Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

Astapor, top floor of the Great Pyramid, beneath the shade of the persimmon tree.

The black, green, and gold dragons sprawled across the brick walls, basking in the sun. The Dragon Queen lounged on a chair by the pool, a pair of toad-shaped sunglasses (produced by the Astapor Royal Glassworks) perched on the bridge of her nose.

She wore a light green sleeveless vest on top and soft silk trousers embroidered with red daisies in a shade of apricot yellow that reached her knees. Her fair arms, round little navel, and well-toned calves were all exposed.

Her tiny feet dipped into the pool, playfully stirring the clear water.

She appeared completely relaxed, as if she had utterly forgotten about the Wall thousands of miles away, and the White Walkers beneath it.

Now that she was back in Astapor, surrounded by trustworthy Unsullied and centaur handmaidens, she no longer needed to worry about poison, ambushes, violations of guest rights, or hidden assassins.

With safety secured, both her body and mind had eased significantly, and she no longer wore armor.

Besides, matters in Westeros had been properly arranged: Dragonstone had the Three Chiefs, tirelessly mining dragonglass and forging weapons. Garth Hightower had made contact—he would handle the grain trade and transportation, as well as fulfill Daenerys's promises to the Riverlands' smallfolk and Septon Meribald.

After all, Garth was a White Knight too!

Ah, the White Knight system was quite brilliant—seven White Knights representing seven aspects of the Queen.

Even the most unqualified White Knight—fat eunuch Bevos—had been leading hundreds of thousands of peasants in Kaiyuan in a "Great Production" campaign, all under the Queen's banner.

And then there was the White Knight-in-waiting: Darkstar.

He was in charge of transporting the Free Folk via fleet and delivering supplies promised by the Dragon Queen to the Night's Watch.

On the Stepstones was Ser Barristan, the captain of the White Knights. He would reorganize the Royal Fleet, support Darkstar's wildling ships, and establish settlements for the Free Folk on coastal islands.

Even Braavos had begun organizing the western cities of Essos to grow grain en masse.

Daenerys felt she had gone above and beyond in fulfilling her responsibilities as Queen.

With her duties fulfilled and no more mental burden, why shouldn't she enjoy a life of leisure?

"Your Grace, you must bring justice for this old woman!" Green Saint Grazda knelt on the ground, wailing bitterly.

Alright, she wasn't like that empty-handed king of Two Stags who spent his days sharpening his teeth and patching spells with nothing else to do.

The Dragon Queen had a vast kingdom to manage.

"Hey, hey, speak while standing. Illy, help the Green Saint up. Jiqi, bring a chair over," the Queen said as she pushed her sunglasses down to reveal her eyes and waved to her two centaur handmaidens.

Yes, Jiqi, who had been left behind at the Compassion Palace in Kaiyuan, had returned as well.

After Big Black brought back Black Sister Laresa, the Valyrian steel sword, and other spoils of war, Daenerys ended her retreat.

She had publicly claimed to be on a diplomatic mission to Braavos for business, but in reality, she had hidden away in the southern mountains with Little Green and Little Gold for cultivation.

Once Big Black returned, the retreat ended, and Daenerys rode her dragon to Kaiyuan to participate in a mass production agricultural commune event.

Yesterday, on her way back, she brought Jiqi with her.

Now that the dragons were grown, and Big Black had even mastered meditation, he could easily carry 500 kilograms. Daenerys could now travel around with two centaur handmaidens at once.

"If you have something to say, take your time. You're a member of the council, after all!" Daenerys said to the Green Saint.

"Your Grace, you don't know what the people in the city are saying about me."

The old saint's tears streamed down the creases of her face, looking utterly pitiful.

"They're all saying Cleon is a righteous and impartial judge, a loyal minister, while I—even though I followed the Codex by the book and led the military police to arrest him through proper procedures—have become a scheming villain who sows discord before the Queen."

"I... I've been wronged!" Old Grazda cried out in grievance.

