A starving lioness arrived several miles outside the army camp.
She knew there was fresh meat ahead.
Enough meat to feed her entire pride.
But she also knew that if she approached those nests surrounded by bonfires too closely, she would be killed.
So she found a place sheltered from the wind and waited quietly.
In the middle of the night, a group of "iron-skinned" beasts left the burning camp.
The lioness became excited, thinking the humans were finally leaving.
Unfortunately, even after waiting until dawn, many of the iron beasts still remained there.
The grasslands were home not only to horse lords, but also wolves and lions.
The smell of blood had drawn every predator within a hundred miles. Yet none of them dared approach.
Tens of thousands of armored two-legged beasts guarded the place, keeping them all at bay.
The Volantene army spent the entire night enduring the foul stench.
The next morning, when Malaqo awoke, he received a strange report: the Targaryen army had withdrawn overnight.
They had clearly won a great victory, so such behavior made little sense.
Malaqo sent men to investigate and discovered that only the Pentoshi remained behind.
Aside from the Pentoshi, the Norvoshi and Braavosi were all still present.
Malaqo immediately sought out Tormo and Urom, and the three gathered together to discuss the situation.
"There must be some urgent matter forcing Viserys to return to Gohor," said the Volantene noble Alios, who had accompanied Malaqo. "Could there be a rebellion?"
"A rebellion?" Tormo shook his head. "Not only does he have his Kingsguard stationed in Gohor, but the Queen Mother is there as well. Do you really think she would allow anything to threaten her son's throne?"
"And you people don't understand just how much the common folk of Gohor adore their king.
From top to bottom, none of them would accept anyone but Viserys as king.
Probably not even that nephew of his."
"Since arriving at Vaes Dothrak, none of us have actually seen Viserys himself. Have you noticed that?" Malaqo suddenly asked.
At first, none of them had paid much attention to the anomaly.
After all, Viserys had just fought a brutal battle. It was reasonable to assume he was exhausted and resting.
More importantly, he had defeated the Great Khal. A little arrogance afterward was understandable.
But now, combined with the Targaryen army slipping away without a word, the whole situation felt suspicious.
They had clearly won a great victory, so why act as though they were hiding something?
If any one of them had defeated Drogo, they would have made sure the entire world knew.
They would probably have erected a giant statue of themselves atop the Holy Mother Mountain before being satisfied.
"Unless Viserys cannot meet us," Malaqo speculated.
"He's injured?" Urom asked worriedly.
"Or perhaps dead," Tormo said.
The expressions of everyone present changed instantly.
Tormo looked toward Malaqo, and at the same time, joy appeared on both of their faces.
They had both thought of the same possibility... The best possible outcome.
Viserys and Drogo had perished together.
For a moment, wild delight spread through both Malaqo and Tormo.
Compared to Tormo, however, Malaqo felt a bit more certain.
Drogo had been monstrously strong. How could someone like that die so easily at Viserys's hands?
But he could not share that thought aloud, otherwise he would appear too shameless.
Tormo immediately turned toward one of his attendants.
"Take the fastest ship available and investigate immediately. I want to know whether Viserys is alive or dead. Report directly to the Sealord."
"Yes, my lord!"
At that moment, everyone present shared the same thought: If Viserys truly was dead, then things could not have turned out better.
The threat of the Dothraki had been eliminated. And now the threat of Gohor might be gone as well.
Viserys had given the Free Cities a safer world, while taking nothing for himself. He was practically the kindest man in existence.
They ought to build him a monument as tall as the Wall.
Meanwhile, in Gohor—
Butterflies fluttered through the gardens of the Dragon Palace while guards clad in gleaming armor stood watch in the distance.
Sunlight reflected from their armor, giving the entire palace a sense of safety.
The maidservants whispered quietly among themselves.
Many of their family members had marched to war alongside Viserys.
The palace maids of Gohor—or simply palace women—had all been selected from the families of the three hundred thousand refugees Viserys had brought with him to Gohor.
The Targaryen royal family knew their backgrounds thoroughly.
Not only were palace maids chosen from among them, but even Viserys's royal guards had mostly been recruited from those same families.
Because their relatives were away on campaign, the girls could not help but worry.
"Don't worry," an older palace maid comforted the younger girls beside her. "His Majesty has never lost a battle before. He'll definitely return victorious this time too."
They all had immense faith in Viserys.
One could even say they had grown up listening to stories of his legendary deeds over the past few years.
At that moment, a woman in red robes appeared.
Two maids immediately stepped forward to greet her.
"Lady Melisandre, may we ask what brings you here?"
"I have come to see Princess Elia."
At that moment, Elia and Lyanna were organizing the story manuscripts Viserys had left behind.
The [Targaryen Story Collection] Viserys created had further elevated the image of House Targaryen.
Originally, Viserys had wanted to title the book Targaryen Fairy Tales.
It included stories familiar from another world, such as Alibaba and the Forty Thieves, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid.
But considering the literacy level of the common people in this era, there was little distinction between children's stories and adult reading material.
So, under Elia's suggestion, the title had been changed to [Targaryen Story Collection].
"Princess Elia, Melisandre wishes to see you."
At the mention of the red priestess, neither woman looked particularly pleased.
They still did not understand why Viserys allowed Melisandre to teach young Aegon.
To them, she was nothing more than a mystic charlatan.
Despite her private dislike, Elia still treated Melisandre with the proper courtesy.
"Lady Melisandre, may I ask why you've come?"
Melisandre stared directly at Elia and spoke calmly. "There is something you must convey to Queen Rhaella."
"Oh? Please, go ahead."
Because Melisandre seemed connected to the fire mages, Rhaella had never liked her either.
Still, Elia decided to hear her out first. She wanted to know what exactly Melisandre wished her to relay.
Melisandre took a deep breath before speaking.
"His Majesty Viserys fell in battle at the Holy Mother Mountain."
___________
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