"Great Mother of Dragons, Baptized by Flame—Xaro offers you his greetings!" The envoy from Qarth was a bald man with a jewel set into his nose, giving him an odd appearance.
The people inside the tent froze momentarily upon seeing him, recognizing the envoy at once as Xaro Xhoan Daxos, one of the Thirteen of Qarth.
As one of Qarth's highest rulers, Xaro's appearance in person as a mere envoy left everyone wondering what his true intentions were.
"Prince Xaro, what brings you here?" Daenerys asked bluntly. She didn't like the way he looked at her—or at her dragons.
Xaro seemed to sense her rejection, but he showed no sign of offense. He kept his usual warm smile and replied, "On behalf of the other Thirteen, I'd like to invite Your Grace to Qarth for a discussion about possible cooperation."
"Cooperation? What sort of cooperation?" Daenerys asked, clearly puzzled.
Xaro answered with a calm smile, "Previously, His Highness Aegon Targaryen reached a preliminary agreement with us—covering trade and military matters. It was only a basic outline at the time, and the specifics were never finalized. The original plan was for His Highness Aegon to resume talks with us after Your Grace's marriage to the Horselord. But now that His Highness has passed, we hope to renegotiate the terms directly with Your Grace."
"Aegon had a cooperation agreement with you?" Daenerys thought hard but couldn't recall anything of the sort. She turned to Haldon and the others. "Did any of you know about this?"
Everyone shook their heads.
But Harry Strickland, commander of the Golden Company, seemed to recall something.
"I know a little," he said. "I don't know the details, but I do know that Prince Aegon, Lord Jon Connington, and our late commander Myles Toyne once visited Qarth to discuss certain matters. I'm not sure if that's what Prince Xaro is referring to."
"Yes, that's the agreement I meant," Xaro nodded.
Daenerys paused for a moment, then said, "Very well. I'll go—with an escort."
"Then we shall await Your Grace's arrival," Xaro said with a bow before leaving the tent. As he exited, he couldn't help glancing once more at the dragons beside Daenerys.
"I don't like that man," Obara said bluntly.
The others in the tent all nodded in agreement.
"Commander Harry, is there really such an agreement?" Sister Lemore asked carefully, turning to Harry Strickland again for confirmation.
"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "All I know is that they met with the Thirteen. Whether they discussed any real cooperation, I have no idea. What about the rest of you? Did Prince Aegon mention anything to you?"
"No," the three of them said, shaking their heads in unison.
"I can feel that man's intentions aren't pure. Khaleesi, if you do go to Qarth, please take me with you. I'll protect you with my life," Jorah Mormont said solemnly.
Daenerys's Bloodriders also rose to their feet, declaring they would accompany her to Qarth.
Obara stood up too. "There's no rush. Let me go to Qarth first and gather some intelligence. With help from the Miracle Merchant Guild, I should be able to find out what the Thirteen are really planning—and pick up some grain while I'm at it."
Daenerys thought it over and agreed. She nodded, removed the necklace from her neck, and handed it to Obara.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Obara took the necklace and left the tent in a hurry.
After she had gone, Rakharo, who didn't get along well with her, asked in confusion, "Blood of my blood, aren't you worried she might not bring the necklace back?"
"That necklace might be priceless to us, but it's not particularly valuable to her," Harry explained. "Before following Her Grace, Lady Obara was the commander of the women's battalion at Miracle Harbor in Summerhall, and one of the high-ranking officers under Prince Lynd. If she wanted a necklace like that, Prince Lynd wouldn't hesitate to give her one."
"What? That woman used to serve under the God of Calamity?" Rakharo exclaimed in shock.
The Great Plague that had swept across the Dothraki Sea had left a deep scar in the memories of the Dothraki. Even though the faith of the God of Calamity hadn't been spread among them deliberately, they still knew of it. Most of all, they knew that the God of Calamity could cure plague. Many Dothraki, even those who still followed the old ways, now wore a symbol or idol of the God of Calamity—and everyone knew that the God of Calamity was Lynd Tarran.
...
Obara, unaware of what had been said after her departure, gathered her men, mounted her horse, and left the camp. After riding a long distance from the camp, she took two messenger hawks from one of her riders, inserted two sealed notes into the brass tubes tied to their legs, and released them into the sky.
The hawks rose high into the air, catching the strong wind as they flew westward.
Along the way, one hawk was distracted by a fish in the sea and dove down, trying to catch it. But a huge mouth suddenly rose from the water and swallowed the bird whole.
The other hawk flew steadily. After a full day and night of flight, it reached the skies above Sunspear. Circling a few times, it descended into the castle's rookery.
The falconer guarding the rookery quickly retrieved the brass tube from the bird's leg and rushed it to the steward.
After checking the markings on the tube, the steward ordered it to be delivered to the Water Gardens outside the city.
By the time the messenger reached the Water Gardens, Prince Doran was watching the children of his bannermen play among the flowers. Though pain etched subtle lines across his brow, his expression remained calm and kind.
Beside him, the Red Viper—Oberyn Martell—lay on a lounge chair, eating fruit from a plate as his lover, Ellaria Sand, attended him.
"Prince, a letter from the east," the steward of the gardens approached Prince Doran quietly, holding a brass message tube.
The smile on Doran's face faded as he took the tube, examined the seal, then opened it and carefully read the letter inside.
The Red Viper sat up from his reclining chair, watching his brother intently. "From the Kingdom of Lorne? Or Qarth?"
"Qarth," Prince Doran replied, handing the letter to him.
The Red Viper read it quickly, then passed it to his lover beside him. He turned back to Doran. "What are you thinking?"
