Chapter 197: The Last Dragon King

Mountains, grasslands, rivers, and flowing sand had never appeared so clearly before her eyes.

She remembered Viserys once showing her a place called the Map Table Chamber in the castle on Dragonstone Island. She also remembered asking him about it, and Viserys, with an angry yet longing expression, introduced her to the wooden table carved with the terrain of the entire Seven Kingdoms: every mountain, gorge, forest, lake, and castle estate was crystal clear, every corner distinct.

She didn't know what was special about that table, but she felt what she saw now was far more intuitive and vivid than any map table: the black-shadowed parts were endless mountain ranges; the reddish-dark areas were endless wastelands; the yellowish, desolate patches were endless grasslands.

This continent wasn't as good as the land Viserys imagined, but it was easier to depict.

Perhaps, when she returned to Meereen, she would carve the entire Eastern Continent onto a larger table according to what she saw, after all, the Eastern Continent was much larger than Westeros.

Perhaps Conqueror Aegon only formed his understanding of Westeros after touring the Seven Kingdoms on dragonback, and then etched the map onto that table.

Achieving this wish was not simple.

The dragon flew swiftly, her field of view was extremely wide, yet the land beneath was vast—she remembered that during the first two days of dragon flight, all she could see to the horizon was grassland.

She followed the dragon, taking off and landing at a moment's notice.

After training, she felt her muscles strengthening, her legs and arms growing stronger, able to help her hold up the giant dragon, follow its rises and falls, and sway side to side. She felt her coordination improving: once, when the dragon flipped in the sky, she cried out in fear, yet she managed to steady her posture, lying braced on the dragon's back, never being thrown off.

At that moment, she felt she was a natural-born dragon rider.

When the dragon landed to rest, she rested too; when it returned from hunting, she ate with it; in the gale, scorching sun, and deep night, she spent many days with Outstanding Upright.

On the fourth day, when she was truly exhausted and wanted Outstanding Upright to stop, it landed in a vast sea of grass.

At night, she had to endure the grassland's mosquitoes and the cold, lonely darkness; when she awoke in tears in the morning, she found everything around withered and dead.

Was this the winter scene of the grass sea? It was colder here than in Meereen.

When she rose to look for Outstanding Upright's traces, she was startled to find how familiar the place was: ahead lay a small river reeking of sulfur; beyond the river, among piled stones, she could see a white tree growing from cracks in the rock, its red branches struggling outward; behind her lay an ancient historical ruin, now only a massive grindstone and deep foundations hinting at former habitation.

What she could never forget was the small red patch of land to the left, where she had once lit a fire, sent Outstanding Halberd soaring into the sky on a swift horse, and she herself had once walked into new life accompanied by a witch's wail.

Rebirth always comes with pain. She felt the chafing between her legs and the endless soreness in her waist and back, yet this was still a trivial matter.

She again recalled the gate in her dream, clamped shut, leaving her feeling suffocated.

Not breaking out meant death.

This place was both a land of death and a land of rebirth.

She had once hatched three dragon eggs here into today's giant dragon, and had also lingered for days, making preparations and confirming her goal.

Was Outstanding Upright leading her back along the old path?

She didn't believe dragons harbored such childish feelings; they didn't even care about her thoughts.

She lifted her gaze to the sky.

The crimson meteor had long vanished; now there was only a deep, clear blue sky, blue enough to induce despair.

Outstanding Upright had not forgotten her, returning with its prey.

It was an animal she didn't recognize—perhaps a bear, a wild wolf, or a lioness—she couldn't tell from the charred body. She casually picked up a piece of flesh flung beside her, put it in her mouth; it was sour, tough with membranes, hard to chew, and she had to swallow it whole, just as she had once gnawed a horse's heart.

After eating, she drew water from a nearby stream; the water still carried the scent she had once smelled here, memory like a dust‑sealed box slowly opening—it was the smell of fire!

When she remounted the dragon's back, after one last look back, she took off the silver badge of the Targaryen three‑headed dragon from her neck, tossed it aside, let out a long cry, and rose into the air with the giant dragon.

They proceeded in the direction indicated by the red comet.

On the first night she slept beside the yellow sandbank, leaning against Outstanding Upright's warm wings; on the second night they scavenged treasures in a desolate ruin; on the third night she rested on the riverbed that had flowed through the yellow sand, meteors dancing for her, rushing water playing music for her.

She already knew her next destination, unsure whether it was her own expectation or Outstanding Upright's whim, but it didn't matter; she knew the goal—Qarth, the greatest city at the southeastern corner of the continent.

No matter how great it was, it remained an enemy city.

A young lady ought to fear this city's power, but a Dragon King should not.

Fate had arranged her coming here, so there must be a reason; she had left Meereen seven days and nights ago, and her journey must end here.

She swallowed the last scrap of meat, drank the final sip of water, then climbed onto Outstanding Upright's back.

She was the last Dragon King, and would show no mercy to any force that dared challenge her.

"Are you ready, Outstanding Upright?" she shouted at Outstanding Upright.

The wind brushed past her ears; she didn't know if Outstanding Upright heard clearly.

"Roar..." the giant dragon bellowed.

Suddenly she felt boundless heroic fervor. She was the queen who rode dragons, a miracle of the world, not a shepherd to be bullied and provoked by these crybabies.

The giant dragon lurked in the dusky golden gloom; she saw Outstanding Upright's massive black shadow first stride over the city's triple walls, then linger and contract within the city.

The giant dragon's feet planted firmly on the white and green marble columns where the city's ancient heroes once stood; under its mighty power, those hero statues were shoved aside, heavy stone carvings crashing onto the street with a dull thud.

"Roar..." the giant dragon bellowed angrily toward the street, "Roar..." as if recalling the humiliation it had suffered in this city.

The sound rolled over the whole city like a wave.

Like rats, various small animals darted through streets and alleys in chaos; like horses, herds of camels galloped wildly in all directions; not far off, the circus tigers, lions, and elephants went mad, trampling the onlookers and causing turmoil.

Whether commoner or noblewoman, they now flung aside their wide robes and fled, escaping the unknown danger.

"Howl..." the dragon raged furiously throughout the city.

The slave guards tasked with keeping order on the streets were panicked and at a loss.

Daenerys observed the city, imagining the locations of its various strongholds.

Zhalo's palace lay in a garden behind the third city wall; she knew that if she sought revenge within the city, she should avoid that place. If she were to burn the city, she ought to first pour her wrath upon?

Ha, what a splendid Hall of Eternity—now it lies in ruins, already rotted.

She turned her gaze toward the northeastern Black House.

Outstanding Upright sensed her intent; after a dragon's roar, it unfurled its wings and instantly flew onto the Black House.

"This is my first gift." she thought.

"Fire!"

Jet‑black dragonfire shot straight toward it; several crowds rushed out of the buildings, only to meet the passionate flames of the Targaryens.

"I hope you have no regrets!"