"Sigh, you do know I went to Braavos just a few days ago."

The Dragon Queen counted off on her fair fingers.

"One Sea Lord dead, nearly all the Iron Bank's guards and scholars wiped out, the Purple Harbor burned down by Big Black, the Sea Lord's palace turned into a lake by a meteor—over a thousand people died, and the financial damage involved amounted to tens of millions of gold honors. In the end, we even struck a 150-million gold honors mega-deal.

"Then, I went to the Stepstones and burned dozens of pirate lords alive, becoming the most powerful pirate king in the Narrow Sea.

"Next, I sent Ser Barristan to plunder the Hightower fleet—three million gold dragons and over a hundred ships. Another deal worth tens of millions of gold dragons."

The Green Saint's expression froze. Her tears and grievances turned to shock and bewilderment.

Daenerys lifted her chin toward her, speaking with deep emotion, "Look at all that—matters that shook the heavens. Compared to that, the petty conflict between you and Cleon? I really don't want to bother with it.

"If you ask me, just take it easy. With an allied army of a million strong, what problem can't we overcome?"

After hearing the Dragon Queen's words, the Green Saint suddenly realized that maybe she was making a mountain out of a molehill.

So what if the people misunderstood her? So what if Cleon's reputation was rising? No—she couldn't let that butcher get away!

"Your Grace, Cleon has violated the Codex, abused his authority, attempted to manipulate public opinion, and influence the High Court's judgment of his case," the elderly woman said sternly.

"What do you mean?" Daenerys asked with feigned curiosity.

"Just as I was leading the military police by boat to Meereen, Cleon suddenly invited a large number of bards and singers to attend the trial of the 'Son of the Harpy' case."

Daenerys said, "What's wrong with that? According to the Codex, any city lord presiding over a trial must keep the process public unless it involves the plaintiff's privacy and the plaintiff requests a closed hearing. Any free citizen has the right to supervise the trial.

"For instance, look at our Astapor—go to the first-floor hall and see how many citizens gather to watch trials every day."

In cases like rape, the victim clearly wouldn't want the matter to be made public.

In such situations, the trial would be closed to the public.

"Cleon explained the entire trial process in front of the crowd and even showed all the testimonies of those involved in the case.

"And in the end, he tearfully pleaded to the singers, poets, and performers, claiming he had been framed by villains…"

The old face of the Green Priestess wrinkled like a sun-dried eggplant as she spoke resentfully, "The villain he referred to is me. He said I slandered you with deceitful words, claimed I sympathize with the Sons of the Harpy, and even accused me of being the hidden mastermind behind it all.

He also accused me of plotting to overthrow your rule, intending to turn the freedmen back into slaves, and ultimately restore slavery and Ghiscari domination in Slaver's Bay."

The old priestess had no such thoughts, so she spoke frankly, with no sign of panic on her face—only anger and the grievance of being falsely accused.

Daenerys appeared indifferent, but from the beginning, she had been observing her closely through Drogon's eyes, not missing even the slightest change in the Green Priestess's expression.

She had, indeed, harbored doubts about the Green Priestess.

Letting Cleon accuse her was a way to stir the waters, giving Mormont's intelligence network an opportunity to investigate her.

Daenerys wanted to know just how deep her involvement with the Sons of the Harpy truly was.

It wasn't unjustified suspicion—the Green Priestess of Meereen had already been confirmed as the spiritual leader and one of the founders of the Sons of the Harpy.

Mormont's investigation found that the Green Priestess of Astapor sympathized with Meereen's Ghiscari people purely due to racial ties. She was not, in fact, a hidden member of the Sons of the Harpy.

Now, standing before the Dragon Queen, her reaction was completely normal. There was no guilt—only justified anger.

This eased Daenerys's mind. Priestess Grazda had been her loyal advisor for a long time.

