In response to Lynd's suggestion, no one in the hall supported it—except for Daenerys.
The first to speak against it was Barristan, her loyal Kingsguard. "Your Grace, you only just survived an assassination attempt. Clearly, there are still many rebels in the city who want you dead. If you suddenly appear before the people now, I fear more assassination attempts will follow. We might fend off most of them, but if we slip even once, your life will be in danger. I urge you to reconsider. Stay in the palace until Lord Harry has rooted out the snakes in Qos—then think about meeting the people."
Jhogo, though the youngest of her Bloodriders, was also the most composed. He stepped forward and added, "Blood of my blood, we're willing to lay down our lives for your safety—but it's hard to guard against venom in the dark. Better to be cautious."
Several others echoed the sentiment, urging Daenerys to remain in the palace and avoid close contact with the crowds to prevent potential danger.
Only Septa Lemore and Princess Arianne supported the idea. Even so, they didn't think Daenerys should venture directly into the slums or mingle with the lower classes. Instead, they suggested visiting the docks—an area already under their control, where security was notably better than in other districts. Daenerys could also take the chance to speak with merchants stranded in Qos and perhaps revive the city's stalled trade.
But the others pushed back, arguing that even though the docks were technically under their control, the area was still volatile—full of all kinds of people and easy for assassins to exploit.
"Enough," Daenerys interjected, cutting off the debate. "Whether I should engage with the lower classes or how to go about it is an internal matter. We have a guest here—we'll discuss this later."
At her reminder, the room fell silent once more.
Lynd, for his part, didn't mind watching them argue. In fact, he had been quietly observing, and from their exchange, he could already glean a great deal about the inner dynamics of Daenerys's court.
The Bloodriders stood completely apart. Harry, commander of the Golden Company, was clearly trying to draw in Barristan the Bold. The former followers of Young Aegon had been sidelined, while Septa Lemore and Princess Arianne seemed to have found some common ground.
But Daenerys's question pulled him back to the matter at hand.
"Lord Lynd, what brings you to Qos?"
"I came as Queen Nymeria's envoy," Lynd replied. "To help prepare for her meeting with you—and to deliver a message." As he spoke, he pulled out a letter written by Nymeria and handed it to Rolly Dackfey at Daenerys's side. "Nymeria wishes to form an alliance with you—to jointly govern the lands of Essos."
"An alliance?"
Daenerys blinked, stunned. Not because of the idea itself, but because Nymeria had reached out before she even had the chance to make the first move. It caught her completely off guard.
In fact, just a few days earlier, she and Arianne had discussed the very idea of forging an alliance with the Kingdom of Lorne. No matter what ambitions they had for Essos, Lorne was a force they couldn't ignore.
Right now, the Kingdom of Lorne was at its peak. To the north, it bordered the Dothraki Sea; to the south, Slaver's Bay. Along the western coast of Essos, only Braavos and Volantis remained outside its control—and even they were barely holding on. All the other Free Cities had already fallen into Lorne's hands. Not long ago, both Pentos and Norvos had formally submitted alliance agreements to Ny Sar. Following in the footsteps of Qohor, they too had become autonomous city-states under Lorne's rule.
The so-called Free Cities were free in name only now. Everyone believed it was only a matter of time before Braavos and Volantis surrendered their military power and joined Lorne as autonomous cities.
So, during their recent strategic discussions, Daenerys's camp had unanimously agreed that building ties with Lorne was essential. But their conversations were still in the early stages—just proposals without any real action. And now, Lorne had taken the initiative. They'd sent Lynd—a powerful figure in his own right—as envoy, and Nymeria had written a personal letter. No wonder everyone was surprised.
Daenerys took the letter from Rolly and read it carefully. Halfway through, she was already so taken aback by its contents that she paused and turned to Lynd to confirm something.
"Lord Lynd, Queen Nymeria mentioned in her letter that all your children have young dragons. May I ask—how many children do you have?"
The entire hall froze in astonishment.
Everyone had clearly heard her say young dragons. That meant the three massive dragons Lynd had brought weren't part of that count.
It immediately made them think of Daenerys's own three baby dragons.
"Five," Lynd replied.
"Five?" Daenerys froze for a moment before saying, "So that means you now have eight dragons?"
Lynd answered, "If we form an alliance, that number becomes eleven."
At that moment, everyone in the hall couldn't help but think of House Targaryen before the Dance of the Dragons—a time when they possessed more dragons than anyone else, with over a dozen under their command.
The comparison was inevitable. Could the legacy of the Dragonlords be reborn in Lynd? Subconsciously, everyone began weighing the strength of the two houses against each other.
Though Lynd currently had only three fully grown dragons—far fewer than the Targaryens had in their prime—the Targaryens had never possessed a dragon like Deltos, a creature that wielded magic as if it were a god. That alone placed Lynd well above the strength of the Targaryens at their height.
It wasn't hard to imagine just how formidable House Tarran would become once Lynd's children's young dragons reached maturity.
"Perhaps an alliance with the Kingdom of Lorne really is the right move."
The thought surfaced in everyone's mind—Daenerys included.
She steadied her breathing, suppressing the awe that stirred within her, and returned to reading the rest of the letter.
But as she reached the end, her expression shifted. Shock and confusion crossed her face, followed by a flush of red that spread across her cheeks. Her eyes flicked, almost involuntarily, to where Lynd stood at the base of the steps.
"Lord Lynd, did you read this letter beforehand?"
Daenerys drew in a breath, trying to keep her tone as composed as possible.
Lynd noticed her unusual reaction and furrowed his brows, puzzled. "No. Nymeria sealed it right after she finished writing and gave it to me to deliver unopened. I don't know what's in it. Why—was there something inappropriate?"
