[William's POV]
My Seafyre, a dragon of teal scales, was the only one of its kind. Its tail was shaped for the sea, and the dragon possessed gills at its sides. Because of its control over Hydro, it was notably faster than any other creature in the sea, while still being capable of soaring in the skies or walking the land. Although, without a doubt, it was at its strongest underwater.
It had grown to be the second largest living dragon, only outsized by my father's Viserion.
I took it over King's Landing and then towards Braavos.
"Take a deep breath," I said, smiling slightly.
"For what?" Artoria blinked, her eyes widening as Seafyre suddenly turned down to the Narrow Sea. "Oh-"
Seafyre dived right into the water, creating a monstrous wave, and immediately caught a shark before leaping right back up from the sea and spreading out its wings.
"Pfft," Artoria spat out the sea water, right on my face. "Mayhaps a bit more warning next time."
I laughed, wiping it off. I shook my wet hair, taking a breath of fresh air. "That was revitalising, wouldn't you say?"
"It was more so exhilarating. Where are we flying, anyway?"
"To Braavos. The Unmasking should be happening right about now."
"Ooooh, that sounds like fun," Artoria's eyes lit up. "My father would tell me stories about their water dancers. He taught me how they fight too."
"... Sounds like you'll be duelling on the Moon Pool before long," I laughed.
"I heard the First Sword of Braavos is ranked as an Archmage... I'd like to see the truth of that."
The Royal Order of Mages had established a ranking order for all practitioners of magic according to their magic ability. Officially, there were six tiers; Insignificant, Minor, Greater, Archmage, Calamity and Transcendent. Obviously, it wasn't perfect. Victoria and Alysanne were both classed as Calamity-class mages... yet one would annihilate the other in a clash. However, Alysanne's ability to influence the nature of the world was without equal.
Meanwhile, the likes of Ser Arthur would defeat every Archmage yet couldn't qualify as a Calamity.
"I'm sure you'll get a chance."
Landing in Braavos with discretion when you had a dragon of Seafyre's size was quite impossible, so I didn't really bother. Although, the city was so compact and filled with structures that there was nowhere to land the dragon without breaking something. I landed on one of the larger outlying islands, which had more space.
"That's quite the distance..."
"I can cross it quickly enough."
I swept her off her legs and held her between my arms.
"Hey... where'd you learn to do all of that," Artoria blushed slightly. "That was too perfect to be something you did for the first time."
"I got some practice with the ladies at court."
"So much for being the chaste prince," Artoria pouted. She looked all too adorable.
"Did it help that I thought of you while doing it?" I chuckled.
"That might make it worse, actually. Did you practice in bed too?"
"I was saving that experience for us."
"... Mhm, that's what I thought."
"Alright, let's get going."
I stepped into the water and began sliding across it. It was something I'd call water skating... one of my favourite things to do. By controlling the water around me, I was able to simply skate across it, while keeping myself on top and even speeding myself forward.
In no time whatsoever, we reached the Chequy Port, where the holds of ships entering Braavos are inspected. I leapt up to the wharves, the water pushing me high above. We landed smoothly.
The closest customs officer looked at me, bewildered.
"Prince William Rhaegon of the House Stormfyre, arriving aboard the Narrow Sea," I spoke with a jestful tone. "I bring with me only one Artoria Rivers. I hope she isn't considered illegal goods... I mean, understandably, it should be illegal to be this beautiful-"
"Stop it," Artoria laughed, leaving my arms and standing up on her own feet.
"Uh... you may pass, Prince," The customs officer took a deep breath. "Have you come to see the Sealord?"
"Eh, not particularly, but we could. Something to pass the time."
...
"It is a great honour to host a prince of the Eternal Throne... and, of course, a daughter of the famed Ser Arthur. Quite the pair of guests."
The Sealord, Vericho Morel, had seemingly welcomed us with open arms. He was relatively new to his seat, with the previous one 'vanishing without a trace' five years ago. Sealords would serve for life after being elected, so... someone had clearly wanted to cut that reign short. Ever since the current one took the seat, he expanded Braavos' influence. Lorath, Norvos, Qohor and even Volantis had joined the banner of the Free City Union, which Braavos chiefed over.
He was not of Braavosi descent, either, carrying all the classic Valyrian features with silver hair and deep violet eyes. He had been adopted into a powerful Braavosi family whose head was a magister with a great share in the bank.
He was clearly a man of ambition...
