Rebirth of the Dragon (After GOT / Daenerys Targaryen) Part 12
Essos, Dothraki Sea
As was the custom, Kinvara's body was cremated at a funeral pyre, at a ceremony where Queen Daenerys and each of her allies paid silent but sincere homage to the late priestess, who, knowing what would arrive, had accepted her fate in order to save the life of one of the dragons. Daenerys could never forget this sacrifice to save one of her sons, and would do everything in her power so that the death of Kinvara was not in vain. The necklace of Kinvara had been removed from her, and according to the custom of the cult of R'hllor, the object was taken back to Volantis by the guards of the Fiery Hand, in order to be given to the successor of Lady Kinvara who would then see baptized new high priest or high priestess of Volantis. The ashes of Kinvara were not locked up to remain a prisoner of an urn but allowed the east wind to disperse them, so that her body and her soul could forever live free forever.
From this sacrifice Joreas could have come back, alive and well, and rid of all traces of the venom of Manticore that was eating him. It was as if the poison had evaporated from his body, and maybe that was the case? The powers of the Master of Light were very mysterious, and yet so real to judge by what she had seen in recent months.
Not far from the dothraki camp, by an early afternoon in the pleasant warmth of the sun and in the middle of the tall and wild grass dancing in the wind of the East, Daenerys sat on a large rock, leaving the heat cover her and the wind caress her face and her hair. Joreas was with her, sleepy, his head resting on his mother's lap and also let the star of the day warm up his brown scales. Delicately and without pulling him out of his torpor, Daenerys, pensive, caressed the neck of her young dragon, spending a lot of time with him for the past few days, making sure that he regains his strength, that he eat well and manages to to sleep. Drogon and Mirrandes had also been very concerned about the health of their younger brother, and Drogon, as protector and big brother he was, remained permanently close to the other two, almost playing the role of father.
Mirrandes fluttered in the azure sky a few dozen meters above the plain and seemed to bring something between her mighty claws. She dropped not far from the rock what looked like the bloody carcass of a wild ram. Alerted by the sound of the carcass falling on the ground and the smell of blood, Joreas raised his head in a hungry roar, and Daenerys watched him move toward the dead animal, while Mirrandes joined him for the feast. Although a little disgusted by the strong smell of blood and fresh flesh nearby, Daenerys can only be reassured to see her two new children dragons eat with appetite, grabbing large shreds of bloody flesh between their jaws. Although very young, they were already as formidable as adult beasts. This prey being too small for him, Drogon remained behind, lying peacefully in the tall grass and while letting the sun's rays warm his giant body, watched his younger brother and younger sister feasting on their prey. Still sitting on the rock, Daenerys began to close her eyes and looked up at the sky, letting the afternoon heat again overwhelm her.
Recently, she had received news. Shortly after her departure for Westeros, the slavers had managed in the utmost secrecy to reform their coalition and one by one, had taken over the cities liberated by the young queen, enslaving the poor again and reforming their vast and horrific slavery empire of Slaver's Bay. This news, though not surprising, had plunged the queen into deep anger. Other rumors coming from Volantis's neighboring countries were that the Golden Company, or at least what was left of it, had fallen into disgrace after the fiasco of King's Landing, and that the warriors who still composed it found without contracts. No news of any kind came from Westeros, and for Daenerys it was not worse. Never again did she want to hear about this damn West land.
Apart from news from different countries, Daenerys continued to make dreams for the least singular. One in particular marked her. She was always alone, in a huge dark space, cold and desolate, in the middle of which stands a gigantic barral asleep, and each time, the screams of the crow resound, coming to surround her from all sides while three terrifying blue eyes are born of the gnarly bark of the barral, disemboweling it in a flood of blood and darkness and harpooning the young woman with their monstrous irises. While she thinks herself at the mercy of this nascent monstrosity eager to devour her, the fiery and protective flames interpose, and from them emanates a great dragon with incandescent eyes, roaring against the abomination of darkness and hindering him.
_ "I would not like to be at the place of this dead animal." suddenly commented on a familiar voice approaching the rock. It was Yara. Daenerys smiled slightly at her coming and let her come to contemplate the feast of the two dragons, having turned the ram into a real bloody puzzle. Yara leaned against the rock, before talking to the queen again.
_ "With all due respect, my queen, you should not be left alone outside the camp, especially with a faceless man in the area."
_ "I'm not alone," Daenerys corrected, pointing to her dragons, who could be just as formidable as a legion of over-armed guards. She scored a point. Yara also noticed that Daenerys seemed to be staring at her while mentioning that she would never be alone.
