I Became the Mother of Dragons

       The atmosphere hung heavy, changed by Dany's shifting emotions. High Priest Jaen, wise beyond her years, appeared to sense her inner turmoil. With a knowing smile, she spoke, her words laden with ancient reverence, "Oros welcomes the Dragon Queen, and in your presence, we witness wonders. Dragons, like the mighty Balerion, rejoice at your arrival, Your Majesty. It is a harbinger of the world's rebirth."

In the midst of her prophetic words, Jaen Belaerys painted a future where Dany would ascend as the sole ruler of the world, shattering the very chains that had bound Valyria.

But these words, instead of soothing Dany's doubts, forged new links of caution in her mind. "Can a High Priest truly commune with Balerion?" she inquired, her voice laced with a mixture of awe and skepticism. "The Cataclysm, they say, devoured all such connections."

Though her countenance remained composed, a glimmer of delight danced in her eyes as Jaen answered, unyielding in his conviction, "The Gods are eternal."

"The Gods are eternal!" echoed the chorus of aged priests behind him.

Yet, what was the truth of these "Gods" when Dany herself remained ignorant of the Valyrian deities' depths? She couldn't help but suspect that they may be trapped in a bleaker fate than even the Undying Ones.

"Indeed, Gods never fade," Dany affirmed, her expression grave as she nodded in agreement. Then, with a measure of candor, she continued, "High Priest Belaerys, I shall be frank. My journey to Oros was necessitated by dire circumstances. The dissolution of the Ghiscari alliance is merely the opening gambit, for the Free Cities are now amassing their forces—an alliance of tens of thousands, with hundreds of thousands of troops and ships. I require the mysticism of Valyria, the means to commune with my four Dragons, to command the ancient magics that lie within."

In this manner, the conversation unfolded in the shadowy halls of Oros, where the enigmatic promises of the High Priest and the Dragon Queen's aspirations danced like warring flames in the night.

"Valyria was also once a slave city-state, and the ancestors of the Targaryens had enslaved countless lower races, why do you seek to liberate the slaves?" Jaen asked.

"Because I do not see slaves being whipped, enslaved, ridiculed, and regarded as a lowly bug as right, when I take a slave masters head with my sword, and the blood gushing from his neck touches my hands, what I smell is not the iron scent, but an aroma of revenge, and an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and pleasure rises in my heart as if the world is a cleaner place," Dany told the truth.

In a previous life, she had touched blood and even corpses, but nothing could have prepared her for the experience of leading a grand army, thousands of men and horses, into the throes of battle.

She had heard countless times that the first kill would be an uncomfortable, even nauseating experience. Yet, to her astonishment, Dany found herself surpassing all expectations. She achieved her first blood and even decimated a hundred foes.

The entire process was exhilarating as if she had been born with a natural penchant for warfare.

High Priest Jaen, who had maintained her dignified and holy demeanor until now, found her visage contorting as she could no longer contain her astonishment. "Daenerys, you are... beyond belief!"

Thankfully, High Priest Jaen refrained from using any profanities. The older priests behind her breathed a sigh of relief.

"High Priest," Dany inquired, cutting to the chase, "Is there a magic here alike the Dragon Horns?"

She was prepared to shatter the proverbial jar. She cared not for the judgments of others and had no desire to waste any more time in this Cursed Land.

"You know of the Dragon Horns?" an elderly man with gray-blond hair, standing behind Jaen, asked, his surprise evident.

Much like Jaen, this elderly man possessed smooth skin and distinguished features.

"You are unfamiliar with Euron Greyjoy?" Dany's surprise deepened as she recounted Euron's exploits in Tyria.

"That should be the Horn of the Second Peaks House Vhaghas," Jaen mused, "During the tenure of the Tyria City Lord by the second Peak Lord, Terrun Vhaghas... who would have expected him to remove the family's Horn from their lands."

"Are Dragon Horns exceedingly rare?"

"There exist only three great horns: the Dragonbinder, the Dragonimprisoner, and the Dragonslayer of House Belaerys. There may be countless imitations, but their effects pale in comparison to the cherished heirlooms of these Families," Jaen explained, her tone one of pride.

She couldn't help but smirk inwardly. After all, hadn't they already broken the Dragonbinder?

"The Dragonbinder can control my Dragons. What, then, are the powers of the Dragonimprisoner and the Dragonslayer?"

Jaen hesitated for a moment before speaking softly, "The three horns share the ability to control Dragons. The Dragonimprisoner can discipline Dragons with its resonant call, while the Dragonslayer can directly kill the unruly, malevolent, and wild Dragons with its sound."

Killing Dragons by the mere blow of a horn? One could only wonder about the incredible power infused in that Dragonslayer horn.

"Are the Dragonslayer and Imprisoner still in existence?" Dany inquired.

"They were destroyed in the Cataclysm with the Fourteen Flames!" Jaen responded with a sense of loss.

"What in the world was the Cataclysm?"

"....Why don't we adjourn to the temple," Jaen suggested with an expectant gaze, "Daenerys, you are a true Valyrian, you even hatched Dragons from a stone egg. Your bloodline remains pure. Why not return to the faith of your ancestors? Your Majesty, Balerion has true power, far more tangible than The Seven."

For Dany, faith wasn't a matter of whether the Gods were real or not, but rather whether their teachings held progressive significance for humanity.

After a brief pause, she asked, "I have read the Sevens teachings thoroughly, but I am unfamiliar with Balerion's teachings. How can I become a follower, Your Majesty?"

