Chapter 37 - Pentos
It had been two weeks since we left Braavos.
It took us a couple of days to sight see the city. Braavos was like a city of water and quiet power. Canals ran like streets, and narrow bridges curved over them like stone ribbons. We visited the Iron Bank of Braavos from the outside. It stood strong and silent, built of dark stone, with heavy doors and guards who watched everything. The air felt serious and everyone entering or exiting had money in their minds.
We walked through the Isle of the Gods, where faith from many lands gathered together and the place felt calm. Nearby, the Temple of the Moonsingers was filled with soft songs and quiet prayers.
The markets were busy, full of colors, spices, and voices from across the world. Braavos truly felt like a meeting place of many lands. It was a great break for the two children. They roamed the markets and marveled the sights for the first time in years. And maybe it was a first time for Danearys as she was born after the dynasty fell. They were less afraid and anxious, specially after the death of their guardian. And it showed in their slightly relaxed shoulders.
Our ship moved steadily across the Narrow Sea, the wind calm and the waters kinder than before. This journey felt different from the last. There was less chaos. Leaf and Val were much calmer than the last time. We were more settled now, more prepared. The additional people were also a major factor which helped them curb their curiosity.
We were heading to Pentos.
My main objective there was clear. I needed to meet a certain magister and collect the three dragon eggs in his possession. Those three eggs were not just important, they were necessary. If we were to move forward with our plans, we needed as many dragon eggs as possible.
The nine eggs we had received from the Sealord of Braavos had already been a great surprise. I had not expected so many to be in his collection. That alone had changed the scale of what we could attempt in the future.
After receiving them, I had to be careful to keep them a secret. The eggs were first packed in heavy chests, as the Sealord had promised. But I did not keep them that way for long. Traveling with such obvious and valuable cargo was not wise. Three large chests filled with dragon eggs would attract attention, questions, and danger.
So I took all the eggs out and stored them safely in the House Outside Time. The chests themselves remained on the ship with our luggage, but they were now mostly empty. Anyone checking them would find nothing of value.
It was safer that way.
Before we left Braavos, I had asked Leaf to examine the eggs carefully for life.
She had done so with great focus, placing her hands over each one, sensing them in a way no other person could. Her answer had been… rather complicated.
"There is life," she said, "and there is not."
At first, I did not fully understand.
So she explained.
"These eggs have turned to stone," she said. "If they were normal eggs, there would be no life left in them at all. They would be dead, empty things."
She paused then and placed her hand over one of the eggs.
"But these are dragon eggs," she continued. "Dragons are not normal creatures. They are magic made flesh. Fire given form. Their life does not follow the same rules."
That was when it became clearer.
The eggs were not alive in the usual sense. But they were not truly dead either.
They were waiting.
Leaf explained further, speaking slowly so that even the ignorant could understand.
"They need the right conditions," she said. "Not just warmth or time. They need magic. Strong magic. Fire, blood… and something more."
Her words reminded me of the Targaryen saying.
Fire and Blood.
In the histories of House Targaryen, dragons were always tied to those elements. Blood sacrifices, great fire, and moments of powerful change.
Leaf confirmed it. "Fire alone is not enough," she said. "Blood alone is not enough. And even magic alone is not enough. They must come together."
"But they will hatch," she said quietly. "They were not meant to. But now… they will. For the destined person."
Her meaning was clear.
We had with us the one and only person who could change that fate.
Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons.
Even now, Daenerys, or anyone else not connected to the Gods, did not fully understand what she carried within her. But Leaf seemed certain, similar to the priest from the House of Black and White. With her presence, with the right conditions, the eggs would awaken. And along with it, magic would too.
That knowledge alone made this journey far more important.
Life aboard the ship was calm.
Val and Leaf were quieter this time. Not restless like before. Perhaps they were thinking more now, or perhaps they simply understood the weight of what we carried.
Emma was as silent as ever.
She moved like a shadow across the deck, watching everything, speaking little. Her training from the House of Black and White showed clearly. She ate little, slept lightly, and always remained alert. But she was more comfortable to keep me in her sight, as if to ensure that I was always safe.
Viserys and Daenerys were different.
Viserys spent most of his time thinking about the future. About crowns, armies, and the throne he believed was his by Right. Sometimes he spoke of it openly, sometimes only to himself.
Daenerys stayed closer to us.
She listened more than she spoke. Watched more than she asked. But there was a quiet strength in her now, something that had not been there before. She was kind to people, be it a servant in Sealord's residence or the sailors, not yet the Breaker of Chains, but the signs were there.
This journey was changing her, and bringing out her true nature.
As for me, I spent most of my time thinking ahead.
Pentos was not just another stop. It was where we would meet Illyrio Mopatis, the magister who had sheltered the Targaryens in the original timeline. He was also the partner of the Spider in King's Landing. Varys, the Master of Whisperers.
The same man who held the three dragon eggs we needed. Getting those eggs would not be simple. But it had to be done.
With Nine eggs already in our possession, those three would complete an important step in our plans.
I wanted to get all the scattered eggs around the world, as many as possible. They will not just be useful here, but even in the future.
After some days, we could see the open port of Pentos, Singer's Wharf. And our shop slowly positioned itself to enter the port.
End of Chapter 37 - Pentos