Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

"Damn it! We don't even need to rob them—they're pirates themselves, and now they're coming to rob us!" Captain Grolay cursed loudly.

"How do you know it's a pirate ship?" Dany asked, puzzled. "It's not flying the skull-and-crossbones pirate flag."

True enough, pirates in this fantastical world also favored the skull-and-crossbones flag.

"That flag is for common pirates," Blackbeard said, his expression grim as he shook his head. "When a Pirate King has their own sigil, they don't bother with the generic skull flag."

With that, he ignored Dany and began shouting orders to the sailors, arranging the ship's defenses.

Dany scrutinized the approaching vessel again. Apart from the striking black sails emblazoned with a golden kraken-like emblem, she also noticed the name Serenity painted in black on its dark red hull when it turned slightly.

"My gods, Westerosi!" Dany exclaimed. "What are Westerosi doing in the Summer Sea as pirates?"

The name Serenity was written in the Common Tongue, not in Valyrian, the most prevalent language in Essos.

"Ser Jorah, do you know of the Serenity?" Dany turned to Jorah Mormont, who was on tiptoes, straining to see.

Aside from the captain, first mate, and lookout, no one else had a spyglass.

"Serenity?" Jorah's face showed a flicker of recognition. "It sounds familiar, though I can't recall where I've heard it."

"The ship is from Westeros," Dany explained. "The sails bear a massive golden squid emblem, somewhat reminiscent of the Greyjoy sigil."

"Seven hells!" Jorah slapped his forehead, his face a mask of shock. "Is the hull dark red?"

"Yes," Dany replied, surprised. "Do you know someone aboard?"

"Euron Greyjoy," Jorah said, gritting his teeth as he spat out the name. "That scoundrel, also known as Crow's Eye!"

"But the squid… well, even if it's a sea monster, the orientation is reversed. The Greyjoy kraken faces downward, but this one faces upward, and its tentacles are different," Dany noted, confused.

Don't underestimate the importance of these details. The orientation of a sigil could signify entirely different identities.

For reference, think of modern Earth's national flags. For example, the flags of Russia, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg might seem similar at first glance, but each is distinct and represents a unique nation.

"That actually explains why Euron Greyjoy is here," Whitebeard Arstan remarked, his expression enlightened.

Jorah nodded in agreement. "He must have done something to disgrace himself and was exiled by Lord Balon Greyjoy. Exiles often feel shame and alter their family sigil slightly—like reversing its orientation—to distance themselves or, out of spite, to mock their own family."

Dany glanced at the black bear standing upright on Jorah's chest armor and almost asked aloud: So, do you feel no shame or resentment? Why not have your bear lie down instead?

Jorah Mormont wore a black woolen tunic under a brown leather cuirass, the chest embossed with a black bear standing upright and roaring—a perfect reflection of House Mormont's motto, Here We Stand.

According to Westerosi tradition, if he felt any shame, he should have followed Euron's example and altered the sigil.

Jorah noticed Dany's gaze and blushed, stammering, "I bear no resentment toward my family."

Whitebeard quipped dryly, "And no shame either, I see?"

Jorah bristled. "I serve the queen with honor! Besides, whatever my faults, I'm still better than you, who doesn't even dare to show your sigil."

"You—!" Whitebeard's face flushed with anger. He opened his mouth to retort but, catching Dany's gaze, swallowed his words.

Only nobles carried sigils.

In Westeros, nobility was ranked as knights, lords, marquises, dukes, and kings, with knights at the lowest level.

Knights could be addressed as "Ser," though they were technically half a step below lords, considered nobility in training.

Jorah Mormont held two titles: the hereditary Lord of Bear Island and a knighthood bestowed by King Robert Baratheon a decade earlier for quelling the Greyjoy Rebellion. His exile cost him his lordship, but his knighthood remained intact, as it had been granted by the king and was never formally revoked.

Thus, Dany and others addressed him as "Ser Jorah" or "Lord Mormont."

Both Dany and Jorah were aware that Whitebeard was hiding his identity. His knowledge, manners, and eloquence far surpassed Jorah's, revealing the traits of someone who had received formal noble education.

Yet Whitebeard wore plain linen robes and leaned on a simple staff, never displaying any sigil or proof of noble status. His evasiveness only fueled suspicions.

Whitebeard seemed to sense this, which was why Jorah's jab left him speechless.

And speaking of sigils, it was worth noting that even Dany, as the most legitimate Targaryen royal heir, had not displayed her family's crest. She also technically remained a "commoner," having never received a formal noble education.

"The kraken ship is fast—it's really chasing us!" the lookout's shout broke the tense silence on the bridge.

