Chapter 184: Black Dragon Ion
After leaving Pentos Bay, the Breeze's Kiss sailed south with the sea breeze.
At dusk that day, on Ian's orders, they chose a natural harbor to temporarily dock, preparing for Viserys's funeral.
Soon, a makeshift pyre was erected on the shore.
Viserys's body was simply washed by servants, dressed in ordinary clean clothes, and then Ian personally carried it onto the pyre.
"Bring oil," Daenerys ordered her servants, who quickly brought jars of fragrant oil.
Daenerys poured it over the pyre. The oil quickly soaked the silk blankets, branches, and bundles of dry grass, seeping into the firewood below, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
Afterwards, Daenerys went to Celia's side and took the black egg from her hand.
"Don't be nervous, Your Grace. The Lord of Light protects you," Celia whispered reassuringly, noticing Daenerys's somewhat stiff movements.
"Mm." Daenerys nodded gently, carrying the egg back to the pyre, and placed the dragon egg on Viserys's body.
Then she sat down on the pyre herself and nodded to Ian.
Ian waved, signaling everyone else to return to the ship, leaving only Daenerys, Celia, and himself.
"Cap'n, why won't they let us stay?" the first mate asked Darren Grafson as he walked toward the ship.
After Celia bought the ship, she immediately dismissed the original captain and first mate, promoted the second mate to first mate, and appointed Darren as the new captain.
Although it was somewhat unusual for Darren, the 'Lord of Gulltown,' to be a mere captain, considering it was only a nominal title and that seafaring was indeed his expertise, he gladly accepted the new position.
"Who knows? Perhaps they're about to perform some kind of ritual?" Darren shrugged. As a knight anointed with the seven oils, he had no love for the foreign priestess beside Ian, but out of his usual obedience to Ian, he didn't object.
"The night is dark and full of terrors." The first mate's reaction was quite different. Upon hearing this, he immediately recited a prayer, then said nothing more and obediently returned to the ship.
When Celia bought the ship, she deliberately chose one whose crew were mostly followers of R'hllor, and she quickly gained influence among them.
Of course, Celia had already informed Ian about this.
"Are you ready, Your Grace?" Ian, holding a torch, approached the pyre and asked Daenerys, who was seated there.
Daenerys took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
The next moment, Ian extended the torch into the dry grass and branches beneath the pyre, lit one corner, and then walked clockwise around the platform, lighting the other four corners.
Soon, long tongues of flame shot into the sky from the pyre, licking at the belly of the night.
The flames whipped up strong winds, spreading thick smoke in all directions. Ian, nearly choking, could only retreat until he lost sight of Daenerys, who was engulfed in the flames, before finally stopping.
Similarly, Daenerys, also engulfed in the flames, lost sight of Ian.
She did panic for a moment when she suddenly couldn't see him, but quickly regained her composure.
"I am of the dragon's blood," Daenerys murmured to herself.
Daenerys sat on the pyre, letting the raging fire engulf her. The flames, like roaring beasts, mercilessly devoured everything around her, but she herself remained unharmed.
She even began to admire the flames... Daenerys was captivated by them. The flames were so beautiful—she had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.
Each cluster of fire resembled a sorcerer clad in robes of red, orange, and yellow, with long, billowing cloaks draped over their shoulders.
She saw a crimson stallion, a golden lion, a pale blue serpent. She saw fish and foxes and monsters, wolves and bright-feathered birds and flowering trees.
She saw dragons.
The next moment, Daenerys saw those eyes, like molten lava, again.
A sea breeze rustled the mangroves on the shore, and the flames on the pyre rose again, the firewood hissing and crackling.
From within the smoke, countless glowing embers rose, drifting like fireflies into the dark night sky.
"Look," Celia suddenly nudged Ian, who was staring intently at the flames.
Ian looked in the direction Celia was pointing and saw a blood-red comet appearing on the eastern horizon, its long tail gleaming brightly against the inky black night.
"It seems the dragon has been born," Celia said, glancing at the pyre where the interior remained hidden. Then, in a very serious tone, she added, "Soon, all the surviving players will learn of the premature arrival of the dragon and the return of magic, and we will become everyone's target."
Ian didn't answer Celia, but instead strode toward the pyre, its flames nearly extinguished.
Thick, acrid smoke filled the air, and ashes drifted away.
Ian brushed aside the ashes and found Daenerys in the center. She was naked, covered in soot, her beautiful hair burned away, but she was unharmed.
Seeing Ian, she smiled at him.
Then, a sharp hiss rang out behind Daenerys, and a hatchling covered in black scales climbed onto her shoulder. It spread its almost transparent wings, flapped them twice, and hissed, exhaling wisps of pale smoke from its mouth and nostrils.
"I did it, Lord Darry," Daenerys exclaimed excitedly, cradling the black dragon in her hands and presenting it to Ian. "This is the dragon! I have successfully brought the dragon back!"
Ian was taken aback. He noticed that Daenerys had said "brought back" rather than "birthed." Given that dragons had been extinct for over a century, this wasn't entirely wrong, but Daenerys's attitude now was completely different from when she hatched the dragons in the original timeline.
She wasn't considering herself the dragon's mother!
But thinking about it, it made sense. In the original timeline, Daenerys had sacrificed her husband Drogo and son Rhaego for the dragons' birth, so it was natural for her to consider the dragons her own children.
Now, she herself was still practically a child. How could she possibly think of herself as the 'Mother of Dragons'?
This was good news, meaning he wouldn't have to worry about Daenerys's emotions when using these dragons in the future.
"Celia's ritual worked! I truly am chosen by the Lord of Light." Daenerys, oblivious to Ian's brief moment of surprise, remained in a state of excitement.
"Why don't you give our dragon a name?" Daenerys suddenly asked.
"How about Ion?" Just as Ian was considering whether to name it Ancalagon or Smaug, Daenerys continued.
At first, Ian didn't quite grasp the meaning of the name, but when he saw the expectant look in Daenerys's eyes, he immediately realized it was a Valyrian variant of his own name.
Rather than using a name like 'Viserion' to commemorate her brother, she seemed to prefer naming this first dragon to reappear in the world after him.
"As you wish, Your Grace," Ian accepted the honor without objection.
(End of Chapter)
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