[Arthur's POV]
The dragon unleashed an inferno of flame, which Arthur tried to take most of. Given his control of fire and almost impenetrable elemental shield, he was ideal. Still… the size of the fire was simply too large. He spread out his shield to the others, and it barely held out.
"Spread out!"
The fact that they had all survived largely unscathed seemed to unnerve the dragon greatly. It was a blow to its pride. The dragon chose Rhaerra to focus on… as if it had known that she was the most vulnerable. Jaime raised a wall of ice while Arthur dashed ahead. The wall melted to water in a near instant.
Arthur put himself at the front of the fire again, absorbing it into his blade. Valaegor made the wind push the flames past him, then sent them right back around. It was a colossal amount of elemental energy, yet Arthur was able to harness it.
He compressed it around his blade, turning it a pale shining white.
I dare you to approach again.
The dragon obliged, believing itself untouchable in the skies. When it came closer, Arthur unleashed a great white crescent of flame - aiming one of its wings. It struck true. The blow nearly severed its entire wing, going vertically from where it began. The pressure from the small upper joint that remained and the heaviness of the rest of the wing led to it snapping off…
And the dragon descending - crashing not too far from the group.
"Let's slay a bloody dragon!" Valaegor exclaimed excitedly, raising his poleaxe.
"We never had much of a bloody choice," Sandor remarked.
They coordinated an assault on the landed dragon, with Arthur leading the charge. The dragon tilted its head, trying to bite him, but he dashed to the side. Yet, the dragon swiped its colossal head into Arthur - smashing one of its horns into his chest, shattering his shield, and sending him into the air. It was not a small fall.
Meanwhile, Jaime Lannister approached from the left - freezing the upper left of the dragon almost instantly as he formed a long, thin and incredibly sharp sword of ice. With only a few slashes, he wounded the great dragon. Valaegor, meanwhile, slammed down his poleaxe straight on the dragon's head - a great blow of wind following his slam and deepening the wound. Sandor Clegane imbued his sword with fire and struck from the right side just as Valaegor's blow dazed it. With great strength, he struck deep and even pierced past its scales, the steel of the sword melting down its insides.
The dragon countered with great rage. First, it waved its wing and forced Jaime to retreat while the wind from the action made him stumble backwards. Then, it wrapped its tail around and whipped Sandor Clegane to the side. Valaegor moved some distance as flames appeared in its massive, open jaws. It then turned to the dazed Sandor - aiming to burn him alive.
"... Fuck me..." Sandor cursed, witnessing what may have been his worst nightmare.
Burning alive to dragon fire...
Valaegor dashed forward without hesitation, waving his poleaxe in circles with aid from his wind magic - deflecting the flames to the sides. The dragon did not seem to stop, however, and kept on breathing flame.
"Are you okay?" Rhaerra went to Arthur's side.
"Yeah... about as good as I can be after that," He struggled to rise, coughing up blood. "If I didn't have this armour, I may very well be dead."
The Valyrian Steel armour, which had been too small for Edric, had saved his life. Funninly enough, he was protecting him, even from the other side of the world.
Rhaerra helped him up.
"We're going to need some more of your heroics, otherwise..."
"I know," Arthur smiled, grasping Nightfall and igniting it. "I just need the right opportunity."
"A little help, goldy?" Valaegor questioned, growing weary of keeping the wind up.
"Be patient."
"I'm about to burn alive. Not sure how patient I could afford to be..."
Jaime Lannister returned to the fray, after concentrating his elemental energy. He sent a crescent of ice straight to the side of its head. The blow struck hard and cold, disorienting the dragon and ceasing the flames. Valaegor breathed a sigh of relief.
"Took your sweet time."
Jaime did not reply, piercing one of the dragon's eyes. The Other-esque blade cut into it like water... There was hardly any resistance. The pain was great for the dragon, mayhaps the most pain it had ever felt - yet.
"ROAAAAAR!"
