That dragon roar was filled with the joy and grievance of a child seeing its father.
The colossal dragon, blocking out the sun, dove from the high sky, whipping up a gale that sent men and horses stumbling.
Guards raised their shields in terror, warhorses whinnied uneasily, but Storm beneath Lynn remained as steady as a mountain.
Terrified, Myrcella hugged Lynn's waist tightly, burying her small face in his chest, not daring to open her eyes.
Boom—!
The dragon landed a hundred meters in front of the group, shaking the very earth.
Its size was far more terrifying on the ground than it appeared in the air.
Over ten meters long, it was like a moving hill.
Those ice-blue scales shimmered with a metallic luster in the sunlight, each one the size of a shield.
Most terrifying of all were the three ferocious heads.
They were no longer squabbling. The largest head in the middle lowered itself, while the two smaller ones flanked it.
Six golden vertical pupils, like molten lava, all examined Lynn and the tiny blonde thing in his arms with curiosity and a hint of timidity.
"Winter," Lynn spoke in High Valyrian.
The dragon let out a low whimper, and the largest middle head approached cautiously.
Its massive skull, comparable to a siege ram, stopped a few meters from Lynn.
Then, slowly and gently, it pressed the tip of its snout against Lynn's chest and nudged him lightly.
The movement was exactly like a spoiled giant dog.
Not to be outdone, the two side heads scrambled over, vying for attention.
One rubbed against Lynn's arm, while the other tried to lick his cheek.
The hot, wet breath sprayed onto Myrcella's face, tickling her so much she shrank her neck back.
This scene left everyone dumbfounded.
Was this the same war beast that was fighting itself in the sky just moments ago, radiating such oppressive dominance?
Myrcella finally dared to peek with one eye.
She saw the three dragon heads right in front of her. Those sharp teeth were longer than swords, and those golden vertical pupils were more brilliant than any gem she had ever seen.
But in front of Lynn, they were as docile as three unweaned kittens.
Lynn patted the largest middle head.
"Want to go up and take a look?"
Lynn looked down, a hint of a smile in his voice as he asked Myrcella in his arms.
Myrcella's heart skipped a beat.
Go up?
Where?
Onto the dragon's back?
Fear and an indescribable excitement intertwined in her heart.
She looked into Lynn's bottomless eyes, finding a strength there that made her feel incredibly safe.
Almost possessed, she nodded.
Lynn smiled.
He gently tugged the reins, and Storm understood, stepping forward to stand beside Winter's massive forelimb.
Holding Myrcella, Lynn stepped onto the dragon's thick foreleg as if it were a staircase, easily climbing onto its broad back.
The dragon's back wasn't as uncomfortable as imagined.
A layer of down grew between the scales, making it surprisingly comfortable to sit on.
"Hold on tight."
Lynn's voice sounded by her ear.
Myrcella subconsciously hugged Lynn's waist tighter.
Winter let out an excited roar, its massive wings snapping open and beating powerfully!
Whoosh—!
The sensation of weightlessness hit instantly!
Myrcella felt her body lighten as they soared into the air!
She couldn't help but let out a short scream, burying her face even deeper.
The ground receded rapidly, the silhouette of Winterfell shrinking quickly in her view.
The biting cold wind whistled past her ears but was completely blocked by Lynn's broad back.
When Winter pierced through the clouds, gliding smoothly thousands of meters in the sky, Myrcella finally dared to slowly raise her head.
She saw it.
She saw a sight she would never forget in her life.
Beneath her feet was a boundless sea of clouds, white as cotton.
Above her head was a sky washed azure blue, with a golden sun hanging high, radiating warm light.
The world had never been so magnificent.
"Wow..."
She let out an involuntary gasp of amazement.
In her emerald eyes, the entire sky was reflected, shimmering with a light more brilliant than the stars.
"Winter, put on a show for the Princess."
Lynn's voice carried a smile.
Receiving the command, the dragon roared excitedly.
The head on the right suddenly opened its maw!
Fwoosh—!
A thick column of crimson fire surged forth like the wrath of a god, instantly burning a massive hole through the sea of clouds below!
Waves of heat washed over them.
Myrcella's mouth opened wider.
This... this is dragonfire!
The legendary fire that could melt steel and burn cities to ash!
