Lord Crowl's question was simple and direct.
The others, apart from Rhaegar and Melisandre, turned to Rhaegal with open curiosity. This was the question that they had silently been asking themselves for a while now. None of them believed that this trip was purely for adventure. Not when their lives were at risk.
"First, tell me about the island. What lies beyond Deepdown?" Rhaegal wanted to know more before proceeding. "Will the other clans attack us?"
Lord Crowl picked up his mug from the table. "After learning of your victory, I daresay most will not. Not out of loyalty, but respect. They will not bow easily, but they will not be hostile. That might change depending on your intentions."
Oh yeah? It seemed like Rhaegal was going to have to have a conversation with these other clans, after all.
"North of here lie the Stanes." They were the ones who controlled Driftwood Hall. "On the other side of the island are what you call the Magnar." He scowled here. "A most overrated name. They are no true lords of ours."
"Hmm, yes." Qyburn hummed. "In the Old Tongue, magnar means 'lord,' does it not?"
"Indeed. There have been brief periods where the clans, or houses, have been united by one of their kin in the past, but that means little to us. The deeds of the dead have no bearing on the living."
What a way of thinking. If the lords of Westeros held similar beliefs, then there would be no end to war. The Iron Throne would collapse in itself.
The new lord continued, "There are rich valleys the deeper you go into the island. It's where we get our food, our animals. Some smaller clans live there, and they're all controlled and divided among the three most powerful clans. There are caves and underground tunnels everywhere too, and the wildest among us have settled there."
Caves? Tunnels?
Rhaegal leaned in with interest. "So this mountain. Is there a volcano on the island?"
"Volcano?" Lord Crowl took a sip from his mug.
"Yes. On the mountain. Are there fires there?"
"Once, perhaps. The fires no longer burn, not like yours. But we were still gifted with its blessing."
Hmm, so they knew that obsidian came from the fires of a volcano. Interesting.
Rhaegal was somewhat disappointed to know that the volcano was no longer active. After reading that the Skagosi often traded obsidian weapons with those brave enough to land on the island, he had known that there was at least one volcano on the island. It was like that on Dragonstone. Having a fortress of a similar kind built on the island would have been…beneficial.
'But if the volcano is dead…'
"There's little to fear, my prince." Melisandre's rich voice rang beside him. The priestess was shooting him a soothing smile. "The fires are not dead. They only lie dormant. I'm sure you can awaken its splendor once more."
Rhaegal had to stop himself from frowning. How did she know what he had been thinking? This was something that he had not shared with anyone, not even Rhaegar. She couldn't read his mind. Was he just easy to read?
How embarrassing.
More importantly.
'If there's a way to revive the fires…'
Under a controlled environment of course. The last thing Rhaegal wanted was to burn this island into the sea. He didn't want another repeat of Valyria.
Another thing to add to his list.
Rhaegal's attention switched back to the Skagosi lord. "These caves. How well explored are they? Have you ever found something that perhaps does not belong?"
The Skagosi lord lowered his mug and shot Rhaegal a small grin. "If you're so interested in those caves, then you must be here for the winged demon."
Winged demon?
Rhaegal heard his brother's breath hitch. He was sure that his did too.
"What is this winged demon?"
"I cannot answer that, not fully. There's a story in my clan that's been passed down for over a century. The story goes that a winged demon came to settle on the island. No one knows where it came from. It settled in one of the caves deep underground. It never attacked any of us, but clans across the island came to know of its existence. They served it offerings for many years, until one day it disappeared again. Or so the story goes. Neither my father nor I have ever ventured into those caves, but some of the clans living there hold one cave in particular as sacred. I'm assuming what you want is there."
This Skagosi was more clever than Rhaegal had originally assumed. Even without saying much, he had correctly assumed what Rhaegal wanted to know. Was it because of the Targaryen sigil displayed on his armor? Did the wings on the three-headed dragon remind him of the wings of this demon? A demon that was no doubt a dragon?
A dragon that had come to Skagos over a century ago. Of all the unaccounted and wild dragons that remained after the Dance, there could only be one that this story was referring to. Sheepstealer was last seen in the Vale with its rider. That only left the infamous Cannibal as the true identity of this winged demon.
'The Cannibal.'
Somehow, despite not having any concrete proof, Rhaegal felt it in his heart that this was the correct answer. After all, it was possible that Sheepstealer came to reside on the island after being chased from the Vale. It had fled deep into the mountains, and from there it could have gone anywhere.
Somehow, that just did not feel right. He based it on nothing more than his gut feeling.
