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Raiden's Storm Chapter 96: Blood Of The Dragon
🕑 Added 2024-11-26 13:50:53 +0000 UTCBefore battle had engulfed the Great Pyramid, there was an eerie silence. No harpies had drawn their daggers, and the wind blew ever so softly. Even so, most of the Unsullied patrolled the streets per Daenerys’ orders. The Unsullied watching the entrance were disciplined enough to remain focused and not grow complacent where other men would have. The Great Pyramid’s main entrance would be barred from sunset and only open at first light.
As it was in the middle of the night, there was hardly a chance that anyone would break into the Great Pyramid. The entrance was well reinforced, of course, for this used to be the fortress of the ruling class of Meereen.
Alas, their eyes were too fixated on what was outside to see the serpent that lurked inside.
Brazen Beasts, the masked city watch dedicated to Daenerys' Meereen... who is to say that the serpent of yesterday was the same one as today? No one had known - not until it was too late.
Under this disguise, a shadow had broken into the underground, joining a group of Brazen Beasts intended to defend and feed Daenerys' dragons. He followed intently and in silence - helping carry a sheep. They travelled through a path of arches, vaults, cisterns and torture chambers. One without prior knowledge would've gotten lost in a maze of structures.
Before long, they were met with large, forbidding iron doors that stood sealed by chains where each link was thicker than a man's arms. The previous shift of brazen beasts acknowledged their arrival, exchanged the key and nodded, walking in the opposite direction.
Some time had passed as the group mentally prepared themselves.
Right as the giant iron doors were unlocked, a sense of tension arose amongst the brazen beasts... all but one. They began to slowly enter.
A sheep slid to the side as one of them let go.
In a flash, the serpent drew its sword and dagger - driving one through a man's chest and the other through another's neck. Both let out sounds of anguish that echoed through the halls.
Before the rest could ready themselves, he withdrew his bloodied weapons and tossed the dagger into one's knee. The pain overwhelmed the brazen beast, leading to the serpent slashing his throat open. By then, only two opposing beasts remained. A rat and owl.
The rat drew his sword and slashed at the serpent, who easily deflected the blow. Meanwhile, the owl charged in with his spear - aiming to pierce through the distracted serpent. The serpent was swift, however, and deceptively strong. He grabbed hold of the rat and threw him into the owl's charging spear.
The owl pierced right through the rat... its eyes widening behind the mask.
The serpent dashed towards the owl and swiftly slashed at his throat, not even giving the man an opportunity to react.
The owl retreated slowly, clawing at its slit throat as blood flowed out continuously.
Finally, the serpent drove its sword through the owl and put it out of its misery. In the end, only the serpent remained.
He could hear some footsteps behind him. With haste, he returned his weapons to their side and grabbed the dead sheep he once held along with a torch one of the brazen beasts had prepared. In the pit of darkness, a violent roar like no other erupted. Orange-yellow flames with veins of green spewed out of the dragon, bringing light to the darkness and showing the terrifying beasts before him.
Where other men would have filled their breeches and retreated with haste, never to return... the serpent remained still. The dragon that had nearly burnt him alive was green and bronze, with jade-green wings. The other, which was barely lit, still shined quite bright with its cream-coloured scales and golden horns.
"Iksan daor aōha qrinuntys."
(I am not your enemy.)
The serpent commanded with confidence in fluent High Valyrian, stepping forward. The two dragons, indeed, remained still until its torch let him see them clearly. By then, he was very much within biting distance - let alone fire. What chains they once had were melted or shattered, binding them no more.
"Majestic as you are terrifying." The masked man observed from a slight distance, glancing back at the open entrance. He continues in High Valyrian."No dragon should be chained and hidden from the world. Break free from this cage - claim the skies and thrive. Don't take food like some dog; hunt what you seek, and be greedy. You are dragons... beasts with no worthy rival other than yourselves."
The sounds of advancing guards suddenly paused as they reached the entrance and observed the sight.
"Will you let those doors be shut once more?”
