"The cause of death is clear—his throat was slashed open by shards of stained glass."
Morrafos's eyes shone red, though his excitement could not be hidden. The Tiger faction of Volantis lay shattered, Nyessos's supporters scattered or dead. Save for a handful of small towns still clinging on, the First Daughter of Valyria now lay wholly in his grasp.
Drogo prodded the slack jaw of Nyessos's corpse with the tip of his arakh, confirming the truth of the consul's words.
He pondered a moment, then asked, "He saw dragons and did not quail—yet he died with terror frozen on his face. What did he see at the end? Were there witnesses?"
Morrafos hesitated. "There was… a slave, shoveling dung for the elephants. He claimed to have seen something, but his tale is strange, unreal. The man was half-mad, muttering nonsense—I thought it unworthy of belief."
Drogo's curiosity stirred. "Strange? How strange?"
Morrafos delayed, then answered: "The slave said Nyessos was slain by a shadow—a dark, human-shaped shadow."
"Shadow… a human-shaped shadow," Drogo echoed, sinking into thought.
Seeing his khal fall silent, Morrafos grew angry. "That thrice-damned Summer Islander dared invent such lies? I'll have his tongue torn out!"
"No." Drogo raised a hand. "Leave him alive, Consul. Grant him freedom. Perhaps he spoke truth."
Then he pressed: "Did the slave know if the shadow was male or female? Any mark of a man… or of a woman?"
Morrafos frowned, recalling. "He said the shadow was bald, thin. That was all."
He had thought at the time it was but an assassin cloaked in black, mistaken for something else in the night. But that was all the slave had given him.
"Then it was not her. Not her…" Drogo muttered with disappointment. With a leap he mounted his flame-red stallion and rode off.
Grey Worm, who had been purging Nyessos's men alongside Morrafos, hurried to follow with his troops. Their task was done, and he longed to see again the delicate girl he adored.
She was the king's scribe, not his. A eunuch could not take her. Yet he could not help himself—Missandei was all he wished to look upon.
Morrafos watched Drogo vanish into the streets and shook his head. "How could a clever man put stock in the ravings of some low slave of the Red God?"
Within, though, his thoughts turned darker. Whoever slew Nyessos, whatever their purpose—they are my friend. To hunt further would be an insult to that friendship.
He raised his keen steel sword, and in one stroke severed his old comrade's head. Wiping the blade clean, he commanded with triumph, "Hang Nyessos's head in the middle of the Long Bridge. Let all know who is master of Volantis now!"
"Yes, Consul."
The Iron Elephants seized the head and marched off.
Morrafos was aged, many of his followers bought by the other two consuls. Few believed he could win another term.
But fate had turned. With Drogo's aid, he had achieved what none in centuries had managed—becoming sole ruler of Volantis.
Exultation swelled in him. He threw back his head and laughed.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
At the mansion gates, Drogo halted the tireless Unsullied. "Grey Worm, set camp in the central square. Let your men rest."
Then he dismounted, and with the steward's welcome, strode inside, ready for three hundred rounds of battle of another kind.
Yet after a few steps, he realized no bootsteps followed. He turned, puzzled. "Grey Worm, why do you still stand there?"
The young commander fidgeted like a girl, scratching his cropped head. "Your Grace, I… I…"
Drogo's temper flared. "Out with it!"
Startled, Grey Worm blurted, "Missandei. I wish to see Missandei."
Drogo lowered his gaze, voice uneasy. "Missandei is my scribe. What business have you with her at this hour?"
The king's tone was sharp, his face impatient. Grey Worm forced the restless ache in his chest down and straightened. "Nothing, Your Grace."
"Nothing? Then begone!"
The eunuch turned and left at once.
Drogo knew his mind too well. With a sigh, he thought, Another now shares in his loyalty. If the truth is revealed, will I lose him?
He had been forced into this path. If ever Grey Worm ceased to drink deep of the wine of courage and his heart betrayed him, then he would cease to be commander.
But such a chance was but one in a hundred. Drogo would ensure all was seamless.
Yet the burden weighed heavy. For love, he had driven another love to the edge of the cliff.
He entered the chamber once belonging to Morrafos, now his own. The room glowed with red candles, their wavering light a narcotic haze.
For a woman to live, for a woman to die, for a woman to fight a lifetime. So a saying had gone in another world.
Drogo felt it true—though he might conquer the world, he was yet conquered by its most bewitching creatures.
At least they made a man forget his cares. So he surrendered himself, until past midnight freed him again.
It was not that she was lacking, but that he could never lower his guard.
Lying back on featherbed, his eyes rolled white as a seer's.
And in that trance, on the warship where Daenerys was kept, Snowball opened its eyes.
Each night Drogo warged into the white lion, though it never showed him what he sought. Still, he felt the fox's tail was near revealed.
Soon he would ride to the fox's den.
The sea-night was cold. The Unsullied guarding their queen huddled round brazier fires, their patrols careless compared to Snowball's vigilance.
After Drogo and Missandei's visit, the lion no longer lay outside her cell—the stench within offended it.
Yet tonight it returned. For it was not the beast itself, but the khal's spirit within.
-
-
-
🐉 Dragon King of Ice and Fire
📢 Fire and Blood! 📢
This epic has 200+ chapters ahead on Patreon! 🐲🔥
Rule Westeros long before others catch up.
🛑 Also available:
Star Wars: The Rise of MandaloreCyberpunk: The RelentlessCyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a SystemMy Cyberpunk 2077 SimulatorMy Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the DreadfortThe Rebirth of Harry PotterStar Wars: Relics of the PastR18: Reincarnated in Her World
🔗 www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 SrMagnus🐦 https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
⚠️ The throne favors the strongest support!