Chapter 25: Dream

As soon as Daenerys saw Illyrio, her heart skipped a beat. Viserys had just whispered something to her in the seaside pavilion, and she couldn't help but connect the two events, making her nervous.

But Daenerys was just being paranoid.

Viserys, on the other hand, was very calm. When he saw Illyrio, he was the first to speak: "It's rare to encounter the Magister in the garden. What brings you here to admire the flowers?"

In front of Illyrio was a meticulously pruned and charming rose bed.

"Hehe, to be honest, Your Majesty, I have no real interest in these flowers and plants. I only have them because other gardens do," Illyrio said with a playful tone.

Viserys didn't know if Illyrio was maintaining his nouveau riche persona, but it didn't stop him from making small talk: "Such beautiful and elegant species are rare. The flowers are full, with noble shapes, rich colors, and graceful forms. Are they from Highgarden?"

"I'm not sure. To be honest, Your Majesty, they were left by the previous owner when I bought the estate," Illyrio replied. Seeing that Viserys seemed ready to chat extensively about the rose garden, Illyrio quickly steered the conversation to the matter at hand, "In fact, I was waiting for you, Your Majesty."

"Oh?"

"There is a banquet," Illyrio said, "and I wonder if Your Majesty would be interested in attending?"

"A banquet?" Viserys's expression suddenly turned tense. "Was I invited? Has news of my presence in Pentos reached others? Has my location been exposed? Is this a plot by the usurper?"

Illyrio observed Viserys's exaggeratedly wide eyes and serious expression, guessing how much of this performance was genuine.

Despite the reluctance in Viserys's words, there was also an implicit criticism of Illyrio's secrecy. Illyrio quickly clarified, "No, no, Your Majesty, I must apologize for not being clear. The invitation is for me, not for you. Allow me to explain—this is an auction banquet. There are rumors that a dragon egg might appear at the auction."

"A dragon egg?" Viserys couldn't hide his shock. "Really?"

"Rumors are often just that, rumors, impossible to verify," Illyrio said uncertainly.

Viserys thought to himself, 'But?'

Sure enough, Illyrio continued, "But I thought Your Majesty might be interested, so I came to ask if you would like to attend."

"Of course, I'm interested," Viserys replied. "But, Illyrio, the 'Usurper' has a high price on my head. He has tried time and again, I can assure you of that. The assassins he hires are relentless. I am the last true dragon, and as long as I live, he cannot rest easy. We may feel safe in the shadows now, but you know the risks we face if I appear at a banquet and the Usurper finds out."

Viserys's expression was serious, his tone full of gravity.

Illyrio thought, 'Weren't you attending banquets eagerly in other places without such concerns?'

He said, "Many high-ranking officials will attend the feast, and the host will naturally protect the guests. In fact, at such auction banquets, guests can wear masks. If you wear a mask, I assure you, no one will know who you are."

"Illyrio, you go by yourself. If there truly is a dragon egg, it's best to get it. If not, it doesn't matter," Viserys decided firmly. "Perhaps you think I'm being paranoid, but times have changed. I can't take any more risks."

Viserys's prepared rhetoric was always full of hints, provoking the curious: [What has changed, and why can't he take any more risks?]

At this point, Illyrio had no choice but to bow solemnly. "Your Majesty, please forgive my lack of consideration."

"It's not your fault, Illyrio," Viserys comforted him like a monarch consoling a loyal subject. "You don't yet understand the danger posed by the 'Usurper.' For years, I haven't stayed in one place, never settled down. Apart from not finding steadfast supporters, it was to avoid being hunted. Now, having someone like you who is willing to act, and... remember I told you that what I need most now is time. It's rare to have such a safe haven; I don't want to give it up easily."

Viserys's attitude was quite sincere.

Illyrio had to respond, "Your Majesty, I understand your wishes now. Please forgive my abruptness."

Illyrio had arrived suddenly and left just as quickly, soon taking his leave.

