Chapter 115
Inside the Great Pyramid of Meereen, Daenerys sat motionless on a chair, tear stains still visible on her face. Missandei, Shireen, and the others remained quietly beside her, waiting for news.
Of the twenty Unsullied sent out of the city, six had already returned—none with any sign of Drogon or the other two dragons.
Each report with no news nearly broke her again. Every time, her fear for Drogon grew worse.
She had seen his condition when he left—she knew how much pain he had been in. And she feared it might only be getting worse. The thought alone made fresh tears spill down her cheeks.
Just then, an Unsullied burst into the room, panting.
"Y–Your Grace! I—I and Little Pigeon found Drogon! They're on the far side of the Skahazadhan River!"
"You found him?" Daenerys sprang to her feet and rushed over. "How is he? How is he now?"
"The river's too deep to cross," the Unsullied reported quickly. "But I saw Drogon stand up and walk. Rhaegal and Viserion are with him."
Hearing that Drogon was alive—and even able to move—Daenerys broke down in tears of relief.
"Prepare horses!" she ordered the guards outside. "I'm going to see Drogon."
She couldn't calm down unless she saw him with her own eyes. Not for a single second could she remain here.
Shireen, equally relieved, insisted on coming along. Missandei, Jorah, and more than thirty guards joined them.
The horses were quickly readied. Daenerys mounted at once and galloped off behind the reporting Unsullied.
Drogon wasn't far from Meereen—just over fifty kilometers away. The search parties had only failed because they'd been guessing his flight path.
An hour later, they reached the opposite bank of the river. Only after seeing Drogon with her own eyes did Daenerys finally feel her heart settle.
They tested the water depth—it was impassable. Unable to cross, Daenerys waved desperately at him from the shore.
Drogon had already seen her coming. He let out a low roar toward Rhaegal, signaling her to carry Daenerys across the river.
Although Rhaegal had never carried a rider before, with her current strength she should have been able to fly Daenerys across.
When Rhaegal flew toward her, Daenerys immediately understood Drogon's intention—and at the same time, her heart tightened with worry for him.
From a distance, Drogon didn't seem critically injured. Yet the fact that he had Rhaegal come for her instead of carrying her himself meant one thing clearly enough: he no longer had the strength to fly with her.
After reaching the far bank, Rhaegal nudged Daenerys with her large head and then lowered herself to the ground beside her.
Rhaegal had never flown with a human before, but she had seen Drogon do it countless times. Copying him shouldn't be too hard—or so she thought.
Despite it being her first time riding Rhaegal, Daenerys wasn't afraid at all. She sat steadily on Rhaegal's back, patted her reassuringly, and waited for takeoff.
Seeing that Daenerys was ready, Rhaegal pushed hard with her legs. Her body rocked twice—yet she didn't lift off.
She had to strain again before finally managing to stand.
Feeling Rhaegal's struggle, Daenerys couldn't help but realize just how vast the difference in strength was between her and Drogon.
She clearly remembered Drogon's first flight with her over the sea. Back then, he had been much smaller than Rhaegal—and yet he'd taken off effortlessly.
Rhaegal, of course, had no idea she was being compared. All she knew was that Daenerys was far heavier than she'd imagined.
When she saw how easily Drogon had carried Daenerys before, she'd assumed it would be simple. Only now did she realize just how wrong she'd been.
After finally standing, Rhaegal didn't attempt to leap straight across the river. Instead, she ran along the riverbank, pushing hard with her claws to gain speed—just like a fledgling learning to fly.
Sensing Rhaegal's effort, Daenerys quickly gripped the neck spines tightly, afraid she might fall before even reaching Drogon.
Watching Rhaegal stagger into the air with Daenerys on her back, Jorah and Missandei grew visibly anxious. None of them had expected it to be this difficult.
After nearly fifty meters of running, Rhaegal finally lifted off, wobbling as she did. Afraid Daenerys might lose her balance, she kept her flight steady and shallow, avoiding sharp movements. Only after stabilizing did she turn and head toward Drogon.
Crossing the surging river, Rhaegal landed on the grass not far from Drogon. But clearly inexperienced with landings while carrying a rider, she failed to stop in time and slid forward several more steps before coming to a halt.