Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon

Illyrio sat on a huge leather chair in a spacious and luxurious cabin in the middle of the ship. The room had thick carpets and stained glass windows. Fresh fruits and roasted chicken wings dipped in honey were placed on the side of the table, as well as a glass of steaming red wine.

But he had no appetite at all.

The closer the ship got to Dragonstone, the more uncomfortable he felt.

There was a storm on the sea when he left the port of Pentos. He once hoped that it was the beginning of the autumn storm sweeping the narrow sea, so that he could turn back to Pentos and wait for the right time.

However, Grolai, who was once his most experienced captain, was experienced and went out to sea in the storm.

And as the experienced captain said, it was just a small storm. They only sailed on the sea for half a day before the weather cleared up.

After returning to Pentos a few days ago and respectfully handing Illyrio a thin parchment, Grolai, the commander of the first fleet of the Dragon King of Dragonstone, was eager to report back and did everything in a hurry when he returned to Pentos.

He asked Magister Illyrio to guarantee him, and bought the highest level of insurance for his big-bellied merchant ship that carried the dragon king Viserys across half the world, and stored it in the shipyard of his old manor. Then he began to quickly sell most of his property in Pentos to buy a finished hundred-oared ship and four Myrish small ships, and brought his eldest son to be the captain of the new hundred-oared ship.

Groleben wanted to borrow money from Illyrio to buy a longship, but Illyrio simply funded him with two longships.

Now he really looks like a fleet commander. This time when he set out from Pentos, a three-hundred-oared ship, a hundred-oared ship, two longships, four Myrish ships, and two merchant ships loaded with cargo by Magister Illyrio, they headed towards Dragonstone.

Although the fleet was moving a little slowly because the sailors were not fully hired in Pentos before setting off, no pirate dared to approach such a team.

They hung the flag of the real dragon on their bow.

Every time Grolai gave Illyrio his blessing and talked to him about how great Dragon King Viserys was and how brilliant Magister Illyrio's vision was, he felt very heavy.

Due to some kind of agreement, Grolai and the sailors on the ship, including the sailors who would not be on the ship after returning to Pentos but would return to their hometown, kept silent about their journey after leaving Lys. Even if they did, they only talked about a few parts, such as the weather was always good, there were no wind and waves, and no pirates. As for where they went, what they did, and what they encountered during the time they disappeared at sea, they all kept silent.

Only the part about the battle of Dragonstone was talked about back and forth, saying how a patrol boat was destroyed that morning, and then how they landed on Dragonstone with the Dragon King, and how they ran to the mountainside. Many said that the battle ended before they ran to the mountainside.

And the dragon, everyone was sure that the Dragon King rode a three-headed dragon to fight and recaptured Dragonstone in less than a quarter of an hour.

As for where the dragon came from and when it appeared, everyone was very secretive.

Illyrio tried to ask Grole and several stewards who had treated them well, but everyone said that only Captain Grole might know. However, Grole only asked Illyrio to ask himself, and he couldn't say it.

Illyrio took out the thin parchment in his arms, on which was a commission written in beautiful Westeros Common Language.

It had the autograph of Dragon King Viserys Targaryen and the king's seal. Viserys fulfilled his promise and appointed Illyrio Mopatis as his first finance minister, although now his territory only had Dragonstone and a few castles of the Narrow Sea Lords, and the army was said to be less than a thousand people.

However, he had dragons, and he was a Targaryen.

Woo-woo--

Two trumpet sounds meant that Dragonstone was approaching.

Illyrio raised his head and took a deep breath, struggling to stand up from the huge leather chair with his fat body.

He was alone in the room now, without the help of a maid, so he stood up without much effort as usual in front of others.

But even so, when he walked to the dressing mirror in the luxurious room, thinking about his past self and looking at himself now, he couldn't help crying.

When Illyrio was young, he was a strong and handsome mercenary and assassin who made a living in the shadow of swords, but now...

Illyrio washed his hands, dried them with a towel, and then squeezed his right hand into his left sleeve and pulled out a silver box. There was a lifelike portrait of a woman, a woman with big blue eyes and light golden hair.

Shira. He found her in a brothel run by a Lys and took her home to warm his bed, but he cared more and more about Shira, and finally fell in love with her and married her.

Magister Illyrio looked at her deeply and closed the box.

Then he came to the bedside of the room, where there was a box with his important item: her hand.

Once a Braavosi merchant ship docked in Pentos and brought the plague. Although every sailor who tried to leave the ship was killed, the rats that escaped from the ship still brought the plague to the shore. A total of 2,000 people died from the plague, and Shilla was one of them. After her death, the sad Illyrio kept her hand in his bedroom as a treasure. This time he brought her with him, hoping that this would make him no longer hesitate.

