I Became the Mother of Dragons

     The top garden of the Great Pyramid in Astapor was bathed in sunlight, gently dispersing the morning mist that lazily brushed against people's faces.

The linen sheet was slightly damp from the morning dew, displaying traces of moisture. After untying the rope that bound it and spreading it out on the red brick floor, various items, including swords, shields, books, and crystal balls, crashed and scattered all around.

"Ding!" Barristan carefully removed the curtain-wrapped bundle and placed the massive Sorcerer's Lens on a nearby side table.

"Your Majesty, Ser Selmy already has a sword, and this two-handed greatsword suits me perfectly." Jorah Mormont eagerly held the two-handed greatsword enclosed in its deep purple Basilisk leather scabbard, impatient to fasten it to his waist.

"Do not hold onto your wishful thinking!" The old Knight retrieved the sword from his grasp, frowning as he declared, "The Arakh was lent to me by Aggo for the protection of Her Majesty. Now that I possess the 'Sunswallower,' it's only right that the sword be returned to Bloodrider Aggo."

The sword they found in Oros was named "Sunswallower," and Valyrian text was engraved on its yellow-golden hilt.

Neither of the two White Cloaks considered giving the Sunswallower to Dany because the sword was quite lengthy, with a blade measuring 1.3 meters and a hilt adorned with a 30-centimeter golden dragon motif.

The dragon's maw extended, releasing the blade, with sword-shaped upper and lower jaws. The wings and legs were neatly retracted without hindering one's grip, and the tail was coiled and adorned with colorful tassels.

It was an exceptionally ornate sword.

"This sword is too flashy; it'll attract undue attention," Jorah advised.

"It's fine; we can have a smith darken its color," the old Knight responded, removing the Arakh from his waist and attaching the Sunswallower to it.

With his tall and robust frame, the length of the sword was just right.

"As for that shield..."

"The shield goes to Grey Worm," Barristan interjected. "If you're going to use a two-handed sword, what use do you have for a shield?"

If it were a small round shield, it could be worn on the arm, but this curved, large shield could only be used in conjunction with daggers, lances, or shortswords it could be based on the style of the ancient Ghis Legion's shields.

"Grey Worm already has a Valyrian steel dagger," Jorah muttered. "It might be better to melt the cast sword."

"What books did you discover? 'Overview of Genetics,' 'The Secrets of Color,' 'Analysis of Optical Principles,' 'The Elements of Geometry,' 'The Magic of Numbers'..."

Dany held up a stack of tomes, her frustration evident as she addressed the old Knight, "These things are of no use to me at all."

"Useless? Isn't it better than a collection of poems and stories?" Whitebeard said somewhat defensively.

"Forget it, they might be useless to me, but they're invaluable in this day and age," Dany sighed.

"Where's the magic crystal ball?" The old Knight gestured to the red, purple, and colorless crystals and inquired, "Can it be of any assistance to you?"

"Highly pure crystals make for excellent decorative pieces," Dany replied casually.

Whitebeard blushed, his mind involuntarily drifting to where he had found the crystal ball—Jaen's bedroom. He had thought it a tool for the High Priest's daily magical practices, as stories often depicted witches using crystal balls for fortune-telling.

"Ah, I guess it's to be expected. The glass candles used by Sorcerers remain a mystery, but those who do not understand will write stories about Sorcerers that do more harm than good!" the old Knight lamented.

After a full day and night of adventure in the Lands of Long Summer, Dany was thoroughly exhausted upon returning to Astapor. She had only managed to consume a bowl of mutton stewed turnip soup before retiring to rest.

The red sun slowly descended into the western sea, casting a vivid crimson hue across the horizon. The room was bathed in a warm, peaceful atmosphere, with the reddish hues filtering through the skylight and gently illuminating the beige wallpaper. The stone chamber exuded an aura of tranquility.

In the midst of her slumber, Dany's brows furrowed as if she were grappling with some unpleasant sensation. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a glimmer of violet. She extended her right hand toward her face and discovered a faint red dot beneath her fair skin.

"Quaithe?" Dany's gaze gradually regained its composure and lucidity. After a brief moment of contemplation, she withdrew the sorcery that had been blocking her wrist. The red dot transformed into a hair-thin line, which shot across the room and collided with the wardrobe.

The red line quickly faded away, and before her stood a woman in a floor-length robe with a hood. Her face was concealed behind a red lacquered wooden mask.

It was Quaithe.

"Daenerys, you have left quite an impression," Quaithe remarked from behind her mask, the hood obscuring her eyes, although it felt as if she were gazing directly at Dany.

Dany lowered her wrist and let out a sigh. "I only just realized I've been marked with your magic. Upon reflection, you've only touched me once."

Their conversation took a contemplative turn, with Dany reflecting on their first encounter in the streets of Qarth. She recalled how Quaithe had touched her right wrist with two fingers, causing an inexplicable tingling sensation. At the time, she thought it was a hallucination, but now she understood it was a mark.

Dany spoke earnestly, "You promised you would never harm me."

Quaithe explained, "It's merely a coordinate. Using a glass candle to locate someone without a coordinate is akin to searching for a single Gold Dragon in the vast sea. With your newfound power, you should comprehend the challenges I face."

Dany admitted, "To be honest, I don't understand because I have no knowledge of how to use glass candles or even what they are."

Quaithe observed, "I sense a formidable and immense power within you, something truly awe-inspiring."

Dany, who had just learned basic meditation in Oros, candidly confessed, "I've only recently begun to grasp the fundamentals of sorcery. I'm far from being a sorceress."