"You know me?" Artoria blinked.
"Why, of course. Even the snow of Winterfell can't hide such beauty," Vericho smiled.
"... How flattering," Artoria remarked.
"Besides that, your parentage is rather intriguing to me. Lys' perfect creation and the Emperor's sword. One born and engineered for brilliance, a project that had been tirelessly developed for over a millennium, while the other was just the second son of a lesser noble house with no precedence for such ability."
"You sure have done your research," Artoria replied.
"I am a man of great curiosity," He chuckled.
"Seems so," I nodded.
He led us to the Sealord's menagerie, a place of great fame that had been maintained by every Sealord. All sorts of odd animals had been collected, from elephants to tigers to walking lizards with claws. There was even a chained dragon... no, not quite. It was a wyvern. Similar to a dragon yet incapable of breathing flame.
"Quite the collection you have here," Artoria remarked, taking interest in the wyvern.
"I inherited most of it from the prior Sealord, but that one... I captured it myself in Sothoryos. A wyvern, kin to the dragon."
"Impressive," I said. "Was there anything else you wanted to bring home with you?"
"Ah, there was this monstrous snake... it must have been a hundred feet long. It loomed deep in the jungle, swallowing all manner of beast. I could tell it was no ordinary snake, besides its size. It flowed with magic."
"... To think that such a snake exists," I remarked, becoming interested. "I thought dragons were the only natural beasts with ties to magic."
"The dragons the first dragonlords created were not at all natural," Vericho smiled, shaking his head. "They were created through experiments, between wyverns, firewyrms and their own kind."
"How could you be so certain of that?" I blinked.
"It is an insightful thing... to dream of the past. Whether or not you choose to believe me is another thing."
"You have dragon dreams?"
"... Something like that," He smiled, shrugging.
"It is a rare gift, impossibly rare among ordinary valyrians."
"Indeed, it is."
I was getting a grasp of who he really is.
"Anyway, enough about that. Is there anything else that would interest you?"
"How's the city at this time of year? Lots of work?" I changed the topic, as he wanted.
"Oh, yes, it never ends," Vericho sighed, shaking his head. "It is all worthwhile for my people, however. Seeing them revel to their heart's content is joy enough for me."
"They must love you, for raising them to even greater prosperity."
"Those few months after his Divine Grace stripped us of our winter supplies.... were harsh," Vericho smiled. "But we stood strong, united. Understandably, it was to be rid of those horrid Others... and that cruel, long winter."
I definitely had... an odd feeling. The Eternal Throne and Braavos had good relations on paper. They've supported each other for over a decade now. And by each other, it was mainly the Eternal Throne doing the supporting.
But this Sealord... didn't represent all of Braavos. He had his own intentions.
"Why the restless expression? Did I say something wrong?" He sounded reassuring enough.
"Oh, no," I shook my head. "You have my sympathies for that time. My father did what he had to... not what he desired."
"Indeed. In the end, the Storm sees no allies but its own clouds," Vericho shook his head. "Well, that is more than a decade ago. It matters little now."
"... I'm not so certain. It sounds like you carry your fair share of scars," I tilted my head. "Deeper than that of which you spoke."
"... Hahaha," He laughed. "Do you know how many suffered as a consequence of your father's past actions?"
"Far too many."
"No amount of gold or aid in the world will ever bring the dead back to life," Vericho's eyes suddenly lost their colour, becoming black... a void of darkness. "Only blood can pay for blood."
My magic was disabled in an instant.
Before I could react, darts of unknown origin pierced my skin in all directions. The strength in my body faded in the blink of an eye.
...
The next time I woke, it was in chains. Ordinary chains that I could not break. My magic was... gone. There wasn't a trace of it left. I looked around, only to see Artoria in the same position as I, only that she was unconcious.
It was a hopeless situation.
My fault... all of it.
"How extraordinary the bloodline of Edric Stormfyre is... so very rich with magic. To think that you'd fall right into my hands," Vericho laughed with joy, pacing around the dark dungeon. "Unfortunately, you are a little lacklustre for a child of that demon. Exceptional by ordinary standards, of course, but... mediocre compared to the others."
"He does have a cute face, at least," A young woman who looked similar to Vericho remarked, grabbing hold of my head. "Such pretty eyes, like a lake of blue and green... I've never seen any like it."
"Don't get too attached to him."
"You plan on killing him?" The girl pouted. "I think he'd make a fine toy."
