2: Chapter 2 What are you doing kneeling?

Daenerys Targaryen was stunned. The bald man holding a sword behind her was also stunned.

The kneeling Dothraki warriors looked up in unison, their faces clearly saying, "Holy shit, am I hearing things?"

A scruffy Bloodrider suddenly jumped up, pointing a finger at Drogon, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a fist.

"It—it spoke! Khaleesi! It—spoke!"

His voice sounded as if someone had stepped on his tail.

Drogon rolled his eyes.

Nonsense. Of course I can talk. I can even recite Core Values.

"Ding! Famous Scene [The Dragon that Speaks] achieved! Shock Value +10,000! Reward: Attribute Points +200. Dragon Talent 'Language Mastery' has been automatically learned."

Language Mastery. Good. Saves me the trouble of learning foreign languages.

The bald man pointed his sword tip at Drogon, his face whiter than Daenerys Targaryen's hair.

"Khaleesi... this dragon... it spoke... This is a miracle, and also... an omen."

Daenerys Targaryen ignored him.

She stared at Drogon, her lips trembling. Her tears hadn't even dried yet, but she began to smile.

"Drogon," she called him. "You are Drogon."

Daenerys Targaryen picked Drogon up. Her movements were very gentle, her fingertips trembling.

Drogon lay on her shoulder, his vertical pupils scanning the surroundings. The kneeling people were still kneeling. The bald man was still holding his sword. The sun rose from the edge of the grasslands, its glare stinging the eyes.

Then he saw that thing.

A hairpin pinned in Daenerys Targaryen's hair. Black. Dragonglass.

The sunlight hit it, reflecting a deep, flowing light. Like solidified magma.

Drogon's pupils contracted.

His body moved before his brain did.

He reached out a claw and touched it. It was cool to the touch. Then, a faint ripple of energy crept in through his claw tip.

"Trace amounts of Dragonglass energy detected. Devouring it can enhance Bloodline Intensity."

Drogon swallowed it.

By the time Daenerys Targaryen reacted, the hairpin was already in his mouth. The small, black-scaled hatchling perched on her shoulder, letting out a satisfied purr from his throat.

Daenerys Targaryen: "..."

The onlookers: "..."

Drogon licked the corner of his mouth.

"Ding! Devoured trace amount of Dragonglass, Bloodline +5."

Sweet.

"Drogon!" Daenerys Targaryen was both annoyed and amused as she gently patted his head. "That's not food!"

Drogon tilted his head at her.

Not food? Not for you. For me, as long as it's shiny and allows me to add points, it's food.

He glanced at the necklace around Daenerys Targaryen's neck.

Then he looked at the silver bracelet on her wrist.

And then at the Arakhs hanging from the waists of the Dothraki warriors in the distance.

Daenerys Targaryen suddenly covered her necklace and took a step back.

"No."

Drogon snorted and looked away.

Fine. I'll take it slow. It'll all be mine sooner or later.

The bald man finally sheathed his sword.

Jorah Mormont. Drogon remembered this man. He was fiercely loyal to Daenerys Targaryen, later exiled for having been a spy, and eventually died at the hands of the White Walkers.

A good man, but a bit annoying.

"Khaleesi," Jorah lowered his voice, "this dragon... is not normal. Dragons aren't supposed to talk. Even the dragons of your father, The Mad King, never—"

"Enough."

Daenerys Targaryen interrupted him. Her voice was soft but firm.

She took Drogon down from her shoulder and held him in her palms. Her fingers were so thin they were bony.

Drogon didn't move.

Because Daenerys Targaryen was looking at him.

That gaze wasn't of one looking at a monster. Nor at a miracle.

It was the gaze of someone looking at their child.

"What he is, he will decide for himself," Daenerys Targaryen said. "But first, he is my child. Right, Drogon?"

Drogon didn't speak.

He rubbed his head against Daenerys Targaryen's fingers.

That little head, which had just swallowed her hairpin, was now as docile as a cat's.

Daenerys Targaryen's fingertips trembled.

Then she smiled.

It was an unsightly smile, yet it was beautiful.