The Pentoshi palace glittered with silks and gold, but to Leonidas, it was no more than a gilded cage.
He had walked battlefields in another life—or perhaps a dream—and now stood in a foreign world of schemers and slavers. Yet the System's voice rang clear in his mind.
> [Quest Activated: Protect the Mother of Dragons.]
Failure: Death. Success: ???
He glanced across the marble courtyard. Daenerys Targaryen sat beneath a lemon tree, her silver-gold hair falling in soft waves. She was young, too young, her eyes lowered as her brother spoke sharply at her.
Viserys. Even without the System, Leonidas recognized the type: weak body, strong mouth. A man who mistook cruelty for strength.
The "dragon" stormed off, muttering about thrones and armies. Daenerys lingered in the shade, hugging her knees. Alone.
Leonidas approached, his bronze armor glinting. The Spartans he had summoned earlier remained stationed like statues near the gate, unnerving the Pentoshi servants.
She noticed him only when his shadow fell across her. Startled, she looked up—eyes wide, uncertain.
"Do not fear," Leonidas said. His voice was calm, steady, the tone of a man who had commanded warriors all his life. "I would not harm you."
Her lips parted. "Why… why do you call me queen?"
Leonidas knelt, shield resting beside him. "Because you are. Not by your brother's word, nor by marriage bargain, but by destiny."
"Destiny…" She whispered the word like it was foreign to her tongue.
"You are stronger than you believe," Leonidas said. His System pulsed in his mind, guiding his words. "A true ruler does not scream for crowns like a starving beggar. She inspires. She protects. She becomes the flame others gather around. And I see that flame in you."
Her eyes shimmered, though she quickly looked away. "You speak as though you know me. But we've only just met."
Leonidas allowed himself the faintest smile. "A Spartan knows his king—or queen—by the strength in their soul, not the years in their reign."
A silence stretched between them. In the distance, Illyrio's servants laughed, and the city hummed with life. But here, beneath the lemon tree, it felt as though only the two of them existed.
Finally, Daenerys whispered, "If you mean what you say… then do not leave me. Please."
Leonidas placed a hand on his shield, lowering his head. "On my honor, I will stand between you and the world. You have my spear. You have my oath."
The System chimed:
> [Bond Established: Daenerys Targaryen – Trust +10]
[Reward Unlocked: Spartan Training Grounds (Lv.1)]
And for the first time since arriving in this strange land, Leonidas felt not lost—
but chosen.