Dany looked at the old knight's panicked and incredulous expression and sighed."Just as you suspected, Aerys and Joanna had an illegitimate child. Can you guess who it was?"
His pupils shrank. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Tyrion?"
"Then tell me—why not Cersei or Jaime? I've heard that Joanna not only gave her first night to Aerys but was his mistress for several years, only later letting Tywin take over as the... fallback option," Dany said.
"Fallback... option?"
The White Knight didn't quite understand the term, but he didn't dwell on it. There were far more important matters demanding his attention.
"That's just a rumor!" Barristan said firmly. "There was only pure love between Joanna and King Aerys!"
"Are you sure?" Dany looked at the old knight with deep skepticism and reminded him, "You don't have to worry about tarnishing Aerys's reputation in front of me. We both know he didn't even have the equipment for that."
"No, Your Grace, you misunderstand," Barristan shook his head hurriedly and explained, "When Lady Joanna first came to the Red Keep to serve as Princess Rhaella's lady-in-waiting, she and Duke Tywin weren't yet lovers.
On the contrary, it was Prince Aerys who fell for her at first sight—they were genuinely in love."
Seeing him hesitate and glance at her uncertainly, Dany, eager for gossip, urged him on, "Go on, then!"
"Uh... You're not angry?" the White Knight asked cautiously.
"Angry about what?"
"Rhaella was your mother..." Ser Barristan said awkwardly.
I was enjoying the gossip so much that, if you hadn't mentioned it, I almost would've forgotten about Rhaella.
Dany rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "Aerys was my father too. That whole affair was a mess, so disgusting I want no part of it."
"Alright then," the White Knight nodded and relaxed a little, continuing, "Your Grace, you must understand something—when he was young, Prince Aerys was generous, selfless, handsome, dashing, and courageous—"
"Hold on!" Dany raised her hand to cut him off, looking slightly annoyed. "I only want to hear about Aerys and Joanna's relationship. You don't need to flatter him just because he was a king or my father."
"Flatter him?!" Barristan suddenly raised his voice, eyes wide with indignation. "I have always walked the path of honesty! When have I ever stooped to flattering a king?"
Alright, that clearly hit a nerve.
The Dragon Queen immediately nodded and admitted her fault. "My apologies. I misspoke. You were only defending your king's honor."
"Sigh, Your Grace, I was telling the truth!" Barristan was genuinely anxious now.
He had worn the white cloak for decades, served under one, two, three... five, six kings. When had he ever been anything but upright and sincere in his counsel?Even if it was for the sake of the king's honor, at most he remained silent—but never once had he stooped to flattery.
"But," Dany frowned, "the promising young man you speak of doesn't sound anything like the 'Mad King.'"
"Prince Aerys in his youth was very different from how he was in his later years," the old knight emphasized.
"Later years? He died at what, forty?"
"Uh... well, King Aerys did change quite drastically," Barristan scratched his head.
By his mid-thirties, the Mad King was already tormented by madness, resembling a man of seventy—haggard, with matted, tangled hair, an unkempt beard, and twisted fingernails over a foot long.He was actually younger than Barristan, yet in his memories, Aerys had always seemed like an old man.
"As a young prince, Aerys had a volatile temper and was prone to mood swings, but it was still manageable. In fact, he was widely considered charming. Many noble ladies were infatuated with him, and the most talented youths across the Seven Kingdoms liked being in his company.
Prince Aerys, Duke Tywin, and Robert's father, Lord Steffon, were considered the most outstanding young nobles of their time.
They were also the best of friends—grew up together, and even fought side by side in the War of the Ninepenny Kings.
Your father's bravery was tested in the flames of war, and afterward, Tywin himself knighted him."
Dany said noncommittally, "So, Joanna fell in love with such a dashing young man?"
"They never crossed the line, but you know the tale. The woods witch once gave a prophecy to your great-grandfather—that the Prince That Was Promised would be born of your parents' bloodline.
So, Prince Aerys could not marry Lady Joanna.
It's unclear whether his change in character had anything to do with that.
In any case, after the wedding, King Aerys's behavior became increasingly... unhinged."
That last word was spoken with great caution, as Barristan closely watched the queen's expression.
Dany did frown, but it wasn't because Aerys was being called the Mad King.
"Are you certain my father Aerys loved Joanna?" she asked.
Barristan replied with absolute certainty, "Prince Aerys was mercurial, and his affections rarely lasted. But I swear—he never loved Princess Rhaella. There wasn't a shred of affection between them.
On the other hand, his feelings for Joanna lasted for many years.
If not for the prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised, he almost certainly would have married her."
"Then do you think my father's transformation had anything to do with the Three-Eyed Raven?" Dany asked.
At this, Barristan's expression changed dramatically. He trembled as he answered, "If I hadn't known about the Three-Eyed Raven—hadn't known he once distorted your mind—I'd never have even thought of that possibility."
"So you think it's possible?" Dany pressed.
Barristan shook his head and said, "But why would he? Brynden Rivers was still a Targaryen. His father, Aegon V, adored him and even acknowledged his status and inheritance.
Later, his brother, King Daeron II, trusted him enough to name him Hand of the King. I simply can't find a reason why he would want to destroy the Targaryen dynasty.
