A flock of seagulls wheeled and soared in the azure sky. The royal navy, bearing the Targaryen banners, patrolled the coastal waters, awaiting the arrival of various fleets. Among them, a merchant ship with purple sails finally sailed slowly into the Blackwater Bay harbor of King's Landing. Cargo was unloaded, mostly the latest Myr lace and the unique purple textiles of Braavos. Then came luggage – two people emerged from the upper cabins. The leader was a dwarf. The dockworkers eyed him curiously, deciding he was definitely not from a circus.
He was dressed luxuriously. A velvet jacket with a deep red, gold-threaded short cape, with pure gold lion head buttons that matched his thick golden hair – this was Tyrion, finally returning to Westeros. The tall man behind him was Syrio, a water dancer from Braavos. According to Viserys's plan, Syrio's identity would be that of a foreign swordsmanship coach specially hired for the Crown Prince.
Stepping onto his homeland, Tyrion took a deep breath of the air at the docks. "Good, King's Landing isn't as smelly as when I first came." He introduced, "Hey, Syrio, welcome to the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. This place was like a cesspool a few years ago; you'd have wanted to turn around and leave."
Tyrion found that the beggars who originally swarmed the Fisherman's Square were gone. Walking along the street called Mud Lane, which was actually paved with cobblestones, the simple shops stood side by side. There were brown soup shops selling steaming hot food, blacksmiths and carpenters repairing and maintaining ships, and even a "chain inn" with a white deer sign, offering accommodation, daily cleaning, selling the best wine, and the hottest waitresses. Just one copper coin would get your clothes washed. The whole area was bustling with people.
"It seems the Prince's renovation plan is indeed useful. You know, Syrio? My name is printed on the King's Landing Flea Bottom population survey report. It counts as my first book."
The top water dancer possessed a pair of insightful eyes that could see through the essence of things. He looked at the streets of King's Landing and nodded, saying, "I can feel that this is a burgeoning, newly born city. Look, the dock square should be where the most beggars gather, but there are none here. There are indeed many poor people, but they are not so weak that they're about to die. The brown soup shops give food to women and children for free, right? My friend, it's obvious the master of this city is doing a good job."
"The master of this city..." Tyrion chuckled inwardly. Is it the King? No. It's probably his sons already.
Just at the docks, he heard sailors, merchants, and commoners talking about the grand tournament recently held at Harrenhal. The King and the Crown Prince had both gone to attend, and the missing young prince had also appeared!
Tyrion guessed that Viserys must have made a very eye-catching entrance. He wanted to laugh, but then he heard that the Crown Prince was engaged, and the wedding would be held soon—his smile froze on his face.
...In any case, I have to wait for Viserys to return. Troubles just keep piling up!
Tyrion had returned to join Viserys, and he believed in his own and the Prince's abilities. He was certain they could achieve great things in Westeros. Before succeeding, he cautiously left his two children and his wife in Essos. With Sandor there to look after them, he was at ease—after Viserys's explanation, he understood why his father hated commoner women who he felt were trying to climb the social ladder—it was all related to his experiences when he was young. Tyrion calmly analyzed and judged that it would take time to plan how to make Tywin accept his marriage and children with a commoner.
He invited his trainer to move with him into the Lannister family's luxurious mansion in King's Landing. The sudden appearance of the Imp startled the servants who were guarding the place.
"That's right, it's me. I'm back. You can quickly send a message to my father." Tyrion gave the order with a chuckle, instructing the servants to move the luggage from the docks and clean the best room for the honored guest. "Of course, my father might order me to be hung on the gates of King's Landing."
That day, he brought the swordsman to act as his bodyguard and went to the most famous tavern on Silk Street—which also displayed the white stag emblem. From the merchants, travelers, and even knights who came from all over the world, he learned more about what happened at Harrenhal.
Viserys was made the Prince of Summerhall because he brought back two legendary Valyrian Steel Swords, which was great.
He was skilled with a sword and defeated his brother, Jaime, who wanted to become a Kingsguard—Tyrion rubbed his chin, drank a mouthful of the top-quality malt liquor that cost a silver stag per glass, and thought the tavern was simply robbing him—oh, no, it was quite strong, he burped comfortably, and thought that his father, Duke Tywin, would definitely be happy about his son's failure.
The champion of the joust at Harrenhal was Crown Prince Rhaegar...and the Crown Prince proposed to the Stark girl from the North right there? By the Seven! This was terrible!! Viserys was there; what would he think?
And the wedding...the king had ordered them to marry immediately after Viserys's birthday? And now the bride was going home to prepare her dowry? To hold the wedding before summer arrived?? So hasty...Viserys! Did he realize his true feelings for his brother? No matter what, he was watching Rhaegar get married? He would surely be devastated!
Tyrion, who prided himself on his intelligence, pondered how to help his friend. Could he quietly guide Viserys back? For example, before he discovered his love, quickly get him into a new romance? No, no. Tyrion knew the prince's taste, and realized with despair that with Rhaegar's towering, crystal-like icy peak before him, other men and women would only appear to him as mounds of dirt at best.
