Chapter 343

Daenerys pinched her thigh lightly, feeling the sting of pain. It was real. Brimming with anticipation, she walked quickly to the riverbank and picked up the Dragonbinder's Codex left behind by the mysterious woman.

The book’s pages were of a strange material—ancient and weathered yet perfectly preserved. The entire tome was written in High Valyrian, with a well-organized index, detailed illustrations, and dense, comprehensive content. A mere glance was enough to convince Daenerys of its authenticity. Forgetting her fatigue and hunger, she opened to the first page and began reading carefully. It wasn’t long before she was completely engrossed.

The opening was not particularly profound. In fact, it was surprisingly straightforward. With her strong grasp of High Valyrian, Daenerys easily completed the first chapter.
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Rather than an explanation, the introduction was more of a historical background. The first volume of the Codex revolved around the prerequisites for dragon taming, focusing on the origin and definition of "dragon blood."

Dragon blood, also known in the Common Tongue as "true dragon lineage," was central to the Valyrian identity. The Valyrians were categorized into two groups: broadly, they referred to all free citizens of the Valyrian Freehold—those who owned land and were born free. Narrowly, Valyrians referred specifically to those with silver hair, violet eyes, and the innate gift to tame dragons—the true dragon-blooded.

Among the narrow Valyrians, an even smaller subset stood out: the dragonlords, those who not only possessed dragon blood but could legally own and ride dragons.
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In the earliest days, only one family in Valyria possessed the extraordinary beauty and dragon-riding talent. All other Valyrian citizens were their subjects, servants, or vassals. This original family of dragonlords, later known as the First Dragonlords, inevitably produced bastards in their interactions with others—offspring who bore the physical traits of dragon blood but lacked the family name.

At that time, there were far fewer dragonriders than dragons. Wild dragons roamed freely among the Fourteen Flames, untamed by anyone. Seeking to increase the number of dragonriders for the Freehold's strength—and perhaps out of affection for their bastards—the ruling family issued a monumental decree:

"Any bastard of the First Dragonlords who successfully tames a dragon shall be recognized as the founder of a new dragonlord family, with all the rights and honors it entails."

This decree lasted for nearly a century. During that time, countless bastards with silver-gold hair and violet or indigo eyes risked their lives to tame the wild dragons of the Fourteen Flames. Those who failed perished in fire, claws, or fangs, their names lost to history. Those who succeeded became dragonriders and founders of new dragonlord families, carving their names into Valyria’s annals.

Thus, the wild dragons of the Fourteen Flames dwindled, and the number of dragonlord families grew from one to two, then three, and eventually dozens. When the fortieth dragonlord family tamed the last visible wild dragon among the Fourteen Flames, the decree came to an end. At this juncture, the forty families united to establish the Dragonlord Laws, which governed marriage, dragon ownership, and other matters, remaining in force until Valyria's Doom.

The Dragonlord Laws stipulated that only those who carried the blood and name of one of the forty dragonlord families—either through intermarriage or direct lineage—could ride dragons. Even those with dragon blood and talent but without the proper heritage were forbidden from becoming dragonriders. Exceptions, such as bastards secretly taming unclaimed dragons, were rare and considered high treason, punishable by death unless legitimized by the dragon’s owner.
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The first chapter ended with a list of the forty dragonlord families. At the very top, in a row by itself, was the First Dragonlords. Below them, the derived dragonlord families were listed three per row, spanning fourteen rows—forty names in total.

"Targaryen" was prominently listed in the penultimate row, one of the last to achieve official dragonlord status. Notably, the renowned Velaryon family of Westeros was absent from the list; they were vassals of the Targaryens and not among the dragonlord families of the Freehold.

Forty families, hundreds of dragonriders—the grandeur and might of Valyria seemed almost tangible. Yet, all those dragonlords, including the First, were swallowed by the Doom and the chaos that followed. Now, only the Targaryens remained—a solitary remnant of a lost civilization. If the Aegon currently challenging the usurper Baratheons was an imposter, then Daenerys was the last true Targaryen, and her house was destined to vanish forever.

A sense of desolation swept over Daenerys. She sighed, turned the page, and began reading the second chapter: The Principles of Dragon Taming.

This was the real substance. Shaking off her melancholy, she focused on the text.
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As she read, Daenerys quickly realized that her previous understanding of dragon taming was woefully simplistic. Taming dragons wasn’t akin to riding horses, where skill and training conditioned the animal to respond to commands and gestures. Special words or tools like whips were mere tricks. True dragon taming relied on a Valyrian’s dragon blood, using a complex magical contract to bond with a dragon on a spiritual level. Once bonded, the dragon would respond to its rider’s will as if it were an extension of their own body.

The second chapter outlined several established principles of dragon taming:Riding a dragon does not equate to taming it. A person might ride multiple dragons due to special circumstances (e.g., being a dragonkeeper or possessing great magical power), but they could only bond with one dragon in their lifetime. Dragons live longer than humans. Once bonded, a dragon will not accept a new rider until its original rider has died, regardless of the potential successor’s strength or connection. The closer one’s lineage is to the First Dragonlords, the purer their dragon blood, and the higher their chances of taming a dragon. The bloodlines of the First Dragonlords were guaranteed to succeed, but as bloodlines diluted, the success rate decreased drastically. Having dragon blood does not guarantee success, but without it, taming a dragon is impossible—a hard lesson learned through countless failures and bloodshed in the Freehold.
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These principles aligned with what Daenerys already understood: as the mother of three dragons, she could likely ride Rhaegal or Viserion without fear of being bitten or thrown off. However, what she sought wasn’t mere riding but true control—taming her dragons as extensions of her will. Only true taming would allow her to wield her dragons with the precision and ruthlessness of Aegon the Conqueror, bringing fire and blood to reclaim what was hers.

The contracts and binding incantations were on the next page—the knowledge Daenerys had been yearning for.

But as she turned to the third chapter, she found herself baffled. Though written in High Valyrian, the words made no sense. She could understand each individual character, but together, they formed incomprehensible concepts.

She realized, after futile attempts, that her rudimentary understanding of magic was insufficient. The contracts demanded her to draw upon the latent power of her dragon blood, while the incantations required precise mental control to manage a "second body."

It was beyond her grasp.

Understanding her limitations, Daenerys conceded that she needed guidance—and that guidance would come at a price.
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The next day, at almost the same hour, the mysterious woman reappeared.

"Spare me your cryptic lines," Daenerys said without hesitation. "Teach me. Tell me the price."

The cloaked figure tilted her head slightly, seemingly amused by Daenerys’s urgency. Her shoulders shook as if she were laughing quietly, though her tone remained calm.

"Countless seekers of dragons watch my movements, hoping to find the Mother of Dragons through me. For your safety, I had to resort to this method, meeting you through magic. But this magic requires power—a great deal of it, more than I can bear alone." Though her red lacquer mask hid her face, her eyes gleamed with enigmatic light. "And within the blood of the dragonlords, there is power..."