Mysterious sea creatures, whether sea monsters or sea dragons, appearing in the Sea of Dorne is nothing new.
For over a hundred years, such rumors have persisted—tales not unlike the legends of the sea monsters of the Stepstones. Many claim to have seen sea dragons or other creatures of the deep, but no concrete evidence has ever surfaced. Every ship that supposedly encountered one of these beasts has ended up at the bottom of the sea, with most of the crew perishing alongside it. Even the few survivors have never been able to provide proof of their stories.
One fact, however, is undeniable: ships—both merchant vessels and warships—have been mysteriously disappearing in the Sea of Dorne for years.
Because of this, despite the prime coastal locations of Tor Castle, Wyl Castle, and Ghost Hill in Dorne, as well as Weeping Town in the Stormlands, none have developed into major seaports.
When Lynd first set his sights on the Sea of Dorne, he had already gathered extensive intelligence regarding the region, including the frequent reports of sea dragon and sea monster sightings.
At the time, he dismissed these tales as nothing more than the superstitions of sailors, mere hallucinations born from maritime disasters. At worst, he assumed, the creatures people claimed to have seen were likely just large marine animals, like whales.
Now, however, he knew he had been wrong.
A sea dragon truly existed in the Sea of Dorne. Just days ago, it had attacked a patrol fleet consisting of fifty longships and four sail-and-oar warships. Only one warship and a handful of its crew had managed to escape.
After extensively questioning the survivors, it was confirmed that the creature responsible was indeed a massive sea dragon—not the Kraken of Ironborn legend, which was said to resemble an enormous octopus.
"In the past few months, merchants have reported multiple ship disappearances to the Chamber of Commerce in Miracle Harbor. Could these incidents be connected to the sea dragon?" Mus speculated after reading through the letter in his hands.
"It's possible," Lynd nodded slightly. "Gather all related intelligence immediately. We might be able to find a useful pattern."
At his command, Mus quickly left the study, retrieving the relevant records from the adjacent archive with the help of his waiting subordinates.
Lynd and Nymeria examined the collected reports. Individually, the missing ship incidents seemed unremarkable—standard maritime misfortunes. But when viewed together, a pattern emerged.
Every disappearance had occurred in the same stretch of water where the patrol fleet had been attacked—between Tor and Ghost Hill, near the coastline.
If it had only been one or two disappearances, it might have been chalked up to coincidence. But in just a few months, over ten ships had vanished in that exact area. Coincidence was no longer a viable explanation.
"Since more than ten ships have gone missing in that area, why wasn't this reported to me immediately?" Lynd frowned as he looked over the intelligence reports, directing his question at Mus, the steward, and Balin, the Master of Whisperers.
Mus was quick to explain. "Because most of the missing ships were smugglers from across the Narrow Sea—specifically, weapons smugglers. They deliberately used the southern coastline of the Sea of Dorne to avoid our patrol ships, following the coast from the Broken Arm, through Grey Gallows Island, and bypassing the waters we control around the Stepstones. That's why we hadn't detected anything unusual."
"I was aware of the smuggling fleets," Nymeria added. "There were reports that some of them were transporting armor and other equipment you had explicitly forbidden from being sold. That's why, not long ago, I worked with the council to add a new patrol route—the same route the attacked fleet was using."
Lynd was silent for a moment before speaking. "Handle the compensation and relief efforts for the victims of the patrol fleet. I need to go to Miracle Harbor personally."
Nymeria's eyes lit up. "I'm coming with you."
Lynd shook his head. His gaze dropped to Nymeria's still barely noticeable belly. "You should stay here. No running around. Don't forget—you're pregnant."
At his words, the others in the room immediately nodded in agreement. None of them supported Nymeria taking the risk of traveling with Lynd. To them, ensuring the safety of the heir she carried was more important than anything else.
Nymeria hesitated, glancing down at her stomach. She pursed her lips but said nothing further.
