Upon arriving at the Eyrie, Hrakkar was as delighted as a giant cat, pinning Lancelot beneath him and rubbing his head against him affectionately.
"Hahaha! Knock it off! Let me up!" Lancelot laughed.
After getting up from the ground, Lancelot examined Hrakkar closely. His tail had returned to normal and was no longer a scorpion stinger, but the horns on his head and the wings on his ribs remained.
"This really brings back unpleasant memories..." Lady Lysa arrived with a group of people.
"The Eyrie has never been conquered, except for that time with Queen Visenya. You are the second, Lancelot," she said.
"By that logic, Winterfell, Riverrun, and Casterly Rock have never been conquered either. As long as you surrender quickly enough, no one can occupy any castle," Lancelot retorted.
Lady Lysa blushed and said fiercely, "It's time for you to leave."
With that, Lady Lysa led her handmaidens and attendants back into the castle of the Eyrie, shutting the main gate as if she were afraid Lancelot wouldn't leave.
"Let's go, Hrakkar! Fly me down. I've never flown from such a height before!" Lancelot leaped onto his back, gripping the mane tightly with both hands.
Compared to a dragon, a giant lion had one great advantage: fur to hold onto. It was convenient, unlike Daenerys who had to grab onto bone spurs or dorsal fins, which were uncomfortable.
Hrakkar flew through the sky with Lancelot, passing Alyssa's Tears before landing at the Gates of the Moon beneath the Giant's Lance.
Brynden "Blackfish" Tully had already assembled a thousand Vale knights and was waiting for Lancelot.
Seeing Hrakkar for the first time gave Brynden Tully a fright. As a man of House Tully, even being the Blackfish, he was still afraid of cats—especially giant ones.
"Ser Lancelot, no wonder they call you the Golden Lion King! So your lion is golden. But I recall hearing that he wasn't this big before?" Brynden remarked.
"He eats well and grows fast. Not long ago, he had a meal of dragon meat," Lancelot explained.
"Dragon meat? Are there still dragons in the world?" he asked.
"The adult dragon is likely dead, but new dragons should have been born."
Lancelot looked toward the distant east, where a red comet was slowly gliding across the sky.
In a temple of the Lhazareen, Daenerys wept inconsolably. Khal Drogo's corpse lay on the ground. A priestess of the Lhazareen had successfully avenged her tribe and villagers.
Khal Drogo was dead, his khalasar was in chaos, and the army of tens of thousands had scattered.
The child in Daenerys's womb had been lost, but she remained safe under the protection of Jorah Mormont and Jon Snow, having hidden in the temple to escape the turmoil.
When the dust had settled, Daenerys was in despair. She looked up and saw the red comet in the sky. Suddenly, she remembered what Lancelot had told her.
"Blood and fire share the same origin. Rebirth through fire! Blood for blood."
Daenerys Targaryen found the three dragon eggs that had been gathering dust. She placed them on a funeral pyre with Khal Drogo, the Lhazareen witch, and her own lost child.
Daenerys wanted to walk into the fire as well, but Jorah Mormont stopped her.
"Khaleesi, we still have a chance. As long as you live, House Targaryen can still rule the world."
Jon Snow, who had originally come to kill her, had been captivated by her charm and, like Jorah Mormont, had fallen for her.
"Khaleesi, perhaps we can go treasure hunting in the ruins of Valyria. I know someone who went there once and gained immense wealth," Jon Snow suggested. He was, of course, referring to Lancelot.
Although Daenerys didn't know much about Lancelot, she was aware of the existence of a Lion Knight.
"No, I feel the call of destiny. Fire is the champion of House Targaryen; it will not harm me," she said, echoing the words once spoken by the Mad King Aerys.
And so, she walked into the sea of fire, dancing amidst the flames until the dawn of the next day.
When the new sun rose, Jorah Mormont and Jon Snow saw a naked Daenerys cradling three lizard-like hatchlings, reborn.
"Daenerys Targaryen!"
"Daenerys Targaryen!"
They all began chanting her name, even though she now had fewer than fifty people by her side.
While Jon Snow was shocked that Daenerys had hatched dragon eggs, having seen Hrakkar, the Red Coal steed, the Snow-Treading Ebony horse, and even the Nine-Colored Deer, he wasn't overly astounded.
The truly shocking one wasn't Daenerys, but Lancelot.
At this moment, Lancelot was riding Hrakkar, followed by the infantry and cavalry of the Seven Kingdoms coalition.
After leaving the Vale, they traveled north along the Kingsroad and had now arrived near Moat Cailin.
Moat Cailin was the natural stronghold of the North. With two hundred archers stationed there, no southerner could enter the North.
Some Northern lords had come ahead to welcome Lancelot and his army.
Lord Hornwood, Lord Cerwyn, and Lady Dustin led dozens of soldiers to meet Lancelot.
After exchanging greetings, Lord Cerwyn was the first to ask, "How is Lord Eddard Stark?"
"He is under house arrest in the White Sword Tower. However, I believe he will be released in a few days. After all, without the cooperation of the Warden of the North, it would be too difficult to work with you," Lancelot said.
"You're right. We Northmen trust the Starks above all else. Without them, we won't feel at ease cooperating with you southerners," Lord Hornwood stated.
"General Lancelot, with such a large army, is there no issue with provisions? The North doesn't have enough food to supply you," Lady Dustin said.
She had once been the mistress of Brandon Stark, Eddard's older brother, but later married Lord Dustin, who died at the Tower of Joy. She had always harbored resentment toward House Stark, especially Eddard.
"Our provisions are being handled by Lord Mace Tyrell. There won't be any issues; after all, his son Ser Loras is also in our ranks," Lancelot replied.
In a clearing at the rear of the column, Loras was initiating his ninety-ninth challenge against Lu Bu.
He had failed the previous ninety-eight times. Lu Bu hadn't even used his Heaven-Piercing Halberd; he had defeated Loras ninety-eight times using only a Seven-Star Dagger.
Loras charged at Lu Bu with his longsword. Lu Bu's eyes opened a sliver. The Seven-Star Dagger in his hand remained sheathed as he looked down at Loras with disdain, like an adult watching a child.