The sea breeze from the Narrow Sea, carrying salt and dampness, ruffled the sails of three merchant ships.
Westeros had long disappeared beyond the horizon, and all that met the eye was the boundless azure.
Lynn stood at the bow, with Daenerys quietly by his side.
She had changed out of her elaborate silk gown into a practical linen dress, and her silver-gold hair was braided into a thick plait that hung down her back.
On the deck, Daenerys pulled up Lynn's collar, which had been ruffled by the sea breeze.
The fear and unease that had marked her beautiful face when they first met had long since faded.
In their place was the tenderness of a wife and an infinite longing for the future.
Her hand was naturally held in Lynn's, their fingers tightly intertwined.
These past few days were the most peaceful she had ever lived.
No longer did she have to endure her brother's unpredictable moods.
No longer did she have to worry about where her next meal would come from.
And no longer did she have to be like an object, constantly ready to be traded away.
Her prince was now by her side.
"Beyond this sea and southeast from here is Volantis," Daenerys said, pointing into the distance, her beautiful violet eyes sparkling with intelligence.
"It is the oldest and largest of the Free Cities."
"They built a massive Black Wall with slaves, separating themselves from the outside world."
A hint of imperceptible disgust colored her voice.
"Brother always said that when he reclaimed the Iron Throne, he would build an even grander wall to keep all his enemies out."
"In that city, there are thousands of slaves, all wearing iron chains around their necks and tattoos on their faces marking their status."
Daenerys looked at Lynn's profile.
"Do you think... they long for freedom?"
Lynn did not answer, merely listening quietly.
He could feel that Daenerys was trying to understand the world in her own way, rather than blindly accepting the hatred and distorted perceptions Viserys had instilled in her.
"East of Volantis is the Dothraki Sea."
A hint of complexity entered Daenerys's voice as she mentioned the boundless grasslands.
"They say the grass there is so tall it can hide a horse, and when the wind blows, it's like a green sea."
"The Dothraki live on those grasslands, moving with the grass, born on horseback, dying on horseback, as free as the wind."
There was even a hint of longing in her tone.
Lynn knew that what she longed for was not the Dothraki's savagery, but their unconstrained vitality.
"You seem to know a lot about this place," Lynn finally said.
"I grew up here," Daenerys replied, leaning on his shoulder, her voice a little low.
"From Braavos to Myr, then to Pentos, we were kicked around like a ball."
"Every time, brother would say, 'This is our last wandering.'"
"But every time, we had to flee in a hurry before dawn with all our belongings, because the debt collectors had come again."
She looked up, her purple eyes fixed on Lynn.
"Do we have a home now?"
Lynn's heartstrings were gently plucked, and he held her a little tighter.
"When we return, the entire North will be your home."
The sea breeze ruffled her skirt, making her look like an elf about to ride the wind away.
"Roar—"
A low dragon roar echoed from the clouds, breaking the tranquility of the sea.
Winter's massive body broke through the mist, the air currents from its wings carving two white trails on the sea surface.
It circled, descending, its three huge heads curiously observing the toy-like ships below.
The most playful head on the left suddenly stretched its neck, cautiously approaching the ship's railing, right in front of Daenerys.
Its golden vertical pupils, like molten lava, showed no trace of ferocity or brutality, but rather a pure curiosity.
It gently sniffed Daenerys's scent, a purring sound like a cat's affection rumbling in its throat.
Then, with its huge nose, it gently nuzzled Daenerys's shoulder.
Daenerys was startled at first, her body tensing instinctively.
But as the warm breath sprayed on her cheeks, her fear miraculously dissipated.
She tentatively reached out and gently patted the dragon's head, which was larger than her entire body.
Winter seemed to enjoy the caress, comfortably narrowing its eyes.
Lynn stood by, watching the scene expressionlessly, but his brow unconsciously twitched.
An indescribable sour feeling emerged from his heart without warning.
He had raised this dragon "personally."
Everything it ate and drank, wasn't it all provided by "him"?
Now look at this.
