Only after a moment did Daenerys raise her head and say in a quiet, hesitant voice, "But she isn't resisting now, and she poses no threat to us. We don't even know whether she was the one leading those Ironborn."
"Asha might have been coerced. Those Ironborn might only have wanted to use her family's reputation. After all, why they fled without taking her is still a mystery. Everyone else is dead, and she's the only one left who knows what happened."
Daenerys spoke slowly, as though searching for reasons she could defend, and continued, "And what if this is exactly where those Ironborn wanted to lead us? If we act without knowing anything about what really happened, won't we be following the path they laid out for us?"
Viserys remained still. His violet eyes turned toward Daenerys, serious for the first time, as he said, "Dany, you always start by wondering whether there's a trap behind something. But sometimes, a trap isn't necessarily meant to catch you. It's meant to make you hesitate. Perhaps the more reluctant you are to dirty your hands, the more you're doing exactly what they want."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and rested it on the hilt of the Blackfyre Sword at his waist. The daylight outside the tent was being swallowed bit by bit. The exposed length of blade flashed for only an instant before disappearing into shadow, but once that cold gleam vanished, the air inside the tent felt even more like an invisible string had been pulled taut.
Daenerys's heart clenched. She instinctively took half a step forward and said, "Brother, at least wait until she wakes up. If we learn the truth then and confirm she's our enemy, I certainly won't stop you. You can even let me