The Dragon Queen hadn't said anything yet when Aegon stood up and loudly declared, "I object!"
"Uh—"
Quentyn had mentally prepared for rejection, but never expected the strongest reaction would come from the "fake cousin."
The blond-haired Gerris asked, "Why? Are you planning to follow the old Targaryen custom and marry your aunt?"
I wish I could, but my aunt is far too much like 'Saint Baelor.'
Aegon sighed in disappointment and explained, "Everyone knows that after the Dance of the Dragons, the lords of the Seven Kingdoms convened a Great Council and decided together—male heirs in the direct line take precedence over females.
I'm Rhaegar's eldest son, so in theory, my claim to the Iron Throne comes before my aunt's. She herself acknowledges this.
Therefore, if this pact is to continue, it should be me who fulfills it. I should replace Viserys and marry your sister, Princess Arianne."
Ah, so this nephew is good for more than just attracting enemy fire. He's also good at lightning rods and filling potholes!
All those meals and housing didn't go to waste after all.
A cheap relative worth keeping!
The Dragon Queen thought contentedly.
The Iron Pillar Knight looked at the Queen with suspicion and asked, "You're truly willing to give the Iron Throne to someone of uncertain identity?"
"What do you mean, uncertain? I am Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar and Elia!" Aegon retorted unhappily.
These Dornish are really stubborn. I've explained this so many times, yet they still won't admit I'm the true dragon.
"I'm not giving it to him. I swore an oath."
Dany repeated the story about the White Walkers, leaving the three Dornishmen utterly stunned.
In the end, she said, "My nephew is willing to fight the White Walkers alongside me. If he ends the Long Night, he will have every right to claim the Iron Throne. Perhaps he won't even need a marriage alliance or Dorne's support."
"I do! I do need it! Prince Doran is my maternal uncle—I need his support!" Aegon said hastily.
"Alright then, he needs it," Dany said flatly, turning to Quentyn.
So… what about me?
Not only did he fail to marry the Queen, now even White Walkers were thrown into the mix.
The honest young man looked a bit lost.
When their group set out, there were more than just the three of them. There was also a noble earl's heir, a seasoned knight, and a well-read maester.
Unfortunately, when passing through the Disputed Lands, they encountered pirates. All three of the others died—including the earl's heir, who had been his foster father's firstborn son.
From Volantis to Slaver's Bay, they were unlucky enough to contract greyscale—surviving it was a miracle.
All to meet the Dragon Queen, fulfill the pact, and not disappoint his father. Quentyn had sacrificed so much.
If everything had gone according to his father's plan—marrying the Queen, returning to Westeros with dragons and Unsullied to reclaim the Iron Throne—then all the suffering would have been worth it.
But now...
"Prince Quentyn, perhaps I should arrange for someone to escort you back to Dorne. The sacred pact has nothing to do with me, and I can't fulfill it. You should return and ask your father what to do next," Dany suggested.
"I can't return empty-handed."
All the confusion vanished from Quentyn's face, replaced by a rock-solid determination.
Aegon gave him a wary look and warned, "My aunt will not marry you."
Quentyn said gravely, "Before meeting Her Majesty, I was loyal to my father, devoted to his mission, treating the marriage alliance as a duty. The long journey from Dorne to Slaver's Bay was an accomplishment I was proud of.
But now, everything has changed. The harsh and real experiences along the way have killed the boy I was and forced me to grow up quickly.
Now, I know what I want. Even if I can no longer marry Queen Daenerys, I can still make a name for myself."
As he spoke, Quentyn dropped to one knee before Dany and solemnly said, "Your Majesty, I am my father's eldest son, though not his firstborn.
By Dornish tradition, my sister Arianne will become the new Princess.
Now that you've rejected me and the marriage alliance no longer binds me, I can say I've fulfilled my duty to Dorne.
You saved me, and your ideals of freeing slaves and ending the Long Night have earned my admiration.
Whether out of gratitude or personal devotion, I hope you'll allow me to stay and serve you—as a knight serves his king."
"Devotion?" Tyrion chuckled with amusement. "Kid, the Queen still has two empty spots among her White Knights. Interested?"
Before Quentyn could respond, Dany said at once, "Quentyn, get up. I really am short on people. If you and your companions are willing, you can work here in Slaver's Bay for a while.
Though it's far from Westeros, many Westerosi live here. You should be able to fit in quickly. I promise you honor and the treatment due to a vassal."
If Quentyn wanted to become a White Knight, Dany didn't mind giving him one of the open spots.
After all, one of the White Knights who died alongside Rhaegar at the Trident was from House Martell of Dorne!
But Prince Doran had hoped Quentyn would become the Queen's husband.
If he found out that not only was the marriage refused, but his son was made a celibate, landless White Knight...
Dany wouldn't care about Doran's opinion of her—but only if they had nothing to do with each other.
Once Quentyn became her White Knight, there would be a connection between them.
As for accepting Quentyn as a vassal...
That wasn't a problem.
Even if she had to face Prince Doran, she could rightfully declare: "I have every right to take your son as my sworn bannerman!"
And Quentyn certainly had the qualifications to become one.
Truth be told, young men like Quentyn, trained from childhood in elite knightly traditions—she could use as many as she could get.
The more the better. She'd never have enough.
Because Dany's most basic ambition was to conquer the continent of Essos. In the future, she would also seek revenge against the many city-states of Jade Sea that had declared war on her.
