Daario stood on the ridge, horse waiting. He looked back once at the ashes. Then he mounted and spurred forward, his ten following close.
The border was silent. No witness left, no word would spread. Illyrio Mopatis had vanished between the Eastern Empire and the Red Road.
…
The First Parliament session
The coastline outside Meereen was empty except for the sound of wind and waves. A wide stretch of earth had been cleared for one purpose alone: the training of dragons.
Daenerys stood at the center of it, her silver hair catching the morning light, her new armor gleaming black. The Dragon Magic Battle Armor was unlike anything the old world had ever seen. It clung to her form like a second skin, molded to the shape of her body, but it was forged for war.
If Daenerys had to describe it then the perfect term would be "sexy plus deadly".
It made her look like a sexy Goddess of war and fire. But looks are deceiving.
The top covered her chest with reinforced plates that shimmered faintly with protective runes. Despite her visible side boobs, no ordinary arrow or spear would be able to pierce through her exposed skin. Straps crossed at her waist, pulling tight before attaching to thigh-high boots laced with steel bands. Her arms were guarded by sleek black sleeves, the left with a shield-plate at the shoulder, the right with a sword sheath built in.
The lower half was cut in a design no master armorer of Essos or Westeros would ever imagine. A high-cut bottom, which exposed a good portion of her round ass and thick thighs.
To any normal person it just made her look sexy.
But in reality it was not made for modesty, but for speed. She could leap, twist, and strike without the drag of heavy leather. The armor was fireproof, built to endure even if she stood inside Drogon's breath. Although she wouldn't burn even without the armour, any other normal armour would have burnt away under Dragon fire leaving her butt naked in the middle of the fight. So Daenerys counted it as an improvement.
Overall, despite the suggestive looks, Daenerys liked the armour very much. It was an armor meant for a queen who fought like a dragon herself.
Her men waited at the edge of the field with horses and spears, along with her other children. They kept their distance. Drogon did not like to get disturbed when he trained with me. While the other Dragons looked envious of him, in this case they could do nothing but give some space to their big brother to get trained by their mother. Daenerys spoiled each one of her children equally. So they knew that even if not today then their chance will definitely come tomorrow.
The training started with Daenerys sprinting. It was a simple test of her armor. And the free movement satisfied Daenerys.
"Drogon !" A simple call was enough Drogon started flapping his wings even though there was a considerable distance between them. It was a drill to get out of the battlefield in emergency situations.
Daenerys suddenly picked up speed. Her draconic physique allowed her to reach super human speed in an instant. Her armour did not hinder her movement at all. Just as Drogon reached around 10 feet high, Daenerys jumped up with unnatural strength. Although her jump was a little off the mark, Drogon managed to catch her on his back easily.
After sitting on Drogon's bareback, Daenerys felt the warm scales of her child directly through the skin of her ass and thighs. There is a reason why Daenerys had not ordered a saddle for Drogon. She was not like her ancestors who would need a saddle to ride a dragon.
She had the blood of true Dragons running through her veins. On top of that, putting a saddle on a dragon restricted some of their natural movements that would have allowed them to do some exceptionally precise mid air movements. So Daenerys had no intention of putting a saddle on Drogon or any of her Dragons.
Feeling the weight of his mother settle on his back, Drogon whined and flapped his wings. They practiced lift and drop. Drogon took off, gained forty feet, dipped, and she nudged him. The motion was a command between them now: a lean of the leg, a hand on the neck, a whisper of breath. Drogon rolled midair, banked, and returned on her pull. They cut crosswinds and recovered. The goal was not speed alone. It was to learn control. Something that will be extremely crucial in the battlefield.
Daenerys timed their breathing, watched wing-beats, watched the shape of the wake in the air. She asked for sudden 360 degree turns that tested balance. Drogon threw a tight loop. They practiced complex maneuvers, like suddenly halting in the middle of a high speed flight or suddenly changing direction or quickly dodging a crossbow.
Testing fire power came next. Drogon's fire had the highest range among his brothers. But that doesn't mean he will be safe on the battlefield when there will be a lot of scorpions.
So Daenerys wanted Drogon to execute and attack and then quickly move away.
She worked him in short sets. Each burst lasted only so long. Drogon could sustain a heavy burst for a minute or two before his chest needed air. That was the dangerous part. Young dragons could burn themselves into collapse if pushed without pause. She learned how much they could take. She learned how to pace them in the heat. When he came down, she held him and draped a cloth over his eyes to calm him. The armor kept the red coal heat off her skin. She smelled smoke and blood and the wet musk of the beasts.
After flight drills she tested aggression. She set out a pen of tethered cattle. The animals were alive and meant to run. The dragons descended as hunting patterns. Drogon struck with a sweep of the jaw, not with wasteful flame. Rhaegal used speed to bring down a hind-quarters. Viserion pinned the herd. The lesson was simple: cut down the mass of a herd by efficient hits, not endless fire. She watched how they used jaws and claws and how they kept each other clear of the thrashing horns. The dragons learned to feed fast and rest.
