In the room, Cadmus stood before Kinvara; beside him, Daenerys looked at the woman with a touch of curiosity. However, what surprised her most were the woman's red eyes, eyes filled with reverence and respect for her.
Daenerys didn't consider herself as important as Rhaegar, who was King, so she was quite surprised to see such a respectful expression on the face of one of the most powerful women in the known world, if not the most powerful currently.
Under Cadmus's calm gaze and Daenerys's surprised eyes, Kinvara knelt before the princess with a posture even more humble than when she had stood before Rhaegar. Had Daenerys not been startled by the woman's abrupt approach, Kinvara might have even kissed the princess's feet.
Daenerys looked at Kinvara and then at Cadmus, who watched with an amused expression.
"Reincarnation of Azor Ahai, the one who will wield the red sword against the champion of the cold god," Kinvara said in a respectful tone, a fanatical glint shining in her red eyes.
Daenerys frowned, remembering the vision she had seen while on the funeral pyre. That same vision had appeared again the previous night. She hadn't told anyone; after all, she didn't want others to think she was going mad.
Cadmus noticed Daenerys's expression and explained the legend of Azor Ahai and his purpose, as well as the Long Night and its dangers.
"Is this Long Night coming?" Remembering the sunless sky from her vision, Daenerys's expression grew tense, and a feeling of fear rose in her chest.
"Yes, a world of total absence of light," Cadmus said in a calm but solemn tone. According to what he knew, if the world lost its sun, the entire planet would freeze; however, it wasn't quite the same in this universe, where the sun seemed more like a symbol than the source of all life.
"More precisely, the gods will create a curtain around the planet," Kinvara added in a calm, gentle tone, still kneeling before Daenerys. "If the sun were to disappear, all life on the planet would die, and all the gods would perish as well."
Daenerys's eyes widened at such an insane, mad, and utterly cruel answer. Although she knew gods existed, after all, miracles were there to prove the existence of divine beings, knowing they could be so cruel was staggering.
"Don't be surprised, Dany." Cadmus looked at Kinvara with a touch of sarcasm and spoke calmly. "Humans are merely cattle that the gods need for Faith. All gods are like that, cold and indifferent."
"Do we need such gods?" Daenerys asked with a complex expression.
Kinvara was still smiling; her expression didn't change at all. Cadmus's sarcasm and Daenerys's doubt were nothing in her eyes. Everyone simply needed to open their hearts to the Red God to see how beautiful the Lord of Light and Shadow, of Life and Death, truly was.
"The Long Night is coming, and with it the cold winds of winter, death, and ice," Kinvara spoke in a solemn tone, looking at the small princess before her. "The Princess must wield the Red Sword and defeat the Night King, the Champion of the Cold God."
Daenerys felt an enormous weight on her shoulders; those beautiful red eyes truly made her uncomfortable. She didn't want to be what the woman was describing, but she felt she couldn't hide, the vision she had seen was terrifying, and she didn't want her family to be among that sea of corpses hidden beneath the snow.
Suddenly, a hand gripped hers. She looked to the side and found a pair of dark green eyes—gentle and full of confidence, staring at her with encouragement and a faith in her that she didn't even feel she had in herself.
Daenerys couldn't help but think how unfair that look was, a look that suggested she could do anything. It warmed her heart so much that she felt immersed in a sweet, intoxicating feeling.
"Don't worry, we'll take it slow," Cadmus said in a gentle tone. Placing the fate of the world on the shoulders of a fifteen-year-old girl was simply a recipe for collapse under such pressure. At least in his eyes, Daenerys had a few more years of carefree life before this world turned into complete chaos.
Ignoring Kinvara's presence in the room, Daenerys simply climbed onto Cadmus's lap and hugged him tightly. "If you dare run away from me, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth." Raising her head and looking directly into his eyes, she spoke in a threatening tone while baring her teeth.
However, given her appearance, what was meant to be threatening became quite adorable in Cadmus's eyes. "I still value my life and would never run from the dangerous and powerful Mother of Dragons," he said in a gentle, playful tone. There wasn't a hint of fear in his expression.
Daenerys huffed and looked proudly at Cadmus before turning to look at Kinvara once more. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a calm tone. "I assume your goal has always been me, right?"
