War
The Pentoshi sky burned with torches. The feast had ended in chaos.
Drogo's bloodrider staggered into the hall with his nose shattered, and the whispers spread like wildfire: the bronze warriors had struck a khal's man. Honor demanded blood.
Now, the khalasar ringed Illyrio's gardens. Hundreds of horsemen, braids rattling with bells, circled like wolves scenting prey. Their shouts shook the air.
At their head rode Khal Drogo, his braid long enough to drag the ground, his bare chest gleaming with oil and scars. His eyes were dark fire, locked on Leonidas.
Daenerys stood frozen by the fountain, her hands clutched to her chest. Viserys cowered behind Illyrio, shrieking about "insults to dragons" and "servants who would be kings."
Leonidas stood at the courtyard's center, bronze armor gleaming in torchlight. His twelve Spartans formed up behind him, shields locked, spears braced. The red cloaks swayed in the night wind, a wall of defiance before forty thousand.
Drogo urged his horse forward until he towered above Leonidas. He spoke in guttural Dothraki, his bloodrider translating with scorn.
"The Khal says you have shamed his man. For this, you must pay with blood. Yours… or hers." He gestured at Daenerys.
Viserys' mouth twisted into a cruel smile.
Leonidas raised his shield, his voice calm but carrying. "Tell your Khal this: one Spartan is worth a hundred men. I stand not to beg, but to fight."
The Spartans slammed their shields, the thunder echoing through Pentos.
"A-oo! A-oo! A-oo!"
Drogo's eyes narrowed. He swung down from his horse, braids rattling. The crowd roared approval. The Khal would fight.
He drew his arakh, the curved steel catching the firelight.
Leonidas' System flared.
> [Boss Encounter: Khal Drogo]
HP: 1200 | Strength: 95 | Skill: Legendary Rider, Blood of the Stallion]
Victory Reward: ???]
Leonidas unslung his spear.
The courtyard exploded into noise as Drogo charged. The arakh flashed like lightning, but Leonidas met it with bronze and muscle. Clang! Sparks flew as steel struck shield. The force rattled his arm, but his stance held.
Drogo pressed, strike after strike, faster than any man Leonidas had faced. But Leonidas was a Spartan king reborn. His shield caught, his spear thrust, each movement measured, disciplined.
The Spartans roared behind him, their chant beating like a war drum.
"For Sparta! For our Queen!"
Drogo laughed even as blood welled from a shallow cut on his shoulder. The Khal loved battle, and here was a warrior unlike any he'd known.
Then Drogo swept low, arakh biting for Leonidas' legs. Leonidas pivoted, shield slammed, and with a roar, drove his spear forward.
The bronze tip kissed Drogo's cheek, drawing a thin red line. Gasps tore from the khalasar. Blood had been drawn from the Khal himself.
Drogo froze. Then he smiled, wide and savage.
He raised his bloodied hand to the crowd, shouting in Dothraki. The words rolled like thunder.
The bloodrider translated, voice shaking. "The Khal says… you are no coward. You are warrior. You may live. And the silver-haired girl… may live too. For now."
The horsemen howled approval.
Drogo sheathed his arakh, mounting his horse once more. He rode off into the night, laughter booming.
But his eyes had said everything: this was not the end.
The Spartans lowered their shields. Leonidas turned to Daenerys. She stood wide-eyed, trembling — but her gaze held awe, not fear.
The System chimed:
> [Critical Event Completed: Duel with the Khal.]
[Reward: Spartan Phalanx Expansion – 300 warriors unlocked.]
[New Title Acquired: "The Shield of the Dragon Queen."]
Leonidas exhaled, his knuckles white around his spear. The war was not yet here, but it was coming.
And he would be ready.