A faint smell of sulfur permeated the air as the dragons danced across the sky, painting it with dazzling colors.
"Dragons! They're dragons!"
"It really is a dragon!"
"Oh, my gods! It's not just one. There are three dragons!"
"Long live the Storm! Long live Gendry I! Long live Queen Daenerys!"
The people of Dragonstone and those living along the northern bank of the Blackwater Rush had heard stories about the return of true dragons, but this was the first time so many of them had actually seen dragons with their own eyes.
Three dragons danced together in the sky, their forms clearly visible to everyone below.
"I saw them! A black dragon, a green dragon, and a white dragon!"
The children were the most enthusiastic, clapping and cheering as they watched the dragons.
They had all grown up hearing stories about dragons—dragonriders who commanded magical beasts, heroic knights who fought dragons, and the fierce battles between dragons during the Dance of the Dragons.
They had heard about the dragons' horns, leathery wings, scales, enormous bodies, and majestic flying postures.
No one truly understood dragons anymore.
They had been extinct for more than a century.
But now, the magical dragons had returned.
The people of Westeros erupted in cheers.
At the very least, they knew that dragons were devastating weapons of war, powerful enough to bring any conflict to an end.
The high-ranking officials from the Stormlands, Crownlands, and the Triarchy were the proudest of all. They formed the core of Gendry's support.
The other lords also cheered excitedly.
The Storm coupled with dragons was truly the pinnacle of military power.
The Riverlands, Vale, North, and Dorne were grateful to the Storm for the aid they had received. Gendry had also placed some of his own people in key positions across these regions.
As for the vast and complicated Reach, it would also find it difficult to stand against the Dragon King, especially since the region itself was far from united.
The envoys from various nations watched with complicated expressions.
The envoys from Lys and the city-states of Slaver's Bay were particularly stunned, as if they had just been struck by lightning.
The three magical dragons flew above the Dragonpit.
At first, they circled high in the sky.
Then they gradually descended, flying smaller circles around the VIPs before finally circling above Gendry and Daenerys.
The dragons were like streams of living fire.
Their leathery wings flapped as they formed a small ring around the newlyweds.
It was as though they were crowning Gendry themselves.
This was the most precious crown in the world.
"He really can control magical dragons."
Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper, stared at the dragons.
The Red Viper was romantic and passionate, but he was also extremely knowledgeable.
"How is that possible?" Arianne Martell asked. "With that little dragon blood in him?"
Many people throughout the known world possessed some dragon blood, but Daenerys had the purest lineage.
The blood of most others had become far too diluted over the generations.
Among them, House Martell and House Baratheon possessed some of the most recent traces of Targaryen blood.
"Is it magic?" the Red Viper murmured. "Blood and fire share the same origin."
"Dragons are miracles of fire, but they are also creations of magic. If a magical dragon hatches and forms a contract with the Storm, they will naturally become connected."
"It seems our golden crown was sent to the right place."
The Black Pearl said this to the Braavosi envoy.
"Daenerys Targaryen is the last dragon, but Gendry's lineage is far too distant. Princess Rhaella Targaryen was only his great-grandfather's wife…" the Braavosi envoy whispered.
"Nothing is impossible."
"Dragons are miracles, and they are also magic. The Storm is the Storm, and it seems Gendry's blood and fire have attracted the magical dragons as well."
"Blood and fire share the same origin."
The Black Pearl spoke after a moment of thought.
Nearby, Olenna Redwyne looked at her son, Mace Tyrell, who was enthusiastically cheering with everyone else.
She couldn't help but frown.
This stupid Mace. Why is he clapping so enthusiastically? Doesn't he realize there might be a problem here?
"Grandmother, what are you thinking?" Margaery asked.
"Dragons are dragons, child."
"They represent power."
"Although they are still small, these three dragons are extraordinary. Sooner or later, they will reveal their wild and ferocious nature."
Lady Olenna lowered her voice.
The commoner king wasn't crazy for imagining himself with dragons.
Rather, he had simply grown tired of constantly compromising with the great nobles.
"Your grandfather didn't come," the Queen of Thorns said calmly. "It seems he missed quite a show."
This is asking for trouble.
Margaery swept her gaze around the gathering.
Her Hightower cousins were present, but none of the important figures from the main branch had come.
The Targaryens had never relied on sentiment alone.
They relied on military strength.
History had proven that a single dragon could annihilate a thousand knights.
The return of the Dragon King meant the revival of royal authority.
A strong monarchy was fundamentally different from the weak and decadent monarchies of the later Targaryen and early Baratheon eras.
The Queen of Thorns believed she was not the only person who understood this.
But she knew that she had to prepare herself.
"ROOOAR!"
Balerion suddenly roared in the sky.
A torrent of swirling black-red flames poured from its mouth, scorching the air and causing the people below to scream in excitement.
The Green Dragon and White Dragon also displayed their ferocity.
This was the pride of House Targaryen.
In the past, the Dragon Kings had ridden their magical dragons through the skies above the city.
The current dragons were only about the size of ponies and were still too small to carry people.
But it wouldn't be long before they grew large enough to soar across the sky with riders on their backs.
Mya Baratheon gently removed Daenerys's bridal cloak, while Gendry took the groom's cloak from his brother Edric.
Gendry placed the groom's cloak around Daenerys.
Daenerys then placed the bridal cloak around Gendry.
From this day forward, they would protect each other.
"This kiss is for my love."
The black-haired Storm King and the silver-haired girl shared a long, passionate kiss.
