The next day.
Cadmus, who had spent the entire night without sleep, gently placed the glass vial containing another healing potion. When the Tourney of Harrenhal began, knights would be injured, and nothing was better for marketing than a grand event where the most influential people on the continent were watching.
It could be said that the tournament would be the best way for him to show his skills. When these nobles saw the power of the healing potion, he would profit, and his reputation would also increase enormously; he would be known throughout the continent in the shortest possible time.
"Let's find the king." Not feeling tired at all, Cadmus murmured as he put all the hundreds of vials into his bag. It was a small amount, but enough to impress the injured nobles during the tournament.
Leaving the room, Cadmus suddenly felt a touch of tiredness and yawned as he walked towards the king's chambers. Honestly, he was used to sleeping late or even staying up all night until the next day. A bad habit he brought from Earth.
With a snap, a beautiful bird appeared in the air and landed gracefully on Cadmus's shoulder. The mythical bird proudly raised its head and looked at Cadmus with a humanized look of affection and happiness.
"Good morning, Mitra." He greeted his companion-in-arms with a smile. "Do you like the change of scenery?"
The bird nodded its head; she really liked seeing a different scenery, especially seeing so many different people. Some of these people were clearly evil, others were neutral, and there were rare people, pure souls, that she really liked to see.
Seeing the bird happy with the trip, Cadmus smiled and continued walking towards the king's chambers. Nodding to Barristan, who was guarding the door, as soon as he entered, Cadmus saw that not only the king was there, but the two queens were present, as well as someone unexpected.
The white wolf sigil on his clothes and the Valyrian Steel Sword explained his identity.
Lord of Winterfell, Eddard of House Stark.
"Good morning, everyone." Cadmus said with a smile. He looked at the Lord of Winterfell with curiosity and then at the king. Seeing his calm expression, he knew that the conversation was not being pleasant.
"This is my Court Mage, Lord Peverell." Rhaegar introduced Cadmus to Eddard with a calm tone. He really felt a headache talking to this silent wolf.
"We have met before, Your Grace." Eddard said with a calm and surprisingly indifferent tone. Without needing the king to ask, he continued speaking. "It was on the Kingsroad, and I didn't imagine he was the Court Mage."
"I became the Court Mage shortly after my arrival, my dear lord." Cadmus said with a smile. He looked at Rhaegar, and seeing the king's helpless look, he knew the reason for the conversation.
Eddard was surprised and nodded his head, focusing on the king again, the Lord of Winterfell spoke with a determined tone. "As I was saying, the North will remain in the North."
"You will not support me, Lord Stark." Rhaegar narrowed his eyes and asked again; his look was increasingly dissatisfied with the situation he was in. The North was home to a powerful army, which he did not want to fall into Tywin's hands.
"We will remain neutral." Eddard spoke again, this time, with a harder and more inflexible tone. Which caused Rhaegar a great headache.
"May I speak, my king?" Cadmus, seeing the impasse, spoke at that moment, drawing the attention of everyone present.
"You may." Rhaegar agreed, with a faint hope in his voice, but not much. Eddard Stark was famous for being someone who did not change his mind.
"Lord Stark was not prepared to be the Lord of Winterfell, correct?" Cadmus asked with a serene tone, making Eddard frown.
"Yes. My father trained my brother, Brandon." Even without understanding the purpose of the question, Eddard answered honestly. A trace of sadness passed through his eyes as he remembered his lost father and brother.
"Then allow me to offer you a lesson on the cruel politics that govern this continent," Cadmus said, with the same imperturbable calm. "If you believe you can remain neutral in this civil war, you are being naive. And surprisingly foolish, Lord Stark."
Eddard frowned even more. Even Rhaegar and Lyanna exchanged surprised glances at Cadmus's cutting frankness.
"If you don't choose a side, you will be attacked by both," he continued, completely ignoring the reactions around him. "Even if you swear neutrality, Tywin will not trust you. He will sow chaos in the North, finance your enemies, and instigate a rebellion."
Cadmus leaned slightly forward, his voice low and firm.
"Then tell me, will you be able to defend the North while a civil war consumes your own lands and Tywin marches his armies towards Moat Cailin? What will happen when Tywin controls the food coming from the south? Your people will starve, you will have no food for your vassals and your own army."
"If you are asking what will happen, then I answer you, my dear lord, you will die, as will your wife and your sons and daughters, because you have no allies, only enemies." Cadmus said with a calm and indifferent tone.
As soon as Cadmus finished speaking, silence hung in the air; only everyone's breathing could be heard. Lyanna felt her heart tighten, hearing Cadmus's words.
Eddard clenched his teeth; he didn't want to believe that Tywin would do this, as he himself had sent a raven to the Lord of Casterly Rock, but Cadmus's words were like demonic whispers in his ear, preventing him from dismissing the mage's words.
Rhaegar did not speak, only looked at Cadmus with a surprised look; he did not expect a young man of about twenty years old to be so politically intelligent. He looked at the boy with an envious look; if Aegon had this perception, he would wake up every day smiling happily.
Eddard finally spoke; he looked into the mage's emerald eyes and then at the king and said with a calm tone. "I cannot answer now, I will give an answer after the tournament, Your Grace."
Having said that, he did not wait for the answer and left with an indifferent expression, but with a hidden worry in his eyes.
"Lord Stark, be careful, Tywin Lannister is not a kind person, and you know that more than anyone; he will do everything to make House Lannister survive this civil war." Cadmus spoke to Lord Stark, who stopped his steps, but started walking again the next moment.
"Thank you, Lord Peverell." Lyanna spoke with a genuinely grateful tone; she knew that Cadmus's words had impacted Eddard in a shocking way. Ellia also looked gratefully at the mage, who was helping her husband.
"Don't thank me yet, my queen. Lord Stark still hasn't agreed to ally." Cadmus said with a touch of helplessness. Despite saying those words, he didn't know if Eddard would listen or simply ignore them as if he had never heard them.
"Making him think about the proposal is already surprising, especially after what my father did to his father and brother." Rhaegar spoke at that moment; his voice was laden with visible tiredness. The children carried the sins of the fathers; this was never so true with him.
"If you want my advice, have a private conversation with Lord Stark and show sincerity, as well as the threats that surround him and House Stark. He was trained to be a warrior, not a lord, so he cares more about the feelings of his own family than about House Stark." Cadmus said with a calm tone.
Eddard died as a traitor to save his daughters, so the man valued family more than House Stark.
"In the end, Eddard is not a suitable Lord, but a warrior and general." Rhaegar spoke with a calm tone. He felt that he was being too delicate with Eddard; he was afraid of forcing Eddard to the enemy side, but with Cadmus's words, he felt that he could make Eddard ally with him.
Cadmus nodded his head. In Westeros, lords valued their own noble houses more than family, which is why even small noble houses could survive for thousands of years and powerful noble houses for tens of thousands of years, like House Dayne, which had existed for more than ten thousand years.
In the fight to preserve the noble house, everything can be sacrificed.
"The tournament will start at noon; you will be in the box along with House Targaryen and Tyrell." Rhaegar spoke with a calm tone.
Cadmus's eyes shone with a touch of joy; mountains of gold seemed to manifest on the horizon.
"It will be an honor, my king." Cadmus said.
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.