Regardless, Rhaegal now had a lead. It was only a pity that it was too late to ride out to those caves right now. He was going to have to exercise some more restraint and wait until morning.
Oh well.
He had waited years for this moment. What was a few more hours.
---
Stannis stood inside Lord Celtigar's tent as nighttime fell over Skagos.
Unlike the others who were resting inside Deepdown for the night, Stannis had been tasked with overseeing the security of their supply lines for the duration of their stay.
Well, the crown prince said that he was entrusting him with this, but with both Lord Celtigar and Ser Brynden hovering over him inside the tent it felt more like a test. No doubt if he made any mistakes the two men would step in and correct him.
This did not mean that Stannis was going to let himself be careless with this task. Sure, they had subjugated house Crowl, but this did not mean that the island was pacified. They had yet to hear from the other houses, and some of the villages in the area might get some ideas and decide to start raiding their supplies just because they saw an opportunity. Their force had dwindled slightly due to the battle, so there were less mouths to feed, but even so Stannis was not going to allow the prince's men to go hungry if he could help it.
Bluntly speaking, they were still in enemy territory, and Stannis was going to act as such.
"So the prince has come chasing dragons." Stannis looked up from his papers to see Lord Ardrian pacing about, his face marred with incredulity. He had been speaking with Brynden about the conversation that had taken place inside the keep earlier.
"I did not imagine that there would be a dragon in this backwards place, but it makes sense. No other prize would warrant this amount of preparation."
Brynden's face was more troubled. "What did the prince share with you and Lord Velaryon?"
"Not much," he admitted. "He gave us a destination, but beyond that he did not say much."
"And you didn't care to ask?"
"Why should I?" Lord Ardrian's face hardened. "He's our crown prince. The king has given him full autonomy to do as he pleases. To go against him would be treason."
"I'm not speaking of such things. But to plunge yourselves into a place like this without knowing the reason…"
It was madness. Stannis could see where Brynden was coming from.
"Prince Rhaegal has never led us astray thus far," Ardrian argued. "He has brought much gold to his lands, and he has shown much favor to my house. I did not doubt that he had a very good reason for wanting to come to this place, and it appears that I was right."
"Is that really what you think?" Brynden frowned. "These talks of a dragon. It's madness I say."
"Careful with your words, Ser." Ardrian's eyes narrowed. "You have sworn your sword to the prince, have you not?"
"I have, and at times that means offering counsel that might be hard to hear." Brynden scowled. "Trying to seek out dragons has never ended well. Lest we forget what happened at Summerhall. The dragons are gone, and nothing will bring them back."
Stannis looked down.
'Summerhall.'
The place where his grandmother, whom he had never met, had perished. It was widely understood that King Aegon had been trying to bring back the dragons when he gathered his family on that day. Rather than accomplishing his goal, he met his end, along with most of his family.
If prince Rhaegal was now trying to accomplish something similar, then it was little surprise that Brynden was concerned. To be frank, Stannis was too. Dragons were nothing more than legends now. Many had tried to bring them back, only to fail over and over.
What would make this time any different?
"You were there on the battlefield with me, Ser," Lord Ardrian said. "Did you not see the power that our prince wields? Do you believe that you were dreaming when you saw him burn down hundreds of the enemy when he led the charge? Do you deny what is in front of you? The prince is not a normal man!"
Stannis noticed how Brynden's face changed, looking as if he had swallowed something bitter.
"I know what I saw," he said softly. "By the gods, I know it. I thought his ability was absurd before today, but seeing it again, and to such a degree….I still can hardly believe it. And I was there."
Due to the ongoing events, none of them had had the time to just sit and process what prince Rhaegal had been able to accomplish. Stannis had not seen it himself, but they had marched through the aftermath of the battle.
The very earth itself had been left scorched, a reminder of the massacre had taken place there.
"Then you must understand." Ardrian's tone was firm. "If anyone can bring back the dragons, then it's him. I believe that wholeheartedly."
Brynden had no response to this, but he did not look convinced.
Stannis studied Ardrian for a moment.
'He's completely loyal to the prince…'
Him and Lord Velaryon both. It was the only reason why both men would agree to come here personally despite the risks. Lord Velaryon was on the small council. He already enjoyed a powerful position, but rather than staying in the capital and enjoying the safety that he had attained he had instead chosen to sail with prince Rhaegal to this desolate place.
These men would never betray the crown prince. Stannis was certain of that.
'And me?'
Stannis looked down again, the papers spread around the table staring back at him.
How far would he be willing to go for the crown prince?
It was a question that would keep Stannis up for the rest of the night.
