The world returned in an instant.
Stone.
Darkness.
Heat.
Damon opened his eyes.
And found himself standing within the Dragonpit.
His breath caught.
Even knowing history had not prepared him.
The structure was enormous.
Magnificent.
A wonder of ancient engineering.
Massive pillars rose into darkness overhead.
Dragonfire lanterns illuminated colossal chambers.
The air smelled of smoke and dragons.
Every surface seemed built for giants.
For creatures no longer meant to fit within mortal architecture.
For several moments, Damon stared.
Awestruck.
Then common sense returned.
He could not remain visible.
If discovered...
His purpose may not be achievable, and he would have missed this opportunity.
Moving quickly through corridors and tunnels, he searched.
Soon he found what he needed.
A dragonkeeper.
Alone.
The man carried a lantern and walked without suspicion.
Damon emerged silently from behind.
One hand covered the man's mouth.
The other seized his arm.
The keeper struggled immediately.
But Damon possessed strength far beyond normal men.
He dragged him into darkness.
Away from open corridors.
Away from witnesses.
The dragonkeeper crashed onto stone.
Before he could recover Damon drove a boot into his stomach.
Air exploded from the man's lungs.
The lantern rolled away.
Its light flickered across stone walls.
Damon drew his dagger.
Steel flashed.
The keeper froze.
Terror entered his eyes.
"Where is Dreamfyre?"
The man stared.
Confused.
Frightened.
Then angry.
"Who are you?" he spat.
"Do you know what you've done?"
His fear transformed rapidly into outrage.
"House Targaryen will hunt you down."
Damon's expression remained emotionless.
The dagger moved.
A scream erupted.
One finger struck the floor.
Blood followed.
The keeper convulsed.
Damon grabbed his jaw.
"Dreamfyre."
Pain broke resistance faster than threats ever could.
Within moments the man sobbed out directions.
Detailed.
Desperate.
Damon listened.
Memorized everything.
Then rose.
The keeper looked up hopefully.
Thinking cooperation meant survival.
It didn't.
The dagger entered his throat.
Blood spread across stone.
The body twitched.
Then stilled.
Damon left immediately.
Never looking back.
The cavern was enormous.
Larger than any hall in the Red Keep.
Larger than some castles.
And at its center lay Dreamfyre.
For a moment Damon simply stared.
Then fury ignited.
Chains.
The dragon was chained.
Massive iron restraints on her neck.
The sight filled him with sudden rage.
Dragons belonged to the sky.
Not cages.
Not chains.
Not prisons.
Without hesitation, he approached.
The first lock opened.
The chain crashed down.
Dust exploded upward.
The sound echoed.
Dreamfyre's eyes opened.
Blue.
Ancient.
Beautiful.
She turned her enormous head slowly.
Watching him.
Judging him.
Damon felt it immediately.
The same pressure he had felt from Caraxes.
Intelligence.
Presence.
Power.
Yet no hostility.
Only curiosity.
He approached the remaining restraints.
And spoke in High Valyrian.
"I am here for you."
The dragon remained still.
"I came to return you to the sky."
The final chain released.
Iron crashed against stone.
The cavern shook.
"Come with me, Dreamfyre."
The dragon rose.
Slowly.
Majestically.
Her size dwarfed Caraxes.
She was broader.
Heavier.
More regal.
A queen beside a warrior.
Then she roared.
The Dragonpit trembled.
The sound nearly deafened Damon.
Dust fell from above.
Stone vibrated beneath his feet.
Dreamfyre lowered her head.
Close.
Very close.
He did not move.
Did not retreat.
The dragon inhaled.
Testing his scent.
Measuring him.
Then, the bond formed.
Suddenly.
Powerfully.
Another presence entered his mind.
Ancient.
Female.
The connection settled beside Caraxes.
Different.
But equally real.
Dreamfyre nudged him gently.
Almost affectionately.
And as she shifted, he saw them.
Two eggs.
Resting behind her.
One white as snow.
One gleaming gold.
Damon's heart skipped.
Future dragons.
This was far more than he expected; he only expected to return with Dreamfyre
He carefully picked them up.
One beneath each arm.
Then activated the gift.
Dreamfyre watched him calmly.
Trusting.
Accepting.
The world blurred.
Dragon.
Eggs.
Prince.
All vanished together.
And deep within the cavern, reality quietly repaired itself.
The Chains glowed and lifted.
Where once there had been emptiness, Dreamfyre reappeared.
Her body shimmered faintly as if reality itself had been reshaped around her. Whether this was the same dragon Damon had bonded, or a new creature, or a copy formed by the power of Damon's cheat, no one would ever know.
She lifted her head and roared, the sound echoing through the pit and out into the night sky of a long-past age.
The dead dragonkeeper's wound vanished.
His finger reattached.
Blood flowed backward.
Moments later he rose.
Confused.
Alive.
History continued exactly as it always had.
While far ahead in time, the future gained a second dragon.
Days latter
Morning broke over King's Landing like a sword being drawn from its scabbard.
The first rays of sunlight crested the eastern horizon and spilled across Blackwater Bay, turning the water into a sea of molten gold. Yet there was little warmth in that light. It revealed a city holding its breath.
From the highest towers of the Red Keep, watchmen stared toward the distant plains west of the city. Beyond the farms and rolling hills, beyond the winding roads that stretched toward the Riverlands, countless campfires scarred the landscape.
An army had come.
The rebellion stood at the gates.
Inside the Red Keep, bells rang from tower to tower as servants hurried through corridors and soldiers rushed to their assigned positions. The sounds of armor being fastened, swords being sharpened, and orders being barked echoed throughout the ancient fortress.
Every man knew what day it was.
The day kingdoms would rise and burn.