After sending secret letters to the army under her command and her allies, Danyla rode her dragon away from Old Oak. Since she led her followers and their dragons straight toward the Sunset Sea, no one knew where she intended to go next.
This frustrated the Dornish spies still lying low in Old Oak. They knew that, given the Dragon Princess's temperament, she would surely exact savage revenge on Dorne.
Danyla rode Balerion with Fiona sharing her saddle, while Bethany sat alone on Myracis's back. Mungo lay carefully on Grey Ghost's back, while Danyla had sent Bennard to take over Reyes Castle and Tarbeck Hall alongside Tyland.
After all, she was about to wage war on Dorne. As the nephew of the Duke of the North, Bennard was hardly suited to being on the battlefield.
Those two holdings in the Westerlands were also vital to Danyla's coming plans. With the shrewd Bennard working alongside the dependable Tyland, the nobles of the Westerlands would not be able to take advantage of them.
Experiencing dragonriding for the first time, Fiona naturally found everything new and wondrous.
"Wow! Riding a dragon really is completely different from seeing the world through a white crane's eyes."
"When I send my consciousness into my white crane, I always feel so small and helpless between heaven and earth."
"But on this dragon's back, I actually feel as though all the mountains and lands below are prostrate at my feet."
Danyla had not expected the seemingly gentle, docile Fiona to harbor such bold ambitions, so she teased her.
"Perhaps you could try using your white crane as a dragon too. Given its size and sharp beak, it could be quite formidable if you controlled it properly!"
As she spoke, Danyla controlled her red-feathered falcons to give Fiona a