Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

"What curse?" Dany asked, her curiosity growing.

"I don't know," Euron shook his head, his face showing traces of fear. "We landed at Tria, on the northern edge of the Smoking Sea. There were rumors that even after the Doom, people still lived there, but that's utter nonsense.

The sky there is a furnace-like dark red, the ground scorching like a heated iron plate, and the well water bubbles with white steam.

It's been four hundred years, yet the land's fire still burns. If life can survive there, it wouldn't be human—it'd be demons!"

"Could this so-called curse just be heatstroke?" Jorah mused, stroking his chin.

"No, absolutely not," Euron countered. "While everyone showed symptoms of dehydration, we had plenty of water and didn't fear the heat. Two of the pirates were from the Summer Isles—do you think I could endure the heat better than them?"

"What did the bodies look like?" Dany asked.

"Their limbs curled up, their hands clawed, their skin blistered and oozed pus, and the dark purple boils clustered as densely as pomegranate seeds.

Within half a day of stepping onto Tria, hundreds of men turned into that horrifying sight. How could it just be heatstroke?"

As Euron spoke, fear flickered in his single eye, impossible to conceal.

Dany's thoughts raced. She exchanged a look with Jorah, who seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.

The corpse of a Valyrian Dragonlord found in the southern Red Wastes had limbs curled, its body shriveled and purple-black, with holes pockmarking its skin. The dried, hardened flesh clung tightly to its bones, as if all its muscles had liquefied and drained away.

It might really be a curse.

Who knows if dragons could resist it? Hmm, a dragon larger than Balerion lies buried under the sand now.

"Did you find any city ruins?" Dany asked again.

"Tria itself was one of the richest city-states outside Valyria. Most of its buildings are buried under thick volcanic ash. Alone, I didn't have the strength to dig. Fortunately, the lord's manor was a tall castle. The ash formed a slope beneath it, so I climbed to the top floor directly."

Euron smirked, a hint of pride flashing on his face. "Ha! The wealthiest person in Tria was undoubtedly the lord, a noble Dragonlord!"

"Did you obtain any secret techniques?" Dany avoided asking directly about treasures.

Euron's blue eyes darkened for a brief moment before returning to their usual mild smile.

"No secret techniques," he said, shaking his head. "Though the entire Land of the Long Summer was under the Valyrian Empire, only Valyria itself—the capital—was the heart of their civilization.

Everywhere else was just colonial territories ruled by one or more Valyrian nobles over other ethnic groups.

Much like Volantis now, only the ruling class were true Valyrians, and even they weren't of the highest nobility. Look, they didn't even have dragons."

He glanced at Dany. "The true Dragonlords were in Valyria, as were most of the secret techniques and treasures. Even the Targaryens, after leaving Valyria, lost the technique to forge Valyrian steel. Or perhaps the rulers at the time didn't allow your ancestors to take it with them?"

Dany could see that Euron, like her, was more intrigued by Valyrian sorcery and magical technologies.

Euron glanced around and asked, "Your Grace, where are your dragons? Where did they come from?"

Dany thought it wasn't much of a secret and narrated her story: marrying Drogo, receiving dragon eggs from Illyrio, Viserys's death, Drogo's death, Rhaego's death—all in a calm tone, as if recounting someone else's tale.

It felt like someone else's story.

But to others, her composed words sounded like the lament of a heart riddled with wounds, her despair concealed beneath her calm exterior.

"Your Grace, you…" Euron's eyes filled with tears, as if he truly empathized with her pain.

What an actor!

Dany didn't believe for a second that this ruthless pirate could be so sentimental.

"It's fine," she waved her hand and sighed. "Fate took away three loved ones—Viserys, Drogo, and Rhaego—but it gave me three children in return. A shadowbinder from Asshai once told me that only life can pay for life. The price for hatching dragons was the lives of those three closest to me."

So that's how dragons were hatched?

Euron's eyes glinted as he said, "Your Grace, perhaps it's the will of the gods. I was fortunate to survive and to find so much treasure in Valyria. And now, by a one-in-a-million chance, I met you after you arrived in this sea. This is fate. Fate has destined me to provide you with the wealth needed for your restoration."

"What did you just say?" Dany asked, incredulous.

"I intend to offer you all the treasures aboard Silence. I swear loyalty to Your Grace and pledge to help you reclaim your throne from those usurpers."

Euron declared with such righteousness that, at that moment, he seemed accompanied by the spirits of countless selfless heroes from the annals of history.

But the problem was, Westeros, with its history far older than the civilization of the East, had never produced a single truly self-sacrificing hero.

"Are you sure?" Jorah also looked at Euron with suspicion.

