Three giant dragons chased each other in the sky, like intertwined beams of silver, purple, and black wildfire.
Their figures were incredibly swift, cheering and frolicking in the air. Rhaegar could feel the hatchlings' joy and happiness.
The hatchlings fought over roast meat and took pride in flying the highest and performing the most difficult maneuvers.
Dragons possessed long necks, fine scales, and massive wingspans. Legend said these creatures resembled fire itself, though Rhaegar didn't understand the reason why.
"Dracarys!" The three hatchlings began to breathe fire. The flames were colorful, as beautiful as stars in the night sky. The lovely fire looked like blooming crimson flowers.
Rhaegar felt the Silver Emperor and the other two were truly insatiable. Although they weighed less than animals of similar size, their appetites were astonishing, sometimes exceeding their own body weight.
After tiring themselves out with play, the little dragons began looking for a place to sleep. The heat in the Purple Nest had been almost completely absorbed by them, so they would need to find time to go to Dragonstone.
That night, Rhaegar received orders from the Red Keep to attend a meeting in the Small Council chamber.
The important figures of King's Landing carried heavy responsibilities. A grand tournament meant excitement, noise, fighting, and chaos, stretching the limited manpower of the Gold Cloaks to the breaking point.
Rhaegar entered the chamber where King Jaehaerys, Crown Prince Aerys, Lord Ormund, Lord Tywin, and others were already waiting.
Rhaegar arrived riding a horse (metaphorically, or he rode to the keep), looking like a mass of silver fire. With his silver hair and indigo eyes, his handsome yet rugged appearance, and the scent of blood and fire from war and camps, he appeared both dangerous and charming.
Lord Tywin looked at Rhaegar, feeling a sense of helplessness. His wife had urged him many times to groom their daughter Cersei to be Queen, but now, the hope of marrying her to the youngest, most dazzling "dragon" of House Targaryen seemed slim. There was only one "Silver Prince," and he was too popular. Everyone wanted the crown, but there was only one crown.
The maiden from Dorne and the maiden from Storm's End both had dragon blood and were of a more suitable age. Especially the one from Storm's End—it was said the entire court was very satisfied with her.
"This tournament is to celebrate the tenth anniversary of King Jaehaerys II's ascension, and more importantly, to celebrate the reappearance of the giant dragons. Therefore, the scale must be grand, but we must also maintain order in King's Landing," Lord Ormund spoke first. Though elderly, the Duke was strong and vigorous.
Everyone nodded. Westeros was currently in a period of peace, with few internal or external enemies. After the War of the Ninepenny Kings, House Blackfyre had vanished. Furthermore, after the "Dance of the Dragons" (likely refers to a historical event or generic term, context implies post-Ninepenny Kings), the Kingdom of the Daughters (Triarchy) had fallen apart, and the city-states were hostile to each other. In such an environment, holding a grand tournament to display royal dignity and ritual was timely. The only worry was the massive number of attendees, which would inevitably cause chaos.
"Confirmed attendees include the Great Lords: the Princess of Dorne; the Warden of the East, Lord Arryn, his wife, and heir; the Warden of the North, Lord Stark, his wife, and eldest and second sons; the Warden of the South, Lord Tyrell, his wife, and eldest son Mace; and the Lord and Lady Tully of the Riverlands with their eldest daughter Catelyn." Crown Prince Aerys announced this important list; he would also serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
This round of selection consisted entirely of the Great Lords of Westeros; other powerful lords like House Redwyne and House Hightower were temporarily excluded (from the inner circle/list). Crown Prince Aerys felt things were looking up again. Although his own abilities were mediocre, he was the father of a Dragonrider, which was a glory in itself. Besides, he loved feasts, singing, and dancing—beautiful things he could never forget.
King Jaehaerys appointing him and Queen Rhaella as Grand Masters of Ceremonies to manage heralds and guest lists was a fitting arrangement.
"There are other points to note. Many foreign friends may also come, and how to entertain them is another issue. For example, we must avoid letting people from Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh get too close; they quarrel or even fight on sight. Furthermore, the people of Braavos, Pentos, and Lorath once formed an alliance to fight the Kingdom of the Daughters," Lord Tywin reminded them. These matters were obvious. The Free Cities lacked unity; they fought amongst themselves. Even the strongest, Braavos, only intervened to maintain balance and ensure its transcendent status.