It had only been a few days, and it was already flirting with other women?
Lynn suddenly understood Robb Stark's feelings from back then.
Who wouldn't be angry when their carefully nurtured, fresh young cabbage was ruined by an unknown pig?
The problem was, this pig was one he had raised himself.
That made it even more infuriating.
"It seems to like me very much."
Daenerys turned her head, a bright smile blossoming on her face.
Her violet eyes sparkled with an unprecedented brilliance.
"Hmm, its eyesight isn't very good," Lynn replied indifferently.
Daenerys froze for a moment, then understood Lynn's meaning, her cheeks flushed slightly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.
She found that her husband didn't seem as cold as he appeared on the surface.
After a moment of intimacy with Daenerys, Winter was glared back by a cold look from Lynn.
Its three heads retracted, and it flapped its wings, looking aggrieved, flying back into the sky.
"That's the Disputed Lands."
Daenerys was in high spirits, pointing to the blurry coastline in the distance.
She began to introduce the land to Lynn.
"Countless wars have erupted here."
"Myr, Lys, Tyrosh, these three Free Cities fought for control of this land for hundreds of years."
She raised her slender finger, pointing to the southeast.
"To the east is Myr, a city famous for its exquisite tapestries and lace."
"Many luxuries in Magister Illyrio's mansion came from there."
"The people there are skilled in using poison; their tear-shaped poison is colorless and odorless, killing without a trace."
She spoke eloquently, her voice clear, her beautiful face radiating a confident glow.
She was no longer the girl who would only cower behind her brother; she was actively trying to show Lynn her worth.
Not far away, in the shadow of the ship's railing.
Viserys poured the last sip of wine from his wineskin down his throat.
The spicy liquid burned his esophagus, but it couldn't extinguish the jealousy in his heart.
He watched the two figures embracing on the deck.
He saw the genuine happiness and trust on Daenerys's face, a look he had never seen before.
His fists were clenched tightly.
That woman was his!
She was his sister, the property of House Targaryen!
Since childhood, she had been like a docile puppy, only following him, looking at him with pleading eyes.
Now, how dare she show that expression to another man?
That man was nothing but a Northern savage who had stolen Targaryen power!
He was the true dragon!
The dragons should be commanded by him!
The throne should be inherited by him!
Viserys staggered to his feet, alcohol and jealousy mixing in his mind, fermenting into a deadly poison.
He stumbled over.
"What are you talking about, my dear sister?" His voice was slurred and sharp.
"Are you teaching our great King-Beyond-the-Wall how to distinguish good wine from bad?"
Daenerys's body stiffened, and she instinctively tried to pull away from Lynn's embrace.
But Lynn held her shoulder, keeping her securely in his arms.
"We are discussing the future territories, King," Lynn's tone was calm and unruffled.
"The Dothraki Sea, Slaver's Bay, and even Asshai further east... Your kingdom is not just that small patch of Westeros."
These words, like a potent drug, instantly excited Viserys's alcohol-numbed brain.
Yes!
His kingdom!
His future territories!
He was the King!
But the next second.
When he saw Daenerys still comfortably leaning in Lynn's arms, not even bothering to glance at him.
That nameless fire ignited again, flaring up.
He felt ignored, humiliated by this despicable couple!
"You!" Viserys extended a trembling finger, pointing at Daenerys.
"Go back to your cabin! You have no say here!"
He tried to use this method to regain his authority as an elder brother, as a king.
Daenerys finally looked up and glanced at him.
There was no fear in her eyes, no subservience, only a pity reserved for a clown.
That look completely shattered Viserys's last shred of sanity.
"You bitch!" he roared, like an enraged beast, pouncing towards Daenerys.
"How dare you defy me! I'll show you the sleeping dragon's wrath!"
His hand was about to grab Daenerys's soft silver hair.
However, the next second, his movement strangely froze in mid-air.
Viserys looked down in horror.
He watched, wide-eyed, as a thin, yet breathtakingly beautiful layer of frost spread from Lynn's feet at a visible speed.