She needed loyal followers to ride to war and help govern the lands.
Aegon glanced at Quentyn and said meaningfully, "Actually, I could use a White Knight too."
Quentyn glanced at him sideways without any response.
"Sigh, you'd better…" Dany rubbed her forehead and sighed.
You'd better let Uncle Doran acknowledge you as his nephew first!Not everyone is as easygoing as I am.
Well, the Dragon Queen wasn't exactly easygoing.
Regardless of whether Aegon's identity was real or not, she wasn't going to bare her heart to him.
She gave him a pair of chopsticks at the table and cleared a room in the pyramid—then sent him on his way.
In truth, Clinton, the Duck Knight, and Asha all counted as Aegon's people.
But they were working for the Dragon Queen for free, and their wages more than offset Aegon's expenses with her.
In fact, she even profited.
But if he truly was her nephew, Doran would undoubtedly pour out his heart for him—send his daughter, send soldiers, send money and provisions, braving all hardships to ensure he ascended the Iron Throne.
The cost the two sides were willing to pay differed, so naturally their caution in "investing" varied as well.
Yet at this moment, Aegon clearly preferred the kind and affectionate Aunt Dany who kept calling herself his dear aunt, and disliked the stubborn Dornish cousin who wouldn't even let him say "cousin."
What a situation.
With war on the horizon, maritime trade in Slaver's Bay came to a complete halt.
The Dragon Queen officially declared Slaver's Bay to be in a state of war.
All service industries—restaurants, inns, hotels—were shut down. Except for skilled workers in manufacturing, the city's residents, regardless of age or gender, were all enlisted into the "final charge of the Great Leap Forward" project, according to household registration records. No one could escape.
These urban residents with "non-agricultural" household registrations weren't expected to grow wheat or rice—those were "high-tech" crops. They simply needed to clear the hills of weeds, plant sweet potato slips, and bury sprouting potatoes.
According to the maesters' calculations, only ten days remained before winter. Dany couldn't be sure if temperatures would plummet once winter arrived.
She had to prepare for the worst and bet on high-yield, short-cycle crops.
In addition to agricultural planning, Dany officially sealed off Slaver's Bay, completely halting maritime trade.
At the entrance to Slaver's Bay lay a long, narrow island—now named "Free Maiden Island" by Dany. It divided the bay's entrance into two straits.
The eastern strait was narrower, and most sea vessels heading for Meereen, Khaizhen, and Astapor passed through it.
This strait became known as the "Eastern Free Maiden Strait."
The western strait was wider and closer to the cities of Tolos and Elyria.
Previously, Dany only controlled the Eastern Free Maiden Strait, as the western one spanned an average of 200 kilometers—too wide to block entirely.
She still couldn't seal it off, but she began restoring the cities at either end of Free Maiden Island.
During the Valyrian era, the eastern cities of Meereen, Astapor, and Khaizhen in Slaver's Bay belonged to Ghis; the western cities—Polash, Elyria, Tolos, and Free Maiden Island—belonged to Valyria.
Each end of Free Maiden Island had a city: Guzai and Vinos.
Four hundred years ago, when the cataclysm struck, Valyria exploded and sank into the sea. A massive tsunami spread for over a thousand kilometers, submerging the entire Free Maiden Island and nearly wiping out its population.
After the waters receded, Guzai and Vinos were left in ruins.
The Ghiscaris, decadent and complacent, never even considered seizing Free Maiden Island—this strategic location that guarded Slaver's Bay to the north and connected New Ghis and the Summer Sea to the south.
Only after Dany became Queen of Slaver's Bay did she begin integrating the island's small fishing villages, turning their inhabitants into new freedmen and officially extending her royal authority to the island.
However, in recent years, her national policy focused on the "Great Leap Forward in Agriculture," so she hadn't put much effort into developing Free Maiden Island.
By the time she began moving the First and Second Fleets to the island's southern tip, the only thing that had been rebuilt was a small town with fewer than a thousand households.
Free Maiden Island stretched over 300 kilometers, and Dany named the small towns on its southern and northern tips "South Haven" and "New York," respectively.
Yes, the Dragon Queen really planned to erect a Statue of Liberty-style maiden holding a torch at the entrance to Slaver's Bay.
In fact, she had initially considered founding a horsefolk nation and even creating a giant green fruit. She wanted to rename Astapor to London, Meereen to Paris, and Khaizhen to Washington.
Under the rule of the Great Green Fruit: London, Paris, Washington, Berlin, Moscow, Tokyo, Rome, and Vienna—eight great city-states.
Sounded kind of cool?
Well, she eventually gave up on that ridiculous idea. After all, she herself was the Queen of the realm.
Branding herself "Queen of the Great Green Fruit" would have disgusted others and embarrassed her just as much.
Still, "New York" remained. The Statue of the Free Maiden made more sense paired with New York.
South Haven was less than 300 kilometers from Tolos, making it the Dragon Queen's forward base for launching attacks on the allied forces.
She had no intention of permanently occupying Tolos at this time.
The Dragon Queen wanted to emulate Peng Yue.
Just as Peng Yue once harassed Chu, now Dany would harass the Alliance.
She wanted to keep the allied forces off-balance, attacking front and rear until they revealed all their cards.
She agreed with what the Imp had said—The allied army might have dragons!
(End of Chapter)
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