Woo--

Woo--

There was a horn sound on the sea, which meant that Dragonstone was about to arrive.

There was a knock on the door, and Illyrio gathered his mood, sat back in his chair, and answered, "Come in." He took a sip of wine and tore the cold chicken wings.

Accompanied by his Unsullied guards, Grolei came in with a smile on his face. He said very enthusiastically: "Your Majesty Governor, Dragonstone is almost here. Do you want to go to the bow of the ship and take a look? His Majesty the Dragon King told me before. I will keep it a secret until now, and His Majesty will pick you up at the dock personally."

Illyrio was shocked and said: "What?" His expression changed, and he was immediately flattered and said, "How can this be possible? I am just a businessman."

Grole rubbed his hands excitedly and uneasily: "Master Governor, you will know when you go to the bow of the ship. You know His Majesty's character better than I do."

Illyrio quickly called for someone to help him stand up, tidy up his appearance, and then walked onto the deck excitedly.

At this time, Dragonstone Island was already visible in the distance, and a huge Dragon Mountain could be seen stretching across the sea level, with gray smoke pointing its direction.

Boom--boom--.

The sound of drums sounded on the boat. As the drums sounded like trumpets, the rhythm of the wooden oars beating the sea gradually became uniform, like the heartbeat of a giant.

Although the wind direction was not right, Grolet still asked the crew to unfurl the sails of each ship from half sail to full sail, and fully display the true dragon mark on the canvas before entering the port.

There were gradually more people on the deck who had nothing to do with the ship. One person was wearing an undyed wool travel cloak. The hood was raised, revealing long white hair hanging down to his shoulders. A silky silver beard covered the white hair on the lower half of his face. The bearded old man appeared in the corner of the deck. He stood in an unattended corner of the deck, leaning on a hardwood crutch as tall as himself, looking intently in the direction of Dragonstone.

Illyrio looked back and saw the old man. The fat governor smiled at him, and then stood on the bow of the ship facing the wind as if nothing had happened.

Dragonstone Island is getting bigger and bigger on the horizon. Gradually, you can see the black stone castle with the dragon-shaped tower, and you can see the seaside town with the castle mountain road stretching down.

Finally, the wharf gradually became visible. A quarter of the entire port was cleared, and a huge space was cleared around the platform on the wharf. Countless onlookers could be seen being blocked from the space.

At the front of the cleared pier, two rows of sergeants were waiting in formation to welcome important guests.

Grolet did not order the fleet to lower its sails until the extreme distance and move only by oars.

The sound of drumming on the boat gradually slowed down, and the sound of wood pulp hitting the water gradually slowed down. The fleet finally arrived at the port, and the ship carrying Illyrio was specially sailed into the middle pier.

Illyrio saw it, at the pier, right there. When he first met him, he was wearing dirty and shabby Chinese clothes. He had messy hair, gloomy eyes, and a haggard face. He was tall and thin, with a slightly stooped posture, a bit nervous, and a nice person. A down-and-out prince whose hands would feel uneasy and tremble slightly when he spoke but struggled to restrain himself, and his voice would become high-pitched when he talked about excitement.

The king who was full of lies and deep thoughts in his courtyard, who clearly didn't trust anyone but was using him, who openly did stupid and crazy things, secretly did secret adventures, and actually used some kind of magic to hatch a giant dragon. .

The king's appearance became more sharp-edged, calmer, and more confident than when Illyrio said goodbye to him at the port of Pentos, as if he was sure of victory.

But this time, Illyrio will no longer wonder where his confidence comes from.

The boat ladder slowly lowered.

Illyrio was surrounded by Grole and the guards and came to the ship's ladder.

"You are here at last," the man who now called himself the Dragon King of Dragonstone greeted Illyrio with open arms, "my chancellor!"

Illyrio was flattered, hurried down, and responded movedly: "My King!"

"Ah, it's so good to see you, my Chancellor of the Exchequer, especially to see your reassuring heavy body." They met under the boat, and the Dragon King of Dragonstone hugged the fat governor's body tightly, he shouted He smiled and said, "I haven't seen you in the past few months, and you really haven't changed at all."

If only these words were sincere.

Viserys was now the Lord of Illyrio after all, so he only said: "Your Majesty, your Lord Treasurer is at your disposal."

At this time, other people got off the ship one after another. Viserys nodded to Grolai and motioned for him and the person in charge of reception to arrange the crew on board. Then he took Illyrio's chubby hand and said, "Let's take you to my castle." Look, you took me into your courtyard in person before, and I thought that I would take you into my castle in person in the future. Dany is organizing the banquet in the castle, just to welcome you."

Illyrio paused, called to the Dragon King, and said, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. In this situation, there is a gift that I must deliver to you at this moment?"