---
Arthur did not get a good night's sleep. It wasn't that the beds were uncomfortable. Far from it. In fact, he was surprised by the quality of the accommodations that they had been provided with. It paled to the splendor that was always present in the Red Keep, but it was still better than he would have guessed.
No. The reason for his lack of sleep was due to all the thoughts swirling in his head at the moment.
From the very beginning, when he had seen the fleet that Rhaegal had gathered, Arthur had realized that this was no mere trip to the North. Obviously something else was at play here, and Arthur thought that he had begun to understand Rhaegal's true intentions.
He hadn't realized just how little he truly understood until last night.
Arthur absentmindedly threw water on his face to freshen himself up before emerging from the room that he had shared with Mace Tyrell. He was still dressed in his armor, his sword at his side.
There would be no bath today. There wasn't one here. Rather than going to find a lake where they would freeze, Rhaegal had ordered them all to get ready for an early march. It was clear that he was impatient.
Arthur could not blame him. If there was a dragon on this island, then Rhaegal's motivation for coming here all started to make sense, along with his growing impatience.
'But is there really a dragon?'
It was hard to fathom. How long a dragon could live for was hard to stay. Even the maesters at the Citadel only had guesses, and those guesses were based on the first dragons that the Targaryens had invaded Westeros with. What records the Valyrians kept on the subject had been lost during the Doom.
If there was a living dragon on Skagos, then the beast must be ancient.
How were they supposed to face it?
Arthur was still struggling to come to grips with all of this as joined Euron and Oberyn in the main hall of the keep. Tytos was also there with them, but he was a little farther off from the two.
The three were already seated at the table and enjoying themselves a breakfast.
It was more meat.
"Look who's finally up!" Oberyn waved him over. "You took your sweet time, Dayne. Our two princes are already at the camp, getting everything ready for our excursion into the mountain today."
Arthur was not surprised.
"Earlier than the flower at least," Euron muttered as he bit into his meal.
Arthur did not have much of an appetite, but as he sat down next to Oberyn he began to nibble at his food. He knew that he might need the energy for later.
Oberyn noticed this with amusement. "Not feeling it today?"
Arthur glanced at him. "How can you still be so optimistic?"
"How else am I supposed to be?" Oberyn pointed to the ceiling dramatically. "Am I supposed to be screaming to the heavens about dragons? Or running away in fear?" Lowering his hand, he shrugged. "I'm here. I can only see this through."
"But this is dragons we're talking about. Who knows what might happen?"
Euron grinned. "That's what makes it fun."
Arthur sighed. "Of course you two would be enjoying this."
Why had he bothered to talk to them? These were the same two people who had gladly jumped into the battle yesterday. They were either too mad or too dense to see the problems that could arise from this expedition.
"There are no gains without risks," Euron said. "And dragons are a very big gain."
"Even if the risk is our lives?" Arthur countered.
"Is that what's bothering you?" Oberyn threw his arms around him. "You should have more faith in your friends."
Arthur shook him off while glaring at him. "I do. It's why I'm here. But that doesn't mean that I want to see them get killed. Prince Rhaegal brought those pyromancers from the guild, did he not? What if the same thing that happened at Summerhall happens here?"
Arthur could not stomach the thought. A part of him felt dejected that Rhaegal and Rhaegar hadn't told him about their plans, but most of him was just worried for them. He didn't want to see his friends become consumed with the promise of dragons.
Would he stop them? Of course not. He couldn't. He would follow them, but the worry was still there.
"After seeing what he can do, you start to fear the flames a little less," Euron said with a shrug as he belched. "As long as he's on your side, the flames will also be. That's what I think."
Very reassuring.
"I think you have this all wrong, Arthur." Oberyn winked. "Why would our mighty prince use wildfire when he has flames of his own? Flames that are more powerful and that he can fully control?"
Arthur hadn't thought about that.
"Besides, Rhaegal isn't crazy. He might have named his sword after his lunatic ancestor, but he doesn't strike me as the type to drink wildfire to prove a point. If he's come here seeking dragons, then he must believe that he can accomplish it. The rest of us are just witnesses to the event. It's why he gathered us together in the first place."
Euron looked amused. "Figured that out, did you?"
Oberyn smirked. "I've been trying to understand why he would bring all of us together in the first place. After yesterday, it all makes sense."
"A very calculated risk," Tytos muttered from his seat.
Oberyn raised his mug in Tytos' direction. "That it is. Failure can invite ridicule. But if he succeeds, he will have witnesses to the start of a new era! The return of the dragons! Who wouldn't want to celebrate such an event! And most of us are from some of the most powerful houses in the kingdoms. What better witnesses could he hope for?"
