Chapter 219: Daenerys's Western Expedition, True Dragon and Cloth Dragon

Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Daenerys's fleet sailed westward along the Summer Sea.

Daenerys stood at the prow of the *Balerion the Conqueror*; in the air, the black magic dragon Drogon spread his massive wings, sweeping across the sky.

Among Daenerys's three dragons, the black dragon Aegon was the largest; Ser Jorah Mormont, of the Queen's Guard, believed Aegon was the reincarnation of the "Black Dread" Balerion. Dany named this black dragon after her deceased husband, Khal Drogo.

The cream-colored magic dragon Viserion was catching fish; a dolphin leaped out of the water, Viserion spat a mouthful of dragonfire, roasted the dolphin, then dove into the sea, bit the dolphin, and immediately soared back into the sky. Viserion's name was in memory of Daenerys's second brother, Viserys.

The magic dragon Rhaegal flew at the rear of the fleet, hunting a flock of seagulls; his scales were green and bronze. Rhaegal's name was in memory of Daenerys's eldest brother, Rhaegar Targaryen.

At the mere thought that a necromancer had resurrected Rhaegar Targaryen, making him a dark servant of the Great Other, Daenerys was filled with irritation.

On the other hand, Daenerys could not help but wonder if necromancy could resurrect Khal Drogo. Khal Drogo was the greatest Khal; once resurrected, he would surely be able to conquer all the Dothraki tribes and help Daenerys complete the conquest of Westeros.

At the thought of Khal Drogo, Daenerys could not help but feel sad. Back then, the Beggar King Viserys, in order to obtain Khal Drogo's army, had sold Daenerys to Khal Drogo together with Warden Illyrio; their marriage did not stem from Daenerys's own will, yet subsequently, Khal Drogo gave Daenerys happiness.

Just as Daenerys was about to give birth to a son for Khal Drogo, just as Daenerys had grown accustomed to the status of Khaleesi and the life of the Dothraki, the maegi Mirri Maz Duur had killed the Khal and Daenerys's unborn son.

Daenerys could not help but yearn to master necromancy herself; if she could, she would resurrect her mother, Queen Rhaella, who had died in childbirth to bring her into the world, and resurrect the loyal Ser Willem Darry.

It was Ser Willem Darry who had escorted Prince Viserys and Daenerys to flee across the Narrow Sea; the old man had cared for Daenerys in every possible way, but unfortunately, Ser Willem Darry passed away when Daenerys was still very young.

If she could, Daenerys would even be willing to resurrect King Aerys, the father slandered by the Usurper as the "Mad King"; Daenerys believed her father was loving, and the crimes of the "Mad King" were nothing but the Usurper's slander.

Dany's bloodriders Aggo, Jhogo, and Rakharo reported the condition of the horses to Dany, interrupting her train of thought. The bells tied to the bloodriders' whips were all won while following Daenerys to conquer Slaver's Bay.

The three bloodriders were all brave and fearless warriors, yet facing the sea, their eyes were filled with fear. The Dothraki did not trust the sea; they believed seawater was poison water, which even horses would not drink.

Many Dothraki horse warriors lay on the deck vomiting toward the sea; the sea made the Dothraki, unaccustomed to sailing, miserable.

Rakharo used a pure gold arakh, Jhogo was skilled with a silver-handled whip, and Aggo used a dragonbone longbow; all three were demonic horse warriors.

After Daenerys hatched the magic dragons, Rakharo, Jhogo, and Aggo followed Khaleesi Daenerys with absolute devotion, following Daenerys across the Red Waste; the three not only protected Daenerys many times, but now they were also responsible for commanding Daenerys's cavalry and Dothraki host.

Grey Worm stood guard by Daenerys's side; he was the commander of the Unsullied. This young eunuch had no hair on his face, and his short, cropped hair made him look capable and resolute.

The Unsullied were the trump card in Daenerys's hand; they were a eunuch infantry legion.