Though Viserys maintained his usual calm demeanor, he felt immense pressure internally. Despite being mentally prepared for Illyrio's series of tests, facing them in reality was still challenging. Illyrio's probing was aggressive, even willing to use something as valuable as a dragon egg as bait, demonstrating a decisive 'no pain, no gain' attitude.

Viserys naturally assumed Illyrio was setting a trap for him. His ambiguous statements about the dragon egg likely served as bait to lure Viserys. If he attended the so-called banquet, everything he encountered would be under Illyrio's control. Lacking intelligence, Viserys had no idea what kind of trap Illyrio might set for him at the banquet.

At this point, Viserys needed to keep control of the situation as much as possible. By doing less, he would make fewer mistakes. By acting according to his own pace, he could appear confident and resourceful, making Illyrio hesitant to act rashly.

He desperately hoped the tests he had conducted on Daenerys would yield some results.

Daenerys didn't know what he was thinking at that moment. She was contemplating the things he had just said to Illyrio. Those familiar words made her momentarily see him as he was before the lightning strike. She thought about how he always talked about assassins sent by the Usurper relentlessly pursuing them, yet in all these years, she hadn't seen a single one. She thought about his constant murmurs of being the true dragon and his obsessive longing for the throne across the sea.

She couldn't tell if his words were true or false. Were all his words to Illyrio lies? Could she believe the whispered words he had told her? The courage she had painstakingly built to stand by his side was quietly crumbling. Dany stared at him blankly, trying to keep pace with him, struggling to maintain her courage. She tried to clear her mind of all the confusing thoughts and reminded herself again: [We are family.]

They walked around in the sun a few more times. For some reason, Viserys kept walking in the direct sunlight today. Dany felt dizzy and faint under the intense midday sun. When Viserys suddenly suggested they go back to rest, Dany couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

After walking quite a bit after lunch and being exposed to the harsh sunlight, she returned to her room, sat by the cool window, closed her eyes, and rested silently for a while. Soon, Dany felt sleepy and quickly fell into a hazy slumber.

In her sleep, Dany dreamed of Viserys.

At first, dream Viserys was beating and bullying her again. She was terrified and helpless. She wanted to run away from him, but her body wouldn't obey. He struck her repeatedly, making her stumble and fall. She was covered in blood, groaning with her eyes closed.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar, followed by a terrifying flash of lightning. When she opened her eyes again, Viserys was no longer hitting her. Instead, he smiled at her briefly before looking away and striding confidently into the distance. His face was full of self-assurance, his steps were resolute, and he didn't look back.

He grew farther and farther away.

She suddenly felt abandoned, panicking as she tried to catch up with his receding figure. But her legs felt too heavy to lift.

When she looked down, another Viserys was clinging to her bloody legs with a ferocious expression, his nails digging into her skin, trying to drag her into a bottomless dark abyss. She looked up in shock, but the other Viserys had already disappeared.

The horizon was an endless dark curtain.

That pitch-black curtain stood between heaven and earth, dominating everything in her view.

Her senses, at one moment, fell into a strange state as if she were no longer herself.

An unprecedented panic surged from the depths of her heart.

Leave, quickly leave.

She heard a voice shouting. She searched for the source of the voice, only to find her own throat trembling.

At this point, Dany woke up, finding herself trembling all over, drenched in cold sweat. The echo of the dream urging her to leave seemed to still linger in her mind.

"What's wrong? Had a nightmare?"

She then heard Viserys's voice beside her.

Dany was startled for a moment.

She looked up and saw Viserys sitting across from her by the window, seemingly scrutinizing her. Sunlight streamed down from behind him, casting his face in shadow.

The echo in Dany's mind gradually faded away, as if it were an auditory hallucination, while her ears picked up Viserys's concerned inquiry: "Dany, you look pale. Are you alright?"

Hearing his concerned inquiry, Dany's chaotic heart quickly calmed down, as if the fear brought by the nightmare was stripped away.