_ "Speaking of faceless man..." Daenerys said turning to Yara and taking a tone almost suspicious "... Who tells me that you are not the murderer who took the face of Yara to approach without arousing suspicion?"
Yara showed a smile, almost amused, and looked at the queen straight in the eye.
_ "In that case, what are you waiting for to order your dragons to tear me to pieces, or to burn me to ashes?" Yara asked, almost defiantly. Daenerys said nothing, but recognized that Yara's nerve was not displeasing to her. She liked to see women with a strong character, like her.
_ "Maybe I should ..... but no ...... I'm tired of losing the people who matter to me."
_ "That's the weight for all the leaders, without exception ..." Yara told her as she approached and came to sit next to her. Daenerys let her go, still listening to her. "... I could not even be there to help my brother Theon during the Battle of Winterfell. I let him go, hoping he would come back .... and he sacrificed his life for a family that only used him."
Daenerys knew what family she was referring to, which gave her a bitter taste in her mouth, as well as a deep feeling of sadness across her throat. Daenerys' hand gently took Yara's hand, forcing Yara to look at the dragon queen in her eyes.
_ "I didn't know your brother very well, but he had appeared to me to be a noble and honorable man, just like you. The alliance of our two houses is one of the best things I could ever do. The dragon and the kraken, united against their common enemies."
With these words, she had tightened her grip on Yara's hand, symbolizing that strength and union that survived through them. Yara remained silent, but she understood Queen Targaryen's words very well and nodded forcefully. Reassured, Daenerys rose from the rock, falling to her feet on the soft ground, and began to move away, before giving a final order to the queen-born.
_ "Meet me behind my tent, in a few minutes, with your armor and your weapons."
*********
As requested, Yara made her way to the khaleesi tent, with her armor with the kraken's coat of arms on her breastplate, and her belt, ax and sword. A little puzzled by the Daenerys order, she did not say anything to Shen or Grey Worm. Going around the tent to get behind, Yara found herself in front of Daenerys, who was waiting for him.
Queen Targaryen stood there, wearing a dothraki leather outfit, like that of the warriors, and holding in her hand her sword with the gleaming blade that was given to her in the flames and judging by her look, was determined to make use of it. Yara raised an eyebrow.
_ "Majesty?"
_ "Why did I lose everyone I loved, Yara? Tell me why?" asked Daenerys, which Yara did not know what to say. "Because I was not strong enough ..." Daenerys completed "... but today you're going to help me become one, you're an ironborn, the first queen of the iron islands, a true warrior .... Train me to sword fighting."
Yara had heard it well. By the determined tone of her voice and look, she knew she was more than serious.
_ "Is this an order, my queen?" Yara asked one last time, as if to tell her if she was sure of what she wanted. Daenerys's look was enough to make her understand the answer. Yara pulled off her gray cloak, dropping it to the ground and taking her iron sword in hand, making a few nimble reels with and coming in front of Daenerys.
_ "First, show me how you position yourself."
Daenerys executed herself, and holding her sword in her right hand, placed her right leg back and her left leg forward. Yara examined carefully.
_ "Watch your feet." she said pointing to the bottom. Daenerys lowered her eyes to see, and suddenly felt the cold tip of Yara's blade come to touch her chin. Daenerys then looked up at her and Yara made him understand by the look she had made a mistake.
_ "First lesson ...." said the iron queen "... never lose sight of your opponent ... One look elsewhere, one second of inattention, and you are dead."
Daenerys nodded and Yara pulled her blade away, stepping back several steps and firmly grasping the handle of her weapon, staring at Queen Targaryen.
_ "Now, attack me." Yara asked simply with conviction. Daenerys took a deep breath, gripping her sword with both hands, and darted for a smoky first hit, which Yara countered very easily. The two blades clashed in a thud, giving rise to a few sparks. The sword was neither too big nor too small and seemed perfectly suited to the handling of the dragon queen, as if it had been fashioned for her and her alone.
Daenerys then attempted further attacks on the flanks, but Yara avoided them or all of them with her blade, even tripping the dragon queen to the ground, disarming her and blocking her on the ground. But as Yara reached out to Daenerys to help her get up, she was thrown to the ground of the young Targaryen woman who took advantage of the opportunity, picking up her sword and in turn, blocked Yara on the floor leaning over her.
_ "I see you are learning fast, majesty." Yara said, unable to stop herself from sketching a smile.
