Dragonflame again? Dragon taming again?

Could it be that everyone who looked like an ally was actually after her children? The Queen felt the beast within her stir, its eyes faintly opening. This news finally ignited her maternal fury.

In the brief ten minutes or so between entering the pyramid and the start of the meeting, she had received a simple briefing from Petyr, gaining a general understanding of the major events that had occurred during her absence.

The victory in the First Defense of Meereen delighted her, but the death of Prince Quentyn Martell, who was burned trying to steal a dragon, was a heavy blow. The naive young man’s foolish act not only released two uncontrollable dragons, but also resulted in his own death, Dorne’s future heir and one of Daenerys’s potential marriage alliances upon her return to Westeros, under her protection. This would significantly increase the difficulty of gaining Dorne’s support when she launched her counterattack on the Seven Kingdoms.

Now, Victarion Greyjoy had appeared. How did he get the idea to tame dragons, and how did he come into contact with Viserion and Rhaegal, who had already been released and were flying in the sky?

…

“Lord Victarion’s brother, the current King of the Iron Islands, Euron, gave him a dragon horn before he set sail to find you, and told him, blow this horn and you can control your three dragons.” The Red Priest Moqorro’s placid expression seemed to hold a faint smile, whether mocking or genuinely amused. “The horn is real, named Dragonbinder. I do not know where Euron got it, but he clearly misinterpreted its name, believing Dragonbinder meant the horn could be blown to control dragons.”

If it could not control dragons, then why was it called Dragonbinder? Even Daenerys became curious, suppressing her rising anger as she asked, “It isn’t?”

“Dragons are massive and powerful creatures, carnivorous with a considerable appetite. Each requires a vast territory for activity and hunting. Therefore, the Valyrians long ago concluded a principle, dragons cannot be kept in captivity,” Moqorro explained calmly. “But they are ultimately great weapons, not pets, and when needed, they must be quickly gathered and formed into an army. At the height of Valyria, hundreds of adult dragons were registered, and their enemies, the Ghiscari Empire, the Rhoynar, and others, were also powerful civilizations possessing a certain level of extraordinary power. They could not be conquered by sending just one or two dragons. Since countless dragons were usually at liberty, they needed to be gathered at crucial moments. How was this done?”

Lost Valyrian history. Even Daenerys, a true Valyrian, listened quietly to the Red Priest’s narrative.

“To herd sheep, you can use dogs, but dragons are not sheep. They are inherently brutal, apex predators, solitary creatures with no sense of hierarchy. Even the Valyrians could not train any creature, nor any of the dragons, to be a commander or lead dragon. Therefore, the Valyrian Freehold introduced the role of the dragon herder,” Moqorro narrated slowly. “The duty of the dragon herder was to use the dragon horn to call back the dragons roaming in the wild when needed. To achieve this, a loud voice or a few simple fire spells were not enough. Dragon herders needed an extremely efficient signal transmission that would not be ignored because the dragons were sleeping, hunting, or busy. Their solution was the magic horn.”

“The dragon horn emits a sound so loud and bizarre to humans that hearing it at close range can damage their hearing and shake their will. For dragons, though, it is a signal with just the right penetration and intensity. Once blown, it can easily call back free-roaming dragons that might be dozens or even hundreds of miles away. In a sense, the dragon horn does control dragons, but it only gathers them. Ultimately, preventing these great beasts from fighting one another and precisely directing them in war requires their paired dragonriders. One to one, however many dragons are sent into battle, at least that many dragonriders are needed. The horn is always just a supporting tool.”

So that was what the so-called dragon horn was.

Now, Daenerys could roughly imagine the details of the tragedy that day. The Ironborn captain, coveting the two dragons, blew the horn, and the piercing, far-reaching sound quickly attracted his targets, Viserion and Rhaegal. Unfortunately, these two young ones had not undergone the training and bonding of true Valyrian dragon herders. They likely only found the horn’s sound very loud and unpleasant, or perhaps enticing, and were drawn to the horn blower.

Victarion Greyjoy looked at the two legendary dragons, their shining eyes as large as copper plates, their hard, layered scales, and their dark, dense teeth. Believing they were controlled by the dragon horn, the Ironborn captain, filled with ecstasy, confidently strode toward the two dragons and made the dangerous move that would lead to his death.