Arthur digested this. Rhaegal had said that it was to foster friendships with the other houses in the realm, to help combat the isolation that house Targaryen was facing. But perhaps this was another reason for it too. It would make perfect sense.
"I can tell you that there will be plenty who will not be celebrating if he succeeds," Euron said with a growing grin.
Oberyn laughed at this. "Oh, Greyjoy! Ever since you started becoming more talkative, I've enjoyed your presence more and more!" He paused for a moment before saying, "But you're right. The crown has struggled to maintain its grip over the realm. If the dragons return…"
He didn't need to finish.
"Some might thank us if we try to stop this." Euron said it so nonchalantly that it took Arthur a few seconds to understand the implications.
He glared at Euron. "Don't even think about it."
He was ready to cut him down at the smallest sign of treachery.
Euron just laughed at the threat. "You should relax, Dayne. You have nothing to fear from me. You see, I've started to become quite interested in the crown prince. With his abilities, there's no telling what I might be able to discover next. Becoming a god might not be impossible, after all." He uttered the last part softly, but they all heard it.
Oberyn chuckled. "Aiming high, aren't we?"
"But not improbable. You said it yourself. It's the dawn of a new era." Euron gulped down the rest of his drink before slamming his mug down on the table. "I for one welcome it with open arms."
"Hear, hear!" Oberyn cheered.
Tytos said nothing, merely returning to his meal in silence.
Arthur was left pondering the significance of Oberyn's and Euron's words, which presented solid arguments.
Despite himself, he could not help but feel more at ease about today's events, and it was all thanks to the two idiots he was sharing breakfast with.
Life was full of surprises.
---
Rhaegal had to restrain himself from cursing Mace for his tardiness. It was already late in the morning when the Tyrell was finally ready to march with them toward the caves. It took Melisandre whispering reassurances to him to cool his mood.
It was not his fault. He had been feeling the call of the dragon eggs all throughout the night, beckoning him like a seductress.
As powerful as he was, Rhaegal acknowledged that he was not all mighty. Rushing ahead by himself would only invite problems, and the last thing he needed was for an opportunistic Skagosi to take him down by sheer luck in the dark.
So he waited, and now he had been delayed yet again. Just perfect.
Rhaegal barely acknowledged Mace's words of apologizes as they set off.
Rhaegal left around fifty men in the camp outside Deepdown in order to keep a presence in their rear. Just in case.
During the night, riders on unicorns had arrived from the two other houses, the Magnars and the Stanes, acknowledging Rhaegal's presence on the island but not submitting to him either. They reported that they were going to meet with him in Deepdown in order to discuss terms.
A more amicable reception than Rhaegal had expected to be honest, especially after yesterday.
Winning such a decisive victory had given the other houses enough reason to treat with him rather than openly defy him.
They were also acknowledging Lord Crowl's ascent as the new master of his house. Typically there would be other contenders that could challenge his claim. These contenders came from members of the family, as other clans were too weak to try and wrestle control for themselves. However, after yesterday's battle, only Lord Crowl and his younger brother, an infant, remained as members of his household. All others had perished, either from his flames or from the cavalry charge.
Rhaegal had nearly wiped out one of the biggest houses on the island in a single battle. If he had, a power vacuum would have opened up on Skagos, and he would have had to sort out that mess before continuing with his mission, lest this side of the island fall into full anarchy.
Thankfully that never came to pass.
Now, Lord Crowl was leading them deeper into the woods and to the valleys beyond. Thanks to Qyburn's expertise, the man's life was not in immediate danger. His body was still covered in burns, but those would heal over time. Not completely. He would forever be scarred, but apparently the man considered that an honor. A reminder of the battle that he had survived.
Rhaegar rode beside him in silence, his face full of focus.
The others all rode in silence as well.
Melisandre was also silent as she continued to study their surroundings. Rhaegal was sure that he could have admired the beauty of the island if it were any other occasion. But right now, his thoughts were plagued with getting to those dragon eggs.
They passed through several more villages before they emerged from the woods and into the valleys. The mountain loomed over them like a silent guardian.
"This place is beautiful," Mace said softly.
Rhaegal silently agreed. For the most part, these valleys were completely devoid of human touch. There were no cities, no waste, nothing to ruin the air and water.
However, that beauty started to fade when Rhaegal noticed all the weirwood trees as they traversed through the valleys.
"There are so many of them," Tytos muttered, his eyes scanning the trees.
"I thought only the Isle of Faces had these many weirwood trees left," Stannis said, shocked by the overabundance of the trees.
"The Andals never made it here," Oberyn said simply.
They never had a chance to chop down these trees.
