Anguy brought everyone hot drinks spiced with cloves, helping them drive off the chill from the ship. Yet the joy of seeing dragons had already made them forget the sea wind.
The black dragon Balerion landed on Gendry's broad arm, letting everyone take a closer look. Balerion liked the feeling, after all, he was perched beside the strongest warrior of the age.
Balerion was covered in black scales the color of black jade, while his eyes, horns, and the spines along his back were blood-red. Gendry scratched his chin. The black dragon's scales were so hot they were almost painful to touch, like armor left beneath the blazing sun.
The green dragon Vhagar landed beside Daenerys Targaryen and curled up in her arms. A sea breeze stirred Daenerys's long silver-gold hair, and her face held a beauty unlike any other, almost inhuman.
As for the white dragon Viserion, he slowly settled on Gendry's shoulder at last. Balerion fixed the white dragon with blood-red eyes and wanted to drive him away, but Gendry stopped his temper from flaring.
"Quiet, Balerion. You are brothers. Companions." Gendry rubbed Balerion's head, and Daenerys could not help smiling. The black dragon calmed down considerably.
Dragons had to be handled and taught from a young age. Since these three had hatched together, their bond was still fairly friendly. When they fought, the young dragons even had a kind of group-attack instinct, a dragon pack tactic.
The green dragon Vhagar and the white dragon Viserion were both a little larger than small dogs now, while Balerion was bigger still, though none of them weighed as much as dogs of the same size. A dragon's body was mostly neck, tail, and wings, making it lighter than it looked.
"They will keep growing, until one day they carry us through the sky," Daenerys said proudly. One day, they would bear her into the heavens.
"The scent of sulfur and fire," the red priestess said as she watched the dragons. "The flesh and blood of dragons are made of Fire and Blood. Fire is life."
"Many will covet their power. That is why we need you, Lady Melisandre of Asshai," Maester Qyburn said.
Only magic could stand against magic. In this chaotic age, ordinary assassins and warriors were troublesome enough, but the truly terrifying threats were uncanny magic and strange powers.
"What worries you?" the red priestess asked Gendry. The great ruby at her throat shone brightly. She was indeed alluring, but the air of Asshai always seemed to carry the scent of sorcery.
Stannis drank a cup of the hot drink, and warmth spread through his chest.
"Blasphemers, sorcerers, Skinchangers, and all the uncanny things gathered together," Gendry said frankly to the red priestess. The greatest trouble was Crow's Eye. Crow's Eye seemed to have lit the flame of the Drowned God as well, and had gone even further down the road of magic.
"I did not believe in such things before," Stannis said. "From the day I saw my parents die at sea with my own eyes, I refused to believe in those cruel gods. But now strange things emerge one after another. We have no choice but to guard against them."
Even as a child, Stannis had been serious and unsmiling. When he was thirteen, Great Lord Steffon and his wife returned to Storm's End from Across the Narrow Sea. Their ship sank in Shipbreaker Bay, and both of them died. From that day on, Stannis hated the Seven, who had cruelly taken his parents from him, and he became even more gloomy.
"I have too much to do. I must put my strength into military matters and preparing for winter. So when it comes to dealing with possible strange powers, I will need Master Qyburn and Lady Melisandre's help," Gendry said.
"I will obey the Storm and the True Dragon. I will help you," the Red Witch said with a nod, then spoke bluntly. "But forgive me. Magic requires sacrifice. I can only do what lies within my power."
"What does your magic require?" Ser Barristan could not help asking softly.
"Fire. Only death can pay for life. I must please the Lord of Light to bring forth greater power. For example, burning the statues of the Seven, or using king's blood."
Daenerys nodded. She had seen death exchanged for life with her own eyes. Such was terrifying and wondrous magic. Her brother's death, her child's death, Khal Drogo's death, and more.
"Then your god is truly greedy," Dacey Mormont could not help saying. The gods of The North were not like that. The Old Gods were silent gods. They were the gods worshiped by the Children of the Forest, nameless spirits who ruled over stone, earth, and trees. The Northerners, Crannogmen, and the Free folk beyond the Wall still kept their devout faith in the Old Gods.
"Bear Girl, I dislike those words very much. In truth, all gods are greedy. The Lord of Light has the greatest power, so the Lord of Light is also the most domineering," the red priestess explained.
"Lady Melisandre, that is appalling. If you burn statues of the Seven or the trees of the Old Gods, it will bring endless trouble," Ser Barristan said with a frown. "In the past, the rigid King Baelor claimed the Seven wanted him to convert every heretic in the realm to the Faith of the Seven, and that nearly caused a war between the Iron Throne, The North, and the Iron Islands. If your Red God demands even more, then that would mean war across the entire realm."
