Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

The old Sea Lord's face darkened, and he shouted at the two high-ranking officers of the Purple Cloaks, "Cantona! Keen! Why are you here? Without my orders, why has the Purple Cloak Army taken action on its own?"

Though the Sea Lord was elected, he was no puppet.

The most powerful naval force in Braavos—the Purple Sail Fleet—was under his direct command.

The Braavosi revered the color purple. The fleet's ships had deep purple hulls and light purple sails. Even the officers serving in the fleet wore purple leather armor, plate armor, and cloaks.

Their swords, scabbards, and hilts were also made of purple sandalwood.

The Purple Sail Fleet was divided into two branches: the navy and the cavalry.

The cavalry, modeled after heavy-armored knights, served as marines—capable of charging on horseback and also holding their own in close-quarters boarding battles, ten against one.

They were known as the "Purple Cloaks," the Sea Lord's personal guard, akin to a royal guard, and his most loyal subordinates.

"Apologies, Your Grace," said Keen, who had a typically villainous face. He turned his head and sighed, "We cannot allow the Mother of Dragons to leave."

"May the Many-Faced God take you bastard sons of whores!" roared the old Sea Lord, a non-believer of the Many-Faced God. Sickly as he was, he forced himself to stand and blocked the Dragon Queen, shouting, "Who dares lay a hand on her? She is my guest—Braavos's guest! I swore with the Keyholder that her safety would be guaranteed during negotiations. Do you intend to destroy the honor of Braavos and the credibility of the Iron Bank?"

Copernicus pushed through the crowd and stood facing the Sea Lord, spirited and proud. "Ferrego, you are no longer the Sea Lord."

He had shed the dark blue woolen coat he wore aboard the Purple Ship.

Now, he wore a silver winged-dragon helmet and silver plate armor. Across his chest was a titanic giant roaring with a raised sword, inlaid in golden enamel—the emblem of the Sea Lord.

A small silver dragon fastened a silver-thread cloak to his shoulder. On the cloak was a black trapezoidal tower reaching to the heavens, with a silver dragon coiled around it—emblem of House Araloth.

"Copernicus, it's you?" The Sea Lord's voice trembled with rage and disbelief. "You're just a newly appointed junior Archon. Why are you wearing the Sea Lord's armor?"

"Heh. Still don't get it?" Copernicus was so excited he could barely contain himself. His purple eyes were laced with blood vessels like branching twigs.

He patted his chest and sneered. "Your and the Council's appeasement policy toward the Dragon Mother has angered many patriots. A group of like-minded companions have launched a coup at my call.

We've already taken control of the inactive Council. Now, we're stripping you of the Sea Lord title to restore order."

"You're insane!" Ferrego's face went pale. His body swayed unsteadily as he bellowed, "In Braavos's 974-year history, with 45 Sea Lords, never once has one come to power through a coup. Not even once!"

He added bitterly, "I am the only Sea Lord ever to be betrayed by the Purple Cloaks."

"Forgive us, Your Grace," said Keen, his stone-cold face revealing a trace of guilt, though it quickly hardened again. "We will bear all the blame and shame, even if cursed for ten thousand years.

But for Braavos, for world peace, for the millions of innocent citizens in the Nine Free Cities, it's all worth it."

"My apologies, everyone," Dany leaned on the table, her face pale, looking as though she were about to vomit. "I didn't mean to interrupt your little coup.

After all, a military coup in Braavos—what a rare treat.

But you, ugly-face, your words were so disgusting I nearly threw up last night's meal."

"Dany... It's been more than ten years, and you've grown so much," Copernicus turned his gaze to the Dragon Queen, his expression complex. "Though this coup began because of you, don't worry. Come with me to the Sea Lord's Palace, I swear to guarantee your safety."

"Enough. Words are like the wind. These days, swearing is no different than farting. Who still believes it? Finish your coup first, then we'll talk."

Dany leaned back in her chair, speaking lazily.

Her calm and indifferent attitude made Copernicus and the Purple Cloaks uneasy—could she have a plan to escape?

With such an inescapable net, not even a god could fly away. Where did her confidence come from?

Copernicus looked around anxiously, but saw no flaws. The unease in his heart only deepened.

"Dany, if words are like the wind and won't move you, then let blades and—"

"Silence!" the old Sea Lord roared. "If you want her, step over my corpse first!"

Keen pleaded, "Your Grace—"

Ferrego cut him off coldly, "Don't call me that. I don't have many days left to live. Before the sickness takes my last breath, I won't let you traitors take my honor."

Without hesitation, Copernicus waved his hand. "Kill him!"

The Purple Cloaks hesitated.

"If we kill him, we are rebels! But if we don't kill the former Sea Lord, what kind of rebels are we?" Copernicus growled with double meaning.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Cantona and Keen saw the resolve and death wish in Ferrego's old eyes and no longer hesitated. Their crossbows fired, and they shouted commands.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Over a hundred purple-armored soldiers fired their powerful crossbows at once. In the narrow space, shadows of arrows filled the air, and the candlelight on the chandelier flickered wildly.

Ding! Ding! Dang! Dang!

The Chief Swordfighter stood before the old Sea Lord, his thin rapier weaving a silver web of blades, deflecting two or three dozen bolts. The rest pierced his body, leaving the Sea Lord behind him completely unharmed.

