Chapter 313 Mother of Dragons
Essos Continent, Qarth.
Daenerys Targaryen was wearing a blue silk robe half lying on the rocking chair on the balcony, watching the three dragons in the courtyard scrambling for food boredly.
Footsteps sounded, and she knew without turning her head that it was Ser Jorah Mormont.
"My queen." Ser Jorah walked in, the black bear coat of arms of the Mormont family was stitched on the leather coat on his chest, "We must leave Qarth as soon as possible, this place has become more and more dangerous."
Yes. Daenerys knows that the city has grown less welcoming to her since her dragons burned down the Warlock's Immortal Temple.
As if overnight, the people of Qarth remembered the danger of the dragon and began calling for her to be driven out.
Some people even clamored to have her executed.
"But where else can we go?" Daenerys murmured. I couldn't help but think of the man I saw in the fire of the Immortal Temple.
The man with the white dragon.
"Any friendly place," Ser Jorah said. "A place where you can wait for your dragons to grow up. When they grow up, you can return to Westeros and take back what is yours."
everything that belongs to me. Daenerys thought a little confusedly, she had never been to the continent of Westeros, and she had never seen the iron chair in the Red Castle, but suddenly those things became her everything.
Even if she has almost nothing now.
"If you want, I can take you to the pier and see if there is any kind captain who is willing to take us away." Sir Jorah proposed.
"Okay." Daenerys got up, told the maid to take care of her three dragons, and followed Ser Jorah out the door.
They went out, leaving the marble palace behind, through the poor quarters of the city, to the docks.
Qarth is one of the largest ports in the world. Under the cover of a huge canopy, there are a lot of people, taverns, warehouses and casinos line the streets, and merchants, hard labor, slaves, thieves and hooligans can be seen everywhere.
The air smells of spices, sweat, blood and tears.
"Your Majesty, someone is following us." Sir Jorah reminded in a low voice.
"Who?" Daenerys was slightly startled, and subconsciously wanted to turn around, but was stopped by the knight.
"Don't look back." Ser Jorah picked up a bronze mirror on the stand in front of him, held it up high, and reflected the scene behind him, "Look, there is an old man with a white beard and a fat man."
The peddler thought that the two of them were going to buy their own things, so they danced and started bragging.
"You know them?" Daenerys asked in a low voice while pretending to haggle with the vendor.
"I don't know him. The old man with the white beard should be from Westeros. He looks familiar. It is very likely that he was sent by the snatcher to assassinate you."
Daenerys pursed her lips. Ever since she could remember, she had been avoiding the killers sent by the Snatchers, chasing and fleeing endlessly.
She has had enough.
"If there were only two of them, they should be able to handle it?" Daenerys asked.
"Yes. Just not here," Ser Jorah said. "It's too messy here..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a Qarth man kneeling in front of Daenerys, presenting a jewelry box in his hand:
"Mother of Dragons, a gift from the royal family."
"You are too polite." Daenerys took it subconsciously. After coming to Qarth, she has accepted many similar gifts.
But she suspected it would be the last, the Qarthites were tired of her and her dragons.
Presents an exquisite wooden box with an emerald top lid inlaid with jasper. Daenerys opens it to reveal a gleaming green beetle inside.
it's beautiful. she thought, reaching into the box.
"I'm sorry." The Qarth man kneeling in front of him said softly.
She barely heard.
The green beetle screamed and unfolded its body.
Daenerys catches a glimpse of a malevolent black face and a curving tail dripping with venom...
But at this moment, a crutch stabbed like lightning, hitting the wooden box.
The wooden box flew out of her hand and shattered into pieces in the air.
Daenerys let out an exclamation, the peddler yelled too, and in an instant, everyone on the pier was screaming.
The crowd was agitated, shoved, and in a mess.
The white-bearded old man who was following her came to her side at some point, smashed the wooden box with a cane, and crushed it on the ground.
"Sorry, Your Majesty." The old man knelt down on one knee, "It's dead. Didn't hurt you?"
"No." Daenerys hadn't recovered yet, her eyes were a little dull.
"The matter was urgent just now..." Before the old man could finish his sentence, Ser Jorah rushed forward and pressed his dagger to his throat.
"Let him go." Daenerys came back to her senses and quickly dissuaded her, "He saved me just now, look under his crutches. The assassin was that Qarth man."
She turned her head and looked around, but she couldn't find the Qarth man who gave her the gift just now.
Ser Jorah saw the manticore crushed to death under the crutches, so he let go of the old man, but remained vigilant:
"Who are you? Why are you following us?"
"We are entrusted by the Governor of Pentos, Illyrio, to find the Mother of Dragons." The old man picked up his crutches, pointed to himself, and then pointed to the fat man who came over, "My name is Astan, he is Belwas."
