Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

"I do have three dragons, but I'm the last of the Targaryens. Little Aegon has long been dead." As she spoke, Dany looked at Whitebeard and asked, "Do you know about A Song of Ice and Fire? Rhaegar claimed Aegon was the Prince That Was Promised, and that A Song of Ice and Fire was composed for him."

To have a life soundtrack called A Song of Ice and Fire sounds like being a protagonist, indeed.

Whitebeard fell into deep thought. After a while, he said, "The Targaryen sigil does feature three dragons, representing Aegon and his two sisters—three dragons, three dragonriders.

'The dragon has three heads' likely refers to this, but I don't know who else might be missing.

As for 'The Prince That Was Promised,' this prophecy has circulated within House Targaryen for decades."

"The Prince That Was Promised? Does House Targaryen truly have such a prophecy?" Dany asked, looking at Jorah for confirmation.

"Sorry, I've never heard of it." Jorah frowned, shaking his head. He looked skeptically at the old man. "Arstan, how do you know about this?"

"Heh, it's old news from decades ago. You Northerners are simply ignorant." Whitebeard chuckled briefly, then returned to the topic. "Legend has it that a prince will be born to House Targaryen, the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, who will—"

"Wait, Azor Ahai?" Dany interrupted, her expression curious. "Is it the prophecy that says, 'After a long summer, when the stars bleed, Azor Ahai's reborn form will rise amidst smoke and salt'?"

"Uh, something like that. I'm aware of that ancient prophecy from Essos. However, in Westeros, a prophet explicitly stated that the reborn Azor Ahai would be a Targaryen prince, born within the last few decades." Whitebeard nodded.

That damned Azor Ahai—why does everyone across the world eagerly anticipate his return?

Even if he does save the world from the Others, the tale of sacrificing his wife to forge a sword is undoubtedly true.

The old zebra man had recounted the story of "Heilkorlon's Descendants." After saving the world, Heilkorlon still fathered many children.

So... with whom?

What a scoundrel!

Seeing the skepticism on Dany's face, Whitebeard said seriously, "Even if Ser Mormont is unaware of this prophecy, he must have heard of Jenny of Oldstones."

Even Dany, who had never set foot in Westeros, had heard of Jenny of Oldstones.

In the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, she was the original Mary Sue.

At Dany and Khal Drogo's wedding, every guest brought gifts. Even the destitute Jorah gave her two old books.

These nameless parchment manuscripts, written by hand, were often perused by Dany as she sought to understand the world.

They were essentially a Westerosi Fairy Tale Collection.

One of the tales was the story of Jenny of Oldstones.

She was said to have come from Oldstones, the ruins of a First Men's royal city that had been destroyed six thousand years ago. Without known parents, she claimed descent from the First Men's kings.

The villagers around her, however, dismissed her as a mad peasant girl, or even a witch.

One thing was certain: she was extraordinarily beautiful, mysterious, and captivating.

So much so that Prince Duncan, already betrothed, renounced his claim to the throne to marry her after meeting her adorned with flowers in the wilderness.

Incidentally, Jenny was technically Dany's great-aunt-in-law. Her husband was Dany's grandfather's elder brother.

Thus, Dany's grandfather unexpectedly became king as a second son.

"Does Jenny of Oldstones have anything to do with the Prince That Was Promised?" Dany asked in surprise.

"Princess Jenny did not enter the Red Keep alone; she was accompanied by a close friend, a prophetess she had grown up with," Whitebeard said, his blue eyes reflecting nostalgia. His voice was calm yet resonant.

"Jenny referred to her companion as a Child of the Forest, though many thought she was merely a strangely shaped dwarf.

That prophetess once told your grandfather that the Prince That Was Promised would come from the lineage of Prince Aerys and Princess Rhaella.

Thus, while your parents may not have loved each other, they were married to fulfill the prophecy. Alas, fate is cruel. If King Aerys ever loved someone, it was Joanna of Casterly Rock."

"Joanna of Casterly Rock?" Jorah was visibly shaken. "Surely you're not talking about Joanna Lannister?"

Whitebeard gave the knight a meaningful look. "Yes, Lady Joanna, wife of Lord Tywin. As Princess Rhaella's companion, Joanna grew up in the Red Keep alongside King Aerys."

"Ah, we digress. Seeing you, Queen Daenerys, I feel the prophetess's vision may have come true," he said, turning back to Dany.

"You believe I'm the Prince That Was Promised, the reincarnation of Azor Ahai?" Dany shook her head with a faint smile. "In the visions I've seen, Rhaegar almost pierces through time to tell me that the child in his arms was the true Prince That Was Promised."

"Prince Aegon is dead, and the prophecy broken," Jorah said gravely.

"Regardless, you are the rightful queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Please, come with us to Pentos," Whitebeard urged Dany.

Dany could tell that while Whitebeard was nominally Ser Belwas's servant, he was the true decision-maker.

"When did you arrive in Qarth?" she asked.

"About four or five days ago."

"Why seek me out only today?"

The old man with the white beard explained, "The leader of the merchant ship, Grolei, is both the captain and a proper Pentoshi trader. Traders believe in never sailing with an empty hold.

