33: Chapter 33 The Lioness on Deck

Evening. On the deck.

Drogon walked out of the cabin and shifted into his dragon form. His wings spread open, the sea breeze filling the membranes with a snapping sound. His scales shimmered with the luster of obsidian in the setting sun. He was a size larger than yesterday.

He was just about to leap into the air when he sensed a familiar pheromone approaching.

White Mane.

She leaned against the mast. She had changed back into her own armor. The form-fitting breastplate made of sand-worm carapace and her shoulder guards had been polished again; the three scorch marks Drogon had slashed into them that morning were still there, but she hadn't covered them. On the skin at the edges of the burns, one could faintly see traces of healing scalds. She hadn't applied any ointment.

The bandage on the back of her neck had been replaced with a dark one. It wasn't very noticeable. But beneath the bandage, the brand was still burning.

She was clutching her sword. That new sword. The hilt was inlaid with the crossguard fashioned from the two valyrian steel daggers Drogon had given her last night. The way she held the sword was different from others—it wasn't defensive. It was an embrace. Like hugging someone who could speak.

"You, last night in the middle of the night—"

Drogon interrupted her. His voice in dragon form was deeper than in his human form, carrying a resonance from his chest. Every word made the deck tremble slightly.

"Thank you for your hard work patrolling. But I suggest you worry less about this. Focus on protecting my mother—we can talk about other things later."

White Mane didn't move.

"You still haven't told me what the brand is. And I felt it—you weren't yourself last night. Your heartbeat was fast. Your aura was chaotic. Then you went to her room."

Drogon fell silent. His dragon tail lashed lightly against the deck, leaving a shallow scorch mark. The wood emitted a slight cracking sound.

"You felt it?"

White Mane raised her hand. She pointed to the back of her neck where it was bandaged. Her fingers pressed against the bandage.

"Here. It was burning the whole night. Where you were. What you were doing. Whether you were excited. I knew it all. Although it was very blurry—I could feel it."

She paused. She bit her lip. Then she let go. In her amber eyes was the grievance of a caged beast.

"If you don't want me to know, then get rid of this damn thing."

Drogon looked down at her. A highly incongruous, roguish smile belonging to a human youth appeared on his dragon face. The scales at the corners of his mouth curled up, revealing the tips of his fangs.

"So it's bidirectional. Interesting."

He raised his dragon claw. The massive black dragon claw that could crush The Undying in a single grip. He lightly touched White Mane's shoulder. The force was as light as pushing a cloud.

"But it won't happen tonight. Tonight I'm going to soak in the sea. You get a good sleep. Wait for me tomorrow under the walls of Meereen—I want to see you use the daggers I gave you to chop off the head of the first Great Master."

He retracted his dragon claw. He tilted his head.

"That scene must be better looking than gold coins."

White Mane didn't speak. The hand holding the sword tightened a little.

Drogon said no more. He suddenly flapped his wings. His wings stirred up a gale, causing the wooden barrels on the deck to roll about. His figure rapidly shrank in the twilight, finally turning into a black dot, disappearing at the edge of the horizon.

A small barrel ignited by the flames of his dragon tail was left on the deck. White Mane stomped it out. The barrel flattened. Sparks splashed onto her calf. She didn't look.

She watched the receding black shadow. She bit her lip. She spoke in dothraki language. Her voice was too low to be heard.

"Long-tailed bastard."

Daenerys stood by the figurehead. In her hand, she held that unrepaired old hair ornament. The old gem on the ornament was still there, a bit crooked. Just as crooked as when he first pinned it on for her.

She watched Drogon's figure disappear at the end of the horizon. The sea breeze filled her silver hair. The hem of her skirt flapped against her legs.

The words he had whispered in her ear when he passed by the restaurant entrance still echoed in her ears. Extremely fast. Extremely low. Only she could hear it.

"I'm not going to your room tonight. Going to soak in the sea. Rest assured. I'm not looking for other women. There are no other women for a hundred miles around. Even if there were, I wouldn't look for them."

She didn't reply. She hadn't replied then. She didn't reply now either.

She just raised her hand and pressed the old hair ornament against her chest. Toward that shadow drifting further and further into the depths of the twilight, she whispered.

"Come back early."

On the distant sea surface. A clear, resonant dragon roar pierced the sky. It was as if in response.

She lowered her head. She looked at the hair ornament in her hand. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

Dragon Tooth Reef was thirty miles off the coast of Meereen.

It was a scattered group of jagged reefs. Made of obsidian. Waves crashed against them, emitting a sound similar to teeth grinding. The moonlight in the dead of night shone on the reef group, and the shadows cast on the sea surface really looked like a row of dragon teeth.

Drogon landed on the largest reef, folding his wings. His dragon claws dug into the rock, stabilizing his body.

Deep within the reef group, a faint blue light was flashing. Like a pulse. One. Two. Three.

He stared at that blue light. In his vertical pupils, dark gold and deep blue overlapped. The system panel popped up.

"High-concentration magical mineral reaction detected. Target: Underwater dragon glass vein (exposed type). Scale: Small. Purity: Extremely high."

"This vein was once discovered and mined by the Old Valyria Empire, and later sank to the seabed due to the Doom."

"A trace signal of 'Ice Element' was detected deep in the vein—suspected to be ice crystal fragments that fell into the sea during the ancient White Walker wars, now encased by the vein."

"Recommendation: Mine immediately. Absorbing high-purity dragon glass can significantly increase bloodline attributes. Absorbing 'ice crystal fragments' can unlock the elemental branch—Ice Element. In dragon form, Dragon Breath attributes can be evolved."

Drogon's dragon eyes instantly glowed terrifyingly bright. The dark gold in his vertical pupils exploded, illuminating the entire reef. His tail excitedly tapped twice on the reef, splashing up a shower of rock fragments.

"And I said tonight was just for soaking in the sea—turns out it's a direct delivery of an experience pack. System, start working. Don't stop adding points tonight!"

He took a few steps back. Ran for momentum. Then plunged headfirst into the icy seawater. The black dragon shadow tore open the sea surface, white spray exploding into two walls of water. Under the moonlight, that shadow swam toward the pulsating blue light on the seabed, his scales shimmering with flowing dark gold in the seawater.