"Yes, my saint," Kinvara replied without hesitation, smiling. The pilgrimage was secondary; the primary reason was to join Daenerys, for only she was worthy of wielding the Red Sword.
"So, will the entire Red Faith obey my orders?" Daenerys asked in a curious tone. Were prophecies so powerful they could make the world's largest religion bend the knee to a princess without power?
"Yes. All two hundred thousand faithful, one thousand red priestesses, forty thousand warriors, twelve hundred ships, and roughly eighty million gold coins," Kinvara revealed the secrets of the Red Religion without any hesitation.
(Note: 200,000 faithful refers to true believers, not just people who happen to believe in R'hllor. If those were counted, the number would be in the tens of millions.)
Daenerys took a deep breath at Kinvara's words. Setting aside the two hundred thousand people, eighty million gold coins alone was equivalent to fifty years of the Seven Kingdoms' annual revenue!
Knowing she held so much power so suddenly left Daenerys stunned. It was the same feeling as inheriting a billion-dollar fortune overnight.
Cadmus was also surprised by the hidden power of the Red Faith, but after considering they had been preparing for over five thousand years for the next Long Night, he found the numbers easily acceptable, he even thought them a bit small for a five-thousand-year wait.
"Let's leave the Long Night for later; the focus now is to unify the Seven Kingdoms under the Iron Throne once more," Cadmus said, stroking Daenerys's soft hair. His tone was calm and cold; the Long Night was still far off, but the civil war was about to erupt.
Daenerys enjoyed the head-strokes and nodded, looking at Kinvara with a serious gaze. "Let's first settle our internal affairs; we cannot deal with the Long Night and internal problems at the same time."
"I will do as you command, my saint." Kinvara smiled and accepted the orders without hesitation. She also agreed with Cadmus's words. This was a war that would decide whether humanity lived or perished. There was no room for error. The chaotic elements within the realm had to be neutralized before they could fight in the Great War.
"It's late; you may go and rest, My Lady." Seeing Kinvara still kneeling with no intention of rising, Daenerys spoke in a calm tone.
Kinvara looked at Daenerys and then at Cadmus; she smiled and stood up. "I will not interrupt your night of passion, my saint," she said in a respectful tone and left the room.
Daenerys's cheeks flushed at Kinvara's words. She took a deep breath to calm herself and looked at Cadmus, her tone still worried. "That woman is dangerous."
Cadmus nodded. Kinvara was indeed dangerous, a total fanatic who had lived for over half a millennium. There was no way a woman like that wouldn't be dangerous. However, he was also certain that Kinvara would obey Daenerys's every command.
"To others, she is the powerful High Priestess, but to you, she is more like a slave," Cadmus said with a smile. "You are the Champion of the Red God; she will obey all your orders. You don't need to fear her."
"I don't like slaves." A look of deep distaste appeared on Daenerys's face.
"Neither do I, but that's how the world is, especially in Essos," Cadmus said with a smile. "You could free all the slaves of the Red Religion with a single thought, but don't do it."
"Why?" Daenerys asked in a genuinely confused tone. In her eyes, Cadmus, who also disliked slavery—should want to abolish it more than anyone.
"Because you cannot provide tens of millions of people with homes, clothes, and food," Cadmus said bluntly. "If you free all the slaves, they will lose the homes and food they earned by working for their masters."
"Once that happens, you will plunge the entire continent of Essos into total chaos. Many will die of hunger, many in internal struggles, many simply for being alive." Cadmus kissed Daenerys's forehead tenderly and said with a smile. "Remember, until you have the capacity to help these people, do not get involved in this issue, for it will only turn the whole world against us."
Daenerys liked that Cadmus said "us" instead of just referring to her. "All right, I won't get involved in that issue," she said reluctantly, but she knew Cadmus was right. There were tens of millions of slaves; she didn't have the logistics or structure to support so many people.
"My princess is wise," Cadmus said in a proud tone, which made Daenerys show an equally proud expression.
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Note: I got a tattoo, three crows on my right arm. My mom almost had a heart attack when she saw it, she's a little too religious HAHAHHAHA!
Fortunately, after many jokes and seeing that a tattoo didn't change me at all, she accepted it faster than expected.
Tattoo>
Read the advanced chapters on my Patreon!
/GOTSW
Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard