Chapter 65: Punishment

"I once consulted a maester from the Citadel named Marwyn about the secrets of the human body and the Common Tongue of Westeros," Mirri began to explain why she was on this ship.

As she spoke, she subtly changed the topic and uttered her last sentence in the Common Tongue of Westeros.

The guards standing nearby listened to the two people's unintelligible chatter for a while, finally understanding a single sentence, yet still looking puzzled.

After saying that, Mirri spoke another sentence, which even Viserys couldn't understand, because it wasn't in High Valyrian.

"We Ghiscari people have our own language," Mirri said, her voice uncharacteristically calm.

"We love to sing, revere nature, and our tribes survive by herding, so we worship the Shepherd God."

"However, in Dothraki, we are called 'Hrakkar,' which means 'Sheep People.'"

Mirri, a Ghiscari, knew the fate of her people was not pleasant. They were too far from happiness, too close to the Dothraki and the Slaver's Bay.

The Dothraki often raided the Ghiscari settlements, taking their cattle, sheep, and wives.

Captured Ghiscari men were often sold as slaves in places like Meereen, while the useless elderly were killed outright.

Viserys, however, had no time to concern himself with the tragic fate of the Ghiscari people. He wasn't a god, unable to manage the world's suffering, and he wouldn't let this woman lead the conversation astray.

"I understand," Viserys nodded, steering the conversation back on track.

"Continue telling me about the magical tides."

He was more interested in the magical tides the woman mentioned.

Mirri saw she had failed to divert the boy's attention and sighed. If it were another child, perhaps an interesting story would have been enough to distract them.

However, it was clear this boy was no ordinary person. Mirri gathered her thoughts and spoke again.

"My lord," she began, "Magic has been interrupted several times in history, with noticeable gaps lasting extended periods."

"And now, it's been a long time since the last dragon disappeared."

"No one knows when magic will reawaken."

"Wizards, Moon Singers, and priests have all lost their powers and become ordinary people."

"They barely survive, enduring humiliation, and hoping for change one day."

"Really?" Viserys listened to the woman's story and fell into silence.

Seeing his expression, Mirri couldn't help but speak up again.

"Of course, my getting close to you wasn't malicious," she said. "I was just curious about how you managed to revive magic."

Viserys' thoughts were interrupted by the woman's cunning words. He frowned slightly, then lifted his head.

He didn't actually care what the woman intended to do to him. Viserys had thought about punishing her by cutting off one hand, given that she was caring for a baby. But she had approached him voluntarily.

"I don't know Ghiscari law, but in Westeros, you'd face death or..."

Viserys furrowed his brow but stopped halfway through his sentence, for women were not allowed to don the black.

If she were in Westeros, it would be a dead end for her.

"By law, my lord, I have not done anything," she said.

Speaking of the law, Melli seemed suddenly composed.

"I trust you will uphold justice, my lord. A bundle of rope and a dagger prove nothing."

Viserys raised an eyebrow slightly. The woman had a point; after all, she had been caught before she could do anything.

Even in his previous life, it would be considered an unexecuted crime, and this seemingly crucial 'ironclad evidence' was insufficient to determine her guilt.

After all, it wasn't a crime to think. If even fantasies were criminal, there would be no one left in this world.

"You're right, indeed," he said.

"But I don't need a reason to throw you into the sea to feed the fish," Viserys declared, folding his arms across his chest.

"Give me a reason to let you live."

Melli swallowed, gazing at the boy's calm, indifferent face. It seemed that if she didn't give a convincing reason, Viserys might truly toss her into the sea to feed the fish.

"My lord, my lord... I've noticed that you don't know much about magic. I wonder if you need a magical advisor."

"I can help you master this power better, and I will only receive the reward I deserve."

In her desperation to survive, the woman proposed a bold idea.

Viserys glanced at her; he did need her magical knowledge, and she had astutely grasped his intention.

Although Viserys needed the woman's magical knowledge, he found it hard to trust this cunning stranger.

"Very well, Miss Mirri, but your reward will depend on your performance," Viserys said calmly.

"However... I am a man who rewards and punishes accordingly."

"I'll assume it was just a thought, and you haven't yet committed a crime."

"Yet even an evil thought must be paid for. For the next year, you will be shackled."

With Viserys's words, a soldier stepped forward and fastened shackles to the woman's hands and feet.

She would live the next year dragging heavy chains – Viserys's punishment for her.

Only then could Viserys trust having this mysterious, magic-wielding woman by his side.

"Thank you, my lord, for your mercy," the woman said, kneeling on the ground in gratitude.

The blue-haired boy reached out his hand and helped the shackled woman to her feet.

He then instructed the guard who had taken Melli's child to return the infant to her.

The child continued to wail, and the disheveled woman with shackles on her hands and feet hurriedly embraced her flesh and blood.

She gently rocked the child, humming a soft, indistinguishable melody.

Miraculously, the child quickly quieted in its mother's arms, no longer crying or fussing.

With wide eyes, the child stared at Viserys and even smiled.

The child waved its hands and feet, seemingly wanting Viserys to hold it. .