Daenerys Targaryen had a slight smile on her lips, her violet eyes fixed on Jorah Mormont, who was earnestly answering her questions.
When Jorah finished speaking, Daenerys slowly nodded and said, "Ser, the feeling of leaving one's home is terrible, and I can empathize with that. You should start anew."
Daenerys lowered her gaze to look at the golden bracelet Governor Illyrio had given her, adorned with dazzling gems, looking exquisite and luxurious.
"Ser Jorah, I would like to hire you as my guard..."
As Daenerys spoke, she took the bracelet off her wrist and handed it to Borona, who was standing nearby.
"Is this enough?"
As Borona approached, Jorah met her gaze.
Looking at Borona, Jorah recalled the women of Bear Island; they were all excellent warriors, no less capable than men.
Borona's physique was tall and robust, as if full of power; she was a battle-hardened warrior.
Ironborn or wildlings from the frozen coast often raided Bear Island when the men were out fishing, forcing the women of Bear Island to take up arms and fight the invaders, which led to a unique warrior culture among the women of Bear Island.
Jorah, who had once been the Lord of Bear Island and the head of House Mormont, was very familiar with such women.
Jorah averted his gaze and looked at the corpse lying on the ground again.
Join or die?
A barely perceptible curve appeared on Jorah's lips, and he sighed inwardly: Truly worthy of House Targaryen's bloodline.
With a large hand, Jorah took the golden bracelet: "Your Highness, you are generous enough. I am now your guard!"
Jorah had witnessed the situation here; Daenerys could only force him to make a choice.
Hearing Jorah's clear answer, Daenerys also breathed a sigh of relief; she did not want to harm innocent people.
...
Viserys suddenly stopped muttering and strode towards Daenerys.
Viserys's voice was sharp: "Who did it? Was it you?!"
Borona reached out and stopped Viserys, who was trying to get close to Daenerys.
Viserys was so angry he wanted to stomp his feet: "Who are you? Do you know who I am? I am the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Viserys Targaryen III, the one true King of the Iron Throne!"
Daenerys trembled, taking a quiet breath.
When Viserys walked towards her so "aggressively," her legs actually wanted to run away, as if they had suddenly lost control.
Jorah, who was quietly observing Daenerys, noticed her abnormality.
Jorah stood beside Borona, his tall figure silently blocking Viserys.
"You, you..."
Viserys first looked left, then right, and shrieked: "Jorah Mormont, how dare you betray the King?"
Jorah tightened his grip on the hilt of the longsword at his waist and nodded: "I apologize, I have not betrayed. I was your guest before, but now I am a guard hired by Her Highness. My duty is to protect the Princess's safety."
"You!"
A fierce hatred appeared in Viserys's eyes: "Jorah Mormont! I will never forget your betrayal!"
Facing Viserys's threat, Jorah remained unmoved, firmly blocking him.
...
Daenerys finally regained control of her legs.
Daenerys stared at Viserys: "Brother, I executed Illyrio. Are you trying to attract the Unblemished guards outside the courtyard like this?"
After a pause, Viserys, separated by the guards, pointed at Daenerys: "It's you! You ruined my plan! Without Illyrio, how can I reclaim the Iron Throne!"
Viserys lowered his voice, but Daenerys could still hear the anger in his tone.
Daenerys's petite figure walked over: "Thank you. We can't waste any more time. Please move the people on the ground into the house and prepare more kindling."
Jorah raised his hand to stop Borona, who was about to move, and said, "Leave it to me."
Borona understood Jorah's meaning, nodded slightly, did not move her feet, and continued to guard the Princess.
"Brother, Illyrio wanted to manipulate us. On the surface, he seemed to be helping with all his might, but his true purpose was to groom you into a puppet to be manipulated at will."
Viserys was startled at first, then sneered: "How do you know? Besides, what does it matter? I'll just kill him after I reclaim the Iron Throne."
Daenerys opened her mouth. She wanted to tell her brother that Illyrio would kill her first.
Also, Illyrio was cunning and insidious. How could her brother be his match? At that time, it was estimated that everyone around Viserys would be Illyrio's subordinate.
