Under the sunlight, by the Honeywine River, which was lush green from the reflection of rivergrass, four or five Citadel apprentices in gray robes were playing on the wide grassy area in front of an inn.
A young man with thick arms and deformed legs lightly hopped, spun once, and then swung his arm forcefully, sending a shriveled green apple flying downstream with a sharp "whoosh" in the wind.
At the same moment, Laresa swiftly pulled an arrow from the ground before her, nocked it, and fired in an instant. The nearly one-meter-long, large golden wooden arrow whistled through the air like a shooting star.
Right at the highest point of the apple's trajectory, there was a crisp crack—the apple split in two. The arrow, undeterred, continued for another forty to fifty meters before finally landing.
"Right on target! Nice shot!" The surrounding apprentices clapped and cheered.
"Again!" Laresa exclaimed excitedly.
"We've been practicing all morning. Aren't you tired?" Pet, who was sitting on the grass, muttered.
"In a few days, I need to perform my skills in front of a master. Archery is my best talent. You wouldn't understand," Laresa shook her head and urged her companion to throw another apple.
"This time, throw two," she said.
Dany touched her nose. Girl, you're putting your efforts in the wrong place. Practicing archery is certainly useful, but let's be real—our gathering spot won't be that big. Where will you have the space to show off your archery skills?
This striking young black man was the rookie fire mage she had met last night through a "Shake" encounter.
"This place is so boring. I want to go to the docks and listen to the sailors' dragon stories. Some even claim to have seen a dragon. I'd love to see one too, even just a glimpse," a short, chubby boy with a dull, foolish look complained.
"Looney, you were born too late. You'll never see a dragon," said a nearby assistant maester.
He appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a long, sharp nose that looked like a shaved carrot. Around his neck, a leather cord held four linked chains—white brass, tin, lead, and copper.
"But—"
"Is that a turnip growing on your shoulders?" The sharp-nosed young man cut off chubby Looney before he could finish and smacked him on the head a few times. "Did you forget our country's modern history? The last dragon died during Aegon III's reign."
The limping apprentice swung his arm and tossed two apples, muttering, "Aman, you really should visit the docks. Lately, the sailors' stories have been…"
The sharp-nosed assistant maester Aman impatiently interrupted, "Morland, how foolish must you be to believe sailors? Don't assume I've never been to the docks—I know that lot far better than you do.
They'll say anything to get attention, even claiming they've slept with mermaids or spent a dozen years inside a sea monster's belly."
The limping apprentice argued, "Aman, sure, some sailors' stories are laughable, but when oarsmen from four different ships, speaking four different languages, all tell the same story…"
Aman shook his head. "It's not the same story—one talks about a dragon in Asshai, another in Qarth, another in Meereen, another in the Dothraki Sea, another freeing slaves… The versions are all different."
Morland stopped throwing apples and stubbornly said, "The stories differ, but they all share one common element—a dragon and a young, beautiful queen."
"Fine, then tell me, who is this queen?" the assistant maester sneered.
"Daenerys."
Dany waved a hand, signaling for the White Knight in armor to head back first. She walked over on her own, greeted Pet, then turned to the sharp-nosed assistant maester with a smile and said, "So this is the famed Citadel?"
"You—" Aman was about to explode in anger, but as soon as he met Dany's bright violet eyes, he found himself unable to utter a curse. Instead, he sullenly said, "Miss, the Citadel is the world's most prosperous center of learning, home to the greatest knowledge and wisdom. You have no right to insult it."
"Frog in a well," Dany said lightly. "The entire world, including the highest ranks of King's Landing, already knows about the dragons and the Dragon Queen, yet the Citadel still dismisses it as a rumor."
"Dragons have been extinct for ages," Aman insisted, his face flushing.
"Do you know about the Allied Army?" Dany asked.
"Allied Army? What army?" Aman looked confused.
"That's odd. Even King's Landing is considering joining the Allied Army, yet you don't even know what it is?"
Dany was speechless. Is the Citadel really this out of touch?
Noticing her genuine disbelief, several nearby apprentices gathered around, even Laresa paused her archery practice.
"The Mad King's daughter isn't dead—do you all know that?" Dany asked.
"Daenerys Targaryen? I heard she married a Dothraki khal," Aman said.
"Dragons were indeed extinct, but two years ago, Daenerys hatched three dragon eggs and now has three dragons."
The sharp-nosed assistant maester shook his head repeatedly. "Impossible. After dragons went extinct, the Targaryens attempted to hatch dragons many times, all ending in disaster."
"That's why I say the Citadel's reputation is overrated!" Dany sighed.
"Miss Rhaella, why do you say that?" Pet, the struggling apprentice, asked curiously.
"Because no one in the Citadel has even noticed the shift in magical tides. In fact, before dragons reappeared, many mages across the world already knew they had returned."
Everyone looked bewildered, except for Laresa, who had a flicker of realization. She asked, "What is a magical tide?"
"Do you know what magic is?"
"Magic is just trickery!" the sharp-nosed assistant maester immediately declared.