"Lie!" A clear voice suddenly sounded.
"What lies are you talking about?" Daenerys asked.
"I said the old man with the white beard was lying." The boy said, "His real name is not Astan."
Hearing this, the white-bearded old man didn't refute. Instead, his face was a little ashamed. It seemed that the lie was exposed by the young man.
Ser Jorah snorted softly: "Your Majesty, these strangers have evil intentions, please stay away from them."
Daenerys did not leave, but looked at the boy and asked:
"and who are you?"
"I am the knight of the Storm King Caesar, Katu Huya."
"The last Storm King died three hundred years ago," Ser Jorah said. "You are a liar, too. Let us go, Your Grace, and leave them alone."
Hearing Caesar's name, Daenerys' eyes lit up.
Wasn't that the name she had heard in the Warlock's Hall of Immortality?
Thinking of the picture she saw in the flames again, Daenerys hurriedly asked:
"Does your Storm King have dragons?"
"Of course." Katu puffed out his chest proudly, "His Majesty Caesar has a white dragon."
Sure enough, it was him! Daenerys was even more convinced.
But Sir Jorah was full of doubts:
"Your king also has dragons?"
"He is right. Caesar does have a dragon, a white dragon." The white-bearded old man said.
Daenerys looked at the old man: "Although you saved my life just now, shouldn't you tell your true identity?"
The old man with white beard sighed and said:
"Sorry, Your Majesty, I did lie just now, my real name is Barristan Selmy."
"You are Captain of the Kingsguard!" exclaimed Ser Jorah, finally understanding why the old man looked so familiar.
It was just that he was used to seeing Barristan wearing white armor and looking majestic, but now he looked like a wandering old man, so he didn't recognize it for a while.
"Not anymore." Ser Barristan sighed. "If the Iron Throne sits a Lannister scoundrel, I have refused to serve them any longer."
"But you served the Reaver," Ser Jorah said.
"I also fought alongside Prince Rhaegar Targaryen," Barristan said. "Of course, I do not deny that my service to Robert Baratheon is a stain on my life. But now, I have Wake up, and come to find the queen who is truly worthy of allegiance."
Saying that, Barristan knelt in front of Daenerys on one knee: "The only legal heir to the Iron Throne, queen of the Targaryen family, and the last true dragon blood in the world, are you willing to accept Barristan Selmy's offer?" Allegiance?"
"He served the Reaver." Ser Jorah reminded, obviously not wanting the queen to accept the old knight's allegiance.
"You are not the last true dragonborn," retorted Ser Cato.
"I accept your allegiance." Daenerys helped Ser Barristan up first, then turned to Ser Cato, and asked, "Is your master a Targaryen too?"
"Caesar is a Blackfyre." Ser Barristan said, "If there is any lost blood in House Targaryen, I will know."
"Your Majesty Caesar has a dragon." Sir Kato said.
"Yes, he has dragons." Daenerys smiled. "Will he support me in taking back the Iron Throne?"
"Your Majesty is fighting against the snatchers in Westeros." Sir Cato did not answer directly, "He even killed a false king with his own hands. You can ask Sir Barristan about this."
"Yes," Ser Barristan admitted, nodding. "Caesar did kill the false king Joffrey. But he did not do it for your sake."
Daenerys froze for a moment, then realized: "You mean, Caesar also wants to sit on the Iron Throne?"
Ser Barristan said: "Caesar has become king, can't you see his ambition?"
Ser Jorah reminded: "Your Majesty, there is only room for one king on the Iron Throne."
Daenerys frowned, and asked Kathu:
"Tell me, does Caesar also want to sit on the Iron Throne?"
"It's better for you to ask His Majesty face to face." Sir Cato said politely, "He will be waiting for you in Astapor."
"Astapor in Slaver's Bay?"
"Yes. His Majesty Caesar is looking forward to meeting you there, and has specially prepared a meeting gift."
Daenerys hesitated.
Ser Barristan said:
"Your Majesty, Governor Illyrio sent us to take you to Pentos, where he has prepared money and troops for you. He will fully support you to return to Westeros and regain the Iron Throne."
"Really?" Ser Cato sneered, "I don't remember that it was Magister Illyrio who sold the Mother of Dragons to the Dothraki."
"Not for sale, but for marrying the Mother of Dragons to the horse king of the Dothraki." Ser Barristan argued.
"Okay." Daenerys stopped the quarrel between the two and made a decision, "I will go to Astapor to see Caesar first."
"Your Majesty..." Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah were both ready to dissuade.
But Daenerys made up her mind: "I'm going to see Caesar. And his dragon."
"You will see." Sir Cato smiled brightly.
(end of this chapter)