(Treston's POV)
You all might have forgotten about me since I am nothing but a very minor character. Such is the fate of seemingly unimportant minor characters in such a large story.
Anyway, I am Treston, and my name has been mentioned just once before this chapter. I am the deputy to Assistant Commander Rhaenys.
It had been a week since my regiment 2,500 men departed from the temporary barracks just outside Meereen. Technically, we were part of the battalion under Commander Freydron, and we were not supposed to go anywhere. Our duty was to remain in the region and protect the three cities. Yet, we had departed.
Apart from a select few peoples, the ones at the very top of the hierarchy, no one knew that a regiment meant to be a mobile defense unit moving between Meereen, Yunkai, and Astapor had vanished from its post. No one knew that we were on the march, heading north, farther and farther from Meereen.
Regiments upon regiments from Lord Aeos' massive army had begun marching westward toward the Free Cities, and amid that movement and confusion, we had taken our own path northward.
Apart from Lord Aeos, his commanders, and the three ladies, no one knew which city was about to face his wrath. I did not know and would probably never know but I was certain that his army's deployment would cause an unseen stir across all of Essos.
Every city would dread an incoming attack, and yet none would be able to prepare for it. If Lord Aeos willed a city to fall, it would fall. And with the size of the army he had deployed, it seemed that more than one city would fall. No. They would not fall. They would rise and become part of the Lord Aeos' empire. Now, back to my story.
We were among the very first recruits, the Unsullied, who had decided to follow Lord Aeos in Astapor. The memory of how he had rallied us, how he had called upon us to seize our freedom was still vivid in my mind. I personally had slain a couple of masters that day, and that was the moment I truly understood what freedom tasted like. That was the day I had discarded my slave and chosen a name of my choice. Treston.
At that moment, I had taken Lord Aeos as my god. The Breaker of Chains. And now, I was being rewarded for that loyalty.
My regiment had been chosen for this specific mission because Lord Aeos and Commander Freydron trusted us. They believed that our loyalty was unwavering. That no torture, no temptation, could ever make us betray Lord Aeos. And it was true.
While our mission might have seemed unimportant at first and I was not aware of all the details except the first step, I could tell that this was something significant, something strategic for Lord Aeos. Lady Rhaenys would not have been deployed for anything ordinary. She was the best among us.
Lady Rhaenys had not departed with us. We were to meet her here tonight, under the cover of darkness.
My men had already set up camp. The night was still, and the flickering flames of the torches burning throughout the camp were the only source of light, casting long shadows across the tents and the rough terrain.
I was standing outside the camp boundary facing south towards Meereen waiting for her. And then, I heard it. An ear shattering roar.
A sound so unnatural that it shook my very soul. Every man in the camp leapt to his feet, swords drawn, eyes scanning the darkness. They didn't know what was coming.
But I did. It was Lady Rhaenys. Lady Rhaenys on dragon back with two dragons on her either side. 5 dragons.
(Rhaenys' POV)
As I approached the camp, my heart thumped with excitement. This was the first time I had ridden a dragon for such a long time and distance, covering so much ground in one go. It was truly thrilling. This made me remember the first time I had flown on them with Aeos.
Flying alongside me were the other four dragons. Even though I was the one riding them, they were not truly mine. They belonged to one and only Lord Aeos. They obeyed his command and had allowed me to borrow their strength for a while, to complete this strategically important mission. They were to remain with me for some time.
Even so, not all five dragons were willing to let me ride them. The largest of them all, Obsidian and Angalocon, refused outright. It was not that I had not ridden them before, but that had only been when Aeos himself had commanded them to allow it. A command he had not repeated since.
Nelethrion, not much smaller than the first two, was somewhat willing, though only to a limited extent.
Rhaenorin and Lyacron, however, were different. They were calmer, almost approachable. Between the two, I had chosen Rhaenorin, named after my father. For months, I had practiced flying with him, and though it was not a true bond like the one Aeos shared with them, a mutual understanding had developed between us.
All five dragons were remarkably intelligent and disciplined. They followed my commands without resistance. They were not the wild, untamable beasts sung about in legends, they were something far greater.
As I drew closer to the camp, I could see every soldier already on their feet. Standing at the front was Treston, my deputy. When the dragons descended, the moonlight illuminated my face, and just before we touched the ground, I gave a subtle nod.
All five dragons let out a thunderous roar, the combined sound creating a shockwave so powerful that several tents nearly tore from their stakes. The earth trembled as their massive bodies landed, and the soldiers could only stare, eyes wide in disbelief.
Apart from Treston, none of them had been informed about the dragons. They could not believe what they were seeing.
Dragons. Five of them.
"Lady Rhaenys!"
Treston was the first to react, dropping to one knee in reverence.
The soldiers, though still in shock, followed his lead. They were not called the most disciplined force in Lord Aeos' army for nothing. One by one, every man bent a knee, and soon a powerful chorus echoed across the camp.
"Lady Rhaenys!"
Their voices rang out through the night, rising above the crackling torches and the deep, steady breathing of the dragons behind me.
I slid down from Rhaenorin's back and landed softly on the ground before them. My boots touched the earth, and a hush fell over the camp.
"Rise," I commanded.
They obeyed instantly, standing tall once more curiosity, awe, and perhaps a hundred questions flickering in their eyes.
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