Dany gave him a strange look, puzzled. "What exactly does the Citadel even teach you? Valyria existed just four hundred years ago.
Even if you deny Valyria, you must at least acknowledge one of the Nine Wonders of the World—the Valyrian Road. Could that have been built without magic?"
"This…" The assistant maester was left speechless.
Dany continued her earlier point: "Dragons determine the upper limit of this world's power. For example, in a room with a ceiling three meters high, the highest you can jump is three meters."
The moment the dragon appeared, the world's ceiling was raised to ten meters, even a hundred meters. Those who had been jumping high immediately realized that there were dragons in the world.
"Now do you understand?"
"A mysterious professional is someone who jumps high," Lalesa suddenly understood.
"But the Academy City also has PhDs who study the occult. I saw the Valyrian steel rings on their necklaces," the crippled apprentice said doubtfully.
Dany shrugged. "That's why I think the scholars of Academy City are somewhat unworthy of their titles. This is common knowledge across the entire Essos continent—anyone with even a little status knows about it."
"Miss, we don't understand all this magic tide stuff. Please be kind and tell us a story about the dragon and the Dragon Queen!" the simple-minded Rooney shouted.
"Alright. Daenerys hatched three dragons near the Dothraki Sea. Later, she was invited to Qarth, where she burned down the Warlock's House of the Undying. Then she sailed to Astapor in Slaver's Bay, took over the city, and freed the slaves.
Six months later, she conquered Yunkai and Meereen, liberating all the slaves, and became the rightful Queen of Slaver's Bay.
But many of the world's maritime trading city-states relied on the slave trade. The Dragon Queen's actions united Qarth, Volantis, Lys, Tyrosh, the Jade Sea city-states, and the slaver factions into the largest coalition army in a thousand years.
I even heard that Westeros received an invitation, and King's Landing did not refuse."
She concluded, "Look, what a significant event! Eighty percent of the world's commoners already know about it, yet the scholars of the Academy City are still unsure whether dragons even exist."
Even the stubborn Aman had to believe it now because the matter was too big to be a simple lie.
"I have to tell the professor," he said nervously.
"Don't go!" Lalesa grabbed his sleeve and said solemnly, "Pretend you know nothing—just like the scholars and professors do."
"You—" Aman, the sharp-nosed one, was first confused, then horrified. "Scholars swear not to get involved in politics—"
But before he could finish, he let out a defeated sigh, as if the strength had been drained from his body. He collapsed onto the grass, hugging his shoulders with a dazed expression.
Even dock sailors knew about this, so the scholars and professors must have known long ago.
Looking at the apprentices—some fearful, some deep in thought, and some utterly clueless—Dany also fell into contemplation.
What was the Academy City up to?
Even if they had broken their oath and chosen a side in the power struggle, she could understand; after all, the Academy City was in Oldtown.
But deliberately hiding and even erasing information about the Dragon Queen?
That was too radical.
She couldn't understand.
It seemed Westeros was far more complicated than she had imagined.
What a damn mess!
A "borderland nation" formed by three failed peoples, yet its political struggles were fiercer and more complex than those of the nine major city-states of Essos, Qarth, and the Jade Sea combined.
"Ha! You want my daughter? Sure, clear price—one gold dragon!" A woman's flirtatious laughter came from the third-floor window of the inn.
Then a man cursed loudly, complaining that the price was too high. The woman argued back, saying that her daughter, Roshi, was the prettiest and purest barmaid in the inn—one gold dragon, not a single copper less.
Then, the sound of heavy breathing filled the air.
In broad daylight, a pair of shameless lovers…
Wait, Roshi?
Dany couldn't help but glance at the foolish apprentice, Petyr. Wasn't his cute, dimpled little girlfriend named "Roshi"?
Noticing Dany's gaze, Petyr's face turned red, then white. He muttered, "That's Roshi's mother, Emma. She may be the oldest among the barmaids, but her figure is still alluring. Many—"
Dany had no interest in learning about an aging woman's trade, so she cut him off directly. "What's this about a gold dragon?"
"Well…" Petyr looked conflicted, hesitating as if unsure how to explain.
The short and chubby Rooney, however, had no such reservations and blurted out, "Ever since Roshi reached puberty, Emma has been advertising her to everyone. Her first night is worth a gold dragon. Petyr's saving up for it!"
"Uh…"
Was this the depravity of human nature? The distortion of morality?
Or just the helplessness of a cruel fate?
The third-floor window remained open, and the noises became even more passionate and rhythmic. Some apprentices looked visibly uncomfortable. Dany, too, couldn't stand it any longer.
She beckoned to Petyr and walked toward the inn's main hall.
"You're saving up? But even if you have a gold dragon, then what? I think you truly like her," Dany said.
"I want to elope with Roshi, but I'm scared. For now, I just want to save enough to stop Emma from selling her."
For some reason, Petyr confessed his deepest secret to a female knight he had only met twice.
Not even his closest friends knew of his plan.
Perhaps it was because her eyes were filled with genuine sympathy?
(End of Chapter)
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