In a world where the Gods themselves did not intervene in matters of faith, Dany contemplated establishing a "New Church of The Seven" in Slaver's Bay, aligned with her own values. She planned to "revise" the original text of the Seven-Pointed Star, much like Confucian scholars of the Han Dynasty had adapted the classics of Confucius and Mencius to their own ends. Dany envisioned creating a "Queen Dany's version" of the Seven-Pointed Star, emphasizing values she held dear.

After all, no divine retribution from The Seven had descended upon her, for The Seven did not exist in this world.

"The Oros Great Sept is located in the southern part of the city. Why don't you come and reside there for a while? I will elucidate the Holy Religion of Old Valyria to you, and part of the Grand Sorcerer's legacy is preserved there!"

Jaen wore a sweet smile, her eyes the color of a crescent moon, and her head slightly tilted, making her appear quite endearing.

Dany hesitated. Had Jaen not revealed that Balerion might still live, she would have accepted the invitation without the lure of inheritance. Observing proper etiquette by accompanying the High Priest to the Sept to pay respects to her ancestors was expected. But Balerion was not dead.

In Qarth, the Undying Ones had shown her a glimpse of the River of Time, and the Grand Sorcerer had openly declared, "Compared to the three Demi-Gods of Valyria, the Undying Ones were worthless." The reason she had triumphed over the Undying Ones was partly her unwavering will and mostly thanks to her Dragon.

A Dragon can protect its Dragonlord from sorcery, but Balerion himself was a God among Dragons—a Demi-God. How much influence did a Dragon have over Balerion?

Dany had also witnessed the astounding power of the Grand Sorcerer in the River of Time—a glass candle that connected Valyria's Free Cities with the personal consciousness of individuals, even capable of glimpsing events four centuries into the future.

What riches might his legacy hold?

If she could learn even a fraction of his knowledge, she could become a practitioner of both magic and knighthood, potentially an unrivaled single combatant.

She had vanquished the legendary assassins, the Faceless Men, with a single shattered-soul strike. Although she had slain a thousand enemies and lost eight hundred, the might of her sorcery was undeniable. Dany herself had the qualifications to master such power.

"How could there be the Grand Sorcerer's legacy here?" Dany inquired.

"Heh, Old Valyria's territories are divided into two categories: city-states and colonies. Oros, Tyria, and Mantarys in the Lands of Long Summer are all city-states, you know?"

Dany nodded. "I didn't fully understand before, but it makes sense that the Lands of Long Summer belong to Valyria's stronghold."

"Colonies are managed by outer families of the Fourteen Flames, while the territories are ruled directly by the Fourteen."

"But I've never heard of any other Targaryens in city-states like Volantis?" Dany pondered.

Jaen's face beamed with pride as she replied, "The Fourteen Flames have fourteen major nobles. Even if each possesses two colonial city-states...you can do the math, can't you?"

Presently, the Essos continent has Nine Free Cities, four major cities in Ghis, and one in Qarth. It hardly seemed sufficient.

Even the highest nobles might struggle to secure enough territory. How much could the minor Targaryens secure? Probably only a tiny plot on Dragonstone.

Dany inquired further, "How does this relate to the Grand Sorcerer's legacy?"

"Each city-state's Sept holds a portion of the Grand Sorcerer's legacy because the Sept and the city-state itself are both descended directly from the Fourteen Flames, and the Grand Sorcerer can only emerge from this family."

Dany shook her head wryly, surprised at Valyria's rigid hierarchy that left little room for outsiders to progress. Individuals like Daenys the Dreamer, who lacked Dragonriding talents but possessed the potential to become Grand Sorcerer, were left with little status in Valyria and were not trained as Sorcerers. They were exiled alongside House Targaryen.

"Are there any exceptions to this rule?" Dany inquired skeptically.

The Maiden High Priest gazed deeply into Dany's eyes and asked, "Why are the Targaryens not divided like Velaryon?"

Dany was rendered momentarily speechless.

The Velaryons, too, were Dragonriders, yet before the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryens had chosen to let their three additional Dragons become Wild rather than share the "burden" with their neighbors.

"Is it that simple?" Dany looked southward.

The landscape seemed as though only darkness existed, casting a swath of blood-red across the sky, deepening the horizon to a dark red, almost as if it were hiding something.

Even from several kilometers away, steam rose from the sea's surface, earning its epithet of the 'Smoking Sea'.

A treacherous expanse that had devoured countless expeditionary fleets.

Dany's attention was drawn to a black tower on the city's periphery. Set against the ancient city's dark backdrop, the bright golden pattern etched onto the tower stood out vividly.

"Is that the Sept?" Dany pointed to the black tower.

"Yes, it might earn Your Majesty's favor."

Or maybe not.

"How do we get there?" Dany inquired.

She had to admit, the Grand Sorcerer's legacy had enticed her.

As for Balerion...

She had been fortunate.

Balerion's body had to be in Valyria, while Oros lay 500 kilometers distant from Valyria, with the city of Tyria situated between them.

The ruined city-state that Euron had once explored was Tyria.

If Balerion remained unaware of Euron Greyjoy's existence, he would have no reason to harm her, right?

The Undying Ones had needed to trap her within the House of the Undying to cast their sorcery, and they couldn't affect her from even a street width away.

While Balerion might be more powerful than the Undying Ones, he had suffered a "Great Destruction."

Dany believed she had the upper hand and anticipated the encounter.

"You may ride your Dragon or accompany me on foot," Jaen Belaerys offered.

"Let's proceed on foot."

Regardless of the High Priest's ominous reputation and the city's mystique, Dany had to adhere to basic etiquette until any actual threats materialized.