The dragons roared throughout the courtyard as they feasted on the goats prepared for them.
The Black Dragon, Balerion, ate the most. He always seemed hungry. Besides hunting the live goats released into the courtyard, he often flew out to sea, catching schools of flying fish before engulfing them in flames and swallowing them whole.
Once they were full, the young dragons began roughhousing as usual, clawing and biting each other in playful combat.
Daenerys quickly grabbed the Green Dragon Vhagar's tail, stopping it from escalating a fight with the White Dragon Viserion, while Brienne and Dacey stood nearby, protecting her despite their amazement at the dragons.
Balerion let out a deep, commanding roar.
Under the gaze of his glowing crimson eyes, both Vhagar and Viserion immediately calmed down.
"These dragons are growing at an incredible pace," Maester Qyburn said in amazement. "Especially Balerion. Perhaps he truly is the reincarnation of the Black Dread. Combined with the return of magic, his growth rate is simply extraordinary."
Qyburn had witnessed the miracle firsthand. He had watched the dragons grow from creatures no larger than kittens, to puppies, and now nearly the size of ponies.
"It wasn't the dragons that revived magic," he continued thoughtfully. "Rather, magic had already begun returning to the world, making their birth possible. Their birth merely accelerated its recovery."
"I never imagined I would live long enough to see dragons soar through the skies again," Ser Barristan said with a sigh.
"So many Targaryens tried to restore the dragons, yet every one of them failed. Truly... the times have changed."
History was filled with failed attempts.
King Aegon III, known as Dragonbane, summoned nine warlocks from across the Narrow Sea in hopes of hatching dragon eggs.
The devout Baelor the Blessed prayed endlessly over dragon eggs, hoping faith alone would awaken them.
The decadent Aegon IV commissioned pyromancers to create dragons from wood and steel, only for the creations to explode before even reaching the Kingswood, killing hundreds and burning a quarter of the forest.
Then there was the mad prince Aerion Brightflame, who drank wildfire believing it would transform him into a dragon.
Finally came King Aegon V, whose desperate attempt ended in the tragedy of Summerhall.
Rosby, Anguy, and Robar Royce also stood nearby, quietly observing.
None of them dared interrupt.
The knowledge possessed by Ser Barristan and Maester Qyburn far exceeded theirs.
Dragons had disappeared for over a century.
The arts of dragon riding and dragon taming had long been lost, and the few surviving books on the subject were almost impossible to obtain.
Even Daenerys herself was still learning.
"In another year or two," Gendry said confidently while watching the dragons, "we'll be riding them through the skies."
With Dragonstone's volcanic environment and the close bond between dragons and their riders, they would undoubtedly grow even faster.
Maester Qyburn bowed respectfully.
"Following your orders, Your Highness, Dragonstone's defenses are complete."
"Visible guards and hidden sentries are all in position."
"With warriors like Brienne, sorceresses such as the Red Priestess, and Maester Marwyn expected to arrive soon, Dragonstone will become nearly impregnable."
Gendry nodded while watching the dragons chase each other through the air.
"The dragons are miracles brought back from extinction."
"But news of their existence won't remain secret forever."
"Caution is necessary."
Ever since the dragons hatched and Lightbringer appeared, magic throughout the world had become noticeably stronger.
The Warlocks of Qarth had sensed the dragons' birth from thousands of miles away.
Sooner or later...
The entire world would know.
"The Warlocks of Qarth are the most troublesome," Ser Barristan said coldly.
"They even tried to lure Your Highness into the House of the Undying."
"That cursed place reeks of dark magic."
"The Undying Ones covet the life force burning within dragons."
"They even sent agents to follow Marajo's expedition."
"It is said that warlocks never forget a grudge."
Gendry merely smiled.
"They provoked me first."
"They were never destined to become my allies."
The Undying Ones disguised themselves as elegant, immortal sorcerers.
In reality, they were nothing more than shriveled corpses sustained by stolen magic.
Inviting him into the House of the Undying had only one purpose—
To steal his life force.
Above Dragonstone, the three dragons soared higher and higher into the blue sky.
They circled one another in friendly competition.