When the last animal was taken, Drogon finally landed. After getting down she set her hand on Drogon's snout and felt the heat rise through the scales. She smiled at him like a proud mother whose son has accomplished great things. Drogon understood. He nudged her with his head, then folded and relaxed. It didn't take long for the other Dragons who were watching on the side lines to fly towards her with excitement. None of them were ready for the training Drogon was receiving at the moment. They were too small for that. The best thing Daenerys could teach them was hunting. So they have been left out of the training.
Her riders came in then. Jorah waited at the side and gave a curt nod. All the tests were logged. All the small failures were noted. The training would not stop.
She left the field when she was satisfied. She never stayed longer than she should. Dragons learn best under a steady hand and steady rules. She returned to the city, to the nest where the young slept. Daenerys went first to her son. Goku gurgled in his nurse's arms as she fed him, tiny hands clutching her finger, while he sucked her milk. For a moment she allowed herself to smile, brushing her lips across his hair. Then she handed him back.
"Guard him well," she told Jiqhi, then rose.
Her own meal was quick. Bread, cheese, fruit jam and a bowl of stew. Then she changed into her formal white attire.
The Great Pyramid looked different from the outside that day. Banners of the Eastern Empire hung from the ramparts. The people had gathered. Not all could enter. Rows of benches curved around the council room. Stone steps rose to the high table where Daenerys would sit. The hall smelled faintly of wax and cedar. Torches burned steady. Soldiers were posted at the doors. Freedmen and freedwomen filled the gallery, some standing, some sitting. They came to see the new order. Dothraki, Astapori, Yunkish, and the people of Meereen were all there in small groups. Some faces were hopeful. Some faces were hard. The air felt like an assembly before work.
Daenerys took her seat at the head. Missandei set papers to one side and a small recorder of ink. Grey Worm stood in armor at the door. Jorah sat near, his hand on the hilt of his sword. The representatives of the provinces took their seats along the curve. The Vaes Dothrak delegate had the bulk of a cattle-boss, voice deep. The Yunkai representative was a woman in a simple dress, sharp-eyed and direct. The Astapor delegate was thin and slow to smile. There were others: a minor merchant from Meereen, a freedman who oversaw stores, a representative for the workers of Astapor. A small seat was kept for foreign observers.
Daenerys opened the session with a simple line. "We begin." It was not a flourish. It was a command. The chamber settled.
The first to speak was the representative from Vaes Dothrak, a broad-shouldered man with braided hair heavy with bells. His Dothraki was translated by Missandei into the common tongue.
"Empress. For three moons we have worked the land. The grass sea is no longer only grass. Wheat grows there now. Barley. Some fruits suited to the soil. The herds of cattle are strong. Food comes steady from the plains." He paused, then added with a blunt grin: "And the rubber trees grow. In half a year, there will be enough to cut. The idea of using them for your… special sheaths will make coins. Too much coin." A murmur ran through the chamber.
Daenerys' expression didn't change. After finding out that rubber trees can be grown in the great grass sea. She had recreated condoms after some trial and error. With how wild the sex life of the usual Dothraki men and women were, she had told them to use it as a protection from disease and unwanted pregnancy. That concept has become very popular among the Dothraki.
Although there were many other uses of rubber, Daenerys understood that it was the only product that could make quick money. Tires of rubber will not sell well until a proper infrastructure for road and vehicle is developed. But if it is about quick money then, condoms will definitely sell a lot.
The representative from Yunkai, a sharp-eyed woman in a simple dress, leaned forward. "The idea is brilliant. Revolutionary. Not only in Yunkai but everywhere. Men of the Free Cities keep slaves for bed. They do not want children from them. They will pay dearly for this."
Daenerys inclined her head. "Then it is settled. We will not delay. Rubber must be used. We will begin with one factory dedicated to the production of these items."
She turned her gaze to the Astapor delegate, a thin man with a hard mouth. "Where is the best place?"
He did not hesitate. "Astapor has the space. Near the old training grounds. We can house a factory there. Workers are available. Materials can be brought from the grass sea. The coast makes it easy to ship finished goods."
Daenerys nodded once. "Then it begins there."
The hall fell quiet for a moment. The matter was clear: the Eastern Empire had found its first great trade beyond crops and cloth.
Daenerys leaned forward, her tone steady. "This will be our foundation. The empire must not only feed itself, it must grow rich. The rubber plantations and their factories will be the first pillar of wealth. Let us ensure it is done fast, done clean, and done without corruption."
The Vaes Dothrak representative raised his hand once more. "The land of the grass sea is wide. There is space for more than wheat and cattle. If the empire wishes, we can plant more rubber. Twice as much. Three times."
Daenerys' eyes narrowed in thought. "Not yet. Food comes first. If our people hunger, there is no empire. Keep balance. Enough rubber to build wealth. Enough wheat to keep the people alive.
And besides, we will need proper planning before creating a factory. My method for producing "protection seaths" might not be cost effective when we consider large scale production.
So I will ask the representative of Astapor and Vaes Dothrak to work together to create a proper plan for the factory. Once a proper plan is created, it will be reviewed by the parliament and voted. If the plan passed the vote only then we will sanction the money for the beginning of the construction."
…
Next chapter: The development of Yunkai
AN: You can read 90+ advanced chapters and an additional side story of this story on my p@treon AnimefanfictionIND at just 5$.
You can get access to the advanced chapters of all my other fanfictions at just 7$.