Eagle of the Valley of Ice and Fire

The castle is a withered soldier pine, lost in the mist created by the children of the forest.

Long houses in the rain, forests in the fog, earthen ramparts surrounded by insects. Many castles in the rainforest are named after these features.

Since I was a child, I lived on a desolate coastline at the edge of the hills. I practiced swordsmanship every day facing the dry sea breeze. It was hard not to fantasize about the rainforest on the other side of the sea where it rained day and night.

"Clang ping pong! Clang clang clang!" The steel sword was in his hand, and the swords collided and made a clanging sound as he practiced with the coach who taught him swordsmanship and chivalry.

Memories were like the rising and falling tides at sunset, flooding into his mind whether he accepted them or not.

The sailor looked at himself guiltily for a few times, then quickly turned his head away.

He knew it well, and patted the herald on the shoulder. "Stormland has always been like this. There was even a Duke's ship that hit a reef and sank right outside his home."

Jilan grumbled rather unhappily: "It's a long way to go, and plans can never keep up with changes."

Yes, he agreed in his heart, and his thoughts drifted towards that day. He was just a little bit away from killing the usurper with his own hands.

What a pity.

The herald's words interrupted his thoughts, "There are woods ahead, and it's foggy. To ensure safety, it's best to divide the army into several groups, sweep in batches, and maintain communication between the teams."

"However," Kieran Frode sighed as he looked at the dense woods around him and shrugged uneasily, "Captain Harry is missing. I'm afraid that according to the designated marching plan, he might be in Griffin's Nest Castle?"

Harry Strickland? The old treasurer knew very well that he would never fight a battle without preparation or confidence. Even though he still followed the promise made by the previous captain to participate in the war to counterattack Westeros, his march was still cowardly, which hindered the progress of the march from beginning to end.

"Ser Harry Strickland is not around, so I can command you." He looked at the herald Kieran Frode, a young man with light blond hair and blue eyes. When he was introduced to the Golden Group by him, he was just a young boy who knew a little about archery at most, but now he has participated in many battles and has become an experienced herald and scout cavalry.

Kieran nodded, his tone rather excited, "Continue to follow Lord Griffin, there must be wealth and food waiting for us as we pass through this rain forest."

"No," Griffin looked at the dark rain forest with a stern gaze, "We must," he held the sword, "take over this rain forest."

Less than a thousand Golden Company mercenaries followed their commander, looking through the rainforest in front of them. Many of them had traveled across the ocean from Westeros to join the Golden Company. Some were the second and youngest sons of their families, some were veterans on the losing side of the war, and some were poachers who would have their fingers chopped off or sent to the Great Wall if they weren't so lucky.

Griffin thought of himself as a group of frustrated people. His eyes became more determined and his hand holding the sword became more forceful.

Rainforest, Amberly

The miners held chisels and hammers, with thick ropes hanging from their bodies, and walked down the hillside. Every time they stepped on a rock layer buried by the soil and an amber stone wall left over from mining, they had to make sure that they were solid before deciding to continue exploring.

There are extinguished torches emitting white smoke everywhere. At night, the place will be brightly lit, and the deep rock caves will be as bright as day.

The miner touched the amber rock under his feet, brushing away the debris and some dust. He opened his eyes wide and saw a complete insect wrapped in a golden amber cage, its transparent thin wings with several lines clearly visible.

He took out a chisel and began to knock along the edge of the amber and the rock, "bang, bang, bang."

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Along the ore bed, the sounds of knocking and the miners' conversations flow down the layers, just like the straight strings of a harp, plucking, vibrating, and spreading.

Amber is inlaid in the folds and cracks of the rock strata, and colors such as golden, orange, and pewter are scattered around the rock strata, like a starry sky.

The silver unicorn flag of the Rogers family was quietly planted at the front and center of the mine. Several soldiers with daggers hanging on their waists stood there, staring at the miners swinging their hammers with boredom.

Berger Rogers stood on the high wall, looking down at the mine in the distance.

The castle in Amber Land had only three high walls, and the other side was backed by the woodland on the mountain. Although the surrounding woods had long been bare, only the buildings of farms and livestock pens could be seen on the ground, but there was not a single tree.

He listened to the clear bird songs in the sky above the castle, and occasionally took the time to listen to the noises of the miners in the distance. Berger closed his eyes, leaning comfortably on the cushions prepared by the servants, enjoying the rare sunshine in the rainforest.

"Is there still no news from Rain House City?" Berger recalled the disturbing news from Stonehelm City and Rain House City a few weeks ago, saying that bandits were surging in the rainforest, causing him to spend a lot of money to hire a lot of natives from Isle of Ethmon as guards. As a result, the area around his own castle was calm, and there were even fewer birds and animals in the deep rainforest than before.

The servant poured honey on him and shook his head, "Master, the maester has not received the letter."

"That's good," grumbled Burchill, gnashing his teeth as he chewed the frozen fruit. He pressed his tongue against his aching teeth. "When the fighting stops a little, I'll take you to King's Landing and bring cartloads of amber to King Joffrey and Hand Artis Arryn."

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The birdsong in the air stopped abruptly, and the noise from the mines in the distance seemed to have stopped. Berger frowned, and he stretched his head to look down at the top of the city wall. Why didn't those country bumpkins from Ismen Island gamble? In the past, the sounds of these Ismen Island natives who took money but did not do their work were fighting and gambling under the city wall, but now it was strangely quiet.

"Strange." As Berger was speaking, he felt a chill on his neck. He lowered his eyes and looked down to see the spiked spears of the natives of Ismon Island.

"You guys took the money, you guys."

"Plop!" The servant fell in a pool of blood, and the fruit plate was overturned to the ground.

Berger was stunned, slumped on the cushion, and breathed heavily.

A long sword stood upright in front of him, with the tip of the sword stuck in the fruit flesh. Golden greaves and silver elbow pads appeared in his sight first. Looking up, a flag was erected in front of the steps of the city wall. Embroidered on the flag was a pile of gold-plated skulls.

The Golden Company? Berger's mind was blank.

"Amberland is finished, including your Amber Baby, Rogers. Surrender to us," the Golden Company mercenary whispered. "It seems that the gods in heaven, your subjects and bodyguards have all abandoned you. Who knows what atrocities you have committed against them? You surrendered when you saw our weapons and flags, without even a shout."

Berger's mind was a blur.

"It seems you need a true king." The mercenary looked at him with pity, "Otherwise how can your crimes be pardoned?"