Khurk pressed his forehead against the rough stone slabs, the scorpion tattoo on his bald head seeming to come alive as he trembled.
He dared not raise his head or look directly at the silver-haired figure before him. He could only express his awe through the humblest posture he could manage.
"D-Dragonlord..."
His voice was hoarse and trembling, filled with disbelief and an almost reverent terror.
He had no idea what to say-beg for mercy? Offer congratulations? Or explain that he really had not driven the price of those gems down too far back then?
He simply kept kowtowing, his forehead striking the stone with dull thuds.
Aegon neither interrupted him nor helped him up.
He merely stood there, looking down at him.
Daenerys leaped down from Balerion's back and walked slowly to Aegon's side.
She glanced at Khurk kneeling on the ground, then at Aegon, a question in her eyes.
"You know him?"
"When I returned from Valyria, I brought some gems from the ruins. He bought them," Aegon said evenly. "That was the first real money I earned in this city."
Daenerys was silent for a moment. "Back then... why did you go to Valyria?"
"To settle something I'd put off for a long time." Aegon brushed the question aside and continued, "I was a down-and-out mercenary then. I heard a fleet was heading to Valyria to explore, and to save myself the steep passage fare, I made a deal with them-my work as an escort in exchange for passage."
"To put it plainly, I was risking my life to scout the way."
He paused. "I never expected to get caught up in a conspiracy. Fewer than one in ten of those who sailed with me survived. But I lived. And brought a few things out with me."