If Aegor had studied the history of the Valyrian Freehold, or even casually read the dragonriding manual Daenerys acquired in Asshai, he would have imdiately understood the origin of the mysterious woman once she introduced herself.
But he had not.
As a transmigrator, he could not possibly know a background story that even the creator of his original world had never finished writing. And as a busy man who had lived in the world of Ice and Fire for so ti, he had neither the leisure nor the interest to study an ancient empire across the Narrow Sea that had been destroyed long ago.
Therefore, he had only ever heard the term "Foster" in passing. He vaguely rembered it as a once-famous Valyrian surna, but nothing more.
He did not know that Foster was the surna of the oldest of the forty great Valyrian dragonrider families, commonly known as the Primal Dragonriders. Nor did he know that whether it was the Targaryens, Velaryons, or any ancient Valyrian house lost in the Doom, or even naless bastards with so connection to dragonrider blood, if one traced the line far enough back, they would inevitably find a Foster ancestor at or near the end.
Even less did he know that throughout the entire existence of the Valyrian Freehold, regardless of how internal factions plotted and slaughtered each other, House Foster always stood first, transcendent, untouchable, a family with few mbers but unmatched status, one no one dared provoke.
He knew nothing about the woman's surna. "Knew nothing" was almost an understatent.
But even so, it did not stop him from recognizing the na she claid.
The mysterious woman appearing in his dream said she was the god of shadow and fla, the Lord of Light herself, Lady R'hllor.
…
Aegor's understanding of the gods of this world had undergone several twists.
In both the original novels and the adapted series, gods never showed themselves directly, nor displayed explicit miracles. Throughout, it was people shouting "God did this" and "God willed that". There was never any proof. Aegor once concluded from this that the gods of the Faith of the Seven, the Old Gods of the First n, and R'hllor were all facades created by groups of people for their own purposes. Wizards masking their tricks as divine will, rulers covering their cris as the work of heaven, and believers using divine authority to intimidate enemies.
This theory held well enough, until he transmigrated and began testing the world.
Soon after entering the main storyline, Aegor discovered that certain events could not be altered. Waymar Royce still died to White Walkers on his first patrol. Benjen Stark still vanished Beyond the Wall. Even attempts to prevent Bran's "accident" failed.
At that ti, Aegor wondered if so unseen existence was watching, forcing the world to follow the original plot.
It was a deeply discouraging thought.
But later events overturned it. The plot could be altered, and the degree of deviation grew as he rose in status and influence. The earlier failures were simply because he had been insignificant, lacking the timing, strength, or leverage to change anything.
Perhaps unseen forces existed, but they certainly did not act like conscious beings forcing a specific storyline. The Red God and the Cold God were real in so sense, but more like opposing cosmic forces, unconscious and instinctive.
In that sense, gods existed. But none of them cared about individual humans.
Thus Aegor ford his final conclusion about the extraordinary powers of this world.
He worked decisively, according to his own judgnt. No strange force intervened. He rose from a nobody to soone whose decisions influenced the fates of many.
But now, a mysterious figure appeared in his dream, calling herself R'hllor.
Was she real? If she was truly a deity, was this her genuine form, or rely an illusion ant to lower his guard? And what did she want?
---
A thousand thoughts crowded his mind, but Aegor did not question her. In a dream, questions and proofs were aningless. And when faced with soone he could not possibly resist, the wisest course was to remain respectful and let her speak.
"It is an honor to et you, Lady R'hllor," Aegor said respectfully. He had thought he was finally done bowing to anyone, yet now he was facing a god. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Quite a lot. But most of it you have already accomplished, and what remains is not my main purpose in coming here. Since you have helped in the struggle against the one you call the Cold God, I intend to give you a small reward."
Seeing him finally willing to stop reshaping the dream and speak properly, her expression softened.
"The first reward is advice. You may go Beyond the Wall, but you must not travel beyond the Frostfangs or the northernmost ice lakes of the Haunted Forest, attempting to discover new lands or eliminate threats permanently."
Aegor froze and said nothing.
"I know what you are thinking. 'I never intended to launch a real expedition, it was a deception, how could even a god be fooled?'" she said with a small laugh, exposing his thoughts without rcy. "I am not a god. I am simply soone mortals have mythologized. But understand this: so people, though not gods, are no different from gods when they choose to fix their gaze upon a mortal. And you are now such a mortal."
"I know every calculation in your mind. I know every step of your plan. Yet I must warn you. One day, out of boredom or pride, you might try to travel north of the northernmost land, seeking the Cold God's true form."
She paused, then added with another knowing smile, "And now you doubt again, thinking I want to keep an enemy alive to maintain my importance, or that I am a ssenger of the Cold God."
Her lips curved slightly.
"So my second reward is a story. A true story. An explanation for all of this. Do not underestimate this gift. You are the only mortal alive who will ever hear it. Even my most devoted followers never dared hope for a single word of it. Now ask . Ask why I call myself the True Dragon's Daughter."
This woman clearly enjoyed forcing interaction.
But Aegor also understood that the pride of a mortal ant nothing in front of soone who could enter his dreams and overturn his mind like a page of paper.
He did not hesitate long.
"Why do you call yourself the True Dragon's Daughter?"
"Because my mother is indeed a dragon. A True Dragon," R'hllor replied. "Forget the two pets of the Queen you just thought of. In my mother's words, 'Are those even dragons?' Those three creatures Daenerys raised are at best dragon-beasts, great wild animals distantly related to dragons in blood and shape."
She continued, calm and certain.
"My mother is of a higher dragon race. She possesses reason, wisdom, language, writing, spellcraft, and can freely take human or dragon form. That is what a true dragon is. We Valyrians claiming True Dragonblood is not taphor or pride. It is literal."
That incredible?
Then why had no one ever seen such dragons?
"There is only one higher dragon race in this world, my mother. She did not grow up here. Many years ago, when she had just conceived , she was attacked by my father's sister and banished into a spaceti rift… and arrived in this world."
R'hllor looked at Aegor's stunned expression and smiled faintly.
"What? Did you think you were the first or only outsider ever to arrive here? That is so confidence."
Aegor almost missed the mockery entirely.
There was another transmigrator. A dragon transmigrator.
And his own greatest secret was exposed in a few casual sentences.
Her earlier words, "To you, I am no different from a god," suddenly felt frighteningly real.
His mind was blank for several seconds before he rembered what he should ask now that his identity was no secret.
He asked instinctively:
"Then how exactly did I co to this world? And is there any chance or thod to return?"
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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