Before she could recover from the shock.
The head on the left opened its mouth.
This time, it wasn't fire that spewed out.
But a stream of ghostly blue frost!
Where the frost passed, the air itself seemed to freeze!
Countless crystal-clear ice crystals instantly condensed around the edge of the cloud hole just burned by the dragonfire, refracting seven-colored light in the sun, beautiful as an illusion.
Fire and Ice.
Two diametrically opposed, extreme forces, perfectly manifested in the same dragon.
Just then, the largest middle head, not wanting to be outdone, craned its neck.
It took a deep breath, its chest swelling high.
Then...
Pfft.
A small puff of black smoke, accompanied by a few sparks, sputtered weakly from its mouth.
The air went instantly silent.
The left and right heads turned simultaneously, looking at their "big brother" in the middle with eyes that said, Are you an idiot?
The middle head froze, seemingly realizing it had lost face.
Embarrassed and angry, it growled low and snapped its jaws at the right head.
The right head dodged nimbly, turning to provoke the left head instead.
The three heads began squabbling in the sky all over again.
"Hehehe..."
Watching this, Myrcella couldn't help but giggle.
This mighty, domineering dragon acted just like a child who refused to grow up.
Leaning into Lynn's warm embrace, looking at the rolling sea of clouds below and the three heads fighting amongst themselves, her fear had long since vanished.
In its place was an unprecedented novelty, peace, and adoration.
She stole a glance up at Lynn's sharply defined profile.
Who is this man, really?
He could use the filthiest ingredients to create magical soap that drove noble ladies mad.
He could easily defeat her "uncle" Jaime, who was unparalleled under the heavens.
And he could make a three-headed dragon—a creature that didn't even exist in legends—submit to him as docilely as a pet.
He is the true prince.
No, he is ten thousand times more charming than all the princes in the songs.
---
When Winter slowly landed in the courtyard of Winterfell, a group of people was already waiting anxiously.
Leading them was a young man in leather armor with a resolute face.
Robb Stark.
Seeing Lynn jump down from the dragon's back and then carefully lift Princess Myrcella down, he froze.
He opened his mouth, seeming to have a thousand words to say.
But in the end, looking at Winter—who was frantically rubbing its three heads against Lynn with a fawning expression—Robb let out an accusation filled with blood and tears.
"Lynn! You bastard! You're finally back!"
Robb rushed forward in a single stride, completely ignoring the noble princess beside them, grabbed Lynn by the shoulders, and shook him hard.
"Do you know what my life has been like these past few months?!"
"You call this thing a dragon? It's a bottomless pit! It's a demon!"
Robb pointed at Winter, his voice filled with breakdown.
"It was only four meters long when it arrived! And now? Now it's nearly fifteen meters!"
"It's taller than the walls of Winterfell!"
"Just one day's worth of food for it is enough to feed all the soldiers of Winterfell for three days!"
"It ate every sheep in Winterfell!"
"I had no choice but to shamelessly go and 'borrow' from the bannermen of the North!"
"You should have seen the look Lord Glover gave me! He thought I was rebelling and stockpiling food for war!"
"And! Not only does it eat, it causes trouble!"
"Yesterday it knocked down half of Maester Luwin's observatory tower! Just because it wanted to raid a crow's nest!"
"Those were messenger ravens Maester Luwin had raised for decades!"
Robb grew more agitated as he spoke.
"If I hit it, it dares to blow smoke at me!"
"If you weren't my brother, I would have skinned it and turned it into dragon steaks long ago!"
Winter seemed to understand Robb was badmouthing it. The middle head turned around in dissatisfaction, bared its teeth at Robb, and let out a threatening growl from its throat.
Lynn patted its neck soothingly, and Winter immediately became docile again.
This scene stung Robb's battered heart even more.
Why?!
I worked so hard, acting as both father and mother to raise it, and in the end, it's affectionate with this absentee owner!
Looking at his tearless brother, then at Winter, who was pitifully rubbing its big head against him, Lynn finally couldn't help but laugh.
He walked over to Robb, patted his shoulder, and lowered his voice.
"Don't worry, Robb."
"I brought back plenty of Gold Dragons this time. Enough to cover Winter's food bill."
"Come on, let's go inside and talk."