The throne room was buzzing with activity. Members of the court were packed into the Great Hall. They had heard about a strange visitor that had arrived just a few hours prior. A foreigner. They came from across the Narrow Sea, from Essos. After disguising themselves as just another petitioner, they had stunned the court by revealing themselves to be a follower of a strange religion that many had never heard of, seeking to enter into the service of the crown prince.
This was the reason why many had stormed into the throne room today. It was the gossip of the day, and they wanted to get a good look at this foreigner. There were hundreds of people inside, courtiers, knights, and nobles alike.
None of them had been expecting to find a beautiful woman bowing before the Iron Throne. She had long reddish-brown hair and a pair of intense red eyes, which many of them found unsettling. She was pale and appeared to have perfect skin, displaying a beauty rivaling that of the Queen's. She wore a long, red fabric with a similarly colored cloak that did little to hide her slender physique.
Despite the commotion that her sudden appearance had caused, the woman was unperturbed, maintaining her submissive gesture as Aerys stared down at her from his throne. The members of his small council had gathered at the base of the Iron Throne as well, their stares filled with distrust. Tywin's most of all.
Off to the side was Rhaella with her group of ladies, all of whom were whispering among themselves while the queen just looked on with uneasiness.
This was the scene that Rhaegal walked into as he entered the throne room. Qyburn was with him, as was Ser Barristan. The maester, who usually preferred to keep to his private area, was unable to contain his curiosity, so he decided to tag along. It wasn't every day that a strange visitor appeared before the Iron Throne. Peace times were nice, but they were also very dull.
Aerys' eyes lit up when he saw him.
"My son! You're here."
Rhaegal dipped his head in greeting as he came to stop before the throne.
The mysterious woman didn't look up.
"Your Grace."
"None of that now! Come stand by the throne."
Aerys was nearly bouncing on his throne in excitement as he beckoned him forward.
Rhaegal did as asked and stepped forward, joining the members of the small council by the throne.
Qyburn and Barristan followed his example.
Tywin bowed his head. "My prince. Welcome."
Pycelle and the others all did the same.
Rhaegal tilted his head as a greeting, but his focus was already on the woman who was still bowing before them. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed his mother shooting him a concerned glance. Unfortunately, he couldn't ease her worries, not right now.
He had a mystery to solve, namely who this woman was and why she was here.
"Well, priestess." Aerys lazily waved his hand in her direction. "My son is here. Repeat what you said to me."
"Of course, your Grace." The woman finally stood up straight. Even from his vantage point near the throne, Rhaegal could tell that the woman was tall. It only made her seem more regal…and dangerous.
"I have traveled a very long distance, from the shores of Asshai to stand before you now. I wish nothing more than to serve your heir, for he is the long prophesied prince who was born amidst smoke and salt. He is the fire that will stand before the darkness. I have foreseen this in the flames, as have all those who follow the Lord of Light."
Her declaration was met with rapid whispers from the court, all of them unsure of what to make of her words.
The members of the small council were in a similar state save for Tywin who was looking at the woman like she was mad.
'Maybe she is,' Rhaegal thought, his brow burrowing.
Lord of Light? He had never heard of such a god. But his studies into Essos and the many faiths there were still incomplete. He was somewhat familiar with the gods of his ancestors. Some of the dragons of old had been named after them, but beyond that his knowledge was lacking. He was more focused on practical pursuits. He had little time to delve into the many different cultures and religions a world away.
Maybe he should have.
Aerys was the only one who looked ecstatic by her proclamation.
"Ha! So even on the eastern continent my son is already known!"
"But of course, your Grace. The flame within him is not a normal one. Even the pyromancers of old would pale before his potential."
Her voice was deep but also melodic. Her accent was thick, a clear indication that she was a foreigner. It was not unwholly unpleasant to Rhaegal's ears if he was being honest.
Which was a problem. She was a sweet talker and more often than not those people were the most dangerous.
'This woman.' Her compliments were very direct, which made Rhaegal very suspicious. What was her true purpose in coming here? This couldn't just be about him, right?
His father on the other hand didn't share his skepticism.
"I'm gladdened by your words, woman. The Targaryens have always been different from the rest. We were the only ones to survive Old Valyria for a reason. We have been favored by the gods from the start!"
"Not just any gods, but by the Lord of Light himself. Prince Rhaegal is proof of his power. There are many terrors to fear in the dark, but soon those terrors will fear the prince's flames."