Before the serpent could finish, Rhaegal advanced and flew right past the guards - knocking almost all of them down. Viserion looked at the dead sheep laid on the ground for a moment before pouncing on it and swallowing it whole. Afterwards, it raised itself upwards and followed in Rhaegal's shadow.
"Well."
The man chuckled.
"Already forgot about me..."
He turned to the exit and sprinted ahead, tactfully avoiding the other Brazen Beasts while they chased after him.
…
From within, there was a second group of Brazen Beasts lurking in plain sight. Distant, mythical roars sounded from the entrance that led to the pits. Once they heard this, they sprang into action and approached the confused Unsullied. The last thing they expected on their shift is to hear dragons on the other side.
Knives and swords were drawn, and half of them fell in an instant. The next half were caught at a grave disadvantage, their spears being too long of a weapon. The Brazen Beasts worked together to slay them all. Afterwards, more Unsullied in the area has begun to approach with urgency. The Brazen Beasts swiftly unsealed the entrance…
It burst open, one dragon leaving and then the next.
Rhargal breathed fire upon the approaching Unsullied, torching then alive. With the dragons dealing with everything in their path, the Brazen Beasts tagged along to the main entrance… unsealing it from the inside.
And so, the dragons were free to soar in the skies once more.
…
The moment those distant roars had resounded, golden shadows tensed.
When the Great Pyramid’s main entrance burst open, a fire arrow soared in the sky and golden swords were drawn from the shadows in response. More arrows shot out, putting some of the Unsullied outside the Great Pyramid. A unified roar erupted as they charged forth.
“Beneath the gold, the bitter steel!”
~
[Aegon’s POV]
The Unsullied guarding the entrance were caught unprepared and isolated, leading to their swift deaths. Aegon watched with widened eyes as he saw dragons, real dragons. They were stories no more… they were just as alive as he was.
What was just as bewildering was that everything went as the mysterious man had predicted.
He had single-handedly made this possible and so Aegon felt obligated to ensure his escape by having the Golden Company breach the Great Pyramid - securing it just about long enough for the half-doze disguised Brazen Beasts to flee.
Was he among them? Aegon couldn't be sure…
However, that was not his focus. He saw an opportunity and chased after the cream coloured dragon into the streets.The other dragon had already taken to the skies, soaring away from the scene.
“Wait.”
He yelled out in Valyrian, knowing that was the tongue dragons answered to. The dragon paused, turning to him. For a moment, his heart jumped in fear… as was natural. Yet, that fear slowly faded as he stepped closer.
I am of the blood of the dragon.
This is my fate.
I was born for this.
“You lack for a rider, don't you?”
Its eyes were of molten gold, almost radiant in the night. He felt something in his body… a bond. In his heart, he knew the dragon would not harm him. That gave him courage to step even closer. Close enough to stroke its scales.
“You won't need to fear; I would never chain you. Where others would seek to force their will over you or even butcher you for the priceless treasures of your body… I could protect you. ” He promised with a sincere tone. “With your might, I could conquer the Realm, and dragons would once again reign over Westeros. Mayhaps your mother would see to reason then…”
Aegon had no way of being certain that his words meant anything to the dragon, yet he chose to speak just in case. He recalled sources stating that dragons were quite intelligent, more than most would give them credit for.
The dragon seemed to bend to his will ever so slightly.
For a moment, Aegon believed that he had claimed it, but…
Unsullied gathered in the street from the sides, and Aegon stepped behind his men. Seeing this, the dragon turned away and took to the skies. He felt that he had been so very close… only to be halted at the most crucial moment.
He cursed in his heart.
“What shall we do now, my prince?”
“Hold the entrance a while longer,” Aegon commanded, glancing back. “Just long enough for our benefactor to escape."
"No," Jon Connington joined him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We can't risk our men for him. He is as untrustworthy as they come - his true intentions are only known to himself and likely not in our favour."
"He risked his own life, performing a miracle at no price other than our support in his escape."
