Chapter 225: Dany’s Fire Magic

"Your Majesty, you should try to keep as many Kingsguard positions open as possible. After the Long Winter, when we restore the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros, the remaining White Knight spots can be used to win over great lords," the old knight advised.

His words made perfect sense. Just look at the Mad King Aerys' Kingsguard: "The White Bull" from House Hightower of Oldtown, Jaime Lannister, son of the Warden of the West, Prince Lewyn Martell, uncle of the Prince of Dorne, Oswell Whent of Harrenhal, and the Sword of the Morning from Starfall.

Even the ones with the lowest status, Barristan and Jon Darry, were of noble lineage—one was the heir to Harvest Hall, while the other came from Darry Castle in the Riverlands.

Barristan had even given up his claim to the earldom, relinquishing both his inheritance and his fiancée to his cousin.

The Darry family had once been extremely prestigious for thousands of years—back when even House Tully of the Riverlands was beneath them. It was only in the past few hundred years that they had begun to decline.

But the Darrys were the most loyal royalists, utterly devoted to the Targaryens. As Riverlands nobles, they had no regard for their direct overlords—the Tully Dukes—and stood firmly on the side of House Targaryen.

For example, Ser Willem Darry, who took the Mad King's orphaned children—Daenerys and Viserys—and fled Westeros, was a Darry.

In fact, White Knight Jon Darry and Royal Martial Instructor Willem Darry were blood brothers.

Aerys' Kingsguard was arguably the most dazzling in history, yet even such a strong group failed to keep the Mad King and his son safe, proving just how hopeless they were.

Even if you put a complete fool on the Iron Throne, the Targaryen dynasty would still remain stable.

The old knight's advice was indeed wise and in the interest of the realm. However, there was one thing he might not have fully grasped—the Long Winter would not be so easy to endure.

"I need people who are not only shrewd and courageous but also utterly loyal and unafraid of death," Dany explained.

"What is it? I'll do it," the old knight pounded his chest, volunteering without hesitation.

"Heh, Her Majesty would never send you to your death," the fallen Darkstar sneered.

"Exactly," Dany nodded, looking straight at the hawk-nosed young man. She spoke bluntly, "It's very dangerous, and I can't guarantee your safety."

Darkstar fell silent, furrowing his brows. "Tell me what it is first."

"It concerns the fate of the world."

Jeno Dayne's handsome face twisted again.

"Be specific," he groaned.

Dany stroked her chin and said slowly, "Among the Nine Free Cities, Volantis and Lys are already confirmed allies.

Tyrosh, Myr, and Qohor have joined the 'United Nations' blockade of Slaver's Bay and have even promised to seriously consider sending troops to the allied forces.

Pentos, Norvos, and Lorath are militarily weaker and too far from Slaver's Bay, so their stance remains unclear for now.

As for Braavos, it has the strongest navy among the Free Cities. It may be hostile toward me, but it will never join the 'Slaver's Alliance.'

Since my enemies are forming coalitions, I must forge alliances of my own. However, while I am the 'strong Qin,' I still lack a few 'Zhang Yis and Su Qins.'"

Though the two men didn't understand all the references, they grasped the general meaning.

"You want me to be your envoy and negotiate with the other cities?" Darkstar smirked but then grimaced in regret. "Why did you have to make so many enemies?

I thought the Lannisters and Tyrells were already insurmountable obstacles, but compared to the Nine Free Cities, they—ugh!"

He truly regretted getting involved.

Had he known she had this many enemies, he wouldn't have jumped into this mess.

He didn't care at all about the suffering of slaves. As a Dornishman, he yearned for revenge, for the blood of lions. He simply wanted to follow a powerful leader, rise in rank while avenging his people, and become a legendary knight praised by all.

Dany smirked and taunted him, "Aren't you the 'Darkstar'? With a name like that and ambitions to surpass Barristan and the Sword of the Morning, how can you settle for anything less than a grand, earth-shattering feat?

Or perhaps, this is the limit of your vision and courage—only capable of causing trouble within your own house, bullying naive children?"

The hawk-nosed young man wasn't angered or flustered. Instead, he calmly considered her words and said, "I failed to assassinate the little lion. Prince Doran will surely frame me for using his daughter as leverage to challenge Tommen's claim to the throne.

In the coming days, both King's Landing and Dorne will issue bounties on my head. I won't even be able to return home.

Leaving Westeros for a while might not be such a bad idea."

"Oh? So you're agreeing?" Dany raised an eyebrow.

"What do I need to do?"

"First, go to Braavos and ask the Sealord why the Faceless Men were sent to assassinate a liberator of slaves.

Also, I once dined at his table—does that old man have no regard for past ties at all?"

Darkstar's eyes widened in shock, his face frozen.

"Gulp." He swallowed hard and exclaimed in disbelief, "Your Majesty, just tell me—how many enemies do you have?!"

"Hm, you should really be asking: who in this world is my ally?" Dany tilted her head.

"Fine. Who are your allies?"

"Your family's High Hermitage."

"What?" Darkstar looked confused.

"You've sworn fealty to me, so naturally, High Hermitage on the Torrentine is now bound to my cause," Dany said matter-of-factly.

"Me"

At this moment, the hook-nosed young man's face twisted in an unprecedented manner: I want to get off!

