Dragonstone rose above the sea like an irregular ship. Pale gray steam constantly drifted up from the geothermal vents of Dragonmont behind the castle, and the air on the island carried the mingled scent of sulfur and salt.
Dragonstone had once been a military outpost of the Valyrian Empire, much like Tyrosh. Later, after House Targaryen sold its holdings in Valyria and settled here, the island became deeply stamped with the Targaryen mark. Even though Great Lord Stannis had ruled this place for several years, the True Dragon still held great influence here. Dragonstone longed for the Targaryens and dragons as it longed for yesterday's glory.
When the ship landed, Daenerys Targaryen, the Bear Girl Dacey Mormont, Maester Qyburn, Dragonstone's acting castellan Ser Axel Florent, the undying Kingsguard "John Strong," and the others were waiting for Gendry at the docks. Besides the guard knights and Kingsguard, Bonifer "the Good Man" and his Hundred-Man Company were hidden throughout Dragonstone, protecting the last True Dragon. These knights were well trained, disciplined, and mounted on tall gray horses. For various reasons, they were devout followers of the Seven, but they had no love for the hypocritical Faith.
Shireen and her sharp-tongued mother had gone to King's Landing again to avoid too much awkwardness, though Great Lord Stannis found the sight of his wife irritating enough.
Daenerys's deep purple mermaid-cut gown swirled around her, setting off her violet eyes and delicate fair skin. She wore Queen Rhaella's slender crown, with gold bracelets set with amethysts on her wrists, giving her an almost otherworldly beauty.
Silver-haired and violet-eyed, Daenerys threw herself into Gendry's arms with a joyful cry, then looked him over again and again for any changes or small wounds after the war. Now that Daenerys's wandering life was over, and with proper food and living conditions, her body had grown well. Her height had settled at a little over one meter seventy. She still seemed petite beside Gendry, though she could be counted as tall. Daenerys would certainly never be like her female guards Dacey and Brienne. Dacey stood six feet tall, one meter eighty-three, while Brienne was around six feet five, nearly one meter ninety-six.
"All right, I won again, and I'm unhurt." Gendry rubbed Daenerys's silver-gold hair. "I won quite a few spoils from Lord Governor Malaquo."
"And your greatsword? What a broad, heavy blade," Daenerys said in wonder. "It's taller than I am."
"Tiger's Roar. But Valyrian steel is light and sharp." Gendry smiled. That sword was precious, but it could not compare to the Ring of Fire.
Ser Axel Florent, Maester Qyburn, Daenerys's bear-woman guard Dacey, and the others bowed to him.
"You have all worked hard," Gendry said to them. Brienne was also here, in fact, but Brienne of Tarth was watching over the dragons in Dragonstone's courtyard.
"Dragonstone is at your command. Congratulations on your great victory on the north bank of the Blackwater Rush and on taking King's Landing," Ser Axel said, bending the knee. He had the large protruding ears typical of House Florent, with thick hair growing from them. In looks, House Florent was generally not as striking as the other great houses.
Ser Axel was a plain, stocky man of ordinary appearance, with sturdy arms and strong legs. While Great Lord Stannis was in King's Landing, Ser Axel had served as acting castellan, and he knew every matter on Dragonstone, large or small. His loyalty to Stannis surpassed his loyalty to the main Florent line. Such was the fate of a second son. They had to carve out their own path.
"Ser Axel, the honor belongs to everyone," Gendry said with a faint smile.
Ser Axel often threatened others, and his temper was rude and irritable. Yet before Gendry, he was as docile as a lamb. Such was the weight carried by the first knight of the Seven Kingdoms and its greatest commander.
"How are things along the coast and among the fishermen?" Gendry asked Ser Axel Florent.
"We have specially arranged a fleet to patrol the outer waters, made up of ships from Driftmark, Claw Isle, and Dragonstone. The crews are capable and reliable, and they keep suspicious people from approaching the island. As for the fishermen, you may rest assured. As you know, this region is, after all, the place where House Targaryen first rose to power. Everyone is willing to serve you and the Princess," Ser Axel said.
Even Axel had to acknowledge the value of the Targaryen name and the dragon. Compared to the stern and rarely seen Great Lord Stannis, the more approachable Gendry and Daenerys were far more popular with the people.
Gendry nodded. He and Daenerys had a good foundation among the people around Dragonstone, which spared them much trouble.
"Princess," Ser Barristan said with a smile and a bow.
"It is good to see you well too, old knight," Daenerys said shyly, peeking out before leaving that warm, powerful embrace.
Anguy and the others also bowed to her. Then Gendry took the silver-haired girl's hand, and they headed straight into the castle.
Dragonstone was sparsely populated. Aside from the castle, there was only a small fishing village on the island. The common folk had settled in the village at the foot of Dragonmont. Farmers tilled the land, and fishermen caught fish to make a living. Dragonstone also had docks, but because of the war and the seizure of merchant ships in King's Landing and elsewhere, there were not many ships here of late.
The castle of Dragonstone was unmistakable. It was a small fortress built against the face of Dragonmont. This black castle was unique among the castles of Westeros, a masterpiece of Valyria.
"The power of magic," Gendry thought. Legend said Valyrian sorcerers did not carve stone by hand like masons, but shaped it with fire and spells, the way potters shaped clay vessels. The Valyrian roads and the black castles of Valyria were made the same way.