"It was a nightmare," she said. She quickly recalled Viserys's whispered words in the seaside pavilion earlier that day. "If you feel anything unusual or have any dreams, remember them and find a chance to tell me quietly." He had just said those words, and she had already had an unusual dream. A sense of curiosity and unease drove Dany to seek some kind of answer. She didn't even know what the question was, but she needed an answer.

Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I dreamed—"

But when the words reached her lips, Dany didn't know how to continue.

She felt that the part of the dream about Viserys would definitely anger him, potentially awakening his "sleeping dragon's fury." The sudden change over the past twenty days was too brief compared to the years of fear and shadows; her courage could only take her this far.

Seeing Dany's hesitant expression, Viserys unhurriedly moved closer, his hands naturally reaching out to gently hold hers. He smiled warmly, as if to comfort her, and said softly, "I guess you dreamed about me?"

Dany nervously lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him directly.

"Did I hit you in the dream?" Viserys's tone was gentle.

He waited for a moment, seeing that Dany didn't know how to respond, then said "I'm sorry." apologetically.

Dany was at a loss for words.

"Those days are behind us," Viserys tightened his grip on her hands, "I promise you, Dany, that will never happen again. We are family, the only kin we have in this world."

Viserys guided Dany's hands from the table to his chest, moving closer as if to embrace her. He whispered softly in her ear, "I know you have countless questions, but trust me. Everything I do is for our brighter future."

Viserys's warm breath on Dany's ear made it burn bright red. She held her breath, completely unprepared and clueless about what would happen next. Suddenly, the story of Aegon the Conqueror and his sister queens popped into her head.

Before she could figure out why she thought of that, Viserys's tight grip on her hand suddenly felt like a mosquito bite.

This interrupted Dany's thoughts.

Soon, Dany realized that Viserys was simply comforting her with a gentle hug. He held her hand and secretly pricked her fingertip with a pin to draw a drop of blood.

"Don't be afraid, Dany." Viserys's voice grew louder, his tone gentle and reassuring. "Don't be afraid."

With her face pressed against Viserys's chest, Dany couldn't see his expression but could feel one of his hands leaving hers and moving to her head, as if affectionately holding it.

But Dany was very aware that Viserys was taking the drop of blood from her finger to his mouth.

She heard the pounding of a heartbeat and couldn't tell if it was hers or Viserys's.

This embrace with another purpose lasted for a while until the heartbeat sound by her ear completely calmed down. Dany, lost and unsure of what to do, heard Viserys's voice from above: "Feeling better?"

They ended the embrace, and only then did Dany have the space to look up at Viserys's face. She saw him looking at her with genuine concern.

"...Much better," she said, unable to say anything else.

Until nightfall, Dany couldn't shake off the tangled thoughts of anxiety and confusion. She already knew that Viserys's loud proclamations were half-true and mostly insincere, but were his whispered words to her the truth?

She didn't know and didn't want to think about it.

"We are family." Dany told herself again before falling asleep. "We are each other's only family in this world."

At some point, without knowing when, she fell asleep, and her afternoon dream continued.

However, this time, both Viseryses were gone, leaving her alone in a void, with the endless black curtain of darkness in the sky.

At a certain moment, she felt herself existing in different places simultaneously. One half of her was within the black curtain, with purple dust emanating from her body, being swallowed by the deep, dark vortex, and finally dissipating like tiny stars in the black curtain.

The other half was outside the black curtain, watching the tiny stars of purple dust gradually disappear in the dark abyss.

As the purple dust was stripped away, the half within the black curtain gradually became imperceptible, like an illusion.

Her body began to faintly heat up. She lowered her head and saw small sparks scattered across her body. She felt the places with sparks radiating a burning heat, but this did not cause her any pain; rather, it felt like the comfort of washing with hot water.

In a daze, she could feel the warm blood flowing through her skin.

She thought this warmth felt like a mother's embrace, even though she had no idea what that sensation was like.

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