"No price... that's what he wants you to believe." Jon Connington raised a slight eyebrow. "There is always a price when it comes to him. It's best he does not leave that Great Pyramid."
"... Is that so?" Aegon frowned slightly.
"He is a man of great ability, I know... someone you would consider one of a kind. It might seem like a waste, but you would be far too naive to believe he would be grateful to anyone. Dorian serves no one but himself in the end. In his eyes, we are just a tool for the end he seeks."
"And that is...?"
"Something no one can truly know. He hides it well, in a maze of lies and truths."
"..." Aegon sighed. "Very well."
Jon Connington proceeded to give his orders, leading a retreat back to the ships. If they lurked a while longer, the Unsullied would trap them within the confines of Meereen and overwhelm the Golden Company with their greater numbers.
If they had arrived with the entire Golden Company, it would be a different story...
Jon Connington had been right, Aegon decided. One man wasn't worth risking thousands of men for - especially one whose loyalties were so uncertain.
[Daenerys’ POV]
She stood at the Great Pyramid's entrance, seeing her two dragons in the distant skies. The corpses of Unsullied surrounded her, some killed and most burned. There was more below, littering the streets… and far less of the Golden Company.
Her heart was heavy with sorrow, yet it was overshadowed by an unyielding rage.
“Don't let a single one of them leave Meereen.” She looked at Ser Barristan and Skahaz Mo Kandaq, who commanded the Brazen Beasts. “Not a single one…”
“Yes, Khaleesi.”
Ser Barristan nodded and left quick as a flash. Before she knew it, he rode out of the stables with a noble steed and Valyrian Steel in hand. Under her orders, nearly all of the Unsullied and Brazen Beasts in the city rallied together, intending to slaughter those who would act against their queen.
Barristan’s charge led to a dozen of their deaths before his horse was shot down. Even after that, he killed over ten… yet he was only one man.
The Golden Company was prepared. They had planned to leave at a moment's notice and began to sail away in their ships once they forced their way through the guards at the port. Not all of them had made it, some being caught by the horde of men at their backs.
Whatever loses they had, however, were far lesser than her own.
First light came, and Daenerys still stood at the same place, unwilling to move.
“What mother of dragons am I when my children have all left me?”
“They will return someday,” Barristan had tried to give confidence. “You led to their birth and raised them. Even dragons wouldn't forget that bond."
"..."
As she watched silently, he continued;
“All aspiring birds will leave their mother’s nest. It's inevitable.”
“They're dragons…” Daenerys looked at the skies, seeking a glimpse, yet she no longer saw either of them. “There's no telling of the ruin they're capable of imposing upon others without me to restrain them. That burnt child… will just be one of many disasters that I've birthed.”
"Do not burden yourself with their misdoings," Barristan advised. "There's only so much you can do..."
"How can I not? I am the mother of dragons... mother of monsters. I brought them into this world. All that they do roots back to me. I am the blood of the dragon, and yet... I feel so powerless."
She frowned, shaking her head in contempt at herself.
"Did Aegon the Conqueror allow Balerion the Black Dread, the largest of the dragons, to roam free and burn children alive?"
She questioned, turning to him.
"..." Barristan was silent for a moment. "Likely not. In those days, dragon riding had been a tradition for them, passed down countless generations from Old Valyria. They must have had some methods that were lost to time..."
"He could reign in a dragon that could block out the sun... while I have no control over any of my children. What happened today was inevitable, one way or another, now or later. They would have stayed chained in the pits for only so long... and, once freed, seek to never return again."
"I must be more like those who came before me. Rather than keeping the dragons away from the world and weaken them, I should seek the control to harness their strength and make it my own. I've been so fixated on being a queen for Meereen and distracted by those duties that I've begun to forget the sole reason why I am here... I did not even have time for them."
"Dragons gave me the Unsullied; they made me Queen of Meereen. Without them, I'd be long dead or someone with nothing once more."
"I am the blood of the dragon... I have always been."
Daenerys reaffirmed, her violet eyes regaining their light.
"If I am to tame them, I must be a dragon myself."