The Unsullied were equipped with spiked helmets, short swords, spears, and shields, and were the world's finest infantry; Daenerys now possessed eight thousand Unsullied, dispersed across the three galleons: *Balerion the Conqueror*, *Visenya*, and *Rhaenys*.

The captain of the Stormcrows, Daario Naharis, stood guard on Daenerys's right; he was handsome, with his beard and hair dyed blue, and his gold teeth glittered when he smiled. On the left side of Daario's armor hung an arakh, while his right hand held a slender assassin sword, the hilt of which was carved into the shape of a wanton beauty.

Like Ser Jorah, Daario had been pursuing Daenerys; compared to the bald and hairy Ser Jorah, Daario was clearly more charming.

If Daario were not a low-born mercenary, Daenerys might truly have considered marrying him.

The captain of the Second Sons, Ben Plumm, had a kind face and graying hair; the Second Sons he commanded numbered over five hundred.

In addition to the mercenary companies, the Dothraki host, and the Unsullied legion, Daenerys also possessed the Meereenese Beast Masks, the Brotherhood Without Banners composed of free folk from the three cities of Yunkai, Astapor, and Meereen, and the Gladiator Legion composed of Meereenese gladiators.

Among these legions, the Brotherhood Without Banners was the most numerous, exceeding twenty thousand; they were all subjects who followed the Mother of Dragons.

Because Astapor in Slaver's Bay trained slaves into Unsullied, Yunkai was known for training bed slaves, and Meereen cultivated slaves into gladiators, and beyond that, the three Slaver's Bay city-states also trained scribes, cooks, smiths, weavers, and the like, Daenerys had sacked Astapor, crushed Yunkai, and captured Meereen, liberating a vast number of slaves.

These were slaves that slave traders had transported to Slaver's Bay from all over the world, including Summer Islanders with skin like ebony, hairy Ibbenese, Dothraki, the kind-hearted and peace-loving Naathi, yellow-skinned and black-eyed Yi Tish, and so on.

It was Daenerys who broke their chains and liberated them; these people were willing to follow Mhysa to Westeros to help their Mhysa reclaim the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms.

Hearing that Daenerys was taking her great army to leave Meereen, the local Meereenese nobles were very welcoming, taking the initiative to offer ships and food, sending Daenerys away as if sending off a plague god.

When leaving Meereen, Daenerys's fleet numbered over a hundred, mostly galleons, armed merchant ships, and oared warships. Varys jokingly remarked that the scale of Daenerys's western expedition to Westeros was comparable to Queen Nymeria's "Ten Thousand Ships" of the past.

Daenerys's handmaidens Irri and Jhiqui stood guard on Daenerys's left and right; in addition, there was the young scribe Missandei from Naath. Missandei was proficient in many languages and was Daenerys's translator.

The Red Priest "Black Flame" Moqorro and the red-lacquer-masked red priestess Quaithe were Daenerys's sorcerers; along the way, with the assistance of Quaithe and Moqorro, the fleet's winds had been consistently favorable.

Suddenly, the air began to fill with the smell of sulfur; Daenerys noticed that the sky to the north was overcast with dark clouds, and even the magic dragons Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion in the air began to grow restless.

Daenerys frowned, "This stretch of sea is so strange."

Quaithe, wearing the red lacquer mask, said, "Your Majesty, that stretch of sea is the Smoking Sea. In the past, the Freehold of Valyria was the most prosperous and proud city in the world; the Dragonlords of Valyria sat in the Fourteen Flames, relying on slaves to dig out vast amounts of gold, silver, and gemstones from within."

"However, more than four hundred years ago, that is, 102 years before Aegon's Conquest, every mountain peak in Valyria suddenly began to erupt simultaneously; magma tore the earth apart, and soaring flames ignited the sky, incinerating the magic dragons in the air. Many lakes and rivers were instantly evaporated, some lakes turned into acid pools, and seawater flooded in, dividing the land and forming the Smoking Sea of today."