Clearing her throat lightly, Dany asked, "Why is Euron Greyjoy chasing us? Did we guess wrong? Could he have failed in exploring the ruins of Valyria, suffered heavy losses, and now needs to rob us to recover?"

"It's possible," Jorah said thoughtfully, casting a glance at Whitebeard. "We only saw Silence struggling within the Stormwall. Perhaps he's been lost in the storm all along and never entered the ruins. After all, even dragons can get lost there."

"If we reveal our identity, do you think he might spare us out of kinship?" Dany asked with a strange smile, her words just as peculiar.

Whitebeard froze momentarily before reacting. "Do you have absolute confidence in winning?" he asked cautiously. "Greyjoys are not easy to deal with. During Balon's last rebellion, Euron demonstrated extraordinary cunning and ruthlessness. Lannisport nearly fell to the Ironborn under his command. If he didn't believe he could defeat our fleet, he wouldn't be chasing us so aggressively."

"I have dragons. I'm not just any fleet," Dany said confidently.

The old man looked up at the white and green dragons circling in the sky and said gravely, "He's seen your dragons."

Dany laughed. "Do you think I'd let my dragons burn his ship? I'm their mother. No one values their lives more than I do. Right now, they're just younglings—they can't even withstand arrows. Sending them to breathe fire over an enemy ship would be like murdering my own children."

She turned to her bloodriders and ordered, "Call up all the warriors from the hold. Bring bows and iron shields."

The horsemen, uneasy with the sea, had stayed below deck to keep their distance from the water and remain close to their horses.

"What tactics do you think he'll use?" Dany asked Captain Groleo.

The old sailor frowned, as if baffled by the situation. "Normally, pirates without a large fleet wouldn't attack us. A ratio of three to one in favor of the sea ship means that during a boarding battle, the other two ships could flank and attack his flagship from the sides or rear.

We have over 600 sailors. That narrow ship of his could hold, at most, 300 pirates. With such odds, how could Euron possibly win?"

"Unless he has a trump card," Whitebeard said gravely.

Dany pondered for a moment. "What kind of person is Euron? Could he just suddenly lose his mind? And what exactly got him exiled?"

"The Iron Islands are quite isolated, and Euron isn't Balon Greyjoy, so not many paid attention to him. I didn't even know he'd been exiled. But I'm certain of one thing—he's no madman. That man is dangerously cunning," Whitebeard said, shaking his head before glancing at Jorah. "Perhaps Lord Mormont knows him better."

The Ironborn often raided the western coast of Westeros, especially the undefended shores of the North. The people of Bear Island frequently fought off Ironborn pirates in disguise.

Jorah sighed. "I wish he had gone mad, but alas... Let's prepare for battle."

With that, he headed below deck to don his full armor.

Gunpowder existed in this world but wasn't powerful, mostly serving as a gimmick for fire mages. Without cannons, naval battles were still dominated by boarding actions and volleys of arrows, making armor essential—provided one didn't fall overboard.

As Jorah armed himself, Dany's bloodriders and sailors also began equipping themselves with weapons and armor.

The horsemen wore matching dark red leather armor with chest plates, gleaming copper helmets, small copper shields strapped to their left wrists, and arakhs at their waists. Armed with longbows, they now looked like a proper military unit.

In contrast, the sailors' armor was a chaotic mix: rusty plate mail, ill-fitting chainmail, worn leather armor, and even some using pot lids as shields.

The black dragon had stormed into the tempest around 9 a.m. and returned by 11. Around noon, Silence began pursuing the fleet, closing the distance to less than 30 kilometers. By 3:30 p.m., the ships had entered combat range—just one kilometer apart.

Although this world lacked cannons (even in the age of invincible fleets, effective cannon range was only 300-400 meters), catapults and ballistae were mounted on the bows and sterns of the ships.

These didn't launch stones but rather oil-soaked linen bundles the size of satchels. Once ignited, they were hurled at the enemy.

These weapons were highly inaccurate, mainly used against stationary targets like ships docked in harbors or during surprise attacks on enemy fleets.

Saduleon was purely a merchant vessel, unarmed. But the rowing ships, Sun of Summer and Laughing Yoss, were designed as escort ships, with larger crews for rowing and equipped with six catapults and eighteen ballistae in total.

Groleo's initial strategy had been to stall for time, hoping nightfall would allow them to escape.

However, he had underestimated the speed of Silence. Not only did its massive sails and narrow hull give it exceptional speed, but as it neared Saduleon, two hundred oars were lowered from its sides. The distant sound of pounding war drums echoed across the water, resonating like ominous heartbeats in the ears of Dany's crew.

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09