Ghidorah's appearance undoubtedly triggered a massive panic on Dragonstone. Warning bells soon rang out, and he could see several soldiers on the castle battlements pointing at the sky and crying out in alarm, scurrying in all directions to spread the news.
Some people were also trying to operate those long-abandoned scorpion bolts; he remembered that back when he was still on Dragonstone, these giant crossbows were already stationed there.
At that moment, a thought flashed through Viserys's mind: if he were to dive down now and use Dragonfire to ignite those warships and towers, retaking Dragonstone would surely be as easy as turning over a hand. However, he did not want to distract his current energy too much; Dragonstone would be his sooner or later.
He suppressed his inner impulse and simply had Ghidorah circle the island twice. The dragon's roar echoed over Dragonstone, as if proclaiming the return of the dragon, before continuing to fly south.
However, he had just noticed someone—specifically, a woman, Melisandre. Dressed in red with hair to match, she appeared on the castle tower the moment Ghidorah let out its roar.
Viserys hadn't expected her to be here. After all, Renly was not dead yet and was still in a standoff with Stannis. He had assumed that because the timeline had been moved forward, Melisandre would still be in Asshai.
But Viserys didn't care about her; he had already reached a simple alliance with rhllor, and Melisandre posed no threat to him. Moreover, although she was a significant character in the original story, the thought of her being a hundred-year-old woman made him feel uneasy.
After flying for a considerable amount of time, the shape of the Westeros coastline began to change. The originally rugged cliffs and rocky bays were gradually replaced by gentle sandy beaches and river mouths, and the color of the vegetation shifted from the common green to the unique, grayish-yellow tones of Dorne.
The air also became noticeably warmer and drier; even at high altitude, one could feel the heatwave. Viserys knew he had entered the territory of Dorne.
While most of Dorne was barren and dry, the areas through which the Greenblood flowed were fertile. Even during the long summer, there was enough rain to supply them, making it the lifeblood upon which the Dornish people depended.
Consequently, most of the noble castles and towns in Dorne were established along the banks or branches of the Greenblood.
Viserys lowered his altitude slightly and followed the course of the river. He saw flatboats on the water and many Dornish-style buildings with flat roofs and thick walls along the banks.
Finally, on the evening of the second day after leaving The Vale, he saw his destination: Sunspear. This was also the only place in Dorne that truly resembled a city.
Sunspear is situated at the easternmost tip of the Dornish peninsula, surrounded by sea on three sides. Observing from the air, Viserys saw the city was mainly composed of three parts. The oldest part was the Sandship, now also called the Old Palace, the original stronghold of House Martell; its shape closely resembled a great galley washed ashore and turned to stone.
Two towering spires, the Tower of the Sun and the Spear Tower, rose from the level ground of the Old Palace, marking Martell's spear and the Rhoynish sun respectively, like two masts standing on the deck of a sailing ship.
The western side of the city was known as the Shadow City; it was the marketplace of Sunspear and the residential area for commoners. Three Winding Walls encircled the entire city and meandered through the Shadow City, making the narrow streets within as intricate as a labyrinth.
However, three heavily guarded gates arranged in sequence provided a convenient path directly to the inner city. Visitors could pass straight through the Three Winding Walls to reach the Old Palace without having to navigate the maze-like town.
The final part was the private residence of the Prince of Dorne, the Water Gardens. It was located on the beach of Sunspear, separated from the other two parts by a coastal road.
The gardens contained numerous pools and fountains, and were planted with many blood orange trees unique to Dorne, with pale pink marble floors covering the entire garden. This was also Prince Doran's favorite place.
Viserys guided Ghidorah to descend and circle over Sunspear, letting out a dragon's roar. He noticed that people in the city and the castle had clearly discovered him, and there was some commotion among the ships at the docks.
He circled three times in total, both to display the dragon and to give the Dornish people some time to prepare. Soon, he spotted a small troop of riders emerging from the Old Palace, moving rapidly toward the Threefold Gate.
The leader rode a magnificent black horse. Even from high above, Viserys could recognize the man as the "Red Viper," Oberyn Martell; his signature riding posture was full of flamboyance.
The timing was perfect. Viserys guided Ghidorah to land on the open sands outside the Threefold Gate. Ghidorah folded its wings and slammed its heavy body onto the ground with a dull thud, making the nearby earth tremble.
When the dust settled, Ghidorah's golden scales seemed like a mass of burning fire under the setting sun. Viserys leaped down from the dragon's back with three swords hanging at his waist, his purple eyes calmly scanning the House Martell guards who had emerged from various places to surround him and Ghidorah.
These guards wore copper scale armor and yellow cloaks, holding spears and scimitars. Their eyes were wary but betrayed an irrepressible shock.
They obviously recognized the signature silver hair, purple eyes, and the dragon. After all, Dorne was arguably the place in Westeros that knew dragons best outside of the Targaryens, even if the dragon before them somewhat shattered their preconceptions. Still, the sudden arrival of a dragon kept their nerves taut.
A moment later, the sound of hoofbeats broke the stalemate as Oberyn and his party arrived. Prince Oberyn dismounted, parted the guards, and strode toward Viserys.
Today he wore a robe of orange silk, his black hair slightly curled. His face still bore that trademark, somewhat cynical smile, though those black eyes of his were as sharp as ever.
"His Majesty Viserys, we meet again," Oberyn said in a booming voice. "Welcome to Sunspear. Your entrance was truly impressive. And you arrived faster than we anticipated; I thought you might stay Beyond the Wall for a few more days to enjoy yourself."
He walked closer, his gaze lingering on Ghidorah for a moment with a flash of envy before focusing on Viserys, performing an elegant Dornish bow.
"There is nothing fun Beyond the Wall," Viserys replied. "Only cold and corpses, plus a mutated Stark."
"Is that so? That sounds much more interesting than visiting the Water Gardens."
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