Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

With the addition of Whitebeard, Jorah, and the Bloodsworn Guards, the battle on the deck quickly turned in their favor, especially since the two rowing ships, Summer's Sun and Playful Yosso, were farther away from the Dragonhorn and thus less affected.

Under Davos' command, four to five hundred sailors swiftly launched a counterattack, reclaiming the deck of the Tranquility.

Half an hour later, the pirates, having suffered over 30% casualties, surrendered, dropping their weapons and kneeling in defeat.

Once the battle ended, a few sailors attempted to remove the gold embedded in the ears of the pirate corpses using pliers. The combined weight of the gold in both ears was nearly half a pound. The twisted, cone-shaped gold pieces, about 7–8 centimeters long, pierced through the earlobes into the brain cavity, with the ends still glistening with wet, white brain fluid—a chilling sight.

Dany couldn't help but wonder if, by looking through one ear, she might see the other side of their heads—the molten gold had burned right through their skulls.

In the west, the fiery red sun lazily rested on the ocean's surface, half-hidden, casting shimmering golden reflections on the waves. The great black dragon had fully recovered from the effects of the horn and was now gliding contentedly among the crimson clouds.

On the bow of the ship stood a small group of people.

Dany, having freshened up, appeared rejuvenated, though her face was still red and blistered in places.

Argo approached and reported, "Khaleesi, fourteen horsemen have died, four of them burned to death by the two dragons that lost control, and seven or eight are severely burned but alive."

"Sigh. They were brave warriors. Let Blackbeard prepare funeral pyres and oil for them," Dany said through gritted teeth. She added, "Bring their mounts out, give them a hearty meal, and slaughter them to accompany their masters tonight."

All the dead came from the 80 Roaring Warriors; the elderly, women, and children, who had remained in the cabins, were unharmed.

Eighty Roaring Warriors, eighty prized dragonhorses. This time, however, Dany wouldn't dare to substitute inferior grass-fed horses for the prized mounts as she had previously.

When conditions allowed, Dany was willing to bestow the highest honors and treatment upon those who died for her cause.

Otherwise, who would continue to fight for her?

As expected, her words earned her even more respect from the surrounding horsemen.

After Argo stepped away, Jorah stepped forward to report, "Two sailors suffered burns, but none were fatally injured."

This wasn't surprising. Knowing that the Warlock Pyat Pree might pursue her, Dany had prepared meticulously for naval combat.

In this world, naval battles primarily relied on boarding tactics.

Thus, Dany instructed her horsemen to combine with the two dragons to form a "flamethrower" tactic: two large wooden shields with holes in the center. The horsemen held the shields to protect themselves and the dragons. The dragons, in turn, directed their fiery breath through the holes.

After breathing fire, another horseman would immediately cover the hole with a small copper shield on their arm, allowing the dragons time to recover their breath before removing the shield for the next attack.

It was essentially a "dragon meat" flamethrower.

The destructive power of this flamethrower in close combat was self-explanatory. On the narrow decks of ships, it was an absolute game-changer. With a dragon stationed on each side of the ship, no number of enemies could break through.

This weapon had originally been intended as a trump card against Pyat Pree.

If Euron had been a typical foe, today's battle would have cemented the "Dragon" flamethrower's legendary status.

Unfortunately, who could have anticipated that he would wield the Dragonhorn, a magical weapon specifically targeting dragons?

Biochemical weapon vs. magical weapon—the biochemical weapon was utterly defeated.

This was also why the horsemen suffered the greatest losses. The four horsemen holding the shields to protect the dragons perished when the dragons lost control.

It was akin to the fate of flamethrower operators: unstoppable while burning others, but turning into human torches when their fuel tanks exploded.

"Our sailors lost 27 to the pirates, with another 35 injured, nearly 30% casualties overall. Among the 34 deaf pirates who boarded, all were killed. Additionally, Davos and his men killed 59 pirates aboard the Tranquility, 53 of whom were mute but not deaf," Jorah continued.

"Wrap the pirate corpses in burlap and toss them into the sea. As for our sailors…" Dany looked at Blackbeard Grolay and asked, "Are there any special customs?"

"I'll take care of it," Blackbeard sighed.

"By the way, Euron isn't dead," Jorah added.

"Burned to a torch by dragonfire and unconscious in the water for over half an hour—he survived? Could he use magic?" Dany asked in surprise.

"Perhaps the Ironborn undergo special training," Jorah speculated. "They worship the Drowned God, and their priests are called Drowned Men.

The Ironborn practice a ritual called the 'Drowning,' where the Drowned Men submerge participants underwater until they lose consciousness, then resuscitate them by pressing on their chests. Maybe Euron underwent this ritual, or perhaps the Drowned God protected him."

"How do the Drowned Men ensure the drowned survive?" Dany asked curiously.

"They can't. Many participants don't survive, which is why this ancient ritual is rarely practiced anymore," Jorah replied.

Dany was stunned. She had assumed the Drowned Men possessed some unique magic for extreme resuscitation, but it turned out they simply left it to fate.

"Bring Euron to me. I want to ask him about the Dragonhorn," she commanded.

"Well… though he isn't dead, he hasn't regained consciousness either," Jorah said, glancing at Whitebeard. "His body is severely burned, and he suffered a heavy blow to the head from Astan. He's still comatose."

"Then bring me the Dragonhorn," she demanded.

Jorah's excitement was palpable. "Wait, Your Grace, before that, guess what we found aboard the Tranquility?"