The applause from below was like thunder.
The crown once again radiated a dazzling rainbow of colors.
The High Septon solemnly stepped forward.
"Gendry of House Liberator and Daenerys of House Targaryen shall be one body, one mind, and one soul."
From that moment onward, House Targaryen would consist solely of the descendants of Gendry and Daenerys.
House Liberator was the main branch of House Baratheon, while House Baratheon itself had effectively been swallowed once again, much like House Durrendon before it.
Everyone cheered for the union of the two legendary royal bloodlines.
They celebrated the birth of the new House Targaryen.
Although House Baratheon's paternal line was rumored to have descended from the bastard brother of Aegon, its maternal line came from the ancient and legendary royal House Durrendon, making it almost like a living fossil.
As for House Targaryen, it was the only surviving bloodline of the forty Dragon Kings.
But the guests had not yet left.
There was still another wedding to attend.
This time, it was the wedding of Mya Baratheon and Ser Mychel Redfort, personally presided over by the King and Queen.
Ser Mychel was a young and handsome talent from the Vale.
However, even his master, Lyn Corbray, was no match for the Storm King, let alone Mychel himself.
Compared to Gendry, Mychel was still far inferior.
The King's sister also had short, neat hair.
She was tall and slender, and today she wore a black-and-gold dress that made her look particularly radiant.
Her most captivating feature was her large blue eyes.
The King and Queen stood beside the newlyweds.
Meanwhile, the dragons began scratching and biting at one another, each trying to secure the best position beside Gendry and Daenerys.
"Quiet down," Daenerys scolded her dragons helplessly.
Everyone turned their attention toward the second ceremony.
Because House Redfort descended from the First Men, the High Septon stepped aside.
Although the marriages of the First Men in the Vale were not as elaborate as those of the Andals, they had gradually adopted many Andal traditions.
After all, the heirs of the Vale were now predominantly of Andal descent.
Only the marriages of the North still retained the authentic traditions of the First Men.
"The little King's sister has the same hair and eyes as him."
"It seems that the den of lions really isn't the old drunkard's offspring."
A sharp-eyed commoner whispered.
"Shut your mouth!"
His wife quickly covered his mouth.
"Do you want to lose your tongue?"
Gendry and Daenerys began the wedding ceremony.
Mychel's elderly father, Lord Leyton, untied his son's red groom's cloak.
Queen Daenerys personally untied Mya's black-and-gold bridal cloak, which was a tremendous honor.
"Gendry of House Baratheon and Daenerys of House Targaryen shall be one body, one mind, and one soul."
Gendry solemnly declared the union.
The audience erupted into cheers and applause.
Although the newlyweds lacked the unparalleled elegance of Gendry, Daenerys, and their three true dragons, they were still a beautiful and handsome young couple.
"This is a clever move."
Lando Tarly looked thoughtful.
Magical dragons were incredibly precious, and Gendry's other Baratheon relatives clearly did not have the right to possess them.
The ceremony concluded, and the guests temporarily withdrew to prepare for the grand banquet.
Even the commoners who had come simply to witness the ceremony received small candies and gifts in the names of the newlyweds.
Everyone praised the young couple and wished them well.
The enormous cost of the celebration was generously covered by House Tyrell, the Alliance of the Twin Cities across the Narrow Sea, and the wealthy merchants of King's Landing.
Ser Barristan and Ser Balon, dressed in full white scale armor and snow-white cloaks, led the procession out of the sept.
Gendry's young and powerful gold-cloaked squires followed behind them.
Among them were Anguy the Archer, the red-haired bowman from the Marches; Bronn, the strong fighter from the Crownlands; Dumb Harry, the blond, blue-eyed knight from the Vale; Jon Snow, the long-faced and ordinary-looking young man from the North; Guud Morrigen from the Stormlands; Robar Royce from the Vale; Grey Worm from Astapor; and many others.
There were even two tall female warriors—the Maid of Tarth and the warrior from Bear Island.
Gendry and his wife followed closely behind, with the three dragons circling above their heads.
The sight looked almost sacred.
Behind them came Mychel Redfort and his wife.
Edric and Robert Arryn carried baskets, scattering rose petals along the path before the newlyweds.
Next came Duke Stannis Baratheon and his wife, Duke Eddard Stark and his wife, Duke Mace Tyrell and his wife, Arianne Martell representing Prince Doran, and Duke Edmure Tully.
Bronze Yohn Royce walked beside the Queen of Thorns.
The Queen of Thorns moved with a slight shuffle, while two tall and powerful twin guards stayed close to her.
"Your squires are truly dedicated," Bronze Yohn quipped.
"What did you say?"
The Queen of Thorns pretended not to hear.
She wasn't actually deaf.
The Red Viper was somewhat different.
He could have joined the procession, but he was accompanied by his mistress, and the presence of other important figures meant that people would inevitably have opinions.
Oberyn did not insist.
Behind them came the other young and beautiful couples, including Ser Garlan Tyrell and his wife.
Gendry and Daenerys walked out of the sept arm in arm.
Outside, cheers rose and fell like a tide, crashing like waves.
Everyone loved the Storm King.
They had once admired Renly, but in truth, they had loved the handsome and fearless King Robert even more.
The people also had a favorable impression of House Tyrell.
Food and supplies had recently been flowing continuously into the capital along the Rose Road.
The people conveniently forgot that Mace Tyrell had initially blockaded the south, contributing to the terrible famine.
Gendry and Daenerys stepped into the sunlight.
Together, they looked like a golden generation.
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