Chapter 89 — Showing Off
Watching Viserion in action, Drogon nodded with quiet satisfaction. His training had clearly paid off.
From high above, he surveyed every ship in the bay. Seeing no giant scorpions or heavy ballistae capable of threatening Viserion, he finally relaxed.
A glance at Yunkai's walls confirmed the defense was holding steady. With Viserion's support, the city should be safe.
Inspection complete, Drogon was about to leave for Astapor to check on Rhaegal when he noticed something—
Viserion had stopped attacking the ships and was flying straight toward him.
Not bad awareness. He finally noticed me, Drogon thought, turning to meet him.
Viserion had just burned a trebuchet and roasted several men. He was about to move to the next ship when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a tiny black speck high in the sky.
The shape felt familiar.
He abandoned his target and rushed over to confirm.
Sure enough—it was Boss Drogon.
Viserion gave a half-nervous, half-proud cry, then tilted his head toward the burning ships below, clearly seeking praise.
Drogon was pleased.
He let out a couple approving hisses, then remembered the snacks in his pouch. He grabbed a handful of honey dates and tossed them over.
Viserion's eyes lit up. He snapped them out of the air, chewed happily, and swallowed with deep satisfaction.
He had no idea where his big brother found so many delicious things. He and Rhaegal were always tasting strange foods from Drogon — nuts, dates, even roast duck.
They used to eat only beef, mutton, or horse.
Now their tastes had become… refined.
Jhiqui used to only roast meat for them. Now she had to hunt down roast duck and other treats to satisfy their picky appetites. She'd complained countless times — never realizing Drogon was the one who ruined the dragons' diets.
After a few more dates, Drogon signaled Viserion to continue supporting the defense. He still had to check on Rhaegal.
They parted ways.
Drogon had barely flown a short distance when a pained cry split the air.
He whipped his head around—
Viserion was climbing skyward from a ship…
A spear lodged deep in his belly.
Drogon's eyes flared.
You dumb show-off dragon, he cursed inwardly.
With no choice, he turned and raced back toward Viserion.
Ordinary spears shouldn't have been able to injure Viserion at all. He must have flown too low to get hit by a sailor's throw.
Drogon rushed to his side. Seeing the spear shaking violently and already close to falling out, he finally relaxed.
It hadn't gone in deep — just pierced the flesh and lodged between scales. A few more wingbeats and it would probably fall out on its own.
But instead of pulling it out right away, Drogon flew above Viserion's head and smacked him hard several times with his claws.
"I told you not to show off! Not to show off!" he raged inwardly.
This time it had only been a spear. If it had been a ship-mounted scorpion bolt, Viserion would've been skewered. A few of those and he'd be dead.
Viserion had just taken a spear to the belly — and instead of comfort, he got scolded and smacked. He drooped his head, aggrieved, not daring to fight back.
The two younger dragons' flames were still limited in range and power. Drogon had trained them to only fly low enough for their fire to barely reach ship decks — anything lower was too dangerous.
He had even demonstrated personally before sending them out.
And yet Viserion, eager to impress, flew too low and got speared, making all that training nearly pointless. How could Drogon not be furious?
After a few more disciplinary swipes, Drogon hissed sharply, lecturing him: survival first. If he kept taking reckless risks and poking extra holes in himself, the punishment later would be severe.
Viserion seemed to understand. He nodded repeatedly, fear flashing in his eyes.
Boss's punishments were terrifying — not just hunger, but brutal training sparring. If he wasn't beaten black and blue and forced to rest for days, it didn't count as discipline.
Satisfied he'd gotten through, Drogon flew underneath him, gripped the spear with both black claws, and yanked.
Blood spurted.
Holding the spear, Drogon looked down at a burly man on one of the ships, surrounded by crew.
He flew backward twice to build momentum, beat his wings hard, and hurled the spear.
It shot like a bolt.
The spear pierced straight through the man's chest, slammed him down onto the deck, then continued through the ship's planking with force to spare.
Seawater immediately began flooding up through the hole beneath the corpse, mixing with blood across the deck.
"The ship's taking water!" a sailor screamed, having witnessed everything.
The crew stared in horror at the spreading seawater, then slowly looked up at the sky.
They hadn't imagined it.
That tiny black dragon had thrown the spear — accurately enough to skewer a man and punch through the hull.
Moments earlier, they'd cheered when the larger dragon got hit.
Then the big dragon flew upward with the spear still stuck in him… and another smaller dragon appeared from nowhere.
They'd watched in disbelief as the little dragon seemed to smack the big one's head a few times — and the larger dragon didn't even dare resist.
Now that same small dragon had ripped out the spear and hurled it with monstrous strength.
Was the small one actually stronger than the big one?
Had they really just watched a baby dragon disciplining a bigger dragon?
"Plug the hole!" someone shouted, snapping them out of their shock.
Drogon rubbed his little claws together, glaring at the burly man's corpse.
Don't you people know I hate spears the most?
Viserion was also stunned by Drogon's retaliation — grateful for the revenge, and in awe of the power and accuracy of that throw. He had no idea when he'd ever reach that level.
On Yunkai's walls, the defenders saw the two dragons together — especially Daario, who had been watching Viserion the whole time.
Though the dragon's presence helped the defense, Daario hadn't relaxed for a moment.
He wasn't afraid of the Ghiscari attackers.
He was afraid Viserion would be badly injured under his watch.
He knew how important the dragons were to Queen Daenerys — practically her children. Before leaving Meereen, she had even told him to protect Viserion.
But how was he supposed to protect a dragon that didn't listen?
Viserion had performed well — burning siege engines and ships.
But seeing him take a spear had nearly stopped Daario's heart.
If something happened to the dragon under his command…
How could he ever answer to the queen?
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Viserion learned two lessons today:
1. Don't show off
2. Boss's aim is terrifyingly accurate