A heartbeat.
Thump... thump-thump... A heart that had slept for a thousand years awakened amidst the intertwining of flame and frost.
Daenerys's body stiffened.
She held the black and red dragon egg as if cradling a newborn infant.
The clear, powerful pulse traveled through her palm, spreading to all her limbs.
"It… it's alive…"
She murmured, her violet eyes filled with shock.
Lynn didn't speak.
His hand remained on Daenerys's hand.
Cold magic continuously poured into the three dragon eggs.
It formed a strange balance with the flames in the brazier.
Of course, he knew the dragon egg was alive.
But he knew even more clearly that this was only the beginning.
For these three true giant dragons to hatch, fire and frost alone were far from enough.
These three dragon eggs needed sacrifices.
They needed the blood of a king to irrigate its throne.
They needed the blood of a true dragon to awaken its bloodline.
And they needed the blood of a wise man to unlock its wisdom.
Lynn's gaze pierced through the flickering flames, as if seeing the distant East.
That boundless grassland known as the Dothraki Sea.
He saw a man riding a magnificent horse, robust in build, with the aura of a lion.
Khal Drogo.
A born king.
He also saw a witch kneeling in the dust, her eyes venomous, performing blood magic.
Mirri Maz Duur.
A wise woman who practiced blood magic.
Finally, his gaze returned to Pentos.
It fell upon the man currently drunk and immersed in dreams of kingship.
Viserys Targaryen.
The last "true dragon."
The sacrifices were chosen, the feast was about to begin.
"Lynn…"
Daenerys's voice pulled his thoughts back.
She looked up, her exquisite face a mix of joy and confusion.
"What should we do?"
"It seems… it wants to come out."
"Don't rush."
Lynn withdrew his hand, also retracting the frost magic.
The glow and pulsation on the dragon egg instantly dimmed.
A hint of disappointment appeared on Daenerys's face.
"It needs more nourishment."
Lynn stood up and pulled Daenerys from the carpet.
"A grand sacrifice."
Daenerys nodded, half-understanding.
She didn't know what Lynn meant by "nourishment" and "sacrifice."
But she trusted him unconditionally.
Her prince, her king, would never be wrong… The next day, when Viserys awoke from his hangover, he felt his head was about to split open.
He stumbled out of the room, intending to find a slave girl to attend to him, but immediately spotted the three dragon eggs placed in the center of the courtyard.
In the morning sun, their surfaces glowed with a warm luster.
They no longer seemed like cold stones, but rather contained life.
Viserys's drunkenness instantly sobered significantly.
He strode forward, extending his hand, wanting to touch the black and red dragon egg.
But before his hand could reach it, it was grabbed by another hand.
It was Daenerys.
"Don't touch it."
Daenerys's voice was soft, yet carried an invisible threat.
Viserys froze.
He looked at his sister.
This girl, who had followed him since childhood, not daring to even breathe loudly, now dared to stop him?
"What did you say?"
Viserys's face instantly darkened.
"Daenerys, have you forgotten who your king is?"
"They were given to me by Lynn."
Daenerys did not back down.
Her purple eyes met Viserys's anger.
"Yours?"
Viserys looked as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Everything you have was given by me!"
"Your life, your identity, even your current husband, were all bestowed upon you by me!"
"These dragon eggs, they belong to the Targaryen!"
"They belong to me!"
"To the last true dragon bloodline!"
He forcefully shook off Daenerys's hand and moved to seize the dragon egg.
"I think you've got one thing wrong, King Viserys."
A cold voice came from behind him.
Viserys's body stiffened.
He slowly turned around and saw Lynn, who had appeared there at some point.
"These dragon eggs are a wedding gift from Magister Illyrio to my wife and me."
"Therefore, they are now my property."
Lynn walked in front of Viserys, his dark eyes calmly watching him.
"And you, now, are merely a beggar king living under someone else's roof."
"You—!"
Viserys's face instantly turned purplish-red, humiliation and anger making him tremble all over.
beggar king!
He hated that title the most!
"It seems you haven't realized your situation yet."
Lynn ignored his anger.
"Your throne, your army, your hope for revenge, are all in my hands now."
"With just one word from me, you will revert to being that beggar king, ridiculed and begging on the streets of the Free Cities."
Lynn's words extinguished all of Viserys's anger and dignity.
He looked at Lynn's calm face, a bone-chilling coldness rising in his heart.
Only then did he realize.
This man in front of him was not an ally he could manipulate at will.
He was a monster more terrifying than a giant dragon.
"I…"
Viserys's lips moved.
The words "I am the true dragon" could no longer be uttered.
"I just… wanted to revive our family so much."
