Early the next morning, Daenerys was awakened by Meraxes, who had been constantly summoning her through telepathy.
"Hungry~"
It seemed Meraxes and the others had awakened from their slumber. But after only one day without food, they were already starving?
As a qualified dragon Master, Daenerys quickly got up and instructed Vada, who had arrived upon hearing the commotion,
"Quickly tell the servants to prepare several roasted sheep for Meraxes and the others, otherwise they will go hunting themselves. By then, I'm afraid there won't be many sheep left in Winterfell."
Vada, who had long witnessed the dragons' appetites, naturally knew Daenerys was not joking, so she quickly went to make arrangements.
After Daenerys simply washed up, she changed into her leather armor and head wrap with the assistance of several bathing companions.
By the time she arrived at the kennel, Benard had already brought servants, driving a fat pig into Leo and the others' enclosure.
"Good morning, Daenerys!"
Benard, whose small face was red from the morning chill, looked quite adorable.
"You've come at a good time. I've changed the flavor for Leo and the others today."
At this moment, the black pig that had entered the kennel had already sensed danger, looking at the small Lizard Lion baring its teeth opposite it. Although the black pig was so scared its legs were trembling, it still audaciously charged first.
It was the first time the small Lizard Lion and his siblings faced such fierce food, and for a moment, they were so startled that they quickly retreated.
Only the fierce Leo cautiously moved to the side, and as the black pig charged past, he leaped up and bit the black pig's neck.
"Well done, Leo! Go, kill him!"
Being a child at heart, Benard jumped and cheered for the fierce Leo, who had struck in one blow.
However, this black pig was larger and stronger than him. In pain, it actually flung Leo away. Fortunately, Leo was agile enough not to be injured, but this only stimulated his ferocity.
"Gulp~"
Accompanied by an angry roar, Leo quickly climbed back onto the black pig's neck, but this time his teeth bit tighter, and his sharp claws dug deep into the black pig's flesh.
"Leo, well done!"
No matter how the black pig jumped and thrashed, Leo cleverly used his tail to maintain balance, firmly biting onto the black pig's neck. He even extended his tongue into the wound on the black pig's neck and began to suck its blood.
Lina and the other Lizard Lion finally reacted at this point, rushing forward one after another, and soon collectively brought the black pig down.
The poor black pig was ultimately dismembered by the five siblings. In the end, only a gnawed, bare skull remained, solitary.
Daenerys knew that there were not many surplus livestock left in Winterfell's stables, so she had the servants roast ten sheep to fill Dreamfyre and the others' stomachs.
After having breakfast with everyone, she rode the dragon towards Dreadfort.
The Bolton Family of Dreadfort is one of the oldest, most powerful, and most infamous noble families in the North. So Daenerys planned to visit their house today to feast.
The Bolton Family once also ruled as kings in the North, their title then being the "Red King." Since the Long Night, the Red Kings had been the greatest enemies and rivals of the King of the North—the Stark Family.
For thousands of years, they fiercely resisted the King of the North, even defeating the Stark Family several times, flaying some Stark lords, and displaying their skins in their stronghold—Dreadfort.
According to rumors, some Bolton lords even wore the skins of their enemies—including those of the Stark Family—as cloaks. This tradition made the Bolton name so sinister that some believed the legendary Night King was a member of the Bolton Family.
However, the Bolton Family's management of their vassals was indeed quite strict and effective. Although repeatedly defeated, after each period of recuperation, this family could easily unite the vassals within their territory and launch wars again.
The successive lords of the Bolton Family seemed to be insidious and cunning, yet they managed to keep most of their subjects fed. Therefore, the population density of the Bolton Family's territory was one of the few in the North that could rival the South.
Thousands of years ago, Dreadfort, in alliance with a branch of the Stark Family—the Grey Stark Family of Wolf Den—attacked the Stark Family, but ended in failure. The Grey Stark Family was annihilated, because kinslaying in the Seven Kingdoms is the greatest evil and unforgivable.
Several centuries ago, the Boltons again fought the Starks. King Harron Stark's army besieged Dreadfort for two full years before forcing the starved and battle-weary Bolton Family to surrender and lower their banners again.
The Boltons were one of the last Northern noble families to submit to the Stark Family of Winterfell. The last Red King of the Boltons, Rogar Bolton, known as "Rogar the Hunter," truly submitted to the Stark Family only in the early stages of the Andals' invasion of Westeros, swearing to abandon their tradition of flaying enemies alive.
At the same time, Karun Stark, to supervise and restrict the Bolton Family, directly built Kaho City on the northeastern lands of the Bolton Family's territory and claimed it for himself.
For the past few centuries, the Bolton Family has been loyal to the Starks, and although there are rumors that they secretly flay prisoners and display these skins in a secret chamber in Dreadfort, overall they have been relatively law-abiding.
However, after such a long period of recuperation, the Bolton Family has grown powerful again. Daenerys estimates that they could muster three to five thousand warriors if they went all out.
So, for the peace of the North, Daenerys decided to ride the dragon and further deplete the Bolton Family.
Starting from Winterfell, flying over the White Knife River led to the Bolton Family's territory. Daenerys noticed that the closer they got to Dreadfort, the denser the villages became.
As the dragon swept across the sky, the livestock below scattered in all directions. But the herdsmen's gaze had already been drawn to the dragon in the sky, and they simply couldn't be bothered to control them.
"Your Highness, I always thought Dreadfort was a gloomy and terrifying place. I didn't expect the population in their family territory to be so large, almost comparable to the Riverlands."
Vada said, looking at the bustling scene below.
Dreadfort is a strong fortress with towering walls and sharp, jagged battlements. It is located near a volcanic crater on a spur of a solitary mountain, with an underground hot spring flowing through it. Therefore, Dreadfort also uses a similar heating method to Winterfell.
However, the pink and red flayed man banners swaying in the wind added a few extra touches of gloom and terror to the place.
Dreadfort is much smaller than Winterfell, and there is no place for a dragon to land inside. Daenerys could only circle, looking for a suitable landing spot.
She saw several swineherds driving hundreds of fat pigs to forage at the edge of the forest outside the castle. Daenerys did not hesitate and flew straight over with the dragon.
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