chapter 198 part 2
The knight of Bear Island looked up at the silver-haired princess with deep emotion and said sincerely, "Dany, please let me protect you. I will forever stand guard by your side. I swear it, until death."
As Ser Jorah's words fell, Daenerys's violet eyes, still gazing at the sky, remained filled with longing, without the slightest flicker.
The silver-haired princess seemed to ignore the knight of Bear Island's heartfelt confession. His face gradually turned ashen... Disappointment, dejection, sorrow, but what he felt most deeply was regret—regret for his impulsiveness. Would he be sent away? Ser Jorah began to worry and fear. No matter what, he wanted to remain by Daenerys's side. He knew he could no longer leave her.
Daenerys's clear, crisp voice rang out. "You are a warrior I trust."
Daenerys tilted her head slightly. Her unwavering violet eyes made Ser Jorah feel the authority of his princess. She continued, "I have someone I love. Please fulfill your duty, Ser Jorah Mormont."
Ser Jorah lowered his face. His lips trembled a few times before he spoke in a hoarse voice, "As you command, my princess."
Hearing Ser Jorah's reply, Daenerys turned back to him. "Rise, Ser."
Ser Jorah looked up at the silver-haired princess. Her expression was as gentle as ever, but he felt that a thick, insurmountable wall now stood between them. His heart filled with even more regret.
Once he was standing, a faint smile appeared on Daenerys's face. "Ser Jorah, my trust in you will not waver. I will not forget my promise to you."
Daenerys had once promised Ser Jorah that she would help him restore his lost honor and lands.
Ser Jorah said respectfully, "Thank you for your mercy, my princess."
...
Back in her bedchamber, Daenerys's gaze fell upon the three dragon eggs lying on dark velvet. She walked toward them slowly.
Daenerys's fingers gently brushed over the black dragon egg. Her movement paused, her pupils constricting... A pulse. She felt a pulse!
But when she carefully touched the dragon egg again, she felt nothing else. The previous pulse seemed to be a hallucination.
Was it because she wanted to have a dragon so badly that she imagined it? Daenerys frowned... It wasn't a hallucination. She had definitely felt it.
Moon... egg... explosion... Yes, explosion! Daenerys clung to the thought.
Daenerys ordered a serving girl outside to bring a brazier. After it was lit, she sent the girl away. Unobserved, she would act on the idea that had suddenly come to her. She guessed this might be some kind of wisdom hidden within the blood of the true dragon.
Daenerys cradled the black dragon egg, walked to the brazier, and placed it down among the burning coals. The black scales seemed to devour the intense heat, glowing faintly as tiny tongues of red flame licked the stone's surface. She quickly placed the other two eggs into the brazier as well, the three of them resting together.
Daenerys watched motionlessly... The dragon eggs would crack in the flames, and from the fire, dragons would return to the world. What a beautiful sight that would be.
But... the coals burned down to embers, the heat shimmering and dissipating around the dragon eggs. The scene she had imagined never appeared.
Daenerys couldn't help but look at the dragon eggs in the brazier with sorrow... Millennia ago they had life, but now they were just pretty stones. What was she even hoping for?
Daenerys shook her head to herself, dismissing the ridiculous thought... How could she think petrified dragon eggs could become dragons? Real dragons could soar through the sky and breathe fire. They were living flesh and blood, not lifeless stones.
Daenerys sat gently on the edge of the bed. The knight she had always trusted had suddenly confessed his love to her, and she had refused him... Although she showed no outward sign, she found that she no longer dared to trust Ser Jorah as she had before.
Daenerys asked herself, was it precisely this unease that made her long for powerful dragons all the more? She was terrified of returning to those days of constant worry and fear.
Daenerys lay down on her side on the bed, reaching out a hand to slowly stroke the empty space beside her. Every time he appeared in her dreams, he was right here... A gentle smile touched the silver-haired princess's lips.
The Vale. She would definitely help him win the Vale. She had said she would! Daenerys's gaze gradually grew firm, more resolute than ever before.
...
...
The Stark camp, south of the Neck.
When news arrived that Renly Baratheon had declared himself king in the south, Robb Stark immediately summoned his bannermen to a war council at their encampment.
Robb's blue eyes swept sharply over the assembled lords. "My lords, Renly is not the rightful king."
Galbart Glover of Deepwood Motte spoke up, "Lord Robb, surely we cannot swear fealty to Joffrey? They are the ones who killed our Lord Eddard!"
Robb's voice was steady. "That means they are villains, but it does not make Renly the king. Joffrey is Robert I's trueborn eldest son. By the laws of the realm, the Iron Throne should be his. If he were to die..."
As he spoke, a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Forgive me. I am filled with the fire of hatred for the people who harmed my father."
Nearly everyone present nodded in unison. *This* was their liege lord of the North. The blood of the First Men takes its vengeance.
After a pause, he continued, "Even if he dies, he has a brother. The succession to the Iron Throne would pass to Tommen."
Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort said coldly, "Stannis does not lie. Tommen is also a Lannister through and through."
Robb agreed, "That's right."
He added, "But even if both were dead, it would not be Renly's turn to declare himself king. He has an older brother. Just as Bran cannot become Lord of Winterfell before me, Renly cannot inherit the Iron Throne before Stannis."
Lady Maege Mormont of Bear Island strongly agreed with Robb's words. "Stannis indeed has a better claim to the Iron Throne than Renly."
Roose Bolton's voice was like a piercingly cold wind. "My lords, Renly already has the support of Highgarden and Storm's End. I doubt the Dornishmen will stand idly by either. If the power of Winterfell and Riverrun joins with his, five of the seven great houses will be under his command. If House Arryn also agrees to send its soldiers, that's six of the seven! With so many against one, my lords, in less than a year we can have the heads of the whore Queen Regent, the bastard king, Lord Tywin, the Kingslayer, the Imp, and Ser Kevan all on pikes! We need only join King Renly to achieve such a bountiful victory. Why should we cast everything aside to serve Lord Stannis? What good can that man do for us?"
Robb ignored the murmurs of agreement with Roose Bolton and said stubbornly, "By law, Stannis's claim comes before Renly's."
When all eyes were on him again, he continued, "The Lannisters say my father was a traitor who tried to harm them... We all know this is a shameless lie. But... if Joffrey is the rightful king, and we take up arms against him, then we truly become traitors."
Harys Hornwood of Hornwood looked at Roose Bolton's ice-like face and said, "Lord Robb, perhaps we can choose to wait and see. Let the two kings fight to the death first. When they are finished, we can either bend the knee to the victor or raise our banners in rebellion. The choice will be ours."
(end of chapter)