often see a sailboat towing a string of logs across the sea.
On the island, a large, curved deep-water harbor was filled with warships. Soldiers marched in orderly rows off the ships, while the shipwrights boarded to begin their repair work with hammers and saws.
Farther from the harbor lay an endless shipyard, where the water was too shallow for heavily loaded ships to enter, so Aurane had planned it as a shipbuilding area. Countless workers were busy inside, building warships for Tyrosh, merchant ships for the nobles of the Stone Step Islands, and even ships commissioned from other regions, in a variety of bizarre designs.
Wright turned to the two men beside him and asked, "Aurane, Hobber, you're both naval commanders. How are the warships we bought from Myr? Are they any good?"
Inside the drydock, a warship was supported by dozens of wooden stakes, and workers were using shovels to remove barnacles from the hull while also painting it white and red.
The two men exchanged glances, deciding to speak frankly. Hobber gave Aurane a glance, signaling for him, the foremost naval authority, to speak.
"Lord Wright, the warships from Myr are made with top-quality timber, very sturdy, and the craftsmanship is excellent. But..." Aurane paused.
"Has the sun baked your brain during your time at sea? Why are you hesitating in front of me now?" Wright took a few pieces of military chocolate from his pocket and tossed them to the two men.
Hobber caught them, quickly unwrapped the paper, and began eating. "Ha! Good stuff from Storm's End, this rich cocoa scent reminds me of home. Though it's too sweet; I'll feel dizzy if I eat too much!"
Aurane said, "This is for emergency nutrition for the soldiers. If you like it, go buy the 'Flying Dragon' chocolate from Wind Rest; the mint flavor is quite refreshing."
Wright said, "Stop beating around the bush, just say it outright. If not, write a report!"
Aurane Velaryon, the Navy Commander responsible for external operations, held a military position within the Seven Kingdoms. Under Wright's military title as Warden of the Narrow Sea, half of his salary was borne by the kingdom. However, all the troops and warships under his command were managed by Wright. The crown granted Wright a title, and Wright himself was responsible for maintaining the troops. It seemed like a great loss, but this was a rare privilege in the Seven Kingdoms, where large numbers of professional soldiers could be maintained without facing investigations—something many nobles could only dream of.
During peacetime, other nobles could not maintain such a large force of soldiers without facing suspicion from their neighbors and even the king, who might think they were planning a rebellion! To avoid being surrounded and losing their lives, they had to disband their troops. Therefore, the only people in the Seven Kingdoms who could legally maintain a large military force were the king, the four Wardens of the East, South, West, and North, the highly autonomous Dorne, and now, Wright, the Protector of the Narrow Sea.
Of course, some powerful houses maintained private armies, like the Hightower and Redwyne of the Reach. Their vast armies and fleets far exceeded those of the Tyrells, the Wardens of the South, but on the surface, they all posed as merchant convoys, a relic of history.
Wright himself was in a similar position. The navy commander, Aurane Velaryon, led a legitimate army, while the coastal fleet under Hobber Redwyne was a private army that Wright maintained in Tyrosh. However, both were publicly considered part of the same force.
"Don't write a report, I'll speak now!" Aurane was excellent at writing, but the thought of Wright's required official document format gave him a headache.
"The warships from Myr are good ships, but they don't quite match our Tyrosh fleet. Our ships are new and faster, while the ships from Myr are slower. If we go on an expedition, their speed would slow down the entire fleet."
It was offensive to say that the warships Wright had spent a lot of money on were unwanted by his men. Aurane, who was skilled at handling such matters, was trying to avoid causing offense, while still offering his colleagues some benefits and maintaining good relations. His character, being the son of a mistress, led him to be this way.
Hobber Redwyne was different. Though he had been shy and looked down upon in his youth, he was the second son of a powerful family, and with his family's support, he had developed some leadership skills in recent years. He was no longer the naive "Sir Drooling" who relied on his family's influence to gain a title.