For now, news of Nymeria's pregnancy was known only to the high-ranking officials of Summerhall and Tumbleton. The common officials and citizens remained unaware, and the number of hidden guards assigned to protect her had increased significantly. The precautions were necessary—no risks could be taken.
To Lynd, Nymeria, and the leadership of their territories, her pregnancy was both unexpected and immensely welcome news. For years, the entire domain had been anxious about the prospect of an heir. Many had worried that their hopes would never come to fruition.
Lynd had even worked with Malora to develop a specialized potion using the sacrificial stone tablet, dragon runes, and the vials of elixirs given to him by Willas. This potion was specifically designed to strengthen Nymeria's constitution. In fact, what was now known as the Seven Gods Elixir—the most valuable product of Lynd's lands—was merely a byproduct of this experiment.
Fortunately, their efforts had paid off. After prolonged use of the potion, Nymeria had finally conceived, ensuring the future of their domain.
Though Lynd had experienced fatherhood before in his past life—having had several children—he no longer held the mindset of a first-time father. Still, he valued this child greatly. To ensure both Nymeria's and the unborn heir's safety, he had arranged extensive protection, including seven Silent Men, seven Redemption Holy Sisters, and over a hundred Chosen Ones who had taken the secret elixir, all sworn to guard her with their lives.
Even without the hundred fanatically loyal Chosen Ones, the Silent Men and Holy Sisters alone would be enough to shield Nymeria from nearly any threat.
These were no ordinary septons or septas. They were warriors who had undergone trials with special potions, pushing their physical abilities to the very limits of human potential. A force of just fourteen of these elite fighters was enough to stand against an army of thousands of trained soldiers.
However, none of these precautions mattered as much as Nymeria's own strength. With the help of specialized potions, her body had been enhanced beyond normal human limits over the past year. The very fact that she had been able to conceive Lynd's child was proof of her extraordinary physical resilience.
On top of that, Lynd had personally trained her in combat, ensuring that she gained experience in real battles. By now, Nymeria was stronger than Lynd had been when he first entered the Tournament of Champions. She was only slightly weaker than he had been after attaining the title of the Banished Knight.
With her abilities and the elite guards at her side, Nymeria had little to fear—unless she was besieged by thousands or faced unnatural, inhuman forces like the shadow assassins of the Shadowbinders.
After ensuring that Nymeria's protection was sufficient, Lynd finally departed Summerhall for Miracle Harbor to deal with the sea dragon threat.
...
His departure also allowed him to avoid a troublesome encounter.
Not long after he left Redemption Town, an envoy from the High Septon of the Great Sept of Baelor arrived, seeking an audience. It was clear that the High Septon wanted Lynd's support.
The envoy remained convinced that Lynd was deliberately avoiding him, unwilling to help the High Septon. And when Septon Hullen of the Redemption Sept issued his official statement the next day, the envoy's suspicions were confirmed.
With the Redemption Sept's statement released, the Miracle Sept followed with a similar declaration. Soon after, other Septs across the realm issued their own condemnations, denouncing the High Septon's actions as driven by personal ambition and a betrayal of the sacred vows he had sworn. Among them, the Starry Sept's Most Devout Septon was the harshest, stopping just short of openly declaring that the High Septon had been irredeemably corrupted by power and greed.
For a time, the Great Sept of Baelor—once the heart of the Faith of the Seven—became the target of widespread criticism. There was growing momentum within the Faith to strip the Great Sept of Baelor of its central authority and shift the Church's power back to the Starry Sept.
However, the turmoil sparked by the High Septon's attempt to restore the Church's military forces did not last long. It abruptly ended when he was assassinated by a fanatical devotee.
Before word of his death had even reached the Septs of the Faith, the Iron Throne acted swiftly, installing a new High Septon—a rotund Septon with a background in moneylending, selected directly from within the Great Sept of Baelor.