As it was about to lash out in rage, Arthur ran up its backside and pierced Nightfall as deep as the blade would go - continuing his sprint. The flaming, shining white blade kept cutting through... creating an ever-growing gash along its back.
The dragon could not reach him with its tail anymore, turning to face him, but he had already leapt up.
The flames surged, extending past Nightfall's blade into the shape of a greatsword.
PIERCE.
He plunged the sword into the back of its head upon his descent, the blade extending all the way through to the other side. The longer it was within the dragon, the brighter and fiercer the flames grew.
Arthur then jumped down, cleaving through the side of its head and dashing to the other side with quite a bit of flair - before turning and leaping right up to finish the circle with a great side flip.
The dragon's collosal head, after a few seconds, separated in two where Arthur's blade had burned through it and fell to the ground. Burning blood splurted out like a fiery mountain, some of it landing on Arthur's armour and cape, the latter of which caught fire. He jumped down from the front and narrowly saved his fall to the ground.
The great white flaming sword dispersed, leaving Nightfall in its ordinary black state. The burning blood calmed as Arthur suppressed it, leaving his cloak only half burnt.
"Phew..." He took a deep breath, heart shaking with adrenaline.
He felt his body burn with the last of the dragon's fury.
The others all looked at him with bewildered expressions.
"That was the greatest display I've seen in my entire life," Valaegor remarked with wide eyes. "R'hllor be praised..."
"Seven hells, you butchered the mountain of a dragon," Sandor looked relieved.
"I suppose one can't expect any less from the greatest knight in the Realm," Jaime Lannister spoke openly, not putting much of an attempt at veiling his respect.
"We slew the dragon, together," Arthur smiled, shaking his head. "I couldn't have dealt the final blow without all of you."
"The last couple of blows, you mean," Rhaerra chuckled. "Regardless, it's a shame we can't take the body with us."
"Well, we can settle for parts of it..." Arthur held his side, where the horn had done the most harm. "What are the most prized parts of a dragon's body?"
"Bones and scales are the most useful, which this one has plenty of... but horns are beyond rare. Generally, every part of a dragon is priceless, so you can't go wrong..."
"... A bit of everything, then."
"Although we truly should take a look at that wound of yours first."
They continued their camp, only now accompanied by a slain boiling dragon in the distance... and a couple of wounds. Valaegor, Jaime and Rhaerra had come out largely unscathed, while Arthur and Sandor suffered great blows. There was not much that could be done about that, it seemed.
"Before the four of you magic wielders, it's rather difficult not to feel quite inferior..." Rhaerra admitted as she bandaged the great bruise that spread across his side.
"Your talents stretch far beyond raw strength," Arthur shook his head lightly. "Without you, we'd likely be lost somewhere in the Jade Sea."
"... Mayhaps," Rhaerra laughed. "Still, I had been intended to be the most 'perfect' valyrian since before I was even born. I failed the day I was born by being a girl. I had a row of brothers, but... none of them lived long. No matter what I accomplished, it was never enough. It was all expected."
"Is that why I can't access this power that seems to reside deep inside of everyone?" Rhaerra questioned. "Does it even exist within me? I was created to be a tool to further my master's trade, raised for the purpose of being the loveliest of courtesans. Dorian then raised me to explore my talents and thoroughly master them, before making his dream my own. Do I not possess a will of my own... is that why?"
"That isn't true," Arthur denied, grabbing her slightly trembling hand that lay on his chest, bringing warmth and stability. "You're one of the most headstrong and willful people I know. The way you took charge at the Battle of the Orange Shore... the only other person I could imagine doing that would be Edric."
That was the highest praise Arthur could give, for there was no one whom he held to a higher standard. Edric was the sky.
"Whether you have magic powers or not, it truly doesn't matter. You performed a feat worthy of the greatest of heroes. You saved five thousand men from dying needless deaths, turning them against their masters, along with thousands more on both sides. You were one of the great contributors who saved that battle. We wouldn't have seen another day without what you did."