"To this day, the waters of the Smoking Sea boil, cursing every adventurer who dares to enter. All wise captains and travelers avoid the Smoking Sea; to this day, demons still linger in the Smoking Sea region, and the road from Volantis to Slaver's Bay has also been renamed the Demon Road."

Daenerys said, "I once heard my second brother Viserys speak of the Doom of Valyria; he said the Targaryen family was the only Dragonlord family to escape the Doom, because Daenys the Dreamer dreamed of the destruction of Valyria, and therefore, the Targaryen family took the initiative to migrate to Dragonstone, escaping the Doom."

Quaithe said, "The Doom did indeed extinguish most of the Dragonlord families, but there were still some Dragonlord nobles who were in Tyrosh, Qohor, and other places at the time, escaping the catastrophe; however, after Valyria was destroyed, these Dragonlords were soon overthrown by the local nobles."

Daenerys gazed at the gloomy sky of the Smoking Sea and said dejectedly, "What power exactly brought about the destruction of Valyria?"

Quaithe said, "Some people believe it was because the Dragonlords of Valyria simultaneously revered thousands of different gods, incurring the wrath of the gods; there is also a theory that it was the curse of the Rhoynar Prince Garin before his death that led to the destruction of Valyria."

"Of course, among the followers of the Red Priest R'hllor in various places, there is a legend that it was the masterpiece of a red priestess from back then; she fell in love with a Dragonlord in Valyria, only to be abandoned by him. The red priestess was furious and summoned the wrath of the Red Priest R'hllor, leading to the destruction of Valyria."

Daenerys said, "Which theory do you believe?"

Quaithe said, "I believe the destruction of Valyria was indeed the power of the Red Priest R'hllor, but it could not have been caused by a red priestess. Clearly, the power that destroyed Valyria exceeded the scope of mortal ability."

Varys leaned in close to Daenerys, his body redolent with the scent of perfume.

"Your Majesty, once the fleet arrives in Volantis, the Golden Company will join us. The Golden Company possesses many descendants of Westerosi exiles; many of them are descendants of nobles who supported the Blackfyre Rebellion back then, and some have experienced the War of the Ninepenny Kings, or even the Usurper's War."

Daenerys frowned, "Blackfyre? Daemon Blackfyre and their descendants are traitors to the Targaryens."

Varys revealed a fawning smile, "Yes, but the Blackfyre Rebellion was an internal Targaryen struggle; black or red, a dragon is a dragon."

"Many exiles yearn to serve Your Majesty, yearning for Your Majesty to lead them to reclaim their homes and castles in Westeros. Among them, the most famous is Jon Connington; he once served as Hand of the King to King Aerys and was Prince Rhaegar's closest friend."

"Furthermore, you have another relative waiting for you!"

Daenerys said blankly, "Ever since my brother Viserys died, I have had no other relatives. Could it be that the resurrected Prince Rhaegar has arrived in Volantis?"

Varys said with a fawning smile, "It is Prince Rhaegar's son, Aegon Targaryen."

Daenerys was shocked, "That is impossible; back then, Tywin's mad dog the Mountain smashed little Aegon's head against the wall; he died long ago."

Ser Jorah Mormont looked at Varys with suspicion.

The smile on Varys's face vanished, and he said sadly, "Back then, in order to save Prince Aegon, I found a male infant from Pisswater Bend. The boy's father was a drunkard; he sold the child to me for a bag of golden wine from the Arbor. The one the Mountain killed was this poor substitute boy."

"Later, I sent Prince Aegon to Pentos, to be cared for by our friend, Warden Illyrio of Pentos. Your Majesty, all these years, while you and Prince Viserys were in exile in a foreign land, your nephew Prince Aegon was also in exile in the Free Cities, escaping the pursuit of the Usurper Robert."

"Now, your nephew Aegon will begin the journey to conquer Westeros with you."

At the thought that Prince Rhaegar's son Aegon was still alive, Daenerys was filled with excitement.

"Varys, you should have told me this good news sooner; I always thought I was the last of the true dragon blood, that all my relatives in this world were dead. If I had known Prince Aegon was still alive, I would not have been so lonely."

