Chapter 466: The Miraculous Effects of the Soul Restoring Orchid


    Knock, knock...


    Someone was knocking on the door.


    Laena''s voice came from outside the bedroom. "Rhaenyra, may Ie in?"


    "Come in!" Rhaenyra quickly agreed.


    The door creaked open, and Laena stepped in, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Rhaegar training a young dragon. "Rhaegar, another dragon?"


    "Cousin, thank you foring all the way from Driftmark," Rhaegar said, putting down the baby dragon and rising to greet her.


    Laena chuckled. "It''s nothing. I''m just d Rhaenyra has given birth safely."


    Rhaenyra, who was nursing her baby, turned her head to cover herself, interrupting, "Is something wrong?"


    Noticing her difort, Rhaegar draped a thin nket over her back.


    Laena watched the couple''s tender interaction, momentarily speechless. Then she remembered her purpose. "The Cannibal has arrived at the Red Keep. The Hand of the King sent me to find you, Rhaegar. There’s much to be done."


    From the king''sa to the queen''s power y, and the financial strains and gathering of undesirable elements by the Greens, the issues required the attention of the heir prince, who also held regent powers.


    Rhaegar''s expression darkened slightly as he realized the gravity of the situation. Sensing his concern, Laena continued, "Alicent fed the king poppy milk to manipte the Small Council, but the situation is now stabilized."


    She added that the king had stopped Alicent but had fallen back into aa. Upon hearing this, Rhaegar''s face immediately turned grim.


    After a moment''s thought, he decided to see his father first. "I''ll check on my father."


    Rhaenyra agreed. "I''ll go with you."


    She also wanted to take the two children. Rhaegar did not object, taking the eldest son first, leaving Laena to help Rhaenyra change clothes. The young dark green dragon was also taken and handed over to the Dragonkeeper stationed at the Red Keep to be sent to the Dragonpit.


    As they climbed the stairs, Laena walked behind, her eyes on the two boys. "Rhaenyra, you''re amazing, solving the heir problem in one fell swoop."


    Rhaenyra turned back, trying tofort her. "You will have more children in the future. The Maester''s diagnosis is not always urate."


    After a difficult birth, Laena had been told it would be hard for her to conceive again. She shook her head, showing no disappointment, and suggested, "You are my good friend and the foster mother of my daughters. Would you consider a marriage alliance between our houses?"


    "This..." Rhaenyra hesitated, clearly tempted.


    Rhaegar took over, smiling. "There''s no rush. The children are still young. If they like each other in the future, we can consider a marriage contract."


    Rhaenyra looked stunned but Rhaegar gave her a reassuring look. The proposal was indeed tempting. With Laenor''s death, Laena was set to be a representative of House Vryon and a future councilor of Lys. A marriage alliance would strengthen ties with Daemon and the Sea Snake, bringing them closer to the royal family.


    Laena, sensing the hint of refusal, smiled. "That''s good. The children growing up together will surely develop feelings for each other."


    Rhaegar smiled back and continued helping Rhaenyra upstairs. He anticipated Daemon and the Sea Snake''s power would expand significantly in the next decade. While a marriage alliance would strengthen the royal family, it would also ce heavy expectations on them. He didn’t want Daemon and the Sea Snake to wield undue influence or make it difficult to take necessary actions if they made mistakes. Moreover, the children were still young, and premature arrangements might prevent them from finding more suitable matches in the future.


    ...


    The King’s Chambers


    Rhaegar entered the king’s chambers with his eldest son in his arms, met by two Kingsguard standing at attention. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the heir prince and the swaddled baby.


    "I''vee to see my father," Rhaegar announced.


    "Pleasee in, Prince!" one of the Kingsguard responded, quickly opening the door.


    With yesterday’s farce still fresh in their minds—the heir prince''s return from Oldtown and the Princess giving birth to two little Princes—the Kingsguard hoped that things would soon be back on track.


    Rhaenyra entered first, followed by Rhaegar and their child. Inside, Grand Maester Orwyle and Maester Munkun were deep in discussion, their faces etched with worry. Upon seeing Rhaegar, Orwyle quickly bowed and greeted him, "Prince!"


    "Shh!" Rhaegar whispered, leaning closer to the bedroom door. He peered through the bead curtain and saw his father unconscious on the bed. "Has anything been found out?" he asked.


    Orwyle shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, no."


    "He’s just in shock. There’s no sign of any external injury," Rhaegar said, frowning deeply.


    Orwyle remained silent, the unusual nature of the king’s condition troubling him deeply. The unhealing wound had been a harbinger of worse toe.


    Maester Munkun spoke up. "I once obtained a Valyrian steel chain ring of the ult and know a little about magic. Perhaps I can help."


    "Tell me," Rhaegar urged, taking the word "magic" very seriously.


    Munkun nodded to Orwyle before continuing. "I read about a simr case in the autobiography of a wandering healer. It described changes in the body after a shock, lethargy, or a loss of spirit."


    He paused. "Some young children fall intoas, which is called ''loss of soul.''"