Prince Doran was silent for a moment, then said, "I want Quentyn to go to Qarth—to meet the Mother of Dragons and propose marriage."
"That's impossible. She'll never agree to that," the Red Viper said, shaking his head.
"I know," Doran said with a nod.
"Then why send Quentyn…" The Red Viper frowned, then quickly seemed to realize something. "You're testing her?"
"In part, yes." Doran's gaze turned northward, distant and thoughtful. "Lynd Tarran's arrival has shattered many long-standing rules. Every plan we once had has been thrown into disarray. And somehow, without us even noticing, he has become a mountain in our path—one so massive we cannot climb over it. Unless we find a way to bring that mountain down, our goal will remain out of reach."
"Bring down a mountain? Are you mad?" The Red Viper stared at his brother like he had lost his mind. "Even if we could win—do you realize that Kingsgrave, Skyreach, Yronwood, Tor, Godsgrace, and Ghost Hill are all aligned with Summerhall now? If we made a move against Summerhall, they'd be the first to strike back."
"I know," Doran sighed. "Which is why I want to test Daenerys Targaryen. If she still has the will to claim the Iron Throne, she'll accept our proposal—because we're her only option. But if she has lost that drive, she'll reject a marriage alliance with us. Either way, we'll know where she stands, and we can prepare accordingly."
"To be honest, I don't think that girl has any chance against Lynd," the Red Viper said grimly. "Yes, she has three dragons, but they're no match for his. That sea dragon, Cannibal, is in a league of its own—no ordinary dragon could rival it. And I've seen another of his dragons with my own eyes—it looked like it came straight out of the seven hells. They say he has a third one, even more unnatural—four legs, two pairs of wings. That one's supposedly still in the ruins of Valyria. Against those three, her little dragons are nothing but hatchlings."
"Whatever you can imagine, she's already considered," Doran said, pointing to the letter. "Obara mentioned that Daenerys often says the Iron Throne feels like a curse upon House Targaryen. That tells us she's not truly eager to return to Westeros."
Ellaria Sand spoke up. "So you want to use Quentyn to push her—to make her walk away from the Iron Throne on her own?"
Doran nodded. "With the way things are in the Seven Kingdoms now, if the current trend continues, there will be only one person left who can sit on the Iron Throne—Lynd Tarran. If we want revenge, we have to change our strategy. We can't cling to the old plan. The Iron Throne isn't our goal—revenge is." He turned to the Red Viper. "I need you to go to Summerhall. Find out where he stands on Daenerys—and see what his feelings are toward our vengeance."
"Yes," the Red Viper nodded.
Prince Doran then turned to Ellaria Sand and said, "Ellaria, I need you to go to Norvos and find Mellario. Ask her to go to Ny Sar and serve Nymeria."
"She won't do it, brother," the Red Viper said, frowning.
"She will," Prince Doran replied, taking out a piece of jewelry and handing it to Ellaria. "Just give her this."
"Yes. I know what to do," Ellaria said, accepting the ornament.
Just as Prince Doran finished giving his instructions, the steward of the gardens hurried over and whispered, "My lord, Princess Arianne has just boarded a ship to Volantis with her entourage. She says she's heading to Qarth to meet the Mother of Dragons."
Doran was momentarily stunned. His face darkened slightly, while the Red Viper burst into laughter.
"So what now? Still sending Quentyn?" he asked, still amused.
Prince Doran quickly made his decision. "Prepare a fast ship. Have Quentyn reach Daenerys before Arianne does."
And so, a group of swift-sailing vessels departed from Sunspear, heading in three different directions.
...
By the time the Red Viper arrived in the Town of Redemption, Lynd had already returned from the ruins of Valyria. Once again, he had not brought Deltos back with him, leaving it behind in the ruins.
Deltos was in far better condition than Lynd had expected. The appearance of the red comet had not only accelerated its physical growth but also strengthened its magical power—and more importantly, significantly boosted its intelligence. It could now communicate with Lynd directly through something akin to telepathy, no longer needing to rely on sounds to express its emotions as it had before.
In conversation with Deltos, Lynd learned that it was unaware anyone had entered the ruins. Deltos had spent nearly all of its time guarding the parasitic-infested ruins on the outskirts, preventing the creatures from spreading, and rarely flew into the city itself. As a result, it hadn't noticed Euron's presence at all.
Additionally, the thinning of the volcanic ash and toxic smoke that once darkened the skies wasn't due to Deltos either. That began after the red comet appeared. Rain had started falling suddenly, and as it poured, it diluted the thick layers of ash and poison drifting through the air.
Lynd confirmed this himself. As he was leaving Valyria, it began to rain again. Controlling the storms over the surrounding seas, he gathered them over the ruins to accelerate the cleansing process, rapidly thinning the dark clouds of ash and smoke.
When the rain stopped, the air over Valyria felt almost fresh. And for the first time in centuries, a clear blue sky stretched out over the peninsula.
Lynd left Deltos to continue guarding the ruins, keeping others from getting too close.
After returning to Summerhall, Lynd handed over the wight he had found in Valyria to the Black Cave for further study. Then he summoned the leaders of the Silent Court, the Mage's Association, and the Church of the God of Magic, instructing them to immediately select suitable talent. He planned to have one of the nearby islands cleared to establish a dedicated research base focused entirely on the ruins of Valyria.
At the same time, he ordered the Miracle Fleet to build a fortress on one of the surrounding islands and to station troops there to safeguard the entire region around the ruins.
Finally, Lynd issued an official declaration to all the kingdoms and Free Cities that could be reached. The message was simple: from this day forward, the Valyrian Peninsula was the territory of Summerhall—sacred and inviolable. Any unauthorized entry would be considered an act of invasion.