Let some other great noble take this position as a White Knight reserve—House Dayne of High Hermitage is not blessed enough to bear this burden!

"Sigh, this child has spent his whole life eating sand in Dorne and has never seen the wider world. He's scared stiff." Dany muttered to the White Knight beside her. "Does he not realize—if I were so easy to deal with, why would they have needed to form an alliance against me?"

"Uh… that makes sense." The young man came to his senses, casting a solemn glance at the veiled woman opposite him. Her face was obscured, but she was undoubtedly much younger than him. Her tone was light, her demeanor casual—clearly, she did not take the so-called 'World Alliance' or the legendary Faceless Men seriously.

This woman is not simple!

"How do I prove my identity to the Sea King?" he asked seriously.

"You're really accepting this task?" Dany asked with a smile.

Ser Jeno Dayne's lips curled into a confident smirk as he replied indifferently, "Your Majesty, you were right—compared to the grand stage of the world, Dorne is indeed small. And I have never been one to fear a challenge."

The White Knight furrowed his brows into a tight knot. After a long moment, he finally sighed, using his sword to cut the strap on Jeno's wrist. "Swear your oath first."

Jeno, holding up his silk trousers with one hand and steadying himself with the other, climbed to his feet and nodded. "Alright, I—"

"Hiss—Gaa!"

"Hiss—Gaa!"

Suddenly, two blood-curdling roars echoed from the leaden sky. The unfamiliar cries and the suffocating atmosphere of fear made Jeno Dayne's face change drastically.

"Dragons!"

Shadows descended, revealing the vague outlines of two massive beasts—one white, one black.

"Hic—"

The white dragon seemed to hiccup, its maw gaping open as it spewed forth a fireball the size of a basin. The orb of flame spun rapidly, glowing a brilliant red, like a miniature sun rising over the dark desert.

"This—"

Not only was Jeno Dayne dumbfounded, but even Barristan was left utterly speechless, staring in horror at the "sun" hovering in midair.

"You—"

Jeno's pupils contracted sharply. He saw another veiled girl leap from the back of the white dragon. And when he turned his head back, the girl who had been standing beside him had vanished without a trace. Or… had she ever truly been there?

A shiver ran down his spine. The Darkstar suddenly felt as if the world around him had become hazy and dreamlike. His past perceptions crumbled one after another, making everything seem eerily unreal.

"You've never seen magic before?"

Dany lifted her veil, revealing long, jet-black hair.

Under the crimson glow of the fireball, her smooth, fair cheeks and sharp, spirited features were illuminated.

A strikingly beautiful young woman with a heroic air, brimming with vitality.

But Jeno paid no attention to the queen's face—his entire focus was locked on the fireball floating above her head.

The blazing sphere, the size of a washbasin, seemed almost alive. With each step she took, it followed, maintaining an unwavering distance of two meters above her. When she moved left, it moved left—no more, no less, as if tethered to her by an invisible force.

"Magic? What kind of magic is this?" the old knight asked in shock.

"A fire control trick I traded from a fire mage at the last supernatural gathering—just a little street performance for making money."

Dany raised her right hand, palm up, and the fireball slowly descended, its brilliant red glow casting a warm hue over her cheeks.

Finally, the fireball hovered just an inch above her palm. Like molten lava, it spun continuously, sending waves of scorching heat rolling outward, making her hair billow in the air.

"This is just a little trick?" Jeno Dayne's throat went dry.

He wasn't some ignorant bumpkin—he had seen fire mages perform countless times at the docks of Sunspear. But he could swear on the name of his ancestors that in all his life, he had never seen flames with such terrifying power.

It was pure power.

Darkstar was a knight, not a mage. He couldn't sense magic or sorcery, but the moment he laid eyes on the fireball, his swordsman's instincts screamed at him—stay away from that thing. If it explodes, you're done for.

Yes, he had a gut feeling that it could explode at any moment.

"Fire mages wield ordinary flames. I wield dragonflame. That's the only difference."

Truthfully, even Dany herself was surprised by the result.

She had initially planned to land in the sand and personally accept Jeno's oath of fealty. But when she noticed the dim lighting, she had a sudden idea—why not use dragonflame as a fire source to test her newly learned fire control technique?

She never expected it to work so well. The dragonflame, brimming with natural magic, felt like a lump of dough in her hands—easily shaped into a fireball at her will.

As if that flame had always been a part of her body…

Dany suddenly turned back and locked eyes with Little White's bright golden gaze.

It was as if he understood her thoughts—The fire I breathe out? Sure, Mama can play with it however she likes!

It must be linked to the dragon's own will!

"All right, enough staring. Hurry up and swear your oath," she commanded.

"Oh…"

Under the fiery glow, Jeno Dayne knelt before Dany and solemnly swore his allegiance in the name of his father, his ancestors, the Dayne name, and High Hermitage.

It was a knight's oath to his liege lord, not the sacred vow of a White Knight to a king. Jeno had yet to complete his mission—he wasn't even a White Knight recruit yet.

Still, Dany's performance had proven highly effective. Faced with a dragon-riding queen who also commanded mysterious and powerful magic, even the ever-defiant Darkstar found himself yielding—at least by sixty percent.

And when Dany promised to reward him with a Valyrian steel sword, the exhilarated Ser Jeno immediately pledged another twenty percent.

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09