"The Demon Dragon has appeared in Westeros again!"
The news was like a stone heavily dropped into a river, causing enormous ripples. People were no less shocked upon hearing this news than if they had heard the Northern Ice Wall melt or the titan of braavos collapse.
Had the Demon Dragon, long vanished, truly reappeared?
Some said that the Red Comet signified the hatching of dragons. Others claimed that dragons had begun appearing across Essos. Still others said that near the Dragonpit in King's Landing, streaks of light and fire could be seen, potentially indicating the hatching of a dozen dragons at once. Some speculated that dragons were spontaneously born from Dragonstone, or that Stone Dragons had hatched themselves. In any case, the rumors spread wider and wider.
But the most credible rumor was that someone in the Targaryen Royal Family had hatched a true dragon, which reawakened memories of those Beasts of War.
This was easy to guess, as the Royal Family was currently thin on members. Apart from the two Young Princes in the arms of their nursemaids and the Queen taking care of the children, very few people remained who could hatch a dragon.
King Jaehaerys II had not been healthy since his youth, though he had improved slightly in the last two years. As for Aerys, the Prince of Dragonstone, his big mouth couldn't keep a secret. If he had truly hatched a dragon, all of Westeros would likely hear his voice, and the Crown Prince was known as a laughingstock, not like a true dragon.
Everyone was left with only one guess: Prince Rhaegar.
Prince Rhaegar was born with exceptional talent and had spent considerable time traveling abroad, visiting The Vale, the Castor Crypts in The Pale Mountains, and Dragonstone. Prince Rhaegar had stayed for a long time in these places where dragon traces were found.
Considering the time, effort, and location, Rhaegar was the only option left.
The Royal Family, caught in the vortex, chose silence, only sending out an invitation to the public. The iron throne neither admitted nor denied the hatching of the Great Dragon.
The iron throne merely announced that to celebrate the tenth anniversary of King Jaehaerys's ascension, the King would specially host a tourney at the Dragonpit, inviting all great and minor Lords to gather there.
The Dragonpit—that familiar name—made many Lords' imaginations run wild. Their informants told them the Dragonpit gates had been opened and re-manned. They hadn't expected such a grand scheme: it was to conceal the dragon's revival. Once the Demon Dragon revived, the Dragon King's strength would have to be reassessed.
As soon as the news of the Grand Event broke, Lords great and small flocked to King's Landing. Whether there was a tourney or not was secondary; missing the Demon Dragon's debut would be a massive loss.
The gates of the Dragonpit Camp closed once more, leaving only a few small doors open, heavily guarded by soldiers. Outsiders were temporarily forbidden from approaching the Dragonpit.
Prince Rhaegar and his royal escort soldiers were stationed here. These were well-equipped elites tempered by war, not comparable to the seasoned Gold Cloaks.
Especially since Prince Rhaegar had a fierce reputation abroad. This lovely and genial Silver Prince was also a God of Slaughter on the battlefield, a cruel warrior, the Butcher of Maidenpool. Many people came to watch the excitement, but no one dared to risk entering the Dragonpit. Although many were tempted by large sums of money—promising countless rewards for specific information about the dragon—there was still too much false information.
Many of the fleas from Flea Bottom had not entered the Dragonpit to glimpse the Demon Dragon, yet they all claimed to have seen it, describing the Demon Dragon in every conceivable way.
Rhaegar recruited another three hundred men from the Crownlands, such as Rosby and Stokeworth. Ser Lykke showed exceptional enthusiasm and strongly supported Prince Rhaegar's recruitment efforts. Currently, the Eagle Guards already numbered seven hundred soldiers.
In fact, King's Landing is a large city, but its people are too slippery and not necessarily good soldiers, and the social connections of King's Landing residents are often more complicated. Rhaegar's screening of King's Landing soldiers was stricter.
Ideally, Rhaegar wanted to establish his own Quick Reaction Force, numbering around two or three thousand men. However, training elite soldiers required substantial military pay, which couldn't rely entirely on funding from the wealthy merchants of Seagull Town. The small amount of wildling wealth obtained from the Nettle Cave was also not a long-term solution.