"Haha! Well spoken!" Aerys clapped, his enthusiasm increasing by the second. "Woman, just who is Lord of Light of yours? You said you were a priestess, did you not?"
"I am, your Grace. The Lord of Light is he who stands against the darkness and its forces. He is the one true right in this world. Now, I seek only to serve your heir, for he is the Lord's chosen. He will lead the fight against the forces of darkness and raise dragons from stone."
"Dragons you say!?" Aerys couldn't believe his ears.
This had everyone talking among themselves again, louder this time.
Dragons were now regarded as mere legends, a relic of a different era. Their mere mention evoked awe and fear.
"I only speak the truth, your Grace."
Aerys was beyond jubilant now, his eyes full of a fiery determination that promised to burn anything that stood in its path.
Rhaegal had no outward reaction to this, but his mind was racing with thoughts.
Could this woman actually help him in bringing the dragons back into the world? Or was this just too good to be true?
Clearing his throat, Tywin raised his voice in order to cut through all the chatter in the throne room.
"You spin a fantastical story, priestess. However, how are we to know that your intentions are true?"
It was here, for the first time, that something akin to irritation flashed on the woman's face.
"Do not dare to question my faith. I am but one of the Lord of Light's followers. I only act according to his will, and his will is now that of prince Rhaegal's."
Tywin did not look convinced by her words.
"Don't meddle in matters that you do not understand, Tywin!" Aerys harshly cut in while slamming his fist down on the throne at his side. For a second, Rhaegal was worried that his father had cut himself on the blades. Thankfully, he did not. "We dragons are different from the rest of the realm! Don't presume to have a place in this discussion. Understand!?"
It was a very public admonishment, one that had Tywin narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. However, the young man didn't push the issue and bowed his head as a sign of his apology.
Rhaegal's birth and abilities had caused his father to become more fanatical about the Targaryen supremacy over the other houses, a sentiment that Rhaegal very much agreed with. Such a stance was sure to make unnecessary enemies, and yet the feeling was still there.
Rhaegal's pride was his biggest sin, and he doubted that he would ever get rid of it.
"Priestess. Just what can you offer the house of the dragon?" Aerys turned his attention back to the woman.
"My knowledge. My expertise. My flame will strengthen Prince Rhaegal's. His desires will be my desires. This I swear, your Grace."
It was more than a promise. She spoke with conviction, and no one dared to raise an objection to her claims. Not after Tywin had been so openly rebuked.
It went without saying that Aerys welcomed the woman with open arms, assigning her right under Rhaegal's supervision.
The Iron Throne had just publicly taken in a priestess from a foreign religion. Word of this act would soon spread to every corner of the Seven Kingdoms.
---
Rhaegal was seated inside the godswood. Barristan was with him, standing by his left. Qyburn was also present, the maester occupying his right side.
In front of him was the priestess who was once again bowing, only this time to him.
'Rhaegar's probably in the library again.'
Monford was more than likely with him too. This whole situation had caused their lessons for the day to be halted, so Rhaegal had plenty of free time on his hands.
Not far away, Rhaegal spotted his mother, watching but not interfering. She wasn't close enough to be able to hear them, but that wasn't her intention. She was probably just worried about this foreign priestess and for good reason. His father might be easy to win over, but he was not.
"You have caused quite a ruckus, you know."
"These Westerosi are easily frightened, my prince." Hearing his calm tone, the woman relaxed as she straightened her posture. "They fear what they do not understand." Her eyes darted to Barristan and Qyburn.
Rhaegal allowed himself to smile a little. "These two are my trusted followers. Whatever you need to say, you can say in their presence." His smile then vanished as he narrowed his eyes. "You made some bold declarations before the Iron Throne."
"Nothing that I cannot prove….or believe."
"I know not of your religion."
"This does not surprise me, my prince. While it is regrettable, the Lord of Light does not have many followers on this continent."
"Some red priests have been known to travel to Oldtown and Dorne on occasion," Qyburn spoke up while studying the woman. "There might be several others in King's Landing at any given time as well."
Rhaegal had no idea.
The red priestess smiled. "Believe me, there are more of us in the city than you might expect. But you need not worry. Only I have been tasked with finding you, my prince."
"Tasked by whom?"
"By the Lord of Light himself of course. His wisdom has guided me to this city, to you. So that I may serve you in your endeavors."
Rhaegal frowned. "I do not follow your religion. I do not know your god."
"But he knows you well."
Rhaegal was beginning to get frustrated. "Speak plainly before I lose all my patience."