He struggled for a long time before finding a clumsy excuse.
"Very good."
Lynn seemed satisfied with his compliance.
"In that case, we should set off."
"Set off? Where to?"
Viserys was startled.
"Back to Westeros?"
"No." Lynn shook his head.
"Your hundred thousand wildling army will be waiting for you in the North."
"We need to recruit soldiers and horses now, and then conquer a new army."
Lynn's gaze turned eastward.
"The Dothraki."
...Inside Magister Illyrio's mansion, the atmosphere grew somewhat strange.
"Conquer the Dothraki?"
Illyrio's corpulent body sank into his lounge chair, his expression reaching an extreme of astonishment.
He had heard countless insane plans in his life, but none compared to Lynn's.
Conquer the Dothraki?
Those barbarians who lived on horseback, like a plague of locusts?
They had no cities, no kings.
Only khalasars, each following a strong leader.
They revered strength and lived by raiding.
Even the mighty Valyrian Freehold was helpless against them.
"Lord Lynn, perhaps you misunderstand the Dothraki."
Illyrio wiped the sweat from his brow.
"They cannot be conquered; they are like the wind, coming and going without a trace."
"The wind can be guided."
Lynn raised his wine glass and took a sip.
"Right now, there is the strongest khalasar on the Dothraki Sea."
"Their leader is Khal Drogo, a man who has never been defeated in battle."
"If we kill him and absorb his khalasar, we can gain an elite cavalry of over eighty thousand men."
"Then, with this khalasar as our core, we can snowball, absorbing all the smaller tribes and unifying the entire Dothraki Sea."
Illyrio listened with a pounding heart.
He had to admit, although the plan was insane, it was not impossible.
If the Dothraki Sea could truly be unified, the golden trade route connecting East and West would be completely opened.
The profits… would be enough to drive even the Iron Bank of Braavos mad!
"This… this is too risky." Illyrio was still hesitant.
"Khal Drogo's warriors are the fiercest among the Dothraki."
"They only follow the strongest Khal."
"That's good then." Lynn smiled.
"I'll let them see what true strength is."
"I will personally cut off his braid and let him taste defeat."
Viserys, listening nearby, felt his blood boil.
He was already imagining himself riding a dragon, leading tens of thousands of Dothraki cavalry, charging into King's Landing.
That would be a hundred times more glorious than attacking a city with a bunch of wildlings!
"Illyrio! Give him ships!"
Viserys shouted excitedly.
"Give him the best ships! The fastest ships!"
"I command you, fulfill all his requests!"
Illyrio sighed helplessly.
He knew he had no choice left.
"I only need three ships."
Lynn held up three fingers.
"And enough fresh water and provisions."
"Also…"
Lynn's gaze fell upon Viserys.
"I request King Viserys to accompany us."
"It's essential for the future King of the Seven Kingdoms to witness the birth of his first army firsthand, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Viserys puffed out his chest, his face filled with a sense of rightful pride.
"Naturally!"
He was completely unaware that he was about to embark on a one-way road to hell.
Nor would he imagine that his longed-for "true dragon's blood" would flow in a way he least wished to see.
The reason Lynn kept him alive now was merely to gather the dragon eggs, then sacrifice him along with Khal Drogo… Three days later.
Pentos harbor.
Three merchant ships belonging to Magister Illyrio had already hoisted their sails.
Lynn stood at the bow, the sea breeze rustling his black robe.
Daenerys stood quietly beside him like a young wife, straightening his collar, which had been disheveled by the wind.
Her face no longer showed any timidity or unease.
Instead, it was filled with the anticipation and happiness of embarking on a journey with her beloved.
The three dragon eggs were carefully placed in the deepest part of the ship's hold, wrapped in warm silk.
Viserys had also changed into a neat riding outfit, a gilded longsword, more ornamental than practical, at his waist.
He stood tall, surveying the busy slaves and sailors on the dock with the gaze of someone inspecting his own territory.
He was already fantasizing about how those barbarians on the Dothraki Sea would prostrate themselves before him, the "true dragon," when they saw him.
Perhaps Lynn wouldn't even need to act.
He only needed to raise his arm, and those mounted savages would kneel at his feet and kiss his boots.
As for Lynn… a cold, sinister glint flashed in the depths of Viserys's eyes.
He was merely a thief who had stolen the Targaryen's power.
Once he controlled the Dothraki and reclaimed his dragon eggs and army.
He would let this Northern barbarian know who the true master was.
"Set sail!"
With the captain's command, the heavy iron anchor was slowly raised.
The three merchant ships, carrying different ambitions and desires, slowly departed from Pentos harbor, breaking through the waves towards the vaster and bloodier Eastern continent.