"What about you, Hobber? What do you think?" Since the two had surely discussed this privately beforehand, Wright followed up on the topic.
Hobber replied, "Lord Wright, the problem with mismatched ship speeds is a big one. I've discussed it with Commander Aurane. My coastal fleet doesn't need such fast ships. You can give these ships to me, and I'll exchange them for the new ships for the deep-sea navy."
Wright thought it over carefully. That seemed like a good idea. He then said to the two, "Your plan sounds good! There are more ships coming from Myr soon—about fifty more will arrive for repairs and repainting. Hobber, Aurane, take this opportunity to replace all the coastal defense ships with the Myr models. You two need to organize the transfer."
Hobber saluted, "Understood!"
Aurane also saluted, "Understood! Lord Wright bought so many ships—does this mean we're preparing for military action?" Aurane eagerly awaited the next war.
The shipyard was bustling with many workers, noisy and busy. Wright didn't respond right away, just nodded.
Seeing Wright nod, Aurane straightened up and saluted, while nearby, Hobber immediately followed suit.
The two important figures from the Stonestep Isles, Lord of Seagull Island Aurane Velaryon and Lord of Torture'a Deep Hobber Redwyne, stood straight and saluted Lord Wright amidst the noisy shipyard. Some thought Wright was fond of ceremony and always indulged in these formalities. But some keen-eyed people noticed something and a rumor began circulating among the shipyard workers.
The Lord of Ruins and the Second Son Isles! This was how the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms referred to Wright, omitting any dirty words only out of respect for him, but the content was insulting. They mocked people who abandoned their good family lands to settle on the difficult Stone Step Isles, and ridiculed the current lords and knights of the Isles, most of whom had risen to power through their family divisions, with the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms often deriding these second-generation heirs as incapable.
Was it a lie? No, it was the truth. Aside from Asha, who earned her title with her two long swords, the rest of the Stone Step Isles' aristocracy—Garlan Tyrell, Aurane Velaryon, Hobber Redwyne, Andrew Estermont, Garros Hightower, Allard Seaworth, Dickon Tarly, and Balon Swann—all owed their rise to the family achievements.
Anyone still breathing fought to assert their pride! Among them were those who were already capable, as well as true second-generation heirs, but ever since joining Wright, they had received his guidance in managing their territories, developing economies and agriculture, and military matters. Now these Stonestep Isles nobles felt they had grown and were eager for a war to validate themselves.
Wright had long been aware of their thoughts. War wasn't something that could just be initiated at will. In a place like Meereen, where all the warring factions weren't his own, Wright didn't care too much. He'd charge into battle if necessary. But when it came to his own army, things became more complicated. Wright had calculated that the cost of a single soldier from the Tyrosh, including recruitment from outside, shipping, equipment, training, and pay, amounted to more than five golden dragons. Senior officers and warship costs had to be calculated separately.
Once the battle was over, all those golden dragons would vanish. Wright couldn't possibly take on the whole cost of the battle himself. If every time there was trouble, it was Wright who ran off to fight, then who would really be the Warden?
Before returning to Tyrosh, Wright had visited several islands to inspect the development of their territories.
A small amount of vegetables and crops had already been harvested for two seasons. The yield wasn't enough to solve their food supply problem, but it served as a breeding and seedling trial. The fruit trees planted across the islands would take a couple more years to bear fruit, at which point they could expand their fruit wine varieties.
Skull Island, a volcanic island with many rocks, was rich in nutrients from volcanic ash. It had a large amount of pasture, and flocks of goats grazed from one patch to another, fattening them up for the dragons to consume. Wright paid based on how many goats the dragons ate. There was a castle belonging to Dickon Tally on the island, and residents had to pass loyalty tests before being allowed to settle. They kept and ate sheep as well.
Asha and Theon arrived on Skull Island aboard a light sailing ship, and the islanders guided them to a small hill to find Wright.
"I always thought the islands in the world were small, but they're actually this big!" Theon complained to his sister. There were no roads on this island, only sharp volcanic rocks everywhere. There were very few places to step, and one could easily fall if not careful.