"... I suppose it makes little difference."
"... What is the meaning of this?" I questioned, shaking my head loose. "Revenge?"
"A little more than that, now, but yes... it all began with revenge. I'm certain you've heard of the Slaughter of the Black Walls."
"Partly..." I took a deep breath.
"He did not account for those outside of Volantis at that moment," Vericho's eyes were pitch black. "My father, mother, my cousins, all those whom I had known and grown up with... were slaughtered without mercy. One little adventure in the sea had saved me from such an end, yet it also cursed me with the burden of avenging their deaths."
"This cannot end well for you," I said. "Whatever trick you used to defeat me would not work on my father."
"Indeed. Edric Stormfyre is a foe that would decimate me effortlessly... but I would never have a chance of matching him by idling for decades. The only way I could possibly match his might is by stealing the talents of his offspring."
"... Stealing?" My eyes widened.
"Yes, my sister is a practitioner of blood magic, you see. Not nearly as profound as your sister, but she's capable of remarkable things regardless. She drained your and dear Artoria's blood, altering my own with it and elevating me onto a stage very few could stand on. Of course, in the process she also took your magic roots and bolstered my own."
"You are... nothing. How does it feel to be ordinary, for once?" Vericho laughed.
"I grew up disliking the notion of war. I believed that... words were mightier than the sword. The world had over a decade of peace. Everyone prospered. Or so, one would hope. How could you ever, and others like you, forget the grievances thrust upon you?" I laughed. "Your parents support the destruction of my mother, my father slaughters them, you grow with vengeance in your heart and unleash it upon me, another innocent... where does it end? My father kills you and slaughters many others in his fury, continuing this cycle..."
"Revenge is such a fruitless pursuit. You had a choice, you always did... You could have lived a peaceful life and broken the cycle," I shook my head. "But you threw it all away."
"I could have broken it?" Vericho chuckled. "Tell it to your father. He doesn't need to avenge your death. It's so easy speaking from the high ground, isn't it? Would you allow the death of your family to go unanswered?"
"... If I knew I had no hope of winning, I wouldn't drag everyone down with me."
"Such a mellow dragon. Water for flame. I do find you... rather charming, in truth. I could imagine you to be a king whom all the people adore. But, in this world, might is all that matters. Without might, you are nothing."
"That is... something my sister would say," I laughed. "I suppose she is right. Land can be conquered, all manner of wealth can be taken, and crowns mean nothing in the face of a force greater than yourself. I should have pursued magecraft more..."
"Don't you worry, I shall make use of your talents-"
BOOM.
"What is this..."
A dragon... Seafyre, had dived right through the ceiling. A river of water followed, drowning everything. It had grabbed me with its jaws and Artoria with its tail, swimming away with great speed. Some form of blood magic followed, piercing the dragon all over. It pierced me as well. Seafyre continued to soar through, leaping into the water and flying off to safety.
It flew all the way to Dragonstone, despite its crippling wounds. It had desired to reach King's Landing, but knew it couldn't. Once it let go of us, the dragon collapsed. I reached out to its head, knowing that there was nothing that could be done.
It had saved both Artoria and me from such a hopeless situation...
For the last time, I stroked its head, tears falling from my eyes.
I felt its sorrow... and yet, in the end, there was joy. Joy that I was still alive, despite it all. It was not just a dragon to me. It was my companion from birth. There was not a single day I hadn't spent time with him. He was so... unique. He was easy to tame, mellow, yet powerful.
The king of the seas...
Wasted on a useless dragonrider like me.
"William, your body..." Artoria wore an expression of concern.
I looked at my hand, and it was freezing. The cold spread across my body, forming new magic roots in the place of the old. My wounds closed with ice. I couldn't control it. I didn't want to. This power... I wanted it. I needed it.
"Live... my dragon. Live for me."
Seafyre's eyes suddenly opened, icy blue.
Snow fell onto Dragonstone, the herald of a new Night King.
[Edric's POV]
One goes to sleep and wakes to a nightmare.
My son crippled and transformed into an Other. My niece crippled. Both would have faced even more terrible fates if Seafyre hadn't sacrificed itself. I had chosen to walk a peaceful path; I had allowed humanity to shape itself. I did not play god and bend their reality to my desire. I did not conquer the world and rid it of all its woes. What did that lead to, in the end?
Regret.
A mistake I cannot take back.
A mistake... I'll never make again.