Rhaegal began to understand why the Skagosi prided themselves as being more authentic in their beliefs to the old gods. No other place in the North was like this, he was sure.
Melisandre looked angered for a moment. "Distasteful."
She probably wanted to burn down these trees.
Rhaegal said nothing to her comment.
Lord Crowl continued to lead them in silence. There was no set path, but he cut through the valley toward the base of the mountain as if there was one. Once there, they were met with more Skagosi who were looking at them with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
The Skagosi lord began to shout in the Old Tongue, so Rhaegal did not know what he was saying. It must have been orders of some kind, because the gathered Skagosi began to step back and opened a path to them toward a cave opening.
The mouth of the cave was wide, and it was situated right beneath the mountain.
"I'm pretty sure that no dragon can fit through there," Oberyn joked as they began to dismount from their horses.
Rhaegar went back and gave Lord Celtigar orders to set up another temporary camp nearby while Rhaegal inspected the cave entrance. He did not need to have any doubts as he felt the burning sensation even more strongly now.
This was the place.
Melisandre looked more at peace now as she approached the cave entrance. "Mhmm, yes. This feels more…comfortable. The flames are strong here."
For once, Rhaegal could understand what she was talking about.
Lord Crowl grunted as he jumped down from his unicorn. "This is the sacred cave, Targaryen prince. Some of the tribes feel uneasy about letting you in. They think that you might anger the winged demon."
"Could they attack us?" Barristan asked, his eyes ever vigilant.
"No. A battle so close to his resting place is a bad omen." The Skagosi lord gestured to the valleys around them. "We often quarrel over these lands, but never near here. This valley is a sacred area, open to all."
That would work in their favor.
"As thanks for your cooperation, you can join me inside," Rhaegal said as he started to walk into the cave with Melisandre at his side. Rhaegar soon joined them in haste while Arthur did the same. As did the Kingsguard, as despite their anxiety they still had a duty to uphold. The same was true for Brynden, who was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly as he stepped toward the entrance.
"A cave exploration. How fun," Oberyn drawled out as he made to follow.
Euron just snorted as he too walked into the cave.
It took Tytos pushing Mace forward for him to finally step toward the cave entrance of his own accord while a quiet Stannis followed after them, trying his best to hide his own fear.
The Skagosi lord seemed to find humor in Rhaegal's words as he chuckled. Nevertheless, he followed after them.
---
In the beginning, the cave wasn't all that big or wide. There was enough room for them to walk through rather comfortably, but after a few minutes the cave began to open into a wide cavern. What was most peculiar was the fact that it was not dark. Light seemed to be pouring in from cracks in the walls and the ceiling of the cavern, illuminating their surroundings.
"I guess we won't need any torches," Arthur said.
It was one less concern.
There were many passageways, but there was no guess work involved. Rhaegal just followed the burning sensation that continued to emanate from inside him, using it as a guide through the underground tunnels.
No one questioned if he knew where he was going.
After several more minutes of navigating these tunnels, they finally emerged into the central chamber of the cavern.
To say that it was massive was an understatement. Rhaegal guessed that it was as big as the dome of the Dragonpit back in King's Landing. There were streams flowing throughout the chamber, while a garden of sorts forming the perimeter. At the center of the chamber was a giant tree, but thankfully it was not a weirwood. It appeared to be a regular pine tree, only that its branches extended wide.
"This place is beautiful!" Mace exclaimed, his earlier fear forgotten. The fact that his armor was all dirtied up or that he was shivering did not seem to bother him at the moment. "It's like stepping into a whole new world!"
Rhaegal could not dispute that.
"How could a tree grow so large while this deep underground?" Tytos did not understand.
"This place is….clean," Melisandre said softly as her eyes gazed over the thriving underground ecosystem. "However, what's most important is right beside the tree, my prince."
Rhaegal's eyes were already fixed on the tree. He had not missed the objects scattered all around the base of the tree.
Bones.
Rhaegar's eyes widened when he took notice of this. "Those are dragon bones…."
It was not hard to understand why he had come to that realization, for there was a very large dragon skull in the middle of the bones.
A very loud silence reverberated through the group as they took this in.
"So there really was a dragon here," Ser Gerold whispered in awe.
The others were too busy gawking to say anything, all except for Rhaegal, Rhaegar, and Melisandre who were making their way toward the dragon skull.
'So you're already dead,' Rhaegal thought as he approached the dragon skull. He had little doubt that this skull belonged to the infamous Cannibal. Somehow, the wild dragon had ended up on Skagos and roosted in this giant cavern, finding his way in here through mysterious means. Probably violent ones, if the Skagosi were able to learn of the dragon's existence. The dragon had then been feared until it finally passed on from old age, leaving behind nothing but bones.