Rhaegar was in his tent, having ordered the removal of the tent's dome to avoid obstructing the flight of the Small Dragons.
Three Small Dragons circled above his head, still chasing each other—their favorite game. Their dazzling, shimmering scales glowed brightly, making them look magnificent.
A Purple Dragon, a Silver Dragon, and a Black Dragon. Early on, dragons are fast, like puppies, large dogs, or even ponies. But they had not reached their peak; at their zenith, they would be as immense as The Black Dread, large as a small town.
They even breathed fire at each other, and each dragon's flame was unique. The Silver Emperor's flame was a blend of gold and silver, predominantly silver with golden streaks on the outer ring. The Black Dragon Balerion's flame was black with a hint of red. As for the Purple Dragon Vhagar, its flame was a beautiful Purple Flame.
The Small Dragons were getting bigger, with the Silver Emperor growing the fastest. Balerion and Balerion grew to a similar size.
Accelerated by the dragon pact, the Blood and Fire Chain, and the Purple Dragon Nest, Rhaegar felt his Small Dragons were growing extremely fast.
This also meant they could no longer stay in the Dragon King's Ring; the Small Dragons' aggression and instability were close to overturning Rhaegar's ring.
The Demon Dragon rises again, restoring the Dragon King's glory!
The royal escort soldiers closest to the tent saw the flying figures of the three Demon Dragons. Everyone was excited, though they strictly maintained discipline and did not spread the news.
They were the army closest to the dragons in the current age, and they knew that only Prince Rhaegar was capable of riding the three Small Dragons.
Serving a True Dragon Prince, a great future and glory were still within reach. When the tourney arrived, the three Demon Dragons would make a grand debut.
Rhaegar started looking at the two Black Iron Hammers in front of him again.
The Black Iron Hammers were heirlooms of House Lykke of Maidenpool, passed down for an unknown amount of time.
Rhaegar picked up the hammers, feeling their weight, and inspected them thoroughly.
On the surface, the hammers looked like mere steel, but they were heavier than steel.
House Lykke did not produce great warriors; perhaps these hammers were much more powerful than they appeared. In contrast, the Darklyn Family was known as the Seven Swords Family, boasting seven White Knights.
Rhaegar tried clashing his longsword against the hammers for a while, but found it useless. There was no mark on the hammers. Rhaegar considered using his valyrian steel blade, but feared damaging House Lykke's heirloom.
Just then, Rhaegar had a flash of inspiration: he struck the two hammers against each other, producing a dull, powerful sound. The clang of the hammers echoed in the tent.
The hammers still showed no significant change, when the Silver Emperor suddenly swooped down from the air, breathing Dragonflame.
The Silver Emperor struck the hammers twice itself, perhaps disliking the dull sound of the striking metal.
"You little brat." Rhaegar was about to scold the Silver Emperor when he suddenly noticed symbols slowly appearing on the Black Warhammer. They were runes of the first men, similar to the armor of the Bronze Royce Family.
Rhaegar was not afraid of the momentary high temperature, especially since the Small Dragon's flame had not yet reached its peak heat.
Rhaegar stroked the simple, black, ancient runes.
"Explorer: Congratulations on discovering a great relic. Your vigorous flame has rediscovered the Warhammer Runes."
Rhaegar saw all the runes begin to flicker, gathering before him into the shape of a hammer.
The Rune of the Shield represents defense, while the Rune of the Hammer represents strength—the power to crush everything.
The Warhammer Runes slowly merged into Rhaegar's body. He felt the wonder of strength, the ability to Break All Laws with Force.
As long as my speed is fast enough, my strength is great enough, and my alertness is better, I am invincible.
Well done, Silver Emperor.
Rhaegar tossed a lamb chop into the air, and the Silver Emperor cheered as it pounced on it.
It is very protective of its food and loves to eat alone.