"Gavin, I have a secret to tell you. I've only told your father this before. My real name is Alice Belleris, and I'm one of the Dragon Kings who survived the cataclysm."
He then took out two books with their covers torn off from a box under the bed, handed them to Gavin, and continued, "One of these books records some of the history of the Belleris family and was carried by our ancestor who survived the apocalypse. The other is a diary written by that ancestor after the apocalypse, which tells some of the family's secrets. It is because of these secrets that I am the only one left in the family to survive."
Gavin took the book and quickly flipped through it, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought. It seems I am qualified to ride dragons too." He then asked Alice, "Mother, the characters written in this book are the very strange script you taught me! So, you taught me the script so that I could understand this book?"
Alice smiled gently and replied softly, "Yes, Gavin. The language and script I taught you are Higher Valyrian, the language that everyone in our family must master. You can take a look at these materials, and as for whether or not to pursue the secrets in the diary, you can decide for yourself when you grow up."
Gavin sat by the sea, seawater boiling in a pot in front of him. The fire was dying down due to lack of firewood, but Gavin's mind was elsewhere.
The secret Alice had told him two nights ago still lingered in his mind. He had already finished reading the book and had a general understanding of his mother's family history.
Most books describing the history of the Beleris family are filled with praise for their power, while substantial key information is relatively scarce. Even so, through the text, one can still glean insights into the strength of Valyria at the time, aspects of the Freehold, and the political landscape within the Freehold Council. The books also emphasize the absolute dominance the Beleris family held within the Valyrian Freehold.
According to the book, forty dragon families together formed the Council of Valyria Freehold, and the entire country was ruled by the Council.
The council is jointly managed by three high-ranking dragon king families who serve as council chairmen. Other dragon king families can participate in the voting, and the number of votes is linked to the family's strength. The surviving Targaryens are among them, but according to the book, they have virtually no say in the council.
The Belleris family is no ordinary dragon king family; they are one of the three powerful families that govern the council, and even possess veto power within the Freehold Council. The family's first and most powerful dragon was named Belleris, hence the family name.
The book describes Beleris as living for 800 years, its flight blotting out the sun. In dragon battles, it could even transform its flesh and blood into flames, thus becoming immune to all harm; even its dragon rider would be engulfed in flames along with the dragon. Even in Valyria at that time, this dragon was virtually invincible.
Besides possessing the ability to control dragons, most members of the Belleris family throughout history have also awakened the power of fire magic. Even without dragons, the Belleris, wielding magical power, are still a force to be reckoned with. Correspondingly, the other two superior families control blood magic and prophecy, respectively.
The owner of another diary was named Ofus Belleris, who was also an ancestor of Gavin's lineage.
During the apocalyptic catastrophe, 18-year-old Overseer happened to be in Braavos, thus narrowly escaping the destruction. However, his dragon was merely a young dragon, barely old enough to ride. In the Blood Age, the slaves rioted and killed the dragon, allowing Overseer to escape Braavos. Even his clan sword, which he always carried, was lost and became part of the treasures in the Sea King's vault.
From then on, Ofus wandered aimlessly on the continent of Essos, and even dared not acknowledge his own surname.
According to his diary, the Beleris family had set up a secret underground dragon's lair in their ancestral lands far from Valyria. Inside, they kept dragon eggs, a great deal of family knowledge, and countless treasures of gold and silver. The dragon's lair was located deep underground and might not be destroyed even by the apocalypse.
Orpheus desperately wanted to return to the ruins of Valyria to search for it, but the smoke and dust after the apocalypse obscured everything, and people couldn't even get close to the sea of smoke surrounding Valyria.
Thirty years later, the smoke and dust finally cleared, and the nearly 50-year-old Ophus decided to explore his family's dragon lair to retrieve the family's treasure and dragon eggs. So, he entrusted the keepsakes and other belongings he had left behind to his descendants and set off alone to explore the location recorded in his diary, but he never returned.
Over the centuries that followed, members of the family traveled to Valyria, but none returned. To this day, only Iris remains of the family line. She only came to Westeros after meeting Morton and choosing to settle there.
The dying embers of the fire, now low on fuel, finally snapped Gavin out of his tangled thoughts. He quickly added more firewood and tended to the flames to keep them burning. After doing all this, Gavin touched the pendant hanging around his neck.
The pendant was milky white, with a smooth and warm surface, and seemed to faintly radiate a mysterious luster in the dim light.
According to the book and her mother, this pendant is a token of the Belleris family. The dragon skeleton carved into it comes from Belleris, the most powerful dragon in the family.
Gavin touched the pendant, examining it carefully. His mother had given it to him that night, and the moment he touched it, he could feel the energy contained within it. However, after two days of investigation, he still couldn't figure it out. He could only feel the energy flowing into his body, albeit very slowly. Unable to understand it, Gavin put aside his doubts, put away his findings, and headed towards the town.
Soon Gavin returned to the familiar tavern. As soon as he entered, the proprietress, Laman, greeted him with a smile, pinching his cheeks and muttering, "Oh, Gavin, you're getting more and more handsome."
The tavern was bustling with activity as the guests discussed current events with great enthusiasm.
"Have you heard? Robert Baratheon smashed Prince Rhaegar's chest with a single blow. The war is about to end!" a burly man with a full beard shouted.
"Your information is outdated. The war is over. Tywin Lannister tricked the gates of King's Landing open and ravaged the capital," another tall, thin man chimed in.