Looking like a human pincushion, the Chief Swordfighter turned his head and said weakly to the stunned Sea Lord, "Forgive me, Your... Grace. I failed to—"

Before he could finish, the towering Water Dancer collapsed with a crash, blood spreading across the floor.

"You really..." The old Sea Lord's trembling finger moved across the familiar faces of Keen, Cantona, and the others, finally landing on the gloomy face of Copernicus. "Fine. Very well. I'll be waiting for you down below!"

As though something had become clear to him, his expression eased, and he laughed. Looking back at the Dragon Queen's blank expression, he said, "Forgive me. I never imagined they'd go this far, to play— shhk—"

Copernicus's face changed. He stepped forward and swung his sword fiercely. Shhk—

The Sea Lord's bitter smile froze on his face.

Then his head rose, fell, and rolled to the floor with a tilt.

Eyes wide open in death.

Shhhk-shhhk—

His headless body remained standing, while his withered neck sprayed a hissing mist of blood.

The hall fell silent as a tomb, the air thick with blood and fear.

"Huff, huff, huff..." That last strike seemed to have drained all of Copernicus's strength. Leaning on his sword, his blood-flushed face twisted into a demonic grimace as he stared coldly at the dazed Dragon Queen."Die here, or come with me to the Sea King's Palace."

Just like the Chief Swordsman who always guarded the Sea King's side, Gerold Dayne had immediately pulled down his mask when chaos broke out. Sword in his right hand, and a heavy oak chair in his left as a shield, he stepped in front of Daenerys.

Clap, clap, clap.Still seated on her high-backed chair, Daenerys lightly clapped her hands and praised with a smile, "You even dared to kill the Sea King. Bold move. I'm impressed. Jaime Lannister would be laughing out loud right now—finally, someone more rotten than me!"

"Hmph, it was you who killed Phrego. You and Gerold Dayne conspired to assassinate His Majesty the Sea King and the Chief Swordsman Quaro. You are under arrest by me and the commanders of the Purple Cloaks, Cantona and Keane. You'll be imprisoned in the Sea King's dungeon."

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"The fifteen brightly dressed assassins downstairs were your accomplices—and witnesses to this entire crime.

"Moreover, you have a record. The people of the Seven Kingdoms all know—you violated the sacred guest right in Oldtown, burned the Citadel, and slaughtered the maesters.

"The Nine Free Cities, the cities of Jade Sea, Westeros, and even the rest of the world—they'll all believe us," Copernicus said with a sinister grin.

Clap, clap, clap.Daenerys clapped again and nodded. "Impressive—very clever tactics. But I have a question. In launching this coup, do you have the support of the House of Black and White and the Iron Bank?"

"Once I capture you, I'll persuade them," Copernicus licked his lips, full of confidence.

"Sigh… Why is it that I always encounter people who betray their word, who abandon tradition? Have I been left behind by the times? Am I nothing more than a relic like Duke Song of the old ways?" Daenerys looked up at the ceiling, sighing deeply.

"Who's Duke Song?" Copernicus asked in confusion.

"Duke Xiang of Song."

"Who? Never mind," Copernicus shook his head and mocked, "You always stir up trouble with people you shouldn't provoke. You love taking reckless risks—who can you blame for what happens now?"

Daenerys's face darkened. "Gerold, let's go!"

"Wha—?"

BOOM!Before Copernicus and the two hundred Purple Cloaks could react, the wooden floor beneath the Dragon Queen suddenly split open. She, still seated on the chair, along with Gerold Dayne standing beside her, dropped straight down through the gap.

"A secret tunnel?!" Copernicus cried out in shock.

Veterans Keane and Cantona didn't panic. They immediately rushed to the hole. Keane glanced down once, then shouted, "You! Get in there—jump now!"

Thud, thud!Trained and disciplined, four or five Purple Cloak soldiers instantly drew their daggers and slid down into the passage.

Metal clanged beneath their boots as they touched the tunnel below.

"I'm going too!"Uneasy, Keane waited no longer. With scouts already ahead, he leapt into the narrow, dark, and slippery passage himself.

It felt like a slide made of copper, descending on a slope for just four or five meters before curving sharply. The tunnel changed to a brick-lined shaft with the stench of rotten vegetables and spoiled water—then dropped vertically.

Splash, splash, splash!

An icy, dim pool?

No—Keane recalled the layout of the Green Eel Inn. The north side bordered a river.This was a canal that ran through Braavos!That copper slide had connected to the inn's waste chute.

Realizing this, Keane felt slightly relieved. There were over a dozen warships stationed on the canal—all their forces—encircling the Green Eel Inn tightly. There was no way for the enemy to escape.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the river churned violently—as if a whale had just passed through beneath the water.

What was that?!Keane abandoned the idea of surfacing immediately. Instead, he dove deeper toward the turbulent flow.

He suspected the strange disturbance had something to do with the Dragon Queen.

He couldn't let her escape!

Wait—why did the freezing river water suddenly feel… warm?

Just as Keane felt a growing sense of unease, the riverbed ahead exploded like a grenade—well, not that he knew what a grenade was.

BOOM!Crimson dragonfire erupted, boiling the river water. Scalding steam mixed with blazing flames surged upward violently.

Caught in the blast of superheated water and steam, Keane was instantly swept up.

It was like tossing a live chicken into a boiling de-feathering machine at the market—once the switch was hit, it went into a wild spin.

In a blink, Keane transformed from a live chicken into a plucked, lifeless one—drifting with the current, just another among the hundreds of bloated corpses.

(End of chapter)

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