Chapter 218: A Toast Between Friends
Hearing Daenerys's decision, Jon instinctively wanted to refuse.
But then he thought of Ygritte, who had quietly remained by his side all this time.
The army of the dead had been destroyed. The Night King was gone.
In a sense, he had already fulfilled the most important part of his oath to the Night's Watch.
Remaining at Castle Black now seemed to serve little purpose.
With that thought, he swallowed the words of protest and simply nodded.
"Other than your family, don't tell anyone else about this."
Daenerys looked at both Jon and Bran and spoke with unusual seriousness.
Now that she had a tentative solution for Jon's identity, her mood improved considerably.
She began asking about conditions at the Wall.
How were the Night's Watch faring?
Were they facing any difficulties?
Since Jon had come all the way to King's Landing, she intended to help with whatever she could.
The Night's Watch had always suffered from shortages.
Part of that was due to the harsh environment of the North.
The devastation caused by the war against the dead had only made matters worse.
Supplies were now their greatest concern.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jon laid out the Watch's current difficulties in detail.
After hearing him out, Daenerys immediately agreed.
She ordered that a portion of the supplies allocated for the upcoming campaign be transferred to the Wall and sent north with Jon.
Although an army of eighty thousand men was preparing to march, and military resources were hardly abundant, setting aside provisions for fewer than a thousand black brothers was hardly a burden.
The two continued talking for some time.
As the meeting drew to a close, Daenerys suddenly decided to host a banquet.
Only the lords of the Seven Kingdoms and her senior councilors would be invited.
Officially, it would simply be a gathering before the campaign.
Unofficially...
It was her way of quietly celebrating the discovery that she still had family in this world.
After Jon and Bran departed, Daenerys summoned Missandei.
She instructed her to notify the nobles and members of the Small Council, while also arranging preparations for the feast.
The announcement caught nearly everyone by surprise.
The Seven Kingdoms' lords and ministers exchanged puzzled looks after receiving the invitation.
With a major military campaign only days away, no one understood why the queen had suddenly decided to hold a banquet.
Naturally, none of them knew the real reason.
For Daenerys Targaryen, who had spent most of her life believing herself to be the last of her bloodline, tonight was not about politics, diplomacy, or war.
It was about family.
Although many were surprised by the sudden announcement, their enthusiasm remained high. After all, an invitation to the new queen's banquet was not something anyone wished to miss.
The nobles quickly dug out their finest attire and began preparing for the evening.
Daenerys even had Missandei arrange a formal outfit for Jon. Having spent years clad in the plain black garb of the Night's Watch, Jon felt distinctly uncomfortable in noble clothing.
That evening, the Red Keep's grand banquet hall blazed with candlelight.
Long tables groaned beneath platters of roasted meats, fresh fruits, rich pastries, and countless bottles of wine.
Guests in elegant attire streamed into the hall one after another.
At the head table sat Daenerys, greeting each arrival with a gracious nod.
Jon followed Robb into the hall while pushing Bran's wheelchair.
Every so often, he rolled his shoulders and tugged at his sleeves.
The clothes felt far too tight.
He missed the comfortable looseness of his black cloak.
The moment Daenerys saw him, her eyes brightened.
As expected of Rhaegar's son.
Once dressed properly, Jon looked like a completely different man.
Far more handsome than before.
When everyone had taken their seats, Daenerys rose and raised her goblet.
"Thank you all for joining me tonight."
"Let us drink to victory in the Free Cities campaign!"
"To victory!"
The hall echoed with voices as every guest stood and raised a cup.
After draining her wine, Daenerys sat back down.
Everyone waited expectantly for a formal speech.
Instead, she casually picked up a bright red fruit and took a bite.
There was no speech.
No grand announcement.
Nothing at all.
Only then did the guests realize she had truly called this gathering simply to celebrate.
With that understanding, the atmosphere relaxed, and everyone returned to eating and drinking.
After a few bites, Daenerys rose once more.
Rather than approaching her Small Council, she walked directly toward the Northern table.
She stopped in front of Jon and Robb.
Then raised her goblet.
The two men exchanged surprised glances before clinking cups with her.
The sight immediately sparked whispers throughout the hall.
Many wondered why the queen had bypassed her own ministers to toast Jon Snow first.