At a loss, Tyrion, like the residents of King's Landing, squeezed in behind the King's Gate in late spring, watching the grand procession of the royal entourage under the order of the Gold Cloaks. Aerys, who had returned, won cheers, but the cheers for his father, Tywin, the Hand of the King, were even louder. And when the two handsome Targaryen princes rode into the city on horseback, with the young prince pulling his brother to wave to the crowd—
The scene erupted. Women screamed with excitement and intoxication, and men clapped their hands and shouted—Look, this royal capital with a population of half a million truly belonged to the princes.
The long-awaited reunion belonged to the Lannister family tonight. Jaime was very happy to see him, while his father maintained his usual coldness. Tyrion also comforted the heartbroken Cersei with a few words of sympathy. His sister had always dreamed of marrying Crown Prince Rhaegar, and now it was time to wake up. It was just that he didn't know what it would be like when Viserys woke up—
Royal weddings were never arranged so quickly, and they deliberately followed Viserys's birthday? The Imp deduced that the king was very dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's decision, but because of his son's commitment as a knight, he had to agree to the marriage. However, the king had to make everyone understand that his authority could not be challenged, and he was punishing his eldest son, who had gone against his wishes, in various ways, and the wedding would be smaller in scale.
Later, Viserys's reaction when he returned to King's Landing further proved this rumor. Viserys almost couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the amount of money the finance minister provided for his brother's wedding: how could this amount be less than the cost of his birthday celebration? This was the wedding of the heir to the throne!
The Master of Coin also said it was because the treasury didn't have enough funds to pay for it this year, as it was too rushed. Viserys suggested cutting back on his own birthday expenses! But the other party shook their head, earnestly saying that as he was made a prince, the King's decree required a grand celebration.
Viserys knew what was going on. His mad father was acting up, mistreating his eldest son, and even using his wedding as an excuse to suppress him!
Although in the original timeline, his brother Rhaegar and Lyanna's wedding was a simple affair... only one High Septon witnessed it, and they secretly married in a forest in Dorne... simple, but with true love... But, but, it's different now!!
An indignant Viserys vowed to provide the best of everything for his brother.
He immediately summoned the elite members of his retinue: Tyrion, Wynton, and Petyr Baelish, who had become a customs official. He reviewed all the profit accounts from these years and told them that although the King had decided to cancel the royal wedding and, as usual, provide free bread and wine to all the commoners of King's Landing, he couldn't let it happen—he decided to subsidize everything out of his own pocket. He was going to prepare free food to be distributed in the city, with a consumption allowance of five copper pennies per person.
"It doesn't matter if we spend all the money. This is something my brother will only do once in his life. The residents of King's Landing should celebrate together." He said seriously, "Everything must follow the standards of the last Crown Prince's wedding of House Targaryen, or even higher, like when my parents got married. Littlefinger, you're in charge of customs. Keep an eye on all the goods arriving for the wedding, such as Myrish silk, Highgarden wine, and rare gems. If it's good stuff, negotiate the price directly."
"Also, I want to give my brother a gift. I'll prepare the crown he and Lyanna will wear when they get married." He said with anticipation, "I want the best jewelers in King's Landing! Post notices in Iron Street and Copper Street, looking for those with exquisite craftsmanship! And tailors! I must also review my brother's formal attire! They must use genuine gold thread embroidery!"
Petyr was the first to say there was absolutely no problem.
The Crown Prince continued to elaborate on his idea: "Considering my brother's hair and eye color, and the royal family's tradition of using purple for formal wear, I plan to use silver-white platinum and pure gold to create thin, laurel leaf shapes. Eighty or so gold leaves of varying sizes will be intricately woven together to form a crown. Of course, my brother's hair color is like molten silver, and no jewel can outshine his natural radiance. Therefore, to prevent the crown from appearing lackluster, I'll need to embed tiny diamonds along the edges and veins of the laurel leaves. The core of the crown, where the laurel branches converge, will feature a rare, pear-shaped purple diamond. I'll search the royal treasury for it, and I'll also ask you all to keep an eye out for perfect gemstones that match my brother's eyes."
At this, he thought of Lyanna, "The Crown Princess's crown will be made in the exact same style."
Tyrion listened, feeling deeply anxious. Who decides on the crown before even knowing what the bride's dress will look like? Does Viserys realize? He's not planning his brother and Lyanna's wedding at all! He's putting so much effort and money into this. Subconsciously, he's treating this as his own ceremony with his brother! The tragic ending is inevitable!
"Hey!" He couldn't help but remind his friend, "Lyanna's eyes aren't purple. You don't need a second purple diamond, right? Consider gray pearls, teardrop-shaped ones."
"Interesting. Hers shall be called Tears of Pearl..." Viserys blurted out, then frowned, cupping his chin, lost in thought, a haze of confusion in his purple pupils.
After Wynton and Littlefinger left, Viserys hesitantly asked, "Tyrion, if your brother Jaime were to marry, would you be... critical of his bride?"
"Yes, I would. Not just me, but everyone from my father to my sister, we'd all be critical," Tyrion replied, forcing a smile. He couldn't bring himself to tell his friend the truth and shatter his love, and his mood grew heavier.
Viserys was also dejected. He hasn't gotten a kiss from his brother in a while. Does his brother forget about his younger sibling once he has a lover? Also, calling his crown "Tears of Pearl" was a polite way of putting it, and that name was definitely not a blessing. The crown named so belonged to another world, a princess in a famous marital tragedy.
What's... happening to me?