"It is quite simple, my prince." She raised one of her delicate hands and pointed at him. "Yours is an existence that was never meant to exist."
Her words caused Rhaegal to go silent as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard.
The red priestess continued. "After your birth, magic was strengthened to an unprecedented degree. I daresay magic has not been this powerful since before the Doom."
"And what does that have to do with me not existing?"
She smiled again. "Patience. I have more to say. You see, every practitioner across the Narrow Sea was able to feel the change. It was as if there was a sudden rift in time. A singularity. We could not understand, so we searched for answers. We looked to the flames, seeking answers. We found nothing. No answers that could help us navigate this future. For you see, when I gaze into the flames, I can see through stone and earth. I can speak to children who are not yet born. Still there was nothing. Nothing that could explain this resurgence. So I changed my prayers. I prayed for a glimpse of R'hllor, of the Lord himself. So that he might guide me. What I saw was smoke and salt...and an infant's cries. It took longer for word to reach about a prince who could command the flames like no other. A living dragon they called him. The more I looked to the flames the more convinced I was that you are the one that I have been searching for all my life. For what other purpose would I have been given such a vision? Most of all, my prince...you have no future. The flames did not account for your existence in this world. That is more than enough to show me that your existence has not been recorded, and thus it cannot be known."
Rhaegal felt like he was hearing something out of a fairy tale. Then again, wasn't most of his life like something out of a fairy tale?
"You're a fanatic," Barristan spoke up, staring at the priestess like she had grown a second head.
"I am faithful, Ser. That's how you address knights on this continent, is it not?" She said that last part with great amusement, like she was taunting him.
Barristan did not respond.
Rhaegal steered the conversation back into focus. "I will be honest with you. I do not understand most of what you have said. Just because you cannot predict my future with your fire does not mean that I am a prophesied hero."
"There is no reason to be so modest, my prince," she replied. "For yours is an existence that should never have happened. Not originally. Not unless it was guided."
"And you know this just because my future is unknown to you?"
"Every future is unknown. But there are always whispers. Glimpses that can be seen. You lack that. The flames welcome you as one of their own, but they cannot foretell your path. It took me considerable focus to even understand your conception."
"My birth was filled with nothing but tragedy, but otherwise it was a normal one."
"Miracles almost always have a cost. There are trade-offs."
Rhaegal's frustration was rising again. It felt like he was getting nowhere with this woman.
'No, it's just like Ser Barristan said. She's a fanatic.'
She truly believed in what she was saying.
His face must have given away his thoughts because another smile graced her face.
"I see that you do not believe me."
"It's a very fantastical story, to be sure," Qyburn spoke up, breaking some of the tension in the air. "However, given your recent trip to the Alchemists' Guild and this woman's words, we might be able to start piecing some of the clues together, my prince."
Rhaegal turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"Wildfire. Dragon eggs. Very powerful magical artifacts and plenty of human sacrifices. These are the trade-offs that you were referring to, correct?" Qyburn aimed the question at the priestess.
The woman looked impressed. "I never imagined someone of your order would understand."
"I may be a man of learning, but I believe that there are other forces in this world that can propel us to new heights. It's why I follow Prince Rhaegal."
Always so honest.
But Rhaegal was more interested in Qyburn's previous comment. He was beginning to understand now.
"The fire at Summerhall. You mean that was the catalyst to my birth?"
That wisdom, Hallyne, had pretty much confirmed his order's involvement in that mess. Not that it hadn't already been obvious to him from the start, but confirmation was always nice.
"The final piece to bring about your exact existence," the woman corrected. "Strong magic was gathered in one place and then used with the appropriate sacrifices. Even cased in stone, dragon eggs are powerful relics."
Rhaegal's mind worked over the details. "How could you know what took place there?"
Also, calling his dead family sacrifices....he wasn't sure if he should feel insulted or not.
"Even if I can't see you in the flames, this does not mean that I cannot see others. I asked, and R'hllor answered."
How convenient. How much could he trust these visions of hers?
'The fact that my great grandfather brought dragon eggs to Summerhall with him…'
That was only speculation that even he couldn't confirm, not unless he went to the ruins himself. Dragon eggs were powerful magical artifacts. Even wildfire might not have been enough to destroy them fully.
'This priestess is saying that they were part of a ritual, so they're probably long gone now.'
This just raised more questions, like who was behind this ritual?
'And why me?'
The priestess had a simple answer for the first one.
