175

"What makes Westeros so special?" The two White Cloaks turned their curious gazes toward Daenerys.

Westeros indeed held its unique mysteries—Others, a Three-Eyed Crow with the ability to navigate time, and the presence of the Old Gods. Once Daenerys set foot in Westeros, her every word and action would fall under Bran Stark's scrutiny—the future Bran, the former Three-Eyed Crow.

However, she couldn't reveal these intricate details to her two Kingsguards.

"Well, once I make my presence known, Lord Tywin might..." Daenerys began, but then she reconsidered her words. "Actually, even if the Faceless Men are present, what do I have to worry about? Tywin may still find a way to bring Westeros into the fold of the Allies," she mused, brushing it off with a laugh.

In that fleeting moment, she realized that news of the Others' existence would inevitably reach Slaver's Bay sooner or later. How could she prevent the two White Cloaks from returning to their homeland? Was she to continue avoiding the threat of the Others and evading Westeros?

It was simply impossible.

"You two are determined to return to Westeros?" Daenerys inquired with a smile.

"Yes, my Queen!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The two figures regarded one another with lingering tension, their gazes locked like knights in a duel. Barristan Selmy was the first to break the silence, his words carrying the weight of years of service and loyalty.

"Ser Mormont, do you not find the reputation of the Seven Kingdoms somewhat self-indulgent?" The words tumbled from his lips, heavy as the armor he bore.

Jorah Mormont, ever the staunch defender of his choices, flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and defiance. "I am a member of the Kingsguard now," he retorted, his voice tinged with pride.

But Barristan knew the truth. The glory of the Kingsguard, while noble, was inextricably linked to the Queen they served. It was a reflection of her radiance, but it could not bestow glory upon her. "Ser Mormont, I can offer more to our Queen," Barristan replied with an air of indifference.

It was an undeniable fact that when the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms saw Barristan standing resolute behind Daenerys Targaryen in his pristine white cloak, their regard for her soared. They could rally to her call without hesitation. Jorah, on the other hand, carried a tarnished reputation, one that could only cast a shadow on their beloved Queen.

Dany interjected with a hint of diplomacy. "Well, it's our first foray into exploring the Seven Kingdoms. Perhaps we should acquaint ourselves with the realm before venturing to the North. Bear Island does seem quite distant."

Jorah begrudgingly relented, his discontent evident in his muttered response.

Three days later, under the brilliant sun and a gentle breeze, atop the gardens of the Great Pyramid of Astapor, the scene was set. Two individuals, one tall and commanding, the other lithe and graceful, donned iron-clad armor that seemed strangely out of place for their impending journey.

"Ah," Dany sighed as she gazed at the two knights who were now preparing to scale the dragons' backs. "It appears as if knights in medieval armor have taken up mountaineering."

With a hiss and a rustle of wings, the Dragons, one milky white and the other obsidian black, leaped from the thick granite wall, their massive forms soaring westward.

Over low-lying mountains adorned with thickets and across the cerulean waters of the Long Island Strait, an abandoned isle that Dany had christened herself, they made their way. Dany's eyes scanned the surroundings.

Sea cliffs shrouded in dark green foliage, the horizon enveloped in a grayish haze—a far cry from the idyllic garden she had imagined along the Summer Sea, the Lands of Long Summer. The Dragons sped through the sky at a breathtaking pace of 200 kilometers per hour, a mere three-hour journey to reach their destination.

As the clock approached ten in the morning, the warm sun bathed the world in its golden glow. But the land below appeared as if it belonged to another realm, split in two like a photograph with a stark contrast. To the east, a black-and-white image with an ethereal effect, while the west was awash in vibrant colors.

Dany couldn't resist urging Little White to halt, and Big Black slowed to a crawl, approaching cautiously. "Lands of Long Summer," Barristan mused, his voice muffled by the woolen scarf that veiled his face beneath the armor. "Your Majesty, should we consider a detour to the Dothraki Sea?"

A detour would mean adding thousands of kilometers to their journey, a prospect that gave Dany pause. "I'll see if we can manage it," she declared resolutely, guiding her white dragon higher into the clouds.

As they ascended, the sky grew brighter, the sun casting aside cotton candy clouds in their path. Little Green soared to a height of 10,000 meters, leaving a thin layer of gray foggy sky ahead.

Dany mused, "What's this? Can fog reach such heights? This world defies reason!"

With a curse, she began a descent that lasted for over half an hour, eventually spotting Big Black circling above the sea once more.

"No way through!" Barristan's voice echoed from the back of the black dragon. Higher altitudes meant less oxygen, a challenge Dany and the dragons could surmount, but her loyal knight was not so resilient. The old man would fall from the dragon's back if they ventured further, making him perhaps the most ineffectual Kingsguard in history.

Seeing that Dany was determined not to take the detour, Barristan took it upon himself to scout ahead. After a moment of contemplation, Dany agreed, and Big Black carried him into the hazy gray abyss.

It was not her intention to endanger the older man, but her resistance to adversity far exceeded that of ordinary people. Just as giraffes could cross rivers while ponies could drown, she believed in testing her own limits. Barristan would go as far as he could, retreating at the first sign of discomfort.

Dany, attuned through the Dreki State, entered a heightened state of alertness as she ventured further into the ominous haze, her eyes keenly observing every subtle movement and fluctuation.

And then it happened—changes. Slight fluctuations in the magnetic field, subtle but distinct enough to register in Dany's awareness. The Dragons were not lost, but there was something amiss.

