"My blood brother is too far away, and he's moving too fast to hit reliably. I might even hit Rhaegal or Viserion," Aggo said, uncertain.
"Then what do we do? Wait, where's Drogon? Where did he go?" Drogon is far more powerful than Rhaegal and Viserion. With him here, we could definitely take down that little guy.
"Drogon was sleeping in the cabin this morning. I saw the door open earlier—he might have gone out again," the young maid Ji Qi said.
Daenerys knew Drogon liked to wander off, but at this critical moment, when only he could help the two dragons, his absence left her feeling lost and anxious.
"Quick, send someone to find Drogon," Jorah said to Ji Qi as he joined them on deck. Though he knew Drogon was unlikely to be on the ship, they had to try.
"My blood brother... that little guy seems to be Drogon."
After fighting for so long, the three dragons had descended significantly in altitude. Aggo could barely make out Drogon's crimson wings.
"Drogon?" Daenerys glanced at Aggo in surprise, her look clearly asking, *What are you talking about? Drogon is much larger than Rhaegal and Viserion. You're telling me that little thing is Drogon now?*
Before she could scold Aggo, Daenerys spotted a faint crimson glow in the sunlight—the reflection off Drogon's wings.
"It must be Drogon, but why has he shrunk? I've never heard of dragons growing smaller after reaching adulthood."
"But only Drogon could have beaten Rhaegal and Viserion like that. No other dragons exist in the world, and even if there were, none could take on two dragons twice their size at such a young age."
Daenerys's mind raced with questions. The aerial battle between the three dragons was nearing its end. After their initial fury, Rhaegal and Viserion gradually came to the realization that the tiny dragon was indeed Drogon.
His shamelessness was identical to his own, and his power was no less formidable. If it wasn't him, who else could it be? Though they couldn't comprehend why Drogon had shrunk.
Seeing that Rhaegal and Viserion were gradually losing the will to fight under his onslaught, Drogon finally ceased his attack. However, instead of landing immediately, he flew toward his ship's cabin. Once inside, he used his shapeshifting ability again to restore himself to his full size.
Before he could even exit the cabin, Daenerys rushed in, asking urgently, "Drogon, was that you?"
*Just a little lesson for them.* Drogon nodded.
"You scared me to death!" Daenerys ignored the bloodstains on his body and threw her arms around his neck.
After comforting the Dragon Mother for a while, Drogon slowly emerged from the cabin and lay down on the deck at the entrance. He turned to look at Daenerys, then glanced over his back.
Noticing Drogon's peculiar movements, Daenerys's confusion turned to delight. "You're letting me ride on your back?" When Drogon nodded, she carefully gripped his sharp neck spikes, swung her leg over, and settled onto the dragon's hard scales.
Her years of horseback riding proved invaluable. Though the scales were somewhat uncomfortable, they remained bearable.
She had expected it would take another two or three years before she could fly on a dragon. Drogon had brought her such a wonderful surprise.
Rhaegal and Viserion were only the size of sheep, while Drogon was already three times larger, as big as a warhorse, and capable of carrying her.
She knew that flight was entirely different from running on the ground, especially for creatures of such size. The larger the body, the harder it was to take off, let alone carry a rider.
Naturally, a dragon of ordinary size couldn't fly with a person. Drogon's physical capabilities were several times greater than theirs, and he could have flown with the Dragon Mother two days earlier. However, he had been too small, and he feared she wouldn't be able to hold on securely.
He had also wondered about his rapid growth rate. The original Drogon ate voraciously and was much larger than the other two dragons, yet the size difference hadn't been so stark. He could only attribute this discrepancy to the mutation in his devouring ability.
Seeing the Dragon Mother settled, Drogon slowly rose to his feet. He unfurled his massive wings, dug his claws into the ground, and, at the edge of the deck, beat his wings with a powerful thrust, lifting into the air with Daenerys clinging to his back.
As Daenerys sat on Drogon's back, she felt the same nervousness she'd experienced when first riding a young mare, fearing she wouldn't be able to control the massive dragon.
However, her worries proved unfounded. Drogon flew with remarkable stability, even maintaining her balance through turbulent air currents.
The crew spotted Drogon taking flight with the Dragon Mother almost immediately. They stared wide-eyed for a moment before scrambling into the cabin to alert their companions, witnessing the birth of the first dragon rider in centuries.
Once Drogon sensed Daenerys had gained some control, he gradually increased speed, banked sharply, and swooped downward. Terrified, Daenerys clung to his neck spikes, her scream swallowed by the overwhelming sensation of weightlessness.
As they neared the sea, Drogon lifted his wings slightly, and the dragon and rider skimmed across the water's surface, creating massive waves. Daenerys let out a joyous roar, her delicate face misted by the spray.
In that moment, she'd forgotten all the unpleasantness of Qarth, her fears and anxieties, and the regal bearing of the Grasslands Khaleesi. She was utterly free, reveling in the pure joy of flight.
This was the true spirit of a young girl. Hearing the Dragon Mother's excited shouts, a flicker of tenderness arose in Drogon's heart.
As they ascended from the water, Rhaegal joined them, forming a protective escort on either side.
The crowd on deck, having just witnessed the two dragons fighting, suddenly remembered the little one they'd fought earlier and began buzzing with conversation.
Those in the know revealed that the "little one" was actually Drogon, the dragon ridden by Daenerys, transformed. This astonished the onlookers, who had never heard of a grown dragon shrinking. Some remained skeptical.
After circling the skies a few times, letting Daenerys savor the thrill, Drogon slowly landed on the deck.
"Your Majesty!" Jorah knelt on one knee, his voice ringing out.
"Your Majesty..." The three Bloodriders followed suit.
"Your Majesty..." The crewmen, sailors, and even pirates on the ship joined in.
Though Daenerys had once been hailed as the Mother of Dragons, her young dragons had been untamed, and her ability to control their power remained uncertain. Now, soaring through the skies on a colossal dragon, she had proven herself a true dragonrider, her title as Queen fully earned.
As she gazed at the kneeling crowd, Daenerys felt an overwhelming surge of emotion. Her dragon had grown, she commanded six large ships, and she believed she would steadily grow stronger until she could cross the Narrow Sea, march on King's Landing, reclaim the Iron Throne, and restore the Targaryen dynasty to its former glory!