Daenerys smiles too, proud of her little trick. The two women remained silent for a few seconds, looking into each other's eyes, and Yara could only see that Daenerys was now leaning over her. Finally, too, and seeing the semblance of embarrassment over the sudden flush of Yara's face, Daenerys withdrew, a little embarrassed too, and her cheeks tinged with a slight purple.
_ "I .... uh ..... let's continue, please." said Daenerys, to change the subject and put an end to this somewhat heavy silence. Seeing the queen brandishing her sword again in front of her, Yara straightened up, picking up her weapon and gladly joining the next lesson.
**********
In the evening, as the sky of the Dothraki Sea was painted red twilight, Daenerys had returned to his tent, after long hours of training with Yara. The body invaded with aches, the young queen wanted to relax and had a bath in the small bathtub that was available to her. Leaving her dusty clothes, laying the sword and its sheath on the bed, and detaching her long silvery hair falling like a waterfall on her shoulders and the top of her back, Daenerys entered the hot and steaming water, without fear of the slightest burn, and sits peacefully, letting her muscles and mind relax after such a day. A young girl, Mira, formerly captured by the dothrakis and originally from the fishing village who was attacked, was proposed as a new servant of the khaleesi, which the latter accepted, promising the girl that she would never treat her as a slave.
Bringing a chalice filled with hot water, the young maid poured it into the bathtub, adding a little more steam, and then came to wash the hair of Daenerys, the long, silky silver hair dripping with drops.
_ "Mira ....." Daenerys asked, keeping her eyes closed while her new maid was washing her hair ".... I've never asked you before, but why did you wanted to become my maid? Don't believe that your company displeases me, on the contrary, but nothing compelled you to do it."
The young Mira smiled shyly while spinning a strand of silver hair and letting the water flow into the container underneath.
_ "My parents often told me the story of this young and mysterious silver-haired queen, shining like a sun, who arrived one day, from nowhere, at the head of a large and powerful army of former slaves and with her three majestic dragons born from stone and fire .... One by one, she released the cities from the hold of slave masters, bringing a semblance of hope to those who had all their lives treated worse than animals ..... it was as the priests and priestesses of R'hllor once said: the one born from fire and ashes, the one who was promised by the master of light, would one day bring down her judgment on the culprits and build a better world."
Daenerys opened her eyes, listening to every word that was spoken by Mira, who said it like a girl who likes to tell her favorite story. Daenerys was touched, internally. If she had been able to give hope to young children, like Mira, she had to pursue this path, as the master of light had shown her.
_ "And ... where are your parents now?" asked Daenerys again. The question gently made Mira grimace, and the queen guessed that she had just opened a more sensitive subject.
_ "My mother died two years ago by a high fever, and my father lost his life when the dothrakis attacked our village. Their khal, the one your majesty reduced to ashes with her dragon, which decapitated my father and forced me to look."
Onro. It's about him she was talking about. It also reinforced Daenerys' conviction of putting a definitive end to this monster's actions.
Now that she has finally rallied her khalasar, strengthening her new army with the help of unsullied, ironborns and R'hllor faithful, Daenerys may soon be focusing on her new and primary goal: the reconquest of Slaver's Bay and the final eradication of the slave empire. She thought for a moment about the mercenaries in disgrace of the remains of the Golde Company, and their war elephants, who had remained in Essos. Extra troops would not be too much, she told herself while being washed.
**********
Westeros, King's Landing
A fine rain of flakes had begun to fall on the silent capital of the six kingdoms .... A gray sky invaded by black clouds had chased the sunlight as well as the heat of the summer for a macabre and biting coldness. Accompanying the snow, a polar wind had risen, coming from nowhere.
In the streets of King's Landing, no noise was heard, not even the breath of a person ..... Blood and death permeated every part of the city. Slowly advancing and gathering in hordes more and more important, civilians and soldiers, men, women and children, all formerly human but now reduced to blue-eyed cadaveric puppets, crossed the devastated and dead streets of the capital, all heading towards the great gates. At the head of this gigantic new army of the living dead, Bran advanced, his ice skin streaked with veinlets having completely covered his face like the rest of his body, his blue eyes shining in the darkness rising around him, and thin ice horns having begun to grow on his forehead. Among the first deaths that followed him were Bronn and Ser Davos, who were also transformed.
Followed by his new army, Bran, or the new Night King, looked in front of him and made his slow but determined step towards north, apparently determined to reach the place of the defeat that saw his death: Winterfell.
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