A pity. Taming a dragon like that, from the pages of history, would have been exciting.
The dragon skull was massive. If Rhaegal had to guess, then he would say that it matched the size of the skull of Balerion that was displayed in the throne room in the Red Keep.
The exact size of the Cannibal was always in contention as no one had ever been able to get close enough to get an exact measurement. However, it seemed like in the last days of its life, the Cannibal had rivaled the Black Dread in size.
How glorious.
Still, as momentous as this finding was, and as enraptured as Rhaegal was with the skull of the famed Cannibal, it was what lied behind the skull that interested him the most.
For perhaps the first time in his life, Rhaegal gasped as his eyes landed on the three dragon eggs that lied on the ground. The one on the left seemed to glow white as snow with red veins running through it like rivers of lava. The one on the right was a clear blue like the sky. Finally, the one in the middle was black as midnight, with green veins that resembled wildfire.
"Congratulations, my prince," Melisandre said with a growing smile as the others began to approach the skull as well. "You have found your destiny."
---
Hatching a dragon egg. How was it done?
There was no exact answer for it. At least, none that could be found.
The presumed answer was heat, but if that were the case then the dragon eggs at Summerhall should have hatched. And yet, they did not. No dragon emerged from the tragedy, only Rhaegal and Rhaegar.
There was even less of an answer when it came to petrified eggs. Many assumed that those eggs were no longer useful. They were duds, meant to be thrown away. However, Melisandre argued otherwise. Even a stone egg still had value, for it possessed powerful magical power stored within. With the right ingredients, it too could be reborn, hatching a dragon for the world to fear.
Rhaegal had feared that the dragon eggs that he would find were stone eggs. It seemed like the world had not given in to his fears, for the three dragon eggs felt warm to the touch.
Even Rhaegar could feel their heat, much to his excitement.
"They're alive!" he said, his face flushed with eagerness.
The others were whispering among themselves, no doubt still in shock to see that they had indeed managed to recover three dragon eggs.
But this was only the beginning. The key was to hatch them.
But how?
Despite what Rhaegal had told Tytos before the battle, a part of him had brought Hallyne and the others from the guild as a last resort for hatching the dragon eggs. But only if he was desperate, and Melisandre assured him that he would not have to be.
"For all you need you already have," she said as she placed the three dragon eggs in the middle of the chamber. Around them she began to draw symbols that Rhaegal did not understand. She began to hum in a language that he did not understand either. He only managed to pick out certain phrases, which meant that she was mixing High Valyrian with other languages.
The others all put some distance between themselves and the eggs. Their faces were a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and fear depending on the person.
Rhaegal did not pay too much attention to them as he watched Melisandre go about her work, which did not take too long.
From the sleeves of her dress she procured a knife. She began to approach him with a bright smile.
"Fire and blood. You have both, my prince. Exactly what you need to breathe new life into these eggs."
Rhaegal looked into her eyes as he said, "Some say that a life is also needed."
"That would be true, if your blood was not here. For many lives were already offered in order to create it."
Rhaegal did not question her on her meaning, for he already knew what she was referring to.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Conjure your flames around the eggs and bathe them in your blood. Do not hold back."
Rhaegal did not fight her as she guided him toward the three dragon eggs and made him kneel before them. The strange symbols that she had drawn were around them, and on closer inspection Rhaegal realized that some of them were Valyrian glyphs.
How curious. Her magic seemed to be combining many different arts.
Well, so long as they worked, then Rhaegal could not care less about their origins.
Rhaegal did not flinch as Melisandre cut one of his fingers with her knife. She guided the cut finger over each of the eggs as he began to channel his flames around them. His blood trickled down on the dragon eggs just as the symbols around them began to glow, but he did not let that distract him as he channeled more and more fire to surround the eggs.
He did not know how much force he was applying into the flames, but nevertheless they began to shoot out from the ground around them. Rather than just surrounding the eggs, the flames were now surrounding him and Melisandre as well, swirling into a powerful vortex that blinded them to the outside world.
"BROTHER!"
For a moment, Rhaegal thought that he heard Rhaegar's voice, but it was drowned out by the sound of Melisandre's chanting as well as the sound of the flames swirling around him.
The flames did not harm him, but he did not miss how parts of Melisandre's skin were charred from the intensity of them. Even so, Melisandre did not recoil in pain. She did not waver. She continued to chant as she guided more and more of his blood to the eggs while Rhaegal continued to channel more of his flames into them.
