Seeing the black-sailed, red-hulled ship pursuing them like a sea serpent, Captain Groleo said to Daenerys Targaryen with a pale face and absolute certainty:
"The Silence is definitely moving at over twenty knots!"
Against merchant ships that could only manage seven or eight knots, escape was practically impossible.
"I finally understand now," Groleo muttered through clenched teeth, wiping cold sweat from his brow. "That 'Red Demon' people have been talking about in the eastern Summer Sea—it's this ship. The Silence. No wonder the New Ghis sailors said no vessel ever escapes once it's spotted. It's simply too fast."
Barristan Selmy, disguised as Whitebeard, wanted to avoid a fight. He even ordered Daenerys's banner—a black three-headed dragon on a red field—to be raised atop the mast.
Any man from Westeros would recognize what it represented.
"Perhaps he may wish to swear loyalty to Her Grace," the old knight said with obvious distaste.
Even someone like Jorah Mormont, a disgraced knight, already failed to impress Barristan much. A murderous pirate like this was someone he truly despised. Still, the enemy appeared frighteningly confident, and the old man hoped to avoid needless bloodshed.
Unfortunately, the pursuing ship showed no intention of backing off. Instead, it accelerated even more aggressively.
Through her black dragon's eyes, Daenerys could even make out the cold smile curling at Euron Greyjoy's lips.
Euron, known as "Crow's Eye," was easy to identify. The one-eyed man stood atop the sterncastle with a spyglass in hand, calmly observing his "prey."
Looking carefully, Daenerys realized he was surprisingly handsome.
He appeared to be in his early thirties, with black hair and beard. Like Jorah, he wore smoky-black plate armor, though without a helmet. His exposed skin was pale, yet his features were strikingly attractive. One eye was hidden behind an eyepatch, while the remaining blue eye glittered brightly with an oddly charming warmth, as though it were smiling directly at you.
Beside the sinisterly charismatic pirate stood a towering black-skinned giant over two meters tall. Muscles bulged across his body, glistening with oil beneath the sunlight.
The man held a massive horn in his arms.
It resembled a saxophone somewhat, though smoother and more curved—more like a gigantic ram's horn enlarged tenfold.
The twisted horn measured nearly six feet long, black in color and covered in crimson-gold patterns. Its surface gleamed with polished darkness.
Meanwhile, Groleo had already maneuvered the three ships into a defensive triangular formation. All sails were furled to prevent fires during combat.
Once the two oared warships began launching flaming projectiles at the Silence, Euron also lowered his sails and relied entirely on oarsmen to propel the vessel.
At five hundred meters away, the Silence altered course.
Instead of charging directly in, it circled like a hunting lion, probing for weaknesses.
"Is the man opposite us Lord Euron Greyjoy?" Barristan shouted toward the blood-red pirate ship.
He spoke in the Common Tongue.
His booming voice carried cleanly across the sea.
Daenerys smirked. "I never expected someone your age to still have such powerful lungs, Arstan."
"My princess," Whitebeard replied proudly, "the knight I once served told me that on a battlefield, a loud voice is just as important as tactical skill."
After thinking about it, Daenerys decided he had a point.
A commanding voice not only conveyed orders effectively during battle, but also boosted morale.
At the very least, in the middle of chaos, the soldiers knew their leader was still alive.
"In Westeros, whose squire were you?" Jorah asked, eyes flickering with amusement.
"A knight far greater than you," Whitebeard snorted.
"I am Euron Greyjoy!" Euron's booming reply echoed back. "Is that King Viserys aboard your ships?"
He clearly had the makings of a great commander himself.
Unfortunately, his information was badly outdated. He apparently didn't even know Viserys Targaryen was dead.
Which also meant—
He probably didn't know Daenerys had dragons.
"Euron, this fleet belongs to Queen Daenerys Targaryen," Barristan shouted back. "Do you seek iron payment from us?"
Twelve thousand years earlier, the First Men had invaded Westeros. Some settled among the islands of Ironman's Bay, forming a unique culture and religion.
These people called themselves ironborn.
Among ironborn culture, warriors seized spoils from defeated enemies as "paying the iron price."
They were even harsher than the Dothraki. The horse lords at least exchanged gifts for needed goods. Ironborn believed in taking everything by force.
Just look at House Greyjoy's words:
"We Do Not Sow."
Ironborn lived through raiding and plunder—stealing wealth, thralls, and salt wives—and glorified this lifestyle as the "Old Way."
But civilization advanced. The rich Westerlands and the Reach built stronger fleets. Gradually, the Old Way became unsustainable.
After Aegon I Targaryen unified the Seven Kingdoms, it was effectively abolished altogether.
Yet ironborn led by House Greyjoy always dreamed of restoring it—such as during Balon Greyjoy's rebellion ten years earlier.