    "Soul?" Rhaegar’s brows knitted together, finding this a challenging problem. Despite his unique physical and magical abilities, he had never studied the soul. Pyromancer knowledge, runes, and the dragonborn transformation process seemed rted to the soul, but none were suitable for healing.


    After a moment of thought, Rhaegar asked, "Are there any ancient texts that describe how to heal this? Do we need the help of a healer?" He knew of a few people with peculiar skills—Greenhand Gar, the Red Priest Varys, and the Red Priestess of the Red Temple.


    "Useless!" Munkun shook his head. "That wandering healer was not very capable. His autobiography is mostly an exaggeration. The soul is not a physical body and cannot be easily tampered with."


    Rhaegar pondered. "If the healer is no good, there must be a special treatment form?"


    "Ancient texts record several strange nts and minerals that can refresh the mind and perhaps help the soul," Munkun said.


    "Where can I find them?" Rhaegar inquired.


    "Prince, you can see for yourself," Munkun replied with some embarrassment. He picked up a yellowed parchment from the table and handed it to Rhaegar.


    Rhaegar scanned it carefully, his face growing solemn. Munkun exined, "The old books are from Valyria, about 380 years ago. The nts and minerals were buried in thends of the Long Summer - the Smoking Sea."


    Rhaegar closed the book with a thud, his moodplicated. The Smoking Sea was not a ce one could venture lightly.


    Orwyle and Munkun kept their eyes down, adhering to the golden rule of silence. Rhaenyra stepped forward, worry etched on her face, and took Rhaegar’s hand. Laena spoke up solemnly, "Daemon and I once wanted to explore the coast, but Vhagar and Caraxes were very resistant. We failed."


    Rhaegar''s mind raced as he repeated a passage from the ancient text. "It grows on carrion, looks like an orchid, its pollen is fragrant, and picking it can nourish the spirit." It was very simr to the description of the Soul Restoring Orchid he had found.


    "Rhaenyra, do you still have any of the powder I gave you?" Rhaegar asked. There had been two Soul Restoring Orchid powders, and his had been used up long ago during the war.


    Rhaenyra paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "There''s still a little left."


    She pushed open the door and called for someone to fetch it. Seeing this, Munkun breathed a sigh of relief and left with Orwyle.


    Soon, Sara, the maid, arrived with a delicate powder box. Rhaegar opened it and found that about a third of the powder remained, enough for roughly a month''s use. The Soul Restoring Orchid, which grows in the Smoking Sea, is incredibly rare and difficult to obtain.


    Rhaegar had used the powder sparingly, only sprinkling a little on his pillow asionally. Now, he hoped it might help his father. He sprinkled some of the powder on Viserys’s pillow and then gently reached out to hold his father''s hand. Summoning his fire magic, he sought to stimte the blood flow in Viserys’s body.


    One minute, two minutes... Ten minutes passed. Rhaegar’s forehead was covered in a fineyer of sweat, and his body temperature rose noticeably. The eldest son in his arms squirmed, kicking his legs in difort from the heat.


    "Mmm-hmm," Viserys groaned, his face gradually flushing with color.


    Overjoyed, Rhaegar put his struggling son on the bed and called softly, "Father, wake up."


    Viserys opened his eyes slowly, disoriented. He saw his eldest son and asked, "Rhaegar, you’re back?"


    "Yes, Father. You suddenly fainted yesterday, so I hurried back to King''s Landingst night," Rhaegar exined. "How do you feel? Are you still dizzy?"


    Viserys, still confused, replied, "Not bad. I feel more spirited than yesterday, and my body is warm."


    Rhaegar and Rhaenyra exchanged relieved smiles.


    "Wait!" Viserys''s eyes fell on the baby in Rhaenyra''s arms. "This child...?"


    Didn''t he just fall into aa a day ago? Yesterday, Rhaenyra was still pregnant, and today she held a baby.


    "Ooh-wa-wa~" The sound of a young, squeaky voice came from nearby.


    Viserys turned his head. A white, clean babyy beside him, staring up with clear, purple eyes. The old king and the baby locked eyes, studying each other.


    "Gurgle~" The baby tilted his head, thumb in his mouth, his little tummy gurgling.


    Viserys’s spirit brightened, and he almost jumped out of bed. He pinched the baby’s chubby hand and his eyes shone with affection. After a moment, he turned to Rhaenyra and said, "The child is so small, how can he grow tall and strong on an empty stomach?"


    Rhaenyra blushed and handed her second son to Laena, then took the eldest son and began to breastfeed him. It was amusing that the eldest son remained particrly calm and quiet, no matter what was done to him.


    Viserys eagerly reached out. "Show me this little guy."


    Laena handed over the baby, causing a flurry of contented grunting. Viserys’s face split into a broad smile as he held the little one, pinching his meaty legs. "This little one has such strength. He will definitely grow up to be a great warrior."


    Rhaegar smiled. "The one in Rhaenyra’s arms is a natural warrior."


    "Don''t jump to conclusions. You should believe that children have infinite possibilities," Viserys gently corrected, teasing the little one and then turning back to Rhaenyra. "Who is the older twin? Have you named them yet?"