It instantly covered the cuff of his luxurious velvet cloak.
The frost didn't harm him, but it felt as if it would freeze his very soul.
It was an absolute suppression from a higher level of life!
"His Majesty the King, it seems you've truly had too much to drink," Lynn's voice remained calm.
He slowly raised his hand.
The frost on Viserys instantly melted, as if it had never appeared.
"An illusion?" Viserys's brain was already muddled by alcohol.
"Have you forgotten your place?!" Viserys roared at Daenerys.
"You are a Targaryen princess! Your blood, your body, everything about you is mine!"
"You should please me! Not this thief who stole our family's power!"
He turned his head, glaring at Lynn with a look of disgust.
"And you! Don't think that by marrying my sister, you can get everything of the Targaryens!"
"Dragons! Will only submit to the blood of the true dragon!"
"I am the last true dragon!"
He lifted his head and, with all his strength, let out a roar at Winter, who was circling in the sky.
"Dracarys!"
The sea wind howled, and the only reply was a few mocking cries from seagulls.
Winter merely tilted its largest middle head, glancing at him with a look reserved for an idiot.
Then, it yawned.
A visible plume of white cold air shot out from its huge mouth, heading straight for Viserys.
Viserys shivered from the blast of cold air, half of his burning rage instantly extinguished.
The scene became incredibly awkward.
"It seems your dragon didn't hear your command, Viserys 'King,'" Lynn's voice betrayed no emotion.
Viserys stumbled back two steps, his face alternating between red and white, looking utterly terrible.
He couldn't understand why.
Why wouldn't the dragon obey his command?
He was of Targaryen blood!
Could it be... could he not be the true dragon?
No! Impossible!
The thought had barely surfaced before he frantically suppressed it.
It must be this Northerner!
He must have used some sorcery to bewitch the dragon!
"Your sister is now my wife," Lynn stepped forward, his tall figure completely shielding Daenerys behind him.
"And you are merely a guest who is about to see his army."
"I hope you remember this status and do not make any more foolish moves."
Lynn's voice was calm, yet it made Viserys feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Otherwise..."
Lynn didn't continue.
He simply raised his hand and gently placed it on the ship's railing.
Crack—
A thin layer of frost, centered on his palm, rapidly spread outwards.
The railing, made of sturdy ironwood, groaned under the frost's embrace, unable to bear the weight.
Viserys's pupils sharply constricted, and the color drained from his face instantly.
This time, he truly saw it!
It wasn't an illusion just now!
This was... magic?
He looked at Lynn's eyes, as dark as night.
A fear originating from the depths of his soul made him tremble uncontrollably.
He finally realized that what he had provoked was not an ally at all.
But a capricious devil who could crush him at any moment.
"I... I..." Viserys's lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.
"See?" Lynn withdrew his hand, as if nothing had happened.
"You should be more sober now, shouldn't you?"
Viserys turned and walked towards his cabin without a word, his back appearing desolate and pathetic.
Daenerys watched her brother's retreating figure.
"He..."
"A person who can't even control his own emotions is not fit to be a king," Lynn interrupted her.
He looked at Viserys's retreating figure, his eyes cold.
Just a mad dog eager to die.
When they reached Slaver's Bay, he would use Viserys's blood to repay the crimes he had committed against Daenerys!
Meanwhile, back in his cabin, Viserys kicked over the wine cup on the table.
He rushed to the wooden box containing the dragon egg, frantically trying to open it.
But the box had already been sealed by Lynn with Ice Magic.
He could only pound on the box like a madman, his fists bleeding from his knuckles.
"Mine... All mine..." He slumped to the ground, leaning against the wooden box, uttering frantic growls.
Fear and humiliation eventually coalesced in his heart into a killing intent colder than the Narrow Sea.
He looked up, and his pale purple eyes no longer held any madness or irritability, only a chilling gloom.
"You will die."
"I will kill you."
"The dragons, and Daenerys, and the Iron Throne..."
"Everything will be mine."