"Magical tomes?" Dany's interest piqued. "Euron wasn't just unaffected by the Dragonhorn; he also used it to control my dragons. I even saw his eyes glowing—it wasn't an illusion."

"It wasn't an illusion," Whitebeard confirmed solemnly. "I saw it too. Despite his struggle, my senses were clear."

Jorah, however, shook his head and sighed. "Aside from the Dragonhorn, there were no mysterious artifacts or books. But we did find a dragon egg and a full set of Valyrian steel armor."

"Wow, what a delightful surprise!" Dany clapped her hands and laughed. "Bring the dragon egg—I want to see if it's genuine."

Regardless of the egg's authenticity, a set of Valyrian steel armor was a treasure worth celebrating.

Soon, two horsemen approached, each carrying a box.

"Khaleesi, this is a dragon egg." The horseman handed over a black wooden box about the size of a jewelry case.

Dany eagerly took it. Upon opening, she saw a "rusty" bronze lump resting on a soft Myrish silk cushion.

Her fingers gently brushed over the fine, dense scales, and an unmistakable joy gradually spread across her face.

Noticing her expression, Jorah quickly asked, "Could it really be an intact dragon egg?"

"A bronze dragon," Dany replied with a nod and a smile.

"But it seems like it's already fossilized," Whitebeard remarked in disbelief.

"It's just stone. Listen." Dany tapped the egg with her knuckles—thud, thud—producing a crisp, solid sound.

"Can stone really hatch a dragon?" Blackbeard Grole questioned, skeptical.

"Hmph, where do you think Khaleesi's dragons came from?" Quhlo retorted proudly.

"Dragons hatch from stone; everyone knows that," handmaiden Jhiqui chimed in.

Dany placed the dragon egg back in the box and instructed her handmaiden, "Jhiqui, put this by my bedside. Hmm, I'll sleep with it from now on. You'll be responsible for watching over it."

"Yes, Khaleesi."

"How long might it take to hatch a dragon?" Whitebeard asked curiously.

Dany thought for a moment. The last time, Daenerys had spent a year gathering enough "soul essence" to awaken the new spirits for her three eggs. She was more proactive with her dragon-hatching abilities than her predecessor, so it should be faster this time.

"About six months, but no more than ten," she replied.

After Jhiqui left with the box, Dany didn't open the large chest containing armor. Instead, she studied Quhlo carefully and asked, "Quhlo, during the sound of the Dragon Horn, aside from me, neither you nor your men seemed greatly affected. Why is that?"

"I don't know." The horseman warrior rubbed his bald head, bewildered. "When the horn sounded, I felt like my blood was boiling. It was unbearably uncomfortable, and I just wanted to unleash all my strength."

In the earlier chaos, there had been 24 tall, ferocious pirates and over a dozen deaf pirates climbing up the gangplank. If not for Quhlo and nine other dragon guards resisting ferociously, the pirates would have overrun the deck in two minutes.

"I felt countless wandering souls biting at my own soul, making it hard to move. It was as if ghosts from a fiery hell were burning me inch by inch, from marrow to skin," Whitebeard described.

"Same here," Jorah, Blackbeard, and the bloodriders said, equally puzzled.

"Bavos felt it too." The fat eunuch patted his round head and asked Dany, "Your Grace, what did you feel?"

The red blisters on Dany's face deepened in color.

"Boiling blood, heightened spirits," she replied flatly.

"That's strange," Bavos murmured.

"What's strange about it? She's the Mother of Dragons. How could she be like the rest of us?" Jorah said, then turned to Quhlo with a curious look. "Your men are all dragon guards. Could it be because you're often in close contact with real dragons?"

"Iri, Doreah, you two also share a room with the dragons. What did you feel?" he asked Dany's handmaidens.

"Similar to you—my whole body felt like it was burning. I could move but was clumsy, like being drunk," Doreah replied.

It was slightly better than Jorah's condition but still not as composed as Quhlo.

"Quhlo, something's definitely up with you!" Jorah declared with certainty.

"What's wrong with us?" Quhlo asked, looking innocent. "The pirates didn't exactly go easy on us."

"Ah! I remember!" Iri suddenly shouted, clapping her hands. "I was in the cabin with the horses. They were frenzied but didn't collapse like we did."

"Horses have four legs. They don't fall even when drunk," Bavos dismissed with a wave.

"Seven hells!" Jorah suddenly exclaimed, as if struck by a revelation. "Dragon dung! Dragon guards and dragon horses alike have eaten dragon dung."

"Uh..." Dany's mouth twitched. She tentatively asked, "Quhlo, you really ate it? What does it taste like? Is it good?"

"Khaleesi, it's nothing special." Quhlo smacked his lips, reminiscing. "It's a bit bitter, like it has fire pepper powder in it. It was strange at first, but after a while, I couldn't enjoy roasted meat without adding some dragon dung."

Fire pepper powder? And they got used to it?

Dany's face went blank. "You call that stuff 'dragon essence'? Do you think eating it gives you strength like a tiger?"

"Khaleesi, calling it 'dragon dung' sounds awful," Quhlo replied, frowning.

They understood the embarrassment of admitting to eating dung, yet they still ate it? Could the taste really be that compelling?

(P.S.: For reference, in A Song of Ice and Fire, Euron Greyjoy indeed possessed a dragon egg. However, after failing to hatch it, he threw it into the sea.)

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09