Euron smiled faintly and instructed the black servant behind him, "Tell them to bring the ship closer."

The servant silently descended the ladder to the small boat and rowed toward the Silence, anchored 300 meters away.

During this time, neither Jorah nor Barristan intervened. Euron had stayed in the midst of their armed party. If the Silence made any suspicious moves, Euron's life would be forfeit.

Could it be that this man is charmed by my beauty?

Or perhaps I've unknowingly displayed extraordinary qualities—inner beauty?

Dany shamelessly thought to herself.

Not only was she perplexed, but even the seasoned Whitebeard found the situation slipping out of control. Decades of bodyguard experience made him instinctively step forward, subtly positioning Dany within the defensive range of his cane.

As the red-hulled ship drew closer and a gangplank was lowered, nothing unusual occurred. A group of bare-chested, bald sailors began carrying heavy chests across from the opposing ship.

The weight of the chests caused the gangplank to creak loudly with each step. The sturdy plank bent into alarming arcs under the load.

Thud! The first sailor silently placed a chest on the deck of the Seadragon. When its lid was lifted, the dazzling gleam of jewels and gold filled the air, prompting gasps of astonishment from the onlookers.

Thud! A second chest, brimming with ancient Valyrian gold coins.

Thud! A third chest, glistening with purple pearls.

Throughout the process, only the sounds of heavy chests hitting the deck, the creak of their lids being opened, and the hushed murmurs of amazement could be heard.

Dany noticed something odd. The sailors from the Silence who were carrying the chests were eerily... silent. They didn't respond to the gasps or whispers, nor did they exchange any words among themselves.

By the time the twenty-fourth chest was opened, Dany addressed the bald sailor directly, "There's no need to open any more chests."

But the man didn't react, as if he hadn't heard her. He continued to lift the lid, revealing a chest filled with exquisite silks from the Jade Sea—likely spoils from a merchant ship, rather than treasures excavated from Valyria.

"What's wrong with them?" Whitebeard stepped forward warily, sensing something amiss.

Euron paused, a peculiar smile playing on his lips as he surveyed the surroundings. "I am the captain of the Silence. As fellow Westerosi, surely you understand why my ship bears that name?"

"You've cut out their tongues?" Jorah finally tore his gaze away from the treasure-laden chests, glaring at the one-eyed man with disgust.

Snap! Euron grinned mischievously, snapping his fingers. "Exactly! I value silence. I dislike chatter among my subordinates. To board my Silence, one must first lose their tongue."

"No, it's more than that," Dany said, frowning. "They're not just mute; they're deaf."

"Indeed," Euron replied with an eerie smile, taking a step back to distance himself from Jorah. "Your Grace, your insight is impressive. Now, can you guess why I poured molten gold into their ears?"

Suddenly, a low, haunting horn blast pierced the air, like a thick, oppressive cloud enveloping the three ships. Instantly, it felt as though the anguished wails, curses, and cries of countless dead souls echoed in everyone's ears. It was as if spectral hands clawed at their flesh, leaving them immobilized.

Jorah and Whitebeard, though more resolute than the others, staggered drunkenly as they shielded Dany. That was the extent of their strength.

Their faces twisted in agony as if a searing fire burned within their bones. It felt as though every cell in their bodies was being scorched by dragonfire from the inside out.

Dany experienced the same sensation but, strangely, found it intoxicating—so much so that she nearly moaned in pleasure. It was a euphoria unlike anything she had ever felt.

At that moment, Euron lunged forward. With his left elbow, he knocked aside the trembling Whitebeard's cane. His right hand moved like a shadow, swiftly snatching the iron sword from Jorah's grasp.

Dany felt a cold sensation on her neck and abruptly snapped out of the trance. Euron had her in his grasp, a sharp blade pressed against her slender throat.

She had been captured.

"Ha! Easier than I imagined," Euron laughed gleefully, leaning in to lick her ear with his long tongue. He murmured in a tone dripping with pleasure, "So this is what a queen tastes like? Magnificent. What a pity, Dany. My darling little queen, I'm almost reluctant to kill you."

"You—"

Before Dany could respond, a sudden commotion broke out. The white and green dragons, previously hidden behind the bronze shields of the Dothraki, went berserk. They charged forward, spewing crimson dragonfire at the staggering, drunken Dothraki.

Her black dragon, Drogon, plunged headfirst from the top of the mainmast.

She immediately entered the dragon bond.

It felt as though she had plunged into a storm-ravaged sea, where tranquility once reigned—a place as serene as a mother's embrace. She had always been able to merge effortlessly with it.

But now…

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09