In such circumstances, once her brother had children, it would also be his death, because infants were easier to control, and he could even legitimately act as Regent of the kingdom.
The various exchanges with Greene these days had played a role, making Daenerys think of many things in an instant.
Was this Illyrio's conspiracy?
...
"Brother, give me some time, and I will help you prepare enough troops to reclaim the Iron Throne!"
Viserys looked at his thin, small sister with disdain: "You? How much time do you want me to give you? Ten years, twenty years?!"
Daenerys shook her head slightly, her eyes firm: "Three years at most!"
Viserys's eyes moved, and he couldn't help but probe: "Do you really have a way? But three years is too long! I wish I could kill all the usurpers tomorrow. I'll give you one year at most!"
Daenerys hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, one year!"
Viserys was startled at first, then his face broke into a joyful expression: "My good sister, only you understand me best. I only need ten thousand soldiers, I only need the Iron Throne! As long as I reclaim the Iron Throne, I will not forget your contribution!"
"Brother, I have a condition."
Viserys suppressed the ecstasy in his heart: "Speak, speak, I will agree to anything!"
Daenerys's violet eyes glanced at Borona, and she said: "After reclaiming the Iron Throne, I hope you will confer Greene Kleber as Duke of Eyrie and give him the Vale to rule."
Viserys's smile faded, and he frowned.
Daenerys continued: "When my brother's troops set foot on Westeros, Count Greene will raise an army of ten thousand to assist."
Viserys smiled... Adding his ten thousand, that would be twenty thousand soldiers, enough!
"Daenerys, since it is your request, of course I will grant it! I am a generous King, and this is a King's promise. When I reclaim the Iron Throne, I will give the Vale to Count Greene!"
Viserys inwardly added bitterly: The War of the Usurper was started by Jon Arryn, so it will be a good opportunity to execute the entire House Arryn!
Daenerys couldn't help but show a satisfied expression: True dragons ride horses!
...
Once everything was ready, Jorah handed a torch to the standing Daenerys.
"Thank you, Ser."
Daenerys took the torch, gazed at the house for a moment, and then threw the torch away.
"Let's go."
Daenerys turned around, intending to brazenly leave Governor Illyrio's residence while the fire was starting.
"Wait."
Viserys stopped Daenerys: "Daenerys, are you planning to walk out through the main gate? Have you forgotten that you executed Illyrio?"
"Brother, no one knows yet. We need to leave quickly. Someone will meet us at the dock."
Because he was constantly hunted by assassins, Viserys had been hiding with his sister since childhood, and he was extremely experienced in such matters.
Recalling his past experiences, Viserys's face darkened.
"I know a place where we can leave faster and avoid the guards."
Daenerys did not doubt Viserys's words. Although she had never seen the assassins her brother spoke of, they had developed a tacit understanding since childhood.
As for the assassins her brother mentioned... either they were her brother's hallucinations, or her brother had always protected her very well!
"Brother, we'll follow you."
Viserys was very satisfied with Daenerys's attitude; he felt he had regained the initiative.
The fire had started, and there was no time to delay. Viserys stopped speaking and took steps in another direction.
...
Pentos Port.
Daenerys saw Dick, who Greene had described as looking like a thief.
Watching Dick bow, Daenerys pursed her lips, suppressing a smile.
Dick's eyes darted around, quietly observing the silver-haired man and woman in front of him.
"Good evening, Your Highness. The ship is ready and can set sail at any time! Dick of Kleber, at your command!"
A faint smile appeared on Daenerys's lips: "Thank you, Dick!"
Everyone stepped onto the ship via the gangplank.
Daenerys was petite. Dick walked beside her, leaning down and lowering his voice: "Your Highness, this ship was specially left for you by Lord Greene. Although it's a bit small, it's very fast.
Also, the twenty guards Lord Greene left for you at the trading company, I've brought them all! Including the sailors on board, no matter where you go, they will follow and protect you."
Daenerys couldn't help but curve her lips, she lightly coughed and said, "Dick of Kleber, you did very well, thank you for your trouble."
Dick was pleased, he puffed out his chest and raised his head, not hiding his joy.