Viserys looked back at him and asked curiously: "What gift?"

"Please allow me to call people to move here." Illyrio saluted the Dragon King, then turned back to signal his followers.

Not long after, a cedar box was brought up, and Illyrio leaned over to open it and show it to the Dragon King.

The box was filled with the finest velvets and brocades produced by the Free Trade City... There was also a huge egg lying on it: "Your Majesty, I owe you, before Pentos sailed, you ordered me to go to the Iron Treasury and borrow money from wealthy merchants from all over the country. You asked me for money, but I found a dragon egg for you. This is something you have always asked me to do, and I dare not forget it. "

This is a dark green dragon egg with bronze spots.

Viserys took a deep look at Illyrio, and then said loudly: "Okay, this is exactly what I need. I will treasure it forever, just as I always remember our agreement. Let's go back to the castle and have a banquet!" "

"Yes." Illyrio joined hands with him warmly and walked towards the town.

Countless onlookers were stopped outside by the guards and cheered: "Your Majesty the Dragon King!"

The king waved to the crowd and continued to walk forward solemnly and steadily.

The red carpet was laid all the way to the entrance of the town's mountain trail.

At this point, Illyrio was already panting: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry to make you laugh. My body is really not suitable for mountain trails."

"It's okay, Illyrio, this is your first time here, the etiquette is a little more solemn, just go for it, and next time you come, I can ask the entourage to get a sedan chair to carry you up."

When they arrived at the castle on the mountain and entered the castle, Illyrio was already having difficulty breathing, and his ears were red under the evening light.

Although the banquet was not very large, and the vassals near Dragonstone were not called, all the king's close ministers who should have come were there. Including the Regent Princess, who also dressed up and toasted in person. Illyrio was flattered again. Looking at Daenerys again, she was no longer timid, pitiful, or shy. He had rarely seen a royal noble like her now, with a noble demeanor and awe-inspiring power that made people afraid.

The acting city lord was needless to say. Although the Minister of the Navy was only six years old, he rushed to the scene from Tidehead Castle accompanied by his castle coach. Although the seats of other important officials were vacant, the relevant persons in charge were present. In particular, several high-level officials related to finance were called to meet and introduce themselves to the Minister of Finance, who had been away for a long time but was still famous. Although there were not many knights in the castle, they were all there. Fleet Grolai and his relatives also arrived, and there were guards who took turns to sit down.

Although it was not a celebration for the entire Dragonstone Island, for Illyrio, who was not born a noble, this banquet hosted by the king himself and organized by the regent princess himself was a great honor.

The welcome dinner lasted for three hours. Because Dragonstone Castle was still under military control, there were no singers or dancers to entertain the guests, so it ended early.

The next day, Illyrio formally asked to see the Dragon King of Dragonstone as the Minister of Finance, saying that he wanted to give him advice. He first asked: "Your Majesty, why haven't I seen your dragon since yesterday?"

Viserys met him in the Table Hall. Because it was a confidential conversation, he did not let the recorder sit in and record: "Dragons prefer to stay in Dragon Mountain rather than castles. They like hot environments, so their bodies grow faster. Unlike this little thing." He waved his hand, and a black shadow larger than a falcon flashed out from the room behind the partition of the Table Hall and landed directly on the map table in front of Viserys.

Illyrio was startled.

He looked closely and saw that it was a little dragon that was almost as tall as a ten-year-old human child when it stood up. It had black and faintly red scales, a long crocodile-like snout, and a snake-like long neck that stretched and retracted. As if it sensed Illyrio's gaze, it was looking at Illyrio with its huge, piercing, golden dragon eyes.

It seemed to dislike Illyrio, and after a few glances, it opened its wings to him. Each of its wings was a piece of delicate skin, colorful, tightly stretched between its skeleton.

After the bat wings were spread, its body size instantly seemed to have increased several times.

It hissed and exhaled at Illyrio, hot air came out of its nose, and there was a faint red flame accumulating in its dragon mouth.

Illyrio felt cold all over, as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast. For a moment, his breathing stagnated. Some kind of instinct in his blood drove him to retreat unconsciously. He almost wanted to run away.

Snap. Viserys gently patted the dragon's back. Under Illyrio's shocked gaze, the dragon immediately retracted its wings, swallowed the flames in its throat, straightened its body, and squatted quietly on the map table with its neck still, as if it had turned into a half-human-high black and red dragon sculpture in an instant. Only its golden dragon eyes, which blinked from time to time, showed that it was indeed a giant dragon that had not yet grown up.

"This" Illyrio was still in shock and couldn't help swallowing his saliva, "This"

Viserys just said casually: "This little guy, if he is willing to stay in the Dragon Mountain Crater, maybe he can grow faster."

"." Illyrio was speechless.