"It was the Lord of Light himself, bringing forth his champion. You are the prince of light. You are Azor Ahai reborn."
First it was the prince who was promised. Then it was the living dragon. And now it was this Azor Ahai.
'My epitaph just keeps growing by the day!' he thought with some dry amusement.
But it was just like Barristan said before. This woman really was a fanatic, believing in such things without any proper evidence. No, to her, the pieces of information that she had gathered were more than enough. It was why she was here in the first place.
Maybe he was being too dismissive of her. After all, was it not his ancestor, the Conqueror himself, who believed in similar tales? Was it not his primary reason to conquer the Seven Kingdoms to create a united front against "a great darkness"? It was a fact that only certain people had ever known and even now that fact was largely forgotten among his descendants.
'I only learned of it because of my inner knowledge…'
An incomplete set of knowledge at that.
It was very frustrating. It was like he had read a very long book but then stopped somewhere in the middle.
Regardless, Rhaegal wasn't the kind of person who was going to put too much stock on prophecies.
'That said, this woman can be useful.'
She clearly had magical abilities. She knew of things that she shouldn't. Having her around could help him greatly when it came to gathering information.
'And maybe understand my abilities better.'
Her knowledge of magic was more than likely greater than anyone else's in Westeros. Where else was he going to find someone like that? Plus, because of her fanatical beliefs, he would have no reason to doubt her loyalty.
With his shoulders sagging a little, Rhaegal sighed. "All this talk of magic and prophecies has me tired."
"Should I escort you back to your room, my prince?" Barristan immediately asked, concerned.
"It's fine. I just need a moment to gather my thoughts."
"I'm sure this can be a lot," the priestess said softly. "But you have had years to think about this, have you not? I'm sure you must have guessed."
Rhaegal didn't answer her right away. He was more curious about something else.
"You talked about petrified dragon eggs earlier. Does that mean that you know where I might find some?"
"Oh?" She cocked her head, bemused. "Already thinking about dragons? I can't say that I'm surprised. As for your question, I do not know. I have never searched for any. Those at Summerhall are long gone, so they will be of no use to you. Dragonstone might be a place to consider."
"We've conducted preliminary searches in the old underground hatcheries," Qyburn explained. "However, we have yet to find any."
The Dragonpit was another location of interest, but that place was sealed tight. Reconstruction of it had been stopped before it even truly began, so there was no telling what kind of mess was waiting within.
With their luck, Aegon V had probably taken the last of the dragon eggs with him to Summerhall.
"There is nothing to fear, my prince." The woman folded her arms in front of her. "The flames will guide you. I'm sure I can find an answer for you soon."
Rhaegal had already been met by failure in this search, so it wasn't like he was expecting immediate results. However, to have a possible lead where there had been none before was enough to lift his spirits.
Having dragons returned to them would solve many problems.
A silence followed in the godswood as Rhaegal studied the priestess for a few moments. After coming to a decision, he stood up.
"Very well, priestess. I shall allow you to join as my companion."
Nothing could have pleased her more, he could tell.
"Are you sure this is wise, my prince?" Barristan felt the need to interject. "Her faith is seen as strange by many. Once the other lords hear of this-"
"My father has already accepted her into court," Rhaegal cut him off with a shake of his head. "Even if I deny her the ability to serve me directly, public perception will already have been formed. I might as well make use of her."
Qyburn gave his approval. "I agree with you. Better to keep her close than push her away."
If the priestess was insulted that they were speaking of her like this, she did not show it.
Rather, she fell to her knees as she dipped her head once more.
"I shall say it again. I swear myself to you, Prince Rhaegal. My name is Melisandre."
It was on this day that Rhaegal gained another follower in his inner circle.
---
The red priestess Melisandre settled well in the Red Keep. After Rhaegal formally accepted her services, she rarely left his side, only doing so at night when she gathered materials to prepare for her future communion with her god.
During this time, Melisandre enthusiastically explained her beliefs to him and the others, which included Rhaegar and Monford. She told them all about the Lord of Light and his so-called "magnificence." Thankfully she left out the part about him being this Azor Ahai person. He didn't want to deal with that headache.
Not that he didn't do his research. Rhaegal asked his brother if there were any mentions of the old hero in the library. The information was scarce, but Melisandre was more than happy to fill in the blanks with her knowledge. The worrying part was that Rhaegar seemed to be quite taking in by her and her words. Perhaps he should have expected it. Fire was a symbol of the Targaryens. It was in their house words for crying out loud.