That uprising cost Balon his two eldest sons, while his youngest son, Theon Greyjoy, was taken to Winterfell as a ward.
Or rather—a hostage.
Now, with Robert Baratheon dead and the realm consumed by the War of the Five Kings, Balon had rebelled again.
This time, however, he had learned caution. Instead of provoking the powerful south, he targeted the weakened North.
"Does Queen Daenerys intend to return to Westeros?" Euron called out.
Barristan had deliberately used the phrase "iron price" to provoke him, yet Euron seemed to take a surprisingly long time processing the information.
"No. We are bound for Slaver's Bay," Barristan answered carefully, omitting any mention of the Unsullied.
"If Her Grace herself is aboard," Euron declared, "then naturally I would never dare offend dragon majesty."
He turned and shouted toward the Silence:
"Throw all weapons into the hold! Raise your hands and stand by the rails!"
Then he raised his empty scabbard overhead.
"I have laid down my arms. Will you cease fire and permit me to approach so I may speak with Her Grace?"
Throughout the approach, the warships' scorpions and catapults had never ceased firing. Only after Euron began speaking with Barristan did the siege weapons fall silent.
Even then, the Dothraki and sailors kept bows trained on the pirate vessel.
"Tell him to come in a small boat," Daenerys whispered.
Barristan hesitated.
"He may refuse. Even if his Valyria expedition failed, he surely carries immense plunder aboard."
"If he refuses, let him leave," Daenerys replied bluntly. "I have no interest in sheltering a pirate."
She remembered enough from Game of Thrones to know Euron could never be trusted.
After all, he had murdered his own brother.
Someone capable of killing family for ambition could never be relied upon.
More importantly, Euron was wildly ambitious.
He dreamed of conquering the Dragon Queen and ruling Westeros as her king-consort.
In the original story, Daenerys had actually been his first choice. Cersei Lannister was merely the backup option.
An absurdly arrogant man.
Besides, Daenerys doubted he had gained anything worthwhile from Valyria anyway.
In canon, he didn't even possess a Valyrian steel sword.
Most likely, he had failed completely.
A loser dreaming of devouring dragons.
Get lost.
Yet unexpectedly, Euron agreed without hesitation.
Ten minutes later, the Silence halted three hundred meters away. A small boat slowly approached carrying Euron and a servant.
Euron had even removed his armor and sword, now dressed in a black silk robe embroidered with gold thread—luxurious beneath understated elegance.
Daenerys received him on the upper deck.
The moment Euron saw her, surprise and delight flashed through his blue eye.
"Your Grace," he said, "even the moon pales beside your beauty. The winter roses of Winterfell would wither in your presence. The nobles and commoners of the Seven Kingdoms alike would kneel at first sight, just as I do now."
Then he knelt gracefully on one knee and raised a delicate jade box with both hands.
It was palm-sized, carved entirely from jade.
Whatever lay inside had to be extraordinarily valuable.
Jorah stepped forward, opened the box—
—and his pupils instantly contracted.
Even his breathing grew heavier.
"Wow… is this really a diamond? It's huge!"
Daenerys took the box and gasped aloud.
Inside rested a smoky violet diamond the size of a goose egg.
In the modern world she would have assumed it fake.
But in this era, forging such a gem would be harder than finding a real one.
"Only you are worthy of Valyria's jewel," Euron said softly, gazing at her with deep affection.
The expression.
The tone.
He looked exactly like a man hopelessly in love.
Daenerys's excitement over the diamond vanished instantly.
—So he really does see me as a conquest target.
"Crow's Eye… you truly entered the ruins of Valyria?" Jorah asked in disbelief.
"You are…" Euron stared at him for a moment. "Remarkable. I never expected to meet Lord Mormont of Bear Island here upon the Sorrowful Sea."
"Yes," Euron continued proudly. "I went to Valyria. From the Jade Sea to the Summer Sea, my name is feared everywhere. I am the first man to conquer the Smoking Sea and the Demon Road."
He threw back his head and laughed triumphantly.
"The Smoking Sea?" Daenerys's heart stirred. "You entered from the north and crossed the Valyrian peninsula from north to south?"
Euron's smile stiffened awkwardly.
"Before a true dragon, I dare not lie. Originally, I intended to retreat the same way I entered. It would have been safer. But… something strange happened. Inside the storms, direction became impossible to tell. Somehow I drifted thousands of miles away."
Daenerys was stunned.
His luck was absurd.
"What did you see in Valyria?" she asked.
At that question, everyone nearby—from Jorah to Groleo to the sailors—turned toward Euron with rapt curiosity.
"Curses," Euron whispered.
As if recalling some terrible horror, his already pale face turned nearly translucent.
"When we entered, there were three ships. Mine, and two other pirate captains. But aside from me…"
He trembled.
"Everyone who stepped upon that land died."
-----------------------
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