After capturing Astapor, Grazda had done her best to assist the Dragon Queen—not only helping to pacify the common Ghiscari people but also firmly supporting her in religious reforms.

Yes, Grazda had supported Daenerys's decision to reform the Temple of Graces in Astapor into the "New Church of the Seven."

The ancient Ghiscari faith had died out along with the bloodline of old Ghis. The former Temple of Graces was more akin to a hospital and pleasure garden.

They had spent considerable time together and had built a strong bond of trust between ruler and minister. Daenerys didn't want the old priestess to meet a tragic end.

"Lady Green Priestess, clearly, I do not believe Cleon's nonsense. The people of Meereen are the ones accusing Cleon of excessive punishment and cruelty. I was the one who assigned you and your constables to arrest him. You are not a traitor," Daenerys said gently, offering comfort.

"Your Grace, I'm grateful for your trust—but the people misled by Cleon don't trust me!"

Grazda cried out in grievance. "After hearing Cleon's so-called case analysis and accusations against me, the singers and poets of Meereen began spreading tales throughout Slaver's Bay. In just half a month, they've popularized the story of 'Impartial Cleon, the righteous judge who discerns loyalty from treachery.'

And I'm the traitor in that story."

"Hiss—krah!" Drogon suddenly lifted his neck and roared.

Daenerys glanced at him and said, "Go."

"Hiss—krah!" Drogon spread his wings and screeched. Rhaegal and Viserion followed suit.

The three dragons leaped from the pyramid and soared toward the southern mountains.

"It's late—they're going to hunt for blood," she explained to the Green Priestess.

Then, Daenerys affirmed confidently, "The Grand Court's verdict will guide public opinion—it will not be swayed by it."

Making Cleon out to be a "Righteous Judge Bao" was her idea, but she never intended for Cleon to avoid judgment through public support.

The key issue was that Cleon had imprisoned 60,000 people in the case of the Sons of the Harpy, including 20,000 sentenced to death.

He had essentially wiped out the entire Ghiscari middle and upper class.

It was shocking.

Even the freedmen saw him as a butcher.

Her intention was to balance "Righteous Judge Bao" with "Cruel Enforcer Lai"—to neutralize the "pH level" and restore a fair perspective on Cleon in public discourse.

Yes, she would proceed strictly through legal procedures—no coercion from public sentiment or opinion. According to the Code, Cleon's actions would be judged article by article.

He would undoubtedly be found guilty—after all, he was a "Cruel Enforcer Lai." Could such a man be innocent?

But his crimes were not so severe as to warrant death. There was still a chance for redemption.

If Daenerys had intended to discard him after use and simply followed public opinion to execute Cleon, that would've been one thing.

But she discovered that this knockoff "Cruel Enforcer Lai" was actually more effective than the original.

First of all, unlike Lai Junchen, Cleon strictly followed the law. He rarely violated the Code that Daenerys had established—haunted by shadows from his early years.

He had never forgotten the time the Dragon Queen lashed him with her own hand.

He was afraid—of dragons, of the queen, of breaking the Code.

Secondly, Cleon had strong ideological resolve.

He wasn't targeting the Ghiscari out of greed for money or power. It was pure hatred for slave masters that made him unable to tolerate even a single Son of the Harpy hiding nearby.

Such unwavering revolutionary conviction was rare even among Daenerys's other newly freed supporters.

Lastly, Cleon was extremely capable—he had great potential.

Meereen was only the beginning. The Dragon Queen planned to conquer Qarth, New Ghis, and Volantis.

Cleon had a bright future—he might even be promoted to "Grand Enforcer Lai."

"Rest assured, I'll call Missandei up soon and have her publicly announce, on my behalf, to all the citizens: Lady Green Priestess is a member of the ruling council, lawfully arrested Cleon, and is certainly no traitor."

Daenerys comforted the elderly Ghiscari woman in a soft tone.

"Your Grace, you called for me?"

As soon as Missandei was mentioned, she appeared.

(End of Chapter)

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