'A prince of the realm, a follower of a foreign religion.'
The Faith would go crazy if they ever learned of it.
Speaking of which, the High Septon was suspiciously quiet about his father accepting a red priestess into his court. There had been no formal appeals. No requests for an audience. On the other hand, the High Septon had never raised a fuss about his abilities either.
Rhaegal did not like the silence. He would prefer to avoid a confrontation, especially right now when he was still just establishing his power base. He would not run away from it either.
'Was he waiting for something?'
That's the only thing Rhaegal could think of. After all, despite having a foreign priestess at court, public opinion of Aerys was still positive overall in the city. His father's rule was still young, but thanks to his small council the affairs of the realm were stable. Coin was constantly flowing, and the royal coffers were full. The only "negative" that his father had done was to cease the reforms of Aegon V. Not that the lords had been following them in the first place. The crown had no way of actively enforcing the reforms, so they had been more of a formality than anything else.
Still, the city wasn't starving, and for most people that was enough.
Rhaegal sought more, of course, but for now he remained patient as he continued with his plans.
He also presented the idea of a census and the benefits that came along with it to his father in private. Qyburn had joined him in order to add more credibility. Despite his mind, he was still only six. He might be the crown prince, but most would dismiss him.
'Although Melisandre didn't seem surprised by my personality.'
It probably only helped to reinforce the idea that he was her prophesied hero.
Thankfully, his father was quite taken by the idea, especially after Qyburn explained the increase in taxation as a result. It helped that his father was always filled with ambitious ideas but rarely sought to make them happen. This would be the first time that he was going to implement a new policy change during his reign. Since they were set to leave for the Stormlands soon, he left Tywin in charge to commence with the census of the city.
It was a small success for Rhaegal, and he gracefully accepted it.
Now, it was a day before the royal procession to the Stormlands that Melisandre approached him in one of the secret passages underneath the castle. Melisandre had monopolized the secret passages for her own use. She couldn't perform her rituals out in public, so she was often underground where none could disturb her.
It was here that Rhaegal found himself staring into a huge pyre of sorts as it burned brightly in the otherwise dark tunnels.
"You're going to kill yourself with all this smoke," he said, still staring into the flames. Despite his warning, he did not feel any sort of discomfort from the fire or its smoke. It was the opposite. It was almost…comforting.
"I have nothing to fear from the smoke," she replied as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "These flames are from R'hllor himself, so they would never harm me. Just like they would never harm you."
Rhaegal's attention was drawn to the woman's neck where she wore a red-gold choker. In its center appeared to be a ruby, and it was currently glowing.
"Qyburn has informed me of your experiments thus far," she continued. "I suspect that even if you were to walk into these flames you would be unharmed."
Perhaps. No Targaryen has ever been recorded to possess any immunity to fire, so he would be the first if that were true.
He wasn't interested in confirming it unless he had to, though. It was just an unnecessary risk.
"Did you bring me down here just to talk?"
"No." She stepped back, her hand leaving his shoulder. "I have been working tirelessly to aid you in what you seek, and I believe that I have found something."
She had found dragon eggs!? Already!?
"What did you see?" Despite his skepticism, Rhaegal couldn't stop the hope in his heart.
"There is something waiting for you at the place that the dragons once considered a prison. It seeks your company."
Was she being cryptic on purpose?
Thankfully it wasn't a hard riddle to solve. There was only one location that fit that description around here.
The Dragonpit.
"So there are dragon eggs in there?"
Melisandre didn't give him an answer.
Nonetheless, Rhaegal dared to hope.
---
It was a dangerous thing to sneak out of the Red Keep at night. It was a delicate situation, so it was after a short consideration that Rhaegal brought Ser Gerold Hightower with him as well.
The Lord Commander was more difficult to persuade than Barristan, but after promising the knight that he would never do it again, and that they could wear their armor tonight, he finally relented. Though not before expressing his disapproval with his fellow Kingsguard for allowing Rhaegal to be so reckless.
Barristan accepted the criticism, much to Rhaegal's private amusement.
Really, it wasn't Barristan's fault. Rhaegal was just much too stubborn sometimes.
So here they were, two knights and a young prince darting silently through the streets of the city. It was a very cloudy night, so there was little moonlight to help them see through the dark. It also helped conceal them from patrols, so the trade-off was worth it.
They weren't going to be able to go through the main entrance. The main gates had been sealed shut, and they didn't have the manpower to force them open. Rhaegal could burn them down with his flames, but that would draw too much attention.