There's no question that driving your father to madness was the same as destroying Westeros... and the Targaryen family."
"Maybe," Dany's eyes gleamed darkly, "the director needed him to follow the script. Otherwise, how else could the Prince That Was Promised be born?"
"Who? Prince Aegon is the prophesied one?" Barristan frowned. "He hasn't even been to the Wall, hasn't fought a single White Walker. He's just a child of summer. The Long Night is nearly here—how is he supposed to suddenly become a savior?"
"Stop guessing. Only the White Walkers know what the Three-Eyed Raven is thinking. Once I've fully mastered my skills and place a Valyrian steel blade to Brynden's throat, then we'll get the answers."
Waving her hand to end the topic, Dany shifted focus. "How did Tyrion come to be? Joanna stayed in Casterly Rock after her marriage. When would she have had the chance to give birth to Tyrion?"
"There was a chance! In the tenth year of King Aerys's reign, a tourney was held in King's Landing to mark the anniversary. Joanna came, bringing Jaime and Cersei with her.
Sigh… The following year, she gave birth to Tyrion and died in childbirth. I only know they were together once, but I didn't know Tyrion was a bastard."
Barristan stammered through the explanation, clearly struggling.
"Did Tywin know?" Dany asked curiously.
"I don't know," Barristan said, shaking his head repeatedly.
But it was highly likely the old lion knew the truth.
Of course—everyone in Game of Thrones lives in a kind of hell.
At that moment, voices called for Barristan from outside. Sailors were reporting that the royal dragon fleet had encountered the Hightower grain convoy.
"Your Grace, do you need anything else?" Barristan asked, a little uneasy.
"Enemy spies secretly smuggled stone men with greyscale into Slaver's Bay. They plan to throw them into the city's wells."
"By the Seven, have they gone mad?" Barristan exclaimed.
"They've already succeeded—by a third," Dany replied.
"Are the Allies not afraid you'll retaliate the same way?"
"Do you think I should?"
Dany looked at the white knight with a strange expression.
Could she have been wrong about him? Was this noble and upright white knight like her—a heart of white skin wrapped around dark chocolate?
Well, even she hadn't thought of retaliating in kind. Aside from venting frustration, it wouldn't really harm the enemy.
In the slave city-states, the ratio of slaves to free people was typically more than 3 to 1. Nobles made up an even smaller portion—one percent, maybe even one in a thousand.
And yet, nobles enjoyed the best hygiene and medical care.
Just like a certain "beacon of civilization" where the pandemic was rampant and tens of thousands died.
But look closer, and who were the ones dying? All damn poor people.
"No, no, no!"
Worried the queen might misunderstand, the white knight waved his hands frantically and said urgently, "You are the liberator, the breaker of chains, the 'Mhysa' awaited by countless slaves. You mustn't do such a thing."
"You said it, not me," Dany replied.
"I didn't… Sigh. Then how do you plan to retaliate?" the white knight asked.
Dany said, "Once the plague is under control, I plan to take New Ghis. I'll use only dragons and the navy—no large-scale mobilization, no disruption to Meereen's war preparations or food production boom.
If possible, Qarth won't be spared either.
That's why I need a capable naval commander.
'Blackbeard' Groleo is experienced at sea, but he doesn't understand formal naval warfare."
"What about Aurane Waters?" Barristan suggested.
"I need someone more honorable," Dany refused.
With a heavy sigh, the white knight said with a sense of noble duty, "Once I hand over the Royal Navy to Waters, send Little White to fetch me."
"No, Ser. Your duties are critical: reorganize the Royal Navy, protect Dragonstone, secure the landing points from the Stepstones to the Disputed Lands, and escort the grain convoys and wildling fleets. You're effectively my Hand, not a mere naval commander," Dany replied.
Barristan nodded in satisfaction and recommended, "Aerys Celtigar will do, and Garth Hightower as well."
"Have them prepare. In a few days, I'll send Big Black to retrieve them."
Tyrion's identity as a Targaryen bastard merely surprised Dany.
This kind of plot—totally absent in Game of Thrones—made for delightful gossip, which she enjoyed thoroughly.
But his identity as her dwarf half-brother stirred no sense of closeness in her. No discomfort, no conflict, no awkwardness.
To put it simply, Dany had no emotional connection to Rhaegar, Viserys, Mad King Aerys, or Queen Rhaella—all her blood relatives in name. So Tyrion becoming her nominal brother meant nothing special to her.
Therefore, the next morning, in the main hall on the first floor of the "Palace of the Rising Sun," before the officials and citizens of Slaver's Bay, Dany formally awarded the title "Yellow Cloak" to the Wildfire General.
Yes, this had been announced earlier.
A Targaryen keeps her word.
The Dragon Queen acknowledged Tyrion's merit in exposing the Allies' vile plot—even if only indirectly—and honored him for his verbal promise to deliver two hundred tons of Valyrian steel.
She had promised to reward him.
Even if he turned out to be a Targaryen bastard, that poop-flavored ice cream was still going to be shoved into his hands.
"Wildfire General, you might want to consider a new hairstyle," Dany said mischievously.
(End of chapter)
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