For this voyage, we brought intricate goods from Myr to Qarth, and in return, we plan to transport spices, silk, porcelain, and other treasures from the East back with us. However, the goods we brought have not been sold out yet, and we haven't procured the Eastern cargo either."

At this point, the old man frowned and glanced at the centaurs gathered under the shade of the trees. With a sigh, he added, "We should first settle His Majesty's people and their belongings, then purchase goods based on the remaining space in the ship's hold."

"You heard that I am leaving soon, so you hurried over?"

"Exactly," the old man nodded.

There was one thing he didn't say aloud: part of the reason for their delay in approaching was to secretly evaluate whether Daenerys possessed the qualities to become the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

To the old man, as long as Daenerys didn't inherit the madness of the Mad King, she would qualify.

It wasn't that his standards were low, but rather that there were too few viable candidates to choose from.

Daenerys instructed her handmaidens to host the two visitors, while she returned to the drawing room with her bloodriders and Ser Jorah to discuss the next steps.

Aggo and the others firmly believed that the Dothraki should never leave the solid ground. They feared that the vast poison water—what they called the sea—would drown the entire world, making it far too dangerous.

True, none of the Dothraki were swimmers, and they harbored a deep-seated fear of the sea. However, their opinions were heavily biased and carried little weight in the discussion.

Ser Jorah hesitated only briefly before advising Daenerys to accept Illyrio's invitation.

"If he's set his sights on you, whether for ulterior motives or simply to profit from your restoration, he won't give up on your three dragons so easily.

He found you once with precision and speed. He could do it again. If you continue to refuse, then perhaps..."

He paused briefly, letting Daenerys consider the worst possible outcomes, before continuing, "Sailing is also safer and faster."

"We are not suited for fighting on poison water. Our strength would be reduced by half," Qhono argued.

"Sailing makes it harder to be tracked. Without encountering enemies, safety naturally improves. While you are warriors of the saddle, the two skills that dominate Essos—the arakh and the bow—do not become entirely useless on a ship," Ser Jorah said with a sharp glint in his eyes. "In fact, if things go awry, we have the strength to seize control of a ship. We won't head to Pentos; the ships will take us to Slaver's Bay."

The next morning, Captain Grolei came to meet Daenerys.

He was a weathered and rugged sailor, medium in height, with a bushy black beard that blended into his curly hair. Only his bright white teeth and sharp, straightforward dark brown eyes stood out from his face.

During his conversation with Daenerys, Captain Grolei showed no signs of dominance. Upon meeting her, he immediately offered to give up his captain's quarters for her.

Much like Belwas, Grolei had already recognized Daenerys as someone to serve and follow.

Of course, Daenerys didn't broach the subject of changing course during their first meeting. At just 15 years old, she was inexperienced and impressionable, relying heavily on Ser Jorah Mormont's guidance.

If Illyrio harbored any malicious intent, the blame would fall squarely on her Queen's Guard.

Zaro, upon hearing that Illyrio had sent a ship for her, only extended her housing arrangement by a few days and required her to cover her own food expenses. After that, he rarely showed his face, sending messages through his steward instead.

While waiting for the merchant ship to complete its loading, Daenerys and her group stayed busy. First, they needed to sell all 300 camels they had recently purchased, incurring a small loss.

Not only were the camels sold off, but the horses of all but 80 elite riders were also traded, as elderly, weak, and female members of the tribe no longer needed them.

In fact, Daenerys sold off 70% of the khalasar's warhorses and used the proceeds to equip her riders with stronger, better-bred mounts.

The prized horses once belonging to Khal Drogo were mostly taken by the new khals who had left. The remaining ones were unsuitable for the battlefield.

Finally, Daenerys tasked Captain Grolei with selecting 200 sailors from his fleet. All Dothraki, including her bloodriders, were required to learn how to swim, with these sailors acting as their instructors.

Having grown up by the sea, Ser Jorah was exempt from the training.

Two days later, after finishing breakfast—a bowl of silky gourd and shrimp soup—Daenerys decided to visit the docks to inspect Grolei's ship herself, ensuring that no details had been overlooked.

For instance, she was wary of scurvy, the infamous scourge of sailors during the Age of Exploration.

Whether such a problem existed in this magical world was unclear, but the journey from Qarth to Pentos was far longer than crossing the Atlantic in Europe.

Dressed in faded silk trousers and woven sandals, Daenerys headed to the stables.

Her slender waist was adorned with a silver medallion belt, from which a small arakh hung. Her silvery hair, cascading to her shoulders, had been braided in the Dothraki style by Missandei, with a single silver bell tied to the end. It jingled softly with her every graceful step.

The Dothraki handmaidens believed Daenerys had earned the right to add a bell to her braid after burning the warlocks in the House of the Undying and sending their souls to the afterlife—a victory worth celebrating.

Daenerys, however, felt resigned. It wasn't about the bell; even the simplest Dothraki believed she had destroyed the Undying. Could the Great Warlock be more foolish than the horse lords?

(End of Chapter)

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