"N-no, nothing at all," Daenerys replied with a small smile, quickly tucking the letter away. Rather than handing it to Myrcella, who stood beside her, she placed it close to her chest, keeping it on her person.
Then she turned to Lynd and said, "This alliance is of great importance. I will discuss it with my advisors before making a decision. When the time comes, I will send an envoy in person to visit Her Majesty Queen Nymeria in Ny Sar."
Lynd nodded. "In that case, my task here is complete."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Wait, Lord Lynd—you're leaving already?" Daenerys called after him, a touch of expectation in her voice. "I was hoping you could stay for a few days as our guest."
"I'm sorry," Lynd said, declining her offer. "There's something important I still need to attend to."
Without lingering, he left the great hall.
Daenerys watched him go, puzzled. To her, Lynd's swift departure didn't add up. If he had come all this way just to deliver a letter, it meant he viewed the alliance with Nymeria as important—something he'd even said himself was part of his preparation. So why deliver the letter and rush off as if he were in a hurry? It didn't sit right with her.
"Arianne," she asked, turning to the princess, "do you know why Lord Lynd left so quickly? Did he mention anything while you were traveling together?"
Arianne thought for a moment before replying, "He said delivering the letter was just a stop along the way—his real destination is Asshai."
"Asshai?"
A collective gasp rippled through the hall.
To everyone present, Asshai was a place of dread and mystery—a city teeming with practitioners of dark and dangerous magic. Even the bravest men feared its shadow. It was said that when the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon, journeyed there, he never once stepped beyond the docks. In his writings, he claimed that upon leaving Asshai, he felt as though a piece of his soul had been torn away by the sorcery lurking in its darkness—forever left behind.
"Lord Lynd's trip to Asshai might be related to magic," Maester Haldon suddenly speculated. "It is the city with the most mages. Summerhall, Lynd's seat, also has many mages—and even a formal academy. He might be going there to recruit more."
Harry Strickland frowned. "Is magic really worth that much effort? From what I remember, most so-called mages are just tricksters playing at illusions."
"That may have been true before," Arianne interjected, "but it might be different now. I heard that a pyromancer who used to perform tricks here in Qos has recently begun casting powerful fire magic. And it's not just him—others who wield magical abilities have noticed their powers growing stronger. There's a rumor spreading among them: that with the return of dragons, the world's lost magic is starting to return."
"How could something like that be?" Daenerys was visibly startled.
Missandei, ever at her side, added, "There have been similar rumors among the servants. Some say they saw the ghosts of the Warlocks appear in the ruins of the House of the Undying. There's also a large spread of ghost grass growing in the gardens of Jihaiyin. People may try to connect these things to you, Your Grace, and use them to spread damaging rumors."
Daenerys's expression darkened slightly. After a brief pause, she gave her orders. "Commander Harry, step up the investigation into the resistance, especially those spreading rumors. Haldon, you'll be responsible for recruiting mages who actually wield real magic. We need to build a magical force of our own. Jhogo, Aggo, Rakharo—assign more men to street patrols. Cooperate with Commander Harry and arrest any resistance as needed."
Arianne offered her own suggestion. "Your Grace, the most important thing now is to publicly announce the alliance with the Kingdom of Lorne. Let everyone know that very soon, you will be allied with Lorne and Summerhall. And you should emphasize that Lord Lynd came to Qos specifically to discuss this alliance."
Daenerys hesitated for a moment, not immediately agreeing to the proposal.
The others, however, voiced their support for Arianne's idea. After all, Lynd already had a large number of admirers and followers in Qos. In the city's commoner districts alone, there were multiple temples dedicated to the God of Calamity, and most of the population believed in Him. In the docklands, there was also a temple to the God of Storms, worshipped by sailors, merchants, and dockworkers alike.
Even next to the now-destroyed House of the Undying, the Warlocks had built a temple to the God of Magic. Strangely, though the House had been reduced to ash by dragonfire, the temple—just a single wall away—remained completely unharmed. Not even the nearby plants had been scorched. It was hailed as a miracle, and mages across the city had since adopted the temple as their new meeting ground.
In the past, Qos's faith in the God of Calamity, the God of Storms, and the God of Magic had been more symbolic than devout. But now, after witnessing Lynd descend from a storm atop a dragon, commanding lightning like a god come to earth, their belief in both him and the associated deities was certain to explode.
If Daenerys were to announce her alliance with the Kingdom of Lorne—founded by Lynd's wife—it would be seen as an alliance with Lynd himself. The political impact on her rule over Qos would be immense, and many of the opposition forces would likely expose themselves out of fear or frustration.
Daenerys was well aware that going public with the alliance would be all benefit and no risk. But she also disliked the idea of using it to her advantage—because doing so would put her at a disadvantage in her upcoming meeting with Nymeria.
"Your Grace, do you have second thoughts about the alliance with the Kingdom of Lorne?" Arianne asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"No, of course not," Daenerys shook her head. "An alliance with Lorne would solve many of our problems. We wouldn't have to fear being wiped out. I fully support it."
"Then why hesitate?" Arianne asked, puzzled.
Daenerys didn't answer right away. After a short silence, she simply said, "Do as you suggested. Make the alliance public. Also, contact the Miracle Guild—we'll need to purchase a large supply of food, fodder, and military equipment."
...
At the same time, in the Miracle Guild's dockside branch, Lynd—just about to depart—gave his final instructions to the branch manager. He told him to assist Daenerys as much as possible in securing control over Qos, and informed him that Daenerys would soon become an ally of the Kingdom of Lorne. He also instructed him to spread the news and help Daenerys build momentum.