Varys shrugged and said apologetically, "Please forgive me, Your Grace; all of this was for the safety of Prince Aegon. Just imagine, if the Usurper Robert or the Lannister knew that Rhaegar Targaryen was still alive, they would certainly spare no effort to hunt him down!"

"That is why I only dared to tell Your Grace the truth that Prince Aegon is still alive after Your Grace began the western campaign with a great army."

Daenerys said, "This is the best news I have received today. With Prince Aegon and me joining forces, we will surely be able to defeat the Usurper of Westeros and lift the curse on the Undead Rhaegar Targaryen."

After Varys left, Daenerys remained excited. She said to Ser Jorah, "My eldest brother Rhaegar Targaryen's son, Prince Aegon, is still alive! All these years, he must have lived as precariously as I have, struggling under the hunt of the Usurper and living in constant fear."

"Now, as Prince Aegon's aunt, I must protect him! My nephew Prince Aegon is still alive!"

Ser Jorah saw that Varys had walked far away and lowered his voice.

"Your Grace, whether Prince Aegon is dead or alive rests entirely on Varys's own words. Who knows if the infant the Mountain smashed against the wall of the Red Keep back then was really Prince Aegon or some pathetic drunkard's son?"

Daenerys raised an eyebrow. "You mean to say that Varys might be lying?"

Ser Jorah said, "Your Grace, at the very least, Prince Aegon's identity is highly suspicious. We are now strong and well-equipped, possessing three Magic Dragons, the Unsullied, as well as Mercenary companies, Dothraki cavalry, the Brotherhood Without Banners, and the Beast-Face Army. You are the sister of Rhaegar Targaryen; in a fractured Westeros, you are the undisputed True Dragon heir, and you will certainly have many followers."

"As everyone knows, Prince Aegon died in the Red Keep back then. For so many years, people have firmly believed in the death of Prince Aegon. Your Grace has been in exile in the Free Cities for many years, and according to Varys, this Prince Aegon has also been in exile in Essos. As both are of the True Dragon bloodline, why have we never heard any news of Prince Aegon?"

"According to the traditions of Westeros, this Prince Aegon's place in the line of succession is ahead of Your Grace. In my view, this Prince Aegon is aiming for the Iron Throne. As long as he claims to be the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, he can openly join the game of thrones; he intends to seize Your Grace's Iron Throne."

Quaithe of the Red Lacquer Mask said, "Your Grace, your great Bear has a keen mind beneath his rough exterior. Do you still remember Young Griff, whom you witnessed in the House of the Undying in Qarth? In the vision, people were crowding around and cheering for Young Griff; little Aegon is very likely Young Griff."

"If the prophecy of the Undying comes true, then it is Young Griff who has taken the stage!"

Daenerys pondered for a long while. "It seems this Prince Aegon is indeed very suspicious."

Jorah Mormont said, "Your Grace, I witnessed with my own eyes how you hatched three Magic Dragons in the Red Waste at the cost of blood and fire. At that time, your handmaidens and attendants died one after another in the Red Waste, and our party nearly perished in the Red Waste."

"From the Red Waste to Qarth, and then to Slaver's Bay, Your Grace overcame countless difficulties to grow a party of a few hundred people into the tens of thousands of troops you have today."

"The fruits of victory must never be handed over to others; you must never let an opportunist snatch away the Iron Throne that belongs to Your Grace."

Quaithe said, "Your Grace, in any case, the eunuch Varys cannot be trusted. Beware the perfumed seneschal!"

Daenerys sighed. "Prince Aegon has the backing of the Golden Company and the support of nobles like Jon Connington. The Golden Company can be considered the most powerful Mercenary company in the Disputed Lands, and it contains many descendants of Westerosi nobles."

"If Prince Aegon is a scam carefully fabricated by Varys, I suspect that Jon Connington and the commanders of the Golden Company have also been deceived. I must try to expose the scam and win the support of the Golden Company."

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(End of chapter)