Perhaps it was eye contact, perhaps a touch, or even an attempt to mount them. Whatever it was, it led to the outcome everyone knew. The enraged dragons opened their jaws and spewed dragonfire, turning the offending Ironborn captain into grilled squid, charred outside and tender within.

…

The actual situation was not far from Daenerys’s guess, but “Barber” Nute’s sharp question interrupted her thoughts. “Since you knew the dragon horn could not control dragons, why did you not tell the Ironborn captain earlier, instead of watching him go to his death?”

“If I had told him, would he have listened?” Moqorro countered. “I tried to hint, but Lord Victarion was filled with suspicion and hatred toward his brother. Holding the legendary dragon horn, his mind was full of subduing the three dragons, marrying the most beautiful woman in the world, and making his brother taste the pain of having his wife stolen. If I had told him during the voyage, ‘Your horn cannot control dragons at all,’ it would only have brought disaster upon me. What would he have done to me?”

What would Victarion have done? Most likely, he would have publicly declared Moqorro a spreader of heresies, a demon sent by an evil god, then tied him to a stone and sunk him into the sea as a sacrifice to the Drowned God.

Euron’s banishment from the Iron Islands years ago for sleeping with Victarion’s beloved salt wife was big news, and any Ironborn would have heard of this Greyjoy scandal. Without much thought, the two Ironborn warriors understood what Moqorro meant by “the pain of having his wife stolen.” The Red Priest had said Victarion never intended to bring the Dragon Queen back for Euron, but wanted to marry her himself and then contend with Euron. After a moment’s thought, Barber Nute and his companion quickly realized this was true.

For Moqorro, the Iron Fleet was probably just a ride to his destination, the Dragon Queen. He likely did not care about the lives of these hopeless “pagans” among the Ironborn, and might even have been gleefully watching the Ironborn captain walk step by step toward death. Beyond this, the two Ironborn warriors quickly formed an even more terrifying suspicion. Was it possible that their King of the Iron Islands dared to give such a great weapon as the dragon horn to his brother because he knew from the start that the horn could not control dragons as imagined?

Did Euron deliberately give it to his brother and send him to find Daenerys, intending to use the Queen’s, no, her dragons, to eliminate his brother, quietly dismantle the core of the Iron Fleet, and remove the Ironborn captain, who had unmatched prestige on the Iron Islands, without incurring the infamy of kinslaying or pettiness, thereby consolidating his own rule?

Now the Ironborn captain was dead, and as his confidants, Nute and the other Ironborn warriors who came with him might still be difficult for the current King of the Iron Islands to trust and accept. So where should this group, who had traveled so far, go? They had failed to win the Dragon Queen for their captain, and they had to guard against Euron Crow’s Eye’s dark hand.

The two Ironborn warriors exchanged glances, filled with shock and unease. They had no thought or momentum left to continue accusing the Red Priest.

Daenerys could tolerate others coveting her, but she could not tolerate anyone trying to harm or steal her children. The good feeling she had for this first group of petitioners from Westeros moments ago faded greatly upon learning they carried a dragon horn and attempted to control her dragons. In the end, she silently reminded herself that she needed the Ironborn’s ships and sailors, and suppressed the urge to erupt.

“Where is that dragon horn now?”

“It was not destroyed by the dragonfire, and is probably in the hands of some Ironborn now.” Moqorro had been nearby when Victarion courted death. With his fire-controlling magic, as long as he was not targeted by the dragons, he was not worried about the heat of the flames, and naturally knew the whole story of the tragedy. “Mortals who blow it must pay with their vitality, while those with extraordinary power like you will fare better. However, now that you have mastered the art of controlling dragons, it is not of great value to you. That said, it is best not to let a magical item with such a function circulate among the populace.”

Even without the Red Priest’s advice, Daenerys would have done the same. She nodded, and when she looked at Nute and his companion again, her initial friendliness and enthusiasm were gone. “Two warriors, I appreciate the bravery of you and your countrymen in the battle for Meereen. But in the name of your Queen, I require you to retrieve this horn for me. I wish to see it before dark, so I suggest you depart immediately.”

This was the clearest possible dismissal. The Queen almost directly told them she no longer welcomed the Ironborn to participate in the upcoming meeting. The two Ironborn hung their heads, dejected, and obediently took the steps Daenerys indicated. After offering their farewells, they hurried off to carry out the Queen’s first command.

(To be continued.)

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep