Chapter 67 — Traveling Companions
Shireen knew her situation well.
She was obedient—never once sneaking out. Every day she remained quietly inside her room or the courtyard, reading in peace. Occasionally, she chatted a little with the maid, but never went beyond the gates.
When she asked her question, Drogon bared his mouth in what could only be described as a grin—two neat rows of small, sharp teeth showing—then fluttered onto the table, snatched up a pen, and wrote:
"We leave tomorrow."
"Really?" Shireen blinked, stunned. "Tomorrow? I can go tomorrow?"
Happiness struck so suddenly that she almost didn't dare believe it.
Drogon nodded his little head.
Shireen had long grown used to being alone, tucked away in quiet corners… but that didn't mean she didn't miss warmth and company. She wasn't made of stone.
She swallowed, then asked softly, "Are you coming with me to Slaver's Bay?"
Truthfully, she wanted to ask why he didn't just carry her straight there.
But she held her tongue.
If Drogon didn't do it, then he must have had a reason.
Drogon nodded again.
Of course he would escort her.
Otherwise, there was no way he'd feel comfortable letting her travel with Tyrion Lannister alone.
After all—he still remembered what had happened in the original story.
On the way to Slaver's Bay, Tyrion and Varys had run into Jorah Mormont, who recognized Tyrion's identity and seized him to "redeem" himself.
Then the two of them had run straight into slavers.
Tyrion had nearly been sold, nearly castrated… and only barely preserved the "happiness of his second half of life" through sheer wit.
Drogon wasn't about to let anything like that happen again.
Then he wrote another line.
"Two others will travel with you. You'll meet them tomorrow."
Shireen stared at the words.
So there were others.
Suddenly, she understood why Drogon hadn't simply flown her directly to Slaver's Bay.
Those two people… must be special.
---
Drogon stayed with her for most of the day.
Before nightfall, he flew out to the grasslands and feasted—then returned with an absurd amount of food: Dothraki horse meat, blood pies, and other treats.
Pentos wasn't far from the Dothraki Sea.
At Drogon's current speed, the round trip took barely an hour.
Shireen couldn't believe he'd been gone for such a short time… and returned with so much delicious food.
But she'd already eaten plenty earlier, so she only tasted a little, deciding to save the rest for the journey the next day.
---
The Next Morning
Two wagons were already waiting outside her courtyard.
Five guards accompanied them—front and back.
With effort, Shireen lifted her small bundle and her books, then climbed into the carriage.
Drogon had left a note the day before, using the agreed secret sign with Varys, for Illyrio Mopatis—the Magister of Pentos—ordering him to prepare carriages and escorts.
And now, at dawn, everything was ready.
Shireen entered the carriage… but it didn't move immediately.
A short while later, she heard the courtyard gate beside her open.
Someone was coming out.
Carefully, she lifted the curtain.
From the courtyard emerged a man and a woman—a tall figure and a shorter one.
The woman was strikingly beautiful, with an alluring, practiced charm.
The man beside her—
was a dwarf.
And on his face, running diagonally, was a scar.
The dwarf glanced toward Shireen's carriage.
Their eyes met—just for a moment.
Then he smiled at her.
Shireen instantly dropped the curtain and shrank back, her heart thudding hard.
A single name flashed across her mind like lightning:
Tyrion Lannister.
The Imp of House Lannister.
She never expected Drogon to arrange for him to travel with her to Slaver's Bay.
But… how could Tyrion be going there?
His nephew was a king.
His sister was the Queen Regent.
His father was the Hand of the King.
So why…
Why would someone like him be riding to Slaver's Bay with her?
Shireen knew House Lannister well.
After all, they were her father Stannis's sworn enemies—his greatest rivals for the Iron Throne.
Up in the air, Drogon caught sight of Shae's alluring face and couldn't help sighing inwardly.
No wonder Tyrion fell so hard for her…
Only after Tyrion climbed into his carriage did the two wagons finally begin rolling toward the city gates.
---
Twenty minutes later, the convoy passed out of Pentos.
The moment they cleared the city, Drogon slipped into the carriage Shireen was riding in, vanishing like a shadow.
One of the guards posted outside caught a glimpse of something dark darting into Shireen's wagon and instantly panicked. He hurried over and knocked on the carriage door, calling out anxiously.
When Shireen answered that everything was fine, the guard froze for a second—then walked away muttering, half convinced he'd hallucinated.
---
After traveling a bit farther, the wagons stopped in an empty stretch of land with no one around.
Tyrion was the first to step out.
Shae followed right after, wearing the relaxed, satisfied smile of someone who'd finally found solid ground beneath her feet again.
Ever since Varys knocked her unconscious and shipped her to Pentos, Shae had believed she would never see Tyrion again.
She had witnessed Tyrion's arrest with her own eyes.
She had seen Queen Regent Cersei's venomous glare.
Shae didn't know whether King Joffrey had truly been poisoned by Tyrion or not—but she knew one thing with certainty:
Cersei would never let Tyrion live.
She might even kill him.
And only then did Shae finally understand what Tyrion had meant when he said staying in King's Landing was dangerous for her.
If Cersei discovered her existence, Shae had no doubt she would be hanged without hesitation.
---
For a long time, Shae had thought Tyrion didn't want her anymore.
That he was discarding her in Pentos so he could keep a "proper" noble wife like Sansa Stark.
But after Joffrey's death, Shae realized the truth:
The hatred between Cersei and Tyrion wasn't ordinary sibling conflict.
It had festered into something monstrous—so toxic that it had reached the point where one of them would eventually kill the other.
What Shae never expected…
was that just last night—when she'd been drowning in sorrow and loneliness—
Tyrion appeared before her.
In that moment, she truly believed she was the happiest woman in all four continents.
---
When Tyrion told her he intended to travel to the distant Slaver's Bay, Shae didn't protest.
As long as she could leave King's Landing—
as long as she could stay with Tyrion—
she didn't care where they went.
The only thing that puzzled her was this:
The person who had been living in the courtyard beside hers… was traveling with them too.
And Tyrion seemed to have known it from the beginning.
When Shae asked who their companion would be, Tyrion refused to explain.
He only said, "A woman."
At first Shae was shocked—
then she quickly realized Tyrion clearly didn't mean that kind of woman.
Which only made her curiosity burn even hotter.
---
As soon as the wagon stopped, Shireen peeked out from the window.
Then she climbed out as well—with Drogon.
The moment Drogon appeared, everyone saw him.
Tyrion.
Shae.
Even the driver and the guards.
The driver and guards were so stunned they nearly lost control of the horses—only by desperately soothing and restraining them did they prevent a panicked stampede.
Tyrion and Shae both stared wide-eyed as Drogon hovered gently in the air, his crimson wings beating with slow, controlled power.
Tyrion handled it better—Varys had warned him about Drogon already.
But Shae…
Shae had never seen a living dragon.
She'd never even heard reliable news of dragons returning to the world after vanishing for over a century.
Even though this one was still small—
she still felt it.
That faint, invisible pressure.
A dread that rose from the deepest part of her instincts.
---
Drogon noticed Tyrion staring and bared his teeth in what could only be interpreted as a grin—his way of greeting.
It was Tyrion's first time seeing Drogon.
But Drogon had already seen Tyrion—back at Joffrey's wedding feast.
"Hello! My name is Shireen Baratheon," Shireen said brightly. "And this is Drogon."
Only then did Tyrion finally drag his gaze away from the dragon.
Shae, however, was still captivated—almost hypnotized by Drogon.
She hadn't even really noticed Shireen until Shireen spoke.
Now, looking closer, Shae's eyes widened again.
She spotted the traces of greyscale on Shireen's face.
And she realized—
this little girl bore the same family name as the current king.
Shae immediately looked at Tyrion, shocked, silently demanding an explanation.
Tyrion offered a polite smile and said aloud, "Hello, Shireen. I'm Tyrion Lannister. And this is Shae."
Then he leaned toward Shae and added quietly, in a low voice:
"She's King Robert's niece… Lord Stannis's daughter."