Chapter 48: The Magic

Drakul and Rhaegal dove from the heights like arrows, landing before Daenerys with jolts that made the dock's timbers tremble. They crawled toward her like house cats, rubbing their smoky snouts against her palms. She laughed, scratching Drakul's ridges.

—Look how big you've gotten!

But Balerion and Vladion were not so gentle. The remaining two dragons crashed into Vlad like living catapults, knocking him onto the sand amid growls and tail slaps. He roared with joy as the beasts, the size of oxen, covered him with playful bites and headbutts.

—Down, Vladion! Don't bite the cloak!

Daenerys brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter.

The scene was surreal: creatures that made entire armies tremble, frolicking like puppies. Even the Unsullied broke formation to watch.

When the commotion finally subsided, Vlad looked at Daenerys with determination.

—It's time, my love. Time to prepare.

Daenerys opened her eyes in surprise. Vlad had told her that once everything was settled in Essos, they would finally make their transition, and once nothing could harm her, they would march to Westeros to reclaim what was rightfully hers... what was rightfully theirs.

Vlad's arrival in Meereen was quite an event. Citizens from all over the city crowded to see the man who had forged a legend. While many feared the Impaler, his renown as the Breaker of Chains made the people of Essos less negatively predisposed toward him.

Of course, that only applied to his subjects; the other cities of Essos wondered when, or if, the Impaler would pay them a visit.

But Vlad wasn't interested. He had done enough in Essos: the slaver cities had fallen, and gradually, his progeny would take control of the others. His infiltrator in the Iron Bank was already serving his interests, helping to deny a loan to Stannis Baratheon.

Tributes from Qarth had arrived: 5,000,000 golden dragons, enough gold for a year of war, even squandering resources. The other cities maintained their stability. Yunkai rehired most of the former slaves; his progeny had spread the word that they were seeking workers, and with Vlad's reputation, who would defy the Father of Dragons?

Knowing they were protected, the slaves returned, were paid a fair wage, and were free to leave. The irony was that it cost employers less than maintaining a slave on their own.

Astapor remained standing thanks to the conclave, which focused its activity on the spice trade with Qarth, serving as a bridge and intermediary. The city was attacked by an aspiring emperor, but he was repelled by several hired mercenary companies. Although Vlad took much of its wealth, Astapor retained more than enough to be self-sufficient.

Meereen, for its part, remained as active as ever. When the former masters saw that hiring a man was cheaper than enslaving him, they were less resistant to change.

And yet, problems persisted: the Sons of the Harpy attempted to attack, but Daenerys dealt with them swiftly, allowing Vlad to enjoy a rare respite.

During the following months, Vlad focused on training his pyromancy and preparing the bonding ritual for Daenerys. Not that he needed any complicated ingredients, but preparing his own blood essence required time and concentration; it was almost like meditating.

His interest in pyromancy, on the other hand, was because this magic wasn't limited to simple fire control: it allowed mastery over the "concept" of fire. With the right concentration and focus, one could do almost anything using fire as a medium.

Vlad had set out to develop a technique that would allow him to traverse great distances using fire for transportation, which would give him a tactical advantage and be much more comfortable than spending four months on a ship.

And, although his progress was partial, he knew that with more practice and focus, he would achieve it.

For now, he could only move short distances.

But in time... he would no longer travel as a man.

But not all his time was devoted to training. He also enjoyed his life with Daenerys, making love to her constantly, to the point that, at times, the queen would disappear for a couple of days only to return with a radiant smile.

Moreover, they frequently went out together: dining, appreciating the scenery, attending city events. Even the inauguration of the arena, with a spectacle of dragons feeding on live cattle, attracted nobles and merchants from all over Essos, eager to see the legendary beasts and, incidentally, gain the favor of the ruling couple.

Soon, the news spread, and Meereen saw an endless flow of merchants and nobles from all over Essos, who avoided causing trouble in the city that belonged to the Impaler and the Mother of Dragons.

Another matter Vlad had to resolve was the official establishment of his house. Beyond being one of his missions, it was a matter of convenience: House Drakul existed only in name. It needed a sigil, a motto, and banners.

Consulting with heraldists, he designed a sigil that captured his essence: a fierce dragon, with a sun pierced by a sword, and a strong and memorable motto: "Eternal Blood."

Weeks passed. Vlad was taking a break after channeling his blood essence for hours. Only a couple of days remained to finish, and he already felt the effects: he felt tremendously weak. Not at human levels, of course, but when you're used to having the strength of a dragon, anything less is noticeable from miles away.

Now he was in his chambers, looking at a map of Westeros spread out on his table, analyzing the situation based on what he remembered from the original story and what he knew through his progeny, who spied throughout the continent. He smiled as he crossed House Frey off the map. Few things could give more satisfaction to anyone than destroying a man like Walder Frey.

The North was secured. According to Edward, Robb Stark had reunified the remnants of his army and marched to Winterfell to reclaim his home. He had also marched to the Dreadfort to destroy it, but apparently, Roose's son, Ramsay Bolton, managed to convince the King in the North that the betrayal had been his father's doing, so he kept his head.

Upon learning this, Vlad thought it was clear that Robb Stark was as naive as his late father.