Chapter 295: Dragon Hatching Ceremony
Somewhere in Bolton Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
"You sure you're not going to burn?" Ygritte asked with a good deal of worry lacing her voice.
"I showed you that I can't burn, didn't I?" Domeric asked him as he placed a large bowl of blood on top of the pyre field.
According to the Valyrian tomes Domeric found, a living human sacrifice was necessary to achieve the ritual's full effect. Frankly, Domeric wasn't surprised.
The Valyrians had a habit of solving every problem with human sacrifice.
After examining the tomes, Domeric was able to decipher why human sacrifice made the ritual more powerful. As with many other rituals, the main reason was related to blood.
During the ritual, the sacrificed human's blood evaporated and was absorbed by the dragon egg, nourishing it. As a result, the dragon became more powerful.
But as always, the Valyrian method of human sacrifice was quite ineffective. While this method was beneficial for the dragon egg, the blood that nourished the egg ultimately came from an ordinary human.
Therefore, Domeric made a slight change to the ritual, turning it into a blood sacrifice ritual specifically collected from magical creatures, rather than burning a living human to death.
He also added a good deal of his own blood to the mix. After all, Domeric was one of the most powerful magical beings in this world.
"Not burning from a candle and not burning from a huge pyre are two different things." His aunt joined in.
He turned to her and said, "I'll be alright, Auntie. I've tried burning myself on a forge before. Trust me, it didn't even tickle."
His aunt still didn't look convinced.
"Do you really have to do this in such a dramatic manner. Can't you just hatch the egg like the other Targaryens did without trying to burn yourself?"
"I could. But this is the best method." He said. But it was the second-best method, really. The best method would be to go to the fire generated by the lava in the Volcanic Mountains in Valyria.
But judging by how he couldn't even breathe the air of that area, it was unlikely that he would ever hatch any dragon from the Volcanoes of Valyria.
"Dragon born under fire, along with a blood sacrifice, are not only the strongest but also grow at the fastest rate and grow to be larger than their counterparts." He said.
His aunt still looked ready to complain, but a stern look from him silenced her.
"I know what I'm doing, Auntie. Don't worry about me." He said, but it was a lie.
He knew that he wouldn't burn in fire, but he was still worried about being suffocated once the pyre started burning.
But all the Valyrian magical tomes told him that a true Valyrian Dragonlord wouldn't suffocate and die in intense fire.
He could only hope they're right, or he'll have to use a bubblehead charm on himself, and he didn't know how that would affect the ritual.
"Varko." He said, and the man came forward, handing him the shiny black dragon egg.
He instantly felt the warmth and affection from inside the egg, and an unconscious smile formed on his lips.
He took the egg, climbed to the top of the Pyre, and sat down with it.
He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to relax. Then he looked at Varko and nodded.
"Do it." He said.
Varko looked hesitant but still followed the order. He took the burning torch and threw it at the pyre.
Domeric looked at Ygritte, and even though she looked worried, there was also resolve in those eyes.
She believed in him.
He smiled at her before the whole pyre started burning, and then his world was covered in flames.
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POV of Ygritte
The fire burned for the whole night.
Ygritte was grateful that Domeric had changed the ritual and abandoned the practice of sacrificing a living person. She didn't know if she could bear to watch Domeric in those flames, accompanied by the screams of someone burning.
Ygritte knew that many in this land, in this world, deserved death.
Recently, a farmer was tried in court for raping and killing a free folk girl who had wandered onto his land while hunting.
Even being burned to death wouldn't be too severe a punishment for this man, according to Ygritte.
So, if Domeric couldn't change the ritual's use of human sacrifice, Ygritte offered to sacrifice this man for the ritual.
But Domeric flatly refused. According to him, a person should be killed by another in only three circumstances: to protect oneself or someone else, during a duel or battle, or while administering justice.
Otherwise, a life taken for other purposes pollutes a person's soul and clouds his thoughts.
So Domeric executed the farmer who was sentenced to death by the court's decision with his own Valyrian sword.
'Even if the court sentenced him to death, a Lord should always be the one to carry out the execution. To never forget the value of a life,' was Domeric's words.
Frankly, Ygritte might have had a mini orgasm at that moment. Her husband was a truly majestic, extraordinary, cool man, and she often thanked the Old Gods for bringing them together.
And right now, she was afraid the Old Gods would take Domeric from her.
She trusted Domeric and knew he would overcome this hurdle, but she couldn't help worrying.
She glanced toward Domeric's aunt, but she was so focused on the sight of her nephew sitting at the top of the pyre that she didn't pay attention to anything else.
Hours passed, and the fire continued to burn.
She and everyone else who had come to watch the dragon hatching ceremony stepped back as the heat from the pyre only continued to rise higher and higher as the time passed.
By now, they were about 20 meters away from the flames, which were burning so bright that she needed to squint to even look at them properly.
She had no idea how the fire had grown so strong and intense. In some places, the fire was even turning green, blue, and black.
Domeric told her that the hotter the fire, the better it was for the dragon's birth. So, he must have done something about this situation.
Domeric's aunt was still staring at the fire with utmost focus, even though none of them could even see Domeric inside the pyre at this point.
The whole night passed, and the fire continued to burn until dawn, when its intensity suddenly started to die down.
Despite all their supernaturally enhanced bodies, it was Domeric's aunt who was the first to go closer to the pyre, with her following in her footsteps a moment later.
Once the fire began to burn down, she noticed that all the wood on the pyre had been reduced to ash.
"I see him." She heard Domeric's aunt say, and upon closer inspection, she could also see a figure still sitting in the same position at the center of the dwindling flames.
A relieved smile broke out on her face, and she suddenly noticed that her cheeks were wet.
She touched her cheeks and realized she had started crying from joy and relief.
For all the support she showed Domeric in his foolish, life-threatening activities, she was terrified for him this time.
And all the tension that she carried with herself all night finally came loose.
She laughed to herself as the fire continued to die down and the figure of Domeric became clear.
At that point, she noticed that the dragon egg he carried with him to the fire was missing.
She frowned at that, but the frown was replaced with a smile when a naked and soot-covered Domeric got up from the dwindling fire and smiled at them.
Her smile was cut short as she saw something climb to his shoulder from behind him, and her eyes almost fell out of her socket as she saw a jet-black colored…
"…Dragon," she heard someone whisper in reverie beside herself.
But once Ygritte got over her initial shock, she realized this dragon was different from the ones she'd read about and seen in books.
Instead of two legs like a regular dragon, it had four, and three small white horns on its head.
Two of the horns originated on the sides of its head, while the other originated in the middle of its forehead.
And this gave her another shock.
The Dragon, which was already the size of a cat, let out a powerful screech and unfurled its wings, making its mighty presence known to the world.
She was still in shock when Domeric, with a sweep of his hand, cleaned the soot off his body and created new clothes for himself with magic. Then he climbed out of the pyre and smiled at all of them.
"Everyone. Meet the newest member of our family," he said, and picked up the dragon from his shoulder to show it to them properly.
"Meet the wise dragon Kilgharrah. The Great Sage."
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.296: A Day of Triplet Sisters
Ch.297: Construction of the Forts at the Wall
Ch.298: Time Changes Everything