"In truth, you are the woman I admire most... and no one else comes remotely close," Arthur smiled with warmth. "Whatever your masters intended for you, you're far, far better than that. You're Rhaerra Aeraellis, and you can do anything you put your clever mind to."
"..." Rhaerra's eyes glowed more than usual. "For the longest time, I wanted to use all of the gifts at my disposal to make the world that little bit brighter. Deep down, I wanted change... a change so great that no one would have to go through what I, my siblings, cousins, father, mother, and all of my ancestors went through. It was... almost delusional."
"But then I saw Edric, with all the great might at his whim... and you, with all that fire inside of you. The kind of fire that could spark the change I always hoped for."
"You're not alone on this path. We're all going to make that change happen..." Arthur nodded. "A better world for all."
"Truthfully, I... wanted that power for myself. Since I knew it was possible, I wanted nothing more than to lead the path forward myself." She sighed, shaking her head. "Each crucial moment I strive for it but fall short, it's... crushing."
"You know what you want, so... manifest it. Let it all out. Let your soul burn with that desire."
"At this very moment, I want nothing more than to see you recover..." She admitted.
"Tis but a scratch," Arthur tilted his head, part of his hair swaying over. "I can walk it off."
"That's not the end of it..."
Arthur felt Rhaerra's hands on the wound, soothing the pain away. His eyes widened slightly. This was it - magic.
"You see... there came a point where Dorian had intended me for Edric. It was not a terrible match, for certain - I did see the appeal. But, in the same light... the choice was his, not mine, and not so different from the past of my bloodline. I have the freedom to choose, unlike so many others before me..."
"... Of course, you do..." Arthur nodded as what she was suggesting flew a little over his head.
"Don't you feel the same, since the change with the Kingsguard? The freedom you gained. Still, it was only because Edric threw Sansa at you... But is that what you truly want, or did you see it as your 'duty' to honour his wishes?"
"..." Arthur blinked, not having an answer to that off the tongue. "I..."
"I want to make that change with you, side by side... together. Your burning will and my so-called 'clever' mind, as you say..." Rhaerra smiled, slowly gravitating down to him. Her silver hair began to fall over him. "You said I was the woman you admire most - is there anything more to it? Or are you afraid to express yourself?"
"You are a free man, Arthur, so... be free."
When she pressed her lips against his, it... felt so right, yet so wrong. Was this what he truly wanted, yet always turned away? She retreated after the first kiss, observing his expression... but not for long.
In an inferno of passion, Arthur listened to his heart and raised himself, pushing her down along with himself. He then grabbed hold of her head and reciprocated that kiss.
It would only be the start of that.
~
Meanwhile, the rest of the camp.
"Get a bloody room first!" Valaegor shouted.
"And where do you see one?" Jaime replied.
"Just keep your eyes to yourself, it's not difficult," Sandor added.
"... This is all too depressing, I need a woman of my own."
"You think you do," Jaime shook his head. "But you don't."
"Did you fuck anyone other than your sister, goldy?" Valaegor questioned. "Or... is that too far?"
"Yes, I haven't," Jaime nodded, having no shame in it. "What about it?"
"... I don't think I should be taking advice regarding women from you. If anything, you might benefit from my extensive knowledge."
"I'm not concerned with such trivalties."
"But life is so much more lively when you're inside a beautiful woman. Even the Hound can agree with that, no?"
"The one thing you'd be right about," Sandor agreed.
"There's someone out there for you, Ser Jaime - so many fish at the pond we call the known world... how could there not be one that suits you like a glove?" Valaegor patted his shoulder. "You just need to, well, move on. It isn't ever easy, but you have to-"
"I am a man of the Watch," Jaime shrugged his hand aside. "That is all I have to say regarding that."
"... Some little oaths never stopped you when you were a Kingsguard..." Valaegor spoke in a lower tone. "Nor does it stop any of the men of the Night's Watch, let's be honest..."
"I am not the same man I was then, nor am I like the men you speak of."
"..." Valaegor nodded. "Fair enough, Ser."