"The three-headed dragon's name is Guliok. I'll ask you to come and see him when he comes back?"

".Gurio." Illyrio opened his mouth, and seeing the little dragon still staring at him, he felt uncomfortable all over, and felt a chill on the back of his neck. After a long pause, he said, "Your Majesty, I'm actually here to offer you advice."

Viserys asked, "What do you think?"

"." Illyrio wanted to look away, but his instinctive fear made it impossible for him to ignore the dragon's gaze that always stayed on him - he knew that hunters who would quietly watch their prey were always the most terrifying beasts. He gritted his teeth and insisted, looking at Viserys and said, "Your Majesty now has a dragon and has occupied Dragonstone Island, so he can continue to Continue to advance into the interior of Westeros. With the title of the legitimate Targaryen king, the false kings of the Seven Kingdoms are no match for you. When the lords of the Seven Kingdoms see the real dragon, why don't they come to serve you? Why do you stay in this narrow area of ​​Dragonstone?" "There is Dragon Mountain on Dragonstone." Viserys said, "My dragon is not strong enough. It is more than enough to attack Dragonstone, but it is not enough to attack the inland." He reached out and touched the little dragon's head, "Look, except for the three dragons, this little guy is only this big. My strength is not enough to wipe out the false kings everywhere. I need Dragon Mountain, a place to raise dragons." He narrated calmly, "Just hold on here, the Seven Kingdoms, Westeros, it will be the same when I take it back."

After being deceived many times, Illyrio tried to see whether the king's words were true or false: "If this is the case, your Majesty, you summoned me, do you want me to manage the finances of Dragonstone for you?"

Viserys caressed the little dragon with his hand and looked at Illyrio: "Tell me your strategy first, I want to hear it."

"Your Majesty, why don't mercenaries come to fight for you? Then you can sit on the dragon and just hold down the battle, and you can eat up all the lands of Westeros."

"You are new here, haven't you heard the letter I sent to the princes in the Seven Kingdoms before?" Viserys said calmly, "I call on the princes in the Seven Kingdoms to coexist peacefully and the people to prepare food for the winter." He said seriously to Illyrio , "Maybe you don't know me well enough, Illyrio. I don't like war, I like peace."

"." Illyrio was speechless for a long time.

Viserys did not continue to listen to his words, and directly stated the purpose of asking him to come to Dragonstone: "Although I do not adopt your strategy, I came to you, Illyrio, not as a governor of Pentos. You are just the financial director of Longshi Island. This is too incompetent. I always remember that what I promised you is the position of finance minister of a country. I hope you can find an iron bank for me, talk to banks and wealthy businessmen in various places, and I will give it to you. You send some of my most capable financial affairs officers to assist you in raising funds for me, whether it is building an army, building ships, preparing supplies, or what you call mercenaries, it all requires a lot of money."

Don't you like peace? Illyrio thought. But he replied: "It is my honor that Your Majesty is willing to entrust me with such an important matter." He couldn't help but think about the purpose behind the Dragon King asking him to do these things.

"I'm very satisfied that you can agree. Later I will summon the financial affairs officer assigned to you to discuss the details of raising funds in various places. The external bottom line and declared purpose must be well planned."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Illyrio nodded in agreement. He always believed that things were never simple.

"Illyrio, my Lord Treasurer." Suddenly, Illyrio heard Viserys call his name, calling them the familiar title they had agreed upon between kings and ministers. Illyrio couldn't help but hold his breath and listen carefully. He heard the dragon king say to him seriously and seriously, "Dragonstone Island has been the ancestral home of the Targaryen family for more than four hundred years. Here, countless Targaryen kings, princes and their loyal The ministers discussed state affairs and planned the country. Countless people came and went, becoming names sung in history and songs. The roaring water of Blackwater Bay into the Narrow Sea witnessed their lives, Illyrio, you and me. The agreement between the king and his ministers has its beginning and end. What kind of historical story will it become in the future? "

Illyrio saw the king's eyes fixed on him, without saying a word, as if waiting for an answer. He held his breath for a moment, feeling an urge to respond to the king. He knelt on one knee and bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I."

Illyrio felt that he should say something at this moment, but he found that today he didn't know how to respond to questions that he could easily answer in the past.

The table hall was silent for a while.

"Ah," finally, at a certain moment, the king breathed a sigh of relief and broke the silence, "Let's go downstairs to convene a meeting with the stewards."

At this time, Illyrio looked up and saw the dragon king of Dragonstone Island waving his hand. The little dragon sitting quietly on the map table took off from the table, and its flapping wings created a big gust of wind in the map table hall. It flew out of the black stone fortress of Dragonstone Island's main castle through the gap in the Picture Table Hall, and headed straight for the vast sky outside.