Game of Thrones: Second Son of House Targaryen

Chapter 205: Will You Help Me Take Volantis?

"Does that mean my sister is Azor Ahai?" Viserys asked.

"At the very least, she was born in the land of smoke and salt, and she is a pure Targaryen, so I believe so," Benerro replied.

His explanation made Viserys uneasy. Based on everything he knew, the suspected saviors from the original prophecies included Daenerys, Jon Snow, and Euron Greyjoy. Each of them could be linked to the "land of smoke and salt." But now, Euron was dead at his hands, and it seemed the Red Witch had completely misjudged the two Baratheons. After all, Dragonstone was his fief, not his birthplace. And as for Jon... well, he was born in the Tower of Joy, which could also be considered a land of smoke and salt.

Viserys pressed on with another question: "I've also heard of a prophecy that 'the dragon has three heads.' Do you know what that means?"

The so-called "three-headed dragon" supposedly referred to Daenerys, Jon Snow, and young Aegon. Viserys couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment. Had he worked so hard, only to end up as a mere sacrifice for the rise of others?

But then Benerro dropped another bombshell: "Now, the dragon only has two heads."

"What? What do you mean it only has two heads now?" Viserys demanded.

"I saw two fiery red dragon heads in the flames," Benerro explained calmly.

Two red dragons, two Targaryens. And with him marked as a sacrifice, did that mean Daenerys would end up with Jon? What kind of twisted plot was this?

Viserys, growing increasingly irritated, asked, "You said I’m Nissa Nissa. Did you see me being sacrificed?"

Benerro nodded. "I saw the flames licking your life."

"So you saw me die?" Viserys pressed.

Benerro hesitated, surprised by Viserys' persistence. He thought he had made it clear. "I saw the flames licking your life! Isn’t that a way of saying you’re dead? But I also know fire magic. Could the flames that hatch the dragon be different?"

Viserys, unwilling to accept this answer, asked again, "Did you see me die in the flames?"

Benerro looked at him with a mix of pity and frustration. "Viserys, I’ve said it: you are Nissa Nissa. This is your destiny."

"I’m asking again: did you see me die in the flames?" Viserys insisted. "Did you see me turn to ash or burn to a cinder?"

Benerro, realizing that Viserys needed more clarity, sighed. "Viserys, perhaps you believe that because you know fire magic, you won’t die in the flames. But at that moment, you will willingly let the flames consume your body."

"I’m asking you again: did you see me 'die' in the fire? Did you see me reduced to ash?" Viserys reiterated, his voice edged with irritation.

Though Benerro couldn’t understand why Viserys was so obsessed with these details, he finally relented. "No, that’s all the Lord of Light has revealed to me," he admitted, without any hint of blame towards his god. To him, the Lord of Light had revealed more than enough.

But Viserys felt a wave of relief wash over him. For him, as long as he had enough free attribute points, a sword through the chest was just a “minor fatal injury.” If Benerro hadn’t seen him die in the flames, then perhaps he could keep using those points to repair his body and avoid the fate the High Priest had predicted.

Viserys had originally planned to kill Euron and then return to have Daenerys hatch the dragon. In hindsight, it seemed impulsive. Without a sacrifice, the dragon couldn't emerge from the fossilized egg. Now, it appeared that he, as the sacrifice, would need to first accumulate enough attribute points.

At present, he had six dragon eggs in his possession. But how many attribute points would it take to hatch a single egg? If his Health dropped to zero, that would mean death. Assuming each dragon egg required 100 points, he’d need at least 600 attribute points. Fortunately, he not only had dragon eggs but also a large number of dragonbone artifacts. He calculated that he could gather those points in about two months.

In the end, Viserys decided to play it safe and save up 1,000 attribute points. Better safe than sorry. Ideally, the three dragons would require only 100 points each. After all, in the original story, the Mother of Dragons had sacrificed the Horselord Drogo. Their son, Rhaego, was already dead, and Mirri Maz Duur had been nothing more than an object of Daenerys’ wrath.

With this plan in mind, Viserys finally felt a sense of relief. After all, who wants to die over and over again?

Seeing that Viserys had stopped asking questions, Benerro assumed he had accepted his fate. But it didn’t matter; Benerro had something more to say.

“So, you’ve come here just to tell me my fate?” Viserys asked, suspicious.

If his destiny was already sealed, there seemed little reason for Benerro to go to such lengths. But today, Benerro appeared determined to make another startling revelation.

“Viserys, will you help me take Volantis?”

Viserys blinked, confused. "What?"

"I'm not seeking Volantis for personal gain," Benerro explained. "I want to serve the Savior in the future. Now, your sister is the most likely candidate to become the Savior..."

In the original story, the Triarch of Volantis had attempted to kill Benerro several times because he had pledged allegiance to Daenerys. But now, with Viserys in the picture, the situation had shifted.

"What exactly do you want?" Viserys asked warily.

"I hope you and I can join forces to cleanse the rot within the Black Wall!" Benerro declared, his eyes alight with zeal.

Viserys felt a twitch in his eye and thought, 'You’re all the same in the end.' Even if he cooperated with Benerro in the future, he would need to be cautious. So, he decided to politely refuse for now.

As Viserys prepared to leave, Benerro arranged for Moqorro to accompany him, supposedly for protection. Benerro believed that Nissa Nissa should die at the hands of Azor Ahai, not some ambitious man.

Viserys, however, claimed he had a suit of Valyrian steel armor that made him invulnerable. This only reinforced Benerro’s conviction that Viserys was indeed Nissa Nissa.

After leaving the Temple of the Lord of Light, Alios sent a carriage to fetch him. Alios could hardly wait to see what Viserys had brought back from the ruins of Valyria.

Of course, Viserys wasn’t about to show him the precious dragon horn, so he presented the Valyrian steel armor instead. The effect was the same.

When the armor was examined by "authorities," it was identified as belonging to the Valyrian "Trelovna" House. Faced with this simple yet elegant black armor, Alios couldn’t tear his eyes away.

At that moment, even if Viserys demanded a dragon egg, Alios would probably not hesitate to spend the night with him.

"Prince Viserys," Alios whispered, "name your price. The red dragon egg is a testament to our friendship!"