Dragons naturally preferred attacking from above.
They climbed until they were between the sun and their prey before folding their wings and diving like bolts of lightning.
Balerion flew the highest.
He quickly disappeared from Gendry's sight.
Meanwhile, Vhagar and Viserion wrestled playfully in midair.
Their claws locked together as they tumbled toward the ground in a spinning mass of scales, tails, and wings.
Fortunately, dragons possessed extraordinary durability.
To them, it was little more than play.
Just before reaching the ground, they separated effortlessly and soared back into the sky, beating their wings so powerfully that dust filled the courtyard.
After watching them for a while, Gendry turned toward Qyburn.
"What about the dragon eggs?"
"When Stannis and Lady Melisandre occupied Dragonstone, they claimed they searched every cave, cellar, and tunnel."
"They never found a single dragon egg."
"The Targaryens once guarded their eggs with extreme care."
"Even my uncle found nothing when Dragonstone fell."
"What have your investigations uncovered?"
Qyburn bowed again.
"Nothing, Your Highness."
"Everyone believes Dragonstone still hides dragon eggs."
"But if they truly exist, they must be concealed in an extraordinarily secret location."
"Even digging three feet into the ground has revealed nothing."
"It's also possible that not all of the eggs were hidden on Dragonstone."
Gendry frowned.
"So where did they all go?"
Countless dragon eggs had once belonged to House Targaryen.
Yet after the dynasty's fall...
They simply vanished.
When Aegon the Younger and later King Aegon V attempted to restore dragons, both possessed seven dragon eggs.
Today, however, only Illyrio Mopatis' three petrified eggs were known to exist.
It simply didn't make sense.
If Dragonstone truly held dragon eggs, they had to be hidden somewhere no ordinary search could uncover.
Stannis had lived on Dragonstone for years.
Even after leaving for the Wall, he had never taken any dragon eggs.
Likewise, Daenerys and her siblings had never known where such eggs might have been stored.
If they had possessed even fossilized dragon eggs, they would never have needed to sell crowns and family treasures simply to survive.
Ser Barristan nodded thoughtfully.
"In earlier generations, dragon eggs weren't nearly as rare."
"They were priceless, certainly, but not impossible to obtain."
He smiled faintly.
"King Aegon IV once gave away a dragon egg after spending a single night with a daughter of House Butterwell."
Qyburn quietly added,
"Even as recently as 259 AC, the royal family could gather seven dragon eggs without difficulty."
"That was the last time so many dragon eggs appeared together."
"It was during the tragedy of Summerhall."
"King Aegon V hoped to hatch dragons once again."
"The seven eggs symbolized the Seven Gods."
"Though the septons strongly warned against it."
"Many septons, maesters, and pyromancers perished in the flames."
"There were even witches present, including the Ghost of High Heart."
Ser Barristan slowly continued.
"Ser Duncan the Tall managed to save several people."
"After escaping the fire, Princess Rhaella gave birth to Prince Rhaegar."
Gendry silently reflected on the story.
King Aegon V had desperately wanted dragons because he hoped to reform the realm.
The nobles resisted every change he proposed.
His children rejected every arranged marriage.
Eventually...
The exhausted king placed all his hopes on dragons.
Summerhall appeared to satisfy nearly every condition required for dragon rebirth.
King's blood.
A pregnant woman.
Septs, pyromancers, maesters, and witches.
The price of life exchanged for life.
Yet the ritual ultimately failed.
Perhaps because the final sacrifice was never completed.
Rhaegar survived.
The dragons did not return.
And House Targaryen suffered one of its greatest tragedies.
Gendry slowly rubbed the Fire-Wielder Ring on his finger.
"Find those dragon eggs."
Conventional searches had failed.
But perhaps...
The Fire-Wielder Ring, attuned to the power of flame itself, could sense lingering traces of dragonfire and reveal where the eggs had been hidden.
The Targaryens had possessed far more than seven dragon eggs throughout their history.
There was no way they had all been destroyed at Summerhall.
Somewhere in the world...
Those beautiful dragon eggs were still waiting to be found.
________________________________________
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