Seeing that the Dragon Mother and Shireen were no longer quarreling over him, Drogon secretly breathed a sigh of relief and listened as the two discussed the history of House Targaryen.
As the Dragon Mother recounted the tale, Drogon gained a deeper understanding of the former glory of the dragon-riding Targaryens.
House Targaryen had once been a ruling family of the Valyrian Freehold.
The Valyrian Freehold had been the largest empire on the continent of Essos, ruling over most of the continent, including the Nine Free Cities, Slaver's Bay, the Bay of Grief, and all the islands surrounding the Long Summer. Dragonstone in Westeros was also under the empire's jurisdiction at the time.
The Valyrian civilization was also the most advanced in the world back then. Valyrian steel was the magical alloy they had created; today, there are very few blacksmiths on the continent of Westeros who can forge Valyrian weapons.
More than four hundred years ago, a Targaryen with true dragon blood foresaw the Doom of Valyria through a dragon dream.
He led his family to migrate to Dragonstone. Shortly after their departure, the Valyrian Freehold met its doom. Almost all other dragon-riding families were wiped out, and even the dragons and dragon eggs that failed to escape perished along with the Valyrian stronghold.
The city of Valyria was torn apart into several small islands, forming the Smoking Sea, known as the Demon's Den. Many adventurers had entered the ruins of Valyria in search of treasure, but few ever returned.
Theon's uncle, Euron, was perhaps the only person to successfully explore the ruins of Valyria. It was said that he had even found a Dragonhorn there, capable of controlling dragons.
A century after the Doom of Valyria, Aegon the Conqueror used the Targaryens' last three dragons and ten thousand soldiers to conquer the Seven Kingdoms.
With a thousand swords from the defeated, he forged the Iron Throne using the dragonfire of Balerion the Black Dread, allowing House Targaryen to rule Westeros for three hundred years.
Their rule only ended when Daenerys's father, Aerys the Mad, was killed by Jaime the Kingslayer, and the usurper Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne.
Drogon was listening intently when the hall door suddenly burst open. An Unsullied ran in and handed Daenerys a scroll.
As soon as she received the scroll, Daenerys knew it was a message from Varys's little birds. After unfolding it and reading the contents, her expression changed drastically.
The letter contained only a few words: *Grey Worm has been ambushed at the western granary.*
Daenerys was about to rush out to summon the Unsullied for a rescue mission when she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Drogon shot out the door like a bolt of lightning, leaving only a simple telepathic message echoing in her mind: [Barristan!]
Daenerys froze, her foot halfway out the door. The letter had clearly said Grey Worm was ambushed. Why was Drogon mentioning Barristan?
"I sent Barristan to check the grain reserves at several granaries this morning," she suddenly realized. "Could he be at the western one?"
"Quickly! Notify Yellow Pigeon to take men to the western granary!" Daenerys urgently commanded the Unsullied guard at the door.
*I hope Drogon is still in time,* she thought anxiously as she watched the guard run off to find Blue Pigeon, the Unsullied officer stationed at the base of the pyramid.
The image of a weathered face, always urging her to be merciful, flashed through her mind. And then there was Grey Worm, the Unsullied commander who had always been by her side. Her heart ached at the thought of him being ambushed.
"Your Majesty, shall I go find Lord Tyrion?" Shireen saw Daenerys's panic after reading the letter and Drogon's sudden disappearance. Though she didn't know what had happened, she understood the gravity of the situation.
And there was Tyrion, who was currently on the lower level, drafting administrative documents.
With Jorah out leading the Second Sons to investigate the Sons of the Harpy, Tyrion was the only one Daenerys could consult now.
Missandei also set down her pen and came to Daenerys's side, though she was clearly not well-suited for dealing with the current situation.
The three of them rushed downstairs. Tyrion was flipping through a book and taking notes, but seeing the urgent expressions on Daenerys's face and her companions', he immediately sensed something was wrong.
After hearing Daenerys's report, Tyrion immediately said, "This ambush must be more than just a simple attack. We should send word to Jorah and the Unsullied right away. Put the entire city on alert. The Sons of the Harpy likely have other plans. Your Majesty, you must stay here and go nowhere until Drogon returns. We must also strengthen the Pyramid's defenses."
Tyrion feared this was a conspiracy targeting Daenerys. While losses of other personnel might be barely acceptable, something must never happen to Daenerys.
Daenerys had even planned to personally lead a rescue mission for Grey Worm and assess the situation within Meereen. It was only after Tyrion's reminder that she realized the Sons of the Harpy's primary target might be her. If she went out, she would only be a liability to her subordinates.
Daenerys assembled five hundred Unsullied to guard the Pyramid, finally freeing her to stand atop its summit and survey the city of Meereen.
Within minutes, she spotted dozens of figures in golden Harpy masks erupting from a nearby alley, charging the Unsullied on duty. Simultaneously, another group of golden-helmeted attackers emerged on a major thoroughfare.
Daenerys quickly realized that both groups, after cutting down their initial opponents, were converging on the Pyramid.
Tyrion had been right. She was their ultimate target. Had she ventured out, she would have been surrounded.
Now, with five hundred Unsullied defending the Pyramid, even fifteen hundred attackers would struggle to breach its walls. The Great Masters of Meereen had always resided in the Pyramid for this very reason—fear of slave revolts. They had long ago designed the structure to withstand a siege.
Daenerys's only concern was for Barristan, Grey Worm, and the other commanders stationed outside.
Drogon had soared from the Pyramid and flown straight toward the Granary in the west of Meereen. Having been present for most of Daenerys's discussions regarding the city's administration, he was intimately familiar with Meereen's layout.
Seeing Grey Worm ambushed while Barristan was away from Daenerys, Drogon immediately thought of Barristan's death.
The Sons of the Harpy ambushed Grey Worm, and Barristan went to his aid. The two fought fiercely, slaying enemies who outnumbered them several times over. Grey Worm was gravely wounded, and Barristan was fatally stabbed, unable to be saved. The Dragon Mother lost a loyal Queen's Guard.
Bursting out of the Pyramid, Drogon reached the Granary in less than two minutes, just in time to see Barristan blocked at the entrance to the Granary corridor.
Four or five corpses lay on the ground beside him. His left shoulder was already soaked in blood as he was besieged by three Sons of the Harpy wearing golden helmets.
True to his title as the Bold, Barristan showed no fear despite his severe injuries. He sidestepped one golden-helmeted attacker and thrust his sword into the chest of another who tried to sneak up behind him.
Seeing Barristan, Drogon also spotted Grey Worm deeper in the corridor. His condition was dire; he was down on one knee, wielding his spear to keep four Sons of the Harpy at bay, clearly having sustained serious wounds.
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