Asha replied, "Didn't we visit Bloodstone before?"
Theon responded, "Back then, we came by boat, and during the war, we stayed in the military camp, so I always thought that you could see the whole island from a small hill."
The islander, wearing a burlap robe and cloak, walked swiftly in front of them. After a while, he stopped and said, "Skull Island is ranked third from the bottom in size among the Stonestep, but don't underestimate it. The island is over ten kilometers wide and nearly eighty kilometers long. It would take several days to walk from one end to the other."
Exhausted from the difficult journey, Asha and Theon sat down on the ground. "Since it's so big, why doesn't Lord Wright build a road here?"
"Heh." The islander handed Asha a water bag from his waist, which she drank from before passing it to Theon. He then spoke, "This island is for dragons. They are the true masters here; humans are just guests."
Asha drank a few more sips and tossed the water bag to Theon, asking, "If the dragons aren't here, why does Lord Wright come to such a place?"
The islander pointed to a broken piece of black rock nearby. "See that black stone? It was originally on the other side of that black cliff."
Theon noticed that the color of the stone was completely different from the surrounding rocks on the ground.
"Lord Wright trains here with the dragons." The islander didn't need to keep secrets. Every time Wright sparred with the dragons, the noise was impossible to hide. Some passing merchant ships even stopped nearby to watch, fascinated by the colorful magic.
A breeze blew through, and Theon noticed that the islanders had weapons hidden beneath their sleeves and robes, fastened in strange ways to their forearms and calves. He asked, "I can see you're quite skilled. Why don't you do something more useful instead of just herding sheep?"
"I was originally a small squad leader in the Tyrosh Navy," the islander replied. "I enlisted to become a Dragon Guard but was rejected, so I stayed here to continue training. Many people on this island are like me." Those who could even enlist as Dragon Guard were elite, skilled both in strength and intelligence. Even if they weren't selected, they were still outstanding individuals. He knew what to say and what to keep quiet about. All of this was to explain to Theon and Asha what Wright had asked him to.
"Dragon Guard? An elite unit?" Theon's interest piqued.
"Let's talk as we walk." After resting for a while, the islander led them onward. "The Dragon Guard's duties are a bit different. Their first responsibility isn't to protect the Lord or his family, but to guard the dragons and their offspring."
Asha recalled a book she had read in Winterfell: "It sounds like the Dragonkeepers from House Targaryen in the stories."
"Those people are nothing more than high-ranking stablemen!" The islander's face, hidden beneath the hood, twisted in disdain. He stopped, and with a single hand movement, a silver throwing knife appeared before him. "Here, take a look."
Theon took the knife and examined it closely. It didn't appear to be enchanted, and the blade had two blood grooves. The material was special; when Theon blew gently against the blade, a clear metallic sound rang out. "Silver?"
Silver weapons were something only idle nobles would make—soft, decorative, and prone to breaking when clashed with steel.
"There are dragons, there are children of the forest, all righteous creatures," the islander continued, his tone more like a statement than a question. "But are there dark and evil creatures too?"
"Dark creatures? White Walkers!" Theon jumped in surprise. In Winterfell, everyone could tell a story about the White Walkers.
"White Walkers, vampires, werewolves, maybe even demons. To kill these creatures, only the most elite human warriors can wield the weapons capable of defeating them. The Dragon Guard guard the dragons to ensure the survival of all humanity! I'm still far from being good enough, but I'm working hard to improve." The islander touched the dragon-head necklace around his neck, looking with reverence toward the mountain peak. He pointed to it and said, "Lord Wright is up there. I'll leave you here."
After that, he turned and began running down the mountain, each step precisely landing on protruding stones, covering much more distance than when he had been leading them up.
"Thank you very much!" Asha and Theon understood that the simple shepherd before them was a rare master, the kind who would easily place in the top three in a martial competition. Yet, this expert couldn't even join the Dragon Guard he had spoken of.