Stannis said nothing. In truth, he did not believe in any god. What he valued was the red priestess's ability. To him, she had been a counselor and sorceress when he had little land and few soldiers. But for Gendry, who had ample troops and manpower, she would not carry the same weight.
"My lords, you will see the footprints of the gods appear. The Old Gods, the Lord of Light, and the Drowned God. If I am not devout to the Lord of Light, my power will weaken," the red priestess explained.
"Lady Melisandre, harmony without sameness," Gendry said to her. "If you do not want to see the gods fighting one another, then you need to restrain your urge to preach for now. Besides, our enemies are coming too quickly."
Maester Qyburn looked at the red priestess. "The White Ghosts in The North, the Ironborn to the west, Qarth to the east, and even the more mysterious Braavos. If the Qarthians have loud enough mouths, I imagine even the Sealord would not be pleased to see dragons reappear. No enemy can be underestimated."
"The Ironborn. I beat them into submission once," Stannis said. Compared to other forces, the Ironborn were little more than a small, poor people.
"You mean the Kraken's rebellion?" Dacey asked gloomily. It had been the battle that made her cousin Jorah famous, only for him to flee Across the Narrow Sea in disgrace. Dacey wanted to see him, but Jorah was too ashamed to face her and had told her to wait.
"Yes. In that war, we nearly broke the Kraken." Stannis said. During the Kraken's Rebellion, the Iron Throne had an absolute advantage in numbers and supplies, and used those advantages to suppress the rebels. At the Battle of Fair Isle, Stannis led the royal fleet in an ambush that shattered the Iron Fleet, giving Victarion his first taste of defeat.
"I am not speaking of Balon, but of someone far more dangerous," Gendry explained. "Balon's brother, Euron Greyjoy."
"That villain?" Stannis was puzzled. He did not have much of an impression of the man. In the present chaos, many people looked down on the Kraken, let alone paid attention to the enormous destruction Crow's Eye might bring in the future, because Crow's Eye had already touched unknown magical powers. "Their family is a nest of bad blood. That man seems to have been the one giving Balon advice."
"What is frightening is not his mind, but the fact that he may already have stepped into the river of magic," Maester Qyburn explained.
The red priestess thought it over. "The bleeding sword, the age of magic. If the power of the Storm, the wolf spirit, and the Lord of Light all appear, then the Drowned God may naturally act as well."
"That is why we must protect the dragons. There is a better plan, and we need you to join it."
"What plan?" the red priestess asked. She looked at the current situation. She had chosen Stannis because it made preaching easier, but now that Stannis had submitted, it seemed she would have to start anew.
Stannis also listened closely, wondering what subtle plan Gendry had in mind.
"A fishing plan. The dragons are our treasures, but they are also tempting bait," Gendry explained. Once the Qarthians returned, they would inevitably face those who coveted the dragons, the Dragonhorns and others. "The dragons are temporarily safe in the Disputed Lands, but I believe Dragonstone would be a better place. Dragonstone is the home of dragons, and fire is suited to their growth. What worries me most is the dragon seekers coming ashore again."
"Dragonstone." When Dany heard that familiar name, she could not help taking Gendry's hand. She had not lived there long, and barely remembered it, but she knew it was the home of the Targaryens.
"We will return to that place," Gendry said to Daenerys.
"Leave it to me," Melisandre said with a nod. "In truth, Storm's End shields against magic and could also serve as a place to raise dragons, but it truly cannot compare to the volcanic terrain of Dragonstone, which is better suited to their growth. I will use fire as a mirror, and fire as a weapon, to ensure nothing goes wrong."
Stannis nodded. "Dragonstone is suitable, but it will also require precise protection." The treasure of dragons would draw those people like moths to flame, one after another. Hiding would not work. Better to open the bag and wait.
"I will give you a list. House Hightower of The Reach, the Black Swan of Braavos, all of them are on it..." Qyburn smiled. He had already compiled such a list, arranged strict guards, prepared sorcerers and observers, and built an intelligence network stretching from Oldtown to Braavos.
Those who had once possessed dragon blood might not succeed, but they still had to be guarded against.
"I hope we work well together, old Maester. And I hope you will change your attitude toward the Lord of Light."
"A pleasure to work with you, my lady. But I am a scholar, not a theologian. I have already wasted too much of my life. Now, I devote myself only to science, and to serving the Storm and the True Dragon."
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