Some noticed how dramatically Jon's appearance had changed after abandoning his Night's Watch attire.
Combined with the fact that Daenerys remained unmarried, more than a few guests began entertaining certain ideas.
Perhaps...
The queen had taken a liking to Jon Snow.
Looking at them side by side, the pair truly seemed well matched.
As for Jon's vows?
For a queen, dissolving a Night's Watch oath was little more than a royal decree.
Others believed Daenerys was simply honoring the Night's Watch for its sacrifices during the war against the dead.
That explanation seemed more reasonable.
After sharing a drink with Jon, Daenerys continued around the hall, speaking with lords and ladies from every corner of the Seven Kingdoms.
Drogon, meanwhile, had no interest in politics.
After eating his fill, he abandoned Daenerys entirely and flew onto the table occupied by Tyrion and the Small Council.
Then he started drinking.
The entire hall stared.
Nobody had expected the queen's dragon to enjoy alcohol.
After several rounds with Tyrion, Jorah, and the others, Drogon flew across the room and landed on Jon's table.
Under Jon's bewildered gaze, the dragon grabbed another cup and shared two drinks with him.
Then Drogon moved on again.
He visited Oberyn Martell's table.
He drank with the Prince of Dorne.
He drank with the Queen of Thorns, Olenna Tyrell.
He even shared several cups with Margaery Tyrell.
Unlike Daenerys, who merely sipped her wine, Drogon emptied every cup in a single swallow.
Red wine.
Strong spirits.
Anything available.
His tolerance was terrifying.
Gradually, conversations throughout the hall began to die down.
Guests stopped drinking and simply watched the dragon make his rounds.
Daenerys eventually noticed the strange atmosphere.
Turning around, she immediately spotted Drogon dragging nobles into yet another drinking contest.
A smile tugged at her lips.
Then she returned to her conversations as though nothing unusual was happening.
Those paying close attention eventually discovered something interesting.
Drogon wasn't drinking with everyone.
He was choosing.
At Jon's table, he drank only with Jon.
Not Robb.
Not Bran.
At the Dornish table, he shared drinks with Oberyn.
Prince Doran was ignored completely.
After finishing several rounds with Olenna and Margaery, Mace Tyrell enthusiastically raised his cup.
Drogon didn't even look at him.
The dragon simply flew away.
Leaving Mace awkwardly holding his goblet in midair.
No one could figure out the pattern.
After making a complete circuit of the hall, Drogon returned to the Small Council tables.
Then he began systematically drinking everyone under the table.
Tyrion fell first.
Then Jorah.
Then Yara.
One after another, the queen's ministers collapsed from intoxication.
By the time the dragon finally stopped, only Marwyn and Missandei remained sitting upright.
Even Varys and Grey Worm had surrendered to the wine and were slumped across the table.
Looking at the battlefield of empty bottles and unconscious officials, Daenerys could only press a hand against her forehead.
She sincerely hoped at least some of them would be capable of handling state affairs the next morning.
The banquet eventually came to an end.
Host and guests alike departed in excellent spirits.
The conversations she had shared with the lords of the Seven Kingdoms had given Daenerys valuable insights, and she found herself grateful for the impulse that had inspired the gathering.
Three days later, eighty thousand soldiers assembled along the shores of Blackwater Bay outside King's Landing.
At Daenerys's command, the massive host marched east toward the Free Cities.
Every one of the Nine Free Cities had played a role in the battle off Dragonstone.
Some contributed fleets.
Others provided soldiers.
Many were pushed into the alliance by the influence of their own priesthoods and local gods.
Even those who wished to remain neutral had found themselves drawn into the conflict.
Among them was Pentos, the weakest of the Free Cities.
Its entire navy numbered fewer than twenty warships.
That weakness stemmed largely from its long rivalry with Braavos.
The two cities had fought six wars.
Pentos had lost four, won only one, and finally sued for peace after the sixth conflict.
Braavos imposed harsh terms.
Pentos could possess no more than twenty warships.
It was forbidden from hiring mercenary companies.
As a result, its towering walls were little more than decoration.
Whenever a powerful Dothraki khalasar approached, Pentos usually survived by offering lavish gifts rather than resistance.
And now, like the other Free Cities, it would soon find itself facing the armies of Queen Daenerys Targaryen.