NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 161: The Stillborn Child of the Mother of Dragons
Viserys knew he wasn't yet skilled enough to engage in the intricate and perilous dance of life and death with the enigmatic Shiera. Yet, the thought of abandoning the wealth of magic, knowledge, and experience locked within her was unbearable. He had heard rumors of Shiera's secret library, a treasure trove that could hold countless coveted relics and forbidden texts.
"Senior, I can offer you some dragon blood. Would that be of any use to you?" he ventured.
"Dragon blood?" Shiera's eyes gleamed with sudden interest. It was clear that dragon blood held significant value to her.
"Yes, real dragon blood," Viserys confirmed.
"How much do you have? I'll take it all!" Shiera replied eagerly.
"I can only offer you this glass," he said, pointing to the small wine glass on the table.
"Five glasses!" she countered.
"I don’t have that much."
"Two glasses, then."
"Agreed," Viserys nodded, "but you’ll have to do me a favor in return."
The pact was sealed quickly, and Shiera was set to return to Lys soon. Viserys knew that Feles, who had recently joined his side, was weak and of limited use. But if Shiera, with her vast knowledge and power, could be persuaded to join him, it would be a game-changer.
"Feles?" Shiera scoffed. "I know him well. He doesn’t have a drop of Dragonlord blood in his veins, not even a trace."
Satisfied with their temporary agreement, Viserys took the opportunity to ask Shiera how she had known so much about him.
She revealed two key insights about the Dragonlords. First, she had been able to locate Viserys through her unique constitution, which passively connected her to others of Targaryen blood. Her ability to use blood magic, combined with this connection, allowed her to divine information about Viserys with remarkable efficiency. In the Valyrian era, Shiera explained, those of the most noble Dragonlord families often had individuals with similar abilities.
Shiera then divulged that she had originally been created by House Sennesta, one of the most powerful and prestigious Dragonlord families. At their peak, they had commanded 275 dragons.
"Wait, created?" Viserys caught onto the crucial detail.
"It's not surprising you didn’t know. All Dragonlords were created, which is why they insist on marrying close relatives," Shiera explained.
Viserys scratched his head, signaling that he wanted to hear more.
"Did the Targaryen family produce many deformed fetuses when they married within the family?" Shiera asked.
Viserys nodded.
"The more noble the Dragonlord family, the higher the likelihood of producing deformed or stillborn fetuses. Take the House Sennesta, for example. Almost every birth resulted in twins, where one twin was deformed or stillborn while the other was healthy."
"So, does that mean the more powerful the Dragonlord family, the more unstable their bloodline?" Viserys asked.
"Bloodline?" Shiera echoed, then added, "Yes, you could put it that way. The fact that House Targaryen has never produced a mutant suggests your bloodline is relatively stable."
Seeing Viserys’ confusion, Shiera elaborated further. "A ‘mutant’ refers to a fetus with dragon-like traits that survives—such as wings on its back, horns on its head, or scales on its body. It’s said that these mutants, if they survive, grow up to have extraordinary magical abilities."
Viserys recalled that Rhaego, the son of Daenerys and Khal Drogo, was rumored to have been born with wings and scales. He wasn’t sure if the child had been stillborn, given that the maegi who attended the birth was untrustworthy. It wasn’t impossible that witchcraft had been used to kill Rhaego.
Feeling overwhelmed by this revelation on his first day in Myr, Viserys told Shiera he needed time to process everything. He promised to send her some dragon blood later, and she agreed.
...
After leaving Shiera, Viserys returned to his ship. Feles and the Red Viper had been productive, finalizing their alliance in just two days.
"The commander in Myr might be a noble named Cassiel, who seems to have some influence," Feles informed Viserys. According to him, Myr had decided to join the alliance almost immediately upon reviewing the contract. They had little choice—Tyrosh controlled the Stepstones, and taxing trade routes was cutting into Myr’s profits. Myr, heavily involved in import and export trade, saw the alliance as a lucrative opportunity for future gains.
After a brief discussion, Red Viper and Viserys turned their attention to fire magic. Red Viper produced a candle and attempted to light another one from a distance. Despite his efforts, he could only "pull" the flame slightly, unable to match Viserys’s skill.
"How long have you been practicing?" Viserys asked. "Read the notes I gave you carefully. I estimate it should take about half a year."
"It’s going to be half a year," Red Viper replied, sounding a bit disappointed.
Viserys could sense that Red Viper wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the coalition operation. Nevertheless, as long as Sunspear's army could reach Tyrosh, their alliance would hold. With the agreement finalized, everyone decided to return to their respective lands.
Viserys handed the ship over to Red Viper, who would sail back to Sunspear. Meanwhile, Viserys and Feles chose to travel by land, planning to head to Dragon’s Flame Fortress before making their way to Tyrosh. But first, they needed to send a message to Daenerys.
...
Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking...
"Ser Jorah! Ser Jorah!"
Jorah, who had been enjoying the company of a prostitute, hurried out, his expression anxious.
"Princess," he greeted as he met Daenerys.
"My brother is back, and he wants you to come with me to meet him," Daenerys said, her tone serious.
"Huh? How do you—how do you know?" Jorah stammered.
"My brother doesn’t want to discuss it," she replied, her expression resolute. "I need you to come with me now."
"Okay... okay, just give me a moment," Jorah agreed, quickly dressing despite the reluctance of leaving his comfort behind. He wouldn’t dare complain; everything he had now was because of Viserys. After breaking ties with the Iron Throne, he had expected his life to worsen. Instead, he found himself leading over 300 men in a mercenary group, a position he hadn’t anticipated.
Viserys’s sudden disappearances and reappearances had become normal, so Jorah didn’t question it. He quickly gathered a few guards, ready to depart. But just as they were about to leave, two skinny, teenage slaves suddenly ran up to Daenerys.
"Young Mother, Young Mother, it’s bad! Someone’s trying to kidnap someone!"
The boys were out of breath, and one looked as pale as a ghost. It was clear that they had escaped from some terrible situation and were even more terrified by what they had witnessed.
"Calm down, and tell me what’s happening," Daenerys urged them gently.