Daenerys's eyebrows slightly raised… The rogue Dick, a bit too impetuous, but also clever.
At this moment, the ship's captain shouted, "Hurry up, Port Patrol!"
Daenerys stopped and looked back, spotting tiny specks of fire in the distance.
Othana unsheathed her longsword with a whoosh and said, "Your Highness, it is forbidden to sail at night from Pentos Port! Borona, you stay here and protect the Princess, I will take my men to deal with the patrol!"
Daenerys nodded slightly: "Othana, be careful, I'll wait for you here!"
Othana nodded towards Daenerys, called a few soldiers, stepped onto the wooden plank, and descended from the ship.
Othana urged the busy sailors, "Are your legs weak? Hurry up!"
...
The patrol also came following the fire, indeed someone was trying to set sail at night!
There were eight people in the patrol, and they all unconsciously revealed greedy smiles, tonight there was unexpected wealth!
"Stop right there, everyone on the ship get down!"
Shouting, the patrol quickened their steps, and they soon discovered Othana and her group standing silently.
"Don't you know…"
Before he could finish speaking, Othana swung her longsword, slitting the patrol captain's throat.
Othana's movements were swift, her longsword pierced the enemy's chest, and she kicked the enemy away, blood slowly dripping along the blade.
The other enemies only then reacted, pulling out their weapons one after another.
Othana thrust her sword again, diagonally into the neck of the nearest enemy, and everyone immediately engaged in close combat.
Puff, puff, puff… The advantage of Crab Claw Peninsula was fully demonstrated at this moment.
The soldiers from Crab Claw Peninsula were all elites who had survived countless large and small wars; the Pentos patrol was almost instantly laid down in a pool of blood.
A certain soldier said contemptuously, "So weak!"
Othana casually wiped her longsword on the enemy's clothes and sheathed it.
Whoosh ~ The sound of an arrow cutting through the air was exceptionally loud in the silent night.
"It's me!"
Anguy's tall and thin figure quietly appeared from the darkness.
Othana's hand left the sword hilt: "Anguy? Why are you here?"
"Actually, there were nine of them in total, one person was following behind alone, and just now he tried to sneak away, so I took action!"
Anguy first pointed in one direction and explained.
During small-scale battles, Cleber Soldiers disliked it most when someone snatched a kill, because this was related to personal military achievements. Anguy, a natural archer, completely corrected some of his habits after being taught a few times by his companions.
Anguy had always longed for large-scale wars, the more enemies the better, in his eyes, they were all walking military merits.
Othana's laughter was hearty: "That kill is yours!"
Anguy shrugged: "Greene told me to stay and secretly look after Dick."
This was the superficial excuse; Anguy's real mission was to find an opportunity to assassinate Illyrio. Greene's order was not to reveal his identity and gave him a year's time.
But now, when Anguy saw the Governor's mansion on fire, he thought it was a blessing from the Gods, allowing him to complete his mission early.
After sneaking in and investigating, he found out that Governor Illyrio seemed to have perished in the fire.
The shortcut to being knighted was gone just like that, and the feeling of loss was indescribable. Anguy could only sigh up to the sky.
"By the way, between Borona and me, who do you plan to marry?"
...
On the ship, Viserys witnessed Daenerys's guards taking down enemies as easily as cutting vegetables.
His eyes gleamed: "Are these Earl Greene's soldiers? Are you too strong, or are they too weak?"
I understand this… Dick consciously replied, "Your Majesty, we are too strong! Cleber Soldiers are born for battle, die for battle, every one of them is an elite! This is also the reason why the Usurpers have always suppressed us; they are afraid that we will seek revenge once we regain our strength."
Aren't our enemies the Vale? Although Borona was confused by this point, everything else was well said, so she didn't say anything, just nodded in agreement with Dick, increasing the credibility of Dick's words.
Viserys's face showed relief: "The Usurpers are thieves, most afraid of retaliation, living in nightmares every day! Earl Greene is excellent, a loyal subject of House Targaryen, I will not forget your contributions."
For Viserys, as long as someone could send troops to help him reclaim the Iron Throne, they were loyal subjects of the Dragon House.