While it was not unprecedented for the Iron Throne to interfere in the appointment of High Septons—King Baelor the Blessed himself had once chosen a stonemason and even an eight-year-old child as High Septon—historically, even the most forceful rulers had been required to submit their preferences to the Most Devout, allowing them to formally select the High Septon in accordance with the king's wishes.
This time, however, the Iron Throne bypassed the Faith entirely and simply appointed the High Septon, disregarding the Church's authority altogether. It was the most blatant infringement on the Faith's autonomy in recent history.
Though, in the end, Jon Arryn's mediation ensured that the Septs accepted the new High Septon, the damage was already done. In truth, many Septs had begun distancing themselves from the Great Sept of Baelor, and as a result, the Starry Sept—representing the Faith's ancient traditions—and the Redemption Sept—embodying its emerging power—gradually became the new centers of the Faith of the Seven.
...
With the change in leadership, all agreements made between the previous High Septon and Lynd were rendered void. Any financial support he might have received from the Great Sept of Baelor was now gone.
Yet, for Lynd, this was far from bad news. The debt he owed to the previous High Septon—who had personally lent him funds—no longer needed to be repaid. Likewise, the costs for the bronze armor crafted for the Stone Giants, commissioned under the previous High Septon, had effectively been erased. Any loans issued by the Faith in the name of the Church did not have to be repaid to the Great Sept of Baelor. Instead, Lynd could redirect the repayments to the Redemption Sept and the Miracle Sept—ensuring that the money ultimately cycled back into his own hands.
While the initial upheaval had settled, its consequences lingered.
Even though the Redemption Sept had been the first to publicly condemn the High Septon, the Iron Throne's suspicions of Lynd had not been eased. The additional taxes imposed on him remained in effect, still being enforced as a means of pressure.
This was largely because, through the various denunciations issued by the Septs, many had come to recognize Lynd's influence within the Faith of the Seven. It was not a vague or symbolic authority—it was real and tangible, strong enough to shape the internal workings of the Church. It was no exaggeration to say that the only thing separating Lynd from the title of High Septon himself was a crystal crown.
A powerful lord with tangible land holdings, who also wielded significant influence over the Church, was a concerning figure for any ruler.
Previously, for various reasons, King Robert had not perceived Lynd as a threat. In his mind, perhaps, Lynd was still the Reach-born hunter whom he had knighted, a man of no real political consequence. Robert's personal fondness for Lynd had further blinded him to any potential danger.
But now, the king had seemingly woken up—returning to the mindset of a ruler. And in doing so, he had likely realized that Lynd's growing power was enough to pose a threat to the authority of the Crown.
Though no open hostility had emerged between them, it was becoming clear to many that the once-close relationship between the Iron Throne and Summerhall had begun to fracture. And as Lynd's influence continued to grow, that rift would only widen.
...
For Lynd, the political turmoil sparked by the High Septon's recklessness was of little importance. The moment he had made his decision in the castle study, he had already put the matter behind him.
What concerned him more now was the Sea Dragon in the Sea of Dorne.
While passing through Blackhaven, the steward of the castle handed him a newly arrived raven message from Summerhall. The letter detailed a fresh attack—the sea dragon had struck again, this time targeting a merchant fleet that had been forced to seek shelter along the southern coastline due to a storm. Two ships had been lost in the attack, dragged beneath the waves. Another two had managed to escape, aided by the winds of the storm.
This time, however, the attack had been witnessed by multiple survivors. As a result, there was now more information available about the sea dragon than ever before.
The letter itself was brief—raven scrolls were too small to contain detailed reports. Lynd would have to wait until he reached Miracle Harbor to access the full investigation files.
Twelve days after the attack on the patrol fleet, Lynd arrived at the military dock of the Miracle Fleet in Miracle Harbor. There, he saw the warship that had barely survived the sea dragon's assault, recently towed back from Long Cry Island.