A growing sense of impending crisis flickered almost imperceptibly in her mind, leaving her bewildered. Where was the danger lurking? The sensation was unfamiliar, unsettling.

Dany pondered the oddity. Big Black's perception of danger had wavered before, especially on the battlefield, where even at altitudes of over 800 meters, no arrow could possess such a startling velocity. But now, it wasn't just a matter of speed; it was a sensation, an instinctual alarm.

The lower the flight altitude, the more pronounced the fluctuations became. The inexplicable mystery was that in the absence of archers or scorpions below, Big Black could hover as close as 10 meters to the ground without any inkling of danger.

Well, almost any danger. Big Black did harbor a sense of crisis when Dany brandished her dragon whip, her anger evident—even if, in most cases, the whip was intended for a different target.

Big Black was, after all, an honorable Dragon.

For five minutes, Barristan remained lost in the haze, and it was only when Dany called Big Black back that he rejoined her. Dany questioned him with a furrowed brow, "What's wrong?"

As a knight who had attained a pinnacle is his arts Barristan was attuned to even the slightest changes in his own body. After a moment of squinting, he shook his head and reported, "My limbs move well enough, no signs of poisoning, normal breathing, steady heart rate, and no itching or tingling in the eyes, mouth, or nostrils. It appears all is well."

Dany considered her options. "Should we attempt to push through in one go? It should take about an hour and a half."

"If Your Majesty is confident that the Dragons won't falter, then it's worth trying," Barristan conceded.

Dany made her decision and retrieved a water bottle from her backpack, dampening the woolen scarf that covered her face armor before securing it between her mouth and nose. Barristan followed suit.

Dany meticulously adjusted their altitude, carefully surveying the haze that enveloped the distant continent. "Strange! Does the fog truly grow thicker the higher we go? Where is Newton when you need him to explain this in his own words?"

"Let's press on, shall we?"

On the hill beyond the sea cliff, a dim forest of dark green gave way to an expansive green plain, sparsely populated by maroon earth and withered green weeds.

At an altitude of 800 meters, Big Black and Little Green raced at their maximum speeds. Big Black shot through the sky at nearly 350 kilometers per hour, resembling a cannonball with a hissing scream, leaving Little White trailing behind.

Less than two minutes later, Big Black's shadow vanished from Dany's view. "Little White, what's got you so rattled?" Dany patted the white dragon's neck, jesting with a smile.

Little White, however, responded with a resounding, buzzing, roar and redoubled his wingbeats.

But less than ten minutes into their flight, Dany's countenance shifted abruptly. Before her, a great road, as straight as an arrow, cleaved the ochre-hued terrain in two.

Big Black descended, adjusting his focus as the ashen-gray road stretched out before him. Dany found herself momentarily stunned: had they stumbled upon a highway?

The road was astonishing in its width, measuring no less than 12 meters across, elevated slightly above the ground, and smooth as if it had never felt the touch of rain or snow.

Dany puzzled, "Is this....cement?"

But it was clear that it wasn't concrete. Dany recalled a memory, a vast Valyrian road that spanned the plains east of Pentos.

This road, unchanged for over 400 years, appeared impervious to the wear of time, akin to Valyrian steel—indestructible.

"Four hundred years, or rather, six thousand years of Valyrian civilization, and this stone road, unmarred for millennia, requires no maintenance?"

Dany couldn't help but lament the durability of structures in this world, making Earth's real estate developers appear shoddy by comparison.

But her musings were interrupted as she spotted something unusual. "Hey, what is that?"

Ahead, a figure ran on all fours, clad in tattered rags around the waist, chasing what appeared to be a fleeing elk. But Dany's initial assumptions unraveled upon closer inspection. It was no ordinary man and no ordinary elk.

The figure had dark red scales adorning its skin and several uneven bone spurs protruding from its back. And yet, it wore tattered clothing. As for the elk, it was not an elk at all, for it bore a peculiar appendage—a face on its rear.

Both figure and creature were covered in blood as if they had been recently skinned, yet they moved with uncanny swiftness.

Big Black's rapid flight meant that Dany couldn't discern more details of the scene, but her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know more.

So Big Black slowed and circled back, but to their dismay, the strange entities had vanished.

"Why did we stop?" Barristan inquired upon noticing Dany's intense focus.

"This is the Valyrian road," Dany explained as she turned the dragons around. "I thought I saw someone."

"Is that even possible? The Lands of Long Summer is known for its absence of villages and towns, only legends of demons."

"Impossible? Not at all. The man was wearing a scrap of clothing, indicating he still possesses a shred of decency and mayhaps even reason."

With a casual command, Dany urged Big Black to continue southward along the stone path. However, as they progressed, the gray haze thickened, and the sense of crisis in Big Black's very soul became more frequent.

After some hesitation, Dany decided to increase their altitude, as the area below 800 meters was clearly laden with ash. "Let's rise."

"Village!" Barristan exclaimed after more than half an hour had passed.

Beneath the gloomy sky, a pale creek meandered through the green and brownfields, and a cluster of seven or eight low thatched huts formed a small village by the water's edge. Figures moved about, their activities becoming discernible as Dany approached.

"There are people!" Barristan observed with astonishment.

It was evident that only people could engage in activities like those.

Simultaneously, Big Black veered off the iron-like stone path and headed southeast.

"They are human!" Dany proclaimed, though her voice was tinged with fear. She had caught sight of the villagers' faces, and her shock was palpable. "Quick, we need make haste to leave this cursed place, now!"