Rhaegar shook his head. Aegon the Conqueror's decision not to provoke Essos was correct; no one could control nine heads that grew freely and hated each other simultaneously.
The conversation returned to the topic of dragons. The Small Council's concern was simple: how many more dragon eggs could hatch.
But the answer disappointed them: the other eggs had not hatched. Although King Jaehaerys had sent men to place eggs beside his other two grandsons, the dragon eggs showed no reaction.
Rhaegar found it strange too. According to future history, only Daenerys hatched dragons, but in reality, there were far more dragon eggs and people with dragon blood in the world. Several members of House Targaryen had hatched dragons in the past. Dragon eggs were missing, and besides Daenerys, there were many wild dragon seeds.
Perhaps only Daenerys possessed the powerful Dragonlord bloodline (required for the miracle), or perhaps the hatching of the three dragons was just a coincidence and hadn't yet triggered a larger magical tide to allow other eggs to hatch.
If King Jaehaerys hadn't seen Rhaegar's three dragons with his own eyes, he wouldn't be interested in the "Return of the Magic Dragons." His father had died at Summerhall precisely because he was obsessed with pursuing that return.
But Rhaegar had hatched dragons, representing another great historical opportunity that the Dragonlord family cherished dearly.
"So, we only have three dragons? And they are all hatchlings?" Lord Ormund frowned. Having dragons was good, but they needed protection. Hatchlings had weak combat power; they were too small and their temperaments unstable. It was hard for dragonriders to control hatchlings and fledglings. Now, it was less about dragons protecting people and more about people needing to protect dragons.
"Lord Ormund, these are the only three dragons left in the world. We have all seen them with our own eyes; they are full of vitality and growing fast every day. Especially that Silver Dragon—it is the fiercest and largest. Once they reach adulthood, they will surely become the powerful overlords of the sky for this era. The Prince's three dragons are completely different from those sickly, dying dragons of a hundred years ago. These three are full of vigor and wildness," Lord Tywin added.
"But Prince Rhaegar owns all three dragons himself. Will the other dragons accept different masters besides the Silver Dragon?" Lord Ormund asked.
"I'm afraid it's unlikely. The three dragons hatched simultaneously; they are friends and hard to separate." Rhaegar shook his head. These three hatchlings were like a three-headed dragon; they fought and competed, but they were intimate partners that no one could separate. Moreover, they only listened to Rhaegar. Perhaps if Rhaegar had a wife and children, they might get close to his family?
Lord Ormund and the others exchanged glances. These were the only surviving dragons and the last Dragonrider—incredibly precious. Prince Rhaegar, in particular, could not be protected enough.
"We must properly protect the only three dragons we have," King Jaehaerys said. "Besides, we still have many dragon eggs and two young princes—this is a huge strategic resource for the future."
In King's Landing, the tournament was about to begin, and colorful banners flew over the Dragonpit.
Black banners depicted red giant dragons, silver seahorses, roaring lions, crowned stags, direwolves of the ice fields, and more.
Commoners and nobles from home and abroad gathered here, not just to watch the grand tournament, but because the giant dragons were about to return.
The crowd's eyes were focused on the unopened area—Prince Rhaegar's military camp, rumored to be where the dragons roosted. Although the residents of King's Landing had heard countless stories about dragons, seeing a real giant dragon with their own eyes was still thrilling.
Prince Rhaegar led his soldiers out of the camp, signaling to the crowd.
The soldiers, dressed in black scale armor, stood heroically under banners symmetrically displaying black flags, red dragons, and red eagles.
A whistling sound began to ring in the air. Three giant dragons spiraled up from the Prince's camp, then landed steadily in front of Prince Rhaegar.
The Demon Dragons spread their leathery wings, and people could even see the wind churning.
People held their breath, looking at the three proud magic dragons before them—silver, black, and purple—arguably the most majestic creatures in the world.
Although they were only the size of calves now, given the growth rate of dragons, these three were constantly strengthening in size, soon to herald the full return of the magic dragons. Especially the largest Silver Dragon, which looked even more strong and powerful.
"Dracarys!" Rhaegar ordered. The three giant dragons spiraled up and flew again. The hatchlings spread their wings, held their necks high, and colorful flames bloomed in the air, as if presenting a magnificent fireworks display for the tourney.
House Targaryen once conquered Westeros with three magic dragons; now, the three magic dragons had returned!
The black banner with the red dragon flew high, and the red dragon seemed to come alive.