Gendry saw more than a thousand fierce and terrifying gargoyles crouched atop the high walls of the ancient Valyrian castle: hellhounds, wyverns, two-legged dragons, griffins, demons, manticores, minotaurs, basilisks, cockatrices, and more. These gargoyles took the place of ordinary battlements.
Black stone and dragon imagery were everywhere. The great hall was a dragon lying flat upon the ground, and people entered through its open jaws. The kitchen was a curled dragon, with smoke and steam from the ovens venting through its nostrils. The towers were dragons perched on the walls or poised to take flight. The Windwyrm seemed to shriek in contempt at all below, while the Sea Dragon Tower gazed calmly out over the open sea. Smaller dragons decorated doorframes. Dragon claws jutting from the walls served as torch sconces. Huge stone wings contained the smithy and armory, while dragon tails formed arches, bridges, and outdoor stairs.
"This place is a great help to Pyromancers and dragons." Gendry felt heat flowing through his Firebinder ring, like a gentle flame that warmed but did not burn, caressing his finger. The Firebinder was slowly drawing in the element of fire. It had been this way ever since he set foot on Dragonstone, and near Dragonstone Castle and Dragonmont, the process grew faster.
The ring's reaction proved that this place was a high ground of magic. That was only natural. Dragonstone Castle reeked of magic, and the island also had a volcano, rare in all the known world. Volcanoes were scarce, and the most famous of them, the Fourteen Flames of Valyria, had erupted and brought about an apocalypse. Since then, few had dared travel to those ruins.
Dragonstone's fortress was heavily guarded, especially the courtyard closest to Dragonmont, where the heat was strongest. The young dragons flew around this place and Dragonmont, and they also rested here.
"The scent dragons leave behind." In the courtyard, Gendry smelled sulfur and fire. Dragons often hunted here, though the bones of their prey had already been cleared away.
Brienne of Tarth stood guard in the courtyard in blue armor, careful and alert. She praised the dragons' power and fire, but she still carried some fear. After all, dragons had been extinct for more than a century.
"Brienne of Tarth, thank you for protecting Princess Daenerys and the dragons," Gendry said to Brienne, the Maid of Tarth. This girl was a loyal and reliable guard, one who valued honor greatly.
"It is only what I should do. It is an honor to meet you, Prince Gendry, Princess Daenerys," Brienne said with a bow, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I have sworn before the Old and New Gods to serve your cause. I will be the Shield of the Storm."
"It is time to feed the little dragons," Daenerys instructed.
"As you command, Prince!" The guards in black armor and golden cloaks skillfully released running black goats from their cages. They were wild goats from the Stormlands, swift and nimble.
The frightened goats ran through the courtyard, bleating in terror. In this courtyard, they could sense the deaths of their own kind.
"My dragons are coming!"
Then a dark shadow appeared beneath the sunlight, flying down from the steep eastern slope of Dragonmont. First came a shadow woven of darkness and blood-red, followed by more shadows. The dragons descended from the sky, and Gendry saw them again, dragons rarely seen in the world. Three dragons.
At their highest point, the dragons looked like specks, like eagles flying among the clouds. Then they spread their wings and swept across the sun, casting a wave of shadow. When the dragons hovered, the beating of their leathery wings stirred a small wind. Their heads were like those of horses, but their necks were long, like pythons stretching out their bodies. The guards stepped aside of their own accord, afraid of this returning miracle and fascinated by it.
"The black dragon is the strongest of them, then the green dragon, then the white dragon," Brienne of Tarth said in praise.
"That is the custom of dragons as well," Maester Qyburn said as he observed them. "From what I know, some dragons do indeed surpass others of their kind."
The three dragons were easy to tell apart. They differed in size, color, flame, and temperament, so even outsiders could distinguish them at a glance.
The black dragon Balerion was the largest and fiercest, and the most adventurous. Balerion had scales as dark as night and red eyes like infernal flame. His horns and the spines along his back were blood-red, and his dragonfire was a mingling of black and red.
Vhagar's eyes were bronze, brighter than a polished shield, shimmering with his own heat. Vhagar's scales were emerald green and bronze, like moss deep in a forest at dusk, just before the last ray of sunlight faded. The green dragon's dragonfire was a mingling of orange and yellow streaked with green, like an orange-yellow storm threaded with green lines.
Most of Viserion's scales were creamy yellow, though at a glance they looked almost milky white, so everyone had grown used to calling him the white dragon. The white dragon's horns, wing bones, and crest were gold, and his eyes were gold as well, like two pools of molten metal. Viserion's dragonfire was a pale gold flame mixed with blood-red and orange-yellow, with a faint golden glow running through the red-orange fire.
Boom!
The sound of wind came. The black dragon's hunting trail, like a string of black dots, slowly grew larger. The black goats were scared out of their wits and ran for their lives through the courtyard.
But goats could not outrun flight. The black dragon roared as he descended, and swirling black-red flame crashed down. One goat caught fire from head to hoof and let out a shrill bleat. Balerion landed on it and snapped its spine.
Then came the green dragon Vhagar and the white dragon Viserion. They followed Balerion's lead and began hunting their own prey, first driving them with dragonfire, then breaking their spines.
The black dragon moved fastest and most efficiently, finishing his hunt first. Balerion had always been the tallest, strongest, fiercest, and wildest of the three dragons. The other two feared him and followed him. Balerion obeyed only Gendry's commands. Though he was close to Daenerys, he was not willing to take orders from her.
***
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***