It was during these moments that Rhaegal felt like he was cut off from the world outside of the flames. Like nothing else existed except for this singular moment.
Like time itself stopped just to observe this one singular moment.
The flames continued to grow brighter and more powerful. Rhaegal was certain that parts of his armor were beginning to turn to ash from the intensity of the flames around them.
Brightflame held, its runes glowing alongside the symbols that Melisandre had drawn as well as her necklace.
The flames were so bright that Rhaegal was forced to shut his eyes as he was no longer able to see.
When he did, everything silenced….and it all went dark.
---
"Would you look at this. The first time I'm able to emerge like this, and it's thanks to a Targaryen. How the gods must enjoy laughing at me."
When Rhaegal reopened his eyes, he was standing in a dark space. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that he was standing in a space that was nothing but dark flames? For the space around him was distorted, similar to how his flames would distort when they surrounded Brightflame.
In other words, he was no longer inside the cavern with the others.
Where was this? Rhaegal could not even begin to guess.
What he noticed next was the pair of glowing eyes standing before him. They shone a most beautiful purple, but when he took a second look Rhaegal realized that it wasn't just a pair of eyes. They belonged to a…figure. It was hard to describe, for Rhaegal could not make out any characteristics. Just the eyes, but there was undoubtedly a figure standing before him.
"You watched the rest of us burn and secured yourselves," the voice continued as it paced around him. "And now, you come to steal our dragons. How bold of you."
"What?" Rhaegal finally found his voice. "I don't understand…."
"Of course you don't. None of you understand. But I guess I should have expected this when the eggs began to call to you and your family. Surrendering to you is better than remaining here in obscurity."
What was this voice saying? Rhaegal did not understand. What was more aggravating was the fact that he couldn't tell if it was male or female. Just like this world, the voice was distorted. It was not pleasant on the ears.
"You should start making sense."
"Hmm." The voice stopped in front of him again. "The dragons know, but their riders did not comprehend. Will you repeat the same mistake?"
The same mistake?
"Ah, but it's different now. There is no prophecy. Not anymore. Your very existence has seen to that. I'm sure there are many out there who are not very happy with you right now. What is there to do? It's not like you asked to be born, correct?"
Rhaegal growled. "If this is a joke to you-"
"Forgive me. I have been stuck inside this space for thousands of years. I no longer know how to hold a proper conversation. I do not think that I was meant to have a conversation like this in the first place." The voice hummed, its tune contemplative. "Amazing. Your blood…no, your soul. It echoes the dragons'. The circumstances around your birth are very astonishing. I do not believe that there will ever be another like you. Unless, of course, it was by design."
"The dragon eggs-"
"Are alive, yes. They communicate through space and time. They have been communicating with your family for a while now. You could call it a system of sorts. Dragons of the same lineage were able to do the same with their riders….but of course, none of our dragons ever communicated the most important truth to us. About our demise."
Rhaegal's eyes widened as he began to understand what this voice was.
"You…you're a Valyrian?"
"I suppose my eyes gave me away? But yes. I am. From a time that is now long forgotten. Thanks to my sacrifice, my descendants would become one of the forty. It's what I gave my life for, so that the dragons would forever stay bound to my family. A ritual that you have now undone with the help of your rock worshiping witch."
Rhaegal was more than a little dumbfounded. "You're not a Targaryen."
"No. My name no longer matters. I gave it up the day that I completed the ritual. I was to be bound to this dragon lineage, so only my descendants could bond with our dragons."
"What does that mean?"
"I forget, you no longer know of your origins. Our origins. Why do you think that we married brother to sister, even in the days of Valyria? Just to maintain our ability to bond with dragons? Don't be absurd. There were forty houses capable of bonding with dragons. There was no need for it. No, it was to ensure that our dragons did not fall to anyone else's hands. Not through written law, but through the law of blood. For dragons care not for parchments of paper."
Rhaegal had never thought about it.
"Through blood magic, dragons of certain lineages were bonded to specific families, so that only those who shared that blood could ride them. If that blood spread, then the monopoly on those lineages disappeared."
"And you were sacrificed for it," Rhaegal realized.
"Magic rarely comes without a sacrifice. Blood magic most of all." The voice did not sound bothered about having been made a blood sacrifice. "You should realize this. It was through the sacrifice of your family that your abilities were birthed."
"Not by choice." Rhaegal scowled. If even this voice was saying that Summerhall was the cause for his strange birth, then it must be true. But to be blamed for it…Rhaegal would never accept that.
"That is true, I suppose. You did not ask for this. I wonder if that too was by design."
"Are you saying someone planned this?"
