Chapter 121: Two Annoying Flies
This was also the reason Daenerys had repeatedly tolerated the provocations of the nobles of New Ghis and Old Ghis.
Her ambitions did not lie with those cities. She had no desire to waste her already limited forces conquering lands that held little value for her.
But the nobles of New and Old Ghis saw things differently.
They believed that once Daenerys had stabilized Slaver's Bay, her next step would inevitably be to deal with them—to unite Slaver's Bay and the Bay of Sorrows under her rule.
After all, the Valyrian Freehold had once done exactly that.
[If we're going to attack Ghis, I alone would be enough.]
The repeated provocations and attacks from New and Old Ghis had not only angered Daenerys and her advisors—Drogon himself was growing thoroughly annoyed.
He had originally believed that the last purge had severely weakened the Sons of the Harpy. With the added deterrence of three dragons, they should have abandoned any thoughts of opposing the three cities of Slaver's Bay.
Yet they had proven to be as persistent as restless spirits, even daring to attempt another assassination of Daenerys and her council.
Now that they had truly angered Drogon, he had no objection to personally wiping out those troublesome pests.
In Drogon's eyes, the only beings who might truly threaten him now were the Night King and the gods.
If he wished, he could probably even help his dragon-mother conquer King's Landing itself.
But he understood something important.
The conquest of the Seven Kingdoms could not rely on a single dragon.
The Iron Throne was not meant to be won in such a way.
Daenerys, her advisors, and her armies still needed time to grow. Even if Drogon personally handed the Seven Kingdoms to her, she might not be able to hold the Iron Throne—or rule Westeros effectively.
The conquest of Westeros had to be achieved by Daenerys herself.
Drogon's role was simply to protect her and assist when necessary.
But New Ghis and Old Ghis were different.
Daenerys had never intended to deal with them in the first place.
Because she had liberated the slaves of Slaver's Bay, the nobles of those cities had foolishly assumed that she planned to rule them as well.
Like clowns on a stage, they kept harassing Meereen and attacking her forces.
And because Daenerys's own power base was still immature—and they had nearly succeeded in their plots—it only emboldened them further.
What they did not realize was that they had unknowingly provoked a dragon they could never hope to fight.
Now that Drogon was angered, he would show them no mercy.
Daenerys had not expected Drogon to offer to attack New and Old Ghis on her behalf.
She knew very well how powerful he was. Even before his transformation, he had nearly possessed the strength to conquer a city alone.
Now, after his recent evolution, he had grown even more formidable. Dealing with New and Old Ghis would be no problem for him.
Rhaegal and Viserion had already performed well during the defense of the cities before. During an assault, they would certainly be able to contribute as well.
With Drogon's support, they could likely capture the two cities with very few soldiers.
Yet even knowing that Drogon could take a city alone, Daenerys would never truly allow him to wage such a war by himself.
After thinking for a moment, she said:
"Send a letter to New Ghis and another to Old Ghis. Inform them they have three days to surrender their cities and swear loyalty to me."
"If they submit and acknowledge my rule, I will not attack them, nor will I harm their lives."
"But if they refuse…"
"When I take their cities by force, I will uncover those responsible for directing the Sons of the Harpy—and they will receive the punishment they deserve."
After hearing Daenerys's decision, the first to nod in approval was Barristan Selmy, a man renowned for his sense of honor and mercy. More than anyone, he feared that Daenerys might resort to brutal measures and follow the same path as her father—the Mad King, Aerys.
Tyrion, Jorah, and the others also nodded in agreement.
This approach not only had a chance of avoiding unnecessary casualties, but it would also demonstrate Queen Daenerys's firm resolve.
[Troublesome.]
After Daenerys finished speaking, Drogon responded silently in his mind.
He had no faith that the nobles of Ghis would willingly surrender their power and vast wealth just to serve under his dragon-mother's rule.
Daenerys, smiling as she looked at her approving advisors, suddenly heard Drogon's impatient thought.
Her smile froze.
She resisted the urge to glare at him and barely managed to keep herself from turning her head toward him. But the smile never quite returned.
While the bodies of the Sons of the Harpy were being identified, Daenerys ordered another purge.
Anyone closely connected to the Harpies involved in the attack had their homes seized and were taken into custody for interrogation.
As for when—or if—they might ever be released…
Only the gods would know.
Drogon's wounds, which had just healed, had slightly reopened after the intense fighting. Fortunately, the remaining injuries were minor. With a few more hearty meals, they would recover quickly.
Shireen had not attended the arena games. When she heard Drogon had returned, she immediately came to see him.
Seeing his new form, she was astonished.
Even as someone fascinated by dragons, she had never heard of a four-legged dragon before. Once again, Drogon's uniqueness left her marveling.
After returning to Meereen, Drogon gradually resumed his old routine.
Every day he accompanied Daenerys as she handled political affairs, and he still flew to the grasslands to eat roasted meat.
After his transformation, many of the Dothraki who knew him failed to recognize him at first.
Only when he took out the familiar pouch and paid with gold coins did they realize that this was the same black dragon who had always bought roasted meat from them.
The Dothraki who once worshiped him as a dragon god became even more devout after seeing his new forelimbs and transformed body.
Even some who had never believed in him before began to regard him with reverence.
Their faith slowly replenished the once-dim divine light within Drogon, feeding it with renewed power.
As the divine light absorbed this faith, it gradually regained its brightness and brilliance.
It even grew larger than before—two sizes bigger, more round and radiant.
A few days earlier, when Drogon saw Rhaegal struggling to carry Daenerys across the river, he realized that both dragons still lacked strength.
So he intensified their training.
Ever since his transformation, Rhaegal and Viserion had become even more obedient—and perhaps a little afraid of him.
Whenever Daenerys found free time, she certainly didn't forget about Drogon.
She grabbed his right foreclaw and resumed teaching him how to write.
She had assumed that after his transformation he would no longer grow sleepy so easily while practicing.
But to her surprise, he still began dozing off almost every time he practiced writing.
He lasted only slightly longer than before.
This puzzled her greatly.
She eventually concluded that Drogon's sleepiness during writing had nothing to do with his transformation.
He simply liked to fall asleep during lessons.
Since she could do nothing about it, she could only teach him a little each day and hope he improved gradually.
Three days passed quickly.
New Ghis and Old Ghis sent no reply.
Their silence humiliated Daenerys, the newly crowned queen, and angered her deeply.
Just as Tyrion had predicted, the nobles of Ghis clearly believed she was weak and easily bullied.
It reminded her of Drogon's impatient thought three days earlier.
She could not help feeling a trace of regret.
Giving them three days had indeed been unnecessary.
With no response forthcoming, Daenerys summoned her advisors to discuss how to attack the two Ghiscari cities.
Drogon listened from her shoulder for a while, learning the locations and circumstances of both cities.
Then he quietly leapt from her shoulder and flew toward Old Ghis.
Since they refused to submit, they would have to pay the price for provoking Slaver's Bay.
Drogon had no interest in waiting for Daenerys to organize an army.
To him, New Ghis and Old Ghis were nothing more than two buzzing flies, constantly whining in his ear.
He intended to swat them dead himself—so that his dragon-mother could govern the three cities of Slaver's Bay in peace.
Both cities lay southeast of Astapor, along the shores of the Bay of Sorrows.
Old Ghis stood upon the ruins of the ancient Ghiscari Empire, founded more than five thousand years ago.