Noon.
Wearing his straw hat, Daeron hosted the Luau on the beach, personally stirring a large pot of savory soup.
Elia had been invited to join. She observed Daeron curiously.
He had become completely bald.
Barristan had quickly brought out the bones of the malformed dragon and offered a plausible explanation.
Prince Daeron, while exploring the Dragonmont, had been attacked by a monstrous dragon.
While slaying the beast single-handedly, his hair had been accidentally singed off, so he simply shaved his head.
Elia was speechless.
"One explanation is enough."
Daeron remained perfectly calm, occasionally glancing toward The Rogue Prince anchored offshore.
The hatchlings were there.
Early this morning, he had immediately transported the three hatchlings to the ship, then taken a detour back to the Dragonmont before returning to the Stone Drum Tower, acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
After washing up, he invited Shaena and the others to the Luau on Summer 11.
His strong mental fortitude guided him.
The more critical the situation, the more important it was to act naturally.
"Prince, everything is ready."
Davos walked over, giving him a reassuring look.
Daeron nodded slightly.
He had instructed Davos to prepare supplies for the voyage; they were leaving Dragonstone today and returning to King's Landing.
Newborn hatchlings were vulnerable.
Once their existence was revealed, it would immediately attract countless covetous eyes.
"Father will probably be the first to try and snatch them," Daeron mused.
The priority was to leave Dragonstone first.
This place was swarming with Dornishmen.
Next, he needed a foolproof plan that would not only protect the hatchlings but also maximize their impact.
"Second Brother, when will the soup be ready?"
Jaehaerys ran over, dutifully adding firewood under the pot.
Daeron smiled. "Soon."
"Yay!"
Jaehaerys looked at his brother with stars in his eyes, full of worship.
Daeron had always been good to him, and now he had ventured into the Dragonmont alone and slain a malformed dragon.
It was just... so cool!
In contrast, the others' behavior was a bit more intriguing.
Shaena sat at the table laden with food, ignoring the Grapes and Spice Berries—two Summer forageables Daeron had brought out—and focused intently on knitting a woolen cap.
Her movements were slow, but she had already finished half the hat.
...Viserys.
He was standing on tiptoes, leaning over the table, vacuuming up Spice Berries like a storm.
As a forageable item, Spice Berries contained relatively high vitality and tasted fantastic.
"Eat slowly."
Elia broke into a sweat watching him and took out a handkerchief to wipe the little guy's mouth.
She was secretly astonished that Daeron had produced so many special crops again.
She turned to look at her companion, Ashara.
Ashara was holding a fragrant cluster of purple flowers, lost in their scent.
It was a special flower called "Sweet Pea" that Daeron had casually gifted them.
Shaena and Ashara each had one.
It was said that the sweet floral scent would linger on the body for a month, bringing joy and stimulating the appetite during the hot summer.
Elia didn't get one!
"Food's ready! Food's ready!"
Finally, Daeron tapped the edge of the pot with a large wooden ladle, calling everyone to eat.
Like the Egg Festival, the Luau had a special event.
[The Potluck]
Daeron personally prepared a pot of soup base. Each participant added their favorite ingredient to the pot, cooking and tasting it together.
As long as no one threw in weird stuff like sap or purple shorts...
It would be a good soup.
Daeron had added a high-value Silver Star Super Cucumber, which definitely met the "best response" standard.
Soon, everyone tasted the soup.
And everyone gained something different from it.
Elia and the other women felt a warm current flow through their bodies, slightly strengthening their constitutions.
Barristan and Ser Jon gained even more; the vitality within them grew significantly.
Normally, a person's vitality potential was fixed at birth.
Take Barristan, for example. Unless he underwent years of rigorous training or consumed special crops, his total vitality was hard to increase.
In recent years, only Barristan and Arthur Dayne had made significant progress.
This showed just how precious "The Potluck" was.
But the most outstanding result belonged to Davos.
He had added an onion to the soup, saying that his family had been poor when he was young, and onions were the cheapest food to get, something he always remembered.
After drinking the soup, he somehow, inexplicably, grasped the power of vitality.
"Prince... I?"
Davos was stunned, holding his soup bowl in bewilderment.
Daeron had seen his loyalty and ability.
Seizing the moment, he said, "Ser Jon, please knight Davos. Fulfill our promise."
Ser Jon was decisive. He drew his sword and signaled for Davos to kneel.
Davos was overwhelmed with excitement.
But he remained clear-headed. After kneeling on one knee, he took out a dagger and cut off the little finger of his left hand.
He said, "I cannot let my past identity become a handle for others to attack the Prince."
Cutting off a finger symbolized a complete break with the past.
From now on, no one could use his history as a smuggler against him.
"Well done."
Barristan nodded silently, acknowledging Davos's character.
The knighting ceremony was completed.
Davos became the true "Onion Knight."
---
Afternoon.
Elia was reluctant to see them go as she saw Daeron and the others off at the ship.
She had wanted to keep her brother-in-law and sister-in-law for a while longer.
But a raven had arrived from King's Landing. The King demanded Daeron return immediately without delay.
"Daeron, I am very sorry for what Uncle Lewyn did to you. Once I give birth safely, I will go to King's Landing to make it up to you."
Elia felt guilty.
Daeron ignored the ambiguity in her words and said calmly, "When you come to King's Landing, we will treat you well."
He paused, then added, "King's Landing is safe. No one will hurt you."
Elia was startled. She felt her brother-in-law seemed a bit strange today.
It wasn't just the lack of hair.
It was a change in temperament, from the inside out.
The old Daeron had been gentle as jade on the surface, with strong principles underneath, like a sheathed sword.
The Daeron standing before her now was more like a ball of dangerous fire, radiating heat at all times.
More aggressive.
Daeron glanced at Elia's belly, looking forward to the birth of his niece, Rhaenys Targaryen.
As he was about to leave, he looked back at Prince Lewyn, who had finally shown his face.
Prince Lewyn was looking at him too, frowning slightly, clearly puzzled by Daeron's change.
"See you next time."
Daeron didn't mind at all. He grinned at him.
He boarded the ship, and they set sail.
Soon, The Rogue Prince sailed away, becoming a small black dot on the horizon.
Elia sighed with regret and turned back to the Stone Drum Tower.
Prince Lewyn remained where he was, the suspicion in his eyes deepening.
"Prince..."
A Dornish soldier in yellow rushed over and whispered intel into his ear.
The Dragonkeepers on patrol had found traces of ash from the dragon hatching at the foot of the Dragonmont.
After a long while.
Prince Lewyn combined the various clues and thought of countless possibilities.
Was slaying the fire monster a lie, and finding a dragon egg the truth?
Or was the fire monster actually a wild dragon that he didn't kill but tamed?
Thousands of thoughts spun in his mind.
But this Dornish Prince never imagined—or dared to imagine—the possibility that Daeron had found dragon eggs and successfully hatched dragons.
"How could that be possible?"
Prince Lewyn couldn't figure it out, so he decided to go to the scene to investigate himself.