Chapter 176: Pentos Rhapsody (Part 9)
"A responsibility I was born with," Daenerys repeated. She remembered her brother's constant refrain—he always emphasized that it was his birthright. But when Ian replaced "right" with "responsibility," she suddenly felt a surge of power.
A power of being needed, as if with this responsibility on her shoulders, no hardship or obstacle could stop her.
A power from her bloodline? Daenerys couldn't help but think.
"I am the last true dragon," she murmured.
"Daenerys Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm." Ian didn't give her more time to think, nor did he ask what her decision was. Instead, he forcefully bestowed upon her that birthright title.
"I, Ian Darryl, Lord of Darry, swear fealty to you. I will be your faithful subject, serving you for the rest of my life, offering you honest counsel and absolute obedience, protecting your rights and your kingdom. No matter the hardships ahead, I will always fight alongside you, care for your people, and punish your enemies. I swear this by the Seven."
In terms of a formal oath, Ian's behavior at this moment could be described as extremely casual, for he was currently riding in the same carriage as Daenerys, and not only had he not knelt, but he was also holding the frail young Queen in his arms.
Daenerys, however, was clearly unaware of this. She did not rebuke Ian's informality, but simply asked uncertainly, "What should I say? I mean, I'm sorry, my lord, I haven't studied it." She bit her lip. "I don't know how I should answer according to proper form."
"Say what you want to say, Your Grace. A ruler is not bound by worldly etiquette," Ian gave her a kind smile.
"Me?" Daenerys shifted slightly, clearly still adjusting to her new identity. Recalling the stories she had heard and drawing on her own experiences, she tentatively said, "I accept your fealty, Lord Darryl, and I swear, one day I will lead you home."
Returning home was Daenerys's own wish, but in her mind, Lord Darry and his knights in exile must feel the same way.
Seeing Ian's affirmative gaze, Daenerys felt a surge of confidence.
"Lord Darry," she said, "I appoint you as my Hand of the Queen. Do you accept?"
"As Your Grace commands." Seeing the carriage stop, Ian picked up Daenerys, who was clinging to him, and placed her on the seat beside him. "I will do everything in my power to help you and teach you how to be a proper monarch."
"We've arrived, Your Grace." Ian said, lifting the curtain and stepping down from the carriage, then extending his hand to Daenerys.
"Where is this? Where are we going?" Daenerys took Ian's hand and stepped out of the carriage, only to be lifted down by Ian in one swift motion.
"This is the port of Pentos. I've already sent people to find a ship," Ian said, naturally unwilling to admit that he had already had Celia arrange for a ship to be purchased yesterday.
With Ian himself needing to put on an act for both Illyrio and Hazan, neither he nor his entourage were suited to do something as conspicuous as buying a ship.
Celia, in comparison, was the more suitable candidate.
"Once a suitable ship is found, we'll leave Pentos immediately."
"But shouldn't we say goodbye to Magister Illyrio?" Daenerys was unaware of what was happening in Pentos at that moment.
"Of course not. Your wedding to Khal Drogo was his arrangement. Now that you can't marry that Khal, we naturally have to avoid Magister Illyrio. Otherwise, he will definitely force you to marry Drogo."
"If we just leave like this, won't Khal Drogo hold a grudge against Magister Illyrio?"
Of course he will. If Drogo doesn't hold a grudge against Illyrio, that would be a real problem. To make sure Drogo does hold a grudge against Illyrio, I even wrote a letter to Drogo using the seal from Illyrio's study, Ian thought to himself.
"Won't he attack Pentos?" Daenerys asked immediately, her face full of anxiety. "Although Illyrio has always had his own agenda, he has really helped us a great deal. We can't treat our friends like this!"
This girl, just as naive and overly kind as in the original timeline! Ian couldn't help but think to himself.
"Your Grace," Celia immediately interjected, "the walls of Pentos are protected by the Lord of Light. Even ten of Drogo's khalasars couldn't breach them."
"Therefore, even if Drogo is angry, he won't truly attack Pentos. Illyrio only needs to offer him some compensation, and he will naturally leave." Celia glanced at Ian, receiving his affirmative look, and continued to Daenerys,
"But your vassals are different. They have crossed the narrow sea to follow the last true dragon blood. If you marry Drogo, then this greatest dynasty in history will end, and the people of Westeros will forever live under the tyranny of the Usurper and his offspring."
"I'm sorry, I didn't think that far ahead," Daenerys quickly shook her head, indicating she hadn't considered the gravity of the situation.
"So, listen to Lord Darry's counsel," Celia continued.
"Ian?" Daenerys looked at Ian. "So where do you suggest we go?"
It was clear she was no longer concerned about leaving.
"East. We'll sail east to find an army." Ian was speaking when he suddenly saw Rol, who had arrived at the port a step behind him. An idea struck him—he had come up with a way to completely dispel Daenerys's suspicions.
Rol, with four or five men, arrived in a cargo wagon.
He nodded to Ian, indicating that he had completed the task Ian had given him—to raid Illyrio's treasury.
This plan was originally intended to take Illyrio's dragon eggs, but Ian had already used the system's inventory function to retrieve them beforehand.
Of course, this didn't stop Ian from having Rol collect additional... interest.
Looking at the cart full of goods that Rol had brought, Ian was very satisfied, but he didn't show it on his face, continuing his performance: "What did Magister Illyrio say?"
Ian asked Rol, then turned to Daenerys. "I already instructed Ser Rol to explain our reasons for leaving to Magister Illyrio and bid him farewell."
Rol blinked. Having followed Ian for so long, he had learned to read between the lines. He saw through Ian's act at a glance, so he didn't answer Ian's question immediately, but waited for further prompting to better play along.
"What's this?" Ian pointed to the cart behind Rol, then stepped forward and lifted the cloth covering it, revealing several chests inside.
"These are... gifts from Illyrio?" Ian guessed, looking puzzled.
"Oh, right," Rol nodded quickly, catching on. "Magister Illyrio fully understands our decision to leave early. He immediately provided us with some supplies and wished us a safe journey."
"He's a truly good man," Ian said to Daenerys. "A real friend."
"We'll repay him properly in the future," Daenerys nodded, her worry lessening. "Since he's confident in handling this situation, I'm relieved."
"Perfect timing. It looks like the ship has been found. Let's prepare to set sail," Ian said to his companions, watching a captain run toward them from the docks.
Ian and his group then boarded the Breeze's Kiss and quickly set sail.
At this time, Pentos was bustling with activity, with almost every ship racing to leave port. Ian's vessel blended in, inconspicuous among the chaos.
(End of Chapter)
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