Daenerys watched everyone discuss Kleber's combat strength, her eyes full of smiles.
Soon, the sailors began to pull up the wooden planks, and Othana and the others returned to the ship.
Anguy, who followed Othana onto the ship, proactively saluted Daenerys: "Good evening, Your Highness, I am Earl Greene's personal guard, my name is Anguy."
Viserys was initially a bit angry when he saw Anguy saluting his sister first, but upon hearing Anguy's name, he lost all interest; a mere commoner was not qualified to know a true dragon.
Personal guard? Could it be… Daenerys shook her head, denying this possibility.
Daenerys directly asked, "Good evening, Warrior Anguy, why are you here?"
Daenerys's beauty was dazzling, Anguy averted his gaze, scratching his head awkwardly, and explained, "Greene has always been uneasy about you staying at the Governor's mansion, so he specifically left me behind. My mission is to secretly guard your safety. When I saw Your Highness was leaving Pentos, I had no choice but to reveal myself."
Because this was Anguy's pre-prepared public reason, he felt this explanation was very reasonable and nodded after speaking.
Borona suddenly added, "Your Highness, Anguy is the strongest archer in Klaeb Territory."
Borona's eyes sparkled as she spoke, staring at Anguy.
After hearing Anguy's words, Daenerys felt her cheeks flush slightly: "Anguy, thank you. How would you like me to arrange for you?"
Anguy placed his hand on his chest and said, "Your Highness, I will temporarily follow you. Although the plan has changed, my mission is still to guard your safety."
Although there was an unexpected turn in the mission objective, Anguy felt ashamed to return to the territory just like that.
Moreover, the atmosphere had been built up to this point, and strictly speaking, the Princess was currently in exile, so he couldn't just leave immediately. At the very least, he had to wait until the Princess settled down.
Also, Anguy was a natural archer, and his intuition told him that an even greater merit might be waiting for him.
Daenerys gazed at the blazing Governor's mansion for a while, then turned and walked towards the bow of the ship.
Everyone naturally followed behind her petite figure.
Viserys watched, clenching his fists, and only released them after a long while.
I will only wait one year; if he breaks his promise, he will let his sister witness the true wrath of the sleeping dragon!
"Princess Daenerys, where are we going?"
"Tell the captain, we're heading south."
...
...
The next day, Narrow Sea, the mermaid.
In the distance where the sea met the sky, the morning sun was slowly rising, like a red gem, shining brightly.
The first mate suddenly shouted, "Captain, we've spotted a pirate ship!"
Reik Snow, who was in a daze, immediately woke up and hurried over.
After observing for a while, Reik's smile deepened: "You're not wrong, it is indeed a pirate ship!"
"Reik, have we encountered a pirate ship?"
Hearing Greene's voice, Reik immediately turned around.
Facing Reik's expectant gaze, Greene's eye twitched.
After a pause, Greene nodded slightly.
Reik, having received Greene's approval, excitedly shouted orders: "Pirate ship spotted! Get closer!"
"Yes, Captain!"
He wanted to seize the opportunity of Greene being on the ship!
Reik had already witnessed the terror of the lord's arrows; he wished more pirate ships would come, just to expand the size of the Kleber fleet.
Greene looked at the most enthusiastic Reik and smiled: "Martial, prepare your bow and arrows."
It's not easy to encounter a pirate ship on the vast sea.
If possible, Greene also hoped to encounter more pirate ships during the voyage.
Mainly to take the opportunity to train the newly recruited sailors and capture a few pirate ships along the way.
Since it was already called the Kleber fleet, it should at least start with ten warships in the initial stage, and then gradually expand its scale.
Greene pinched his chin.
Prime Minister Jon had already passed away, leaving only King Robert.
The adaptation training for sea transport of troops also needed to be expedited; Greene had been eyeing the Vale's chrysanthemums for a long time.
...
Ten days later, Mermaid Port.
Morning mist steamed over the sea, forming a faint veil, and 9 ships flying the swamp marigold flag appeared indistinctly.
The the mermaid, carrying Greene, slowly docked at the pier.