"I do not know. I know many things, but not everything. I have gone through your memories, but even those are not perfect. But does it matter? Would that change what you plan on doing?"
It did not.
"Fret not, for as heinous as you are for stealing my family's dragons, I'm sure you are capable of doing some good in this world. While the future has now been turned on its head, someone must fight what is coming. And now, there is no better candidate than you."
"So. You know about Aegon's dream…"
"Balerion's dream," the distorted voice corrected him. "It was Balerion who shared the impending doom to both of your ancestors….and perhaps others. Although other dragons had a habit of sharing more compared to him. It drove some of your ancestors mad as history remembers. For we are not almighty, and our minds cannot comprehend a dragon's. Except maybe for yours. But you're not fully human either, so it's not a fair comparison."
Rhaegal did not know what to say. He had so many thoughts racing through his mind right now. Just why was he here? What did this voice want? Just how much information could he get out of this?
Despite all these conflicting thoughts, Rhaegal focused on the last thing the voice said.
"I'm not fully human?"
"Hm? Did you not hear me? The ritual on the day of your birth. The dragon eggs exploded on that day, and it fed the fires. But the eggs are powerful, and so are the souls of dragons. They combined what energy they had left and had enough time to escape somewhere, or rather into someone. It bonded with your soul, although not completely. Rather than being fully dragon, you ended somewhere in between. It's why you were able to get so much knowledge. All the dragon's knowledge in one go, with the added benefit of some insight into a future that no longer exists. But it was not perfect. Still, all things considered, I'd say you were lucky. For now you have the benefits of both worlds."
"Is that why the Cannibal's dragon eggs were reaching out to me and my family?"
If he was following what the voice was saying, then the Cannibal belonged to a different lineage than the Targaryen's. It would explain why the Cannibal had never been able to be tamed, for no Targaryen was of its blood…or rather, her blood.
"Yes. Your soul, and by extension your blood, echoes the dragons'. The usual limitations do not apply to you. And so, from here on out, what dragons emerge from this line will be able to be tamed by your blood. You will not have a second Cannibal on your hands." The voice chuckled, and it was a truly annoying sound. "It is a title that did not fit her, for she was fighting against her rivals to protect her land from trespassers. At least she was able to bring down four of the five dragons that your ancestors brought with them to Dragonstone. I'm sure that must have given her a lot of satisfaction."
What?
"You did not think that those dragons died of old age, do you? I'm sure none of them wanted to admit the truth, so they omitted those battles from the pages of history. How embarrassing it would have been to admit that there was a dragon powerful enough to fight theirs on even terms."
Rhaegal wasn't sure what to make of all of that, so he remained silent.
"Nothing to add? That's a shame. Well, it's not as though we have much time left either."
But there was so much more he wanted to know!
"Unlike me, you get to leave this space and return to the world. And with new dragons. How lucky for you. But not to worry, I shall remain dormant, watching. I'll see what you are able to make of this new prophecy free world. For the dragon always has three heads. I'm sure now you understand its true significance."
There might have been more that was said, but Rhaegal was unable to make anything else out as light began to return to the world around him.
It was a meeting that would stick with Rhaegal for the rest of his life.
---
Rhaegar was afraid. When the flames began to consume his brother, his fear grew. He did not care for the red priestess, but he did not want to see his brother die today. He would rather trade places with him first before letting that happen.
Unfortunately, there was little that he could do as he watched the fires continue to rage before him. Unlike Rhaegal, Rhaegar was not accepted by the flames. He would be consumed in them if he dared to get too close.
'So why are they harming Rhaegal as well?'
That's what it looked like to Rhaegar anyway. The flames were burning so hot that they were melting the cave around them. If not for those strange symbols on the ground, Rhaegar was certain that this whole cavern would have caught fire by now.
The others were frozen where they stood, unable to do anything as they stared at the raging inferno in front of them.
Rhaegar hated being this useless.
Fortunately, it was not a situation that lasted for too much longer as the flames finally began to die down.
The symbols on the ground faded as the last of the fires vanished. In the middle of where the flames had once burned was a panting Melisandre with parts of her skins burned off. She was still on her knees, her face exhausted but also looking triumphant.
Rhaegar did not need to question why that was, for kneeling next to her was Rhaegal. His armor had been reduced to ash, as had the straps for Brightflame. But the sword remained, resting on the ground in pristine condition.
But that wasn't what caught Rhaegar's attention.
For once, a Valyrian steel sword was not the main focus, for perched on Rhaegal's shoulders and his head were three baby dragons, chirping and cooing.
Rhaegar could hardly believe his eyes.
'He did it.'
Rhaegal had actually done it.
He had just brought dragons back into the world.