It was decided that they would use the abandoned tunnels that had been carved into the hillside instead. These tunnels were also closed off with thick iron doors, but they would be easier to break into. It would also draw less attention. It would be a longer trek, but these man-made tunnels would lead them straight into the undervaults of the Dragonpit.
"I'm sure we could have found a different entrance up top, my prince," Ser Gerold said as the trio arrived at one of the doors.
They probably could have, but Rhaegal was curious about these tunnels. It was where the dragons had roosted, for a lack of a better word, when they still lived. If he was to find a dragon egg in the dragon pit, then it was going to be here.
Unsurprisingly, the iron door was locked.
'Nothing some fire can't solve.'
Barristan and Gerold watched with amazement as bright flames gathered around Rhaegal's hands. He might not have been able to train much with the sword yet, but his pyromancy skills were different. He now had great mastery of the flames. It didn't take much effort to melt down a section of the door big enough for them to get through.
"You melted the iron like it was nothing, my prince," Gerold said, stunned.
"It is no different from dragon flames, Ser."
It was not a boast.
Gerold believed him.
The trio walked through the opening. The tunnels were wide and massive. They had been built to be more expansive than the ones at Dragonstone, and now Rhaegal believed it.
The tunnels were also dark, and so Rhaegal guided them as he conjured a ball of fire around his palm like a torch.
The smell was awful too.
"I doubt anyone has walked through these tunnels in over a century," Barristan said as he covered his nose from the awful stench.
Since the dragons nested in these tunnels, the Dragonkeepers would often walk through them to ensure that everything was in order. It was also true for past Targaryens when they were trying to claim dragons for themselves.
And now they were nothing more than a ruin, a relic of a bygone era.
It was sad really.
Rhaegal didn't allow himself to become sentimental as they marched on.
They had no way of knowing how long it took them to traverse the tunnels. They weren't even sure of which way they were going sometimes. If not for Rhaegal's fire, they would have lost their way a long time ago. Still, Rhaegal wanted to search every part of these tunnels, just to make sure he wasn't missing anything.
If only Melisandre could have been less cryptic with her words. It would have made this search a lot less exhausting.
In the end, Rhaegal found nothing. There was no dragon egg in the tunnels, be it stone or not. It was with great reluctance that he gave up the search as they trekked up to the inner dome where the pit itself stood. Or rather, what remained of the pit.
There was debris everywhere. Even in the dark, Rhaegal was certain that he saw charred bones littering the ground as well.
"What a sight." It was the first time Gerold was seeing the Dragonpit from the inside, and it was more spectacular than he could have imagined.
Barristan just nodded, agreeing with the older knight.
"You took your time getting here, my prince." Melisandre's voice echoed through the pit as she emerged from behind one of the larger pieces of rubble.
Gerold was instantly on alert. It took Rhaegal raising his arm to calm the knight's nerves.
"You." Rhaegal grumbled. It wasn't very princely of him, but he was more than a little ticked off after walking such a long distance. "You were never talking about the underground tunnels, were you?"
"I never said anything of the sort, my prince. I only mentioned a location," she replied smoothly.
"But you still knew the precise location and did not say anything."
She must have been following them and then used one of the side entrances while they went through the hillside.
"Perhaps. But you had fun on your journey, did you not?"
Was she treating him like a kid now?
"My prince, what is she doing here?" Unlike Barristan, Gerold did not have any interactions with the red priestess other than when she first arrived at court. He was more wary of her.
"I am here to guide my prince to his prize of course." She walked up to him while gesturing to the large rubble before them. "Melt it down with your flames. What you seek lies underneath."
Rhaegal raised an eyebrow at her words before sighing. He doubted that there was a dragon egg here, but he had nothing to lose by doing as she said.
And so he conjured more flames. He willed them into a concentrated stream, focused solely on the rubble before them. The flames were so intense that Barristan and Gerold had to shield their eyes and look away.
Melisandre did not. She stared at the flames with open admiration.
It took less than a minute to reduce the rubble into nothing. Smoke filled the area, but Melisandre walked through the smoke without hesitation. Rhaegal followed, and the two Kingsguard did the same, albeit more cautiously.
Right where the massive piece of rubble had stood were more bones, also charred. Not from his fire, though. No, these bones had been here for a long time.
There was something else mixed with the bones. A sword. But not any sword.
It was a Valyrian steel sword. Rhaegal recognized it from his studies.
It was Lamentation.