She was both amazed and outraged by the fact that Quaithe had secretly placed magical coordinates on her body. Upon realizing the changes within herself, she marveled at Quaithe's incredible skills and felt a mix of surprise and anger, understanding that if Quaithe had indeed meant her harm, she would have met her demise long ago.

As Dany contemplated their conversation, she realized she didn't harbor as much resentment toward Quaithe as before. However, her vigilance remained intact.

When Dany mentioned her recent visit to Oros, Quaithe reacted with concern, exclaiming, "How dare you enter the Lands of Long Summer!"

Dany was taken aback and questioned, "Why can't I go there?"

Quaithe proceeded to remind her of the prophecy she had previously shared: "To go north, you must journey south. To reach the west, you must go east…"

Dany's face showed a look of understanding. "You said not to go west, did you mean the Lands of Long Summer to the west of Slaver's Bay? I thought you were referring to Westeros."

Quaithe replied cryptically, "I do not know. I can provide you with prophecies, but I cannot help you decipher their meaning. What I can say is that the Lands of Long Summer, the Free Cities, Westeros, and everything west of Slaver's Bay are still unknown to you."

Dany thought carefully and realized that Quaithe's prediction was much more complex than it initially seemed. The previous part of the prophecy, "to go north, you must journey south," suggested that she needed to first gain control over the southern regions, like Slaver's Bay, before venturing north to take on the Dothraki mainlands. Going to the Dothraki Sea before mastering the southern cities could lead to undesirable consequences.

With a sense of purpose and understanding, Dany began to grasp the intricacies of the prophecies that had guided her journey.

The prophecy, "To go north, you must go south," had been partly understood by Dany to mean that she needed to conquer the southern regions first, like Slaver's Bay, before heading north to the Dothraki Sea.

Dany sought further clarification regarding the part of the prophecy that stated, "To reach the west, you must go east." She asked Quaithe, "That is to say, going east is not the end, but primarily to obtain the 'truth' so that I have the foundation to venture west?"

Quaithe hesitated and replied, "This..." She was caught off guard by Dany's unconventional thinking.

Quaithe admitted that she didn't know what the "truth" referred to in the prophecy.

Dany, who was now following her own instincts, responded, "I know."

This left Quaithe puzzled. Dany continued, "Isn't it obvious? The Lands of Long Summer holds my enemies, the Free Cities are my enemies, and Westeros has my enemies. If I were to enter these places unsuspectingly, I'd be in danger."

Dany's rationale was clear to her, but Quaithe found her approach unconventional and not in line with the prophecy's intent.

It seems it might be…

"In the crimson haze of Oros, what adversary crossed your path?" Quaithe inquired, her voice a faint murmur as enigmatic as the Red Waste.

Daenerys responded with a solemn tone, "Valyria's god, Belaerys, bearing the name of the Black Dragon of House Targaryen."

Quaithe's eyes widened with a hint of revelation. "So, he still breathes in the realms of existence," she whispered, her voice carrying the weight of ages.

The young queen's spirit surged as she spoke with unwavering resolve, "If that treacherous wretch dares to unleash his fury upon me, his fate is sealed, sooner or later."

A wry smile graced her lips as her laughter rang out like silver bells. "The duty to vanquish such an Evil God rests upon us all. What say you, Miss Quaithe? Might you be inclined to share your mystical arts?"

"Balerion, Valyria's Ancestral God, your very own God," the Asshai sorceress exclaimed, taken aback by Dany's audacious declaration.

"You've forgotten, it seems," Daenerys mused, her voice carrying notes of history. "The Targaryen's forsook their Valyrian heritage three centuries past, embracing the faith of The Seven."

Quaithe's spirit slowly rekindled, her words laden with enigma. "The mystical paths we tread do not converge, Khaleesi."

With a scornful lift of her wrist, Daenerys sneered, "Nonsense! I've meticulously unraveled the sigils of your arcane geometry, deciphering thirty percent of its secrets. In a matter of days, I shall be able to do as you to others."

Awakening from the slumber of the mundane world and melding with Big Black, Daenerys entered Dreki, the embodiment of the Dragon's soul. This arcane transformation allowed her to enter the Dragon Dream.

When the colossal dragon slumbered, Dany's consciousness soared into the Dragon Dream, where the secrets of her essence lay unveiled. Here, it became apparent that the coordinates etched upon her right wrist were not merely physical markings, but imprints upon her soul in this ethereal state. Even if her hand were severed, Quaithe's ability to locate her would endure.

This Dragon Dream state proved invaluable for deciphering the enigmatic glyphs, as Quaithe had noted. Her mystic arts diverged from that of Dany's, and none of the coordinate glyphs existed within the Valyrian "108" character table. Yet, to her amazement, she discovered her sorcerous strength could manifest identical glyphs with similar magical effects, despite her lack of comprehension regarding their meaning.

Quaithe, her astonishment unmasked, inquired, "Are you certain of this?"

"Why would I deceive you?" Daenerys questioned.

With a measured nod, Quaithe responded, "It appears you have inherited the complete meditation arts of the Valyrian Grand Sorcerers."

Dany, her curiosity piqued, asked, "And what makes that so exceptional?"

"Valyria, as you well know, once held dominion over the world," Quaithe solemnly intoned.

"Indeed, its dominion is common knowledge," Daenerys acknowledged.

With a sigh that seemed to echo from the shadows, Quaithe continued, her voice resonating with fidelity, "If you were to inherit that dominion, would you seize the world's riches, knowledge, slaves, and treasures as well?"