From March onwards, Dragonstone had more good weather, and today's sunlight was exceptionally warm.
And because Dragonstone has an active volcano on the new island, the plants on the island have recovered particularly early in recent years, and this year, many fruit trees and flowers have already bloomed.
It was originally a rare good day of the year, but Baelon, born in the first spring after the long winter, passed away again in the new spring; perhaps this is fate and the gods playing tricks on people!
But then again, when has this world ever changed for anyone?
After breakfast, Daenerys had already gone over all the preparation details with Tigris Scholar, which also counted as Daenerys's learning and practice.
In Tigris Scholar's eyes, Daenerys was a very qualified student. Not only did she learn quickly, but she could also infer other things from one point, and at such a young age, she showed extraordinary talent.
Daenerys also felt that her mind in this life was truly intelligent, almost at the level of photographic memory. And her body was also exceptionally strong. Especially after successfully riding a dragon, she felt her strength increasing very quickly.
Especially after successfully riding a dragon, she also followed Bronn to practice swordsmanship, and after many years, she was considered a small master herself.
In this world, funerals, especially those of royal family members, are quite elaborate. Daenerys being able to personally participate in organizing it was also a way for her to accumulate experience for her future leadership of a family or territory.
After all, in this world, the status of women is still acceptable. When there is no suitable male heir, women can also inherit titles.
Of course, the Targaryen Royal Family has never had such an example. The Seven Kingdoms are still largely male-dominated, and the vast majority of people are still accustomed to male heirs taking precedence over females.
The Targaryen Family's funerals are relatively simple compared to the traditions of other families in the Seven Kingdoms. However, the cremation method of lighting the fire with a dragon directly brings the grandeur to its peak.
Because, apart from the former Ancient Valyria Freehold, the Targaryen Family is currently the only family with the strength and ability to act in such a manner.
Due to Prince Baelon's noble status, all the prominent great nobles of the Seven Kingdoms will personally attend this time. Therefore, whether it's the delicious food and wine prepared for the subsequent banquet, or the places for nobles and noblewomen to chat and rest, everything must be thoroughly considered.
It must conform to the status of the royal family, yet not be overly extravagant. The Targaryen Family has always advocated simplicity, so the prepared items can only focus on quality.
Tigris Scholar had people go to Tide Head Island, the wealthiest family in the Seven Kingdoms, House Velaryon's spice town, to purchase the freshest seafood and various precious spices transported from the eastern continent of Essos.
Coupled with Dragonstone's own reserves, it could also put together a banquet worthy of being ranked among the best in the Seven Kingdoms.
For tableware, in addition to those made of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum, Daenerys had Tigris Scholar bring out more than a dozen sets of dragon bone tableware that she had heavily paid Myr craftsmen to create.
However, these were all Daenerys's private possessions, and her bringing them out for everyone to use had her own little plan.
One set for each of the Seven Great Families (Stark Family of the North, House Tully of the Riverlands, House Arryn of the Vale, House Tyrell of the Reach, Greyjoy Family of the Iron Islands, House Baratheon of the Stormlands, Lannister Family of the Westerlands. The Martell Family of Dorne has a poor relationship and will not come).
Her close relatives, the Velaryon Family, naturally also needed to be prepared for, and all members of the royal family would receive a share.
This dragon bone tableware included everything from bowls, plates, dishes, cups, knives, and forks to barrels, boxes, pots, and trays. Moreover, they were inlaid with gold and silver, and many pearls and gemstones were also embedded.
Daenerys had hundreds of sets of such tableware made, consuming thousands of kilograms of dragon bone alone. The cost of each set was more than a dozen gold dragons, which was the ultimate luxury.
She planned to take advantage of today's opportunity to give the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms a good eye-opener. Don't they love to compete?
Daenerys didn't believe they wouldn't want to collect a set themselves after using them. For Daenerys to part with them like this, charging tens of thousands per set wouldn't be excessive, right?
If anyone can't afford it, then they can expect to not be able to hold their heads high in the Seven Kingdoms!
Regarding ingredients, the quality of Dragonstone's reserves was certainly not bad, and the whale meat that Dreamfire caught a few days ago also came in handy today, which is considered top-grade ingredient in the Seven Kingdoms.
Daenerys also prepared a kind of "dragonflame wine" that she meticulously brewed. This wine is made by slowly fermenting a certain unspeakable metabolic product of a dragon in the strongest barley wine for a month, and then distilling it multiple times.
Daenerys can say with great responsibility that this must be the strongest wine in this world. Although this dragonflame wine is strong, it does not harm the body and also has the effect of strengthening the body and bones; even pregnant women can drink it.
The one prepared for the banquet this time was diluted at a one-to-ten ratio, but it was still the strongest fine wine. Only its health benefits were much less.
Daenerys also had the shepherds from White Sheep Town send over a hundred fat sheep. Now that the Targaryen Family's dragonriders were gathered, dragon food naturally couldn't be scarce.
And the sheep roasted by her own Skinning Knights were very delicious, because they contained Daenerys's exclusive secret barbecue seasoning.
The ingredients of the barbecue seasoning personally developed by Daenerys are not complicated, similar to those in Huaguo, but after adding dragon metabolic products and mountain salt collected near Dragonstone's new island, the taste became truly good.
This low-cost and extremely delicious seasoning can definitely rival the most top-grade spices. If operated well, this seasoning business alone could serve as Daenerys's money bag in the future.
When these nobles of the Seven Kingdoms gathered, besides drinking and women, their favorite activity was jousting.
Although a large-scale jousting tournament is not suitable for a funeral, a small-scale one to liven things up can also be considered a remembrance of the deceased.
Grandfather Baelon loved hunting and participating in jousting tournaments during his lifetime, and was known as "Baelon the Brave." Therefore, jousting at his funeral was inevitable.
So Daenerys ordered the captain of the guards, Alfred, to have people clear out the training grounds. Some weapons and armor that were still gathering dust in the storeroom were also taken out and re-maintained by the knight squires.
She also took the opportunity to "reward" Bronn, her two personal guard knights, and twelve Skinning Knights with a set of plate armor and a fine steel sword each. Although it was only worth more than sixty gold dragons, it was a huge sum for an ordinary knight.
Daenerys had also made some progress in swordsmanship recently under Bronn's guidance. Even Bronn couldn't help but praise her talent for becoming a female knight. For this, he even used his bonus to specially commission a small, half-handed sword for Daenerys.
The hilt was made of dragon bone, and the blade was very thin, only half a meter long. The scabbard was also made of silver alloy and inlaid with seven different gemstones. It was perfectly suited for Daenerys's use.
After Daenerys and the others waited at the main gate for over half an hour, Harold ran over to report to Daenerys:
"Princess, they're here! King Jaehaerys has already disembarked and is heading towards the castle."